Mike Baggetta

August 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Wiener Staatsoper’s production of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of August

1. Ryuichi Sakamoto- Opus
Staring down death.

2. JPEGMAFIA- I Lay Down My Life for You
Sonic sacrifice.

3. Jack White- No Name
He’s back in Wichita.

4. Lux Quartet- Tomorrow Land
Future now.

5. Joana Mallwitz- The Kurt Weill Album
Revelations.

6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Wild God
Zeus.

7. Grigory Sokolov- Purcell and Mozart
Elite recitals.

8. Shelby Lynne- Consequences of the Crown
My review.

9. ​​Thee Marloes- Perak
Little bit o’ soul.

10. Nikka Costa- Dirty Disco
Party like it’s 1999.


Top Ten Songs of August

1. Meshell Ndegeocello- "Travel"
Pack your bags.

2. Yolanda Adams- "Church Doors"
Wide open.

3. A$AP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt- “Highjack”
I miss the old Kanye.

4. Tank and The Bangas featuring Samara Joy and Robert Glasper- “Remember”
Ribbon in the sky.

5. Jhéne Aiko- “guidance”
That little light of hers.

6. Melt-Banana- “Seeds”
Planted.

7. Gel- "Shame"
Hardcore.

8. Willie Nelson- "Last Leaf"
Holding on.

9. Lainey Wilson- "Keep Up With Jones"
The race is on.

10. Post Malone and Luke Combs- “Missin’ You Like This”
Long gone.


Top Ten Performances of August

1. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram video.

2. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

3. Mike Baggetta with Peter DiStefano at the Ship
My review.

4. Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Brian Baggett Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram video.

6. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
My Instagram video.

7. Smith and Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram video.

8. Treanne at 90.9 The Bridge
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Clay Kirkland at Theis Park
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Dan Thomas, Harold O’Neal, Forest Stewart and Zach Morrow at the Blue Room
My Instagram video.


The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Mike Baggetta and Peter DiStefano at the Ship

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Gearheads will want a report on the rigs used by the renowned outsider musician Mike Baggetta and the seasoned indie-rock guitarist Peter DiStefano at the Ship on Thursday, August 8. They won't get that information from me.

I paid $10 at the door hoping that the duo’s “improvised Punk Jazz music for 2 electric guitars” would succeed. No matter the setups employed by musicians, quixotic stabs at the illusory sound usually fail.

The most successful segments of the duo’s hour-long set for 15 people resembled swinging versions of the noise-rock associated with Glenn Branca. A few exquisite moments brought guitarist Marc Ribot to mind. Two or three conventional rock songs performed by Baggetta and DiStefano including the 1993 hit “Pets” by the latter’s band Porno for Pyros didn’t do much for me.

Mike Stover opened the show with 45 minutes of avant-garde pedal steel guitar exploration. I could barely hear him over the din made by the Ship’s regular patrons. Something tells me they weren’t discussing distortion pedals.