Bob Gruen, American photographer // Photo by Hanna Toresson Rock ‘n’ roll photographer Bob Gruen’s work is iconic. From his portrait of John Lennon in the sleeveless New York City t-shirt to Led Zeppelin preening in front of their personalized airplane to dozens–if not hundreds–more, the man’s work over the last six decades has defined how fans have viewed these…
A view of the 150+ original artworks that were donated by local and regional artists to the 2020 KCAC Art Auction. // Photo by Kirk Decker The Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC) was created to change the lives of artists living in Kansas City, Missouri and the region. KCAC is an artist-centered, artist-run alternative space that presents a variety of…
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) gestures toward a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to protest the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Some demonstrators later breached security and stormed the Capitol. // Courtesy of E&E News and Politico Just hours after giddy pro-Trump rioters walked out of the…
Photo by Steve Woods Kansas City—in conjunction with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Director of Affirmative Litigation for Everytown Law Alla Lefkowitz—has filed a lawsuit to force federal regulators to revoke a firearms license granted to JA Industries. The manufacturer is a successor company of the bankrupt Jimenez Arms, who repeatedly broke federal firearms law. The guns, which are…
Courtesy of Unsplash Missouri and Kansas have begun their COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Kansas is now in Phase 2 of their vaccine rollout, which includes people 65 and older, workers in congregate settings like homeless shelters and childcare centers, high critical workers, and any unvaccinated people from Phase 1. The first phase in Kansas is expected to be completed by the…
Ben O’Toole from Bloody Hell. // Courtesy The Horror Collective It cannot be overstated how difficult it is to pull off the delicate balance of a horror-comedy. The genre straddle almost never goes well, due to the creatives often having a mastery of one style but a deficit in the other. Or, much more often, someone who dreams of xeroxing…
Missouri Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley (L-R), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens listen to U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally at the St. Charles Convention Center on November 29, 2017. // Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images, via Missouri Independent Flush with ambition and cash, a newcomer arrives like a bolt from the…
Courtesy The Greeting Committee. // Photo by Elizabeth Miranda Local favorites The Greeting Committee have been wowing us for years now. Soon enough, viewers nationwide will hear their music. It’s not a tour (though The Greeting Committee did plenty of that before the world fell apart), it’s a Netflix movie. Three tracks from The Greeting Committee will be featured on…
Relying heavily on live performance and interactive experiences, our local arts community was unsure how they would stay afloat when the city went on lockdown in March. However, the pandemic has demonstrated the resilience and creativity of the arts in Kansas City. These organizations have not only adapted but are thriving with COVID safety precautions in place. They have supported…
Photo by Arthur Franklin Of a total of 236 businesses and nonprofits in Kansas City, a recent survey reports 64% of them are “very confident” in a full recovery from economic decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted in December by the Greater Kansas City Area Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, KCSourceLink, the Black…
This week on the Streetwise podcast we discuss bulk purchasing trauma, listen to a reading of Liz Cook’s Westside Stories, jam to Approach ft Heidi Gluck on the track “Call You”, and talk with YA author Miriam Wade. Streetwise is hosted by Brock Wilbur, editor in chief of The Pitch. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Subscribe to the Streetwise newsletter, a weekly meditation on Kansas City…
The music of the 1960s and 1970s will be streamed out of the Crossroads Hotel starting Jan. 16. // Courtesy MTH Theater Marvin Gaye is back, in a manner. Virtual soul music experience “The Music of Motown” is coming to screens across Kansas City starting Jan. 16, thanks to the vast local talent drawn by MTH Theater at Crown Center….
Councilman Eric Bunch, presumably going off the grid to stop dunking so hard on dummies. // Via social media. On Tuesday, Police Chief Rick Smith responded to concerns from city officials about the Kansas City Police Department’s continued lack of body camera implementation with the assurance that something would be done about it in 120 to 180 days. Councilman Eric…
Kansan Lisa Montgomery was executed Wednesday by U.S. government. // Photo courtesy of Montgomery’s attorneys According to the National Public Radio the federal government put Lisa Montgomery, 52, to death early Wednesday, making Montgomery the first female prisoner to be put to death by the U.S. since 1953. She was the only woman on federal death row and died by lethal…
Hot chocolate bombs by @sugarmama_kc. // Courtesy of Alyssa Ortiz Hot chocolate bombs have been taking Kansas City by storm. But what exactly they are and why they deserve the hype can be confusing for some. It seems like overnight people on Facebook told us to buy hot chocolate bombs for Christmas. And then we all collectively did without thinking…
Illustration by Jack Raybuck Dear Dan: As you can see by my signature, Dan, I’m a linguist. On your podcast you frequently ask researchers “whatchyougot” on all kinds of sex- and romance-related questions, I thought maybe you’d be interested in some expertise on linguistic matters too. And I have some on “cum,” “cumming,” and (shudder) “cummed.” The technical term here…
Mayor Lucas addressing questions at the press conference. // Courtesy Lucas’ social media stream. In a press conference Jan. 13, Mayor Lucas announced new changes to Kansas City’s COVID-19 response. In the 12th amended order introduced a few changes to our day to day life. As of 10 p.m. tonight, restaurants, bars, and taverns are now able to stay open…
Courtesy BHC. The Black Healthcare Coalition is getting information out to the Black community about the COVID-19 vaccine. Their team of doctors and organizers is working on a weekly schedule to engage as many people as possible. In doing so, Kansas City’s Black Healthcare Coalition is presenting facts about the progress of the vaccine, what exactly it is, and how…
Yippee Café owner Mike Archibald is keeping nationwide customers caffeinated with his coffee subscription business. // Courtesy Archibald Yippee Café owner Mike Archibald is keeping nationwide customers caffeinated with his coffee subscription business. In July, four months into adjusting to pandemic life, Mike Archibald started to wonder how people were faring with no longer being able to enter cafés like…
Chipotle plans to hire 15,000 new employees across the country in its Coast to Coast Career Day event Thursday. // Courtesy Chipotle Kansas Citians searching for work might be in luck. The restaurant chain plans to hire 560 new employees in Kansas City and 15,000 new employees in total across the country during its “Coast to Coast Career Day” event…
Hard right wingers casually tour the Capitol during last week’s attack. // Courtesy C-SPAN The attack on the Capitol last week by racist and fascist organizations of the hard right—with QAnon and election conspiracy boosters in tow—was an assault on democracy itself to be sure. The role of President Donald Trump and his many Republican allies in Congress, notably Sens….
Victor Esqueda with an advertisement for his first restuarant, Guadalajara Cafe. // Photo by Savannah Hawley Victor Esqueda wants people to eat Mexican food the right way. That means no Tex-Mex. The local restaurateur—he also runs Cacao and the previous restaurants Frida’s and Guadalajara Cafe—opened the second location of Ixtapa (7305 W 95th St, Overland Park, KS 66212) in the…
Local movie staple Panic Fest, celebrating its ninth annual festival this year, will take place April 8-18, 2021. This year the fest will take a mostly digital approach, as per our current horrible situation. Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the best genre fests in the world in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the film festival traditionally features 60+ horror, thriller,…
Tacos from Ta Co. Lawrence. // Photo by Ta Co. Lawrence Lawrence Restaurant Week is back from January 13 – 27 with a new format, an expanded timeframe, and new participating restaurants. “Lawrence is fortunate to have such a talented pool of restaurant professionals and a vibrant food culture,” says Lawrence Restaurant Association and Downtown Lawrence Inc. board member Mike…
