Meet The Headliner: Generationals!!!

 

When the JayRock5 Committee began to plan the concert, the goal was to grow the concert, to make it even bigger and better than it had been in past years. But to do so, there needed to be a headlining band that could draw even more interest and put on a big-time show. That band is Generationals!


Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner became friends as science partners at Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Before long, they were making bright indie rock that has a genuine quality that seems to have floated up from the middle of the 20th Century. They were featured in the New York Times' "Nifty Fifty" of America's up-and-coming talent, joining only three other musicians on the list.


Their debut album Con Law was recorded in analog fashion, with all sorts of details intentionally engineered to give the tunes an old-fashioned feel that makes the listener wonder if this is an "up-and-coming" band or some long-lost Simon and Garfunkel treasure. The result is a unique brand of music that is nothing short of addictive.

JayRock5 is thrilled to have Generationals anchoring the concert, and the audience is truly in for a treat. This duo is going to have the Uptown rocking TONIGHT, so don't miss it! Doors open at 7, music starts at 8!

Read more and Download FREE mp3s of "When They Fight, They Fight" and "Wildlife Sculpture", from the Con Law album HERE! And don't forget to check them out on MySpace!

Sponsor Shout-Out: Vista Condominiums!

We are proud to call Vista Condominiums our principal donor for the JayRock 5 concert! 

 Located on the corner of 39th and Rainbow Boulevard, The Vista consists of 167 newly-renovated studio, one- and two-bedroom condominiums. Though The Vista is open to anyone, it is a particularly compelling option for medical students, residents, and physicians due its proximity to the University of Kansas Medical Center—The Vista is actually closer than some of the KU Med parking lots!

Because The Vista sells condominiums instead of apartments, it’s a great way to build equity during four years of medical school or the many years of residency. The Vista also offers new amenities like a billiards room, a yoga and pilates studio, a party room, new covered parking, and a renovated pool with sundeck! Each residence offers granite counter tops, new stainless steel appliances, ceramic tile or hardwood flooring, and all are pre-wired for cable TV and high-speed internet.

First-time homeowners are eligible for a tax credit of $8,000 and The Vista is offering an $8,000 incentive, making each residence $16,000 off! Moreover, as a part of the Wyandotte County Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Rebate Program, buyers will only pay 5% of the increase in taxes over the next ten years.

Interested buyers should contact Lee Hayes at (816) 289-6101 or visit vistacondoskc.com.

We thank Vista for their commitment to improving the Kansas City community and for working with us to bring The Generationals, Thieves, and The Dead Girls to the Uptown Theatre tomorrow night!

Check out the great view of KU Med from Vista Condominiums!

The Vista also has a great view of downtown KC!

Our logo creators and friends: bottlegreen*

If you're reading this blog, you've surely visited the JayRockConcert.org website or seen the JayRock5 logo on a t-shirt, sticker, advertisement, or promotional card. What did you say to yourself? You said, "Self, that is a sharp logo!" or "Self, that is a slick website!" But did you ever stop to think where that logo came from, or who designed and implemented that website? Or even, how much it cost for all that design work?

bottlegreen* design company is the source behind the beauty that is the JayRock5 website and logo. That stuff is not cheap, and Bottlegreen* donated ALL OF IT. Seriously, we can't thank these guys enough for their contribution to JayRock5.


bottlegreen* offers a plethora of services, to help businesses create a unified face in print, web, and brand identity. These services include brand development, print advertising, graphic design, web development, illustration and photography, and much more. They especially take pride in the seamless integration of these different media into a powerful end-product. They boast an impressive list of clients, making their selfless generosity toward JayRock5 all the more impressive. Please be sure to visit their website to learn more!

Once again, we would like to extend our gratitude to the fine folks at bottlegreen* design for all they've done to make TOMORROW'S concert the best one yet!!!

Meet the Music: Thieves

If you haven’t heard of Thieves yet, you haven’t been paying attention.

Listeners of 96.5 The Buzz have heard either the stormy “Mecca” or screamer “Swan Song” blasting every week on Homegrown Buzz. Even if your commute is too short for the radio, you’ve seen their faces on the cover of the January 5th Pitch, or maybe attended their sellout show at RecordBar.

Salar Rajabnik, Ryan Hiser, Chet Kueffer, and Wayne Zimmerman  formed Thieves a year ago in Olathe. In November 2009 they released their debut EP “Divider,” legally available for free download here. It’s loaded with layered, crystalline alternative rock punctuated by soaring guitars and glitch-inspired beats.

Check it out so you can be ready to rock out Friday, February 12 at the Uptown!

Mammoth Media

Justin Roberts, Austin Goldberg, and Trevor Hawkins hadn’t even graduated high school when they began doing freelance film media projects in 2003. Seven years later their youth didn’t stop them from officially creating Mammoth Media in January 2010. And they’ve been successful from the get-go, probably because their reputation for doing quality work long preceded the official establishment of the company. They love their work, and it shows. “We’re living the dream, basically, because we’re our own bosses, and we get paid to do what we love,” said Hawkins.

Mammoth primarily does television and commercial film production, but also design and photography, branding and marketing, and motion graphics (Do it. Hit the link. It's neat.). They have filmed and produced several music videos, the most recent a song called “La Marcha” by a band (ironically) named “Making Movies,” available for viewing on their website later this month. In the future they are looking to amp up the music video aspect of their business and even add feature films to the repertoire. Judging from the samples on their website, it will only be a matter of time before Mammoth Media is making mammoth movies (ah puns, how I do love thee).

Mammoth’s next project is one near and dear to the hearts of JayRock followers… it will be a video highlighting JayDoc Free Clinic as well as the bands and festivities at the concert THIS FRIDAY. The video will be posted on the JayRock website for concert-goers to reminisce, and for those who didn’t attend to see how much fun they missed.

Be sure to check out Mammoth Media on the web, and their JayRock video will be on JayRockConcert.org in the weeks following the show!

Meet the Music: Dead Girls Update!

 
The Dead Girls performed on 96.5 The Buzz this morning! You can hear them play "You Ignited" on the Buzz's website here.

Meet the Music: The Dead Girls

NEWSFLASH: Be sure to listen to 96.5 tomorrow morning, when The Dead Girls play an acoustic set on Afentra’s Big Fat Morning Buzz!

 

Fresh off of opening for KISS in Kansas City and winning The Pitch’s “Best Pop Band in Kansas City” award, The Dead Girls will be our second performers at Jayrock 5.

Nick Colby, Eric Melin, JoJo Longbottom and Cameron Hawk are reunited members from the bands Podstar and Jayrock 4 opener Ultimate Fakebook. Together they write infectious, exciting power pop.

This Lawrence foursome is fueled by killer hooks and stomping beats; inspired by past masters like Brian Wilson, Hüsker Dü, and Thin Lizzy (a Thin Lizzy tribute band is a side project) while keeping a finger on the pulse of modern rock. Though the breadth of their influences makes The Dead Girls hard to categorize, drummer Eric Melin is proud his band writes music that can “easily fit anyone.” He directed the video for their song “All is Forgotten,” an homage to '80s John Hughes teen films available on YouTube here.

They currently have two EPs out and have just pressed their new album, “Out of Earshot” with record label Rocket Heart Records. 

You can listen to some great tracks from the EP ”Te Quiero” at their MySpace here or check out some other songs after the jump!