popwreckoning

Friday night in Kansas City boasted a bountiful crop of local acts to check out. One of the best bets could be found at the Record Bar where The Record Machine was hosting a showcase for Soft Reeds‘ CD Release. Opening was Motorboater and Cowboy Indian Bear.

Motorboater is Dan Eaton, a musician who also plays in KC’s Queen’s Club. With his solo project, Dan trades in the guitars and pop rock jams for his Macbook and electronic-dance tunes. The music was like Passion Pit meets Yeasayer meets Metro Station – I’ll let you decide if that sounds like a good combination or not (and to make the genre even more confusing, Eaton left everyone with a Taylor Swift remix). Hunched over his computer monitor, shoulders bobbing to his tunes, I could see how Motorboater could really take off in the proper environment, but in the low key Record Bar where the majority of patrons would rather chill in a booth with beers than get up and dance, Motorboater got a little muddled.

“We’re a new band called Black Man Running,” quipped Marty Hillard after his band had already warmed the crowd up with a couple songs. In reality, Hillard is part of the very popular Lawrence three-piece Cowboy Indian Bear. This band draws in listeners with cool vocal trade-offs between Hillard and CJ Calhoun, but then blows fans away with bombastic drums not just from backbone drummer Beau Bruns, but from all the members. It’s serious music, but as Marty’s quip proved, there’s also a light-heartedness to it as well.

Since the showcase was all about Soft Reeds and the band’s new album Soft Reeds Are Bastards, the band did a few things out of the norm for a typical local band show. They began with the premiere of a music video for “This Affair,” made by Gnarly Productions. It wasn’t only the first time fans were seeing the video, but a first for the band as well. The band began their set with album opener Brave New World, a catchy rock tune with a bit of a garage rock edge. Though a bit out of order from the album, as can be expected at a CD release, Soft Reeds played through most of their songs on Soft Reeds Are Bastards until the bar turned on the lights to kick everyone out. The songs have a classic, jangly upbeat sound that make this release perfect timing to catch the tail end of the summer bbq season. Just be warned, for as happy as the major chords and and staccato key notes make it sound, lyrically and vocally, the music is juxtaposed with a gritty edge. One of my favorite Soft Reeds songs both live and on the album, “The City and the Stars” has a chorus that says, “I”m torn between the city and the stars: open spaces and lived-in bars.” Kind of fascinating sentiment if you really think about it, but a good metaphor for the type of feeling I get from this album. Yeah, you can have the cliche openness of the countryside and the stars just like you can have the clean cut cheery sounds of music like the Beach Boys or you can go with something more true to how life is – it might be a little worn-in, but it is familiar and interesting at the same time, much like the sounds of this album: familiar, a bit worn-in, but very interesting.

You can stream the new album at the Record Machine here. It is officially released July 13.

Soft Reeds Set List:
Brave New World
Bleeding Hearts
The City and the Stars
Thick of Thin Things
Wasted Time
Baby’s on Fire
Hemel Dalingen
The Sirens of Titan
This Affair

At a recent show in their hometown, It’s True announced they would soon be breaking up.

The band was playing Slowdown Jr. in Omaha, Neb. when they announced that was their third to last show. Their last show will be July 24 at the Maha Festival alongside The Faint and Spoon.

The band made a stunning debut into the music scene just barely a year ago. In the late Spring/early Summer, they released a 7″ Split with Lawrence’s Cowboy Indian Bear.

PopWreckoning got to see them in action a few times and while the smooth vocal harmonies and the walls of guitar fuzz impressed us, the band’s excessive drinking habits were less than exhilarating (You might recall the Sailor Sequence fiasco). That being said, the early break up is sad, but not too surprising.

Even though this album came out a couple weeks ago, and even though it isn’t technically summer yet, I’ve deemed Cowboy Indian Bear‘s debut album Each Other All the Time as one of the most satisfying summer albums you’ll find for this season’s long, hot days and easy, carefree nights.

The melodies are uncomplicated, the percussion is crisp and consistent, and this Lawrence, KS band’s minimalist approach to harmonies and instrumentation is excitable and energetic, a perfect soundtrack for the liveliness and spirit the summer sun provides.

“Heart Be” is one of those spirited tracks, offering a solid, danceable beat that drives its way into “Mathematicians/Colour,” a layered, distinct song with quick, sharp percussion and captivating harmonies. Toward the end of the album, “Conjunction Junction” keeps the fun going with a full, lush sound that flows into “Color Well,” a track that is a very smooth, a cool, refreshing drink to ease the heat of the album’s sunny tracks. The album ends with a haunting finale, “1545 Mass/Each Other All the Time,” a cacophony of layered voices that brings Each Other All the Time to a memorable close.

Each Other All the Time is indie rock but it’s more than that. The songs contain surprises, hints of wonder and vibrancy that can be hard to accomplish with a full-length debut. “Please Be Kind to All Your Ghosts” claims: “We gave our goddamn best and somehow managed to fall flat upon our backs.” But perhaps it was only when they were on their backs that they were able to catch a glimpse of the full summer sky. Certainly, Each Other All the Time feels as expansive and rolling as a lingering skyward gaze, full of sounds that fit the summer, no matter what that summer brings.

Track Listing:

01 Madeline

02 Oh, Madison!

03 Santiago

04 Heart Be

05 Mathematicians/Colour

06 Tribute

07 Saline

08 Bear Vs.

09 Conjunction Junction

10 Color Well

11 Pleaes Be Kind to All Your Ghosts

12 1545 Mass/Each Other All the Time

Repping Austin, TX and Lawrence, KS, rapper/producer Spence returns with his second full album release, Planet Pluto.

The album draws inspiration from electro, drum & bass, and Bollywood with lyrics touching on music criticism, his Texas to Kansas migration, love, pressure and everything else.

Planet Pluto also features appearances from local Kansas favorites such as Marty from Cowboy Indian Bear, Steddy P, Approach and Ebony Tusks.

It is available for free download online and on an exclusive pressing of CDs.

Download it for free here.

The more you listen to music (and listen with a certain attentive ear), the less music will surprise you. Whether it’s formulaic radio-friendly rap or world-beat-indie-electro-dance-core, one can usually hear the next chord progression, breakdown, or interlude before it’s even been played. In this regard, it’s always a pleasure to be wrong. Go to iTunes and buy the new 7” split from Cowboy Indian Bear and It’s True!, and prepare to be wrong. A lot.

Each band on this EP presents us with one tune; first comes Cowboy Indian Bear with their song “Foolish.” The opening guitar riff, a simple and clean little picking part, will have many listeners scrambling to their instruments to learn how to play it. Backed by busy percussion and a beautifully simple singing melody, the song moves quickly through a verse-chorus-verse progression. What’s so surprising about all of this, you ask? The band doesn’t get carried away; the song comes in at a succinct 3:45, avoiding meandering instrumental bridges and yawn-inducing ambient noise experimentation that have infiltrated much of the current landscape of indie rock. Cowboy Indian Bear lets the strength of their songwriting speak for itself. The opening riff turns out to be the glue for this track, bringing the listener back each time after briefly leading them astray during a more urgent chorus. The vocals are mostly understated (with the lower notes being nearly whispered), perfectly suiting the musical needs of the song while jumping out front when they are needed to peak the intensity and emotion of the chorus. “Foolish” was clearly crafted with care and intention and succeeds in all aspects.

It’s True! and their track “The Bridge” make up the other half of this EP. If songs were psychological conditions, “The Bridge” would be Attention Deficit Disorder, and this is not a slight by any means. The verses begin with a steady bass which is eventually joined by a jangly guitar. Without warning, the vocals stop and a fun synthesizer line fills in for four measures before segueing back into the verse progression. The song then shifts again as it crescendos quickly into an exuberant jam with dynamic start-stops and head-nodding guitar work. The tune then comes to an abrupt and ambiguous end, leaving the listener scratching their head but ready to play the song again. The consistency of the vocals holds these disparate pieces together in a loose framework. The various components of “The Bridge” are thus cohesive enough to maintain solidarity, yet spontaneous and erratic as hell.

As a pair, the two bands seem to share a kindred musical spirit reminiscent of Brand New and Manchester Orchestra circa 2007. Though you’d never mistake one band for the other, both songs transition nicely into one another without the listener missing a beat. Don’t be surprised to see these two groups touring together in the near future, and be sure to check them out if that’s the case.

The Eighth Street Taproom’s basement was filled with haunting music on the night of Friday, November 13. Two wonderful local bands and another band from Omaha, Neb., brought many people out on the cold, dreary night. 

Shiver, Shiver, started the evening with jazz infused rock. Chase Thornburg (drums, vocals) and Jordan Elsberry (keys, vocals) performed upbeat songs that had melancholy lyrics. The band’s 2008 debut release, Soulless Sex Appeal, “is a portrait of the simultaneous embrace and rejection of our chapter in the age-old story of love and lust.”

It was hard to believe Shiver, Shiver, only had two band members. Elsberry and Thornburg’s music was full and robust. Their vocal harmonies stood out, and Thornburg’s drum solos were outstanding.

By the time Kansas City, Mo.’s Roman Numerals took the stage, the Taproom’s basement was crowded. People packed into the small room, and wedged between Shiver, Shiver, and Cowboy Indian Bear‘s equipment and merch.

Numerals’ sound blends new wave melodies with precise percussion.

Many of Numerals’ songs’ melodies echoed over the band’s driving bass and drums and created a rumbling, hypnotic sound. William Smith (guitar, vocals, stylophone) and Steve Tulipana‘s (vocals, guitar, bass, synth) voices pierced through the sounds Shawn Sherrill (bass, synth), Pete LaPorte (drums, electronics), Ryan Shank (drums, electronics), and created.

During the middle of Numeral’s set, orange and red hues lighted the Taproom’s dark basement. The lights almost welcomed Numerals’ darker, dance-rock tracks; vocals were rough, and gritty bass caused the other bands’ drums to buzz. The band sounded like a darker !!!.

Numerals finished their set by thanking everyone in the audience. Numerals put on a great performance, and left the audience wanting more.

Set list (written on a cocktail napkin illustrated with lightening bolts):
In Motion
CNtRL
Rule Of V
My Life After DUB
Occupado
Go/No/Go
Bass Fishing

Now, this reviewer didn’t stay for Cowboy Indian Bear’s set. The reason for this was PopWreckoning writers’ have reviewed CIB many times this year; see here, here, and here. Here is a quick description of CIB for the readers who don’t click links:

Cowboy Indian Bear blends electronic melodies, soft vocal and guitars, a humming bass and lots of percussion to create a unique sound. The Lawrence, Kan., indie-rock band’s songs are influenced by jazz, 60s lounge, folk… the list goes on.

Speechless. That’s what I was after the local show I caught recently  at Kansas City’s Davey’s Uptown. I wish I could say that the performance was so spectacular that the music left me speechless. Unfortunately, it was a weird chain of events that led to my loss for words.

Before I explain the strange events, I must say that the music was in fact, quite good. The more local shows I go to, the more respect I have for Kansas City’s local scene (There’s a lot more here than the Get Up Kids!)

The young O’Giant Man opened. These guys have shifted their line up around recently, so this was one of the first (if not the first) performance for the latest and hopefully final lineup. The group has a lot of potential if they can stay solid and practice defining their sound. They do some great harmonies and nice instrumental solos, but they had a tendency to test out too many ideas in a single song. This is a problem that many young and eager bands have, but it is something easy to grow out of it. I look forward to seeing them again when they’ve had a chance to refine their sound.

The lone out of town band It’s True was next on the bill. They easily could have been remembered as the best band there had the singer non-gone and fucked things up later in the show. The Omaha indie pop group had a solid sound and harmonies to rival the Fleet Foxes. Considering they’re an Omaha group where warbly vocals are popular (Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher), they’re a refreshing sound for that scene. Graceful keys provided the perfect compliment to their tunes. Aside from the incident that happens later (I’m getting there! Just wait), my only other criticism is that they got to be a little predictable. Sing, then keys, then instrumental breakdown where the singer sits in plays into the monitor. It was cool the first time, but come up with a new movement or song structure. It loses its charm with time.

Lawrence three-piece Cowboy Indian Bear continued the impressive with their full sound (hard to believe there were only three of them!).  All three contributed to vocals and percussion. A recent trend in Kansas City area music is filling out your sound with some pre-recorded electronic beats and effects (see Republic Tigers), which CIB has embraced. I’ve noticed many groups tend to over-endulge in their use of the computer, but CIB was tasteful. They were joined by a friend for their final number titled “Colour Music,” I think, but not to be confused with their “Mathematicians/Colours” played directly before it. They said was this their largest KC audience, which kind of surprised me. With their Postal Service instrumental vibe and smooth vocals, I feel it won’t be long before they gain a large following. They just released an EP. Go check them out.

Sailor Sequence has been described to me as the best band in Kansas City on more than occasion. The trio reminded me a lot of Snow Patrol from the Final Straw era. Perhaps a cover of “Run” is in their future. The difference between them and Snow Patrol is that the Snow Patrol guys have a more pop tendency, while Sailor Sequence leans toward shoegaze without fully embracing that sound.

Now while I’m not sthe full Sailor Sequence converts that my friends are, I do agree that they are quite good. They just lacked in the stage presence category, which might hurt them getting bigger past KC. It just felt distant.

Now I told you that this show left me speechless and I’m finally ready to explain why.

Toward the end of the Sailor Sequence’s set, a guy in a hat walked up to the front of a stage and started drinking a random beer pitcher left on the edge. Weird, but just the sort of weird that you chuckle and roll your eyes at and forget about. But when he put the pitcher down, he proceeded to climb on the stage, stumble over to the microphone by the keyboard and then sang an “Oooh” bit into the microphone when the band was in a big instrumental breakdown.

“Omaha!” yelled someone from the back. I looked again. Sure enough, this was the Omaha band’s lead singer Adam Hawkins.

The audience was confused. Was this part of the act?

The answer: no. Sailor Sequence tried to laugh it off, but when they started another song and Hawkins tried adding notes on the keyboard, the guys in Sailor Sequence just quit and stormed off the stage, incredulous that some drunk opener would ruin your set.

Hawkins wasn’t done there. He fell on the floor in the room by the main bar and attempted getting in a fight. A strange ending to what could have been a perfect night.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he ruined the Sailor Sequence’s set. For what they did play, they sounded great. But Hawkins did ruin my opinion of his band. Like I said, they could have been remembered as the best band of that night, but that bit at the end was just rude.

O’Giant Man: myspace
It’s True: myspace
Cowboy Indian Bear: myspace
Sailor Sequence: myspace

Chop Shop recording and KC favorites The Republic Tigers embark today, Oct. 6, on a fall tour alongside Yourself And The Air. The mini-trek kicks off in Pittsburgh.

The Republic Tigers are currently writing and recording the follow-up to their 2008′s Keep Color. The yet-untitled release is slated for spring 2010 release and the band is producing the it themselves in their Kansas City studio.

Tour Dates:
Oct. 6 – Brillobox / Pittsburgh, PA
Oct. 7 – Black Cat – Backstage / Washington, DC
Oct. 8 – Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar / Charlottesville, VA
Oct. 10 – North Star Bar / Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 11 – Metro Gallery / Baltimore, MD
Oct. 12 -  Union Hall / Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 13 – Mercury Lounge / New York, NY (also w/ Clem Snide)
Oct. 14 -  TT The Bears / Cambridge, MA
Oct. 16 – Beachland Ballroom / Cleveland, OH
Nov. 20 – The Granada Theatre / Lawrence, KS (w/ Cowboy Indian Bear, Stick Figa, Dead Girls)
Dec. 4 – Johnson County Community College / Overland Park, KS (w/ Ad Astra Per Aspera)

The Republic Tigers: myspace | interview with | @ chop shop showcase, sxsw

I had no idea who Murder By Death was before their show at the Bottleneck on Saturday evening. I now pity myself because I’ve been missing out on years of Death’s musical awesomeness.

After grabbing a cold (as in partially icy) beer, I took a seat towards the back of the venue to listen to Cowboy Indian Bear‘s opening set. I wasn’t planning on reviewing them again because I recently saw them open for Peter Bjorn & John. After seeing their set a second time however, I felt it necessary to add a few comments about their music.

CBI’s sound is diverse. At times, the band layers light bells and tiny chimes over deep, new wave synths. CBI can quickly change gears, though, and produce songs that are influenced by old country or classic 60s spy tracks.

The second opener, Suzannah Johannes, used her water-like guitar strumming and vocals, mixed with a supporting keyboard and male vocals, to put on a quiet, ambient folk performance. Although her blues, speak sing voice flowed over her songs’ beautiful melodies effortlessly, the set didn’t hold the crowds’ attention. Johannes did mention that her drummer was absent that evening, so her performance may have been better received if the other musician was present.

When Murder By Death launched into their first song, “Ball & Chain,” Adam Turla‘s (vocals, guitar) flame shaped black guitar carried the band into a blazing Americana rock out.

When Turla sings, it’s like he’s biting the heck out of something. His words come out heavy, while teeth gnaw and distort the song’s dark, menacing lyrics. Atop his performance, his lean frame and stoic face, dressed with dark hair and thick sideburns make it obvious that Turla is a man who shouldn’t be messed with.

The four-piece’s loud sound was superb. Sarah Balliet‘s cello, mixed with Matt Armstrong‘s bass, Dagan Thogerson’s percussion, and Turla’s vocals created a haunting wall of sound.

The next song, “52′ Ford,” had a massive bass line that rumbled through the venue’s walls and concert goers’ heads (many folks without ear plugs began to cover their ears at this point). Balliet’s cello added a sweet yet gritty overtone to the tune, and her multi-colored dress jerked in each direction the musician moved her body.

Many of the songs Death played had a Gogol Bordello franticness, and the melodies and lyrics were quirky and dark, similar to Scott Weiland’s solo work.

Early in the set, Turla said whenever the band came to Lawrence, Kan., it was impossible for them to stay sober, no matter how hard they tried.

“There’s no escape.”

“It’s like you guys have a booze lazer,” Turla said.

Turla also said the band was supposed to be taking a night off (they’re currently touring with the Gaslight Anthem), but decided to headline in Lawrence per a friend’s demand.

“There’s no sleep for the wicked.”

After concluding “Fuego,” Murder By Death began to play “Steal Away.” The song was cool, and calm. The melody elicited thoughts of a small, smokey jazz hall filled with mirrors, and lit with lamps that gave off green hues.

Towards the middle of MBD’s set, the band began to down more drinks. I’m pretty sure they consumed most of the whisky at the Bottleneck that night.

Something I enjoyed about MBD’s performance was that Turla often gave a background to the songs the band performed. One was described as a “party song” about gypsies, and their “fuck all” attitude. Turla labeled another tune as the band’s “manic song,” which incited the crowd to whoop with joy. He then said he had no idea why such a depressing song could make everyone happy, but accepted the response and went on. Turla simply said another song was just about whisky.

After walking away from the stage, the band quickly returned for an encore. Turla said tonight was a rare occasion because Balliet wanted to tell everyone a story.

Balliet said after the band played a show a few evenings back, a girl approached her to tell her how much she loved it when Balliet played the bass (pronouncing bass like the fish).

“I smiled and said thank you.”

Turla then said the band would play two old songs. The last song of the evening, an instrumental piece, was the perfect way to end the awesome evening.

Set list:
Ball & Chain
52′ Ford
The Black Spot
The Organ Grinder ?
A Masters In Reverse Psychology
Fuego
Steal Away ?
Shiola
Three Men Hanging
I will call this the “Gypsy Song”
One More Notch
Brother
Another song Turla deemed as horridly depressing
That Crown Don’t Make You A Prince
The song Turla said was about whisky
Until Morale Improves The Beatings Will Continue
Knife Goes In, Guts Come Out
///
I’m Afraid Of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf
Instrumental

Murder By Death: website | myspace