Sound Machine 004 will be a hip hop feast. Featuring some of the best examples of rap and hip hop from Kansas City, St. Louis, Lincoln, and Lawrence, this Saturday concert at recordBar will prove that hip hop in the midwest extends beyond Tech N9ne, Lupe Fiasco, and Mac Lethal. Sound Machine 004 will showcase […]

This Friday, The Brick will host local soul jazz wanders Royalphonic, St. Louis pop rockers Fire Dog, and Kansas City’s own Latino traditionalists Ayllu. While each band occupies a different aesthetic space, they all find the sweet spot of technical proficiency and sloppy passion. These two elements come together in all three acts to make […]

Summer is the season for house shows. Of course, they happen all the time, but there’s something about summer’s extended daylight, the sweat, the ability to be outside without freezing to death, the feeling of a cold beverage in the hand that make house shows all the more appealing. This Thursday, there’s going to be […]

Young Buffalo is a delightful blend of dad-rock riffs and best-the-indie-world-has-to-offer vocals. The Oxford, MS based band does well to balance their visceral guitar squeals and chords with smart vocal melodies and drums that are powerful without being overpowering. Their self-titled 2012 EP is about 20 minutes of mastery hammered into five almost too brief […]

Fellow Kansas Citians, consider Friday night at the well-curated Middle of the Map Fest to be revenge straight from 1985, a night when denizens of Missouri’s other major-city came into town and took the 816 by storm. Save for a few centurion-like bands standing at the walls to keep marauders out, Friday night was an […]

In our countdown to the 2014 Middle of the Map Fest (April 3-5), we’ve decided to preview several of the artists for our loyal readers. First up is a MOTM veteran, St. Louis based indie/garage rock band Sleepy Kitty. This year marks their third appearance at MOTM and they’ve become somewhat of a local favorite […]

  I’m still not entirely sure what “St. Louis”, the most recent release from New Zealand artist Nick Harte’s Shocking Pinks project has to do with the city of the same name. Maybe he’s taking a cue from fellow New-Zealander Lorde and writing about Missouri staples. If that’s the case, can we dispatch Kimbra to […]