phocas.net

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...

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...

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...

... a monthly column presenting five random topics of interest associated with the underlying themes of the site ... music . dance . life . art . culture ...  music El Búho and Chancha Vía Circuito continue their exploration of the fusion of electronic music and traditional Argentina sounds of cumbia villera in their recent four-song EP "Pleamar."   The downtempo experience mixes wooden claves, stell pans, panpipes,Andean harps, sounds of jungle foliage and native birdsong to warm the soul. dance Talia Favia seizes the opportunity to increase production and deepen her choreographic creativity not by finding the right person, but trusting instincts and creating space within her soul.  The process enables her to continue to be a part of a variety of dance productions  around the world. life A new study titled " Association of Neighborhood Disadvantage in Childhood With DNA ...

Stopped in for a little food and were happy to find business as usual, but out on the patio for the The Hideout.  No idea who these folks were.  They were jamming along to well in their own groove to disrupt.  Know who they are?  Post up a comment.

... a monthly column presenting five random topics of interest associated with the underlying themes of the site ... music . dance . life . art . culture ...  music A through thoughts on the influence of electronic music and the relative impact in shaping game development and player experience .  Skrillex Quest stands out as an overt example in the article, with other discussions towards Grand Theft Auto V and a few others. dance Dancing alone comes naturally for many people, but more suffer from a self-conscious state that prevent their fully letting go.  A few thoughts from " How to Dance Alone " might just help one get back to that self-contained and carefree mindset of physical expression. life A new study examines the magnitude of human impact on the natural world , and explains how "close to 50 billion years of cumulative evolutionary history worldwide is ...

After a long road trip, I stopped in on The Hideout for some refreshment, and had the opportunity to enjoy local band Levee Town.  It has been quite a few years since I first heard these guys play, and I am sorry to have lost so much time. Time was short, and travels of the day had left me weary, so this brief clip is all there is.  It is a shame, since it was a free show, which normally does not happen. They do have a couple of dates set in the near future.  Check their web site for more info .

A search for a unique Kansas landmark found a small gathering at the site.   All were practicing the best social distancing they could achieve in said situation.   Small groups of less than 10 were loitering about, none of which intermingling really.   It all seemed reasonable enough, on a warm and overcast day, after weeks of confinement. there are no more photos from this event

... a monthly column presenting five random topics of interest associated with the underlying themes of the site ... music . dance . life . art . culture ...  music The Library of Congress recently launched Citizen DJ , a project by Brian Foo developed during his time as an Innovator-in-Residence at the Library of Congress. Inviting the public to create music using the Library’s public audio and moving image collections, the Library hopes listeners can discover items in the Library's vast collections that they likely would never have known existed.  It is an immersive experience quickly increasing in popularity around the world recently, but has been used in a lot of gaming systems over the last couple of years. dance Limitations on life open new possibilities for the exploration of accessible classes, projects, and performances across the globe. Ten professional dancers share their insight on what is worki...