Weekend Picks: Comedy, Bongos, Wild Ponies, Dewey Decimator, and More

An inside source from the Harpoon Presents gang tells us that LA's Brock Wilbur "may be our most famous comedian yet" at the Good Time series at the Replay.  Check out his site here.  Plus,  we also expect some jokes about moving and dumpster diving because our local comedians have to keep shit topical in LFK.  Also, Mr. Will Averill is on the showcase slate tonight, so chances are better than usual that we might get a reference to Jimboy in the ceiling at Muncher's. And there's tacos too.  Best $2 event in town tonight. The FB event page is here.






Bongo-Tini is back at Frank's tonight for another early 7:00-9:00 slot and it's going to be a regular Final Thursday event.  Hop in that conga line, dummies!  "Bachelor pad jazz" is so fucking hot right now!




Readers, do you like "dead right, honest songwriting delivered in a hauntingly beautiful yet gritty, neo-traditional Americana wrapper."  How about "songs about a place where old time religion, superstition, run down bars, gravel parking lots and boarded up factories all mingle together?"  

Well, we certainly like these things. Check out Nashville's Wild Ponies as they gallop into the Bottleneck tonight. Give them a "like" on Facebook here and read the full blurbs instead of just the excerpts we snagged above.





Our pal @DeweyDecimator1, the libary's tweeting car, is painted up and ready to smash at Friday's Demolition Derby.  We're guessing Miss Linda (pictured below) won't actually be the one driving it in the competition.







What's up at the Replay this weekend, music-wise?   And where's the usual Friday matinee?  And will they ever turn over their Twitter account to us, as rumored, so we can keep the Twitter-world informed with convenient links and a dose of snark?  You can find out the answers to (some of) these things if you're willing to do a lot more clicking around on the interwebs than should really be required.

And there are also some cool bands at the Gaslight every night this weekend but we need flyers or better FB event pages before it does us much good to list them here.

Dumpster Diving Vacation!

Due to the unseasonably nice weather and the fact that nothing much is happening in LFK this week, we're taking a few days off to go dumpster diving.

So far the pickings have been pretty slim, but we do like this little guy, who seems to be a perfect symbol of this summer's construction gridlock:

 


See you in a few days for weekend picks including the ever-popular demolition derby at the Fair!

Weekend Recap: Things That Did and Did Not (Completely) Happen

Well, the Lawrence Public Library has reopened. It really happened!  Our favorite description so far comes from an eight year old quoted in the LJ-World yesterday: “It’s not just a square and a roof, it has a lot of windows, and it’s really big.”

But we're a little nervous that the woman in the picture below may have put a curse on the new building during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Let's hope it was a blessing instead.




What else?  Well, we finally got to hear Patricia Lockwood, "The Smutty Metaphor Queen of Lawrence, Kansas," read some poems (and a very funny short essay about Robert Frost) during Wonder Fair's "Young Women Author's Event."  Liberty Hall's own Maggie also performed a piece called "The Artist Formerly Known as the Prince of Denmark" with a purple skull prop.  Photos via our pal Pickles:



And what didn't happen?  Sadly, our friend Mike Anderson of The Not So Late Show didn't make his 66 hour goal to set the world record for longest marathon talk show.  But he DID last through 36 hours of wacky television featuring just about everyone in Lawrence.  The last hour or so before the attempt was called off was some VERY upsetting (yet riveting) television.  Great job, Mike! We hope you're okay!

Photo via @6NewsLawrence.

 

Final Friday and Weekend Picks: Comedy, Art, Rock, Tacos, a World Record, and a NEW LIBRARY

Thursday = boner jokes at Replay.  One of these days Chip will surely bound up to the open mic and tell a few stories about his own penis.  But probably not tonight.





The scenester music pick of the weekend takes place afterward, as Major Games takes the stage at the Replay for Jerome's 40th birthday bash.  One assumes they'll soon begin playing quieter and gentler shows, being old and all.  But probably not tonight.

Best promo art of the week?  We think so.




Here's an under-the-radar pick  for you.  Austin psych-pop band The Sour Notes are en route to Denver's big Underground Music Showcase this weekend and are stopping by the Jazzhaus tonight for a gig.  That's right.  The Jazzhaus.





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Did you realize tomorrow is Final Friday?  Probably not, since this is one of those months where the buzz  is practically non-existent.  But you'll find a few paintings and such if you try, plus music and tacos.

Here are some options.

We don't associate the Bottleneck with FF but here's a great poster for a cool-looking event featuring art and music.





Love Garden is serving up solid shows these days. The FF gig from Middle Twin and Ebony Tusks is going to make you bounce around.  Our only concern is there's not much room to dance.  Try NOT to break any albums or cats.




Wonder Fair still has their top-notch Young Woman Artists show running, but FF also brings a special evening of local ladies reading literature (Young Woman Authors),  including Parcel magazine's Kate Lorenz and Liberty Hall guru Maggie Allen.  There's a FB event page here. There's even a schedule of reading times if you're ambitious enough to scroll down into the comments section.





Or perhaps you'd prefer tacos to art (Chip: "Now you're talking.").   Head to Culinaria in ELFK where they'll be dishing up "summer veggie or pork shoulder tacos — accompanied by a fresh salsa bar — and grapefruit-tequila cocktails." Details here via LJ-World

Salsas from Culinaria:

 


And we've mentioned this several times but don't forget Mike Anderson's attempt to set a world record for longest marathon talk show. It begins tomorrow!  He probably still needs audience members.  Details here via Facebook and sign up for audience blocks here via Channel 6.




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Saturday is all about the NEW LIBRARY, obviously.  LPL tweeted a partial list of events last night that sounds like classic LFK:  "Community book relay, ribbon cutting, local musicians, Library Luau, dinner, and Ghostbusters."  Oh, and don't forget:  you can also actually go into the library and check out books!!

New Interview With LFK's Nicholas St. James: "I'm just an honest vaudeville performer."

Perhaps you've recently wandered into the Replay or Jackpot late at night, expecting to encounter the usual three or four-piece rock band bashing their way through a set, and discovered instead a heavily-bearded solo songwriter, hunched over his guitar, making a helluva racket, howling those "Gypsy blues," sounding his "barbaric yawp" over the roofs of LFK (if you catch our Whitman reference).  Well, if so, that was Mr. Nicholas St. James, and you'll find him at the Replay again this Saturday, releasing an EP on a triple-bill with Westerners and The Sluts (who are also releasing an EP).

We sat down with Nicholas to find out how he's managing to carve out a solo career alongside these rockers.  Check out his website to sample some tunes from the Honeysuckle EP and enjoy the interview.





Chip:  Increasingly, the good citizens of LFK are seeing the name "Nicholas St. James" popping up on bills alongside their favorite local rockers.  So who IS Nicholas St. James, and what does he stand for?

Nicholas:  Who IS Nicholas St. James? I'm not sure... If you have any ideas, I'd be open to hearing them! I moved to Lawrence about seven years ago and only within the past year have I decided to make the move to performing publicly. A lot of the music I listen to was made seventy or so years ago--stuff like Robert Johnson, Fats Domino, old Smithsonian Folkways recordings--but the local scene here in Lawrence is easily producing some of my favorite contemporary music.  We live in such a diverse music town where you really can see nearly anything you want on any given night. I spent my first six years here soaking up everything that Lawrence had to offer before I felt like I had something to say that added to the "conversation." I would be the first to tell you that a lot of my influences show in my music, but what's made things interesting, for me at least, is that those influences really shouldn't belong together.  However, I think this has also allowed me to share the stage with someone like Tyler Gregory and then play with a band like The Sluts the very next night. 

My show is usually just myself on acoustic guitar, playing through a couple of tube amps and trying to give the impression that there's a lot more going on than there actually is. I don't use loops or any "programed" equipment, but I'm always looking for ways to make the crowd ignore the fact it's really just a single guy with an acoustic guitar up there. 

I'd heard someone say once that they like beautiful melodies telling them terrible things, like a nursery rhyme detailing a car accident, and that's usually where I go when I sit-down to write a tune. Coming from a personal space is always difficult for me to do when writing, but I enjoy finding the not-so-good quirks that make us all human and telling a story. We seem to be living in a time where everything has this shiny, plastic, artificial perfection, and folks seem to buy into that, a lot.  However, that's not really the world we live in. 

I'm just an honest vaudeville performer. 

Richard:  As Chip suggests, you seem to be popping up on the rock circuit as much or more than the folkie kind of shows that other solo artists might play.  How do you describe your sound and how is it being received by the rowdy late night rock crowds?  Are they paying attention?

Nicholas:  I Heart Local Music described my tunes as Gypsy Blues in a recent write-up and, I have to say, I could not have asked for or thought up a better description. A lot of what I do is just my take on artists like Lead Belly, so there is a lot of simplicity and storytelling involved in my music, but I also have a fondness for surprises and 90 degree turns in tunes that can make someone's ears perk-up. I recently told a friend who was at my house playing a few tunes with me that I wanted his part to sound like "a turn-of-the-century circus put on by pirates," and that is really what I'm aiming for each time I write a tune--I want to write THAT soundtrack!

As I mentioned already, I bring a lot of gear with me that any other solo artist might not, so there is a bit more noise and tonal possibility available to me than, say, someone with just an acoustic guitar, but none of that matters if the tunes aren't there--everything else is just a distraction, a 90 degree turn, to get folks to listen to the tunes. The being said, those "distractions" afford me the opportunity to share the stage with a wide-range of diverse, amazing acts because I can "turn-up" and get gritty if need be.  

I have been incredibly lucky over the past year to get a lot of validation and help from some of the more established acts in town, and I think that has helped anyone who may be listening to accept what it is I am doing. It's one thing for someone at a show to come-up and say they appreciate what it is you're doing, but when another musician tells you they dig, it's this strange feeling of parental-approval because, really, all of the acts in this town, no matter how diverse, are all in this together and you know those people are "fighting" for the same thing you are. So, yeah, people seemingly are starting to pay attention, and I continue to work on the live show to "hook" those ears from walking out the door. The great thing about music is it's all so diverse and there is something for everyone, so people won't always like what you do because it's not for them, and there is no problem with that.  But...you should always put all you have into it while you're on stage to grab those that may be interested and show them that you're just as committed to the experience they're sharing with you. 

Chip:  I was just listening to "Before I Quit It" from the Honeysuckle EP prior to this interview.  That's some harrowing shit!  Now I'm a little bit scared of you.  Should I be?

Nicholas:  Yes. 

Well, no. As I alluded to earlier, I like to write about things that may not be entirely pleasant, but things that make us human. I've been told by folks I meet after shows that they were taken back by how approachable I was, which is a hoot. It's nice not being able to write personal tunes because I can focus more on a performance and not an emotion, which allows that "switch" to be flipped much easier. So, no, don't be scared. Let's be best friends!

Richard:  Leave our readers with a blurb that convinces them they absolutely  NEED to make it out for the Replay EP release show with The Sluts and Westerners on the 26th.

Nicholas:  Why come to the EP release show on July 26th at Replay? Well, for starters, because The Sluts and Westerners will be playing! Also, The Sluts are releasing their very own EP that night as well, The Loser EP, so you have choices, should you care to leave the show with some music!

The show obviously hasn't happened yet, and maybe this isn't something I should be saying as an act on the bill, but what an amazing event showcasing three local bands that are all doing something a little different! All three of us are going to be bringing out a few surprises and you're sure to see a thing or two from me that I haven't included in the act before that'd I'd love to share here, but a lady never tells...

Here's the great poster you've been seeing all over town!  REDRUM! 

Stuff We Like This Week: Hank Charcuterie in LFK; Rock Art at Science on Tap; DNA Art at New LPL

Local foodies were ecstatic to spot this FB message popping up this week from the long-awaited Hank Charcuterie:

"We will finally be open next Wednesday the 23rd from 11-7. Some stuff won't be done yet. We will have lots of sausage, chops, and pate."

Between Hank, Alchemy Coffee, Dapper Dillon's, Cottin's farmer's market, and On the Rocks, the 19th and Mass area has just about everything an LFK scenester gourmand needs these days.

So head down tomorrow and get your chops on! (and some of you may want to avert your eyes from the second pic we snagged from their FB page).




 


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We've never been fond of the space or set-up for the Science on Tap events at Free State Brewery, but we like that nerds assemble to drink beer and talk science.   At first we hoped tonight's "rock art" topic would deal with concert posters but, sadly, it's about ancient carvings in Saudi Arabia.  Could be good though!  Check out the details here.  Presentation begins at 7:30.

Pretty sure we've spotted a flyer which we can't currently locate.

Photo snagged from biodiversity.ku.edu:

 

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Since it's NEW LIBRARY WEEK in LFK, we have to showcase something about the soon-to-open new space.  Even though we haven't seen it in person yet, we already like the DNA-strand artwork in the atrium.  Check out Nadia's LJ-World article on the new library art. 

Who all (besides us?) plans to camp out to be among the first to enter the new building this weekend?

Photo via Mike Yoder in LJ-World:

Very Special All-Ages Blog Post: Rock and Roll; Derby Cars; and Ghostbusters

Looking for something to entertain your teens and tweens on a hot and sweaty Monday evening in LFK.  Well, drop them off at the Replay around 6:00 pm and let them get a dose of furious rock and roll with LFK's Black on Black and Westerners along with Toronto's The Greys.  Sure, your teens might return home mildly bruised and battered, nearly deaf, and smelling suspiciously of PBR, but it will serve them well in the long run.  The FB event page is here




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If there's one thing teens love, it's mayhem and destruction, so they'll want to take part in several events related to the ever-popular demolition derby at the Douglas County Fair and sponsored by Lawrence Library and Lawrence Magazine.  Teens can paint a library-sponsored derby car cleverly named "The Dewey Decimator" and the rest of us can follow along as Dewey himself chronicles his progress toward the derby via the Twitter account @DeweyDecimator1.  He's voiced by local Twitter prankster Brittany Keegan from Watkins Museum, so you can expect some good stuff here.  Example:

"It's very pleasant to break something from time to time."- Dostoyevsky. My life motto. #demoderby August 1st, the fairgrounds #lfk

This poster lists the relevant event dates:

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And did you know the NEW LIBRARY opens THIS coming weekend? Of course you did.  And we all know that you can't open a new library in LFK without screening Ghostbusters on a giant inflatable screen in the middle of the street on a Saturday night with a bunch of beer and food vendors scattered around.  The film happens about 9:00 pm on Saturday with food and beer festivities beginning around 7:00.  See you there.

Nerd Nite Summer Shorts 2 Recap / Weekend Picks: JabberJosh Retires and ASSJAMZ Returns

Oddly enough, Nerd Nite's 2nd annual Summer SHORTS was possibly the LONGEST Nerd Nite yet, stretching on well-beyond 10:00 pm.  It was also the most crowded (estimated at about 170), with at least a few people being turned away from the ballroom.   Will the nerds have to move again to even larger quarters?   And where would that be? The damn Lied Center?  We'll see.

Here are a few quick observations on a few of the 3(ish) minute presentations:

--Could there have been a better choice to kick off the evening than some thoughts on Kansas populism from LFK legend Boog?  No.

--Great to see an update from Paul on the prairie chicken, but that poor embattled bird really deserves more than three minutes.  Prairie chickens just can't catch a break.  (Early in the evening, nerds got very excited when Paul entered with a bag that we all sincerely hoped contained a live prairie chicken.  It didn't).

--For such an innocent-seeming gal, that Lindsey sure does talk about a lot of disgusting things, such as worms coming out of people's legs and whatnot.  How about a presentation on fuzzy little kitties next time?

--Big laughs in Erin's presentation on Megalodon, including a reference to Free State beer changing their fries!

--Who was that guy doing the Mumblecore presentation?  He seemed okay.


Final thoughts:  seriously, though, why was this thing so fucking long?  The Q&A should probably be shortened.  How about one question for each presenter?  And the length requirement should probably be policed a little more carefully.  We're still in favor of ringing a gong if you hit that upper limit!






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It's Thursday night!  Who's ready for dick jokes?? Or possibly some "incest porn" material from Leigh Nelson?  Head down to the Replay.  We stopped by last week and we can assure you that it's become a true scene.  Congrats, Harpoon Presents!  We never thought you'd consistently get scenesters to pack the bar for early events.  The FB event page is here.






Our old friends from Atomic Pajama Party pop up at the Jackpot tonight, along with a weird 3-piece synth band from Manhattan, Kansas called Echopod whose band members have names like Luminous Neon. Here's an old blurb from the former Hype Weekly in Manhattan:

"Echopod is one of the oldest bands in Kansas, if you include their gastropodian overlord who has existed longer than time itself. The rest of the band formed a year-and-a-half ago, joining forces in order to translate their namesake's trinary cyber-transmissions into the human-understandable language of music. It is unclear exactly how the human members of Echopod receive these missives from outer space, but those close to them suspect a secret ritual involving copious amounts of whiskey."





And there's a real shitkicker of a matinee at the Replay on Friday with Bloodshot Bill, backed by the Cowtown Playboys.  This could be good.





While we're kicking shit with Bloodshot Bill, the cool kids will be down the street at the Jabberjosh "retirement show" at Love Garden.  Muscle Worship opens, presumably with a nice quiet set for such an intimate venue.




Free State Brewery hosts an open house at the production brewery in ELFK on Saturday afternoon from 1:00-4:00.  There's no flyer, but there's a FB event page here.  The art work from the kick-ass Burroughs souvenir glass will be on display out there.



And Chip's favorite LFK event is at the Granada on Saturday:  ASSJAMZ!

Chip: "I just want to dance."

227 people are going so far.  Will you join them. Click here. 

Stuff We Like This Week: Ice Cream Sodas at Mass Street Soda; Waiting For Guffman at Liberty Hall; Whatever Forever's Forever Fest

As you probably know, Mass Street Soda is now serving up ice cream floats.  Sadly, we haven't been in to try one yet. That will change soon. Here's one of their recommended ideas:  Empire Banana soda and chocolate ice cream.

A big crowd was on hand last week to laugh long and loud at Christopher Guest's Best in Show at Liberty Hall.  Will the crowds return for Waiting for Guffman, our pick for Guest's best film?  Let's hope so.  It screens at 7:00 on Thursday.  Find more info via the Liberty website.

Are you looking for a small festival where you can camp that does not feature a lot of noodly hippie bands?  Then you'll want to go to Whatever Forever's Forever Fest on Saturday (which we think is in Lecompton, but you probably know this already if you are cool enough to attend).   There are two stages and 13 bands including OILS, CS Luxem, Paper Buffalo, and Gnarly Davidson.  Visit the FB event page here.

There is also a pre-Fest on Friday at Be Moved Studios in LFK featuring the Ovaries-eez, along with "Mello Jello and other light refreshments." Hopefully "other light refreshments" include PBR.  Details here.  And don't forget the post-Fest at the Replay on Sunday.  Details here.

Mid-Week Scenester Picks: Comedy, More Comedy, and Nerd Nite's Summer Shorts

Dick jokes aren't just for Thursdays at the Replay this week!  LFK's ever-evolving comedy scene serves up a Tuesday evening at Fatso's featuring a four-comic showcase, some live music, and an open mic.  Why not? Check out the FB event page here.


 


For nerds with short attention spans, Nerd Nite brings back "Summer Shorts" on Wednesday:  three minute bursts of info and hijinks from 15+ nerds, ranging from Boog's take on Kansas populism to an important update on the plight of the prairie chicken, from the terrifying Megalodon to the twee films of the mumblecore movement.  All that plus a Monty Python song for $1.  The FB event page is here.




And follow it up with MORE comedy at the Replay with a late-night affair of national touring acts with headliner Sean Patton, who's been featured in Comedy Central's "The Half Hour."  The FB event page is here.














 

Old Man Markley Interview: "My Favorite Crowd Ever Was a Group of Kindergarteners.".

There are plenty of noodly jamgrass bands making their way through LFK these days but not always enough punk-bluegrass bands. That's about to change on Tuesday as California's seven-member Old Man Markley arrives for an early-week barnburner at the Bottleneck. We chatted with fiddler Katie Weed about prairie chickens, peanut-filled PBR, and Split Lip Rayfield.  Check out Old Man Markley's website, give them a "like" on Facebook, and catch them live and in person in LFK!  Opening up the show is the buzzy new LFK singer-songwriter Nicholas St. James. We'll be previewing his Replay EP release show with The Sluts and Westerners next week.  Check out his website and listen to his tunes here.

Enjoy the interview with Katie!


Chip:  I guess the obvious first question is about the band name.  I definitely didn't expect a seven-piece. I thought this was going to be a one-man band where some angry old dude sings about the damn kids on his lawn and such.  What's the origin story of the name? 

Katie: The band is named in honor of our washboard player, Ryan Markley.  Due to his bad back and predilection for soups, his nickname is Old Man Markley. 

Richard:  There's definitely a fair amount of bands mixing punk and bluegrass over the years. You folks are likely familiar with Kansas punk/bluegrass legends Split Rayfield?  Tell us why you think the unholy hybrid of these two genres works so well together.  And tell us a tale or two about rowdy shows you've played over the years, because I know from experience this kind of music can lead to some wild crowds.

Katie: We are definitely familiar with Split Lip. We met them a couple of years ago, at a country festival in California. They were cool, and let us play a game of catch in the field in front of the stage while they were loading in. (We usually bring mitts on tour.)

I really think that punk and bluegrass are different but complementary, like peanut butter and jelly. Always a winning combination. Can you believe some people eat peanut butter and mayonnaise together? I think that'd be more like bluegrass and rap, which we've forayed into a little as well. It's not as weird as you'd think. (Maybe that should be our tagline?)

 As far as rowdy shows, we have played our share. You should see the kids at some elementary schools get down! My favorite crowd ever was a group of kindergarteners in Washington, who in exchange for our show to them sang us a song of their own. 

 Also rowdy? The bikers in Winchester. Man. We had to cut four songs short due to fights breaking out in the crowd at a show there a few months ago. 

Chip: I like pretty much every band with a female fiddler, so I look forward to partying with you.  Do you like PBR?

Katie: Someone recently told me that putting a salted peanut in a can of PBR changes the taste entirely. And my boyfriend told me a friend of his used to always order it with a wedge of lime.  So if there's a way to change the taste of it, then maybe. Really, I love IPAs--strong, hoppy, bitter beers. Who are some of your favorite female fiddle players? 

Chip: In LFK, my favorite has got to be Rachel "Stankboot" Killian.  

Richard:  I love the amusement park artwork on the cover of the new 7" "Stupid Today."  Tell us about that release and also what's your all-time favorite Old Man Markley tune to play live that we should especially watch out for during the set?

Katie: The "Stupid Today"  7" came together pretty quickly and smoothly! And Chris Shary did a wonderful job with the artwork, in addition to being a wonderful guy. His whole family rules, actually. We got to meet his wife Lori and their son at a show last month.  

 While the release itself was smooth, the release tour saw a number of problems with our generator and some troublesome weather. Fitting with the theme of Chris's great artwork on the cover, it was kind of like going to an amusement park on a rainy day when someone jerked off on the funnel cakes. Can I say that here?  [Chip laughs for five minutes]. Truthfully, we had a lot of great shows though, and I think the songs sound great, too. 

My favorite song to play live is "Blood on My Hands," which we released on a previous 7". There is a part in it when our drummer Jeff always yells, and it makes me smile every time.  

Album artwork via Fat Wreck.

Chip:  I learned from your FB page that a couple of you are vegans.  Sadly, I myself ate a chicken-fried steak for breakfast and I'm sure I'll do it again tomorrow.  Will you spend most of the evening trying to convert me or will you mostly be playing songs?

 Katie: I learned from page two of Kansas Fun Facts and Trivia  that "Kansas has the largest population of prairie chickens (wild grouse) in North America." In Kansas, do you typically have prairie chicken fried steak? I assumed prairie chickens were vegan, but I just looked it up and it turns out they eat insects! Who knew!

Chip:  There's actually quite a controversy over the fate of the prairie chicken in Kansas right now. If you can set aside an hour or two before or after the show, we'll discuss.

Richard:  Leave our readers with a blurb to convince them they absolutely must make it out to the Bottleneck on a Tuesday night to witness the sound and fury of Old Man Markley.

Katie: Punk bluegrass is the new Orange is the New Black. Come check it out! It's not as weird as you'd think. Let's all hang out and talk about music and beer and have some good old fashioned fun! I'll bring extra peanuts. 


 

Weekend Picks: Comedy; Tape Releases; "Guestsploitation"; No Man's Band; And More

If it's Thursday, you know it's time for cock-talk and tacos. Head to "Good Time" at the Replay this evening.  FB event page here.

 

Stick around late for a tape release show from LFK's Arc Flash and Ex Specter.  Also on the bill: KC's always-awesome Schwervon!!

(As always, we had to add an extra exclamation point because Schwervon! contains one already).

The FB event page is here.

 


Also tonight: Liberty Hall offers the second serving of their "Guestsploitation" series with Best In Show at 7:00.  Details here.




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While carousing recently at the Replay, we met one of the ladies from LFK's all-female bluegrass outfit No Man's Band. She seemed delightful.  She wants us (and you!) to come to their show on the Bottleneck on Friday.  Details here.  Give them a "like" on FB here.  We're certain that the band in action will look exactly like the photo below.

 





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And our friends from I Heart Local Music have a Jackpot showcase show on Saturday with a nice triple bill of KC bands:  The Conquerors, Mat Shoare, and Rev Gusto.  Good poster too!  Visit the FB event page here.




That's all we've got for you, really.  What did we miss?

Stuff We Like This Week: World Records in LFK; New Video From Noise FM; "Abortion Comedies"

LFK is already home to one very important world record: our fair city dished up the "World's Largest Serving of Nachos" at the Kansas Relays a few years back.

Later this month our pal Mike Anderson at the Not So Late Show will attempt to set another world record. He's going for "Longest Marathon TV Talk Show."  Yep, he'll be hosting for 66 straight hours and he's in need of guests and audience members, since 10 people must be in the crowd at all times.  Please help him out in this important mission by signing up here for a four hour block.  You can do this, LFK!

 


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LFK only averages one or two Noise FM shows per year since the boys moved to Chicago, but now you can relive the "sticky sweaty mess*" of their live shows over and over via this new video for "The Road Warrior."  For a song with "genocide" appearing in one of the first lines, it's VERY danceable!

[*Quote taken from Chip's review of an early Noise FM set].

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Are you looking for a hip new film genre to embrace?  Consider the "abortion comedy."  The buzzy new indie Obvious Child opens this Friday at Liberty Hall.  We caught it last week in KC.  If it's ultimately a little more conventional and a little less edgy than it thinks it is, who cares really, because Jenny Slate fucking SLAYS in this film.  You will probably like it.  And, in the wake, of the recent Hobby Lobby decision, it may even feel important.

This overheated poster calls it an "instant landmark moment in cultural history."





But let's not forget that the gold standard in the "abortion comedy" genre was set long before the genre was ever named:  Alexander Payne's still-sadly-underseen Citizen Ruth, which is truly a take-no-prisoners look at the subject (though not a traditional rom-com).