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April showers means it's raining concerts in the KC/Lawrence metro! Tax deadline is growing near, so if you already have your refund, splurge a little and go see some live music again.
The NFL Draft is fast approaching too, with the league still not disclosing any musical talent, but we hope to hear soon. Recent announcements for late summer/fall include ZZ Top at Starlight (Aug); A7X w/Falling in Reverse at T-Mobile (Sept); and Blues Traveler/Big Head Todd at Grinders (Aug), so things are filling up!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from April 12th-17th.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 12
Tennis w Kate Bollinger, Liberty Hall-Lawrence,$29-$50
The Denver pop duo are hitting the road in support of their new album, POLLEN. Following a couple of UK shows in February, the band has been touring the States, with this leg winding down, and we just caught them live, at their recent Minneapolis stop.
Accompanying single from the new record is "One Night with the Valet,", whose video was directed by Luca Venter and featuring Tennis singer Alaina Moore on a farm.
Cactus Blossoms w Riley Downing, Knuckleheads, $20
The Minneapolis-based Americana brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey are back out on the road, headlining in the Midwest after previous touring with the likes of Wilco, Jenny Lewis and Lucius.
Their recent digital EP, If Not For You (Bob Dylan Songs Vol. 1), will be available for the first time on 12-inch, 45 rpm limited-edition blue marble vinyl. This special Record Store Day release will be available exclusively at participating indie stores on April 22.
Pedro the Lion, recordBar,$25
Dave Bazan has a massive 2023 tour honoring the anniversaries of two seminal Pedro the Lion albums, where he’ll celebrate 25 years of It’s Hard to Find a Friend and 20 years of Control. The 38-date trek just started in Omaha and wraps June 30th in Pedro the Lion’s hometown of Seattle. Supported by Erik Walters
THURSDAY APRIL 13
Kitchen Dwellers, Bottleneck,$20-$22
The Bozeman, MT, Americana alt/bluegrass band have a 17-date 2023 Spring Tour with support from Nashville’s Sicard Hollow. The tour kicks off in Davenport, IA with Lawrence getting the second show on the list! The foursome (Shawn Swain, Torrin Daniels, Joe Funk and Max Davies) play a unique blend of “outer bluegrass” and have their 3rd album, Wise River out April 29 and produced by Minnesota’s own guitar hero, Cory Wong.
“Bad Friends” with Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee, Uptown, $45-$63
The live version of their hit podcast-
Andrew Santino stars in FX’s most-watched comedy series, Dave alongside Lil’ Dicky. Santino starred in the SHOWTIME series, I’m Dying Up Here executive produced by Jim Carey and directed by Jonathan Levine. He also appeared in Game Over Man written/produced by The Workaholics crew.
Bobby Lee is a stand-up, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on MADtv, and he co-starred in the ABC sitcom series Splitting Up Together alongside Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson between 2018 and 2019. Lee has also appeared in the films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Pineapple Express, and The Dictator.
FRIDAY APRIL 14
Steven Curtis Chapman, Liberty Hall-Lawrence,$52-$93
Chapman is the most awarded artist in contemporary Christian music including five Grammy Awards, 59 Gospel Music Dove Awards — including a record seven Artist of the Year awards and is the first contemporary Christian music artist to have 50 No. 1 hits in the genre. Need we say more?
Covet w/ altopalo, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $25
San Jose math rock band Covet has embarked on a spring tour, which just kicked off on April 7 in Portland, running until Los Angeles on May 12. Scarypoolparty and altopalo will open each stop. The trek will find Covet performing a slew of new songs as they prep for the release of their third studio album. altopalo has a unique blended indie sound and is touring in support of last September’s Frenemy release.
Joanne Shaw Taylor, Kauffman Center, $37.50-$67.50
She’s the #1 Billboard Blues Artist and plan to perform songs from critically acclaimed album, The Blues Album. which was voted #1 Most Played Blues Album of 2021 by the Independent Blues Broadcaster’s Association.
Demon Hunter with Opponent, Granada. $30
The longtime Christian metalcore act continues their 20 Years of Exile Tour commemorating two decades since Demon Hunter released their self-titled debut album. The band plays songs from all eleven of their albums so expect a career-spanning set from the Seattle-based band.
Lil Duval (comedian), Apr 14, 15, 16, KC Improv Comedy Club, $47-$57
The Jacksonville, FL native (aka Roland Powell) stops in KC for a multiple night stand, so several chances to catch his distinctive style of comedy. Duval can currently be seen on the MTV series Guy Code, but he’s not done yet. “Everything that you can do and even more that hasn’t been done yet” is a goal for him. “Whatever it is the people want me to do, I’m going to do it. And, I’m going to be the best at it,” he promises.
SATURDAY APRIL 15
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Yardley Hall. $15-$49
Returning for their fifth appearance at MTC, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has become a worldwide phenomenon. They began back in 1985, with the concept of an orchestra consisting entirely of ukuleles in different sizes.
The orchestra has collaborated with the British Film Institute in providing music for silent films and musically with Madness, Robbie Williams, Ant & Dec, Yusuf Cat Stevens, and a full symphony orchestra performing at the Royal Festival Hall.
Heather McMahan (comedian), The Midland,$39.25-$89.25
The comedian is back on the road after her podcast, ABSOLUTELY NOT WITH HEATHER MCMAHAN was named one of the Ten Best Podcasts by Entertainment Weekly. She starred opposite Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang in Netflix’s LOVE HARD and is currently developing a half-hour comedy based on her life for NBC.
Warren Zeiders, Granada-Lawrence, Sold Out.
Talk about a Hot Country Night- basically all of this rising Country singer’s show are Sold Out.! Cultivating his own indie success, Zeiders has amassed over 1.4 billion global TikTok views, more than 767 million audio streams and well over 39 million video plays. His recently released debut album 717 Tapes: The Album was out last fall, gathering up his previous releases along with a handful of new tracks.
Texas Tenors, Ameristar Casino,$27-$165
They came from NBC's America's Got Talent over a decade ago and have since performed more than 1500 concerts Their versions of songs like John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca, Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" and The Righteous Brothers’ "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin’” as well as their own originals have all grown their fanbase.
Blackberry Smoke, KC Live! $25-$75
The Georgia Southern rock band has gone through a tough year, with member Brit Turner, suffering from major health issues. Along with being a founding member of the band, Brit is the literal brother of bass player Richard Turner, and is considered the big brother to everyone in the band, but they’ve carried on with as much joy and passion as being on a live stage, can muster.
Snow Tha Product, The Truman, $28.50-$57
The Mexican American artist (aka Claudia Meza) from San Jose, CA is out on her The Quince I Never Had Tour, releasing
SUNDAY APRIL 16
Dawes, Liberty Hall-Lawrence, $30-$75
The always-great Dawes is out on their North American tour in support of their eighth studio album, last July’s Misadventures of Doomscroller and reprises their An Evening With… format, meaning look for two sets and a full evening of Laurel Canyon-inspired Americana sound. The 30-date run wraps early next month at a hometown show at The Theatre in LA’s Ace Hotel.
Taylor Goldsmith remarks in a press release. “Two sets. Just us. Long nights. Full hearts. Buy tickets. Come early. We’ll all have to break out the catalog master lists and bingo cards as we try to get to every song we’ve got.” We caught them live in this same format, back in 2018, and always enjoy seeing the band live. A bittersweet note is that it is the last shows of co-founding bassist Wylie Gelber, who has announced his departure to focus on other interests, following this run.
John Crist (comedian), The Midland,$29.75-$59
Continuing his Emotional Support comedy tour, the rising stand-up comedian boasts more than one billion video views over five million fans on social media. "When the world seems a little bit upside down, that's when comedy is at its best," says Crist.
John Gorka, Lied Center. $16-$30
note: masks are required by all for his performance)
Known for his soulful baritone voice and ability to work every nuance of language, Gorka captures a wide array of experiences and weaves them into memorable melodies. With 14 acclaimed albums, he has collaborated with the likes of Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin and many more.
MONDAY APRIL 17
| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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