Back in the Day

7/29-8/26
Like the dichotomous blend of structure and improvisation in jazz music, Kansas City: Paris of the Plains, an exhibit at the Kansas City Public Library (14 West 10th Street), moves the viewer from one highlight to another in a current of text and imagery. Described by a flier as a show that remembers when “Kansas City was considered one of the most dynamic arts centers in America,” the exhibit unites a variety of historical interests, detailing often-overlooked elements of the city, such as the birth of the neoclassical Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the art deco Power and Light Building. Pictures and text describe painter Thomas Hart Benton’s harmonica playing and the record he released of his Saturday-night jam sessions. Elsewhere, a gorgeous woman from 1922 wonders: “It requires brains to become and remain a successful flapper?”

Paris of the Plains beckons viewers to learn more about the contributions of innovative artists whose music defined the phrase “jazz age,” musicians such as Buster Smith, who mentored Charlie Parker, and Mary Lou Williams, who played piano for Andy Kirk. The free exhibit runs through August 26. Call 816-701-3400 for details. — Nicholas Malewski

Cowboy Junkies
Go honky-tonkin’ at Harry’s Country Club.

FRI 7/30
Record aficionados Scott O’Kelley and Wendy Vit have a vast collection of country, hillbilly, Western swing and rockabilly. We don’t doubt their genuine devotion to the music, but we think O’Kelley probably saw a large jump in his numbers around the time he met Vit 10 years ago — when she was working at Westport record store Music Exchange. The now-married duo plans to “lug down just over a hundred or so” of their selections to the patio at Harry’s Country Club (112 East Missouri Avenue) for Friday’s Hillbilly Hop. From 8 to 11 p.m., they’ll dip into their trove of ranch rock to spin vintage 78s. That could mean early Hank Williams or Kitty Wells, but O’Kelley tells us it could also include “lesser-known, post-World War II, pre-rock-and-roll artists.” O’Kelley says it’s all for our “listening, dancing and beer-sloshing pleasure.” Also pleasurable: There’s no cover — so use your cash on Harry’s $2 PBRs. For details, call 816-421-3357. — Annie Fischer

Stayin’ Alive

Downtown gets Disco Dicked.

FRI 7/30
When Curtis Anderson started Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls, a sequined, disco-inspired cover band, he thought it would be a fun and lucrative way to spend time onstage. He also thought he knew how to turn dance floors into boogie wonderlands. “Man, some of the best disco classics, you cannot dance to,” Anderson says now. “You play ‘Car Wash,’ and everybody’s like, ‘Yeah!‘ for 5 seconds. Then they go get a drink.” Dick and the Balls wised up, padding their setlist with songs guaranteed to turn dance floors into disco infernos. They even play stuff from the ’80s. Barney Allis Plaza (12th Street and Central) is the sextet’s next stop at 6 p.m. Friday. Call 816-421-1539. — Michael Vennard

Bike-Minded

FRI 7/30
Supporters of Critical Mass meet on the last Friday of every month to express their frustrations about transportation, road usage and the environment. Do they sit around and bitch about it over beers? Nope — these proactive cyclists take to the roads of Kansas City en masse, pissing off drivers to make their point. Feel free to join them at 5 p.m. Friday near the corner of Southwest Trafficway and Mill Street. — Fischer