Ratted out: Catching up with local musicians, club owners and a DJ or two to talk about what went down for them in ’08

That'll be quite enough from you, 2008. The collapsing economy, the escalating wars, the rise of Sarah Palin, the virulent spread of Auto-Tune throughout mainstream pop — you nearly killed us. Fortunately, folks in Kansas City had plenty of good music to turn to for comfort. For our year-end wrap-up, we caught up with a few prominent locals to see how they fared in this year of the rat.

Tim Gutschenritter, Riot Room proprietor

Christmas wish: Oasis playing Kansas City

The wrap-up: "We opened in Febuary 2008, and it's pretty much been super kick-ass ever since. A lot of good people, a lot of good bands, a lot of good vibes here.... The fact that we have opened up our doors to pretty much anybody and everybody, locally and nationally, has created a new subculture here in Kansas City of, like, people who just want to be comfortable and see something cool on a daily basis. I think we have been responsible for the success of the metal and underground hip-hop scenes here in Kansas City. Those shows have been huge. They have been a blast. We are super easygoing, too, and have eclectic minds."

Mark Lowrey, jazz pianist

Christmas wish: gift certificates to iTunes

The wrap-up: "It's been really interesting. I've had to grow up as a businessperson, as just making my living playing music. You learn really quick that you have to know as much about business as about your instrument. In the last 12 months, I've taken more of a bandleader role than in previous years. Maybe that's the Leo thing actualizing itself.

"The new Phoenix is hip.... They're going back to a lot of the staples of Kansas City jazz. It really sucked that Bar Natasha had to close — this whole counterculture was displaced. It was a fun place for musicians to hang out.

"I'm learning more and more the rewards of playing at locally owned venues. I do play at corporate restaurants, do corporate parties all the time, and I have positive experiences, but nothing beats places like the Phoenix, Bar Natasha, the Record Bar, Jardine's, JP Wine Bar.... It's just a different kind of mentality. The locally owned places seem to care about the music and the bottom line."

Terry Taylor, Hammerlord bassist and president of Hunt Industries

Christmas wish: more G.I. Joe Street Fighter toys for his collection

The wrap-up: "I think surviving as a promoter in one of the hardest economic years I have had in 20 years in the music biz was a big hill to get over. I know there is still a long road ahead, but I have been staying optimistic. Besides keeping my head above water in this economy, joining Hammerlord is the best thing that happened to me in 2008. It is uplifting to be back playing in a band for the love of the music with no pressure to sign to a label or be the next big thing.

"There were a lot of exciting things that happened in the local music scene this year: Seeing some of the local homies on national TV was awesome — Rob Pope [Spoon] and the Republic Tigers. The opening of the Riot Room has definitely helped fill a void in KC that seemed to be missing. Mac Lethal's signing and finally getting the national exposure he has always deserved — he has been one of my faves since I moved here five years ago. And Dri, the Lawrence singer-songwriter, put out a CD called Smoke Rings earlier this year, and it was one of the most refreshing CDs I have heard in a long time. If you do not own a physical copy of this CD, go to your local record store — I know Love Garden in Lawrence always has it — and buy it immediately."

"Metal" Mark Mathison, DJ (SCSI Bunny)

Christmas wish: world peace

The wrap-up: "Even with our economy being the way it is, people are still going out to shows. With new venues like the Riot Room popping up, they're getting the metal and rock crowd out again, so that's healthy. The people who would come out from Overland Park are definitely going to Power & Light. They're not coming to Westport. Westport is more tightly knit, with service-industry people who are out every night. There's still been some changes, but that network of Westport is still going strong....

"I got to meet Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block. He wanted to meet me. It's a funny story. NKOTB, on this tour, had been feeling like there weren't many guys coming to their shows. So when they came to town, a friend of mine was doing production work for them, driving them around, and he told them, 'My friend Metal Mark bought a ticket for your show.' They were, like, enthralled that some dude named Metal Mark was showing up. So I got a backstage pass and got to meet Jordan....

"I wasn't really into NKOTB whenever they came out. Someone bought me the Merry, Merry Christmas tape as a joke, and it just kind of grew on me from there. I dated girls in junior high who were into them.... When I met Jordan, I said, 'You know how many times I've finger-banged girls to your music? Thank you, Jordan Knight.' The tour manager was like, 'You fucking said finger-banged!'