Waiting for Signal

Through the ups and the downs, one thing remains a constant in Kansas City's music scene: We listen to each other. The first touchstones that come to mind when spinning Waiting for Signal's new The Division EP are right in our backyard: Roman Numerals, Audiovox, Shots Fired, Paper Cities, and Season to Risk, to name just a handful. Call it "Riot Room rock." Like the aforementioned acts, Waiting for Signal treads in riffy, glossy, darkly tinted hard rock, the kind that packs a killer combo amp and pedal board resembling a Soviet submarine factory. The trio of Gene Abramov, Ryan Bates and Brent Kastler (plus a rotating drummer seat rivaling Spinal Tap's) can play the hell out of their instruments, and they know how to translate that into a radio-ready record. The EP's strongest track is the opener, "Sign of the Times," which recalls Queens of the Stone Age and Muse with its taut riffs and king-sized chorus. If you're a fan of arena rockers who make a living with that business model (see also: Foo Fighters, Eagles of Death Metal), you can find an equally compelling — and much cheaper — ticket in Westport when Waiting for Signal plays its release Thanksgiving night at the Riot Room with In the Grove and Actors & Actresses.