Archives: June 2023

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Music

Lawrence City Band presents ‘More Movie Music’ this Wednesday

Nick Spacek,

Paul W. Popiel conducts the Lawrence City Band. // photo credit Brian Byers On Wednesday, June 28, Lawrence City Band presents their “More Movie Music” performance at South Park in downtown Lawrence. Led by conductor Paul W. Popiel, who is also the current interim dean for the School of Music at the University of Kansas, the Lawrence City Band promises…

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Music

Photos: Arkansas’ Gardensnakes swings through The Bauhaus

Opening support from Drastic Plastic and Sarkatha.
Maura Dayton,

Gardensnakes @ The Bauhaus. // Photo by Maura Dayton Gardensnakes Support by Drastic Plastic, Sarkatha The Bauhaus Sunday, June 25 On Sunday, June 25, loud, fuzzed out rock & roll from Fayetteville, Arkansas swung through The Bauhaus DIY venue in the form of Gardensnakes. Two local acts, Sarkatha and Drastic Plastic opened. Our photographer Maura Dayton (@twistedmauraphotos), was there to…
Politics

Kris Kobach delivers advice on new law targeting transgender Kansans

ACLU, Lambda Legal say AG’s ‘bluster’ has no legal authority.
Rachel Mipro,

Kris Kobach offers his opinion on a new Kansas anti-transgender law during a news briefing June 26, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka. (Sam Bailey/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Monday outlined his legal interpretation of an anti-transgender law, advising state agencies to revert some Kansans’ driver’s licenses and birth certificates back to the genders assigned…

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Music

Photos: Fall Out Boy at Azura

Daniel Fuchs,

Fall Out Boy. // photo by Daniel Fuchs Fall Out Boy with Alkaline Trio, Royal and The Serpent, and Daisy Grenade Azura Amphitheater Saturday, June 24 On a sweltering Saturday night in Bonner Springs, pop-punk stalwarts brought their “So Much (for) Tourdust” show in support of their new album, So Much (for) Stardust, to Azura Amphitheater. They brought along Alkaline…

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Culture

Four Inane Questions with drag queen Tajma Stetson

Michael Mackie,

Tajma Stetson. // Courtesy photo There are a substantial number of boxes that Tajma Stetson checks. Coffee snob, check. Golden Girls superfan, check. Beethoven lover, check.   Known affectionately as KC’s only supermodel, Stetson Is most known for putting the “queen” in drag queen. She’s won several big pageants, including Miss Gay United States 2019 and, more recently, Miss Gay Missouri…

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Music

Photos: Endless, Nameless and Antibroth bring Denver to The Toilet Bowl

Support from local acts Jackoffs and Sewing Circle.
Maura Dayton,

Endless, Nameless with Antibroth Support by Jackoffs, Sewing Circle The Toilet Bowl Friday, June 23 On Friday, June 23, local bands Jackoffs and Sewing Circle took the space at The Toilet Bowl as they opened for Denver acts Antibroth and Endless, Nameless. Our photographer Maura Dayton (@twistedmauraphotos), was there to capture the experience. Endless, Nameless Antibroth Jackoffs Sewing Circle Categories:…

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Culture

#SelfieToSelfLove 5-day challenge to radical self-love starts today

Brynn Winkler,

Courtesy Empowerment Studio Kansas City’s Empowerment Studio community invites participants to bolster positive body image and self-love one selfie and compliment at a time in their #SelfieToSelfLove 5-day empowerment challenge. The challenge is from June 26-30 and is organized by Kinzie Ferguson, owner of the local boudoir photography studio Empowerment Photographer. As a part of the Empowerment Studio community’s mission…
Politics

Kris Kobach comes for trans Kansans’ birth certificates. Did legislators want this to happen?

Clay Wirestone,

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s attempt to block gender changes on birth certificates is predicated on a new law billed as a “women’s bill of rights.” (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) Of course it would come in the dark of night. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s move to strip trans Kansans of the right to change their gender markers came late Friday,…
Movies

KC filmed State of Grace premieres at Dance with Films Festival in Hollywood

Producers Stephen Wallace Pruitt and Mary Settle Pruitt address the cost of addiction in new film.
Belle Yennie,

  Dinner: Nancy Martin (Charla Bocchicchio) and Erin Sanders (Sarah Drescher) star in State of Grace // Courtesy NEVER2LATE Productions Stephen Wallace Pruitt and Mary Settle Pruitt premiere their film, State of Grace, at the Dance with Films Festival at TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood on June 28.  Inspired by a compilation of true events, the film tackles addiction…

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Games, Sports

KC Pioneers, LevelUp Arena host inaugural Midwest Fest esports convention

Trey Smith’s birthday bash—plus $3,000 in tournament prizes—headlined the two-day event.
Tyler Schneider,

The core identity of the Kansas City Pioneers lies in the Midwest, even if their players don’t.  In the latest effort to drive this point home, the esports organization hosted its inaugural Midwest Fest, where hundreds of attendees were able to mingle with likeminded fans and both participate in and spectate a series of amateur and professional tournaments, plus panels,…
News, Politics

Large portion of Kansas anti-trans law may not be enforced, but consequences still felt

A week before legislation takes effect, LGBTQ activists ramp up efforts to obtain protections.
Rachel Mipro,

Ahead of SB 180’s implementation, Lawrence campaigners lobby for the city to be made into a sanctuary city for transgender Kansans on June 20, 2023. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — On Thursday, Isaac Johnson changed his birth certificate. Johnson, a 24-year-old trans man, is one of many transgender Kansans rushing to get their gender markers changed before an anti-transgender law…

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Politics

Abortion ‘abolitionists’ in Kansas and other states want to charge women with murder

The anti-abortion movement is contending with a growing faction that calls for abortion patients to be criminally punished.
Rose Conlon,

An extreme wing of the anti-abortion movement is gaining traction in America’s heartland. // Photo by Rose Conlon, Kansas News Service WICHITA, Kansas — As far as T. Russell Hunter is concerned, nowhere in the U.S. has actually banned abortion yet. From the podium of a Wichita hotel conference room, the man at the helm of one of the most zealous…

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Music

Premiere: LYXE reconfigures ‘Wave’ to rock your eardrums

Nick Spacek,

LYXE. // photo credit Fally Afani If you’ve ever yearned for a band in the area to sound like they could easily cover INXS’ “Don’t Change” without sounding like a tribute act, look no further than Lawrence’s LYXE. The trio of Ryan Wise (vocals/guitar), AJ Knudson (bass/background vocals), and Jimmy Girod (drums/background vocals) began as a side project to Wise’s…

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Culture

July 2023 events in KC including concerts, explosions in the sky, and Legally Blonde

THE PITCH STAFF,

Photo by Chris Ortiz. Art by Cassondra Jones Ongoing/Multiple:  July 7-8 Taylor Swift, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium July 7-9 Summer KC Metaphysical Fair 2023, Harrah’s Kansas City Casino & Hotel Legally Blonde. // Courtesy Drager Creative July 7-13 Legally Blonde, Starlight The award-winning musical Legally Blonde is coming to Starlight July 7-13. Based on the 2001 movie of the…
Politics

Kansas may be outlier in national decrease in abortions since Dobbs decision

Statistics from 2022 still haven’t been released, but surge in out-of-state abortion seekers is expected.
Rachel Mipro,

Anti-abortion lobbyists lined the halls of the Kansas Statehouse during the 2023 legislative session. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — One year after federal abortion protections were removed, the reproductive rights debate in Kansas remains contentious. On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning the federal right to terminate pregnancy….
Politics

ACLU calls ‘shenanigans’ on Missouri AG’s refusal to follow court order on abortion petition

Attorney General Andrew Bailey argues appeal to Missouri Supreme Court means automatic stay in order to certify fiscal note within 24 hours.
Rudi Keller,

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks Jan. 20 to the Missouri chapter of the Federalist Society on the Missouri House of Representatives chamber. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent) Complying with an order to certify the fiscal summary on 11 abortion petitions would be an “affirmative irreversible action” that he is entitled to refuse until an appeal is heard, Attorney General Andrew Bailey…

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Theater

Paris Crayton III’s Bloodline makes debut at KC Fringe Festival

"I am putting my heart out on the stage for everyone to see, which can be really scary.” 
Jacqulyn Seyferth,

Courtesy of Paris Clayton III Critically acclaimed Bloodline will make its Kansas City debut at the upcoming July KC Fringe Festival. Bloodline is a solo show written and performed by Paris Crayton III.  Crayton is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He has written 50 plays, 21 of which have been produced. Crayton has received honors including ArtsATL’s “30…

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Culture

Pet Resource Center of Kansas City makes strides in providing affordable veterinary care

Jacqulyn Seyferth,

Courtesy of Pet Resource Center KC The Pet Resource Center of Kansas City (PRCKC) is a nonprofit clinic offering various veterinary services and resources for economically disadvantaged pet owners.  PRCKC has been around since 2002 and has provided services, including spaying/neutering, pet dental health, and vaccinations to over 500,000 animals.  “We will not turn anyone away for their inability to…

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Culture

Lawrence’s Liberty Hall Video announces closure of its storefront

Emma Hilboldt,

Courtesy of Liberty Hall Video After 37 years, Liberty Hall Video in Lawrence is closing its storefront.  Liberty Hall opened in 1986 and since then it has been a staple on Massachusetts Street in Lawrence as a place to peruse the shelves and pick out the perfect flick for your movie night. While Liberty Hall has survived longer than a…

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Culture

Four Inane Questions with Top Gun KC’s Nick Giuliani

Michael Mackie,

  Photo by Molly C. Photography Nick Giuliani knows everybody. And if you don’t know who Giuliani is—welp, that’s on you. Along with being the director of sales at Dynamic Logistix, he’s also the creator of the KC Shout-Out Series, one of the only LinkedIn series dedicated to highlighting and featuring leaders, nonprofits, and women-owned businesses in the Kansas City…