She's A Keeper

Founded by Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) in 2010, Harvest Fest returns to Mulberry Mountain in Arkansas on October 11–13. On the festival circuit, Harvest Fest is like an eccentric little brother; it’s smaller in scope (it’s almost all bluegrass music) and size. Still, one can see the familial resemblance to its bigger, older brothers: Bonnaroo, Lollapolooza, and Coachella. The same fungi pushers, at the top of their entrepreneurial game, sell their wares tent to tent. Dirty neo-hippies’ hula-hoops paint fluorescent swirls throughout the night landscape. There are still long, jammy sets with well-produced light shows and avid (rabid) fans pushing to get to the front, only to be squished against a metal blockade. But it’s the differences from the bigger festivals that make Harvest a more enjoyable weekend.

The smaller crowds mean better access to the music. Camping is only a short walk to the main stage, so it’s no bother to steal away for a quick nap or to drink a gas-station Coors Light (just make sure it’s in a can, they don’t allow bottles) instead of paying a premium to one of the vendors. You can come back to your campsite in the evening to make a fire (as long as it is contained and off the ground), grill some supper, and pile on a couple layers of clothing. And, if the weather is anything like when I last attended Harvest, it will be warm during the day with just enough sun to turn your cheeks a pale pink (can we talk about why more music festivals aren’t held in the fall?).

There are a lot of families at Harvest, and the folks in charge like it that way. Kids under twelve get in free, and there are plenty of activities to keep them busy. Children’s yoga and Vibe Tribe Kidz Kamp are just a couple of the events geared toward the prepubescent crowd. The family-friendly vibe adds to the overall jovial tone of the weekend and people in general are really nice. But it’s easy to be nice when one is in as beautiful a place as Mulberry Mountain. The Ozarks are gorgeous, and if you’ve never been, Harvest is the perfect excuse to see them for yourself. Surrounding the festival grounds are miles of scenic trails (where you might even see YMSB’s banjo player, Dave Johnston, running—check out my interview with him below), a disc golf course, mini-lakes stocked for fishing, and access to the Mulberry River.

But it’s really the music at Harvest that, if you’re not already convinced, is the reason to go. Bluegrass virgins need not fear—bluegrass is not like IPAs or Wagner; it’s not an acquired taste. In a completely unscientific study I conducted, it was found that the only people who don’t like bluegrass are people who have never seen it performed live. You do, however, have to figure out which shows you want to see.

There are some obvious choices. Yonder Mountain String Band has built their fourteen-year career on the strength of their spectacular live performances, and trust me when I say this isn’t your daddy’s bluegrass. Leftover Salmon, North Mississippi Allstars, and Split Lip Rayfield have been on the festival circuit for years and are all worth penciling in your dance card. However, the main stage isn’t the only game in town. There are over seventy bands playing at Harvest, a lot of them still relatively unknown and performing on one of the two small stages—the Backwoods Stage or the Roost. Don’t overlook these shows. One of the cooler experiences of the weekend is seeing talented, up-and-coming bands play in an intimate setting.

It’s hard to go wrong at Harvest when deciding which bands to see, but just for good measure, I’m listing my top-five picks for non-main stage shows below.

1. Adam Faucett and the Tall Grass
Start off your weekend with Adam Faucett’s wrecking ball of a voice, and gritty, yet poetic songs. Thursday, 3:00 pm at the Backwoods Stage.

2. Blackfoot Gypsies
Evoking the sonorous rock of the sixties and seventies, this guitar/drummer duo could be the next Black Keys. Thursday, 8:00 pm at The Roost.

3. She’s a Keeper
This ensemble from Kansas City blends an indie-rock sensibility with the picking and harmonies of bluegrass to create both catchy and poignant tunes. Friday, 9:30 pm at The Roost.

4. HoneyHoney
Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe are an easy-on-the-eyes male/female duo from LA that combine the sounds of the West Coast and the South to make music that’s all their own. Friday, 8:00 pm in the Harvest Tent.

5. Mountain Sprout
A crowd favorite, this raucous band plays music that can best be described as bluegrass on crack. Saturday, 12:30 am at the Backwoods stage. - Vivian Wheeler - Oxford American

James Beard Award-winning chef Celina Tio is definitely known for all things food. She owns the Kansas City restaurant Julian, 6227 Brookside Plaza, and competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” But Tio also is way into rock ’n’ roll, especially the local music scene. We caught up with Tio at RecordBar in Westport.

“Kansas City has tons and tons of talented bands,” Tio says. “I cannot sing their praises enough.”

The ones that top her chart are Soft Reeds, Hearts of Darkness, American Catastrophe, Making Movies, Barclay Martin Ensemble, Capybara, She’s a Keeper, Beautiful Bodies.

“The list is long,” she says. “I admire them. Like me, they’re doing what they love to do.”

But Tio has a short list of venues she frequents. After she has worked full days in the dining room at Julian, you’ll find her swigging a cold craft beer and swaying to the beat at one of these places.

RecordBar

1020 Westport Road

Tio digs the live sound here. Still, “some of these venues are as much about the great people owning them and working there, such as Steve (Tulipana) and Shawn (Sherrill) of RecordBar. It’s just like a neighborhood joint where you know everyone, and that makes seeing bands and listening to music all the better.”

Riot Room

4048 Broadway

A few blocks away in Westport, Tio likes the diversity of artists at the Riot Room. “Estelle was there. She’s as big as they come in R&B. Sometimes Tio just goes to Riot to drink beer. “Dallas (one of the owners) loves beer and we have similar tastes, so I know he has some specialty things that aren’t everywhere.”

Crossroads KC at Grinders

417 E. 18th St.

Tio likes the array of music at the outdoor spot in the Crossroads Arts District. Under the stars you can listen to rock, reggae, bluegrass and hip-hop in a backyard party-style environment. “It’s a good-sized venue and a pretty cool place to hang out.”

Bottleneck

737 New Hampshire, Lawrence

Tio doesn’t mind the 40-minute trek from KC to Larrytown, because national acts and local bands play at the Bottleneck, a former roller rink and paper warehouse. “The sound is really great there,” Tio says.

Uptown Theater

3700 Broadway

“Acoustically, it’s meant to be a theater,” Tio says of the colorful Midtown landmark, which opened in 1928. “But the music here sounds great. It’s a nice-size venue, so it feels intimate there.” - Stacy Downs - INK magazine

Music is a benefit at weekend fundraisers

Fundraiser II: At this weekend’s other benefit, several bands are putting on a show to raise money to help finance the MidCoast Takeover, the two-day showcase of Kansas City bands at this year’s South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, in mid-March. Friday night’s bill is at the Brick, 1727 McGee St. The lineup comprises four bands that will participate in the MidCoast Takeover: Run Little Rabbit, Empty Spaces, Oriole Post and Everyday/Everynight. It’s the first of four fundraisers for the Takeover. Admission to each show is $10. The other three fundraisers:

Feb. 17 at the Riot Room, 4048 Broadway: We Are Voices, Maps for Travelers, the Atlantic, Cherokee Rock Rifle.

Feb. 24 at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road: Future Kings, She’s a Keeper, Hearts of Darkness.

March 2 at Czar Bar, 1531 Grand Blvd.: Blackbird Revue, Sara Swenson, Quiet Corral. - Tim Finn - The Kansas City Star

Local bands abound as three stages host music at Plaza Art Fair

This weekend’s music calendar is light on national and regional touring bands, but the good news: It’s loaded with opportunities to see some of the best local bands in Kansas City for free or less than $10.

The big local music event this weekend is in conjunction with the Plaza Art Fair, which is hosting music all three days. Twenty-one bands will perform on a stage at Ward Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is sponsored by Ink, a publication of The Star. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Sunday. There are also after-parties each night, including a double-CD release party at the RecordBar on Sunday night.

So that you can adjust your attendance to suit your music tastes, here’s a look at bands performing at the Plaza Art Fair and the lowdown on Sunday’s CD release party.

Rock

Not a Planet, 7 p.m. Friday: Says its Facebook page: “Similar to bands such as Delta Spirit, Spoon … the Killers, Dr. Dog, Young the Giant.” It’s a blend of sounds drawn from the world of pop and rock from a few genres and eras with some canny twists and turns.

Beautiful Bodies: 8 p.m. Friday and 10 p.m. after-party at O’Dowd’s on the Plaza: Their bracing blend of punk, hard rock and indie/alternative rock has earned the Bodies a spot on the Warped Tour and an opening gig with Goldfinger. Lead vocalist Alicia Solombrino is the visual focal point, but the rest of the band raises a ruckus that is equally commanding.

The Empty Spaces, noon Saturday: Guitar/bass/drum trio plays raw, hard rock ’n’ roll that is melodic, funky and slightly deranged.

Fullbloods, 1 p.m. Saturday: A three-song player at fullbloods.com exhibits the diverse and high-energy sounds issued by this quartet of sound engineers. Rock is the foundation, but plenty of other accents are added: pop, country, surf … and on. You might like them if you like bands like Grouplove, Jellyfish and Toy Matinee. Sons of Great Dane, 5 p.m. Saturday: Their winning sound arises at the confluence of several influences. It’s rock at its base but accented with elements of jangly pop and alternative country, all delivered with authority by a quartet of seasoned musicians. Think of the Connells or an Americana version of the Lemonheads.

Pop

Victor & Penny, 5 p.m. Friday: Jeff Freling and Erin McGrane perform engaging “antique pop” songs — ukulele/guitar duets that sound of another era.

Hidden Pictures, 11 a.m. Saturday: A blend of classic FM pop and indie-pop that is immediately appealing: lots of engaging hooks, sweet melodies and warm harmonies rendered in guitars and keyboards with a sprinkling of glockenspiel and flute.

Kristen May, 6:30 p.m. Saturday: The former lead singer of Veda/Vedera has headed out on a solo odyssey. The bright, hard and catchy single “Sadman” sounds made for Top 40 and like she could easily attract fans of songwriters like Natasha Bedingfield and Brandi Carlile.

Sara Swenson, 1:30 p.m. Sunday: She’s not really pop, but neither is she folk or country or rock. Swenson is an accomplished songwriter who, in 2010, put out “All Things Big and Small,” an arresting mix of strong songcraft and impeccable production. Its sounds blend folk and pop and tinges of country.

The Canes, 3:45 p.m. Sunday: The Chicago-based Canes are the festival’s one out-of-town band. Their music is pop, along the lines of the Fray or One Republic or a touch of Coldplay: groovy and melodic, except when they veer into balladry.

Country/roots

The John McKenna Band, 10 a.m. Saturday: Folk, soul and country songs burnished with soulful keyboards and lap and pedal steel guitar from a songwriter who can craft some handsome melodies and can sound like David Gray or Ryan Adams or something in between.

Blackbird Revue, 2 p.m. Saturday: A celestial mix of country, folk and modern bluegrass. Highly recommended for fans of Alison Krauss and Over the Rhine, thanks to the lovely vocals of Danielle Prestidge.

The Grisly Hand, 3 p.m. Saturday: One of the better live bands in the city featuring one of the better lead vocalists, Lauren Krum. A six-piece — guitars, bass, percussion, steel guitar and mandolin — that mixes insurgent country, rock and soul, like some classic Bloodshot Records bands.

Folk/Americana

Quiet Corral, 9 p.m. Saturday: They are compared to bands that play manic folk and folk-rock, like the Lumineers, and rightfully so. It’s the perfect blend of melody, harmonies, tight songcraft and earnest energy. Irresistible at times.

David Burchfield and the Great Stop, 11:30 a.m. Sunday: Old-time/Appalachian-style folk, rendered with refinement in guitars, fiddle, banjo and warm, resonant vocals with harmonies.

The Natural State, 12:30 p.m. Sunday: Ethereal folk, like a cosmic mix of the Sundays and the Roche Sisters. The melodies are delicate and pretty. The harmonies are supernal.

She’s a Keeper, 2:30 p.m. Sunday: Like Quiet Corral, this five-piece is compared to folk/roots ensembles like Fleet Foxes, Mumford and Sons and the Lumineers. And they’ve earned it, too. Their songwriting is strong, their arrangements are organic (guitars, mandolin, cello, drums), their harmonies are warm and clean, and their live shows crackle with energy.

Blues

Cadillac Flambe, 4 p.m. Saturday, midnight Friday/Saturday after-party at Fred P. Ott’s: Gritty and grimy mix of blues rock, Delta blues and country soul. It’s all visceral and invigorating.

Jazz

Diverse, 6 p.m. Friday, midnight Saturday/Sunday after-party at Fred. P. Ott’s: A trumpet/bass/drum trio featuring Hermon Mehari, Ben Leifer and Ryan Lee. Influences, from its Facebook page: “Michael Jackson, John Coltrane, Common, Bobby Watson, A Tribe Called Quest, Logan Richardson, Mos Def, D’Angelo.”

World music

The New Riddim, 9 p.m. Friday: Seven-piece ska/reggae/soul band with a three-piece horn section plays music influenced by the Slackers, the Skatalites, the Specials and Hepcat.

Making Movies, 7:45 p.m. Saturday, 10 p.m. after-party at O’Dowd’s on the Plaza: The band is about to release a record produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, who is so enamored with the band’s live show and its percussive mix of rock, rock en espanol and Afro-Cuban music that Making Movies has opened twice for Los Lobos at Knuckleheads, joining them onstage each time.

Sunday’s after-party

The music moves to the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road, on Sunday night, where five acts will perform starting at 7 p.m. The lineup, from start to finish: Gemini Revolution (“indie/soundtrack/psychedelic” groove music, says the Facebook page), Reach with Diverse (hip-hop and jazz), the Grand Marquis (swing, jump-blues), Antennas Up (electro-pop) and Everyday/Everynight (ambient indie-rock). The show also celebrates the release of “Midwestern Audio, Vol. 1,” a double-CD compilation comprising 41 tracks by 41 local bands. Admission to Sunday’s 18-and-older after-party is $10, which includes a copy of “Midwestern Audio.” - Tim Finn - The Kansas City Star

sxsw midcoast takeover fundraiser

9:30 p.m. friday. recordbar.

Hearts of Darkness, She’s a Keeper and Future Kings may not have received invitations to showcase at the annual music industry event SXSW this year, but that’s not stopping the three Kansas City-area acts from performing at Friday’s benefit to help finance the Midwest Music Foundation’s unofficial showcase in Austin. The latter two bands will be making the trip to Texas.

She’s a Keeper, which is arguably Kansas City’s premier up-and-coming band, play a Midwestern version of the folk-rock associated with Mumford & Sons. Future Kings are purveyors of delectable pop. The irresistible Afrobeat juggernaut Hearts of Darkness serve as Friday’s headliners.

Tickets to the 9:30 p.m. show are $10. - Bill Brownlee - INK magazine

Sometimes success can be
measured in bouts of progress.
If that’s the case, the past two
years have been successful for
She’s a Keeper, five high school
friends from Kansas City.
Within the past 18 months,
the band has graduated from
playing acoustic sets in a coffeehouse
to selling out the Brick on
a Friday night and drawing other
big crowds to clubs like the
RecordBar and the Bottleneck.
This month, the band released
its first music video. Next
month, it will release a live EP
— its second recording — and
will attend the South by Southwest
Music Conference in Austin,
Texas. In April, it will participate
in the Middle of the Map
Festival, a three-day music fest
in Westport.
They all agree that they have
the loyalty of friends, families
and neighbors to thank.
“We really rely on our community,”
said Kate Sopcich, the
band’s cellist. “We all have a lot
of friends who have gone (to
college) everywhere, and they
show up to see us and bring
friends.”
The band’s history goes back
to six years ago, when Colin
Nelson and Zac Jurden started
hanging out and playing guitars.
“When we were in seventh
grade, we started writing these
dinky songs on acoustic guitars,”
Nelson said. “After about
three years, we had about five
decent songs written.”
In 2009, Fritz Hutchison, a fellow
Rockhurst High student,
joined the band on drums for its
public debut: at a Rockhurst battle
of the bands.
Shortly after that, Sopcich, a
Notre Dame de Sion grad, suggested
the band could use a female
singer. “We thought she
said that because she wanted to
join the band,” Jurden said, “but
she wanted nothing to do with
it.”
“I don’t sing,” she said.
They did persuade her to sit
in on cello during some rehearsals.
She performed with the
band, which was still a quartet,
when it played its first real gig:
an acoustic set at Oak Street
Coffee Shop in Brookside.
In the fall of 2010, the band released
its debut CD, “She’s a
Keeper,” 12 tracks that include
several songs Nelson and Jurden
wrote when they were barely
teenagers.
About that time, relatives
were lobbying friends to go see
the band. Nelson’s mother,
Mags, a Kansas City hairstylist
and a native of Gorey, Ireland,
recommended the band to one
of her clients, Ronan Collins.
Collins is a member of the bandselection
committee for the
Kansas City Irish Festival.
“She told me they had a gig at
the Gaf (bar) in Waldo,” Collins
said. “So I went to see them.
They were still in high school,
but I was very impressed. They
had a really good vibe. So we
met and chatted. I helped them
get a RecordBar gig and gave
them some guidance on getting
other gigs.”
Collins also advised the band
to look for a bassist.
“They used a bass player on
the album,” he said. “And I
thought they should sound as
good on stage as they did in the
studio.”
So they turned to another
classmate, Elliott Phillips, son of
Steve Phillips of the Elders.
“Elliott has always been
around the band, but he didn’t
officially join up until this past
summer,” Jurden said. Phillips
also gave the band its name, inadvertently.
“He’d written ‘she’s a keeper’
on a CD he’d made for a friend,”
Jurden said. “We saw it and liked
it for a band name, and it stuck.”
The band’s music, its members
say, is indirectly influenced
by everyone’s tastes.
“I’m the only jazz guy,” Hutchison
said. “I’m not a jazz fanatic,
but I do listen to Miles Davis,
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers,
Dave Brubeck. And I’m all
about classic rock. Kate is about
real classic music. And Colin,
Elliott and Zac are the ones who
listen to current music.”
Asked to name some favorite
shows, band members divulge
some names a bit reluctantly,
lest they draw unintentional
comparisons: Fleet Foxes, Bon
Iver. And Jurden mentioned the
Tallest Man on Earth (Kristian
Matsson) as an inspiration.
“It’s acoustic music, and he’s
got a strange voice,” he said. “It’s
kind of Dylan-ish. It’s where I’d
like my songwriting to be.”
The band Mumford and Sons
is brought up, a comparison often
made by others. It’s an easy
one to make, especially while
watching the brand-new video
to “Stupid Heart,” a warm gust
of acoustic reverie: three-part
harmonies set to guitars, cello,
banjo, electric bass and light
percussion.
But “Keeper” the album is
stocked with songs that bear
other resemblances. For example,
the jaunty “Happiest Hat in
the Hat Shop” has a slight Vampire
Weekend vibe. Overall, the
songs have several: lots of melody
and grooves and plenty of
shifting dynamics
“The songwriting between
Zac, Colin and Fitz is very
unique,” Collins said. “They all
have different songwriting
styles. They’re so young, they
have lots of potential. They’ve
come such a long way in a short time.”
And they have established a
decent foothold in the local
scene. On the Friday after
Thanksgiving, when many of
their former high school classmates
were home on break, they
headlined an early show at the
Brick. By the time Collins got
there, a few dozen people were
waiting outside to get in the
club, which was filled to capacity.
Inside, the room was filled
with friends, relatives, neighbors
and a few strangers, some
seeing the band for the first
time. It was an impressive showing:
The energy from the stage
enflamed the energy on the
floor, where there was some
dancing and plenty of boisterous
singing along. And rhythmic
clapping along, too, when called
for
The next two months could
be pivotal for the band. The
SXSW festival and the Middle of
the Map show will put it in front
of new eyes and ears. The band
has had some success in Lawrence
and Columbia, but even in
those places “we usually see
people we’ve seen at shows before,”
Hutchison said.
“It’s all been pretty comfortable,”
he said. “We’re used to
looking out in the crowd and
seeing friends and relatives and
people we know or recognize.”
Getting crowds to show up out
of town will be more arduous,
they all agreed.
The joke in the band is that it
took everyone to move away to
school before they got serious
about the band. Nelson is in Columbia,
attending the University
of Missouri; Phillips attends
William Jewell College in Liberty;
Sopcich and Jurden are in
Lawrence, attending the University
of Kansas. (Sopcich is minoring
in cello.) Hutchison, who
is a year older than the four others,
is not in school. Nelson said
he is considering a transfer to
UMKC. Of the possibility of
changes or suspensions in higher-
learning plans, Jurden said,
“Our parents are all for it.”
The early signs give them reason
to be. All 300 copies of
“She’s a Keeper” have been sold.
And the band is out of its first
run of T-shirts. Friday night,
they’re on a bill at the Record-
Bar with local titans the Hearts
of Darkness And there’s word
that a possible opening slot with
the Elders is in the works, two
gigs that should put She’s a
Keeper in front of big crowds of
new listeners.
Yes, early success has been
achieved. Progress has been
made, in small steps.
Now comes the hard part:
leaving home and relying on the
kindness and generosity of
strangers. - Tim Finn - The Kansas City Star

Not too long ago, I reviewed She’s a Keeper’s self-titled effort from 2011 (see the review here). And to put it plainly, it was just a wonderful little slice of folk awesome. However, too often bands pull off a sonically exciting and successful effort in the studio but suck up the joint when playing it live. I am glad to find that this is not the case for She’s a Keeper. The Live at Midwestern EP is just one more indication that this band has quickly become a local music force to be reckoned with.

As to be expected, the live renditions offer a little more bite than their record versions. The drums break through the arrangements more, and while diminishing the dynamic range that the studio album provides, they provide an extra kick to the gut.

Overall, it is good to hear the increased emotion of the live performance not affect the quality of musicianship. The vocals, one of the key strengths of this band, stay powerful and true throughout. The folks at Midwestern Music Co. who recorded it paid close attention to making sure the songs projected both power and clarity. Overall, it sounds better than a lot of local studio records I’ve heard. Big props to them on this.

From a personal standpoint, I am glad to see my favorite track from the self-titled album performed here. “Branches,” even with its somewhat stripped-down arrangement and cello in need of a slight tune, still comes across powerful, dynamic, and full of songwriting surprises.

Word from the band’s Facebook page seems to indicate the group is back in the studio and that the members “have a good feeling” about the new songs. Based upon this live EP, I’d have to agree with them.

Though Live at Midwestern was released back in March, She's A Keeper will be celebrating the release with a party this Saturday, August 4 at Czar with Olassa and The Natural State. You can also check out our Artists on Trial interview with guitarist/vocalist Zac Jurden at the link here. - The Deli Magazine

Someone get Zach Braff on the phone. He is going to want to get in on She’s a Keeper before someone else does. Having already packed local clubs to capacity and having performed at Midcoast Takeover this year at South by Southwest, if you haven’t heard of this band yet, you damn well should have. And assuming the band keeps making albums like this one, you will hear of She’s a Keeper whether you want to or not.

She's A Keeper really hit the purposefully rusted nail on the head with this effort. These cool kids got off the bus in some random Kentucky town and quickly put the from-the-jug drinking locals to shame. It makes me wonder which one offered up his or her poor young soul to the devil to comprehend and create alt folk rock so well. It is really, really good. As a fellow local musician, I have to admit it is angry good. It is jealous good. It is damn impressive.

She’s a Keeper pulls off this click of music to near perfection. The more rock moments tinge on the metronomic energy of Phoenix. The upbeat songs are a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time, reminiscent of the Avett Brothers’ early work. The slower, “purtier” efforts tenderly kick you in the stomach and leave you wanting to thank the boot.

Songs like “Guidance” and “Love Me Like a Summer” carry a consistent yet dynamic energy. As is typical in this modern-folk-rock genre, She’s a Keeper enjoys being playful with song structures, often utilizing beat and meter changes to keep the ears surprised.

In “Branches,” my favorite tune of this bunch, the band shows a masterful control of its music. The song is built up and torn down many times in many unique ways, yet it never seems excessive. It features a grand range of instrumentation, but, impressively, each instrument is used in exactly the right amount and way. The restraint and respect shown to the song as a whole is something from which even the most seasoned songwriters could take a cue.

The following two tracks showcase the other side of what She's A Keeper can do. “Hometown” is a stripped-down effort overflowing with honesty and emotion. It produces the power and impact of the previous track, but with 20 percent of the instrumentation. “Show Me State” starts out very much the same, featuring only the comforting flicker of a xylophone to accompany the spot-on harmony vocals and layered guitar. But just when you think they’re losing their steam, the rest of the band return and bring the track to an exciting and dynamic conclusion. I would say without reservation it is the best three-song stretch I have heard on an album (local or not) in quite a while.

And so it continues over the 12 songs. There are not a lot of criticisms to be had here. The album does lack an obvious radio single, but as soon as She's A Keeper stumbles upon its “Caring is Creepy” or “Lisztomania,” all bets are off.

Do yourself a favor. Go “like” this band now. Go get this record. She’s a Keeper is doing it right, and you should know about it. - The Deli Magazine