Hey fans! I had a realization yesterday – Kansas City, MO (KCMo as we call it), my new home, has an amazingly rich musical history. I know, as a musician you’d think I research this stuff before I moved but – well, life happened. Anyway, yesterday I was just curious about the artwork atop the Kauffman Convention Center (they are these four pillars that look like cudgels on top of smoke stacks) so I did some research. This ultimately threw me into a great series of articles on the history of KCMo and – it’s music. I feel like an idiot for not knowing these things:
- Kansas City, MO is considered the birthplace for American Jazz. Now, to my credit I’m not a jazz aficionado but I am a music history buff so you’d think I know.
- The 18th and Vine area, not far away from the downtown core, is considered the Jazz Holy Land and also hosts the Blue Room which launched MANY well known acts.
- A few singers from here made it very big over time. Of my generation of music – Puddle of Mudd started here, so did Melissa Etheridge. Even Eminem spent a few years in St. Joseph, MO on the eastern edge of the KCMo metro area.
- One other very well known act from my history – Tech N9ne – is from this area and I had no idea!
As a random bit of fun, you will recall that I wrote Street Fire after visiting a certain neighborhood in KCMo and feeling the energy there. It turns out that this neighborhood is only a few miles away from 18th and Vine. Perhaps that is part of why the energy was so strong there. Whatever the case may be, I am enjoying a city that has a culture of music and I can’t wait to learn more about it when the time allows.
If you’re bored, here is a list of tracks that I think you’ll like from KCMo folks:
- Tech N9ne – Hood Go Crazy
- Vedera – Satisfy
- The Get-Up Kids – Ten Minutes
- Blackpool Lights – It’s Never About What It’s About
- CES/Cru – Seven Chakras
- Mac Lethal – Angel of Death (feat. Tech N9ne)
- The Casket Lottery – Code Red
- Coalesce – Blue Collar Lullaby
- Skatterman and Snug Brim – On My Feet
- The Gadjits – Beautiful Girl
- Krizz Kaliko – Girls Like That
- The Life and Times – Coat of Arms
- Flee the Seen – I’ll Be Back on Sunday
- Shiner – The Truth About Cows
- Reggie and the Full Effect – Congratulations Smack + Katy
- The Rainmakers – Let My People Go-Go
- Republic Tigers – Sinkin’ Annie Down, Down, Down, Down
- Solé – 4,5,6
- The Elders – Men of Erin
- Kutt Calhoun – I Been Dope (feat. Tech N9ne)
Maybe this will help catalyze my music production! I guess only time will tell!
DJ6i Out!