Curfew

My responses to a meme initiated by The Guardian and prolonged by NPR Music.

1) What was the first song you ever bought?: "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire. Why?  Why not?  It's still my jam.

2) What song always gets you dancing? "Mother Popcorn" by James Brown. Why?  My knees aren't broken.

3) What song takes you back to your childhood? "Daddy Sang Bass" by Johnny Cash. Why? I was reared on that stuff.

4) What is your perfect love song? "So In Love" by Curtis Mayfield. Why? The sound and the sentiment.

5) What song would you want at your funeral? "Aguas de Marco" by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Why? "It's the mud, it's the mud."

6) Time for the encore.  One last song that make you, you. "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy.  Why? The contradictions.  The rage.  The mayhem. Chuck D's self-importance.  Flavor Flav's humor.


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I reviewed Monday's John Hiatt concert.

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New Iris Dement!  Amazon offers snippets of her forthcoming album Sing the Delta.

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New CES Cru!

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New OFWGKTA!  Here's Hodgy and Left Brain's "La Bonita".

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An update on South Park Mexican is headlined "Should Hip-Hop Artists Be Allowed to Release Albums From Jail?"  As a guy who once repped SPM albums, I believe the answer is "yes."  (Via S.S.)

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I admired Merrill Garbus before I watched her new "What's In My Bag?" segment.  I love her now. 

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I adore Bob Dylan's "Duquesne Whistle".

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ShowYouSuck performed at KJHK.

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"Hi-fi?  Why, sure- you bet!"  A 1957 stereo demonstration infomercial is amazing.

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I heard Johnny Winter's 1974 rendition of "Stray Cat Blues" for the first time the other day.  That's evil going on.

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Tom Ryan, an occasional commenter at There Stands the Glass, has died.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Fela Tribute at the RecordBar

When I learned that Hearts of Darkness was participating in a tribute to Fela Kuti, my initial reaction wasn't entirely positive.  I wondered how the event would differ from every other Hearts of Darkness show.

But that's not fair.  Kansas City's Hearts of Darkness has always offered a unique twist on Fela's Afrobeat.  And Shelf Life, the band's new album, documents the collective's ongoing evolution.  Besides, the Fela tribute combined the forces of Hearts of Darkness and the People's Liberation Big Band.   I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to see members of two of my favorite bands collaborate on the music of one of my heroes, so I dragged my sorry carcass to the RecordBar on Sunday.

After paying the $7 cover with a fiver and eight quarters (I'm busted), I was instantly energized by the vibrant music.  Here are a few observations:

*While I missed the beginning and the end of the performance, the number of musicians on stage numbered between 14 and 19 depending on the selection.
*Alas, the audience- including the musicians waiting for their turn to play- numbered about 60.  I understand that HoD's performance the previous night at Knuckleheads drew several hundred people.  Perhaps fans were simply worn out.
*Most of the audience sat during propulsive renditions of the most inviting dance music of the twentieth century.  I don't get it.
*The break between sets was less than fifteen minutes.  Kudos to enthusiastic bandleader Bob Asher!
*Seeing Micah Herman and Jeff Harshbarger standing next to one another on stage gave me an inordinate amount of joy.
*Other notable participants included Brad Cox, Stan Kessler, Mark Lowrey, Rich Wheeler, Brad Williams and Arny Young.


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I wrote a fall jazz preview for The Kansas City Star.

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I wasn't able to catch much music while I visited Oregon last week.  Here are my notes on one excursion.

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"Leather On" is a track from Mike Dillon's forthcoming album Urn.

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"This is a cement, concrete-reinforced vault!" Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds just kills me.

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Carry On is a new tribute album to the late Teisha Helgerson.

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New P.O.S.!  I hope We Don't Even Live Here is as good as Never Better, my #2 album of 2009.

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Freaks partial to both Tool's videos and the music of Erik Satie will want to know about Hauschka's "Radar".

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The video for Gizmo's "Red Balloon" is remarkable.  RIYL: Robert Glasper, Sonic Youth.

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Ty Segal's new song "The Hill" is stupendous.  RIYL: Nuggets, drugs, 1968.

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I panned an El Ten Eleven performance several months ago.  Is  "Thanks Bill" the band's retort?

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She's a Keeper uploaded two new songs.  RIYL: Jason Mraz, Mumford & Sons.

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Enrico Rava plays Michael Jackson on the new album On the Dance Floor.

I'm all about Gummy Soul's Bizarre Tribe: A Quest to The Pharcyde.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here and here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Von Freeman, 1923-2012

Jazz giants Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and John Coltrane are rightfully celebrated.  The heart and soul of jazz, however, lies in the lives and legacies of musicians like Chicago's Von Freeman and Kansas City's Ahmad Alaadeen.  As Howard Reich's essential and astounding remembrance indicates, Freeman was more of a hometown hero than a universally hailed legend.  That doesn't mean that Freeman wasn't brilliant.  His ancient-sounding tone on the old-fashioned tenor battles on the pictured album gives  me chills.  While Frank Catalano holds his own, Freeman's out-oriented concepts are stunning.  I also love "Doin' It Right Now", "Vonski"'s brawny debut album as a leader.  Here's essential interview and performance footage from last year.  His rendition of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" from the same gig will break your heart.  Freeman died Saturday.


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I absolutely adore 'Round Midnight, the entirely conventional new swing album by Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen.

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The EPK for Stevie Stone's new album makes a strong case for the commercial viability of the Strange Music artist.

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XV's Popular Culture figures to make my year-end best-of list.  Here's "making-of" footage.

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Hey jerks, why didn't any of you turn me on to Mandali?

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Thanks to Good Music Alert, I'm aware of the new album by Curumin.

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Kansas City Click: Hermon Mehari is at the Majestic on Tuesdays.

Guardian Alien appears at the RecordBar on Wednesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Turbonegro- Sexual Harrassment

In spite of the content of my previous post, I'm not too proud to admit that sometimes music chooses the listener.  In a perfect world, I wouldn't even be aware of Turbonegro.  The sleazy punk/metal band is just plain filthy.  And I love it.  "You Give Me Worms" reflects the content of the new album Sexual Harassment.  Other choice tracks are titled "Dude Without a Face," "Shake Your Sh*t Machine" and "I Got a Knife."  Recommended if you like whiskey, drugs, prison, sex and prison sex. 


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Marvin Hamlisch has died.

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Kyle James' Bars$Daze is not exactly politically correct.

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I can't believe that I saw the 2011 video for the Good Foot's "House" for the first time this week.

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Let the witch hunt begin!

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I don't care what anyone says- I'll always love Randy Travis.

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Tim Finn wrote a remarkable story about the travails of the Architects' Keenan Nichols.

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Kansas City Click: Beaver Nelson plays a matinee at Davey's on Saturday.

The Beaumont plays host to Helmet on Sunday.

Brad Leali returns to the Blue Room on Monday.

A very funny man appears at the Midland on Tuesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

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.)