With its ghoulish costumes, demonic makeup and psycho-circus live production, Kiss inspired legions of bat-winged disciples. But none are more devoted than the tribute bands. There are dozens, including an all-midget outfit dubbed Mini Kiss, but few can claim to be the best one featuring all girls. That’s where Black Diamond enters the picture. Formed in Ohio, circa 1997, Black…
Sure, Gretchen Wilson’s redneck girls stirred up the Country Music Association with their big hell-yeahs last year, but it was Terri Clark’s inclusion, in her hit “Girls Lie Too,” of four little words — size don’t matter anyway (an example of a lie that women tell) — that really agitated the country sisterhood. A new line had been crossed; the…
The question these days shouldn’t be what the alt in alt-country stands for but rather this: When did the overproduced, hypercommercial pop-rock drivel that is usually sung with some forced semblance of a country drawl begin to qualify as the heart and soul of country music? The real country singers these days — good people like Robbie Fulks who live…
Mary Timony first became Queen Crimson with 1997’s Magic City, an album filled with swirling synthesizers, folk-faerie melodies and elaborate portraits of “Medieval People” and “Cosmic Rays.” Indie rockers tend to address such subjects ironically, but Timony’s teardrop eyes never wink. The uncompromising Timony is secure about her somewhat awkward stage presence and wispy voice. She doesn’t hide behind costumed…
Crowbar might be the world’s heaviest band, at least in terms of epitomizing every definition of the word heavy. The dictionary lists nine subentries, all of which could come with an adjacent illustration of this gargantuan group. Here’s point-by-point proof that these guys are music’s pound-for-pound champs. 1. Having great weight or mass. For these New Orleans natives, every day…
By now, we’ve all endlessly heard the n-word and the b-word in rap music, but we haven’t enjoyed nearly enough of the a-word: accountability. Last month, hip-hop magazine The Source was hit with a sexual-discrimination claim brought by former vice president Michelle Joyce and ex-editor-in-chief Kim Osorio. The complaint names Source co-owners Dave Mays and Raymond “Benzino” Scott. Osorio’s allegations…
On the cover of the latest issue of Mojo, the venerable British mag slurps: “Oasis: This Nation’s Saving Grace, The Kings of British Rock Reborn!” Yet, even without media pandering over its new album, can onetime undisputed champ Oasis still lay claim to the heavyweight Britrock belt in 2005? Especially when there’s another quintet — upstart Leicester lads Kasabian —…
At least one guy at the Dandercroft showcase on Saturday, May 21, at the Brick, had no idea what Dandercroft was. “I think it adds a different sound to the overall Kansas City experience,” Nathan said. He assumed I was asking about a band, and boy, did he lay it on thick. “I was just bullshitting to get my name…
The city of Warrensburg — if you can call a college town during summer break a city — is 42 miles, three strip clubs, one Jehovah’s Witness temple and a complete spin of the new Weezer disc away from anything that can be remotely considered part of Kansas City. Strange, then, that a band like Stuck on Broadway would choose…
Eros is three films joined in a common goal. The first segment was made by Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love) and the second by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich). The final piece, by any measure the climax, was directed by legendary Michelangelo Antonioni, who is still filming at 93. In fact, Eros is a tribute not merely…
Adam Sandler cast as a former pro quarterback — that laughable setup is about the only funny thing about this pointless remake of The Longest Yard, which wasn’t a comedy in 1974 and won’t be mistaken for one in its latest incarnation. After a string of films in which Sandler seemed intent on proving himself as someone worth taking…
Sprechen zie doublespeak?: I read with interest Tony Ortega’s May 12 Kansas City Strip column, “Springtime for Hitler.” If Bill Womack allowed Nazis to host a reception in his restaurant, are we putting our stamp of approval on Nazi sympathizers by continuing to dine there? I did not take lightly the thought that my social conscience might require me to…
Jimmy the Fetus Hey, kids, Jimmy the Fetus here, your guide to moral values in the Midwest, helping everybody see that what we learned in Sunday school really matters. Dear Jimmy: I’m still freaked out by something I saw on Oprah last week — this Egyptian baby girl had a second head which had, like, part of a torso but…
The KC Strip, your meaty narrator, has occasionally spoken of its dry-aging days in other parts of the country. In particular, this slab of steak spent considerable time cruising the highways of car-obsessed Los Angeles and knows a thing or two about roads and traffic. So with that background, this frank filet can say with confidence that Kansas City’s Bruce…
Luxury has taken residence in downtown Kansas City. And as fabulous condominium projects grow in number and opulence, City Hall continues to offer generous incentives to developers — effectively forcing everyone who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, to subsidize the Jacuzzis, the fitness centers and even the on-site dog groomers enjoyed by downtown’s newest, richest residents. Making downtown an…
On Cinco de Mayo — or St. Patrick’s Day Lite, as we like to call it — we were on a quest for the strongest margaritas in town. OK, it wasn’t a true quest, in that we didn’t drink it up in every Mexican restaurant up and down Southwest Boulevard. Instead, we headed straight for Ponak’s, which was celebrating its…
I love getting e-mails from readers, even the occasional nasty ones. (I mean, you can’t be critical and not piss someone off.) The informative notes are the best, such as Rick’s suggestion to check out Tienda Casa Paloma (see review), which finally got me off my long-procrastinating ass and over to 82nd Street and Metcalf. Before doing a full-blown review,…
Last fall, the Pitch did a cover story on the unexpected wonders to be discovered up and down Metcalf Avenue, the historic main artery of Overland Park (“Cruisin’ the ‘Calf,” September 23, 2004). I was one of the writers who contributed to that project, and until then, it had never been one of my favorite streets. With a few…
No matter how many summer vacations you plan or how well you plan them, a moment comes when you realize that you will never sword-fight with Lord of the Rings fans in Kazakhstan or reach that tiny island off the north coast of Australia where the school shuts down for Scabies Day and the last handful of speakers of an…
The Beach Boys May 21 at Ameristar It’s a bit early to call it summer, but, hey, it’s the freakin’ Beach Boys! Well, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, actually. But that should be close enough for people who pine for the sunny ’60s and just aren’t that into Brian’s Smile (see August 25) — and who want to have fun,…
Like clothing, mating habits, reading and depression, our music changes with the seasons. As we smile beneath a warm, seratonin-stimulating sun, we must tuck away not just woolen sweaters but wrist-slicing albums. When we enjoy sticky fumblings beneath a hot July moon, when we read paperback books The New York Times describes as “zany,” it is inevitable that we gravitate…
By our count, there are but two sequels waiting to have oil rubbed on their backs this summer — one featuring an evil lord named Vader, the other featuring an evil lord named Schneider — so the season has that going for it, which is nice. But in lieu of sequels come comic-book superheroes (Batman, the Fantastic Four), small-screen…
This year marks 20 years since the World Series that seems to have cemented Kansas City’s arch-rivalry with St. Louis. Maybe some bad calls were made. We can’t rightly say — we were, like, 8 years old at the time. But, hey, guess what? We won. Kansas City. Won. Who won? We won. Anyway, as we were saying, now that…
Call us crazy, but we’re pretty sure that if Survivor ever did a river series, one in which contestants were challenged to navigate a muddy Midwestern river using nothing but driftwood, Greg Ainsley would not be voted off the show. Lots of people go camping, and canoeing has taken it a step further. He didn’t just pitch his own tent,…
