Nerds!

I'm a nerd who doesn't like nerd-rock.

What's nerd-rock?  I define it as brainy, self-conscious music made by nerds for their fellow nerds.  (Third-generation ska acts like Reel Big Fish, emo-rap acts like MC Chris and pop-punk acts like Bowling For Soup are disqualified from consideration because they try too hard.  Real nerds don't have a choice.)  

Cake meets my definition.  I'm envious of the dorky fun had by 2,000 Cake devotees at the Uptown Theater last Friday.  (Here's my review.)   I don't dislike Cake, but the band's music just doesn't connect with me.  I'm similarly indifferent to nerd-rock acts like Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants, OK Go and Barenaked Ladies.

I fell hard for Camper Van Beethoven when I saw the band in the basement of a college dorm, but my infatuation was short-lived.  Weezer comes a bit closer to the mark. So, is there any nerd-rock I do embrace?  Yes indeed- Elvis Costello, De La Soul and the Descendents.

"I'm Not a Loser!"


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I reviewed an odd outing by Suzanne Vega and Duncan Sheik.

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I'm quoted in Tim Finn's study of aging musicians.

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Bostyx! (Via Rock Town Hall.)

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"Guitar tutor" Bert Weedon has died.  (Tip via B.G.O.)

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Bassist Chris Ethridge has died.

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I can't remember why I failed to go to the "I'm So Glad" gospel concert at my church a couple months ago.  (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

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ECM created an  audio teaser for the new album by John Abercrombie and Joe Lovano.

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Here's a nice video survey of last month's Middle of the Map festival.

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Beau Bledsoe improves the quality of (my) life in Kansas City.

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"Come On"!  I spend a lot of time thinking about Chuck Berry.

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Kansas City Click: I wrote about revisiting The Majestic at Plastic Sax.  Here's the venue's calendar.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Levon Helm, 1940-2012

I'm not going to wax rhapsodic about the passing of Levon Helm. Poetic words about the man are easily found elsewhere. I'm just so glad I saw him one last time a couple years ago. Here are my notes on that concert. (Don't miss the link to the video a fan shot in Kansas City that night.) Lest we forget- "Life Is a Carnival".

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Teddy Charles has died. Watch him in full crank mode. Charles has a right to be bitter. The early-'50s album New Directions is exceedingly hip. And the concepts laid out on his 1956 Tentet album sound as if they could have been written last year. In truth, one of the reasons I neglected to write more about Helm is that I can't stop listening to Charles' music. It provides one revelation after another.

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Dick Clark has died. Tim Finn gets it right in his overview of Clark's career.

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Larry Kirwin of Black 47 pays tribute to Kansas City in an interesting essay.

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Lee Fields sings his heart out for NPR.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Hahn + Hauschka Silfra

Silfra, the enticing collaboration between Hilary Hahn + Hauschka, won't be released until May 22, but I just can't contain my enthusiasm for the project any longer. It's beautiful, mysterious and innovative.

The recording by the young American violinist and the German "master of prepared piano" uncannily echoes my internal soundtrack. Silfra tracks the deep grooves already formed by my tormented thoughts. I've been plagued by personal problems during the first third of 2012. My existential brooding and occasional happy respites are ideally articulated by Hahn and Hauschka.

As the sonic representation of my state of mind, Silfra is slightly abrasive, disorienting and yes, a bit pretentious. I'd be lying if I suggested that hearing lilting sambas, Ellingtonian suites, Bach concertos or J Dilla beats in my head wouldn't be preferable. Silfra is slightly creepy, much like the score of an arty European horror film. Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of a crisis in which Karl Stockhausen and Nino Rota serve as crucial reference points.

Hahn and Hauschka acknowledge beauty, but even Silfra's most sublime moments hint at a deeper despair. My problems may dissipate in the coming months. Even if things get better, however, my profound appreciation for Silfra will remain.


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Please don't worry about me- "I'm still hanging on."

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I reviewed John Pizzarelli's concert Saturday at the Folly Theater.

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Kauffman Stadium and the park at 75th & Holmes are the settings for Tragedy's "Best Thing Moving" video. (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns has died.

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Rodgers Grant of "Yeh Yeh" fame has died.

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Would someone please explain Wishbone Ash? Is it a boogie band that went prog? Or is it the other way around? I listened to Argus for the first time the other night, and well… I just don't get it.

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Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds is my hero. The raconteur starts talking at 1:20.

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Lolz! Thundercat's "Walkin'" video amuses me.

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Kansas City Click: Harling's hosts New Jazz Order every Tuesday.

Johnny Winter plays Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

Sabaton visits the Beaumont on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Steddy P.- Better Make Room

Steddy P. wears a t-shirt that implores "Always Support Locals" in the embedded video for "Local Heroes." I don't subscribe to that philosophy.

Advocating an artist just because he or she shares the same area code is patronizing and delusional. I didn't place Steddy P.'s Style Like Mind on my top ten album list in 2009 because it was a local product. It truly resonated with me more than internationally acclaimed releases like Kid Cudi's Man On the Moon.

Most worthwhile music bloggers are eager to examine the sounds that originate in their own backyards. I regularly write about locally-based music at There Stands the Glass and Plastic Sax, but as many artists have learned the hard way, I don't play the role of an undiscerning cheerleader.

Steddy P. has never needed to worry about getting bashed by me. He's good. Scheduled for release next week, his Better Make Room is another impressive addition to his discography. Steddy P.'s smart raps and welcome guest spots from Ces Cru's Ubiquitous and Godemis are typically excellent, but it's the sample-free production that sets the release apart. A rapper who has demonstrated that performing with a live band is infinitely preferable to using canned accompaniment, Steddy P. is a genuine music obsessive, a trait that's shockingly uncommon in the hip hop community.

The only aspects of Better Make Room that don't appeal to me are Steddy P.'s juvenile references to marijuana and a few too many self-referential boasts about his Indyground crew. Steddy P. hopes to build an empire along the lines of Doomtree. Better Make Room doesn't quite reach the artistic heights of the best of the Twin Cities-based collective, but it's very good.


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I reviewed Bassnectar's concert Thursday at the Midland Theatre.

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I caught Leon Russell's return to Knuckleheads last night. Here's my review.

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Here's a nice documentary about one aspect of Lawrence's hip hop scene. (Tip via oh! mr..)

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Kudos to Sporting KC for posting a video titled "Who has the Best/Worst Taste in Music?".

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Here's an EPK for Kenny Garrett's new album.

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Fun setting KC on fire at Middle of the Map. (Not my thing, but much respect…)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

Review: Maria and Tatiana Ioudenitch at the Carlsen Center

After spending thirteen glorious but draining hours at the Sprint Center and the Middle of the Map festival during the weekend, I knew I needed to get back on the horse immediately. A recital by Maria and Tatiana Ioudenitch at Johnson County Community College on Monday represented more than a mere sonic palette cleanser. The pair are members of Kansas City's most elite musical family.

Pianist Tatiana and violinist Maria are the wife and daughter of Stanislav Ioudenitch. Neither addressed the audience of about 75 during their 45-minute recital and I'm not about to skulk around on the internet trying to ascertain Maria's age. She's probably about 17.

Aside from a few minor slips, Maria's recital was extremely impressive. Her astonishing agility shone on pieces by Bach, Brahms and Gluck, but it was her energetic commitment to Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" that made me think that she might be in this for the long run.

I have no idea what it takes to become the next Hilary Hahn. Furthermore, I have no idea if Maria harbors such ambitions. Should it come to that, however, this post will serve as my "I saw her when" boast.


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I was nonplussed when I first saw Lady Antebellum in 2010. Yet the trio was undeniably excellent Friday at Sprint Center. Here's my review.

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My notes on day three of the Middle of the Map festival focus on the bands featured at the RecordBar.

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Mission of Burma's set was the most exciting thing I heard all weekend. Here's footage.

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Barney McKenna, the self-described "flounder" of the Dubliners, has died. I saw him with the band last month at Royal Albert Hall.

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If I could listen to the music of only one artist for the rest of my life, I might select Caetano Veloso.

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Here's Miles Bonny's new project.

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The Kansas City Symphony's video about the Joyce DiDonato master class I attended a couple weeks ago at Helzberg Hall is charming. (Via KC Stage blog.)

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The Creep, Ted Nash's new album, is highly recommended to fans of Ornette Coleman, David Murray and Henry Threadgill.

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Kansas City Click: The Westport Art Ensemble return to the Westport Coffee House on Tuesday.

Trouser Mouse hosts Chris Duarte on Wednesday.

Mountain Sprout perform Thursday at the Riot Room.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Philip Glass and Tim Fain at Helzberg Hall

Libby Hanssen and Nathan Clay Barbarick wrote proper reviews of Philip Glass' concert Tuesday at Helzberg Hall. Here are a few observations from my vantage point in the front row (only $30!):

*The great composer isn't exactly the world's most precise pianist. I found his warts-and-all playing endearing.

*Glass begins playing the instant he seats himself at the piano bench.

*The thirty-two minute solo violin piece performed by Tim Fain was a bit much. I get it- Glass' signature style remains even when he intentionally evokes Bach. And yeah, it sounds really cool on violin. Even so, fifteen minutes of that exercise would have been plenty.

*Glass is surprisingly chatty.

*Set to Alan Ginsberg's disembodied voice, "Wichita Vortex Sutra" was the clear highlight of the concert.

*I assume Glass' use of amplification was an aesthetic decision. As the other critics implied, hearing Fain's breathing through his mic'ed violin was awkward for everyone, especially for Fain.

*I attend a lot of live music events, including plenty of classical concerts. Yet I'd never laid eyes on almost half of Tuesday's audience of about 1,000. I wondered if the entire staff and student body of a small Midwestern art school had been bused in for the concert.

*By the way, what's with the empty seats, friends? It's Philip F*cking Glass!


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Bill Callahan's version of Mickey Newbury's "Heaven Help the Child" is righteous.

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Speaking of covers, an aspiring jazz chanteuse should use a savvy version of "The Ghost In You" to launch her career. Underneath the dated production is an amazingly solid song.

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I had high hopes for the new release by BadBadNotGood. The idea of trash-talking jazz kids with a thing for hip hop is enormously appealing. Unfortunately, the band is merely adequate. In its best moments, BBNG sounds like a decent The Bad Plus cover band. At its worst, BBNG2 could be mistaken for a shreds parody. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that BBNG's latest video has over 60,000 views in 48 hours.

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The Ultimate David Lee Roth Karate Kick Compilation. (Via Terry Taylor.)

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Kansas City Click: I can't pretend that there aren't a lot of bands at the Middle of the Map festival that don't appeal to me. (My notes on ten acts are published here.) Still, I'm tremendously excited about the opportunity to catch a couple dozen of the featured musicians.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: The Village Chamber Choir at Village Presbyterian Church

I was almost turned away from the Village Chamber Choir's performance of Johannes Brahms' A German Requiem at Village Presbyterian Church last Sunday. I couldn't locate an open seat and the volunteer ushers were more concerned with protecting their spots than insisting that patrons make room for others. A kind group of senior citizens finally made space for me in the back row of the church's balcony.

The powerful performance was deserving of a full house, but I suspect that both the venue's generous use of air conditioning on the unseasonably hot day and the obligatory attendance of friends and family of the seventy-person choir contributed to attracting many in the audience of over 1,000.

Dappled afternoon sunlight provided a cheerful light show while the choir and excellent guest vocalists Gwen Coleman Detwiler and Christopher Reames sang of grief. The otherwise lovely distraction prevented me from becoming fully invested in the emotionally turbulent work.

I focused instead on the celestial bounce offered by my distant vantage point. And while I was initially disappointed that two pianos rather than an orchestra accompanied the choir, I came to admire the stark elegance of the lean version of Brahm's piece. I never felt moved to mourn. Instead, the performance provided me with a satisfying Lenten celebration.


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James Christos appears in the trailer for Corporate FM.

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Obligatory sports reference.

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Kansas City Click: I'm opting for Philip Glass and TIm Fain at Helzberg Hall over Childish Gambino and Danny Brown at the Beaumont on Tuesday.

The New Vintage Big Band plays a monthly gig at BB's Lawnside BBQ on Wednesday.

The Middle of the Map festival kicks into high gear on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Greenwich Mean Time

The youth hostile hostel where I rested in London earlier this month abutted the offices of BBC 1Xtra. I wistfully considered roads not taken as I longingly watched couriers and employees bustle in and out of the Marylebone office. As the accompanying photo indicates, I compulsively creeped on the station's staff. Because internet access is shockingly shoddy in London, I wasn't able to properly listen to 1Xtra's broadcast until I returned to Kansas. It's delightful to discover that acts like Estelle and Tinchy Stryder are proper stars in G.B.


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I haven't had time to process the passing of Earl Scruggs.

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Jerry "Boogie" McCain has died. (Tip via BGO.)

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Synesthesia, the new release by thePhantom*, contains a nice mix of the styles of Tech N9ne and Fat Tone.

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Possible headline of the year: Jerry Lee Lewis marries cousin's ex-wife.

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Macy Gray's new covers album is a lot of fun. Here's "Maps".

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Marc Myers' interview with John Scofield is loaded with mind-blowing revelations.

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I'm eager to spend quality time at Cultural Equity, but the Lomax archive is aggravatingly buggy.

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I'm not in love with the new album by THEESatisfaction, but I expect that the neo-soul/hip hop project could grow on me.

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By midnight I'll have taken in 57 individual live performances in the past three months. It would seem that my streak of catching over 365 gigs a year will end in 2012.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Trial at Trafalgar

I'm a fussy meticulous concertgoer. I plan ahead and leave little to chance. That's why I almost lost my mind under the watchful eye of Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square earlier this month. A handful of decent acts were scheduled to play at a massive Saint Patrick's Day celebration. Imagine my chagrin when I arrived at the landmark only to discover a dreadful Swiss chanteuse performing to a lethargic audience of a few hundred people. Something called Francais l'Adore was transpiring on the Irish holiday. I love my French-speaking friends, but man, this event was a logistical and musical disaster. It turns out that the proper Irish event is held the day after St. Patrick's Day. (Of course it is!) I diligently showed up the next day to catch part of a bland set by the lovely Gemma Hayes. The crowd was so big (and drunk) that I fled after thirty minutes.

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I reviewed the first show of Tech N9ne's Hostile Takeover tour.

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Tech N9ne and DJ Sku are interviewed by Shorty And The Boyz for something called Breal.tv.

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The Free Music Archive tipped me off to Lacrimosa, a new release by Plaistow on European free jazz netlabel Insubordinations. Recommended to fans of Terry Riley.

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Kansas City jazz musician Bill Caldwell has died.

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I've never been ashamed of my deep affection for the music of Lionel Richie, but his new set of tepid Nashville remakes is testing my patience.

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The zeitgeist.

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Kansas City Click: The Underscore Orkestra perform Tuesday at the Beaumont Club.

Paul Thorn will probably play my theme song Wednesday at Knuckleheads.

Milagres return to the Riot Room on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Nico Muhly and Owen Pallett at Barbican Hall

An odd event at the Barbican Centre last week seemed to point to the future of the classical music concert-going experience. Over 1,500 youthful hipsters attended the innovative double feature. The Britten Sinfonia orchestra performed world premieres of compositions by Nico Muhly and Owen Pallett in the first half of the concert.

The piece by Pallett- a violinist and arranger with credits on recordings by R.E.M., The National and Arcade Fire- was dreadfully scratchy and painfully dry. Muhly's effort was much more enjoyable. He's perhaps best known for his work with Bjork, Grizzly Bear and Antony and the Johnsons. A lush work by Missy Mazzoli rounded out the classical portion of the show.

Muhly led an arty set of chamber folk after intermission. A surprising meditation on Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and a creepy rendition of "The Twa Sisters" floored me. I was less impressed by several self-conscious displays of Muhly's technical prowess.

Even so, I loved the cross-genre concept. I can't pretend to know if British kids receive much exposure to symphonic productions, but a similar audience in the United States would include many people who'd never previously experienced the unique power of three dozen classically-trained musicians playing as one. I suspect that many will be inclined to return to the home of the London Symphony Orchestra.


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I purchased nine hours of Johann Sebastian Bach recordings for 99 cents at Amazon. The old recordings were made "before a tendency to reduce the size of choruses and orchestras and play with a sharp eye toward period practice had set in, and they may sound dated to some ears," according to a story by Daniel J. Wakin in The New York Times. That's a fair analysis, but I dig the overblown old-school approach. The deal ends Friday, March 23.

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"All the people that you can't recall…" It's probably been five years since I last listened to Little Feat. That's too long.

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I'd trade the entire Sharon Jones catalog for Lee Fields' new album on Truth & Soul. It's that good.

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Luther Dickinson on 78? How cool is that!

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Joyce DiDonato's master class at Helzberg Hall on Wednesday was delightful.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image of the Barbican lobby by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: The Dubliners at Royal Albert Hall

I fulfilled a lifelong dream last week by squeezing into a nearly sold-out concert at Royal Albert Hall. The grand old room is a real beauty.

A deliriously celebratory performance by The Dubliners made the fulfillment of my ambition especially sweet. The band is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. While the current cast is a group of frail survivors, the legendary act managed to enhance its legacy at the familiar venue by playing masterfully for well over two hours. The band dealt with the sad absence of its most revered members by occasionally strumming along to video footage of their old friends. Seeing the late Luke Kelly belting out "Monto" moved me to tears even though I may have been the only person among the 5,000 souls on hand without a drop of Irish blood.

Everyone else, however, was in their element. I'm reluctant to reinforce stereotypes, but the audience went berserk during renditions of alcohol-themed classics like "Seven Drunken Nights" and "Whiskey In the Jar". How the Guinness flowed!

"And it's no, nae, never!"

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Alex Smith's KCUR feature on Brody Buster references my glowing review of the former blues man's striking new album.

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Kansas City Click: We Were Promised Jetpacks perform at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

Dan Baird plays Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

New Jazz Order and the Boulevard Big Band compete in a battle of the big bands Thursday at Californo's.

(Original image of Royal Freaking Albert Hall by There Stands the Glass.)

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

Bragging about a Pandora station is akin to blabbing about a basketball tournament bracket or a fantasy football team. I realize it's tedious, yet I just can't help it. Since Lent began February 22, the Pandora station that corresponds to this blog has kept me company on sixteen solitary walks. (I think you need a Pandora account to listen.) One rainy night it played consecutive deep tracks by Bert Jansch, Robbie Basho, My Morning Jacket, Simon & Garfunkel and Ralph Stanley. Just a closer walk with thee, indeed.

My only beef, in fact, is that the playlist tends to get stuck in a single genre. The other day I spent 45 minutes listening to nothing but vintage reggae acts like Culture, Jackie Mittoo and U-Roy. The station also goes on extended Brazillan, Tejano, blues, bluegrass and funk jags. (The station's advertisements, incidentally, are in Spanish.)

I'm tempted to add more variety but I'm afraid I'd have to resume culling out stuff I don't like. Adding Nina Simone, for instance, might cause Diane Schuur to pop up. Suggesting I want to hear more Raphael Saadiq might lead to unwanted tracks by John Legend. I currently only need to "thumbs-down" stray underground hip hop tracks that glorify marijuana. I'll be taking a blogging break, so feel free to enjoy my station in my absence. Please let me know if you hear anything that's less than sublime.


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Sketchy vocals aside, this new track from New Riddim is solid.

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The schedule for the Middle of the Map festival has been published.

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I'm elated that Mayhem added a KC date. Slipknot, Motorhead, Slayer and Anthrax? Oh man.

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I enjoyed reading the backstory of the final years of the fanzine-turned-magazine Jetlag.

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Why I'm ambivalent about attending hip hop shows: reason #73.

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Rudresh Mahanthappa appeared in a Tiny Desk Concert.

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Texas guitarist Bugs Henderson has died. (Tip via BGO.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Sound of Class Warfare

My opinions about Super Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh, the status of the Euro and tensions between Israel and Iran have no place at There Stands the Glass. Yet after perusing the responses to the announcement of the lineup for Kansas City's annual Rockfest I can not longer keep my thoughts on a music-related social issue to myself.

"I'm sure there will be 50,000 rowdy losers in Harley shirts and ripped blue jeans throwing their cigarette butts all over Liberty Memorial," sniffed a commenter at a popular music blog. "Me? I'm excited about Radiohead on Sunday. I doubt many Rockfest attendees will be at that show. God, I hope not."

What an ostentatious snob! I'm repulsed when music is employed as a signifier of cultural superiority. It doesn't matter if it's a Radiohead proponent looking down at a Shinedown fan, an opera lover dismissing pop music. a backpacker advocate of the Roots mocking kids who like Soulja Boy or a guy in a Miles Davis t-shirt ridiculing Kenny G. Such elitist dismissals are often rooted in caste and class rather than in actual music preferences.

I'm not suggesting that Flo Rida is the artistic equal of Ornette Coleman. He's not. But gratuitously dismissing fans of "bad" music as uneducated morons isn't merely offensive. Such aspersions often betray an economic and sociological bias. Besides, I love this song.


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I reviewed Saturday's concert by The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.

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Stik Figa has released a free new EP.

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The Spinto Band proves that there's still life in a popular meme in its excellent spoof of SXSW.

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Ronnie Montrose has died. I remember being titillated by the album cover of Jump On It.

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The new Vijay Iyer album really is all that.

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Kansas City Click: Chali 2na performs at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

The Chieftains perform at Helzberg Hall on Wednesday.

Alaturka returns to the R Bar on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

In the Red

Louisiana Red and Red Holloway died on February 25. Both men regularly appeared on Kansas City stages. Louisiana Red was in the area three or four years ago for the Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival. The bluesman was so compelling that I insisted the members of my compound attend his performance later that evening at BB's Lawnside BBQ. "My uncle used to beat me," Red says in his introduction to the typical "Orphanage Home Blues". I loved that man. Red Holloway last performed in Kansas City in 2009 as part of Kevin Mahogany's band in a tribute to Joe Turner at the Folly Theater. I also recall seeing the saxophonist at the same venue with Jay McShann.


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"Everything Is Fine" with Josh Turner. Here's my review of last night's concert at the Uptown Theater.

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"Pleasant Valley Sunday" was one of the first pop songs to captivate me. Farewell, Davy Jones.

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Krystle Warren's new video is epic.

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Someone combined one of my favorite songs with footage shot in one of my favorite cities.

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The Kansas City Rock and Roll History Project catches up with Ray Hildebrand, a man best known as "Paul" of Paul and Paula.

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I'm partial to Plastic Sax.

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"Can I Get a Reee-fill?"

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Here's an excellent EPK for the new Billy Hart album.

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Heresy alert: I kinda wish Never Mind the Bollocks sounded more like Ceremony's Zoo. Here's the video for "World Blue".

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My affection for SSION's "My Love Grows in the Dark" video is unhealthy. (Tip via Wayward Blog.)

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I'm mystified by the critical enthusiasm for Grimes.

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Yes.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published by Ink here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Charles Gayle- Streets

In a candid interview with the Village Voice, Charles Gayle refers to portions of his approach on the new album Streets as "paint-peeling" music. When I worked in record stores, I called the sound "room-clearing." It's funny, though, because I find Streets not just bracing, but remarkably soothing. Sure, it's "out", but anyone who's accepted Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane shouldn't be intimidated by Gayle's ferocity or spiritual inspiration. Streets is a strong candidate for the #BAM, gospel, folk or jazz album of 2012.


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I reviewed Benny Golson's appearance at the Blue Room on Saturday.

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I recently happened upon the documentary Music By Prudence. Watch it if you need a bit of inspiration.

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Here's some life-affirming S.E. Rogie via BigSteveNO.

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Anyone who's been to an "active rock" concert in the past dozen years knows that a sincere acknowledgement of men and women serving in the military is a part of the ritual. The video for Black Stone Cherry's "In My Blood" takes it one step further.

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Suspect's "Kansas City Anthem" keeps it real. (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Diverse Plays Michael Jackson shows are thrilling.

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I recently rediscovered "Ripple". That's my jam.

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New Death Grips.

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Kansas City Click: I'd like to be at the Westport Coffee House on Monday, Knuckleheads on Tuesday, the Beaumont on Wednesday and Sprint Center on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Last Millennium

What if Napster never happened? I was stunned when I walked into Music Millennium last weekend. The longstanding Portland music retailer was filled with eager customers and enthusiastic clerks. The shelves overflowed with vinyl, compact discs and music-related tchotchkes. It was as if digital downloading didn't exist. I hadn't been in such a vibrant record store in over a decade. Even so, the store's Terry Currier keeps it real in a recent interview. (Full disclosure: I was once employed by a company affiliated with Music Millennium.)

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Here are my notes on an Enrico Rava concert I attended in Portland. Please let me know if you have any clue as to why Plastic Sax commenters are so spiteful.

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The new album by the Brody Buster Band is shockingly good. Here's my review.

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A provocative and creepy new video from the BLNRB crew has under 200 views while a provocative and creepy new video by OFWGKTA has 3.5 million views. Look, I'm as obsessed with the hip hop stars as anyone, but c'mon man!

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I can't make up my mind about the quality of Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts' new An Attitude of Gratitude album. That's probably a good sign.

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I recommend the video for Wooden Wands' "Winter In Kentucky" to fans of Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Aldi and record stores.

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Carolin Widmann and Alexander Lonquich? Yes, please. I'm not sure why, but this stuff really resonates with me right now.

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Billy Strange has died. (Tip via BGO.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image of Music Millennium by There Stands the Glass.)

Jodie Christian, 1932-2012

Dear Diary- I was saddened to learn of the death of Jodie Christian a couple days ago. Yet I can't help but smile at a memory his name evokes. Back when flying was easy and I accumulated Southwest Airlines travel vouchers like a champion, I regularly spent my weekends in Chicago. My friend Duane suggested we take our dates to Pops for Champagne. It worked for me- watching jazz pianist Christian perform just five feet away thrilled me. I let Duane, a regular at the venue, order the first bottle of champagne. Midway through the third bottle, Duane and his date left. "Don't worry Duane, it's my treat- thanks for suggesting this great place." My giddiness ended when the check arrived. Unbeknownst to me, we'd been sipping on $100 bottles. Christian was wonderful, though. His work for Delmark is very fine.


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I have no regrets about seeing Roy Ayers instead of Craig Finn last Saturday, but this footage from the Record Bar is pretty great.

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I learn a lot from Marc Myers' Jazz Wax blog. The photo that opens this entry solves a longtime mystery for me.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Star Maker Machinery Behind the Popular Song

I listened to a conservative talk show host during my commute Monday morning. (I know.) She blamed the recent death of a prominent pop star on "cultural degradation." That's dumb. Against my better judgement, I'll share my theory. A close friend died last year. I consider his passing the culmination of a twenty-year-long suicide. He was unwilling to break free from the expectations that had been forced upon him. He dealt with his internal conflict in an unhealthy manner. I sense that the pop star may have been just like my friend. It's heartbreaking that neither was able to reject the pressure to fulfill false obligations.


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I reviewed Roy Ayers' concert Saturday.

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I consider the new venue at Kansas City Academy at Plastic Sax.

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Brother Ali dropped a free new 27-minute EP today. It's not his best work, but hey, the price is right.

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Rich the Factor's social media feed slays me. Here's a recent sample: I broke my MFR bracelet last nite cancoonin too hard one love to moms at town topic for the burgers yeah no bodyguards hangn out til 4 tho

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I like the feel of the new video from She's a Keeper.

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Kansas City Click: I don't know if the booking of the Pretty Things Peep Show at the Beaumont Club on Valentine's Day is pure genius or a train wreck in the making.

Does loving Psychostick's "Girl Directions" make me a horrible person? The band appears at the Beaumont Club on Wednesday.

The Features return to the Record Bar on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Capybara- Dave Drusky

Until I witnessed its incredibly sensitive yet thoroughly dynamic performance backing the legendary Daniel Johnston at the Middle of the Map festival in 2011, I dismissed Capybara as an irredeemably slight ensemble. Cute and cuddly aren't qualities I admire in a rock band. I'd written Capybara off as soft.

Capybara's ability to inspire the best Johnston performance I've witnessed changed my perception of the band. That explains why I'm so uncharacteristically smitten by Dave Drusky, the Kansas City band's new album. The delightfully disorienting project could be mistaken for a clever remix of isolated tracks from the recent deluxe reissue of the Pet Sounds sessions.

Dave Drusky's wispy dream pop is unflaggingly pleasant. Even when it musters energy on "Black Apollo Rain," the band's rock is tastefully understated. "Bill Dabbler, Lorn Line" could be the theme song for a children's cartoon. And the fact that one selection is titled Pierre Bensusan is the fulfillment of a music geek's fantasy.

Given my affinity for the music of the French guitarist, I should have already understood that soft and mellow are entirely different things.


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I admired Put Your Back N 2 It, the fine new album by Perfume Genius, even before I saw the wonderful video for "Hood." Amazing.

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I fail to hear how Sharon Van Etten's Tramp is substantively different than Adele's 21. Why is it considered "indie" by tastemakers who dismiss Adele as a mainstream act? That said, while I like both Adele and Van Etten, I continue to prefer Cat Power's The Greatest.

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The "What's In My Bag?" spotlight on Nick 13 is honky-tonk heaven.

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Mac Lethal is offering digital copies of the first six volumes of his Love Potion projects- 85 tracks in all- for $10 at Bandcamp.

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Beverly Kenney! (Via Euclid Records.) Unfortunately, there's also this.

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Van Halen's new album is an actually halfway decent listen if you like stoopid party rock. And I do. The best bits sound like Who Are You-era The Who.

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"He's good-bad, but he's not evil."

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I discovered the genius of Nico Muhly this week.

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Alex Smith of KCUR goes "cratedigging".

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Wando has died.

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Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds is one of my heroes.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Vivica Genaux and Europa Galante at the Folly Theater

My knees are still weak days after attending Friday's concert by Vivica Genaux and Europa Galante. It's not just the nonexistent leg room in the balcony of the Folly Theater that made me wobbly. I'm still swooning from the intoxicating combination of the vocalist's superb voice, sultry visage and sublime accompanists.

It looked like this but it sounded as good as any concert I've experienced. No amplification was employed in the high-ceilinged hall. I could distinguish every note played by the 14-piece Italian ensemble. I caught glimpses of God during Concerto for 2 violins Op 3 Nº 8 RV 522.

I loved much of the live jazz and metal I've already witnessed in 2012, but Friday's concert is the one to beat.

Here's John Heuertz's review.


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David Peaston has died.

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Here's the music video for Esperanza Spalding's "Black Gold."

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What did I think of the halftime show at the Super Bowl? Thanks for asking. Just the mere idea of the trio of Madonna, M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj being broadcast into tens of millions of homes around the world strikes me as remarkably subversive.

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I recently listened to Sun Ra's Magic City for the first time in over a decade. It's unfortunate the legend sometimes gets in the way of the music. This stuff is absolutely brilliant.

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I returned to the Folly Theater on Saturday to catch Phil Woods and Grace Kelly. Here are my notes.

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Kansas City Click: It's my understanding that Stacy Barthe opens for Estelle at the Riot Room on Monday.

Everette DeVan plays at the Phoenix on Tuesday.

Amy Farrand's Weirdo Wednesday Supper Club is at Davey's Uptown.

Max Justus is among the acts performing Thursday at the Record Bar.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass. I didn't dare try for an in-concert photo. Sure enough, Genaux sternly scolded a shutterbug during the show.)

Review: Icons Among Us

I flipped my lid when I stumbled across a copy of Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense at my local library. I'd been eager to see the documentary for a couple years. Alas, it wasn't quite as definitive as I'd hoped. Some of the footage that had piqued my interest in various clips at YouTube didn't make the cut. (The material is presumably available on the deluxe edition.) And the finished product seems disjointed- it skips about randomly. My favorite bits include Donald Harrison creating a symphony with just his voice and a bucket on his front porch in post-Katrina New Orleans, Terence Blanchard's scathing insights, Bugge Wesseltoft's excellent performance and the opportunity to hear Courtney Pine speak for the first time. As anyone familiar with Plastic Sax already knows, I subscribe to the film's assertion that there's no shortage of essential jazz #BAM being played today even if hardly anyone is listening. Here's an eight-minute trailer for the film.


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F*cked Up and Mission of Burma are the acts that have me excited about the 2012 edition of the Middle of the Map festival.

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Don Cornelius loomed large in my childhood.

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The new Leonard Cohen album is absurdly rewarding.

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God bless the Free Music Archive. Check out Raw Music International's Kenyan Underground compilation.

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The new music video for The Element makes Kansas City look beautiful. (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Clare Fischer, 1928-2012

Well aware that it's overused, I tend to avoid using the phrase "musicians' musician." Yet the characterization is almost unavoidable in any reference to Clare Fischer. A note from steadfast There Stands the Glass reader BGO aside, the only notifications I received about Fischer's recent passing were from musicians. Frankly, I never got it. Fischer's smooth solo albums continue to baffle me. Honestly, I have no frame of reference here.

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D'Angelo!

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Why does Rodrigo y Gabriela always leave me cold? The new Area 52 should be just my thing, but it seems far too slick and forced.

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I'm sadly underwhelmed by the new album by Cloud Nothings. Really good video, though.

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Kisses On the Bottom, Paul McCartney's new release, reminds me of those wonderful comeback albums by Alberta Hunter.

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I know a lot of people who are very excited about the latest shenanigans of Neil Young.

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Jumpin' Jehosafats! Vivica Genaux is in my town Friday!

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Kansas City Click: Slow Southern Steel oozes into the Beaumont on Wednesday.

Marty Bush of Salt the Earth performs at the Beaumont's Sidecar on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Kill Them All

Spotting an outbreak of graffiti in a Kansas City suburb earlier this week threw me into a bout of bittersweet nostalgia. As an alienated teen, I became obsessed with The Clash for about eighteen months. The band epitomized my inchoate rebellious instincts. Confessing to my former naiveté is a bit embarrassing, but the band's first three albums served as my code during that time. If I was 16 years old today there's little doubt I'd be tagging OFWGKTA's name in my neighborhood. The hip hop collective's obscene nihilism is tailor-made for disaffected American youth in 2012. I'm more than a little bit jealous of the kids responsible for the vandalism pictured above.

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Appropriately creepy photos highlight my review of Friday's Scott Ian-less Anthrax concert.

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"Batteries", the latest song and video from XV, is disappointing.

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Chairlift take me nowhere.

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No Mayhem 2012 date in KC? I feel like a spurned teen.

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Heems' Nehru Jackets is one of my favorite new releases of the month. "Burritos 'til I die!"

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Attention wimps refined music lovers: a delicate Marketa Irglova concert is available as a free download at NoiseTrade.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Ioannis and Jamesetta

Johnny Otis was a brilliant work of fiction. And Etta James was much more than one song.

Ioannis Alexandros Veliotes was born in 1921. His story is hard to believe. Thankfully, one version of the truth can be found in Listen to the Lambs, a 1968 book in which Otis examines race in America. He identified as black, although his parents were Greek immigrants. Even Otis' biggest hit was blatantly subversive. (And what is Lionel Hampton doing in that clip?)

Otis is described as "The King of Rock and Roll" in the opening credits to his televised variety show. Although I adore his tributes to Jay McShann and Bill Basie on this amazing album, that characterization works for me.

Otis "discovered" Jamesetta Hawkins fourteen years after her birth in 1938. The lascivious recorded result was James' 1955 hit on Modern Records. Ever since I purchased her excellent album Seven Year Itch as a new release in 1989, I've been mildly obsessed with James. A wild woman until the end, her final performance in Kansas City scandalized me. The obituaries that focused on James' "At Last" miss the point. "It Hurts Me So Much."

Veliotes and Hawkins died last week.

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Here's my review of the Jazz Winterlude festival.

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I'm included in a KCUR audio feature titled "Where To Next For KC Jazz?"

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I could mess around at Paul McCartney's Rude Studio for hours on end. (Tip via Rock Town Hall.)

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OFWGKTA in a nutshell.

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Welcome to 2012 (Part 2).

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Youn Sun Nah covers "Enter Sandman." I love the 21st century.

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I never knew him well, but I take pride in once having worked with Glenn Jones. Here's the guitarist's new Tiny Desk Concert.

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Winston Riley has died.

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I genuinely love about a quarter of the tracks on the massive new Chimes of Freedom album. Inevitably, a handful of selections on the benefit project for Amnesty International make me wonder if torture isn't such a bad idea.

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Kansas City Click: Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform Tuesday at the Kauffman Center.

Emilie Autumn does her thing Wednesday at the Beaumont Club.

Death Angel open Thursday's concert at the Midland.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Jack DeJohnette- Sound Travels

Jack DeJohnette will celebrate his seventieth birthday on August 9, 2012, and it seems as if he can get everything he asks for at this stage of his illustrious career. The credits of his new album Sound Travels read like a who's-who of today's top "jazz" artists. The list includes Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, Jason Moran and Esperanza Spaulding. Bobby McFerrin also makes a (very nice) appearance. The only misstep is a jamband track featuring Bruce Hornsby. It's five minutes of pain on an otherwise exceptional album. Here's the EPK.


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I love scrutinizing the annual Pazz and Jop poll. Here's a short list of artists I overlooked in 2011: Matana Roberts! Wussy! Tombs! Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal! Random Axe! And I'm chagrined that my top album, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's Race Riot Suite, isn't among the 1734 titles that received at least one tally. Am I the album's sole champion?

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ZZ Ward's "Better Off Dead" confounds me.

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I feel obligated to spend my time and money on the new Chick Corea/Eddie Gomez/Paul Motian tribute to Bill Evans. Here's the EPK.

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The KC Sound Collective- the act responsible for my favorite performance of 2011- is the subject of a nice introductory video.

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I recently discovered the Freedom Suite, a collaboration between Nnnenna Freelon and The Beast, at Bandcamp. (It's free.)

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Welcome to 2012.

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I'll consider the life of the late Johnny Otis next week at There Stands the Glass.

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Vizzy Zone.

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"We've got the songs- we don't have the money." Here's Molly McGuire's Kickstarter campaign.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Jimmy Castor, 1947-2012

"One of the Butt sisters!" I've been snickering at "Troglodyte"'s lowbrow gag since I was a child. Yet Jimmy Castor, who died yesterday, did much more than provide me with cheap laughs.

My friend BGO chided me in an email exchange for implying that Castor was a mere novelty artist. And sure enough, according to Castor's site "(b)efore even finishing junior high school, Jimmy Castor had written his first million seller for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers called 'I Promise To Remember'." Castor would have been nine years old at the time. How does that work? I'll count on superior scholars to sort out Castor's career. Besides, I heard the entirety of Castor's 1966 hit "Hey, Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You" for the first time today.

It's an odd thing to attribute to a novelty song, but "Troglodyte" had an enormous impact on my musical development. The monstrous groove prepared me for the advent of the Ohio Players and the life-changing "Flash Light" five years later. The hip hop samples that followed in the next decade only confirmed my ardor.

One last note- it was "Troglodyte" that first stirred my prepubescent hormones. And what could possibly be more significant than that?


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I wrote an piece about Nicholas Payton's Black American Music proposal.

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An "elitist music snob" reviewed Nnenna Freelon's concert Saturday at The Folly Theater.

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I'd intended to offer a survey of today's new releases but I couldn't get past this.

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Ebony Tusks' video for "Everybody Runs" is on point.

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Kansas City Click: Whoop whoop! Boondox hit the Beaumont Club tonight.

The Life and Times return to the Riot Room on Wednesday.

I'll made the trek to Lawrence for Doomtree's show at the Granada on Thursday.

Start Here

I'm hardly a shill for NPR's music programming. I frequently mock the insular indie rock that's closely associated with the media conglomerate and its self-congratulatory audience. Last year's list of its listeners' favorite albums is a case in point. While I respect and even admire acts like The Decemberists, that rarefied sound rarely moves me.

I'm a hypocrite, however, because that same smug tone doesn't bother me half as much when it's applied to jazz Black American Music and "world" music. In fact, NPR's free concert downloads from globalFEST have dominated my listening this week.

I implore you to grab 'em all. My favorites are the performances by Wang Li and Mayra Andrade. Both artists had been unfamiliar to me. Andrade's straightforward take on a Caetano Veloso song is the dreamiest thing I've heard in 2012. So, thanks NPR. My gratitude is so earnest that I won't use this space to mock your endorsement of Real Estate.


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I'd love to check out Coachella. Truth be told, however, I'm much more of a Essence guy.

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You know what the world needs? A great new Alicia Keys album.

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CES Cru signs to Strange Music.

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The trailer for the forthcoming LCD Soundsystem doc is pretty great.

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The dull EPK for the new Robert Glasper album dampens my enthusiasm for the project.

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What's up, mirror?

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Micah Herman- The Ship

The Micah Hermon album review is reposted from Plastic Sax:

It must be terribly frustrating to be a Kansas City-area jazz bassist not named Bob Bowman, Jeff Harshbarger or Gerald Spaits. The three men invariably secure a disproportionate number of the area's high profile gigs. Each member of the triumvirate deserves his elite standing, but that doesn't mean that the talent pool ends with them. James Albright, Ben Leifer, Bill McKemy and Dominique Sanders are wildly different but uniformly excellent bassists.

And then there's the often overlooked Micah Herman. He's no less impressive than the aforementioned bassists, but to my knowledge he hasn't had a regular widely-touted public gig since he teamed up with Loren Pickford at the Golden Ox for a three-year run that ended in 2009. His new album The Ship, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions makes a strong case for Herman as a top-tier talent.

While The Ship contains a breadth of styles, Herman generally works from a post-Coltrane perspective. "My Ship", a duet with saxophonist Matt Carrillo, is gorgeous. The contributions of saxophonist Matt Chalk also impress.

Yet it's the presence of Logan Richardson that makes the album essential for listeners not already heavily invested in Kansas City's scene. The brilliant saxophonist appears on five of The Ship's nine tracks. Richardson's innovative soloing on "Ease Back" is the sort of next-level stuff that fans of adventurous jazz dream about. Rather than merely admiring Richardson's improvisations, Herman acts as an electric Charlie Haden to Richardson's stunning Ornette Coleman.

The Ship's quiet issuance in December didn't do it any favors. In spite of its unfortunate timing and complete absence of hype, The Ship is the best album released by a Kansas City jazz artist in 2011.


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The Oak Ridge Boys and the Dukes of Dixieland team up for a new version of "Elvira".

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I intend to catch the A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs touring exhibit this month.

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Tinariwen's Tiny Desk Concert is wonderful.

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Rich Forever, Rick Ross' free new mix tape is shockingly good if you like that sort of thing. (And I do.)

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A link provided by BigSteveNO threw me into full geek mode.

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I don't know what to make of "Glory", Jay-Z's tribute to his newborn child.

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"She Smells So Nice"!

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Miles Bonny has a new Kickstarter campaign.

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Kansas City Click: Jason and the Scorchers appear Wednesday at Knuckleheads.

Lord T & Eloise do whatever it is they do Thursday at the Riot Room.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Jad Fair's Bird House

Jad Fair's latest project instantly transported me back to the early '80s. In those days I felt compelled to salvage Half Japanese and Jad Fair solo albums from record store cutout bins. I didn't particularly enjoy the absurd outsider sounds but I loved the fact that "music" of this nature could actually be recorded, released, distributed and sold. A video for the title track for the forthcoming EP Bird House is an uncanny representation of my disjointed memories of that era. I continue to embrace the anarchy.

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Album of the Year?

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The unseasonably warm weather somehow makes the idea of driving to Arkansas to hear acts like Bob Weir and Railroad Earth at Wakarusa seem attractive.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)