Archives: August 2009
Download SideOneDummy’s Free Sampler
The most conversational press release I’ve ever read (with grammatical and spelling errors intact): So all of us at SideOneDummy where sitting around talking about the last year of releases that we have had, and how fun and crazy it has been. Then we started talking about how many cool releases we have in the pipeline, which made us realize…
The Blind Eyes, The ACBs and Justin Ripley Are Coming. Be Afraid.
Okay, well, you should only be afraid if you hate good music and/or harmonies. Last night in St. Louis, the ACBs, Justin Ripley (and his merry crew of musicians) and the Blind Eyes made my power-pop-loving ears quite happy. The same trio will be burning up I-70 with a show at Mojo’s in Columbia tonight and one in Lawrence at the…
When local goes corporate
The idea of buying and eating local is one of the most easily identifiable food trends. There’s been an explosion in farmer’s markets, farm-to-table dinners/restaurants and a series of articles, movies and books trying to teach people to ask questions about where their food is grown or made. But invariably when a grassroots movement (pun slightly intended) enters the zeitgeist,…
No baby shoes, No service
A Burger King in Sunset Hills, Missouri, is safe from barefoot babies after a manager apparently took the rulebook of “no shirt, no shoes, no service” a bit too far. As detailed in this KNBC interview, Jennifer Frederich carried her six-month old daughter into the burger shop expecting to order dinner. Instead she was asked to make her order to-go,…
A step backwards for General Caldwell’s mil-blogging plans?
A story on Wired’s website a week ago outlined how a Department of Defense “warning order” solicited feedback on a potential ban on the use of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook by military personnel. Such a ban seemingly would fly in the face of efforts by Lt.General William B. Caldwell, who oversees the Army’s Command and General Staff…
Teabaggers disrupt Carnahan event; six arrested.
Six people, including a reporter for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, were arrested at Rep. Russ Carnahan’s forum on aging at Bernard Middle School in Mehlville, Mo. last night. An astroturfing campaign organized by Freedomworks as a response to coming health care legislation has resulted in disruptive gatherings by right-wing teabaggers who have shut down events across the country with…
Experts predict cancer, asthma and traffic congestion from Gardner rail facility
When Eric Kirkendall and his wife, Mary, moved to Gardner in 1990 they found an idyllic little farmhouse built in 1870. The couple intended to live there until they retired. But eight years before that date, Kirkendall found out their quiet property might soon be sandwiched by the mammoth warehouses of a huge transportation hub. The distressed homeowner threw himself…
Starbucks launches new coffee shop design
Starbucks continues to try and rejigger its brand, introducing toys for corporate training and a series of stealth stores. In an effort to improve efficiency, and not just in the supply chain, Starbucks is hoping that “lean” production practices” will shorten the time it takes you to get your frappuccino. As part of the initiative under executive Scott Heydon (“vice…
East Side Story: Portia’s Cafe
After driving by this unprepossessing building at 3840 E. Truman Road for years, I finally stopped to have lunch at Portia’s Cafe this week. Friends of mine, including a really fussy Foodie type, have been extolling its virtues for a long time. Yes, there really is a Portia in the kitchen and she’s owned this diner for 23 years. I…
Breakfast Buffet: Friday, August 7
%{}% Scoot Utopia’s pub crawl across Nebraska continues with a broken-footed bartender and a Runza. . The courses and ingredient choices on a tasting menu reveal a lot about a chef and restaurant. A day in the life of a tamale vendor in Los Angeles will make your job seem easy. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey vows that, in an…
Don’t skimp on the self-exam, ladies; this runner had a double mastectomy at 23
The lump in Karla Keller’s left breast was so big, it didn’t take a physician to find it. She wasn’t doing one of those arm-in-the-air, finger-probing self exams, either. “It was so big, I felt it while I was rubbing soap over it in the shower,” she says. She still wasn’t prepared for the doctor’s diagnosis: Three tumors in her…
Video: At the Left Hand of God, “An Anthem for Honor”
At the Left Hand of God’s debut music video just went up on YouTube. Directed by ATLHOG lead singer Rikk Wolf, it’s appropriately brutal. The band is shot in what looks like a train tunnel, with grainy footage that looks like it was dug out of some underground vault. The images shift between shots of the band playing and the…
Friday Freebies
And once again, we bring you Friday Freebies, wherein we present things to do this weekend that won’t cost you any more than the gas it takes to get to ’em. There are scads of things to do this weekend. Your decisions will be tough, but you’re guaranteed to be entertained no matter what. I’ve divvied up things by type…
Marathon kayakers finish another epic paddle across the Show-Me State
It was an ominous start. On Tuesday morning, as hundreds of racers were supposed to be slipping into the Missouri River, a drenching storm with flashing lightning settled over Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas. For more than an hour the athletes were stuck on shore, anxiously pondering the brutal headwind they would face when the race got underway. Lucky…
Weekend Distractions
Here’s what we think you should do this weekend: 1. Wander aimlessly around the Crossroads because it’s First Friday. As usual, there’ll be tons of art to gawk at. Plus, there’s a fashion show by Lovesick Clothing happening at Blue Bouquet. 2. Honor a decade of Anodyne Records. Tonight, Czar Bar is the site of the rockin’ anniversary show, featuring…
Environmentalists unearth massive financial problems at Sunflower Electric
In the marathon controversy over the expansion of the coal-fired power complex in Western Kansas, environmentalists have argued the new facility would be a giant, climate-change-accelerator, coughing up ungodly amounts of the carbon dioxide gas that leads to global warming. But the latest legal filing from Earthjustice and the Sierra Club lays out another reason the monster power plant in…
How green is your state Rep?
Now that the federal government is finally crafting legislation to deal with global warming, environmentalists are keeping a close watch on Washington, D.C. But, during the 2009 session, there was plenty of eco-related action in Missouri’s capital, too. Earlier this week, the nonpartisan advocacy group Missouri Votes Conservation released its annual scorecard, outlining how lawmakers in Jefferson City fared this…
Reporter’s Notebook: This is what a World Champion air guitarist looks like
What makes a World Champion air guitarist? It’s the undefinable characteristic known as airness. As 2008’s world champ Hot Lixx Hulahan told me, “It’s where the art of mimicking the guitar transcends just faking the guitar and becomes an art form unto itself.” So who better to study than Hot Lixx himself? No one, as Eric “Mean” Melin told me…
Find The Pitch
