So, where were these Middle of the Map pictures and videos last week? Thanks to some fine Internet mischief-makers, I couldn’t access the site for the better part of two days. Thanks, guys. That was dandy. I understand some of you folks out there have a problem with our hosts at GoDaddy, but some of us don’t have the time, energy, and money to swap service providers and DNS hosts every time somebody does something stupid.
Anyhow, video above from Oils and below from y(our) fri(end), both Lawrence artists performing at the RecordBar on Saturday, April 6, 2013, as part of the I Heart Local Music showcase during the festival. Pictures follow the y(our) fri(end) video, featuring both bands in motion, as well as the Capsules, Pujol, Soft Reeds, and Divine Fits. read more »
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.
- Many more small-scale shows, fewer of the blow-out parties of last year. Even Iceage and Jeff the Brotherhood back-to-back at the Riot Room wasn’t nearly as crazy as Fucked Up / Coalesce the year before.
- Speaking of Iceage: holy shit. A total clusterfuck mess. Far more entertaining than their show at the Jackpot, though. Honestly, they could’ve played “Ecstacy” over and over for the half hour they were on stage, and I would’ve been happy.
- Not A Planet has half a set that sounds like Kara’s Flowers, which I really enjoyed, and another half of a set that sounds like the White Stripes, which I didn’t care for. Good pipes on that singer, though.
- If ever there were a band which i didn’t understand, it would be the Joy Formidable. Their drummer was all crash and bang. They’re essentially a less-dynamic Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or a band that listened to a lot of My Bloody Valentine, only to get the roar and none of the subtleties. There must’ve been a reason the Uptown was packed for their set, but I can’t figure out why. Everyone couldn’t've been waiting for Grizzly Bear.
- Grizzly Bear was amazing. Words can do no justice, and I think the images (complete with weird moving flaming jellyfish-style lights) do more to evoke what was taking place on that Uptown stage than anything I could write. They were just beautiful.
This year’s Planet Comicon was absurdly huge. Having moved from its longtime home at the Overland Park International Trade Center to Kansas City’s Bartle Hall allowed for huge halls in which to fit even bigger guests than before. Wil Wheaton, George Takei, Adam Badlwin, and Nicholas Brendon were just a few of the names that have taken Kansas City’s convention from something which you went to because, “well, it’s in KC” to an actual event to which pop culture obsessives could freak over the course of the year.
Lines moved quickly, people were friendly, and I enjoyed myself something ridiculous. Were it not for the fact that it feel on the same weekend as the equally-wonderful Middle of the Map festival, I could’ve easily spent my entire weekend popping from panel to panel. As it was, Sunday provided ample opportunity to run into friends and chat with some of my favorite writers and artists.
Next year, I’m collecting pictures of every incarnation of Doctor Who and/or Adventure Time characters.
Buffalo trio Lemuria have been purveying a strain of rocking indie pop for almost a decade now. With a slew of singles behind them, it’s surprising that they’ve only recently finished recording their third full-length. As yet untitled, the LP will be released later this year on Bridge 9 Records, following their second, Pebbles (also on Bridge 9) and their debut, Get Better, on Asian Man. We harrassed the hell out of drummer and vocalist Alex Kerns via Twitter and e-mail, and he was surprisingly willing to answer some questions for us. read more »
Writer Jai Nitz‘s biography describes his work thusly: “Jai Nitz is an American comic book writer who has written for Marvel, DC, Image, Disney, Dynamite, and other publishers. He won the prestigious Xeric Foundation grant in 2003 for his self-published anthology, Paper Museum. He won the Bram Stoker Award in 2004 for excellence in illustrated narrative for Heaven’s Devils from Image Comics. He is currently writing Green Hornet at Dynamite Entertainment.”
We here became aware of Nitz because he’s a regular at Astrokitty Comics, as well as a lecturer at the University of Kansas. He’s a super-funny guy, as well as being immenently approachable, so you should go see him when he appears at this weekend’s Planet Comicon. However, if you can’t, or you need extra convicing, Nitz was kind enough to speak with us and answer a few questions. read more »
Artist and writer Ben Templesmith is perhaps best known for his work on the vampire comic 30 Days of Night with Steve Niles, but his work on such creator-owned projects as Choker and Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse have also generated their fair share of (justifiable) acclaim. As of late, Templesmith has been concentrating on his work with 44FLOOD, a group of like-minded artists and creators. Being as how he’s appearing at this weekend’s Planet Comicon at Kansas City’s Bartle Hall, we figured it was the perfect opportunity to e-mail him a slew of needlessly detailed questions. Templesmith was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer them for us. read more »
When you hear that Eric Davidson from the New Bomb Turks has a new band, along with a slew of singles you get excited. Such was the news regarding Livids and one of their first releases, the (Some of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts EP for Oops Baby Records. The press release describes it as a recording which was “banged out.”
Sadly, it seems like that’s less hyperbole, and more a statement meant to keep you from getting your hopes up. The songs are good, if a bit rough, but the recording is more like a really good demo than a proper release. Your initial impulse on listening is that you’d like to pogo around the stereo, but nothing sounds strong enough to really rock you solidly. read more »
Small Plastic Songs is the first release from a new boutique vinyl label called Record Collective Limited and features one song each from the forthcoming debut albums of four of Sydney’s “most promising up and comers,” according to the press release. What we know is that we’ve listened to the four-way split, and it sounds just dandy. The shoegaze-tinged, college radio flavored “Wind Shear” from Skullsquadron will instantly grab your attention, as will the additional tracks from Ya Aha, The Aerotrope Guild, and Restless Leg.
“The Record Collective Limited exists because the music business is broken,” continues the press release, with the “boutique, short run releases” taking inspiration from the likes of “legendary DIY record labels like Merge, Flying Nun, Siltbreeze, and Half A Cow.” read more »
Grave Mistake Records recently reissued Big Eyes‘ demo 7-inch from 2010 as part of a co-release with Evil Weevil, who originally put it out. When Alex at Grave Mistake told me that it’d been recut and repressed at a different plant, I figured this was a good time to sit down and compare the two releases.
Demo 2010 (as I suppose the record is now known) has new art, new labels, and it’s also cut at 45 versus 33. Everything’s different, at least in terms of the physical appearance, but how does it sound? I’m one of those people who’s not going to buy a record I already own just because it’s got a new cover. read more »
