We’ve all had some time now to get used to the fact that KLZR 105.9 The Lazer as we once knew it is gone. But for those still in mourning, perhaps some solace can be taken from knowing that a few of the shows that were there before the format change remain. One of these is The Local Music Show,…
With eight members in the band, all of whom appear on the album’s cover frolicking in a grassy field, The Daybirds would appear to be a Grateful Dead-type ensemble, in touch with the earth and ready to jam. However, when instrumental opener “Welcomer,” which features a Sgt. Pepper-style trumpet salvo, leads into the heavenly harmonies of “All You Need is…
In this six-song debut, the Kansas City-based Meantone Coalition offers more variety than most groups can manage when given twice as much time. Its tunes bring to mind the eccentric new wave sound of the Talking Heads, especially on “Moodication,” with its odd chorus I need to find some lubrication. Bouncy pop dominates the album, as such selections as “Bigmistake”…
It was a curious article. Tucked in the back of the current issue of Review, the newsy piece on a libel lawsuit Clay Chastain recently filed against The Kansas City Star and others, including former Mayor Emanuel Cleaver, seemed a bit out of place. Throughout the monthly arts newspaper’s 15-month existence, Review columnists have made occasional observations on civic issues,…
Once again, the life of a local, young athlete has senselessly and tragically ended too soon. In September, up-and-coming young boxer Randie Carver never recovered from a beating suffered in a fight that in my opinion should have been stopped by disqualification of his unskilled but brutal opponent. Now it’s happened again. Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas is no longer with…
About those CCHR theories … I wanted to write you to thank you for your rather courageous and forthright article on the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and Scientology (“Group with Scientology connections opens chapter to investigate abuse,” Jan. 27-Feb. 2). I say courageous because I wonder how many nasty e-mails you’ve already received from CCHR members, Scientologists, or…
Two fewer rebel flags are visible in Kansas City this week. After denoting parking for the Dixie Belle Saloon near the corner of 19th and Main for nearly a decade, two hand-carved wooden signs adorned with the words “Dixie Belle” and two rebel battle flags were removed by Dixie Belle owner Johnny Parks on Feb. 4. During the Civil War,…
At D’Bronx on the evening of the Nov. 3 election, activist Clay Chastain and his supporters sat quietly eating pizza and sipping soft drinks and beer. Chastain’s Question 5 had just bitten the dust. When reporters tried to pin him down, he told them over his shoulder he was finished with Kansas City politics. By all accounts, Question 5,…
Without Christopher Harris’ charismatic presence, the idea of building a sports complex that will include a football field, basketball court, small golf course, tennis court, track, weightlifting facility, dance facility, and theater in one of the city’s most economically depressed and crumbling areas sounds somewhat ludicrous, not to mention that the complex will be fully staffed with referees and…
Shirley Hoskins, the founder of the Native American Health Coalition, had never met a gay or lesbian Indian before she found out her son was gay. “My son was not infected with HIV, but I then wanted to find out more about it. I didn’t know a lot about it, but I wrongly assumed that it was a gay,…
Near DeSoto, Kan., limousines, high-price suits, fancy pictures, and visions of glory and profit line the road Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow once tread. At the end of the road, a man still sits behind the curtain — only we Midwestern rubes have yet to be able to pull back the curtain. For…
The bar for Indian food in Kansas City has been placed pretty high. Restaurants like India Palace and Bombay Cafe (which share an owner) serve outstanding Indian fare, and newcomers to the genre must work hard to compete. Ruchi (11168 Antioch Road) distinguishes itself by offering a range of Indian dishes Kansas Citians haven’t seen on the menus of…
“You go out and you play, and you totally kick ass. You beat up the other team and try and walk away from a game without any serious injuries, then go and just drink.” That was Yancy Graf’s impression the first time she set foot on the field for a rugby match. Nearly five years and a completely new…
The Coterie Theatre ventures into a tough venue in its world-premiere production of Laurie Brooks Gollobin’s The Wrestling Season. The Coterie, which has developed the reputation of not shying away from tough issues that face today’s youth, takes on a show that grapples with the struggles of peer pressure and rumor mills that can shape and destroy young people’s…
The era of modern African-American filmmaking did not begin in 1986 with Shelton “Spike” Lee and his groundbreaking film, She’s Gotta Have It. African-Americans have been making movies since the silent era. It is not widely known, because the history books have ignored their accomplishments, and most of their works were not preserved. The grandfather of black cinema, Oscar…
Ashley Judd is one of those rare actresses who are worth watching even when their movies aren’t. She’s about the only thing that works in Eye of the Beholder, an arty mess of a thriller from Australian writer-director Stephan Elliot (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert). A British spy known only as the Eye (Ewan McGregor from…
Although some purists don’t appreciate the way Disney has handled the beloved characters of A.A. Milne, most 4-year-olds seem to like the cartoon adventures of Winnie the Pooh and friends just fine. For that matter, most adults do too. This well-animated, gentle tale focuses on that hyperactive stuffed feline, Tigger, and his efforts to track down his elusive family…
We all remember longing and praying for them. No, not a toy or the latest clothing accoutrement that conferred coolness on the wearer. The snow day was usually the answer to a kid’s prayers. The makers of Snow Day (written by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi) know this, and rookie director Chris Koch keeps the proceedings of this Nickelodeon-produced…
At one point in Scream 3, a character rattles off the basic rules of a movie trilogy. In the third movie, he says, anyone can die, including the lead character. The villain is a lot harder to kill and may even be supernatural. The audience members have to rethink everything they’ve seen before. And it sucks. Okay, he doesn’t…
