|
Read more Kansas City Music Guide.
Halfway through July, which means some sweltering temps, severe storms, and other weather wonders. We’ve seen a few outdoor shows which were threatened, but everything passed by, and the show would go on (fingers crossed)- even so, be prepared just in case.
A little of the old, a little of the new this week, with a mix that anyone should be able to find a show or two, that is to their liking.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming week, from July 8th-14th.
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show's headline)
MONDAY JULY 8
TUESDAY JULY 9
Disney's The Little Mermaid (musical) July 9-14, Starlight Theatre, $12.80-$100
Princess Ariel, along with her best friends Sebastian and Flounder, make a splash in a new world as she finds her voice in this beloved Disney classic. Howard Ashman and eight-time Academy® Award winner Alan Menken’s beloved tale centers on young Ariel, who yearns to venture beyond her underwater home and go where the people are, up on land.
Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories, the enchanting musical includes tunes from Disney’s 1989 animated film, such as “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages and theatregoers of all ages will want to be part of this world.
Fiddlehead, July 9, The Bottleneck-Lawrence, $22-$25
The Boston-based post hardcore group is out on their "Death Is Nothing To US" tour in support of 2023 album, Death Is Nothing To Us. The band shared the following: “Probably the closest we will ever get to doing a proper full US tour. We are very psyched to announce these shows, and the great bands that are joining us.”
WEDNESDAY JULY 10
The Baseball Project, July 10, recordBar, $29
Led by drummer Linda Pitmon, The Baseball Project gives a shot to (not so) minor league recruits Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Mike Mills and Steve Wynn (aka half of R.E.M., the “Kerosene Man” and more). The group’s handful of albums celebrate the great American pastime giving a spotlight to some of the sports less well-known subjects.
Naming an album Grand Salami Time hints at an inside scoop and over the band’s career they have told the stories of “Larry Yount,” the older brother of Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who hurt himself throwing a warm-up pitch during his first and only MLB appearance; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Doc Ellis who tried to bean the entire Cincinnati Reds lineup (“The Day Dock Went Hunting Heads”); World Series hero and convicted felon Lenny Dykstra (“From Nails to Thumbtacks,”) and disgraced slugger Alex Rodriguez (“13”).
In 2008 they released their debut album, Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails followed up in 2011 with High and Inside. In 2014, they moved down the baseline to the aptly titled 3rd, and now after nine years, their fourth album Grand Salami Time. We caught them live back in 2014 in Minneapolis.
The album was recorded at Mitch Easter’s fabled Fidelitorium Studios in Kernersville, NC, with the entire band performing live together in the same room, a joyous experience that seemed impossible to imagine one year before. Easter played guitar on a few tracks and the record also features appearances by Stephen McCarthy (Long Ryders) and Steve Berlin (Los Lobos).
THURSDAY JULY 11
Winnetka Bowling League w Akira Galaxy, July 11, Encore at Uptown, $20
The rising LA indie trio debut album, Sha La La, released in late May, via Local Weather/MDDN Records as a follow up to their 2018 EP and a few singles. “Sha La La was an album recorded in Studio City. Catch this headlining appearance before they support Mother Mother in the Fall.
Frontman Matthew Koma says. “It’s very much a snapshot of my 20s… trying to make sense of the trip, indulging in the what ifs and allowing some of that unresolved discomfort to develop into ‘it didn’t matter.’ I wouldn’t say I live in the past or even think about it much, but what came out in this collection really is a revisiting of rehearsed truths. We make our own stories up along the way, and I’m not sure this record is any more accurate than the perceived experience while it was happening, but the feeling I get listening to it is how I’d like to remember growing up…and I hope some of the songs, or the whole thing, or pieces of it or whatever, can make other people feel that same warmth.”
FRIDAY JULY 12
The Wallflowers, July 12, Liberty Hall-Lawrence, $45-$79
Their latest album, Exit Wounds, arrived back in 2021 and the 54-year-old son of Bob Dylan, Jakob and his band have been back on the road for the last year or so, as we caught them live last August in Kansas City.
Breakthrough album “Bringing Down the Horse” was released in May 1996, producing the alternative radio hit “6th Avenue Heartache.” Late in 1996, the single “One Headlight” was released, and by the spring of 1997, it had become a Top Ten hit, pushing “Bringing Down the Horse” into the upper reaches of the charts. Early in 1998, “One Headlight” won Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.
They’ll be playing that album in full, along with a seminal Tom Petty record, at a special LA gig this Fall.
Voraath w Gorgatron, Casket Robbery July 12, Farewell, $15 (PWYC)
Prepare for a sonic descent into the unknown as USA’s Voraath unleashes their debut album “Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters” – a heavy and immersive experience through extreme music and sci-fi themes. In this release, they infused their enthusiasm for 80’s action sci-fi with their passion for brutal yet epic metal with hints of their own culture which includes haunting folk elements. The Asheville NC metallers are supporting Gorgatron and Casket Robbery on the “Mechanical Necrosis Tour”
North Dakota death-metal unit Gorgatron have been building up steam since they released their debut album, Torturetorium, in 2010. Their fourth album, Sentience Revoked (Redefining Darkness), is just out, following lead single, “Conduit of Pain,” based on a memorable occasion when vocalist Karl Schmidt got a concussion and had to take an ambulance ride while tripping on mushrooms.
Madison, WI death metal band Casket Robbery create their own signature style of death metal by infusing horror and occult themes. Check out new single, “Bone Mother” out now.
SATURDAY JULY 13
Yelawolf, July 13, Grinders KC, SOLD OUT
Alabama-born and Nashville-based multi-platinum chart-topping artist and entrepreneur Yelawolf released new single “Trailer In The Sky” alongside Jelly Roll, ahead of new album, a double-LP, War Story – Michael Wayne (Part 1) & Trunk Muzik 4ever (Part 2), just out. Various special guests include Killer Mike, Jelly Roll, Caskey and Struggle Jennings.
About the single, Yelawolf said, “An album is like a book, and the beginning and the end are important to me. This is how it starts. My hometown has never been nice to me, so I’m speaking on that. The message is, you can look down on us from your high horse if you’ve never been to jail and don’t have tattoos, but we all end up in the same place.” We caught him back in 2015 at the sorely missed Go Fest in Minneapolis.
Arrive early for Minneapolis-based rapper Prof, who as you can guess, we’re very familiar with and have seen numerous times over the years.
SUNDAY JULY 14
Citizen Soldier w/ SkyDxddy, Keith Wallen, July 14, Truman, $27-$40
Citizen Soldier is a band that sings about the struggles with mental health- the Salt Lake City–based band, “presents an accessible message that combats stigmatization and provides a group therapy dynamic.” Jake Segura started the band after wanting to share his journey looking for psychiatric care back in 2016. He didn’t intend to turn his passion project of bringing awareness to mental health into a career; however, people were impressed by the songs and wanted more. The band consists of singer Jake Segura, guitarists Matt Duffney and Kooper Honosky, bassist and keyboardist Wonitta and drummer Kyle Persell.
Opener Keith Wallen is a guitarist and vocalist, and a diverse songwriter. As guitarist and backing vocalist, he’s brought his enthusiasm to Breaking Benjamin since the multiplatinum rock band’s 2014 reformation, appearing on Dark Before Dawn (2015) and Ember (2018), as well as numerous worldwide tours.
Horrendous w Tomb Mold, July 14, recordBar, $24.36
Two boundary-pushing, genre-transcending death metal bands, Philly’s Horrendous and Ontario Canada band Tomb Mold, are teaming up for the Enraptured By Fate’s Tangled Thread Tour this summer. It follows the releases of both bands’ respective 2023 albums, Ontological Mysterium and The Enduring Spirit.
“Ever since an all-too-brief weekend stint of live shows in 2018 with the masterminds behind Tomb Mold, we’ve dreamed of uniting forces for something greater”, Horrendous says. “Six years later, the time has finally arrived!”
Beach Boys, July 14, Uptown Theater, $49-$167
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, which made its name with songs that used California as a backdrop for musical explorations of youth, love, life and surfing, still includes original member Mike Love on lead vocals. Accompanying Love is longtime band member Bruce Johnston, as well as Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, Jon Bolton, Keith Hubacher, Randy Leago and John Wedemeyer.
The Beach Boys are keeping summer vibes alive currently on their “Endless Summer Gold” tour, and last year, the band was honored in the star-studded Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys, and in 2022, the band shared a compilation, Sounds of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys.
Expect a set full of hits that you know every word to like when we caught them live at a 2019 Minneapolis charity gig. Don’t expect John Stamos guesting on this date or Dave Mason opening (but Mason does headline this venue later this month).
Dale Watson, July 14, Knuckleheads, $20
Watson is a legendary singer and songwriter, self-published author and honkytonk evangelist who keeps the true country music flame alive. He has more than 30 studio albums and countless performances under his belt, normally touring 300 days per year. He was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and is a regular guest at The Grand Ole Opry, Austin City Limits (ACL), and The Austin Continental Club.
His latest album “Starvation Box,” is named after the expression Huddie Ledbetter’s father used in disdain for his son’s guitar. The musical foundation for the album is a 1957 12-string, gifted to Watson.
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 |
Recent Comments