Merriam, Manhattan, Wichita, KC: Cletus Got Shot coming to your town!

[NewChief]

These are some of our local boys who are well worth seeing. Sort of a slamgrass trio in the vein of Split Lip Rayfield. Great guys, and put on a hell of a show. If you're into bluegrass/slamgrass with a Woody Guthrie ethic, then check 'em out.

Wednesday, September 21 Merriam, KS @ Aftershock

Thursday, September 22 Wichita, KS @ Kirby's Beer Store

Friday, September 23 Manhattan, KS @ AggieFest

Saturday, September 24 KCMO @ Czar Bar w/ Fountain City Ramblers


Check out dude's homemade gas tank bass.

[ToxSocks]

OMFG That guy's beard is awesome. One day Ima have a beard like that. I just gotta keep dreaming. Can't let my wife stand in the way of my dreams!!!!

[ToxSocks]

And is that a Bass made out of a fuel tank? OMFG THAT IS SO COOL. COOLEST BASS EVAR!!

[KCUnited]

Damn, that 9/24 show is the same night as Curtis Got Slapped at America's Pub.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

And is that a Bass made out of a fuel tank? OMFG THAT IS SO COOL. COOLEST BASS EVAR!!

Yeah. Here's a good shot of it. The "jankitytankity" bass.

The Jankity Tankity joined the band in the spring of 2009. Mark's previous bass (nicknamed "The Fat Girl") was showing her age. Or making her age known with various cracks, deformations, and general crappiness. After a particuarly ominous crunching noise during a set break, Adam suggested Mark build his own bass. The original plan was a plywood box with a neck, but Adam salvaged a Saab gastank from the junk pile at a local shop, and the process began. Mark and Nathan had been cutting firewood, but instead began looking for the perfect piece of black walnut from which to craft a bass neck. When the tree was located, Mark began the work of shaping the neck down, a very precise process which involved misusing a chainsaw as a crosscut/planing/rasp for roughing out the face. Most of the final shaping was done by hand with various planes, rasps, and sandpaper. The fingerboard was fabricated from an old piece of oak found in a barn, and has a very hard knot right in the slapping "sweet spot." The tuners are p-bass style tuners from Ebay, and the strings are the fancy weed whackers you can get on Ebay also. Total materials invested amount to under $100. The final result? You'll have to hear it to believe it!

[Brock]

There sure are a lot of these kind of bands out there now. Wichita has one that travels around the state a lot called Honky Tonk Devils.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Yeah. Here's a good shot of it. The "jankitytankity" bass.

At least it actually has four strings, the Split Lip Rayfield guy’s bass only has one string.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Brock

There sure are a lot of these kind of bands out there now. Wichita has one that travels around the state a lot called Honky Tonk Devils.

I’ve heard them, they’re not bad.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Brock

There sure are a lot of these kind of bands out there now. Wichita has one that travels around the state a lot called Honky Tonk Devils.

I think these bands do well because they cross genres and everyone likes the music. These guys started out playing at our Farmer's Market for tips to a super diverse crowd ranging from grandmas to little kids. Now they tend to play mainly at our indy music bar. They're equally at home entertaining at a wedding as playing some underground punk dive.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

At least it actually has four strings, the Split Lip Rayfield guy’s bass only has one string.

We've got another group called Devil's Promenade that features a guy on a slide guitar and another one on a washtub bass (with one string).

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by NewChief

We've got another group called Devil's Promenade that features a guy on a slide guitar and another one on a washtub bass (with one string).

Not complaining about the sound they get but it kind of limits what they can do.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Not complaining about the sound they get but it kind of limits what they can do.

Oh, I agree. A lot of these bands are pretty "punk" in their aesthetic, though. It's about energy a lot of times more than musical virtuosity, which is ironic since traditional bluegrass is all about being a badass musician.