Nick Spacek Just hanging around. While I’m aware there’d been bands playing since noon in Westport, we’d opted to get chores and homework done. So, yeah – bad music fans, responsible adults. We started the last night of Middle of the Map right before 6:00 p.m., allowing us a chance to sneak some caffeine right before we got going. Categories:…
Nick Spacek Most of the shows were spent with this view. After the first full day of shows at Middle of the Map, I have a few words about show-going etiquette. First of all, if you’re seeing a band with acoustic instrumentation, accept the fact that things get quiet. This needs to include you. No electrically-powered instruments mean that the…
A 16-year-old girl is the latest homicide victim in KCMO. Sholanda Jackson was just 16. She was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon. Sadly, the killing hasn’t slowed down (more on that later). Jackson’s body was found in the doorway to a convenience store at 51st and Walrond around 2:45 p.m. Witnesses told police that Jackson was shot outside of the…
Only 272 Park Hill voters were on Team Edward this week. In a Pitch story that ran at the end of March, Park Hill School Board candidate Edward Stephens advocated for children being taught more about white history than black and American Indian history. And, the blunt 24-year-old electrical engineer said, “There is a link between the races and the…
Michelle Preston is expected to get probation. Michelle Preston, the former Shawnee Mission West teacher accused last year of having sexual encounters with students, pleaded guilty on Thursday. The accusations first arose in March 2011. Then things got weird. On the day she was charged, the 28-year-old psychology and geography teacher, was injured after the car she was driving went…
Petro America continues to unravel. Allen Collins pleaded guilty to playing a role in a $7.2 million securities fraud on Thursday, becoming the fourth defendant in the minister-led Petro America scam to do so. Collins banked at least $172,774 by selling Petro stock to at least 57 investors. Petro also paid him $13,300 in consulting fees and other payments. Collins…
Nick Spacek We hit the road from Lawrence to Kansas City last night after a bit of confusion – confusion as to whether I was home or not, confusion as to whether or not we were even getting into the Record Bar show, and confusion as to whether or not the exit to I70 was going to be blocked by…
Ranch is the “new ketchup,” according to Hidden Valley. I’m not saying that folks are addicted to ranch dressing in Kansas City. I’m just saying this is the first city I’ve lived in where there’s a checkbox for ranch consumption, alongside whether I’ve smoked or taken drugs in the past 12 months, on my doctor’s intake forms. And apparently, it’s…
The saying “change is good” is, most often, a load. But sometimes in the midst of that stinking load, a new concept buds, then grows into something pretty sweet. School of Seven Bells’ Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis are familiar with how change and upheaval affects music and songwriting. Since the band’s inception, the remaining Bells have weathered grueling tour…
Local rap favorite Joe Good quit the game nearly five years ago, but his work on his own and with beatmaker Miles Bonny still stands as some of the best in memory. If you haven’t before, check out Good’s 2006 effort, “Hi, May I Help You?” and you’ll hear everything you need to, including the classic KC sassy Gates’ Bar-B-Q…
The City Council put the kibosh on the Peace Planters’ ballot measure. The City Council of Kansas City voted Thursday on a ballot initiative, put together by the Kansas City Peace Planters, that would bar the city from having its finances involved with future nuclear weapons plants. The vote was 12-1 to keep the measure off the August ballot, with…
Angela C. Bond Flan by the forkful at El Porton Cafe. In this week’s review, Charles Ferruzza discovered a righteous Cuban sandwich and had a dining companion mash-up the crab cakes and an avocado salad with outstanding results at El Porton Cafe in Johnson County. As for owner and chef Jose Garcia, Ferruzza explains why he’ll have you hot under…
It’s like the buffet just rolls on up to you. The food trucks are back, eaters. The Truck Stop in the Crossroads (21st Street and Wyandotte) returns for First Friday after a winter hiatus. The gathering of food trucks in a semicircle around a collection of picnic tables from 6 to 11 p.m. will feature a collection of savory and…
This Sunday will be the final day of business for Mama’s 39th Street Diner. Everyone was special at Mama’s 39th Street Diner. Easter Sunday will be the final day of business for Mama’s 39th Street Diner, the tidy little breakfast-and-luncheonette located in the old Nichols Lunch building at 3906 Waddell. “They told us that they just don’t have the money…
Plenty of local acts have come up with creative ways of promoting their music over the years: playing shows in odd venues, viral videos, throwing their name on any promotional item that’ll have it. However, I think South Sea Island Magic’s Gavin Snider might be the first musician to make a webcomic for one of his songs. Check out this…
Letters to Jia Can love really change the taste of food? Chefs have made entire careers out of saying “love” is the secret ingredient in their food. For recent examples, see Carla Hall and Art Smith. Noted food writer Michael Ruhlman recently visited Animal in Los Angeles and, in his attempt to codify his dining experience to his server, said…
Teva Neuroscience is jumping across State Line. Missouri and Kansas may no longer battle on the hardwood or gridiron, but the local competition for business is as fierce as ever. The Kansas City Star reports that Teva Neuroscience will be moving its headquarters, along with 400 jobs, from Kansas City to Overland Park. While Teva stated that financial incentives were…
YumYumForMyTumTum Chili’s baby back ribs will soon be back at the Legends. If you’ve driven by 1710 Village West Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas, and thought, ‘Hey, didn’t that used to be a Chili’s,’ then you’re in for a serious case of deja vu. The Kansas City Star reports that the former home of Chili’s Grill & Bar will again…
If you enjoy artists who blend seemingly diverse yet oddly connected musical genres with sprightly performance art, you may dig Beats Antique. The eclectic trio mixes live electronica, world, roots and brass-band music with professional belly dancing. Members David Satori and Tommy Cappel are classically trained musicians. Zoe Jakes is the group’s dancer. She trained at Miles Copeland’s Bellydance Superstars…
Click here for a guide to the First Friday events.
Back to life/Back to reality/However do you want me? Soul II Soul back in the ’90s, and let’s get back to basics. From which script is each sign reading? What are the basic question(s) each sign asks itself? Element and Improvisational skill level: Fire (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius): Identity and dignity inspire them to be all they can be. Earth…
After briefly introducing the musical program for the night, Philip Glass sat in front of a grand Steinway piano and began playing with absolutely zero fuss – no adjusting, no knuckle-cracking, no nothing. While certainly everyone in Helzberg Hall was impressed with the virtuosity that unfolded over the next 90-or-so minutes, no one was surprised: Glass is not just world-renowned…
El Porton Cafe is bringing South and Central American dishes to Johnson County. Photos by Angela C. Bond.
Sassy Peach in the City This is how we should all lift weights. Alcohol may make you do a lot of stupid things, but a bit of poor decision making after a night of drinking pales in comparison with the alcohol-themed businesses that seem like the unlikely realization of cocktail-napkin dreams. Case in point: “wet workouts,” by Uplift in New…
