Archives: March 2026

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Music

Ratboys, villagerrr fill up the recordBar for a best-of ‘26 ticket

Alex Agueros,

Ratboys. // photo by Alex Agueros While describing the members of Ratboys as “nice” is nearing meme-levels of exhaustion, compassion for animals certainly scores high on some barometer of kindness. A career-spanning run in the middle of their March 25 set at recordBar naturally started with “Elvis is in the Freezer,” an ode to Ratboys lead Julia Steiner’s childhood cat,…
Food & Drink

Drink This Now: Carrot cake latte with cream cheese cold foam at Neighbors Coffee

Sarah Sipple,

Neighbors Coffee // Photo by Sarah Sipple With a name like Neighbors Coffee, it only seemed right that the coffee shop had a quietly bustling energy, with couples catching up, families chasing around young children, duos on business meetings, and individuals working on a midweek afternoon.  Most cafes aim to be a welcoming haven in their neighborhood, but Neighbors Coffee…
Food & Drink

New selections at Kauffman Stadium: 9-9-9 Challenge, hot dog Wellington, and a family recipe

This may be the first time that scarfing dogs and draining beer was accompanied by the word ‘safe.'
Cory Swieczkowski,

Kauffman Stadium food preview // photo by Cory Swieczkowski Each year, MLB teams race to announce intriguing food concessions to attract fans and generate publicity. This year, the battle for food glory features the Astros’ brisket donut, the Marlins’ two-foot-long quesadilla (with a complementary carrying case), and the aptly named Glizzila presented by the Rockies. Not to be outdone, the…

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Music

Georgia Davies, bassist of The Last Dinner Party, on literary influences and Arctic Monkeys homage ahead of Midland gig

Samantha Russell,

Photo: Rachell Smith // Courtesy of The Last Dinner Party Rumors of The Last Dinner Party as an industry plant took off after their first album release in 2024, Prelude to Ecstasy. The band’s curated image, along with their incredible talent, was so succinct that people were in disbelief that it was organic.  But their growth was years in the…

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Politics

Operation Lifeboat casts a lifeline for transgender Kansans amid government attacks

“This should be a forefront issue for every American. Because this kind of thing, history teaches us, does not stop with one limited population. It never has before.”
Samantha Russell,

Kansas lawmakers pushed through legislation essentially criminalizing gender-affirming care. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) On February 26, Kansas Bill SB 244 overrode the Governor’s veto with majority vote in both the House and the Senate. It levied an unprecedented overnight invalidation of identification credentials for transgender people who changed their sex markers and authorizes a bounty-style lawsuit for transgender people using public…

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Music

Kansas City Symphony announces plans for new venue in the South Plaza

Nick Spacek,

Exterior rendering. // image courtesy the Kansas City Symphony Live music in Kansas City is getting some serious infrastructure investment as of late. Riverside’s Morton Amphitheater was announced in October 2024, and opens its inaugural season this summer with an absolutely packed lineup of shows featuring Rod Stewart, Kesha, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Pitbull, and more. Now comes the announcement this…

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Music

Photos: Wichita Thunder lose 0-3 against Kansas City Mavericks

Yet another Jack LaFontaine shutout.
Eli Ralls,

It was smooth sailing for the Kansas City Mavericks as they claimed another victory on Saturday, March 28, 2026 against the Wichita Thunder, making it seven in a row. They won 3-0 over Wichita. Our photographer Eli Ralls was there to capture the magic: Categories: Music Tags: Jack LaFontaine, Kansas City Mavericks, Wichita Thunder

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Politics

No Kings demonstration spans six miles as thousands of Kansans line streets

Maya Smith,

Protestors line up March 28, 2026, along a six-mile stretch of Metcalf Avenue as part of a No Kings rally in Johnson County. (Photo by Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector) SHAWNEE MISSION — Advocacy organizations and thousands of community members gathered along Metcalf Avenue for six miles for the No Kings protest of President Donald Trump. Protestors lined up at…

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Politics

Thousands rally across Missouri in third ‘No Kings’ protest against Trump

Sterling Sewell,

Protesters gather for the No Kings rally on Saturday at the Boone County Courthouse. It was the third No Kings rally held in Columbia as part of a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump and his administration. In Missouri, more than 40 protests were organized across the state (Le Chen/Missourian) Thousands gathered across the state Saturday for the third nationwide…

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Politics

KC’s public budget hearings prove the people and the City are not on the same page

Kansas City's 2026-2027 budget roundup. “Fully fund out buses” and other public requests.
Cory Swieczkowski,

Kansas City is in the midst of its budget approval cycle for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) introduced a $2.5 billion financial plan on February 12, mirroring the prior year’s allocation. As the city aims to cut the previously projected general fund deficit from around $100 million to $55 million, the city council will…

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Music

Slaughter to Prevail tore through the audience like a Grizzly at Midland

Jason Colvin, Bentley Mahakijkittichai,

Slaughter To Prevail. // photo by Bentley Mahakijkittichai Slaughter to Prevail with Attila and Whitechapel The Midland Monday, March 23 On Monday, March 23, Slaughter to Prevail, along with special guests Whitechapel and Attila, delivered a night of metal to the Midland Theatre in downtown Kansas City. As the venue filled with metal heads of all ages, the clock struck…

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Sports

Photos: KC Comets face 11-10 OT defeat against San Diego Sockers

Tarik Sykes,

Photo by Tarik Sykes The Kansas City Comets saw their MASL Shield hopes end after losing an 11-10 overtime thriller at home to the San Diego Sockers on Friday, March 27. It was goals galore from start to finish, but the Comets were unable to hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as they fell in overtime to the Sockers on their third consecutive trip to Cable…
Food & Drink

KC Sipps: Sandwich Week is underway, plus Hood Dude Food Reviews invites us to Pound Town

This week's Kansas City restaurant news.
Sarah Sipple,

KC Sipps logo by Theodore Rosen Life in KC is pretty delicious. In fact, there is often so much going on that it can be hard to decide where to go and what to try. That’s where I come in.  I’ve curated this weekly list of events, openings, deals, and celebrations to keep you in-the-know. Cheers! Something New News Bites:…

Ed Wyla
Music

Premiere: Wyla’s video for ‘Electric Boat’ is a cyclical dreamscape

Nick Spacek,

Wyla’s Edward Madill. // photo courtesy the artist Wyla’s Bleach Ceviche is out NOW on Indianapolis’ Twisted Twin Sister Tapes. You can order it via Bandcamp.  Seeing Lawrence’s Wyla is a rare opportunity, and one for which you should make the time. Their “fuzzy, droney shoegaze” was born in the mountains of North Carolina before the project’s Edward Madill brought…

Press1 Cat Clyde By Julio Assis
Music

Cat Clyde on the natural world and Mud Blood Bone ahead of Bottleneck gig

Nick Spacek,

Cat Clyde. // photo credit Julio Assis Cat Clyde plays the Bottleneck on Wednesday, April 1, with Boy Golden. Details on that show here. In mid-March, Canadian alt-folk artist Cat Clyde returned with her fourth LP, Mud Blood Bone, on Concord Records. Across the album’s 11 songs, Clyde goes from the rollicking opener, “Where Is My Love,” to the quietly…

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Music

Wednesday, Gouge Away triumphantly rock a sellout crowd at The Granada

Alex Agueros,

Wednesday. // photo by Alex Agueros Providing the ideal soundtrack for a grimy night in a college town, Wednesday ripped through Lawrence with a noisy night of “creek rock” in front of a sellout crowd at The Granada on Sunday, March 22. Wednesday, led by Karly Hartzman, released Bleeds last September and garnered a level of acclaim appropriate for a…

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Culture

Luke Dumas’ new book Nothing Tastes As Good is weighty body horror

Nick Spacek,

Luke Dumas. // photo credit Chelsea V Photography Luke Dumas’ new book, Nothing Tastes As Good, sees the author of A History of Fear and The Paleontologist tackling the story of “300-pound retail worker Emmett Truesdale, who, desperate for help, enrolls in a clinical trial for a new and mysterious weight loss product: Obexity.” Presented both as a traditional novel,…

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Movies

Supernatural fever dream The Serpent’s Skin is a deliriously queer ouroboros

Bless this mess.
Kylie Volavongsa,

Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures What are our twenties for, if not making hedonistic messes of ourselves and others, having to clean them up, and making things worse in the process?  With a torment nexus job market for recent graduates, the baffling popularity of an AI-generated fruit Love Island, and the horrors of the federal government of the United States…
Music

Pop icon Tiffany hits up Knuckleheads Saloon after All This Time

Michael Mackie,

Photo by Allen Clark Some pop stars fade quietly into the neon ether of the decade that made them famous. Singer Tiffany, on the other hand, has remained front and center. Why? Because somewhere in America right now, “I Think We’re Alone Now” is blasting on multiple radio stations. (Admit it, you’re now humming it. It’s become your earworm for the…

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Movies

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice wants to show you a good time… machine

Abby Olcese,

Courtesy Walt Disney Studios Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is on Hulu and Disney+ starting Friday, March 27.  I got roped into a conversation recently about the irritating discourse around movies needing to have meaning—i.e., a moral center—and needing to be upfront about what that moral center is. As a critic, this is a fraught topic. I’ve always…

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Music

Vincent Neil Emerson unleashes his outlaw songwriting on Knuckleheads

Cory Swieczkowski,

Photo by Cory Swieczkowski Raw stories of struggle, that’s what country music is all about. It helps when it’s told through the lenses of drinking beer, getting your heart broken by your ex-wife, and a far too long stage name. Vincent Neil Emerson showcased his alternative country songwriting Saturday, March 21, at the Knuckleheads Garage. When Vincent Neil Emerson comes…