zach hodson

Album review: Attic Light - Different Shades of Black

Meticulously crafted with an ear towards commercial rock radio appeal, Attic Light throws down a heavy gauntlet of ‘90s-style alternative rock with its debut album, Different Shades of Black. The music tows a fine line between reminiscent and anachronistic, featuring just enough charm to not seem entirely dated. Like rock ‘n roll hero jigsaw puzzles mod-podged and hung on the wall in the living room, these six carefully welded arrangements channel hard rock acts from many generations, tipping the cap to Black Sabbath and Deep Purple just as much as their angsty little nephews Buckcherry and Chevelle.

“Demigod/Holiday” kicks off the album with a very garage-tinged Sex Bob-Omb distorted bass riff, quickly turning more towards Crash & the Boys and then promptly into Collective Soul. “Help Me Darlin’” is a skanky swamp groove, the kind of tune that should be accompanied by a brassy and costumed funeral procession down the sticky streets of New Orleans. “Spotlight,” with a sound akin to Alice in Chains or any Candlebox song not named “Far Behind,” will surely make all the Overland Park soccer moms throw up the horns with fervor.

When allowed to breathe and wander instrumentally, the songs develop an increased dynamic punch. The jammed out bridge/outro of “Market” is some of the more interesting work amongst the six tracks, bringing some sass and emotion to an otherwise heavily regimented soundscape. Whereas at times these songs may lack raw emotion and grit, they make up for it in clarity, precision, and sanitation of sound. The bass work of Patrick Rippeto and lead guitar of Mike Pittman particularly stand out, both knowing when best to flex their musicianship and when to lay back in the trenches.

Attic Light is finishing up a swift nine-appearance Midwest summer concert series with a KC album release show at Davey’s Uptown tomorrow, June 27 at 8 pm. If you’ve finally gotten over your Rockfest hangover, go check ‘em out, with Uncountable Kings, Fake Fancy, and Electric Third Rail. Facebook event page.

--Zach Hodson

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings begins production. He is also in Dolls on Fire, Drew Black & Dirty Electric, and Riot Riot Riot, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.

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Published: June 26, 2014 |

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Album review: American Dischord - Songs for Sinners

(Photo by Keith Johnson)

“I don’t need your forgiveness for my goddamned sins.”

American Dischord shoves its collective middle finger up your pretentious ass with a new LP entitled Songs for Sinners. Self-described as “hard-hitting rock ‘n roll straight for the bowels of Hell currently claiming Kansas City as our promised land,” this “punk and soul” trio blazes through seven tracks of cataclysmic punk rock in just under fifteen minutes.

AMDX runs the punk rock playbook to a high level, reminiscent of The Misfits, NOFX, and Rancid, amongst others. The lyrics are fuming, often political, and so far up your grill they’re ripping out molars. Urging you to “sing, sing, sing all you sinners!” in a song of the same name, the scream-sung vocals tow a perfect line of grating attitude and sing-along sensibility, not unlike the harder moments of The Offspring’s catalogue.

Musically, it is delightfully more than just your typical three-chord punk slop. AMDX plays with structure and whips out just enough song tricks to keep the two-minute punk anthems from sounding all the same. The trio of musicians makes the style of music they play work for them, with individual playing that gets spastic and free in all the right spots, but never seems superfluous.

The anchor of these two-minute pressure cookers is the epic-by-comparison three-and-a-half minute “Op Rev.” One of the more furious and politically themed songs on the record, AMDX parallels off the old tried-and-true Gunpowder Treason story, commanding anarchy and a rise against the bullshit that lives in our news feeds every day.

All put together, you listen over and over again as you pound your steering wheel or keyboard along with fervor. Of late, the band has been regionally playing all over the place. If bashing your pompous neighbor’s face open with a can of whatever beer was cheapest that day is your thing, check out American Dischord.

--Zach Hodson

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings begins production. He is also in Dolls on Fire, Drew Black & Dirty Electric, and Riot Riot Riot, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.

Published: June 13, 2014 |

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The Deli KC's Best of 2013

(Photo above of The Grisly Hand, by Todd Zimmer)

Some of us here at The Deli KC (and a few other local music experts) have compiled our best of 2013 local lists. Here are a few of our picks…

Michelle Bacon, The Deli KC editor-in-chief

Top 10 albums of 2013

Ha Ha Tonka – Lessons

The Grisly Hand – Country Singles

Tiny Horse – Darkly Sparkly

The Latenight Callers – Songs For Stolen Moments

Not A Planet – The Few, The Proud, The Strange

Clairaudients – I’m A Loudmouth, You’re A Puppet

The Silver Maggies – My Pale Horse

The Dead Girls – Fade In/Fade Out

Freight Train Rabbit Killer – Freight Train Rabbit Killer

Katy Guillen & the Girls – …And Then There Were Three

Zach Hodson, The Deli KC contributor

Top 13 of 2013

The Grisly Hand – Country Singles

The Electric Lungs – Simplified and Civilized

Tiny Horse – Darkly Sparkly

The ACBs – Little Leaves

Cherokee Rock Rifle – Ta-Li

The Dead Girls – Fade In/Fade Out

Not a Planet – The Few, The Proud, The Strange

Mime Game – Do Your Work

The Latenight Callers – Songs for Stolen Moments

The Jinxed – The Loon

Erik Voeks – Finulu

More Like Georgia – Move On

The Octopuss Men – Music to Make Her Change Her Mind

Honorable mentions

Bloodbirds– Psychic Surgery

Sundiver – The Pull

Slum Party – Flood

Msg Ctrl – Rolling Like a Stone

La Guerre – Violent

Vi Tran Band – American Heroine

Man Bear – Power Slop

Crossed Wires – Crossed Wires

Barry Lee, The Deli KC contributor / Signal To Noise on KKFI 90.1 FM

2013 list of homegrown specialties

Tiny Horse – “Ride” from Darkly Sparkly
The Dead Girls – “Love You To" / Signal To Noise’s Tribute To The Beatles at Knuckleheads, June 1
Cowboy Indian Bear – “Let It Down” from Live Old, Die Young

Ricky Dean Sinatra – “Werewolf” / Reunion show at Jazzhaus, July 20

Scott Hrabko – “Blue, Period” from Gone Places

Lonnie Fisher – “Ghosts Driving in My Van” from Ghosts and Dreams

Erik Voeks – “Hester A. Fish” from Finulu

The Quivers – “He Had It Coming” from Gots To Have It!

Betse Ellis – “Straight To Hell” / Wednesday MidDay Medley’s (KKFI) 500^th show, November 20

Radkey – “Out Here in My Head” from Cat & Mouse

Danny R. Phillips, Deli KC contributor

Best album: Many Moods of Dad – The Consequence of Trying

Best EP: Black on Black – Get On With It

Best song: Scruffy & the Janitors – “Shake It Off”

Other best albums

David Hasselhoff on Acid – Eudaimonia

Pale Hearts – Hollowtown

Bloodbirds – Psychic Surgery

Missouri Homegrown – You Asked For It

Red Kate – When the Troubles Come

The Pedaljets – What’s in Between

Stiff Middle Fingers – At the Scene of the Crime

Dsoedean – Continue to Move

The Grisly Hand – Country Singles

Best shows

Bob Mould / The Pedaljets at The Bottleneck, August 16

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion / Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds at recordBar, October 7

Lawrence Field Day Fest at The Bottleneck, July 11-13

Cupcake / Scruffy & the Janitors / Universe Contest at The Rendezvous (St. Joseph), March 22

Bill Brownlee, The Plastic Sax / There Stands the Glass

Top 10 albums of 2013

The Grisly Hand – Country Singles
Tech N9ne – Something Else
Mark Lowrey – Tangos for 18th Street
The Architects – Border Wars: Episode I
Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle – The Freedom of Expression
Alaturka – Yalniz
Reggie B – DNA
Cowboy Indian Bear – Live Old, Die Young
Dutch Newman –Schorre's Son
Akkilles – Something You'd Say

Steven Tulipana, co–owner of recordBar / miniBar

Favorite recordBar moments of 2013

Kishi Bashi / Plume Giant, February 17

Wovenhand, April 4 (Middle of the Map Fest)

Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa / Aurograph, April 29

Sonic Spectrum’s Tribute to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, May 26

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, July 16

Bob Log III, July 23

Richard Buckner, October 30

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion / Kid Congo, October 7

King Khan and the Shrines, October 20

Found A Job performs The Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, November 29

Thanks for all your support this year! We look forward to hearing more excellent music in 2014.

Also, don't forget to visit www.voteformmf.com! We have tonight and tomorrow to vote for Midwest Music Foundation, so cast your vote now!

–The Deli KC staff

Published: December 31, 2013 |

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The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!