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The Whiffs ring in 10 years of rock ‘n’ roll in Kansas City

Four men play music in a dark basement.
Matilda Jane
The Whiffs are set to release their third album this fall.

It’s become something of a tradition for the band to play at Hillsiders on the Fourth of July. A decade in, they’ve embraced their international fans and close community at home.

KC Soundcheck is KCUR's spotlight for Kansas City musicians on the rise, as heard on Up To Date. Who should we interview next? Send us a text at 816-601-4777.

The Whiffs have been called “power pop” through the years. While they don’t deny the label, they like to think they’re a bit of everything under the umbrella of rock.

Three years since the release of their last album, “Scratch ‘N’ Sniff,” they are set to release another one this fall called “Bouquet.”

Zach Campbell plays bass and sings for the band. He said “Bouquet” is his favorite album yet because of its variety.

“There are some songs (where) we sound like the Rolling Stones. There are some songs (where) we're a little more new wave-sounding. It goes places. There are some Velvet Underground tones to it,” Campbell told KCUR’s Up To Date.

“It’s not your traditional power pop record.”

Rory Cameron, who sings and plays guitar, usually a 12-string, said whoever writes the song usually also writes the lyrics, but he and Campbell work together quite a lot.

“With Zach's songs, I'll find this secret chord. It's like, ‘No, your melody needs this little chord underneath it.’ And with my songs, he's good at finding a way to put a twist either rhythmically or melodically somewhere that would have been not obvious to me,” Cameron said.

“It's like I try to make your songs a little weirder and you like to try to make my songs a little more simple,” Campbell said.

The band played its first show on July 4, 2016, and celebrated 10 years together last weekend at Hillsiders.

  • Zach Campbell, musician 
  • Rory Cameron, musician 
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
Nora Crutcher-McGowan is the summer 2026 intern for Up To Date. She recently graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she worked for mid-Missouri's NPR station, KBIA. She has experience telling stories for her community through long-form audio and digital formats, and she is particularly drawn to reporting on third spaces.
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