Brink of Extinction: Conservation efforts hope to save North KC’s endangered rock’n’roll hub

Heart Attack Man at The Rino. // Courtesy photo

Ben Wendt considers himself a musician above all else. He formed his first band in middle school and got *serious* in high school with his pop-punk band Blackmore—the namesake of Wendt’s teacher crush.

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With an itch for supporting bands and a penchant for hosting parties and guests, Wendt saw running a live music venue as the ideal mashup of his passions. He started promoting bands during his sophomore year of high school and hasn’t stopped since.

This July, Wendt and the Rino community celebrated six years of his lifelong dream: a live music and comedy venue created by artists for artists situated in the heart of North Kansas City on Armour Boulevard.

“One thing that we’ve tried very hard to do is to cultivate a true sense of community and a true sense of belonging—a true subsection of the scenes,” Wendt says.

Given the tumultuous past years at the hands of COVID-19, the Rino’s anniversary carries even more weight as Wendt reflects on the collective he’s helped cultivate. Now, with conversations buzzing about Northtown’s growth and its potential as the Royals stadium’s new home, North KC stakeholders like Wendt are gearing up for another wave of change. 

“We are deeply rooted in North Kansas City,” Wendt says. “We don’t want to go anywhere.”

A full house. // Courtesy photo

While Wendt is excited by this prospective new North KC, its associated growing pains, like increased rent, mean the Rino will be restructuring its model and parting ways with current subtenants by the end of the year.

The Rino will stay at 314 Armour Road, with subtenants Sweet EMOtion KC vegan ice cream and the Leaf Eater ‘plant-based dive kitchen’ transplanting in a different stand-alone location. The Triceratops Room recording studio and Post Coffee Company will also be leaving the space, though the Rino will start operating as a ‘coffee dive’ during the day to continue providing caffeination to the community.

Lease negotiations concluded with the decision to downsize and no longer occupy the space at 312 Armour Road, making the venue now a 100-person capacity room. Wendt says that this will likely lead to a decrease in national acts booked but better quality than ever.

“We won’t also be landlords with subtenants having to make sure twice as much space is kept up,” Wendt says. “We’re going to be able to truly focus on a singular vision in a way that we never have been able to.”

Since its founding in July 2017, the Rino has made a name for itself as a destination for local talent and those passing through the Midwest, continuing to book bigger names in music and comedy. Past lineups include bands like Remo Drive, The Acacia Strain, and Terror, as well as comedian Mark Normand’s Rino debut last year. This summer, Wendt turned on Netflix to find Normand’s face splashed across his screen when the comedic star made the Netflix Top 10 chart. 

In 2017, Wendt left his job as a bartender and projectionist at Screenland Armour, which he considers one of his favorite places in the world. But his dream since age 13 awaited him 300 feet down the road. Since its genesis, the Rino has maintained its signature essence from the get-go: a welcoming staff composed of many artists themselves and attention to every detail, from the talent they book to lighting quality.

Mess EP release poster. // Illustration by Kevin Briody

“A truly great concert isn’t just about having good talent,” Wendt says. “You have to have all of it. The venue has to be well run. The sound has to be good. The lights have to be good; the stage has to be good. And the bands have to be good. Everybody has to do their job.”

On top of the quality shows booked, another characteristic pillar of the Rino is weekly open mics. Every Monday and Tuesday, they host a music open mic dubbed Song Lab, followed by a comedy open mic—or Laugh Lab—on Wednesdays.

But just like every other cultural hub during COVID shutdowns and restrictions, a pang of uncertainty shook the Rino community’s foundation built on large gatherings, intimate spaces, and shared experiences. It was only this past January that he felt the Rino had bounced back after having no means of making serious revenue or hosting live shows for over a year. 

Their neighbors at Screenland Armour saw similar events unfold at the independent theater. Owner Adam Roberts says Screenland quickly burned through their reserved funds, and he had to close his Crossroads arcade bar, Tapcade, after six years in business. Only in the past 18 months has he felt Screenland’s business and his anxiety somewhat stabilized, but Roberts is still reluctant to let his guard down.

“We have the WGA strikes happening, of course—so I’m not trying to get that comfortable,” Roberts says.

The Screenland and U.S. altogether had a strong theatrical summer, enlivened by the record-shattering Barbenheimer weekend. But Wendt says the effects of the Writer’s Guild strike have made their way to the Screenland, with several films pulled from September’s release schedule. The week prior to this going to press, they had just recorded their slowest day in 14 months the week after Labor Day weekend.

“A part that a lot of non-entertainment industry people fail to grasp is how long we were feeling the reverberations of COVID,” Wendt says.

Other KC venues, including the Riot Room and Westport Saloon, closed their doors during COVID, and Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club was gutted by a fire at the start of the pandemic. Without the outpour of support from their October 2020 “Save the Rino” telethon, they could have met that same fate.

Inspired by an old-school PBS telethon vibe, the 12-hour-long livestream included pre-taped musical performances, live musical performances, stand-up acts, and interviews with local musicians and politicians.

They raised thousands of dollars—enough to pay rent a few times while holding no live events and to help out some of their employees who had been without work. After hosting the event for 12 straight hours, Wendt was exhausted in the best way possible.

“That was one moment that I try to hold on to more than many others,” Wendt says. “When I’m in the middle of the difficult balancing act, feeling exhausted and like maybe I should sell out and get a corporate job that pays considerably better… I turn to that moment and think, ‘This is why it matters.’”

With the plans to downsize the Rino’s space this year, they will need to build out a new bar in the back of the venue. Wendt says they will hold fundraisers later in the year to help offset these costs—but thanks to the continued support of the North KC community, the Rino is no longer in need of “saving.”

With a revamped model for the Rino and excitement building around Northtown’s future, Wendt is ready for a positive wave of change—anticipating a rising tide lifts all boats scenario for the Rino’s neighborhood.

“Even if the Royals’ plans don’t go through, I don’t think people are just going to walk away with their tail between their legs,” Wendt says. “I think that they have seen the potential of growth for Northtown. You’re going to start to see more and more destinations and customer-facing  businesses, where it’s worth coming from a different part of the town to check them out.”

Since opening 12 years ago, Roberts has seen Chicken N Pickle open its doors a few blocks over, several breweries pop up, and now more and more housing and hotels being built nearby. Roberts says this will not only add character to the area but also increase density that could curb the effects of the river’s geographic divide.

“That’s what we really need to self-sustain…What concert venues need, and what most of the arts need—is those bodies on weekdays when it’s slower.”

Keeping North KC’s indie theater up and running is about more than preserving the classic experience of going to the movies. To Roberts, places like the Screenland, the Rino, and recordBar are the cultural bones of the city that foster experiences that make life worth living.

Grand Opening. // Courtesy image

“Without these places, you find a lot of Denny’s, a bunch of Chili’s and Applebee’s. And some people are fine with that world and existence,” Roberts says. “But there’s just a level of care for all of us weirdos who decide to put our blood, sweat, and tears into our business. We’re not looking to get rich—we’re all just looking to share an experience with somebody.”

This sentiment runs deep at the Rino, which is like a magnet for many artists who encounter it once and make it a focal community in their lives. It is not uncommon to meet a bartender pouring drinks one night and find them doing a set at open mic the next.

The Rino’s spirit as a cultural hub for artists and by artists is what sets it apart from other venues. Co-host of the Rino’s monthly comedy special Catch a Trying Star, Ryan Trickey, also credits Wendt’s no-frills approach and attention to small details.

“Folks at the Rino really care about stripping away all of the bullshit that gets in the way of empowering the artists, putting on the best show possible, and nurturing the music and comedy scenes,” Trickey says. 

In the wake of pandemic isolation and the midst of increasingly virtual experiences, collectives like the Rino and Screenland need more support than ever. As North KC garners more business and clout, stakeholders like Roberts and Wendt are optimistic these changes will uplift their spaces that have carried it culturally for the past several years.

The cultural significance of coming together is what inspired the Rino initially and what makes these spaces worth our energy and investment.

“Why I was drawn to entertainment venues in the first place is because we’re increasingly lonely as a people,” Wendt says. “And there is just something ancient about getting in a room of other people, feeling live music, and laughing at the same joke. And it’s really important, I believe, for us as a society to have spots like that.”

The Rino is located at 314 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, MO 64116.