Labor Day weekend in Kansas City has meant one thing since 1985. It has marked the start of the largest outdoor Labor Day party of its kind: The Spirit Fest. With upwards of eleven stages showcasing just about every type of music on could possibly want to hear, several arts and crafts vendors, and lots of incredible food, the Spirit Fest is simply one huge outdoor holiday party.

Synapsis had the pleasure of working in conjunction with Kansas City's source for local music and fellow web-journalists, The Zone, in our efforts to bring you the most complete coverage of the Lazer / Taco Bell Modern Rock Amphitheater. The stage featured 24 local bands and three national headliners over three hot, but fun-filled days.

Friday night's show was headlined by the two-man modern rock band, Local H. Saturday night's show was co-headlined by two great local bands: Outhouse from Kansas City, and Lawrence rock legends, Paw.

Sunday night would feature a couple more great national acts such as the trippy modern rock of Tripping Daisy and the Psychobilly of the Reverend Horton Heat. The local bands were a mix of some of the best bands from all over the region. Manhattan was represented by Ruskabank and Ultimate Fakebook, while Topeka was represented by 8 Degrees. Among the Lawrence bands playing were Julia Surrendered, Nasa's Little Secret, The Glitter Kicks, Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers, Danger Bob, Rubber, and The Black Water. Kansas City bands included Frogpond, The Gadjits, The Get Up Kids, Grovel, The Feds, Crutch, Deege (now known as Engine), Exit 159, Molly McGuire (in one of their last performances) and Season To Risk. Also appearing was Springfield's very own Flick.

Now, on to the reviews...

...with much more on the way!

Spirit Fest has come and gone and was a great time had by all. I had a great time getting to see two-and-a-half days of great music featuring some of the best bands in the region. I would like to thank all of the bands for taking time out of their day to let me interview them and make my job a little bit easier. I would also like to give a big shout out to the sound people who did a great job at making all the bands sound great. I only heard about 10 seconds of feedback the whole weekend,  which is awesome considering the number of bands that played, and the numerous times and ways the stage had to be set.

And finally, I would like to give a big thanks to Kansas City's first and best local music website, The Zone, for letting us collaborate with them on the coverage of Spirit Fest. It was a great three days and is definitely something that I'm looking forward to doing again next year.

Jason Meier
Music Editor
Synapsis Digital Magazine