Music of Kansas
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For many decades, Kansas has had a vibrant country and bluegrass scene. The Country Stampede Music Festival – one of the largest music festivals in the country – and the bluegrass Walnut Valley Festival are testament to the continued popularity of these music genres. Among current country artists, Martina McBride and Chely Wright are natives of the state.
The state has also fostered some rock acts. The one that is most associated with the state is almost certainly the band called Kansas. Melissa Etheridge and Katrina Leskanich, lead singer for Katrina and the Waves, are also native Kansans. Shooting Star, notable for being the first American act signed by Virgin Records, hailed from Overland Park. Gene Clark, founding member of The Byrds, attended high school in Bonner Springs, Kansas and began performing in the state.
Some famous jazz musicians also have roots in Kansas, including Coleman Hawkins and Stan Kenton.
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[edit] Punk rock
In the early 1980s, Topeka and Lawrence, together with Kansas City, Missouri had a significant hardcore punk scene, centered at Lawrence's University of Kansas campus, and later at the Outhouse. Among the most popular bands were The Embarrassment, Mortal Micronotz, Exploding Rodents, The Slabs, Near Death Experience, Orange Doughnuts (The OD's) and Tunnel Dogs, featuring Archer Prewitt, then a student at the Kansas City Art Institute, on drums. The Mortal Micronotz were probably the most famous outside of the area.
[edit] Alternative rock
In the 1990s, Kansas produced some bands that found regional and national success taking the predominant Grunge aesthetic and adding a Rockabilly or Country Music twang. Paw, out of Lawrence, Kansas became the most well-known following the 1993 release of their major-label album Dragline. Kill Creek, a Lawrence band since the 80's period was signed by Mammoth Recordings and achieved critical National attention with two full LPs and an EP. Truck Stop Love, out of Manhattan, Kansas, had a somewhat similar sound and was also signed to Scotti Brothers Records, with the well received "What I did on My Summer Vacation" being an appropriate swan song. The sound of these bands was comparable to some Neil Young and their out-of-state contemporaries Dinosaur Jr. (circa 1993), The Jayhawks, and Mule. Other bands signed during the same period included Shiner, Season to Risk, and Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers.
Late contemporaries included Grither, Zoom, Vitreous Humor, Believe it or Nots, Stick, and Puddle of Mudd.
Early contemporaries included The Pedal Jets, a band fronted by Mike Allmyer who later formed Grither.
[edit] Reference
- Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal History. 2001. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-717-7
