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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016
Sound Opinions -Local DJ enjoys another show hosted at a house he’s never been to before-
BY CHRIS BURK
Contributing Writer
The house shows never seem to end in Kirksville, and if you weren’t there Thursday, you missed a good one. Unlike the house show in support of the Tom Thumb Art Festival a couple of weeks ago, graduate student Jake Hurst, Aquadome president, supplied a PA system, which fit snugly between a full drum kit and multiple couches within the confines of the living room. That being said, this show was just as intimate as any other house show I’ve attended — concertgoers filled the room by squeezing themselves tightly on the couches, sitting on the floor or standing in corners. About 30 people were in attendance, enjoying live music and good conversation with free food and refreshments. With my attorney Kyle in tow, we packed ourselves onto a couch and enjoyed the first act of the evening, local artist Indran Fernando. Fernando played what I can only describe as an interesting set. Armed with nothing but a guitar and an effects pedal, he played through a short list of original songs. What separates his playing style from other acoustic artists I’ve seen in Kirksville is the way he plays his music — he mixes light-hearted lyrics with slamming his foot down on the pedal for a fat reverberated riff and then cuts the effect off just as fast as it began. It was a creative way to play music and a nice change of pace from the many acoustic sets I have heard this semester.
Concertgoers leaned and swayed with the slow tempo of the music, and I found myself in awe of how lead singer Rae Fitzgerald was able to hypnotize the audience. Matt Kennedy of the Busted String Band played the second set of the evening as a solo performance. The Busted String Band is a Kirksville staple, and I’ve seen them play their brand of country western music multiple times in many different venues over the years. By himself, though, Kennedy played a low-key country set that included covers of Hank Williams Sr. and Merle Haggard. Kennedy is an energetic performer and a friendly character who loves to chat. If you haven’t seen the Busted String Band live in town, you’re missing out on an important part of the Kirksville experience.
Chris Burk/TMN Guitarist Ian Vardell and singer Rae Fitzgerald perform their set April 7 at the Aquadome event “The Night of the Music.” Indran Fernando, Matt Kennedy and Two-Headed Cow also performed at the event. Rae Fitzgerald and her band played the shoegazey third set of the evening, meaning they used the effect pedals well in their low key performance. While the band has a couple of studio-recorded songs in the KTRM rotation, I hadn’t seen the band in person before. The house lights went down and the string lights came on for the set, which made the band’s gig the most intimate of the evening. Concertgoers leaned and swayed with the slow tempo of the music, and I found myself in awe of how lead singer Rae Fitzgerald was able to hypnotize the audience. The final act of the evening was from TwoHeaded Cow, a local alternative country quintet. Having seen the band play in a multitude of venues with acoustic and semi-acoustic setups during the past couple months, it was cool to see the band play an electric gig with Hurst as a late addition on the bass. Technically, I guess it made them a sextet Thursday night, but that’s not really as important as the group’s stage presence. Two-Headed Cow will play the Tom Thumb Art Festival this weekend and the Edge Week rock show next weekend,
which keeps the group chugging along with its high frequency of local sets in the past couple of months in support of its new extended play, “Shower Beer.” Speaking of, you need to stop by the Tom Thumb Art Festival at the Aquadome this weekend. The two-day show runs Friday and Saturday, with both nights featuring a packed list of spoken word and musical performances. Edge Week is almost here as well. We’ll be celebrating 88.7 The Edge all next week, ending with two nights of live music at the Aquadome. Next Thursday will be “Acoustic Night,” and April 23 will be the week-ending blowout “Rock Night.” Along with all of this, we’ll be featuring live jams in the studio all week long from great local artists. Keep track of the celebrations through KTRM’s social media. Send your complaints to burk992@ gmail.com, and as always, turbocharge your day with “THE WARMUP LAP” 7-9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on 88.7 The Edge.
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