Let the creepy begin! Stuff’s bound to get a little strange this weekend. Holidays tend to bring out, let’s say, interesting characteristics in our loved ones. Parents become overbearing, whatever-in-laws act shrill, and family friends can get a tad too touchy feel-y after having that third eggnog. Want to get away? Here are a few options for your Saturday (Christmas…
Lots of music-related material in this week’s issue. Our cover story looks at the people and process behind 2011’s local vinyl releases. And in music, a rundown of some of our favorite shows of the year by nonlocal acts. And the Forecast. Merrrrrrrrrrry Xmas! Categories: Music
Milton R. Wolf, M.D. Quick scan or quick draw? No one likes being wanded on the way into an arena, onto a plane, or before a date. But haven’t we all pretty much agreed by now to politely sleepwalk through the process without losing our shit? Well, include tea-party conservative Milton Wolf out. (Sorry, that’s “Dr. Milton R. Wolf, M.D.,”…
Food Beast Here’s the Fondu interface. In today’s world of checking in via social-media applications, it’s easy to know where a friend has been eating or drinking. But what they thought of a place after they arrived? That’s not so simple. Fondu is a new iPhone application, dubbed the “Foursquare for Foodies,” that has promise, in that it marries the…
It’s always nice to see local bands in action. The Supermassive Black Holes recently posted the band’s performance of “Back West” on YouTube and Soundcloud. Both run about 8 minutes. The recording was taken at Czar on December 19 during a Monday jam night. Categories: Music Tags: Jam Sessions, The Supermassive Black Holes
This is the grilled cheese at the Westside Local. Great winter comfort food is like a proper sweater for your stomach — it leaves you warm, feeling like the cold can’t touch you for just a few minutes. Right now, the Westside Local’s grilled cheese fits that niche for me — a gooey pile of brie, emmenthaler and white cheddar…
Looks like the cassette label Beer on the Rug — run by CVLTS’ Josh Thomas and Gaurav Bashyakarla — has some epic plans for 2012. Huh Radio, a podcast devoted to interviews with their favorite artists, seems to be only one of many things we can expect, along with releases from the likes of Macintosh Plus. Take a listen to…
Katie Herzig A quick incoming this week because let’s face it — we all want to get on with our holiday celebrations. Categories: Music Tags: katie herzig, The Latenight Callers
The most stunning visual effect at the movies this holiday season may also be the most archaic: black-and-white cinematography on the big screen – and in a silent movie, no less. But that demands some qualification: Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist is no more nor more less a silent movie than Jerry Lewis’ The Bellboy. It has a continuous score, a…
Missing 19-year-old Johnson County Community College student Aisha Khan was found tonight. At least that’s what the City of Overland Park’s Facebook status says. Khan vanished Friday from Overland Park, where she was studying at KU’s Edwards campus. No word on what exactly happened, but OP’s Facebook page says she wasn’t abducted or held against her will. Categories: News Tags:…
Ashford Stamper Jacquelyn Brittain’s first-place-winning “Deconstructed Cookie Ball” is pictured in the foreground. The panel of judges has voted, and the three winners of the first annual Pitch cheeseball competition are officially elevated to cheeseball history. After careful consideration, Jacquelyn Brittain’s sweet “Deconstructed Cookie Ball” was chosen as first-place winner, receiving a $50 gift certificate to Pryde’s Old Westport, for…
Mexican restaurant Zocalo, which opened on the Plaza this past fall, serves up creative cocktails and imaginative dishes in a sleek but warm-looking venue on a busy corner of the Plaza. Photos by Lauren Phillips.
His curly red shoes and ornery personality wow children and impress women at holiday events. And dudes bust out high-fives when he delivers cold ones on his electric beer-cooler scooter — perhaps the last word in hybrid transportation. At 4 feet 7 inches, 55-year-old Jeffrey White is Kansas City’s top elf. From playing an elf in Hallmark ads to working…
Tamarick Vanover finds trouble. Former Kansas City Chief Tamarick Vanover is in trouble again. This time, the former wide receiver is charged with beating his girlfriend, who is almost nine months’ pregnant, according to the Tallahassee Democrat (h/t: KC Chiefs Blog). Vanover is charged with domestic aggravated battery for allegedly repeatedly punching the woman and threatening to kill her (the…
Name: Gary Neal Johnson Occupation: Actor Hometown: Kansas City Current neighborhood: Northern Overland Park Who or what is your sidekick? Three fingers of 12-year-old Macallan single maltWhat career would you choose in an alternate reality? Cowboy poet Categories: News, Questionnaire Tags: christmas, Gary Neal Johnson, Kansas City Rep, Scrooge, The Pitch Questionnaire
Daniel LaBlance is accused of helping himself to Dexter McCluster’s possessions. While Dexter McCluster and the Kansas City Chiefs were playing the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium November 13, a convicted murderer was allegedly robbing McCluster’s home of more than $25,000 in property. Daniel LaBlance, 31, is charged with first-degree burglary. McCluster’s girlfriend locked his home, located between Westport and…
SpicyTec It will be good to be an eater in 2012. Chefs will get more famous, the noodle house will reign supreme, and the wheels will come off the food-truck craze. Fat City is taking a step back from reporting on the latest openings and from hanging with area chefs to predict, with the following list, what will happen in…
KC Restaurant Review What’s next for Kansas City? I’ve already laid it out there. I’m a consumer of coffee, noodle shops, vegetarian cuisine and restaurants migrating across State Line. The picture isn’t as rosy for food trucks and Groupon in the future. There’s still plenty of room to speculate, in between potential deli openings and celebrity chef sightings. What do…
Celebrate the non-celebration with booze. Who wants to go to another hoity-toity holiday party? Not I, sir. Not I! If cheery, sparkly holiday parties are beginning to turn your brain into mush, you’re in luck. We’ve caught wind of a very different kind of festive party. On Friday night, Snow & Co. is hosting Festivus for the Restofus. What can…
%{}% What is your true love giving you? Inspired by Ted Andrews who wrote Animal Speak. Read Cancer. Aries/Aries Rising* (Mar 21-Apr 19): On the first day of Christmas/My true love gave to me/A partridge in a pear tree. As number one, your Xmas gift is the easiest to remember, simply because to sing this song, you must repeat it…
We had it good here in 2011. High-profile and acclaimed national acts passed through Kansas City and Lawrence. Rare was the week that lacked a compelling reason to make it out to a venue. Below, we list our 10 favorite performances of the year. (These are all out-of-town groups; drop by next week for a survey of some of 2011’s…
Cameron Crowe doesn’t make it easy to dislike his new movie, the warmhearted, cute-kid-wielding, music-montaging, animals-are-awesome-reminding We Bought a Zoo. Give me a minute, though, and I’ll try. For starters, there’s no scene in which stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson have outdoor sex and are then eaten by lions while Neil Young’s “Cocaine Eyes” plays. This is not for…
