The 20 Best Kansas City-Related Albums of 2013 (so far)

Much of the Kansas City music community is rightfully engaged in self-congratulatory praise inspired by the notably strong showing of new releases in 2013.  A comment made by Matt of Jeopardy of Contentment at this site last week compelled me to join the chorus.  Here's a list of my twenty favorite Kansas City-related new releases of the past four months.  I created a Spotify playlist that includes all but five of my selections.


1. Mark Lowrey- Tangos For 18th Street (review at Plastic Sax)
2. The Grisly Hand- Country Singles
3. Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project
4. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- The Freedom of Expression (review at Plastic Sax)
5. Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li (review at There Stands the Glass)
6. Alaturka- Yalniz (review at Plastic Sax)
7. Dutch Newman- Schorre's Son
8. Cowboy Indian Bear- Live Old, Die Young
9. Reach- Live at the RecordBar (review at There Stands the Glass)
10. Ces Cru- Constant Energy Struggles (review at There Stands the Glass)
11. The Eldar Djangirov Trio- Breakthrough
12. Kutt Calhoun- Black Gold
13. The BD Trio- Live (review at Plastic Sax)
14. Appleseed Cast- Illumination Ritual
15. Heartfelt Anarchy- Heartfelt Anarchy
16. The Matt Kane Trio- Suit Up! (review at Plastic Sax)
17. Beau Bledsoe/Victoria Botero- Un Ramo de Voz
18. The Great Vehicle- The People's Cathedral of Wavelengths
19. Tate Stevens- Tate Stevens
20. Soft Reeds- Blank City


My list is not comprehensive.  I haven't heard a lot of stuff.  And there's plenty of music that simply doesn't appeal to me.  I encourage readers to investigate the sites linked to the right for additional commentary about the music being created in Kansas City.  The Mailbox features several new releases in today's podcast.  And The Mills Record Company Blog has been on fire lately. 

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

George Jones, 1931-2013

The King is Gone (And So Are You).

George Jones has died.  I detest seeing the man's career reduced to a single song and quick references to boozing, no-shows and heartbreak.  Sure, I love the tractor story as much as anyone, but overlooking the man's music would be tragic.  With that in mind, here are five selections from Jones' vast catalog that had a profound impact on me.

• Hearing "White Lightning" and "The Race Is On" on repeat is one of my earliest childhood memories.  My dad loved the Possum.
• Jones' adult-themed duets introduced me to the wild side of life when I was an impressionable kid.  He gets kinky with Melba Montgomery on "Let's Invite Them Over".
• I've always resented the countrypolitan production that came to characterize his work, but no amount of schmaltz can negate Jones' emoting on weepers like "These Days (I Barely Get By)".
• Okay, I'll give you one stereotypical drinking song. "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)".
• Jones' faith shouldn't be whitewashed from his legacy.   His sly personality is ideally suited to the scathing "Would They Love Him Down In Shreveport?"

"You know this old world is full of singers but only a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing.- "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes"


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Bob Brozman has died.  It's my understanding that Bob was the brother of Jack Brozman, the co-founder of Streetside Records.  Can a There Stands the Glass reader confirm this connection?

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The video for Dead Voices' "Dream Notes" is quite good.

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The Soft Reeds performed on KSHB's morning show.

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Gurf Morlix's Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is RIYL Lucinda Williams, sadness and the truth.

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"He's my rebel guy that wouldn't hurt a fly."  Rachelle Spector, the wife of Phil Spector, created a video for "PS I Love You", a tribute to her incarcerated husband. Trust me- it's worthy of your attention.  (Via Jazz Wax.)

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I listened to the entirely of Love Has Come For You, the new collaboration between Steve Martin and Edie Brickeill, without becoming annoyed or exasperated.  A song titled "Shawnee" won me over.

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"I'll never sell out."  Ha ha!  The Dream tells jokes on his preposterous new hit "Slow It Down".

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Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu's Tiny Desk Concert set is gorgeous.

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The best moments of Owiny Sigoma Band's Power Punch are as good as anything that's been released in 2013.  The worst moments, however, are pure dreck.  RIYL: "Kumbaya," Damon Albarn and Tony Allen. 

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Here's the "ECM Player" for the Craig Taborn Trio's Chants.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li

Cherokee Rock Rifle enjoys an enviable status among the cool kids in Kansas City.  In addition to being a good guy, vocalist Dutch Humphrey works as a bartender at one of the town's most fashionable music venues.  His band, consequently, is a compulsory member of the in-crowd. 

That sort of reasoning has never swayed me.  I regularly rip the music made by my friends and associates.  I'm a jerk that way.

Thankfully, I love Ta-Li, Cherokee Rock Rifle's new six-song EP, on its own merits.  It compares favorably to the output of like-minded bands including Clutch, Valient Thorr and Black Lips.  The quintet's antecedents include Nazareth, Humble Pie and Accept.  In other words, Cherokee Rock Rifle makes snarling blues-based rock designed to accompany illicit activity. 

Because I've been ailing, it's been a long, lonely time since I cut loose.  The hell-raising Ta-Li will be my companion the next time I'm in a proper mindset to f*** s*** up.   


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The least expensive tickets at the door of T.I.'s concert at the Sprint Saturday last Saturday were $60.  The headliner phoned it in.  Here's my review of the lackluster performance by one of my favorite rappers.

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I caught wholesome heartthrob Tate Stevens' second show at the Midland.  Here's my review.

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Chrissie Amphlett of the Divinyls,  Richie Havens and Artie "Blues Boy" White have died.

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Music-oriented movies at the forthcoming Middle of the Map Film Fest include A Band Called Death and The Frames: In a Deep Shade.

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"This Grey Goose tastes like water."  Brett Gretsky promotes its new release.

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I insist that Tyga supervise the soundtrack to the hypothetical sequel of Idiocracy.  After listening to the entirety of the young star's Molly-centric Hotel California album, I question America's sustainability.

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Christian McBride played the National Anthem at an NBA game last week.

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I loathe TV comedians, but I have to admit that I laughed at Jimmy Kimmel's Coachella-related stunt.

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I can't wait to hear this week's new albums by JD Allen, the Appleseed Cast, Brass Bed, Fantasia, Har Mar Superstar, Wallace Roney, Edward Simon, Snoop Lion, Thee Oh Sees, Craig Taborn, Frank Turner, Carlos Vives and Rob Zombie.  Cowboy Indian Bear's Live Old, Die Young  is at the top of my list.

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Kansas City Click: Black Mountain perform at the RecordBar on Tuesday.

Early Graves play the Czar Bar on Wednesday.

Davey's hosts Cowboy Indian Bear on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die

I watched Safe House, a solid action flick starring Denzel Washington (and featuring Rubén Blades) on cable earlier this week.   It was little different than dozens of organized crime, complex caper and government conspiracy movies I've enjoyed.  I could see how it was going to play out within the first fifteen minutes.  I didn't mind.  Familiar formulas can provide solace. 

I feel much the same way about Twelve Reasons To Die, the new collaboration between Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge.  With amusingly self-referential lyrics and a sound that deliberately evokes Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, it's at least as good as Ghost's 1996 2006 classic Fishscale. 

The narrative is… Oh, who am I kidding?  This album has my name written all over it- of course I love it.  Anyone who shares my affection for the Wu-Tang Clan and early '70s blaxploitation soundtracks will adore Twelve Reasons To Die.


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Scott Miller of Game Theory and the Loud Family has died.

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Jeneé Osterheldt wrote a fine profile of Kerwin Young.

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Steddy P. already knows that I don't like his video for "Vacay".

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My former coworker Glenn Jones sure can play guitar with emotional authority.

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The Haxan Cloak's Excavation is every bit as as good as critics have suggested.  RIYL: Tangerine Dream, narcotics, seances.

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Curses!  Just when I thought my feelings for the Three O'Clock had been permanently suppressed, a new compilation has revived those undesirable pangs of nostalgia. 

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Iggy Pop has jokes.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Chelsea Light Moving

Chelsea Light Moving is a flawed album.  The self-titled release by Thurston's Moore's new band is loaded with cringeworthy moments.  Then why do I keep listening?  It's not because of Moore's lyrics.  Seemingly intended as an homage to Patti Smith and Lou Reed, Moore's good intentions frequently go awry without the editorial guidance he must have received in Sonic Youth.

But those guitars… 

In the same way classic rock and technical metal fans adore the exhibitions of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, I relish hearing Moore's scuzzy post-punk constructs.  More than nostalgia is at play.  Sure, I bought Evol as a new release in 1986 and saw Sonic Youth a few months later at the Outhouse.  Moore's riffs may be recycled, but they're timeless.

An 18-minute performance for KEXP captures the Chelsea Light Moving aesthetic.


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I didn't know that George Jackson co-wrote "Old Time Rock and Roll" until I read his obituary yesterday.   So "Down Home Blues" is an answer song to the Bob Seger hit?  Mind blown. 

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Chi Cheng of Deftones has died.

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Farout, the bearded dude in Brett Gretzky, may be Missouri's next hip hop star.  The duo's "Crows" is available as a free download.

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I'll listen to the new albums by Kid Cudi, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, Ghost B., Ghostface Killah, Volbeat and Mel Waiters, as soon as I get my fill of the latest dispatch from Willie Nelson.

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Kansas City Click: The RecordBar hosts The Mowgli's on Tuesday.

Fear Factory is at the Riot Room on Wednesday.

Spooner Oldham (!) supports Pegi Young at the Riot Room Czar Bar on Thursday.

Flux Pavilion will light up the Midland on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

It Serves Me Right To Suffer

News of Jimmy Dawkins' passing caused me to reflect on my relationship with the blues. 

During the last big blues scare I avidly consumed the music.  I frequented gigs by the likes of Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, Little Hatch and Jimmy Rogers and avidly kept tabs on the new release schedules of labels like Delmark Records. 

Money is tighter these days and I have to deal with the real-life challenges faced by most adults.  While I have plenty of reasons to embrace the blues, the form no longer holds much interest for me.  Am I a loathsome bandwagon-jumper or has the quality of the blues scene diminished?

Soul and R&B-oriented acts like Linda Shell & Her Blues Thang and Bobby Rush excepted, I'm not inclined to spend a Friday night at a club listening to a blues band.  Even acclaimed outliers don't stir me.  Most of the blues I listen to for pleasure was recorded before 1970.

It serves me right to suffer.


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Dave Douglas reconfigured my DNA earlier this week.  Here's my review of his appearance at the Blue Room.

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Mac Lethal is in cranky old man mode on "Late 20's & Early 30's.  I like it, but I'll be even happier when he starts complaining about 1099s and mortgage deduction paperwork.)

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Here's an update on Kerwin Young's affiliation with Public Enemy.

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KJHK filmed an in-studio session by Fourth of July.

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Kvelertak is my favorite thing right now.

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I pray that I never outgrow my love for sleazy rock albums like Too High Too Kross by the Dirty Fences.

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This Is The End, Beautiful Friend is a set of the "silent final grooves of records" available at the Free Music Archive.  RIYL: vinyl, noise, mixtapes. 

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Fat Loser Problems

Going to Coachella? You’re a Loser and Part of the Problem and Probably Fat, an essay currently making the usual social media rounds, amused me.

Still a bit punch-drunk from the 24 hours I logged at the three-day Middle of the Map festival, I'm sympathetic to the sentiment expressed in the cynical screed.  The truth, however, is that I relish excess.  I embrace the novel opportunity to take in performances by honky tonk, punk and hip hop acts within a single hour.

Putting up with chatty Cathys and drunk Daves who would otherwise rarely set foot in a live music venue is a small price to pay for the experience.  (I even grew fond of the wasted Wendy who followed me around on Saturday.)

Besides, the relatively small scale of Middle of the Map meant that the furthest I ever stood from any performer was when I retreated to the balcony of the Uptown Theater during Grizzly Bear's stellar set to take this crummy shot.  The irrepressible Dutch Newman even collided with me during his performance.


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My notes on the final day of the Middle of the Map festival are part of this report.

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Regarding the "Accidental Racist" brouhaha: The controversy shouldn't center on the well-intentioned Brad Paisley or the deeply regrettable contribution of LL Cool J.  The real issue is that the milquetoast star is considered a "visionary" (Brian Mansfield in today's USA Today) by the Nashville establishment.  As a wise man once said, "It's been the same way for years- we need to change."

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God bless Willie Nelson.  The EPK for his forthcoming album showcases the "good" Willie.  (Tip via BGO.)

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The "season finale" of the KC Cypher Series is an important document of Kansas City's hip hop scene, but I can't sign off on most of the contributions.  The three best participants are Nesto the Owner, Riv Locc and Paul Mussan.

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I'm going to listen to the latest releases from James Blake, Stone Sour, the Knife, Device, the Dave Douglas Quintet, Jake Bugg, Paramore, John Medeski, Eric Church, Steve Kuhn and Kurt Vile only after I tire of Julieta Venegas' new Los Momentos album.

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Kansas City Click: The Slide Brothers perform at Knuckleheads on Tuesday.

Garbage plays the VooDoo Lounge on Wednesday.

Rob Scheps and Jerry Dodgion appear at Take Five Coffee + Bar on Thursday.

Alaturka returns to Kansas City Academy on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Where the Bands Are

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry after I witnessed a professional music presenter lament the diminishing "culture of supporting live music" earlier this week.  My friend was addressing an audience of less than two dozen people as he introduced a five-piece band.  An hour later I began jockeying for position at several crowded nightclubs in Westport.  Elsewhere in Kansas City that evening, Icelandic band Sigur Rós performed to a reported 4,500 fans at Starlight Theatre while the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, an ensemble that regular attracts 1,000 people at its concerts, appeared at Helzberg Hall.  I need to invite my myopic pal out for a night on the town.


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Here's my coverage of day one and day two of the Middle of the Map festival.  My five favorite performances so far?  The Appleseed Cast, Dutch Newman, Grizzly Bear, Owen Pallett and the Last Bison.

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Hugh McCracken has died.

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A television station documents a performance by Diane "Mama" Ray.

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Here's a fundraising video for Kansas City's Fado Novato.

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Dwight Frizzell made a promotional video for his chamber opera Darwin.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ben Goldberg- Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues

Every nine months or so, I visit the back room of a restaurant in a suburb of Kansas City to hear musicians play an oddly stifled but nonetheless appealing version of Dixieland and traditional jazz.  I'd attend more often if the technically masterful musicians attempted to fuse Dixieland's wild polyphony with more progressive concepts.

That's precisely what clarinetist Ben Goldberg and cohorts including saxophonist Joshua Redman and trumpeter Ron Miles do on Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues.  I construe the recording as Dixieland filtered through Oliver Nelson, Thelonious Monk and Henry Threadgill.  A hint of klezmer is thrown into the mix for good measure.

Dig how Goldberg and Redman get tangled up in the duet "Study of the Blues".  The full band offers convoluted funk  on "The Because Of".  Alcide Nunez lives.


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Unfold Ordinary Mind, Goldberg's recently released collaboration with a band including Ellery Eskelin and Nels Cline, doesn't excite me as nearly as much as Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues.

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Producer Phil Ramone has died.

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The Ink magazine that hits newsstands tomorrow contains my descriptions of 25 of the acts featured at this week's Middle of the Map festival.

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Marky Ramone and Andrew W.K. are teaming up for a tour.  Road trip to Chicago in October?

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The video for Kleenex Girl Wonder's "Nubs" is hilariously profane.

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XXL's 2013 Freshman class is documented here.

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I'm going to listen to today's new releases from the Black Angels, Bring Me the Horizon, Killswitch Engage, Sevendust, Tyler, the Creator and Gretchen Wilson as soon as I'm finished absorbing Gerald Clayton's Life Forum.

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Kansas City Click: Adrenaline Mob hit the VooDoo Lounge on Tuesday.

Sallie Ford performs at the RecordBar on Wednesday.

The music portion of the Middle of the Map festival runs Thursday through Saturday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)