DEMENCHA » lawrence

LA’s verBS Set to Return With “The Progress 3: Manifest Awesome” EP

Chris Mills — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:03:01 +0000

Here are a couple of tracks (one video and one soundclouder) off LA-based MC, verBS’ upcoming EP “The Progress 3: Manifest Awesome”. Whenever I come across a new promo track from verBS I always revert back to a show he performed at in Lawrence opening for MURS at the Jackpot about two years ago. After picking up the original Progress EP from him after that show, I couldn’t help but feature one track off that release on our year-end 2010 music picks. verBS strikes us as the type of rapper who has genuine skills, but coupled with a genuine love for making music. Check out the links below for further information on verBS. At this time, we’re not sure what the release date is for “Progress 3″, but we’ll be eagerly awaiting.

http://verbs.bandcamp.com
http://TheVagabondDon.tumblr.com

PREVIEW: Dat Jam Vol. 2 @ The Bottleneck in LK [05.18.12]

Chris Mills — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:50:45 +0000

The second edition of the Dat Gang events will probably be one of the more accurate representations of KC/LK hip hop that The Bottleneck, or any venue in Lawrence, has seen in quite a while. All the Datura Records affiliates listed on this flyer are more than capable of wrecking a live show. But if we had to pick three names on this flyer that we would encourage you to check out specifically, they would be:

1. The Skeptics – This sizable group of young MCs from Top-City aka Topeka, KS known as The Skeptics are a breath of fresh air, and keep us on the edge of our blogging seat in anticipation for not only what they’ll drop next but who the next talented artists will be to peek their heads out of The Top. Download their fantastic “1990Now” Mixtape with Johnny Quest, RIGHT HERE.

2. ID (of Archetype) – You already know how great Archetype’s final album was, released just a couple of months ago. As the rapping, one-half of Lawrence’s adored hip hop group, Archetype, it’s quite rare to catch ID doing a live show anywhere anymore. This will be a treat for any of the hip hop faithful residing West of State Line.

3. Bear Club – The multi-dimensional tribe called Bear Club have their hands in a lot of things right now with Tom Richman and Morri$’ trap beats causing beat makers across the country and overseas to drop what they’re doing and take note. But for this slot, we’re not sure whether to expect a performance from Ebony Tusks, Strider or some off-kilter remixes from the Bear Club selectors. Maybe all of the aforementioned? If that’s the case, the Bottleneck will be gushing swag on Friday night.

PREVIEW: Big K.R.I.T. @ The Granada in LK [07.16.12]

Chris Mills — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:47:34 +0000

Mississippi’s favorite (perhaps after David Banner), Big K.R.I.T., pretty much destroyed Crossroads KC at the Section 8 Concert last summer. His new album, “4 Eva N A Day”, is chalk-full of the country-tinged floaters and Southern-fried bangers that we’ve become accustomed to. As one of the new faces of Southern rap, K.R.I.T.’s down-to-earth, earnest music backed by a lot of his own production tend to make us think of him as a Pete Rock type, only nestled beneath the old Mason Dixon and more relevant in 2012. Rocking with K.R.I.T. while he lights up the Granada in Lawrence as part of his “Live From The Underground Tour” on July 16th is highly recommended for any hip hop head.

Goomba Rave w/ Team Bear Club @ The Bottleneck in Lawrence [05.03.12]

Chris Mills — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:47:42 +0000

With Tom Richman and Morri$ of the cuddly Team Bear Club crew seeing a sharp spike in blog coverage around the world over recent months, and with their Goomba Rave party taking over the Bottleneck in LK every Thursday until forever hopefully, we suggest you get your asses over to said venue tomorrow night. But with the spring semester just about over with on the KU campus, you can still expect fireworks on Mass Street throughout the summer (fingers crossed).

Moombahton Massive w/ Nadastrom @ Granada [5.25.12]

Chris Mills — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:25:59 +0000

Roll up in your bass-ship and don’t forget your bass face at The Granada in Lawrence, KS on May 25th for what will be the wildest event showcasing the molten dance genre known as moombahton in our area in 2012. Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom, together known as Nadastrom, didn’t invent the shit (er, maybe one of them did), but arrive assured that moombahton music will be in good hands with them. Not to mention Sabo, who already smashed Luna last summer, will be rocking the newly remodeled theater as well, in addition to KC guys, Brent Tactic, DJ B-Stee and DJ Archi. A party like this at The Union in Westport would probably kick the snot out of any dancing options you have planned for any weekend in KC, but with Moombahton Massive cracking off in quite a bigger room such as The Granada out in Lawrence, this should be a great event if you’re into DJs and new dance music sounds.

RSVP HERE.

Demencha Is Not To Be Taken For Granted [New Policy Now In Action]

Chris Mills — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:02:00 +0000

As Editor here at Demencha, there’s a lot to say about this right now, so bear with me. Demencha is now requiring that artists we write about retweet, reshare and link out posts to the stories we’re writing about them. For example, if you have a show coming up this weekend and we wrote about it ten days ago, we’re gonna need a retweet and a link thrown out on facebook. At least one of each. If we gave your latest release or song a sparkling review or a quick blurb, we’re gonna need a retweet and a link thrown around on facebook. At least one of each.

If we interviewed you, we’re gonna need a retweet and a link thrown around on facebook. At least one of each. So on and so forth. Simple “likes” on facebook are nice, but they don’t do anything to expand the views on stories we write about your music. If you do not adhere to this new policy, future coverage of your music on Demencha.com will cease and be cut off completely (this strict policy will be addressed on a case-by-case basis).

But why the new policy? In a lot of cases, we’re probably the only media outlet out with the nuts, knowledge and adoration for your underground music to cover your upcoming show or review your latest release, for example. We’ve shown more magazine and blog love to Kansas City’s underground music community than anyone over the past half decade. We’re just asking for that love to be reciprocated. Plus, stories/blurbs we write about your music will reach more of your own direct fans than by Demencha writers linking out posts alone. We are not asking for your money. But we are requiring retweets and shares on social networks at the very least.

We see a few of you resharing links containing stories that other sites/publications have written about your music, which is great. But even if it is a bigger publication with a wider reach than Demencha at this point, it’s probably not a go-to source for underground music in the bubbling Kansas City area. Yes, we’ve been around for quite a while. No, that does not mean we’re to be taken for granted as we all know that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Now you know the ledge.

LOCALS BEFORE LEGENDS SINCE 2004

REVIEW/PHOTOS: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 w/ Hearts of Darkness @ Granada

Madame E — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:42:00 +0000

I made it out to Lawrence this past Friday night for the Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 show at The Granada. With Jason at the wheel, we arrived around 8:30 pm to see what was happening at the venue site and to scope out the crowd. Mass Street was full of stylish sidewalk strollers and patio prawns. Every sorority girl in town must have received a memo to wear a summer dress and there were even a few dapper young lads in suits. As we approached The Granada, I noticed that the crowd thinned to about 7 meanderers wearing different shades of red, green, and gold and a splash of modern hippyish things who were having a smoke near the benches in front of the theater’s main entrance. I wasn’t surprised that there was not a line in cue since Lawrence crowds are known for only showing up after 11pm. I decided to investigate the current situation inside and went in the front doors. Upon entry, I was immediately greeted by the scruffy door guy saying, “Egypt 80 is in the middle of a sound check and no one can enter yet”. I then saw the familiar faces of our friends Brad, Rae, Erica, Brandy, and Les from the Hearts of Darkness in the hallway. I was distracted by greeting everyone with squeals, hugs, smiles and laughs, and could tell that they were full of excitement for the night’s performance.

Since the sound check was taking a while, we had some time to spare and walked down to a newer sushi place called Yokohama. The menu featured a combination of Japanese and Korean fare. We saw a roll called the ”Jayhawk” and couldn’t resist ordering it due to the name. The bite sized morsels made with shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado, spicy tuna, masago, and scallions were sprinkled with crunchy tempura flakes and spicy dressing which turned out to be rich in flavor and well prepared. Needless to say our taste buds were surprisingly pleased. A few of my Lawrence ladies just happened to drop by and told us that it was “final Fridays” in Lawrence and everyone was out attending a variety of art gallery openings for the evening. Which would explain the amount of summer dresses I suppose. By that time the hot sake must have started to kick in as we joked about the silliness and lack of originality in the naming of art socials with Kansas City’s first Fridays and Portland’s last Thursdays. Amongst all the lolli-gagging, I realized that show was about to begin so we said our goodbyes and downed the last of our sake and headed back to the Granada.

As I walked through the venue doors again I noticed that there had been some interior changes made since my last visit. Strolling into the main stage area Hearts of Darkness just began their set and I saw that the theatre no longer looked like a huge black box of filth. It had been repainted a lighter color and with what appeared to be a newly installed granite-topped counter at the bar. I even found that the restrooms had been remodeled to add 5-6 stalls instead of the forever-clogged 2 toilets of the old days of the Grnasty. Back in the main stage area I took in a full 360 degrees of observation and found that the venue was only at one fourth of its capacity. Since it was still somewhat early, I took advantage of the sparse crowd and accessed the bar without a wait. I decided to order a horse feather which I have found is a good way to judge what the bar stocks and how knowledgeable/resourceful a bartender can be. There was some confusion and delay with my order but the bartenders did their best with what they had and they got a pass for the night.

We made our way to the house left platform for a view. It was really refreshing to see the Hearts of Darkness on a stage big enough for the 20 or so band members to spread out. They looked more comfortable not piled on top of each other as they do on smaller stages. We relocated to the front row. There was a moment where a remarkable jazzy horn solo was being played and I yelled, “That’s KC jazz right there”. I wasn’t expecting to say it… but hey its good for morale, right? I received a couple odd stares by some crowd go-ers but that was what the moment called for. Each band member was in their zone, on point, and funked the best performance I have seen from them thus far.

Once HOD exited the stage Dj Stiga (I assume) cued up a nice afro-house track. Apparently, the crowd took a drink/smoke/restroom break and scattered to leave me and less than 10 others on the dance floor. I was getting my footwork on and the music stopped mid groove due to some technical difficulties. Stiga looked frustrated, yelled at the sound guy, and rearranged some cords. The sound came back on and a couple more songs were played and I found myself in a paused moment of annoyance from the lack of beatmatching/mixing but snapped out of it due to the quality of the tracks selected. All of a sudden Stiga stopped the music again and announced Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. The crowd moved in toward the stage and I decided to check out how many people showed up, the venue was only half full. This was a little surprising but then again the show was poorly promoted.

Finally, the Egypt 80 members began walking out on stage and started playing some funky intro instrumentals. The trumpet player said something with a heavy accent that I could not understand and proceeded to solo as the lovely backup singers walked out to their microphones. They were scantily clad in an orange and yellow ethnic print, wearing face paint, beaded accessories, and were barefoot. The crowd’s volume began to rise and a sense of anticipation was building… then Seun Kuti, balding just like his father Fela, walked out with his saxophone. The crowd soared with excitement and cheer while he introduced himself and the band. They immediately jumped into the jazz, highlife, funk, and polyrhythms, with the call-and response chants that drive afrobeat. Pretty much every song from the From Africa with Fury: Rise album was played and this band proved to be full of talented and excellent musicians. I was extremely impressed with how Seun channels his father in his performance not only from his voice, but also with his body movement, energy, and stage presence. He truly enjoys performing, which makes for sincere entertainment and one of the greatest shows I’ve seen for a long time.

A few snaps along the way are listed below.

LAST NIGHT IN REVIEW: Joc Max, Miles Bonny, Reggie B & Draper @ KC Academy + Vital Nerve 5 @ Newsroom

Chris Mills — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:52:02 +0000

Last night I trekked out to two different hip hop shows in Kansas City. I knew they would be very different from one another, but I don’t think the differences really struck me with such authority until I just recently sat down to write this.

The Kansas City Academy at 79th & Holmes played host to Joc Max, Miles Bonny, Reggie B and Brandon Draper’s hip hop/jazz/”modern beat” showcase. I don’t know if the four of them would call it a “clinic” necessarily, but that’s how I like to think of it looking back at last night. The small theater at KC Academy wasn’t quite as packed with patrons as the Organic Proof CD release event a couple of weeks ago, but everyone was equally attentive, curious and appreciative.

Miles’ trumpet sounds pierced through the mini-auditorium while scores of vinyl records were strewn about the floor in front of the four musicians (possibly in attempt for Miles to promote his garage sale today). Kids to parents, possibly grandparents to random fans and friends of the group created a diverse, all-ages audience. The event was not the best example of Reggie and Joc’s musical capabilities, as Miles noted to the crowd at one point. Joc’s scratching and turntable tricks were dished out in small doses, as a kind of occasional treat. Reggie’s keyboard play was on point and if you closed your eyes you would’ve never guessed Brandon Draper’s drumming style to be so erratic, a reflection of his mentioned musical upbringing that involved him literally beating on pots and pans as a youngster.

In a nutshell, the Kansas City Academy’s Grassroots concert series serves as a great platform for people of all ages to experience live local music without some d-bags hating from the opposite side of a would-be bar. But it was a Friday night after all. So I decided my next destination would be the Newsroom for the Vital Nerve 5 show in Midtown, a place that d-bags usually drive past on Broadway on their way to Westport on the weekends or to Power & Light. With Joc, Miles, Reggie and Brandon all being in their 30s (as far as I know), it was strange to see them able to pull off performing to an all-ages audience while the Vital Nerve crew attracting a very young crowd, were only allotted a 21+ show at the Newsroom.

The Newsroom’s crowd was much more exuberant and hip, and having the pool table removed from the upstairs was a plus with the Spring air circulating throughout the bar’s two levels, while the patio began to fill up at about 11 p.m. or so. Unlucky Menace and Strider really stole the part of the show that I was able to catch. Lawrencian, Strider, mixed some improv comedy bits between some honest, fiery tracks, culminating in one of the most enjoyable performances I’ve seen in a while. The smiles were abounding and the beer was flowing. The dichotomy between Vital Nerve and the non-alcoholic KC Academy show really hit me today, and I felt lucky to be able to catch two different styles of local hip hop in one night. Rest assured that Demencha does not plan on ceasing any respect for the seasoned icons of our local hip hop collective nor do we have any plans on discontinuing our passion, love and respect for the young guns on the come up.

+ L O C A L S B E F O R E L E G E N D S +

REVIEW/OP-ED: Diplo @ Granada Last Night

Chris Mills — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:33:32 +0000

[pictured: Reggie B & Diplo]

Even though I recently expressed some concern over the lack of promotion for music concerts and shows in Lawrence, the Diplo/Chiddy Bang/Lunice show last night at Granada drew anything but a sparse crowd. KC funkateer, Reggie B, and I cruised down K-10 at about 9:30 or so, just after he wrapped up a somewhat intense recording session with bass player, David Gray (of JJ5), at Reggie’s house on the East side of town. As soon as we walked in to the Granada, it was apparent to me that the Axe people did a pretty good job at getting the KU campus heads out to the show.

I followed Reggie as we zig-zagged our way through the young crowd to the backstage room, which was unfamiliar territory for myself. Reggie and I introduced ourselves to Diplo, Lunice and others. Bizzy, XV, Morri$ and Tom Richman among other delegates of Kansas’ burgeoning music scene soon arrived, in addition to Spinstyles, Awesome Sound and A-Train. Reggie and Diplo talked quietly in the small room for several minutes. About what, who knows? Reggie would later say that Diplo did not strike him as being “Hollywood at all”, and cited that a lot of people he meets on a Diplo type exposure level are not always like that. Regardless, Diplo put on a spectacle as usual, complete with stage diving, talking on the mic from time to time, etc. But let us not forget the ridiculous (in a good way) dance music he’s been pushing to crowds around the world for years.

Reggie, Lozano, DJ G-Train and I linked up outside of the venue after the show. Apparently we were going to head back to KC before it got too late, then Reggie and I decided to hell with it and we took advantage of a place down the street on Mass with no cover until they closed. When we did get back to Reggie’s house in Kansas City, we talked about music and life for hours and hours on end. Reggie is very confident that 2012 will be his biggest year yet by far, and after truly getting to know him over the course of those hours and really getting a candid glimpse into The Genius of Reggie B – we wouldn’t put anything past him. And you shouldn’t either.

THIS FRIDAY: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 w/ Hearts of Darkness @ The Granada

Madame E — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:41:29 +0000

A most sought after show coming up this Friday featuring KC’s very own Hearts of Darkness opening up for Seun Kuti (son of Fela Kuti) & Egypt 80 at The Granada in Lawrence. I am not sure why this show has been so downplayed…perhaps there is a lack of afrobeat followers in the area but Demencha will be repping in LK on Friday and if you are into getting down and funky, you should too. Be advised: drinks in Lawrence are cheap and school is in session so there is potential for a sold out show.

For ticket info go here.

Check the video below for nice little feature on Seun Kuti expressing his opinion about afrobeat, contemporary hiphop, and even marriage.