Wednesday night was hosted at the Uptown and featured The Noise FM, the Republic Tigers, and OK Go. I was actually looking forward most to the haunting, bass-oriented harmonies of the Republic Tigers, so getting to take in the OK Go experience for the first time after that seemed like a bonus. And what an experience it was. Video-screens and confetti canons and GoPros and iPhone Apps and LED-strip-lit mic stands and lasers and set changes. Oh yeah, and some pretty fun power-pop. During Lord Huron's set two nights later at the Uptown, bits of OK Go's confetti were still fluttering down from the ceiling.
Thursday night toned things down, beginning with a too-short solo set from Sean Rowe (not his fault, he kept playing until they told him to get off the stage), who evidently played a house show in KC the next night (while sporting a pretty sweet t-shirt).
Following Rowe were KC-native breakouts Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, my set-to-watch for the second night (despite the best efforts of the two guys in front of us who continued to raise the volume of their conversation to overcome that pesky music that was interfering with their tete-a-tete). MW and the MB did not disappoint, and they seemed pretty happy to be playing in front of what I'd imagine has been their biggest KC crowd to date.
Next up was Strand of Oaks and then Iron and Wine. At various times during Iron and Wine's set, I closed my eyes and imagined myself at shows by The Jayhawks, The Decemberists, Gotye, and even Blues Traveler for a moment or two. It was a good cap to a good evening that fittingly took things down a notch before the frenzy of Friday night and Saturday.
(Can't you hear some Jayhawks in this?)
Friday was the start of multi-venue fun, although the outdoor stage acts had to be moved to the Uptown due to the threat of a spring midwest thunderstorm. So it was that we heard Ghastly Menace and then Hembree at the Uptown, before taking a quick trip to recordBar for KC's own ATLAS. Then it was back to the Uptown for Lord Huron, the top set I had circled on my weekend schedule. My anticipation was rewarded with a great set before an enthusiastic audience. While I like LH's albums, they sometimes don't get played when I'm looking for something with a little more energy. However, the live show had as much energy as I could ever want. Heck, as I already mentioned, they even shook loose some of OK Go's leftover confetti from a couple of nights before.
Following Lord Huron, we stuck around for about 2.5 numbers in Atmosphere's set, until permanent hearing loss became a very real possibility. Then it was over to the Westport Saloon for a cuban sandwich by Eat Me Gourmet while listening to the Coyote Bill Boogie Band, who are normally a weekly fixture on Tuesday nights at the Saloon. The evening ended with a melodic hip-hop set by the Illphonics at the Riot Room.
Saturday afternoon began with high-school singer/songwriter Connor Leimer at Mills Records, followed by a stop by the outdoor stage for what was supposed to be the Westerners but, due to a cancellation, was Spirit Is The Spirit instead. Then it was a quick stop by the Riot Room Patio for the beginning of the El Rey-Tones' set before heading back to Mills Records for another high-school singer/songwriter, Gracie Schram. Leimer's backing band (guitar, bass, drums, in addition to his guitar) helped flesh out his varied sound, while Schram's simple accompaniment (herself on acoustic guitar and a guitar/mandolin accompanist) allowed her voice to shine through. Schram actually joined Leimer for the final, and perhaps best, song of his set. Although there were definite reminders that you were listening to a couple of high-schoolers (Leimer's shout outs to his dad and mom, who was in the audience distributing free CD's, and Schram's story of her quest for authenticity in high school), both singers demonstrated a maturity in their music and a knack for crafting a catchy hook. Leimer's influences can be overt at times: at one point, I turned to my companion and remarked "ya think he listens to Sublime much?" not thirty seconds before he worked the first verse of "Santeria" into the song he was singing. And as my companion noted, one would fully expect Schram to be featured on Grey's Anatomy were it not for that show's impending and timely demise (it's no surprise that Schram opened for Grey's fav Ingrid Michaelson at her KC stop a few months ago).
After Schram, it was back to the outdoor stage to try to catch the end of the Westerners' set, but only two songs remained. However, we did receive some sweet Westerners swag from their drummer afterward. On to the Riot Room Patio for Anna Cole & the Other Lovers (and a reminder that the Riot Room may have the second-worst bathrooms in Kansas City, behind only Harling's facilities) before returning to the outdoor stage for PHOX. Unfortunately, due to the influence of Coors Original and the cheap-and-liberally-poured Jameson at the outdoor stage (shoutout to the cheerful Midwest Music Foundation folks who were tending bar as a fundraiser), the specific recollection of the Anna Cole and PHOX sets doesn't go beyond my general enjoyment of that portion of the afternoon.
Following PHOX, much-needed pit-stops at Westport Coffeehouse and Char Bar were taken for caffeine and food, respectively. The plan after was to listen to Murder by Death on the outside stage, but a cold wind and mist soon sent our party scrambling prematurely to our final venue, recordBar. We had planned to arrive for Knox Hamilton, but due to our early arrival we also caught Pianos Become the Teeth. Unfortunately, their noisy screamo wasn't really the thing to lift our sagging energy, but we pepped up once Knox Hamilton took the stage and provided a perfect peppy prelude to our final set of the festival.
As we sat in a booth after Knox Hamilton waiting for Magic Man to set up, one of my companions nodded toward a guy standing next to our booth in the semi-darkness and said, "Hey, I think that's (Magic Man lead singer) Alex Caplow." Sure enough, it was, and over the next 10 minutes a few other folks noticed and stopped by to quickly shake his hand or take a photo, with Alex graciously acquiescing in the requests. The highlight was a guy who was sent over to confirm Alex's identity for his female friend and then provide an introduction.
It was just after midnight when Magic Man took the stage, but you would never have guessed it from the high-energy performance they unleashed over the next hour, edging out Lord Huron for my favorite act of the fest. At times it seemed all five members were bouncing up and down impossibly high in unison, with the criminally-undersized crowd bouncing right along with them. Once they finished and the harsh recordBar lights were turned on, we all filed out on the same post-show/post-fest high I experienced in the same spot two years before when Tennis closed out MOTM to a capacity crowd.
For me, MOTM 2015 was another success. With only a couple of exceptions, I was able to fill my four-day schedule with artists I enjoyed and was able to see a great mix of established and up-and-coming local, regional, and national acts. However, attendance did seem down from what I remember in years past, at least at the venues I visited, and I wonder if organizers will have to make some changes in response. Extending the festival to Wednesday no doubt allows it to bring in some headline acts on Wednesday and Thursday that wouldn't be available on the weekend, but it would be interesting to see attendance numbers for each day. If changes do need to be made, here's hoping they are and the festival continues, because it's a highlight of each spring for me and many other music lovers in KC and beyond.
MOTM 2015 By The Numbers
16: hours of live music heard.
19: full sets seen.
$3.94: cost per full set seen.
9: man buns spotted.
20: pairs of Chucks spotted (grossly underreported).
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