I've probably said it here before but the
Middle of the Map festival is my favorite music week/weekend of the year. I love researching new bands to see who I want to check out and trying to create a schedule that allows me to see as many bands as possible. This year over the four days I caught most or all of 29 different performances. Here are the highlights from day one:
Baskery @ Californos
The first set of the festival I caught ended up being one of the best of the whole day.
Baskery are a trio of sisters from Sweden. The set of instruments comprising an acoustic guitar, banjo and stand-up bass certainly seem like they'd belong to a normal bluegrass band, but Baskery are anything but.
They were extremely high energy and the addition of the drums made for a pretty rocking set. If not many people knew of the group before the festival, they definitely gained a roomful of new fans last Wednesday.
LA Witch @ Ernie Biggs
After checking out a ton of bands I'd never heard of on Spotify before the festival, one of the groups I was most excited to see was another all female trio:
LA Witch.
The group plays loud and fuzzy punk rock with a ton of reverb. If you know me at all, you know I love anything with a lot of reverb so I was in heaven. A lot of times punk rock music can sound thin but the heft of the reverb and drone made LA Witch's sound fill the room quite nicely.
Fullbloods @ Californos Patio
Fullbloods are a KC band that I was already familiar with before MOTM, but hadn't gotten a chance to see live yet. They're a part of the
High Dive record label which has some of my favorite local bands on their artist roster. It's lazy but I love comparing bands I see to existing bands I know and love and It's impossible to describe Fullbloods sounds without mentioning Steely Dan. The bands share that same mellow funk/r&b/jazz sound. Although I don't really care for Steely Dan much, I love Fullbloods and their new album. I'm never sure exactly how a bands sound will translate from record to live performance and I can say without a doubt that Fullbloods are a really talented live band. Make sure to check them out if you get a chance.
Roosevelt Dime @ Westport Saloon
The very last band of the evening we caught was Brooklyn's
Roosevelt Dime. I went into the show expecting some solid bluegrass but got much more as the band incorporates elements of blues, R&B and Americana. I was exhausted by this time and wished I could have stayed for the whole set but I'll definitely try and catch them if they come through town again.
Other bands I saw on Wednesday:
Atlas
Quirk & Ruckus
Via Luna
Ensemble Ibérica
Sales
-Matt
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