Archives: August 2022

Melissa Etheridge celebrates her Kansas roots with a return to Liberty Hall

Melissa Etheridge. // Photo by Elizabeth Miranda Melissa Etheridge’s music should require no introduction for folks in this region. The Leavenworth native’s music has been ringing out of stereos for nearly four decades now, with her 1993 breakout album, Yes I Am, a seminal rock ‘n’ roll touchstone and a potent statement of queerness and feminism. Her latest, One Way…

Zero bus fare does not equal easy commutes for Kansas City riders

While it is free to ride the bus, only 12.8% of Kansas City’s low-income households are near a transit system. KCATA is working to hire drivers and expand routes.

Some riders of the RideKC system endure infrequent stop times, long waits and complicated reroutes (Chase Castor/The Beacon). This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. On weekdays, Melissa Douds catches the 35th Street bus at 5:48 a.m. to get to her job as a facility worker at the Bartle Hall Convention Center. Starting at the Armour and…

KC Cares: Monkey Brain Art

Karen Love makes adjustments to her fluid art project at a Monkey Brain Art class July 11. // Photo by Beth Lipoff For Gary Walker, art was the only thing that could calm his mind while dealing with the PTSD he has as a result of his time in the Air Force. Now he and his wife, Trish, are reaching…

Day Shift: A novel (s)take on vampire slaying 

Netflix’s latest isn’t entirely toothless, but is “fine” enough these days?

Day Shift. // Photo by Andrew Cooper/Netflix Vampires really love southern California, don’t they? From The Lost Boys to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the seemingly incongruous imagery of sunny beaches inhabited by creatures of the night is one of media’s most popular tropes. Netflix seeks to cash in on this with Day Shift, the action-packed directorial debut from J.J. Perry…

KC Voices: Reflections on the Value them Both results from two sides

Roe v. Wade reproductive rights protesters at the Plaza on Friday, June 24, 2022. // Photo by Jim Nimmo We’ve been asking members of the KC community to submit stories about their thoughts and experiences in all walks of life. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share with our readers, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration. Today,…

Stand-up comedian Ron Funches brings positivity and pot-sitivity to KC

Courtesy Ron Funches Ron Funches is one of our favorite comedians working today. The comedian and all-around gigantic personality aren’t just one of the best in the game, but he has the most infectious laugh in… the same… game. Funches’ sunny disposition pairs nicely with his work in the marijuana advocacy space which is the easiest line-in for our hearts. …

Keep Them Coming: Coitus interruptus

Kristen Thomas. // Photo by Nicole Bissey For a multitude of reasons, my partner and I won’t be makin’ babies. I had a friend give me shit recently for admitting we practice the pull-out method until My Guy gets the ole’ snippy clippy. I tried to educate my friend about the nuances and research about coitus interruptus, though I still…

How a local art teacher became an accidental sticker artist

(Yes, it’s a thing.)

Chris Frye sticker art. // Courtesy Chris Frye By day, Chris Frye is an unassuming middle school art teacher. By night, he’s an eclectic sticker artist with an unbridled penchant for bootlegged cartoon characters. If there’s a blank canvas and adhesive involved, he’s in. He’ll immediately start doodling, drawing, or designing with his signature hyper-color flair.  Frye says he was…

Let the Bodies Bodies Bodies hit the floor 

The Gen-z horror-murder mystery-comedy is bloody bloody bloody.

Bodies Bodies Bodies. // Courtesy A24 “I’m smart! I’m strong! I’m ready for what comes along! I’ve got! Good friends! We’ll stick together ‘til the end!” So begins the titular game of Bodies Bodies Bodies, in which a close-knit group of friends decides to spice up their hurricane party by playing an offshoot of social deduction game Werewolf—but when the…

Musician Chris Botti and his triumphant trumpet return to KC

Chris Botti. // Courtesy Chris Botti According to Grammy-winning musician Chris Botti, it’s been a hot minute since his band has made a pilgrimage to Kansas City. He guess-timates 14 years, but who’s counting? Botti—who jokes he puts the “tour” in touring musician—has been in the midst of non-stop performances for the past 14 months, and his tour schedule now…

Dusty Slay breaks down barriers and BBQ ahead of upcoming comedy dates

Dusty Slay is one of the funniest and hardest working stand up comedians working today. He’s also someone you can take your whole family to see. That puts him in rarified air with Jim Gaffigan, Bryan Regan, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Slay has been on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon multiple times, he’s the co-host of Nate Bargatze’s podcast, Nateland,…

Here and There Festival presents Quinn Christopherson, Lucy Dacus, and Courtney Barnett at The Midland

Courtney Barnett. // Photo by Nick Spacek Here and There Festival with Courtney Barnettt, Lucy Dacus, and Quinn Christopherson The Midland Theatre Monday, August 8 GRAMMY-nominated Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett has selected a rotating line-up for her U.S. tour that is decidedly queer. The Here and There Festival’s first stop at the Midland features Alaskan artist Quinn Christopherson, “Night Shift”…

Four Inane Questions with The Electrified Cooks

Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore. // Courtesy The Electrified Cooks Around these parts, Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore are known as The Electrified Cooks. To date, these prolific, local food writers have penned 17 cookbooks and created thousands of recipes and content for various publications. (Their most recent cookbook, you ask? The Best Cast Iron Baking Book.) In addition to…

Dish & Drink KC: Thai Orchid’s papaya salad, a cold IPA collaboration, and Lenexa’s new smash burger hub

Papaya salad at Thai Orchid. // Courtesy Thai Orchid Thai Orchid’s papaya salad Out with the green leafy salads and in with the savory fruits. Thai Orchid, a traditional Thai restaurant specializing in Massaman and Panang curry, keeps the public on their toes as to what amazing flavor combinations they will come up with next. Earlier this month, a new…

The Pitch’s Infinite Playlist Round 19: Emeline Hutton

Illustration by Enrique 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 #19: Emeline Hutton Who are you and what do you do? My…

Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana this November election

The initiative petition, bankrolled by the medical marijuana industry, appeared to be short the minimum number of valid signatures late last month.

Major Cannabis Expo. // Photo by Kristen Thomas Missouri voters will decide this November whether to legalize recreational marijuana, four years after they first approved the drug for medicinal use. Secretary of State John Ashcroft announced Tuesday an initiative petition to put the question before voters received 203,551 valid signatures across six Congressional districts — barely overcoming the minimum threshold…

Photos: Anthrax’s 40th Anniversary Tour brought the noise

Anthrax. // Photo by Anna Perry Anthrax with Black Label Society and Hatebreed The Midland Tuesday, August 2 Last Tuesday night, Anthrax’s 40th Anniversary tour rolled into the the Midland, with Hatebreed and Black Label Society in tow. Compare this tour to when Anthrax played the Bottleneck in Lawrence back in the early ’00s with Lamb of God—it’s hard to…

Queer icon N3ptune takes the stage at The Truman with Sleigh Bells Aug. 10

Multi-hyphenate musician, N3ptune. // Photo by Juli Williams N3ptune knows all. The Colorado icon fears no evil, hears no evil, and sees no evil. “I’m out here disappointing everyone because they’re close-minded,” N3ptune says. “Love that for them.” From his schooldays, N3ptune was heavily influenced by the world and morals of the Baptist Church. This background led to a musical…

How a Kansas City area community college is helping students handle the housing crisis

New on-campus housing is a first for Kansas City Kansas Community College and unusual for urban two-year schools.

Greg Mosier’s first assignment as president of Kansas City Kansas Community College was to get student housing on campus. With trustee chair Evelyn Criswell, he recently cut the ribbon at a dedication ceremony for Centennial Hall, which will house 258 students. // Chase Castor/The Beacon This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon.  Community colleges traditionally have been…