No time for a think piece, so let me read down my notes and see what's worth repeating.

RxGhost opened. The quartet played with the lights on, so my photos aren't bad. Josh's vocals were intelligible. I liked it. Jenn's voice blended nicely. She's settled into the role, offering guitar lines that leave more space than her predecessor. Some of the band's indie rock sounded like The Cure. Especially the one that ends with the bass solo. But this was Chris's last show, so another bass player will have to figure out how he does it. The end of the set focused on the act's noisier side. Less reassuring waves, more unpredictable chaos. Pick your poison – they're both delicious.

Dented Zeus had the middle slot. The act is better every time I see it. The post-rock songs came together slowly but always coalesced into a groove. The rhythm wasn't lockstep with the guitars, but there were fun motorik moments. Much of the air comes from the second guitarist. Tyler wore a Spaceman 3 shirt. Nailed it. But just when I thought I had the foursome figured out, it bashed out a post-punk number with bright vocals. Another late one could have been Viagra Boys. And what was up with that metal shriek in the finale? Also, how is this one band the best three bands in Kansas City? They played an encore with disco punk drums over droning guitars. Mike threatened a ska song, "There's a horn player out there somewhere, I can just smell it." Don't dare him. This group could pull it off.

The Gotobeds might be a big deal. If they're not, maybe they should be. Too bad radio doesn't have a yen for big rock 'n' roll with a twin guitar attack anymore. Eli noticed there weren't thousands in the audience and said, "Welcome to our band practice." That's just a dick move. Save the complaints for the van, no need to share your disappointment with anyone who paid to see you. Speaking of seeing, the group brought its own red floor lights. Mood lighting. It was romantic the way Cary just hammered that snare and had no need for rack toms. Dane's bass lines were bouncy and full of energy. A Hofner will do that for you. The headlining set didn't last a half-hour, but was packed with a lot of loose numbers and several amazing power pop tunes that made me forget whatever I was grumpy about. Well until I looked at my notes again. Right, "band practice." What the hell?