Archives: December 2021

Lee Ving Allan Arkush
Movies

Director Allan Arkush on his New Year’s Eve cult classic Get Crazy

Nick Spacek,

Allan Arkush. // Courtesy Arkush While the term “cult movie” has a broader definition than it once did, the 1983 rock ‘n’ roll comedy Get Crazy has fully earned the moniker. It only played in theaters for a week and was unceremoniously dumped to VHS. Even a soundtrack featuring of-the-moment acts like Sparks and Marshall Crenshaw—along with favorites like Lou…

Hiraki1
Culture

Creature Feature: Ring in your 2022 by bringing home Hiraki or Cousteau

THE PITCH STAFF,

Hiraki appreciates a good chin scratch from familiar people. // Courtesy KC Pet Project We teamed up with KC Pet Project to host a weekly “Creature Feature” on loveable and adoptable pets here in the KC Metro. Mama Jack, recently featured here, was just adopted! This week, KCPP is introducing Hiraki, a 7-year-old domestic shorthair, and Cousteau, an 8-year-old pit bull….

Missrubyslizgoodwin
Food & Drink

Dish & Drink KC: A Prairie Village park eatery, not your average nachos, and last-minute Christmas cheer at Julep 

Liz Goodwin,

Miss Ruby’s food trailer in Prairie Village cooks up plenty of options  Photo by Liz Goodwin If you’re looking for a new place to enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise in, and subsequently enjoy a comfort meal afterward as a reward, look no further than Miss Ruby’s in Meadowbrook Park (4901 Meadowbrook Parkway, Prarie Village). This permanent food truck in…

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Culture

Streetwise podcast breaks down the best of 2021 as an editorial squad

THE PITCH STAFF,

This week on the Streetwise podcast we bid a temporarily farewell, enjoy a reading of Tyler Schnedier’s story on boxing, and roundtable the best of 2021 with Brock Wilbur, Nick Spacek, and Abby Olcese. 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 news and events. Jason Klamm read our magazine story….

Infinite Playlist Header Shelby Phelps
Music

The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist Round 8: Lily Wulfemeyer

Prepare yourself for poetry and yearning
Lily Wulfemeyer,

The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist. // Illustration by Shelby Phelps Welcome to The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist, a forever-growing playlist of songs picked by people in KC. View/follow the full playlist on Spotify and you can always go back and check out the full run of articles. Throw the playlist on shuffle and enjoy away! Playlist Guest #8: Lily Wulfemeyer Who are…

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Food & Drink

Bliss Chocolatier wins golden ticket on NBC’s Baking It with Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg

Washburn and Moikeha claim $50,000 grand prize in the show's season one finale.
Tyler Schneider,

Courtesy Jessica Washburn In a little over a year’s time, Jessica Washburn has managed to open up a successful boutique chocolate shop with her mother, care for her six children, and team up with her sister to win a nationally televised NBC baking show hosted by Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg. A six-episode spinoff of Making It with Nick Offerman…

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Music

Radkey’s ‘Uncanny Xmas’ was a homecoming weekend to remember at recordBar

Chris Ortiz, Tyler Schneider,

Radkey at recordBar. // Photo by Chris Ortiz Radkey rocked the recordBar crowd for two consecutive evenings over the weekend, blending their myriad of influences over just under twenty songs as they showcased their mastery of tempo shifts, melodic hooks, and face-melting instrumentalization to a hometown crowd that has long appreciated the trio’s accessibility.  The hard riffs into the chorus…

Tso 10
Music

Trans-Siberian Orchestra on 25 years of Christmas touring

Nick Spacek,

Trans-Siberian Orchestra. // Photo by Nick Spacek For the last 25 years, Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Eve and Other Stories has been a perennial favorite for those who like their holiday music to be actually rocking, as opposed to the more traditional charms of “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” With their progressive rock edge and theatrical bombast, TSO’s music—and especially “Christmas…

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Music

Making Movies cover Radiohead’s Kid A at The Truman in celebratory fashion

With support from Blvck Hippie and The Republic Tigers.
Brock Wilbur,

Making Movies + pals. // Photo by Brock Wilbur Over the summer, I spent a weekend knocking out Steve Hyden’s deep-dive book This Isn’t Happening: Radiohead’s “Kid A” and the Beginning of the 21st Century. It gave me a new appreciation for one of the bleakest, most complicated albums of the last 20 years, but especially how Radiohead had put…

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Politics

Biden slams COVID-19 vaccine ‘lies,’ announces free at-home tests

Jane Norman, The Missouri Independent,

President Joe Biden delivers remarks Nov. 15, 2021, on the south lawn of the White House. // Courtesy Official White House photo by Cameron Smith) President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged that COVID-19 vaccine doubters stop “peddling lies” on TV and online, as the nation grapples with a rising number of cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Biden…

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Movies

Matthew Vaughn’s latest entry in the Kingsman series is also his weakest

The King's Man is the origin story nobody asked for.
Adrian Torres,

The King’s Man. // Courtesy Twentieth Century Studios For most of his career, Matthew Vaughn has been a shrewd tactician at adapting others’ work. Resurrecting the X-Men franchise? He’s First Class. Bringing Neil Gaiman’s Stardust to life? No problem! Make a gangster flick that outclasses his colleague Guy Ritchie? Piece of Layer Cake. Vaughn’s biggest successes came from adapting Mark…

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Theater

Outlaw Theatre sets January premiere for first show at Sidekicks Saloon

Michael Mackie,

Photo by Sofia Sforza Murder. Love. Passion. Gloryholes. If any (or all) of those pique your interest, you’re going to want to check out an upcoming film noir theatrical experience being performed at Sidekicks Saloon (3707 Main) in late January. The show is produced by Outlaw Theatre, a newly minted live theatre company helmed by producing artistic director Harley Wood…
Music

The Roseline encourages you to hunker down

Nick Spacek,

The Roseline. // Photo by Fally Afani The Roseline’s new album, Constancy, is a record reflecting on big life changes. The majority of it was written at the beginning of the pandemic, ahead of the birth of frontman Colin Halliburton’s daughter. “Most of it was written in early lockdown,” Halliburton recalls one evening as we talk in front of Lawrence’s…

Stella3
Culture

Creature Feature: Stella and Glenda the Good Witch would both make excellent Christmas additions to your family

THE PITCH STAFF,

Stella. // Courtesy KCPP We teamed up with KC Pet Project to host a weekly “Creature Feature” on loveable and adoptable pets here in the KC Metro. Three previously featured pets, Mister, Mamba, and Agustus Waters were recently adopted! This week, KCPP is introducing Stella a 3-year-old Pit Bull. She resides at the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care at 7077 Elmwood…

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Food & Drink

Photos: OP’s Strang Hall kicks off a young chef showcase with Chris Jones

Liz Goodwin, Colin Gibson,

Photo by Colin Gibson Strang Hall, a chef’s collective in Overland Park that houses six restaurants under one roof, is giving young talent some room to play with the beginning of its new dinner series. The culinary concept kicked off last Monday with a seven-course feast by Chris Jones, the sous chef at Anousone and one of Kansas City’s up-and-coming young…

Zarin Micheal. // Photo by AmirWilliams
Music

Rapper Zarin Micheal advances a million miles with new album

Aaron Rhodes,

Zarin Micheal. // Photo by AmirWilliams TW: This article discusses suicide and death. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. The first time I met Zarin Micheal was in March 2016. At the time, he was 17 years old and a student at Lincoln College…

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Music

Photos: Christmas concert chameleon Eileen Ivers wows the metro

Jim Nimmo,

Eileen Ivers. // Photo by Jim Nimmo Last Friday night at the Folly Theatre, Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated musician Eileen Ivers took the stage to celebrate the holiday season. Dubbed the “Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by the New York Times, and known for her electric blue violin, Ivers is a study in contrasts. Her 90 minute Christmas presentation was a…

Infinite Playlist Header Shelby Phelps
Music

The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist: Round 7: Chris Ortiz

THE PITCH STAFF,

The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist. // Illustration by Shelby Phelps Welcome to The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist, a forever-growing playlist of songs picked by people in KC. View/follow the full playlist on Spotify and you can always go back and check out the full run of articles. Throw this bad boy on shuffle and enjoy: Playlist Guest #7: Chris Ortiz Who are…

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Music

Photos + setlist: Old Crow Medicine Show covered it all at the Uptown

Barry Meitler,

Old Crow Medicine Show with Molly Tuttle Uptown Theater Thursday, December 16 Last night at the Uptown, the raucous country bluegrass of Old Crow Medicine Show filled the venue. After an opening set which started with a lot of their older barn-burner, swinging tunes, the band moved into several covers also like the seasonly-appropriate sounds of Merle Haggard’s “If We…

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Art

New toys, new attitude: 8183 Productions is about to make a scene

Michael Mackie,

Caleb directing Natalie. // Photo by Joshua Haines Hustling, coupled with a jaw-dropping set of photography skills got Ryan Hill where he is today. For over a decade, the creative has helped helm 8183 Studio, a commercial production house widely regarded as one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Hill and his burgeoning team of creatives have quietly spent much of…

Jalc News Release Photo Ku
Music

Jazz in January takes a Lawrence group all the way to the Lincoln Center

Tyler Schneider,

The group outside of the Lied Center in Lawrence. // Courtesy Jazz Ensemble I The 2021 DownBeat Award-winning Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, has been invited to compete in the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Lincoln Center in January 2022.   Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) announced its second annual Jack Rudin Jazz Championship, a two-day invitational competition featuring…