No Choice but Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution

"Many of us have heard of postpunk bands like The Cure, Public Image Ltd., or Joy Division. Their fame is global and their music has endured for decades. Fewer people know that Kansas had a lively postpunk scene in the late twentieth century. Kansas's postpunk scene gained recognition during the 1980s and 1990s, with The Embarrassment and their Lawrence peers Get Smart! and Micronotz earning spots on college radio and in zines. Later groups such as Paw and Truck Stop Love even signed with major labels. Despite this, coverage of Kansas bands frequently framed them as anomalies in a state stereotypically characterized as culturally barren and conservative. In No Choice but Action, Francis Connor and Darren DeFrain take readers on a tour through the bands, songs, shows, and zines that flourished in Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, and Wichita. Flyers, fans, and zines created cultural ecosystems that sustained independent music in an era before the internet, social media, streaming or other instant modes of communication and promotion. These circuits were built person by person, band by band"-- Provided by publisher.