Category Archives: Entertainment
Hearne: Top KC Jazz Guns Mysterious Brush with Buckethead @ Beaumont
On the surface, it was an unlikely match….
To say the very least. Two of Kansas City’s top jazz musicians opening for serial killer-looking guitar god Buckethead at the Beaumont Club last night.
"You know, I opened up for him," said piano man Mark Lowrey, as Buckethead wailed away onstage. "He’s awesome. He’s probably the biggest star I’ve ever opened for. I mean, I closed for Max Weinberg at Jardine’s. But Buckethead’s a mutha fu…I mean, he’s a mofo – I don’t cuss on the record. But I mean, check him out, man."
Donnelly: Wakarusa Godfather on Why Arkansas’s Better Than Lawrence (& More)
Got your tickets yet? Better hurry…
The Wakarusa Festival kicks off this Thursday, June 2nd in Ozark, Arkansas atop Mulberry Mountain. It’s a venue that most everyone can agree is more picturesque – and more friendly – than the original site at Clinton State Park in Lawrence.
"Yeah, the vibe is definitely more relaxed and a lot funner, I think," says Wakarusa main man Brett Mosiman. "It’s really spectacular. On the drive in you start getting really excited going through the mountains and forests and it really is on top of a mountain. There are little creeks and ponds, and our southern campsite is on the Mulberry River. So you can take a dip before coming up and seeing some shows."
The bands Mosiman is looking forward to the most? Some big ones, some small ones and some that most people have never seen.
Hearne: Add Buckethead to Your Bucket List; Tonight @ Beaumont Club
Donning a KFC bucket and a dialed back Friday the 13th mask is hardly a recipe for rock ‘n’ roll success…
That said, it’s worked out quite well for the artist known as Buckethead who headlines tonight the Beaumont Club in Westport. To the tune of 32 albums and a cult following that won’t quit.
"I love Buckethead," says Crossroads and Wakarusa promoter Brett Mosiman. "I’ll see him down on the mountain (Wakarusa in Arkansas) on Thursday."
What to expect at a Buckethead show?
"He’s in costume and in character," Mosiman says. "And he’s got crazy guitar skills. He’s kind of a freak – he’s got eight-inch fingers and plays an incredible guitar. He’s been a Wakarusa favorite for a long time."
Hearne: Don’t Waste Your Money on Hangover Part 2
Look everybody knows, most sequels suck, right?
And let the record show that I worship at the alter of Jack Poessiger’s movie reviews as much as the next guy.. more, actually.
Frankly, Jack has better taste than me – I mean, in movies. Other than his tendency to laugh hillariously at fart humor. But in my humble opinion, his relatively rave review of Hangover 2 was completely off the mark.
It sucked.
Sounds Good: Bruno Mars@Indy Center, Widespread Panic@ Midland, Pat Green@Crossroads
What to do, what to do with this long weekend, the official start of summer?
Head to Lake of the Ozarks, drink your breakfast, lunch, dinner, try to get away from that turd following you back to your buddy’s dad’s boat, and maybe get puked on by the super drunk girl you’re trying to mack it to?
Maybe. Yeah, I could get with that.
Yard work?
Okay, no, scratch that one…
Sounds Good: Airborne Toxic Event @ Beaumont & Spring into Summer Fest
This weekend I give the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth…
Friday, May 20th
The Airborne Toxic Event at the Beaumont Club in KC
These California indie rockers seem like they’ve been everywhere lately, from Letterman to Kimmel to Austin City Limits. Their mix of raw guitars with orchestral type arrangements is what makes this band stand out.
Donnelly: Joe Purdy at the Bottleneck, May 14, 2011
Apparently, sensitive guys can also be kind of militant. In an indignant – not agressive – way. 
As I wandered around the Bottleneck taking in the crowd and listening to Joe Purdy’s soulful drawl from every angle, some guy tapped me on the shoulder.
"Hey man, you’re standing right in front of us."
Startled, I turned around to find a 20-something Grad Assistant-looking dude with a girl sitting in one of the back booths. This guy was serious.
"What?" I thought to myself. "This is a fucking bar. Sit, stand, crouch, lean, it’s all fair game, right?"
Mancow: Rainmakers Deliver @ Knuckleheads Reunion Show
The reunion was fantab-gulorious!!!
The Rainmakers brought it. Doing the ENTIRE first CD first was wonderful.
Father Son, Holy Cow!
Again, I maintain they should be filling stadiums.
There in the shadow of Rockfest was this great show at an oddly wonderful venue, Knuckleheads Saloon.
Sounds Good: Jessica Lea Mayfield@RecordBar; Nick Arcade@Granada; Brooke Fraser & Joe Purdy@Bottleneck
One of these things is not like the others…
I was thinking to myself, maybe it’s time to branch out a little.
You know, mix in a little something different, a little zig with my zag.
And after all, it is stop day at KU, so what the hell…
Sounds Good: Tuneyards@Jackpot Saloon; Chuck Meade@Knucklehaeds; Of Montreal@Liberty Hall
Lots of good stuff going on this weekend…
Barbecue competitions, town festivals, and even Royals baseball games that people are exicted about.
If you’re into the whole "music" thing, though, here is what you should know…
Donnelly: “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” at the Midland, May 2, 2011
You gotta hand it to Kevin Smith.
Writer, director, actor, comic book dork, fat man. Yes, he’s all these things.
But here’s the genius part: he gets paid to sit around and talk about shit that happened, like, 20 years ago.
Seriously. And it’s not even profound shit or anything. He just makes it up as he goes. I mean, he could get on stage and talk about the greatest dump he took during the grunge era and people would show up.
That’s not too far from what went down Monday at the Midland during the traveling shit-shoot known as "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old"…
Sounds Good: Arthur Dodge@Replay, Jimmy Buffett@Sprint & Manchester Orchestra@Beaumont
This weekend’s best bets for live music couldn’t be more different.
Not that that’s a bad thing. Sometimes the most unlikely pairings come together in unexpected ways to make something new that you never thought of before.
Here’s how it works for this weekend’s bands:
One part dirty ash tray, one part tequila sunrise, and one part leather pants…
Donnelly: Arcade Fire at Starlight Theater, April 20, 2011
Some bands exist under the mainstream radar for a long time, earning a loyal following and some indie accolades, before coming to the realization that in order to be commercially successful, a bit of bending to the will of the corporate machine is necessary.
This is usually when the music suffers.
No longer are songs written simply for the sake of being a good song. Other considerations emerge: Can this sound cross over? Is thehook catchy enough, but still with an edge? Is my hairstyle weird enough for people to take me seriously as a musician?
But not Arcade Fire.
Sounds Good: The Civil Wars@The Bottleneck; Ghosty@The Replay; Interpol@Beaumont Club
For those of you that missed Nathaniel Rateliff at the Bottleneck a few weeks ago, slap yourself in the mouth… now.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
You know you messed up. (Read the review down below somewhere, then think about why you don’t own any throwing knives).
The fifty of us that did go to that desolate Friday night show were treated to stripped down songs with raw emotion spilling off the stage and splashing onto our shoes.
I know, gross right?
A similarly intimate show might be brewing Friday at the same iconic venue…
Donnelly: Plain White T’s at the Bottleneck, April 12, 2011
"Let’s make this a moment, Lawrence," urged lead singer Tom Higgenson as girls and women screamed uncontrollably. No panties or bras were flying through the air or anything, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if they had been.
Higgenson was about to play "Hey There Delilah" solo, on a makeshift stage at the back of the room following the full band’s set. The effect was executed well, and Higgenson got back to the stage without being ripped to shreds by teens and cougars alike.
Just think what would’ve happened if they hadn’t played "Delilah," the song that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 a few years back, and that you might pay someone to erase from your memory permanently (it’s pretty catchy).
Bad things…
Sounds Good: Fourth of July @ Bottleneck, Amon Amarth @ Granada, Soft Reeds @ Replay, Jeff Beck @ Uptown
Don’t do it for me. Do it for you. 
This weekend, check out a couple of great local bands that you really need to see, if you haven’t by now.
And also, maybe think about checking out a Viking Rock band.
Yes, there is such a thing.
You can even wear your viking hat and chain mail that’s been collecting dust since the ren fest. Of course it makes you look cool. I’m not just saying that…
Donnelly: Nathaniel Rateliff at the Bottleneck, April 1, 2011
"I’m fat, I can’t read, I have no education, I’m horrible at mathematics, I can’t spell, my vocabulary is really shitty," explained Nathaniel Rateliff as he sipped on a bourbon and seven.
Cigarette smoke filled the dingy upstairs band room at the Bottleneck, combining with the smell of stale beer from years of road bands.
Rateliff wants to explain…
Donnelly: Bright Eyes Disses Kansas Pols at the Uptown, Saturday April 2, 2011
Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst is a dramatic guy. Some critics might say that’s his downfall. The self-importance, the grand ideas, and the naivete that permeate his music.
Those people think, "Is this guy for real? This is some sappy, self-aware, sentimental, emo crap."
Fair enough.
And apparently, he’s not big on Republicans. More on that later…
Sounds Good: Bill Cosby @ Midland, Nathaniel Rateliff @ Bottleneck & Bright Eyes @ Uptown
Friday, April 1st
Bill Cosby at the Midland in KC
Bill Cosby’s standup routine is definitely not dirty, not a curse word to be found. But it is funny. One of the Great American Storytellers, Cosby has perfected his craft of delivering conversational tales of family, children, and the seemingly mundane details of life. Yes, he is a master. I mean, who else could kill with a bit about ice cream? Or about visiting the dentist? Or driving his kids to school?
If you appreciate comedy and have never seen Bill Cosby in person, don’t wait, now’s your chance. Though the show is sold out there are tickets available at several online broker sites. His recent shows have been receiving consistently good reviews, and at 73, who knows how much longer the Cos will keep touring? Free pudding pops to the first thousand through the door!
Sounds Good: James McMurtry, Lewis Black, and the ACBs
Like a moth to a flame, this week’s must-see shows will suck you in, but may ultimately contribute to your untimely demise…
The first, with a grizzled and honest desperation. The second, with insanely maniacal exasperation.
And the third……… with a huge gun.
I know, scary, right?
Okay, just kidding about the huge gun thing – kinda – not about the first two though…
