W♥M

04/24/2025

Jax: May 15 to May 17, 2025

We♥KC! May 2, 3, 4, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

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Chicago buzz band Brigitte Calls Me Baby will be headlining the Fine Line, in Minneapolis, this September 7, 2024. The band’s debut EP This House Is Made of Corners is out now and their single “Eddie My Love” is Top 30 on the Triple A radio chart.

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

May is flowering musically--

First weekend of the month and plenty to pick from- from rising acts in small venues, to a classic opera, to some smooth arena-sized R&B, with a usual dash of harder thrash out there, as KC seems to be a strong market for the genre.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend from May 2nd-4th.

(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

FRIDAY MAY 2

Brigitte Calls Me Baby, May 2, Knuckleheads, $18

ATO Records' buzzing Chicago five-piece Brigitte Calls Me Baby has released a new cover of the George Michael /Wham! classic “Careless Whisper.” With their name nodding to frontman Wes Leavins’ teenage pen-pal correspondence with iconic French actress, Brigitte Bardot, the quintet emerged in early 2023 and soon scored a breakout hit with “Impressively Average”—a shimmering anthem that shot to the Top 10 at radio.

Their debut LP, The Future Is Our Way Out, is out now and spans genres and eras, merging the romanticism of mid-century pop with the energy and intensity of early-millennium indie-rock. Leavins’ voice is part-Morrissey channeled through a young Roy Orbison, and it all equals the kind of band we would have loved to have been in, in our younger days. In a full circle, the band will also open for Moz for a June UK run.

Rounded out by bassist Devin Wessels, drummer Jeremy Benshish, and guitarists Jack Fluegel and David Rosendahl, their sped-up but still familiar cover has become a fan favorite in the band’s acclaimed live show over the past year. “George Michael’s voice and songs have always resonated with me, but there was no specific pursuit of covering one of his songs until a very natural and organic version was developed in our show,” explains frontman Wes Leavins. “With any song that we cover there is only truly one requirement: there must be something we can bring to the song that doesn’t already exist within the original or any version otherwise. There must be an opportunity to present ourselves within the track. The case of ‘Careless Whisper’ is no different.”

Tribulation w Unto Others, May 2, recordBar, $25

Swedish goth metal band Tribulation are on these shores for their Spring 2025 North American Tour with co-headliners (formerly Idle Hands) Unto Others, Unreqvited and Final Gasp which starts the night before in Chi-Town, and lands in KC for their second show of the run.

Tribulation is touring in support of their 2024 album Sub Rosa in Æternum. The LP saw the Swedish band pushing further into goth-rock territory while retaining elements of the extreme metal that defined its early work. Meanwhile, Unto Others are also coming off a 2024 release in the form of their third album, Never, Neverland.

Turandot (opera) May 2-4, Kauffman, $39-$222

Presented by KC’s Lyric, Turandot is a classic opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924, but it still premiered in 1926, after the music was posthumously completed by Franco Alfano.

The opera is set in China and follows the Prince Calaf, who falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot. in order to win her hand in marriage, a suitor must solve three riddles, with a wrong answer resulting in his execution. Calaf passes the test, but Turandot refuses to marry him. He offers her a way out: if she is able to guess his name before dawn the next day, he will accept death. Is one night enough to soften her scorn? Oh, and this is the opera that “Nessun Dorma” comes from (during the final act), maybe the greatest opera song ever.

Family Sideshow (play) Through May 10, KC Melting Pot, $21.50-$32.50

In this dark comedy, a dysfunctional family reunites for a chaotic and absurd night of revelations, confrontations, and unexpected twists, all unfolding under the glow of the family’s carnival sideshow held at the theater. It’s the World Premiere of Brysen Boyd's “Family Sideshow,” the winner of the 2020 KCMPT Black Playwright Festival.

Boyd is a playwright, TV writer, and essayist originally from Tacoma, WA who served on the writing staff for HBO’s “Succession”, is the inaugural Playwright-in-Residence at Reverie Theater Company, a member of Youngblood/Ensemble Studio Theater and was an Artist-in-Residence at the Williamstown Theater Festival.

The play was also a Playwrights’ Center Venturous Prize Nominee, O'Neill Conference Semi-finalist, and 2022 Juilliard Finalist.

SATURDAY MAY 3

Sturgill Simpson, May 3, Cable Dahmer Arena- Independence, $54-$196

Who the f*ck is Johnny Blue Skies!? Not asking, we know it’s the name of Simpson’s 2025 Tour and the moniker behind his latest full-length album, Passage Du Desir,

The eight-song album was produced by Simpson aka Blue Skies and David Ferguson at Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville, TN and Abbey Road Studios in London. Simpson’s band- Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums) are all along for the ride, as usual.

Simpson has released five full-length studio albums—2013’s High Top Mountain, 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, 2019’s Sound & Fury and 2021’s The m—along with the 2020 projects, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, won a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Album and has six Grammy nominations across four genres: country, rock, bluegrass and Americana.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers, May 3, Ameristar Casino Kansas City, $25-$30

Pipers, we said PIPERS! The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a Celtic rock group featuring bagpipes, guitars, keyboards and drums. They became one of Scotland’s most popular live acts after winning the UK TV show “When Will I Be Famous” in 2007 and have since gone global with their brand of “bagrock.”

The Pipers have released 11 albums over the past two decades, including original songs and contributions to the “How to Train Your Dragon 2″ soundtrack. They also cover classic rock songs by artists like AC/DC, Queen and Journey (but typically not RHCP tunes)- expect a fun show nonetheless!

Maxwell, May 3, T-Mobile Center, $45-$330

Swooning in the aisles is likely on Maxwell’s The Serenade Tour. Continuing from last year’s 26-show run, the show found the smooth singer-songwriter performing songs from throughout his catalog, leaning heavily on tracks from his fan-favorite sophomore album, Embrya.

Maxwell will be joined by solid openers Marsha Ambrosius and Lucky Daye in KC, and we just saw Daye performing last year with Mary J. Blige at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland. The 23-date tour is currently scheduled to end on October 5th in Raleigh, NC.

Exodus, Havok, Misfire, May 3, Truman, $29.50

Although there was initial trouble locking down all the acts for these 40th-anniversary shows, metal legends Exodus are triumphantly on the road. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt says: "We are hella stoked to announce the 'Swarm Of Horror' tour. This will be pretty much one of the heaviest things on the planet and we can't wait to destroy everyone!”

Havok have officially stepped in to replace Possessed (who withdrew due to “recent medical reasons and limitations”) who in turn was already replacing Deicide who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Now, Havok will take their place alongside Misfire as support. The trek kicked off on April 27 and runs through May 13.

Chicago’s Misfire makes old-school flavored thrash metal in the tradition of classic metal trios like Venom, Motörhead, and Raven.

Save Ferris, May 3, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $25

Formed in 1995, Orange County’s Save Ferris remains one of the seminal bands from the third wave of ska, blending punk, rock, and SoCal sounds and is powered by Monique Powell’s high-octane vocals.

The band signed with Epic Records in 1997, unleashing their debut album, It Means Everything, and toured the world for the next six years, having a hit with their version of “Come On Eileen.”. In 2003, SF went on hiatus until Powell, with a new lineup reformed SF in 2013, and have been back ever since.

SUNDAY MAY 4

Mereba, May 4, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $25-$30

The rising R&B gem and one to watch, Mereba is out on a short US Tour before heading across the Atlantic. New album, The Breeze Grew a Fire, was released in February and finds the Ethiopian American blending a soulful mixture of R&B and hip hop with a raw storytelling approach. Mereba’s vocals can also be found on tracks, "All Bad” by JID and “PTSD” from J Cole’s Revenge of the Dreamers III.

Discussing her recent album, Mereba comments, “For this [album], it went back to me being on my own for the creation of a lot of the songs, and it was really important for me at this time of life because I was a little disconnected from the world, and from who I was. So, I was trying to find my way back to myself first. What do I like? What do I want to hear? What do I want to say to people now?”

National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 03:58 PM in Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Exodus, John, Kansas City, Kansas City Music Guide, Lawrence, Marsha Ambrosius, Maxwell, Mereba, Opera, Preview, Save Ferris, Studio B, Tribulation | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miya Folick at Amsterdam Bar and Hall (23 Apr 2025)

Miya Folick Setlist

Erotica
La Da Da
Alaska
Felicity
Hate Me
Hypergiant
(This time around)
Prism of Light
Bad Thing
Light Through the Linen
Love wants me dead
Fist
Nothing Compares 2 U (The Family cover)

-- Encore --
Shortstop
Give It to Me
My Mind Is a Muscle

Tour Dates

4/24 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean

4/25 - Detroit, MI @ El Club

4/27 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground

4/29 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

4/30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made

5/1 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis

5/9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

5/11 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater

5/12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

5/15 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

5/16 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s

5/17 - Portland, OR @ Holocene

5/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

5/22 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord

5/23 - Napa, CA @ BottleRock Festival

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Miya Folick

Los Angeles’s vocalist, songwriter and producer Miya Folick will be headlining the 7th Street Entry on September 29th. The musician have been around since 2015 with her ...

The artists that bet on the Twin Cities having bearable weather in the latter part of April not only won their bets, they hit the jackpot. On perhaps the most gorgeous evening of the year in downtown Saint Paul, Miya Folick kicked off her 2025 tour at Amsterdam Bar & Hall.

After letting the fog machine get going for a few minutes, Olivia Kaplan, a Los Angeles based singer and songwriter, came out as the opener. Her most recent album was Afterlife (2024), and as largely expected, came out solo with acoustic guitar. Kaplan immediately brought an air of intimacy to the venue and at least at the front of the house, the audience was silent during her songs. The second song was extremely plaintive and Kaplan’s vocals fit those difficult but wistful lyrics well.

Joking that she was going to “do it radio style” and talk about songs mostly after she played them, Kaplan told us that several early songs were from her first album, but was paired with the opener that has not yet been released, “so you can’t listen to it anywhere”. After that first group, Kaplan stated that she would play the rest of the songs in her set from Afterlife, an album about loss, death, and grief. Two Red Chairs gave us some of the strongest guitar playing, making that a little more central in the number. A joke about having stuttered over her words between numbers got us a self-deprecating, “the banter has got to get better on this tour”. But Kaplan was having no issues playing the songs, as the sadness from Over radiated through. With a final song, Nothing Changes, she dedicated it to the audience and those involved in live music “and the beautiful exchange”.

I spoke briefly with Kaplan between sets. Having mentioned during the set that she had just gotten back from touring in the UK and Ireland, I asked her how this evening felt, being the first of this US tour. Was it a different thing or more of a continuation Kaplan said that so far, it has all felt like a continuation or chapters of what she is hoping to do, as this is only her second US tour.

Miya Folick is also a California based musician who released her first album, Premonitions, in 2018 and her most recent, Erotica Veronica, in February of this year. They immediately led with Erotica, a pretty stellar song that showcased Folick’s charisma. The quartet (Folick on guitar, drums, bass and the back up vocalist splitting between guitar and keyboards) rolled into La Da Da and it certainly didn’t seem like a first tour stop.

A great bit of banter from Folick started with her saying, she had almost asked us if we “wanted to go for a walk, the sun’s still out!”. Shen then recounted that as she had picked up the van for the tour in Chicago and driven in on Highway 94, and was amazed by the sight of the setting sun (“We don’t get that in hilly LA”). Intentional or not, it did set up a sense of being thankful for what you have, and the band’s next song, Alaska, picked up on that theme. Folick also lost her shoes during the song, kicking them away as she danced around the stage during the guitar solos.

The keys intro on Felicity, set up a funkier number, ending with a great bass solo. While Folick is obviously the central focus, the backing band was pretty top notch. The bass player completely owned her instrument, while the backing vocalist was a great sound to harmonize with Folick. A visibly touched Folick was super pleased that the audience knew her new songs and were singing them. It never gets old seeing a musician have that moment of connection with their audience.

A moment with a red rotary phone that was hooked into the pedal board set up modified Folick’s vocals then guitar on interesting ways. Olivia Kaplan joined Folick and band for This Time Around, though Folick pulled an audible and did first verse and chorus on the “phone mic”. The band continued to power through and after checking a key (“We’re in F sharp, right?”), moved into the quieter number of Light Thru Linen, with a gorgeous ending. As Folick headed into the final numbers, she introduced the band and headed into the excellent Fist. A cover of Nothing Compares to You completed the main set. Setting up for the encore, Folick mentioned that she doesn’t write these down because she “like to free wheel it, and also give myself the out not to do one”, which I thought was a pretty brilliant strategy. Ending with My Mind Is a Muscle, Folick left the stage with a very successful night one of the tour and a very happy crowd.

Miya Folick with Olivia Kaplan

Olivia Kaplan

Miya Folick

Miya Folick at Amsterdam Bar and Hall (23 Apr 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 10:53 AM in Amsterdam Bar, Miya Folick, Prince, Thaddeus, The Family | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/23/2025

Minneapolis: May 23 to May 24, 2025

Weekend Gamer: Oblivion Remastered

Oblivion Remastered

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Video Games

I would probably bet we’ll hear something new for the Elder Scrolls series… or even just mention that they’re working on a new single-player Fallout game. ....

Bethesda and Xbox shadow dropped the new The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered yesterday (April 22, 2025). Prior to the release, there were a few leaks, showcasing the new Oblivion vs the original from 2006.

First of all, calling this a Remastered is a bit of a misnomer, because I feel like this is basically a “Remake”, because the entire game was reproduced on the Unreal Engine 5… so everything looks much better, thanks to the modern engine and higher fidelity. Some audios were re-recorded, they reworked the leveling system … everything was basically re-done. This goes far and above a ‘remaster.’’

Second, I do not like Oblivion. I bought the game in 2006 and hated the way the game level-scale to your character… I was already in the ‘hell’ area going through one of the gates and all the enemies were my level. I hated this. It didn’t matter if I level up, all those enemies will also level up.

They said the Remastered actually fixed the levelling system, but I haven’t tried out the new game yet. The game is basically ‘free’ if you have Xbox Game Pass, so I’ll have to try out the game soon (as soon as I finish Last of Us Part II). If I decide to end my subscription, the game is reasonably priced at $50. If I am to buy the game, I would make sure to buy it via the MicroSoft App store to ensure getting the “Play Anywhere” feature.

It’s so weird to think about it, because although I hated Oblivion, I actually love the next game in the series: Skyrim. I have bought Skyrim again and again, on various platforms.

The only good news I have is that with the leaks for Oblivion Remastered turning out to be true… the same rumors were said for Fallout 3, for release in 2026. That is amazing news. Unlike Oblivion, I love Fallout 3 and am looking forward to this upcoming release.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Jax: May 13 to May 14, 2025

Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads at Turf Club (22 Apr 2025)

Off With Their Heads Setlist

Focus On Your Own Family
I Am You
Keep Falling Down
Nightlife
Jackie Lee
Go on Git Now
F*** This, I'm Out

In Desolation

Drive

Their Own Medicine

Trying to Breathe

ZZYZX

The Eyes of Death

Old Man

All I Can Do

I Need You

Spare Time

I Just Want You to Know

My Episodes

Clear the Air

Smoking Popes Setlist

Born To Quit

Midnight Moon

Rubella

Gotta Know Right Now

Mrs. You and Me

Just Broke Up

My Lucky Day

Need You Around

Can't Help the Teardrops (From Getting Cried)

Adena

On the Shoulder

No More Smiles
Golden Moment
Megan
Fox River Dream
Pretty Pathetic
Allegiance
I Know You Love Me

Tour Dates

APR 23 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI

APR 24 Milwaukee - Cudahy, WI

APR 25 The Castle Theatre Bloomington, IL

APR 27 HI-FI Indianapolis, IN

MAY 14 Madison Live! Covington, KY

MAY 15 Ace of Cups Columbus, OH

MAY 16 Bottlerocket Social Hall Pittsburgh, PA

MAY 17 Ukrainian American Citizens' Association Philadelphia, PA

MAY 18 Songbyrd Music House Washington, DC

MAY 20 TV Eye Ridgewood, NY

MAY 21 Space Ballroom Hamden, CT

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Smoking Popes

Opening was the Smoking Popes, Merzingers, and Luther. Great solid punk bands with 3 cord progression that makes me wish for the early days of punk. It's great that the Bouncing Souls …

Off with their Heads

Minneapolis born punk visionaries Off with their Heads is celebrating their 10th Anniversary of their Epitaph album Home. The record is being re-issued with an exclusive vinyl …

With co-headliners at the Turf Club celebrating longevity and anniversaries of record releases, it was a punk rock special in Saint Paul for Off With Their Heads and Smoking Popes.

The opener was Mary Jam, a local Twin Cities surf rock / punk band. This trio (guitar, bass, and drum) came out swinging, with a low guttural screaming approach from the lead singer. The second song, You Don’t Want to Know, was an absolute beast of a song, with driving vocals and heavy guitar riffs underneath. Mary Jam was a perfect table setter for the evening ahead, with high energy. This Is a Joke, and I’m the Joke may be the best song title I’ve heard in a long while, and was a more musical number from the band. We got a great call out about for “close week” for certain companies and accountants, with a “if you know, you know”. (Side note: there are some notable Minnesota companies whose final week of the fiscal year is right now, though it turns out that Alli’s company has a close week every month, ugh.)

The next song, Anxiety, was called “really relatable”. The mix of humor and anger was a perfect punk vibe, and Mary Jam leaned in on those fronts. Lead singer Alli was electric and the absolute spark plug for the band. A cover of Wipeout was perfectly placed and got them moving into the close of their set. A final song “about mopeds, ‘cause I like mopeds” was an appropriately silly song to end on, and Mary Jam was done with their rapid fire 25 minute set.

Speaking with Alli afterwards, we chatted about the day job (see the side note above), with a largely unspoken understanding of balancing the day job with the activities that bring you joy. We also talked about the place that a punk band plays in the current environment. Alli said there is a huge amount of uncertainty that exists now, but that all the band can do is continue to be who they are. I hope to see more of Mary Jam in the future.

Smoking Popes was on next. Described as a pop punk band, the Chicago area natives are on the road with their most recognized album, Born To Quit, celebrating its 30th anniversary. Working through the album gave the early highlight Rubella with the dual guitars, plus bass and drums from the quartet. During the third song Gotta Know Right Now, we got a great statement from lead singer Josh Caterer (who founded the band with two of his brothers) on the history and persistence of this album’s fandom. They are playing the album in its entirety and it was clear how much they were enjoying playing this for an appreciative crowd.

Just Broke Up was a great example of the band’s strengths, with great guitar work and Josh’s low tenor vocals driving things along. Need You Around was closer to the pop than punk sound, but still had a hard edge to it. It was interesting to hear from the band that some of the songs rarely got played over the years, and that Can’t Help the Teardrops (From Getting Cried) was definitely one of them. I really enjoyed the band enjoying themselves and there is something to a veteran band doing their thing as much for themselves as the audience.

Pretty quickly (the album is 28 minutes long, after all) we were at the album closer On the Shoulder, but the band wasn’t near done. They went straight into other songs, starting with No More Smiles, without the slightest of breaks. Golden Moment, a song off their newest album Lovely Stuff showed that the band isn’t resting on laurels. Pretty Pathetic had a solid guitar solo and an introduction of the band. With the finals song, I Know You Love Me, Smoking Popes concluded their raucous set.

Off With Their Heads finished the night, getting to take the stage last on their first evening with Smoking Popes. They are a long time Minneapolis punk band, with a litany of local musicians as former members. The band has been centered around vocalist Ryan Young, who has kept the band going for nearly twenty five years. You knew it would be intense when during initial warm up the guitar was intensely loud and the lead singer simply pointed to the sound guy to turn it up more.

This was straight punk: short, loud songs, brief solos, rapidly moving along the set. Like Smoking Popes, the band was playing an album, In Desolation, in its entirety. It also brought back some of the key early members of the band, including long time contributor Justin Francis. Before getting to the album, they played some other numbers first, including Keep Falling Down, which ended with some distortion before continuing through.

The crowd got a full, rowdy mosh pit going, with a group of fans who clearly knew all the lyrics, such as on the song Nightlife. This was a brutally loud show, but exactly what a majority of the crowd had come for. Though that volume wasn’t what I am usually looking for in a band, it was fun to watch an audience who was there for exactly that. And it a good reminder that different people respond to different things in a live music event and that there is a lot of room out there for both bands and listeners. A full night of punk scratched an itch for a lot of people, at least for one night.

Mary Jam

Smoking Popes

Smoking Popes at Turf Club (22 Apr 2025)

Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads at Turf Club (22 Apr 2025)

thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 11:43 AM in Off with their Heads, Punk, Smoking Popes, St Paul, Thaddeus, Turf Club | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/22/2025

Minneapolis: May 22, 2025

We♥KC! April 28-May 1, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

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Denzel Curry

Florida’s rapper Denzel Curry is playing First Avenue on Thursday, August 15.: Tour dates: 8/10-8/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands; 8/13 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre;
8/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

A little bit of concert and venue news,

The KC Symphony has welcomed new assistant conductors and five musicians, ahead of this Friday’s “Back to the 80’s” performance, which looks fun with a guest conductor and three guest vocalists, and the scheduled May 18 Australian Pink Floyd show at Uptown is canceled due to “logistical issues” (we caught them live in 2016 in Minneapolis for you).

Construction continues on the 15,000-capacity amphitheater in Riverside (LiveNation will exclusively book) so we’ll wonder how that will affect Azura and Starlight among venues. El Torreon’s re-opening has been delayed until late this year (at best), and we’ve heard good things about the new 650-capacity Warehouse on Broadway (except for tough parking), but haven’t been in, just yet.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend from April 28^th to May 1^st.

(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

MONDAY APRIL 28

Denzel Curry, Apr 28, Uptown Theater,$52-$158

(Note: The venue is now the Uptown Theater)

In support of his new album, “King of the Mischievous South”, esteemed Miami rapper Denzel Curry is out in support on an extensive 2025 tour. The Mischievous South World Tour, which hits Australia, North America, and Europe along with support from 454, Kenny Mason, and Clip.

The new record is a sequel of sorts to his 2012 mixtape King of the Mischievous South Vol. 1 Underground Tape 1996 and also serves as an expanded version of a similarly titled record he put out this past summer. He’s already been in Australia and New Zealand in February and moved over to North America on March 31 in Phoenix to start the leg which wraps on May 9 in Los Angeles.

Silent Planet, Invent Animate, Apr 28, The Truman,$25-$47

Worlds. Will. Collide!!! Metalcore vets Silent Planet and Invent Animate are on the road together to play their 2023 records Superbloom and Heavener in their entirety, respectively. The two bands also recently teamed up for a new collaborative EP called Bloom In Heaven, which also blends their respective album titles. We checked out Invent Animate on a bill just last year in Lawrence.

We assume the stage will also get crowded as they’re expected to amalgamate to perform at least one of their Bloom In Heaven songs together as well. The trek started April 17th in TX and wraps May 16th, when both bands perform at Daytona, FL’s Welcome to Rockville festival.

Joining the bands for most dates are Pennsylvanian metalcore group 156/Silence and Sweden’s ALLT.

Korine, Apr 28, recordBar, $18

Philly darkwave duo Korine just released their fourth album, A Flame in the Dark, last month and are out on tour in support, including a fun recent weekend at Coachella. The tour hits KC around the mid-way point and is scheduled to finish in Washington, DC on May 19. Recent second single from the record is the electro ballad, “In Your Eyes” (no, not that version you’re thinking of).

TUESDAY APRIL 29

Mayday Parade Apr 29, Uptown,$41-$56

Mayday Parade – vocalist Derek Sanders, drummer/vocalist Jake Bundrick, guitarists Alex Garcia and Brooks Betts and bassist/vocalist Jeremy Lenzo – will be celebrating 20 years together this year and the Tallahassee, FL five-piece is set to release perhaps their most aspirational and ambitious effort yet: a three-part album.

The first entry, Sweet, just dropped April 18 with lead song, “By The Way.” “Being in a band for this long, sometimes you feel like you’re getting it right and sometimes you feel like you’re dancing around what you should be doing. This song feels locked in as a step in the right direction. It’s a song about trying to stay optimistic as the world and everything you know is changing around you. We hope you all enjoy it,” says Derek Sanders on “By The Way.”

The other two releases are expected later this year and into 2026 and $1 from each ticket sold will be donated to the Ally Coalition, supporting LGBTQ+ in NYC.

The Wrecks w Quarters of Change, Apr 29, The Truman, $29-$119

Alt-pop powerhouse The Wrecks have released their new project Inside, via Lava/Republic Records. This serves as the first half of their upcoming full-length album and features previously released singles “Speed” and “Always, Everytime” along with four new tracks.

On the project, frontman Nick Anderson shares: “INSIDE: is about self-realization—coming to know myself on a deeper level through both the highs and the lows. At first, that awareness felt like a cage, but over time, it became liberating. Making music is a lot like solving a puzzle, and this record was the hardest one yet. I spent a year inside my house, writing without direction, struggling with feeling lost, disconnected, and exhausted. I didn’t want to go outside, so I kept trying inside. But through that process, I rebuilt my confidence. These songs are the result of that journey. They gave me a way out—and now I get to go outside and share them with the world. I hope that people connect with it in their own way and if they do, then I set out to do exactly what I wanted to do.”

Dummy, April 29, White Schoolhouse-Lawrence, $15

Dummy, the indie Los Angeles shoegaze band comprised of Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O’Dell, and Joe Trainor released their new album “Free Energy” last September following their lead single/video, “Nullspace.” Their debut full-length Mandatory Enjoyment arrived in late 2021 and quickly became one of the year’s sleeper hits.

As for the rural venue, the current structure is the fourth schoolhouse to occupy the site- history swallowed the first circa 1860s structure, flooding consumed the second in 1903 and fire did in the third schoolhouse in 1928, but the fourth and current one has stayed up, being built in 1929. It’s a small and intimate space that should enhance a very personal kind of show.

Foxy Shazam, Apr 29, recordBar, $25

Foxy Shazam charged back into 2025 with a fiery new single "Rhumbatorium" ahead of their new and ninth studio album “Animality Opera”, via the band’s own label, EEEOOOAH.

Acclaimed for their over-the-top visual style and songwriting and playing, the new single features soaring vocals, underpinned by a cacophony of horns, guitars, and drums, culminating in a powerful spoken word verse by fellow artist and collaborator Shamon Cassette. As compelling as that sounds, the band is at its best live, which is its true element and arrive early for the dazzling visuals of Coney Island-based, Hot Fix Sideshow.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30

Tommy Prine, Apr 30, Knuckleheads, $20

Son of the late John, Tommy Prine's 2023 debut album This Far South was a testimony to Prine's 20s and the defining loss, love, and growth from that era. Co-produced by close friend and musician Ruston Kelly, and Nashville engineer Gena Johnson, the album also received a deluxe version, out last June, featuring reimagined versions, a special guest and a brand-new song.

“Releasing my debut album changed so much in my life. The only things that stayed the same were my family, my pets, and my friends. Everything else changed drastically. I've had a few moments that felt like the point of no return, releasing the album being one of them. Not in a scary way, just in a way that there is no taking back art that you put out into the world. Once it has affected one other person, it has already begun its own life and will in turn change the creator's life.”

Tommy learned to play guitar by watching his father, mimicking the ways his fingers moved, he inadvertently developed his own style with influences as diverse as Gillian Welch, Outkast, Bon Iver, the Strokes and more.

THURSDAY MAY 1

Family Sideshow (play) May 1-10, KC Melting Pot, $21.50-$32.50

The play was also a Playwrights’ Center Venturous Prize Nominee, O'Neill Conference Semi-finalist, and 2022 Juilliard Finalist.

National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]

john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Posted at 03:56 PM in Denzel Curry, Foxy Shazam, Invent Animate, John, Kansas City, Kansas City Music Guide, Korine, Mayday Parade, Preview, Silent Planet, The Wrecks, Theater, Tommy Prine | Permalink | Comments (0)

Weekend Gamer: The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II Remastered

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The Last of Us

I love the video game The Last of Us, probably my personal Game of the Year in 2018 for the PS3. The game was so good, that I re-purchased it for the PS4. I probably would’ve ....

With the new season of The Last of Us airing on HBO a few weeks ago, I’ve decided to finally get around to playing The Last of Us Part II video game, thanks to the game finally being available on PC (release date Apr 3, 2025).

I love the first game, having purchased it at least three times: Last of Us on PS3, “Remastered” (traded in the PS3 at Gamestop and paid the remaining balance for the PS4 version), and again on PC (purchased Sep 3, 2023 on Steam).

I love the first game, but I didn’t really understand why the game developer Naughty Dog needed to make a second game. I suppose the first game made so much money that it was inevitable that a sequel was in the works. Personally speaking, I thought the first game ended just fine and they could have ended the story there.

If you played the first game, the HBO series did a good job adapting the game - almost to a point that if you’ve played the game, there were no surprises at all. The adaption was very faithful to the game. My only gripe is the actress they cast for Ellie doesn’t look like the video game.

Dina and Ellie

With the second game, it takes place four years after the first game, making Ellie about 18 years old. So, she looks older and chiseled in the game. Again, comparing it to the television show, it looks like the actress that plays Ellie, Bella Ramsey, hasn’t aged at all and it doesn’t even seem like much time has passed in the television show.

My other problem is the actress they cast to play Abby, Kaitlyn Dever, doesn’t look as buff or physically intimidating as in the game. I know I should overlook these things, but there is a reason why Abby is so built, and in the television show, they are probably going to ignore that part of her character.

Looking at it, I felt like maybe Kaitlyn Dever looks more like Ellie, and I would’ve been much happier if they had originally cast her as Ellie. For Abby, they should have cast someone more muscular. Maybe someone in the MMA.

Anyway, as for the The Last of Us Part II game, I’m very early in the game. If you didn’t know… a major character gets killed, and it’s really the whole revenge plot of the game. They changed the show a little to better explain motivations. In the game, it’s a complete mystery, until it’s unveiled.

In the game, as is seen on the television show, Joel and Ellie’s relationship has fallen apart. The two aren’t as close as they were in the first game, and … and we’re also introduced to Ellie’s love interest, Dina. The Dina character, I have zero complaints about, as she looks and acts like the game. The video game Dina does remind me of someone I know (interesting to note that her name is also ‘Dina’, but with an ‘e’), especially with her hair and prominent nose.

I’ve forgotten how slow the game is in the beginning. It’s almost like half of it are pre-rendered movie. Playing the game on an ultrawide monitor is great… except every time a movie is shown, it cuts to widescreen. It is kind of annoying, but at least the game supports ultrawide for gameplay.