Because of Lawrence’s position as a college town, the music scene here can have a very short-term memory. With turnover of Lawrence music scene attendees being about every four years, it can be hard to keep track of the long-lasting effects of various local bands. That’s why “No Choice But Action” is a treasure.

The book from Francis X. Connor and Darren DeFrain, published through University Press of Kansas is likely the most comprehensive archive of rock, punk, alternative, and post-punk from here in Lawrence to Wichita. The book is an intense chronological review of every band and musician to build up a major part of the music scene here. Get ready, this book does a lot of heavy name-dropping. But it’s essential reading because how can you enjoy the fruits of the modern-day music scene without knowing who put in the labor years ago.

Bands like Get Smart!, The Embarrassment, The Micronotz, and a slew of others all grace the pages of this fairly hefty book, which sets the scene for the growth of these music scenes by intensely analyzing the sociological and economical backgrounds that grew from the Lawrence and Wichita regions. We’re particularly fond of the chapter on college radio and KJHK’s history of renegade airplay (they’ve never been ones to go too mainstream).

But the real cherry on top is the companion double-LP album release from Black Site Records, which features 24 tracks from the underground bands featured across the pages of the book. Kansas is hardly flyover country. You know this, we know this. But now this fact is cemented in time with the extensive documentation from the book and an album that brings it to life. These releases are a must-read (and a must-hear) for any local music fans.

When you’re done reading the book and listening to the record, you can experience it live! The Book and LP release party are set for Saturday, October 17, at the Bottleneck (a historic venue of its own nature that gets mentions in the book), and will feature performances by Truck Stop Love, The Embarrassmen (yes, they dropped the “T”), Get Smart!, and Other Geese.