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Ahh, mid- April,
The weather is 80 and super-windy, or it’s 40’s and overcast—enough already, we’re ready for outdoor concert season! The NFL Draft is on the horizon (streets are already closed anywhere near Union Station) and the amount of shows is slowly, but definitely rising up.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from April 18th-25th.
TUESDAY APRIL 18
City Morgue, The Truman,$28.50-$55
Since 2017, the NY rap/rock duo of ZillaKami and SosMula have gathered a growing fanbase following their 2018 debut, CITY MORGUE VOL. 1: HELL OR HIGH WATER, More recently, they released their TOXIC BOOGALOO EP in 2020 and CITY MORGUE VOL. 3: BOTTOM OF THE BARREL to complete their trilogy.
Annie (musical), Apr 18-23, Kauffman Center, $56.50-$126.50
The classic story has reminded generations of theatergoers that the sun will come out tomorrow and now the well-loved musical is set to return in a new production – just when we need it. This new revival is directed by Jenn Thompson, features the iconic book and score, written by Tony Award®-winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. This celebration of family, optimism and spirit remains the ultimate cure for the hard knock life we all face.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 19
Pop Evil with The Word Alive and Avoid, The Truman. $25-$50 
The Michigan postmodern alt rock band has returned with new studio album, Skeletons. featuring recent single, “Dead Reckoning” and has bumped their European Tour to finish out more US shows.
A bit hard to define their sound because they’re creatively restless and curious, there’s no discounting their passion and their fans love the fact that they continue to stretch their own musical boundaries. "That's our thing,"? Vocalist Leigh Kakaty declares. "People know they're going to get that Pop Evil."!
THURSDAY APRIL 20
Neil Hamburger, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $22-$25
Neil Hamburger is a stand-up comedian character created by Australian-American actor, musician and writer Gregg Turkington and he’s out on his well-named "GRAND RETURN TO THE STAGE” tour. (He says…) To make the shows more worthwhile for everyone, top Comedy and Music act Major Entertainer, has been added to the bill as well.
Little Stranger, Encore at Uptown, SOLD OUT
Philly-born, Charleston-raised, Kevin and John Shields are breaking into previously uncharted waters with their quirky indie hip-hop group. Stylistically somewhat to Gorillaz and Odelay-era Beck, the duo delivers a take on melodic hip-hop. The group also puts a big focus on creating visual experiences through their videos, own TV program (LSTV), and in-house graphics. 
Black Tiger Sex Machine w Kai Wachi, The Midland, $25-$40
From Montreal, the rising EDM trio specializes in aggressive, dark electronic music, as well as are also the label heads for Kannibalen Records The trio’s comprised of Marc Chagnon, Julien Maranda and Patrick Barry. and wear illuminated tiger helmets during their live shows.
The ‘PORTALS’ tour will be the most advanced BTSM production to date. The sets will showcase brand new immersive production with CGI animation and never before heard IDs from the album. They just released an album a year ago with Once Upon A Time In Cyberworld, but even before that album’s one-year anniversary, they announced next album, PORTALS.
Ronnie Milsap, Prairie Band Casino-Mayetta, SOLD OUT
The legendary Country music singer and pianist sells out the casino ballroom and expect hits like “Smoky Mountain Rain”, “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life”, “Lost in the Fifties (In the Still of the Night)”, “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World” and “She Keeps the Home Fires Burning”,
Carcass with Municipal Waste, Sacred Reich and more, Granada. $28
The UK extreme metal veterans have embarked on another tour with support on the trek from crossover thrash heroes MUNICIPAL WASTE, Arizona thrashers SACRED REICH and death metal newcomers CREEPING DEATH. Carcass's latest album, Torn Arteries, was released in September 2021 via Nuclear Blast.
4/20 Fest featuring Wiz Khalifa, Joey Bada$$ and more, Smokey River Entertainment District. $59.50-$125+ 
Jah love, Missouri has legalized it, mon! This inaugural fest celebrates the green and includes a Cannabis Village, featuring some of the state’s top brands. There will be designated consumption areas where cannabis lovers can come together and celebrate the day.
Wiz, Berner, and Smoke Dza are all well known in the cannabis space already, with all having their own cannabis brands: Khalifa Kush (Wiz), Cookies (Berner), and Smokers Club (DZA) and each should also take the stage for live performances (providing they’re up to it after sampling the stash).
FRIDAY APRIL 21
Booker T Jones The Folly, $25-$60
The legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and most famous Hammond B3 player in history takes the stage at a historic downtown venue.. As leader of Booker T and the MGs, he’s collaborated with Otis Redding, Albert King, and more during his tenure at Stax Records.
Booker recently released the newly remastered “Green Onions 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Rhino) and new album “Note by Note” (Edith Street Records) was out late last year, a companion to his memoir “Time Is Tight”, which was published last October (Little, Brown And Company).
SATURDAY APRIL 22
Laurie Berkner, Lied Center. $14-$25
Recognized as “the queen of kids’ music” by People magazine, Laurie Berkner is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, author and founder of 
Two Tomatoes Records, LLC, releasing 14 bestselling albums and is known as a leader behind the progressive “kiddie rock” movement.
Los Temerarios Midland. $49-$250
The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees are on a 20-city excursion that makes a stop in downtown KC. They received a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame in 2012 after winning the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Latin Billboard Music Awards. Originally known as Conjunto La Brisa, brothers Adolfo and Gustavo Angel formed the band in 1978 along with their cousin Fernando who departed in 2005.
Tim Dillon (comedy), Uptown,$39-$69
The stand-up comedian, writer, and actor was a new face at the Montreal Comedy Festival in 2016. He won the title of New York’s Funniest 2016 at Caroline’s NY Comedy Festival. He had two specials premiere in 2018, a Comedy Central Half Hour and a Netflix Quarter hour and hosts a Podcast called The Tim Dillon Show.
Molchat Doma w Nuovo Testamento, The Truman,$25-$50
Belarusian synthwavers are on an extensive 2023 North American tour with L.A.'s Nuovo Testamento. Their previous album was 2020's Monument with new album Love Lines just out on March 6 via Discoteca Italia, featuring single "Heartbeat".
Cupcakke,(upgraded to) Liberty Hall-Lawrence,$25 
Upgraded due to demand, Chicago’s Elizabeth Harris is known professionally as (stylized) cupcakKe, a rising rapper, singer and songwriter. First earning attention after releasing her 2016 mixtape Cum Cake in 2016, she remains an indie artist. Not for the meek, expect some graphic lyrics and a promiscuous and sultry style which earned her most of her fame. N1N4 FREAKQUNCY and Chance Romance also on the bill.
Elevation Nights, T-Mobile Center. $29.75-$189
Elevation Nights Spring 2023 Tour features Elevation Worship and Steven Furtick. The night of worship features a group of worship leaders bringing their message of hope and life, along with songs including “Graves Into Gardens, “RATTLE!,” “Do It Again,” “The Blessing” and others.
Emalkay w Coki, Encore at Uptown,$20-$25
The UK Dubstep legend (aka Martin Knowles) is out on his Into The System Tour. He is best known for his 2009 single "When I Look at You", bringing together elements of grime, garage, reggae, and drum'n'bass.
San Holo, Aura Nightclub, SOLD OUT
Dutch bass producer Sander van Dijck (aka San Holo) blurs the line between EDM genres in the pursuit of creative freedom. In 2014, Holo released his debut EP, Cosmos, and around the same time, Disney was threatening legal action over his stage name, claiming it an infringement on the Star Wars character. Holo defended his name as a tribute born out of a love for the franchise, and eventually Disney backed off.
Radkey (Midwest Music Foundation benefit for mental health) , The Ship,$15 
Funds from Midwest Music Foundation’s annual Donation Drive have assisted local musicians and industry professionals with affordable, essential health care services. This year’s focus on our Mental Health For Musicians initiative will designate funds for counseling and other mental wellness resources.
The evening will consist of two performances: a dinner matinee variety show curated by Havilah and Kris Bruders with doors at 6:00P and the show beginning at 7:00P., and a later concert featuring Radkey, Pamper the Madman, and Gascan, with doors at 9:30P.
SUNDAY APRIL 23
Ripe, April 23, recordBar, $20
Boston eclectic soul-pop outfit Ripe just released its sophomore LP, Bright Blues, last month via Glassnote Records. The high-energy outfit (currently comprised of singer Robbie Wulfsohn, guitarist Jon Becker, drummer Sampson Hellerman, and trombonist Calvin Barthel) has gotten growing buzz for their high-energy live shows and spirited performances.
“The wildest thing for me is that the new record simultaneously sounds like it has the scars of everything we’ve been through and also that it doesn’t,” says vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn. “It’s joyful music, which is very exciting given that it was made in the middle of getting hit in the stomach.”
First two singles from the album, “Settling” and “Noise in the Forest“ are making waves as well.
Trevor Hall, Granada- Lawrence, $34.50-$40 
The South Carolina singer-songwriter with his signature fusion of folk, roots, and reggae has returned to the road on the An Evening in a Blue Sky Mind Tour. Hall is set to share his fan-favorite hits, anthems, and music from his 2020 album "In and Through Your Body".
He’s performed with various musicians including Matisyahu, the Wailers, and Ben Harper and grew a fanbase that became a strongly-connected community..
August Burns Red w Devil Wears Prada, Bleed From Within, The Truman,$29.50-$60
ABR released Leveler:10th Anniversary Edition in 2021, re-recording its fourth album, which was originally released 2011, with special guests, brand new guitar solos, alternate versions, and more.
Brand new album Death Below came out just a couple weeks ago, and is the metalcore band’s tenth studio album.
Joe w/Case, The Midland CANCELED
MONDAY APRIL 24 
TUESDAY APRIL 25
Transviolet, recordBar, $20
The NY-born, L.A.-based alt dance pop quartet channels smooth hyper-romantic style vocals with low-key production and minimalist electro vibes to create subtle pop. We caught them live very early-on, way back in 2015 at the since-closed Triple Rock in Minneapolis and rightfully predicted bigger things for the band. New full-length Body, is out now.
Arrive early for Roy English, the creative spirit behind Jagwar Twin, in support of sophomore album, 33, out now and featuring single, “Happy Face”. The follow up to 2019 album, Subject To Flooding, he’s taken a nod from Adele in terms of naming the album.
“It’s about showing possibilities beyond the grid we’re currently living in and, I guess, how a 33-year-old failed influencer finally found their voice in this digital-first world. I want to make music that makes me want to dance, too.”
Ashe w Em Beihold, The Truman CANCELED,
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