Mary Dion showing some hand painted jackets from her Western collection. // Photo by Travis Young Mary Dion is an 83-year-old, retired businesswoman living in Kansas City, Kansas. Throughout her career, she held a number of jobs from selling cosmetics to selling insurance, moved between at least eight different cities, and started her own fashion business—all while raising five children…
Over eight years ago, indie rockers the Republic Tigers recorded Mind Over Matter. The album was supposed to be their sophomore full-length, following on the heels of two EPs – their 2008 self-titled debut and 2011’s No Man’s Land – and their first LP, Keep Color. While the album was originally announced for a 2012 release, thanks to what the…
I. Love. Crime. Love it. There is nothing more soothing to me than curling up on the couch to erase the day with a glass of Moscato, my fiancee, and a murder documentary. To some, this may seem like an unthinkably morbid pastime, but to my probably-goth-in-middle-school brethren, it’s a hobby bordering on obsession. But even with the advent of…
A friend of the site recently sent us a link to a company that we’ve become obsessed with. We thought you might enjoy knowing about it too. They’re an art company. Here’s the rub: all of their art is designed by artificial intelligence. Some of this results in incredible period works; some of it results in aggressively nightmarish hellscapes. Rolling…
How many times can you listen to “Baby Shark” before going insane? // Photo by Joe Carey My wife and I took our two sons to see the Baby Shark Live stage production—a real thing. That’s right folks, the impossibly popular earworm of a song has leapt from your tablets onto the big stage, and on a Sunday in early…
The American Legion sent out copies of the speech they would have delivered for Memorial Day. The events around the national holiday have been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus situation. We thought we’d share the words that you would have heard, for the person in your life that deserves to hear them. Here is the script from the cancelled…
The KCMO City Council went to great lengths to make sure the recent ordinances allowing restaurants and bars to expand into parking lots and spaces outside of their establishments go into effect as quickly as possible. As part of that effort, Councilperson Bough shared this handy one-sheet on Twitter today, which includes everything you need to know about the new…
KC Irish Fest // Courtesy of Irish Fest KC Like so many other events in 2020, the large crowds and flooded space are just not going to be manageable. That’s why the board of directors for KC’s Irish Fest have made the decision to convert the event into three days of much smaller experiences, centered around local Irish restaurants and…
Oxford Remedy // photo by Archana Sundar Oxford Remedy had plans for their first album, the brand-new EP entitled For Those Who Know, Tell Me What I’m Supposed To Do, but things happened. They’d recorded the album with Braxton Matlock, who also mixed and mastered, back in late fall of last year, finishing it in November. Prior to that, the…
Drain cleaner, pool conditioner, phenidone, washing soda, acetaminophen, empty soda bottles, dimly red-lit garage. It sounds more like an episode of Breaking Bad than a photo project. While wet darkroom printing faced a serious decline in the early 2000s as higher-quality digital cameras were able to largely replace traditional techniques a few hardcore users and many new converts have retreated…
Today on the Streetwise podcast we’re joined by Mayor Quinton Lucas. If you haven’t subscribed to the show yet, you should. It’s quite good. We should know. This week we’ve got some cool local music, and a phone interview that might make you tear up, but our feature is talking with the mayor, as we so enjoy doing. It’s a…
Left to right: Ryan Couture, Rae Mayer/SirynRae, and Derreck Mayer during a recording for the Heroes Podcast Network. // Photo by Derreck Mayer When you want the latest news on The Flash or Spiderman or even if you like strolling down memory lane with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one local podcasting network has the scoop, with plenty of opinions…
Screenshot from the Council Vote. // via livestream. City Council passed a series of ordinances today that will allow bars and restaurants to file for a permit enabling them to establish street cafes in the parking spaces and parking lots outside of their establishments. Championed by Councilpersons Andrea Bough and Eric Bunch with co-introduction by Mayor Quinton Lucas, the ordinances…
Blood Machines promotional image. // Courtesy Exile PR Two space hunters are tracking down a machine trying to free itself. After taking it down, they witness a mystical phenomenon: the ghost of a young woman pulls itself out of the machine, as if the spaceship had a soul. Trying to understand the nature of this entity, they start chasing the…
Spring Fling // Courtesy Strawberry Swing Mark your calendars: the annual Spring Swing craft fair in Kansas City is going virtual this year. It will be held on May 30-31st from 12-4 pm and all you need is internet access to attend. The event is being put on by Strawberry Swing, a local organization that curates craft fairs for every…
Over the last decade, director Michael Winterbottom’s series of films starring actors Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan has become something of a quiet phenomenon. Whether you’ve seen any of The Trip films, such as the 2010 original, 2014’s The Trip to Italy, or 2017’s The Trip to Spain, or are merely familiar with the myriad impersonation contests between Brydon and…
Walter Barton // Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Corrections Walter Barton, 64, was executed Tuesday. He was convicted of killing an elderly woman by the name of Gladys Kuehler in Ozark, Missouri in 1991. This case was brought to court five times from 1993 to 2006, with two of his cases being overturned. Barton was executed via lethal injection at…
Dear Dan: Here’s a non-COVID question for you: I’m a queer white female in a monogamish marriage. I vote left, I abhor hatred and oppression, and I engage in activism when I can. I’m also turned on by power differentials: authority figures, uniforms, hot guys doing each other. Much to my horror this thing for power differentials plus too many…
Metro area residents concerned they may have contracted COVID-19 can now access a single website to get information about COVID-19 testing sites in both Kansas and Missouri, thanks to Comeback KC, a public service communications campaign developed to provide a single source of information on COVID. “As a community with multiple states, counties, and municipalities, we know that people are…
MTH’s “Songs of the Great War”. Wilkens and Wearing, with Watson on piano and Harter. // Photo by Tim Scott Memorial Day weekend? Already? We won’t ask where the time has gone, because we all know. As parts of the city reopen, most arts venues remain physically closed, for now. Some are envisioning live theater in the not-distant future, while…
In an effort to keep both Starlight staff and youth performers safe in the coronavirus pandemic, Starlight’s education department will hold virtual auditions for its 2020 summer programs. Starlight’s youth performance troupes, the Starlight Stars and Starlight Stars of Tomorrow, traditionally perform prior to select shows in the summer, as well as at community events. While the programs will look…
Molly Balloons parade. // Photo by Jim Nimmo It started on a normal note. A friend mentioned that there might be some photos to be taken at an event on Sunday. “Someone” in the Valentine neighborhood was having some kind of “parade” that practiced social distancing. It sounded odd, so I asked for details. They were a bit cryptic. In…
Hometown Trivia host Greg Westfall // Photo by Greg Westfall A new local trivia game is being hosted online during the coronavirus pandemic. HomeTown trivia is the brainchild of Greg Westfall, and everyone is invited to participate. Here’s what Greg had to say about the games, which run every week on Wednesday: The games run about 2 or so hours,…
Today, Health Care Voter hosted the latest in its extended town hall series “Our Lives on the Line: The Hardest Hit” featuring four mayors from across the country. The discussion focused on some of the cities left behind by the Trump administration’s haphazard response to the coronavirus pandemic. Led by former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig,…
