It’s a bright March afternoon on the set of Rush Hour 3, and the mood is tense. After shooting last winter on location in Paris, the production has returned to Los Angeles behind schedule and over budget. The Supermarine Executive Air Terminal of the Santa Monica Airport has been transformed into the Paris—Le Bourget airport, and on the tarmac, stars…
Stardust is less an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 1999 novel than of its dust-jacket synopsis. That will come as disconcerting news to fans of the author, who thus far has avoided the fate of fellow fantasy writers and comics creators who’ve had their works mangled by the studios’ clumsy assembly lines. Gaiman — best known among the geekerati for…
The word roadhouse — meaning a tavern or nightclub outside of town, typically on some country road — came into the American vernacular in the early 1900s, about the same time as the term speakeasy, which was a more illicit joint that offered booze. Supposedly the urban speakeasy dates back to the 1890s, when bootleggers selling hooch without a license…
We figured DJ Kool-Roc C was more of a hip-hop guy when we caught him throwing down a refreshing hip-hop set on the patio at the Hurricane a couple of weeks ago. But Kool-Roc C, who plays house at NV every Thursday night, is a Chicago-transplanted, house-music OG. Roc, who is 33 now, began playing house at the tender…
For the past six years, Jason Isbell has been known as one-third of the Drive-By Truckers’ formidable guitar attack. Now he wants to be known as something else: a solo artist. That doesn’t exactly mean he has turned his back on being part of one of the most noted guitar Ghidorahs in rock. His latest album, Sirens of the Ditch,…
In the Star Trek convention that is indie rock, Neko Case is that rare real, live woman. (She’s more Yeoman Rand than Seven of Nine, a thick-maned throwback to a simpler, sexier era.) This despite a one-of-the-boys persona cultivated through a T-shirt stage wardrobe, an earthy sense of humor and membership in the brilliant pop orphanage the New Pornographers (due…
Plenty of songwriters claim Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark as influences, but Rodney Crowell went a step further by befriending them and marrying the daughter of one of country music’s chief influences: Johnny Cash. Crowell and Rosanne Cash were a hit-making partnership throughout the ’80s, while Crowell was also penning chartbusters for Bob Seger and the Nitty Gritty Dirt…
You knew it would happen eventually — someone would take Beck’s Midnite Vultures way too seriously. Mickey Avalon sounds like that guy, but his fascination with the drug- and nightlife-addicted Hollywood riffraff runs far more deep and lewd. And why shouldn’t it? The guy is an admitted graduate of the hand-job-for-heroin program at Street Hustler University, and his life story…
It’s not every day (or month or — let’s be honest — year) that a uniformly dope hip-hop tour comes to town. Usually, you get one decent MC or crowd-drawing diva, and the rest of the bill inspires a collective “meh.” Not so Screamfest ’07, which is headlined by the tough, charismatic T.I. and the equally tough, talented Ciara. T.I….
“Golden State” by John Doe, from A Year in the Wilderness (Yep Roc): For the past 30 years, John Doe has been blazing a trail on his own terms. He first appeared on the national radar in 1978 with his band X, which launched out of Los Angeles with a thrilling mix of rockabilly and punk with street-poet soul. He…
It sounds like such a good idea: 50-some “punk” bands, a dozen stages, pro skaters and acres of overpriced concert wear. But in addition to having an appreciation for teen rebellion, surviving the daylong Warped Tour extravaganza requires comfortable shoes and sunscreen. Purists may argue that, outside of perennial headliners Bad Religion, there’s not much real punk left on Warped….
It’s half-past 9 p.m., August 3, the night of the 2007 Pitch Music Showcase. In the cool, red confines of Karma, the night’s DJ stronghold, a rotating cast of four or five well-dressed women shake and bop on the dance floor alongside a lone, ponytailed older man. You know this man. As DJ duo Nomathmatics blast the PA with cold,…
I have a firm T-shirt policy: I never wear garments that tout bars or restaurants in the same city of said bar or restaurant. It’s as unnecessary as wearing a band’s T-shirt to the concert. However, on a recent First Friday trip to the new Crossroads branch of Paddy O’Quigley’s I learned that there’s some merit in donning the bar…
Kelly Willis, a woman with a voice capable of conveying pure longing, began her music career as a teenager, singing for future husband Mas Palermo’s rockabilly band in Washington, D.C. But soon, Nashville called, and by age 20, Willis had put her name on the dotted line as a solo artist with MCA Nashville. The label had no idea what…
In this week’s Pitchcast, the Pitch calls Michael Moore’s people and asks if the filmmaker would be willing to fork over a few bucks to help one of the people in his documentary, Sicko. Get it through iTunes by clicking here, download it on the Web by clicking here or click the bar below to listen: Categories: News Tags: Apple…
Luscious Lips Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans say Ojalá Dios quiere? Ojalá refers to Allah the Muslim god, and Dios is the Christian god. Do Mexicans want to cover their bases and get a double blessing, or can they not make up their minds? ¿Qué pasó con los dos dioses? White Paddy Pinche Gabacho Dear Mick: Primeramente, let’s decipher your…
Feature: “In Amato We Trust?” July 19 After-School Detention I read with great interest Peter Rugg’s in-depth article about Superintendent Anthony Amato. My first question: Had the Kansas City Board of Education known these facts about Amato, would they have still hired him? My second question: Why didn’t they know these facts? Mary S. Stephenson, Kansas City, Missouri LINC Up…
Hey, you, Independence coppers! How about catching the people making meth in the various shady motels spread throughout Methdependence? Or how about pulling over half of Methdependence’s population with a Harley-Davidson license plate instead of an actual legal license plate? How about patrolling the neighborhoods to prevent car and home break-ins that seem to riddle the community? Do these things…
Can’t decide between Chinese and Mexican tonight? Check out the China Town Super Buffet in Waldo, where pandas apparently eat their tacos with chopsticks. Categories: News Tags: Asia, China, Columns, East Asia, Waldo
Kansas City cops came clean last week, admitting that they had chosen not to enforce the city’s new anti-panhandling ordinance. Police department higher-ups had determined the thing was unconstitutional, so the cops just said fuck it. Here at the Department of Burnt Ends, we applaud the lawmen’s decision to disregard the law. We’d like to see more cops ignore our…
Tracy Pierce Jr. wears his late father’s clothes. On a recent Tuesday, the 15-year-old sports the gold, sleeveless shirt and shorts that his 6-foot-1-inch-tall, 210-pound father once wore. The clothes hang loose and baggy on him but fit well enough not to look odd. Julie Pierce lights up at her son’s choice in clothes. “They fit him,” she says softly….
Nobody was expecting an angry, overflow crowd at a tedious public hearing. Stunned by the turnout one evening last November, state employees stood in the hallway of the Kansas Memorial Union on the University of Kansas campus like a pack of deer in headlights. Two Lawrence police officers who’d been expecting an easy night baby-sitting a public meeting were suddenly…
Crystal K. Wiebe reports: Clearly, Josephine Collective, the band of Johnson County boys who are signed to Warner Bros., weren’t pleased to learn that another local band beat them in a contest to play the coveted Homegrown stage at KRBZ 96.5 FM the Buzz’s upcoming Beach Ball 3 concert at City Market. I couldn’t find any vote tallies listed at…
Behold: Allmusic.com has validated us. No, wait, don’t even click there. Just read: First Blood, a various artist collection, is not so much a label sampler from start-up record company OxBlood as it is an examination of the rock music scene in the firm’s region, the Kansas City, MO/Lawrence, KS, area. With a couple of exceptions, the tracks were all…
