Q, The Capsules, Paxton, The Brannock Device
Zone Benefit Show
Grand Emporium
Monday, 11.27.2000

Preview by Chris Wagner

For a couple of years now, Kansas City's best-kept secret for local music information has been The Zone. With listings for over 200 local bands, a local music calendar, CD and live show reviews, classified ads, a music forum, The Zone is an invaluable resource to local musicians and music fans alike.

For the past year and a half, the Zone has been sponsoring Zone Mondays at the legendary Grand Emporium in beautiful midtown Kansas City. Great local bands and no cover if you happen to still have that nasty-ass old student ID laying around somewhere. It's not an exclusive club, folks; we're not trying to preserve the anonymity. Go to a show, spread the word, etc. It's fun and it's free. On November 27th, for instance, we have a stellar lineup consisting of:

THE BRANNOCK DEVICE
Six years after forming in an auto repair shop, Jeremy Schutte, Jason Beers, and Bernie Dugan are still pounding out a steady stream of their abstract jam-punk in the name of accurate foot measurement. Favorably (and frequently) comparable to the legendary Minutemen, the B.D. players echo their tireless work ethic (managing to balance jobs and families with frequent weekend jaunts to spread the word in clubs throughout the Midwest) and love for experimentation. For those who have never witnessed it, let me offer this: watching the Brannock Device is kind of like watching someone juggle chainsaws. Some of the musical twists they take, you wonder when someone's going to lose a thumb; yet somehow the band keeps all the seemingly mismatched chunks of their songs airborne. A follow-up to their first album, Where the Hell is Johnny Vic?, is in the works for early 2001, the boys having recorded eighteen songs in just two days with rising local engineering talents J. Hall and Dan Grabek of Nucleus Productions. Planning is also in the works for some local all-ages shows, so a readily available B.D. fix shouldn't be too hard to score. Of their Zone Monday slot, guitarist Jeremy Schutte graciously offers, "We're honestly glad to play a Zone benefit show. We appreciate the outlet for local music, and know that [they] do it for free, and that every bit counts."

THE CAPSULES
Shallow fans, take note: Jason and Julie Shields have taken a step sideways to form the Capsules, stripping down to a trio format to provide a mellower, simpler, more focused version of Shallow's lush brand of space-pop. Perhaps "stripped down" is the wrong term, though; live, there are enough loops and samples incorporated into the set that it sounds like they have invisible members. Does this mean that Shallow has been shelved? According to Jason, the Capsules "[were] never meant to replace Shallow. We think the two bands are different enough to stand independently." Indeed, with a song for a compilation CD on Sonic Stream due out later this year, as well as a song featured in a recent episode of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, the Capsules' profile is too high to be written off as a side project. Demos are in the works with labels in mind, and the band plans to continue playing local shows in preparation for a spring tour. Hell, the Capsules are busier than most people's full-time bands.

PAXTON
Drawing influences from Lou Reed, Ray Davies, Ian Hunter and David Bowie, New York based singer/songwriter Paxton delivers an in-your-face hard-edged pop that has been wowing music fans and critics alike. "[Paxton is] a natural storyteller, using words and rhymes admirably to tell his small slice of life tales with wit, sarcasm, style and occasional veiled venom." (indiemonkey.com). Paxton is currently doing an acoustic and semi-acoustic tour supported by Joe Magistro(guitars/vocals), Carl Adami (bass), Jason Foster (guitars/vocals), and Chris Gartmann (drums).

Q
November 27th also marks the return of Q to local stages; after a brief hiatus, the local math-rock aficionados have re-emerged as a power trio with new drummer Doug Stormont. The stripped-down approach has had a positive effect on the band's overall sound, according to singer/guitarist Mark Cuthbertson. "We have better dynamics, less metal, and are generally much more melodic than before. The odd times and math rock elements aren't always the most prevalent or noticeable things about our songs any more, but they're always somewhere in the song." While Q hasn't been all that visible lately, a few upcoming events should change all that. A new song, "Truth", is available on their website and will also be featured on a local compilation to benefit Topeka's Boys'/Girls' Clubs. Another track, "Vesper" will likely be included on an independent film (a documentary about local musicians in the midwest) soundtrack in 2001. Plans for a follow-up to their debut album Heads are also in the works with label support in mind. In the meantime, Q will be honing their skills locally in preparation for a possible tour of the Midwest in the spring and fall of 2001.

--Chris Wagner
chris@thezone.org