3/14-3/24 Like it or not, we judge books by their covers. The great American book machine churns out nearly 200,000 new titles and editions every year — it’s inevitable that our eyes land on the pretty ones. And publishing houses know about our inherent shallowness, which is why graphic designers are in higher demand than break-out novelists. When writers offer…
SAT 3/12 When Lamar Hunt announced he was selling the Kansas City Wizards, Sam Pierron created the Heart of America Soccer Foundation and set out to save soccer for Kansas Citians. As organizer of the Cauldron, Pierron has assembled dozens of rowdy superfans in Arrowhead’s section 114 to sing, scream and bang drums at every home game. With HASF, Pierron…
3/11-3/13 Bryan Kest is one of those major yoga guys — like, he lives in California and has his own video and stuff. This weekend, Maya Yoga’s Kathleen Kastner brings him to KC for three days of workshops at the Pearl Gallery (1818 McGee). Sign up. You’ll learn lots. Call 816-679-1053. — Annie Fischer Mamma Gaea Kum buy ya some…
Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Kickoff Luncheon: In celebration of the following week’s grand parade, organizers and fans get together for a silent auction, cocktails and lunch, followed by an awards ceremony toasting Parade Grand Marshal Wayne Godsey and others. Fri., March 11, 11 a.m., $20, 816-931-7373. Muehlebach Hotel, 200 W. 12th St.. Kansas City Clay Guild’s Pot O’…
This year, organizers of downtown’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade have shortened the festivities to a mere two hours. Still, seeing the ubiquitous Wizard of Oz-themed and O’something-family floats can get old after, say, half an hour. And as much as we’d all like to see something unusual happen, such as Mayor Kay Barnes’ convertible getting stuck in one of…
Back in 2000, California-based sound artists Chris Kubick and Anne Walsh were in New York City working on producing an audio tour for the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial. Because the artists whose work was to be displayed were all living, the sound team was able to let them do their own talking for the tour. Somehow, a conversation…
Thursday, March 10 In the 1940s, movie theaters attracted patrons by handing out free dishware at the end of a feature — moviegoers who came every night would end up with a complete set. Beginning March 10, Pryde’s Old Westport helps Screenland Theater revive this tradition by giving collectible plates to the first 35 people who attend the movie…
Stage shows hold several advantages over their silver-screen counterparts. Besides the urgency that comes with the art form’s ephemeral nature, there’s the authentic connection forged when audiences identify with in-the-flesh actors rather than captured images. Also, short-play showcases such as Potluck Productions’ Cries and Whispers From the Heartland are much more common than mini-film festivals. In an era of…
Afternoon Delight Graffiti-inspired artist Jason Brunson presents colorful canvases that look more like creations born in alleyways than like typical gallery fare. But because he doesn’t have to be sneaky during the process, Brunson clearly puts in a lot of time and attention refining his images — which should offer fans of the graffiti aesthetic a breath of fresh air….
Before presenting an Oscar last week, Prince was introduced as “Academy Award-winner Prince.” I thought I was hearing things until I recalled his shrouded eminence accepting an Oscar in 1984 for Best Original Score. No, not for Under the Cherry Moon but the less egregious Purple Rain. For better or worse, the film went on to inspire everything from…
I’m sorta smitten with Miss Honey Dijon, and its kinda freaking me out. No, it’s not the part about her coming into this world as a dude. And it’s not that she makes a disarmingly attractive shemale — somewhere between Naomi Campbell and RuPaul. No, the real crisis comes from my effort to pin her down. And by “her” I…
Evermourn’s teenage members might have come of age during the nü-metal era, but they’re no children of the Korn. Rap-rock bands betrayed their aggro ancestors by jettisoning the awe-inspiring solo. “Tears of the Seraphim,” a tune from Evermourn’s unabashedly virtuosic debut disc, displays more fret-frying brilliance before the first verse than most entire albums from Ozzfest acts. Ax masters Tim…
Like novel reading or going down without prompting, enjoying sunny, subtle music is something today’s white boys can’t be bothered with. So let’s hope their girlfriends spin them Nashville, the latest by the least objectionable of pop’s sensitive Joshes, a record of such hazy warmth and pleasantness that the feeling it inspires is as close as art can come to…
Best I could tell from months of listening without a lyric sheet — thank you, Internet — this second disc from the kin of itinerant evangelist Leon Followill had something (OK, everything) to do with fuckin’. You could hear it in singer Caleb Followill’s delivery, the greasy whine of the horny sumbitch looking to unzip some underage trou before she…
Goddamn, that first Doves disc ruled. Lost Souls remains the best British rock so far this millennium, a mopey epic with feeling that came through even when the songs themselves failed to signify. It nose-dived stateside, though, and since then the band has grown fussy, less generous and, worst of all, open to new ideas. “On this sweeping ballad,” the…
You don’t call your record Dignity and Shame unless you intend something wholeheartedly poignant. Unfortunately, in modern music, that intention often results in songwriting that’s forced or trite. But not if you’re Eric Bachmann. With his latest release, the Archers of Loaf graduate has created a melancholy and intimate collection of country, folk and Latin-flavored pop songs, steeped in gentle…
If Frances the Mute were a horror movie (and with its ominous imagery, that’s not much of a stretch), it would thrive on gotcha moments, those sudden shocks that make viewers spill their sodas or otherwise soil their seats. In the past, the Mars Volta has bungled this approach, either administering adrenaline overdoses or inducing terminal boredom during the…
If you were walking into a club, Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Michelle Anthony’s Louisville Slugger of a voice would hit you right in the ears, and so would her Chrissie Hyndesque way of trailing off at the end of phrases. After a few tunes, though, it would be clear that she has much in common with the cheerfully depressed Los Angeles songwriting…
Somewhere within the megaphone assault and vocal hysterics lies the gut-wretching, post-whatever angst of the Paper Chase. When the group wowed Lawrence’s indie-rock crowd a few years ago at the Pink House, it proved that it was unafraid to risk rebuke from listeners with waves of feedback, metallic orchestration, and a saucy stage presence. Vocalist and songwriter John Congleton puts…
The music-loving masses are more than willing to accept avant-garde experimentation, as long as it comes wrapped in wicked dance beats. Mahjongg, a self-consciously kooky collective whose members are from Chicago and Columbia, Missouri, enjoys obtuse wordplay and inscrutable song structures, but it also breaks barriers through the sheer sonic force of its seismic rhythms. The groove-driven group draws comparisons…
When Pete Wentz was reached by cell phone in Los Angeles on a December afternoon, the Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist was giddy. Not from the SoCal weather or the fact that his band was recording its major-label debut for Island and had secured a spot on the main stage of the 2005 Vans Warped tour. No, he was…
No one better understands the infinite wealth of creativity that jazz allows than Pat Metheny. His new album, The Way Up, is composed of a single, 68-minute composition divided into four parts. It’s basically the record he’s been preparing to make his entire career. A Lee’s Summit native, the guitarist has been at it since 1975; at only 21, he…
It’s entirely possible that you’ve been exposed to OK Go before without realizing it. Tracks from the Chicago quartet’s self-titled 2002 debut have been licensed liberally for advertisements and soundtracks, and it’s no wonder — the band’s finger-wagging hooks and pointed taunts are not easily shrugged off. Singer and primary songwriter Damian Kulash Jr.’s whip-crack simper and melodic smirks make…
First, the bad news about the tour spawned by the WB network drama One Tree Hill: Teen troubadour Tyler Hilton aims for James Dean but lands closer to James Taylor. The good news is that the Wreckers are the best show-salvaging act on a bogus bill since Liz Phair slummed with Hilary Duff at the Uptown. The duo stars Kansas…
