Slighty Feral Media: The Raccoon's Cabinet of Curiosities

FIELD NOTE // THE BAND NAMES CHANGED. THE HUMANS KEPT PLAYING. Combo Diablo, the Doo-Dads, and a Slightly Feral Journey Through Kansas City Music History By Alethea F. Mehdipour — Slightly Feral Media THE SHIRT The first thing the raccoon saw was the drummer’s shirt. THE GRAND EMPORIUM. The letters reached into an old, poorly labeled section of the archives, grabbed an entire collection of memories, and dumped them directly onto the floor. The raccoon may have squealed. Not a dignified, professional Kansas City concert photographer squeal. More like a slightly feral teenage girl encountering a boy band in the wild. This was unexpected. She had arrived to photograph Kansas City rock ’n’ roll band Combo Diablo. Instead, before the band had played a single note, drummer Joe Gose was standing there wearing a doorway into the raccoon’s own live-music history. BEFORE THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE Many years ago—decades, even—before digital cameras allowed a raccoon to take 1,200 photographs and quiet...

FIELD NOTE // WHEN THE CORN WAS REAL Hickoids, White Line Nightmares, and a Lesson in Whimsy Soundbite Social at Warehouse on Broadway | Kansas City, Missouri By Alethea F. Mehdipour | Slightly Feral Media THE FIRST COWPUNK The raccoon had never encountered cowpunk before.  Naturally, field research began long before arriving at Soundbite Social inside Warehouse on Broadway. The available evidence suggested a collision of country, punk rock, garage rock, and rockabilly. This immediately raised an important scientific question. Who looked at those genres and decided, “Yes. Those belong together”? Further investigation produced another unexpected discovery. The Hickoids appeared to perform behind a drum kit decorated with corn. The raccoon concluded there were only two possible outcomes. Either the evening would be gloriously ridiculous or ridiculously glorious. Both outcomes justified field research. SMALL ROOMS REVEAL LARGER TRUTHS One reason the raccoon keeps returning to Soundbit...

Stage Dive KC Summer Showcase Builds a Human Tribe The raccoon arrived at the Stage Dive KC Summer Showcase expecting seven local bands across two stages at Warehouse on Broadway and Soundbite Social in Kansas City. Instead, it found musicians, photographers, families, crew, and fans constructing a temporary community from noise, electricity, and shared purpose. The assignment appeared manageable. Seven bands Two stages One camera Document the evidence The raccoon has accepted more unreasonable operating conditions. Stage Dive KC’s Summer Showcase brought  Beneath the Skin, Orion Falls, Easy Tiger, My Waking Dream, Steer Away, The Violent Delights, and Love Like War  together at Warehouse on Broadway on July 17, 2026. The main room and Soundbite Social operated on staggered schedules, allowing the audience to move between performances without being forced to sacrifice one band for another.   This was useful. The raccoon cannot be in two places at once. Several humans have...