Review: Frank Ocean- Channel Orange

Finally!  A couple people with remarkably good taste were confounded that I didn't share their enthusiasm for Channel Orange.   "It's exactly your thing," I was repeatedly told.  One friend described the Frank Ocean album as a combination of Prince, Outkast and R. Kelly.  Yep- that's precisely my thing.  I stuck with it and began to appreciate the way "Crack Rock" swings, the literate flourishes in "Super Rich Kids" and the unrequited lust of "Pyramids."  The juxtaposition of André 3000 and Eddie Hazel-style guitar on "Pink Matter" also impressed me.  The entire project finally clicked a couple days ago when I rearranged the track order.  The album is sequenced all wrong.  My version of Channel Orange begins with "Bad Religion."   I haven't been a member of the cool kids' club for years, but finally tuning into Channel Orange provides me with no small degree of consolation. 


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Here's my review of Drowning Pool's under-attended concert at the VooDoo.

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Johnnie Bassett has died.

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The Pitch's annual music showcase is always fun.   The best bands I saw Saturday were Making Movies and Radkey.  Diverse's hip hop set inspired speculation at Plastic Sax.

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You're really blowing it if you've never attended one of the People's Liberation Big Band's monthly performances at the RecordBar.  Sunday's gig was astounding.

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Grenadina's new six-song EP Pretend For Me is available as a "name-your-own-price" download at Bandcamp.  RIYL: L7, K Records.

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Unusual items are in the bags of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.

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"Hell Broke Luce".

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Kansas City Click: Frank Hannon of Tesla appears Tuesday at Jerry's Bait Shop in Lee's Summit.

White Violet plays at Czar Bar on Wednesday.

White Wizzard is at Riot Room on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

What's That Noise?

I almost became "that guy" last week.  Every music fan has watched people turn around at the door of a tavern when they realize that the room is dominated by loud musicians.  I almost joined that contemptible club last week.  Hungry and with an hour to kill before going to a different live music venue for a five-hour show, I stopped at Czar Bar at 6 p.m. to partake in its air conditioning, ice water and food.  A band was launching into a matinee performance.   With more than a little trepidation, I stayed to check out the emo-ish band The Author and the Illustrator.  I liked 'em.  My hamburger and fries were also very good, although at $13 plus tip, I'm far more likely to go out of my way to catch the Author and the Illustrator than splurge on another meal at the establishment on Grand Boulevard.


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I'm still assessing the merits of The Cherry Thing.  I have no such reservations about Neneh Cherry's eclectic playlist.

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Sara Gazarek has jokes.

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It's a wonder that Foxygen didn't title its new album Through the Past, Darkly (Vol. 3).

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My friend Steve Wilson is interviewed about his band the Liquor Buddies.

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Here's the new video for Stik Figa's "Cornerstore."

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"Welcome to Nookie Wood." (How I love John Cale!)

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The comment thread at Tim Finn's review of a Big Time Rush concert is a thing of beauty.

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The Mailbox, a weekly Kansas City-centric music program hosted by my friends Michael Byars and Chris Haghirian, is one of my favorite podcasts.  That said, my taste in music only overlaps with Chris' about ten percent of the time.

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Kansas City Click: Look for me at the following shows: Drowning Pool returns to the VooDoo on Friday.

The Pitch Music Showcase is Saturday.

The People's Liberation Big Band celebrates its fourth year at the RecordBar on Sunday.

My Morning Jacket headlines at Starlight on Monday.

(Original music by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Christian Scott- Christian aTunde Adjuah

I love jazz that sounds like tomorrow rather than yesterday.  Christian Scott's new album Christian aTunde Adjuah fits the bill.  It's precisely what I want to hear from a young American jazz ensemble.  The musicians are clearly aware of hip hop, contemporary R&B and indie rock even as the music they play can't be mistaken for anything but jazz.  Instead of being cluttered with a plethora of guest features, it's recorded with Scott's working band.  I heard the double album for the first time yesterday, but I'm confident that Christian aTunde Adjuah will find a spot on my year-end Top Ten album list.  Here's the EPK for the album.


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My review of last week's concert by Los Lobos, Making Movies and Maria the Mexican angered many readers.  For the record, Los Lobos was once my favorite rock band.

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Bill Doss of Olivia Tremor Control has died.

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Saint Vitus will perform at the Granada in October.  I've never seen the influential metal band.

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Several sets from last weekend's Newport Folk (ahem) Festival are available as free downloads from NPR.  I'm enjoying digital versions of performances by Charles Bradley and the Alabama Shakes.

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I just discovered that the Persuasions recorded at least one album of Dead covers.  Their version of "Ripple" is lovely.

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Longtime readers of There Stands the Glass won't be surprised to learn that the new collection of material from Terje Rypdal makes me weak in the knees.

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DJ Booth offers three remixes of Tech N9ne's "Blur."

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In case anyone was wondering, I'm still not over "Call Me Maybe."

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Wrath and Ruin- Mouth of Oblivion

A member of Wrath and Ruin gave me a CD copy of Mouth of Oblivion during a metal show last winter.  Put off by the Kansas City-based metal band's use of keyboards, I set the album aside.  The recent passing of Deep Purple's Jon Lord and the prevalent use of keyboards by metal bands at this summer's Mayhem and Warped tours inspired me to give Mouth of Oblivion another chance. 

Surprise!  The keyboards are now one of my favorite elements of the band's debut release.  Synths add a melodic cohesiveness and counter the intentionally abrasive guitars.  The entire project seems to be wheeled around the epic "The Bug", the album's strongest track.  But I also appreciate raging songs like "Strength of Materials" and "Sedna", a Hearts of Space-style mood piece.

While Wrath and Ruin probably wouldn't have cracked my best-of-2011 list had I given it a fair shake last year, I'm glad it's part of my soundtrack for the scorching summer of 2012.

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I can't abide Deerhunter, but after seeing Bradford Cox's What's In My Bag? segment, I may have to reevaluate my bias.  The dude's down with both Carl Perkins and Pere Ubu. 

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My discovery of the week is Carter Sampson.  RIYL: Gillian Welch, red dirt.

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I found an examination of "copy-left" issues in Brazil fascinating.

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"Indie rock veterans Death Cab for Cutie got $150,000, while country singer Dierks Bentley pulled down $120,000,"  according to an interesting report in the Chicago Tribune about a city-funded festival.

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Kansas City Click: Deadbeat Darling tops Saturday's bill at the Riot Room.

The Temper Trap perform at Crossroads KC on Monday.

Girl In a Coma are at the Riot Room on Monday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Hobby Rockets, Treehouses and Red Abalone

The embedded video documents a visit the members of the new Kansas City-based fado band Fado Novato paid to a luthier.  It offers a peek into a world about which I know very little. Observations:

*The Raytown-based luthier Dave Bucher is a fascinating guy.  Anyone who enjoys KCPT's Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations will appreciate Bucher's folk art and scholarly musings.

*The video serves as confirmation that Shay Estes is indeed responsible for the rainout of last year's Prairie Village Jazz Festival.  (Kidding, Shay- I'm just kidding.)

*This is an ideal example of how musicians can (and should) incorporate social media into their day-to-day interactions.

*That said, I can't wait to hear Fado Novato perform.


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I wrote a poorly received review of last night's Tenacious D show.

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Can you believe that I'd never been to a James Taylor concert until last week?  Here's my review.

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Tech N9ne's "Caribou Lou" has achieved gold status.  (Tip via RH.)

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I'm excited about Christian Scott's new album in spite of his hubris-filled EPK.  Here's corresponding live footage.

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How do you compel me to purchase a physical version of an album?  The latest reissue of Liquid Swords contains "a full wooden minature (sic) chess set, which can be played on the chess board printed and contained directly on the inner lining of the box."

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I reviewed Pat Metheny's new Unity Band album at Plastic Sax.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

Review: She's a Keeper at Yardley Hall

The processed air inside Yardley Hall was deliciously chilly on Friday.  As I spend a lot of time exposed to this summer's extreme heat, the promise of air-conditioning lured me to the free She's a Keeper concert at Johnson County Community College. 

I hadn't seen the teen-dominated band since April and the chance to hear it in an acoustically pristine environment intrigued me.  Along with approximately 250 people, I learned that it's progressing nicely.  While the 45-minute set indicated that She's a Keeper hasn't grown out of its adorably awkward stage presence, the band has three strong vocalists and a terrific sense of melody.  Uninitiated readers are encouraged to watch the excellent video for "Stupid Heart" to experience the band's tremendous promise.

If the musicians asked me for advice, I'd tell them to quit listening to anything made in the new millennium.  It's obvious that the members of She's a Keeper take inspiration from Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers.  That's fine, but the band would do well to study American Beauty, Pink Moon, Astral Weeks and a stack of albums by John Hurt, Sonny Terry, the Hot Club of France and Lonnie Johnson.  An injection of blues and swing would help further distinguish She's a Keeper from the thousands of new acts plying a similar terrain.

Then again, She's a Keeper doesn't need my guidance.  Even after being told that the recording was available as a free download, members of the audience purchased 30 CD versions of a live EP after Friday's show.  The band's rabid fan base ranges in age from 5 to 65.  I can't think of another locally-based act with such broad appeal. 


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My five favorite performances at the Mayhem Festival on Tuesday were by Motorhead, Slipknot, Conflicts, Dirtfedd and Betraying the Martyrs. Here's my review.

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I'm looking forward to seeing if my gigantic melon appears in the background of the new PBS special featuring Joyce DiDonato's with the Kansas City Symphony.  The soundtrack is available at iTunes.

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Aficionados of sloppy garage rock need the Dirty Nil's Summer Mix-Tape.  It's free at Bandcamp.

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Paper Tiger's "Gold Pass" has served as my theme song for the past week.

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Kyle James is featured on thePhantom*'s "Sotally Tober".  The track is obviously inspired by Tech N9ne's "Everybody Move".  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image of She's a Keeper by There Stands the Glass.)

Kitty Wells, 1919-2012

Kitty Wells has died.  "One by One", the greats are leaving us.  While I never took a liking to her moralizing, I'll miss her classic honky tonk approach.


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I still haven't come to a conclusion about the merits of the collaboration between Neneh Cherry and the Thing.  Here's instructive live footage.

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Say what you will about the Gathering of the Juggalos- I'm genuinely impressed that the 2012 edition will include Danny Brown, George Clinton, the Geto Boys, The Game, Warren G, Raekwon, the Fat Boys, Kool Keith, Master P, DMX and Tech N9ne. 

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Why is Baroness suddenly a socially acceptable metal band?  I've liked Baroness live and on record for years, but it's weird to see the band suddenly championed by the likes of NPR.

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I review a new album that leads off with a track by the People's Liberation Big Band at Plastic Sax.

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El-P produced Milkdrop's "Game Changer".

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Kansas City Click: It's not the heat- it's the deathcore.  I'll see you in the pit at Mayhem Festival on Tuesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Steep Canyon Rangers- Nobody Knows You

I've spent a great deal of time listening the Avett Brothers, the Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and other newgrass and alt-folk acts in recent weeks.  There was a time when I would have considered such deviations from traditional bluegrass heretical.  No more.  As someone once croaked, "I was so much older then- I'm younger than that now."  So when I hear "real" bluegrass today- and the Steep Canyon Rangers' new release Nobody Knows You qualifies as a traditional bluegrass album- I'm initially inclined to get excited only by unconventional production tricks on songs like Nobody Knows You's "Between Midnight and the Dawn."  After a few spins, however, the songs steeped in tradition became my favorites.  I also appreciate that a couple of the love songs are written by a guy who clearly understands the complexities of relationships.  Bonus- there's no sign of a certain comedian. 


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God bless Public Enemy.  Check out "I Shall Not Be Moved".

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I've given Frank Ocean's Channel Orange a cursory listen.  It struck me as a less obnoxious version of Rhymes-with-Snake's Take Care.  I'll try it again when I'm in the proper frame of mind.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

High and Outside

What a difference a day makes.  Along with Diverse, Hearts of Darkness and a passel of DJs, Making Movies performed for over 1,000 people at Crossroads KC on Friday.  Less than 24 hours later, the band played another free concert at Barney Allis Plaza that seemed to have been sponsored by the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.  While a couple dozen passerby stopped to listen, I suspect that my companion and I were the only people who showed up in the 100+ degree heat specifically to hear the band.  The massive scale of the venue made the turnout especially awkward.  Yeah, it was hot.  But Making Movies is worth a little discomfort.  While I've been championing the band for some time- the promotional clip for "Tormenta" topped one of my Top 25 Kansas City Videos of 2010 list- Making Movies has developed into an even sharper act during the past year.  The band's Chevy Music Showcase spot reflects its vitality. 


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Andre Williams likes to remind people that he's a bad motherf*cker.  He's right. Here's my review of his appearance Friday at the RecordBar.

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The 2012 edition of Warped Tour was my favorite in years.  My review is followed by a list of my ten favorite performances of the day.

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Ben Kynard has died.

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Talk about a bad look.  Check out "Billionaire", the music video by M.E., the wife of Ephren Taylor, Jr.  Read The Star's report on Taylor's appalling story.

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K is for Kanda Bongo Man.

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Kansas City Click: The Knux play Czar Bar on Tuesday.

The Farewell Drifters return to Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

Nicolay and the Hot at Nights perform at the Blue Room on Thursday.

(Original image of Making Movies' performance by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: R. Kelly- Write Me Back

Dear Kellz,

I"m writing you back. 

I realize we got off to a rocky start almost twenty years ago when I refused to stop calling you a cheeseball.   I've since realized that calling you out for being a goof is no more productive than complaining about the summer heat in Kansas City.

Even so, I'm compelled to whine about Write Me Back.  How could you have released the album in its current form?  You're backed by what sounds like chintzy karaoke tracks.  Had you featured a live band like the Roots, Orgone or the in-house group at Daptone, Write Me Back would have been the album of the year.  The songs are amazing.  (Weird, but amazing.)  And the MJ thing happening with your voice has never sounded more spectacular.

Yet until you pull it together, I'll continue to roll my eyes every time I hear someone refer to you as the King of R&B.  Oh, how you disappoint me!  Cheeseball. 

Your unforgiving fan,

B 


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Farewell, Andy Griffith.  Thanks again for introducing the world to the Dillards.

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Yomo Toro has died.  Here's There Stands the Glass' 2009 appreciation of Toro. 

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Perusing old Yomo Toro recordings led me to Jose Miguel Class.  Man, it really doesn't get any better than that.

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Godemis is looking good.

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I remain very pleased with my work at Plastic Sax.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.  And on Monday you'll find me at Warped Tour.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Sound of One (Grisly) Hand Clapping

The members of the Grisly Hand should hope that the adage about a rising tide lifting all ships isn't true.  Two of Kansas City's most popular like-minded acts played their farewell shows last weekend.  

So many loyal fans attended Oriole Post's final gig at the RecordBar that ordering a drink was an ordeal.  Knowing it was my final time hearing the ensemble, I made certain to appreciate the Americana act's strengths- fine fiddling, sweet vocals, strong bass work and tasteful drumming.  Oriole Post was very refined.

Because The Wilders were a much rowdier band, my mad dashes to the bar wouldn't have seemed so out of place had I attended its farewell show at Knuckleheads.  Reports indicate that it was a rapturous affair. 

Will the Grisly Hand claim the forlorn fans of the Wilders and Oriole Post?  Or will the dissolution of the two stylistically similar acts cause the entire old-timey/bluegrass/trad-country scene to collapse?


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At the intermission of last night's People's Liberation Big Band show, a friend suggested that I should post a link to the  Tiny Desk Concert of frequent Kansas City visitor Allison Miller.  It's astounding.

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Hey, D'Angelo- you and your band blew everyone off the stage at last night's BET Awards.  So why can't I link to a proper site?  Please allow me to be your manager. 

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I dig Mike Stern's new album. 

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Kansas City Click: Black Cobra play the Riot Room on Monday.

Russian Circles play the Riot Room on Tuesday.

The Shades of Blue big band are featured at Berkley Park on the Fourth of July.

(Original image of Oriole Post by There Stands the Glass.)

I'm With Emily

The indignant outcry that greeted Emily White's infamous essay for the blog of NPR's All Songs Considered annoyed me.  While I've spent tens of thousands of dollars purchasing prerecorded music, I have no animosity towards members of a generation that don't see the point in buying music.

As a child I dedicated my allowance to the purchase of 45s at Red X in Riverside, Missouri.  I began working when I was ten, which allowed me to by albums by the likes of Wings, Aerosmith, Elton John and Stevie Wonder.  Even when I was making minimum wage, I budgeted $10 a week for new music.  That money went a little further during my stint as a clerk in a record store.  My friends and I swapped cassette recordings of our collections.  (File-sharing isn't exactly a new concept.)  The first compact disc I purchased was a two-fer reissue of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Let's Get It On.

During college I became a serious collector of record labels like Homestead, SST and Twin/Tone.  When I caught a performance by Camper Van Beethoven in the basement of a dormitory at the University of Kansas in 1985, I purchased Telephone Free Landslide Victory.  That band's David Lowery wrote a widely disseminated scathing retort to NPR's White.

Lowery's screed about the difficulties faced by artists in 2012 isn't wrong, but it ignores reality.   When guys like me throw in the towel, it should be pretty clear that the traditional acquisition of prerecorded music has ended forever.  My stockpile of  albums and compact discs is too big to count.   And it's still growing.  A couple days ago I dropped a dollar on an a vinyl copy of the Mel Lewis Orchestra's 20 Years at the Village Vanguard and last week I picked up a stack of compact discs at San Diego's Access Hip Hop. 

Here's the clincher- I haven't played the latest additions to my collection.  I listened to those same recordings on Spotify instead.  I pay the streaming service $10 a month.  It's not ideal, but it's a lot more desirable than dusting off my copy of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star."


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I enjoyed Wednesday's Def Leppard, Poison and Lita Ford concert.  Here's my review.

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Kansas City's Mon EG raps that he wants to "bring the eighties back" on "Rocstar".  The video was aired on BET's 106 & Park last month.

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"The biggest concert to ever hit the city!" goes down Saturday at Club Skyline.

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Sam Bush is a "freshman senior".  Give that bluegrass musician a reality show, stat!

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Kansas City Click: I'll be at the RecordBar's matinee show on Friday.

I hope Gucci Mane takes his shirt off Saturday at Club Skyline.  (See above.)

I'll return to the RecordBar Sunday for PLBB.

Black Cobra hits the Riot Room on Monday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

All's Fair

With a great deal of trepidation, I took a flyer on the San Diego County Fair while in California in last week.  Accustomed to quaint livestock shows, scouting displays and sketchy carnies at similar events in Kansas and Missouri, I cringed at paying $10 to park and another $12 to enter the fair at the Del Mar track.  My skepticism was unfounded.  While I saw plenty of goats, 4-H exhibits and creepy carnival barkers, San Diego's version of a county fair is hardly forlorn or dusty. 

The musical smorgasbord was amazing.  In addition to several stages featuring cover bands, a stunning array of international acts perform at the festival every day.  I caught Lonestar and Eric Burdon. 

Lonestar performed on a massive Coachella-sized stage for an audience of about 3,000.  As much as I'd like to loathe the band for its undeniable influence on Rascal Flatts, I can't deny the power of songs like "No News".  I dug 'em in spite of myself. 

The convoluted career of Burdon has always confused me.  His set on a smaller stage for an audience of approximately 2,000 contained a mishmash of material.  I hadn't witnessed a Burdon performance in about 15 years and I'd forgotten how many memorable songs he's recorded.  I almost lost my mind hearing his classic versions of material like "When I Was Young".  Crazy. 

Back on the ag front, I learned that the sale and purchase of raw milk is legal in California.  That's it- I'm moving.

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I reviewed last night's Scissor Sisters and Rye Rye concert.

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I reviewed a Lukas Nelson show a couple weeks ago.

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How is it that I didn't know about the Stepkids' "Legend In My Own Mind" until today?  (Thanks, Russell Jelinek!)

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I recognize that it's just one cliché after another, but I adore Lita Ford's new Living Like a Runaway album.

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Big Moon Ritual makes it clear that Chris Robinson loves American Beauty and Sailin' Shoes as much as me.

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The goofy smirks on the faces of the vocalists as the Hood Internet cover the Pretenders' "Back On the Chain Gang" delight me.

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It was love at first listen when I heard the late Manuel Galbán's Blue Cha Cha this morning.

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Kansas City Click: See what you missed last week here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

I Just Met You and This Is Crazy: Music Midway in 2012

Unless I go all-in during the second half of 2012, it looks as if my streak of taking in at least 365 shows each year will come to an end on December 31.  Even so, much of the music I've heard in the first six months of 2012 has consoled and inspired me.

Now that most music is instantly accessible, I've listened to well over 200 new albums in the first half of 2012.  Limiting the list to 25, consequently, was difficult.  I appreciate the otherwise consensus picks like Beach House's Bloom, but the albums listed below have given me the most pleasure.  Here's a Spotify playlist of my top picks.

While the entries on my album and show lists have provided unspeakable thrills, my song list is lackluster.  Where are the undeniable singles of 2012?

The 25 Best Albums of 2012 (so far)
1. Lee Fields & The Expressions- Faithful Man
2. Hahn & Hauschka- Silfra There Stands the Glass review.
3. Meshuggah- Koloss
4. Brody Buster Band- Will Die Young Ink magazine review.
5. Death Grips- The Money Store
6. Robert Glasper- Black Radio
7. Esbjorn Svensson Trio- 301 There Stands the Glass review.
8. Killer Mike- R.A.P. Music
9. Jack White- Blunderbuss
10. Project H- Become Light Plastic Sax review.
11. Charles Gayle Trio- Streets There Stands the Glass review.
12. Big K.R.I.T.- Live From the Underground
13. Pat Metheny- Unity Band
14. Norah Jones- Little Broken Hearts
15. Behzod Abduraimov- Prokofiev, Liszt & Saint-Saëns
16. Heems- Nehru Jackets
17. Steddy P- Better Make Room There Stands the Glass review.
18. Saint Vitus- Lillie F-65
19. Krizz Kaliko- Kickin' & Screamin'
20. High on Fire- De Vermis Mysteriis
21. Bobby Womack- The Bravest Man in the Universe
22. Sly & Robbie- Blackwood Dub
23. Enter Shakira- A Flash Flood of Colour
24. Ted Nash- The Creep
25. Capybara- Dave Drusky There Stands the Glass review.

The 25 Best Live Performances of 2012 (so far)
1. Enrico Rava- Winningstad Theatre Plastic Sax review.
2. Vivica Genaux and Europa Galante- Folly Theater There Stands the Glass review.
3. CS Luxem- FOKL Center There Stands the Glass review.
4. Matt Otto Quartet- Westport Coffee House Plastic Sax review.
5. Tord Gustavsen- Queen Elizabeth Hall Plastic Sax review.
6. Bobby Watson with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- Unity on the Plaza
7. The Dubliners- Royal Albert Hall There Stands the Glass review.
8. Testament- Midland Theater Back to Rockville review.
9. Philip Glass and Tim Fain- Helzberg Hall There Stands the Glass review.
10. Trivium- Liberty Memorial Park
11. The People's Liberation Big Band- RecordBar Plastic Sax review.
12. Danzig- Uptown Theater Back to Rockville review.
13. Tech N9ne- Midland Theater Back to Rockville review.
14. Leon Russell- Knuckleheads Back to Rockville review.
15. Mission of Burma- RecordBar
16. Gipsy Kings- Midland Theater There Stands the Glass review.
17. Nnenna Freelon- Folly Theater
18. Suzanne Vega- Yardley Hall Back to Rockville review.
19. Alaturka- Kansas City Academy Plastic Sax review.
20. Taj Mahal- Knuckleheads Back to Rockville review.
21. Mutemath- Beaumont
22. Eddie Money- Old Shawnee Days There Stands the Glass review.
23. American Head Charge- Beaumont Back to Rockville review.
24. Brandon Draper World Jazz Quartet- Polsky Theatre
25. Neveready- Belmont Park

The Ten Best Singles of 2011 (so far)
1. Esperanza Spalding- "Black Gold"
2. Nas- "Daughters"'
3. Carly Rae Jepsen- "Call Me Maybe"
4. Lady Antebellum- "Dancin' Away With My Heart"
5. Eric Church- "Springsteen"
6. Gocho- "Si Te Digo La Verdad"
7. The Black Keys- "Gold On the Ceiling"
8. Bassnectar- "Vava Voom"
9. Kellie Pickler- "100 Proof"
10. Scissor Sisters- "Only the Horses"

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: In the Heights

I almost walked out on In the Heights.  Although spending a perfect evening at the lovely Starlight Theatre is a classic Kansas City experience, my sense of disappointment threatened to get the better of me Friday.  I'd hoped that the celebrated musical would be less contrived than this.  The hip hop and salsa elements of In the Heights didn't just allow the flawed production to get a pass- the hopelessly hackneyed show was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  That's embarrassing.  Still, my $10 ticket was a bargain.  At that price, I might even endure this monstrosity in July.


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Herb Reed of the Platters has died.  He was born in Kansas City.

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The Washington Post's obituary of Bob Welch refers to his "poorly received" jazz album. Man, is it… unusual.

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I've enjoyed bits and pieces of the live stream from Bonnaroo this weekend.

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Anyone up for a road trip to Knotfest in Council Bluffs?

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 If the blues wasn't in one of its cyclical troughs in popularity, Sue Foley would be a star.  Here's her new video with Peter Karp.  The duo will appear at Knuckleheads in July.

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The collaboration between Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio is an inspired idea.  Too bad about the album cover.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Eddie Money and The Clocks at Old Shawnee Days

I wanna go back cause I'm feeling so much older.- Eddie Money, "I Wanna Go Back"

Three large-scale fashionable pop music events transpired in Kansas City last night.  The Shins and Foster the People were among the acts at Buzz Beach Ball.  Wiz Khalifa and Yelawolf were scheduled to appear at Dancefestopia.  Jennifer Holliday was among the headliners at a gay pride festival.  

In a mildly pathetic but cost-conscious decision, I opted to go back thirty years to catch Eddie Money and The Clocks at Old Shawnee Days on Saturday.

I was giddy at the rare opportunity to hear The Clocks, a Wichita-based "new wave" band that had a minor hit in 1981 with "She Looks a Lot Like You".  I don't recall seeing the band back in the day.  I regret to report that I was disappointed.  Instead of a set of power-pop gems, the band favored sentimental songs that I associate with the likes of Quarterflash and the Motels.  I hadn't realized that the power-pop of "She Looks a Lot Like You" was atypical of the band's style.

Eddie Money, conversely, was a pleasant surprise. Wearing a personalized Royals jersey and backed by a solid band with a bar band feel, Money made old hits like "Baby Hold On" and "Gimme Some Water" sound shockingly vital.  Money is still a goofball with a shaky voice, but his genial personality immediately won me and the audience of about 2,500 over.

I wondered why the Brooklynite repeatedly complimented the "shawties" in the audience.  I eventually realized he was actually addressing the people of Shawnee.  I shared his affection.  The six dollars I spent on delicious custards represented my only expenditure on the gorgeous evening.

Thanks, shawty!


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The suburban festival also featured country artist Rickie Lee Tanner.  I enjoyed his covers of mainstream country hits, although I gasped at his introduction to "Wave On Wave."  "Any Pat Green fans in the house tonight?" Tanner queried.  Green was performing a few miles away at Crossroads KC.

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An enthusiastic report by Patrick Neas altered me to the debut album by the Kansas City area's Behzod Abduraimov.

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Kansas City Click: Buck 65 plays the Riot Room on Sunday.

The RecordBar hosts Grass Widow on Monday.

Seether opens for Nickelback at the Sprint Center on Tuesday.

A set by She's a Keeper precedes the Royals game on Wednesday.

(Original image of the moon over Old Shawnee Days by There Stands the Glass.)

Doc Watson, 1923-2012

I marvel at the fact that the time I've been allotted on this planet has allowed me to experience performances by artists that seemingly belong to a different era.  I've witnessed the likes of Roy Acuff, Count Basie, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Jay McShann, Little Richard, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Scott, Myra Taylor and Doc Watson.  I last caught Watson at Johnson County Community College.  It was always a treat to see the man who introduced me to material like "Darling Corey," "Intoxicated Rat," "Shady Grove" and "Tennessee Stud."  I can't imagine a kinder or more expert instructor.


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I reviewed a concert by Danzig, Kyng, MonstrO and Hammerlord.

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Hours of research aimlessly goofing around on Spotify led me to the Steve Lehman Trio's Dialect Fluorescent and Floratone II.  So good.  So neglected. 

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The members of Spirit is the Spirit want you to buy them a van.

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Here's the cool story behind a public domain version of the Goldberg Variations.

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While I can't prevent you from calling Horseback a novelty act, nothing you say is going to make me stop loving its new release.

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The Malawi Mouse Boys have a charming new album.  Here's a documentary about the project.  (Look carefully to discern the origin of the collective's name.)

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Mr. Doolittle is a faithful reader of There Stands the Glass.

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Kansas City Click: I'm seriously considering catching The Clocks' opening set for Eddie Money at Old Shawnee Days on Saturday.

Buck 65 plays the Riot Room on Sunday.

The RecordBar hosts Grass Widow on Monday.

Seether opens for Nickelback at the Sprint Center on Tuesday.

A set by She's a Keeper precedes Wednesday's Royals game.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Esbjorn Svensson Trio- 301

I freely admit that I occasionally participate in the "whither jazz" discussions that careen around the internet like shots fired in an empty bank vault. The "absurd lack of an audience" is a frequently-employed tag at my jazz blog Plastic Sax. Instead of weighing in at this heated thread at NPR's A Blog Supreme, I'll use this album review as a meditation on jazz's declining popularity.

I reviewed a concert headlined by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band last week. While poorly attended by the venue's standards, it was still thrilling to witness over 200 people dancing to a raucous jazz act. I fully endorse the #BAM model displayed by acts including the Dirty Dozen, Nicholas Payton, Esperanza "The Future" Spalding, A Tribe Called Quest and Robert Glasper. The other end of the progressive jazz spectrum is no less viable. Witnessing concerts by Enrico Rava and Tord Gustovsen in recent months has only deepened by enthusiasm for the potential of refined European jazz.

The Esbjorn Svensson Trio was perhaps the most popular act of its type to emerge in the past decade. It was poised to single-handedly popularize jazz among a new generation of listeners when tragedy struck.

It's impossible for me to listen to 301 without asking "what if?". What if Svensson hadn't died in 2008? Would E.S.T.'s career momentum have continued? Could E.S.T. have been the act to successfully connect to the indie rock set in America? I think so. The 301 recordings are from a 2007 session reportedly planned for release prior to Svensson's death. Pamela Espeland of Bebopified puts it well: "301" is not a collection of scraps or outtakes. This is the e.s.t. we know and love, the trio that makes us think and feel, groove and raise our fists in the air."

Each of the seven tracks on 301 is excellent. The brilliant "Inner City, City Lights" is a post-Keith Jarrett, post-Pat Metheny mood piece. Is it "jazz"? Who cares? "The Left Lane" is a 13-minute jam that actually goes places. "Houston, The 5th" is an experiment in feedback. "Three Falling Free, Part I" includes a drum feature for Magnus Öström. The raw "Three Falling Free, Part II" is more Mars Volta than Bill Evans. "The Childhood Dream," the soulful blues that closes 301, belies the commonly held assertion that European jazz is bloodless.

Then again, I could be delirious. As of this writing, 301- easily one of the most exciting and artistically important albums regardless of genre to be released in 2012- is ranked as the #20,869 best-selling music title at Amazon. "What if?,"  indeed.


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The members of Saint Etienne apparently uncovered the teenage diary of one of my former girlfriends. I'm smitten by "Over the Border.

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Stik Figa continues to rep Top City. (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Is Ozarks' "Pyramids of Love" genius or idiocy? (I can't tell.)

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A new documentary about Cheli Wright looks promising.

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I refuse to upgrade my Sugar collection.

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Kansas City Click: You'll find me at the Celebration at the Station on Sunday.

The Louis Neal Big Band returns to the Blue Room on Monday.

Class Actress is at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

Elizabeth Cook plays Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Psychfest

I went to a psychedelic music festival and a punk rock show broke out.  Carnal Torpor, a band with which I had no familiarity, blew my mind in a most unpsychedelic fashion. 

A bunch of shirtless guys, the band made a sonic racket that fell somewhere in the small space in which Minor Threat, Dan Deacon and Tool overlap.  A dude resembling Dave Navarro hammered away at several instruments including one that looked like jerry-rigged loom.

The singer reeked to high heaven, a fact not lost on anyone in the basement of the FOKL Center.  A riveting presence, he shrieked in frustration, slathered himself in a dark, glue-like substance, decorated himself with foil, flayed at (and usually missed) a cymbal, banged on the rafters and slam danced and fought with a couple of confederates.

I don't know if Carnal Torpor is capable of transferring the same chaotic energy to a setting more conventional than a basement in Kansas City, Kansas, but the fifty people who witnessed its 30-minute set know that the theatrical performance was extraordinary.

Nothing else I heard was nearly as memorable, though I was impressed by DJ Memo, a man who clearly understands that the Geto Boys and Duke Ellington are part of the same continuum.  I also liked the set by one-man-band CS Luxem.  It was enhanced by projected footage of an American Royal Parade from the '90s.  The backdrop for the upstairs stage was similarly effective.  A collection of boxes had been painted white.  A light show specifically constructed for the structure was very impressive.

About 125 people- over half of whom were participating musicians and their friends- were present during the two hours I spent at Psychfest.  The laughably pretentious attitudes and inane amateurism displayed by a couple dozen nitwits were offset by the graciousness of a handful of genuinely groovy, far-out people.


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Me too! I'm also excited about Killer Mike's new album.

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The Liquor Buddies is Steve Wilson's new band.

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Kansas City Click: The KC Sound Collective appears at the RecordBar on Sunday.

Creed plays the Midland on Monday and Tuesday.

Tracii Guns appears at Aftershock on Wednesday.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band top Thursday's bill at Crossroads KC.

(Original image of CS Luxem by There Stands the Glass.)

Bustin' Loose: Donna, Doug and Chuck

The inevitable but dreadful news of the passings of notable musicians is relentless.  Here are brief notes on three recent losses.

• I've long sensed that the blueprints for the future are right in front of all of us.  Yet aside from the countless people who have applied the gifts of the dual geniuses of James Brown and George Clinton to the creation and ongoing evolution of hip hop, very few have advanced the sound of funk and R&B in recent decades.  Chuck Brown was an exception.  He constructed a brand new bag.  
• I realize that much of the world received regular exposure to the Dillards on television, but I've always considered the Dillards to be a regional phenomenon.  Missouri native Doug Dillard meant a lot to people in this region.  And this region meant a lot to him- here's "Kansas City Southern", from a collaboration with Gene Clark, another local boy.
• Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" was released when I was an impressionable kid.  Nothing more needs to be said about that.

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I reviewed an appearance by Taj Mahal and Anders Osborne.

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I was asked to pull a recent There Stands the Glass post.  I complied.

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Mac Lethal crafted another meme.

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Jazz blog Outside-Inside-Out hipped me to Edmar Castaneda's Double Portion.  I can't decide if I love it or hate it.  Here's the EPK for the album.

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Sam Billen's Kickstarter campaign is one of the best-conceived I've encountered.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Donald "Duck" Dunn, 1941-2012

Most readers of There Stands the Glass pick up on the fact that I often go on musical binges that last between two days and two weeks.  It's not uncommon for me to become fully immersed in a specific artist or style.  I can lose myself in old Dave Holland albums, the Skip James catalog, American Beauty, seminal thrash or Erik Satie.  I love these things so intensely that I inevitably burn myself out on each temporary obsession.  One of the few things I'll never tire of is the music made in Memphis from 1954-74.  Duck Dunn, of course, played a pivotal role in the creation of the timeless sound. (Get a load of this.)  Dunn died two days ago.


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Here's my review of Rockfest.  My favorite of the fifteen performances? That's easy- Trivium.

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Here's another song from the new Neil Young and Crazy Horse project.  I love it.

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This is my introduction to Nathan Salsburg.

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I like the homemade vibe of the Floozies' new video.

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Krizz Kaliko's "Spaz" goes to "the next level."

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The Clocks have reunited!

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A Kickstarter campaign campaign for Renaissance was successful.

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Oh no!  This spells another lost weekend for me.  It's safe to say that Pulp won't make my list.

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Kansas City Click: Rocky Votolato is at the RecordBar on Tuesday.  I've admired his "hit" since its release.

Oriole Post plays at Kauffman Stadium before Wednesday's Royals game.

Chris Hazelton performs at the Blue Room on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Chicago Underground Duo- Age of Energy

A five-track Rorschach test, Age of Energy, the astounding  new album by the Chicago Underground Duo, elicits visions.

1. "Winds Sweeping Pines"- Ignore the selection's title.  I see a riot by discontented assembly line workers at a Chinese industrial plant.  This is everything I'd hoped for but didn't get from internet sensation BadBadNotGood.

2. "It's Alright"-  Once again, the title is grossly misleading.  It's most definitely not alright.  This is the sound of Miles Davis attempting to claw his way out of his grave.

3. "Castle In Your Heart"- The label amusingly refers to the track as a single.  (It's available as a free download here.)  Like a Gauguin painting of Polynesia come to life, the song's fleetingly sensual quality is akin to a moment of oblivious tranquility hours before a tsunami strikes.

4. "Age of Energy"- The drumming on the title track resembles the dull thump of wet Nikes tumbling in a distressed dryer.  The astringent screech of the trumpet might have been achieved through enhanced interrogation. 

5. "Moon Debris"-  The lost Kraftwerk jazz album from 1973. I've got yer jazz robots right here.

Fans of Tortoise, Matthew Shipp and Stereolab are encouraged to seek their own visions with Age of Energy.

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I reviewed a wild concert headlined by Mushroomhead.

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Farewell, Adam Yauch.

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Michael Burks has died.

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The new John Peel site is a thing of wonder.  I recommend watching the feature on Mike Absalom. 

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Have you seen and heard Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Oh Susannah"?  It's insane.  (And that's just the way I like it.)

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Dennis Brown interprets Jimmy Webb.  I love this world.

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Here's Doomtree at NPR.

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Subscribing to archival music channels sometimes leads to tantalizing surprises.  Yowza!

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Kansas City Click: Aretha Franklin graces Helzberg Hall on Tuesday.

Kittie top Wednesday's bill at the Beaumont.

I get to see Bad Company play a corporate event on Thursday.  I hope to meet Mick Ralphs.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The 100 Best Singles of the 1980s

I wish I'd never bothered to look at NME's recently published list of "The 100 Best Songs of the 1980s."  Since I innocently jumped down that vexing rabbit hole earlier this week, I've spent about eight hours creating the following list.  I was initially impressed by NME's effort, mostly because it reminded me of songs like "Buffalo Stance" that I hadn't thought of in years.  Stereogum provides a user-friendly version of NME's list.  Even so, I quickly realized that it only partially represented the music that consumed me during the decade.  Consequently, less than two dozen of NME's choices survived my cut.  Lest my list be dominated by M.J. and Prince, I decided to include only one song per artist.  I also required that each selection was officially released as a single.  And in order to actually complete this silly exercise, I didn't consider international acts like Fela and Juan Luis Guerra. In spite of its preposterous title, my list doesn't represent the "best" singles of the era.  Instead, it compiles the songs I loved most.

Here's the corresponding Spotify playlist.  (Only a few of my selections aren't available at the streaming service.)

1. Bob Marley- "Redemption Song"
2. Public Enemy- "Bring the Noise"
3. Michael Jackson- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
4. George Clinton- "Atomic Dog"
5. Talking Heads- "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
6. Prince- "1999"
7. Lakeside- "Fantastic Voyage"
8. Tracy Chapman- "Fast Car"
9. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
10. George Jones- "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
11. Teddy Pendergrass- "Love T.K.O."
12. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five- "The Message"
13. R.E.M.- "Radio Free Europe"
14. Z.Z. Hill- "Cheatin' In the Next Room"
15. Slayer-"Raining Blood"
16. X- "The Once Over Twice"
17. Def Leppard- "Photograph"
18. Maze- "Back In Stride"
19. AC/DC – “Back In Black”
20. LL Cool J- "Going Back To Cali"
21. Motorhead- "Ace of Spades"
22. NWA – “Straight Outta Compton”
23. John Mellencamp- "Check It Out"
24. Marvin Gaye- "Sexual Healing"
25. Newcleus- "Jam On It"
26. Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time”
27. Faith No More – “We Care A Lot”
28. The Pogues- "A Pair of Brown Eyes"
29. Rick James- "Give It To Me Baby"
30. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”
31. Vern Gosdin- "Set 'em Joe"
32. Billy Bragg- "Greetings to the New Brunette"
33. The Smiths – “How Soon Is Now”
34. Sonic Youth – “Teen Age Riot”
35. Pete Townshend- "Rough Boys"
36. Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock- "It Takes Two"
37. The Specials – “Ghost Town”
38. Bruce Springsteen- "One Step Up"
39. Black Uhuru- "Sponji Reggae"
40. Dinosaur Jr – “Freak Scene”
41. Womack & Womack – “Teardrops”
42. The Embarrassment- "Sex Drive"
43. Merle Haggard- "Misery and Gin"
44. Run–D.M.C.- "King of Rock"
45. Guns 'N Roses- "Paradise City"
46. Boogie Down Productions- "My Philosophy"
47. Zapp- "More Bounce To the Ounce"
48. Van Halen- "Panama"
49. The Judds- "Why Not Me"
50. English Beat- "Save It For Later"
51. De La Soul- "Me, Myself & I"
52. Matthew Sweet- "Girlfriend"
53. EPMD- "You Gots To Chill"
54. Willie Nelson- "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"
55. Kool & the Gang- "Get Down On It"
56. John Hiatt- "Have a Little Faith In Me"
57. New Order – “Bizarre Love Triangle”
58. Tony! Toni! Tone!- "Little Walter"
59. The Replacements- "Alex Chilton"
60. Iron Maiden – “Run To The Hills”
61. Kurtis Blow- "The Breaks"
62. Sugarcubes – “Birthday”
63. The Beastie Boys- "Shadrach"
64. Dire Straits- "Romeo and Juliet"
65. Sade- "The Sweetest Taboo"
66. Randy Travis- "Diggin' Up Bones"
67. Psychedelic Furs- "The Ghost In You"
68. The Ramones- "Psycho Therapy"
69. Soul II Soul – “Back To Life”
70. Roxy Music- "More Than This"
71. The Pretenders- "Don't Get Me Wrong"
72. Smokey Robinson- "Being With You"
73. Ultramagnetic MC's- "Give the Drummer Some"
74. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
75. Salt N’ Pepa – “Push It”
76. The Pixies- "Here Comes Your Man"
77. Tears For Fears- "Woman In Chains"
78. Cameo- "She's Strange"
79. Los Lobos- "Will the Wolf Survive"
80. Roxanne Shante and Biz Markie- "The Def Fresh Crew"
81. Ozzy Osbourne- "Crazy Train"
82. Stevie Wonder- "Master Blaster"
83. The Undertones- "It's Going to Happen!"
84. The Cure – “Just Like Heaven”
85. Con Funk Shun- "Love's Train"
86. Gregory Isaacs- "Night Nurse"
87. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- "Change of Heart"
88. Eddie Grant- "Electric Avenue"
89. Eric B. & Rakim – “Paid In Full”
90. Soundgarden- "Loud Love"
91. Motley Crue- "Shout At the Devil"
92. Joan Armatrading- "Drop the Pilot"
93. The Gap Band- "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"
94. Rolling Stones- "Waiting on a Friend"
95. The Rainmakers- "Downstream"
96. Devo- "Whip It"
97. J. Blackfoot- "Taxi"
98. Elvis Costello- "High Fidelity"
99. Herbie Hancock- "Rockit"
100. The Clash- "Bankrobber"

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Gipsy Kings at the Midland

Ushers at the Midland Theater had the worst jobs in Kansas City on Sunday.  They'd apparently been instructed to quell dancing at the evening's Gipsy Kings concert.  The absurd demand was tantamount to telling Royals' fans at a Sunday afternoon game in July that sweating is forbidden.  Movement isn't optional at the joyous, life-affirming performances of the Gipsy Kings.  And because under 500 people attended Sunday's otherwise magnificent and sonically pristine show, there was plenty of room to dance.  No matter.  Music lovers were forced to contain themselves.  At least women were invited to the stage to dance during "Bamboleo."  It looked a lot like this.


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I reviewed Saturday's concert by Cody Canada, Shooter Jennings and Uncle Lucius.

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Jennings featured a Gary Stewart song in his pre-set mix.  It was the first time I'd heard Stewart in a couple years.  I'm not living right.

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Alas, I can't listen to Gary Stewart because "Funky Drummer" is on repeat.  It's going to take a lifetime to absorb thos brilliance.

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I intend to keep posting Krystle Warren clips until the rest of the world shares my enthusiasm for the woman's music.

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The music video for Krizz Kaliko's "Stay Alive" is grim.

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I've never attended Soundset. 

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I've been enjoying the transmissions of a terrestrial radio station that mixes current pop hits with old favorites by Britney, Madonna and Prince.

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Ledisi praises Robert Glasper.

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Kansas City Click: Portugal.The.Man play the Beaumont on Monday.

Green River Ordinance is at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

The Wombats appear at the Beaumont on Wednesday.

(Original distant image of the Gipsy Kings by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Satchmo at the National Press Club

The First Amendment Lounge at the National Press Club was the jazz capitol of the universe earlier today. Scholars were scheduled to discuss Louis Armstrong's 1971 visit to the institution. A recording of the event was issued this week by Smithsonian Folkways.

Even though only five of the release's eleven tracks feature Armstrong and the album's sound quality is sketchy, the rediscovered recording is an important document. I'm certainly better for having heard it. Armstrong sounds vital just five months before his death. In addition to performing fine versions of material including "Mack the Knife" and "Hello Dolly," Armstrong tells an amusing joke about erectile disfunction. And as Wynton Marsalis notes in his video commentary on Satchmo at the National Press Club, it's fascinating to hear how revered Armstrong was among members of the audience.

Oddly, my favorite track on the album is Tyree Glenn's charming impression of Armstrong on "A Kiss To Build a Dream On." As Glenn exclaims, "He was the greatest- beautiful!"

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I wish I could buy Murray Gershenz's record collection.

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The implications of François Hollande's supposedly official campaign spot make my head spin.

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New to me: the pairing of Chet Baker and Caterina Valente. (Via Marc Myers.)

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While I have no intention of attending, the Wakarusa stage schedule is enticing.

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An examination of the set times of the Sweetlife Festival raises a perplexing question- how can Fun fun. headline a festival in Kansas City but serve as the lowest-billed main stage act at a festival in D.C.?

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 "Hustle bones comin' out my mouth!" (From my #4 album of 2012.)

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Kansas City Click: My officials picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)