Steve Tulipana has been one of the commanding forces of the Kansas City music scene for years. As a member of several prominent local bands and a co-owner of recordBar, Tulipana has more than made his mark in the community. Two of his bands, Roman Numerals and Thee Water MoccaSins, will be appearing at Middle of the Map Fest next week.
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
Steve Tulipana: Roman Numerals: Post-post-punk.
Thee Water MoccaSins: Electro-psych fractal pop.
The Deli: What other artists are you looking forward to seeing at MotM?
The Deli: It always amazes me to watch either of the bands perform since Billy Smith (Smith lives in NYC) isn’t in town often to rehearse. How do you make it work?
ST: We’ve all known each other a very long time and have very similar tastes so yeah, I guess it just gels easily.
The Deli: It’s always a big celebration when either band has a chance to play in town. Do you guys have any releases coming up?
ST: Roman Numerals: Probably not, though I wish there was a proper release for the last stuff we did.
The Deli: Anything special planned for either of the bands for MotM?
ST: Roman Numerals is playing with our original drummer Pete LaPorte. We’ve not played with him in about 5 years. We’ll also be playing material from the first record, which we haven’t played in a long time. Probably will be some Joy Division tunes thrown in there too.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
ST: It’s second nature to me. It’s vital. It’s air and blood. Without it I’m dead.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
ST: Moonface, David Bowie, Frank Ocean are all on constant rotation right now.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
ST: See above.
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
ST: Stage. I hate the studio; too boring for me.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
ST: Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, Tom Araya, and Jeff Hanneman. Because it would be wicked hilarious and awesome.
The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
ST: Kansas City needs more weird. Get creative. Don’t chase trends. Express.
Roman Numerals is:
Pete LaPorte – drums
Shawn Sherrill – synth
William Smith – guitar, vocals
Steven Tulipana – bass, keys, vocals
Thee Water MoccaSins are:
Mark Hoffman – euphonium
Liz Kinninger – backing vocals
William Smith – guitar, vocals
Steven Tulipana – bass, guitar, keys, vocals
Wade Williamson – keys, guitars
Both of these bands will be playing at Middle of the Map Fest next week, and since they don’t play often, you won’t want to miss them. Thee Water MoccaSins will be playing Thursday, April 4 at recordBar at 11:00 pm, and Roman Numerals will be playing on Saturday at 5:00 pm on The Outdoor Stage.
--Michelle Bacon
