Pitch Music Showcase Guide

AVANT/EXPERIMENTAL Malachy Papers When your preferred style of music reached its peak during the Pendergast era, it might seem hard to bring anything new to the table. But for the ever-evolving Malachy Papers, a band that's been churning out new tunes since the late '90s, KC jazz is anything but a memory. By mixing the best of the genre's founders with modern-day experimental sounds (its most recent album, The Wind Cries Malachy, seamlessly fuses John Lee Hooker, Usher and Captain Beefheart), the band has taken the city's musical legacy far past its roots. www.malachy papers.com

Superargo Few electronic acts bring it the way Superargo does each and every time he plays. Adam Jeffers' mixes are wild — computer-based squeals, blips, spins and screeches back up totally unexpected samples from defunct local bands and major tabloid celebrities (i.e., the Olsen twins' "Gimme Pizza"). But he doesn't stop there: Each show has its own custom-made video and overhead projections that feature the antics of Superargo and his secret sidekick, Skullface. You'll never see anyone rock a laptop nearly as hard. www.superargo.com

This Is My Condition We're sick of people talking about multitasking — as if surfing the Internet while talking on the phone warrants praise. This Is My Condition's sole member, Craig Comstock, would take all of these people to task; there is no word for his brand of busy. Strapping a guitar to his drum kit and inching in on the mic, he uses his whole body to create intense, speed-driven metal reminiscent of bands like Hella (except, holy shit, it is just one guy!). His off-the-chart energy routinely pulls people away from the bar to stare in amazement, then gets them to rock out and dance. www.thisismycondition.com

Onemilliontinytinyjesuses In The Matrix, the soundtrack for a robot-dominated universe sounded suspiciously like Rob Zombie and Rage Against the Machine. In the real matrix, however, the rush of all those green ones and zeros passing by sounds exactly like the blips and pings produced by noise-rock duo Onemilliontinytinyjesuses. Armed with nothing but Catholic smocks and Voltron-era helmets, the Jesuses create experimental electronica that can be intricate, pulsing or delicate, sometimes all in the same song. www.onemillion tinytinyjesuses.com

Namelessnumberheadman Having seized the DJ-electronic trophy in 2004, Namelessnumberheadman conquered again after those categories split, taking home last year's electronic award. Now it pursues the genre trifecta in the newly instituted avant-experimental category. NNHM describes itself as a "futuristic, lo-fi space pop" trio. It achieves that sound with colossal drums, gently haunting guitars and many, many synthesizers. Its new album, Wires Reply, already recorded and mastered, appears in September — welcome news for fans who didn't grab the group's previous releases before they fell out of print. www.name lessnumberheadman.com

BLUES/SOUL Levee Town Still relatively young in those tough chronological markers known as "blues years," Levee Town has quickly become a band with beaucoup regional hook-ups. This summer, the band finishes a new CD, produced in Springfield by local roots guru and Morrells founder Lou Whitney. Its roster boasts not only the best blues name in town (guitarist Brandon Hudspeth) but also an always-smiling drummer, Jan Faircloth. What's more, Levee Town hosts about 57 blues jams a week, including nights at Blayney's, John's Deck and Winslow's at the City Market. www.leveetown.com

D.C. Bellamy For a Chicago native, guitarist and singer D.C. Bellamy fits like a glove into the Kansas City blues scene. Growing up on Chi-town's musically storied West Side, Bellamy spent his youth learning to play the guitar by listening to Elvis on the radio, and he paid mention to the talent in his own family. (The late Curtis Mayfield was his half-brother.) For the past half-decade or so, Bellamy has blessed KC with his own teachings, thanks in part to his band, America's Most Wanted. www.dcbellamy.com

The Brothers Green Not many blues bands channel Outkast as comfortably as they lean into deep Delta blues, but, in the tradition of the North Mississippi All-Stars, the Brothers Green do exactly that. Singer Sterling Brown's voice, as wizened and gruff as Ted Hawkins', can, like his James Brown-elastic face, bluesify a tune such as "Aquemeni" or invoke the passion of growler Bobby "Blue" Bland, making a simple hurting song into an encyclopedia of emotion. With the support of the other Greens, the whole thing feels sanctified. http://brothersgreenmusic.com

Billy Ebeling Whether alone or with the Late for Dinner Band, Billy Ebeling serves it up. That's why, when we see him coming with his bald head and accordion, we don't turn tail and run (as we might at the sight of his make-believe alter-ego, Karnov the Polka Slayer) but rather reach for the nearest beer and, if available, bowl of steamed crawfish. Also a great guitarist and harp player, Ebeling won last year's trophy but wasn't able to accept it because he was playing a bar gig in Lawrence. We missed him, sure, but we wouldn't have gotten in the way of a hardworking bluesman. Ever the nightfly, Ebeling has even written a children's book called Lay Down Lullabies that comes with a CD of sweet songs that would make Paul Simon want to be a kid again. www.billyebeling.com