(Photo by Emily Hunt)

Our Artists on Trial series will be featuring bands that will be playing Apocalypse Meow, Midwest Music Foundation's big annual benefit for musician health care. We will be featuring more on Apocalypse Meow in the weeks before the show, which is November 3 at The Beaumont Club. The Empty Spaces will be one of the bands playing the event.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

The Empty Spaces: Missouri River serf rock.

The Deli: Let’s talk about what you have coming up or have released lately. What can we expect?

TES: Our music video for "Holidays Are Nice And Warm" just came out and has gotten a lot of positive attention. We will be playing Apocalypse Meow at The Beaumont Club on Nov 3. We are also opening up for Broncho on Nov 30 at Czar. At the same time we are getting new songs put together and will be starting to record our third studio album at the start of 2013.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

TES: Our favorite way to support local music is by making local music. We are also very proud to be a part of Golden Sound Records. It also helps to go out to local shows and sometimes even pay to get into them!

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

TES: Mat: Shy Boys.
Ross: The ACB's.
Will: The Architects.

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Meow?

TES: We are very excited to see the great crowd supporting MMF. They are an amazing organization for Kansas City. We're also very excited to be playing with bands like Deco Auto and The Architects.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

TES: Mat: Ty Segall.
Ross: Django Django.
Will: The new Murder By Death album kicks ass.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?

TES: Roger Miller opens up. Followed by The Ventures. Then us, of course. Fela Kuti closes the night.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

TES: Mat: Studio.
Ross: I don't know, man.
Will: Stage.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

TES: Joe Strummer, Neil Young because he's Canadian, Harry Nilsson, and let's keep George Washington up there so they don't have to do so much renovation.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

TES: theemptyspaces.com
http://facebook.com/TheEmptySpaces
Twitter: @tesband
Instagram!: TheEmptySpaces

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?

TES: Party! And don't drink the cheap stuff.

The Empty Spaces are:
Mat Shoare: guitar, lead vox
William Brent Wright: bass
Ross Brown: drums

The Empty Spaces seem to keep themselves pretty busy. As mentioned, they will be playing Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 3 at Beaumont, taking the stage around 9 pm. Don't miss them!

--Michelle Bacon

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If you just haven't received enough kisses in your day, The Empty Spaces' brand-new video, "Holidays Are Nice and Warm," is sure to provide you with plenty in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Along with a healthy, carefree dose of melodious pop. Follow the band's exploits attempting to get kissing booth smooches in Westport. Guaranteed Optimus Prime helmets, lampshade drumming, and most of all, fun. Video directed by Micki Hadley.

Listen to tracks from Party Line at the band's page on here at Golden Sound Records.

"Holidays Are Nice and Warm" is on the band's EP Party Line, released earlier this year by Golden Sound Records and was The Deli KC's July CD of the month. The trio will be playing next at The Brick on Friday, September 21 with Shy Boys and Desodean. Facebook event page here. They will also be at the Plaza Art Fair on the Ink stage at noon on Saturday, September 22.

The Empty Spaces are (L to R above):
Mat Shoare
William Brent Wright
Ross Brown

--Michelle Bacon

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Mat Shoare and his band, The Empty Spaces, owe a lot to Buddy Holly, Duane Eddy and The Ventures. On Party Line, the band’s second EP, though, Shoare delivers a little more rockabilly and Replacements with his pop (especially on the brief standout, "Jackie Says"). You gotta give it up to the band, however, for embracing all the slap delay, Ampex tape and Stratocasters of old, without sounding merely like a tribute band. Recording live, the band captures the energy of its live shows. And like any good EP or 45, Party Line gives fans an snapshot of the band, unadorned with studio chicanery.

The EP starts fittingly with the title track, “Party Line,” a good indication of where the band’s headed in the next 20 minutes. The strongest track, "The 1960s Divorce Rate Blues," benefits most from the live recording when it collapses from a rocking 4/4 into a doo-wop waltz. The closer, "B-52’s," pushes the rockabilly envelope farthest. With the rhythm section carrying the song, Shoare has fun with a spring reverb tail louder than his twangy guitar.

With occasional mistakes that seem intentionally left in, these recordings certainly feel live. They could also benefit from overdubbing. Some background vocals or an occasional second guitar part give the listener something to return to. That minor complaint aside, one thing’s for certain, listening to Party Line aptly prepares anyone for an Empty Spaces concert. In the age bands filling out their live sound with auxiliary band members and laptops, this can certainly be refreshing.

Listen to tracks from The Empty Spaces' first EP Low Noise at their page on Golden Sound Records.

The Empty Spaces will be kicking off a short Midwestern tour to celebrate the release of Party Line on Thursday night at The Brick with Soft Reeds and The Caves. From there, they'll be hitting St. Joseph (Cafe Acoustic on Friday), Omaha, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, and Lawrence (The Jackpot on August 4).

--Jonathon H. Smith

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Deco Auto -- This fun-lovin’ 3-piece, whose songs all have a heartbeat to their rhythm, laid down the ground rules for the evening in 4/4 time; making it impossible not to wag your head to, while incessantly checking for loose floorboards under your shoe. With a nostalgic power-pop rock jingle, their dulcet vocal harmonies transformed you into a suburban kid on an adventure in a sugary coming-of-age summer movie. Their sound is reminiscent of earlier Soul Asylum and The Replacements, had those bands cut their teeth jamming with Dave Clark Five. Lead singer/guitarist Steven Garcia’s crunchy Les Paul guitar riffs bounced along in anthem to the purist backbeat stamped out tightly by Kansas City drum darling, Michelle Bacon. Wrapping a sexy vine around the triplet’s delight was the carefully melodic bassist/backing vocalist, Tracy Flowers – a perfect last name, when considering her sixties-styled vocal harmonies with Garcia. Blending well into their set were covers of “Needles & Pins” (Nitzsche/Bono, 1963), and “Time Won’t Let Me” (The Outsiders, 1966).

Next up, Gas Pump Talent from Springfield, MO – who describe their own sound as “stomp and holler” – showed they’ve learned to cunningly mash-up more acoustic genres than can be listed – and well. Sadly, I was out of eyesight of the stage throughout their relatively short set. Fortunately, I heard them just fine – recordBar’s sound guys consistently set a high bar. Gas Pump Talent showcased musically captivating, campfire, Ozark-styled country-crunk that had DNA speckles of Dylan, Springsteen and Waits sprinkled throughout. Their performance was infectious, often lending to an Irish folk vibe that beckoned you to order a whiskey drink, pull a chair up front, and sing along with any reoccurring stanza you heard. I recall debating their genre with some friends as we listened…this was much in vein, which always makes me happy. The Midwest consistently cultivates great bands that are hard to paint into a corner. ¡Viva Springfield!

Closing the night down for the evening was another 3-piece from Kansas City – The Empty Spaces. Their rock n’ roll blend of (dare I say) country, rockabilly and surf beach party made for attention-grabbing jams, which featured a squirrely Mat Shoare dancing about, yelping Femmes-esque vocals into the mic, while playing hooky rhythms on his guitar. Widening out their sound was the ever-busy, hard-hitting drum licks of Ross Brown, and jovial out-of-the-box bass man about town, William Brent Wright – who was stripped down to his under tank top by the night’s end. The guys looked like they were having a good ol’ time up on stage, which added to the decent-sized audience looking loose and ready to party – and that they did.

It was a fun, energetic night, with three bands that stylistically are different from one another, but together on a bill – made for a great Saturday night at the recordBar.

--Christian Anders Liljequist