New Music: Til Willis - Land Of Sawdust And Spangles

What better time than now to discuss the dreary political climate this country faces and what better person to do that than a gritty, blue collar singer-songwriter.  Til Willis and his backing band Erratic Cowboy have recorded what is probably the best politically charged local album you'll hear in a good while.

Land Of Sawdust And Spangles reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's haunting Nebraska album in that it would sound great at 3am when you are soaked in whiskey.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if  Lawrence songwriter Till Willis recorded it in that state.  There are two things that immediately stood out to me on this album...first is Willis' voice, which instantly struck me as being the kind of gravely voice I really love. The second star of the album are the songs.  It's amazing how much atmosphere three guys can create with great songs in a living room.

You can stream the album on Til's soundcloud page and you can download the single 'Freshly 21' here.

Til and Erratic Cowboy will be playing a couple of local shows you should check out as well.  They'll be at the Bottleneck in Lawrence on Wednesday, November 28th (with Modern Rock Diaries) and at the Record Bar in KC on Wednesday, December 5th (with John Maxfield and Shelley Miller).

Til Willis - 'Freshly 21'

Concert Announcements: Morrissey, Jeff Magnum & Much, Much More

Let's start with the two biggest announcements, both at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. Morrissey (of The Smiths) will be at Liberty Hall on Saturday, February 2nd.  If you don't know who Morrissey is...why are you reading this blog?!?  Seriously though, I'd put The Smiths in my top 5 favorite bands of all time and I've personally never had the chance to see Moz, so this is a must-see show in my eyes.

Also at Liberty Hall will be a solo, acoustic tour by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel.  Neutral Milk Hotel are responsible for one of the most celebrated indie rock albums of all time, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, which never garnered the respect it deserved until NMH were no more.  Luckily for everyone in Lawrence & KC, Mangum will be playing in our area on Friday, January 18th.

Finally, there have been a handful of other notable shows announced over the past few weeks in Lawrence and KC.  As always, you can check out the full concert calendar HERE.

Fri 12/14 Kool Keith @ The Riot Room, KC
Fri 12/14 Flogging Molly/Dirty Heads/ZZ Ward/Not A Planet @ The Midland, KC
Sat 12/15 Grouplove/Of Monsters and Men/The Joy Formidable/Elle King/She's A Keeper @ The Midland, KC
Sun 12/16 Passion Pit/Alt-J/Blondfire/Churchill/Heroes and Villains @ The Midland, KC
Tue 12/18 What Made Milwaukee Famous @ The Record Bar, KC
Mon 01/07 Father John Misty/Magic Trick @ The Bottleneck, Lawrence
Sun 01/20 Bloc Party @ Liberty Hall, Lawrence
Wed 01/30 The Darkness @ The Beaumont Club, KC
Sat 02/02 Calexico @ The Granada, Lawrence
Thu 02/21 Toro Y Moi/Sinkane @ The Granada, Lawrence
Thu 02/28 Menomena @ The Record Bar, KC

Morrissey - Suedehead

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Concert Announcement: Kendrick Lamar

If you haven't yet heard of Kendrick Lamar, you're either not a hip-hop fan or you steer clear of most music blogs.  Kendrick Lamar is part of the Black Hippy collective which are responsible for producing some of the most exciting hip-hop I've heard in a long, long time.  Kendrick is from Compton and with ties to Dr. Dre it's no wonder that he's labeled as is the next big thing.

His new album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, is seriously not only the best hip-hop album of 2012 but will be a serious contender of best overall album of 2012.  I can't remember hearing such a complete album since Kanye's MBDTF.

Kendrick Lamar will be coming through Kansas City at the Midland Theatre on Sunday, December 2nd.  Don't miss this one.

Kendrick Lamar - 'Backseat Freestyle'

New Music: Sam Billen - Places

I've tried in the past to cover more local music when I get the chance, but this album is one I'd highly recommend even if the artist wasn't from Lawrence.  Sam Billen has been a well known part of the Lawrence music scene for many years now as a solo artist and before that as a member of the fantastic group The Billions.

His first solo album in three years, Places, is another really strong collection of songs.  I'd really suggest heading over to his Bandcamp page where you can stream the album in full.  If you like it (and you will), definitely get a physical or digital copy of it.  If you are a fan of Brian Wilson or Justin Vernon you'll most likely find a lot to like on this album.

Sam will also be throwing an album release party this Friday at 1819 Central Gallery in the Crossroads art district of KC.  You can RSVP here.

Upcomings Show: 3 Great Concerts This Friday

I felt the need to put this in it's own post since there are 3 different shows in the Kansas City/Lawrence area that I'd highly recommend checking out.  The first is The Corin Tucker Band (pictured above) at The Record Bar if KC.  Corin Tucker is one third of the now legendary punk/indie band Sleater-Kinney.  The Corin Tucker band is touring behind the release of their second album, Kill My Blues.

Also on Friday night in Kansas City is Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros playing a show at The Crossroads.  Although I didn't love their newest album, this show is noteworthy due to the openers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Finally that night in Lawrence is William Elliott Whitmore.  I previously posted about Whitmore opening a show for Dawes in KC recently.  Unfortunately the show was postponed and Whitmore couldn't make the rescheduled date.  Fortunately he had a date already scheduled in nearby Lawrence at the Granada Theater.

As always, the full area concert calendar can be found HERE.

New Music: How To Dress Well - Total Loss

How To Dress Well is the music project of Tom Krell (whom according to wikipedia spent time studying in Lawrence, KS).  HTDW's sound could probably best be described as ethereal/indie R&B.  That description might be off putting to some, but they are definitely worth checking out.  Their second full length album, Total Loss, is one of those records that has such a strong vibe throughout the whole thing that I find myself starting it and in what seems like minutes it's over.  Not to insinuate that it's boring and forgettable, but in fact it's quite the opposite.  The production, vocals and overall sound mesh so well into an album that will certainly end up towards the top of my year end list.

The group will be doing a short US tour in October that of course is coming no where near Kansas City, but if this album gains steam you might see a bigger US tour this winter or next sprint.  In the meantime, check out my favorite track on the album below.

How To Dress Well - Set It Right

Upcoming Show: Swans & Xiu Xiu

No-Wave legends Swans definitely aren't for everyone.  I could try and go into some half baked description of their music, but it's best for you to read and hear them for yourself.  This is one of those shows where even though I'm not a giant fan of the band I'll try and go just for the experience of it.  Here is a review of their recent Los Angeles show for a reference of what you can expect.

Swans will be at The Beaumont Club in KC with Xiu Xiu opening tomorrow (9/19) night.

Upcoming Show: Dawes & William Elliott Whitmore

A very highly recommended show is happening this Saturday evening at CrossroadsKC.  Los Angeles band Dawes are headlining a show with multiple acts worth checking out.  If you aren't familiar with Dawes, they tend to remind me of CSNY, The Band and Jackson Browne.  Check out my personal favorite song of theirs 'When My Time Comes' HERE.

Opening the show is another incredibly talented musician in Iowa's William Elliott Whitmore.  I've always described Whitmore as Johnny Cash with a banjo so that hopefully gives you an idea of what's in store.  I've yet to see Whitmore live but I've heard great things so if you're planning on going, get there early enough to catch him.  HERE is a taste of Whitmore with the track 'Hell or High Water'.

Also on the bill are local band Quiet Corral who I caught at Middle of the Map fest this year and also enjoyed.

-Matt

Upcoming Show: Sharon Van Etten

One of my favorite albums of the year so far has been Sharon Van Etten's third album, Tramp.  Sharon Van Etten could best be described as a mixture of Neko Case and Cat Power.  There are times when her album sounds quiet and fragile and there are times it almost rocks, but the entire album is full of incredible songwriting.  Also a bonus is a guest vocalist appearance by Beirut's Zack Condon on the track 'We Are Fine'.

Sharon will be at The Riot Room in KC this coming Monday August 20th.  Local favorites Hospital Ships are opening.

Sharon Van Etten - Give Out (Live on 98.3 The Current)

-Matt

Upcoming Show: Mono

Aaaaaannnnd we're back!

Let's get going, there are a ton of great shows coming to KC and Lawrence this fall and if you didn't know I've been keeping the Concert Calendar updated fairly regularly with what is coming through town. One of the shows I'm most excited about is Japanese post-rock band Mono, who will be at the Riot Room in KC on Wednesday, September 26th.

The easiest bands to compare them to are other post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor (but not as dark as GYBE).  I'd highly reccomend checking out their live album Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra.

Their new album For My Parents will be released on September 4th.  You can check out the beautiful opening track & video below:


-Matt