Fusebox was a short-lived but legendary DIY venue in Kansas City. I still have one of its stickers that accuses "We fuckin' rocked! Where were you?" Thirty years later, different venue, same story.

At 7:30 the sound person told the opening performer they could go on whenever they wanted. I suspect they were trying to be kind. The room was empty. But, fueled by a Protestant work ethic and a no-time-like-the-present philosophy, e_rglr took the stage right then and there. E_rglr is the work of one person. He chooses to remain anonymous for reasons that we couldn't possibly understand. His set was synthwave skewing toward the cinematic and spooky, inspired by the John Carpenter and Kyle Dixon/Michael Stein oeuvre. His synths (sometimes played live) were often joined by throbbing bass lines, tattering snares, and cult movie samples from Six-String Samurai and Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. Sometimes the autonomous synths ran their programs while their creator twisted knobs changing the envelope or adding ad hoc skitter. The result was sometimes dancey, sometimes cerebral, and always intriguing.

Next up was another solo synth endeavor – An Esperluette. This is the synth-pop project of Kansas City's Jimmy Wing. Programmed keyboards and other whizbangs worked autonomously while Wing paced the stage delivering, nay over-delivering, vocals. "He reminds me of Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Just his whole vibe," whispered Sarah. It was pleasantly a lot. His songs spanned decades of synth-pop, from the new-wave carnival of Oingo Boingo and the pounding industrial rock of early Nine Inch Nails to the aggressive arpeggios and clipped beats of electroclash. Each movement pilfered from and reconstructed into a set that kept the small audience rapt.

To misquote Dante Hicks, Unwed Sailor wasn't even supposed to be here today. The long-running post-rock act was scheduled to kick off its tour in St. Louis, but when a car crashed into The Heavy Anchor, the foursome found its way to Minibar instead. Maybe that last minute swap led to the small turnout. Or maybe it was because no one actually knows what Unwed Sailor is. A Seattle band that is based out of Tulsa. A project that is solely the work of bassist Johnathon Ford. A post-rock outfit that has no need for long compositions or huge dynamics. Nothing is easy about Unwed Sailor and that seems fine with its captain.

On this tour, Johnathon Ford was joined by Les Easterby on guitar, Patrick McGill on drums, and Matthew Putman on drums. Yes, two drummers. Between songs Ford explained that both had longstanding relationships with the band, and both wanted to do the tour, so why not bring them both? Accommodations were made. Lines written to be played by one player were split between two, and shakers were occasionally added to keep idle hands busy. That left Easterby as the new player. His leads and solos often carried compositions forward, finding the right balance that so many instrumental rock bands get wrong. He worked in multiple registers, playing clean jazz-fusion inspired tones that only occasionally employed pedal-powered growls. Ford's lithe bass often hinted at the melody even when it didn't carry it. Shift it a few octaves and Harriet Wheeler or Liz Fraser weren't doing much different.

The act's nine-song setlist leaned heavily into the four most recent albums, showcasing an affection for the dreamy side of shoegaze, with bright compositions that flowed well and vibed even better. Between numbers Ford was exceptionally friendly, addressing the room without the need for a microphone or histrionics. When the musicians ended at the friendly time of 9:45, Ford began one-on-one conversations with every member of the audience – either on stage, at the merch table, or somewhere in his meandering path between the two. It was a delightful night for those that made the show, and for those that didn't, where were you?