HighTops Lounge in St. Joseph, Missouri, is like walking into a time capsule from the late ‘80s. The walls are adorned with paraphernalia from the ‘70s to ‘90s: photos referencing sex, drugs (notably and mostly weed), and rock’n’roll are scattered around the place in an almost overstimulating nature. The ‘lounge’ area features several couches and tables next to fish tanks. The carpet is similar to one of those arcade carpets with a design that reflects scribbles and zigzags, glowing in the black light. In the back is the stage, where the first few rows consist of reclining movie theater chairs. Off to the side, up against the wall are arcade games - PacMan, air hockey, and more. If there is a place with a kickass, cooler-than-cool ‘stoner’ vibe, it is HighTops Lounge.
The lineup was a massive 4 p.m. to midnight show. Originally, the gig was supposed to be at VIVO in Kansas City, but it got moved to HighTops.
The gig occurred on Saturday, April 6. Titled “Fast Lane: A Music Showcase,” the 7-band lineup consisted of acts from across the Midwest. Tretura from Oklahoma City, Rage Is My Rival and Sinfool from Topeka, MoonCaller, Psycho Mismatch, Spacy Jockey from Kansas City, and Sock Goop from St. Joseph. Before the metal lineup, there were three acoustic sets to warm things up.
I interviewed guitarist Sage Wallace from Psycho Mismatch about the gig and the band overall:
KP: What is the origin of the band name?
Sage: A circle of “sikes” in which we have curveballs in our music and we also literally are psycho individually.
KP: How did the band start?
Sage: We started off by writing a song with our drummer Kay on the first day after Cody and I wrote a lot of blues tunes together on our own.
KP: Name some influences.
Sage: Radiohead, Tool, Muse, Alice In Chains, Deftones, 311.
KP: Do you guys have pre-show rituals to get in the headspace?
Sage: We gather in a circle and chant that we’re psycho and become one with the name.
KP: What is your favorite band memory?
Sage: Playing in the American Royal Battle of the Bands on week three of being a band, but honestly sitting down on the ground while playing a breakdown mid song.
KP: What does 2024 have in store for Psycho Mismatch?
Sage: Touring, single releases, new original material, merch runs, socks, and possible acoustic shows.
KP: What do you ultimately want to achieve as a band?
Sage: We would simply just like to share some art and reflections of us with the world and ultimately hopefully help some souls along the way.
Psycho Mismatch Lineup:
Kay Manchion - drummer
Kyle Sargent - bassist, backing vocals
Sage Wallace - guitarist
Cody Winters - lead singer and guitarist