Steg Party: A Review of the Debut EP From Kansas City's Stegosaurus Wrecks

Perhaps the brutal magic of Stegosaurus Wrecks is the ache & longing in Alex Courtney's whisper singing that evaporates into an end-growl. In the moments where it collapses vocally in on itself ("Nowhere Now") exhausted and yearning speaking a multitude of meanings in tiny gaps of silence. 

This is Courtney's Man Bear (his previous outfit) all grown up. But not just all grown up...all grown up & got them six-year payment blues. Dig?

There's a confidence that arises from catastrophe that Courtney has learned to manipulate. The glorious example of this being "Maple Come Home" -an example of his real gift for songwriting sorrow...a mature & quiet longing that yearns for more years and nods to those that are forever gone.

Lennon Bone turns in a solid performance as a guest drummer & Aaron Nickless is consistently good. In fact, Nickless may be one of KC's most underrated bass players. He's got a talent for sturdiness on tape and punk rock brashness on stage that is unmatched in that town. He knows *when to be *what and that's goddamn important in a bass player.

In fact-this is the soul of Steg's essence: When to be what.
It's accomplishment residing in the feeling that as long as there's life to live there are songs to be sung AND dive-bars that those songs need to be sung in. Courtney is the reluctant singer and Nickless is his trusted ambassador.

Steg Wrecks is Man Bear 2.0 but more. It's a testament to Alex Courtney's poetic, pop pleasures and Nickless' wink and a smile 1970's bass benevolence. The soul of an artist and the rugged charm of his right hand man.
A good team.
A great friendship.
A damn fine EP.

Get Stegosaurus Wrecks' EP here:

stegosauruswrecks.bandcamp.com

-William Chaffin