“Grass is Green” exhibition at Sapien Gallery Don’t call it a comeback, but after a pandemic that has been going on for what feels like 20 years—and a rash of art space closures before that—it’s refreshing to report that four new artist-run galleries have opened in Kansas City this year. The physical spaces and philosophies behind Troost Gardens (7323 Troost…
Courtesy KCMO.gov KCMO’s new online dashboard will track and list available beds in overnight facilities for unhoused people as the winter season heads towards its peak. In the event that all private shelters are full, the city will also activate one or two temporary shelters to meet demand as part of KC’s Extreme Weather Activation Plan. The plan—which will be activated…
Jason Sudeikis will star in a table read of It’s a Wonderful Life. Tickets are available here. Jason Sudeikis and Rosario Dawson lead an all-star virtual online table read of the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life to benefit The Ed Asner Family Center (TEAFC), which promotes mental health and enrichment programs to children with special needs and their families. The Ted Lasso Emmy…
Illustration courtesy Enrique Zabala Against all odds, the holidays are upon us again. We’re not fully out of our hidey-holes, and yet we’re probably expected to return to the normal flow of gift-giving. If you’re trying to figure out how to cross names off your list, we have a guide of The Pitch’s personal recommendations for what to put…
Blackstarkids // photo credit Jake Kelly It’s no surprise that we’re big fans of the genre-bending Kansas City pop trio Blackstarkids. Over the past couple of years, it’s been a real delight to see The Babe Gabe, TyFaizon, and Deiondre go from self-releasing their albums on Bandcamp to signing with the UK-based label Dirty Hit, home to the likes of…
This week on the Streetwise podcast we discuss art whiplash, enjoy(?) a reading of Barb Shelly’s piece on AG Schmitt, blast pure xtc ft. Pistol Pete’s track “Matches,” and chat with director Mye Hoang about her new documentary Cat Daddies. 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…
Jason Faunt. // Courtesy Children’s Mercy Toy Drive If you’re a Power Ranger fan—and who isn’t, really?—you’ll want to be sure to put an upcoming event this Saturday on your superhero social roster. The Red Power Ranger himself, Jason Faunt, will be making an appearance at Elite Comics (11842 Quivira Rd #1300, Overland Park) from 5–7 p.m. December 4 as…
(L to R) Joe Eldred, Ed Gavagan, Michael Sandridge, Tom Viviano, Dan Laurine and Mike Foreman in Procession. // Netflix © 2021 TW: This article discusses sexual assault, abuse, and trauma. One of the first things that strikes you about Procession is the title card. It’s superimposed in The Exorcist-style font over a shot of an altar boy standing in…
Rally for Right to Counsel ordinance at City Hall. // Photo by Rachel Potucek Ernesta Coulbourne’s voice softened with grief as she mentioned her two advanced degrees in criminal justice: “I wanted to work in criminal justice. I had $170,000 in student loans. I still ended up getting evicted.” In the early days of 2020, as the pandemic started to…
A meeting of Liberation Lit at Wise Blood in Westport. // Photo by Jim Nimmo Usually, our Editor-in-Chief writes a monthly column to our readers, logically entitled Letter From The Editor. Instead, for this month’s column, the mic belongs to the staff as a whole. We’ve been having conversations around the office that we feel are important to share with…
Photo by Don Ipock There are plenty of this to do this December. From live theater to holiday lights—’tis the season to make your winter plans. Dec 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 21-24, 26: KC Rep’s A Christmas Carol, Spencer Theatre (UMKC) Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s 41st annual run of A Christmas Carol at UMKC’s Spencer Theatre has been underway since Nov….
Patrick Ridremont’s The Advent Calendar. // Courtesy Shudder Combining Faustian themes with European folklore, writer/director Patrick Ridremont’s French horror film The Advent Calendar brings a gruesome morality play to the Christmas holiday. And we’re always here for more Christmas horror—perhaps the most underutilized sub-genre. Eva (Eugénie Derouand), an ex-dancer, has been a paraplegic for the last three years. Her boss sucks, her…
Noah Spencer and Micah Ritchie on a writing trip in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. // Photo by Kian Pritchett When Noah Spencer thinks about releasing his first solo album, Census, he remembers the places and moments that are forever encapsulated in the songs. The album, released November 19 of this year, is the culmination of years of work and realizing…
Adam Savage is coming to town. He’s like Santa, but smarter. // Courtesy Planet Comicon KC Planet Comicon Kansas City will officially return for its 22nd year from April 22-24, 2022, at Bartle Hall. The first batch of celebrity and creator guests were first announced in late November, with more names rolling out over the next several months. The S-Tier…
Donald Kauerauf, the director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, speaks during a press conference at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on July 21, 2021. // Photo courtesy of Missouri Governor’s Office Mask mandates saved lives and prevented COVID-19 infections in Missouri’s biggest cities during the worst part of the delta variant wave, an analysis by the…
Playboi Carti’s King Vamp tour stop at Cable Dahmer Arena. // Photo by Aaron Rhodes There’s a lot to be said about the positive and negative space at work in multiple elements of Playboi Carti’s King Vamp tour stop at Cable Dahmer Arena on Sunday night. Carti offered his fans in Independence, Missouri a whole lot of Whole Lotta Red,…
Courtesy Be a Santa to a Senior Home Instead Senior Care in Lee’s Summit is sponsoring this year’s Be a Santa to a Senior program, where interested donors are invited to make donations that will end up in the hands of 200 area seniors in need. Donations can be made through December 17. “A heartfelt gift brightens the lives of…
Jim McCarty. // Courtesy Robert Knight Drummer Jim McCarty is the original man behind the kit for the Yardbirds, the legendary blues-rock band from the UK. He’s the only member to have been part of every incarnation of the band for nearly six decades, including The New Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page, which eventually split up and morphed into Led Zeppelin….
Lenexa’s Union Horse Distilling Co. will celebrate its 10 year anniversary with the release of a special limited bourbon that customers can get their first taste of at a December 2 release party, from 6-10 p.m. “These last 10 years have been truly amazing and we appreciate the support we’ve received in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest,” Union Horse’s…
Photo by Gautier Pfeiffer Starting now and going through December 16, Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick is reminding Missourians to check the Unclaimed Property List via a social media campaign using the hashtag #12DaysofUCP. “Missouri’s largest lost and found” includes $1 billion in unclaimed property stored across more than five million owner accounts. Missouri State law requires financial institutions,…
Midwestern. // Photos by Archana Sundar When I met Charmaine Ejelonu, she sat on the first floor of KU’s Snow Hall, calculus on a desk in a dingy room reserved for MATH115. The same Charmaine, along with RW of local Kansas City duo Midwestern, put on a performance twisted with pleasure and pain, sweetness and rain. It’s been a journey…
Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, and Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, during a Joint Committee on Education hearing on critical race theory on July 19, 2021. // Photo by Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications Missouri lawmakers trained their focus Tuesday on how school boards interact with the public and the ways in which history is taught in schools. For over three hours,…
Author Clint Smith. // Courtesy Clint Smith Author, activist, and poet Clint Smith is coming to Lawrence for a free show at Liberty Hall on Dec. 6. The event is presented in partnership with the Hall Center & Lawrence Arts Center, in conjunction with the ongoing exhibit Richard Frishman: Ghosts of Segregation. Tickets for the evening with Clint Smith are…
