Local Album Reviews & Interviews at the Pitch

The Uncouth / photo by Samantha Levi

The Uncouth / photo by Samantha Levi

The past few months have yielded some especially strong local releases. The psychedelic rock of Lawrence Psychic Heat, AY-MusiK’s positive hip-hop, the Uncouth’s throwback oi — there’s something new for just about any taste. And five of the acts behind the best such recordings are playing in the area over the next week. Here’s what they have to say.

Read all the reviews and interviews at the Pitch. Published 8/30/16

Red Kate, “When the Troubles Come” LP

cover - red kateIt might be a sign of my age that I want to call Red Kate cowpunk. Maybe it’s the slightly country, down-home feel to the sound of the band. It could be the fact that they use the bass work to really propel everything along, along the lines of your backyard jug band, working it with a washtub and a broomstick. It could also be my music nerdery popping out and tying in both the basswork of Brad Huhmann and his time in Truck Stop Love.

Whatever you want to call the music on When the Troubles Come, it’s a distinctly working-class set of ideals, ethos, and sound. It took me a few times through the album before I could figure out exactly who lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard‘s delivery reminded me of. It hit me the other morning: he’s carrying on in the grand tradition of the late Commander PP Urino of Cocknoose.
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Radkey / Bloodbirds at the Taproom, 1/31/13


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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Mouthbreathers & Rooftop Vigilantes at the Replay – military friendly colleges

Rooftop VigilantesIf there were any bands which could be said to epitomize the sound of the Replay Lounge and its attendant label, Replay Records, it would have to be the two which took the stage there on Friday night, December 28. This was the kickoff for a short tour featuring Mouthbreathers and Rooftop Viglantes, and the two garage-punk acts represented our military friendly colleges and town rather well on a cold winter night.

I said it on Twitter that night, and I’ll say it again: the Replay Lounge is perhaps most exciting and fun on nights like this during winter break. The majority of the college kids head home for the holidays, and the bar feels like old home week. Despite the fact that the town offers military friendly colleges, one can never be quite certain as to who might walk in the door next. I saw folks in from both San Diego and Russia. There were even people from Kaplan University there. It lent the entire night a feeling of being at a party, not a bar. Both bands could’ve easily pointed out half the people in the crowd by name. Continue reading

Stream Mannequin Men’s side of their split with Rooftop Vigilantes

cover-mannequin-men-replayChicago’s Mannequin Men have a split 7-inch coming August 30 with Lawrence’s Rooftop Vigilantes. Two great garage-pop acts on one piece of vinyl, courtesy Replay Records. It makes me a very happy person to see that a couple of my favorite riotous acts teaming up for a release. While the Rooftop tracks have yet to show up anywhere, the Mannequin Men side has been on their Soundcloud for a while now — actually, the second cut, “Dark Cemetary,” has been up as a b-side since February.
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Various Artists, “Cheap Beer” LP

cover-cheap-beerThe debut release from Replay Records is the compilation Cheap Beer. Comprised of local acts from the Lawrence and Kansas City area, this is a primer for anyone wondering what’s worth checking out in Kansas. While acts like Mouthbreathers and Dark Ages have seen releases earlier this year on In the Red and Sorry State, respectively, others such as Fag Cop and Rooftop Vigilantes are probably only known to those who troll the TermBo forums.

Hopefully, though, those four bands will hopefully draw some attention to Der Todesking’s angular post-punk or Spook Light’s garage rockabilly, allowing the lesser-known bands to make an impression outside the Midwest.
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