Album Description"Usually we listen to local albums this religiously only when we have crushes on members of the band. In this instance, such crushes are lacking, but This Tyrant Is Free sounds so much like our favorite late-'90s indie rock ? Pavement, Palace Brothers, The Halo Benders ? that we'd listen to these guys even if they came from, like, Portland or Austin or any of those Places Good Bands Come From." ? The Pitch This Tyrant Is Free began as a studio project for Andy Graham, who had moved back to Kansas after doing time in Illinois, Oregon and Colorado. Graham wasn?t so hot about coming back to the land of grain, long commutes and an music scene based on embracing the roots of Americana. But while reacquainting himself with childhood friends, he found that many of his childhood friends still dug the punk and pop of their roots, even while playing in free jazz ensembles and outlaw country bands. In fact, after seeing a few Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys shows, the punk and psych pop influences became more and more evident. Not only did this inspire Graham to get back to writing, and dust off his old home recordings, but when Chad Meise (Misery Boys soundman & son of legendary jazz keyboardist Greg Meise) decided to open Gloryland Studios, plans developed for a recording project. When This Tyrant Is Free was finished, unmastered copies circulated uncontrollably through the local community, and when the final product hit the streets, it became apparent to all involved that a live presence had better materialize to justify the hype. So shows were booked and played, clubs were packed and the CDs were sold at an alarming pace. As of summer 2004, the key members of The Moment Band are going through the Graham archives, rearranging songs for new recordings and digging into some new stuff. This Tyrant Is Free is just the beginning of a great communal effort to mesh the old musicological approach of the Kansas City aesthetic with Graham?s traveled approach to trying something new.
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1