The Pitch Music Showcase 2013 continued from page 21
In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … A conglomerate of styles we have spent time diving into, including hip-hop, pop, R&B and gospel music. What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? We love the collaborative efforts happening in the scene and the fans who are dedicated to supporting great local music. The best song/album I/we heard this year: Gerald Clayton, Life Forum What’s your favorite local act at the moment? Heartfelt Anarchy
JEFF HARSHBARGER What’s new and what’s next? I’ve just finished working the KC Bass Workshop, which was absolutely incredible. Ten great teachers from around the world, including the legendary Francois Rabbath, working with 70 supremely talented bassists. Now I’m finalizing plans for my European tour in August. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … Dangerously classy. Your cool older brother made you check it out, and your mother dances to it when she doesn’t think you’re looking. What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? I like seeing more local groups mixing it up with national acts. The best song/album I/we heard this year: Wayne Shorter, Without a Net The best show I/we saw this year: Francois Rabbath at Park University What’s your favorite local act at the moment? The Grisly Hand
MARK LOWREY What’s new and what’s next? I released my second solo CD, Tangos for 18th Street. My jazz trio is happy to be playing weekly, at the Majestic and the new Green Lady Lounge. What’s next? I just started working on a Schubert song cycle, so I guess classical music. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … My solo playing is different than when I play with Dutch Newman or Making Movies or my jazz trio, but I like to think that I retain my own identity. I’m an improviser. The best song/album I/we heard this year: Fado Novato’s debut album, Começo. KCbased Shay Estes, Beau Bledsoe and Jordan Shipley playing traditional Portuguese music. So sad and hauntingly beautiful. The best show I/we saw this year: I play almost every night so don’t get to see as much as I’d like. Recently I got to see the five-year anniversary of the People’s Liberation Big Band. They are amazing. What’s your favorite local act at the moment? The Paul Shin Trio — Paul, Dominique Sand-
LINDSEY FISHER
HERMON MEHARI
Making Movies ers and Ryan Lee. They are so tight. I catch them Sundays at the Green Lady.
LIVE AC T
THE BEAUTIFUL BODIES What’s new and what’s next? Just released our new EP, Battles, which we recorded with John Feldmann (the Used, Panic at the Disco). We have been on Warped Tour this summer and we head back out on tour in the fall. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … Black Flag meets Michael Jackson What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? Kansas City has always had a very strong music scene, and it seems like people outside the city finally are starting to figure it out. What’s rad is how diverse the bands are. Artists — ranging from punk to rap to indie to Afro-Cuban — are really starting to make waves around the country. The quality of all these very different bands is excellent. Because we are not in New York or L.A., bands have to work harder to get noticed, which I think has forced artists from here to be really good. You’re not going to make it from knowing people or getting lucky. It really raises the bar of quality here. The best song/album I/we heard this year: Daft Punk’s new record is incredibly addictive. The best show I/we saw this year: Still recovering from the all-out assault of Hammerlord’s CD release. Amazing show. What’s your favorite local act at the moment? Mac Lethal
COWBOY INDIAN BEAR What’s new and what’s next? Well, after years of working on it, our second album, Live Old, Die Young, came out in late
spring. The process of finishing that one up while touring was an intense one, so we’ve just been trying to relax this summer. This fall we’ll be hitting the road back out to Chicago and New York promoting a documentary that our friend Micki Hadley has been making the last six months or so. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … We have a lush sound, with a tense energy to it. I always like the idea of dropping someone right into someone else’s mood. What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? Love that the KC music scene seems to have risen up to truly take pride in developing arts in its community. The best song/album I/we heard this year: Best song: These New Puritans, “Fragment 2”; favorite album: Rhye, Woman. The best show I/we saw this year: Probably a show we caught on one of our days off in NYC in April: a songwriter named Emily King. Her band had so much control and nuance, it was crazy. We’d all agree that each of us was legitimately inspired after that show. What’s your favorite local act at the moment? Heartscape Landbreak, from here in Lawrence. Just some ridiculous guitar/bass/composition work going on in that band.
THE DEAD GIRLS What’s new and what’s next? We’ve spent much of this year raising funds to make a physical release of our new album, Fade In/Fade Out, which we released digitally in February. We haven’t been playing very much because all of us have been knee-deep in U.S. Air Guitar season, something we are all very passionate about. Eric is already on his way to nationals, having emerged victorious in the New York semifinal, and Cameron is going to the Washington, D.C., semifinal in a couple of weeks to try to claim his spot at nationals. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … A thin, cheap trick named Lizzy KISSing a superchunky pope smoker.
What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? The music scene is absolutely fantastic, but most people would rather go out to a dance night with a DJ or something. Maybe it’s because of the cheap cover charge or maybe it’s because you can’t really dance to Ghosty, we’re not really sure. But we definitely don’t relate. The best song/album I/we heard this year: The ACBs, Little Leaves. It’s not just our favorite local album but probably our favorite album of 2013 period. These guys just know how to write great songs, and they know they need to push themselves further with each album. Best song: “Come Back to Life,” Hospital Ships. The best show I/we saw this year: The Zombies at SXSW, Black Flag at the Granada, Cheap Trick at VooDoo Lounge, the Darkness at the Uptown, Grizzly Bear at the Uptown, Deerhoof at RecordBar What’s your favorite local act at the moment? Everyone knows we are sluts for the ACBs.
HEARTS OF DARKNESS What’s new and what’s next? Everything. Evolving. We love seeing new faces. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … Involving. What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? More “I don’t give a FUK what the genre is” shows! The best song/album I/we heard this year: Cowboy Indian Bear, Live Old, Die Young; “QUEEN,” Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu The best show I/we saw this year: Rakim then Dead Prez at the Riot Room, the Staves at the Brick What’s your favorite local act at the moment? Hermon Mehari
MAKING MOVIES What’s new and what’s next? As I write, I’m in NYC doing some interviews at LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference), and tomorrow I fly to meet the band and launch our East Coast tour with Ghosty. After the tour, we get a week at home, and then it looks like we’ll be playing our first international dates in August. In 140 or fewer characters, my/our sound is … We dig deep into Afro-Latino rhythms and culture and present them through the filter of our modern lives. What are you liking/not liking about the KC music scene right now? We are so lucky to have a supportive and captive audience. A few weeks ago, we had our second annual M.U.S.I.C.A. Summer Camp in the inner city, and we had so much support from musicians, DJs, fans and business owners allowing us to provide quality programming for some youth that wouldn’t have been exposed to it otherwise. Those people make me continued on page 24 proud of our little city.
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