Concert Review: Boulevardia 2019

I abandoned Boulevardia ninety minutes before rain washed out the headlining acts Dashboard Confessional and Ha Ha Tonka on Saturday.  Abstaining from alcohol allowed me to focus on 13 performances.  Capsule reviews of my five favorite sets follow.

The Black Creatures
I’d been so nonplussed by the Black Creature’s postings at Bandcamp that I’d planned to pass on the duo’s set.  An urgent impulse to take refuge from the sun led to a wonderful discovery at a small indoor stage.  The Black Creatures’ psychedelic neo-soul recordings don’t reflect front person Jade Green’s charming stage presence.

The Greeting Committee
Vindication!  I recently came under fire for claiming that the Greeting Committee is Kansas City’s most popular rock band in an audio feature I created for KCUR.  The thousands of drunk bros and middle-aged admirers who joined the group’s core fan base of young women in singing along to greasy-kid-stuff songs like “Hands Down” proved my point.

Katy Guillen and the Drive
Kansas City loves boogie.  Guillen’s new power trio satisfies Kansas City’s abiding passion for the ‘70s guitar-rock associated with groups like Foghat, Humble Pie and Mountain.  Light rain during the group’s set enhanced my appreciation of its throwback sound.

Kelly Hunt
A publicist recently attempted to pique my interest in the re-release of the debut album by the Kansas City folk artist Kelly Hunt by unknowingly including pull quotes from my rave review of Hunt's 2018 album in her pitch.  Hunt may be my favorite musician in Kansas City.

DJ Jazzy Jeff
Does anyone else remember the 2009 brouhaha that followed DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ostensible ouster from the Power & Light District?  Saturday’s benign set was even less threatening than the Greeting Committee’s frothy rock that preceded it.  The jock jams-themed mix blended Tupac, Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” J Balvin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Toto’s “Africa” and (tons of) Bruno Mars with the DJ’s own hits including “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.


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I reviewed the Kansas City debut of Snarky Puppy at Plastic Sax.

(Original image of DJ Jazzy Jeff by There Stands the Glass.)

The Top Ten Albums of 2018 by Kansas City Musicians

Musicians associated with Kansas City released dozens of albums in 2018.  A few of the most prominent projects aren’t included here.  Rather than acting as a barometer of parochial groupthink, my list contains the ten albums with the most artistic merit.

1. Logan Richardson- Blues People

2. Kelly Hunt- Even the Sparrow

3. Stephonne- Caged Bird Sings Songs About Red Beard

4. Rich the Factor- CEO of the Blacktop,  CEO of the Blacktop 2 and CEO of the Blacktop 3

5. Janelle Monáe- Dirty Computer

6. The Project H- Everyday, Forever

7. Chen Yi- Concertos for String Instruments

8. Stephen Martin- Vision

9. Tech N9ne- Planet

10. Calvin Arsenia- Cantaloupe

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Kansas City Wine: New Albums by Kelly Hunt, Domineko and Broken Arrows

Kelly Hunt’s debut album Even the Sparrow sounds as if was issued by Vanguard Records in 1966.  I wouldn’t ordinary commend an album that recalls the folk revivalist styles associated with Mimi Fariña and Buffy Sainte-Marie, but the combination of Hunt’s exceptional voice and exquisitely spare instrumentation is stunning.  Even the Sparrow will likely be my favorite non-jazz album of the year by a Kansas City musician.  Here’s “Sunshine Long Overdue”.

Domineko’s Perfect Weekend sounds like what might transpire if Kendrick Lamar or Vince Staples spent the summer in Kansas City consuming a debilitating stockpile of intoxicants.  The extremely wavy vibe is exemplified by lyrics like “I ain’t ever been this high” (“Peaking”), “I’m trying to smoke all night” (“Viewtiful”), and “addicted to ‘scriptions” (“Sundayze”).  Here’s “Setlist”.

There’s plenty wrong with Streetflowers, the debut album of the Kansas City band Broken Arrows.  The mix is tinny, the tempos drag, the lyrics are plain and none of the vocalists are compelling.  Even so, the boyish enthusiasm of the grizzled scenesters is charming.  A few of the area’s fashionable young garage-rock bands play similar forms of jangle-pop with an ironic smirk.  Broken Arrows’ earnestness is refreshing.  Here’s live footage.


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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)