A local bill of Heels, The Whiffs, and The Sluts rocked The
Replay on 7/31.
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Podcast #568 is a stream of power pop w/
Tallies, Linda Ronstadt, The Seven and Six,
The Finkers, Star Collector, Love Burns,
The Connells, & Hipshot Killer.
Podcast #567 runs wild w/ Snapped Ankles,
Quivers, Pale Lights, Kursaal Flyers, The
Shang Hi Los, & Dry Cleaning.
Lacy Hopkins of Dreamgirl brought her solo project Vanity
Plates to the Songbird Sessions.
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The reconstituted Idaho came through KC with some help from
The String and Return and Slights.
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Podcast #566 is a box of chocolates from The
Go! Team, Spoilers, Divinyls, Kid Gulliver,
The Mountain Goats, Pom Pom Squad, Lucy
Dacus, & Toledo.
The 7/7 Songbird Session featured the excellent songcraft
of Jocelyn Nixon from Creepy Jingles.
>>view
Chess Club prompted a return to dirty rock bars for Red
Kate, Matthew Mulnix, Too Much Rock, and so many of their
fans.
>>view
The Black Mariah Theater settled into a cozy corner of
Afterword for two sets of bluesy, jazzy, and witchy mood
music.
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Podcast #565 suggests you work on your tan
w/ Cub Scout Bowling Pins, Tommy Ray!, The
Cudas, The Plimsouls, Radio Days, Los
Campesinos!, Kings Of Convenience, & Kursaal
Flyers.
Songbird sessions welcomed Daniel Gum on 6/30 for two sets
-- one featuring standout tracks from his debut album, and
one of unreleased songs he plans to bring into the studio
next month.
>>view
Podcast #564 plays just the right songs
from Massage, Love and Rockets, Echo & The
Bunnymen, The dBs, Redd Kross, Perkele,
Giuda, & Phantom Handshakes.
Podcast #563 continues to mine for classics
w/ The Catenary Wires, Kursaal Flyers, Rick
Derringer, Dr. Feelgood, The Human League,
The Waitresses, Guns for Hire, & John Larson
and The Silver Fields.
Podcast #562 digs out gems from Giuda, The
dBs, The Legal Matters, The Beach Boys,
Guadalcanal Diary, Jim Basnight and The
Moberlys, The Only Ones, & Los Pepes.
Podcast #561 balances new releases with
used gambles from Pastel Coast, The Beach
Boys, The Move, Ramones, Brad Marino, Letters
To Cleo, & Damien Jurado.
Podcast #560 is jam packed with adventure
thanks to Tourists, Joyce McKinney Experience,
Appaloosa, Needles//Pins, Guided By Voices,
Juliana Hatfield, Illuminati Hotties, Molly
Rankin, & Shoestrings.
I was lured to my first indoor show in 15 months by a
variety bill that included Mensa Deathsquad, The Creepy
Jingles, and Jenna Rae.
>>view
Podcast #559 is your perfect vacation
destination thanks to Gruff Rhys, Prima
Donna, World Atlas, The Embrooks, Riff
Doctors, Nah..., & The Uncouth.
Pop held the main stage as Kianna White headlined Lemonade
Park with support from diverse openers The Creepy Jingles
and Monta At Odds.
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Podcast #558 takes chances with tracks from
Tom Robinson Band, Beach Youth, Teenage
Fanclub, Meilyr Jones, Fresh, Fightmilk,
Remember Sports, & Transvision Vamp.
Podcast #557 says everything new is old w/
Primal Scream, Du Blonde, Modesty Blaise,
Phil Seymour, Knife Crime, The Sea Urchins,
The Pale Fountains, & Robyn Hitchcock & The
Egyptians.
Never mind the calendar, here's the first night of summer.
Emmaline Twist, Knife Crime, & Dan Jones and the Squids
played a picture-perfect, sold-out, outdoor gig at Lemonade
Park.
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Podcast #556 explores the known w/ RVIVR,
Teenage Fanclub, Blaire Alise & The Bombshells,
The Natvral, Ratboys, The Chessie System,
& Sonic Youth.
Podcast #555 is educational with lessons
from The Paranoyds, Charmpit, Marine Research,
Felt, Art d'Ecco, Fazerdaze, En Attendant
Ana, & The Darling Buds.
MMF kicked off its Spring Donation Drive with a livestream
event featuring The Uncouth, Slights, Sam Wells, and
Jessica Paige.
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Podcast #554 just feels good thanks to Early
Riser, Joe Strummer, Cornershop, The Veras,
Chess Club, & Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Day 1 of my visit to the 2021 virtual Wales Goes Pop
festival.
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Day 2 of my visit to the 2021 virtual Wales Goes Pop
festival.
>>view
Podcast #553 stretches out with songs by
Arab Strap, The Mighty Lemon Drops, The
Shamen, Blue Orchids, Persil, & Balmorhea.
Kansas City dipped a collective toe back into the live
music pool with an early, two-band show featuring Men of Men
and Various Blonde at the outdoor Lemonade Park.
>>view
Podcast #552 packs in the sunshine w/ Manfred
Mann, Dan Jones and The Squids, Color TV,
Dave Edmunds, The Boys with Perpetual
Nervousness, Wasabi Monster, The Royal
Landscaping Society, Axolotes Mexicanos, &
Helen Love.
Podcast #551 explores the irrelevancy of
time w/ The Gun Club, Poster Children, Pale
Lights, The Darling Buds, Club Sinister,
Sinking Ships, & Hen Ogledd.
Podcast #550 has it all courtesy of
Masshysteri, Guided By Voices, Pere
Ubu, Love Tan, The Burning Hell, Marshall
Crenshaw, Radio Days, & Ballboy.
Podcast #549 earns its moniker with tunes
from The Hold Steady, Sam Coffey & the Iron
Lungs, Death By Unga Bunga, Mogwai, Pale
Blue Eyes, Mensa Deathsquad, & Phoebe
Bridgers.
Podcast #548 is a rumpshaker with bangers
from Har Mar Superstar, Strawberry Generation,
Stereo Total, No Middle Name, Soda Fountain
Rag, Sullen Eyes, Crumbs, All Girls Arson
Club, & The Hold Steady.
Podcast #547 searches for home w/ Keiko
Mari, Beach Bunny, Paul Collins' Beat,
Corvair, Cheekface, Tamar Berk, Western
Threads, & Posse.
Podcast #546 turns it up to feature Petite
League, Cub Scout Bowling Pins, Gladie,
This Charming Man, Raped, Surfbort, Control
Top, & Iron Maiden.
Podcast #545 goes back to pick up some gems
from Jacques Le Coque, McCarthy, The Hit
Parade, Even As We Speak, Fanclub, Cloetta
Paris, Tommy Roe, Othello Robertson, & Jose
Gonzalez.
Podcast #544 plays some of that stuff you
like w/ Berwanger, The Cheap Cassettes,
Hayley and the Crushers, Oh-OK, Nervous
Twitch, Language Of Flowers, Hospital
Bracelet, Strange New Places, & Ryan Allen.
Podcast #543 wants you to find some Bubble Yum
and enjoy Hayley and the Crushers, Protex,
The White Wires, Groovie Goolies, Bay City
Rollers, Beverly Williams, Gum Country,
Sweeping Promises, & Lucky Malice.
Podcast #542 a sonic quilt built from
Blackstarkids, Death Cab for Cutie, That's
it it's Over, Daniel Romano, Patience,
Martha & the Muffins, Little Girls, & The
Appleseed Cast.
Podcast #541 is direct from my turntable
to your ears with tracks from Screemer,
The Exbats, Billie Joe Armstrong, The
Starjets, The Glitter Kicks, Bis, Cran, &
Waylon Payne.
2020 was rough on everyone. I self-medicated with music.
I added more releases to my library than in any other year
ever. To put a number on it, 2,835 songs that equate to 6
days, 2 hours, 45 minutes (and 31 seconds) of music. Every
track listened to multiple times when it was received and
rated. Then all the highly rated songs listened to again
in the last few weeks to sort them into the 35 songs you
see here. This list would change every day, but here is a
good ranking of songs that I loved, want to hear again, and
mean the most to me.
see the full list
We count down our fav songs of 2020 on Podcast #540. Listen to
songs from Outtacontroller, The Budweisers, Daniel Romano,
Bill Callahan, Archers of Loaf, Blackstarkids, & The Exbats.
It's no secret that I love singles. A big hook and two
minutes to make your point. Albums have more to live up to.
The ones below have met that bar. Listen to each of them
from start to finish. Then do it again. Good tracks to be
sure, but also a cohesiveness that tells you this is a real
band with something to offer. My list is ordered, but
otherwise presented without commentary.
see the full list
I normally buy local releases from bands at shows, but
no shows meant I had to rely on recommendations from friends
in the scene [Confession: I totally stalk your Bandcamp
purchases]. You really came through. So thanks to you for
your support of the scene, to the local bands that continued
to create, and to the local labels that helped get us tunes
during this messed up year. Here's what hit me just right
this year.
see the full list
I recorded a 2nd hour of the 2020 CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
for my Patreon subscribers. Later I was told that I didn't
have a Patreon, so 17 more holidays tunes for everyone!
Podcast #538 is the 2020 Christmas Spectacular featuring
17 secular tunes that represent everything the holiday
has to offer.
Podcast #537 offers you up something new from Wet Tropics,
Soft Blue Shimmer, Suzie True, Radkey, Jordana, Ebony
Tusks, & Daniel Gum.
Podcast #536 is alright alright alright with new tunes from
Beebe Gallini, Dunes Day, The High Water Marks, Neutrals,
Vintage Crop, The Snogs, All Ashore!, Helen Love, & Liturgy.
Podcast #535 lets it ride with new tunes from No Thanks,
No Thank You, Mom, Die Toten Hosen, Natalie Sweet,
Parsnip, Teen Angst, Ex-Void, & Filthy Friends.
Podcast #534 piles it on with Lunchbox, Superchunk, Outtacontroller,
Shadow Show, Baby Shakes, The Bralettes, The Lemon Drop Gang,
Descendents, & Elvis Costello.
Lemonade Park gave Halloween revelers a full bill of
entertainers including drag artists, fire eaters, and
performances from Wick & the Tricks, The Bad Ideas, &
Thonggag.
>>view
Podcast #533 returns with new music from Blackstarkids,
The Mountain Goats, Smokescreens, Supercrush, LK Ultra,
The Casket Lottery, & William Elliott Whitmore.
This week Rhonda Lyne discusses the upcoming Apocalypse Meow benefit
and spins tunes from some of its acts including Ha Ha Tonka, Nathan
Corsi Band, Alejandro Escovedo, Jon Dee Graham, & Kadesh Flow.
Someone must slipped the fire marshal a mickey as every KC
punk packed into the Blind Tiger for Sheer Mag, Laffing
Gas, Wet Ones, Beta Boys, Drippies, & Kolumbine Kids.
>>view
Podcast #531 feels the tug of winter with new music from Kurt
Baker, Lady Di, Luxembourg Signal, Mega Emotion, Milky Wimpshake,
No Germ Candy, & Rapt.
Too Much Rock celebrates the tenth release in its vinyl single series alongside exciting new Kansas City duo No Germ Candy. For this project teens Zsofia Nemeth (vocals) and Harper Knecht (guitar) ignore genres entirely, building a sparkly world that tastes like cotton candy, and plays like Animal Crossing. It's twee. It's queer. It's indie pop. It's a musical that hasn't yet been staged.
Leading off the band's debut is "Straight Talk." This A-side is a fresh declaration of romantic intent from Zsofia who is so crushed out she can't even think straight. Cloying pop? Maybe. Adorable? Certainly. A bop? If that's what the kids say. The B-side is a cover of Beat Happening's seminal "Indian Summer" turned inside out by replacing the original weary baritone vocals with new saccharine sincerity.
Left with no responsible choices for live launch parties, the band will be promoting the single on KKFI's Wednesday Midday Medley on October 21st, features in local print press, and through a series of comics commissioned by The Pitch Magazine running from October 19th through the 23rd.
The limited-edition single will be available October 30th at area record stores and online retailers. The record will be available in both standard edition black vinyl (414 copies) and in collectible germy-green swirl (108 copies). It will NOT be available on any streaming platform.
single series, announcements, No Germ Candy
Podcast #530 is a mad dash for pop with The Medicine Dolls,
Nite Sobs, Gallows Birds, Attic Salt, Olivia's World, Kid
Gulliver, Kitty Kat Fan Club, & Death Valley Girls.
The miniBar was packed with us olds for an early two-band
affair celebrating the Pedaljets new album and the rare
performance from Dan Jones and the Squids.
>>view
KC's tried and true showed up on a chilly October night for
Cher UK, Drop A Grand, and Schwervon.
>>view
Podcast #529 is E ticket radio with music from The William
Loveday Intention, The Lurkers, Bob Mould, Militarie Gun,
Ducks Unlimited, The Buoys, & In the Airport.
The String & Return, Knife Crime, & Wonderful Moments
shared the stage on a cool autumn night, transporting the
Lemonade Park audience back two decades.
>>view
Podcast #528 is all comfort food with tracks from Ryan
Allen, The Bookends, The Persian Leaps, Nick Frater,
Shy Boys, Bartees Strange, & Amiensus.
Podcast #527 suggests you hang on tightly and don't let go.
Music from Sunliner, Geoff Palmer & Lucy Ellis, Muck
and the Mires, Nothin', Fenne Lily, Owen, & I Like Trains.
Podcast #526 holds steady with help from Daniel Romano, Rudy De
Anda, The Crystal Furs, Emma Kupa, The Empty Hearts, The Saints,
& Hop Along Queen Ansleis.
Podcast #525 carries that load with help from Graduate,
Bully, Vial, Rabies Babies, Bill Callahan, Lomelda, &
Cold Years.
Headliner Rex Hobart and support act Forrest McCurren
combined to create a delightful night of classic country
under the stars at Lemonade Park.
>>view
Emmaline Twist, Other Americans, & Dan Jones and the Squids
soundtracked a reunion for (masked) friends who hadn't seen
each other since the clubs closed.
>>view
Podcast #524 welcomes the return to normalcy with The Ophelias,
Other Half, French Mouth, Jenny, Mom, The Uncouth, & Logan
Farmer.
Podcast #523 manages these extraordinary times w/ Thank You I'm
Sorry, Keys, Guided By Voices, Cindy, Hazel English, Susanne
Sundfor, & Ages.
Podcast #522 repairs those bonds with music from Dog Day, The Rabies,
Era Bleak, City Windows, Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men, Librarians
With Hickeys, & Sebastian Maschat and Erlend Oye.
Podcast #521 tells a crazy story featuring Easy Love, The
Speedways, Shehehe, Eyedress, Monograms, The Ire, & Kalmhain.
Lemonade Park continued its summer concert series with a
trio of synthy bands that included Various Blonde, Yum, &
Redder Moon.
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Podcast #520 gives you permission to have fun w/ music from
Illuminati Hotties, The Rabies, Harrisonics, Tommy and the Commies,
Skewbald, Phoebe Bridgers, Finish Flag, & Inter Arma.
Podcast #519 has gotten a little surly with help from The Beths,
Cocktails, Yum Yums, The Budweisers, Margo Price, The Bobby
Lees, & Ensiferum.
Temporary outdoor venue Lemonade Park opened this weekend
with live music from Men of Men, The Whiffs, & Wick & the
Tricks.
>>view
Upcoming gigs I care about:
8/3 Jason Isbell @ Azura Amp
8/4 Wynonna Judd @ Knuckleheads
8/5 Black Mariah @ Afterword
8/6 Tanya Tucker @ Knuckleheads
8/7 Black Creatures @ Lemonade Park
8/7 Tech N9ne @ KC Live
8/10 Rancid/DKM
8/12 Sleater-Kinney @ Midland
8/13 Black Mariah @ Velo Garage
8/14 Jorge Arana @ Lemonade Park
8/14 Daniel Gum @ Velo Garage
8/15 Juliana Hatfield
8/17 John Vanderslice @ HOUSE
8/18 Teri Quinn @ Mockinbird
8/20 Monta at Odds @ Record Bar
8/21 Deicide @ Riot Room
8/26 Descendents @ Liberty Hall
8/27 Elvis Cosetello @ Uptown
8/27 Teri Quinn @ Velo Garage
8/29 Joan Jett/Cheap Trick @ Starlight
8/31 Waxahatchee @ Knuckleheads SOLD OUT
9/3 Dan Jones @ Velo Garage
9/4 Mac Sabbath @ Knuckleheads
9/10 Dan Jones @ The Ship
9/11 Son Volt @ Knucklheads
9/18 Torres @ Record Bar
9/18 Mannequin Pussy @ Riot Room
9/18 Mountain Goats @ Granada
9/18 Arson Class @ RINO
9/20 Rufus Wainwright @ Uptown
9/21 Dinosaur Jr. @ Truman
9/22 Grouplove @ Liberty Hall
9/22 New Found Glory @ Uptown
9/25 Sweeping Promises @ MiniBar