Last weekend I had the chance to finally catch Radkey, that band of brothers from St. Joe that have been steadily making a name for themselves nationally – and most recently, in the UK.
They were featured in NME and several other music rags in jolly old England, and their record has been selling pretty well there. Then yesterday I heard their song Cat & Mouse as bump music on the Jim Rome Show, which was being hosted by the Sklar Brothers, who always pimp new indie music.
I caught them closing out Friday night’s lineup of Lawrence Field Day Fest at the Bottleneck, and I was impressed with their extremely polished set, a clue that these boys have been putting in mad time, and are already rather seasoned vets when it comes to performing.
For example, near the end of their set, bassist Isaiah informed the crowd, “Sol is gonna put this drumbeat in your ass, balls first!”
That’s just a veteran move…
Wednesday, July 17th
La Guerre and Arthur Dodge & the Horsefeathers at the Replay in Lawrence
Attention aging scenesters! This is an EARLY SHOW at the Replay featuring the alter ego of Cowboy Indian Bear’s Katlyn Conroy, La Guerre. This is the kickoff show for her mini-tour that routes through Lincoln, Chicago, and then St. Louis. Her style is a mix of singer-songwriter and electronic piano, kind of in the vein of Postal Service, but with far less electronic drums and bleeps. It’s really her voice that carries the day, which is delivered in a flat girly-pop sort of way. Check her out here. You’ll like it.
Saturday, July 20th
Bad Rabbits at the Granada in Lawrence
This Boston funk-r&b band is cut from a similar cloth as the ultimate freak dog, George Clinton. Plenty of buzzing synth, boom bap beats, and big choruses. Maybe a little Prince thrown in for good measure. And of course, they write a lot of songs about booty. From what I’ve heard their live shows are pretty fucking tight and energetic. So if you’re going to come out with me to the Granada, be prepared to get a little loose, or in the words of the Rabbits’ lead singer, “Girl, Shake ya ass/ Girl, shake ya ass/ Girl, shake ya ass/ Girl, shake ya ass…”
Chubby Carrier at Knuckleheads in KC
Probably the baddest ass accordion player around, Chubbs keeps the zydeco party tradition going strong. He won a Grammy a couple of years ago for his efforts, and prior to that even put out an album called Live from Knuckleheads. So, needless to say, this show is going to be perfect for a hot summer night in the East Bottoms of KC. I can only pray they’re serving gumbo…
