The Stroppers

Whether they’re performing in the mountains of Colorado or on the rooftop of a bar at SXSW, The Stroppers, of Kansas City, have gained the reputation of a must-see live act. At a Stroppers show, it's not unusual to watch frontman Joel Monroe play guitar with his left hand while simultaneously wailing rock melodies into a microphone held by his right. After Monroe plants the ever so welcomed earworm in your head, he proceeds to climb the kick drum and rip out a fuzzy guitar solo using his teeth in substitute of a pick. As you witness this, drummer Jazzy Bones continues lay down a brutally heavy and ferocious beat. Bones is sure to leave a resonating thump in the center of your chest with each smack. You notice that her main goal is to get your body moving, a job in which she easily succeeds. Monroe wraps up his guitar solo, or should I say flossing session, and leaps from the kick drum back onto the stage, just in time to reach the microphone and deliver the last singalong chorus of the song.

It is at this moment that you realize you are experiencing a true rock 'n' roll performance.