Ink

Mark Lowrey vs. Hip-hop

Hip hop and live instrumentation are like the peanut butter and chocolate of the music world. Put ’em together and you get magic.

Remember when LL Cool J performed “Mama Said Knock You Out” on MTV’s “Unplugged”? Or when Danger Mouse mashed up The Beatles’ The White Album with Jay Z’s The Black Album to make The Grey Album? 

At 10 p.m. Friday, jazz pianist Mark Lowrey teams up with local drummers and emcees to make a little magic of his own at the Czar Bar, 1531 Grand Blvd. Though the show’s billed as Mark Lowrey vs. Hip-hop, it’s more of a collaboration than a competition. 

On the skins: Brandon Draper of Quixotic and Organic Proof, Zack Albetta of Trio ALL, and Giuliano Mingucci of the Barclay Martin Ensemble. 

On the mic: Kartoon, Les Izmore of Hearts of Darkness, Vertigone and Swayzorbladez.

“There will be no rehearsal or preconceived structure,” Lowrey said. 

Cover costs $5 and — according to Lowrey — “ass shaking is encouraged.”

— sarah benson { ink }

The Belated CD-Release Party

On their new CD, Belief in the Process, Kansas City band The Belated tries on several rock styles, from bare-bones acoustic to balls-out arena. Hear the many sides of The Belated on Friday as the band celebrates its new album — which features much more collaboration than their 2007 debut, You Will All Fade Away — at Crosstown Station, 1522 McGee St. The show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10.

Nuthatch-47, a rockin’ Russian folk-music band that knows how to tickle an accordion, opens. So does Pet Comfort, a band that mixes atmospheric indie rock with emotional lyrics.

— sarah benson { ink }