Kansas City You Be So Pretty
I went to Kansas City to my pal Dylan's Big Birthday Bender Blowout Bash! Three days of music plus a slew of phenomenal freaks and funfolk I don't get to see that often.
I'd never been to Kansas City. Holy crap, dudes. It is P to the RETTY. It's got all these oddly painted neighborhoods. I passed a cool bookstore and was in a coupla swell bars and there was vegetarian or vegan food all over the place. Nice.
Dylan took over the Westport Saloon and Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club for his three-day birthday bender. Not joking. I mean, I thought I was badass being able to stay up till like 4, but then you see folks stumbling around the hotel at 7 a.m. and realize how weak sauce you are. But whatever. I need to sleep to dance. And I only heard about these inebriates from my pal Rude Joe. He was always awake. Me and Banana visited Joe and his hairdryer around 10 a.m., whereupon he gave us each an apple. He bought them from a bohemian woman who led a small parade (that included an egret) who followed her because she made music via foot-tambourine.
ANYWAYS!
DAY 1!
Friday, I drove from Iowa to Kansas City with a pal. The car ride disappeared into new-friending and talk of feminism and music.
The shitty part of Friday: VOMITING PROFUSELY. Bad Chinese food. Oi.
The second awful part about Friday: Not dancing that much due to stomach troubles. HMPH. Double hmph to Banana who has an IRON STOMACH OF POWER! who didn't get sick at all and was a DANCING MACHINE! I was jealous.
Bands that played on Friday:
Sterling Eugene and Josh Wardlaw
...who played pop covers at Dylan's request
Lou Shields
...artist and bluesman who sounds like he was born in a dust storm and raised on a Mississippi porch. He released two albums in 2014 - Cold Water Collection and American Relic. Buy 'em.
The Drunken Cuddle
...punk rock party songs whose interests include sweet nuzzes, cats, and whiskey. If they pass through your dive, you should see the show and then buy a shirt. And then buy one of Katie Marie Sternig's rad wood burn art pieces.
County Graves
...this is the kind of midwestern Americana act that can cover "St. James Infirmary" and not sound like assholes. Gut-deep voices exploring dark corners of living. Loved them.
Filthy Still
....manic energy put to everything from Bigfoot, pill-poppin, and workin' what you got...which may or may not mean masturbating.
The Hooten Hallers
...FILTHY SEXYASS BAND! The Hooten Hallers play dirty blues appropriate to howl outta pick-up trucks parked in front of juke joints where John Waters could get bathroom blowies.
DAY 2!
And then, DAMN! Saturday. Saturday was hella adventure because music didn't start till 9 p.m...so me, Banana, new pal Becky, and Rude Joe went WANDERING! No joke, we found a GLASS LABYRINTH! And GIANT SHUTTLECOCKS! and a VEGAN BRUNCH! and a FREE ART MUSEUM! I know. I know. Kansas City totally rocked it.
Bands that played on Saturday:
A.J. Gaither
...an instrument-buildin', world-betterin', goddamn good one man band. You can get his album, Half-Lit and Whole-Hearted for a fin. Seriously, a five spot. GET IT! Also, I want this shirt.
Billy Cook
...Rude Joe and I decided that Billy Cook looks like a disheveled community college professor who got fired about a month back and is on a bender. And seriously, SKILLS. Listen to "Salt and Meat" and tell me you don't want more.
Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy
...do I love watching this band? Yes. Do I love dancing to them more? YES. So...me and Banana went to the back of the bar for party-arm-swing-around space to their literate, history-infused, high-octane brassride of union songs and debauched livin'.
The Urban Pioneers
...Liz Sloan is my hero. She plays the fiddle so hard you can see God in her face. And Jared McGovern can work a standup bass and twang a banjo to my heart's content. Heck yeah, you should buy their everything.
Joseph Huber
...I've crowed about this man all over this blog and my former blog and EVERYWHERE EVER. Because his lyrics are poetry and poets are motherfucking important. The album Tongues of Fire - one of my favorites ever. What? He also makes furniture? I know. I WANT IT ALL.
The Calamity Cubes!
...a goodtime band that can wreck your soul then fix it right. A three-piece off of Farmageddon Records, these dudes are hella nice and amazingly talented. See them live. The Calamity Cubes! play the sorta songs that could revive a crippled alley cat and make him dance.
DAY 3!
Oh god. There was more music. Definitely more music. What was the music? Day three...it was getting harder. There was a serious lack of sleep happening. A definite want of food. If you are ever in Kansas City, try Freebirds World Burrito. Best GIANORMO burrito ever. Split one with Banana and it gave the day the gusto it needed.
Bands the played:
Amanda Mayflower
...seek her out. She makes puppets and is a gorgeous singer. What else do you need???
Tyler Giles
...laidback singer of whiskey and worldly livin.
Kody Oh
Brook Blanche
Joey Henry's Dirty Sunshine Club
...why yes, the three above are the three members of The Calamity Cubes! They each do solo work, too. Kody Oh's got a 90s rock vibe with a bluesman's voice. Brook Blanche does a full-bodied band of lowdown heartache songs. Joey Henry, well, he fills powers out surreal songs on the beauty and the bad in the world.
...I'm not sure but I feel I might be missing someone, damn it. But all of them were AWESOME.
* * *
And then I narrowly avoided driving home in a snowstorm while listening to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on audiobook. Yes, it is phenomenal. No, I have no idea why I waited this long to read it. Yes, I now want to read ALL HER BOOKS!
* * *
Hope you had a rad Valentine's Day weekend. I did. On top of everything else...I got THIS MESMERIZING SHIRT from M:
AND AND AND AND AND, a friend brought over baked goods last night. So I be cookie-nibblin...which, I guess turns me into a fearsome ghostlady:
I'd never been to Kansas City. Holy crap, dudes. It is P to the RETTY. It's got all these oddly painted neighborhoods. I passed a cool bookstore and was in a coupla swell bars and there was vegetarian or vegan food all over the place. Nice.
Dylan took over the Westport Saloon and Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club for his three-day birthday bender. Not joking. I mean, I thought I was badass being able to stay up till like 4, but then you see folks stumbling around the hotel at 7 a.m. and realize how weak sauce you are. But whatever. I need to sleep to dance. And I only heard about these inebriates from my pal Rude Joe. He was always awake. Me and Banana visited Joe and his hairdryer around 10 a.m., whereupon he gave us each an apple. He bought them from a bohemian woman who led a small parade (that included an egret) who followed her because she made music via foot-tambourine.
ANYWAYS!
DAY 1!
Friday, I drove from Iowa to Kansas City with a pal. The car ride disappeared into new-friending and talk of feminism and music.
The shitty part of Friday: VOMITING PROFUSELY. Bad Chinese food. Oi.
The second awful part about Friday: Not dancing that much due to stomach troubles. HMPH. Double hmph to Banana who has an IRON STOMACH OF POWER! who didn't get sick at all and was a DANCING MACHINE! I was jealous.
Bands that played on Friday:
Sterling Eugene and Josh Wardlaw
...who played pop covers at Dylan's request
Lou Shields
...artist and bluesman who sounds like he was born in a dust storm and raised on a Mississippi porch. He released two albums in 2014 - Cold Water Collection and American Relic. Buy 'em.
The Drunken Cuddle
...punk rock party songs whose interests include sweet nuzzes, cats, and whiskey. If they pass through your dive, you should see the show and then buy a shirt. And then buy one of Katie Marie Sternig's rad wood burn art pieces.
County Graves
...this is the kind of midwestern Americana act that can cover "St. James Infirmary" and not sound like assholes. Gut-deep voices exploring dark corners of living. Loved them.
Filthy Still
....manic energy put to everything from Bigfoot, pill-poppin, and workin' what you got...which may or may not mean masturbating.
The Hooten Hallers
...FILTHY SEXYASS BAND! The Hooten Hallers play dirty blues appropriate to howl outta pick-up trucks parked in front of juke joints where John Waters could get bathroom blowies.
DAY 2!
And then, DAMN! Saturday. Saturday was hella adventure because music didn't start till 9 p.m...so me, Banana, new pal Becky, and Rude Joe went WANDERING! No joke, we found a GLASS LABYRINTH! And GIANT SHUTTLECOCKS! and a VEGAN BRUNCH! and a FREE ART MUSEUM! I know. I know. Kansas City totally rocked it.
Bands that played on Saturday:
A.J. Gaither
...an instrument-buildin', world-betterin', goddamn good one man band. You can get his album, Half-Lit and Whole-Hearted for a fin. Seriously, a five spot. GET IT! Also, I want this shirt.
Billy Cook
...Rude Joe and I decided that Billy Cook looks like a disheveled community college professor who got fired about a month back and is on a bender. And seriously, SKILLS. Listen to "Salt and Meat" and tell me you don't want more.
Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy
...do I love watching this band? Yes. Do I love dancing to them more? YES. So...me and Banana went to the back of the bar for party-arm-swing-around space to their literate, history-infused, high-octane brassride of union songs and debauched livin'.
The Urban Pioneers
...Liz Sloan is my hero. She plays the fiddle so hard you can see God in her face. And Jared McGovern can work a standup bass and twang a banjo to my heart's content. Heck yeah, you should buy their everything.
Joseph Huber
...I've crowed about this man all over this blog and my former blog and EVERYWHERE EVER. Because his lyrics are poetry and poets are motherfucking important. The album Tongues of Fire - one of my favorites ever. What? He also makes furniture? I know. I WANT IT ALL.
The Calamity Cubes!
...a goodtime band that can wreck your soul then fix it right. A three-piece off of Farmageddon Records, these dudes are hella nice and amazingly talented. See them live. The Calamity Cubes! play the sorta songs that could revive a crippled alley cat and make him dance.
DAY 3!
Oh god. There was more music. Definitely more music. What was the music? Day three...it was getting harder. There was a serious lack of sleep happening. A definite want of food. If you are ever in Kansas City, try Freebirds World Burrito. Best GIANORMO burrito ever. Split one with Banana and it gave the day the gusto it needed.
Bands the played:
Amanda Mayflower
...seek her out. She makes puppets and is a gorgeous singer. What else do you need???
Tyler Giles
...laidback singer of whiskey and worldly livin.
Kody Oh
Brook Blanche
Joey Henry's Dirty Sunshine Club
...why yes, the three above are the three members of The Calamity Cubes! They each do solo work, too. Kody Oh's got a 90s rock vibe with a bluesman's voice. Brook Blanche does a full-bodied band of lowdown heartache songs. Joey Henry, well, he fills powers out surreal songs on the beauty and the bad in the world.
...I'm not sure but I feel I might be missing someone, damn it. But all of them were AWESOME.
* * *
And then I narrowly avoided driving home in a snowstorm while listening to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on audiobook. Yes, it is phenomenal. No, I have no idea why I waited this long to read it. Yes, I now want to read ALL HER BOOKS!
* * *
Hope you had a rad Valentine's Day weekend. I did. On top of everything else...I got THIS MESMERIZING SHIRT from M:
AND AND AND AND AND, a friend brought over baked goods last night. So I be cookie-nibblin...which, I guess turns me into a fearsome ghostlady:
