Archives: May 2019

It’s time to stop that ‘dickful thinking’

Dear Dan: I’m a 43-year-old straight woman, and I spent the majority of my 30s celibate. At 40, I realized that while I wasn’t interested in dating, I was tired of my vibrator. I also realized that it was time to go forth and fuck with the body I had instead of waiting for the idealized body I was going…

A chat with Little Fires Everywhere author Celeste Ng, who’ll be in KC next week

Celeste Ng’s second novel, Little Fires Everywhere, is a story of two families — one living in an idyllic bubble, the other an enigmatic mother-daughter duo. When their lives intersect, old secrets begin to unfurl, shaking up a quiet, suburban community. The absorbing story, which challenges you to test the way you see race, gender, motherhood, and class, will soon be…

The Living Room Theatre will leave the Crossroads after next season

As city leaders debate whether to give $18 million in tax incentives to the developers of a luxury hotel in the Crossroads Arts District, an actual arts organization in the Crossroads announced Wednesday it’s being priced out of the district. “Full of gratitude for the nine years we’ve spent in our home, we are announcing our tenth and final season…

Jan Kraybill, KC’s vital organist, is revved up

Some of us lack the coordination to drink coffee without splattering drops down the front of our shirt. Jan Kraybill, on the other hand, can regularly be found operating a 40-by-60-foot instrument that requires her to push and pull knobs while manipulating four keyboards and a pedalboard and perform like a virtuoso pianist, all at the same time. Kraybill serves…

Johnny Marr will play his Fox News acid trip of an album at Voodoo next week

Johnny Marr’s dexterous guitar playing and smart songwriting have always set him apart, whether in the Smiths or the numerous other projects with which he’s been involved in the years since. his most recent album, Call The Comet, was quietly released in the spring 2018, but it’s filled with some of Marr’s most emotional and dramatic work to date, even…

At KC Rep, Vanessa Severo presents a vivid Frida…a self portrait

Frida…a self portrait, at KC Repertory Theatre, is an aptly named play about the life and art of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter who was unabashedly and sometimes brutally self-reflective in her work — a third of which included self-portraits. Vanessa Severo’s self-penned one-woman one-act, in which she stars, is itself a portrait — an impressionistic rendering of the complex…

Drink This Now: The Agroni at Mean Mule Distilling Company

April Fleming Tequila is nowhere in the conversation when we speak of negronis, which are typically made with gin, Vermouth Rosso, and Campari. But Mean Mule Distilling Company, a new, spirits-forward bar in the East Crossroads, might change your mind about that. Mean Mule has been making its own agave (the preferred name for tequila not made in Mexico) for…

Pup, last night at the Granada (photos, setlist)

Pup With Casper Skulls and Ratboys The Granada Monday, May 6 Despite the impending possibility of dangerous thunderstorms, tornados, and a deluge of rain, the Granada was packed last night and ready for Pup, a catchy punk foursome from Toronto. Pup’s new album, Morbid Stuff, represented a large chunk of the show, and it seemed that many in the crowd were…

Oxford Remedy, the Get Up Kids, Tech N9ne, and more of the best local music videos

It’s a mostly indie-as-hell edition of Cine Local this month, with vids from young turks like Oxford Remedy and Lovergurl, new music from scene veterans the Get Up Kids, and a vintage performance from Lawrence’s Proudentall. Also: fresh new hip-hop from Rory Fresco and Tech N9ne. Oxford Remedy, “Vending Machine”  Doug Osborne’s video for Oxford Remedy might be a little…

In Lawrence, a proposed luxury housing development has downtown divided

Proposed site of The HubEmily Park For more than 30 years, Anne Tangeman has enjoyed, from her Lawrence home, a view of the skies above downtown. She loves the sunsets, and she loves the city’s landmark clock tower, which sits atop the former Douglas County Courthouse. The other day, while driving along Massachusetts Street, she suddenly realized that a new…

Where to go for Mother’s Day in Kansas City. Plus, more KC food and drink events for May 6-12

See who makes Raytown’s Best Burger at Crane Brewing Company this Tuesday.Courtesy Social Power Hour Monday, May 6 Chef Jasper Mirable recently returned from an Italian vacation eager to share some fresh springtime recipes with his customers. He’ll do so during tonight’s “Springtime in an Italian Piazza” dinner at Jasper’s Restaurant (1201 West 103rd Street). Featured dishes include prosciutto crostini…

A Riot Grrrl revival with Elisabeth Moss in Her Smell

With Natalie Portman in Vox Lux, Elle Fanning in Teen Spirit, and now Elisabeth Moss in the new indie movie Her Smell, we’ve seen a surprising succession of female-fronted fictional pop star movies of late. Those first two were set in a version of the dance-y and glam singing-competition world we live in today. Her Smell, on the other hand, is…

Foals and Interpol, last night at the Midland (photos + set lists)

The Midland played host Thursday night to a three-hour combo bill featuring the UK’s Foals and rock veterans Interpol. It is the only time scheduled date that the two acts will appear together this year. That’s a shame — their sounds nicely complement one another — but it also made for a rare and special treat, and the crowd of…

May art shows: Where to be, what to see

Socially engaged projects, interactive events, and dynamic group exhibits are all on the menu this month. Kemper Museum is celebrating a milestone, while The Drugstore prepares to close its doors. Read on for highlights of art exhibitions and events coming in May. FIRST FRIDAY Alphabet Soup (You Better Watch Out or You’re Going to Have To Socialize With Your Peers) …

Saying goodbye to the Tivoli, an irreplaceable anchor of Kansas City cinema

On April 12, Tivoli Cinemas, a Westport staple for 36 years, screened its last art-house flick. Owner Jerry Harrington announced the theater would close earlier that week, and just like that, one of Kansas City’s most beloved cultural destinations was gone. The Tivoli was one of those places that made filmgoers in other communities — sometimes even in larger communities…