05/15/12

Story by Diane Carroll

Summer Lawn Concerts

Kansas City bands to take the stage at JCCC summer lawn concerts

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Some of Kansas City's best bands will perform at Johnson County Community College this summer as part of the college's "Light Up the Lawn" concert series.

The concerts, which take place one Friday every month, are free and open to the public. They begin at 8 p.m., or dusk, on the front lawn of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.  Lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets (without alcohol) are welcome.

The concerts are sponsored by the Nerman and the Performing Arts Series at JCCC.

Hearts of Darkness, which will perform on June 22, is an 18-piece band that formed in 2007 in Kansas City. Its sound starts with the roots of the 1970s Afrobeat and builds off the traditions of Kansas City's big-band jazz. On top of that are American funk, rock and hip-hop. The band was nominated for "Best Live Act" and the band's Les Izmore was nominated for "Best Frontman" by Pitch Weekly in 2009.

Two bands will perform on July 20: She's a Keeper, and Rex Hobart and the Honky Tonk Standards. (Note: This concert has been moved to Yardley Hall in the Carlsen Center)

She's a Keeper is a five-piece ensemble that plays folk and pop-rock. The band uses an array of instruments that includes guitars, drums, banjo, piano, mandolin and cello. Its music defies easy description. From sweet-sounding ballads that crescendo and roar to tunes with raffish upbeat grooves, their songs are brimming with melodious hooks and three-part harmonies.

Rex Hobart and the Honky Tonk Standards are all country and western. The band proudly carries the torch of straight-up, bleary-eyed, '60s style, honky tonk music. They play serious, hard country in the tradition of their heroes, who include Merle Haggard, George Jones and Johnny Paycheck. The audience can expect to hear classics and critically-acclaimed originals.

On Aug. 24, The Latenight Callers will take the stage after Victor & Penny open for them. The evening is co-sponsored by the JCCC Campus Activities Board. Victor (Jeff Freling and Penny (Erin McGrane) sing what they call antique pop on ukulele and guitar. They bring a fresh twist to the music of the early 20^th Century and unique arrangements to modern tunes.

The Latenight Callers, which defines its genre as "Noir-a-Go-Go," was one of the most popular bands that played in last summer's lineup. The band recently celebrated the release of its Easy Virtues EP.

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