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Stumbling upon a mural-in-progress at one of the most unlikely places in Kansas City, we paused for a moment to talk with the artist about the project.  The painting was going up on the side of some relatively new residential townhouses and featured an interpretation of the Kansas City Chiefs.  The artist was engaged in getting the mural outlined, while his girlfriend supported his efforts lounging in the afternoon sun.   It was really exciting to see this type of work going up in the 'burbs, rather than the usual dilapidated downtown structure.  Reaching out to the artist later, we asked if he would be interested in doing a brief email interview about the project and himself.  Evan Brown, tell us about yourself and background ... I am a Kansas City based painter and illustrator with an absolute and utter obsession with what I do. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Illustration, I formed Doodle Do...

Wandering the Flint Hills near Council Grove the day after Christmas   A beautiful clear Boxing Day seemed as good a reason as any to escape the confines of the city and enjoy some fresh air and slightly warmer weather in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The temperature is rarely 15°C in this part of the country at this time of year. More often than not, it is a frigid -15°C. It took little time arrive in the shadow of the 1873 Chase County Courthouse.  The distinctive red roof of this 35 meter tall walnut and limestone structure can be observed from most any vantage point in the county.  The lawn of said court is usually best, but any attempt at photographing this oldest operating courthouse in the state are frustrated any time of year.  It is as if by design that the front of the building is forever in shadow. Available light spread out in abundance along the falls just down the street.  While not exactly naturally occurring, they qualify well-enough for a paus...

A traveling companion and good friend passed on today, after 15 years of loyal service.  One could not have asked for a better partner on the road and through life. Born in abandoned house in the Ozarks, she anxiously made every trip back to the shores of the Lake, enjoying the no boundaries opportunity for exploration. Her surrogate momma raised her well, teaching her to play hard, fight for what was hers, and enjoy every lazy dog day opportunity. Later in life, she played surrogate to another pup, but never quite understood what to do with the noisy and hyper little monster. A faithful protector always and to the very end, her vigilant protection of home and land enabled a sense of safety and well-being for all. This very best friend ever will be missed this Christmas. Kiko 2005 - 2020

One of our closest friends and allies passed this week. Known to most as DJ Two Heavy, he was one of the kindest and most generous people we were fortunate enough to call a friend. He supported the works of this site from the beginning, contributing and collaborating occasionally, and someone we always looked forward to seeing. His warm and inviting personality made for good company on a night out, and his music always kept us groovin' into the early hours. DJ Two Heavy contributed to the electronic dance music and club scene in Kansas City with his own brand of House that he referred to Hip House. Spinning up a fusion of Hip Hop, Electro, and House music, he held regular resident gigs at some of the best clubs on the circuit throughout much of the coverage by this site, and beyond.  He always enjoyed seeing people dancing to his music and enjoying themselves and was quick to make friends with anyone he met.  Rest in Peace Friend.  Thanks for some good music and good t...

An escape to and then from Branson. Whisked away from all responsibility landed our party knee-deep in the masked hysteria of the timeless amusement park known as Silver Dollar City. It had been ages since last exploration of the site and quite a lot had changed, though not enough to warrant an in depth exposé of the situation. The classics remained mostly unscathed. A glassblower remained as hard at work as ever, painstakingly creating glass treasures. Many other curiosities remained off limits to community interaction. The crowd did not seem to care much, consumed more with adventuring on the variety of thrill rides the park recently embraces over customary crafting. One cold and overcast day was enough in the City. Before darting out of town, one last stop found called on curiosity. A quiet little hollow tucked in between a massive resort and the chaos of Shepherd of the Hills Parkway enables escape from the neon distractions. The trail slowly drifts down to a branch on Roark C...

Mostly on a whim, we made the journey south into Branson to have a look at the Harvest Festival going on there.  Quite a few folks had told us is had proved a worthy effort for them, so we thought to give it a whirl. The day was mostly cold, wet and dreary.  Some solace could be found inside.  Indeed, a good deal of warmth and amusement is always available at the glassblower.  Rides were on again and off again, when they were available.  The lingering effects of COVID kept populations low and offered the opportunity to roam about taking in the various amusements unimpeded. 

... a monthly column of five topics from the worlds of music, dance, life, art, & culture ...  music According to electronic beats, "in the last few years, DJs and producers have been sublimating their societal anxieties into blood-curdling vocals, grating distortion, and pummeling blast beats." dance Westworld introduces a collection of short films by Wonderbound, set to take the place of its annual fundraising gala, to include a projection mapping performance piece set to the Gasoline Lollipops song "Fast Train." life EarthSky shows us that "for the first time, astronomers have detected a planet orbiting a white dwarf star. If further confirmed, the discovery shows that some planets could survive the destruction of their sun-like stars, and some might even remain potentially habitable" art Gizmodo reviews the latest solo exhibition of Scott Lis...

... a monthly column of five topics from the worlds of  music, dance, life, art, & culture ...  music OneEDM presents a discussion with Birmingham-born Daisy Guttridge about her music career during youth, previous tours, new music available, and upcoming plans. dance Crosscut takes a look at some choreographers are getting creative with their virtual performances in Seattle, during the ongoing physically distancing requirement. life Inverse predicts that information is the fifth element, according to a a new theoretical study, and it holds the potential of inducing a worldwide crisis if ignored. art The Guardian explores a different take on adapting, related to recent exhibition detailing the story of electronic music and its wild cast of characters including Kraftwerk, Jeff Mills, Frankie Knuckles, Aphex Twin and Jean-Michel Jarre, who has loaned objects from hi...