Archives: December 2013
The University of Missouri has a new chancellor, and he’s from Texas A&M
New sheriff in Columbia. Back in June, University of Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton announced that he would be stepping down later in the year. Today, the school announced his replacement: R. Bowen Loftin, who will leave his post as president of Texas A&M in January to pick up the reins in Columbia. Deaton departs after nine years in the position,…
This Friday, the Infamous Stringdusters are bringing new-fashioned bluegrass to Liberty Hall
The Infamous Stringdusters are not your granddaddy’s bluegrass band. On a surface level, the Nashville five-piece seems very unassuming – with Dobro, fiddle, banjo, guitar and upright bass – and the band’s songs initially don’t seem to stretch the genre. A closer listen, though – or a Stringdusters concert experience – and your eyes (and ears) will be opened. The…
The Caves, Knife Crime and Sona take over Davey’s Uptown this Friday
Somewhere between dream pop and psychedelic folk, between stargazing and daydreaming, local indie darlings the Caves exist, and that’s what they’ll be bringing to Davey’s Uptown tomorrow night. Last year’s full-length, Duplexiaville, was a glittering nugget of precious, easygoing tracks that seem to take the listener by the hand and gently lead him or her to a field of butterflies and…
Jazz Beat: Gerald Spaits Quartet featuring Charles Perkins, at the Blue Room
Charles Perkins’ alto sax has soared since standing out in the 1980s’ New Breed Orchestra. Whether quoting, note for note, a Charlie Parker solo or rapidly weaving in and out of his own smartly conceived, complex lines, Perkins has always been worth seeking out. Then there’s Gerald Spaits, a musician whom other musicians seek out. You might find the versatile…
The KC Symphony’s Classics Uncorked series pops open for everyone
The Kansas City Symphony welcomes everyone — even the MTV generation. So says Aram Demirjian, the symphony’s associate conductor, who believes that classical music isn’t as exclusive as its reputation. Demirjian, 27, joined the symphony a little less than two years ago, and he has quickly worked to create a more approachable symphony experience. Last year, he helped introduce Classics…
Treachery, revenge and blood: The Murder Ballad Ball is back
A night filled with intrigue, vengeance and homicide. Acts committed by characters with dubious pasts and shady motives. Blood on the walls. Kris Bruders means to deliver all this at the Murder Ballad Ball, December 6 and 7, at the Living Room Theatre. Now in its fifth year, the event unites varied musical allegiances in what Bruders considers a celebration…
Music Forecast December 5-11: Hunter Hayes, the Infamous Stringdusters, Drake, the Lonely Biscuits, and more
The Infamous Stringdusters The Infamous Stringdusters are not your granddaddy’s bluegrass band. The Nashville five-piece seems unassuming on the surface — Dobro, fiddle, banjo, guitar, upright bass — and the band’s songs don’t seem to stretch the genre. But take a closer listen or experience a Stringdusters concert, and your eyes — and ears — will open to a new…
Out of the Furnace
Is Forest Whitaker doing Christian Bale’s Batman voice back at him? And whose idea was the Buford T. Justice pencil-thin? Whitaker, playing a small-town lawman, isn’t onscreen much in Out of the Furnace, a slow, predictable drip of biblical portent, Pennsylvania-mill-country grit and generic revenge tropes in search of narrative momentum. He growls nobly, stands by while Zoe Saldana says…
Sake Lounge dances into Olathe
My ship came in last week. It was a wooden boat on wheels, maybe a foot long, with a green, battery-operated light. Its cargo: five sushi rolls. OK, so we’re not talking about the kind of vessel that inspires songs like Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin’s “My Ship,” but the scale was perfectly fine for that night’s soundtrack: Britney Spears’…
New, Four rounds up interesting pieces by Art Institute faculty
What do Sid Vicious, America’s Got Talent and rhinestone undies have in common? More than you might think. Pop culture and panties converge at the H&R Block Artspace this month in New, Four, a biennial exhibition featuring 17 artists who have joined the Kansas City Art Institute faculty within the past three years. Group shows can be tough to collate,…
ShotTracker co-founders Davyeon Ross and Bruce Ianni answer The Pitch‘s questionnaire
Hometown Ross: Trinidad and Tobago Ianni: Cleveland Current neighborhoodRoss: Overland Park Ianni: Mission Hills What I do (in 140 characters) Ross: Entrepreneur. Every day brings an opportunity to be creative, innovate and solve complex problems. Ianni: I date my wife, Maria; do Crossfit at Boot Camp Fitness at 6 a.m. M-F (when I am in town); help coach my son’s…
Six options to satisfy the sweet tooth of your holiday-party guests
Hosting holiday parties can be more stressful than fun. But don’t freak out. You can have both your holiday spirit and your sanity by calling in reinforcements to help with dessert. These six local bakeries offer catering options that are sure to leave your guests in blissful sugar comas – and relax your nerves. Best Regards Bakery & Café 6759…
Arrowhead Stadium death ruled a homicide
The Jackson County Medical Examiner hasn’t determined exactly what killed Kyle Van Winkle, the man who died at Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lot on Sunday, but it knows enough that the death has been ruled a homicide. The Kansas City Police Department said on Wednesday that it is continuing to investigate Van Winkle’s death as a homicide, although no suspects are…
Jeff Tweedy delighted his fans last night at the Uptown
April Fleming While a horde of semi-trucks were required to bring in the massive stage and sound construction for Kanye West and his giant performance at the Sprint Center last night, Jeff Tweedy took the opposite route and kept it simple, bringing only himself and two acoustic guitars to the Uptown. Of the many shows I’ve been to at the…
A pair of art-centered holiday sales keep you out of the mall
Four months ago, a handful of textile lovers emerged from their basements and other isolated work spaces in the name of collaboration. They began dyeing, sewing, knitting, quilting and crafting inside a historic warehouseturned loft. This weekend, 11 of these artists, all part of the Kansas City Textile Studio, display their creations in a holiday sale at the Leedy-Voulkos Arts…
A lawsuit claiming that a staffer at a Chillicothe hospital was killing patients presses on
Was a staff member at the Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Missouri, trying to kill sick people? That’s the question that former Hedrick emergency-room physician Cal Greenlaw faced the evening of February 18, 2002, as he attempted to save the life of a patient. Greenlaw could find no good explanation for the cardiovascular collapse and bizarre blood-sugar levels that he…
Milwaukee’s Twin Brother is at RecordBar tonight
The core of Milwaukee’s Twin Brother – singer-songwriter and guitarist Sean Raasch and drummer Tyler Nelson – previously performed as a duo under the rather uninspiring name Jackraasch. Raasch and Nelson haven’t so much reinvented that act as expanded on it. Twin Brother’s self-titled debut still pushes the same gentle, moody folk-rock, now with a bass player. Such songs as…
Chiefs lineman Jeff Allen tackles RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack
Jeff Allen’s eyes drift to the TV above the bar at RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack (5835 Lamar, in Mission). His eyes lock on ESPN’s update on his injured teammates, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. “He’s all right,” Allen says of Hali. He says he expects Hali to play in Sunday afternoon’s showdown with AFC West rivals the Denver Broncos. “I don’t…
The Sake Lounge
The Sake Lounge is the latest Charles Ferruzza review. Here’s a look at the Olathe restaurant, courtesy of Pitch photographer Angela C. Bond.
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