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The opportunity arose to enjoy an evening with the recently resurrected John Cleese, a personal long-time comedic hero from across the pond.  He is doing rather well with his recent return from the land of the dead and offered a visit to Kansas City to discuss relevant matters and answer a few questions about his past life. The discussion, held at the beautiful Kauffman Center, opened with thoughts from his youngest daughter.  While she is funny in her own right, it is entirely different situation.  She is simply not silly enough.  Although, this is likely through no fault of her own.  It has to be difficult to stand in the shadow of a father renowned as the Master of Silly throughout his entire career.  His comedic sense remains unparalleled, except by compadres of the Monty Python class.   He began with talk of the unique perils associated with the ventures of aging, splicing in snapshots of the Monty Python era.  This led to thoughts on our anxieties and theories about what makes us

  The remnants of ancient celebrations bubbled up in the heart of America in a weekend long celebration for the dead filled with food, drinks, music, and dancing along about six blocks of Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. Cultures from every corner of the city came together to enjoy the day, in spite of the gray and moody skies that occasionally dripped on attendees.  Art, souvenirs, and activities like face painting continued throughout every block; the latter enabling youth and adults to join in the look of the day. The most delicious, original, homegrown food appeared at every turn along the route. Sampling a pambazo for the first time proved a superbly tasty experience!  A fresh tamale and pastry later, coupled with a lucious Horchata, satisfied an appetite constantly teased by the smells in the air. Numerous memorials appeared regularly honoring those that had passed on stood out

  Acting on personal invitation from DJ C-Vaughn, formerly of 96.5 The Buzz, we headed out for the evening to consume some early beats before heading off to dreamland.  We must have been just a bit too anxious though, since we arrived before anything started.  It did give us an opportunity to reconnect with some old faces though before losing our hearing to anything less than shouting, knowing smiles, and understanding nods.  The artwork at MOD Gallery offered up amusements of their own, always a flavorful cast, luring us into its intrigue. In no time, Brian Flinn of local management company Night Shift Entertainment started to spin his musical journey for the few in attendance, and those that would arrive in time.  He played a collection of current and past favorites that didn't dip too far into the past, offering a up a rhythm that stirred feets all around. Much later than had been planned for, but no less appreciated,

Originally published on KCUR > Arts & Life by Frank Morris on October 20, 2023 ... quoted and encapsulated for republication here. Read/Listen to the whole story and interview through the link at the bottom of this post. Ten years ago on a cold dark night of the soul, Freight Train Rabbit Killer began its life as a scary band/opera/near-death experience for Kansas City music fans. This Halloween season, there's a flurry of live shows to celebrate their new record. Just before Halloween 10 years ago, Kris Bruders and Mark Smeltzer forged Freight Train Rabbit Killer around a love of hardscrabble American music. The stuff they play is crashing, heavy blues, swirled with dark opera and the devil. Freight Train Rabbit Killer songs tend towards an Old Testament sweep, and there aren’t a lot of happy endings. Like in “Saw Brother Judas,” about that time Judas was trying to hide from God. Freight Train Rabbit Killer is more than a band, though. It’s a project that has taken over hal

Jason Aldean ripped through Kansas City on Thursday night, flanked by Mitchell Tenpenny and Corey Kent, with backup support from Deejay Silver.  The latter proved an interesting twist to this little adventure at T-Mobile.  Throughout most of the evening the folks in front of our row kept the game on for us, so that we did not have to miss a single beat.  It was good to have a relatively solid view of the proceedings available on demand. It was also a pleasant surprise to recognize several of the tunes performed by the opening acts, who drew a solid crowd early in the game. Splicing the various sets together throughout the evening, Deejay Silver distributed a random array of popular country music tracks, along with a few of the more funky variety. Corey led the night off, belting out some of his latest work, eventually leading up to his recent hit single “Wild as Her," which landed him a deal with Sony Music Nashville and their RCA Nashville Imprint. M