Sam Reviews an Album: Goodbye Gravity, "Sunday Matinee"

(image courtesy of Bands Bandcamp Page)

I was recently approached by a local band called Goodbye Gravity to write up a short review on their new EP Sunday Matinee and after giving it a listen here's a few thoughts I had with this release.

Goodbye Gravity are an alternative rock act formed in 2014 with a sound that I can best describe as a combination between a Pink Royal meets a Westside Royal with some vocals that are incredibly solid and give a vibe of some early 2000's kind of emo/indie rock tones with a lot of light guitar work that never get's too complicated for it's own good and a penchant for writing very kind of dreamy sounding easy to sing along tunes.

Sunday Matinee as a collection of 5 songs is a decently presented package of tunes that showcase a good range of nice kind of indie rock guitar tones that remind me of a host of one off bands that came and went with Rain Cloud having a nice Two Door Cinema club vibe to it with it's nice backing synthesizers adding a kind of danceable vibe to what's already a solidly good rock number with plenty of doo's in the chorus to give the listener something to sing along with.

Listening to this I'm not really noticing any real flaws here besides maybe the fact that Nightmares and Daydreams is a bit out of place with it's kind of circus music tones and the vocals while very solidly good are a bit reserved and could maybe use a bit more inflection at points here and there and when I'm listening to these songs I kind of find myself thinking it sounds very close to some other bands in Kansas City but even so that's not taking away from the fact that when you give this repeat listens you find a lot to really enjoy especially Dustbowl, Strings, and Blurry which I can genuinely say are some pretty bad ass songs.

So if you like bands like Two Door Cinema Club, Pink Royal, Westside Royal, or MOBS I'd say you should give these guy's a listen Sunday Matinee is a solid little collection of fun danceable alternative rock cuts that'll make you feel all sorts of early 2000's feels that we all can't help but love every once in a blue moon and if you like what you hear in the link provided below you can go see these guy's live at The Tank Room Friday February 10th.

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Sam's Show Recap 1/28/17

The Midwest Music Foundation decided to throw a show in order to help raise money to help out a group of local Kansas City acts in their attempts to go to South by Southwest and being that this show not only featured two of my favorite bands in this fine city of ours but it happen to be at the new Record Bar which by all accounts is pretty much the cream of the crop in terms of awesome fucking venues to see a show in this city it's pretty fucking obvious that sickness be damned I may have missed one bad ass showcase but I sure as hell was gonna chug that medicine and make this show and god damn it's a good thing I did because the heat was fucking brought tonight mother fuckers.

The bands showcased in this show were Vigils and Thieves, Momma's Boy, Jessica Paige, and the Phantastics which is quite a varied bill in all honesty but with that in mind let's get to the bad pictures and thoughts on these sets.

Vigils and Thieves

These guy's are so fucking great and this show after having a member change recently was a retreading of the waters of sorts and their first show at the new Record Bar and they did quite good if I say so. The first few songs admittedly were a bit rushed with Vicious Ears being a great way to pump up the crowd if not a bit faster than normal and after a few heavier more energetic tunes the songs eventually started getting smoother and things were sounding right and these guy's delivered yet another great set especially Haunting which was pretty fucking spot on vocally Sarah Storm just fucking knocked it out of the park here and gave an incredibly angry and awesome performance of People are Parasites following it somehow being one of the few vocalist I've ever heard actually get better as the set goes on.

If you haven't given their EP Neverland a listen go do so because this band is awesome and their shows even after some line up changes are still solidly fucking good and will most certainly hook you.

Momma's Boy

This time with all members included and well if I were to be blunt people........HOLY FUCKING JESUS CHRIST ALLMIGHTY THEY BROUGHT THE FUCKING FIIIIIIIIIIIIIAR TONIGHT!

For fucking real this set was just one great big ball of fucking awesome from their odd but awesome choice to start with the epic Make Believe to track after track of straight up bad ass fucking surf rock tinged power pop indie rock goodness this band was focused, tight, and firing on all fucking cylinders and delivered a set that just was pure proof that they are the best god damn band in the land and tracks like Sweet Girl, R&R, and Be A Good Boy can't come out soon enough because legit the year plus of working on these songs has become a set of pure non stop great and with an upcoming EP that will most likely be better than anything anyone else is going to put out I get the feeling that 2017 will be the year of the Momma's Boy just you wait.

Fuck it's going to be hard to see a show this god damn good now thanks.

Jessica Paige

So yeah after picking my jaw up and re-adjusting to reality I managed to catch this set kind of in stride and from what I heard she's a very talented vocalist with a lot of charisma on stage that knew how to get the crowd into her blend of kind of Country tinged kind of doo-whop pop tunes and her set was a solid set of tracks with my favorite being a very bad ass Zutons cover.

Upon getting to talk to her for a bit after her set and getting a complimentary copy of her album which you can go download at her bandcamp which is provided in the link above that I was listening to on my drive home I can say that if you got the time and want to listen to something on the lighter side this set of 8 songs is quite a good listen and I'll be keeping her on my radar.

Phantastics

I can't lie I didn't stay for their whole set because I just kind of couldn't do a whole show tonight but I will say these guy's brought the fucking funk like for real their just a non stop whirling ball of energy that had the whole house a moving and really if you were to properly appreciate this very tight group of  musicians I'd advise you get a DD or Uber knock back all the fine beverages and get on that god damn dance floor because they make music to dance to and they know how to make a crowd want to dance.

Tight funky grooves, a stage show just overflowing with charisma, and some very well rounded songs this band did a damn fine job this night and really proved why I keep tabs on when they're next shows are because this night was quite good to them and anyone willing to go out and give them a view that's for damn sure.

So yeah this was yet another excellent time at the wonderful Record Bar with plenty of acts that I hope impress all the important people up there at SXSW and this night was pretty simply one great big pile of fuck yeah.

Look what I found....it's a mother fucking starboy!

Sam's Show Recap 1/20/17

Another weekend another show people and this one last night was FUCKING GREAT and here's yet another round-up for you guy's to go check out.

So I went to local venue The Tank Room which in all honesty is one of my favorites the staff there are super cool, the atmosphere is great, and they get some bad ass bands to play there so if you get the chance I very much advise you go see a show there because they continued their track record of doing a quality job with this show which was for a Lousiana based indie-pop act Royal Teeth with opening acts Rachel Mallin and the Wild Type and Nashville artist Tristen so on to the terribly taken photos and descriptions on the sets I watched.

Rachel Mallin and the Wild Type

Funny story here obviously I didn't get to see these guys last week and it seemed that they wanted to more than make up for that because they did a fucking stellar job at this show from the blisteringly awesome opening track I Pick Winners a fucking stand out track from their as yet to be recorded follow up to Degenerate Matters they hit the ground running with a furious blend of awesome surf rock tones and infectiously catchy hooks that I can only imagine being a truly big track from a band that ever since I first saw them at this very venue last April have really seemed to grown and improve tenfold really their playing this night was tight as hell, they were super comfortable and very witty in their on stage banter, and they overall held themselves in such a way that's quite an improvement since the first time I saw them and that's quite great to see because they really are such a wonderful and talented group of people who are crafting all sorts of excellent songs and on this particular night they played a couple of new songs that admittedly are in the rough stages but in time will most definitely be something great especially the song they closed with who's name I forgot to write down but god damn it was a somber little number who's opening chords sent shivers down my spine and was really really good.

I've seen this band a boat load of times and this night in particular really showcased why because they give a fucking great show that has only continued to grow better and better as they get more comfortable with each passing performance and if you get the chance go see them.

Tristen

So I'd never heard any of Tristen's music and had no clue what to honestly expect and from the opening chords of their track Save Raina I was pleasantly surprised with a series of incredibly blue grassy kind of dust bowl sounding tunes that were sang by someone who's voice reminded me of a Neko Case to some capacity in her slight country ting with her alternative rock melodies that perfectly went along with a series of songs that as her set went along picked up in energy and quality.

This chick was dope and if she's in your neck of the woods I'd say give her a listen if you're into a more  folk influenced kind of country tinged brand of alternative rock I'd say you can really get to digging her and the fact that she's also a poet could result in a pretty solid experience for people who want some well written tunes.

Royal Teeth

I can't lie to you people these guys are some youthful looking folks and their music really reflects that with an energy and stage presence that can only really come when you're young, hungry, and ready to take over the world this band I hadn't really heard to much of before this show and wasn't entirely sure what to expect and what happened was quite a pleasant surprise.

These guys got some fucking energy and this show was a nearly non-stop series of infectiously catchy indie pop tracks similar to groups like Echo Smith or the Mowgli's that left the crowd dancing like crazy from pretty much the get go with all sorts of howling tracks and chorus' that were easy to sing along to even if you didn't know them to well to begin with you got this feeling like you did by the end of their set because the songs themselves were incredibly easy to sing along to with their excessive oh's and ah's and plenty of simple clap along beats they made you want to move, jump, and sing along that's for damn sure.

I really REALLY dug these guy's and their more pop sound that made tracks like, “Is it Just me,” and, “Wild,” a real pleasure to see live and their cover of, “Heartbeats,” which was the second song in their set and the one I remember being really fond of when I was giving them a listen a couple of day's before the show was FUCKING PHENOMENAL like I've been a huge fan of that song for years now but their arrangement which is actually pretty close to the original version is fucking great they managed to maintain a very poppy tone that makes you want to move but somehow also manage to pull a Jose Gonzalez and give a vocal performance that really has this expertly written track just hit you square in the fucking feels and give you this really kind of spine tingling sense of joy that reminds you why songs are so great sometimes.

This bands ability to feed off the crowd and make them go even harder is quite impressive and by the end of their set I was most certainly invested and will definitely be seeing them again the next opportunity I can make and if you can I very much advise you do the same because these guy's are really quite a show.

(my first set list of the year)

So yeah this night was fucking great and minus a certain sense of tension from some shenanigans I could care less to really get into there's nothing to really complain about here all the bands were killer and the fine folks at the Tank Room did an excellent job in mixing them and really making it all worth my money all thumbs up here.

Sam's Show Recap 1/13/17

So I went to a show Friday night at a bar here in Kansas City called Minibar for a birthday show that was for a guy who works at local record label called The Record Machine.

Just before I get into my coverage of this show I should note I couldn't stay for the whole show because of some terrible road conditions that were only continuing to get worse so for the sake of being safe I decided to leave before the headlining act which if I were to go into a bit of a tangent I'd have to say that January is an awful time of the year to try and see a show because winter, snow, and ice all suck and will do nothing more than act as a means of possibly canceling said show or making you not go because you're me and you live too damn far to be driving in these conditions for the sake of seeing some bad ass live music, but with that said I still managed to be safe and had no issues but for future reference FUCK WINTER!

OK now that the PBR I was asked to start chugging before writing this has set in let's talk about some bad ass fucking bands and show some rather piss poor photos to go along with these descriptions The Show in question was a birthday show that featured local acts: Rachel Mallin and the Wild Type, The Shameless Pursuit, Shadow Rabbits, and Momma's Boy which have all in some capacity have been featured on this little blog of mine with 3 of them making my year end best of list so with a line up like that FUCK YEAH I was going to this show although I had to leave before Rachel's set so I unfortunately can't tell you how bad ass they most likely did so sorry for the first showcasing of a show to be incomplete but hey mother nature does that so let's talk about the first act of the night....

Momma's Boy

So there's something oddly satisfying that the first live set I saw this year happen to be maybe my favorite band this city has to offer and the guy's who are responsible for my favorite song of 2016 which they kindly dedicated to me this show because they're nice like that.

They were added onto the bill at the last minute due to some circumstances I don't entirely remember and had to perform as a 3 piece this show because their bassist is out on vacation but even with that minor setback these guy's fucking rocked the god damn house right from the get go and with a very steadily paced and hard hitting set they showcased a series of quality cuts from their infectiously catchy Be a Good Boy, a very slowpaced garage rock number in Make Believe, a new track that was all sorts of awesomely energetic, and of course Cool Heat being all sorts of headbangingly awesome these guy's put on a furry of a show that will leave you with a shit load of songs stuck in your head that'll put you in a state of when a full length release is to come it'll be a fucking masterpiece but until then they plan on releasing an EP in February to tide us all by until then.

IF you get the chance SEE THIS FUCKING BAND ALREADY!

Shadow Rabbits

So after that swirling wave of awesome that was Momma's Boy Shadow Rabbits hit the stage and right from the opening chords of their wonderful newish cut The One that Got Away a steadily paced rocker with a very 60's rock and roll vibe lulled the fairly packed place in and got bodies a moving and with a string of very kind of post-punk toned set of tunes and those bodies weren't stopping especially for their wonderful kind of tongue and cheek lyrically amusing and bad ass Devils Point of View which was right in the middle of their set, which was interesting because all previous times I recall seeing them they use that track as a closer, but even with that in mind that song fucking pounded its' a kind of haunting little number that moves along wonderfully and showcases some great musicianship from all members of this band and will most certainly be something you'll remember.

This set unlike their recordings which have a very kind of clean and almost retro kind of do-whop tone to them that, on a side note are actually very well recorded that give these songs a feeling that you're listening to some long lost bad ass kind of blend between some old school rock and roll and soul record, in a live environment seem to completely change shape and instead morph into these kind of Post Punk rockers that are more Joy Division than they are Patsy Cline to some capacity and this is ever so present in the track they closed their energetic set with Truest Blue which sounded like an entirely different song all together what's normally this super groovy soul tinged spooky cut instead becomes a kind of goth tinged rocker and that's fucking awesome if you ask me.

The Shameless Pursuit

So I like the Minibar it's a super cool place that's very well kept, with good booze prices, and a friendly atmosphere and alright system of being able to have a show in one place and a bar in another but I can't bullshit you people the sound guy this night was having a host of mixing problems here and there and these guy's seemed to of unfortunately gotten the shaft because I couldn't hardly hear the guitar track and the feedback was pretty bad, but that said FUCK this band is good.

They started with my favorite song of theirs Doubt which admittedly was a bit pitchy at points and not being able to hear the guitar right was annoying as fuck but even so there was a raw aesthetic to the vocals that still fucking worked so god damn well and after a few songs when they went going damn this band was fucking into what they were doing and their singing is just so god damn good this group knows how to work off of one another and they're a bundle of energy that could cut through all the technical difficulties they dealt with and make you REALLY have some faith in this band because damn they're fucking good this set was all their more heavy numbers because they didn't have any acoustic guitars from what you can see in the image above with the exception of Fight and Flight being the one softer cut they played which even that one managed to rock the fucking house this night.

These guy's did a great job working through the bullshit and just seemed to have a hell of a time.

Overall this was a fucking damn great booked show that just had all killer performances that even equipment failure couldn't take away from and even though I didn't get to see the whole show I'm just going to imagine that Rachel and Company gave a 10 out of 10 show that was so good that it could make Chuck Norris shed a lone cancer curing tear of joy and if these bands are within driving distance from you GO FUCKING SEE THEM! Seriously all killer no filler and a fucking wonderful way to start my year of shows here's to hopefully less shitty weather to come.

Also if you didn't already tell there's links to all the bands bandcamp and facebook pages all throughout this article.

New Year New Format

What is up world it is me Sam of Sam's Song of the day here to give all of you the much anticipated update post for this humble little blog of mine.

As the years go by I find myself progressively posting less and less on here which I've complained about that for the past 2 years and constantly say I'm going to fix that and you know I'm not really concerned with that hardly any more because I realized after last year that while there's a shit load of things I need to cover I would rather present to you the reader a quality piece rather than a rushed together series of 150 words about some random ass song that I may eventually cringe over years later and after rereading all of my year end list and realizing that this year's series of post had a good bit more substance in terms of word count and were of a more personal nature I figured I'd take a different path when it came to posting for this little website of mine.

SO with that in mind I'd like to announce today that Sam's Song of the Day it'll still have Song of the Day's those are a thing but like last year they'll be rare and only when I really feel the need to thoroughly describe something and speaking of things to describe the KC showcase it's still going to be a thing and if you go to the Facebook Page you can message me your band or bands in the area you think I should cover and given enough time and interest I'll make sure to write something.

On top of the usual post where in I talk about musical acts or songs I also plan on trying to use Sam's Song of The Day to kind of keep track of the large number of shows I'll hopefully attend this year so expect the occasional kind of terribly photographed series of show covers that I plan on starting most likely next week depending on the weather which in all honesty I'll only be doing so much planning ahead in terms of what shows I'll attend only because Murphy's law is a thing and it's a bitch when you plan something and everything goes wrong.

Yeah Sam's Song of the Day is my pet project and I earn no money from this but if I had one goal it's to basically support my community and let people know what's worth listening to and while I understand I have a few years to REALLY decide to do something big or pack my bags and leave the domain of online public writing I can attest that last year I followed the guidelines I'd said in the year priors post about how I wanted to become more involved in the community and to a degree I did which was fucking awesome and I plan on continuing that with this little blog of mine so here's to more post about show's and the bands that make them up but until then here's a song I've had stuck in my head for a minute.