The Dennis Morgan Gallery did some remodeling recently: Twelve new windows were added to its walls. But for this renovation, the most crucial piece of hardware was a paintbrush. Window Paintings, a show of recent work by Kansas City artist Leeah Joo, consists of eleven oil-on-canvas paintings and three prints depicting figures or landscapes seen through or reflected in the…
Those who’ve never heard of the Domino Kings will find it easy to accept The Back of Your Mind as a solid neotraditionalist country record. It’s the group’s loyal following that’ll cuss some and wonder what’s going on. In its previous incarnation as a trio, with Brian Capps’ gorgeous croon and devilish acoustic bass, this Southwest Missouri group carved out…
Blame Jeff Buckley. Blame Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Someone needs to serve as the scapegoat for the current renaissance of early-’70s AM gooeyness. As the musical recycle bins empty out, all that’s left is the stuff so icky that it was discarded almost immediately in the first place. Yet a number of music fans must still have a sweet…
Fifteen-plus years after the Beastie Boys first blew up and five years into the Age of Eminem, pop-culture commentators continue to be enthralled by the “novelty” of the white MC. It’s fool’s gold — white rappers are everywhere and have been for some time now. Still, it’d be easy to misinterpret the current critical fixation on the Streets — aka…
NAAM Brigade began as Tasq 4orce, a spirited gangsta-rap unit that battled its way out of the same Philadelphia neighborhood that spawned the Roots. The act had just signed to Elektra in 1998 when founding member Q-Don was killed by a stray bullet during a nightclub melee. Elektra opted out, but the remaining three regrouped under the NAAM Brigade moniker…
Once upon a time, Pearl Jam’s members seemed to live for a reaction, a trait that catapulted the band to the forefront of grunge. The band blazed its brand of arena rock for the sole purpose of shoving it in listeners’ faces, and its faithful hung on every power chord and Eddie Vedder wail. In his lyrics, Vedder took on…
Who’s goin’ Jesus hunting? ICP’s goin’ Jesus hunting! Yes, the sixth Joker’s Card has finally been revealed, its message delivered after ten years of buildup. Because most Juggalos snapped up The Wraith on release day (it debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard chart), it’s safe to let the cat out of the bag. The truth is we follow God,…
It’s almost Pavlovian the way just a couple of notes from Louisiana zydeco masters Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band can instantly make mouths salivate with desire for delicious, spicy food. Chubby’s father, Roy Carrier Sr., of Roy Carrier and the Night Rockers, taught his son to play the accordion when Chubby was barely in his teens, much as…
It’s amazing to think that Cuba, a country shackled by an antiquated social model, could produce a musician as thoroughly modern as jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Yet the island state has always been a tantalizing mixture of musical cultures, blending European forms with African rhythms and a host of native influences. Born in Havana and educated at the much-lauded Amadeo…
You can’t look at the Jungle Brothers without wondering what might have been. If the influential New York rap crew — innovators in bringing jazz, funk and politics into hip-hop — had been marketed as well as the other members of the Native Tongue Posse, would its members remain on the cultural radar, like Queen Latifah and De La…
In a country that still takes many of its classical cues from its European counterparts, few institutions feel as distinctly American as the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. Though founded on the model of the Viennese garden orchestras of the late 1800s, which offered informal summer concerts featuring light musical fare, the Pops quickly evolved into a platform for promoting…
Since his days in Trip Shakespeare, Matt Wilson has been the rare rock musician able to write songs that reflect a wry sensibility without collapsing into preciousness. Following a stripped-down but still band-driven solo album, Wilson has in recent years recast himself as a troubadour, and his acoustic performances have showcased a stage presence as droll as his songs. His…
To deal with the mind-numbing difficulty of breaking onto radio playlists, local musicians might consult Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus. In this intriguing work, the philosopher imagines that the mythical king forced to roll a bolder up an enormous mountainside, only to have it fall back to the base of a pit each time, was happy because of a…
It should come as little surprise that Andrew W.K. loves roller coasters. “I take fun very seriously,” the Detroit native says, his excitement level rising. “There’s no such thing as going too far; there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing.” Now, a rocker preaching immoderacy is as shocking as Nikki Sixx complaining of a burning sensation…
Four months ago, Norah Jones went into the office of Bruce Lundvall, the president of Blue Note Records, and asked of him something no musician has ever asked of a record-label boss. “Haven’t I sold enough records yet?” she wondered. She was tired, cranky, verging on burnout. Twelve-hour days spent giving interviews to the foreign press will do that…
Robert De Niro always did love an acting challenge, but lately those challenges have been less along the lines of “Can I convincingly play a boxer?” and more like “Can I alone be good enough to make this formulaic mess worth watching?” Yes, it was impressive that he played a half-paralyzed stroke victim in Flawless, but it might have…
The firing line: Regarding Casey Logan’s “Screwed by Sprint” (November 21): Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful story! I was screwed by Sprint in the first round of layoffs in October and my husband in March the following year. My husband was rehired with Sprint later that month in a different department. Now, with more layoffs coming…
It was a silence more than awkward. It was an agonizing, brutal, deafening dumbness. Your Kansas City Strippers hurried down to the most recent meeting of the Great Downtown Development Authority a couple of weeks ago, eager to see what the development attorneys, real estate moguls and other in-the-loop experts anointed by Mayor Kay Barnes would do with the $16…
On October 15, The Kansas City Star got to write about itself. The paper lauded its own plan to invest $199 million in new German presses and a signature downtown building enfolded in blue glass and aged copper. “This project is great for the Star and will have a dramatic effect on the surrounding area,” said Publisher Arthur S. Brisbane….
Jerry Young knows how to get City Hall’s attention. But when it comes to Stan Barrett, the director of the city’s Housing and Community Development department, Young might have met his match. Young, along with many neighbors in Ruskin Heights, has spent years fighting to keep the neighborhood from sliding downhill as absentee landlords took over rental houses and pawnshops…
