MilkDrop- Let Me

Denied

The theme of the Soul Providers' Saturday night show bugs me. Sure, I loved catching Busy Bee and the Egyptian Lover earlier this year but I'm really not nostalgic for the '80s. Even in the increasingly difficult recession of 2008, it's what's happening right now that most excites me. In fact, the Soul Providers are one of dozens of contemporary acts producing engaging music in the Kansas City area. While Reach is the best known member of the collective, MilkDrop continues to gain prominence. He allows fans to download much of his File Cabinet Flows release at his MySpace account. The sample of Lucille on "Let Me" grounds the otherwise disorienting mix.

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I saw both Rick Derringer and Blue Oyster Cult last night. My review is here. The legends attracted a substantially smaller crowd than Say Anything and Queens Club the previous night. My review of that gig is here.

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The Pitch's annual music awards ballot provides interesting insights into Kansas City's music scene.

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Kansas City Click: The weekend offers bountiful choices in addition to Saturday's show at the Record Bar. KPRS hosts "Summer Jam 1." T.I., Keyshia Cole, Tech N9ne, Gorilla Zoe and Noel Gourdin are just a few of the artists scheduled to perform at Sandstone Friday.

There Stands the Glass favorite Erin Bode is among the artists booked at this weekend's Jazz In the Woods Festival.

Ashton Shepherd will surely sing her excellent "Takin' Off This Pain" when the same site is transformed into Country In the Woods on Sunday.