For three or four years there, a discouraging number of independent rock bands felt compelled to exile their hooks and melodies to the back of the track, behind layers of fuzz and hiss. Craft fell out of fashion; “artful” noise poisoned the well. Nobody seemed to have any idea what was good or what was shit, and everybody just kept…
Lawrence’s Wrath and Ruin operates on the belief that metal doesn’t have to exhibit some sort of Cookie Monster grind to be heavy. The band’s synth-laden sound drones and pulsates, emerging from speakers like the soundtrack to some sci-fi horror film. The futuristic tone also wages an attack on that part of the brainstem still beholden to the lizard that…
Last winter, Lawrence musician Sam Billen wrote and recorded a song called “How My Brother Ruined Christmas.” It contains references to Billen’s older brother, Dan, rising early on Christmas mornings, when they were children, to play with Sam’s presents — Big Wheels and a drum set are given as examples — before Sam woke up and could play with them…
Darryl Forté sits behind his desk, his head angled down slightly, a bit of scalp showing through his closely cropped black hair. His crisp white shirt is the very same one that he wore as a member of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department’s homicide unit in 1994. And 17 years later, as chief of police, he’s still dealing with…
Pokey LaFarge, with the Wilders The Wilders bummed some of us out earlier this month by announcing that they’re taking an “indefinite hiatus” after 12 years as a band. Lucky for Kansas City, the country-bluegrass act had already booked a few local gigs, including this Sunday at 4 and 6:30 p.m. at Reading Reptile in Brookside. Another appearance is two…
My friend Carmen, a native of Guatemala, asked me for a favor. It seemed like a simple task. She wanted to find out if the new Salvadoran restaurant, El Salvadoreño, planned to serve some of the holiday dishes that she ate growing up, that she has had to live without in Kansas City. “The cuisine of the two countries is…
Michael Mikkelsen is no longer welcome at the Occupy KC site. During Occupy Kansas City’s Monday general assembly meeting, a proposal was raised to cut ties with movement organizer Michael Mikkelsen over alleged instances of inappropriate and criminal behavior toward women. Mikkelsen was the central character of a November Pitch feature about protesting DUI checkpoints on area roads. The piece…
Travel Channel Anthony Bourdain — chef, author, TV star — is bringing his stage show to town this week (Friday, December 16, at the Midland ), and part of the night’s entertainment is the candid, spontaneous question-and-answer session with the audience. Sometimes, it’s the best part of the performance. “The questions I get are never pre-screened,” Bourdain says. “I mean,…
Former Jardine’s staffer Caitlin Byrne, left, and Carrie Brockman were making a point at the Point last night. Jardine’s nightclub and restaurant reopened last night for a private party — KC Confidential blogger Hearne Christopher’s annual Christmas bash — but rhinestone-bedecked Beena Raja, Jardine’s owner, told me that the party marked the official opening of Jardine’s with a brand-new staff….
It was a shiny striptease with all gears and arms akimbo at Davey’s Uptown Rambler on Saturday, December 10, for the Kansas City Steampunk Circus Social II: A Clockwork Christmas. These pictures may be too racy for those with Victorian sensibilities. Photos by Bethany Day.
The remastered, 30th anniversary edition of Blue Riddim Band’s 1981 single, “Nancy Reagan,” is now available on iTunes, as of midnight last night. You can also snag a 7-inch vinyl version from the band’s label, Rougher Records. The A-side features a remix of the track by Big Youth, retitled “Voice of the People.” Categories: Music Tags: Blue Riddim Band
Gilt Sadly, Hank Stramm won’t be on the list of candidates for the Chiefs. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Get ready to place your bets. The Pitch casino has set some odds for Todd Haley’s potential replacement. We’ve weighed the possible scenarios, the likelihood that someone will want to take over this team and the internal candidates, as part…
Erik Kling Tambourine Club isn’t the only act with a holiday recording available for free this year. Sam Billen has created and curated an amazingly ambitious 14-track endeavor called A Light Goes On. It features art, videos and music made by Billen and a swathe of other locals, all joining together to make the most amazing gift from the Kansas…
You know you’ve got one in your closet. If you’re kicking yourself for missing the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party this past Friday (or the unrelated free ugly sweater party at Applebee’s the following day), you’ve still got one more opportunity to shine horrify in your bedazzled, hand-knit top — Tasso’s Greek Restaurant (8411 Wornall) is holding its second-annual ugly sweater…
How about this guy making you breakfast? At the rate we’re going, a lot of Kansas City cooks are going to need bigger bookshelves. High-profile food personalities and national chefs have been streaming into the city this year to talk about and hawk their new cookbooks. In the past few months, Alton Brown, Sandra Lee, Martha Stewart, ‘Cake Boss’ Buddy…
All I want for Christmas is a hoverboard and a jetpack / I’ve been a good boy / Is that too much to ask? No. No, it is not, Danny Gibson. You’ve provided us with some amazing free music this year, so we’d like to throw our weight behind your wishes to Santa and hope that Mr. Claus hooks you…
Rachelle Santiago won’t be doing any more social work. Therapist Rachelle Santiago sent a text message to a Fort Riley soldier saying: “You want a crazy bitch, I will be your crazy bitch.” Santiago, 44, was treating a soldier for post-traumatic stress disorder. She began stalking him and his family after the sergeant didn’t return her affection. On Monday, Santiago…
Bourbon Barrel Quad is out tomorrow. Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Bourbon Barrel Quad will be on store shelves tomorrow. Boulevard gave Fat City an early peek at the latest Smokestack release that, at 11 percent, put a crimp into our productivity on Friday afternoon. And I’m glad to report that the return of Boulevard’s BBQ was like an old friend that…
Todd Haley is out. The Chiefs have thrown the bum look-alike out. The team announced this morning that it fired head coach Todd Haley in the middle of his third season coaching the team. “This was a difficult decision but one that we feel is best for the future of the Chiefs. Although there have been bright spots at different…
While interviewing the Embarrassment’s Bill Goffrier last week regarding the recent reissue of the band’s debut single, “Patio Set” b/w “Sex Drive,” the guitarist let us in on some choice details regarding the possibility of further reissues: “There’s more to come, you know. Last Laugh — he’s determined to release the 12-inch EP and then our mini-album, Death Travels West….
Trip Advisor If not more dining, how about more vending? Many of you will fly through Kansas City International Airport in the coming weeks or are just back from the terminals that are as polarizing as the Kansas City Chiefs. And just like stadium food, the odds of you being blown away by something you eat at KCI are not…
Jack Stack gets some love on the national level. Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue found itself on an exclusive list last week in a Forbes Magazine piece. Writer Larry Olmsted (he writes a weekly food column for USA Today called Great American Bites) named his meal at Jack Stack one of his top-10 memorable meals of 2011: Jack Stack is not…
Christopher Sanders allegedly killed a woman who was smoking crack in his motel room. Christopher Sanders is accused of beating Sherilyn Hill to death at Royale Inn before Thanksgiving. Sanders, 35, allegedly hid Hill’s body in the stairwell of the motel near Paseo and Independence Avenue. Hill’s body was discovered December 7. Here’s what court records say happened. A witness…
