Kansas S/T Kirshner 1974

Kansas S/T Kirshner 1974 CAT #32817

The best thing about the debut by Kansas is the cover.  This is the greatest cover on any album ever.  You don't like John Brown and the story behind Bleeding Kansas?  Fuck you, you're a racist.  Yeah dude, Kansas was on the right side; Free State.  That's how we roll, you're welcome.

Other than that, there's an absurd amount of fiddle on this LP.  I've never thought to myself, hey, these keyboards and rambling chord progressions could really use some fiddle.  But, the band Kansas did.  I guess that was going to be there calling card back in the day.  They were going to be that prog-rock outfit with a fuckin' fiddle.  Heads will explode.

Aside from that, there's a lot of boogie in the album.  It has its moments within the songs.  But, it lacks any sort of focus.  It's all the bands tricks at once.  They would get better, focusing on boogie and harmonies more so than all the prog and fiddle.  All lot of the songs show promise at the start before the band just starts lumping everything they have into them.  For one, The Pilgrimage, could have been solid had they not destroyed it with an organ break and a guitar vs. fiddle dual.  It's just that way throughout the entire thing.  The band focuses too much on trying to show you their virtuosic skills rather than their songwriting skills.

The Pilgrimage

Vitreous Humor My Midget B/W New Victoria 7" Theater Mute America 1996

Vitreous Humor My Midget B/W New Victoria  Theater Mute America 1996 CAT#7006-7

Solid 7" from Lawrence, KS' Vitreous Humor.  Odd, this one is a bit tougher to track down than the stuff on Crank!, you'd think Mute would've been the more widely distributed, but who knows.

Regardless, the 7" represents sonic growth in the band.  The initial releases we're kids obsessed with the indie rock coming out of North Carolina in the 90's.  This adds elements of KC style post hardcore and definitely finds the band gleaming the emo sound from their label mates at Crank!.  My Midget spins for two minutes, building and building until Danny Pound decides to throw in some lyrics.

"New Victoria Theater" only appeared on this release.  It's a solid tune so it raises the question, why wasn't it contained on the Post Humous CD release?

My Midget

The Appleseed Cast Low Level Owl: Volumes I+II Deep Elm Records and Big School Records 3XLP Color Vinyl (Gold)

The Appleseed Cast Low Level Owl: Volumes I+II Deep Elm Records and Big School Records 3XLP Color Vinyl (Gold) 2013 CAT # BSR-007

People love these albums.  I mean, they put this reissue out in 2013 and they are freaking gone, already bringing in high dollar on eBay.

Personally, I prefer Mare Vitalis.  I'm likely in the minority there.  I just thought that album had more energy than these (keep in mind, these originally came out as two separate albums).  Plus, Mare Vitalis had "Fishing the Sky" which is the greatest thing the band ever recorded.  I'm just overwhelmed by the response to these albums, I've read that after this album, The Cast became America's answer to Radiohead, and I've read people gush over the experimentation with post-rock sounds.

I remember getting the CDs from Aaron Pillar for free after having to beg him.  Then, after he reluctantly handed them over, I felt bad because the albums can be challenging to get through, I barely listened to them.  There's a lot of space, a lot of experimentation, and it takes a while to soak these in.  At the time, I wasn't in the mood for that.  Further, it just proves, that this has nothing to do with Radiohead, we're not even going to jump into that idea because it's absurd.

However, I would like to address the post-rock experimentation.  The band dicks around a lot on these LPS.  On the liners, they state it's because they have a lot of ideas.  I think the truth is, they needed/wanted to get out of their contract with Deep Elm as soon as possible.  These albums were the answer; two sprawling releases that coincide with each other.  And in between the songs, there's not just segues, there's more songs of looped guitars and drum tracks filled with ambiance and atmosphere.  That part of the LP is what set the emo kids off.  Probably because they never heard Brian Eno, but I guess it was all new to their ears.  If they were familiar with it, they called it Godspeed You Black Emporer-esque, but again, they never heard Eno.  The experimentation is just looped tracks for the most part, some drumming building up and Pillar's guitar slowly adding depth.  It's decent, just not memorable.

In between the segues, there is some incredible songs though.  Had this been just one LP, it's easily 5 star material.  The droning sounds do bleed into the actual songs, but that what makes the songs great, not the albums.  However, by the fan base embracing the Low Level albums and the critical praise, it did send Appleseed Cast in a whole new direction.  The work that followed perfected the sounds found here.  The time since these LPS have been released took them out of Emo scene and firmly entrenched them in the post rock scene.  And, despite being Kansans by choice only, they are currently Kansas' most important band touring and putting out new music.

On Reflection
Steps & Numbers

Buddy Bohn Take a Letter Maria B/W Sweetwater Happy Tiger 1970

Buddy Bohn Take a Letter Maria B/W Sweetwater Happy Tiger CAT # HT 524 1970

The performer, Buddy Bohn , is not local to Kansas.  The thing to note here is the songwriter on the B-Side, Val Stoecklein.  He continued on as a songwriter after the break up of the Blue Things and the failure of his solo release.  He wrote some tunes for the label that put out his solo release, Dot.  Oddly, he later wrote some B-Sides for the religious indie label, Happy Tiger, in the late 60's into the 70's.  He also contributed to a fairly obscure psych LP entitled Environment/Evolution by Ecology and contributed to a rock opera entitled, Truth of Truths.  I used to have Truth of Truths but pitched prior to the idea for this blog and because it's religious pap.

The performer, Buddy Bohn, is some sort of travelling troubadour who has played all over the world street corner style.  He gives Stoecklein's tune a very outsider folk feel.  It's decent, but certainly not a hidden gem.

Dan Sturdevant Band Tyrannosaurus Rex B/W Ol' Man River Private Press Release 1979

Dan Sturdevant Band Tyrannosaurus Rex B/W Ol' Man River Private Press Release 1979 No Cat #


I'm not sure why this exists?  The lyrics to Tyrannosaurus Rex seem to be a shot at dependency on oil.  It was put out in 1979, the U.S. Gas Crisis was several years before this was released, so that's not the answer.  You can try the lyrics, but they are as cryptic as a 14 year old girl on Facebook.  There's also a possible explanation on the back side following the lyrics stating; "Of course, Tyrannosaurus Rex's remains make up a very small part of the biomass in creating oil--and who knows if, in the apparently natural evolutionary design, man will be superceded by "three legged creatures"?"  What?  What the fuck is Dan Strurdevant referring to?


Regardless, it's local.  Recorded in KCMO.  It's awful.  Kind of lounge-y, but not over the top enough.  It seems as if everybody was trying really hard to create a fun, laugh along song.  Problem, the song is awful and it's not funny.  The B-Side is a cover of Ol' Man River.  It's awful, too.  You figure it's because how do you follow such a killer A-Side, right?  More likely, the guy just thought his idea had to see the light of day, he didn't have any other songs to offer but had to get the one he did out there as soon as possible.

***Afterthought, did some research, Mr. Sturdevant, does a lounge act in KC and still pens some tunes from time to time.

Lounge
Eh, a Christmas song about KC

Chris Connor I Miss You So Atlantic 1956

Chris Connor I Miss You So Atlantic 1956 Cat #8014

I'm a sucker for vocal jazz or what has become known as Torch Jazz.  Good news about that, I've been picking stuff up at thrift stores for a dollar.  Also good news, if they turn out to suck, they're usually worth more than you think, there's quite a scene for this stuff.

Mind you, I'm not an expert on it and in all actuality, I picked this particular LP not knowing what it was but, was intrigued by an all black Atlantic label.  Put it on, said "fuck, yes, I love this stuff."  Then I did some research.  To my surprise I discovered Chris Connor was a native of Kansas City and attended the University of Missouri to study music.  She would leave KC in 47 to achieve fame in New York.  In the early 50's, she caught on with Stan Kenton (born in Wichita) and worked as a vocalist with him.  That association and a hit sinlge led her to her first solo debut in 1953.

This isn't the most sought after LP of hers and for good reason.  It is vocal jazz, but it lacks any sort of punch, a very pop-orientated effort.  However, you do understand why Connor was able to sustain her career well into the 1970's.  Great voice and not over the top with it like other female singers of the time.  Cool jazz style, very much a female version of Chet Baker.  She restrained herself and doesn't go into absurd fits that are over the top with emotion.

Proudentall The Anniversary Split 7" Paper Brigade 1998

Proudentall/The Anniversary Split 7" Say Something B/W All Right For Now Paper Brigade 1998 NO Catalog #

First thing I want to mention, Matt Rubin released this record before he could drive.  He has recently released records and such, but currently works on online projects out in New York and Paper Brigade is no longer a fully functioning label.  I can't remember if he put this out or the 5 Song Reflector CD first, but the point I'm trying to make is that he was living with his parents when he started a record label.  Just a bit more on Matt Rubin, he's a cool guy and we used to hang with the .emo kids in Lawrence, KS.  He put this record out, Reflector, and the Casket Lottery locally.  The most tragic thing, he wasn't old enough to drive to shows, further, he wasn't old enough to get into shows to see these bands perform.  He obtained the money to create his label by hopping on the dot.com boom when he was like 12 or 13 years old.  He designed and ran a Neo-Ska website that became the biggest of its kind.  He then sold the website for a large amount of money as a teenager because he discovered he liked punk rock and wanted to start a label instead of continuing on a website.  Cool, right?

Now, this 7".  Let's not kid ourselves, this is Lawrence rock via Blue Valley/Shawnee Mission.  Both these bands have ties to burbs of Kansas City.  However, you can't tell from the tunes.  Proudentall was a great band.  I'm about 99% positive this is the only release they ever did on vinyl.  Matt Dunahoo, who I believe was the undisputed leader of this band, was a KJHK Music Director and an all around active Lawrence musician.  For whatever reason though, this band never caught on locally (never mind nationally) the way they should have.  I would have to credit the lack of success to Lawernce Hipsters and bad luck.  Matt is a passionate dude and wears things on his sleeves.  I think that rubbed people the wrong way.  This song for example, owes heavily to Slint.  Matt, who can sing well, speak-sings over the entire thing.  That trick is employed by bands like Slint, Seam, Codeine because the singers weren't singers at all.  I think that aspect of band came off as disingenuous.  Fact is, Proudentall was just paying respect and utilizing great influences.  Proudentall also suffered from horrible luck.  Their 2001 CD only release, 'What's Happening Here' was put out by Caulfield who prior to 2001 was a leader in the Emo Scene.  The label had released KC's Giants Chair, and the extremely popular Denver band, Christie Front Drive.  However, by 2001, Caulfield had lost Christie Front Drive to a break up and was struggling to keep it's niche among Polyvinyl, Jade Tree and a kajillion smaller labels.  'What's Happening Here' was well reviewed, those that got their hands on a copy loved it, and the band attempted to support it on tour.  However, Caulfield didn't get the album out there to college radio or offer much in the way of promotion.  Proudentall called it quits shortly after.

The Anniversary side is a good bridge between high school and college rock.  Prior to this release the members of the Anniversary tooled around in Blue Valley high school bands, playing places like Gee Coffee in Olathe.  Most notably, The Nuclear Family, who featured Justin Roelofs, got local radio play with a track called, and I'm not kidding, "Gerdy, Gerdy, Wow, Wow."  They even toured in their later days with Goldfinger who was a moderately successful alt rock band.  Later, Roelofs would start the Broadcast with Adrianne Verhoven & Josh Berwanger.  They would add members and change the name to the Anniversary because the never realized there was a very popular indie band from England called the Broadcast (yeah, you see what I'm saying here, this band wasn't hip at all yet).  The song 'All Right For Now' on this 7" represents the transition from young local rockers to ultra-chic local hipsters.  It's very much an obvious nod to the Rentals, but hey, we're not ripping off Weezer or Green Day.  It was getting there and discovering themselves as a band.  Of course, they would later completely reinvent themselves as a band before calling it quits.

Proudentall's Swan Song
More Proudentall
Anniversary All Right For Now