What is it about Jane Eyre that has spoken so forcefully to readers the world over for the past 160 years? Charlotte Brontë wrote her novel seven years before her death at age 38; it was an instant success and has never gone out of print. And there have been more than a dozen cinematic versions, including films made in…
Phosphorescent had one of the most perfect country songs of 2010: “Mermaid Parade.” Matthew Houck’s staggeringly sad ballad is a soaring, fragile tribute to a failed marriage. It’s also proof that, despite the lo-fi garage scuzz washing through music’s new underground, an old-fashioned cantina song can still shoot an arrow through a listener’s heart. Houck first drifted into the critical…
Original witchy woman Stevie Nicks made her mark with love songs (“Landslide,” “Rhiannon”) full of sweeping imagery and mystical elements to match her smoky voice. Clad in gauzy, sparkly layers, Nicks has always evinced a gypsy, libertine air. She benefited musically from her on-again, off-again creative relationship with Fleetwood Mac, which provided the crisp chops and surprising rock sinew that…
Coheed and Cambria seems set to inherit the legacy laid down by Rush. Of course, there are the fairly obvious vocal similarities between Claudio Sanchez and Geddy Lee that have led many to wonder, Is that a chick or a dude singing? Coheed and Cambria, following in the steps of its prog-rock forefathers, has also taken the concept album and…
These days, record labels aren’t categorized by the physical location of their studios (think Motown or Sun) but by the stylistic leanings of their artists. The Fresh & Onlys stand next to Thee Oh Sees, Wounded Lion and Cheap Time as some of the best in modern garage. On tour in support of its upcoming EP, Secret Walls, the San…
The Country Club Plaza and the neighborhood immediately to its south are now officially saturated with pizza. Spin, Minsky’s and California Pizza Kitchen do strong business, and five of this small area’s non-pizzeria restaurants — Brio Tuscan Grille, Buca di Beppo, Figlio, Accurso’s Italian Restaurant, and Osteria Il Centro — serve pizza. Still, Highwoods Properties, having given Re:Verse the heave-ho,…
We’re on a roll around here when it comes to national festivals. Scion Garage Fest descended on Lawrence last summer with armloads of lo-fi pioneers. Now the Record Machine’s Nathan Reusch has booked a smattering of national talent to rock Westport April 8-9 at the Middle of the Map Fest. Here are five national acts that might not swing through…
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter got an earful of dial tone when he called to ask Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder about the $35,000 he has spent at the Four Seasons and other hotels in St. Louis since 2006. On Monday morning, Kinder complained to a radio host that the story, which appeared Sunday, was a “contract hit job” and…
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel has been arrested for theft at an Indiana casino, according to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. The charge is a felony. However, there isn’t any word on what was allegedly stolen from the Belterra Casino in Florence, Indiana. Categories: News Tags: kansas city chiefs, Mike Vrabel
Kansas City has had terrific diners — little, unfussy, Mom-and-Pop restaurants serving traditional American comfort food — for as long as this town has had restaurants. There are listings for lunch counters, luncheonettes, cafes and buffets in some of the earliest city directories. And two of those diners, the legendary Sanderson’s Lunch on Eighth Street and Nichol’s Lunch on Southwest…
Sue Cooney is lucky. In the fifth inning of Thursday’s Royals-Angels game, the 64-year-old woman took the barrel of a maple bat to the face. Angels outfielder Torri Hunter was at bat, and the head of the bat snapped off and flew into the stands. It hit Cooney, who was sitting three rows behind the Angels’ dugout, along the third-base…
Well, really, it’s not such a new trend to ask restaurant customers to pay for their meals before they even sit down: All-you-can-eat restaurants such as Old Country Buffet, Golden Corral and Chinese buffets have required advance payment for years. But it’s unusual for an upscale restaurant to ask patrons to fork over the dough before they even walk into…
To quote our writer Brad Krohe: “As a valiant champion of hard work and DIY ethics, a voracious asshole to people who deserve it, a prolific individual who draws no distinction between artist and activist, Rollins stands as one of the more fascinating figures in the last quarter century.” Touche. Henry Rollins got amped for his show on Saturday, April…
As if we needed another example of how zero-tolerance policies regarding weapons at schools can make for messy situations, The Kansas City Star has an eyebrow-raising story today about Lincoln College Prep sophomore Ana Morales, who was caught bringing a knife to school and then suspended and exiled permanently. Make no mistake, this is not a “girl has a butter…
Longtime jazz tenorman Benny Golson made a tour stop at the Blue Room in Kansas City on Friday, and much to the delight of a nearly full house, gave listeners a rare look back at a time when jazz was king. Golson, 82, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Jazz Museum. He and his quartet then played…
Saturday was the first day in a long while that I could sit lazily on a porch swing in the shade and remember just how good that can be on a warm spring afternoon. I had a Solo cup of Boulevard Pale Ale, and the world was peaceful for about 45 minutes. There’s no finer way to celebrate the coming…
Jamaal Charles is in the Madden Elite Eight. The Kansas City Chiefs running back has defeated Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew in his quest to be on the cover of the biggest football video game ever made. Charles had to work for it this time, winning by a slim 51 percent to 49 percent margin. Charles’ next obstacle is Cleveland…
UPDATE: This is turning into a Black Monday for Missouri. Tiger guard Kim English isn’t the only one declaring for the NBA Draft. So is Laurence Bowers. Like English, Bowers won’t hire an agent, which is a really good idea for both of them. Read the rest of the update after the jump …Original Story: Missouri Tigers junior guard Kim…
Michael Grace is a liar. He was never kidnapped. He wasn’t forced to open a U.S. Bank in Overland Park where he worked. Grace was tied to a chair with duct tape, and he was bleeding from the nose — but because he wanted it. Grace, 20, pleaded guilty today to embezzlement by a bank employee, admitting that he staged…
Yes, the weekend just happened. Hard to believe that the Toro Y Moi and Bright Eyes’ shows have come and gone. But worry not, music lovers. The following fun-filled music events are going down this week. Categories: Music Tags: all time low, Dumpstafunk, hearts of darkness, Hey Monday, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, the Reflectacles, the Summer Set,…
I’ve been bitten by a Chihuahua. It doesn’t hurt. But for a now-former Southeast Missouri sheriff’s deputy, a bite was enough to shoot the dog — three times — and kill it while it was wounded and hiding in its kennel. Kelly Barks (for real, that’s her name) resigned in March after being placed on administrative leave due to the…
Smoking Popes brought a nostalgic and raucous stage show to the Riot Room on Saturday, rounding out a weekend filled to the brim with spectacular shows from nationally touring groups. In a long, full set that included several classics and a peppering of new tracks from their recently released concept album, This Is Only a Test, the Popes gave longtime…
Chefs and foodies just can’t stay away from Kansas City. We’re a city of good eaters, what can I say? Author Frances Mayes, who helped thousands of readers fall in love with the Italian countryside and cuisine in Under the Tuscan Sun, will be in town tonight at Brio Tuscan Grille (502 Nichols Road) on the Plaza. She’s co-hosting a…
Henry Rollins got amped for his show on Saturday, April 2, at RecordBar. Photos by Ashford Stamper.
