Rock Star Journalist

Daniel Rosen, of Texas hardcore band Bitter End, has put together a show that looks to be the first legitimate hardcore show in Lawrence in quite some time. Billed as “Gig #1,” and announcing “HARDCORE IN LAWRENCE IS BACK,” the show features Rosen’s band, as well as California’s Take Offense and Downpresser, along with locals Iron Guts Kelly and Backstabber. Rosen chatted with us about the upcoming show, how it came to be, and upcoming plans for Bitter End.
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We went to Chicago last weekend for C2E2, and as I do in every city we visit, I hit up a bunch of record stores. And as I do every time I visit a record store in a different city, I asked for the hook-up on the best band I’ve probably not heard of back home. The dude at Reckless in Wicker Park suggested Disappears, saying that they were “probably the best live band in Chicago right now.”
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Kansas City’s third annual Middle of the Map festival took place last weekend in Westport. In addition to photographs, we shot video of quite a few bands. We’ll be rolling out some local acts tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out video of Danish punks Iceage doing “Ecstasy,” from their new album, You’re Nothing, above and Nashville garage rockers Pujol below, performing “Mission From God,” from United States of Being.

The past couple of weeks, I’ve been driving to work, listening to the same CD — namely, the fourth volume of the Yo Gabba Gabba “Music Is… Awesome!” series of compilations. For them’s that don’t have kids, Yo Gabba Gabba is a show on the Nick Jr. cable network, and was co-created by Christian Jacobs, who readers of this site might better know as MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats.
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Lawrence’s power-pop quartet the Dead Girls released their latest LP, Fade In/Fade Out on Friday, and to celebrate, they played an album release party at the Replay Lounge. The group played the entirety of the new album, top to bottom, and it sounded fucking incredible.
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St. Joseph’s Radkey came to the Eighth Street Taproom in Lawrence last night, and a small group of hardy rock fans braved bitterly cold temperatures to catch the trio of young brothers in the bar’s basement. The boys were shooting a music video for “Is He All Right?”, meaning the Taproom’s concert nook was lit better than I’ve ever seen it. In addition to some pro cameras on hand, audience members were encouraged to shoot with camera, phones, or whatever they had. I was really, really hoping to see a Super 8, but no such luck.
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This past Friday, January 25, Lawrence Liquor Buddies played their third show ever. They’ve been a band for almost a year now, but as their name implies, this is more about fun and friends than fame and fortune. That being said, this is a band that plays pure rock ‘n’ roll. My buddy Rich has frequently opined that bands with critics in them tend to be irritating as hell (Yo La Tengo, the Patti Smith Group, et al), but frontman Steve Wilson’s voice and the band’s instruments were the only things with reverberations at the Replay early Friday evening.
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Indiana’s Murder By Death has been coming to Lawrence for years — so often, in fact, it sometimes seems like they’re a local artist here in this college town. The group’s been in the news a lot this year, as the Kickstarter for their most recent album, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, came in as the third-highest music project ever (right behind Five Iron Frenzy and Amanda Palmer). That album is out now via Chicago’s Bloodshot Records.

On Monday, December 31, the majestic country-tinged indie quintet plays the Granada with Cowboy.Indian.Bear and Y(our) Fri(end). Bassist Matt Armstrong answered some questions about the Kickstarter, as well as playing on New Year’s Eve.
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Dan Potthast is perhaps best known as the frontman for St. Louis’ finest circus-ska purveyors, MU330. In the years since that band took an unofficial hiatus, he’s performed solo and with the Stitch Up. Most recently, Potthast performed and recorded with the more traditional ska outfit Dan P. & the Bricks, which features members of Slow Gherkin. He’s getting ready to go on a tour with Reel Big Fish and Pilfers which starts January 5 at the House of Blues Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. In advance of his six weeks on the road, Potthast was cool enough to answer some questions via e-mail about touring as a solo act, and the inherent differences between that and his usual band gigs.
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Looking back on Tuesday night’s Titus Andronicus show at the Jackpot, nonthing from the band really stands out. It’s really unfortunate, but when I try and think back to the group’s performance, I only recall quite a few guitars all going at once. If I try and recall a particular song, the only thing that comes to mind is Japandroids’ “The House That Heaven Built.” read more »