Many in the electronic-music community think that most of their numbers came into electronic music from a hip-hop angle. But if you took a poll, you would probably find that most of the rave-school generation fell into dance music from a rock direction. On Thanksgiving night, locals Nomathmatics and the self-described “bicoastal” Le Castle Vania mix down a night of…
Dr. Steve Simpson is probably one of Lawrence’s more progressive pulmonary physicians. He’s concerned about the planet’s future and the exhausting of natural fuels such as oil and coal, so he’s all for researching renewable energy. So he was understandably upset when he found out in October that his face was being used to promote a natural-gas company. The trouble…
Every month, hundreds of art enthusiasts flood the Crossroads Arts District for First Friday gallery shows and street performances. This month, they were treated to a different kind of exhibition: a festive parade of nearly nude cyclists. On November 2, the second Naked Bike Ride in Kansas City drew more than three dozen cyclists willing to bare their bods —…
In honor of Thanksgiving, we bring you some of 2007’s top turkeys: Folks who — either by fate or their own dumb actions — have earned our scorn, pity or both this year. Britney Spears: This one’s way too easy, but Spears has had a spectacularly bad year: the head shaving, the booze-and-drugs gobbling, the battling with Kevin Federline in…
Mike Relm, a nerdy-looking Asian guy who wears a suit and tie while he spins, is introducing turntablism to legions of middle-American families. The San Franciscan opens for Blue Man Group’s current production, The Rock Concert Instruction Manual, with a set that’s heavy on classic rock. He also performs during one of the mute, cobalt-painted performers’ numbers. With an…
The kids are thronged on the floor, their little legs folded up in what my DeSoto elementary teachers used to call “Indian style,” and the grown-ups whisper excitedly about whether Harry Connick Jr., might be in Crown Center this very moment. The Coterie has a piano at stage left, they reason, and he penned the music and lyrics for…
Dear Mexican: What’s the deal with Spanish-language car-dealership commercials that feature bikini-clad porn-star wannabes copulating with used cars? I just saw one in which three girls were rubbing melted chocolate on one another. Surely no one in mainstream Caucasian America could get away with such overtly sexual, misogynistic advertising. Does this type of ad actually convince people to buy cars?…
Another Night Before Christmas This home-invasion Christmas story posits a dude who claims to be Santa and is caught in the home of a skeptical, sensible woman. You can bet that, by the 90-minute mark, she will have learned the true reason for the season. This year’s American Heartland holiday show, a world premiere, comes somewhat pedigreed, with book and…
Angel-A (Sony) The Batman: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros.) Bill Maher: The Decider (HBO) Broken (First Look) Chappelle’s Show: The Series Collection (Paramount) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Seventh Season (Paramount) Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 (Rhino) Gene Simmons Family Jewels: The Complete Season 2 (A&E) Hairspray (New Line) I Am Cuba (Milestone) The Lady Vanishes: The…
These days, Larry Groce and Brad Gaddy kick out new-wave jams with their in-demand cover band, the Zeros. But long before they ever pulled in four figures per gig, Groce and Gaddy were half of Go Kart, a riffy Kansas City outfit that paired the hooks of Cheap Trick with the ripped-jeans rock of Soul Asylum and the Replacements. The…
Topping Rolling Stone’s recent list of the 20 most gruesome band names, Cattle Decapitation, with its decadelong streak of bludgeoning, gore-obsessed metal, fits its branding. With a dizzying amount of personnel shifts, including a number of ex-drummers to rival Spinal Tap, Cattle Decap has all but left behind its grinding origins as a Carcass-influenced Locust side project. The band that…
Hard-touring Florida duo Yip-Yip — Jason Temple and Brian Esser — plays outsider electronic music that would have sounded right at home on a Revenge of the Nerds soundtrack. Combining the mannered goofiness of Devo with an obsession with Kraftwerk-era synthesizers, Yip-Yip’s tunes can shift drastically on a dime. Even as the pair courts a video-game sound, the Yip’s spastic…
The new one from Hot Chip doesn’t hit stores until next year, but thankfully the London act is throwing its fans a bone. Put that secondary e-mail address to good use and sign up for the band’s mailing list at its MySpace page. In return, the Chip will reward you with a free download of “I Became a Volunteer,” an…
Bountiful Nora Othic’s archetypal figures and her dynamic, posed compositions evoke regionalists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood but also such mid-20th-century muralists as Anton Refregier and Milton Bellin. In “Mean Bull,” two laughing ranch hands dive over a fence, chased by an enraged bull. The masterly “Diner” is an energetically composed image of two waitresses tending a…
Thoroughly different, the engaging four artists who won prestigious Charlotte Street Foundation Awards this year have their works combined to excellent effect in a group exhibition at Grand Arts. As it has for the past 10 years, the Charlotte Street Foundation financially rewards Kansas City artists for their artwork, also providing them an exhibition and an accompanying brochure. (This year…
Soon, there will be one less ego in the Josephine Collective. Keyboard player and singer Albert John Redwine is quitting. According to official MySpace ramblings credited to JoCo frontman Dillon Teague Devoe, the parting is amicable. Said Devoe in a bulletin: “as far as albert goes, we are all still friends. we will continue to be friends. we will…
Back when I was a cub reporter, my editor sent me to cover an auction of wild horses. They had been collected on the Western plains and were being sold to farmers who would tame them. When I approached the pen, the dozen or so horses scampered away in a tight pack. Wild horses stick together for strength, and when…
No doubt KU vs. MU talk has been getting as crazy as Gary Lezak in a pile of puppies. First came the T-shirt wars, including this tasteless one above, and then KU fans followed with their own version. But the best volley yet has to be the e-mail going around that includes the cover of the “Missouriean” magazine. Even Mizzou…
This weekend, So This Is Xmas, an exhibit of John Lennon’s artwork, goes on display at the Hotel InterContinental. The paintings were handpicked – and some of them hand-colored – by Yoko Ono, who I got to talk to for this Night & Day blurb about the art show. I would have posted the interview as an MP3, but…
Our year’s best band is headed toward the big time, or if not that, well at least it’s got a deal. The Republic Tigers have signed a contract with Chop Shop Records. Who Chop Shop, you ask? According to the label’s MySpace… The woman behind the soundtracks to “The OC” and “Grey’s Anatomy” is launching her own label. Alexandra Patsavas,…
Brandon Phillips needs no introduction, nor does his Wayward Blog Exclusive Survey Findings Report need explanation. Enjoy. — Harper At 12:00 PM CST on Saturday, November 17, 2007 I, Brandon Taylor Phillips, sat down with a cassette-tape from a rehearsal of my band, the Architects, to write lyrics to portions of previously composed music. At approximately 12:25 PM CST that…
An alert Plog reader, who apparently has some Photoshop skills, sent in this photo of a slightly doctored billboard that has been popping up around town. The Photoshopper in question wished to remain anonymous. Categories: News
For once, we’re on Hearne Christopher Jr.’s side. His editor never should have prevented The Kansas City Star’s gossip columnist from publishing his REAL Thanksgiving column, which we found, mysteriously, tucked under our windshield wiper this morning, written in Hearne’s own hand on a piece of spinach-stained parchment. Go to the Star’s site to read the original column, in which…
Roman Numerals Friday, November 16 Harrah’s VooDoo Lounge Cheaper than: Cabo Wabo shots at the Uptown Better than: A hayride through midtown Review by Berry Anderson There are a whopping 35 days left until winter. Before you retreat to the warmth of your velour pants and microfiber couch to lose yourself in the third season of Grey’s Anatomy, remind yourself…
