This year's Klammie Awards performances began with the Jesse Jackson 5. Starting out with Jesse's trademark rapid-fire vocals and a driving turntable percussion track, the JJ5 took a political stance with their first song of the night.

The JJ5 performs a high energy set to kick off the 2001 Klammies.

Their second song featured some funky, mellow beats and got the evening started off with a bang.

Next up were members of BCR with Gerald Trimble. They performed a thirteenth-century piece of Middle Eastern descent about the Virgin Mary. It was melodiously intricate and very interesting, and for the Kansas City crowd, it was also the most musically uncommon piece of the evening.

David Basse gets the crowd snappin'.

The third time the curtains parted on this excentric evening of musical performances, David Basse stepped to the mic and began with an acapella piece that had everyone snapping their fingers. It was definitely very "cool." His second song was a swinging piano backed number that was a sure crowd pleaser.

After a few more Klammies were handed out, the curtains parted once more - this time for Onward Crispin Glover.  Proving their local rock star status, they exploded onto the stage with their crunchy guitar lines and catchy melodies. Although their second song was a bit mellower, it still packed one hell of a guitar punch.		Onward Crispin Glover brings the ROCK.
As well as bringing the "rock," this group had unbelievable stage presence. You can tell these guys are seasoned veterans of the local scene.

Common Ground with a reggae performance to remember.		Common Ground came next and gave us the funky reggae beats for the evening. With strong male and female vocals backed by excellent instrumentation the first piece, a cover of "Brother and Sister" by the Brand New Heavies, was a melodic masterpiece.
Following that was another cover "Giving Thanks" that showcased the male vocals more and was very danceable.

Last but certainly not least were The Gadjits.  Let me just say that this band has come leaps and bounds since the days I would catch them performing at Gee Coffee. I really love the new sound. Intricate, bluesy with lots of soul, they really know how to lay it to you. With Barbara McKinney from Common Ground doing guest vocals, it only heightened the experience even further.		The Gadjits left us totally awestruck.

If you haven't seen The Gadjits recently, make it a must-do on your list, and expect a whole new sound. This is definitely not the same band you think you knew. They've shed that skin entirely. And the new band that has emerged will blow your socks off. I couldn't think of a better way to end this year's show than this.

Jacque Mocnik