Archives: November 2014

Ferguson grand jury decision on its way; also, ACLU admonishes Lincoln Prep for punishing students who silently protested during Jay Nixon’s speech last week

It has been confirmed that a grand jury has wrapped up its work, and prosecutors will announce late Monday afternoon or evening whether it will indict a Ferguson police officer on criminal charges for the shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old man. Michael Brown was shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9. One witness said Brown’s shooting…

The Drop has a new chef and part owner: Hope Dillon

When the Drop — a combination saloon and bruschetta bistro — opened in late 2006, at 409 East 31st Street, the creative team behind the venue was Ernesto Peralta, Eddie Crane and Josh Eans. None of those men is connected with the Drop today, though. It’s now operated by restaurateur Chris Ridler (Sol Cantina, Zócalo Mexican Cuisine). And now there’s a…

Idina Menzel is at Starlight Theatre in August

If you didn’t fall in love with Idina Menzel back in 2003, when the country was starry-eyed over her performance in Wicked – whatever, maybe you’re not the Broadway type – then let’s hope, at least, that the singer-actress won you over in Disney’s smash hit Frozen, when she voiced one of the lead characters, Elsa. At this point, there’s a…

Loretta Lynn took the packed Uptown Theater to country heaven last night

Loretta Lynn with Nikki Lane Uptown Theater, Kansas City Saturday, November 22 More photos from last night here. There was a moment during Loretta Lynn’s show last night at the Uptown Theater, as she stared, sharp-eyed and grinning, into the sold-out crowd, when she sang “You’re Looking at Country.” It was her second song of the evening, and she did…

Kasey Rausch’s release party for Guitar in Hand captivated the crowd at Knuckleheads last night

Kasey Rausch with Scott Hrabko Knuckleheads, Kansas City, MO Friday, November 21, 2014 Let’s face it: Kansas City songwriters seldom openly share their love for the state of Missouri. When it does happen, it’s even more rare for a county-sized crowd of Missourians to pour that love right back. Originally scheduled for Knuckleheads’ Retro Lounge, Rausch’s release party for her…

Presenting your local 2014 Record Store Day Black Friday guide

There’s some pretty delicious stuff on this Black Friday edition list of Record Store Day exclusives. And if you’re not one of the unfortunate souls camping outside of Macy’s in the wee hours on Friday, November 28, well, maybe try your luck in one of the local record stores. (You’ll probably have a bit more in common with your fellow…

CBE Hall Of Fame Classic Travel Guide

The Championship rounds of the annual CBE Hall of Fame Classic will be taking place Monday and Tuesday evening at the Sprint Center here in Kansas City. The opening matchup take place at 6:00PM Monday night and will be the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Maryland Terrapins, immediately followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Iowa State Cyclones….

Internet sensation Kawehi has her first Kansas City show at Davey’s Uptown on Saturday

Back in March, Kawehi – a Hawaiian-born singer-songwriter who relocated to Lawrence in June 2012 – nearly broke the Internet with her cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.” Seated at her large dining-room table and surrounded by a very large glass of wine and a rather simple setup, Kawehi belted out Cobain’s famous lyrics over a melody that she created…

Will any of KC’s predatory online lenders go to prison? They might

On Wednesday, Michael Levitis, owner of a New York debt-settlement company called Mission Settlement Agency, was sentenced to nine years in prison for a financial scheme that defrauded 1,200 customers. It was the first criminal conviction for an investigation referred by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Reuters reports. Created in 2010, the CFPB is a federal agency that patrols the world of…

WWE Survivor Series Tickets Compared To Past St. Louis WWE Events

With WWE’s annual Fall classic, Survivor Series coming to the Scottrade Center this Sunday, the ticket gurus at TiqIQ.com have decided to see how it’s secondary market demand stacks up with other WWE events in St. Louis. Survivor Series 2014 is the least expensive WWE Pay-Per-View event filmed in St. Louis over the past 4 years. The average asking prices…

Attention, local bands: These venues want to book you in December

December is a notoriously slow concert month (bested, perhaps, only by January), so it’s understandable that a few local venues have some extra space to fill. This week, Westport concert house RecordBar and midtown punk haven Vandals have put the call out on social media for local bands that can fill a room with a handful of friends.  (LOL, that’s…

Riff Raff returns to the Riot Room in December

That’s right. Riff Raff is coming back. It almost feels like he can’t stay away. Lucky us. On Wednesday, December 3, hip-hop’s oddest star rolls back into the Riot Room. He came through the same venue a year ago, but oh, the memory of him is still fresh.  Here’s the new video for Riff Raff’s “TiP TOE WiNG iN MY…

KC Bier Co. releases Winterbock, Big Rip unleashes Pennywise Sweet Potato Ale and more beer events

Thursday, November 20Chocolate, Cheese and Ale tasting, at 75th Street Brewery (520 West 75th Street), tickets $30 in advance, 6–9 p.m. Defiance Brewing Co. tasting, at Hy-Vee (310 Southwest Ward Road, Lee’s Summit), 5 p.m. Martin City Brewing Co. launch party, at Grain to Glass (1611 Swift, North Kansas City), 6:30–8 p.m. Pennywise Sweet Potato Ale tapping, at the Big…

Garth Brooks Heading To St. Louis Next Month

Legendary country music singer Garth Brooks has ended his hiatus from releasing new music as his ninth studio album “Man Against Machine” was finally released earlier this month with the lead single off the album released in September. It had been 13 years since Brooks’ last album and fans of the country singer had to wait seven years for his…

Here’s former Star columnist Steve Penn’s refiled defamation lawsuit against the paper

Those interested in media-industry sausage making (guilty!) may recall the firing of Kansas City Star columnist Steve Penn, in 2011, for plagiarism. Penn was caught lifting entire sentences and phrases from press releases and dropping them into his columns. Penn later filed a defamation lawsuit against the Star, claiming that his copy-and-pasting was a widespread practice at the paper, and…