Sympathetic Vibrations | KC’s Musical Cup Runneth Over

A man singing on stage.

Sympathetic Vibrations will be on a short hiatus through the end of the year while Flatland and The Bridge collaborate on a written series called “Making the Band,” wherein rock sorceress Michelle Bacon and I will take a closer look at the lesser known cogs in the music industry machine here in KC. Look for…

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Sympathetic Vibrations | A Brave Composition

A cast on stage

If there is a musical equivalent to rock climbing without a rope, local musician J. Ashley Miller is doing it. Miller, 34, has spent the last year developing a “brutalist pop opera” despite having no formal training in the genre and limited theater production experience. The project, “Echosis,” will debut this weekend with a two-night…

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Sympathetic Vibrations | The Spoils of Authenticity

6 men in a band

What catchall phrase would you use to describe a band that draws much of its influence from rock ’n’ roll, garage rock, mod, blues, and psych from the ’50s and ’60s? If you’re Rory Cameron, the lead singer of The Conquerors, it’s not the obvious one. “I don’t really like the throwback moniker very much.…

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Fred Armisen on… Everything

Picture of comedian Fred Armisen

Before the always-funny Mr. Armisen gave his keynote address to the Middle of the Map crowd at this year’s IDEAS forum, he sat down in The Folly Theater with Flatland. Check out his tips on doing a Prince impersonation, the melding of comedy and music, and all the Finger Lakes of Lawrence Welk. The “Portlandia” co-creator and star also riffed…

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Sympathetic Vibrations | Record Store Day 2016

People looking through records at a store

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…

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