U.S. Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine joined hundreds of demonstrators at the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis on June 24, 2022, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. // Photo by Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent For 12 days, Trudy Busch Valentine never left her sister’s side as nurses and doctors did everything they could…
The most… patriotic? // Courtesy Melissa’s Second Chances and Scott Poore This week’s “Creature Feature” is thanks to the help of Scott Poore from Mission Driven. Let’s be real. Archie doesn’t need much of a description. He’s just damn cute. We have good feelings about Archie. If you are interested in meeting him, please contact Melissa’s Second Chances—sooner than later….
Comedian Joey Rinaldi. // Courtesy Joey Rinaldi The Kansas City Fringe Festival returns to the metro, bringing artists of theatre, dance, film, music, visual arts, and more, during its stint July 15-31. As an uncensored tap into the entertainment industry, Fringe aims to bring laughs to all ages. While theatre, dance, film, music, and visual arts are being covered, another…
The #22. //Courtesy Pilsen Co-op The #22 is official The #22. You read about it. You dreamed about it. You went to order it… and it was gone. This was the tale of many who read about the sandwich collaboration between Italian Sausage Co. and Chef James Chang. The sandwich shop and Taiwan-born chef came together to create a deli…
The Departed. // photo courtesy the artist For 15 years, musician Cody Canada fronted the popular red dirt country act Cross Canadian Ragweed, whose 2010 breakup led to the formation of his current band, The Departed. The sound of The Departed is familiar to fans of Cross Canadian Ragweed, but leans harder to the rock side of things. Over the…
Romance authors Cathy Maxwell and Sherry Thomas speak to attendees at the 2019 Romance GenreCon. // Courtesy Mid-Continent Public Library Mid-Continent Public Library’s annual Romance GenreCon will be hosted at Woodneath Library Center Aug. 4-6. The Romance Writers Conference kicks off GenreCon Aug. 4 and 5. Bestselling and award-winning romance authors will lead workshops on topics like indie publishing, customer…
DJ Lucas. // Photo by Aaron Rhodes DJ Lucas / Papo2oo4 / Subjxct 5 With Midwestern and Laae Uzumak! The Toilet Bowl Wednesday, July 6 DJ Lucas sure knows how to command a room (or should we say a basement). The Massachusetts rapper headlined the Shuttlecock show alongside Papo2oo4 and DJ Subjxct 5 at local DIY venue The Toilet Bowl…
Bad Bad Hats. // Courtesy Zoe Prinds-Flash Being a “bad hat” means you’re a bit mischievous. That term, pulled from the Madeline book series, stuck with Kerry Alexander and became the name for Minnesota rock trio Bad Bad Hats. So, one could say they’re double the mischief—or double the fun, depending on how you look at it. Over Zoom we…
Bright Eyes. // Photo by Emily Cox If you measure art by whether it makes you feel something, Bright Eyes’ performance Friday night at Uptown Theater was exceptional. Bright Eyes is led by Conor Oberst, who offered a barely-hinged performance. The show opened with the stellar Hurray for the Riff Raff, who reminded me of velvet, of marigolds, of shimmering…
Eric Greitens addresses the media after filing to run in the Missouri Senate primary on Feb. 22, 2022, at the James C Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City. // Courtesy Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent To hear Eric Greitens tell it, his political ascent was sabotaged by a vast conspiracy. The woman who accused him under oath of violent sexual misconduct…
Creators and pop culture enthusiasts gather at the expo. // Courtesy Fountain City Con Fountain City Con returns July 30 and 31 at the New Horizon Fieldhouse in New Century, Kansas. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, attendees can browse through rows of pop culture content including comics, artwork, anime, and collectibles. …
Memphis May Fire. // Photo by Barry Meitler Memphis May Fire with From Ashes to New, Rain City Drive, and Wolves At The Gate The Truman Saturday, July 9 Denton metalcore outfit Memphis May Fire brought the heat to the Truman on Saturday night. Our photographer, Barry Meitler (who you can find on Instagram and Facebook), was there to capture it all….
Jeff poses for a photo on the couch, making sure that the camera gets his good side. // Courtesy Eric Fain Jeff is only five years old, but he already has over 40,000 followers on TikTok. The English Mastiff is beloved across the city for being a gentle giant—especially with his three feline siblings: Teddy, Milly, and Foot-Foot. While his…
Halestorm. // photo credit Chris Ortiz Halestorm with Lilith Czar and The Warning Starlight Theatre Sunday, July 10 Touring in support of their latest album, Back from the Dead, rockers Halestorm hit Starlight on Sunday night along with Lilith Czar and The Warning. Originally scheduled was co-headliner the Pretty Reckless, who were forced to cancel due to Covid in the…
Third Eye Blind takes a bow at Starlight. // Photo courtesy facebook.com/ThirdEyeBlind Third Eye Blind with Taking Back Sunday and Hockey Dad at Starlight Theater Thursday, June 30, 2022 Third Eye Blind hit the stage to some unexpected walk-on music: Vivaldi. The band was immersed in fog and almost exclusively lit from behind, their faces largely lost in shadow, turning…
Sweet EMOtion limited Stranger Things ice cream release. // Photo by Anna Perry-Rushton Things got a little cattywampus (but oh, so delicious) in North Kansas City over the weekend with the limited release of a Stranger Things-inspired menu at the Sweet EMOtion vegan ice cream parlor founded by Seth Kean. Kean was working in the music industry when the pandemic…
Blanch is a good ol’ gal. // Courtesy Scott Poore Today’s “Creature Feature” is thanks to the help of Scott Poore from Mission Driven. Meet Blanche, a Jack Russel terrier mix. She is a good ol’ pup and is currently the oldest dog at the shelter. She may be 12 years old, but she is very young at heart. Blanche…
Roe v. Wade reproductive rights protesters at the Plaza on Friday, June 24, 2022. // Photo by Jim Nimmo The omnipotent shitshow that is America, once again, welcomes uterus owners to the foreground of its target practice. On June 24, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) dismayed and devastated citizens with the overturn of the precedential court case, Roe v….
Jay Ferries. // Photo by RW2 The odds are that Jay Ferries doesn’t know your mom or grandma personally. But the food may cause you to think again. Ferries is the chef at Nighthawk, the basement bar and live music venue inside Hotel Kansas City. It’s one of the culinary endeavors overseen by Executive Chef Johnny Leach, and it’s focused…
On Dec. 9, the city council for Kansas City unanimously passed one of the most aggressive “right to counsel” ordinances in the country to ensure any Kansas City resident facing an eviction has the right to an attorney, similar to public defenders in criminal cases. // Courtesy of Missouri Workers Center April Shabbaz lives in a Kansas City apartment with…
A superhuman stage manager hangs by the bus. // Courtesy Ada Brumback Imagine Phoebe Bridgers performing to a sold out crowd of screaming fans, shredding on her prized Danelectro ‘56 Baritone. Suddenly, there’s a crackle and a pop! as an amp blows. Who comes to the rescue? Kansas City’s own behind-the-scenes superhero, Ada Brumback. A rockstar in her own right,…
Courtesy Loren Halifax Alert the media! Loren Halifax just celebrated her 20th anniversary behind the anchor desk at Fox 4 Kansas City mere months ago—including 15 years as the familiar face of their popular morning show before moving nightside. Now she helps helm the station’s 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts. When she’s not busy reporting or holding down…
Eric Greitens addresses the media after filing to run in the Missouri Senate primary on Tuesday morning at the James C Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City. // Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent An effort to get former Gov. Eric Greitens on the record about allegations of child and spousal abuse before a public trial next week may not succeed. Greitens…
Flux Gourmet // Courtesy IFC Films Peter Strickland is one of those directors you get passionate about to your friends, only to have said friends watch one of his films and go “huh?” Like many of the best weird directors, Strickland operates on a very specific aesthetic wavelength that most appeals to people who share his same proclivities. It’s part…
