Review: Stephen Malkmus- Mirror Traffic

Video stream of "No One Is (As I Are Be)" by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

Many of friends are Deadheads. I'm perfectly content to listen to American Beauty when I hang out with them, but I'm always on the hunt for new music that bridges the gap between their worlds and mine. Mirror Traffic, the ramshackle new release by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, is such an album. As the video for "No One Is (As I Are Be)" suggests, it's really far out. I don't have any personal insights into the behavior of Malkmus, his bandmates in the Jicks or album producer Beck, but Mirror Traffic has a strong under-the-influence vibe. "All Over Gently" resembles a jam from a forgotten Mothers of Invention splinter group. And even on rockers like "Forever 28" and "Tune Grief," Malkmus' approximation of singing is just like Jerry's.

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Here's my review of a Def Leppard and Heart concert at Sprint Center.

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I reviewed the first set of Marilyn Maye's weeklong engagement at Jardine's.

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The video for Greg Enemy's "Sophisticated Goon Sh*t" is impressive.

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I relentlessly bash Satan Taylor Swift, but I have to admit that her live collabo with Nicki Minaj was pretty cool.

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I've seen several reports that Pearl Thuston-Brown has died. I last wrote about her at Plastic Sax in 2010.

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David "Honeyboy" Edwards has died. I posted photos of the blues legend performing at the 2006 Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival at Hit Random.

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Jerry Leiber died last week. My friend Joel Francis recounts the story of "Kansas City" here.

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Kansas City Click: The Intercontinental Hotel hosts Laura Chalk's album release gig on Tuesday.

The mighty Rhino Bucket hits the Riot Room on Wednesday.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at Crossroads KC on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Solid! Solid as a Rock

I ventured into my basement today with Nick Ashford on my mind. The veteran singer, songwriter and performer died Monday. I seem to recall that I own a small stack of Ashford & Simpson vinyl. I intended to use one or more of the albums in an image for this blog. (I wish I had time to listen to them again.) Then it hit me- my collection was moved by other members of my compound after a recent wet basement incident. I can't locate the A-through-B section of my vinyl. I briefly considered throwing a hissy fit until I remembered that I'm the luckiest guy I know. I saw Steely Dan last night, Lil Wayne on Monday and Marbin on Sunday. I'll be out again every night this weekend. And I'm going to complain that my music collection is unmanageable? No, I'm "Solid". Thanks for indulging me as I work through my issues in public.

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It's not as if my dark side has permanently evaporated. Kevin Devine's "Ballgame" is one of the best songs about self-loathing I've encountered.

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The unlikely editorial decisions displayed in the new video for "How To Love" only heighten my man-crush on Weezy.

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Sanctuary.

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Kansas City Click: The Midland Theater hosts Return To Forever on Friday.

TV On the Radio perform at Crossroads KC on Saturday.

Marilyn Maye begins a week-long engagement at Jardine's on Sunday.

The Low Anthem play the Record Bar on Monday.

(Original image of the former location of a portion of my music collection by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Quixotic Fusion

I guess I'm a little slow. I'd seen Quixotic Fusion several times, but it wasn't until Sunday's free show at Crossroads KC that I understood the significance of the music and performance troupe. Hippies, punk rockers, theater people, suits, children and geezers were awestruck by Sunday's display. (It looked and sounded a lot like this.) I'm immune to Quixotic Fusion's charms, but it's finally apparent to me that the Kansas City collective is at the vanguard of fulfilling the heightened expectations of today's audiences.

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I've seen Lil Wayne perform four or five times now. Last night's performance was my favorite. Here's my review.

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Bill Frisell has a John Lennon cover band. Listen here.

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The Leopards' Kansas City Slickers album has been reissued on vinyl. "Dancing In the Snow" is pretty amazing. (Tip via FP.)

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Race Riot Suite, the forthcoming album by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, will find a spot in my year-end top ten list. I posted a miniature review at Plastic Sax.

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A new Connie Smith album? Heck yes!

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I realize that Nick Ashford and Jerry Leiber have died, but i just can't deal with those losses right now.

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Kansas City Click: Strange but true- Diamond Head performs at Knuckleheads on Tuesday.

Hidden Pictures are on the bill at The Brick on Wednesday.

I suspect that my favorite Steely Dan song will be played Thursday at Starlight Theater.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: The Pack A.D.- Unpersons

The Black Keys recently reminded me of something I'd come dangerously close to forgetting. A talented blues duo is capable of making people lose their minds. As the band from Akron played to a riotous crowd of over 10,000 at a racetrack, I saw fistfights, make-out sessions, temper tantrums and convulsive vomiting. Unpersons, the forthcoming release by The Pack A.D., contains a similarly sinister and potent energy. The Canadian duo of Maya Miller and Becky Blackmake make mean, dirty music meant to incite bad deeds. Asking if The Pack A.D. is as good as, say, Heartless Bastards misses the point. The music contained on Unpersons doesn't inspire such pointy-headed theorizing. The Pack A.D. provides an ideal soundtrack for fucking shit up drunken hijinks and meaningless acts of vandalism.

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The RFT offers a great interview with St. Louis treasure Joe Edwards.

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Here's the scoop on the 2011 edition of Crossroads Music Fest.

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Kansas City rapper Neko is interviewed at Credentials Hip Hop.

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This Farm Aid photo set is stunning.

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The new The War On Drugs is Boss!

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Kansas City Click: Brad Leali leads a band Thursday and Friday at The Blue Room.

The Black House Improvisors' Collective headline a free show Friday at La Esquina.

I might "Go Crazy" at Young Jeezy's concert Saturday at the Beaumont Club.

Marbin perform Sunday at The Record Bar.

Janet Jackson plays Starlight Theater on Monday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Watch the Throne

Did you know that There Stands the Glass takes requests? A couple readers have asked me to post my thoughts on Watch the Throne. Largely because I love "event" albums, I'm happy to oblige. In an increasingly fragmented world, it's reassuring to know that every once in a while everyone (everyone who shares my love of hip hop and popular culture, anyway) is listening to the same thing at the same time. And I imagine they're all smiling. Watch the Throne is hilarious. Sometimes it's even funny on purpose. (Zing!) It's not nearly as good as Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, but it's still essential. For one thing, the most prominent samples are of Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding and Nina Simone. That's like kryptonite to would-be haters with my predilections. Want more? Ghostface Killah's review of Watch the Throne is rather remarkable.

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I reviewed Theory of a Deadman's concert last Friday. I suppose I deserve the barb made by commenter 323, but dang… Nickelback.

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Top City! I'm impressed by the video for "Hood Boi by KO Streetz.

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"The Line (Super Soul)", a new single by D/Will and Les Izmore, is available as a free download.

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I do this Plastic Sax thing.

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Kansas City Click: The Loneliest Monk plays The Record Bar on Monday.

Everette DeVan has a weekly gig at The Phoenix on Tuesdays.

Janelle Monae opens for Katy Perry at The Sprint Center on Wedneday.

(Original photo by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: JJ Grey at Crossroads KC

Who wouldn't want to sound like Otis Redding? I respect JJ Grey's musical ambitions. As I tweeted last night from Crossroads KC, Grey is no Eddie Hinton, but he ain't bad. The Floridian's backing band included a trumpeter, saxophonist, organist and a guitarist who doubled on pedal steel. Grey is doing it right. Yet most of the 1,500 people in attendance were only there for headliner Jonny Lang. They wanted nothing to do with Grey's throwback R&B. (I opted not to stick around for this.)


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Vanilla Ice, Snoop Dogg and Eminem have performed in Kansas City this year. Lil Wayne plays here later this month. The Jay-Z and Kanye West tour comes to town in November. That means that six of the best-selling hip hop artists of all time will have performed in Kansas City in 2011. Missing- The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Outkast, Nelly, 50 Cent, and obviously, Tupac and Biggie.

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Ubiquitous of Ces Cru stars in the video for Reggie B's "Celeste."

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Uh oh. An impeccable lineup at the world's most famous jazz festival attracted a combined 12,500 fans last weekend. Here's The New York Times' review.

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Kansas City Click: I hope to catch Matt Otto at the Blue Room on Thursday.

I can't imagine who Howard Iceberg was referring to in his email solicitation for his Friday gig: As a once-in-a-lifetime special accommodation to those of you who like my songs but hate my singing (you know who you are), this Friday at The Writers Place I will be reading the lyrics to some of my songs as if they were poetry. Following which I will punish the attendees by singing a few songs anyway. The dope: This Friday, Aug 12th, 8:00pm, Writers Place.

The Dwarves open for Nashville Pussy Saturday at The Riot Room.

I've had many awkward moments at previous Pitch Music Awards ceremonies. This year's edition takes place Sunday at The Uptown Theater.

More of my picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Kanrocksas

I loved Kanrocksas. My notes are included in the coverage here and here. The best part of the fledgling festival? Excellent sound. The bar for outdoor productions in the Kansas City area has been raised. My ten favorite performances of the weekend:

1. A Perfect Circle
2. The Black Keys
3. The Flaming Lips
4. Doomtree
5. Best Coast
6. Fitz & The Tantrums
7. Kid Cudi
8. Ween
9. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
10. STS9

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Even though Kanrocksas was a good time, nothing I heard at the festival was as electrifying as My Morning Jacket's performance last Wednesday at The Uptown Theater. Here's my review.

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Until I read it in an obituary, I never knew that Gene McDaniels was born in Kansas City.

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I'm just as excited about Watch the Throne as anyone. Even so, I completely respect Chuck D's diss track "Notice- Know This".

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Kansas City Click: Abel Ramirez plays the former Gold Buffet on Tuesday.

Mike Dillon joins Snuff Jazz Wednesday at Grunauer.

Hospital Ships joins Cowboy Indian Bear at The Brick on Wednesday.

(Original image of an A Perfect Circle fan's t-shirt by There Stands the Glass.)