If you’re walking downtown and you happen to notice dozens of walking pituitary glands oiled up, wearing thongs and devouring all the lean meat in sight, it would be reasonable to assume that we’ve been invaded by a master race bent on world domination. But before you go home, barricade your door with the sofa and load your shotgun, remember…
With four outs to go, professional Royals superfan Tim Scott chats with a fan. Two outs to go, and Scott, one of Kansas City’s best young actors, a musical theater dynamo sitting out this summer’s shows to entertain thousands for 90 seconds at a time at baseball games, is silent, serious, doing that legwork of the mind always required before…
Considering that beer constitutes 85.8% of all alcohol consumed in the United States, chances are good that the descent of the Flying Saucer (101 E. 13th St.) into the Power & Light district, with its selection of 130 bottles and 80 drafts, will satisfy beer snobs and contribute to local beer goggle shenanigans. The 13th franchise installment of the “draught…
Last Thursday, talented young sous chef Eric Carter left the kitchen at OP1906 Bar & Grill in the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center. After nearly three years at the surprisingly sophisticated hotel restaurant (“Class of ’06,” December 14, 2006), Carter decided to take a new job at the Blue Bird Bistro in downtown Kansas City. The main…
Trent Reznor has been pretty generous since becoming a free agent. In addition to the first disc of his instrumental Ghosts I-IV, he’s giving away The Slip (that’s halo 27, if you’re still counting) free. On his Web site, he posts, “Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years — this one’s on me.” Unlike the Ghosts…
It seems like nobody wants to be a cop anymore. The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is struggling to get applicants these days, and those they do get don’t quite have a full charge in their Tasers, if you know what we mean. The Department of Burnt Ends is nothing if not socially concerned, so we came up with some…
Perfect Wedding It’s a farce, so that title is a joke on just how over-the-top imperfect things are going to get, but it’s at the American Heartland, so it’s also a promise. No matter what comic hell gets unleashed when a groggy groom awakens on the morning of his wedding with a beautiful stranger beside him, the feel-good crew at…
Cursive New York artist Creighton Michael’s definition of drawing is extremely elastic, encompassing traditional pencil-on-paper imagery, painting and sculpture. Gesture is key to understanding the pieces here; Michael is interested in the various ways in which physical movements create marks on a page or canvas. His pieces, arranged in series, make up a kind of dialogue, each responding to others…
The title, a reference to a loud but harmless insect and also to a Pavement song, stinks. But the movie — an unsophisticated, sometimes too leisurely campus comedy — is a disarming surprise. First-time writer and director Todd Sklar, who also stars, applies a measure of Judd Apatow’s nerd raunch (and more than a little of the Apatow factory’s geeks-plus-hotties…
H ere’s your hat, Indy, but what’s your hurry? Because 19 years after a Last Crusade that clearly wasn’t, it’s almost unfathomable that this hoary mishmash is the best that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg could cough up. Have we learned nothing about disturbing dusty relics and messing with primordial remains? These only lead to trouble — melted faces, some…
“Now Run” by Matt Alvarado (MPF Records): It is supposed to be Warrensburg punk night at the Brick. On the Friday, May 2, menu: the sibling rebel yells of Kosher and Super Black Market. But first, a skinny guy in a white wifebeater and ripped blue jeans steps up with an acoustic guitar. Matthew Alvarado knows he’s unfamiliar to most…
National Celebrities will be featured in this basketball event that will benefit the American Diabetes Assoc. and Team Excellence Sports. Participants include Alisa Reyes, Wesley Jonathan, Kiko Ellsworth, Domenico from MTV’S Tila Tequila and rapper Misfit Dior. Sun., May 25, 3 p.m., 2008 Tags: Alisa Reyes, Kiko Ellsworth, Night & Day, Tila Tequila, Wesley Jonathan
James Bond movie shown as part of the Library’s “Of Spies and Their Toys” film series. The first, and best, of Pierce Brosnan’s three outings as The Spy with the Golden Gun Who Loved Octopussy. Directed by Martin Campbell, whose Bond revisionism in the 2006 Casino Royale would give the series a much-needed shot of epinephrine right in its flabby…
A screening of the 2001 updated production of William Night Shamalyanspeare’s Othello, directed by Tim Blake Nelson who will forever be remembered for his comic performances in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Fido. But also for his awesomeness at directing. Do not underestimate Tim Blake Nelson. O! Starring Julia! Stiles! And! Josh! Hartnett! Tue., May 27, 6:30 p.m., 2008…
Best-selling author Tony Horwitz discusses the travel bug and his latest adventures to unearth the neglected history of America’s early European settlers, as chronicled in his new book A Voyage Long and Strange. Wed., May 28, 7 p.m., 2008 Tags: Night & Day, Tony Horwitz
Utilizing recycled wool sweaters Miller Gross creates site responsive installations and sculptural objects for this exhibition. Working with an inventory of parts consisting of pliable planes and seams, she uses shifting systems of order to create a new set of associations. Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 12-4 p.m. Starts: May 9. Continues through June 13, 2008 Tags: 58, Night &…
A kid-friendly music fest featuring They Might Be Giants, Justin Roberts, Trout Fishing in America, Tom Chapin, John McCutcheon and favorite Kansas City performers like Funky Mama, Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove & the Hiccups, Lisa Henry & The Jazz Storytellers, Bongo Barry, Stone Lion, Soundz of Africa and Dino O’Dell & The Veloci Rappers. Sat., May 24, 10 a.m.-7…
“Naked and Red” by Colour Revolt, from Plunder, Beg and Curse (Fat Possum Records): One gets the impression that Oxford, Mississippi’s Colour Revolt really dug the self-serious, portent-heavy alt-rock of the ’90s. Plunder, Beg, and Curse, the quintet’s new album, belabors doomy bombast, artsy dynamics and high-school-binder lyricism that would embarrass its author in any other context, even if said…
“Give and Take” by the Away Team, from The Away Team (self-released): The Away Team is actually a hometown squad, featuring the sort of polite young men you can trust your daughter with. This is a band that recently changed its MySpace quote to “Feels for the victims of the China quakes!” This sensitivity comes through in the trio’s ballads,…
“Feelin’ the Future” by the Republic Tigers, from Keep Color (Chop Shop Records): Under each song entry in the liner notes to the Republic Tigers’ debut full-length CD, a credit goes to whichever band member or members (or nonmembers, in a few cases) “initiated” the song in question. For example, “Fight Song,” the album’s rah-rah rock anthem — complete with…
When a band empties its B-sides vault, it’s either fleecing its following with cash-grab ephemera or enjoying a period of prolific creativity. Given the Dresden Dolls’ history of fan friendliness, it’s safe to assume the tunes on its new oddities collection, No, Virginia, sprang from an abundant songwriting harvest. The disc, out this week, contains orphaned numbers from 2006’s Yes,…
“Noodlebrain” by the Queers, from Love Songs for the Retarded (Asian Man Records): The Buzzcocks and the Ramones may have laid the groundwork for pop-punk, but the Queers helped make sure the genre would never grow up. After 25 years, Joe Queer still pines for that girl in third period, still appreciates a good party and still sings about his…
“Climbing Up Fire Escapes” by Head of Femur, from Great Plains (East Park Plaza Music): When Saddle Creek Records was blowing up like Furbies, Nebraska’s Head of Femur moved to Chicago. Though the band shared Saddle Creek’s throw-everything-into-the-pot recording mentality (as well as producer A.J. Mogis), it seemed to be aiming for something more exotic. With ambitions recalling Todd Rundgren,…
”Where You At” by Shay Estes and the Mark Lowrey Trio In the jazz world, words such as ensemble and trio are traded far more often than band. Most jazz players are too damn good to share the spotlight for an extended period. They pick and choose their projects on a whim, seeking the right balance of prestige, money and…
