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It must be nearing concert season again because the list of good concerts in the area continues to grow. I'm batting .600 in that category this week, making it to three and only missing two. Not to mention the weather is getting to be pretty nice out. Every day when I get home from work, I'm greeted by a new colorful plant that I didn't know was planted in my yard. This has been a busy week, full of concerts and parties. Heh, I even voted this week...

Things got started with Trivial Pursuit at my friend Forester's awesome loft space (where we worked on music just the night before). Because of all of the show bookings at recordBar, the last two weeks of Trivia Clash had been cancelled. I decided that this seemed like a good time to get the regulars gathered together for a rousing game of TP. Members from Bittersweet and The Glory Holes were in attendance as well as random friends / acquaintances from other teams. Both of the hosts from the two different trivia shows in KC even made it to the party. The funniest part of the evening was rolling dice for captains and then having everyone line up along the wall as teams were picked. It was very grade school gym class. Somehow I got picked first both times but I think it must have been some sort of homage for setting up the event.

The following night, I met up with my sister and one of her friends to catch a random show at recordBar. I'd never heard of any of the bands playing but listened to a few samples online before the show. The first band I saw was called Small Sails from Portland, OR (Adam or Tara, have you heard of them?). They were absolutely amazing and included everything I love - dreamy instrumentals, fantastic percussion work, acoustic guitar, soft sparce vocals, lush keyboards, and even some vibes. They'll remind you of The Album Leaf, American Analog Set, or Four Tet. I bought their handmade EP and love it (both the artwork and music). Headliners The Fog were just okay.

Saturday night, I met up with some friends for drinks and headed to an April Fools Day warehouse loft party. Friends 30 Minute Recess played a whole slew of new covers and showcased a few new profession-themed originals. Lawrence dragqueen band Vibralux headlined the night. I hadn't seen them play for at least a year and they were just as good as I remembered. This party was way fun, with burlesque dancers, a giant inflatable twister game, and even a bar. I ran into a ton of people I don't see too often, danced like crazy, and somehow found my way back home at 5:30 AM.

Sunday I headed over to a friend's house for an afternoon barbeque. There was quite a bit of delicious food at this place and the weather was perfect for hanging out on the front porch. Everyone watched some of the Sunday night TV shows before heading to the recordBar to see the band Destroyer. I was a little disappointed because I missed Lawrence openers (and fellow Merge Records) artist White Whale. Destroyer was pretty good though. For those not familiar he is Dan Bejar, the vocalist / guitarist from The New Pornographers. I can't say that there was anything super memorable about his set but I liked the music very much nonetheless.

Tuesday morning, I made it to my local voting precinct for the big sports stadium renovation ballots. Basically the leases on the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and Royals' Kauffman Stadium expire at the end of this year. Local media outlets spent over a million dollars striking fear into Jackson Countiers that the teams would be leaving if they did not approve a 3/8 cent sales tax increase. There was also a separate initiative for a rolling roof that could maneuver itself to cover either stadium. Apparently the threat of the teams leaving (and I'm pretty sure this was never really at risk) was enough for the voters as they passed Question 1 and just missed passing the rolling roof question. This locks the teams in KC for 25 years and gives them their renovations and a MLB All-Star game but in my mind just puts a giant band-aid on Kauffman Stadium and eliminates the chance that it will ever move downtown (where I believe every other park in the major leagues lies). By not passing the rolling roof part of it, the city misses out on a guaranteed Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four tournament (and this would have not caused Jackson Countiers any sales tax increase). As you can see, voting for Question 1 and voting against the rolling roof question just doesn't make much sense. I am a bigtime baseball and football plan but I was calling the owners' bluff and voted no on both questions. I was willing to wait for a better deal to come along. I guess I won't get that chance now. At least KC will continue to be a major-league city, even if it does involve public money financing the construction projects of a very well-to-do private business. Hakuna matata.

I'm headed to band practice now. Have a good weekend everyone.

-ick!