Photo by Angela C. Bond Dan Stratman: Ready for takeoff Capt. Dan Stratman had been a Northwest Airlines pilot for two decades when the carrier filed for bankruptcy in 2005. He says Northwest’s financial problems sparked his “entrepreneurial spirit.” “When you realize your whole financial life is dependent on the crazy airline industry,” he says and then pauses, “it motivated…
Chump is the color of Steve Carell. Again. In a starring role that’s just a shade darker than his cheated-on dad in last summer’s paint-by-numbers Crazy Stupid Love, the actor again plays a cuckold trying to sort out midlife-crisis disappointments. This time, however, the Ryan Gosling assist comes courtesy of an Earth-killing asteroid. That’s the deadpan concept of Seeking a…
It is depressing and, at this point, arguably boring to run through the many failures of the city’s revitalization efforts at 18th and Vine. (Search “Pitch 18th and Vine” online if you’re interested in a stroll down memory lane; if you’re feeling especially masochistic, look up The Atlantic Cities’ recent article contrasting the thriving Beale Street in Memphis with KC’s…
With her fiery red hair and her fair skin, Kim Martin-Cotten doesn’t seem like the world’s most natural Cleopatra. But the actress, who takes on the role in the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival’s new production of Antony and Cleopatra, is familiar with the part. “Some years ago, I played Charmian in a production of Antony and Cleopatra at the…
Drop by the reggae tent and you pretty much already know what you’re going to see: white dudes with dreadlocks, some chick in a long earthy dress dancing with her eyes closed, Jamaican-flag color schemes, joints roasting. You also know roughly what you’re going to hear: offbeat rhythmic accents, scratchy upstroked guitars, lazy tempos, lyrics about peace or social injustice,…
My Brothers & Sisters, with Man Bear They don’t do many club gigs, but when they do, My Brothers & Sisters move eyeballs. The brassy roots-pop group, led by Jamie Searle (former frontman of beloved local folk-rock act It’s Over), sprawls out to around 20 members: lots of horns, strings and backup singers. Man Bear, a charming local trio, plays…
Jeff Stehney walked with the hitching gait of a person bound for the airport carrying one too many bags. In each hand he held a soft-sided suitcase stuffed with a 30-pound brisket on ice. He got as far as the car in the driveway of the Roeland Park home he shares with his wife, Joy, before he went back inside…
There aren’t many dining rooms in Kansas City that drip with the milk of human kindness. Café Gratitude is practically swimming in it — along with coconut, hazelnut and almond milk (never cow’s). The first licensed Midwest outpost of the popular California haven for vegan, organic and raw food opened its doors in May, and its attractive serving crew radiates…
Anthony Hawley, ReritesThrough June 23 at Dolphin, 1600 Liberty, 816-842-4415, thedolphingallery.com Anthony Hawley takes over the entire back gallery of the Dolphin with his sprawling installation. He lines the walls with drawings on vellum that feature tiny, manic geometric forms; meandering waves; and energetic, thick black lines that zip to and fro. But the drawing doesn’t stop there: Hawley loops…
The Blue Note just announced that Wilco will be playing a show in Columbia, MO, in a few months, on Sunday, September 16. And Jonathan Richman is opening! I saw Wilco play a show on 9th Street maybe six or seven years ago, and they did a cover of “I Shall Be Released” that gave me goosebumps. I might have…
The rejected TIGER grant leaves a $25 million hole in streetcar funding. KSHB Channel 41’sChris Hernandez and The Kansas City Star are reporting this afternoon that Kansas City will not receive the $25 million TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that would pay for much of the proposed downtown streetcar line. The grant would have funded one-quarter of…
So a new Web series, Living Room, debuted last week, and the first episode features the Embarrassment. Included in the hourlong episode are four music videos, a half-hour live performance, and interviews with members of the influential Wichita post-punk quartet. This is all unseen stuff and fascinatingly entertaining. It’s produced by Demolition Kitchen – the folks behind Lawrence’s cable-access schlockfest…
A Wife Loved Like the Church It’s official. Alamo Drafthouse is coming downtown. On Monday, AMC and Cordish finally broke up for good. They’re no longer going to cooperate to run the AMC Mainstreet theater downtown. AMC said it was coming over to get its stuff at Cordish’s apartment. Cordish obliged with a box stuffed with an undisclosed amount of…
MSNBC AIG will be cutting a $1 million check to Missouri. The bill has come due for the American International Group, Inc. As part of a $146.5 million settlement (including $100 million in fines) over the underreporting of revenue from workers’ compensation insurance premiums, AIG will pay out $1 million to Missouri and $560,329 to Kansas. A four-year multistate investigation…
Fazoli’s Breadstick Express hits the road this Thursday. Fazoli’s is finally catching on to what Olive Garden has known for years: Give the people free breadsticks. The Italian quick-serve chain is sending a breadstick truck cross-country, and Kansas City is one of 15 planned stops on the Summer Breadstick Tour. The drive begins this Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, the home…
Weather Channel On Monday, it got all the way up to 100 degrees in the late afternoon. And it’s going to be miserably hot for a few days. It bears repeating each year when it gets this unbearable that the heat can freaking kill you if you’re not careful. Last summer 40 people in Missouri and 62 people in Kansas…
My Burning Kitchen Why, yes, that is a Fruity Pebbles doughnut. According to Greek myth, it was Prometheus who brought humans fire. The untold portion of the myth is that shortly thereafter, our predecessors dredged a mammoth in flour and then fried it in oil. This is the time of year when state fairs push the limits of of our…
Les Izmore’s video for “The Line (Super Soul)” is smooth. How smooth? Izmore flows so fine, he can take a break to eat an apple in his own video. The track is from the forthcoming Heartfelt Anarchy album he did with producer D/WILL, but if you feel the need to import a copy to your iPod right now, it’s also…
Cold beer, fresh juices and smoked meats are the calling cards at the new Murray’s Tables & Tap There’s a very nice 50-seat patio in back of the new Murray’s Tables & Tap at 12921 State Line, but the weather has been so damn hot, most customers currently prefer to sit inside. “At least until the sun goes down,” says…
The entrepreneurs gather in Kansas City this week. Earlier this morning, One Week KC kicked off earlier today with an event at the Kauffman Foundation. Actually, it’s nine days of events with a goal of making “Kansas City America’s most entrepreneurial city.” Our friends at Silicon Prairie News have compiled a full list of events (see it here). As I…
