ugly united dissonance

At first, it first it seemed as though April 2003 might be anticlimactic after the explosion of Chaos Theory the previous month.  It was not in the least.  One performance even equaled the status of that event, although in a completely different vein.

The month started quietly enough, with a little stop at Kabal to catch a special performance by Ces Cru at Wild Style Wednesdays.  This was the first of many special appearances at this night that would get the ball rolling for the Hip Hop crowd, and provide a solid base for Wednesday nights in Kansas City.

Local message forum, Syde-Sho held a fund raising effort out at Abe & Jake’s Landing the next night.  While there was not a huge turnout, anyone and everyone that was a member made an appearance to show their support.

Back at Kabal a few days later, their weekly installment of Sin Saturdays witnessed a surprise visit from Miss Erykah Badu.  Word passed quickly through the house on her arrival, and everyone wanted photos with the star. Everyone showed respect and gave her space the short while she was there.  She seemed to enjoy herself, and blended in, dancing and partying with everyone in the basement.

The next week calmed somewhat.  The only event I attended, the one-year anniversary of the Sunday night Rhythm & Bass event, hosted a special appearance by the breaks trio Breakbotix.  They always laid down a fantastic set, and it is a shame they did not get more recognition of their work outside of the City.

At Kabal the following Friday, the place turned inside out for House music great Diz.  Local House legend Pat Nice opened the show, a warmed up a full house that danced to the final beat.  There was something special in the air that night.  You could not help but throw your hands in the air and dance.

The United Tour exploded inside the Uptown Theater the next night, turning inside out with brutal performances by Pigface, My Life with Thrill Kill Kult, Zeromancer and Bile.  Head banging, crowd surfing, set smashing were the order of the day at this event, with an intensity like none other, and band after band smashed through their best tracks, leaving the crowd begging for more.

After a few days break, 4/20 made its round and I made side trip out to Gardner, KS for a little house party with some friends.  That was such a long and terrible drive, and I felt like I left just as I got there, when I had to leave again.  It was good fun with a small group of friends though on a random Sunday night.

Dissonance, featuring German DJ Daniel Myer played for a rather small crowd the next night, after having to spontaneously move itself from Balanca’s to Davey’s Uptown.  In addition to that little problem, it was a Monday night, which is usually rather hard to convince folks to leave the comfort of their couch.

A few days later, a new Wednesday started up at an old/new club.  Running under a new name, The Palladium was the only thing different about Club Evos, unless you count the special performance by Ugly Bill that night.  It did not really turn out much better than anyone expected for a Wednesday night in Kansas City, but the B.Boys and B.Girls made their presence known and had the floor all to themselves.

The last weekend of the month ended with a solid dosing of Techno from Lucien Foort, all the way in from Holland.  DJ Offtrack opened up the night, setting the stage for a performance that kept folks dancing until the last beat dropped.  Kabal was definitely becoming the hottest spot to see some of the biggest names in dance music, and it was just getting started.

Of course, as had been the trend for several months, the Inferno de L’Impur troupe dominated Davey’s Uptown with a militant performance featuring riding crops, ropes, chains, and cages.

Access to photos from these events are now available through the story archive, which is really the only access point for the photos now... and likely forever.  Stay tuned for more.