Archives: September 2014
Buzz Beach Ball returns this Friday with Arctic Monkeys, Weezer, Ume and more
The long, hot days of summer roll on, and so do the outdoor concerts. Buzz Beach Ball again takes over Sporting Park, and the string of acts assembled is daunting. Arctic Monkeys — whose definitive 2013 full-length, AM, introduced a new phase in the band’s evolution — headlines alongside Weezer, the 1975, the Mowgli’s, Bear Hands, Ume and a half-dozen…
Dozens arrested at Stand Up KC strike at 14th and Prospect
Not much of a lunch rush today for the McDonalds’s drive-thru at 1421 Prospect. Police closed off Prospect between 14th Street and Truman Road (as well as the adjacent Prospect exit on Interstate 70) after hundreds of protesters held a rally demanding $15 an hour and unions for fast-food workers. Stand Up KC, as the group is known locally, was…
Dan Cofran to step down from Citizens Association
As former City Councilman Dan Cofran mulls over a run for mayor, he will resign from the Citizens Association, the political club for which he is the chairman. Cofran tells The Pitch that he has discussed his resignation with other members of the board and plans to make it official some time next week. “While I evaluate this mayoral bid,…
The Breeders played a sold-out show to a captivated audience last night at RecordBar
The Breeders with the Funs RecordBar, Kansas City, Missouri Wednesday, September 3, 2014 “I’ve been waiting 20 years to see this show,” an excited fan said from behind me at RecordBar last night, a few minutes before the Breeders were scheduled to take the stage. She was not alone in this sentiment. The mixed crowd – from young hipsters to…
On Tap: Get a taste of Prairie Artisan Ales, Tallgrass and Local Pig’s beer brats and more
In the next seven days, there will be a lot of sour beers to drink. Bridger’s Bottle Shop is hosting a Day of Sours on Saturday (read more about that here). Flying Saucer’s brewery night highlights Prairie Artisan Ales — including Funky Gold Mosaic — out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. And in the spirit of tailgating season, Tallgrass and Local Pig…
Boulevard’s Za’Tart spiced sour ale hits taps early next week
Boulevard releases its collaboration with Cambridge Brewing Co. early next week: Za’Tart spiced sour ale. Boulevard ambassador brewer Jeremy Danner announced the new beer on the brewery’s website yesterday. The genesis of Za’Tart came about during this year’s Boulevardia festival when Cambridge brewmaster Will Meyers — in town for Boulevardia’s Taps & Tastes beer fest — approached Boulevard about a…
Joyce Manor, Seahaven are at the Jackpot tonight
The title of Joyce Manor’s latest album, Never Hungover Again, sounds like a promise just waiting to be broken. Lead singer Barry Johnson’s singing often gets compared with Morrissey’s, and the angst dial for this California pop-punk ensemble tends to be set on high. Johnson’s lyrics seem continually to inform the listener that he is down and you should kick…
Pioneers Press lawsuit advancing; buy some of its books for a chance to win some free stuff in return
A few weeks back, I profiled Pioneers Press, a group of farm punks who run a radical publishing company in Lansing, Kansas. Since the story ran, there’s been a bit of news from their camp. Positive stuff first: Adam Gnade’s new zine/pamphlet thing, Simple Steps to a Life Less Shitty, is now out. It’s a sort of follow-up to his…
The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde brings her solo tour to the Uptown in November
For the first time ever, Pretenders guitarist Chrissie Hynde is embarking on a solo tour. This is in support of another first for Hynde: a solo album titled Stockholm, which she released in June. That album carries plenty of references to her former band, but on Stockholm, we hear a lighter, more delicate side of Hynde – owed, perhaps, to…
Bill Sundahl celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Crossroads Music Fest this Saturday
The Crossroads Music Fest, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, may just be Kansas City’s longest-running local-music festival, and surely it’s one of KC’s most successful. A big (perhaps the biggest) reason for this is the passion of the festival’s organizer, Bill Sundahl, who does the lion’s share of the booking and promotion. At last count, this year’s fest boasts…
IKEA Merriam gives the media a freshman orientation class
I have friends and co-workers who are so excited about next week’s opening of the Merriam IKEA store — that monumental azure-blue box perched on the eastern side of Interstate 35 and Johnson Drive — that they can barely contain their enthusiasm for the grand opening of the Swedish company’s 40th U.S. location and the very first IKEA in the…
Brandon Howell accused of killing Susan Choucroun, Lorene Hurst and Darrel Hurst
Jackson County prosecutors have accused Brandon Howell of committing Tuesday’s triple homicide. Howell, 34, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder; four counts of armed criminal action; two counts of first-degree assault; and one count each of first-degree burglary, first-offense stealing of a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The homicide victims have been identified as 69-year-old Susan…
Bridger’s Bottle Shop manager Erica Pyles shares her love of funky beers with a Day of Sours on Saturday
Erica Pyles says it was love at first taste. Four years ago, Pyles, the general manager of Bridger’s Bottle Shop, took her first sip of a sour beer — New Belgium’s La Folie — and was hooked. “I remember thinking, ‘This is it — this is what I’m supposed to do,’” says Pyles, a certified cicerone. “I’m supposed to be…
Gelatina sprouts up in a Shawnee gelato shop
At Aunt Jean’s, a gelato and coffee shop in downtown Shawnee, a new dessert item has caused more than a few double takes. The store has started selling “artistic gelatin,” which looks like a palm-sized floral paperweight: a lifelike flower encased in a dome of clear gelatin. “People ask, ‘Is that a real flower or is it plastic?’” says Mayte…
Maroon 5 stops at the Sprint Center in March next year
Whether you’re a fan of Adam Levine or just a fan of his arms, you’ve got the chance to experience both… next year. Yesterday, Maroon 5 announced a world tour in support of its latest album, V. The band stops at the Sprint Center on Saturday, March 21. Tickets are on sale Saturday, September 13, at 10 a.m. here. Categories:…
Folkicide brings all the weird to Davey’s tonight
Listening to Folkicide’s June-released The Meaningless Glare of Broken Human Beings, it’s hard to imagine a sound more at odds with itself. Lead singer Burnie Booth’s voice hovers between monotonous and whiny — a sort of off-key drone that would have been perfectly charming in the late 1990s. Add that to the halfhearted plucking of what sounds like tired strings…
Islands and Teen played to a small, enthusiastic crowd at the Riot Room last night
Islands The Riot Room, Kansas City Tuesday, September 2 Blame it on a Tuesday, blame it on a weeknight after a holiday weekend, but the small crowd for last night’s Islands show was criminal. On a positive note, for the band’s sake, the audience was absolutely enthusiastic. There were no fair-weather fans up front. Everyone was dancing, cheering and absolutely…
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