Dan Calderon
Writer
Dan Calderon is a contributor to Flatland, KCPT’s digital magazine, where he writes the bi-weekly music column, “Sympathetic Vibrations,” examining local and national music. Dan has been a lifelong resident of the Kansas City area and splits his time as an attorney and a DJ when he is not writing for Flatland.
Stories by Dan Calderon
Sympathetic Vibrations | Sunday Music Funday
Of all the weapons in the weekend warriors’ arsenal, few are more enjoyable, more hallowed or more brag-worthy than a perfectly executed Sunday Funday. And we happen to be right in the middle of its sweetest season, offering the perfect confluence of (arguably) habitable outside temperatures and a cornucopia of live music options. Fundays can…
Sympathetic Vibrations | The Politics of Campaign Music
Last week in Cleveland, Ohio, as an overhead PA system boomed Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” an awkwardly hunched silhouette of Donald Trump, draped in fog, preceded the presidential candidate’s entrance to the Republican National Convention. And almost as quickly as Trump’s own hot air had whisked away the lingering fog, Queen had denounced his…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Beats for a Cause
While disc jockeys tend to draw the ire of many music listeners and musicians alike, the fact remains – people love to dance. This keeps DJs in high demand, often pulling in more pay than traditional musicians due to their ability to draw a crowd. But this weekend, some of the city’s top DJs will…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Run DMCA
Last week, more than 180 artists and record labels ran a petition in a number of Washington, D.C., publications aimed at convincing Congress to amend the Digital Millennium Copyright Act – a body of law that regulates copyrighted material on the Internet. The open letter petition suggests that the DMCA is outdated and allows tech…
Sympathetic Vibrations | It Wasn’t Built in a Day
Kansas City’s West Bottoms will be invaded by a small nation this weekend. Not to fear, though. Unless the city has a general aversion to a three-day festival, delightfully brimming with craft beer, food, and music, we can call off the National Guard. The “nation” in question is Boulevardia, which its organizers playfully describe as…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Taking That Tone
Dave Wendler is obsessed with tone. So much so that he has spent the majority of his life striving to unearth the tonal potential of every instrument he comes across. And it’s at his unassuming home in the south Kansas City suburbs where Wendler hones his craft. Wendler is the owner and operator of Wendler Instruments —…
Sympathetic Vibrations | A Generous Mob
Music is art. There is no denying that. But well before your favorite artist’s music tickles your eardrums, there are hundreds of business-related decisions made about that art. And nearly all of those decisions have to do with money. In the past, if artists wanted to be heard by a national audience, they had to…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Your Guide to the Bottom of the Bill
Yesterday kicked off the music leg of Kansas City’s sixth-annual Middle of the Map Fest, a music, film and forum festival that bears a not-so-coincidental resemblance to Austin’s South by Southwest. The two-week fest is something of a crown jewel for Kansas City’s arts scene, showcasing more than 25 films and 100 bands throughout 11…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Local Goes Focal
Kansas City’s perceived contribution to America’s cultural heritage has been typically limited to smoky clubs (jazz), outdoor shacks (blues), and white napkins covered in red splotches (barbecue). But times have changed. Kansas City’s efforts to embrace the arts have altered its very makeup over the last decade, and the nation has taken notice. An extremely…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Record Store Day 2016
On Saturday, April 16th, many of Kansas City’s finest purveyors of vinyl will celebrate the ninth annual Record Store Day – an international music holiday of sorts, aimed at promoting and encouraging the music-buying public to purchase said music from local, independent, brick-and-mortar retailers. The revered music nerd festivus began in 2007, not long after traditional retail…