Sounds Good: Post Thanksgiving Funk Gives Way to Quiet Corral, Arthur Dodge, Newfound Glory & Kendrick Lamar

Has everyone busted out of the gravy coma finally?

Good.

Now we can turn our attention to Christmas shopping, college basketball, and, well, still eating a shitload.  I mean, this isn’t Russia last time I checked.  Which brings me to my next point – the KCC Annual Holiday Wilding.

Traditionally held at Jardine’s, this year could be a little different since, uh, we all know what happened there thanks to Hearne’s exhaustive reporting on the subject.  But there’s also the matter of Hearne’s relocation to the LFK suburbs.  So what’re we looking at here?  Replay?  Tap Room?  Outhouse?  The possibilities are endless…

Oh, and go see some live music for chrissakes…
 
Thursday, November 29th

Quiet Corral at the RecordBar in KC

Garnering plenty of local and quasi-national buzz after hitting Austin City Limits and touring with the likes of Gary Clark, Jr. (who you should totally check out by the way), this Lawrence folk-rock band is really hitting its stride right now.  If you recall, about a month ago they played a homecoming show of sorts at the Granada to an almost packed house, and you could tell that all that time on the road had done them well.

Lately, every time I read an interview with the Corral boys it seems they are asked the same questions about being a “folk act” and whether they are more like Mumford and Sons or the Lumineers.  Neither, is their most recent answer.  More rock than that.  I would have to agree, though their singer’s voice and the band’s overall use of acoustic instruments (guitar, mando, auxiliary percussion) certainly plays into the folk-revival stereotype.

Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers at the 8th Street Tap Room in Lawrence

You want some folk, do ya?  Well, here’s the real deal.  Old man Dodge has been delivering his gravel-battered melodies of whiskey and smokes around these parts for years.  And for my money he’s one of the best acts around – still.  Sure, he doesn’t play that often anymore, but when he does, and when he gets the whole band back together, well, let’s just say the results are pretty damn grizzled.  And amazing.  And really drunken.  And there’s nothing much better than seeing Kenny Pingleton flashily pound the drums while Dodge plays two strings to go along with some rather under-rated harmonies… “Will you carry me hooooooome?”

Friday, November 30th

New Found Glory at the Bottleneck in Lawrence

“Pop punk pioneers” is an appropriate tag for this Florida five-some that’ve been doing their thing for over 15 years now.  But that doesn’t mean these guys are a nostalgia act.  Quite the contrary actually.  Their last album, 2011’s Radiosurgery, has a throwback sound ala Green Day’s Dookie and Rancid’s Let’s Go.  And it was pretty much universally praised by critics, and included on several “Best of 2011” lists.

Katie Grogan, where are you when we need you? 

Sunday, December 2nd

Kendrick Lamar at the Midland in KC   

Straight outta Compton, California, this youngster is being heralded as the new torch-bearer for West Coast rap.  He actually toured with KC’s own Tech N9ne a couple of years ago, before being snapped up by Dr. Dre, whom Kendrick now considers his mentor of sorts.  His recently released album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, has received stellar reviews, landing atop Pitchfork’s Best New Music pile with a 9.5 rating.

Jayson Greene wrote this:

“[T]he miracle of this album is how it ties straightforward rap thrills– dazzling lyrical virtuosity, slick quotables, pulverizing beats, star turns from guest rappers– directly to its narrative.”