Archives: February 2020

Culture

Photos from Unity Temple’s Marathon of Love

Chase Castor,

Photo: Chase Castor Unity Temple, a Christian-based/non-denominational church in Kansas City, MO has been hosting The Marathon of Love for 20 years where they invite all who want to be married or renew their vows at the church for free. Ordained ministers from the community volunteer to do ceremonies all day, there’s also a photographer that volunteers his time as…
News

In Memoriam: Charles Ferruzza

Scott Wilson,

Charles Ferruzza // Photo by Julie Denesha and KCUR 89.3FM Charles Ferruzza, the writer and broadcaster whose restaurant reviews and food writing made his byline The Pitch’s marquee attraction during the paper’s fattest years, died January 28, following a short illness. He was 62.  As the editor who marshalled his work at a time when first digital publishing and then…
Music

Retro Cocktail host scores once more with Film Music Friday on KPR

Nick Spacek,

Host Brogdon, where the magic happens. // Photo by Travis Young Kansas Public Radio’s newest show, Film Music Friday, has a title which seems to say it all. At KPR studios, host Darrell Brogdon wants to clarify where this is all going. “Obviously people are doing all kinds of different things with now, but we’re going to focus on orchestral…
Culture

Last-minute V-Day plans for friends, couples, singles, and more

Jonah Desneux,

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez Feb.13 – 14: Love Celebration at Coco Bolos: Coco Bolos is having a two night special on February 13th and 14th to celebrate both romantic love and unbreakable friendships. You and your friends can celebrate Galentine’s Day on the 13th with $13 sangria pitchers. On the 14th all couples will receive a complimentary dessert with…
Savage Love

Savage Love: One for the girls

Dan Savage,

Illustration by Jack Raybuck Dear Dan: My boyfriend and I were having relationship issues until we tried something new: pegging. He wanted to try it, but he was afraid and sometimes said the idea disgusted him. Then we tried it, and it was better than normal vanilla or even kinky bondage sex. It was the most emotionally connected sex we’ve…
Culture

Saturday’s Roller Derby got peak Derby

Ben Money,

KC Derby // Credit: Ben Money @ Bojack Images Saturday night, the Kansas City Roller Warriors women’s roller derby league held the fourth night of bouts of the season featuring the reigning champion Victory Vixens battling the Black Eyed Susans. The Dreadnought Dorothy’s and the Knockouts fought it out in the second bout. The Susans got out to an early…
Music

A loud evening with Silent Disco

Kara Lewis,

Credit: Nicole Bissey Glowing bracelets flicker as people wave their arms in the air. Behind the bar, even the servers mouth lyrics and bop their heads to an internal soundtrack. Couples and friends congregate on the strobe-lit floor, yet dance to different rhythms, the bulky headphones covering their ears gleaming either red, green, or blue. “If you’re listening to blue…
Politics

Participatory Defense Team Strives to empower Kansas City’s incarcerated

Kara Lewis,

Participatory defense team members gather at Equal Minded Cafe // Credit: Ock Bowers Those wandering into a KC coffee shop on a Saturday morning might expect to hear sleepy chatter about Netflix shows, brunch plans, or wild Friday nights—not an impassioned discussion about criminal justice, race, and violence. Then again, it’s clear community organizers Justice Gatson and Tiara Moore aim…
Food & Drink

Galentine’s Day parties, Valentine’s Day dinners and cocktail classes, and more food and drink events for your week

April Fleming,

Courtesy Bier Station Wednesday, February 12 Fans of the web show Hot Ones may want to check out “Not Ones” tonight at Bier Station (120 East Gregory Boulevard). Test your mettle against a selection of hot wings, paired with beers from Alma Mader Brewing, Crane Brewing Company, Double Shift Brewing Company, and Torn Label Brewing Company. Thursday, February 13 In…
Music

Give a hand to John Tierney with benefit at The Truman

Brock Wilbur,

The Truman is hosting a benefit concert for famous KC bartender, friend, and co-worker, John Tierney Feb. 16th. Join local bands Various Blonde w/ The Snotrockets, Go Kart, Otis 13 & The Brothers Rex. Tickets are available now at: bit.ly/JohnTierneyBenefit Famous KC bartender, John Tierney, lost his left arm to sarcoma last month and he needs our help! Hospital bills are…
Culture

For a surprising number of Kansas Citians, it’s all about the plants. And business is blooming.

April Fleming,

A collection of cacti at Paradise Garden Club. // Photo by Zach Bauman Alocasia Cuprea. Monstera Deliciosa. Pilosocereus Azureus. Perhaps these words don’t mean much to you (are they dinosaurs? Diseases?), but to a surprisingly vast—and vastly growing—subculture of houseplant hobbyists and professional cultivators and entrepreneurs, they are items of true love and obsession. Rachel Guffey, owner of Jungle House…
Food & Drink

Eat This Now: Puffy Tacos at Ta Co

April Fleming,

Photo by April Fleming Though the $6 Pueblo Viejo margaritas alone make a stop at Lawrence’s Ta Co. a worthwhile venture, what we keep thinking about are chef/owner Jay Draskovitch’s puffy tacos. A puffy taco, if you haven’t tried one, begins with a deep-fried disc of masa that “puffs” as it is fried, resulting in a taco shell with an…
Culture

Listen, it’s okay to suck at New Year’s resolutions

Mandy Ponder,

Photo by Roven Images   It’s a new year. Again. And that means our social media feeds will ping with the extra shiny versions of our friends’ carefully curated efforts to get (and keep) their shit together for a month or two. But what happens to those grand plans come March? Like Thanos’ snap at the end of Infinity War,…
Culture

Healing Masculine podcast bridges the queer and heteronormative

Brock Wilbur,

A new local podcast called Healing Masculine, hosted by Shym, is available for your listening pleasure now. “Growing up in Northern Indiana, attending Columbia College Chicago, and living in KCMO for the past two years I’ve been missing a conversation inside both queer and hetero-normative spaces, one that is central to not only my identity but to our society; what…
Culture

Shop local for happy, healthy plants

Kelcie McKenney,

Cacti from Foxtrot Supply Co. // Photo by Zach Bauman. A first-time plant parent? Houseplant hobbyist? Avid greenery collector? Whatever your level of houseplant addiction, there are a plethora of local-owned shops to satiate your need. We can’t name them all, but here are a few to start with. Paradise Garden Club 1621 Locust St facebook.com/wegrowparadise Open since last November,…
Music

Stik Figa, Mackenzie Nicole, Hyborian, and more local music videos

Nick Spacek,

This month’s Cine Local is jam-packed. Hip hop? We got it. Dance pop? Yup. Metal? So much. It’s a treasure trove of visual riches which will whet your appetite for tantalizing new tunes from Kansas City and the surrounding area. Let’s go. Stik Figa, “Goats”  Our first two videos come from the new EDP Records release, Westside Alumni, which is…
Politics

Nonscientific dispatches ahead of the New Hampshire primary

Barry Thompson,

NEW HAMPSHIRE—We have spent a lot of time this past week watching other people watch television. And we haven’t been alone in doing that, which means we couldn’t possibly be insane.   In fact, we can tell you that members of the media attending debate watch parties Friday night for US senators Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) perhaps equalled…
Music

Lauren Krum does not let one genre define her

Riley Cowing,

Photo by Riley Cowing, Illustration by Jack Raybuck Local singer-songwriter Lauren Krum is no stranger to the Kansas City music scene. She’s become a regular at The Ship in the West Bottoms, playing monthly Honky Tonk Tuesdays with her band Lorna Kay’s One Night Stand. But the musician’s interests don’t stop at honky tonk: over the last 11 years, Krum…