New Book - No Choice but Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution by Darren DeFrain and Francis Connor

LAWRENCE, Kan. - EntSun -- The University Press of Kansas announces the publication of No Choice but Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution by Francis X. Connor and Darren DeFrain. This electrifying cultural history challenges everything we think we know about where music revolutions begin, revealing how Kansas became an unlikely but influential center of the American postpunk movement.

While postpunk is often associated with London, New York, or Los Angeles, a fiercely independent music scene was thriving across Kansas in the late 1970s and 1980s. From Lawrence to Wichita, bands like The Embarrassment, Get Smart!, Micronotz, and Truck Stop Love built a grassroots network fueled by basement venues, cassette culture, zines, and pure creative urgency—without the backing of major labels or industry infrastructure.

Drawing on archival research and firsthand accounts, Connor and DeFrain capture the raw energy, personalities, and DIY ethos that defined the Kansas scene. More than a regional history, the book reframes "flyover country" as a critical force in shaping independent music culture and demonstrates how artists working outside the mainstream redefined what was possible.

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A companion double LP album, No Choice But Action: Kansas Postpunk 1978–1994, will also be released by Black Site, a Kansas City record label cooperative, with support from Wichita State University. Featuring twenty-four tracks ranging from basement cassette recordings to professional studio sessions, the album serves as the essential audio companion to the book, allowing audiences to experience the music that fueled Kansas's groundbreaking postpunk revolution. The album can be purchased through black-site.org.

Key Features & News Angles:

• A Companion Double LP Soundtrack: No Choice But Action: Kansas Postpunk 1978–1994, produced by Black Site, features twenty-four tracks from Kansas underground bands and serves as the essential audio companion to No Choice but Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution.
• A Hidden Music Revolution: Reveals the overlooked postpunk explosion in Kansas and its lasting impact on American independent music.
• Flyover Country Reclaimed: Challenges coastal narratives by positioning the Midwest as a creative epicenter, not a cultural afterthought.
• DIY Before the Internet: Explores how musicians built thriving networks through zines, cassette culture, and grassroots promotion.
• Bands That Broke Through: Traces the rise of influential groups from college radio to major label attention.
• Cultural Ecosystems in Action: Shows how local scenes in Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka, and Wichita created a self-sustaining music movement.
• Timely Resonance: Connects the ethos of 1970s–90s postpunk to today's creator economy and independent artist culture.

Learn more about the book here: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700643028/

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