Braiden Turner (right) sits with Bill Self (left) at local favorite Jefferson’s after the Duke vs. Kansas game in Lawrence, KS. // Courtesy of Braiden Turner Claims that “KU is a football school” used to be made by fans only in admittance of the less than stellar performance of the Jayhawks in the NCAAF—until recently. Going on a 4-0 winning…
Kat King. // Photo by Morgan Jones The latest single from Kansas City shimmer-pop band Kat King, “With Nothing in My Way,” takes the sound the band explored on their last single, “New Sun,” and turns it into something less breezy and more introspective. It’s no less entrancing for being a sad banger, however, and you can definitely find…
Let’s get this out of the way first: Bros is not the historically groundbreaking film Billy Eichner would like you to think it is. It’s not the first gay rom-com. Hell, it’s not even the first gay rom-com to come out this year. However, self-importance aside, Bros is still a charming, funny movie that, regardless of the occasional eye-rolling pull…
Nigella Lawson. // Courtesy Nigella Lawson PR With upwards of 9 million ravenous social media followers, it’s no wonder British cooking mogul Nigella Lawson is known as the queen of the kitchen. Over the past two decades, Lawson has single-handedly created a culinary empire thanks to her wildly popular cookbooks and string of imminently watchable cooking shows. Call her what…
There are many forms a documentary can take, but no matter the design, there are two ends of the spectrum on which they tend to fall. There’s the serious end—your issues-based films, immersive deep-dives and artistic experiments; and the entertainment end—the movies about bizarre subcultures, beloved historical icons or uplifting personal experiences. There’s nothing wrong with either of these; while…
June Millington of Fanny. If talent were the only prerequisite to success, the members of Fanny would have recession-proof bank accounts and a mantel full of awards. The all-female band released its first album in 1970. Guitarist June Millington, her sister bassist Jean Millington, drummer Alice de Buhr, and ace session keyboardist Nickey Barclay played almost all of the instrumental…
The Woman King. // Courtesy Sony Pictures When Gina Prince-Bythewood made her action feature directing debut with The Old Guard in 2020, it felt like a revelation. Here was an action film that contained the requisite pulse-pounding thrills and ultra-violence but also a touch of genuine humanity, with characters whose relationships with each other felt effortlessly rich and loving. With…
Terence Blanchard. // Photo by Tony Adebonojo Trumpeter, bandleader and multi-faceted composer Terence Blanchard made headlines and history last fall with his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the first work by a Black composer to be performed by the Metropolitan Opera in the organization’s 138-year history. But just a month or two prior to the monumental news Blanchard…
Arquesta Del SolSoul. // Courtesy the artist This Friday, September 30, sees the SolSoul Festival hit the stage at Lemonade Park. Featuring The Phantastics, Ebony Tusks, Jass, Regina Del Carmen, Just Angel & The Wades, Collidescope, DJ Skeme, and the fest’s founders Arqueta Del SolSoul, it’s a full evening celebrating community and culture through music. We hopped on Zoom with…
Colton Schrag, who spent years at Agape Boarding School in southwest Missouri, where dozens of former students have described experiencing abuse, testifies during a committee hearing on Feb. 10, 2021. // Tim Bommel/House Communications A bipartisan chorus of Missouri lawmakers joined together on Twitter Wednesday to call for Agape Boarding School to be shut down. Using the hashtag #ShutDownAgape, the…
Current Oxford house in Kansas City, Missouri. // Courtesy of In the Name of GRACE “I wasn’t a great kid. I drank too much, I smoked a lot of weed, and I didn’t work a lot. Even then, I was functional. But the first time I smoked meth, all I ever wanted to do was whatever I had to do…
KCRep Ghost Light 2022 // Courtesy of Ellen McDonald The Kansas City Repertory Theatre is preparing for the return of the 3rd annual Ghost Light: A Night of Haunted Songs and Stories from KC’s Cultural Crossroads. This year will feature two outdoor performances Oct. 21 and 22 at Roanoke Park. This family-friendly event is structured in a collage-style concert that…
Courtesy Canary Instagram Midtowners seeking rooftop cocktails and octopus carpaccio now have one fewer destination. Canary, an upscale American restaurant near 38th and Main, closed last Tuesday after a change in ownership led to a massive staff walkout. Former owners Keely Edgington and Beau Williams, who also run Julep in Westport, opened Canary in January 2021 in the Netherland, a…
The Gaslight Anthem. // photo by Barry Meitler The Gaslight Anthem with Tigers Jaw Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland Friday, September 23 On Friday night, the Gaslight Anthem played the Midland as part of their first tour after a four-year hiatus. Pennsylvania indie-pop act Tigers Jaw opened. Our photographer, Barry Meitler (who you can find on Instagram and Facebook), was there to…
Dinosaur Jr. // photo by Chris Ortiz Dinosaur Jr. with Ryley Walker and Drona The Truman Saturday, September 24 Dinosaur Jr. took graced the Metro area on Saturday when they took the stage at The Truman in their first return back since the Covid pandemic. Their set, unsurprisingly, was one that left the crowd singing every word, moving to every beat,…
When it comes to horror royalty, there are a few names that spring to mind. One of those is Butch Patrick. He is most well-known for his portrayal of Eddie Munster in the show that ran for 71 episodes between 1965-1966, along with a movie Munster, Go Home! Since then, he has still continued to act in smaller roles and…
Krista Eyler in Overture. // Photo by Steven Rosen In Theatre in the Park’s upcoming musical Always … Patsy Cline, performer Krista Eyler tackles the eponymous role with her usual gusto and enthusiasm. Good thing, too, as she and co-star Stasha Case—who plays Cline’s galpal, Louise Seger—tear through more than 27 songs per performance. (We’re winded just thinking about that.) …
Chanute Mexican Fiesta. // Photo by Chris Ortiz September 17 saw the 105th annual Mexican Fiesta take place in the small southeastern Kansas town of Chanute. This year was special, after almost losing the celebration due to the COVID pandemic that nearly shut it down for good. This fiesta was far from commercial. The Chanute Fiesta still had an old-world…
Freedy Johnston. // photo credit Marla Norton Singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston released his new album, Back on the Road to You, earlier this month via 40 Below Records. Featuring special guests like Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs, and Susan Cowsill, this marks Johnston’s first album in seven years. To celebrate, he’s heading out on the road and headlining the Bottleneck this Saturday,…
Adam Larson. // photo courtesy the artist Saxophonist Adam Larson’s latest album, With Love, From Kansas City, pays homage to the city in which the jazz musician now lives. Coming on the heels of With Love, From Chicago, the album is the second installment in a planned trilogy wherein Larson performs songs inspired by the titular locale alongside pieces by…
Monster Closets is a randomly-regular column where Brock Wilbur takes a trip back through the highs, lows, and generally bizarre elements of the survival horror video game genre. This is exceptional niche writing but hopefully funny to the outsider by the nature of just how sheerly unhinged some of these works of art come. Please enjoy ahead of Halloween! I’d…
Seth Smith. // Courtesy Seth Smith With the Plaza Art Fair opening this weekend, we thought it only appropriate to spotlight a few local artists making their triumphant return to the prestigious event. Earlier this week, we showcased artist Jenny Meyer-McCall who celebrates her 11th appearance this year. Next up is Kansas native Seth Smith, a painting/printmaking KU grad who…
Courtesy For Strange Women An intermingling of cool days between warm remnants of a Midwest September conjures memories of damp earth beneath fallen leaves and smoky, sweet marshmallows over a crackling wood fire. The same could be said about For Strange Women’s perfumes. Meticulously crafted and poetically described for their predominantly online clientele, Kansas City’s women-owned and gender-neutral indie perfume…
Courtesy Union Station On Saturday, Sept. 24, 15 exhibitors will join Save the Monarch Butterfly 60,000 Tree Challenge North American Boxcar Tour along the tracks on the northwest side of Union Station to advocate for North America’s iconic monarch butterfly. In July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature red-listed the migratory monarch as endangered, placing it just two steps…
