Archives: September 2015

A&E, Art

KC Repertory Theatre puts it all together at the Nelson

Scott Wilson,

%{}% The Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s season-opening production of Sunday in the Park With George delivers deux doses of art. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical — a beloved Pulitzer Prize winner that takes as its canvas the painter Georges Seurat and his instantly recognizable pointillism picnic, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” — is being…

News

Shriners coming back to Kansas City for their big convention in 2020

Steve Vockrodt,

%{}% Fez hats and little cars will descend on Kansas City for five days in the middle of the 2020 summer. City leaders announced on Thursday that Shriners International, a philanthropic group made conspicuous by unique burgundy hats, will bring an estimated 20,000 members to town for its Imperial Session July 5-9, 2020. The Shriners, a fraternal order that got…
Music

The Kansas City Symphony kicks off the new concert season with ‘Classics Uncorked: Made in America’ on Friday

Natalie Gallagher,

The Kansas City Symphony kicks off its 2015-16 concert season tomorrow night with a show from its Classics Uncorked series called “Made in America.” Conductor Aram Demirjian leads the program, which will feature music from Bernstein’s West Side Story, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, John Adams’ Lollapalooza and several other classics.  All seats cost $25 or $35, and included in the…
News

Madonna announces more Rebel Heart tour dates, skips Kansas City

Natalie Gallagher,

In a press release this morning, Madonna has announced a slew of more dates in her seemingly endless world tour in support of her latest album, March’s Rebel Heart. But in the latest batch of dates stretching well into 2016, the Queen of Pop is noticeably skipping one very worthy market: our own Kansas City — and, in fact, all…

News

Picnique Belgique dinner, Brookside Wine & Spirits Block Party, Sour Beer Week at Flying Saucer and more

Justin Kendall,

%{}% THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 
 Rye IPA release party, at Border Brewing Co. (406 E. 18th St.) , 4–9 p.m. Firestone Walker Double DBA tapping, at Flying Saucer (101 E. 13th St.), 7 p.m. Boulevard six-course IPA dinner at J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood (8901 Metcalf, Overland Park, 913-642-8070), 6 p.m. Call 913-642-8070 for reservations.  FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 
Sierra Nevada…
Dining, Food & Drink

Kansas City is the fourth-hottest city for start-ups besides New York and San Francisco, and more local clickbait garbage from August

David Hudnall,

We have discussed before the profound irrelevance of Internet lists about cities. Few rely on primary reporting, most use thin statistics interpreted by unqualified writers (some don’t even use statistics) and all are intent on soaking up your homerism and converting it into advertising revenue. Worst of all, supposedly legitimate media operations, desperate for the very same advertising revenue, post…
News

Going feetfirst into Westport’s Run 816

Angela Lutz,

%{}% It seems ridiculous to walk into a running-shoe store and say you aren’t there to buy running shoes, but that’s exactly what I did the first time I visited Run 816 in Westport (304 Westport Road). “I need new gym shoes,” I told Nick Pigg, who co-owns the four-month-old boutique with his wife, Tracy. “But I hate running.” I…

Lauren Leduc talks opening Karma Tribe Yoga, not apologizing anymore, doing yoga on Mars and more in The Pitch Questionnaire

Justin Kendall,

%{}% Name: Lauren Leduc Occupation: Yoga teacher, founder of Karma Tribe Yoga and Pop-Up Yoga KC Twitter handle: @PopUpYogaKC Hometown: I grew up in Lee’s Summit, moved to Chicago and Tampa, and am now back (with pride) in Kansas City. Current neighborhood: I just moved from Valentine to Manheim Park. I am in love with all of the culturally rich…

A&E, Stage

The nuclear family branches out in The Oldest Boy

Deborah Hirsch,

%{}% %{}% At a time when helicopter parents continue to hover over their kids at college, playwright Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy has a refreshingly different flight plan. Beyond offering views of the parent-child relationship, the play, directed by Cynthia Levin at the Unicorn Theatre, takes a look at how we attach to — and detach from — one another…
Music

Prairie Village Jazz Festival, at Harmon Park

Larry Kopitnik,

Normally, you would see the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra performing within the elegant confines of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts — though you might not find them accompanied by tap dancers there. Saturday’s Prairie Village Jazz Festival pairs today’s premier Kansas City big band, led by music director Clint Ashlock, with tapping brothers Lonnie and Ronnie McFadden for…
Music

Music Forecast 9.10-9.16: Ratatat, Albert Hammond Jr., Prinze George, Diet Cig, Hozier, and Second Hand King

Natalie Gallagher,

%{}% Ratatat Ratatat’s Mike Stroud and Evan Mast are two electro-rock peas in the same nerdy pod. The duo’s latest release, Magnifique, comes five years after its excellent — if slightly overwrought — LP4. This time around, the guys have simplified their cause. Gone are the excessive instruments that cluttered previous releases. Magnifique relies on squealing electric guitars, bone-rattling reverb…

Music

Bill Sundahl discusses his favorite pet project: the Crossroads Music Fest

Natalie Gallagher,

%{}% %{}% Bill Sundahl has his hands on a lot of turntables, figuratively speaking. That’s not surprising, given his position as the special events and volunteer coordinator for community-radio station KKFI 90.1. But what cranks his heart up to 45 rpm is the Crossroads Music Festival, the annual event that he dreamed up in 2004 and has organized since. This…

Music

Whatever you want to say about Wet Ones, they’ve beat you to the punch

Natalie Gallagher,

%{}% %{}% Yeah, I’m a shithead, and I can’t get anything I want, and I have no one, begins the transparently titled Wet Ones song “I’m a Shithead.” It’s one of nearly 20 tracks logged on the band’s SoundCloud page, among the equally volatile “Get Me Off,” “Thumbs Down Syndrome” and “I Live Life Reckless.” “Most of our stuff is…
News

For once, things are looking up for the beleaguered 18th & Vine District

Steve Vockrodt,

At long last, Kansas City’s perpetually floundering 18th & Vine District — which seemed to endure another setback when American Jazz Museum CEO Greg Carroll abruptly resigned in July, amid political turmoil — may be headed for something of a revival. City, state and federal officials are working with Major League Baseball to develop a portion of Parade Park, immediately…
News

Bankruptcy ain’t so bad for Kansans of a certain class

David Hudnall,

%{}% If a person who owns a million-dollar home files for personal bankruptcy, it seems only logical that he or she would be legally obliged to sell that home, find more modest accommodations, and use proceeds from the sale to repay creditors. Not in Kansas. The Sunflower State is one of seven in which the bankruptcy laws provide unlimited homestead…
News

Pipeline Productions announces cancellation of Phases of the Moon Music & Art Festival, offers ticket refunds

Natalie Gallagher,

Storm clouds seem to be gathering over the relationship between local booking agency Pipeline Productions and Ozark, Arkansas, venue Mulberry Mountain. On June 13, Pipeline announced the cancellation of country music festival Thunder on the Mountain, which was scheduled to take place at Mulberry Mountain from June 26-28. Then, on September 1, the Phases of the Moon Music & Art…
News

KCMO Airport Committee tours KCI; not much is learned

Steve Vockrodt,

Kansas City Councilman Dan Fowler won’t say if he’s leaning one way or another when it comes to the future of Kansas City International Airport. “Cost will be the driver,” Fowler said after he joined fellow council members and others on a two-hour tour of KCI on Tuesday morning. But costs associated with reshaping KCI remain elusive. In the six…
News

Captain Kirk stands up for Kansas State marching band in Starship Enterprise vs. phallus debate

Justin Kendall,

Captain Kirk has finally weighed in on the Kansas State marching band penis vs. Starship Enterprise debate. William Shatner is telling Big 12 Conference leaders to get their minds out of the gutter. Shatner came to Kansas State University’s defense today on Twitter as the university announced self-imposed sanctions, including a $5,000 penalty for violating the Big 12’s sportsmanship policy,…

Chiefs Hoping Addition Of Maclin Leads To Success, Start Season On Road In Houston

Nick Tranfaglia,

While they finished with a respectable 9-7 record last season, the Kansas City Chiefs also concluded the campaign with some well-documented futility, becoming the first NFL team since the merger in 1970 to finish a year with zero touchdown receptions from any of their wide receivers. With the signing of Jeremy Maclin this past offseason, however, that may change everything,…