Tag Archives: Matthew Donnelly
Sounds Good: Dirtfoot@Bottleneck, Blind Pilot@Granada, The Head and The Heart@Granada
Some cool, tasty things happening in Lawrence right now…
Aside from the great live music, that is. I’ll get to that in a sec.
First off is the Kansas Craft Beer Exposition at Abe & Jake’s Landing this Saturday afternoon. It features not only Kansas Beers, but also selections from Cali, Missouri, Nebraska, and a bunch of other places. For a full listing go here: http://kscraftbrewfest.com/brewers/
But alas! The brewfest is sold out. So if you want to go you’ll have to sneak in. I think it can be done.
Speaking of craft beer, the word in Larryville is that a new micro-brewery is set to open soon that will double as a live music venue. The brewers go by the name of Barnyard Beer, and rumor has it that they’ve been operating on a limited sort of soft-opening word of mouth basis and featuring some underground bluegrass jams.
‘Bout time for some new beer ’round here! Don’t tell me Lawrence doesn’t have room for Free State, 23rd Street, and Barnyard. Do not tell me that.
That’s about all I know right now, but I do have a call out to the Barnyard brew masters, and when I hear back, you, loyal KCC readers, will be the first to know.
On to the picks!…
Donnelly: Homegrown Sporting Star Matt Besler Speaks Out
Matt Besler never dreamed the ride he’d take aback the world’s most popular game without even leaving KC…
The Sporting Kansas City defender grew up here and played high school soccer at Blue Valley West where he still holds the record for goals and assists. For college, Matt attended Notre Dame, and was named an All-American and Academic All-American his senior season before being drafted in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by what was then the Kansas City Wizards.
Besler’s first few MLS seasons were rollercoaster affairs.
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…
Donnelly: Is Sporting KC (& The Cauldron) Becoming the Hottest Ticket in Town?
Do you ever wish that things could be the way they used to be?
I do, but I also know that can’t happen. Yes, I realize it’s just my own selfishness that makes me long for simpler times. But I was there, man!
I was there before there were crowds of 18,000 plus at Wizards and SKC games. Before the huge video boards. Before the snappy new colors and cutting edge stadium.
Those were simpler times.
You could sit anywhere for five to 10 bucks. The stands were so sparsely littered with fans you could heckle players with elaborate chants they were sure to hear.
Those days are gone, people.
With the home opener less than two months away, Sporting Kansas City is the hottest ticket in town…
Donnelly: Sporting KC Firestarter Graham Zusi Gets Recognition He Deserves
So now it’s official. Officially official…
It’s a drum I started beating early last season after watching a few Sporting Kansas City games. It was so obvious. And I kept pounding that thing all season.
Graham Zusi is the best player on the team.
Not only is he the best player, he also happens to occupy the center midfielder position, a spot that can dictate the entire flow of a game and determine the personality of a squad.
As the 2011 MLS regular season neared its end, I cast my media ballot in Zusi’s favor for team MVP, though he ended up losing to Jimmy Nielsen, who had a solid year as well between the pipes.
But now it’s not just us die hard SKC fans that know about Zusi.
Donnelly: Need a Last Minute Gift Idea? Flip ’em a Bird (or Two)
It’s getting to be pretty hectic for down-to-the-wire Christmas shopping…
That is, for people like myself who inevitably wait until the absolute last second. If you’re like me, every year you tell yourself this holiday season will be different. This year you’ll get going early and get the shopping done by Thanksgiving so you can kick back and relax as the days inch closer to Christmas.
No jam-packed checkout aisles, no fighting for parking at the Legends, no swearing at soccer moms in minivans as you cut them off and slide into the space they’ve been waiting for with their blinker on for 5 minutes.
Sounds like a plan, right?
Donnelly: LIVESTRONG to Host 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tourney, Turf Won’t Be an Issue Ever Again
Sporting Kansas City’s St. Patty’s Day home opener is a mere 90-ish days away, folks...
Recently, SKC announced several other events that will be coming to LIVESTRONG in 2012. Most notably is the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be in KC for the semifinals on March 31st, and the final on April 2nd.
Not a bad little grab for KC.
Donnelly: Karrin Allyson @ Jardine’s, November 28, 2011
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The lights inside Jardine’s dimmed slightly as people were still shuffling into their seats…
In the sold-out room, the wine flowed freely as the staff rushed between the tightly packed tables. It was just after 6:30 on a Monday night and Beena – the owner of this little jazz club situated on the end of the Plaza – was hustling, greeting patrons, and making sure everyone was in their proper place.
Several men in black fiddled with their instruments on the small stage. One set up a couple guitars, arranged a music stand. Another plucked and poked the thick strings on a stand-up bass. They looked experienced, their hands on auto-pilot, tuning and prepping.
On stage right sat a grand piano that filled half of the tiny stage. This is where renowned jazz singer Karrin Allyson would situate herself for most of the night…
Donnelly: Sporting Releases List of Protected Players Which Includes a Few Surprises
For the second year in a row, Major League Soccer is adding a new team for the upcoming season…
Last year, two expansion teams entered the league, the Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps. For 2012 the Montreal Impact will join MLS and populate their new squad with players from existing teams through an expansion draft. However they can take a maximum of one player off any given team. Current MLS teams can protect 11 players. So Sporting Kansas City had some tough decisions to make, and there were a few surprises to say the least.
Here is who Sporting KC decided to protect, along with a justification from Sporting’s PR department:
Donnelly: JMU Head Soccer Coach Talks About What Makes MLS ROY CJ Sapong So Special
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Last week it was announced that Sporting KC’s CJ Sapong was named the MLS Rookie of the Year...
The recognition wasn’t all that much of a surprise given the season that CJ put together for KC. But remember when Sporting drafted the youngster with the 10th overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft last winter? Almost universally, the pick was criticized by soccer people as a severe reach.
Most other teams didn’t even have Sapong on their boards, let alone in the top ten.
Sounds Good II: Tech N9ne @ The Midland & Demetri Martin @ The Uptown
Too much of a good thing? Nah…
Here’s a second installment of what to do this weekend, just to make things a little more interesting.
Saturday, November 19th
Tech N9ne at the Midland in KC
After releasing All 6’s and 7’s in June of this year, Tech N9ne’s album quickly shot up the charts, selling over 55,000 copies in its first week, and landing at #1 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart. It featured a bunch of guest performers including Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Wayne, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain, and others.
But he didn’t stop there.
Donnelly: Moment Too Big For Sporting, Houston Advances to Final With 2-0 Win
Sporting Kansas City wanted so badly to summon their best against the visiting Houston Dynamo…
But in the end, it might have been the anticipation, the yearning, the added bit of pressure, that undid Sporting and ended their season in front of a standing room LIVESTRONG crowd.
The atmosphere was second to none as both teams warmed up, with the electricity of playoffs and the possibility of the MLS Cup buzzing around all corners of the stadium. The late-fall sun cracked its way onto the playing surface, and the cool fall air filled with song, including choruses from the healthy dose of Houston fans that made the trip.
But once the whistle blew, Sporting seemed out of sync in a way I haven’t seen for months. Prior to Sunday’s game, the boys in blue have had purpose in their attack, cohesion in their defense, and an aggressive mentality.
Sounds Good: HUM, Gift of Gab @ Record Bar; David Bazan @ Bottleneck, WWIII Tour @ Uptown
This weekend has a little something for everyone. Yes, everyone…
The sportos, the motorheads, the geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies and dickheads. That pretty much covers all the readers here at KCC, doesn’t it?
So the question isn’t, "What are we going to do?" The question is, "What aren’t we going to do"?
Friday, November 4th
Hum at the RecordBar in KC
Donnelly: Bunbury Too Physical & Fast For Colorado, KC Beats Defending Champs 2-0
Was it pretty? No.
In fact, at times last night’s Sporting Kansas City playoff game against the Colorado Rapids was downright u-g-l-y. But that was all part of the plan for Sporting Sunday when they took on the defending MLS Cup champs.
“The first half was very tentative on both parts,” said KC coach Peter Vermes after the game. “I don’t think we gave much away and neither did they. In the second half, we talked about getting after it a little bit more because we thought they would push the game, being at home.”
Donnelly: Sporting KC Clinch Playoff Berth, Regain 1st in East With Win Over NY
The atmosphere at LIVESTRONG was electric…
Hours before the start of the mid-afternoon fixture against the visiting New York Red Bulls the weather was perfect, grills sizzled, and beer flowed. The anticipation for Sporting’s final regular season home game was palpable – from the parking lots to the locker rooms to the Cauldron – the stadium was filled with legions of singing fans.
Noit surprisingly, everyone seemed on edge prior to kick off for a game that might make or break KC’s season.
Win and they’re in. Lose and, well, Sporting could still make the playoffs, but they’d need some help.
Donnelly: Roger Daltrey at the Midland, October 14, 2011
Let’s cut to the chase here people…
Can Roger Daltrey, legendary front man for The Who, still get the job done? Or is his latest tour a glorified Vegas lounge act looking to cash in on aging boomers desperate to re-live their glory days?
Friday night’s show at the Midland answered both questions.
Yes, Daltrey can still hit (practically) all the notes, can still command the stage with his energy and presence, and can still twirl the hell out of a microphone. And no, the show didn’t feel like a re-tread, perhaps due in part to the number of younger folks that ventured out to see the next best thing to The Who for the very first time.
As advertised, the first act of the show consisted of Daltrey’s band playing note for note the classic rock opera, Tommy. Included in the mix was Pete Townshend’s younger brother, Simon, who played well on guitar and even better on vocals for several songs.
Donnelly: Vermes’ Job Hangs In Balance As Sporting Battle For Their Playoff Lives
Sporting Kansas City has two regular season games remaining, the first at LIVESTRONG Saturday against the New York Red Bulls...
And yes, without a doubt it’s the biggest game of the season. Here’s why:
Depending on how the boys in blue fare, SKC could finish as No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Or they could miss the playoffs altogether. Pressure, anyone?
Donnelly: Sporting Earn Point at San Jose As Playoff Race Gets Insane
Sporting Kansas City narrowly averted disaster Saturday with a late-game goal to salvage a draw against one of the worst teams in the league, the San Jose Earthquakes…
To put it bluntly, the game was horrible. In part, beause of to the postage stamp San Jose calls home, which gave me flashbacks to Community America Ballpark Side rant: How in the hell did we ever play there? And how much did opposing teams have to just dread going in and playing on that tiny field that radically alters the strategy and flow of games?
Praise be to LIVESTRONG!
Sounds Good: Garage a Trois, American Royal BBQ, Sound Tribe Sector 9 & Bob Lockwood
Busy, busy weekend coming up – which is a good thing…
Yep, everything seems to be coming together. So long as you don’t mind not sleeping for a few days and existing solely off the nutritional value contained in beer and smoked meats.
I’m actually going to try and attend all the events I’m recommending this weekend. So if I go MIA for awhile, assume I ended up in some dirty van after the STS9 show and woke up somewhere in Colorado.
I’m also going to try and review the new Wilco album, "The Whole Love", (if I can find a solid 45 to listen to the whole thing) which dropped a day or two ago. On first listen, I like it, though you know how first listens can be.
On to the madness…
Donnelly: Sporting Rockets Into First Place, But Will Its Luck Hold?
Though still a bit out of sync, Sporting Kansas City vaulted into first place in the Eastern Conference Wednesday…
Sporting scored a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew and is almost guaranteed now to see some playoff soccer in the next few weeks at LIVESTRONG. Prior to the match, KC and Columbus were tied for second in the division, so the three points from the win- combined with Columbus collecting zero from their loss- is huge with only three games left before the playoffs.
Was it pretty? No. Was it kind of lucky? Yes.
Is Sporting’s form over the last few games a bit troubling, even though they continue picking up points? You bet.
