Gemini Revolution

Deli Best of KC Area 2012 for Emerging Artists - Submission Results!

We've tallied the results for the Open Submissions stage of our KC Area Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. All of the submissions were ranked by Deli Editors from other scenes, and the list of acts that have advanced to our Readers’/Fans’ Poll phase are below. We will also be releasing the list of nominees chosen by our local "scene expert" jurors very soon. 

Thanks to all of the talented artists who submitted their music to us. We hope to have a larger pool of entries next year!

Total submissions from the KC area scene: 32

Qualified to the final phase of the Best of Kansas City Poll:

1. Man Bear – 7.8 (out of 10)
2. We Are Voices – 7.5
3. Gentleman Savage – 7.5
4. Gemini Revolution – 7.3
5. The Elders – 7.3
6. Making Movies – 7.2
7. Attic Wolves – 7.2

Honorable Mentions: Hipshot Killer, The Empty Spaces, Dream Wolf, Radkey, Dollar Fox

Jurors: Dawn Reed (Deli Washington DC), Gracie Gutman (Deli SF), Paolo De Gregorio (Deli NYC).  

The Deli Staff

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January 07, 2013    

Show review: Midwestern Audio Compilation Release Party, 9.23.12

(Photo of Everyday/Everynight)

More often than not, a bill of diverse acts just doesn’t work. When you're a show promoter, you typically don't set up a group of guylined cock rockers with a charming folk duo. 

Fortunately, sometimes it runs smoothly and flows naturally. The Midwestern Audio, Vol. 1 double CD compilation from Midwest Music Foundation glides smoothly along, just as its release party did on September 23, featuring six acts featured on the compilation.
 
Gemini Revolution, opened up the night with an avant-garde, psychedelic, chilling performance. The trio returned only days before from performing POP Montreal, and left the trickling-in crowd wanting more. Dedric Moore, Delaney Moore, and Mika Tanaya are also part of the experimental and somewhat more accessible Monta At Odds, and brought an otherworldly, intergalactic vibe to their music. Whether this form of free jazz infused with electronic pop is your cup of tea or not, there was no doubt that Gemini Revolution played music on its own terms, and brought an eerie, nail-biting soundtrack to get the evening started.
 
 
While Gemini Revolution set up the scene for the evening’s festivities, the next act took it to an exhilarating apex. Reach brought a compelling performance with help from the Diverse jazz trio. Witnessing each act on its own is a spectacle of musicianship, ingenious lyrics and astounding rhythms, but the combination of the two put the audience in awe of its splendor. While Hermon Mehari supplied smooth, poignant trumpet melodies, the rhythm section added a compelling, vital component that the audience couldn’t take its eyes off of. And then there’s Reach, who has proved in his years of being an emcee in Kansas City that he has true starpower and talent, with the rare ability to keep a crowd energized while depicting real life in brilliant rhyme schemes.
 
 
The natural progression of a psychedelic trio to a jazz/rap collective to jazz/blues swing group may seem like an odd mashup, but Grand Marquis provided a refreshing backdrop to a lineup that continued to build in dynamics and potency. This five-piece group—who recently recorded a session at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis—made sure the mostly indie pop/rock audience would take notice and spring to its feet. Dressed to the nines, Grand Marquis helped transform the recordBar into a speakeasy for about 45 minutes. The group played a mix of big band standards and originals with a swinging New Orleans jazz flair. Like Diverse, Grand Marquis reminded us of the vibrant history of Kansas City music, but also showed us how the sound remains relevant today.
 
 
The last two bands of the night provided the crowd with the heaviest dose of indie pop and rock. Antennas Up highlighted the show with its signature dancey, mind-melding synth pop power. Complete with The Ryantist’s Space Invaders drum kit, the energetic four-piece took us on a stellar ride through the universe, but not in the same way as Gemini Revolution. As the night’s opener astonished the audience with its finesse of taking unstructured music and making it accessible, Antennas Up blasted the crowd into space with clear vocal harmonies and plenty of boops and beeps to keep listeners intent on their aural surroundings.
 
 
Everyday/Everynight wrapped up the evening in true form to any headlining act. Shimmering guitars, echoing vocals, and enormous atmospheric noises made the group’s music simultaneously beautiful and excitingly aggressive. Frontman Jerad Tomasino took a moment to acknowledge Midwest Music Foundation for putting together a free local compilation, which includes 41 tracks from some of the most talented musical acts in the area.
 
You can find tracks from all of these acts on the Midwestern Audio, Vol. 1 compilation. It's available for FREE at Love Garden Sounds in Lawrence and other stores around the Kansas City. Brenton Cook, who compiled the CD, will be handing out copies this Saturday at Earwaxx Records during an in-store event with featured bands Be/Non and Appropriate Grammar. It's also available for download at the Bandcamp link below.
 

--Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She flosses daily. Do you?

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October 01, 2012    

Album review: Gemini Revolution - Gemini Revolution

Every time I try to review this album, I get distracted by something shiny. It’s like my mind goes on a little “this one time, at band camp …” journey to some weird place where I have fierce opinions on those that demand I wear shoes and the only important thing to me is contemplating if my head could fit inside the Styrofoam cup I’m drinking from. I’m pretty sure I’d make it, but my face contends otherwise. This argument goes on for at least twenty-five minutes before I remember I was intently listening to a new album. Fortunately for me, this is the perfect music for that sort of thing.

My new found ADHD aside, Gemini Revolution is an LP from Gemini Revolution, a psychedelic KC jazz rock outfit. I had originally heard the material in the form of two separate EPs, but it comes across as a much stronger effort in the full album form. Whereas in shorter doses it was difficult to determine which direction this group was going in, the album provides a perfect layout of its style. Oceans of swirling synthesizers crash amongst the sparse jazzy rhythm section. Along comes the occasional island of sandy white vocals, reverberating near and far in the high-sky sun, but soon once again you are left swimming in the moody psychedelic depths.

The songs seem very loose form at first listen, bordering absent-minded at times, often extending into seemingly bottomless jams, but start to exude consistent melody and intent as you go deeper down the rabbit hole. Whereas trends in pop music usually dictate a song lives or dies by its beat and vocals, Gemini Revolution seems to take pride in the fact it uses both of those things as just another tool in the box.

The opening track features the strongest sense of songwriting and vocal variety. The female background "ahs" provide a soothing and serene balance to the almost-too-harshly-reverbed main vocal. This song features the most accessible hook on the record and is passed effortlessly amongst the various instrumentation. The song trails out with a well orchestrated guitar/keyboard outro that leaves a pleasant pop taste in your mouth.

Another standout is "Through the Woods." The vocals are reverbed to the point I can’t really understand them (and even my most skilled “Gemini Revolution lyrics” Google searches don’t turn anything up), but this song exudes an aura of adventure and exploration. It really hits home during the sections in which the female vocal teases back and forth with a lush collaboration of keyboards. These sections are probably my favorite moments from the entire record. This would be a great song to zone out to while enjoying a nice leisurely Sunday afternoon space flight, just throw your hair back and enjoy the solar flares.

All in all, Gemini Revolution really hammer home who they are with this effort. There are no pop pretenses here, no playbooks or rules they choose to follow. It is pure music exploration into the cosmos. Solid and unconfined.

Gemini Revolution is (L to R above):
Dedric Moore
Mika Tayana
Delaney Moore

Gemini Revolution's new self-titled album was released by Upstairs Recordings (Canada) and is now available on iTunes. The band will be performing at POP Montreal on Thursday, September 20. If you want to see them a little closer to home, they'll be playing at 7:00 pm Sunday, September 23 for the release of the local compilation CD from Midwest Music Foundation. Double CDs are free at the door. 

--Zach Hodson

Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black and Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects.  He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn't want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato).

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September 18, 2012    

Album review: Gemini Revolution - Other Side of Yesterday EP

“Can you picture the armada of Hello Kitty spaceships?” -Gen. Marsupial Takahashi

Someday, Japan is going to send people to Mars. It’s true. I’m pretty sure Gemini Revolution will provide the soundtrack while the astronauts will kick it during their long journey through space.

The Other Side of Yesterday EP is hacky sack music for Asian hipsters. It reeks of patchouli and mirin equally. This is the weird Asian record the Doors would have made had they lasted long enough. It’s kinda jammy, pretty psychedelic, and superbly spacey.

Gemini Revolution takes the Taj-Mahal Travelers playbook, cut out the boring extreme avant-garde randomness, and pop it up a bit. The slow building, eventually lush arrangements feature a mostly free-form rhythm section that provides enough randomness to contrast the layered cheap keyboards. The reverb-maxed vocals come and go sparingly, adding a textural component to music that is clearly focused on the other instrumentation.

The stand out of this EP is the title track “Other Side of Yesterday."  Reminiscent of Modest Mouse, the song goes through many variations of stripping down and being built back up. It also utilizes the vocals the best of any song in this batch, with a pleasant back and forth during the choruses. Mix in the melodic bass work, the Kenny G-esque saxophone keyboard doodling, and the random percussion introduced throughout, and you’re left with a song that tows the ADHD line, yet ends up accessible and groovy overall.

Some might say this sound is dated, but Gemini Revolution has a very specific thing they are going for. It is refreshing to hear a group of musicians just doing their thing, regardless of what is dictated by the musical trends around them.

 -Zach Hodson

Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects.  He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn't want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato).

Editor's note: Gemini Revolution released the follow-up EP to Other Side of Yesterday on June 14, entitled Sizuka. We'll have a review of this album to you very soon! 

June 19, 2012