Archives: March 2020

Probably a nice time to adopt a plant

Kelly Cirone has a home plant collection numbering in the hundreds. // Photo by Zach Bauman. Spring is finally here! The longer days are a much-needed respite from our collective cabin fever and lucky for us, there are great ways to soak it up. Bring spring into your home by ordering (or gifting) a houseplant delivery. Believe me, we love…

Midcoast Takeover 2020 – Virtual Edition, Day Four

Among many, many, many other things, the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin was canceled this year. Set to take place was the Midcoast Takeover put on by the Midwest Music Foundation, bringing artists from Kansas City and the surrounding area down to Texas for four days of showing festival-goers just what our town has to offer musically….

The Hunt is dumb, troubling fun not worth the film’s controversy

Photo courtesy Universal Pictures Editor’s note: The Hunt has left theaters and is streaming on-demand now. Back in early fall, the trailer for Blumhouse’s The Hunt hit the internet, and the internet, predictably, lost its ever-loving mind. The trailer proposed a “Most Dangerous Game” scenario where wealthy liberal elites hunted down working-class “deplorables” for sport. Twitter is the place where…

Midcoast Takeover 2020 – Virtual Edition, Day Three

Among many, many, many other things, the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin was canceled this year. Set to take place was the Midcoast Takeover put on by the Midwest Music Foundation, bringing artists from Kansas City and the surrounding area down to Texas for four days of showing festival-goers just what our town has to offer musically….

Quarantine podcast recommendations for empty, empty days

Stuck at home for long periods of time and feeling a little restless? These five podcasts will help you zone out and stop thinking about the goddamn coronavirus.  Las Culturistas Bowen Yang, one of the funniest comedians from this season of Saturday Night Live, and Matt Rogers gab and gossip about all things culture for Las Culturistas. If you need two snarky…

Coronavirus causes curtain call with lasting repercussions for entertainers

As fears about the coronavirus pandemic mount, theatres have gone dark across Kansas City. Hundreds of displaced actors, technicians, and administrative employees are now wondering how they’re going to keep their own lights on.  Recent temporary performance venue closures—the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre, The Buffalo Room—have mirrored closures in the broader hospitality industry. As bars and restaurants…

Midcoast Takeover 2020 – Virtual Edition, Day Two

Among many, many, many other things, the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin was canceled this year. Set to take place was the Midcoast Takeover put on by the Midwest Music Foundation, bringing artists from Kansas City and the surrounding area down to Texas for four days of showing festival-goers just what our town has to offer musically….

Premiere: Gullymarc’s ‘Real One’ featuring Zarin Michael

We’ve been fans of neo-R&B singer Gullymarc and rapper Zarin Michael for years, so it’s a real pleasure to present the premiere of “Real One,” a track featuring both musicians. Although Gullymarc moved to Atlanta to further pursue his career in music, his connection to Kansas City remains strong. Check out the video below, as well as an email interview…

Please wash your hands after reading this relationship advice

Illustration by Jack Raybuck DEAR READERS: I live in Seattle, the US epicenter of the novel coronavirus epidemic, with my family. A lot of my readers wrote this week to wish us well. We are fine—scared, but fine—washing our hands compulsively and staying close to home. I’m going to keep churning out the column and recording my podcast, while being…

Unemployed in KC? Here’s a list of resources

Photo by Masaaki Komori It is rough out there. It’s not so great in here either. Everyone needs a little help right now. So in working with some local businesses, we’ve put together some very handy links and resources for those of you whose jobs have been affected by the COVID-19 fallout. If you know of other resources, please reach…

Governor Parson using medical equipment updates to campaign for reelection

This guy. Ugh // Photo courtesy Missouri Office of Lieutenant Governor It appears the governor of Missouri has found an easy way to collect phone numbers for his re-election campaign – make it look like it’s to get information about COVID-19 medical equipment. Yes. For real. Here’s what happens when you text that number Never stop campaigning, I guess? Hopefully…

Midcoast Takeover 2020 – Virtual Edition, Day One

Photo courtesy Midwest Music Foundation Among many, many, many other things, the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin was canceled this year. Set to take place was the Midcoast Takeover put on by the Midwest Music Foundation, bringing artists from Kansas City and the surrounding area down to Texas for four days of showing festival-goers just what our…

Novel corona virus memes remind us that life means nothing lol

Using satire to cope with dark and difficult times is nothing new in our society, even as far back as the Great Depression satire was used in radio shows by entertainers like Will Rogers. However, the Internet has made sharing absurd and satirical thoughts and images extremely easy. Within seconds a person can create a meme on their phone and…

One man play ‘St. Nicholas’ gets one performance in KC before shutdown

St. Nicholas performance at Buffalo Room // Photos by Brian Paulette Last Saturday—a decade ago in coronavirus time—I attended the opening night of Kansas City Actors Theatre’s St. Nicholas, a charming one-man period piece about a time when theater criticism mattered. I was also attending the closing night of the show, though I didn’t know it at the time.  KCAT’s…

What to stream when you’re self-isolating during this panic quarantine

Coronavirus got you down? We got you, baby.

The COVID-19 pandemic has you stuck at home combating boredom and frustration. Cabin fever. I get it. We’ll have to make the best of it. There’s one upside: Social distancing is a great opportunity to knock some movies off your to-watch list, rediscover something you love, or even uncover an under-the-radar new favorite. We’re not gonna recommend the film Cabin…

Blinding Ambition At Páros Estiatorio: The Cate Blanchett of metro Greek restaurants

Grilled lamb chops plated with crisp-fried potato wedges and a whole head of roasted garlic. // Photo by Zach Bauman If you read the Greeks—the ancient ones in linen tunics—you’ll encounter the term hamartia before long. In classical drama, it suggests a fatal flaw. Sometimes hamartia is a quality—pride, obstinance, indecision. Sometimes, it’s an innocent mistake. At Páros Estiatorio, it’s…

How Monster Jam fires on every cylinder and every dopamine receptor

Climbing into the Monster Jam speedster made me feel like a softer, clammier Danica Patrick. // Photo courtesy of Monster Jam It’s two years old, this video. On the White House lawn, Donald Trump clambers into the cab of a gleaming big rig, his oversized sport coat flapping uselessly around his hips. He’s pumping his fists in the air, mouth…

How to support our local food and drink industry through COVID-19

What you can do throughout this crisis to help keep KC's restaurants and bars afloat.

Through the past week I have been alternating between panic over the thought of my 70+ year-old health-compromised parents even thinking about leaving their house, and then (with dicing, cold regularity) checking out low airfares. Yet I also haven’t been able to shake loose a deeply nagging concern (with evidence and more evidence from other cities) that some of our…

Canceled St. Paddy’s events, plus ways to still celebrate

Cancellation of these events have been confirmed due to concern over the spread of the COVID-19 virus. All other events mentioned are still happening at the time of this publishing. We will update this list as info comes in. Please celebrate this week safely.  Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Lee’s Summit Emerald Isle Parade Martin City. St. Patrick’s Day…