In this town, you've got to gig your ass off - and be damn good at what you do - to be able to pay the rent just by playing music. Perhaps even more admirable, though, is what Andrew Connor does: Gigs his ass off by playing with a ton of very fine bands and keeping his nine-to-fiver at Musician's Friend. Showing an intuitive understanding of what bands are aiming to achieve, he shows up for his supporting roles and plays his parts expertly. With avant-folk act Mary Fortune, that means a calm, steady bass. As rhythm guitarist, he adds nuanced flourishes to the ACBs' pop jams. And Ghosty, the band that Connor has led for more than a decade now, keeps his talents as a writer of complex songs on full display. "Team Up Again," a track that Ghosty released last year while more or less on hiatus, is one of the finest songs to drift out of Kansas City in years, and the material that the band has been playing lately as a three-piece shows no sign of diminishment. It's a hectic schedule, yet Connor reflects an easygoing, just-in-it-for-the-love-of-the-art persona. Respect is due.
