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The University of Kansas’ Day on the Hill revived after a 19-year hiatus with Grammy-winning headliner Turnstile. Tuesday, Oct. 6 saw students, Lawrence residents, Kansas City folk and out-of-towners turn out for the show that also featured Die Spitz and Slayyyter as openers. 

A resurrected energy stirred on the lawn under the glowing signage of the David Booth Stadium. The power of this show felt like a resurgence of something I could only glean was possible but never experienced myself. 

Pearl Jam made Day on the Hill iconic with the turnout of over 18,000 people in 1992. They were booked as a seldom-heard band, but by the time the concert rolled around, their debut album “Ten”gained so much traction, the hill was packed full. 

Fantastic energy dappled the crowd this evening. After a historical record-breaking nomination in rock, alternative and metal Grammy categories last year, Turnstile is shaking down boundaries. The people they attract are those engrossed in being alive. The crowd was dialed in to receive the show in its fullest capacity. 

Before Turnstile ever emerged on stage, they built a rolling suspense. A full-length jazz track of Charlie Parker’s “Dancing in the Dark” poured through the speakers, accompanied by a background of hazy, dim blue light. Anticipation heightened as the song played out in full, yielding a sophisticated buildup of energy. 

Light moshing began in the crowd. The earlier energy of Slayyyter and Die Spitz began stirring again. 

The band did not jump the gun to break the din of jazz. By cultivating grounded intention, they emerged in stoic force with a refined and pent-up energy. The crowd was attuned to them. Turnstile frontman and singer Brendan Yates conducted the energy of the night. He functioned as a fastener for the band while also acting as an older sibling figure for the audience, composing ebbs and flows to create a choral rise and fall of the crowd’s energy. 

The sweet smell of trampled grass pervaded the air. The sky settled into dusk and left a light coolness in the breeze.

Joined by Slayyyter, Turnstile opened with “BIRDS,” creating a resounding chorus to bind the rest of the night: “Finally I can see it / These birds not meant to fly alone.” The lyrics kicked off a theme of unity that Turnstile’s live shows are so beloved for. Snippets of fans from pre-show that evening and from past shows played across the screen between songs: a child determinedly running across a puddle in rain boots; a Mizzou-shirted fan speaking to the love of Turnstile’s music (to some boos from the KU crowd); a post-show fan excited with the love they felt as everyone wrapped up thrashing to the show’s energy. 

Crowd surfing ensued. Concertgoers were hoisted into the air to ride a wave of hands down to the front barrier that saw a security guard scoop them up.

A mosh pit opened up at the start of the first song. I understood that thematic unity firsthand amongst sweaty bodies in my first mosh experience, unintentionally swept in by the gravitational pull of the circle pit. I was unprepared for my terrestrial journey across the raging bodies in my hoop earrings and loosely tied shoes. I made it out the other side to join the sardined front up by the barricade – still part of the mosh for the rest of the show, but not in that derelict circle of wailing shoving. 

Pat McCrory wore a Die Spitz shirt and held down the guitar stage left as Meg Mills steadily wielded her guitar stage right. Franz Lyons gave his bass flair while remaining a stoic counterweight. Shirtless drummer Daniel Fang held immense energy that never let up, seeming to contain the whole of the crowd’s collective energy in his body alone.

Yates' energetic stage presence pulled a symphonic raucousness out of the crowd. 

At one moment he dive bombed from top of a speaker in a cannonball and set the crowd into a frenzy. I only remember the slamming wave afterwards as his feet landed on the stage. His energetic stage presence pulled a symphonic raucousness out of the crowd. 

Yates’ astute control of energy gave blissed pause after higher energy songs, allowing the crowd to recharge. The cool breeze sang sweet on packed bodies. Yates checked in with the audience, calling out to ask if everyone was alright after especially high-energy songs. 

Crowdsurfing ran so rampant that security entered the crowd to stop it head-on. A stolid security man in an orange shirt lit up neon under black light. As if in oppositional protest, the lettering of a concertgoer’s ball cap similarly lit in neon orange staunchly proclaimed the opposite of a patrolled state: Do Drugs. 

A cameraman in the audience captured the high energy of the pit and cast it to the screen. He crowd surfed beyond the barricade during the last songs to be delivered to the stage. 

I lost sight of my friend after the circle pit broke out. We met up again at the end of the show. He had a scratch across his face, broken sunglasses and a twisted watch trampled underfoot. I lost a cartilage piercing, a crowd surfer’s shoe clipping the back of my ear as they rose in the air. My shirt was thick with my sweat and that of others. 

After the energy that ensued, I couldn’t believe people were simply accepting the end of the show and walking out. Turnstile channels something beyond themselves in live performance. Here’s to the next Day on the Hill experience, and another Turnstile come around.

SET LIST

BIRDS (with Slayyyter)
Real Thing
ENDLESS
I CARE
DULL
DON’T PLAY
I Don’t Wanna Be Blind
Drop
WILD WRLD
LIGHT DESIGN
MYSTERY
SUNSHOWER
7
Keep It Moving
Canned Heat
SOLE
MAGIC MAN
LOOK OUT FOR ME

Encore
HOLIDAY
BLACKOUT
NEVER ENOUGH
T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)
 

Tuesday, Feb. 16 - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at Uptown Theater

Shorty Gras Tour w/DJ Logic · Presale: Thursday, Oct. 15 10 a.m. to Friday, Oct. 16 9 a.m. · GET TICKETS

Wednesday, April 7 - Marc Broussard at Knuckleheads

Presale: Wednesday, Oct. 14 10 a.m. to Friday, Oct. 16 10 a.m. · GET TICKETS

Tuesday, May 11 - Remi Wolf w/Annabelle Dinda at The Midland

The Mud Tour · Presale: Thursday, Oct. 15 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Password: MUD · GET TICKETS

In the midst of a rainstorm, the Granada was buzzing with energy, packed with punks of all ages for Lambrini Girls last Thursday, Oct. 1. The English punk rock group was supposed to perform in Lawrence earlier this summer, but had to reschedule the show after lead vocalist and guitarist Phoebe Lunny suffered a neck injury. The band’s dedication to leftlist politics and liberation, paired with a genuine love for moshing and loud music, made for a cathartic and wildly fun set.

Even with a date change, the show had a strong turnout. During the set, Lunny expressed gratitude for the crowd, remarking that there were “about 100 people” who saw them open for Amyl and the Sniffers in 2024 (this reviewer being one of them). It’s always exciting to see a band I love grow its audience over the years – especially one who is unabashedly feminist, queer, and pro-Palestine.

Lambrini Girls are electric. There’s really no other way to describe the passion and energy of their performances. The band opened the show with “Bad Apple,” with Lunny pacing around the stage in an oversized suit and directing the crowd to start a mosh pit, like an angry punk rock David Byrne. Lunny is very charming, and often interacted with the crowd directly during the show. They encouraged crowd members to mosh, get up on each other’s shoulders and crowd surf. Seeing Lunny and bassist Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez thrash and dance on stage made it impossible to stand still during the set.

Lunny continued to direct the crowd to mosh in a variety of styles throughout the show. I counted at least seven different instances where she urged concertgoers to “move to the sides,” motioning with her hands like she was parting a sea, in order to create a side-to-side pit.

Along with providing directions, Lunny regularly reminded the crowd about moshing etiquette, asking, “What do we do if someone falls down?”, to which fans responded with a resounding, “Pick them up!”. Punk spaces, and especially mosh pits, can often be intimidating, but Lambrini Girls made their show a space where hesitant moshers can feel comfortable thrashing to their heart’s content.

Intense, fast rhythms from Macieira-Boşgelmez’s bass, paired with energetic drumming from Misha Phillips, underscored Lunny’s powerful vocals. Lunny played guitar on some of the songs, which added an extra layer to their robust melodies. Lambrini Girls are influenced heavily by classic riot grrrl bands like Bikini Kill, but incorporate more modern egg punk sounds, reminiscent of groups like Snõõper and C.C.T.V.

Their songs focus on a variety of social issues, such as “Cult of Celebrity” that was written about the Epstein files, and “Company Culture,” which discusses the ways women are discriminated against in the workplace. Lambirni Girls reject political apathy, and want their fans to confront the issues they write about in their own lives. Before performing “God’s Country,” a track that is very critical of British politics, Lunny asked the audience if they were happy with the state of the United States, which was met with loud boos from the crowd.

Towards the end of the show, Lunny instructed the audience to create “the biggest mosh pit the Granada has ever seen.” They jumped off the stage and pushed the crowd back to the very edges of the pit, continuing to ask if concertgoers thought they should go bigger. After leading a “F*** Fascism” chant, Lunny climbed back onto the stage as two waves of moshers charged towards the center to create a beautiful collision.

Lambrini Girls ended the show with “Big D*** Energy,” a definite crowd favorite. During the song, Lunny asked the audience to come together and mosh “like the world isn’t f***ing ending.” In my experience, moshing can create a mini community of sorts – that is, the best pit strangers trust and protect each other to work towards a common goal: thrashing as hard as possible to excellent loud music. For a little over an hour, Lambrini Girls made The Granada feel like the world was a little bit further from ending, bringing people together to dance, yell and mosh on a rainy night. 

SET LIST

Bad Apple
Company Culture
Help Me I'm Gay
God's Country
Cult of Celebrity
Lads Lads Lads
Mr Lovebomb
You're Not From Around Here
Truth To Power
Love
White Man's World
Bang Bang Bang
No Homo
Craig David
C***ology 101
Big D*** Energy

One of those rare perfect fall days gave way to a quintessential Modest Mouse evening show at Grinders KC on Wednesday, Sept. 24. A gentle, almost imperceptible breeze placated any remaining gripes about last week’s (or, most of this month’s) heat wave. The evening’s light coolness broke the first wave of flannels out of closets. Short-sleeve button-ups decked the shoulders of others, with the overall evening being casually tee-shirted. 

Modest Mouse incites a loyal fanbase. I see someone holding a vinyl record before the show. It’s not a comfortable activity to hold onto merchandise during a performance, and it speaks quietly to the feeling of Modest Mouse’s music being so important to this person that they physically want to hold it close and grasp a physical copy while viewing the loved artist on stage. One that will eventually depart by the end of the night, ephemeral before and pack up onto the next town.

A friend of mine at the show grew up listening to Modest Mouse. Looking around, she said, it was the same type of people she’d see at a Modest Mouse show 10 or 15 years prior – except everyone was 10 or 15 years older. The ambiance of Grinders KC was a similar venue to those her friends and herself would attend when bands like Modest Mouse were in their heyday. Grinders puts on music for music’s sake. The straightforward stage and easy lights platform the artists as they are.

Modest Mouse emerged to the stage bathed in green light. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of two older hipsters next to me, dressed in said short-sleeve button ups, each with beards of varying length. They gripped each other as the chords of the first song began, excited, saying: “Shut up! Shut upppppp!” 

Lead singer Isaac Brock is a goofy guy. He’s playful with the onstage antics, telling us he was gifted a multitude of flowers left over from an earlier wedding that happened nearby, and he’d be having to distribute them to the audience because they’re not going to fit on the tour bus. Light bundles of baby’s breath drifted lightly when he threw them. 

Brock’s voice was raucous, gripping the socks of life with bared teeth not letting go. His energy followed his vocals. During one point of the show, he zanily shredded his electric guitar by strumming with his nose.

With knowledge of their more popular classics better than their overall discography, I can assert that seeing “Float On” live was everything it was meant to be – this tumultuous year more than most. Its anthem is timeless, Brock asserting for himself and his band that everything will be okay, filling it with such emotion that swells of validation extend to anyone listening to the song. Most of the crowd belted out the lyrics with gusto. The song offers a feel-good foothold to sing along to, while we simultaneously grit ourselves for the next trying wave of life to come and forget about the last one that just rolled us. 

He turns back to the audience after adjusting his guitar and just about to spin into the next song, inquires about something he just barely heard: “Who said I love you out there?” Dozens of hands go up. Each wants to claim his love – and the wedding flowers. He throws some out into the crowd; they look like dainty bouquets of tumbleweeds. 

Modest Mouse knows their audience’s devotion. Usually artists dangle their popular songs in the encore to ensure less-weathered fans stay on. But Modest Mouse played a handful of their well-known songs earlier in the night, even playing the renowned “Float On” before the end of the main set. Very few people left. And for the encore, the band made the audience work, to the point where I would have seen lesser fanbases give up and go for home: nearly 10 minutes brought them out again to a still enthralled audience. Sauntering to take up the lead again at the front of the stage, Brock scattered more wedding flowers out into the crowd to cheering people with hands raised to catch them. Marriage tumbleweeds on a blissed fall evening with Modest Mouse. We will certainly all float on, alright.

It’s been four long years since Brandi Carlile’s last KC appearance, and her newly announced show, presented by The Bridge, promises to be an evening like no other. Brandi and her trusty sidekicks, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, are going on the Burn the Setlist tour, letting their fans pick the playlist for each stop. They’ll be at Uptown Theater on Sunday, Nov. 22, and yes – we’ve heard about the 80,000-person deep Ticketmaster queues, so good luck. The Bridge presale is running now, but if you miss it, you may still have a chance to get some when they go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. I’d queue up early if I were you.

The boys are back! Well, sort of. Boygenius members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker were spotted at a protest in New York City last weekend, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Later that night, they popped by Phoebe Bridgers’ show in Brooklyn to perform “Not Strong Enough” and “Cool About It.” Needless to say, the crowd went wild. 

Bridgers has also been in the news cycle since she reemerged from hiatus, in what could be the best album rollout promo ever. Part of her time away from her own music – her last solo album, “Punisher,” dropped over six years ago – was spent on a film set. A24’s “Primetime” was released to theaters over the weekend, featuring Bridgers in her first major acting role, alongside Robert Pattinson. 

Just three days ahead of their concert in Lawrence, Kansas, Turnstile is making their Saturday Night Live debut. Their Lawrence show on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with Slayyyter and Die Spitz, also marks the return of Day on the Hill at the University of Kansas after a nearly 20-year hiatus. Fun fact: the inaugural Day in 1992 featured an up-and-coming band called Pearl Jam. 

Tonight you can celebrate a KC music institution that’s marking a decade of support for emerging indie artists. Manor Records has helped musicians fund physical albums, get in front of audiences at its annual fest and sold records at local pop ups and storefronts. The crew is at The Ship tonight with host Brittany Tilander, DJ Mets, a special Manor Family Band and a ton of other activities. 

 One of the finest records in popular music is observing 50 years. Stevie Wonder’s 18th album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 - the first by an American artist. The golden anniversary edition includes an EP with four bonus songs that didn’t make the album. “They were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it,” Wonder said in a press release. “They bring me back to that time in my life, and now they get to become part of yours.” 

Join us at Boulevard Tours & Rec Center for FREE, all-ages live local music and good times on Wednesday nights! Beer, bevvies and non-alcoholic options available for purchase, plus a full kitchen menu with pizza, sammies and snacks. Doors at 5 p.m., show starts at 6 p.m. Drink with friends, in bed by 10.

Sunday, Nov. 22 - The Bridge Presents Brandi Carlile at Uptown Theater

Burn the Setlist All Request Tour · Presale: Wednesday, Sept. 30 10 a.m. to Thursday, Oct. 1 10 p.m. · TICKETS

Tuesday, Feb. 23 - NEEDTOBREATHE at The Midland

The Long Surrender and the Fellow Passengers of Pain Tour w/Conner Smith · Presale: Wednesday, Sept. 30 10 a.m. to Thursday, Oct. 1 11:59 p.m. · TICKETS

Monday, May 7 - Lizzy McAlpine at The Midland

The Over Country Tour w/Sydney Ross Mitchell · Presale: Thursday, Oct. 1 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Password: OVERCOUNTRY · TICKETS

Crossroads Music Festival entered its 22nd year to cap the summer, celebrating the diverse music and culture of Kansas City. The enduring festival is a testament to the steadfast music community, the dedication of the volunteers, the support of loyal sponsors and the determination of CMF’s founder, Bill Sundahl.

Rock Island Bridge was brought into the fold this year. The overhauled railroad bridge was a perfect location for the free day party, featuring music and local vendors. The view is captivating and the breeze, welcome.

All of the stages, save The Ship, are easy walking distance from each other. The Ship is just a short drive to the other side of the 12th Street Bridge.

I started the day easily finding parking near Lemonade Park and took a stroll to the Rock Island Bridge. The Rebel Song Academy students were there to greet me. It is great to see the enthusiasm of young performers, and wonderful that CMF gives them a platform to grow and show off their chops.

Frankie Lynn Shorez and Mercy Fire brought sultry, funky R&B soul to the bridge. Frankie Lynn’s vocals and presentation are captivating, the band tight and tasteful.

The Sass-A-Brass marching band escorted us from Rock Island to Lemonade Park with fun and flair, as only they can.

Entering Lemonade Park, we were treated to the lively Latin beats and music of Son Venezuela. A welcoming start to the official festival.

While changing lenses to accommodate the intimate lighting of Stockyards Brewing, I found Maddie Lai. Her soft but powerful songs were lilting over the attentive crowd.

Back to the outdoors and the Campground Stage. Clouds started rolling in while Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust & Co. treated us to psychedelic Dylanesque sonics.

Shakedown Strings flipped Stockyards Brewing into a bluegrass Grateful Dead hang out. Interpreting the Dead into magical fiddle, upright bass and acoustic guitar.

By the time I went back outside a light rain had started, which unfortunately closed down the Campground stage and Danny McGaw’s set.

Lemonade Park was still in swing and Max Cooper III crooned pop songs with jazzy piano. He and his band treated us to a bit of sunshine in the rain.

Circling back to Stockyards Brewing, I arrived to find the Rural Grit All-Stars were hammering out gothic bluegrass around a single mic.

Although rain persisted and lightning flashed in the distance, Malek Azrael & the Vibez took it in stride and delivered their soulful rock with Malek’s smooth vocals.

Malek Azrael & the Vibez were the last band to perform outdoors. Both Lemonade Park and the Campground were closed down due to the weather. At first it looked like the festival was going to lose eight more acts. The staff pivoted, utilizing the Ship’s intimate stage and ending the official night at the Rock Island Bridge instead of Lemonade Park. Brilliant.

Celia presented her heart to the crowd at Stockyards Brewing with the pure folk of voice and guitar.

Baang was the first act I caught that moved from the Campground to the Ship. The artist’s hip-hop rhymes were positive and poignant.

Rushing back across the tracks to Stockyards Brewing I caught the smooth honky tonk of Copper Threading. Chugging music with beautiful harmonies.

Back on the Rock Island Bridge, J. Jerome (AKA Jamie Searle) started with a few songs from his earlier band, It’s Over – a staple of CMFs past. Smart, energetic and rocking, it was great to see the band back together, and festival director Sundahl ripping it up with Searle.

More elegant harmonies met me on my final return to Stockyards Brewing. Of A Feather, the duo of singer songwriters Sara Morgan and Kelly Hunt, graced us with two guitars and their voices. Hunt, who now lives in Nashville, came back for the performance.

Hello Biplane started the trio of last bands rescheduled to the Ship. Pairing rock and roll energy with a jazzy backdrop and dual vocals, the Lawrence band filled the stage and captured the room.

Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams are Womanish Girl, and they lit the Ship’s stage on fire.

Switching gears, Kat King converted the stage to a smart jangly indie pop canvas.

Amanda Fish closed out the night on the Rock Island Bridge with a scorching cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” Her trio blasted out a full set of soulful blues.

This is my 19th year of covering the 22-year-old festival, and I can’t wait to put 20 years in the books in 2027. Sincere thanks to all the musicians for giving me so much to focus on!

Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years is an intimate, emotionally powerful musical that follows the five-year relationship between Cathy and Jamie. Jamie tells their story from beginning to end. Cathy tells hers from the end back to the beginning.

Their timelines move in opposite directions, meeting only once – at their wedding.

Set in an immersive environment that places the audience inside the story, this production invites you to experience every joyful beginning, heartbreaking ending, and everything in between from just a few feet away.

Whether you're discovering “The Last Five Years” for the first time or returning to one of musical theatre's most beloved contemporary works, this production offers a fresh, deeply personal theatrical experience.

Showtimes are Friday, Oct. 16, Saturday, Oct. 17, Sunday, Oct. 18, Monday, Oct. 19, Thursday, Oct. 22 and Friday, Oct. 23. All showtimes at 7:30 p.m. except Sunday, Oct. 18, which starts at 1:30 p.m.

Charley Crockett stopped at Starlight Theatre last Thursday (Sept. 17) on his Age of the Ram tour. His classic country sound reverberated through the outdoor venue for a lengthy 28-song set packed with his hits, a few covers and minimal chatting between songs.

Durand Jones & The Indications took the stage at 7:45 p.m. to open the show, the six-piece band creating music that landed between contemporary R&B and soul. Jones’ voice was stunning, his falsetto on full display as he vocalized alongside his backing band. Looking out over the crowd, Jones told us, “We really do believe that soul music and country music – it all comes from the same great place.” I thought it was a beautiful sentiment about the universality of music, coming from the heart and soul of humanity. During “Is It Any Wonder?”, Jones left the stage while drummer Aaron Frazer took over the vocals, showing off the band’s range. Shout out to the dedicated concertgoers three rows ahead of me that danced for the entire set while everyone else sat down.

Shortly after 9 p.m., The Blue Drifters made their way onstage, starting the intro to “Crazy Woman Ridge” as Charley Crockett strode out behind them, flashing the crowd a peace sign as he took the mic and began to sing. Crockett and his backing band moved right into “Kentucky Too Long” before he greeted the crowd: “I know you could be anywhere tonight, but you're here with me and I appreciate you.” 

The show moved quickly from one song to the next, keeping attendees engaged in the stellar musicianship and Crockett’s twangy Texas vocals. During “Me & Shooter,” when he sang the line about “one more night in Kansas City,” the crowd cheered loudly in approval. The majority of the set list was from “Age of the Ram” and “Clovis,” both released earlier this year. 

After “The Hallelujah Trail,” Crockett’s band exited the stage as he introduced them by name, leaving him alone for a few solo songs. The country singer played “Top Hand” and “Billy McLane” by himself before opening up to the crowd about the death of both his siblings, saying he was doing his best to outlive his mother at her request. His vulnerability and sincerity were moving.

The set had covers scattered throughout, my favorite being a heated performance of “Fire and Brimstone” by Link Wray, who Crockett said was one of his greatest influences. The selection of vintage covers fit perfectly with more recent songs, matching his classic style. I left about 90 minutes into Charley Crockett’s generous show, walking out to the tune of “Crucified Son,” unable to stop myself from humming along to the timeless sound.

Charley Crockett Set List

Crazy Woman Ridge
Remembering Pat
Kentucky Too Long
$10 Cowboy
Welcome to Hard Times
Hard Luck & Circumstances
I Ain't Riding Anymore
Me & Shooter
Easy Money
Image of a Woman
The Man From Waco
Don't Tell Me That (James Hand cover)
Down by Law
One Eyed Jack
Eagle and the Crow
The Hallelujah Trail
Top Hand (solo)
Billy McLane (solo)
Honest Fight (solo)
I Feel for You - (Jerry Reed cover) 
Fire and Brimstone - (Link Wray cover)
Lone Star
Trinity River
Never No More
Crucified Son
Game I Can't Win

Encore
Waylon Rides Again
The Jamestown Ferry (Tanya Tucker cover)
Paint It Blue

Bridge listeners can get tickets before they go on sale! On Thursday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., click the GET TICKETS button below and enter the password BRIDGE for access.

Medium Build’s Nick Carpenter never planned for a career as a singer-songwriter to take him to great heights. But when it did – an ascent made possible on the merits of his razor-sharp and fearlessly reflective tunes, electrifying performances and acerbic, hilarious wit – he certainly wasn’t prepared to end up so close to the edge.

Now, on the heels of his breakthrough 2024 album “Country,” years of relentless touring under increasingly brighter lights and bigger stages, and recovery from the subsequent fallout that often follows fame, comes “King of Having Fun,” Medium Build’s most cohesive, extroverted and joyful record yet. An album made not in an isolated bedroom like much of his past work but live in a studio with his closest friends and collaborators, it is fueled by a fresh rock-and-roll energy paired with the artist’s familiar lo-fi-meets-indie-and-country sound yet still driven by the biting lyrical insight and potent self-examination that has endeared Carpenter to throngs of fans worldwide. Sure to bring Medium Build to a whole new level of stardom through its sheer sonic power and songwriting prowess, “King of Having Fun” is the sound of a fractured soul picking up the pieces out of the darkness.

Improvement Movement, the social betterment campaign/prog-rock quartet/non-denominational cult from Atlanta, has made a new record just for you and your modern day malaise. It’s called “Your Perfect Real Life,” because, well, there’s a lot going right these days, right? Dropping in late August via ATO Records, “Your Perfect Real Life” is prismatic, angular, jumpy and eccentric. It’s sure to inundate your ears, corporeal form, and spiritual body with equal parts unadulterated bliss and realist catharsis, or, in other words, as much good as you can reasonably feel these days.

On American Aquarium’s new album, “New Ways to Lose,” frontman BJ Barham and his band of road warriors turn two decades of survival into a driving, deeply felt rock and roll statement – one built on resilience reinvention, and the hard-earned clarity that only comes with time.

Produced once again by multi-time Grammy winner Shooter Jennings, the album was recorded in Los Angeles over a 10-day session that captured the band at their most immediate and alive. Much of the record was tracked live, with Jennings encouraging spontaneity and instinct over perfection, while a round of overdubs offered the opportunity to add three-part harmonies and horn arrangements to the songs. The result is a muscular, cinematic record that embraces both sides of American Aquarium's identity: the bruised confessionals of a songwriter who's already spent decades sharpening his craft, and the full-throttle release of an anthemic, amplified rock and roll band. 

Kansas City-based comedian and actor Caleb Hearon teams up with Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee to present the Yeehaw! variety to benefit the KC Tenants Union. Lineup to be announced.

Caleb and Katie joined us as guest DJs to play some of their favorite country tunes in anticipation of 2024's show!

Led by Eric D. Johnson, Fruit Bats come to Kansas City in support of their new album, “The Landfill,”