The Kurt Warner story is nothing new. A quarterback rises from the ranks of the unknown to become NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion. And as Arena Football League teams around the country prepare to kick off their 2000 seasons, just about every NFL team is ready to scour the indoor leagues, searching for the next superstar. On the…
Baking bread is a joy. Combining the ingredients, balancing the careful science of yeast, and waiting for the outcome are each reason enough to devote an afternoon to such a simple task. Yet those pleasures do not compare with the physicality of kneading and punching the dough, adding flour with your hands, and feeling it all push and give…
There’s something intimidating yet oddly inviting about Boot Hill that’s hard to put a finger on, and this mysterious quality was on obvious display at its release party for its latest CD, Laudanum. Starting its set in an artificial fog, this cow-punk trio aggressively asserted its opinions with a song that contained four words — “Fuck you, Johnson County.”…
The glory days of baseball featured wool uniforms that contributed to massive water loss for players costumed in them. Bruce Springsteen prefers lighter modern materials, but he couldn’t have sweated more Sunday night if he’d covered a 1946 Yankees uniform with a Brooks Brothers overcoat. At 50, he remains a dynamo of flabbergasting intensity on stage, and the other eight…
The opening act on tonight’s eclectic bill was Godammit and the Holy Shits, which features an impressive who’s who list of Lawrence musicians. Danny Pound (ex-Vitreous Humor) fronts the group, which also includes members of Panel Donor, The Hefners, and the Teriyakis. The group played a strong, loose set of soulful songs before closing with a Curtis Mayfield cover, conjuring…
Recent years have seen a true bifurcation in approaches to the solo piano repertoire. On the one hand are the unabashed romantics, who will express themselves at the expense of historical accuracy. These pianists turn every performance into a window into their souls, imbuing musical phrases with a profound sense of personality. On the other side of the split…
The most endearing aspect of the swing music revival is that it gives perpetual geeks and losers a chance to shine. Sure, rock and roll provides a haven for social outcasts and greasers, but swing has pretty much cornered the market on former marching-band members. Now those kids everyone made fun of are grown up, and they seem preternaturally determined…
Parents are often perplexed to see their offspring discard an expensive toy in favor of the box in which it came. Such might be the case with former Cher U.K. chef Mark Reynolds’ supposed children’s album, A Nice New Toy. Kids might enjoy the colorful pictures of a train, a rabbit, and a “pull-duck” on the inside of the CD…
Trucker recently won a slot on the cable-televised hard-rock showcase, Farmclub, and this four-song EP makes a convincing case for this Lawrence-based trio’s warranting national attention. Singer-guitarist Todd Johnson’s voice, which mixes Mike Ness’ country-tinged snarl with the angsty emoting of a grunge-group frontman, fits perfectly into the band’s tight, guitar-powered compositions. All of these tunes feature strong endings, from…
After barely a year of existence, this Lawrence-based quartet has thrown a recorded effort into the fray. Full of adventurous guitar experimentation, eerie keyboards, and sultry/spooky singing from Christy Miles, this disc brings to mind Portishead, My Bloody Valentine, and, at times, fellow newcomers to the scene Aerialuxe. Noisy but beautiful, Fray Halo rocks a bit on songs such as…
“How many albums did we sell?” asks Kansas’ signature alto, Steve Walsh, with his tongue barely in his cheek. Pete Morticelli, president of Kansas’ new label, Magna Carta Records, says that the group has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, but Walsh and founding guitarist Kerry Livgren seem impressed by this number, especially Walsh. Whatever money the group was…
Even given the anticipation that builds as the results begin to take shape, tallying Klammies ballots is a fairly mundane task. Other than tossing out the riff-raff (until there’s scientific proof that fans who share a love for a certain band are also likely to have similar penmanship based on a bizarre genetic twist, it’s easy to eliminate would-be ballot-stuffers),…
First, something that sounds like bongos can be heard in the distant background followed by a strange sample of what may or may not be someone doing unnatural things to a trumpet. Worry not, though, because just a few seconds later a strangely soothing, disembodied voice reassures us all, “Draco’s coming down, so keep your head up.” It’s good advice,…
Although it’s merely coincidental that the Austin-based group Damnations added an X to the end of its name (the band used its home state’s postal abbreviation to avoid temptation with soundalike bands), it’s certainly appropriate; this quartet’s tunes pay homage to the cowpunk pioneers named for the letter that marks the spot. The “T” could easily stand for talent. Fronted…
In the 15 years since Bruce Springsteen’s last visit to Kansas City, both he and rock have endured significant changes. For starters, the Boss underwent two divorces — one from his first wife, the other from the E Street Band. The former separation is forever pegged to the brilliant 1987 Tunnel of Love, an album that coincided with the…
If motivation guru Tony Robbins ever needs a musical sidekick, Bryan Kelley is the man for the job. He’s clean-cut, spiritual (in a secular sort of way), and hyper-optimistic. His songs go down easy without a hint of fluff. He’s also an involving conversationalist from whom every word has the ring — no, make that zing — of inspirational confession….
Eric Bachmann is, at present, homeless. Not homeless in the penniless, street-scavenging sense of the word but more in a nomadic sort of way. However, he’s not come into this condition by choice. “I need to find a place to live here soon,” Bachmann says from a roadside phone in Phoenix. “(I’ve got) no permanent residence now. My stuff is…
Mention just about any flick filmed in the area in the past seven years and Edward Stencel’s name is likely to pop up. As the founder of locally based Tilingo Productions, the vice president of the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, and director of the Indy Film Showcase, Stencel has contributed to a variety of local and national productions. He…
One can just imagine the dialogue at a preproduction meeting for this Irish comedy from the producer of The Full Monty: “It’ll be so quaint!” “People will really respond to the quirky charm of these Irish bumpkins.” “It’s a cross between Waking Ned Devine and The Matchmaker. It can’t miss.” Ian Hart, best known for portraying John Lennon in…
Almost as long as movies have been around, there have been boxing movies — there’s something inherently cinematic about such a violent, fast-paced sport. Unfortunately, once these films get out of the ring, they have to find a compelling story to tell, and that’s the problem for this earnest drama. Jimmy Smits gives a fine performance as Arturo Ortega,…
The ’30s live on in this determinedly old-fashioned romantic comedy. Full of gentle humor and moonlit interludes, Return to Me is very much in the style of a classic Hollywood confection; it could practically be a Cole Porter tune put on film. David Duchovny finally breaks out of his X-Files typecasting as Bob Rueland, an architect whose wife (Joely…
When two films share a title, it’s no guarantee they will have anything to do with each other topically. (Could Mask and The Mask be any different?) So it’s assured that the new Hollywood flick The Rules of Engagement suffers little threat of “confusion in the marketplace” with the excellent 1997 Oscar-nominated documentary Waco: The Rules of Engagement. Though…
At what price rehabilitation? Regarding Patrick Dobson’s article “Stroke Foundation Pulls Heartstrings but Angers Neighbors” (March 23-29): When the American Stroke Foundation (ASF) first requested a special-use permit, I attended the Overland Park City Council meeting to hear why some of my neighbors were upset with the proposal. As executive director of a nonprofit organization for the disabled, I support…
For a number of years when I picked up the phone, the conversation started off like this: “Hello?” “Bruce … Frank.” “Yeah, Frank.” No matter what day, what season of the year, or what time, that’s how it began: Frank’s baritone, dead-serious voice and my more tenor, sidekick-like response tumbling through the copper wire when we connected. No matter the…
