Full Metal Jacket

Reggie and the Full Effect releases its most metal record to date

Monday, June 30, 2008

More than most bands, fans have certain expectations for what they want a Reggie and the Full Effect record to sound like. These mostly teenage minions fell in love with Reggie when he was a different man: a younger, goofier, (even) more immature version of his present-day self...

Wakarusa 2008 Best Bets

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Sea Change

Unwed Sailor’s Johnathon Ford discusses “Little Wars” and his fling with Lawrence

Monday, May 19, 2008

Johnathon Ford grew up with an appetite for movie soundtracks, Disney scores and classical music. Those obsessions inform his body of work as Unwed Sailor, an instrumental band that has routinely changed members and styles during its 10-year run.

Sir Charles

Lawrence songwriter Charles S. McVey spreads the gospel of “Modern Living”

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.

Vice As Nice

Local artists commandeer Haskell Square

Monday, April 14, 2008

To East Lawrence townies, Haskell Square is affectionately referred to as “The Vice Mall”—a one-stop-shop for all of your porn, liquor, parole, Payday Loan and comfort-food needs.

Bigger “Stages”

Vedera preps major-label debut and tours with Eisley

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).

Court of Appeals

Kansas City record label curbs its name but not its enthusiasm

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.

Singer, Interrupted

Doby Watson plays hushed songs for attentive ears

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.

Crew Cuts

INnatesounds hip-hop crew unveils its debut compilation

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).

Drink & Ride

The DeWayn Brothers are coming to your town

Monday, March 3, 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.

Bleed American

American Catastrophe’s “Broken Bone Choir” hits the road

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008

You have to break a red wax seal to get your grubby little paws on American Catastrophe’s “Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir.” The album’s handmade packaging connotes a contract between the band and the listener: break the seal, and there’s no going back. Imagine a motel lounge in a David Lynch movie where something bad is about to happen: woozy guitars pick out minor chords, cymbals crash and a commanding baritone chants “hang ’em high.”

Hitting His Marks

Dylan Paul aims his spotlight on theatric pop

Monday, Feb. 18, 2008

Remember that kid in high school who all the teachers called a “Renaissance Man”? Dylan Paul Hilpman was that guy at Free State High School, and he took it to heart. Now 24, Hilpman is enjoying a full-time career as a roving stage actor in productions like “Othello” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” But his booming voice wasn’t simply made for the stage—it was made for actual pop music: the kind that Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake sizzle. It’s so catchy that you might want to hit him in the face—and that’s cool with him, as long as you get on the dance floor.

Stik-tuitiveness

Local rapper Stik Figa is a well-rounded square

Monday, Feb. 4, 2008

Midway through his set at KJHK’s Farmer’s Ball, Stik Figa experienced every rapper’s worst nightmare: his CD skipped. Where a less charismatic rapper might have crumbled, Figa simply went a cappella—and subsequently won the damn thing.

Wiener Take All

New Franklin Panthers declare “Hot Dogs Are Cool”

Monday, Jan. 28, 2008

Other than 18 years and hundreds of Paw shows, there ain’t a whole lot separating the musical persuasions of Grant Fitch and Jason Jones. The duo that now composes Lawrence’s New Franklin Panthers met while working at Mass. Street Music and quickly hammered out a malleable setlist of instrumental power-rock

Surfin’ E.U.D.O.R.A.

Hang Ten with America’s Most Landlocked Surf Band

Monday, Jan. 21, 2008

Though they claim no direct lineage to their eastward municipal namesake, The Eudoras do own one of Lawrence’s most distinctive honors: being the first band to play at the Replay Lounge. Of course, given the cock-and-bull yarns typically spun by Kory Willis and Jon Harrison, that could be a load of cockamamie.

Top 10 Local Albums of 2007

Monday, Dec. 24, 2007

It’s no easy task to craft a Local Music Top 10 of the year list—that’s a testament to the abundance of great albums cut from the loins of the mighty Kansas cloth. Both Lawrence and Kansas City artists were considered for the cut, which inevitably overlooked plenty of deserving records. This podcast features a track from each of our picks. Please leave a comment below with your additions or your own full Top 10 list.

Josephine and the Amazing Technicolor Record Deal

How an Overland Park Collective bro’d down with Warner Bros.

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007

With a debut EP already out on Warner Bros. Records and a full-length due in March, Josephine Collective’s six members might just find themselves on MTV before they’re old enough to drink (legally, anyway)

Jen Say What?

Local band good at music, bad at French

Monday, Dec. 3, 2007

There’s a certain je ne sais quoi to The Jen Say Kwahs, but they don’t speak French, so no one knows how to define it. Suffice to say it’s the charismatic union of four creative spirits who stumbled across each other when invited to perform a Shania Twain song at a friend’s wedding.

On a Limb

Ample Branches digs deep and unearths the “True Vine”

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007

From the home studio of a tiny two-bedroom apartment at 11th and Tennessee to local stages, Ample Branches has grown into one of Lawrence’s brightest new bands during the course of a busy year.

If the Slipper Fits

KJHK’s Farmers Ball seeks local music Cinderella (the fairy tale, not the band)

Monday, Nov. 5, 2007

If one were looking for an abbreviated introduction to Lawrence's best new bands, KJHK's Farmer's Ball would be the ideal place to start. The competitive aspect of the annual battle-of-the-bands usually takes a backseat to the camaraderie, which is usually in full effect despite a wide breadth of musical styles. This year's crop features eight wet-behind-the-ears acts that will go toe-to-toe in preliminary bouts Thursday and Friday and seek a knockout blow at Saturday’s finals at The Bottleneck. We harvested the freshest tracks from all eight ballers into a podcast preview of the 2007 Farmer’s Ball.

Dr. Dri

Adrianne Verhoeven prescribes “Smoke Rings”

Monday, Oct. 29, 2007

Adrianne Verhoeven – aka Dri – has been singing feverishly for a decade or so, first as a member of The Anniversary and now with Fourth of July and Omaha’s Art in Manila. Though she’s always been happy to share the mic, it’s all Dri on her debut solo album “Smoke Rings.” Due out this week on Lawrence’s Range Life Records, the album marks a left turn into poptronica and blip-hop.

All Is Fair

The Fairer Sex set out to prove “Two Can Win”

Monday, Oct. 22, 2007

Getting dumped ain’t half bad when you can get in the car and listen to The Fairer Sex on your way out of town. Headed up by the songwriting duo of Zack Hart and David Wetzel, the Lawrence band dwells in the same summery stratosphere as Belle and Sebastian, The Lucksmiths and The Old 97s. Songs built on acoustic guitars and keen lyrics take on richer hues in the group’s home studio, where the group cut most of its new record “Two Can Win.”

Onward Po'

Pomeroy contemplates “A New Reflection”

Monday, Oct. 15, 2007

Way back in the late ’90s, when Napster and Y2K were in fashion, a merry band of metalheads united in conquest of fame and fortune—or maybe just fun. They called themselves Pomeroy (not to be confused with the consulting group or college-basketball ratings) and developed a slick sound incorporating funk, hip-hop and rock influences.

Count to Ten

Kristie Stremel reflects on a decade onstage

Monday, Oct. 8, 2007

Kristie Stremel’s post-secondary education was carried out in barrooms across the country as the touring guitarist for Frogpond. She spent two rollercoaster years with that major-label outfit before developing her own songwriting voice: a muscular country-rock amalgam of Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams, Paul Westerberg and The Pretenders

The Real Diehl

iD invites his friends to the “Avatar Hotel”

Monday, Sept. 24, 2007

Since moving to Lawrence in 2000, rapper Isaac Diehl—a.k.a. iD—has been releasing albums at a prolific clip under various guises: Archetype, The Find, iD & Sleeper, Rain Closet and Lost Cats. With his hands dipped in so many honey pots, the fecund lyricist saw fit to assemble an odds-and-ends collection that offers a wide-angle view of his cluttered consciousness.

‘Mission’ Conditions

Craig Comstock and Dan Kozak unveil clamorous collaboration

Monday, Sept. 17, 2007

As collaborations go, the pairing of Craig Comstock and Dan Kozak is a bit like treating an LSD overdose with hallucinogenic mushrooms—shit just keeps getting crazier

Tactical Revolutions

Ben Fuller and Brent Lippincott push the DJ envelope

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007

f your ghosts wanna dance, Tactic is who you gonna call.

Queen of the Road

Nashville star Sarah Buxton returns to Lawrence for a homecoming show

Monday, Sept. 3, 2007

Sing along with Sarah Buxton and your shower will resonate with stories of cranky relatives, careless ex-boyfriends, shopping binges, wannabe cowboys and strong-willed women. It’s the kind of slice-of-life stuff that composes the fiber of country music, and it’s the reason the raspy voiced 27-year-old songwriter has a dream deal with Lyric Street Records (Rascal Flatts, SheDaisy, Bucky Covington) and a Top Five hit with Keith Urban’s version of her song “Stupid Boy,” which just earned a CMA nomination for song of the year.

Sideswiped

Lawrence’s SideWise sounds its hard rock “Siren”

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007

Pop the new SideWise CD in your car disc changer and you might think you’ve turned on the radio. Slick as a Vaseline-smeared piggie and loud as the first row of Lollapalooza, “Siren” comes roaring out of speakers with the same velocity afforded to major-label acts

Civil libertines

A preview of The North vs. South Festival

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007

If Wakarusa is Lawrence’s answer to Bonaroo, then North vs. South is our town’s version of the Pitchfork Music Festival. More than 70 acts spanning the independent rock, alt-country and folk scenes converge in Lawrence for three wild nights at three downtown venues. North vs. South mastermind Mike McCoy stopped by our podcast studio to offer his picks to click and discuss the evolution of the festival, now in its fourth year.

Party fowl

Lawrence duo Waterfowl Habitat keeps it cool with dancefloor hottness

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007

You get what you give at Waterfowl Habitat show. Dance like a banshee and Dylan Hoffman and Tanner Allen will join you; stare blankly at the floor and they will too. But with dirty-bass beats straight outta the Daft Punk camp and gnarly guitar riffs to make Prince proud, dancing is habitual at the clubs Waterfowl inhabits.

Gettin’ the Heck Outta Pomona

The Pomonas leave Lawrence with farewell album and two

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

In their three years as a band, The Pomonas earned a reputation as a rockin’ pop funfest the likes of which Lawrence may not soon see again. With members moving to Seattle, New Orleans, and Chicago, the band’s time is drawing to a close. Before they ride off into the mid-life sunset, the foursome will celebrate the release of a farewell record with two shows in two nights

Bring on the Cavalry

Lawrence’s Cavaliers unveil new album, lineup

Monday, July 23, 2007

Sometimes the best things are worth waiting for. Lawrence's Cavaliers have certainly delivered on that premise with a full-bodied debut record dubbed "Except for the Birds."

Spoonman

Lawrencian Rob Pope puts his bass all up in Spoon's face

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Rob Pope has fashioned a career of playing the bejeezus out of the bass, and the former Get Up Kid and current White Whale anchorman snared his biggest gig to date when indie-rock hitsters Spoon invited him into the fold for their new record "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”

Swamp Thang

The Konza Swamp Band eats, sings “Groundhog”

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

All you need to know about the Konza Swamp Band you can learn from the liner notes of their new album, which gives thanks to The Good Lord, Miller Lite, Woody Guthrie, truck drivers and blue-collars...

The 10 Commandments of Rock

Marry Me Moses revs up "Engine Engine"

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Marry Me Moses could be the name of a nun's autobiography or a Judeo-Christian marriage seminar. But here in Lawrence, Marry Me Moses is synonymous with face-melting rock riffs, more or less. The industrious group recently ascended Mount Sinai (a.k.a. Neighborhood Studios), and recorded their debut tablet (a.k.a. album), "Engine Engine."

The Ion Code

Lawrence's Minus Story plays with anagrams and cooks up a Truss-tworthy new record

Monday, June 4, 2007

Fans of Minus Story are generally hardcore fans, and for good reason. The band's records are absorbing listens, crafted with the meticulous spirit of a fiction writer or glass blower.

Independence Day

Veteran Lawrence band celebrates debut 'Fourth of July On the Plains'

Monday, May 21, 2007

After some five years of playing around town, Fourth of July is finally preparing to release its first full-length album. The wait paid off in the form of a supremely rehearsed sextet that laid down a vibrant collection of tracks full of harmonies, keyboards, horns and tambourines.

Ain't No Fortunate Sons

The Only Children unveil “Keeper of Youth”

Monday, May 14, 2007

Composed largely in the shack-wacky confines of Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Only Children’s second LP “Keeper of Youth” is a record that questions the value of rock-n-roll as much as it tenuously embraces it.

A Prairie Band Companion

Lawrence old-timey outfit The Prairie Acre unveils “Jaybird and the Sparrow-Hawk”

Monday, April 30, 2007

Once upon a time, four friends started a bluegrass band despite the fact that only one of them had any experience playing bluegrass. Five years later, The Prairie Acre is one of the most accomplished string-band outfits in the Midwest. The Lawrence group’s third self-released record “Jaybird and the Sparrow-Hawk” is loaded with hot doses of revivalist old-timey fare, documenting the sound of a band hitting their stride and having a heck of a good time doing it

As Nasty as She Wanna Be

Kansas expatriate Pink Nasty is pure 'Gold'

Monday, April 16, 2007

Based on her music alone, the stage name “Pink Nasty” seems like a misnomer. The doe-voiced lyrics aren’t particularly "nasty," nor are the blue-tinged ballads. But being a modern musician requires more than just solid music — you gotta have personality.

Flight Plan

Lawrence’s Range Life Records powers through growing pains and preps “White Flight” for great success

Monday, Feb. 26, 2007

Mrs. Whiskerson was a good kitty—a mild-mannered feline who enjoyed snacking and nuzzling. Then, late one night, in the presence of housemates under the influence of powerful psychoactive medicines, Mrs. Whiskerson went apeshit.

Frisbee to a Tee

Lawrence’s thriving disc golf scene boasts three free courses

Thursday, July 13, 2006

When “Crazy” John Brooks dropped out of college to hit the beach and master the Frisbee arts, his friends had yet to endow him with his present-day nickname. “‘Stupid’ is pretty much what they were calling me back then,” says Brooks, who designed the disc golf courses at Clinton Lake, used during this year’s Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival.

‘Barber’ School

Local jazz combo goes double-trouble with weekly gigs

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

While dozens of wannabe rock bands soil the local dives with angst-ridden turdbombs, Floyd the Barber quietly goes about its business of playing left-field jazz for a crowd of thoughtfully imbibing bystanders

Metal School

Mean Dean the Metal Machine DJs weekly educational sets of his preferred genre

Monday, June 26, 2006

If the University of Kansas ever opens up a “Professor of Metal” position, Mean Dean “The Metal Machine” Edington will be first in line. Credentials include: founding KJHK’s long-running “Malicious Intent” program, serving a tour of duty with the venerable Relapse Records label, founding his own company Machine Management and seeing Metallica 23 times. Edington teams with DJ Skullcrusher Cruz (Stevie Cruz of The Esoteric) and the Don of Metal (Don Akerstrom) to bring “Metal School” to the Replay Lounge patio every Monday night. “It’s an opportunity to remind myself that it doesn’t all suck,” Edington explains. “I’m concerned about the kids learnin’ them metals right.” So grab a skull-eraser-capped pencil and join our podcast classroom as Professor Edington throws down the abbreviated history of heavy metal.

Turn on the bright 'Lights'

Blackpool Lights unveil anticipated debut on self-made record label

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

When The Blackpool Lights unveil their debut album June 22 at Kansas City’s Grand Emporium, they will be celebrating the triumph of the spirit as much as the spirit of the rock band Triumph.

Calls to action

Kansas Mutual Aid hosts benefit to aid New Orleans prisoners, environmental activists

Monday, June 5, 2006

If you happen to obstruct the flight path of a pigeon, you better hope you’re not in the view of a New Orleans cop. New Orleans resident Mayaba Liebenthal has seen her friends arrested for such offenses. She’s also seen them arrested for riding a bike with one hand or “loitering” at a bus stop (a.k.a. waiting for a bus). “Here in New Orleans, people are well aware that this is exactly what happens,” says Liebenthal, a prison-rights activist with the New Orleans-based Critical Resistance office.

‘Missile’ Re-Launch

Conner goes statewide with bigger, better 'Hello Graphic Missile'

Monday, June 5, 2006

Flagship Lawrence rock outfit Conner will seek to reach a national audience this summer with the release of “Hello Graphic Missile” on Seattle’s Sonic Boom Recordings. Compiling tracks from the band’s first two self-released discs, the 13-song collection has been remixed, remastered and capped off with some wicked-cool 3D ink.

In the mix

Mixtape Media crew embarks on high-stakes studio venture

Monday, June 5, 2006

When Jerett Fulton moved into the downtown apartment that he planned to turn into a six-figure recording studio, he discovered that the previous tenant had left behind a few relics. Stuffed into a closet were dozens of cardboard boxes packed with the goods of once-proud Lawrence studio/label Mercy Records...

lawrence.com's Wakarusa 2006 Best Bets

Our must-sees for this year's festival...

Monday, June 5, 2006