Brad Hodgson is leaving Kansas City for the Lone Star State, but he has plenty of bruises, scrapes and scars to help him remember the time he spent playing here. Dizzied by the sonic whirlwinds created by his most recent projects, the Hillary Step and To Conquer, Hodgson would tumble off the stage, stumble over amps and bumble into…
Two years ago, Damnations TX could do no wrong. Boasting a résumé that included an enviable major-label deal through Sire Records, glowing profiles in major magazines and high-profile spots on late-night TV, the Austin, Texas-based alt-country band seemed perfectly poised for the big time. Critics adored the group, led by sisters Deborah Kelly (guitar and vocals) and Amy Boone…
Perhaps fed up with an industry that’s quicker to bankroll a Dude, Where’s My Car than an In the Bedroom, Kansas City native Arliss Howard has taken control of his own destiny by directing, cowriting, coproducing and starring in his own creation, Big Bad Love. With Debra Winger — his wife, coproducer and costar — at his side, he…
Beginning this week, Kansas City celebrates independent films with the sixth annual Kansas City Filmmaker’s Jubilee. The festival features traditional narrative features, outré documentaries and several compilations of short films grouped by categories such as “Crime” or “Generations.” The showcased themes, however, are women filmmakers and documentaries. Those documentaries stretch from the Jewish ghettos of Poland to the amber…
Nobody beats the wiz: Allie Johnson’s “Insanely Rich” (March 14) could have been an interesting article — had she exhibited a modicum of sensitivity to the feelings of the teller at UMB Bank. She could have said, “The twenty-year-old teller was extremely frightened,” or “The twenty-year-old teller was frightened beyond measure.” Such a choice of words would have made the…
On March 29, Kansas City Star columnist Jerry Heaster goobered over City Market manager Lou Steele, writing that “there’s no denying his success” in making the market “a more enjoyable, exciting place.” Heaster might want to follow up on April 4, though, when an unhappy posse of merchants has scheduled a press conference to complain about Steele’s tactics. Longtime restaurateur…
Businesswoman Denise Hayes would seem to be the perfect candidate for a Missouri Urban Enterprise loan. She owns Niecie’s, a tiny restaurant chain that has served the city’s urban core for years at its two locations — at 59th and Prospect and on Blue Parkway east of Hardesty. When a potential third restaurant site became available — at 55th…
This year marks the arrival of the first Pitch Music Awards. The event is different in name only from the Pitch-sponsored Klammies of the past five years. Why change now? Well, first of all, we just like the straightforward name better. It’s classier, it’s more self-explanatory and, as Bad Brains fans, self-help gurus and high-school athletes everywhere know, its acronym,…
Dave Helling has narrowly escaped the suck zone. In the last hour, the KCTV Channel 5 anchor has scrambled to cover a meeting at the Capitol in Jefferson City and fended off a tow truck driver who threatened to impound Channel 5’s illegally parked SUV. He has spliced sound bites on a glitch-prone editing machine and waited helplessly while Greg…
It’s bad enough when restaurant patrons leave lousy tips. It’s even worse when they tuck little souvenirs into their purses or pockets. Greedy customers regularly rip off napkins, salt and pepper shakers, bud vases, votive candles and silverware from area restaurants both fancy and casual. That only adds to the bottom line for restaurateurs, who are already having a tough…
