popwreckoning

Saturday in Kansas City was quite the conundrum. What show to go to? Lawrence venues were filled with indie rockers for the Scion Fest, bros and hipsters mixed at Vampire Weekend at Starlight, and the edgier rockers checked out Alice and Chains. But not to be overlooked was the line-up at the Record Bar, which was hosting some of the best local acts Kansas City has to offer in celebration of the Record Bar’s 5th anniversary.

The beautiful voice of songwriter Jenny Carr started the night, followed by the Spanglish danceable songs of Making Movies, then Lawrence’s Cowboy Indian Bear showed off their new harmonies with their latest addition of Katlyn Conroy. Finally, headlining the night were local indie gods The Republic Tigers, whom had been absent from the live music scene for nearly a year.

The Tigers have not been idle during their absence. They’ve been busy working on new material, some of which is expected due out on a EP hopefully later this year, and some of which is for a full-length album that the band hopes to release in Spring 2011. They started off their set with one of these new tunes, “Manny Feathers.” They played a few other new ones, including the two (“Whale Fight” and Kingsly”) that they had introduced at some of their prior shows. From what could be seen and heard from the first introduction to this material, is that the Tigers sound hasn’t gone through any drastic changes. There’s still plenty of keys, guitar solos and big drums. But the main change of note is that they have upped the amount of backing vocals being contributed to the songs, which is always a welcome addition.

The Tigers have definitely gained confidence in their overall performance capabilities. “Fight Song” continues to be the Tigers big show stopper with the demanding drum bangs of that song screaming ‘dance to me NOW!’ However, now, some songs that seemed a bit boring live before, came across as livelier and more passionate. Maybe it was the blinding light show (a rarity at this particular venue), an eagerness to play after the long break, the increased confidence or something else, but whatever this new quality is to their performance, it’s fantastic. Let’s hope it is here to stay.

Set List:
Manny Feathers
Golden Sand
Feelin the Future
Made Concrete
The Drums
Merrymake It
Whale Fight
Lonely as I Was
Contortionists
Fight Song
//
Buildings and Mountains
Kingsly

One of Kansas City’s most beloved venues, Record Bar, celebrated 5 years serving the scene this past weekend. They celebrated with a weekend filled with some of the best local and global acts.

Photographer Ryan McElwain was at Friday’s show that featured locals Hidden Pictures and Soft Reeds with England’s Field Music. You can check out photos from the night below:

Hidden Pictures:

Soft Reeds:

Field Music:

PopWreckoning has been given a grand opportunity, thanks to Velocity Media, to give our fans the chance to see the Valient Thorr for free. The show will take place at Record Bar in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 8 p.m.

Other bands playing include Hammerlord, Howl and Junius.

PopWreckoning will be giving away 4 pairs (8 total) tickets to the show.

This contest will end at 5 p.m. the day of show. You will be emailed day of show. Winners’ tickets will be at the door when you arrive at the show. Please make sure you include your full name and email in the comment, otherwise I cannot get in touch with you to tell you that you have won.

Winning is simple (and only two steps).

1. Comment in this article the answer to the following question:  Why do you deserve to go to this show? PopWreckoning staff will read your opinions and choose the best four day of show.

2. Repost this article on either your facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website or other social media tool. Spread the wealth, then send us the link (by posting it in your comment).

Then show up at the bar and have fun watching a great band on us.

PopWreckoning will celebrate its 3rd birthday by hosting a The Poison Control Center at Record Bar in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday, October 4.

The Poison Control Center, whom recently opened for Pavement here in Kansas City, will headline the show. It will also feature Mansions, O’Giant Man and Max Justus.

The show will cost $7 at the door. However, PopWreckoning is offering up a special deal to help you afford our party. If you come to the venue with a Pavement ticket from the September 11, 2010 show, we’ll let you in for 5 bucks flat. Furthermore, if you’re attending the evening Deadmau5 show at the Uptown Theater or The Mountain Goats show at the Bottleneck, you can show up at our show after, present the door guy with a ticket and get in for 3 bucks flat. That’s how badly we want you to join.

The show starts at 9:30 p.m. with Mansions. 10:15 will feature Max Justus, followed by O’Giant Man at 11:15. Your headliner, The Poison Control Center will melt your face at 12:15 a.m. (giving you plenty of time to make your way to the show after Deadmau5). This show is 18+ with legal ID.

Come support local music, the Record Bar and local media. PopWreckoning thanks you for your support.

To celebrate five amazing years in Westport in Kansas City, Record Bar is celebrating and this celebration is so huge it takes a whole weekend of great shows to get the full party on.

October 1 through October 3, Record Bar is hosting live performances from Field Music, Republic Tigers, Soft Reeds, Valient Thorr and more. This is one of the first shows the Republic Tigers have done in awhile since they’ve started recording their sophomore album, so be ready for some new tunes.

You can check out the full line up below and buy tickets in advance at the Record Bar or here.

Anniversary Weekend line-up:
Friday, October 1:
9:00 pm The Future Kings
9:50 pm Hidden Pictures
10:40 pm Soft Reeds
11:30 pm Field Music

Saturday, October 2:
11:00 pm Cowboy Indian Bear
12:00 am The Republic Tigers

Sunday, October 3:
8:00 pm Hammerlord
8:45 pm Howl
9:30 pm Junius
10:30 pm Valient Thorr

PopWreckoning is giving away tickets to see Canadian alternative rockers Tokyo Police Club on July 31 at the Record Bar in Kansas City, MO. They’re playing with the Postal Service-esque Freelance Whales, so it will be an all-around awesome show.

We only have a few pairs of tickets up for grabs. The contest will end at 3:00 p.m. the day of show (July 31). Winners’ tickets will be at the door when you arrive at the show. Please also include your full name and email in the comment so that we can get in touch with the winners of the contest.

Winning is easy, simply complete the following steps:

1. Comment in this article with your answer to this: Is your English good? Are you the Nature of the Experiment? Comment and tell us what school course you’d take with the boys in Tokyo Police Club whether it’d be an English, Science or Music course. It could even be Partying 101. PopWreckoning staff will read your answers and choose from our favorite ones the day of show.

2. Repost this article on either your facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website or other social media tool. Spread the wealth, then send us the link (by posting it in your comment).

Then, best (and easiest) of all, show up at the venue and enjoy the show, compliments of PopWreckoning. Good luck!

If you’re not from the Midwest, this may come as a surprise…but Kansas City is not actually a “cow town.”

So despite my best efforts over the last year, I haven’t managed to bring cowboy boots back in style here. Yet. Accordingly, I left my trusty boots at home when I hit Record Bar to see Ha Ha Tonka a few weeks ago; imagine my surprise when three of the four headlining members climbed onstage with shiny, pointed boots. I’ll be damned.

Fans flocked to Record Bar early, a nice change from a lot of local shows that I’ve seen there that only fill out for the headliners. I couldn’t tell if the audience was just eager for Ha Ha Tonka or if each band had brought a good crowd. Either way, everyone seemed pumped for and exceptionally supportive of each act. I had a rare moment of smugness at the awesomeness of KC’s music scene.

The Reward Tree kicked off the night with a set list that flitted between slightly electronic and old school rock-influenced. I was a little disappointed that only the first song I caught (I came in a bit late) had a real electronic spark that made me want to dance across the room, but my electro-love might make me biased. I’m pretty sure this was the band’s first show (correct me if I’m wrong), so a few bits of advice:

1. The lead singer is one funny dude, but he needs to loosen up a bit when he’s bantering between songs. His obvious nerves left me feeling a little stressed.

2. I’d love to see this band settle in more to a specific genre. I liked everything they played, but it seemed like they haven’t found yet where they want to fit on the music spectrum.

Up next, The Noise FM — my most anticipated band for the night. I last saw these guys play Leavenworth’s Groundworks in 2005, and I only recently realized they were still rocking out. The trio brought fun lights (who puts Christmas lights inside their amps? So great!), high energy and some wonderfully danceable jams.

“You guys, feel free to dance around to this good old rock and roll,” lead singer Alex Ward instructed the crowd before launching into their set (on a complete side note, Ward sported an awesome pair of leather shoes).

The crowd, unfortunately, did not dance, so I resigned myself to sipping a beer and bobbing my head enthusiastically.

Some of The Noise FM‘s lyrics brought to mind Kings of Leon, which is never a bad thing in my book. “No End” was of particular note, with the repeating, “Why don’t you tell me that you want somebody? That you want somebody.” There aren’t too many bands that manage to catch my attention lyrically when live, so kudos to these guys for being a standout.

And at last, Springfield natives Ha Ha Tonka. The energy in the room soared when the group of four took the stage.

Ha Ha Tonka‘s vibe shifted the gear of the night a lot; I expected more of a rock sound based on the openers, but instead was treated to a folksy, Midwestern session. Within thirty seconds, the boots, the Southern Missouri-inspired band name and the plethora of breezy button-downs on stage made sense. No complaints from this girl.

This band reigned in a dedicated crowd that sang along to plenty of the songs. I’ve never seen so much dancing and enthusiasm at a “local” show, and I definitely never really knew what boot-stompin’ music was before that night. My scribbled show notes read, “Rockin folk music — emphasis on ‘rockin.’”

My friend, who is buddies with Ha Ha Tonka from college and who had encouraged me to check out their show, had warned me earlier that:

“One of those guys hits a note so low, it’ll make you poop your pants!”

It’s okay. I did not poop my pants. But I was impressed when all four of the guys stopped playing and gathered around two mics at the front of the stage for an a cappella harmony. Man, those boys can sing! Easily the highlight of the night for me.

If you missed Ha Ha Tonka at this show, I hate to break it to you, but they won’t be back through for awhile. They’re touring across the U.S. this summer (follow their travels here) and don’t plan to play KC again until their new album releases. No word yet on when that will happen, but we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’ll be wearing my cowboy boots around town with a little more confidence, because if Ha Ha Tonka can make cowboy look (and sound) that good, I know there’s nothing wrong with it.

The first time Civil Twilight breezed through the area they hit a little venue called The Bottleneck. It was a Monday night and about 12 people showed up. Obviously not the best turnout a band could hope for.

Well the second time the band came through was again on a Monday, but this time within the walls of the Record Bar. What was the crowd size this time? Well it came in somewhere along the lines of 100, at least. The time between the two shows spanned a mere 3 months, which was not nearly the proper amount one would expect for a mass following to develop. Yet the night proved to be full of 20-30 year olds primed and ready for the sweet sounds from the South Africans.

With only their self-titled release to fill a set list, it still turned out to be an impressive hour or so. Some body moving sounds came from songs like “Soldier” and “Perfect Stranger”. Both of which are a showcase of Andrew’s (lead guitar) amazing talent. His ability to mix bluesy rhythms with powerful rock notes is just mind boggling. The slightly more entertaining of the two was “Soldier”. And that stems from the definite pep in the vocals that comes out regardless of what the lyrics are actually saying: “I’m just a soldier, fighting for someone else”

The night clocked in three favorites: the first of which was a song that has been previously featured on the show House. “Human” is an absolutely breath-taking song, that focuses on Steven (lead vocals) and their delicate yet empowering nature. And then when he sits down at those white keys, everything just lifts away.

Second for the favorites brings a cover and another yet connection to House, except this time it’s from the theme song. Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” is a great song by itself, but when the three fellas picked it up as a cover, they took it one step further. From the original fairly mellow nature, the song morphed into a live representation of awesome. Rock played a huge roll in the transformation, as well as energy. Everything was kicked up a couple notches and thrashed back out to the crowd. The band weren’t the only ones sweaty after that number.

The final song that stuck out was their current single “Letters From The Sky”. This was most likely one of the main reasons why most of the people in attendance knew of Civil. As this is the song currently that is being spun on stations in many, many markets. Its starts off very similar to “Human” with Steven lightly tip-toeing across the piano, but after awhile Andrew brings in the full force of his guitar. Each member plays their instrument to its optimum level and the result is a fury of Coldplay-like melodies mixed in with alternative notes played so fast you’d think they’re fingers would fall off.

This was the kind of show the band needed to prove to them that the Midwest is worth a trip. Between the love they receive from the local radio station and the crowd that gathered that night, it definitely secured a return trip.

PopWreckoning is giving away tickets to Civil Twilight on July 19 at the Record Bar in Kansas City, MO.

We only have three pairs of tickets up for grabs. The contest will end at 3:00 p.m. the day of show (July 19). Winners’ tickets will be at the door when you arrive at the show. Please also include your full name and email in the comment so that we can get in touch with the winners of the contest.

Winning is easy, simply complete the following steps:

1. Comment in this article with the answer to this question: Which Civil Twilight song is your favorite and why? PopWreckoning staff will read your answers and choose from the correct ones the day of show.

2. Repost this article on either your facebook, twitter, myspace, blog, website or other social media tool. Spread the wealth, then send us the link (by posting it in your comment).

Then, best (and easiest) of all, show up at the venue and enjoy the show, compliments of PopWreckoning. Good luck!

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