By Jason Meier

On April 10th, the Folly Theater in Kansas City played host to the third annual Klammies. This was the first time I have had the pleasure of attending the Pitch Weekly-sponsored event, and I found it to be a very entertaining evening of music and celebration.

I should be honest, and tell you that I am personally very middle-of-the-road as far as industry awards go. The simple fact of the matter is that awards almost always become a popularity contest - which becomes politically-motivated - stripping them of objectivity and most of their original meaning or value. I realize that this can be said for almost any awards celebration, and that you have to take the good with the bad - but that doesn't mean we have to settle for it.

I have a few suggestions on how to make the Klammies a bit better - and I hope the powers that be will be open to such constructive criticism.

I can think of many bands that went completely unrecognized - even ignored - by the Klammies this year, because of the nomination category structure. This is really unfortunate, and could easily be remedied with the addition of a few new categories that would allow these overlooked bands to compete - a Funk and Metal category are two good examples.

I also had a problem with some of the category choices the "academy" made when placing a few of the nominated bands. Of course, this too could also probably be remedied by the addition of a few new, more specific categories.

Those points withstanding, I was glad that I was able to attend, as it was a great opportunity to celebrate local music and to see some of the area's finest bands perform - and in rather uncommon setting. I was happy to be there when so many of my friends and colleagues were honored for their hard work, and even though I've made it quite clear how I feel about awards, the Klammies still achieved the goal of making me feel proud to be a part of this scene. And that is what it should all be about.

Okay, now that I've kicked the soap-box aside, let's get on to the evening's performances.

I must say that overall things went well. There were some sound problems, but with so many different bands sharing one stage, that is to be expected. Whomever was in charge of selecting the performers definitely achieved the goal of showcasing a very diverse batch of local music. There was truly something for everyone.

The first performer of the evening was eleven-year-old Jazz piano prodigy, Eldar Djangirov, along with Gerald Spaits on bass and David Basse on drums. This jazz trio put on an entertaining performance, especially Djangirov, who made it look easy and flaunted the miracle of human potential for an audience of envious musicians. This is a kid that will be making a lot of noise in the KC Jazz scene for a long long time to come.

The second performance of the night was the Jesse Jackson Five. This is a band that I had seen only one other time - despite the fact that they are one of the biggest draws in Lawrence. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to see them again soon. The JJ5 hit the stage and proceed to play non-stop for about 15 minutes. The band displayed their eclectic and versatile skills, tossing out a mixture of Funk, Hip-Hop, Latin, R&B and Rock during their set. The biggest problem I had with this performance was that the mix in the house was very weak. You couldn’t hear most of what DJ Bill Pyle was doing and a good chunk of Michael Hamm’s guitar work was also lost. I will admit that the sound crew had their hands full with the JJ5, as they are easily one of the most demanding acts to mic and mix, but it certainly could have been better. Jesse is probably the most versatile front guy in the area, with a monster singing voice and free-style rapping that rivals anyone else I've heard in the area. Despite the poor sound quality, I’m sure the band won over some new fans this evening.

The third performance of the evening was Folk and Celtic performer Mike Ireland. On this particular evening he was performing solo, though he typically performs with his band Holler. Ireland proceeded to play two songs for the audience, a couple of heart-felt folk tunes that were quite moving. One of which, he attributed to an "obscure night watchman." I look forward to hearing more from Mike Ireland, and his band.

After some more awards were presented, Kansas City’s premier Punk Rock band, Dragqueen, took the stage. This was definitely the loudest and one of the most entertaining performances of the evening. I have yet to see them play a full show in their home town of Kansas City, but I have seen them on several occasions at the Bottleneck in Lawrence. Tonight, however, they hit the Folly stage and rocked through three tunes. Things were going just fine until they started into a rousing cover of L.L. Cool J’s, “Going Back to Cali” - during which the curtain came crashing down, a bit prematurely. Whether or not this was accidental is up for debate, but it barely phased the band, who played on for a few more bars before popping out from behind the curtain to finish the song, in true punk form. This earned Dragqueen one of the biggest audience reactions of the evening.

Following some more awards, the Creature Comforts brought a bit of their Pop stylings to the occasion. Since their beginnings about three years ago, I have followed this band and watched them become one of the most respected Pop acts in the area. This evening would confirm that sentiment, with them winning Klammies for "Song of the Year," "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year."

They started their set by ripping through their Klammie-nominated song, “Sentimental Bliss,” and then proceeded to spread the wealth by bringing out some friends for their second song. Tawni Freeland of The Glitter Kicks added her backing vocals, while local-musician-at-large, J. D. Warnock, played organ for the title cut to their CD, “The Politics of Pop.” The performance was very good, but once again, sound problems came up with the mix a bit suspect. That withstanding, the Creature Comforts rocked out as expected.

After a short intermission and some more awards, the next performance was a surprise appearance by the Loose Cannon Brass Band. Loose Cannon is very much in the style of New Orleans brass - like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. What was so cool about this performance was that they caught everyone off guard, starting in the back of the theater, proceeding to march down one isle, up across the stage, and then back up the other side and out of the theater. The crowd seemed to enjoy the surprise and the band's performance very much - and it was a very cool change of pace. It definitely emphasized that this was a party - and had the crowd clapping along - leaving the theater to a rousing ovation.

Immediately following was a performance by the Kansas City "alterna-country" act, Hadacol. Simply put, these guys kicked ass. I had not seen them before, but had heard a lot of good things about them - and can now confirm the hype. Their three song set consisted of songs from their Klammie-nominated album, “Better Than This.” These guys got the biggest applause of the night, and I think it is safe to say they turned a few heads with their performance.

After a few more awards, it was time for a little bit of R&B - diva style, with Shae Jones. Jones' singing and lyrics were emphasized by four dancers on stage, who played on the imagery of Jones' songs. Personally, I found the performance boring, as I have little interest in pre-recorded performances. Not to say that Jones' singing wasn't live... it was strong and had great attitude. But, being a musician, I have never been fond of canned music, regardless of genre.

The final performance of the evening was provided by world-renown, Kansas City Wizards' soccer player, Alexi Lalas, and his band Nectar Drop. While I confess to having been a total metal-head back in high school, for me, the genre has come and gone, and this performance I found to be nothing more than average. The two original tunes they did were actually pretty decent, but the band ended their set with a less than impressive cover of the AC/DC classic, “Highway To Hell.” I found what was obviously just a big name put on the billing to sell tickets a rather average way to end a good night of local music. The general consensus agreed.

"I don't know why any band would choose a cover to end a night dedicated to celebrating local music," I over-heard one attendee saying as the theater cleared.

Before I wrap up this critique of the Klammie performances, I also want to make sure to give props to the Malachey Papers, who filled the duties of house band for the show. This band is made of ex-Billy Goat members, and did a great job at providing the background music for the occasion. Front man, Mike Dillon, is probably the best percussionist in the entire area, and I was very happy to see him playing again. I look forward to seeing this band play a full show in the near future.

This was a good evening of local music. Most of the performances were good and everyone seemed to be giving it their all. I also think that the Pitch did a good job at getting a good mix of musical styles, and for the most part did a good job at getting a good cross-section of the music that makes up the Kansas City/Lawrence music scene. Congratulations go out to all of the performers, award presenters, nominees and winners for all of their hard work. Also a big congratulations should go to the Pitch Weekly for their organization of this event, as it went off almost entirely without a hitch.

I would also like to thank the members of Lushbox, winners of best new band, for inviting my collogues and I to their post-Klammies party. It was a good time, where we made some new friends and ended the evening on a truly solid note.

While I still have mixed feelings about the Klammies, I also think that a ceremony and celebration like this one is a good thing for everyone involved, because it honors the hard work put in by all of these fine musicians. I look forward to attending next year's festivities, and hope to see you all there.

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