Saturday at Knuckleheads, community-radio station KKFI 90.1 celebrates the 15th anniversary of its Blues Kitchen program with a hefty lineup. Mary Bridget Davies is a dead ringer for Janis Joplin — she has toured with Big Brother and the Holding Company — and whether she’s reviving “Piece of My Heart” or performing an original, you can expect the goosebumps to…
It’s a difficult decision, but sometimes you just have to commit: Will it be polnjene paprike for dinner or sarma? At Saturday’s sixth annual Slovenefest in Kansas City, Kansas, the choice will be easy. You can get one or the other or do what I’m planning to do and splurge and have both the polnjene paprike (stuffed peppers) and the…
%{}% Lykke Li’s new full-length is a singularly heartbreaking experience. Written in the wake of a devastating breakup — the dissolution of the relationship for which the then-26-year-old singer-songwriter relocated from her native Sweden to Los Angeles — the songs on I Never Learn drop like petals off a dying flower. The titles alone tell the tale: “Never Gonna Love…
On a trip to Israel in 2011, Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder got all turnt up and went skinny-dipping in the Sea of Galilee. Wild times! Then the press found out about it, and he had to apologize. Was it as embarrassing as that time he made a campaign video where his nieces and nephews posed as his children, because he didn’t…
The most delightful mom-and-son duo that we know is Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, an Independence act that you’ve probably never heard of, but won’t forget once you’ve heard ’em. Now, thanks to an exalting review in Rolling Stone, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear are getting a little more attention of late. Adam Gold from Rolling Stone caught the…
The Head and the Heart The Midland, Kansas City Wednesday, September 24 There’s always been something about the Head and the Heart that elevated them above similarly-grouped bands like the Lumineers or Mumford and Sons. Their energetic and uplifting folk has always seemed more genuine, for some reason. It might be as simple as the stamp of approval given them…
Our public schools need more faculty members who are willing to go the extra mile for students, whether it’s lending an ear in a time of need or spending a few minutes after class to go over the day’s lesson. Hell, when the situation calls for it, sometimes an educator should even add a student to his personal cell-phone plan…
Since 2009, bassist Mike Watt — legendary founder of Minutemen, Firehose and Dos; fill-in bassist for the reformed Stooges; veteran of Ciccone Youth — has devoted himself to a project that at first sounds odd. With Italian guitarist Stefano Pilia and drummer Andrea Belfi, he has designed what he calls a “power trio” in Il Sogno del Marinaio (Italian for…
The Kansas City Chiefs rebounded with a big win last week, recovering from an 0-2 start to enter Week 3 with a 1-2 mark. Now they get the New England Patriots at home in what could be a make or break game early in the year. Add together the hype, intense matchup and the fact that this showdown is featured…
%{}% When recalcitrant Kansas governmental agencies can’t fend off public-information requests with one of the many exemptions under the Kansas Open Records Act, a preferred tactic for avoiding disclosure is charging outlandish fees to retrieve sought-after documents. A University of Kansas student learned this lesson recently when she asked to see documentation reflecting one of its business-school professor’s financial ties…
Eleven years after California Pizza Kitchen opened on the Country Club Plaza in a space formerly occupied by the original Houlihan’s Old Place, the casual-dining restaurant is closing. “Our last day of business will be September 28,” said a manager, who would not confirm any more details about the restaurant’s closing. The California Pizza Kitchen in Leawood at 11655 Ash…
This is the week you drink all of the beer. The next seven days are loaded with anniversary parties (Cinder Block’s first birthday and Barley’s Brewhaus’ 19th anniversary, with the latter kicking off a month of events), Oktoberfests (Grünauer and KC Bier Co. go traditional) and KC Beer Fest. Oh, and mini-golf. You’re going to want to pace yourself. But…
It has been a dramatic year for the Hamburger Mary’s franchises in Missouri. Earlier this month, the two-year-old Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in St. Louis closed after the venue’s landlord lost the building in foreclosure. (The owners reportedly are looking for a new location.) Closer to home, the owners of the five-year-old Hamburger Mary’s in the Crossroads — Jeff Edmondson and…
Kansas Citians know well enough how badass Tech N9ne is, but it’s always nice to see the underground star getting his dues outside of his loyal hometown fans. Yesterday, Forbes released its list of 2014’s Hip-Hop Cash Kings, and tying for 16th place – along with Ludacris, Swizz Beatz and 50 Cent – was our own Tech. According to Forbes,…
