Stik Figa Is Not Quite Himself by Stik Figa
In a lengthy and complicated ruling, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied new trials requested by Rod Anderson and two others convicted of burning down the Hereford House in 2008. Anderson, the well-known restaurateur, was convicted in 2012 of conspiring with Mark Sorrentino and Vincent Pisciotta to torch the downtown steakhouse. Federal prosecutors claimed that Anderson, facing mounting financial…
There are people, I’m sure of it, who haven’t played the video arcade game Tron — named for the 1982 Walt Disney film of the same name — since it was first introduced to mall arcade centers more than 33 years ago. But if you’ve got a quarter, you can play it again Friday when Up Down, the adult arcade…
Farmers’ Ball, the annual battle of the bands sponsored by the University of Kansas’ student-run radio station, KJHK, celebrates 21 years with this Saturday’s preliminary competition at the Bottleneck. But for an event with so much history, it’s kinda hard to find video footage of many of the past performers. KJHK’s started to rectify that with their “Live at KJHK” webseries,…
Recreational marijuana hasn’t been legal very long in Colorado, but it’s already a huge business, an example of how other states might look over the next decade — and an interesting challenge when it comes to journalistic coverage. Rolling Papers, a new documentary by Mitch Dickman — a onetime Sedalia resident relocated to Colorado — follows how The Denver Post…
Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout owners Josh and Abbey-Jo Eans have 65 hours or so to raise $1,530. That’s what’s left unpledged in their Kickstarter campaign to raise $37,000, so they can turn the garage behind their Columbus Park restaurant into the Columbus Park Ramen Shop. And an event Friday night should push the project into the black, allowing construction…
Just the other day, I was telling a story from back in the early days of the Internet, when I was but a tween, or perhaps a young teen, attempting to print some sexy photos that I had downloaded on the family computer. By today’s standards, these photos would rate as quaint, but in my memory they were very titillating….
Now that the national day of taxes and sadness is over, there’s probably a good deal of us who could use a drink (lookin’ at you, CPAs). If you like wine and live in Kansas, there’s some good news coming your way: Wines from Amigoni Urban Winery – located in Kansas City’s West Bottoms since 2008 – will soon be…
This year’s Kansas City FilmFest is going back in time with the man who made time travel in a DeLorean cool. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future, co-screenwriter and producer Bob Gale is presenting a new Digital Cinema Package 2K version of the film at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Cinemark Palace on the…
Should you ever wonder about the power of youth and online voting, look no further than the eight semi-finalists for KJHK and Student Union Activities’ Farmers’ Ball. The annual battle of the bands ended voting earlier this week, winnowing 16 local bands and musicians to the eight performing at the Bottleneck next Saturday, April 18. Performing for nearly $4000 in…
Good news for local musicians and aspiring artists: Instrument retailer Guitar Center is opening tomorrow at 9188 NW Skyview Avenue, its 267th location. The grand opening takes places on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m., with a live in-store performance from local U2 cover band Rattle & Hum. The grand opening will also feature gear giveaways, free on-site lessons and guitar…
Thursday, April 16Brew for Books 2015, with Waldo pizza, music by John Goolsby and all-you-can-drink Boulevard beer, at Boulevard (2501 Southwest Blvd.), $30, 5:30–9:30 p.m. Get a discounted ticket by bringing a new or gently used book for children under the age of 5. Torn Label Long Time Comin’ Russian Imperial Stout tapping and brewers table pairings, at Flying Saucer…
Ahh, Record Store Day: The day vinyl nerds, audiophiles and all music lovers unite under one noble banner. We don’t want you to miss anything, so we’ve rounded up the players Here’s what’s happening locally on RSD, Saturday, April 18. Love Garden Sounds 822 Massachusetts, Lawrence Store opens at 10 a.m. Special offers include 25 percent off all Love Garden…
Clay Chastain’s defeat at the polls on April 7 isn’t keeping the Virginia man out of Kansas City politics, after all. Chastain, who finished last in the three-candidate primary last week, called out Kansas City Mayor Sly James for “yet another unethical act for personal advantage” in an e-mail sent Tuesday to local media. In it, he claims that James…
For Hayley Besheer, underwear is about more than just feeling sexy. The 26-year-old creator of MADI Apparel knows that an unrivaled pair of underpants can boost a woman’s confidence as much as a great haircut or a signature lipstick shade. “Making women feel great about themselves is one of the main things we support,” Besheer said when I met with…
Rachel Freeman does not come across as a shy woman. She’s got a throaty voice, and it gives way to a deep laugh that pushes out of smiling lips usually painted a striking red. She’s excellent at giving side-eye, but she is also – like any bartender worth her salt – completely relatable. Freeman’s drinks are also not what you’d…
Now that Kansas City’s historic Country Club Plaza has become a magnet for chain restaurants of every stripe, from unabashedly expensive (the Capital Grille) to modestly priced fast-casual venues, there’s something familiar — as in, standard-issue eateries seen in lots and lots of other American shopping centers — for every hungry diner strolling through the once-visionary complex created by the…
Twin Shadow Anyone who came of age in the 1980s will recognize the sounds on George Lewis Jr.’s latest full-length, Eclipse. It’s a synth-tastic expedition of that decade’s pearls — from the epic drum parts falling like ground-shaking footsteps to the melodramatic our-love-versus-the-world lyrics. Lewis, who performs as Twin Shadow, has the sort of high-fructose, power-pop voice that lends credence…
Renowned pianist and composer Stan Kenton said his orchestras played “progressive jazz.” These compositions weren’t jazz like what grew out of Kansas City. Kenton experimented. From the 1940s through the 1970s, his big-band music was known for advanced harmonies performed with power, and it remains among the most respected in jazz. Locally, for more than a decade, Kansas City Jazz…
Technically, Randy Raley is a classic-rock DJ, even if he’s not entirely sure what makes a rock song classic. But why ponder the semantics? Whatever people want to call his brand-new radio show on KKFI 90.1 is fine with him. The point of The Time Machine is to deliver a good time from 6 to 8 a.m. every Thursday. The…
Monday nights at the Union in Westport are not like other nights in this bar. Usually, the place operates as a happy neighborhood hatchery of drunken dancing and antics, the basement-level space fostering more body heat than a middle school gym class. Not Mondays, though. On those evenings, there’s no cover, and there’s a pretty dependable lineup of local bands….
