Podcast #723 offers plenty w/ The
Blast Monkeys, St. Jimi Sebastian
Cricket Club, Tiikeri, Ryli, Wussy,
Ten Times Fast, I'd Rather,
About:blank, & Ohio Express.
It was a great year for local live music in KC. Every
night of the week there was a great gig somewhere. Bands
kept me busy! But what they didn't do, however, is release
many albums – especially on vinyl. So not only do I rundown
the releases here, but list some 2025 ones we should all
look forward to.
Favorite Local Albums of 2024:
10. Nephilim - Daemonaltry
9. Foil - Foiled (Dirtbag Distro)
see the full list
Here is the Too Much Rock Top 35 Songs of 2024. Compiling
this is both a fun and stressful exercise for me each
December. As always, my list is augmented by three bonus
2023 tracks that I didn't pick up until after last year's
list was complete.
35. "Rattle the Pipes" by Karate (Numero Group)
The wiry guitar and bold bass line make this post-punk tune feel
slinky and smart. Welcome back Karate.
see the full list
Podcast #722 wraps up 2024 by playing the
year's best from 2nd Grade, The Chisel, The
BV's, Trust Fund, The Cure, & The Soundcarriers.
Here is a list of my favorite albums of 2024 presented in order
but without supporting evidence. I compiled the list differently this
year so read the bit at the bottom if you're curious.
50. Waxahatchee Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
49. 2nd Grade Scheduled Explosions (Double Double Whammy)
see the full list
Lawrence celebrated the Driftmist III with heavy sets from
Drifter, Aprilmist, Gurney, & Hollowed
>>view
Podcast #721 is the bonus 2024 Too Much
Rock Christmas Spectacular After Dark Edition
featuring John Waters, Sugar World, Punchline,
Dropkick, The Happy Somethings, California
Snow Story, The Fur and the Fang, Jethro
Tull and 12 more tunes to make your holidays
bright.
Local hardcore acts Coalesce, Spine, & Conflicts sold out
RecordBar.
>>view
Turnsol’s annual Hope House benefit brought together a
disparate crew of regulars featuring AKAMFDM, Black Market
Translation, Major Matt Mason USA, Deco Auto, & Brenda.
>>view
Podcast #720 is the 2024 Too Much Rock
Christmas Spectacular featuring 18 festive
and not-so-festive tunes from Holiday Crowd,
Sunturns, Simon Chesterfield, Swansea Sound,
Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom, Ben Folds and more!
Punk rockers braved the first snow for a five-band bill
featuring Neurotic Lovers, Arson Class, Small Victories,
Slow Poke, & The Unfinished.
>>view
Boys Life kicked off its next chapter with help from
Sweeping Promises and Flooding.
>>view
System Exclusive, Various Blonde, & Redder Moon played a
midweek show for the real ones.
>>view
Podcast #719 embraces the strays with tunes
from Bubblegum Lemonade, Visual Learner,
Fan Club, Falling Forward, Karate, Tracey
Thorn, Trust Fund, & Red Sleeping Beauty.
Seattle’s Fan Club and locals Dented Zeus provided a
needed Tuesday night diversion.
>>view
Podcast #718 spins the good ones from Pinhead
Gunpowder, The Peawees, Paul Kelly, The
Chameleons, The Innocence Mission, Ivy, &
Amyl and the Sniffers.
An all-local bill w/ Big Fat Cow, Eradicats, & Jocelyn
Nixon capped my Friday night.
>>view
They’re Theirs, Grady Philip Drugg, & Lyxe started the
weekend early with a rager at Hillsiders.
>>view
Good bands made for a good show at Hillsiders. My photos,
video, & thoughts of Whiffs, Dusk, & Visual Learner are on
Too Much Rock.
>>view
Podcast #717 is all scratchy 45s from The
Frisbees, The Boxboys, Heavy Manners, Jerry
Pierce, Tommy Boyles, Tommy Conwell and the
Young Rumblers, Segarini, & The City.
LFK shook it off at a late night show with Creepy Jingles,
Eradicats, & Sluts.
>>view
KC showed up in a big way for post-punk pioneers Chameleons
with support from Wingtips.
>>view
An early November show proved that for March Violets,
Rosegarden Funeral Party, & Reviser, Halloween is a
year-round celebration.
>>view
Kansas City came together to celebrate its local music
scene, raise some money for MMF, and see Flare tha Rebel,
Nathan Corsi and My Atomic Daydream, Creepy Jingles, and
Julia Haile perform.
>>view
Podcast #716 puts on a brave face with help
from Pizzicato Five, Night Court, Cast of
Thousands, Squint, Alvilda, Lola Lola, The
Jackets, & The Cure.
KC was buried under waves of effects and volume with Airiel
and Still Ill played Minibar.
>>view
A two-band bill featuring City Mouse and Angie Fights Crime
offered a low-risk and high-reward night.
>>view
Podcast #715 shares its treats from Teen
Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Nick Piunti &
The Complicated Men, The Cheap Cassettes,
Gene Champagne, The Touchdowns, The Boys
with the Perpetual Nervousness, & Godspeed
You! Black Emperor.
The punks looked extra scary at this Halloween show
featuring Uncouth, Mike Vallely and the Complete Disaster,
D-Fibs, & Bad Ideas.
>>view
Fans filled the Uptown to see pioneering acts The
Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain, & Frankie Rose.
>>view
KC delighted in some old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll from
Mark Sultan, The Whiffs, & Wayne Pain.
>>view
Podcast #714 sets things right thanks to Ben
Lee, Wut, The Creepy Jingles, Hayley and
the Crushers, Bootkrieg, The Dictators, The
Wrong Society, Shadow Show, & Redder Moon.
Essenger joined Redder Moon & Wrker for a synth-heavy
midweek bill.
>>view
Podcast #713 goes big with tunes from Junior
Varsity, 2nd Grade, Paint Fumes, Scared
of Chaka, The Okmoniks, Soulside, Onsloow,
& Ensiferum.
Podcast #712 has a lot to say thanks to Fred
Thomas, Wifey, Early Riser, Bambies, Class,
& Winterfylleth.
Chicago music fans got a visit from old friends in Material
Reissue, Starball, & Tamar Berk.
>>view
Podcast #711 sounds a little different but
is still stuffed with good stuff from The
Last Gang, Artificial Go, Loose Articles,
Pylon Reenactment Society, Best Bets, Sharp
Class, & Cold Gawd.
Outer Reaches Fest featured Pylon Reenactment Society and
Negativland on a single adventurous bill.
>>view
DC Hardcore legends Scream and Soulside joined forces with
the youth of Skuffed for a magical night.
>>view
Podcast #710 just wants your love and to play
songs from Robyn Hitchcock, The Armoires,
Eggs on Mars, Bad Moves, Public Opinion,
Mission Impossible, & Nostalghia.
Ten Times Fast celebrated its new EP with friends in Still
Ill, Pact of Violence, & Honey.
>>view
Hillsiders stacked ‘em deep on a Thursday night blow-out
featuring Wayne Pain & the Sh*t Stains, Timmy’s Organism,
The Creepy Jingles, & Blue Horses of Madness.
>>view
Daniel Gum braved the heat and a busy rail yard for a
low-key set in a beer garden.
>>view
Podcast #709 wonders if you feel it like
Louse, Hasty, Golden Shitters, Love Collector,
The Ladybug Transistor, Wut, La Comitiva,
& Dreamist.
Dreamist, The Names of our Friends, Thong Gag, & Puddle
Noir did it their own way at an all-ages, all-inclusive
gig.
>>view
First Friday festivities wrapped up at Turnsol with sets
from Phase Distorter, Major Matt Mason USA, & From Me.
>>view
The Record Bar was packed with fans wanting to be assaulted
by High on Fire and Negative Approach.
>>view
Podcast #708 feels the change in the air
with new tunes from The Softies, Dot Dash,
Desoto Reds, Desire Path, Rixe, Guidon Bear,
Good Saint Nathanael, & The Soundcarriers.
Disparate fans sold-out Farewell to see disparate bands
Rixe, Stakes is High, Desire Path, & Uncouth.
>>view
Interesting gigs:
1/18 Violet Approach @ Howdy
1/21 Aprilmist @ Farewell
1/23-1/25 Band/Fell to Earth @ RecordBar
1/24 Advance Base @ Farewell
1/25 Aerosmith @ T-Mobile
1/31 Redder Moon @ The Ship
1/31 Embarrassed Men @ RecordBar
2/11 Koffin Kats @ RecordBar
2/14 Violet Approach @ Sk8bar
2/23 Get Up Kids/Anniversary @ Truman
3/3 Tyr @ Granada
3/3 MJ Lenderman @ Bottleneck
3/8 Nightosphere @ Howdy
3/9 Helmet @ Bottleneck
3/15 Alcest @ Granada
3/18 Agnostic Front @ Bottleneck
3/21 Bright Eyes @ Uptown
4/2 Amyl/Sniffers @ Uptown
4/3 Franz Ferdinand @ Midland
4/3 Birthday Massacre @ RecordBar
4/16 Subhumans @ RecordBar
4/25 Ocean Blue @ Bottleneck
4/26 Bongzilla @ The Ship
5/5 Nick Cave @ KC Music Hall
5/6 EXTC @ RecordBar
5/10 Menzingers @ Granada
5/13 Gang of Four @ Knuckleheads
5/14 Hovvdy @ RecordBar
5/24 Napalm Death/Melvins @ Madrid
7/1 Elvis Costello @ Uptown
8/5 Ghost @ T-Mobile