The Vern Frazee Memorial Show
With Intent, The Leo Project, and Changing Faith
By Paul Lichtenauer - Bullseye Bands Staff Writer
Saturday May 31st became a special day in the Kansas City music scene. Musicians, fans, friends, and family all came out to pay tribute to the life of a person who was near and dear to the hearts of many in attendance. Vern Frazee was known by many in the scene for his support and love for the music and the musicians. I personally had never met Vern, but I have known his son Joel (drummer for Intent) for about seven or eight years. Speaking to Joel before the show he told me that this show was providing closure on two fronts: the end of one of Kansas City’s most popular bands, Intent, and the passing of his father Vern. To not see Vern standing off to the side of the stage wearing his Intent t-shirt was going to hit him hard and contribute to an emotionally charged night.
Beyond the outpouring of emotions, the night had other oddities that don’t normally fit into a night of rock and metal in Kansas City. One being the fact that show started at seven in the evening and it was still light outside. The early start had little to no effect on the crowd making it out to catch Changing Faith though. By the time Rick, Kara and the rest hit the stage there were already something like 125 people through the door with an estimated 400-500 by the end of the night. Changing Faith came out with their guns blazing to kick off the night. Led by the familiar scream of “Let’s goooooo!” from Rick, the band kicked into a set that didn’t let up. Power and beauty are what make this band one to always keep an eye out for. Following Changing Faith was one of Kansas City’s favorites The Leo Project. TLP captivated the crowd right off the bat with an energetic stage show and killer songs. Tyler’s voice is what sets TLP apart from other bands in the genre. As has become the norm when TLP is playing, the crowd was singing along with every song, even taking over for Tyler at times.
To end the night we bore witness to the reunion of Intent. I can’t remember exactly when Intent broke up, but it has been at least three or four years since they last took the stage. With members going on to play in bands like The Leo Project, The Dollhouse Rumor, and Sidewise, the guys have stayed busy since the demise of Intent. Even guitarist Matt Watt came up from Florida to be there for the show. With a set that includes a beer keg drum, as well as an extra percussionist, Intent brought the house down. The crowd went insane as the band broke into songs like “Blessed is He” and “Feels Like Sunday”. Mosh pits broke out, and I even think I saw a guy try to crowd surf, only to fall on his face. I truly can’t remember the last time I saw anybody bloodied up in the pit of a local show. After years of being apart, the guys in Intent came together for the night like they had never split up.
For one more night, Vern was there. He was in the hearts of those who knew him and loved him.
