Category Archives: Entertainment
Today: Glen Campbell’s ‘Goodbye Tour’ to Hit Uptown April 26th
This just in….
One of the legendary performers of our time – Glen Campbell – will touch down in Kansas City on Thursday April 26th. Not at the Sprint Center, but rather in the intimate confines of the Uptown Theater.
The 75 year-old Campbell – who turns 76 four days prior to the show – has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is currently on a "Goodbye Tour" with his three children joining him in his backup band.
Campbell rocked this year’s Grammy awards last month with a rousing version of his hit "Rhinestone Cowboy" and was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
As for Campbell’s remembering the lyrics, his wife Kim Woollen described music as a "natural memory aid" for him.
Hearne: The Real Reason Kanrocksas Won’t be Back This Year?
Let me say up front, I won’t be answering the question in the above headline…
When things don’t work out as expected and people lose tons of dough – especially big money backers rolling the dice in uncharted waters – something’s got to give.
In the case of the music festival Kanrocksas, it won’t be returning this summer as had been promised.
Insiders estimate last summer’s inaugural fest at the Kansas Speedway churned a wake of $2.5 to $4 million of red ink.
That’s a lot to love.
Now let’s take a look at the spin spoon fed to local media in Kanrocksas press release Tuesday:
"Due to a major construction project at Kansas Speedway during the summer of 2012, Kanrocksas Music Festival will not return until 2013. Following the successful inaugural Kanrocksas Music Festival at Kansas Speedway in August 2011…"
Was the fest successful? Nobody who knows how to operate a calculator would likely describe it that way.
Sounds Good: Fourth of July & ACBs@The Brick, Reverend Horton Heat@Bottleneck
Plenty of KC area concert news to digest…
First, as pointed out by Hearne last week before any formal press release, it seems that the worst named music festival ever will not be returning for a second year. Instead, the Kanrocksas organizers claim they’re taking a year off "Due to a major construction project at Kansas Speedway during the summer of 2012."
They say they’ll be back in 2013. I put the odds of that at about 50/50.
Also, last week 96.5 the Buzz announced the lineup for their annual Beach Ball, which is being held again this year at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in KCK. The schedule is about as impressive as I’ve seen the Buzz put together, at least for the last 6 or 7 years.
Headliners include The Shins, Foster the People, Flogging Molly, Sublime With Rome, Metric, The Kooks, and a few others. The show takes place on June 2nd and tickets start at just $20!
That just happens to be the weekend of Wakarusa, so I’ll be interested to see how the shows might end up affecting each other.
On to this weeks picks…
Today: Uptown Theater Mardi Gras Wilding, ‘Carnivale du Soul’ Saturday
Get the jump on Fat Tueday this weekend at the Uptown…
The 2012 Carnivàle du Soul featuring the band Hearts of Darkness goes down Saturday night at the Uptown Theater at 3700 Broadway.
"It’ll be a Mardi Gras event with Hearts of Darkness, the band Goodfoot and there’ll be DJs as well," says the Uptown’s Fred Cannon. "The doors are at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m."
Wanna save some money – like a lot of money?
Sounds Good: Red Bull Thre3style DJ Battle@Beaumont, Stephen Malkmus@Granada
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and hopefully you made it through unscathed…
Hopefully you got through that awkward night where you had to pretend you actually have "feelings" and that you care about something other than shoving food down your hole, guzzling brewdogs, and the occasional strange.
You made it!
So now forget about all that b.s. you told your sweetie and regain a bit of your manhood by watching some local DJs fight to the death at the Beaumont this Saturday. I heard that they do it with knives like they did in the music video for Bad by tying their hands together… and then dancing around a bit.
On to the picks…
Leftridge: TV Time; Much Like the Mighty Missouri, ABC’s “The River” is Full of Waste
Rivers are inherently frightening things. If you’re not being Jeff Buckley’d or Ned Beatty’d (drowned and raped, respectively), you’re encountering catfish-punching rednecks, Mexican picnics and hill-people on homemade watercraft. Rivers—especially around these parts—are muddy, murky affairs, perfect for getting attacked by unseen, underwater beasts like the alligator gar, or inadvertently inner-tubing with the dismembered corpse of Prospect Corridor hookers.
Gone are the days of pursuing a Twain-ian river adventure, where one listlessly rafts down a scenic bloom of natural beauty. No longer is one liable to stumble through the thicket to find a kick-ass Alan Jackson river party, replete with plastic cups of Budweiser and bikini clad temptresses grilling Oscar Mayer hot-dogs. Today’s local streams have much more in common with their seedy South American counterparts.
The Amazon is the world’s longest river, running 4,000 miles from Peru to Brazil—coast to coast, in other words—and, during the wet season, can stretch to 30 miles wide.
That’s fucking huge.
Hearne: The News Drip Torture That is Jardine’s Rambles On
When it comes to first class messes, it doesn’t get much better than Jardine’s….
The iconic Plaza area jazz club has been down for the count since late last November when things spiraled out of control after owner Beena Raja busted a handful of staffers for drinking on the company dime after hours Thanksgiving Day morning. She then accused others at the club of unethical practices, resulting in a spate of resignations, firings followed by a state of complete confusion and tabloid style local TV news coverage.
Among the misdeeds that ensued, rogue former staffers changed the password on Jardine’s Facebook page and refused Raja access, rendering her unable to get her side of the story out at a critical time early into the revolt and chaos.
Then on New Year’s Eve eve, the Pitch reported that locals Robert McCain and Joseph Fulgenzi had purchased Jardine’s and Raja was o-u-t. That however proved premature as all parties involved have since stated a deal has yet to be struck and the club remains closed to the public.
Hearne: Finally, KC Lands Madonna Show at Sprint Center October 30th
At long last Kansas City is getting Madonna…
To the best of my recollection, KC has never hosted a Madonna show. Back when she truly mattered – the early to mid 1980s through mid 1990s – the Material Girl’s concert tours hit the East Coast, the West Coast and Florida, but never here.
That’s about to change when the Madonna plays Sprint Center the night before Halloween on October 30.
When Madonna broke out in 1983, her early claim to fame was she was dating popular 70s/80s DJ John Jellybean Benitez who mixed her first album.
John Who, you may ask, assuming like most Kansas Citians you were largely resentful of the disco phenomenon that swept most of the country with the exception of gay bars in Midwestern burgs like KC.
Sounds Good: William Elliott Whitmore@Granada, Craig Finn@Record Bar, moe.@Liberty Hall
I know it’s a ways off, but if you want to save a little coin now is the time…
The Wakarusa Festival, May 31st – June 3rd in beautiful Ozark, Arkansas, has been selling tickets at a breakneck pace. That’s no real surprise, especially for anyone that’s made the four hour journey down to Mulberry Mountain before.
The venue is spacious, amenities are plentiful, and there’s even a really nice river that you can swim in to cool off (and maybe even bathe your filthy carcass).
The $149 price for Early Bird tickets is only good thru this Sunday and it gets you full access to the festival. Camping passes must be purchased seperately, and they range in price from $29 – $99 depending on where you want to throw your tent or RV down.
And if you do make it down, keep an eye out for me and my KCC crew. I’ll be the guy dressed like Larry Bird.
Here’s the link for Wakarusa’s ticketing: http://wakarusa.com/2012/tickets.asp
On to this week’s picks…
Donnelly: Dr. Dog @ The Granada in Lawrence, February 2, 2012
With an album set to be released in a few days, Dr. Dog’s Thursday set at the Granada in Lawrence was sure to feature an excellent preview of their new tunes.
The band took the stage looking goofy and loose, wearing different winter caps and sunglasses.
Co-lead singer Scott McMicken warned the crowd early on, "We’ve got all these new songs, so bear with us."
Indeed, Dr. Dog played a decent chunk of songs off Be The Void, including opener That Old Black Hole, Do The Trick, Lonesome, and Vampire all within the first eight songs.
Leftridge: How to Throw a Super Bowl Party Everyone Loves
To some, there’s nothing more important than the game itself. It stands alone in the pantheon of sports importance, a crowning achievement borne from months of blood, sweat and tears. One participant will be crowned victorious, their name forever etched upon the hallowed high cliffs of greatness; the other will be a footnote, their epic campaign all but forgotten, trampled under the sweaty sole of failure.
Will it be Tom Brady and his New England Patriots?
The new dark-lord of the modern football era.
The Yankees in shoulder pads.
Led into battle by two distinct forces: one, a handsome, unparalleled story of triumph, the other, a dour, stone-faced super-genius cloaked in both mystery AND a loose fitting hooded sweatshirt.
Or perhaps it will be Brother Eli, eager to crawl from beneath the giant shadow of his more esteemed sibling. Eager to prove, perhaps, that his legacy should be built around more than a miraculous helmet-catch.
Or maybe, none of this matters. It’s just a fucking football game. What REALLY matters is what kind of party you throw. That’s right: you can make or break the Super Bowl by what kind of shindig you manage to perpetuate. I know, I know… that’s a ton of pressure. But look, Sunny Jim—if you follow my advice, you’ll be fine. So let’s begin.
Donnelly: The Granada Wants You to Come & Play; Win Season Pass for Two
Do you like free stuff? 
If not, stop reading this right now.
OK, here’s the deal, people of the night:
What if I told you that you could take a friend (or enemy, or anyone really, so long as they’re legal) to every upcoming show at The Granada in Lawrence… FOR FREE!!?
What if I told you that you’d be seeing William Elliott Whitmore, Railroad Earth, Stephen Malkmus, Blind Pilot, The Head and the Heart, Rachael Yamagata, M83, and Robert Earl Keen just to name a few. And there’s like 30 more.
Well, first off, if you only recognize, maybe, two of those names, punish yourself right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait. You need to get with the program because you’ve been missing out on some seriously good music.
Here’s how to get the free stuff, but you only have until Monday to cash in…
Sounds Good: Ryan Adams@Music Hall, Old 97’s@Bottleneck, CIB & Fourth of July@Jackpot, Dr. Dog@Granada, Broken Lizard@Stanford’s
Last week I erroneously pointed you in the direction of a party that wasn’t there…
I was operating on some bad information I guess. My bad.
This week, though, I’m almost 75-80% sure all of the events listed in here are actually happening.
It’s Larry-centric again, with KCK thrown in for good measure. Check it out…
Donnelly: The Lemonheads @ The Granada in Lawrence, January 27, 2012
"It’s just that kind of night, I guess," explained Evan Dando after cutting a song off at the ten second mark and deciding to try something 
else.
It wouldn’t be the only time Dando cut a tune short during The Lemonheads’ quarter full show Friday night at the Granada. So I guess he was right about the night.
Sometimes the notoriously fickle front man feels it and sometimes he doesn’t. The thing is, despite Dando’s perceived moodiness and aloofness towards the crowd, he still has the voice and ability to carry a show.
This much was obvious at times on Friday night…
Donnelly/ Grogan: AWOLNATION @ The Beaumont in KC, January 22, 2012
If any of you guys were brave enough to make it out to the Beaumont on Sunday, you would have seen KCC photog Katie Grogan elbowing her way through sweaty dudes in the chops to hold her position up near the front.
And you would have seen AWOLNATION, a band that is gaining some real momentum among the alt-rock crowd, with its electronic infused party thrash that’s getting copious airplay on stations like 96.5 the Buzz and the like.
Word is they tore the roof off the Beaumont Club in front of a near sold out crowd. But don’t take my word for it, I wasn’t there. Hear’s how Katie put it, and check out a few of her shots of the band after the jump…
Sounds Good: The Lemonheads@Granada, Mountain Sprout@Bottleneck
Step yo game up, KC!
OK, yes, I love Lawrence. So maybe I’m biased. Scratch that, I’m definitely biased.
But lately it seems like LaLa is bringing all the shows right to ME. Just making it too easy, you know?
For example, the Greasy Hair Tour is stopping through this weekend with a trio of shows.
The headliner is, of course, Evan Dando of the Lemonheads with perhaps the greasiest hair this world has ever seen.
Then throw in some hillbilly folk and indie rockers who actually try to make their hair like that and, well… no one light a match, OK?
Donnelly: Danny Pound at the Lawrence Arts Center, January 21, 2012
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Saturday night’s Danny Pound Review, featuring Danny, Arthur Dodge, Matt Suggs, and Suzannah Johannes, could have used a tad more music…
After the sold out show – my first ever at the Lawrence Arts Center – I couldn’t help but think back to 2004 when I saw Ryan Adams at the Lied Center in Lawrence.
During Adams’ performance, which as always featured rambling, incoherent stories and unprofessionalism at its best, someone in the audience yelled, “Less talk, more rock!” For those not familiar, this is the quickest way to piss off a performer.
Adams scanned the audience, and demanded, “Who said that?” When the guy raised his proud hand, Adams replied with something like, “Shut your fucking face, I’m Ryan Adams and you’re some jerkoff who yells stuff.”
But the culprit Saturday wasn’t a boozed up, prima donna musician. Nope, it was the emcee, Tim, who seemed to sap more stage time than the bands.
Sounds Good: Jack’s Mannequin@Beaumont, Danny Pound Review@Lawrence Arts Center, AWOLNATION@Beaumont
Some big news for Kansas City’s favorite dance/music/acrobatic/visual arts group, Quixotic…
It was recently announced that Quixotic will be a featured "speaker" at the TED Full Spectrum Conference held in Long Beach, California on February 27th – March 2nd. For those unfamiliar with TED, here’s a blurb from their website:
"From dazzling technology and leading-edge science to the richest veins of human creativity and interconnection, we are assembling our most diverse group of speakers ever for TED2012, with just this in common: they have something remarkable to share, and they are able to share it in a remarkable way. We’re inviting them to develop "full spectrum" presentations: blizzards of images, new uses of music, extravagant use of under-used senses, intricate choreography between speaker and screen, new ways of involving the audience, breakthroughs in animation, and intense, campfire-style storytelling."
Sounds kinda weird and new-agey right?
Donnelly: The Civil Wars @ Liberty Hall in Lawrence, January 17, 2012
“I don’t really know how this thing even works, we’re such polar opposites,” said Joy Williams midway through the band’s sold-out Liberty Hall performance.
She was referring to band mate, guitarist and vocalist John Paul White, the other half of Grammy nominated, The Civil Wars. White wore a sloppy tuxedo and resembled a less-gaunt Johnny Depp.
“Yeah, I’m an asshole,” White cooed sarcastically, thrumming his acoustic strings lightly.
“Well, if the shoe fits…” Williams shot back at him with a smirk.
Leftridge: TV Time: Justified Returns Tonight, Women Everywhere Swoon
Since I’m such a fantastic predictor of sport’s happenings (especially when it comes to the NFC, apparently [Go Saints! Go Pack!]), please allow me to explain—through inarguable telepathy skills, as it were—what will happen on this Tuesday night’s third season premier of FX’s original series, Justified.
– US Marshal Raylan Givens might could shoot somebody.
– Boyd Crowder will have spiky hair, and be endlessly fascinating, like a spider who’s read a lot of deeply influential books on psychology.
– There will be mud, and drugs.
All right, so it’s pretty obvious—yet again, if you’ve been following along—that I’m not too good at this whole “betting” thing. It’s either an indictment of my stupidity, or my inability to reason; the future makes no sense to me, and therefore, I’m blind when it comes to an accurate vision of possibility. This is either a blessing, or a curse. On one hand, I invent my own future… on the other, I lost my house recently to a crafty Indonesian with a slick tongue and deceit held deep within his solitary golden tooth.
Sorry, honey.
But thank God I’ve still got my TV—somehow, miraculously—and Tuesday night, I’ll be watching the proceedings as they unfold deep from within Harlan County, Kentucky.
