The Pitch’s 2014 Taste of KC, including its Golden Fork chef competition, took place Thursday, May 22, in the Power & Light District. See photos by Pitch photographer Angela C. Bond.
Sad news just in: The legendary Billy Joe Shaver has canceled a handful of upcoming tour dates due to an inner ear infection and will no longer be headlining the Westport Roots Festival this Saturday. From Shaver’s Facebook page: “Billy Joe Shaver has cancelled his late May dates to recover from an inner ear infection which has made it impossible for…
On the buoyant “Love Letters,” the title track of Metronomy’s latest album, the British four-piece exuberantly announces, over a persistent and punchy drumbeat, the intention to, you know, keep on writing love letters. It’s a promise that permeates the rest of the record, as frontman Joseph Mount’s lyrics improve, and he seems to find all kinds of lovers and friends…
For fans of old school and classic hip hop, there’s a new series going down on the last Sunday of every month at the Firefly Lounge featuring nothing but the good stuff. DJ Ataxic, DJ Platinum and DJ Joc Maxx have combined their powers to form Live PA. They’ve called the series Bring the Noise. We chatted with DJ Ataxic…
The inaugural Westport Roots Fest, centered around the Westport Saloon and taking place on Saturday, May 24, is approaching fast. To prepare for the pending roots romp presented by the good folks at Little Class Records, The Pitch will be highlighting a “song of the day” from one of the featured artists in the weeks leading up to fest. Jim Eaton isn’t doing anything…
Construction on the streetcar “officially” started with Thursday’s groundbreaking on Main Street, but the project’s money train keeps rolling along. Kansas City officials aren’t waiting around to sign contracts with vendors for the streetcar’s expansion outside downtown, even with months remaining before voters have their say about whether the city should move ahead. The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council on…
Riff Raff Liberty Hall, Lawrence Thursday, May 22, 2014 Riff Raff brought his special party train to Liberty Hall last night, and there is something about the 32-year-old Houston native that makes teenage girls want to take their clothes off. Maybe it was the copious amounts of Four Loko he generously poured down the throats of the front row or…
Jackson County officials tried to sell voters in 2007 on the idea that approving a tax hike to build a rolling roof above Arrowhead Stadium could bring a Super Bowl to Kansas City. Voters approved major renovations of Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadium, but the roof idea was too rich for their blood. The decision was a wise one; the National…
Allow me to suggest a tagline for Whim Productions’ season opener, Flowers in the Wardrobe: “No one’s childhood is safe.” The original script, written by local playwright Kevin King, populates C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia with children less family-friendly than the Pevensies: the incestuous Dollangangers of V.C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic. What unfolds is an unapologetically campy mash-up in…
“We danced our asses off.” So says Ren McCormack, the coolest high-schooler in movie history. Coolest because he’s played by Kevin Bacon, who was 25 when he starred in Footloose – old enough to convey with his performance that school dances really are the stuff of Ecclesiastes. The next best thing to a high school dance is, of course, a free…
Republican bigwigs are expected will travel to Kansas City next month to see whether the city is suitable to host the GOP presidential convention in 2016, The Pitch has learned. An announcement has not yet been made, but Kansas City is believed to have made the cut for site selection visits after Cincinnati and Las Vegas fell out of the race. That leaves…
Epitaph Records, a Hollywood record label founded by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz in 1980, has just added a well-known Kansas City name it its roster: Beautiful Bodies. They join the ranks at Epitaph alongside Alkaline Trio, Weezer, Motion City Soundtrack and a slew of other big-hitting bands. The news should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen Beautiful…
Sleep like a true Kansas Citian. The hotel at 801 Westport Road (next door to Westport Flea Market) operated until last year as a faceless, forgettable Holiday Inn Express. That changes today, when 816 Hotel officially opens for business. Hotelier Doug Gamble (formerly of the Q Hotel + Spa, across the street) has partnered with Larry Gates (Rockgate Hospitality) to…
The inaugural Westport Roots Fest, centered around the Westport Saloon and taking place on Saturday, May 24, is approaching fast. To prepare for the pending roots romp presented by the good folks at Little Class Records, The Pitch will be highlighting a “song of the day” from one of the featured artists in the weeks leading up to fest. You will know the Kansas…
You know Billy Joe Shaver’s music, even if you’re not familiar with the 74 year-old’s name. Shaver’s best-known for a song from his 1973 debut, Old Five-and-Dimers Like Me, “I Been to Georgia On A Fast Train,” a song that’s been covered by everyone – Willie Nelson, Commander Cody, and Johnny Cash are just a handful. Shaver is also known…
Russell Bucklew’s execution, originally planned for midnight on Wednesday, may not happen any time soon – if it happens at all. The U.S. Supreme Court delayed the original midnight execution and reviewed arguments from Bucklew’s attorneys and the Missouri attorney general before sending the case back down to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to take another look at the…
