The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City's newest and most-anticipated live-music venue and skyline addition, still has several months to go before the two-day grand opening on September 16 and 17. But the Kauffman Center Encore group isn't letting that stop the new center from getting in on some summertime celebrations, and thus is kicking off a grand-opening season this Saturday by sponsoring Throwback 2011.
Have you heard Hidden Pictures' new album? It's called Synchronized Sleeping, and it's the perfect soundtrack to these balmy, lengthening springtime afternoons. In fact, Hidden Pictures is so dang proud of it that the band wants you to help them score some press from across the Atlantic.
Hey folks, we don't usually ask you to vote for stuff, but if you cast a quick click for us on a nifty U.K. music blog called The 405, they'll write a story on us, which would put us one step closer to our ultimate goal of instigating an alley scrum with the Gallagher brothers.
We're on a roll around here when it comes to national festivals. Scion Garage Fest descended on Lawrence last summer with armloads of lo-fi pioneers. Now the Record Machine's Nathan Reusch has booked a smattering of national talent to rock Westport April 8-9 at the Middle of the Map Fest. Here are five national acts that might not swing through this part of the country again soon -- and possibly never again on one bill for a cool 25 bucks.
For a full list of the acts appearing at Middle of the Map fest, click here. For last-minute ticket information, click here.
Wakarusa, 80/35, Winfield, LouFest and Norman Music Festival are all festivals that are within reach, if you're willing to fork over a little cash for gas and a day behind the wheel. (For example: If you're not so keen on KQRC 98.9's Rockfest on May 14, you can also hit up Rocklahoma May 27-29, where headliners include Staind, Motley Crue, Poison, Papa Roach, Whitesnake, Hinder, Seether, and more.)
We have your headliner lineups for Wakarusa, Winfield, Norman Music Festival, LouFest and 80/35 right here. It's road-trip time!
It's not a new concept to the theater crowd of Kansas City: last year Katie Gilchrist hosted a weekly unwind session every Thursday at One80 that included friends getting together, jamming through some cover songs, catching up on the week, and throwing back some cocktails. However, when her partner at the time, MFA student Nick Gehlfuss, moved to New York and One80 changed its concept to Beer Kitchen, the weekly chill session fizzled out. Luckily, with the help of friend and veteran local rocker Vi Tran, as well as Sean Hogge and Madison DeCamp on the violin, Gilchrist has revived the weekly affair, and it's now taking place every Wednesday at Czar Bar.
KKFI 90.1, Kansas City's community radio, does a lot for our local music scene. And starting on Thursday, they're kicking off a massive, on-air local band auction to raise money for the station, giving you a chance to win a private two-hour set from more than 100 local groups. It's a huge labor of love on the part of the station's hosts and features some of Kansas City's longstanding acts, such as Grand Marquis, Brody Buster, David George, Mary Bridget Davies, and Barclay Martin.
ScionLAB is hosting a benefit for the disaster victims in Japan. Part of the benefit is a raffle -- tickets are $5 -- to win two tickets to every show at Crossroads KC this summer. (Right now, that includes free tickets to Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello and more. Here's a more complete list.) There will be local artists, musicians, DJs, burlesque, belly dancers, and lots of other performers. All proceeds will go directly to Red Cross as a benefit for Japan Relief.
You might have caught the aerial dance troupe Quixotic opening for DeVotchKa at the Midland on Saturday night.
Now, the troupe is pairing up with the Kansas City Symphony to fuse classical music with modern dance, aerial acrobatics and contemporary design in an event called Symphonic Quixotic. It's on May 13 and 14, and tickets are on sale now.
Beginning at the end of next month, indie darlings (and Grammy nominees) Mumford & Sons will join forces with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and the Old Crow Medicine Show for a short tour -- on vintage rail cars. Their venues? Odd (but appropriate) places like Chandler, Arizona's Railroad Museum. It's a lot like the 1970 Festival Express, the touring collaboration, via train across Canada, between the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin. Fans can expect onstage collaborations, rustic story time from the bands, and probably even some homemade instruments they pick up along the way.
Indie-Americana poster kids the Decemberists recently released images from a Polaroid photo shoot they did with rock photographer Autumn de Wilde. Fans of the band, and de Wilde, have been able to snag original photos from the shoot with the purchase of special-edition copies of their latest album, The King is Dead. Now, the band is giving its fans the chance to craft a slideshow music video to one of the songs from the album.
Royals fan sprints on the field, steals rosin bag
Soundgarden's sludgy sound, last night at the Midland (review)
Oklahoma Joe's ribs named the best in the country by The Daily Meal
Story celebrates with a pig roast and other weekend possibilities
Homer's Drive-In: the oldest drive-through in the metro
Kansas House ignores Brownback, Senate, goes home early for long weekend
KCPD will breathalyze patrons at Tanner's tonight
Parisi's Pete Licata is a World Barista Championship semifinalist