Cosmopolitics is a four piece band based out of Lawrence, Kansas that has been playing together since 2004, building a strong song repertoire and local fan base. Their music is described by many as heavy progressive rock, with blending of other diverse styles such as funk and jazz fusion. The intensity of their live performances varies from loud and powerful to mellow and calm, but the group never loses the backbone of a strong groove and interesting melodic progression. They keep all eyes locked on, ears tuned in, and bodies collectively getting down on the dance floor. Cosmopolitics compositions stylistically meld the nuances of each member’s range of influences, including Rush, Frank Zappa, Tool, early Yes, Umphree’s Mcgee, Primus, and many more. They also incorporates a wide variety of sometimes unexpected or obscure covers into their live shows, drawing from many creative musicians and composers.
Cosmopolitics: Bio
Ken Lovern - organ, keyboard
Ken was born in the Kansas City area on November 20, 1965, and he has been a professional musician most of his adult life. Even before graduating from the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1989, Ken went to work with Kansas City vocalist, Ida McBeth. Ken is currently playing music every chance he gets, especially when he gets to play Hammond organ.
Ken has performed with national jazz talents such as Les McCann, Kevin Mahogany, Cecil Payne, and Eric Alexander. Locally, Ken is busy promoting the OJT group and recording upcoming releases.
Luke Stone - drums
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Luke Stone has been an active member of the Kansas City/Lawrence music scene for over 15 years. Luke's inherent love for music started with a musical family -- his grandfather attended Juilliard, his grandmother is a professional pianist, and his mother sung with both the Kansas City Lyric Opera and Kansas City Chorale. At age 13, he started playing his mom's guitar, and shortly after began playing the drum set, influenced by his peers and bands such as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, Phish, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, and many more.
In addition to performing, Luke is also a competent recording engineer. Since 2003, he has self-produced and engineered four solo CD's of all original compositions. The Rock, funky-fusion sound of his CD’s feature Luke's playing on all the instruments with the exception of saxophone, and some keyboard and guitar leads.
Matt Gader - guitar
The entity now known as Matt Gader first manifest itself in the early sixth century as a bolt of lightning. Over the centuries that followed, the entity appeared as a wild horse in Mongolia, as a formation of clouds over what is now Australia, and in the form of three particularly strong tropical storms which hastened a number of profound changes in Cuba during the mid nineteenth century. The entity also contributed to a particularly strong period of grape production and several subsequent exceptional wine seasons in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer river valley in the fifteenth century.
It wasn’t until the early eighteenth century, however, that the entity first manifest itself in human form. As a member of a tribe of mystics known as the Bandaleop, the entity became fascinated with the geometry of complex polyrhythms as heard in the natural cadences of nature, particularly human speech and chanting. It was also during this time that the entity first acquired its knowledge of the Cosmic Koan, a principle that has helped guide its musical and spiritual development ever since.
Ten years ago, fresh off a lap around Sirius, the entity re-materialized as the human Matt Gader to go to the University of Kansas and earn a degree in music, which he did.
WARNING: If you see Matt on the street, please avoid making any reference to his past lives as it might trigger his past life regression syndrome (PLRS).
Andrew Kroeker - bass
Andrew Kroeker was voted "Funniest Boy" by his peers in eighth grade and was named third chair all-state french horn his senior year of high school.