In 1992 Kansas City was saddled with the dreaded "next Seattle" moniker. Handfuls of bands were signed and then disabused of their hopes. Most bands didn't get out alive. Those that did were the ones that stuck to their ideals, stayed close to the edges, and watched the wave broke from the safety of the shore. Thirty-two years later Kansas City is still turning out in record numbers to see one of those bands that kept its wits about it.

The night opened with Lafayette. Like the headliner, the band is also a survivor. Or maybe a reviver. The band formed sometime in the late '90s and disbanded sometime in the early aughts. When the band reappeared in May of this year it was a surprise. When it featured the same line up of Jeffery Farson (bassist/vocalist), Kevin Sweet (guitar/vocals), James Sizelove (guitar), and Chris Metcalf (drums) it was amazing. When the band sounded as though it hadn't been away a day it was astonishing. But when it debuted new songs, well, that was just too unreal. For most of the city, this would be their first taste of the reunited act. The twinkling guitar of Sizelove surely brought back memories, as did his leads that might just be more U2 than U2 can currently muster. Farson laid down a nice, undulating grooves for most of the night. His neck bobbed like a bassist's neck should. Metcalf didn't join in, but instead played ever-shifting lines with plenty of nuance and a penchant for tasteful maximalism. This left Sweet's rhythm guitar to either handle the melody or to place lithe notes around Sizelove's. When combined, it's indie rock – sometimes dark and moody, sometimes effervescent and impishly pop. Regardless of the song, the act walked a delightful line that created flow and honored organic movement without falling loose or limp. Sure, Faron's voice had several pitchy moments – as did the backing vocals of Sweet – but maybe it was the placement of the musicians. As blue and red lights pulsed, the foursome remained nearly stationary, pushed out to the edge of stage apron with two bands worth of backlined gear behind them. This didn't impact Sizelove who plays from a chair, but Farson wound up accidentally unplugging himself during the excitement of the set's big trash can finale. Thankfully the band are an ongoing concern again, have already released two new recordings, and welcome you to check them out again where their dance moves will be on full display.

RxGhost weren't around in the '90s. Its roots came a decade later when frontman Josh Thomas led the similarly-manned High Diving Ponies. He called that band 'danger pop,' and RxGhost represents the evolution of that vision, only older, wiser, and more jaded. Before playing, Thomas asked the house to lower the lights, keep them steady, and pump up the fog machine. He prefers to play in the shadows. His banter was limited, only speaking before the finale to thank the crowd and club and other bands. Maybe there were some nerves playing before the sold-out crowd, but Thomas is always uninterested in the appurtenances required by the music industry. He wants to write and record and perform music and the rest is a challenge and a chore. Thankfully he's got a strong crew to prop him up consisting of James Capps (guitar), Jeremiah James (bass six), Chris Smead (bass), and Justin Brooks (drums). Most have played with Thomas for years through multiple bands. Describing the quintet's sound is a lofty undertaking. Elements of brit pop and shoegaze combine with off-kilter alt rock to create songs that are both heady and heartfelt. Big hooks dominate the songs and seem simplistic from a distance, but like a Paul Signac painting, step a bit closer and you see RxGhost's art is actually the culmination of a million little choices. The band features four guitars, each working in a different register and leaving space for the next. This allowed songs to feel big without being oppressive. Even when the band opted for density (in a song like "Over and Over the Same Things"), the result was a comforting weighted blanket, not a noise rock pummeling. If there were a band you needed to hear to understand, this would be it. I prescribe listening to the band's just-released album Scaffolding on vinyl to feel all that analog glow, and then catching the act live 1-2 times a month until hooked.

The night's champion was Shiner. Although the band has not been active for the entirety of its 32-year history, it's never strayed from the stage for very long. This reappearance was part of a small five-date Midwestern outing to celebrate the vinyl re-release of its first four albums. In fact, that was the theme of the night. The quartet comprised of Allen Epley (vocals/guitar), Josh Newton (lead guitar), Paul Malinowski (bass) and Jason Gerken (drums) started with four from 1996's Splay. Like most of the band's material, the songs were thick and enveloping. The band's math rock influences weren't jarring, but rather shifted songs slowly from one movement to the next. Two from 1997's Lula Divinia followed. The guitar and bass tones were everything, balancing a warmth with a sharp aggression that is the envy of every post-hardcore-gaze band today. Two more followed from 1999's Starless. Epley's vocals were slow and steady allowing Newton to wrap leads around them. These songs were played straight with Gerken finding a groove and Malinowski following behind in lock step. When Gerken found room, he delivered some amazing stuttering fills on a curious Rogers kit that featured only one rack tom, but two floor toms. The next section included two from 2001's The Egg. Everyone in Kansas City has their favorite Shiner era, and this is mine. "Surgery" was urgent and affirming. "Andalusia" was exhausting in the most wonderful way. The disjointed solo that ended the song was brilliant. Three songs from 2020's reunion album Schadenfreude completed the set. The songs were like origami cranes, bending and folding to reveal art.

Throughout the set lightbars pulsed behind the band creating drama from the shadows. The audience stayed packed tight against the stage. Shiner isn't a band one dances to, but heads bobbed, and bodies jerked and swayed throughout the set. Between songs Epley made the required thank-yous, and noted that this was the first time the band had sold out the RecordBar. Really? Epley then dropped a bigger bombshell by announcing that the band would be mixing its new album the following weekend. A spring 2025 release is expected. With that fresh news, the quartet ended the night with one of those new songs, "Asleep in the Trunk." It was an angry number full of pounding drums and vitriol – the sound of a reinvigorated Shiner ready to continue a journey that began decades earlier but is still not done. Thank goodness they didn't get washed out to sea like so many other "next Seattle" bands.