Sachal Vasandani- Royal Eyes

Eyes closed.

Did you know that Norah Jones has dozens, if not hundreds, of children?

They're not her biological kids. But Jones' unlikely commercial success has been so astounding that jazz-informed vocalists now have a shot at commercial acclaim in the post-Jones landscape.

One of the best of the new breed is Sachal Vasandani.

Don't mistake him for a smarmy new-school crooner. Where Michael Buble covers the Eagles, Vasandani covers Iron and Wine. And don't think he's a stuffy jazz formalist. Vasandani credits Bon Iver as an influence. It's precisely that progressive attitude that makes Vasandani so refreshing.

We Move, his excellent new album, contains a few songs that would please blue-haired fans of Frank Sinatra but still more manage to be entirely contemporary without ever resorting to smooth jazz cliches or failed stabs at pop.

Vasandani is also a gifted sonwriter. He explains the heart-wrenching story behind "Royal Eyes" in this video.

Vasandani was featured alongside Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jason Lindner yesterday at WBGO's The Checkout. Download the October 27 podcast here. You won't want to miss Rosenwinkel's appearance, but Vasandani's absolutely breathtaking rendition of "We Move" begins at the 17:51 mark.

Momma Norah would be proud.


---
I'm struggling with the new Tech N9ne album. K.O.D. is really dirty. Fortunately for me, the video version of "Leave Me Alone" edits out the most obscene lines. Tech gets bonus points for featuring Kansas City's skyline as a backdrop.

---
I didn't learn that Bruce Springsteen had canceled Monday's concert until I was a few hundred years from the arena.

---
The highlight of last night's BET Hip Hop Awards was the inspired performance by Goodie Mobb. In fact, "old" guys like Cee-lo, Missy Elliott, Eminem, Ice Cube, KRS-One, Mos Def and Snoop Dogg clearly outclassed the newer artists.

---
I'm encouraging my friends who think they don't like jazz to check out the Portico Quartet.

---
Kansas City Click: The unlikely bill of Jet, the Raveonettes, A Flock of Seagulls, Black Joe Lewis and White Rabbits has been assembled for a radio station event Wednesday at the Beaumont's Backyard. The Architects serve as headliners inside the club.

The wonderful Tommy Womack hits Knuckleheads on Thursday.

(Image borrowed from the Flickr account of ptcentrum.)

Review: The Pogues at The Midland Theater

It's a good thing I wasn't drinking at last night's concert by the Pogues.

Even without the assistance of streams of whiskey, I misted up as the bleak "Old Main Drag" concluded. I allowed a tear to slide down my cheek during the tender "A Rainy Night In Soho." Had I bellied up to the bar I might now be blogging behind bars.

It was bittersweet. Part of me felt like a guilty enabler as I watched Shane MacGowan literally fall down drunk. But mostly I was just thrilled to finally see one of my favorite bands. They were far better than I had any right to expect. And when watching Shane became too painful, I concentrated on Jem Finer's incredible banjo work.

Tim Finn's sterling review is spot-on. I didn't enjoy the experience quite as much as Jason Harper.

---
Kansas City Click: Bruce tonight.

(Original tear-stained blur by There Stands the Glass.)

Blind Lemon Jefferson- Long Lonesome Blues

Long gone.

As I watched a rerun of the Sanford and Son episode in which Fred fails to cash in on his collection of "Blind Mellow Jelly" vinyl, I realized that I've never featured Blind Lemon Jefferson at There Stands the Glass. Once you're able to listen past the surface noise of this 1926 recording, you'll hear a vibrant vocalist and guitarist who sounds completely contemporary. I don't know if that says more about Jefferson's genius, the timelessness of the blues or the stagnancy of today's blues artists. Over a dozen Jefferson collections are available. Take your pick here.

---
Kansas City Click: The Pogues play Kansas City for the first time Sunday at the Midland Theater.

Bruce Springsteen returns to the Sprint Center on Monday. Unfortunately, Kansas City is slated to get the Born In the USA treatment. Here's the Bruce I love most.

Anne Winter

Everyone loved Anne Winter. She was smart, kind, generous, funny and infectiously positive.

Here's one of the many things Anne did for me. In the mid-80s, when I decided that I actually wanted to make a living doing something I enjoyed, I determined that I should work for a man named Hal. I didn't know him, and it took a couple weeks to convince Hal to hire me at a starting wage of $3.50 an hour. In the interim, Anne allowed me to help out at her record store. I assisted her with tasks like receiving, stocking, pricing and scheduling for a couple weeks until I landed my dream job.

Anne made me a better person. She made Kansas City a better place.

(Anne Winter, a fixture on Kansas City's music scene for 25 years, has reportedly passed away. Cross-posted from my personal blog.)

Larry Willis- The Meaning of the Blues

No more blues.

I gave the Kind of Blue tribute concert a lukewarm review last weekend. The only member of Jimmy Cobb's band not walking on eggshells was pianist Larry Willis. I didn't like everything he did, but I appreciated Willis' attempts to snap his comrades out of their tentative reveries. Although 1992's Steal Away contains outstanding contributions from Gary Bartz and Cecil McBee, this solo work best exemplifies Willis' emotional playing.

---
I bought Lyle Lovett's new album because it has a cover of my favorite Vince Bell song.

---
Ron Ron's Skitzo-Frinik has dominated my personal playlist this month.

---
More than one reader of There Stands the Glass will want to know that Bob Koester contributed to Devil At the Confluence, a new book about the history of St. Louis blues.

---
Kansas City Click: The Rich Boys top Tuesday's bill at the Riot Room.

Eisley join Say Anything at the Beaumont Club on Wednesday.

Review: Black House Improvisors' Collective at City Center Square

That's more like it.

The obtuse but playful sounds that reverberated through the gutted fifth floor of an office building Friday night represented precisely what's been lacking on the Kansas City jazz scene. Inspired amateurs and seasoned professionals came together under the auspices of the Black House Improvisors' Collective to make glorious, jazz-based noise.

A hipster-heavy audience of about 75 attended the ensemble's free debut public performance. Everything they heard was anchored by the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Ben Leifer and drummer Sam Wisman. The presence of trumpeter Stan Kessler added artistic gravitas to the proceedings.

The lighthearted fun wasn't always brilliant but even the failed experiments were delightfully refreshing.

More, please.

Additional details about the ensemble are available in a KCUR feature and at Plastic Sax posts from August 19 and October 6.

Pelican headlines the Riot Room on Monday.

(Crossposted from Plastic Sax.)

Lee Barber- 1000 Miles

No more traveling.

Lee Barber sings broken songs about broken lives with a broken voice.

Unflinching and world weary, his Thief and Rescue album is a courageous document about refusing to surrender in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity.

It's not pretty, but it's real.

Co-produced by Barber and Brian Beattie, Thief and Rescue sounds like a lost Lou Reed album recorded in Austin between Rock and Roll Heart and Street Hassle. Barber's hard-bitten demeanor is worthy of the lofty comparison. Besides, both men understand that the baritone saxophone is the most underutilized instrument in popular music.

A reproduction of an original Barber painting makes for one of 2009's most harrowing album covers. And Barber's acknowledgment about the funding of Thief and Rescue is a poignant statement about the price of art (click the "paintings, etc." tab).

Fans of Vic Chesnutt, Jon Dee Graham, Okkervil River and Tom Waits are encouraged to purchase Thief and Rescue here.

---
Kansas City Click: The debut public performance of the Black House Improvisors' Collective takes place at 1100 Main on Friday. KCUR provides the details.

I'm breaking my rule of exclusively listing events in the immediate vicinity of Kansas City to note that John McEuen will perform Saturday at the Farris Theater in Richmond, Missouri.

The Wee Trio play Sunday at Jardine's.

Al Martino, 1927-2009

Goodbye.

My dad's record collection had a profound impact on me. I didn't inherit his taste, but I picked up his passion for music. Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Ray Price were his staples. Sensing that tens of thousands of men were like just like my dad, non-country artists like Al Martino crassly issued Countrypolitan albums. Sure enough, my pop bought into it. I recall being tortured by awful Martino hits like "Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself To Sleep". I far prefer the crooner's glorious DayGlo schlock. Hearing "Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu)" filled me with tears today. It's not that I'm saddened by the song or stricken by news of Martino's death. The forgotten sound awakened suppressed dormant childhood memories. It's one of 25 hits on this compilation.

---
On a related note, my favorite MP3 blog, The Driftwood Singers Present, inspired me to post a lengthy comment about the popular music of my infancy.

---
Mastodon stomped all over me Monday night. Converge offered brilliant performance art. Dethklok made me laugh. Here's my review.

---
Here's footage of Irv da Phenom at the VooDoo Lounge.

---
Kansas City Click: I only recently became aware of Wonkachild. He's at the Record Bar on Wednesday.

The mighty Jucifer play Davey's Uptown on Thursday.

Review: Katie Herzig at Crosstown Station

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't completely get it.

Even after I praised Katie Herzig's Apple Tree to the heavens in the previous There Stands the Glass post, I still expected her to bore me Saturday night at Crosstown Station.

Was I ever wrong!

The first big surprise is that she's carrying a four-piece band, including the lovely cellist pictured here. I had attributed much of my admiration of Apple Tree to its ornate production. Seeing the songs performed live, however, makes it obvious that Herzig and her band are capable of reproducing and even elaborating on those remarkable arrangements. Unlikely textures were provided by a clarinet, accordion and whistles. So evocative are Herzig's songs that many would work even better than the excellent Arcade Fire track featured in the Where the Wild Things Are trailer.

The second surprise was discovering that Herzig is quite a looker. Not that it should matter, but because Apple Tree doesn't include her photograph and publicity photos can make even a nightmare like me look presentable, I reckoned that Herzig would be rather plain. Nope- she's gorgeous.

There's no question that more than 70 people will be in the audience the next time I see Herzig. In fact, I'll be surprised if she isn't an NPR and PBS staple within a year.

Herzig's new Live In Studio: Acoustic Trio project is available as a free download in exchange for five email addresses.

---
I also caught Eldar over the weekend. Here's my review.

---
There may not be a single original note on Menhirs of Er Grah's EP Different World. Still, I'm entranced by its sweet freak-folk tone. I highly recommend it to fans of the great Roy Harper. It's a free download at Free Music Archive.

---
Rusty Wier has died.

---
Kansas City Click: I've seen AC/DC, Motorhead, Slayer and Slipknot in 2009, but my year in metal won't be complete if I don't go to the Uptown Theater on Monday to see Dethklok, Mastodon and High On Fire.

The last time The Used played the Beaumont, one of my friends was forcibly ejected from the club. Maybe I'll see a repeat performance on Tuesday.

(Original image of Herzig's cellist by There Stands the Glass.)

Katie Herzig- Wish You Well

No more wishes.

Priscilla Ahn. Lenka. Meiko. Mindy Smith. Rachael Yamagata. Those are just five standouts among the hundreds of representatives of the new generation of women singer-songwriters. Dozens are staggeringly gifted. How does an artist stand out in such a crowded field? In the case of Katie Herzig the answer is simple- just be a little bit better. Like many of her talented contemporaries, Herzig writes excellent songs and has cultivated a unique voice. What sets her apart is the phenomenal production of her new album Apple Tree. It's filled with surprising flourishes worthy of George Martin. Here's a charming live performance of "Wish You Well." Herzig is currently on tour.

---
Here's my review of Wednesday's show by Brand New, Manchester Orchestra and Sybris.

---
Too cold to clap. That's how I felt Tuesday during Wilco's outstanding performance. Here's some rather annoying fan footage.

---
Misogynistic? Not Mac Lethal! Here's his latest video. And heaven help me, I really like it.

---
Robert Kirby has died. (Tip via BGO.)

---
Mercedes Sosa died October 4.

---
Kansas City Click: I've always been partial to the Bodeans. The roots rock veterans are at the VooDoo on Friday.

Katie Herzig will be joined at Crosstown Station by Barclay Martin on Saturday.

Millage Gilbert plays Winslow's on Sunday.

Review: It Might Get Loud

A good friend insisted that I meet him at a theater Saturday so that I might see It Might Get Loud. My buddy had already taken it in twice. He insists that it's a classic rock'n'roll movie.

I don't agree.

While It Might Get Loud looks and sounds beautiful, I just didn't care for its reverential tone. I already know that Jimmy Page is impossibly cool and that Jack White is a freakish roots music savant. Consequently, I found the segments featuring The Edge to be the most interesting parts of the film. I haven't been much of a U2 fan since War, but at least The Edge's thoughts and observations came as surprises.

And want surprises from a rock film. I also want chaos, comedy and tragedy.

That's why I loved Anvil! The Story of Anvil. I saw a VH1 airing of the shaggy documentary on Sunday. I'm now completely invested in the fate of the third-tier metal band. They're ugly and clueless but they're true believers.

That's rock'n'roll.


---
I celebrate Kansas City's Hearts of Darkness at Plastic Sax.

---
"The Chiefs Are On the Warpath"! Warning: Marilyn Maye content. (Image via J.P.)

---
Ben Sidran does Bob Dylan. Against all odds, it sounds great. (Tip via D.B.)

---
I love the video for "Life Is Better," the collaboration between Q-Tip and Norah Jones. (Tip via S.S.)

---
Kansas City Click: I'll be the creepy guy tailgating outside the gate Tuesday during Wilco's sold-out show at Crossroads. Don't feel sorry for me- I'm looking forward to it.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Enchanters- I Paid For the Party

The party's over.

I distinctly recall buying The Best of Loma Records: The Rise and Fall of a 1960's Soul Label as a new release in 1995. I needed to add Lorraine Ellison's "Stay With Me" to my collection. As is the case with most soul music compilations, however, I quickly fell in love with the stuff I hadn't heard. Sure, it's nice owning another copy of LInda Jones' "Hypnotized" and J.J. Jackson's "But It's Alright," but the previously undiscovered gems like the Enchanter's 1965 effort "I Paid For the Party" absolutely floored me. The CD is out of print, but the entire 50-track collection is a steal at Amazon for only $9.99.

---
Have you seen Ghostface's shocking new video? It's not exactly "Isn't She Lovely," but I'm still very pleased by its mature content.

---
Follow the drama about Passion Pit's cancellation in Kansas City here.

---
Here's "Show Me a God", the first video from Tech N9ne's forthcoming album. (I like it.)

---
I'll let my review of Wednesday's arena show by the Dave Matthews Band and Willie Nelson speak for itself.

---
Amy Farris has died. (Tip via S.S.)

---
Blues drummer Sam Carr has died. (Tip via BGO.)

---
DJ Mr. Magic has died.

---
Kansas City Click: When Ida McBeth is on stage Saturday at Jardine's, it'll look and and sound exactly like this. Why, oh why, do people insist on talking?

The People's LIberation Big Band returns to the Record Bar on Sunday. Because they're always pressing forward, it probably won't look or sound anything like this.

Chris Smither- Don't Call Me Stranger

Farewell, stranger.

"I ain't evil," pleads Chris Smither. "I'm just bad."

I relate all too well to Smither's amorous moan on "Don't Call Me Stranger." Neither of us are reluctant to express life's difficult truths.

While Smither has been issuing albums since 1970, too many have featured fussy productions that get in the way of his memorable songs and exceptional guitar playing. Thankfully, the relatively sparse Time Stands Still, out today, avoids the pop trappings that have marred a few of his previous efforts.

Just as significantly, Smither's grizzled voice is more convincing than ever. Smither turns 65 in November. He's never been better.

See for yourself on his current tour. And this EPK about the making of Time Stands Still is fascinating.


---
Trainspotter alert: With today's post, Smither joins Howard Iceberg and Ike Turner as the only artists to have been featured twice at There Stands the Glass. If you're keeping score, that's 823 posts over almost four years.

---
Here's my love letter to Tesla.

---
The Astounding Eyes of Rita is the wonderful title of the new album by Anouar Brahem. Get a taste here.

---
"I think Ron Ron might be Kansas City’s breakout mainstream rapper," writes Jason Whitlock. I relish the rare occasions when I agree with the sports columnist.

---
Kansas City Click: Matt Otto plays Jardine's on Tuesday.

Review: The Republic Tigers

I'm still awed when I hear the hit version of "Buildings & Mountains" by Kansas City's the Republic Tigers. The song's shimmering production is absolutely brilliant. Their live shows, however, have been a different matter. I've considered them boring and borderline inept. What I caught of Saturday's outing inside the Beaumont, however, was fantastic. While they're still not exactly dynamic, a perfect sound mix and gorgeous lighting complemented a vastly improved approach.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Motorhead

I like to bodysurf for hours on end when I make it out to the Pacific Ocean. It's a liberating experience for this Kansan. Inevitably, however, I'm distracted by something on the beach and a rogue wave takes me under.

I'm flipped topsy-turvy and my head is repeatedly battered against the ocean bed. I know that I must find the surface to survive but a malicious undertow holds me under.

When I finally crawl back to the shore my ears are ringing and I'm vomiting seawater. It's excruciating but exhilarating.

Full immersion in a Motorhead concert is much the same. It's like a painful ritual cleansing. Thursday night at the Midland Theater was no different.

Because the Star and the Pitch have great reviews and incredible photos, I'm posting this shot of the lobby. The sight of metal fans in the lush confines of the Midland always amuses me. Incidentally, the frantic crush of angry fans at the narrow door to the smoking area provided my first genuine scare at a concert in a couple years.

Some people get colon cleansings. I go to Motorhead concerts.

---
Kansas City Click: See the previous entry's recommendations.

Review: The Perez Hilton Presents Tour

As an obsessive jazz fan, I'm accustomed to seeing shockingly meager audiences. Even so, I was horrified when I stepped inside the Beaumont Club Wednesday. Less than one hundred people were on hand for the free and well-publicized Perez Hilton Presents Tour stop.

Did I mention it was free?

It wasn't as if the spectacularly successful gossip blogger put together an esoteric bill of avant-garde jazz artists. Even with headliner Ida Maria dropping off the tour, Hilton offered an appealing lineup.

Good times were there for the taking.

While he's undeniably lightweight, Eric Hutchinson is likable enough. A spontaneous song in which he mocked the size of the audience was genuinely funny.

I loved the first three minutes of the exuberant showing by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head but the joke became tired in a hurry. By the time they played their signature song I'd lost the will to live. But that's just me. The other 87 people in the club were digging it.

Semi Precious Weapons looked and sounded almost exactly like this. I laughed with them, not at them. Yet I just didn't have the heart to stick around for Ladyhawke. And the free energy drinks I was pounding had my stomach in knots.

What's to be learned from this fiasco?

Are Hilton's readers not music fans? (That's a safe assumption.)

Is an association with the gossip blogger a career killer? (Maybe. I saw a couple hundred people sing along to all of Hutchinson's songs at a 2008 gig. That number was reduced to a couple dozen young women Wednesday.)

Would most people rather sit at home rather than go out to see a free show consisting of unfamiliar acts? (Apparently so.)

Are Hilton's curatorial skills questionable? (I don't think so. While they lack star power, all four bands still on the tour are true to Hilton's unique sensibility.)

Thanks for trying, Perez. Let me know if you'd like me to recommend a few jazz acts for your next tour.

---
"A Jay-Z song was on!" I'm under the spell of Miley Cyrus' latest hit. (Tip via C.H.)

---
Farewell, Arthur Ferrante.

---
I didn't have an app to verify what my ears were telling me, but I'm almost certain that the pre-show music at a recent Mars Volta concert was an old Renaissance album.

---
Kansas City Click: I can't wait to hear these immortal words again at the Midland Theater on Thursday: "Our name is Motorhead and we play rock'n'roll."

Missouri is on the classic rock bill Friday at Starlight Theater.

"The Show" on Saturday is Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh at the Scottish Rite Temple.

On Sunday, Booker T. plays Knuckleheads.

(Original image of Semi Precious Weapons by There Stands the Glass.)

Country Baptists- Long Meter Hymn

Amen.

The foundation of many of the blues' hoariest cliches is this out-of-print document. The object of obsession for many blues fans for decades, the recording combines spoken word with field recordings to make a case for The Blues According To Alan Lomax. This selection features a piece by "country Baptists" and a discussion between Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson. The formalization of blues mythology begins here.

---
Local baller Paul Shirley rates a "What's In My Bag" feature at Amoeba.

---
This video on in-store display tips from Strange Music is just as hypnotic as watching Bob Ross.

---
Like the Republic Tigers? Jump on this free download from Soft Reeds. It includes an intriguing version of "Buildings and Mountains."

---
Kansas City Click: Heaven help me- I actually adore this video by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. They're part of the Perez Hilton-related tour that touches down Wednesday at the Beaumont.

Hollis Brown- Show Love

No more love.

How I wish Hollis Brown was the house band at my neighborhood tavern! My quality of life would improve significantly. The New York City-based act provides the perfect soundtrack for throwing back drinks, shooting pool and just hanging out with friends. I'd actually rather have Hollis Brown playing down the street every night than many better-known and more accomplished like-minded acts. I'd feel compelled to listen intently to Son Volt. I'd get overly involved in the interactive material of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. The Bottle Rockets would be too intense. And I'd probably be tempted to pick a fight with Ryan Adams or with Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows. Instead, the post-Blonde On Blonde sound of their sold self-titled debut album makes Hollis Brown the ideal band to hear two or three nights a week. Here's the video for "Show Love." Cheers!

---
I know nothing. After I dissed it last week, Mac Lethal's new novelty song has proceeded to rack up 55,000 views in six days. Additionally, Mac has reportedly secured at least one date opening for the The Streets. Congratulations, Mac- it's a good thing you're not listening to me.

---
Henry Threadgill's Easily Slip Into Another World was the first album that made me realize that jazz could still be viable and interesting. I'm incredibly excited about his first new release in years. A couple tracks from the October release stream at Destination Out.

---
I spent the better part of last Thursday night monitoring Brother Ali's Ustream discussion. Has there ever been a better time to be a music fan?

---
I'm really proud of the work I'm doing at Plastic Sax.

---
Kansas City Click: Sait Arat plays percussion Monday at the Czar Bar.

Review: James Christos at the Riot Room

Like a traumatized man who delays disclosing an alien abduction incident because he's unsure of exactly what transpired, I've put off coming clean about an out-of-body experience I had last month at the Riot Room.

A transcendent performance by James Christos blew my mind. Alcohol was involved, so I'm still not entirely sure what happened. Thankfully, documentation of the event exists. I took the pictures posted here and there's a brief video of the show. I was so enthralled with Christos' manic "Punk Rap" that I was devastated when he said his allotted time had ended.

The audience booed as a group of musicians began to crowd Christos off the stage. What jerks! Christos asked the guys if they'd riff behind him during his closing song. They complied. It quickly became apparent that it was a prearranged setup. Christos fiercely rhymed with the backing of the rock band for another fifteen minutes. It was an entrancing surprise.

Why bring this up now? Christos returns to the Riot Room tonight for the Black Clover pre-party.

---
George Harrison fans need to hear the new three-song A Mystic's Robe EP by Ghosty.

---
I'm reluctant to risk losing my status as Bob Dylan's 43,501st biggest fan, but I have to point out that the sound of his new Christmas album is beyond perverse. Seriously, it sounds as if he's groaning over a backing track that was originally intended for Regis Philbin.

---
I never listened to Peter, Paul and Mary albums so much as I was subjected to them. Still, this reading of "Early Morning Rain" sounds pretty great right now. Mary Travers died yesterday.

---
I developed an even deeper loathing of the nouveau-hippie scene when I saw Karl Denson's Tiny Universe perform last summer. Still, their new album is really good. (Tip from AZ.)

---
A Pavement reunion? I'm there.

---
Kansas City Click: Allegedly, Biz Markie appears on the Power & Light stage Thursday.

The Black Clover party continues at the Riot Room on Friday.

I like Buckcherry. There- I said it. They're at the Beaumont Saturday.

Dave Stephens returns to Jardine's Sunday.
















(Original images of James Christos by There Stands the Glass.)

Jim Carroll, 1950-2009

Goodbye.

Jim Carroll might have saved my life. I was going through the obligatory Burroughs/Kerouac phase of my adolescence when The Basketball Diaries was published. It smacked the idea that hard drugs were somehow glamorous right out of my impressionable noggin. That he went on to have a fluke pop hit was only a bonus. The out-of-print Pools of Mercury from 1998 contains a few conventional songs but I prefer the spoken word bits like "It Goes." Carroll died September 11.

----
Are the Mars Volta the best live rock band in the world? Maybe. Here's my review of their concert Monday. This rough fan footage of the show is spot-on.

---
Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is this 90-disc Yo-Yo Ma box set.

---
It annoys me when Mac Lethal, a guy I respect and admire as an artist and like as a person, does stuff like this.

---
Kansas City Click: "Stout Irish rock" band Blaggards play Knuckleheads on Wednesday.