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Friday, April 6, 2012
Volume 124 Issue 129
kansan.com
--two-night Replay Records kickoff party. Carroll, Shanks and Campbell pressed 500 copies and all but 100 have sold. The sounds featured on the record range from the spastic energy of This Is My Condition (a one-man band who plays his guitar with drumsticks while singing) to the more poppy punk melodies of Rooftop Viigantes.
Homegrown Punks-And Best Friends
A LOCAL GROUP'S UNDERGROUND RECOGNITION AND THE FORMATION OF A NEW
LAWRENCE RECORD LABEL // ALEX TRETBAR
Mouthbreathers are a Lawrence punk four-piece. From left to right: Kyle Gowdy, Zach Campbell, Derek Solsberg, Brad Shanks.
Last fall, Lawrence punk outfit Mouthbreakers put out their first 7-inch single, "Anxiety." In the Red Records, a prolific independent label in Los Angeles, released the two-song recording in October.
Though the band formed in 2010 and has only one other self-released tape from January 2011, their first full-length record is slated to drop this fall, once again on In The Red Records. The notorious label is a logical outlet for Mouthbreathers' aggressive, hook-laden style of punk rock.
Now the band has a more localized way to release material: Replay Records. The Replay Lounge owner Nick Carroll wanted to capitalize on the success of last year's "Spring Into Summer" local festival that featured 15 bands, divided between the Replay and Jackpot. So he footed the bill for Brad Shanks, (Mouthbreathers guitarist and Jackpot booking agent) and Mouthbreathers drummer Zach Campbell to organize a compilation record featuring strictly Lawrence acts.
"People realized that there is a lot of good talent in town after we released it," Shanks, 35, says. "Compilations are kinda hard because you usually have a lot of different styles, usually some good and some weak tracks, and some people just don't like certain things. This comp had very different bands, but they all happened to sound good."
The compilation, "Cheap Beer," was released in early December as part of a
After the new label's successful launch, Carroll began to push for a showcase in Austin, Texas' South By Southwest music
festival in March.
Shanks talked to Ron Miller (singer/guitarist for Lawrence punk trio Up the Academy, and drummer for Kid Congo Powers, an In The Red artist) about setting up an event, and Miller was able
Austin," Kimball says. "It was fun to see all our homies play and get to hang out with bands that we have a ton of respect for. Mouthbreathers especially represented — they played five shows down there"
to use his Austin connections to book a venue during the festival for six Lawrence acts (all featured on "Cheap Beer") and four other bands. Performers included Bezoar, OBN IIIs, Mean Jeans (all reputable non-Lawrence acts), and Up the Academy, Muscle Worship and Approach. Ben Kimball, guitarist for garage rock four-piece Dry Bonnet, one of the Lawrence bands that played the showcase at the Longbranch Inn, found the showcase encouraging.
With a successful SXSW showcase under their belts, Mouthbreathers and the minds behind Replay Records focused their attention back on Lawrence and expanding their catalogs. The label is holding a release party at 10 p.m. at the Replay next Thursday for a new Up the Academy
"We made a little Lawrence ripple in
single. It will be the first proper release since the "Cheap Beer" compilation.
length album — Shanks says it will likely be this fall
Mouthbreathers are still waiting to hear from In The Red on the exact drop date for their upcoming full-
Kyle Gowdy (vocals and guitar), Derek Solsberg (bass), 24, Shanks and Campbell played in and with each other's bands for about two years before playing together. Gowdy, 24, started work on a solo project called "Mouthbreathers" and eventually asked the other three to help out live. Gowdy says they initially aimed for a '70s and '80s Portland punk sound, both poppy and dark. The band draws influence from many bands; Buzzcocks and
joy Division to name a couple. Mouth-breathers played around town for about a year before striking the 7-inch deal.
"Honestly we just got really fucking lucky." Campbell, 27, says. "We played the right show in front of the right person at the right time."
It was the Love Garden's 21st birthday show at the music store in February 2011, and Mouthbreathers played with Reigning Sound, another In The Red artist. A Reigning Sound member liked what he heard and put in a word to the founder of In the Red — eight months later Mouthbreathers had a deal.
Charley Downey, 39, who played with Campbell and Shanks in another Lawrence band called Bandit Teeth, says Mouthbreathers appeal to a wider audience than strictly punk fans, even though they come off as simply noisy and aggressive on the surface.
"At first I kind of thought it was just some more garage punk stuff," Downey says. "But they really work some poppy hooks into their songs in an interesting way. It's catchy."
Mouthbreathers have a scary, somewhat psychotic stage presence, but they genuinely enjoy each other's company on-and-off stage.
"It's a lot of fun, even though we're kind of like a four-headed monster," Shanks, of Olathe, says. "We're all attached at the hips so when someone wants to do something we all end up going together. I love touring with those guys — they're my best friends."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
"Cheap Beer" is the first release by Replay Records. The compilation features local acts such as Mouthbreathers, Dry Bonnet, and Up the Academy.
the Academy
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The temple, which is one of 137 in the world, was built in Kansas City, Mo., to accommodate the 100,000 church members in Kansas and Missouri. Before the temple was built, they traveled to Omaha and St. Louis to reach the nearest temples.
Christina Edwards, a graduate student from Dubuque, Iowa, is the president of the University's Latter-day Saints student organization. She said temples are a sacred space to members of the church.
with Missourians.
Sacred ordinances, like wedding ceremonies and baptisms for deceased relatives, take place in the temple, which also has areas for instruction on the scripture and personal reflection, said William Walker, a Church authority.
ng will be moved to enter the temple. Tour reservations can be made online at kansascitymormontempte.org.
"We occasionally get comments that the LDS church is very secretive about things, but really we think we are open." Walker said. "It's not a secret matter. It's a matter of being sacred."
Dennis Karpowitz, an associate professor of clinical psychology, is retiring at the end of this semester to serve as one of two counselors to the temple's president.
"I'm going to miss working with students," he said. "But this opportunity came along, and I feel that it's a wonderful way to be helpful."
— Edited by Corinne Westeman
AES' biodiesel fuel project converts used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, which is used for lawnmower equipment, the inflatable figures at football games and portable power for Potter Lake. But the process also makes a byproduct, glycerin, which program co-director Ilya Tabakh said can be made into liquid soap with this equipment.
This bill asked for another $15,000 from the Senate's reserve account to fund soap-making equipment.
AES has produced more than 5,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel and Tanahk thinks the soap-making initiative will push the student organi-
Next year, students can expect to wash their hands with student-made liquid soap on campus. Student Senate approved the bill that finances the Alternative Energy Society during its regular meeting Wednesday night.
But the bill concerned some senators as they debated whether AES provided a "long-lasting impact for students," a requirement used to justify funding from the reserve account.
Aaron Dollinger, a liberal arts and sciences senator, likes the project but didn't believe it should be financed through the reserve account.
"I think what this group is doing on campus is fantastic," Dollinger said. "This is better than about 98 percent of the things we spend through the reserve account, but that doesn't mean it's right for this account."
chalking is allowed," said Aaron Harris, a liberal arts and sciences senator, referencing past coalitions that started chalking early.
Another bill passed by Senate updates Senate's budget code by introducing language that puts unwritten practices into its rules and regulations.
Dollinger also said the money saved through this process went
Senate also passed bills granting funding to student organizations.
tunity to upgrade our processor a little bit and add soap to our portfolio," Tanakh said. "Hopefully this will set us up to be sustainable at this level."
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
pass a bill limiting student election chalking to registered coalitions or candidates. Currently, Article XII of the Senate's rules and regulations doesn't regulate chalking, but after this semester's election, coalitions can't chalk until they are officially registered with the election commission, a nonpartisan panel that oversees student elections. The change was made because the commission had some concerns with early chalking.
-Vikaas Shanker
to the University, not to students, and that it didn't contribute to a long-lasting impact for students. He suggested that the funding be taken out of the sustainability portion of student fees instead of the reserve account.
CRYPTOQUIPS
OPINION 5
But the bill passed after other senators contended the group
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 4
contributed a long-lasting impact by reducing the carbon footprint of the University for the biodiesel project, and said that the sustainability fee wouldn't cover the expenses.
contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daivk Kansan
Edited by Corinne Westeman
Don't forget
Student Senate coalitions can start active tabling today. That means coalition members can approach you on campus.
Today's Weather
Sunny