Graham Parker . // photo credit: Dion Ogust Over the years, British musician Graham Parker has worked with an incredible number of musicians to craft his catchy brand of rock ‘n’ roll. From the five albums in five years streak of brilliance, which kicked off his career with Graham Parker & the Rumour, to teaming up with the Figgs, and now on to his releases with Graham Parker & The Goldtops, Parker’s work has always married tuneful pop with punk rock energy. Call it power pop, pub rock, or what have you, the fact of the matter is that Graham Parker knows how to make music to make yo ..read more

Sum 41. // photo by Kylee Gregg Sum 41 with the Interrupters Uptown Theater Sunday, April 21 At the end of what they’ve dubbed Tour of the Setting Sum: The Final World Tour, Canadian pop-punks Sum 41 will be going their separate ways. On Sunday night, Kansas City got to party with the band one last time as the band rocked through a setlist which drew from their catalog all the way back to the band’s debut EP, Half Hour of Power, right on through the just-released Heaven :x: Hell. All photos by Kylee Gregg ..read more

Photo Cortesy of Buzzard Fight Kansas City’s Buzzard Fight is a three-piece rock ‘n’ roll machine with more twang than an hour of country radio. Like a metallic Black Oak Arkansas or a countrified Kyuss, Buzzard Fight brings a unique genre-bending sound that the area’s heavy music scene they’ve dubbed, “Psychedelic Country Sludge.” They’re releasing their debut album Lysergic Speed Diesel next month, and we’re excited to premiere the latest single from that album, “Come On, Myling,” which references a weird bit of  Scandanavian folklore, along with an interview from the band members Ra ..read more

Arson Class. // photo by Sid Sowder It’s been three and a half years since Sid Sowder’s Too Much Rock last released an entry in their single series. No Germ Candy’s “Straight Talk” backed with a cover of Beat Happening’s “Indian Summer” dropped in the midst of the Covid pandemic and while Sowder’s been regularly updating the Too Much Rock blog with photos, videos, and show recollections, we thought the single series was done for. Then, earlier this month, Sowder shot us an email which read: “The Too Much Rock Single Series lives! After a four-year break we’re back with the eleventh installm ..read more

Sierra Ferrell. // photo by Haley Mullenix Sierra Ferrell brought her Shoot for the Moon Tour to Kansas City Wednesday night as she took the stage at The Truman for a sold-out show with support from Cat Clyde. I’ve been lucky to see Ferrell twice already before this, both times at different music festivals, so I was excited to finally see her headline. Sierra is the best mix of Americana, blues, and roots music. Her latest album, Trail of Flowers, draws influences that span decades and finally combine with her vocals to create her hauntingly ethereal folk sound. Cat Clyde started the night ..read more

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. // photo by Allison Scavo Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Knuckleheads Saloon Wednesday, April Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is one comprised of several genres infused together, including blues and mountain bluegrass with subtle yet hard undertones that perfectly complement their rockabilly style. This style of genre-bending allows the band to ease into and out of neverending jams. I once described them as rockabilly hardgrass because bluegrass is too soft of a description, even at its hardest. At one point in the night, five-gallon buckets were brought ou ..read more

Front Porch. // photo by Allison Scavo Mountain music-makers oftentimes have to start from scratch and take risks to get known. Front Porch not only started from the ground up, but self-promoted, self-released their album, and bravely put themselves out there by entering contests. Of five bands, Front Porch won first place at the Battle of the Bands contest at Pickin’ on Picknic Music Festival in 2022, automatically deeming them a spot on the 2023 lineup. Since then, Front Porch independently released their first album, Shallow Grave, and have gone on tour. Front Porch is not just another b ..read more

Blue October. // photo credit Abel Longoria In our series No Skips, we sit down with an artist or band and go track-by-track through their latest release. For some of us, the banter in a concert where a song gets explained is our favorite thing in the world, and we’d just like to keep living in that. Every song has a story, and these are those stories in the order you’ll encounter them on the record. Nearing the end of Blue October’s spring tour for their newest record, we spoke with vocalist Justin Furstenfeld to talk about their 2023 LP, Spinning the Truth Around, Pt. II, how the band has ..read more

Queensryche. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge I do not frequent metal shows. And I do not frequent casino shows. But this past Friday was a night where the two collided. Taking I-435 on the way home, I was only able to think of these things to describe the entire experience: It was a seated show in a ballroom—which means no free rein to roam, with a greater chance to be stuck behind someone obnoxious All 15 songs played were written for another singer There was no opener It was the latter one that really got me. Arriving just a few minutes before the 8:30 p.m. start time, I was initially exc ..read more

Back with their eighth record in 18 years, Lawrence-based country act The Roseline have firmly cemented their ground as the area’s own The Jayhawks with new record Keystone of the Heart. Formed in 2007, the five-piece is an even-keel mix of indie folk, Americana, and alt-country, although beginning just as an acoustic folk trio. And after making waves on the European Americana charts, they moved to Dutch label King Forward Records, playing numerous shows in Europe over the years, including a recently just-finished-up three-week run in Norway and Sweden. The band also recently returned from t ..read more