Drakkar Sauna CD Release Show

Jeff Stolz and Wallace Cochran are Drakkar Sauna

Lawrence, KS favorites Drakkar Sauna have a new record for y’all:

“On the heels of their Louvin Brothers tribute record Wars and Tornadoes, Drakkar Sauna presents 20009 — a return to established Sauna subplots like spears, space, and old people. The music is less old-timey and more present-timey, rife with blaring trumpets, barroom piano tinkling, regal harmonies, and sing-along melodies” (Lawrence.com).

The release party for 20009 (pronounced “two thousand-ousand nine”) will be this Saturday, August 22 at the Jackpot Music Hall (943 Massachusetts) in Lawrence, KS. Also, check out the guys own personal podcast streamed on Lawrence.com to learn about “playing music in ‘the Kansas,’ the Mercury Seven astronauts, Jeff Stolz’s alleged stint in prison, and child-rearing” (Lawrence.com).

posted by: Tricia Rock

St. Vincent Acoustic Session at La Route du Rock

(via Grandcrew)
“During the 19th edition of the Route du Rock festival in Saint Malo, France, we crossed paths with Annie Clark aka St. Vincent. She had her guitar and was happy to do a little acoustic session with us!

posted by: Brent Carter

Listen to: Zaza

Like an insomniac struggling through a wakeful sleep, the music of Zaza exists amid the hazy space of the in-between. Soft, airy vocals and layered production reminiscent of shoegaze stalwarts Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine ebb and flow and fight on the duo’s first EP Cameo with a more brooding tension drawn from the atmospheric side of post-punk. As a track, “Repetition” exemplifies this space, a haunting, moody pop song that combines the feel of  The Cure during their gothic phase with a tribal seance, removing the expected and leaving you in a place unknown. Similarly, “Always On” strands you here when its sparse guitar work throughout the first two-minutes ramps up intensely, combining with smooth bass riffs and lighting-quick drum fills toward a crescendo of complexity. Although not every track on Cameo achieves this same level of success all are far from boring, creating a densely textured debut EP.

Stream Cameo free on Spinner this week here

by: Harold Johns III

Stik Figa Album Release Party

On Thursday, August 20th Topeka-based emcee Stik Figa will be celebrating the release of his latest album “Stik Figa As Himself” at the Eight Street Taproom (801 New Hampshire) in Lawrence, KS.  DJ Godzilla is opening the show which starts at 10pm and has a $3 cover charge. 21+

You can also catch Stik Figa on August 21st when he opens for The Cool Kids and former Lawrence-based emcee Approach at the Granada Theater (1020 Massachusetts) in Lawrence, KS. Tickets for that show are $10-$12, doors open at 10pm and it is an all ages affair.

posted by: Brent Carter

Project Runway Season 6 to Feature KC Designer Ari Fish

Kansas City based fashion designer Ari Fish will compete on this season’s Project Runway as one of sixteen finalists. The show, which in its sixth season has switched to the Lifetime Network, is set to premiere Thursday, August 20th.

Ari (pronounced AIR-ee) Fish (26) did not begin her career in fashion, but rather studied painting and ceramics at the Kansas City Art Institute. After graduating, to the surprise of her friends and even herself, Fish began dabbling in fashion design, creating the utilitarian garments desired by her artistic peers and appearing in Kansas City”s Annual West 18th Street Fashion Show. With a true love of performance-art, Fish’s designs lean more toward the conceptual and the avant-garde, an aesthetic sometimes hard to sell to the more mainstream Project Runway crowd. But with a deep self-taught knowledge of designing and sewing we hope Ari Fish can win the respect of the judges as she has won ours. The Rathaus will be rooting her on as the season progresses.

Follow Ari Fish on the Project Runway website here

posted by: Tricia Rock