The Dog and Pony Show

Sir Charles

Monday, May 12, 2008

Charles S. McVey doesn’t seem like the sort of guy who enjoys his down time. In addition to freelance engineering at Black Lodge Studios and playing keys for Lonnie Fisher & the Funeral, McVey labors over his own recordings and maintains a busy local performance schedule. McVey enlisted drummer Erik Kessinger and bassist Max Paley to back him on his 2007 release “Modern Living,” which candidly addressed matters of sexuality with pathos-packed ballads and ’80s influenced alt-rock. McVey’s song “Sir” has since been remixed by a handful of admirers while he records his next release and prepares for a slate of Pride Festival gigs this summer. He stopped by our podcast studios shortly after delivering cookies to The Breeders, a band that he loves almost as much as The Cure.

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There Can Be Only One

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Third Annual Deadwood Derby is nigh. Thousands of dollars of prizes are at stake. Let’s meet the contenders.

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As Americana As Apple Pie

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

This episode guest hosted by Gavon Laessig.

Putative cousins Wallace Cochran and Jeff Stolz unfortunately don't have a morphine habit or syphilitic dementia to fuel a family rivalry. Despite being far more stable and far less dead than some of their musical heroes, however, when performing as Drakkar Sauna they still manage to produce music just as heartbreakingly pretty as was made by their hard living country-roots forebears. It's in tribute to one of these troubled influences, The Louvin Brothers, that Drakkar Sauna have recorded their new album, "Wars & Tornadoes." This set of Louvin Brothers covers retains the close harmonies of the Grand Ole Opry duo and feeds it through Drakkar Sauna's eclectic Americana smörgåsbord. Songs of old timey despair and redemption from the '40s and '50s by a couple of siblings who were torn apart by alcoholism never sounded so toe tappin'. Wallace Cochran took time out of making sandwiches and Jeff Stolz took time out of shopping for ground chuck to talk with us at the Community Merc.

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Full Body Cast: The Cast Pattern overcomes hangovers, releases new album

Monday, April 21, 2008

It’s hard just to be a “metal” band anymore, what with all the “tech metal” and “doom metal” and “post-metal” purveyors out there. The Cast Pattern shares shows with all of the above, but the cochlea-scorching Lawrence band is content to just play really loud and brutal and let the pundits do the labeling. After four years and one lead singer change, the band is about to release its debut self-titled LP on California’s Uprising Records (home to 7 Angels 7 Plagues and a bunch of other scale-shredding hardcore bands). On the eve of a three-week tour, singer James Savage and bassist Brian Denman stopped by to give the new record a spin and say lots of uncouth things that they’ll probably regret one day. (download an MP3 from their new album here)

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Coat or Die!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Guest hosted this week by Gavon Laessig

Coat Party exudes enough vim and vigor to melt the eyes out of your sockets. This Lawrence dance-rock foursome—especially when performing live—will mash punked-up Gang of Four style rhythm, Gameboy soundtrack atmospherics and dual shout along vocals all over your face! Kyle Gowdy alternates between synths and guitar with equal disdain for your tinnitus, Nicholas Kotlinski smashes his drum kit into paste, and Alison Cain tag teams vocals with Cassie Peters. Get too close to Cain and Peters while they’re whirling like dervishes and howling about shooting lasers from their fingers, and you’re liable to get some inadvertent groin trauma in the vein of the prank from which Coat Party derives their name. They’ve released several EPs and 7 inches, are putting the finishing touches on both an upcoming single and album, and a fall tour is gestating. While Alison Cain is on sabbatical in Japan, Cassie Peters, Nicholas Kotlinski and Kyle Gowdy joined us for a very bleary-eyed conversation the morning after KU’s Final Four victory.

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Bigger “Stages”

Monday, March 31, 2008

If marriage is a covenant to stick it out for better and worse, then Kristen May and Brian Little are in it for the long haul. As half of the Kansas City band Vedera, the couple has already endured trials like losing all their gear on the road and fighting a legal battle to keep their old band name (Veda). At the end of the day, however, May and Little own an unbreakable songwriting bond that has taken flight with support from bassist Jason Douglas and drummer Drew Little. A major-label deal with Epic Records coalesced after a year of negotiations, setting the stage for the group’s sophomore album “Stages” (tentatively scheduled for an early summer release). With a righteous lead single (“Satisfy”) stirring the pot, the band will embark on a two-month tour with Eisley to put chick-rock back on top. We visited the lovebirds at their Westport roost to chat about “Stages” and check out some new (and old) tunes.

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Court of Appeals

Monday, March 24, 2008

“Maybe we should just sleep on it,” Tim McGraw once sang. Unfortunately for Curb Appeal Records, McGraw’s record label (Curb) didn’t take his advice to heart. One cease-and-desist letter later, the Kansas City-based label is changing its name to Appeal Records. What won’t change is its stacked roster of bands: local (The New Amsterdams, Blackpool Lights), national (Patrick Park, 8mm, Pablo, The Last Almanac) and international (Australian journeyman Paul Kelly). Those assets amount to an optimistic future for the label despite the omnipresent storm clouds of illegal downloading, market saturation and the fact that records just aren’t selling like they used to. But you won’t hear too much griping from label manager Enrique Chi, whose charisma is such that he could probably sell a Slayer CD to Mitt Romney. The native Panamanian barnstormed our state-of-the-art podcast shanty to share some Appealing tunes and a new single from his own band, Making Movies.

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Flying So Low

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Remember six-inch voices? Those would be about four inches too long for a Doby Watson concert. The 21-year-old songwriter pens tranquil numbers that emphasize sparse arrangements for acoustic guitar and voice: the only two instruments he typically carries with him on his frequent tours of D.I.Y. folk venues. Though he’ll occasionally relent and fight the jabbering crowds at local bars, Watson more often targets alternative venues like houses and art galleries. He applies the strength-in-numbers principle, touring with friends to support split EPs and albums (recent cohorts include Margo May, Manipulator Alligator, Viking Moses and Regal Standard). Watson brought his 12-inch voice to our podcast studio along with a compilation of tunes from his first four years onstage (previously under the alias Boo Hiss).

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Crew Cuts

Monday, March 10, 2008

Oftentimes, the prevailing logic regarding the Kansas City and Lawrence hip-hop scenes is that our homeboys could be worldwide if they just got organized.

Enter INnatesounds. The brainchild of producer Miles Bonny, INnatesounds began to take shape when Bonny's former SoundsGood collaborator Joe Good “retired” from the game (time will tell if Joe-Z gets back in the ring). Left to his own devices, Bonny unionized Kansas City's best hip-hop talent (and associates from California to Britain) into a collaborative, scene-boosting crew. During two months of workhorse sessions, the 20-strong caboodle assembled its debut compilation. The 18-song “Alpha” collection is a chest-beating battle cry to locals, non-locals, and extraterrestrials.

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Drink & Ride: The DeWayn Brothers are coming to your town

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Like most bands that you might stumble upon at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, The DeWayn Brothers pen twangy tunes about hearty country livin’ (the non-Cracker Barrel variety). They embrace the culture of whiskey, prison, bacon, and more whiskey while avoiding said sins jes’ enuff to stay out on the road 200-plus dates a year. The stringy quintet recently ditched its alter-ego rock band Loco Macheen to put 110% effort into the Bros—an evolution that’s well documented on the group’s third LP “Farmer.” Lead singer Jamie Briggeman hogties listeners with her pin-up caterwaul while Garrett Briggeman and Eric Nelson go all Flatt & Scruggs with banjer and geetar. The latter two drove up from their home base in Emporia to shoot the poop and give their latest compact disc a whirliwoo.

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