Posted
by April Fleming
on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 8:04 AM
When we last caught up with Sean Hunt, aka Approach, in May, his label, Datura, was celebrating its 10th anniversary. Hunt mentioned at the time that there were a couple of projects he’d been sitting on for a while that he was excited about and was just waiting for the right moment to release (the guy always has so many irons in the fire, he’s probably sitting on five albums as we speak). It appears as though the time has come for at least one of them to be set free to the world, with the release on Monday of his work with underground Milwaukee musician J. Todd. (Read an A.V. Club interview with J. Todd here.)
After a year hiatus which saw Kanrocksas Music Festival’s home, the Kansas Speedway®, undergo a significant facelift, including major infield renovations and the opening of Hollywood Casino, festival organizers announced today that the festival will return on June 28 — 29, 2013.
So, basically, Kanrocksas will be back next summer. Mammoth Productions and co-founder of the fest Bill Brandmeyer are still involved, but promoter Chris Fritz is out, replaced by a company called Evenergy. No acts have been announced yet, but if you are the gambling type, you can buy $125 early-bird tickets starting next Friday, September 21, through the Kanrocksas website. If you wait until the general sale, that price hikes to $190, plus $50 if you want to camp. (There's no charge for camping on the early-bird special.)
The Star got a few interesting quotes from Brandmeyer on the fest; it sounds like they paid Eminem way too much money in 2011. I have a feeling that the twists and turns leading up to Kanrocksas: The Sequel are going to be just as fun to monitor as the original, so stay tuned, y'all.
Posted
by David Hudnall
on Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Soothing the burn of the relentless depression of this post-holiday-weekend workday is the arrival of a new EP from locals Sons of Great Dane. You Can't Lose It All, All at Once (great title) is four up-tempo alt-country tracks with a little more '90s alt-rock hooks in them than in the band's previous output. I'm feelin' it. It's out as a pay-what-you-want download via local label Sharp County Records. Grab it here.
Posted
by Abbie Stutzer
on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Lawrence is heavy on local mini-festivals this summer.
Recently, the Bottleneck announced the lineup of Lawrence Field Day Fest. Expect to see local favorites such as Approach, the ACBs, the Sluts, and more. The two-day festival will take place July 6 and 7. And as with any well-planned, beer-soaked Lawrence event, there's a pre-show extravaganza at the Jackpot July 5. More information to come.
Posted
by David Hudnall
on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Yelawolf will participate in the 'opia.
Last year, it was Kanrocksas. This year's Kansas City music festival with a weird name is Dancefestopia. A two-day party at Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park, Dancefestopia is bringing a mix of pop, hip-hop and electronic acts to town next weekend - Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2. Among the acts: Wiz Khalifa, 3OH!3, Flo Rida, Matisyahu, 2 Live Crew, Yelawolf, Yolanda Be Cool, and Morgan Page. Save 10 bucks by purchasing tickets before the day of the show here.
Posted
by Abbie Stutzer
on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Rex Hobart
Hey, Johnson County: If you like listening to some pretty stellar local music, outdoors, while resting atop a kept lawn, then boy, do we have a series for you.
Johnson County Community College just announced the lineup for its Light Up the Lawn concert series. The free shows will take place on the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art's front lawn on Friday evenings toward the end of the month, each month, throughout the summer. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets (no alcohol; sad face). Schedule below:
Posted
by David Hudnall
on Fri, May 4, 2012 at 8:41 AM
Sad News Department: Vintage music/clothes/gear shop Halcyon Diversified Trading is officially closing this Saturday after about two years in business. Shop owner Rod Peal will still have a booth at the Cowtown Mallroom, and he says he might try to relaunch in the West Bottoms, though nothing is set yet.
"If I started up down there, it would be a First Friday weekend-only thing, and totally based around events, like three bands Friday, three bands Saturday," Peal says. "I have a huge booth in Cowtown to keep the idea alive, and they have bands that play every week, so it totally still fits the vibe we had going at Halcyon."
Silver lining to all this: Huge sale on Saturday starting at 8 a.m.! Plus, performances from Steady States and a few TBA bands.
Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 21, which ought to give many of us something to do Saturday afternoon other than eat too much and sit around and be bored on our day off. On this day, we are urged to buy new records, limited-edition records, other cool items, and see some live in-store performances. Here's what's going on around town:
Posted
by David Hudnall
on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Conquerors
The curators of the first annual KC Psychfest - a two-day party (May 18 and 19) at the Strawberry Hill art space FOKL - have announced the official list of acts performing, and just about every weird and/or druggy band in Kansas City and Lawrence is playing. I am starting to get pretty pumped for this event! Hit the jump for the list.
Posted
by April Fleming
on Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 9:34 AM
Local rap favorite Joe Good quit the game nearly five years ago, but his work on his own and with beatmaker Miles Bonny still stands as some of the best in memory. If you haven't before, check out Good's 2006 effort, "Hi, May I Help You?" and you'll hear everything you need to, including the classic KC sassy Gates' Bar-B-Q greeting.
We're a bit late to the game here - Bonny released the final SoundsGood album, Goodbye, last month on Bandcamp. Go get it here.
Also, see Bonny and his baby discuss the band, the album and his old pal Joe here. SoundsGood, it's good to have you back, even if just for an hour.
Voltaire - the saloon, not the philosopher - opens tonight
Courtney Cole, Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus executive director, answers The Pitch's questionnaire
WWE's Monday Night Raw returns to Kansas City October 14
Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper are headed to Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
Big Rip Brewing Co. expands the Northland's beer universe
Shawn Ratigan and Bishop Robert Finn face two new civil lawsuits
Which out-of-town restaurant would you lobby to bring to KC?
The Gaf has closed in Waldo