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Crossroads Music Festival 2006
Story by Pete Dulin, Photographs by Pam Taylor and Pete Dulin.
2006-11-01
The Crossroads Music Festival came together as a festival in the truest sense, a celebration of music, people, and the city itself. Staged in the Grinder’s Sculpture Park on 18th Street, the event on September 9 infused the east edge of downtown with arts, culture, commerce, and over a thousand festival attendees. Spice of Life Productions, led by musician and promoter Bill “Roach” Sundahl, brought both spice and life to the park on a classic autumn day.
Music scene veteran Scott Easterday, leader of reformed band The Expassionates, shared his thoughts as the festival began, “I’m looking forward to seeing the bands. I’m glad to have an outdoor music festival again since the Spirit Festival is dead.”
(Top left: Vaughn Von Hodad, top right: Bill Sundahl, bottom: Steven Tulipana (left) and Shawn Sherrill of Roman Numerals.
KEG of Zeegrass
Local vendors and businesses hosted booths including children’s fashion boutique lillibelle, Sike Style, Muddy Girl Ceramics, and KC Poppers classic kettle corn. Beach balls and Frisbees added a leisurely touch to the atmosphere. Meanwhile, The Silvermen cranked amped-up surf music for families, friends, and couples relaxing on blankets or strolling on the grounds. Boulevard Brewing Company kept thirsts in check and Grinder ‘s served up sandwiches and pizza to fill bellies.
Face painting offered fun for the younger set, but many kids created their own diversions by chasing each other or dancing. The community-oriented music festival pulled off the trick of attracting music lovers of all ages, including parents and a future generation of screamers and rockers parading on a stage of their own making. However, not every kid wanted a future in rock music.
Sundahl recounted a story about a four-year-old girl that told her aunt she saw rock stars. When asked where she saw them, the girl pointed to KEG, who played bass in Zeegrass. The aunt and girl walked over, then the girl told him, “She liked his music very much.” When KEG asked if she wanted to be a rock star when she grew up, she said very adamantly, “No, I want to be a scientist!”
Mikal Shapiro backstage
When all was said and done, the festival proved to be a stellar music showcase. Sundahl, stage manager Jacqui Craig, Wende Williamson, and other staff brought the festivities together as a smooth production. Thirteen bands performed throughout the day and into the night. Wacky, roller rink rockers Wild Chipmunk and the Cuddly Poos kicked off the program and claimed the title for most outrageous group appearance. Costumed in Afro wigs and capes, they looked like Adam Sandler’s Opera Man and belted out some Hokey Pokey-style tunes.
Altogether, the lineup reflected the city’s diverse and talented music scene from Emma Feel’s garage funk to the Roman Numerals’ dark wave to The Gaslights’ country stylings. A number of local musicians showed up to support their peers including Super Black Market, which played the after party at The Brick, Mikal Shapiro, and Jon Yeager.
“It’s a very eclectic lineup and not just rock-n-roll bands. The Silvermen are old friends of mine. I haven’t seen them play in five years. I also came to see Zeegrass,” says Jon Yeager, a local musician and label mate with Zeegrass on Minnow Records.
Shawn Sherrill of Roman Numerals
Top: (Left) Zhenya of Zeegrass, (Middle) KEG of Zeegrass, (Right) Jon Yeager. Middle: (Left) Stretch of Grinder’s, (Middle) young fan, (Right) Joseph Remlinger of Super Black Market. Bottom: (Left) Festival music fans, (Right) Drummer from Wild Chipmunk and the Cuddly Poos.
Zeegrass, the bluegrass and Russian folk fusion act fronted by Zhenya of The Red Elvises, prompted great interest from fans and local bands. The trio impressed the crowd with their theatrical outfits of body paint and grass skirts and unique blend of music. Not only something to look at, they introduced the audience to the sights and sounds of traditional Russian instruments backed by rampant drumming. Later in the evening, the old-timey honky tonk and country fervor of The Wilders got
Bill Sundahl, Festival organizer
Sundahl shared his favorite moment from when his band performed later in the night. “When It’s Over asked our friends on stage to sing ‘It Will Happen’ and the crowd was singing along with us. It was beautiful and worth all the effort,” he says.
Overall, Sundahl expressed his gratitude for the turnout. “I would like to thank Kansas Citians who came out, supported their local community of musicians, and had a hell of a time to boot. The bands played their music well, the weather was fabulous, and there were tons of children getting a little taste of live music and how much more fun that is than recorded music,” says Sundahl.
PRESENT Magazine also gathered impressions from musicians performing at the festival.
Davin Watne of Emma Feel
The six members of Emma Feel––including front man/guitarist Davin Watne, drummer Keith Patterson, bassist Liz Weiler, and keyboards/guitarist Ben White––performed a muscular set. Songs ranged from a slow, pent up funk to a shake-n-grind romp with a sexy attitude. The sassy sights and sounds originated from vastly different influences.
“We started playing old school punk influenced by Iggy Pop, The Stooges, and New York Dolls. Our shift to funk and soul could be called garage funk,” says Watne. “Our influences now are rare air funk from the ‘70s. One hit wonders that were part of a rare groove pantheon, stripped down and raw.”
Why the shift from one distinctive style of music to another? “There were a lot of pseudo garage bands in town and our collective taste changed. A band’s tastes have to evolve or a band ceases to exist. Ben has been instrumental in songwriting. He joined the band and things clicked. Todd Strickland on percussion added atmosphere to the sound,” says Watne.
The band also has drawn from the sounds of the Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, Curtis Mayfield, and blaxpoitation soundtracks such as Superfly and Shaft. Watne says, “Mayfield is a big influence on our sound. I really studied that guy. I would like to develop a percussion section like War. With Ike and Tina, that tension made their music great. When they were on, they were so on.”
During his set, Watne strutted and posed with a swagger that channeled the brazen sexuality of Mick Jagger, Prince, James Brown, and Lenny Kravitz. Sex has always infused rock-n-roll music with suggestive lyrics, a primal beat, a come-hither spirit. “I try to bring a sexual energy to the stage. It’s tough,” said Watne. “Your job is to gauge the crowd. Sometimes you have to close your eyes and reach within. We try as a band to build a groove and unite the fans.”
Watne flirted with that connection as he faced a small, growing audience at the beginning of the festival. The music offered a way for both performers and audience members to vent their workaday stresses. “Everyone has a day job. We have everyday BS,” he said. “I have to block it all out. I let it all out when on stage. A good show is a great release. We want to encourage dancing. There’s not enough dancing in this town.”
Watne expressed enthusiasm for the Crossroads Music Festival and its varied draw of music acts from his perspective as a fan and musician. “We’re excited to be part of this. I think this has lots of potential here and hope we’ll continue to be part of it. There’s so much cross-pollination going on. It’s nice to play in a festival as a show, have a beer, and see other bands. It’s good to see a community-oriented show. It’s good for young parents that don’t make it out of the house to go somewhere besides a smoky bar.”
Fan notes: Emma Feel’s release, All Things Dirty and Delicious, features the song “Soul Frustrated.”
Top: Emma Feel
Bottom: Doris Henson
Wes Gartner, Doris Henson
Gartner had great fun at the music festival, gave credit to Bill Sundahl for his hard work and diligence, and noted one minor flaw with the production. “Everyone in the area should thank Roach. He managed to put on a great show featuring a bill that crossed many genres and went off without a hitch. Although the sound guy could use a couple of lessons on work ethic like not getting shit-faced while working.”
Overall, Gartner expressed gratitude for the chance to play with so many musicians and friends on the same concert bill. The Crossroads music festival represented the tight-knit local music scene and reinforced the spirit of people working together.
“It was a great example of the camaraderie that the Kansas City music scene swims in. There were no fights and everyone appeared to be having a great time. Boulevard Beer supplied the beer for the green room…and the jokes that stemmed from the inept sound guy,” says Gartner.
Doris Henson guitarist
“The people who turned out were really into it. Being able to hang out outside on a beautiful evening while your favorite local bands play? That doesn’t happen every day. Regardless of what band you actually came there to see…there was something for everyone and that is why KC music, in general, is blowing up, or vice versa.”
Fans that did not get to see Doris Henson perform live might find reassurance in the fact that the band has been in the studio recording ten new songs. [Editor's note: Doris Henson disbanded in late 2006 after this story was published.]
“In all honesty, we weren’t even done writing all the songs when we went in,” remarks Gartner. “Two or three of the songs we finished writing in the studio. Oddly enough, these are my favorite tracks so far. We will probably take another week or two to finish them up, do a quick mastering, and then we plan to shop it around to labels. DeSoto dropped us a year ago, at the end of the Billy Corgan tour…that stung. When the songs are a little more sculpted, we will most likely post a couple of them on our web site.”
Fan notes: Doris Henson incorporates a trumpet into a five-piece rock band setup with dynamic results. Sample tracks like “Dark Time For The Light Side Of The Earth” can be found in PRESENT Magazine's Listen section.
Ryan Lickteig, The Down Trunks
This Kansas City-based band has played regionally over the past five years. A rock -n-roll band in the vein of Wilco, Son Volt, Rolling Stones, and Old 97’s, The Down Trunks played this festival for the first time to a receptive audience. Ryan Lickteig was pleased with the turnout for the second year of the festival, despite the competition from other area festivals for the attention of fun-seekers that weekend.
“It was up from last year, so that is encouraging. You would always like to have more people, but there were quite a few events going on that same weekend,” he says. “The response was great. We had an earlier set time, so there weren’t nearly as many people as there were later on, but overall I think people enjoyed our set.”
Lickteig picked out a few highlights from the festival on and off the stage. “I liked the Wilder set quite a bit. They have an admirable camaraderie about them. Probably everyone walking by Darren’s dog and staring in awe at how big he is. That and beating our guitar player, Dan, in ping pong before the festival started,” he says.
Fan notes: The Down Trunks recently released their third album titled Three Rings and a Dagger.
Marco Pascolini
Mr. Marco’s V7 formed nearly ten years ago when John Hamil (bass) and Marco Pascolini formed the band in 1995 as a four-piece cocktail lounge meets rockabilly outfit. “We’ve expanded with horns and contracted over the years to end up with our current line up of Kent Burhnam on drums and Mike ‘DJ Clem’ Stover on console steel and mandolin,” says Pascolini.
The band brought a strikingly different instrumental sound to the day’s lineup with music that stood apart from the homespun flavors, the raucous intensity, and the boogie beat of other acts. The band’s sound––conjuring an explosive, electric jazzy hive of fuzzed out guitar, fiery mandolin, and bombastic rock beats––draws from disparate sources with a dash of idiosyncratic genius and experimentation.
“Without speaking of genres we tend to compose and construct songs that draw from a fairly diverse palette, not limiting it to one particular style or band model,” says Pascolini. “Whatever moves a song along. For example, if John brings a composition to the band, then he’s probably been thinking about a Turkish cassette tape that’s been in his head for a while. Then he adds his WyCo roots of metal, instructing but not limiting the rest of us to find our own interpretation. Then we’ll blatantly steal a good bridge from a familiar source if need be, but filtered through analog coding devices to conceal its identity.”
How did the audience respond to the band’s set, according to Pascolini? “By all accounts, from what we perceived as crowd response on stage and from carefully placed surveyors in the field, well. Confusion mixed with delight.”
Pascolini also surveyed the festival scene on his own time. Enjoying the leisurely pace of a mellow autumn day and the concert’s atmosphere mattered a great deal. “It was really laid back as the bands worked their ass off to set up and entertain. The two stage system is brilliant. The local aspect of the entire festival was probably what really made it unique. Local artists, venue, vendors, not-for-profits, dogs, art, beer, promoters, and advertisers.”
If Mr. Marco’s V7 could have performed the set over again, would they do anything different? ”Hmmm, our Don Ho medley would have been a good closer. No I think we were pleased with what took place. No regrets.”
Fan Notes: Mr. Marco’s V7 is currently recording a new album.
Cody Wyoming and Turbo, The Von Hodads
The name of the Western surf outfit The Von Hodads derived from a variation of guitarist Abe Hadad’s name and surfer slang. Hodad refers to greasers who hang out on the beach and pick up the surfer’s women, according to Cody Wyoming. This local favorite began four years ago as a premium “lounge-a-billy” ensemble that evolved into Western surf. The hybrid style stands out as distinctive music for audiences on a local, national, and international scale.
“Nobody was really doing this style,” says Turbo, a seasoned musician that originally began performing punk rock twenty-five years ago and now concentrates on this new format. “I started playing upright bass six years ago. No one is doing surf with upright bass.”
Built like a ‘57 Chevy, Turbo’s broad chest, massive arms, and stocky frame enable him to wield his bass like a souped-up hotrod raring to go. On stage, he straddled the bass and leaned forward, propelling the notes out into the audience. His stage presence added fuel to the fast-paced set. “Part of it is necessity. My bass is set up like a huge microphone. I play the bass with legs clenched around it to reduce the feedback,” Turbo says.
“He’s also showing off a bit. Not many can lift an upright bass with one arm,” adds Cody Wyoming.
Top: Cody Wyoming (left) and Turbo of The Von Hodads. Bottom: Zach Phillips (The Architects) backstage in the VIP room with festival organizer Bill Sundahl (It’s Over).
Wyoming joined the group after the band’s initial formation. The band uses authentic vintage amplifiers and instruments from the era made before 1965 except for the upright bass. “I had been a fan and friends with them. I went to see them and the singer had left. I sat in, sang, and played. I have always loved surf music and vintage gear. The music is kind of overlooked, that ‘60s space race era of surf and instrumental music,” he explains.
Well-known names and influences from that era also include Dick Dale, The Ventures, Duane Eddy, Johnny Fortune, The Lively Ones, The Astronauts, The Shadows, and early Cliff Richards with his backing band. The Von Hodads also pay homage to spy music by Billy Strange and Cold War-era sounds like music from old James Bond films. The popularity of these various forms has endured without sounding dated.
“It’s a music that never really saturated the marketplace. People aren’t sick of it for one thing,” says Wyoming. “The main thing is that it’s incredibly fun party music.”
“Surf music never went away and it has never gotten huge,” adds Turbo. “It bridges all ages.”
“Audiophiles like it. It has a solid back beat and you can dance to it. We mix in some country, jazz, and rock-a-billy. Straight surf for more than an hour can get old,” says Wyoming.
The Von Hodads
“We have a good following in Australia. We get airplay on a program called A Day at the Beach out of a NPR college station in San Diego and a station in Spain,” says Wyoming.
Regarding the festival, Wyoming and Turbo were supportive of the Sundahl’s efforts to put on a show that represented the local scene. “Bill has done wonders for putting on shows, doing different things, and bringing the best rock bands,” says Wyoming. “The Wilders are one of the best traditional country and old-timey bands around. People are getting exposed to new music. I love to see toddlers rocking out. It gives me hope for the future.”
“It’s a time when the local music scene is really opening up with good quality bands,” said Turbo. Wyoming agrees, “The walls are breaking down. People are friends and appreciate theatre, fashion, and art. All of the creative community is working together.”
Fan Notes: Cody Wyoming of The Von Hodads also plays bass with The Afterparty.
Crossroads Music Festival
PresentMagazine.com and Time Warner Cable’s KC On Demand bring more festival coverage on cable. Using your remote control, select Channel 113. Then select the “Community” category. At the bottom of the screen, select the tab that says “MUSIC.” Then select “06 Crossroads” and hit play.