Hooping isn’t just limited to raves and jam band shows anymore. Many white people enjoy hooping in diverse scenarios During indie rock band Marian Hill‘s set in Kansas City on Friday, a fan tried to hoop to the sax-laced tunes. Some music is not easy for hooping. A+ for effort though. A nice change of pace from most fans at indie shows that just look at their feet and try to act unimpressed.
Holy cow! It was udder mayhem at the Floozies Kansas City show last night. This raving cow milked the show for all it was worth. It was a high steaks night. Some of the crowd had some beef with him. However, no fights broke out. It was an act of bovine intervention.
It was a real zoo at the show. The penguins at the zoo recently started walking outside. This chill bro made an epic trek to go raving. It’s great to see the penguins beasting hardcore. I also had a friend of mine come up and greet me with a “suh dude” in public. This was a first for me and terrified me to the very core of my being. It made my soul cry. Quality rave funk jams last night. I learned a lot about my culture and white people.
The Floozies, Midland Theatre 2/13/16
The Floozies brought a sprawling set of rave funk jams to the Midland Saturday night. The concert was like a fusion of a jam band show and a rave in the best way possible. The Lawrence-based duo also brought a massive production which really added to the show. The hard partying crowd was grooving all night. Here are some photos and videos of my evening diving deep into the face-melting world of rave funk.
The Floozies, Midland Theatre 2/13/16
The Floozies, Midland Theatre 2/13/16
The Floozies, Midland Theatre 2/13/16
The Floozies, Midland Theatre 2/13/16
The Floozies, Midland Yheatre 2/13/16
WORDS ON A STICKER Sticker.
I walked into my local hip/ironic shop the other day. I saw a product that made seething anger rise up inside of me. The “WORDS ON A STICKER” sticker made my brain hurt. Are these supposed to be funny? The only thing that gets me angrier than seeing stickers like these is when I have a weak wifi signal.
Why do phrases like these make me so mad? It’s because they are trying so damn hard to be ironic that the phrases wind up being pointless and stupid. It’s like some bad attempt at hyper irony.
Who is the target market for these? Are they a hot seller? Who sees these and says, “OMG, I really need this in my life!” Would you buy the “WORDS ON A STICKER” sticker? What the hell do they even mean? You get a free brain aneurysm with purchase of this sticker.
“I’ve maybe turned on the TV twice since I’ve been home. The TV makes me so angry, I don’t even know what to do,” said the frustrated white girl seated in back of me tonight at my local coffeeshop. One day, I hope she finds a way to solve her problem. I pray that she is granted reprive from the weight of this issue that bares heavy on her soul.
Here is a collection of my favorite photos I shot in January of 2016.
I had a friend of mine in college that was playing a mix CD he had made of new music. I asked him about what some of tunes were. “I don’t know yet. I’ll find out what I’m listening to tomorrow.” The tunes were so new, the guy that made the CD didn’t even know them yet. He is so hip, he is ahead of himself.
G-Easy at the Midland, 1/12/16
Walking up to the massive crowd lined up for the G-Easy show on Tuesday night, my mind was blown. He had sold out the 3,000 capacity Midland Theater, in Kansas City, months in advance. The crowd was mostly young white kids, between the ages of 13 and 19. It was like a teen riot outside the Midland.
I went to college with G-Easy, at Loyola University New Orleans. His fashion sense was always over the top and he had a vision for himself even back then. I hadn’t seen G-Easy live in at least eight years. The Oakland-based rapper has improved greatly since his NOLA days.
It seems like the mainstream has really caught up to G-Easy. His rapping was strong and on-point all night and the beats were fresh and lush. Backed by a drummer and a DJ, he rapped with confidence and ability throughout his show. His stage set up had a very NOLA vibe. The Saint bar scene was a nice shout out to the CBD dive bar. It was like some amped up version of NOLA run through the G-Easy filter.
G-Easy at the Midland, 1/12/16
Over the years, G-Easy has stayed focused on his vision of grinding hard and moving towards success. His party-centric music seems true to who he is as a person. His music feels like a natural extension of himself and he’s not trying to be a poser. Maybe that’s why he does so well with younger rap fans. He held the crowd’s attention during his 1 hour and 40 minute set. As local music critic Bill Brownlee put it in his review of the show, “The immediately accessible music is ideal for party-minded young adults who have outgrown the output of boy bands but aren’t yet prepared to embrace more challenging sounds.”
His style of rap might not be for everyone, but it’s great to see someone be successful and do what they love. You can hate all you want, but no one can argue with a sold out tour. Tech N9ne even joined him onstage in KC. That is some serious business. G-Easy is doing something right and knows his market. It’s amazing to see him go from the basement of the student center at Loyola to selling out a venue that holds 3,000 people in Kansas City. Never give up on your dreams and keep pushing forward. G-Easy knew that a long time ago.
G-Easy crowd at the Midland, 1/12/16
Samuel T. Herring, of Future Islands (Image via Flood Magazine)
Samuel T. Herring, of Future Islands, displayed some of the best dance moves I caught in 2015. It may seem overblown at times, but he really leaves it all out on the stage.
Future Islands set was one of the “whitest” performances I saw all year. Everything good and frustrating about that idea was on display during their set at the Pitchfork Music Festival. At times, the music seemed cold, distant and sterile. At other points during the set, it was invigorating and life affirming. It was a strange mix of highs and lows, sometimes within the same song.
Through it all, Herring’s dance moves kept lighting up the crowd. He dances like a man without fear. He doesn’t give a damn about looking cool and gets lost in his music. It’s a beautiful thing. Herring’s moves are a a gloriously funky, freaked out extension of himself. Keep on grooving!
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