Psychobilly rockers the Koffin Kats will be gracing Kansas City with their prescence once again. The band will be coming through as part of their “Coast to Coast US Party Time ’09” tour, which is just about the best name for a tour as I’ve heard in a good long while. Do bands even name their tours anymore? It seemed…
BY IAN HRABE Though I longed to find the crowd at the Record Bar sitting cross-legged on the floor, as I did the last time Low played here, the place was surprisingly packed. And packed with the exact kind of perfectly attentive people that a Low show requires (with the exception of the standard “the band is quiet so we…
Homeless? Evicted? Have we found the handbook for you! “Rent is theft. This zine is free,” proclaims the cover of the Kansas City Squatters’ Handbook, a guide put together by a local anarchist group. And if you don’t mind the Marxist lingo that colors the 27-page zine’s introduction, it’s a surprisingly practical read. Squatting has been making the news lately,…
Walking back to HQ from Crown Center Monday afternoon, at the corner of 20th and Main … just under the Hereford House’s iconic steer’s head … evidence of amore. Another good ol’ fashioned Kansas City date. For more public sex, check out Nadia Pflaum’s feature story on undercover cops cracking down on sex in parks. Categories: News Tags: Hereford House,…
If Morgan Spurlock hadn’t gorged himself into obesity by eating Big Macs every day for his cinematic experiment, Super Size Me, Robert Kenner might never have delved into the industrial food system to trigger Americans’ gag reflex on a far more disturbing level. Kenner, who has directed a number of films about war and American history, was inspired after reading…
Each Thursday, your Crap Archivist brings you the finest in forgotten and bewildering crap culled from area basements, thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets. I do this for one reason: Knowledge is power. SUCK IT UP Buttercup! Author: Robert D. Cass Publisher: Morgan James Publishing, New York Date: 2007 Discovered at: Donated by Mark Lisanti The Back Cover…
Zaguar (Zach Hangauer, owner of Range Life Records) joins the Wonder Fair Gallery for his first solo show. Working with images from Life, Look, Holiday, McCall’s and Playboy magazines from the early 60’s through the mid 80’s, the collages examine the iconography, advertising and politics from the Big Bang era of Mass Media. Thursdays-Saturdays, 12-8 p.m.; Sundays, 12-6 p.m. Starts:…
He doesn’t wanna grow up! In the classic tale of Peter Pan, the title character and his lost boys battle the mean Captain Hook and his band of bumbling pirates. And, oh yeah, there’s a romance between Peter and Darling girl. Plus, there’s that charming little fairy Tinkerbell. Sat., July 11, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., July 12, 2 & 7:30 p.m.;…
A hair salon is the site of author Kerry E. Wagner’s booksigning today. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the author will sign copies of his latest release, Never Let Go of My Hand. And while the food lasts, a light brunch will be served. Sat., July 18, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2009 Tags: Kerry Wagner, Night & Day
For permitting director Vincente Minnelli to photograph Van Goghs, an impressive roster of institutions is thanked in the opening credits of Lust For Life (1956), including “The Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum, Kansas City,” locals may be pleased to note. As the passionate, tormented Vincent Van Gogh and his fiery contemporary Paul Gauguin, respectively, Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn deliver…
The downtown Kansas City, Kansas, Second Friday Art Walk includes two exhibitions celebrating Chinese culture. The YWCA’s 6th Street Gallery (1017 North Sixth Street) presents Falun Dafa: The Practice and the Persecution, a traveling exhibition of paintings by international artists centered on the 1999 persecution by the Chinese Communist Party of Falun Dafa practitioners. Hong Kong artist Nancy Loo Bjorge…
The grass-berm seat is one of the cool things about baseball. The Little League World Series is played at a stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with lawn seats beyond the outfield. The architects at HOK (now Populous) put a 30-degree grass slope in center field at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. The Kansas City T-Bones are offering a…
Today’s theater audiences expect to be warned if a play contains smoking, gunshots, nudity or any of the things that kids look for on Cinemax. The old souls at the Gorilla Theatre don’t pamper, though. Instead, they expect the audience for Aristophanes’ The Birds, this year’s selection for the untraditional company’s annual Greek show, to hit Frank A. Theis Park…
Baila Westside dance studio (925 West 17th Street) has the perfect deal for movement-seeking individuals with commitment issues: Students can simply drop into any one of the studio’s classes. Let’s say you get a sudden urge to sweat this evening. Just show up and shake it at the 6:15 p.m. Global Soul class, an hourlong aerobic session featuring traditional movements…
The Jazz Age returns to Shawnee tonight as something between a museum piece and a lowdown speakeasy. At the Town Hall, the Shawnee Town Museum (11600 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kansas) presents the Rhythm Room Quartet and revisits the jitter-flappin’ sounds and stories of Prohibition and the Lost Generation. Find some 1920s stripes or tassels to wear, and come prepared…
Author and true-crime blogger Laura James is not related to the outlaw Jesse James, but she did write a book about his son. The Love Pirate and the Bandit’s Son: Murder, Sin and Scandal in the Shadow of Jesse James concerns Jesse James Jr.’s, involvement with Dr. Zeo Zoe Wilkins, a woman with a penchant for moneyed men. Wilkins was…
The Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library cranks the Handel on its air conditioning today until it’s baroque. If you’re still reading, you either love puns or you love chamber music. The ensemble Summerfest makes the latter (and, like most people, probably loathes the former) and offers up excerpts from Handel’s “Gloria” with guest soprano Gwendolyn Coleman Detwiler, in an informal…
The distinctive voices of up-and-coming local performance artists, writers and poets get a chance to shine in a unique spotlight tonight when MDWANU Productions holds the dArkLiht Poet’s Project, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Executive Lounge (4929 State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas). Organizer Mahlon DeWitt believes the first-time event will introduce exciting new talents competing in written…
Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is a teacher and writer who is fascinated by ecology, whether it involves the natural world or the human one. Several of her 10 books are geared toward self-help through creative expression, and some are books of poetry, including Animals in the House, Lot’s Wife and Reading the Body. She’s also the founder of the…
Indulge your inner chocolate glutton tonight with a clear conscience. The scrumptious calories still count, but the money you spend on cakes, brownies, cookies, fudge and ever-flowing chocolate goes to a good cause. Californos (4124 Pennsylvania) is the site of KKFI 90.1’s Chocolate Fantasy, a fundraiser for the nonprofit radio station. The event also includes music by Blue 88, plus…
The National Archives at Kansas City will host history author Robert Collins for a discussion and signing of his book Jim Lane: Scoundrel, Statesman, Kansan. A 6 p.m. reception will precede the event. Reservations requested. Tue., July 14, 6:30 p.m., 2009 Tags: Jim Lane, Kansas City, Night & Day, Robert Collins
Free family fun presented on Fridays in July at the museum. The entertainment rotates between a film and or live music. Schedule as follows: July 10: Film Series: An American Tail July 17: Music Series: Mike Miller Trio July 24: Film Series: A League of Their Own July 31: Music Series: Making Movies. Fridays, 7 p.m. Starts: July 10. Continues…
