The Pitch: December 10, 2015

1 DECEMBER 10–16, 2015 | fREE | Vol. 35 No. 24 | pitCh.CoM

2

december 10-16, 2015 | Vol. 35 No. 24 E d i t o r i a l

high spirits

Editor Scott Wilson Managing Editor Justin Kendall Music Editor Natalie Gallagher Staff Writers Charles Ferruzza, David Hudnall, Steve Vockrodt Editorial Operations Manager Deborah Hirsch Events Editor Berry Anderson Proofreader Brent Shepherd Contributing Writers Tracy Abeln, Jen Chen, Liz Cook, April Fleming, Larry Kopitnik, Angela Lutz, Annie Raab, Dan Savage, Nick Spacek

Kansas City returns to its craft-distilling roots. b y n ata l i e g a l l ag h e r

5

a r t

Art and Production Director Allyson Peck Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Angela C. Bond, Barrett Emke, Chris Mullins, Sabrina Staires, Brooke Vandever

iN dreams

a d v E r t i s i n g

Advertising Director Mick Moore Senior Classified Multimedia Specialist Steven Suarez Multimedia Specialists Savannah Cox, Becky Losey, Ruby Wetzel Production and Digital Coordinator Ashley Reed

Melanie Johnson shakes you awake at Kiosk.

m a r k E t i n g

Director of Marketing and Operations Jason Dockery

by annie r a ab

B u s i n E s s

12

Publisher Amy Mularski Office Administrator Jessica Kittams

s o u t h c o m m

Chief Executive Officer Chris Ferrell Chief Financial Officer Ed Tearman Chief Operating Officer Blair Johnson Director of Financial Planning and Analysis Carla Simon Vice President of Content Patrick Rains Vice President of Production Operations Curt Pordes Vice President Local Publications Mark Bartel Controller Todd Patton Human Resources Manager Stephanie Stein Creative Director Heather Pierce

n a t i o n a l

sigN, slurp, go

a d v E r t i s i n g

VMG Advertising 888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com Senior Vice President of Sales Susan Belair Senior Vice President of Sales Operations Joe Larkin

d i s t r i B u t i o n

The Pitch distributes 35,000 copies a week and is available free throughout Greater Kansas City, limited to one copy per reader.

Additional copies may be purchased for $5 each, payable at The Pitch’s office in advance. The Pitch may be distributed only by The Pitch’s authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of The Pitch, take more than one copy of each week’s issue. Mail subscriptions: $22.50 for six months or $45 per year, payable in advance. Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Kansas City, MO 64108.

Columbus Park Ramen Shop is as good as eat-it-and-beat-it food gets. by charles ferruzz a

19

c o p y r i g h t

The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2015 by KC Communications, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher.

The Pitch address: 1627 Main, Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 64108 For information or to leave a story tip, call: 816-561-6061 Editorial fax: 816-756-0502 For classifieds, call: 816-218-6759 For retail advertising, call: 816-218-6702

o N th e c oVe r

3 5 11 12 15 19 21 21 25 28 33

Questionnaire feature agenda art stage café fat city on tap this week music d a i ly l i s t i n g s savage love

m eaN w h i le at p i tc h . c o m BADSEED MARKET is closing in February.

CRANE BREWiNG CO. has officially launched in Kansas.

The Pitch: COVER phOtO by zaCh bauman

2

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

Powered by PT’S COFFEE

3

Questionnaire

AlyssA K. Dinberg

Engagement and financial resource development program manager, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

able to instill in me a solid sense of compassion, drive and resiliency. She is the strongest person I know, and I work to make her proud of my accomplishments every day.

Current neighborhood: Westport What I do: I’m a professional connector work-

ing to build a vibrant Jewish Kansas City and engage the next generation of leaders and philanthropists. One of the perks of my job is getting to plan the biggest holiday bash in town for Jews on Christmas Eve — turns out, it’s not such a silent night after all.

What is your nemesis? Snow What’s your greatest struggle right now?

American Jews overwhelmingly say they are proud to be Jewish and have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people, according to a major survey by the Pew Research Center. While they may be proud to be Jewish, they aren’t participating in Jewish life. Our struggle is how we can bring connection, meaning and relevancy to their lives. We are looking to transform the way young adults approach their Jewish identity by offering them a significant place at the table.

What’s your addiction? This time of year, I’m always addicted to flat pretzels covered in dark chocolate with peppermint candy-cane crumbles on top. I’m over here drooling just thinking about them.

What’s your game? I may or may not have beaten Mario Kart on N64 this summer.

My favorite toy as a child: I have a pink terry cloth doll named Karen that I’ve had since I was a baby.

What’s your drink? My current love is Rieger

gin with a splash of grapefruit juice and some lime. Way to go, Kansas City. Rieger is awesome.

My dating triumph/tragedy: I connect with s a b r i n a s ta i r e s

Where’s dinner? Food is my motivation in life,

so Kansas City is a great place for me to be.

I actually have a Google doc of places to try, so I’m always eating somewhere new. I’d love to hear some of your suggestions!

What’s on your KC postcard? No matter how many times I drive by it, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts takes my breath away. I’ve lived here for a year and a half, and I still take the long way to get to places just to drive by it. My perfect postcard would have the Kauffman in the forefront and one of those incredible Kansas City sunsets in the background.

Finish this sentence: “Kansas City got it right when …” They shut down the whole city after

the Royals won the World Series, so we could all celebrate together.

at UMKC (woohoo!) and using my degree to make Kansas City a more inclusive place for everyone, regardless of age, religion or sexual preference.

“I always laugh at …” Cat videos.

“I’ve been known to binge-watch …” I don’t have much time to watch TV, but because Taye Diggs is one of my celebrity crushes, I did make watching Private Practice a priority this summer.

“I can’t stop listening to …” KCUR. It’s always

“Kansas City screwed up when …” In making Kansas City a cool place to live, work and play, they further gentrified downtown, separating the haves and have-nots.

on my radio. Because I live in midtown but work in Overland Park, I have a nice little commute to and from work. It’s a great time for self-reflection and catching up on what’s going on locally and around the world.

“Kansas City needs …” An authentic bagel

“My dream concert lineup is …” I would pay

shop with a kosher deli attached.

“As a kid, I wanted to be …” A veterinarian who drove a school bus. I think I’d still like to be a vet someday but have to let go of the busdriving part.

“In five years, I’ll be …” Done with my executive masters of public administration

serious money to see Beyoncé and Bob Marley onstage together. I can just imagine Bob rocking out to “Single Ladies.”

“I just read …” The signed venue contract for Bagel Bash, our big party on Christmas Eve. #BagelBashKC

What’s your hidden talent? I’m really good at

arguing my point, even if I’m wrong. In retrospect, I probably should have been a lawyer.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? Teen Mom. I started watching it when it first started and just haven’t stopped. All of my friends make fun of me, but I just love the drama.

The best advice I ever got: Don’t ever apolo-

gize for who you are. We all have things we can improve on, but authenticity is far more appreciated and will get you further in life.

people when they move to town — it’s part of my job — but more often than not, they think I’m asking them out.

My brush with fame: When I was in high school

in Atlanta, P. Diddy bought a house down the street from me. We used to see him at the grocery store or pumping gas in one of his multiple Hummers. We’d see him late at night walking down the aisle with bodyguards on either side of him. The bodyguards were so big that the three of them had a hard time walking next to each other down an aisle.

My soapbox: Get involved. Find your passion and do your part to make this community a better place.

What was the last thing you had to apologize for? Eating my roommate’s food. I haven’t

the judgment I received from others when I chose to move to Kansas City.

had time to go grocery shopping, so it was one of those eat-whatever-you-can-find-inthe-house nights.

My sidekick: My iPhone 6 Plus. I’m always on

Who’s sorry now? The New York Mets

Worst advice: It wasn’t really advice per se but

the go and have a horrible memory, so having access to my calendar at all times helps me stay on track and get to where I need to be on time.

What is your spirit animal? I would have to

say a French bulldog. I’m smaller than most humans but make up for it in personality and drive.

Who is your hero? My mom. She was a single

mother fighting to make ends meet yet was

My recent triumph: My most recent triumph is having the opportunity to serve as a positive role model for a really amazing 9-year-old through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Not only have I served as a friend and role model for her, but also our relationship has been a really great gift to me, and I’ve learned so much.

Bagel Bash is Thursday, December 24, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Westport Ale House (4128 Broadway). Tickets cost $25–$30.

pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

m o n t h x x–x x , 2 0 0 x

the pitch

THE PITCH

3

PB

4

Eagle Days Connecting Nature and You

Missouri River December 12 Missouri River

at LaBenite Park, Sugar Creek MO December 12 • Saturday 11 AM - 3 PM • Missouri River Boat Ride Registration Required 11 AM, Noon, 1 PM, 2 PM • Eagle Program No Registration • Discovery Station and Activities Information contact: 816-228-3766 burr.oak@mdc. mo.gov

Smithville Lake January 9th & 10th Smithville Lake

at Paradise Point Golf Course Club House January 9 • Saturday 9 AM - 3:30 PM January 10 • Sunday • 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM • Eagle Viewing Station • W Hwy Boat Ramp • Eagle Program No Registration • Discovery Station and Activities Information contact: 816-835-6087 brian.bartlett@mdc.mo.gov

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION 4

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

5

PHO T O S B Y Z AC H B AU M A N

B

luestem bar manager Andrew Olsen stocks some 250 different spirits. They crowd the shelf above the bar: some familiar faces, quite a few that are perhaps not as well-known. Olsen has memorized them all.

For some — his favorites — he has a story to tell. Ask him about the first time that he met James Russell, the founder of Wild Turkey, and why he’ll always stock that bourbon. Or get him talking about the epic dinner that he had with Ron Cooper, founder of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal. It’s the small stuff, the details, that have Olsen pulling bottles from the high shelf, brandishing the products as proudly as if they were his own.

“The thing that I like the most is that the smaller craft distilleries come with the story,” he says. “Everybody knows Tanqueray and Beefeater and Hendrick’s, but when somebody says, ‘Make me a gin drink,’ I’m like, ‘OK, cool, here’s J. Rieger gin,’ which is my well gin. I can talk passionately about something like J. Rieger. I can talk passionately about a lot of things, but I feel personally attached to this bottle, and part of the reason is because I got to meet Tom Nichol [Tanqueray’s former master distiller, who developed J. Rieger’s gin recipe] when he was here, and we got to laugh together and tell jokes.

“There’s something down here” — Olsen gestures to his heart — “that I can talk about versus something up here” — Olsen gestures to his head — “and it makes me feel good. And

if I can speak very highly about it, then my guests can speak highly about it. They’re going to remember: ‘I was at Bluestem, and the bartender was really nice and knowledgeable because of the way he talked.’ And the reason why I talk the way I do is because I know people who are doing great things, and that’s what’s really cool about what’s happening in the industry right now.”

The picture that Olsen paints is what most craft distillers like to envision. And, according to Brenton Engel, the founder and head distiller at Chicago’s Letherbee Distillers, it’s one that’s becoming commonplace.

“Bartenders today don’t have to convince someone to try a craft gin versus, say, Beefeater,” Engel says. “The culture is changing.

People are kind of flipping from only buying the brands that they know they like to — when they have the opportunity — trying something new. You think about the old curmudgeonly guy who comes in, and he only drinks vodka martinis. That attitude is dying.”

It’s dying at the same time that the craftdistilling industry is booming. The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) — an organization dedicated to small distillers — estimates that as of 2015, there are nearly 800 craft distilleries in the United States. That’s more than 10 times the number in 2003. By 2020, 1,000 distilleries are anticipated, with craft spirits making up 8 percent of total liquor sales.

Missouri has approximately 25 craft distilleries, not including three upcoming additions in the KC metro: Tom’s Town Distilling Co., opening in December; Restless Spirits Distilling, expected to launch in February 2016; and Lifted Spirits, slated to open to the public in April. The number of distilleries in the ShowMe State has grown more than three times since 2011.

“As an industry, there’s so much interest in distilling — just like beer and wine, they’re at a focal point right now,” says ACSA spokeswoman Alexandra Sklansky. “With the advent of the Food Network and the millennial generation, consumers are interested in what they eat and what they drink and the stories of the brands that they gravitate toward.

“And we’re seeing producers who have unique stories to tell, too,” she continues.

“Many of them come from families that were distillers, and they feel they are returning to their natural calling, and many of them are scientists or chemists who wanted to do something different. Some people are just passionate about food and drinks, and this is an expression of that.”

And we’re seeing that here in Kansas City.

J

. Rieger & Co. Distillery’s East Bottoms production facility has no tasting room, or even a very clearly marked entrance. The small office where Andy Rieger keeps his binders of

pitch.com

data, logged away in file cabinets and backed up on his computer, is purely utilitarian.

There’s a shelf lined with respected whiskeys and bourbons, another for glassware, and there’s a whiteboard scrawled with a to-do list in a scratchy shorthand. A glass partition looks out onto the distillery floor, which features a 750-gallon still for whiskey and vodka and a 120-gallon still for gin. This space welcomes the occasional visitor, though it’s not really a place for them.

Rieger, of course, is the great-great-greatgrandson of the eponymous Jacob Rieger — one of Kansas City’s primary distillers from 1887 until 1920, when Prohibition knocked down his business. (The J. Rieger & Co. label lapsed in 1922.) Thanks to his background in finance, Andy Rieger is J. Rieger & Co.’s de facto numbers guy. He never meant to get into the craft-distilling business.

“It fell into my lap,” he says, “in the sense that I was sitting in Manifesto one night, and Ryan [Maybee, co-owner and partner of Manifesto and the Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange] said, ‘How cool would it be if we restarted the distillery?’”

At the time, Rieger was living in Dallas, working at an investment bank. He moved back to Kansas City in April 2014, seven months before J. Rieger & Co.’s launch.

“It didn’t fall into my lap where Ryan said, ‘Hey, do you want to run it? Here are the keys,’” Rieger says. “Ryan will continued on page 6 DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

5

6 INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15 – 7:30 PM LOG ON TO WWW.PITCH.COM BEGINNING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COMPLIMENTARY PASS FOR TWO. THIS FILM HAS BEEN RATED R (RESTRICTED – UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN) FOR CRUDE SEXUAL CONTENT AND LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, AND FOR DRUG USE. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 25 passes will be distributed via a random drawing on Monday, December 14. All entries must be received by midnight on Sunday, December 13. Please arrive early! Theater is overbooked to ensure a full house. Seats are not guaranteed, are limited to theater capacity and are first-come, first-served. Everyone entering the theater must have a pass.

IN THEATERS DECEMBER 18 www.sistersmovie.com

KANSAS CITY PITCH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 2.305x4.822

6

the pitch

LH

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

H I G H S PIR IT S

continued from page 5 be the first to admit that I sort of looked at it like this is his thing, and I was just going to help with it — not ever move back here. But that switched up to me realizing that I would pretty much have to do everything to get this going and run it. This has been way more work than I would have ever thought.”

At this point, Rieger says, Maybee is “less than 50 percent” of the business. He likens him to a brand ambassador. J. Rieger & Co.’s head distiller, Nathan Perry — formerly a microbiologist with Boulevard Brewing Co. — calls him “an asset.”

“It’s almost like having another adviser,” Perry says. “He knows cocktails and bartending. When we’re doing something, he can tell us how the shape of the bottle is going to influence a bartender. He has an influence on the proof we put something at because he knows what’s going to work better for the bar. That’s where he comes in, and that’s where I really think he’s invaluable, to have that aspect.”

Maybee is fine company in his advisory role. Dave Pickerell, the former master distiller at Maker’s Mark and an in-demand consultant in the craft-distilling world, helped develop J. Rieger & Co. Kansas City Whiskey: a blend of straight rye, corn and malt whiskeys sourced from various regions in North America, and featuring the addition of 15-year-old Oloroso sherry from the Williams & Humbert solera.

Tom Nichol personally taught Perry how to make gin. J. Rieger & Co.’s Midwestern Dry Gin is Nichol’s recipe.

“It’s pretty crazy who we’ve gotten to work with,” Rieger says. “Dave Pickerell has helped us with everything since the beginning, and he’s told us that we are by far the most organized distillery he’s ever seen. He even says that over Maker’s. Which is good because this” — Rieger gestures out to the floor, where a handful of employees are bottling J. Rieger & Co.’s Midwestern Premium Vodka — “doesn’t satisfy us.”

As the craft-distilling industry crowds with new producers, each new business must set itself apart. For J. Rieger & Co., that means eschewing the retail side — no tasting rooms or event spaces — in favor of production and distribution. (J. Rieger & Co. distributes in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Nebraska, with two states to be added next year.)

“Our philosophy and the way we look at business,” Rieger says, “is if you focus on retail, the money there is good, especially when you’re making what you’re selling — you keep costs low that way — but you never actually get that what you’re doing is your main thing, your main business. When you start thinking about retail, you don’t think about your product or what you can do to improve your process. It’s just different sides, whether you’re retail first or production first. There’s no right or wrong answer.”

“I enjoy interacting with people when I’m doing tastings and stuff like that, but it’s a com-

pitch.com

pletely different business,” Perry says. “Every time I pour at an event, I have to explain, like, ‘I’m sorry, I’m a really bad bartender.’ Because I’d rather be making the stuff.”

In early November, J. Rieger & Co. had its first anniversary. Rieger and Perry say they hardly took a moment to toast the milestone.

“The account rep at our branding firm, Liquid 9, she always gets on me because she says I don’t ever cherish the ‘champagne moments,’” Rieger says. “That’s because a champagne moment to the public or a branding firm is to us like, ‘Oh, thank God, that step is complete.’ It’s in the bigger picture now.”

Also part of the bigger picture: a J. Rieger & Co. Caffe Amaro, produced in partnership with Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters, and a limited-run Black Label whiskey, aged in 100-year-old, 130-gallon sherry botas (barrels) pulled from Williams & Humbert. Both products are expected in 2016.

“You look at Boulevard,” Rieger says. “If you’re a bar in Kansas City and you don’t serve Boulevard, something is wrong. We want to be that with a distillery. There are lots of little breweries that are Kansas City craft breweries that lots of people who aren’t in the industry have never heard of, and we want to be the opposite of that. We want to be the Boulevard of craft distilleries here in Kansas City.”

W

alking into Tom’s Town Distilling Co. feels like stepping onto the set of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Elegant, metallic art-deco wallpaper covers the hallway and the Red Room — an overflow and private-

Rieger (left) and Perry have big plans for Rieger & Co. event room, where a grand piano will soon be placed. Handsome, chartreuse leather upholstery lines half the walls in the tasting room, where sculptural light fixtures hang from the high ceiling.

The still — a 660-gallon hybrid, manufactured by Artisan Still Design to produce whiskey, vodka, rum or gin — is visible through a glass partition in the tasting room.

When I visit in late November, construction is still under way. The second-floor event space is unfinished. Still, the effect of the renovated building at 1701 Main (the former home of The Pitch) is striking.

Founders and co-owners Steven Revare and David Epstein are not shy about their Prohibition-era inspiration. They’ve lifted the distillery’s name from legendary Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, with whom they each share ties. Revare’s great-greatuncle Maurice Milligan was the U.S. attorney who sent Pendergast to prison in 1939 for tax evasion. Herman Epstein, Epstein’s grandfather, was a competing Kansas City bootlegger.

“He was one of the unlucky ones on the opposite side of Tom Pendergast and was driven out of business,” Epstein says with a laugh. “So my mother’s line was always, ‘If you can make a dollar off of Tom Pendergast’s name, do it.’ ” Tom’s Town’s three debut spirits carry Pendergast’s mark. There’s McElroy’s Corruption Gin (named for Henry McElroy, KC’s first city manager); Eli’s Strong Arm Vodka (named for Elijah Matheus, Pendergast’s

secretary and bodyguard); and Pendergast’s Royal Gold Bourbon, a 10-year-old bourbon that the distillery has purchased, bearing Pendergast’s “royal gold” trademark, which expired in 1936.

“Pendergast would basically pick Tennessee bourbons that he liked, bottle and sell those,” Revare says. “Obviously, we haven’t been in business long enough to have a fouryear-aged bourbon or a 10-year-aged bourbon, so we picked the best one we could find and put the Royal Gold label on it. We’re still going to be making our own, but that won’t be available yet. The gin and the vodka will be ours.”

Tom’s Town’s head distiller, Robert Vossmeyer, who has worked with GrandTen Distilling in Boston and studied with Clay Smith of Corsair Distillery in Nashville, has developed both of those recipes. The gin, Epstein says, is a new, Western-style gin — fewer juniper and floral notes than your London Dry, heavier on the citrus. The vodka is rye-based, similar to Polish vodkas Chopin and Belvedere, and somewhat unusual for an American vodka.

Epstein and Revare sit side by side on a plush leather banquette in the tasting room.

They, too, look like Gatsby characters, in tailored vests and smart haircuts. This is a new venture for them, though it isn’t their first partnership: The two founded digital media company BlairLake in 1995 and ran it for five years before selling it in 2000. Each has worked in the advertising and media industries in various capacities since.

“Steve and I are not distillers or mixologists,” Epstein says, a wide grin on his face.

“We’re drinkers. That’s what we bring to the table: years and years of drinking. We knew what we wanted to do, and we knew we wanted a world-class product, and the only way to do that is to have our fingers in every aspect of it. That’s where Rob [Vossmeyer] comes in.”

“We’re smart enough to know what we don’t know,” Revare says. “We wanted to hire to fill in the gaps in our knowledge, so we hired people who are smarter than we are.”

Something else that Revare and Epstein aren’t sure about: distribution. Tom’s Town products will be sold exclusively at the distillery, by the drink — at the bar, which will have regular hours starting in January — and by the bottle.

“We want to wait to get the product out until we have nailed down the process and the ingredients, so we don’t find any surprises down the road,” Epstein says. “And down the road, we see local, regional and national branding.”

Epstein and Revare eagerly discuss their interest in becoming part of what they refer to as a “Kansas City renaissance.” The week before Thanksgiving, after living in New York for 18 years, Epstein permanently relocated to Kansas City. He and Revare speak with a bubbling affection for the local arts, food and craft-cocktail scenes.

“A lot of things that are getting crafted in

Kansas City are getting national attention,” Revare says, “and we thought it’s time to put liquor on the map as well. The other part is that we wanted to be the clients for a change.

One of the things that I’ve always been jealous of our clients is that they can hold up a product that they made. That’s part of why we wanted to get into this business, where at the end of the day, you have something tangible.”

O

n a drizzling, gray September day In North Kansas City, Mike Shannon throws open the door to the brick-faced Restless Spirits Distilling, located across the street from Cinder Block Brewery. He’s a tall man with a friendly face, and he’s eager to show me around the space, even with the unfinished construction.

Shannon is proud Irish: His great-greatgreat-grandfather came to Kansas City during the Great Famine, he says, and his family has been here ever since. It’s no surprise, then, that with Restless Spirits, Shannon wanted to do a spin on Irish whiskey.

“We’re not really making an Irish whiskey — we’re not in Ireland — but we’re making an Irish-style spirit, with 100 percent barley, which is traditional,” Shannon says. “We’re going to follow some of the similar processes, and we’re going to create a category which doesn’t really exist. We’re going to call it Irish American whiskey.”

One of the perks of adopting Irish distilling practices, Shannon says, is the still that he’s bringing into his space. It’s a custom 500-gallon wash still from Vendome Copper & Brass Works in Louisville, Kentucky — the

same company that provides the stills for Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam.

“The difference between Irish-style whiskey and some of the bourbons and ryes you see in the craft space now is in the still,” Shannon says. “They use what’s called a potcolumn hybrid still. You’ll see a column on top of this still, with plates separating out the various types of alcohol. You get very precise cuts that way. But with an Irish-style whiskey, you want a lot more flavor coming off — we don’t need all those plates separating anything, so our still gives the whiskey a richer flavor.”

In addition to whiskey, Restless Spirits will produce its own gin and vodka, and a seasonal Irish cream. (There’s a separate still for gin, Shannon adds, to avoid cross-contamination of flavors.)

Shannon has made booze a family affair: His wife, Benay Shannon — a former high school science teacher who, with her husband, has attended seminars and classes through both the American Distilling Institute and White Labs, a California firm dedicated to fermentation research — is the head distiller.

Their son also plans to join the business.

Converting the warehouse space into a distillery has gone fairly smoothly because Shannon’s brother is in commercial construction — “We’ve got a whole bunch of family that likes to volunteer,” he says — which follows a thread back to his Irish heritage.

“When the Irish came over, a lot of them were stonemasons and stonecutters,” Shannon says, “so our first product will be called Stone Breaker Irish American Whiskey.”

The Shannons began production in early

pitch.com

Reviving Tom’s Town: Epstein (left) and Revare November. Last week, they began barreling their whiskey.

“We’re still calibrating equipment with very small batches at this time but expect to be in full production [of whiskey] by Christmas,” Mike Shannon says. “We’re ready to go with both vodka and gin, but we’re awaiting label approval at the federal level, followed by a state review. We likely won’t have clear spirits available for sale until mid-February.”

February will be a big month for Restless Spirits. That’s when the tasting room is slated to open to the public; distribution is shaping up for that month as well.

“Our target for the whiskey is to do something by St. Patrick’s Day,” Mike Shannon says.

“The way we’ll do that is we’ll be aging our first product in small, 10-gallon barrels. We can age whiskey faster in 10-gallon barrels than when we age the larger, 53-gallon barrels, which will take two to three years. But you can get a good aging in six to nine months in the smaller barrels. It’s not as refined a spirit that you get with a larger barrel, but it’s still a fine whiskey, and that’ll allow us to get something out there by March.”

Benay, a petite woman, interjects with notes on flavors for her recipes and an occasional side-eye glance at her husband, who keeps a cheerful pace.

“For me, this business combines a lot of of experiences I’ve had in my life,” Mike Shannon says. “I like working with my hands, and I have an incredible passion for branding and continued on page 8 DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015 t h e p i t c h 7

8

H I G H S PIR IT S

continued from page 7 driving brands into the market, and I saw this industry as a huge opportunity. You don’t see many places anymore in the business world that we’re in where you can get in on a new and emerging space and build a brand that has some equity in the market. That, to me, is huge.”

K

yle Claypool, Michael Stuckey and Darren Unruh signed a lease at 1734 Cherry in April, but construction on the future home of Lifted Spirits didn’t begin until November. When I arrive in early December, the building is without heat. Claypool greets me in a jacket, hands shoved in his pockets.

He guides me through piles of rubble, pointing out the destinations for his stills, fermentation tanks and whiskey barrels.

“We’re going to have our big, 1,000-liter still here,” Claypool says, gesturing to a twostory area of the main floor, “and it’s going to have a 12-inch glass column on top that goes up 18 feet, plus two other columns and a gin basket on the end. So when we’re doing a gin run, for instance, the spirit would go through all 20 plates and three columns, and then it passes through the basket where we’ve got our juniper and other botanicals.”

When Lifted Spirits launches in April, the distillery will offer two gins and a vodka made from locally sourced red wheat.

“I love botanical spirits in particular,” Stuckey says. Wearing elbow-length blackrubber gloves, he’s crouched by a small test

8

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

still. Claypool has introduced him as the inhouse mad scientist, and Stuckey looks the part.

“I like whiskey,” he says, in a tone that makes it clear he doesn’t love it, “and I’ve learned a great deal about it and I’ve learned to appreciate it, but I started with gin, and my interest grew from there.”

Stuckey has a geology degree, and he has been a youth minister and a real estate agent.

For him, distilling offered a new challenge.

“I’ve been practicing for a long time and was looking for something new to learn,” Stuckey says. “I loved spirits and I loved how they brought people together, and I wanted to learn how to make them myself.” He gestures to the Mason jars cluttered on a table in the warehouse. “We were doing some herb experiments. I’m breaking down my gin by botanical and distilling each botanical by itself, just to get a feel for how it comes off the still. So we’re tasting it piece by piece, and then I’ll go from there.”

Claypool opens a couple of the jars. The juniper spirit smells like a highly concentrated Hendrick’s, and the Madagascar vanilla bean conveys notes of toasted almond and even cocoa.

“It’s amazing how, for example, chamomile smells one way as a dry herb, but when it comes through a vapored distillation, it changes,” Claypool says. “To understand that on the individual level for each herb is going to really allow us to put together something great.”

To that end, Lifted Spirits is also planning on launching an original absinthe.

pitch.com

“I’m really passionate about absinthe because it’s a complicated spirit,” Stuckey says.

“The way it’s made is very particular. You have to follow a complicated process to do it correctly. And the tradition behind it intrigued me. And also, it got a bad rap. There’s a lot of things said about absinthe that aren’t true. It’s really a community drink — something that people went to the cafés to enjoy together. It wasn’t something that they went to trip on. I really appreciated that about it and wanted to share its roots and put a Kansas City improvisation on the recipe that was still traditional and reflected our values here.”

Community is the key word for Stuckey and Claypool — it comes up several times in conversation. They see it inherently linked to distilling. As Claypool shows me the inprogress upstairs event space — up a flight of treacherous stairs that, he assures me, will be replaced — he references the pre-Prohibition prevalence of stills.

“Distilling was a part of our American culture and our heritage,” Claypool says. “There was a still on every farm and gathering place.

It was part of the community, and that was kind of taken away by Prohibition and never came back.

“After Prohibition, it totally became commercial — big factories with liquor,” he continues. “You lost the local aspect, and we really want to bring that back. We’ll have local artists doing installations here. We’ll have local music. You can have your wedding here and come in and actually make the spirits for the wedding a few weeks in advance. We just want to bring that lost part of our culture back.”

Forever restless: Restless Spirits’ the Shannons (above) and one of their stills (left) Lifted Spirits will use a 30-gallon still to make small batches and limited runs (for such special events). Downstairs, the Lifted Spirits tasting room will function also as a bar with regular hours, but it will have a few amenities for the curious hobbyist.

“We plan on having an infusion counter,” Claypool says, “something with recipe cards and Mason jars and spices and ingredients, like lemongrass and apricot and all sorts of things. So you can throw something in a jar, grab some spirits and take it home and make it yourself. We really want to let people come in and get their hands dirty.”

Claypool and Stuckey are full time with Lifted Spirits; Unruh has a corporate finance background and functions as the company’s CFO. I ask Claypool how he feels about putting all his chips in with such an untested, burgeoning industry.

“Starting any new business is a risk, for sure,” Claypool says, glancing around at all the work yet to be done on the building.

“Starting a new business with giant metal vessels and buildout and piping and all that is a bigger risk, but there’s so much growth right now. The craft-spirits industry has grown 40 to 50 percent year after year for six years running. People are just really excited to try something new and connect with something local. We all felt like this was the right thing at the right time.”

9

I

n mid-November, McCormick Distilling Co. announced a deal to buy Broker’s Gin, which produces London Dry Gin, marking McCormick’s first foray into the premium-import category. (It will be one of McCormick’s most prestigious brands: In 2010, Broker’s London Dry Gin became the first gin to score 97 out of 100 in the distinguished Ultimate Spirits Challenge.)

McCormick also announced that, beginning this month, it will begin producing bourbon at the original, historic distilling site in Weston for the first time in 30 years.

Holladay 1856 bourbon, named for founder Ben Holladay and the year of establishment, should be available by 2018. In April, the Weston location, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is slated to open for public tours for the first time in 20 years.

McCormick Distilling president Mick Harris says this isn’t so much in response to the recent flurry of activity in the local craft-distilling scene (“We certainly welcome the newcomers,” he tells me over the phone) but more as an adaptation to the growth of the industry.

“We’re certainly not huge in the scheme of things,” Harris says. “We’re a fairly small, American, family-owned company, and where do we fit? Those new folks certainly have some interesting offerings and some quality stuff, but we’re doing things on a little bit different scale.”

He goes on: “We have the production capabilities and facilities to do things on a scale where a lot more people will be able to enjoy our products. We have space for 25,000 barrels to age. We’ll be using formulas that

were produced on this site for the last 150 years. We have a natural water source on the property that is the reason why whiskey was ever made here in the first place, and we’re going to be using the same sources that we’ve always had here. What we’re offering is all the benefits of craft with the capacity and reach to do a lot more.”

Dark Horse Distillery in Lenexa is facing a different adjustment in 2016, as a two-year trademark dispute with E. & J. Gallo Winery comes to a close — and mandates a name change. As of January 1, Dark Horse Distillery will become Union Horse Distilling Co. In October 2016, bottles bearing the new name will hit shelves in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“For the most part, everything is going to look and remain the same,” says Damian Garcia, Dark Horse’s director of sales and marketing. “It’s just a matter of getting the message out there that this is who we are now.”

Parkville’s S.D. Strong Distilling, founded in 2012, celebrated the release of two new products in 2015: Pillar 136 Gin, which launched in May and won top honors at September’s Washington Cup Spirits Competition in Kansas City (a national craft-spirits contest, founded by Doug Frost, master sommelier and master of wine), and a limited run of Straight Rye Whiskey. The latter is nearly sold out, founder and owner Steve Strong says.

Strong is also in the process of barrel-aging bourbon, and he’s counting on the market’s continued growth. (S.D. Strong distributes in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, and Strong hopes to add Texas to that list.)

Stuckey (left) and Claypool build a business.

“The more small craft distilleries there are, the more awareness that there is about it,” he says. “Most of the business is being done by the large, large brands. There’s four companies that control 90 percent of the business out there. So I think that it’s a good thing that there are some new options, where people can try new things and where you can actually go to the distillery and meet the people making it.”

A

ndrew Faulkner is the managing editor of Distiller Magazine and vice president of the American Distilling Institute, an organization similar to the ACSA but a decade older. The role of ADI, Faulkner says, is to aid and guide small-batch, independently owned distillers across the country.

“If you go back a hundred years, before World War I,” he says, “go back to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, and before that, by all estimates, there were about 7,000 distilleries in the country. Then the Pure Food and Drug Act came out, and people had to say what they were actually doing, and stores had to go out of business.”

Faulkner laughs. “But this country, at that time, had fewer than 100 million people, and it had 7,000 distilleries. Fast-forward to now, and we’ve got more than 300 million people and fewer than 1,000 distilleries. So, yes, there is ample room for growth. This is a return to normalcy.”

FIND MOVIE TIMES P ON

p

E-mail natalie.gallagher@pitch.com pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

9

10

10

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

11 WEEK OF DECEMBER 10-16, 2015

In the Lane…

Everybody knows that when you get the opportunity to go to Allen Fieldhouse, you go to Allen Fieldhouse. But for those who bleed crimson and blue while lacking enough green to spend Big 12 season in Lawrence, seeing the Jayhawks at the Sprint Center — as you can on Saturday, December 12 — is the next best thing.

Wayne Selden Jr. (pictured) and the Jayhawks draw a Kansas City date with Gary Payton II (son of the legendary Seattle Sonic) and the 6–1 Oregon State Beavers.

Get your tickets and Rock Chalk.

DAILY LISTINGS ON PAGE

28

PHOTO BY JEFF JACOBSEN

pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

11

12

Art

In Dreams

Melanie Johnson shakes you awake at Kiosk.

By

A nnie R A A b

T

Relax. Refresh. Rejuvenate.

4143 Pennsylvania Ave Kansas City, MO 64111 (816) 531-8600 spaonpenn.com

holiday gift cards available

o watch someone sleep is to balance between adoration and obsession — the same narrow yet peaceful perch where Melanie Johnson has painted “So That the Universe Comes Out Even.”

In the canvases that make up her oil diptych — part of her Kiosk Gallery exhibition, titled Sleep — dream logic overtakes perspective, distorting the depth of field behind two figures twisted in oneiric … bliss? fear? pain?

The one dominating the upper canvas appears caught in an impressively full-bodied act of removing a shirt. Defying gravity, the right leg curls at once toward you and away; a ridge of spine under exposed skin invites and eludes touch, bridging lucid reality with dreamy unknowns. There’s a planted foot, but is it touching the ground? Beyond the hinge of the hips in that impossible pose, darkness seeps from the canvas. A cloud of black paint closes in from the right, chasing an Impressionist sky off the left side of the canvas. Nightmares are revving up before sleep begins, ready to race reality over the edge. As your eyes follow the dark trail down, the head of the top figure disappears into the splotchy fog of a REM cycle.

NOOWPEN Graffiti Heaven

12 BRANDS AvAIlABlE

COUPON

BUY TWO E ON CANS GET E E R F CAN vAlID COUPON 5/2015 THRU 12/2

108 E 43RD ST.,KC MO 816-859-5335 JUST OFF MAIN, ON THE EDGE OF KCAI

12

courtesy of kiosk gallery

s t m a t e riql

s

a

rt i

ltd

Keith

Coldsnow

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

In the bottom half of Johnson’s diptych, a figure reclines in a more familiar, restfulseeming pose. Look again, though, and the ease vanishes. The forced angles of her arms, the pinched curl of her toes — this is a fitful, dramatic trance. Under this thrashing figure is a patterned quilt, an object temporarily stripped of its comforting power. Bedtime ritual wasn’t enough to stave off whatever is flashing under her eyelids.

But for all the darkness in “So That the Universe Comes Out Even,” there is tenderness and love. The negative space that swirls between the two figures suggests a timeline, a movement toward the dawn.

As Johnson shifts her background from an

pitch.com

Melanie Johnson Sleep Through January 7 at Kiosk Gallery 916 East Fifth Street kioskgallerykc.com

indistinct green to the shadowy pattern of a bedspread, she guides her figures and her viewer into, and through, the night. Her rendition of human flesh, a particularly intoxicating strength here, finds the blushes and rashes of imperfect skin; heat emanates from a heavy thigh, one weighted with honest muscle and fat, as a real thigh under

gravity is. A body at rest remains a body in a kind of motion.

To be intimately close to a sleeping being is to remain far removed from a bedmate’s immediate experience of unconsciousness.

This is one of the perplexities of companionship — and the most affecting takeaway of the show. As woven as sleep is into our existence, its pieces — its flashes and dreams and hypnagogic jerks — never quite connect, as Johnson reminds us with her diptych format.

If there’s no way to close this gap, there is at least this painting to suggest meaning within the divide, within the dream.

E-mail feedback@pitch.com

13

Fun & Film Find an Event

P p > Movies > Film Events

CHES PARADISE POODaycare & Resort

WHERE COOL DOGS STAY! 7200 WYANDOTTE ST. KANSAS CITY, MO

816.361.3388

poochesparadise.com

COMEDY WORKSHOP in the West Crossroads

IMPROV - SKETCH STANDUP COMEDY 8-week classes beginning in January The perfect holiday gift for that person who has always wanted to take a comedy class (especially if that person is yourself!)

Special Early Bird Prices & Packages

For more information go to

TheSerratedEdge.com pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

13

14

14

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

15

s ta g e

Doll the Way

The Kansas City Ballet’s new Nutcracker is happily maximal.

Brett Pruitt & east Market studios

he Kansas City Ballet’s spectacular reboot of The Nutcracker is incontrovertible proof that anything is possible with passion, dedication and a $2 million budget.

The company’s artistic director, Devon Carney, has made the holiday classic a snowdipped, candied Christmas dream, with an all-new staging that restores much of Tchaikovsky’s score and a production design that’s heavy on Victorian glamour.

Back in the mix is an opening scene at Dr. Drosselmeier’s workshop, where the toymaker brings his creations to life. Carney crowns the scene with comically rubbery choreography. The dancers move like animatronic dolls, their limbs stuttering watch hands. Michael Davis and Amanda DeVenuta danced those roles this past Sunday; in those and all other key parts, four casts rotate performances during the show’s run.

The party scene gets an infusion of energy as well, with Carney’s choreography finding martial grandeur in the Silberhaus children’s skipping to every pulse of the buoyant score. Clara (played at Sunday’s matinee by the sunny Hannah Zucht) greets her nutcracker soldier with infectious delight. And through it all sweeps Drosselmeier, with a magician’s knack for mischief, bewitching the children and animating Clara’s doddering grandparents into a modern pas de disco (expressively danced by Tempe Ostergren and Yoshiya Sakurai).

As with George Balanchine’s Nutcracker, Drosselmeier’s here is a kindly soul, free from the sinister undertones of some productions.

Charles Martin danced the role Sunday afternoon with impeccable timing and outsized comedic expression — he even downed a drink with a Liberace flourish.

And in Clara’s home, no gesture feels too grand. Remember that $2 million production budget? It shows. Alain Vaës’ set is full of Christmas miracles, from a Tannenbaum growing like a Grinch heart to a pinstriped hot-air balloon with a unicorn at the prow.

And the scrims — oh, the scrims. Vaës and his crew deploy a seemingly endless rotation of painted backdrops, all Claymation curves and rococo ripples, indulgent as eggnog. The party scene is a design highlight, a cozy backdrop glittering under Trad A. Burns’ rosy LEDs. Stage manager Victoria Frank deserves the first helping of Christmas pudding for calling an impeccable show.

Holly Hynes’ costumes are every bit as sumptuous as the sets and the lights. See the apple-bodied dancing bear, performing a highbrow truffle shuffle in a Cosby sweater.

Behold the impossibly tubby mice in their nappy gray suits, belly-flopping to an imagined cartoon timpani bounce. Hynes stuffs

rosalie o’connor

T

the production with colorful confections, from plump ribbon sashes to airy skirts and pancake tutus aplenty.

Her designs for the Snowf lake dancers are especially ethereal, skirts shining under cold blue lights and realistic snow. “Waltz of

The Nutcracker Prince (top) and company dancers surrounding the Rose (above) the Snowflakes” boasts some of the show’s most exquisite choreography as well. In Sunday’s performance, Danielle Bausinger and

pitch.com

By

L i z C ook

Thom Panto danced the Snow Queen and King’s duet with effort-belying grace: In one lift, Bausinger’s toes brushed almost imperceptibly across the stage, her body an icicle curve.

Act 2 sees Clara and her Nutcracker Prince (Dillon Malinski in the performance I saw) to the Land of Sweets, where Tchaikovsky’s most beloved dances come to life. The hot-air balloon makes another Oz-worthy appearance, and Vaës retires the scrims in favor of multiple arches and whisk-away pieces to add dimension and depth.

The trimmings are outrageous, too, with a pantomime lion for the Chinese dance and a draped palanquin for the Arabian dance.

Sunday, Taryn Mejia danced an especially eye-popping solo in the latter.

But with so much spectacle comes a danger: Bodies are occasionally lost in competing clashes of color. Some of this comes down to blocking, some costuming. In the Russian dance, for example, the corps is clothed as noisily as the principal dancers, making it almost impossible (particularly for those near the back of the house) to pluck featured performers from the fray.

And while the new choreography mostly dazzles, a few kinks remain. Carney isn’t always attuned to power positions onstage, and the spacing in more crowded dances such as “Waltz of the Flowers” seems inconsistent.

So, too, could the Act 1 fight choreography between the soldiers and the Mouse King be sharpened and extended.

These are minor growing pains for a reboot of this scale, and the finale, a grand pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Chevalier (Sarah Chun and Travis Guerin, respectively, Sunday afternoon), banishes any lingering gripes. Carney resists the expected footwork, timing looser, sustained movements to Tchaikovsky’s musical flutters. Chun and Guerin do what they do best: achingly elegant lines and angles, with no shortcuts and no stutters.

The Nutcracker The Kansas City Ballet Through December 24 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts 1601 Broadway, kcballet.org

Chun emerges from each butter-smooth spin with perfect control. We emerge from the theater as if from a snow globe, wishing that the real world felt half so enchanted.

E-mail feedback@pitch.com DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

15

16

The Christmas in Kansas Comedy Show 7pm | December 26 with Comedian • Actor • Writer

Will C with Dave Alan, Jeff Onyx, and Mike West

www.willc.net

in the movies Yes Man • Gone Girl • PURGE 2

We are currently enrolling qualified partipants in a clinical research study with a new investigational drug. To qualify, you must be 18 years of age or older with plaque psoriasis; other restrictions may apply.

Health insurance is not needed to participate and you may recive compensation for time and travel. Eligibility is determined at the time of initial visit.

as seen at the Improv • Ice House Comedy Store • Laugh Factory

and on TV in Mom • Numb3rs • Monk

Up Next: NYE Comedy Show Colonial Club: 322 N. 6th Street, KCK

valid through 12/24

304 WESTPORT RD, KCMO

816-569-0106 • RUN816.COM • GUSBOUTIQUE.COM

Established Steel Tube & Pipe Manufacture

30+ Years & Still Growing To see if you or soemone you know qualifies, please call (913)481-6415 or log onto compliantclinicalresearch.com

. . … g n i k e e s s i The Pitch A PRODUCTION AND DIGITAL COORDINATOR The desired candidate will be a creative and digital savvy individual who works closely with all departments to bring together a coordinated whole on a tight deadline.

-Manage production system and traffics all ads -Coordinate ad materials and inputs from the advertising department to the final pagination of the newspaper -Works with Art Director and independently to paginate newspaper -Design and manage all house ads -Design and revise media kits, sales and event materials -Manages all digital tasks including, but not limited to, website, email, Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, apps and more.

RequiRements: Proficient in Microsoft Word Knowledge of InDesign Thrives in a fast-paced environment Ability to work in a tight deadline environment while maintaining a positive attitude Handle multiple tasks simultaneously and takes up duties on short notice Loves The Pitch!

Please send cover letter and resume to: Amy.Mularski@pitch.com. No phone calls please.

16

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

Three Shifts of Manufacturing & Shipping Opportunities Available Website only has partial listing of Opportunities

Potential to earn $2K in Monthly Production Bonus Apply In Person 1000 Burlington Street, North Kansas City www.exltube.com EOE

17

s ta g e

the Unicorn’s Mr. Burns.

By

L i z C ook

Cynthia Levin

SpringfiEld Calling

Things that make you go d’oh:

A

s a lover of The Simpsons in its heyday, I had high hopes for Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play. But as I left the theater, I couldn’t help recalling something the artist Ed Ruscha once said: Good art should make you say, “Huh? Wow!” — not the reverse.

The Unicorn’s dizzyingly creative production, co-produced with UMKC Theatre and directed by Theodore Swetz, nails the “wow!” part. But Washburn’s calculated brilliance may leave audiences scratching their heads.

The first of three acts takes place in a “very near future” in which electrical failure and nuclear meltdown have decimated the U.S. population, leaving survivors scrambling to outpace fallout. With no Netflix to binge, entertainment returns to its most primitive form: storytelling around the fire.

Slightly less primitive: The stories swapped are primarily old episodes of The Simpsons.

In the opening scene, wounded nomads Jenny (Maya Jackson), Matt (Tim Scott) and Maria (Manon Halliburton) dig deep into their memories of life before, trying to reassemble the plot of “Cape Feare,” in which Bart Simpson is stalked by his nemesis, Sideshow Bob. But the overlong sequence sucks the tension out of an inherently dramatic situation.

Washburn devotes pages to tortured recollection, ums and uhs in tedious verisimilitude, and the scene accomplishes little dramatically beyond belaboring the conceit.

When an outsider (Matthew A. King) sneaks up on the group, the dramatic engine revs in earnest. Scarce resources make every stranger

a potential threat, and the standoff sings in Swetz’s and the Unicorn’s care.

The dystopian genre may well have reached peak saturation, and some of the plot’s contrivances will feel familiar to audiences. It’s hard not to compare Mr. Burns with, for example, Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel’s prizewinning novel about a dystopian future in which survivors seek solace in comic books and Shakespeare. Still, a few of Washburn’s choices feel fresh: The Simpsons, for one. Yes, the show has long been an easy cultural touchstone, but its charms seem suited to the postdeveloped world. One can imagine finding comfort in its sense of humor and irreverence, in its plucky spirit, which insists that even troublemakers like Bart and oafs like Homer deserve happy endings.

Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play Through December 27 at the Unicorn Theatre, Levin Stage 3828 Main, 816-531-7529 unicorntheatre.org Score another head-slapping of course to another of Washburn’s apocalyptic innovations: Her survivors keep notebooks, recording the names and ages of everyone they meet on the road, a Rolodex of the living to cross-reference against strangers. But the haunting notebooks are abandoned almost as quickly as they’re introduced. Act 2 jumps ahead seven years to show us the characters settling back into capitalism as usual. The group has formed a

theatrical troupe around their Simpsons habit (led by the indomitable Mariem S. Diaz), and rival theater companies have sprung up around them, each with a different repertoire of halfremembered episodes.

Here, Washburn neglects still-nascent relationships between characters to focus on the economics of the apocalypse. The troupe debates the exchange rate of a can of Diet Coke (two lithium batteries) and calculates which ’90s pop anthems will inspire the most nostalgic zeal. They sprinkle their performances with “commercials,” extended fantasies in which actors simulate once-banal luxuries such as baths, television and glasses of Chablis.

If Act 2 gives short-shrift to characterization, Act 3 abandons it entirely, jumping another 75 years into a future in which The Simpsons has been ascribed the significance of a creation myth. Nameless performers in yellow robes perform “Cape Feare” as an Expressionist drama. The character of Sideshow Bob has been transmuted, through a dismal game of telephone, to Mr. Burns. And Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” is now a ceremonial chant.

The result is entertaining, if bewildering. The Unicorn’s cast tries valiantly to knit Washburn’s competing concerns into a coherent whole. Halliburton is a standout all the way through, finding urgency in Act 1’s recollections, sincerity in Act 2’s sneering critiques, and a truly uninhibited bout of glossolalia in Act 3. Matthew Rapport is similarly strong as Sideshow Bob–cum–Mr. Burns, and Jessalyn Kincaid makes a heroic Act 3 Bart,

pitch.com

Left: The troupe performs for a postapocalyptic audience. Above: Rapport (right) reveals the Simpsons’ fate. her voice pitched with the right kind of impish innocence.

The production design is similarly inventive. Costume designers Sarah M. Oliver and Paige K. Beltowski lead the charge, using such everyday objects as yellow-plastic colanders to create resourceful post-apocalyptic costumes.

Act 3 allows the pair to graduate to spindly, balloon-animal headdresses and crocheted overlays, a pairing that looks as ridiculous as it feels inevitable. Even Act 1’s street clothes are detailed and appropriately apocalypse-aged (though Halliburton’s pristine boots could do with a little road wear). Scenic designer Trevor Frederiksen constructs an ingenious near-cathedral from recycled plastic bottles.

And Nicole Jaja’s lights brush the stage with a pulsing, otherworldly energy.

But even the combined creativity of the Unicorn and UMKC Theatre can’t keep Mr. Burns from feeling like a theater class’s senior project.

Washburn’s script is long on ideas and short on sustained characterization. It’s whip-smart stuff, scorching at times, yet the latter two acts are colder than a nuclear winter, all irony and cultural critique and no beating human heart.

Stories are, at their core, about human journeys and connections. But for a play ostensibly about the importance of storytelling, Mr. Burns is far too cagey about telling its own.

E-mail feedback@pitch.com DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

17

18

WALDO

withiends fr pitch.com > Restaurants > Restaurant Guide

Margarita Mondays 99

NEW YEAR

2016

On the Rocks $1

TACO TUESDAY 99

5 Tacos $5

LIVE DJ BALLOON DROP CHAMPAGNE TOAST PARTY FAVORS

Steak Dinner Special 16OZ STRIP OR 8OZ FILET W/ POTATO

The Pitch’s

BEST SANDWHICH Home Cooking - Burger - Chicken - Philly Cheese Steak Carry Out Available 7025 Prospect Ave | KCMO

RSVP Dinner Reservations include bottle of Korbel 7425 BROADWAY STREET KANSAS CITY, MO 64114 816-822-7525 TANNERSBARANDGRILL.COM

KIN LIN

Choice of shredded chicken, ground beef, carnitas Not Valid With Other Promotions

YOUR HOME FOR

PAY PER VIEW SPORTS

Sat Dec 12 | Aldo vs McGregor Domestic Draft Specials $1.99 during PPV Fights *cover charge applies for select ppv shows

$10 OFF PURCHASE OF $30 Not Valid With Other Promotions

Ask for our New Punch Card!

1340 Village W Pkwy • (913)328-0227 casaagavelegends.com

Authentic Chinese

from Traditional to Adventurous Now serving Local Craft Beer, Asian Beer & Wine

CHINESE RESTAURANT

KANSAS CITY’S NEWEST & BEST BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the full Churrascaria experience in the dining room or order `a la carte in the bar and patio.

HAPPY HOUR - PRIVATE PARTY ROOMS - TO GO MENU

Vegetarian & Vegan Available

We

Deliver GIFT CARDS

now available

Local. Quality. Service.

1 1 9 0 0 M e tc a l f Ave n u e O ve r l a n d P a r k , K S 6 6 2 1 3 913-283-9180 • espiritodosul.com 18

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

314 E 51 ST. Kansas City, MO

816.561.4334

19

CAfé

Sign, Slurp, go

Columbus Park Ramen Shop is as good as eat-it-and-beat-it food gets.

By

Ch a r l e s F er ru z z a

o you take ramen seriously enough?

I’m not sure that I do, but new circumstances seem ready to reshape my opinion of the kinky wheat-flour noodles that have always reminded me of a bad perm. In U.S. cities bigger than this one, diners no longer think of ramen as a cheap, prepackaged foodstuff, and other parts of the world have long known it as a rich, nuanced dish.

Anywhere, though — as with anything worth tasting — it’s all about who’s in the kitchen.

At Columbus Park Ramen Shop, Kansas City’s “first authentic ramen shop” (so says the two-month-old business’s website; no disagreement from me), the right people are in the kitchen: chef Josh Eans and his wife, Abbey-Jo, along with this venue’s head chef, Jon Ponzer.

I knew that the steaming bowls in this petite, 24-seat café would bear virtually no resemblance to the compressed, vacuumsealed noodles that generally cost less than a candy bar. But here I must confess to some subconscious resistance to wholly committing to what Josh Eans calls (almost sheepishly, to his credit) “artisan ramen.”

“The stuff in the stores isn’t really ramen,” Eans explained to me last week. “It’s cooked, then deep-fried, then dehydrated. That’s why, when you prepare it, it tastes like squishy, overcooked pasta.”

Squishy, overcooked anything is not the stuff of successful Kickstarter campaigns and hourlong waits for a seat. Columbus Park Ramen Shop exists due to the former and has, from day one, exhibited the latter, adding up to a persuasive pro-artisan-ramen argument.

(Full disclosure: I donated a small amount to that campaign, eager to see what the Eanses could do with the space next to their still terrific — and terrifically popular — Happy Gillis.) So I resolved to set aside old collegefood biases and give myself over to a brave, slurpy new world.

The noodles used in the four kinds of ramen served here taste fresh indeed. They come from the Sun Noodle factory in New Jersey (which also supplies U.S. ramen mecca Momofuku, in New York City), and they are far from squishy.

And, anyway, you determine your own noodle fate by doing as Columbus Park’s posted “rules of ramen” mandate: Eat ’em fast.

The rules are only slightly tongue-in-cheek.

Customers are required to sign in when they arrive, kicking off a wait that might last more than an hour. “In Japan,” Josh Eans told me, “it’s not uncommon to find these tiny ramen shops with only 10 or 12 seats and a line of customers around the block. That’s one of the things about ramen. You can wait an hour to

get into a ramen shop and be done with your meal in 10 minutes.”

It’s a commuter food there. Here, the combination of novelty and execution have made the Eanses’ version a destination dish in a cardominated city — and something of a learning curve. Fast, Josh Eans will tell you, is how ramen is supposed to be eaten. “I wouldn’t come here on a first date,” he told me last week. “We don’t mean to be inhospitable, but if everyone is on board with how things are done here, we can move everyone through pretty efficiently.”

In other words: Eat it and beat it. (Of course, it’s good faith and good taste not to linger too long while others are hungry, but you’re also working against the dish’s natural inclination to congeal.)

For single diners — and Columbus Park Ramen Shop gets plenty of those — that’s great. (And, as of last week, takeout is available.) For parties of three or more, it’s more challenging. Only three four-top tables are inside this former garage, and snagging one is like grabbing the brass ring on a carousel.

It’s worth waiting, though, if you want to try everything — something that’s not hard to do with its limited menu.

There’s a single starter, a dish of housepickled vegetables (on my most recent visit: cabbage kimchi, pickled turnip slices, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms). It’s a wee plate, but the kick it delivers — salty, spicy, tangy — is an ideal overture to any of the four noodle dishes.

Those ramen choices (served in handthrown bowls made by local ceramic artist Paul Mallory) complement one another’s flavors without compromising their separate identities. The only nonmeat version, centered on a lush broth of mushroom and charred leeks, delivers a satisfyingly fleshy texture with a generous array of roasted and pickled mushroom slices. It’s a hearty one-bowl meal (more so if you ask to add an egg) and, right now, a bracing cold-weather dish (more so if you have a “chili bomb” added to it).

I was surprised by the sweet notes in the kimchi soup, prepared in a chicken-dashi broth with a “Chinese-style” sausage (think anise) made for the Ramen Shop by the Broadway Butcher Shop. The sugar in the broth balances the fiery, vinegary kimchi (made in-house) for a supple mixture of sour, sweet and hot. It’s easily my favorite of the bowls (so far, anyway).

The best-selling ramen bowl is the Shoyu, a country concoction in the chicken-dashi broth, with pieces of braised Amish chicken, a marinated farm egg, pickled shiitake and scallions. It goes down like a cure for something, its warmth as comforting as a wool blanket.

a l ly s o n p e c k

D

a l ly s o n p e c k

Columbus park ramen Shop • 549 Gillis, 816-492-5549 • Hours: 5–10 p�m� Thursday and Sunday, 5–11 p�m� Friday and Saturday, closed Monday–Wednesday • Price: $–$$

Columbus Park Ramen Shop Daily pickle ����������������������������������������������������������$5 Tonkotsu������������������������������������������������������������� $14 Shoyu ������������������������������������������������������������������ $13 Kimchi ����������������������������������������������������������������� $14 Mushroom ���������������������������������������������������������� $12

The classic Japanese tonkotsu bowl is a fragrant and robust heritage-pork stock with braised pork jowl. It could stand alone as a meal even without the noodles, the pickled bean sprouts and the scallions. With those

pitch.com

pitch.com

Kimchi ramen (top) is one of four choices at the new Columbus Park Ramen Shop� elements, though, it’s a dish of surpassing richness. Finish it and you will not be hungry.

Just finish it fast. That’s the authentic way to eat ramen (even if it’s hell on note taking).

And the quicker you get through, the quicker you can return for another bowl.

Have a suggestion for a restaurant The Pitch should review?

E-mail charles.ferruzza@pitch.com DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

m o n t h x x–x x , 2 0 0 x

the pitch

THE PITCH

19

PB

20

20

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

21

FAT C I T Y

RIP, EBT

A local classic prepares to blow out the last f lambé fires.

B

ittersweet but not surprising — such was last week’s announcement that EBT Restaurant, a south Kansas City fixture for 36 years, would close following New Year’s Eve. With scarce exception, fine dining — starched linens, starchier service — is a dinosaur in this market. The customers who avidly supported EBT in its heyday have, for the most part, passed on. And last year, the man who conceived the restaurant, R. Crosby Kemper Jr. — the banker who, for decades, led UMB Financial Corp. — died. EBT was a pet project of Kemper’s, a restaurant sharing a building with what was, in the late 1970s, the newest branch of United Missouri Bank, at the intersection of Interstate 435 and State Line.

“It was Dad’s idea to put a restaurant in that space,” says his son Crosby Kemper III. “He also owned all the artifacts from the old Emery Bird Thayer store, and it was his idea to use those for the restaurant.”

One of Kansas City’s finest department stores, Emery Bird Thayer stood at 11th Street and Grand for 83 years before it was razed to make way for the building that would become UMB’s corporate headquarters.

“I don’t think my father would have put it into these words,” Kemper says, “but I think he felt guilty about tearing down that building. He had, at one point, tried to interest Marshall Fields in moving into it. But the building had some issues and, ultimately, it came down. But Dad saved a lot of architectural and interior details.”

Kemper Jr. used some of those architectural relics — including two brass elevator cages, a few lead-glass windows, column ornaments of carved brownstone, and a fountain — in the restaurant, which was named for the extinct store.

There was nostalgia for the razed department store in the restaurant’s early days, but that didn’t create a surge of business for EBT. “There was some ta lk of closing it 18 months after we opened it,” says Ed Holland, the restaurant’s first general manager — handpicked by Kemper Jr. — who worked for the venue’s operator, Myron Green Corp. (now Treat America Food Services). “I knew we had to stick it out. But there were concerns from the beginning: that it was too far south, that it was not in a free-standing building, that it had so little visibility from the street.”

What EBT did have, from the beginning, was style. And good food. And polished service.

With those assets, EBT eventually caught on as a destination for special occasions.

Friday, dEcEmbEr 11

XXXmas Spiced Belgian Double tapping, at

75th Street Brewery (520 W. 75th St.)

Thursday, dEcEmbEr 10

Buffalo Stampede, with Tallgrass Buffalo

Sweat, Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat, Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon, and Buffalo Sex Firkin Cask (Buffalo Sweat with cherries and chocolate added), at Flying Saucer (101 E. 13th St.), 7 p.m.

Thirsty Thursday cookie and beer pairings,

at Boulevard Brewing Co. (2501 Southwest Blvd.), $15, 4–7 p.m.

Last chance to get a table at EBT Flambéed dishes prepared tableside, live music, fresh roses (from Holland’s own garden) on the white-clad tables — this was where nervous men asked women to marry them, confident that the meal, at least, would be persuasive. And even as other expensive restaurants here (and pretty much everywhere else) de-emphasized formality and ambience, EBT kept up tradition. The whiff of Caesar dressing and the grinding of peppercorns and the lighting of bananas Foster remained key sensuous touchstones here.

“One of our managers in the late 1990s decided to do away with all of that,” Holland recalls. “You can’t believe the backlash we got.

Letters — hate mail, really — angry phone calls.

After 30 days, we brought those dishes back.”

There’s no one reason for the decision to 6-ounce pours available, limit two per order, noon–close.

By

Ch a r l e s F er ru z z a

close EBT Restaurant, Holland says. Lunch business had fallen off, dinner reservations had declined, and the younger diners weren’t showing up.

Leo Geismar, who served as EBT’s executive chef from 1997 to 2003, says of the restaurant’s distinct challenges: “It was a tricky location and was always known for having an older crowd. Younger people don’t want to eat in a bank building. EBT always had a reputation for good food and great service, but the perception was that we were too expensive. And maybe we were, but we offered the best quality of everything. We changed our menus every season, but it was hard to get the word out.”

“Another problem was the dissipation of the population there,” Kemper III says.

“They moved away in all directions. And for those who stayed, there were more than a couple of restaurants to choose from. And people have gotten used to eating in more casual venues.”

“Kansas City isn’t losing just a great classic restaurant; it’s losing another live-music venue,” says pianist Candace Evans, who has performed at EBT for nearly two decades.

“Yes, we had an older clientele, but they loved being able to hear live music during their dinner. I think it took them back to a different time. It was very special, like a fantasy.”

So after the restaurant closes, what will happen to the EBT space and the Emery Bird Thayer relics?

“I don’t know,” Holland says. “They’re all owned by United Missouri Bank. I’m sure another restaurant will move in. But I don’t know. It’s a great question.”

E-mail charles.ferruzza@pitch.com

WEdnEsday, dEcEmbEr 16

Boulevard tasting, at Rimann Liquors (15117 W. 87th St. Pkwy., Lenexa), 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Cinder Noel Belgian Winter Ale tapping, at

2013 Brandy Barrel-Aged Barleywine tapping, at Cinder Block Brewery (110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City)

saTurday, dEcEmbEr 12

Twelve Bells of Christmas, with 12 different Bell’s taps, at Bier Station (120 E. Gregory Blvd.), noon–close.

Saminator release tapping , at Rock & Run

(21 W. 63rd St.), 1–3 p.m.

Down (101 Southwest Blvd.), 6 p.m.

Cinder Block Brewery (110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City)

pHunk pHest sour tappings, with Boulevard

Love Child No. 6; New Belgium La Folie; Mikkeller Spontancassis and Spontanframboos; Odell Brazzle and Piña Agria; Oersoep Raspberry Tart Dolium and Wild at Heart; Panil Barriquée Sour Red; Perennial Savant Beersel; Prairie Cherry Funk, Eliza5beth and Somewhere; Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk, at the Foundry (424 Westport Rd.),

Black Mesa Kölsch glass night, at Flying Saucer (101 E. 13th St.), 7 p.m.

Brewery (110 E. Kansas St., Liberty).

Founders Killer Queen tournament, with KBS, Ballast Point tasting, at Mike’s Wine & Spirits Project PAM and Backwoods Bastard, at UpOut now: A limited supply of Cinder Block Psycho Imperial Stout release tapping, at Rock four-pack cans. Also, CB001 Experimental

TuEsday, dEcEmbEr 15

& Run Brewery (110 E. Kansas St., Liberty), plus, $2 Rock & Run beers.

pitch.com

Saison.

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

21

22

fat c i t y

Juiced

There’s nothing boring about drinking healthy.

By

A ngel A l u t z

22

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

a l ly s o n p e c k

816-221-7559 facebook.com/bbirdbistro 1700 Summit St, Kansas City, MO

ain fell like a gray sheet as I rushed into Simple Science Juices (8126 Floyd, Overland Park) in search of a little mood booster on a gloomy, late-fall afternoon. The smoothie and juice bar, which opened near downtown Overland Park in March, makes raw, coldpressed juices that are as refreshing and colorful as they are healthy.

The moment I entered the bright and colorful shop, co-owner Steve Spangler greeted me with a smile. “What can we help you find today?” he asked. His teeth were almost distractingly white.

“I need something to make this cloudy day less depressing,” I said.

Spangler presented me with a bottle of bright-orange juice called “Compound” that contained sweet potato, orange and pineapple. In that moment, I learned two things: Yes, you can juice sweet potatoes, and it tastes amazing. As I sipped, I was surprised that sunlight didn’t punch through the relentless clouds.

If Simple Science’s growth is any indicator, a lot of people feel the same way. According to Spangler, Simple Science sold 50 bottles a week in March, but that number had increased to 1,500 by November. To keep up with demand, Simple Science plans to open seven more stores in 2016, including shops in Lawrence and the Crossroads. Spangler also recently signed a lease for 143rd Street and Kenneth, in Leawood.

“It’s not just a fad,” he said. “It’s a lifestyle.”

Spangler said he used to take nine medications for, among other ailments, chronic sinusitis, acid reflux and chronic fatigue syndrome. After discovering that he had several food allergies and switching to a gluten- and dairy-free diet, he quit most of his medications. He said he now has an abundance of energy. (Simple Science also offers soups, salads, snacks and desserts catering to various dietary restrictions.)

“People are trying to heal their bodies, and the science is being overlooked because it [juicing] has gotten such a hippie spin in the mainstream,” Spangler said. “But I used to sleep 12 to 14 hours a day, and now I can work that much. It’s not some random diet.

It’s just fruits and veggies — unprocessed, clean food.”

At Ruby Jean’s Juicery (4001 Broadway), owner Chris Goode also believes in the virtues of clean eating. When I sat down with the tall and muscular Goode at a cozy table in his brightly colored café, he said his out-ofthe-ordinary juices are “100 percent from the earth,” with no preservatives or additives. His goal is to make eating healthy, exciting and accessible for “people from all walks of life.”

“I don’t want people to feel like healthy

a l ly s o n p e c k

R

eating has to be boring,” he said. “Everyone wants to eat healthier and learn about it. We want customers to feel welcome, no matter where you come from or how much money you have.”

In order to spread the word about healthy eating, Goode has started speaking at schools,

Spangler (top) and Goode espouse the benefits of “clean food.” and he plans to offer juice delivery soon. The day we met, he was excited about the arrival of juice-bottle labels, featuring a sketch of his grandmother, for whom his shop is named.

A L LY S O N P E C K

23

He offered me a bright-green bottle called “Vine Street Greens,” which contained cucumber, green apple, kale, spinach and lime.

It was smooth, nothing like the chunky green smoothies I’ve attempted to make at home.

Goode said he tries to share his grandmother’s spirit and passion through his business, which opened in July. Even the orange throw pillows in the café have a story, matching the décor that the original Ruby Jean had in her home at 39th Street and Wabash.

“She had that room all grandmas have — you know, you’re not supposed to go in there, and you’re not really supposed to even look at it,” Goode said, laughing. “But she’d be in the other room watching Wheel of Fortune, and somehow she’d know we were in there.”

Unlike Grandma’s parlor, Ruby Jean’s Juicery is the kind of place where I’d like to kick back and put my feet More up. The café has an abunda nce of comt a ine fortable seating areas, l n O m a nd t he pla nt-f i l led pitch.co courtyard would make a peaceful retreat on a warm day. A lively mural by local artist Sike Style covers the wall behind the register, and the large windows facing Broadway make for excellent people watching. As I chatted with Goode about the Royals’ World Series championship, I realized that Ruby Jean’s was as much about the community as the juice.

Finally, I tried Sustained Juice, which has been pressing and delivering primarily locally sourced juice since 2014. Sustained’s flavors are adventurous, using exotic spices that sound like incantations when read quickly.

Of the three varieties I tried, the mixture of cantaloupe, falernum, elderflower and chia

FAT CITY

Former chef Jennings concocts exotic juices. was my favorite; it was pleasantly sweet, with the chia providing a nice bit of texture.

When I spoke on the phone with co-owner Steven Jennings, a former chef, he said his favorites are the brown-rice horchata — “it tastes like a pumpkin-spice latte, sans pumpkin” — and the butternut squash with sage, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg, which he compared with a pumpkin pie.

Instead of a brick-and-mortar shop, Jennings has focused mostly on offering juice subscriptions by delivery, which he said helps people take the guesswork out of being healthy. Traveling to people’s homes and offices has allowed him to connect with his customers in a different way.

“It builds relationships,” he said. “We get to know our farmers — sometimes I pick the produce myself. Then the cold press produces a flavorful, 100-percent raw product full of vitamins and natural enzymes. It’s a craft product. Through delivery, I like getting to know my clients and offering that convenience.”

Cold-pressed juice provides an easy way to consume more fruits and vegetables daily, but for many people, cost remains a significant barrier. At $9 for a 16-ounce bottle, I couldn’t sustain a Sustained Juice habit. Individual servings at Ruby Jean’s and Simple Science cost a little more than a latte, making them fine as an occasional treat.

Then again, I suppose my health is an investment — though it may have to wait until after the holidays. In the meantime, I’ll plan to sip on some sweet-potato juice instead of a cocktail the next time I need to cure the winter blues.

E-mail feedback@pitch.com pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

23

24

1515 WESTPORT RD. • 816-931-9417

Dec 9 - bigus bros acoustic showcase Dec 10 - alexis barclay jamsgravaganza Dec 11 - chaD brothers anD frienDs Dec 12 - last free exit Dec 16 - tj’s hinDu cowboy gospel piano WIFI NOW AVAILABLE!

CHECK OUT THE NEW ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR

GIVE A GIFT

CERTIFICATE

WORTH GETTING

LOCALLY SCREEN PRINTED ON REAL RECORDS

W W W. M I L L S R E C O R D C O M PA N Y. C O M 3 1 4 W E S T P O R T R O A D K A N S A S C I T Y, M O 6 4 1 1 1 24

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

25

music

Fogged In

Josh Berwanger battles demons on his latest EP.

hooting music videos is meticulous work, not without some drudgery. I see the exasperation on Josh Berwanger’s face before he starts another take inside the Lawrence Arts Center. The shot calls for him to float on a hoverboard down a dark industrial hallway.

Director Jordan Marable is yet not satisfied.

He needs more smoke.

“Natalie,” he calls to me, “you want to work a fog machine?” This is for art. I say yes. I say yes even before Berwanger promises me a producer’s credit. Marable’s assistant provides careful instructions: “Press this red button when he says, ‘Action.’”

Marable directs his star: “Look around like you’re in a dream and you don’t know where you’re going. Action!”

The fog machine’s discharge smells like an especially cloying air freshener cut with strong chemicals — the perfume of art. Berwanger hovers down the hallway. Marable walks backward in front of him, his camera fixed on the singer’s in-character bewilderment. When the director calls cut to check the playback, Berwanger steps off the board and begins to explain the video for a song called “Demonios” that’s part of his self-titled EP. “It’s kind of like a dream sequence,” he says. “The song just kind of deals with being on tour and facing all these different obstacles and being older and trying to really stick it out in music. I feel like I sacrifice so much. I love this more than anything, but what exactly am I accomplishing?”

Berwanger pauses to greet a friend, a Lawrence Arts Center employee who has accidentally interrupted the shoot on her way through the hall. Their brief interaction is cheerful, but when Berwanger turns back to me, he isn’t smiling.

“That’s not exactly what the video’s about,” he continues. “It’s more what the song is about. Having all these feelings of ‘Why am I still doing this? It’s so hard,’ and then, at the same time, being like, ‘Oh, I love it. That’s why.’”

Later, over drinks, Berwanger lays out the details of his recent struggle with music, which isn’t on the creative end — he’s writing new songs constantly, he says. Rather, he references his stellar 2013 full-length, Strange Stains, his debut with the four-piece Josh Berwanger Band (known simply as Berwanger now) that concluded his six-year hiatus from music. (Before that, he was the lead singer in the Only Children and in the Anniversary.) Since Strange Stains came out, Berwanger, 37, has felt the harsh limitations of the industry.

“We’ve been touring for two years now on that last record, playing a lot,” he says. “We have to play Chicago eight times just to get a crowd of 60 to 80 people. We’ve done some

zach bauman

S

Berwanger With Rev Gusto Friday, December 11, at Mills Record Co. With the Conquerors, Drugs & Attics and El Rey-Tones Friday, December 11, at Blind Tiger With the Conquerors and Psychic Heat Saturday, December 12, at the Replay Lounge, in Lawrence great things — we’re going into our fourth pressing of Strange Stains, which, with a label with no distribution, is huge. But I can’t fund this band by myself forever.”

Berwanger speaks solemnly and quietly, hunching his shoulders and leaning into our conversation. He goes on: “It’s not like I’ll play a couple shows on the weekend and that’s it.

That’s not good enough for me. When I do something, it’s, like, 100 percent. If I’m going to do it, I want to go all the way. So to continually find yourself in the same spot as you were when you started, it’s just a constant battle.”

It’s a battle that has left Berwanger with some cracked armor. You can hear the damage in these new songs.

“Demonios” sounds cheerful, a surfy tune with an addictive hook, malt-shop ooh-ooh-ahs and squealing guitar riffs. But Berwanger’s lyrics tell a different story.

Please let these demons go away, he chirps in his light tenor. Ever since I was a child, they

Berwanger: still fighting just sat around and smiled. In the final verse, Berwanger begs for relief.

Elsewhere on the EP, Berwanger laments the “young and lonely” death of Susie on the yet buoyant “Why Are You So Strange.”

A danceable slide guitar highlights “Blackheart of Life” as Berwanger ruminates over the destructive power of depression. “Her Crystal Room” is as close as he gets to a ballad, a shimmering sliver of hope about love newly found. But Berwanger does not allow himself a happy ending even there.

“I’ve been really depressed lately, which is really weird — it’s been a weird thing to experience,” he admits, his eyes on the glass of whiskey in front of him. He’s still wearing his outfit from the shoot — a striped silk shirt (a thrift-store women’s pajama top, he tells me), a newsboy cap and faded eyeliner. At the moment, he looks more like a jilted character in a gloomy film noir than he does the leader of a rock band.

“This sounds dumb, probably, because I know that most people would say this, but music is the only thing that I’ve been able to make sense of doing,” he says. “I feel like it’s the only thing that I’m great at, or at least good at. I ruin everything else, like relationships.

Not that I try to. I’ve just always put music ahead of — except for my son — everything else. And maybe I regret doing that to a certain extent, at this point in my life.

pitch.com

By

N ata l ie G a l l a Ghe r

“I feel like the only way I can get through sometimes is in writing a song,” he continues.

“And doing that, that makes me happy. But it’s not there for you after it’s done, you know?

And that’s the difference really. A person is there for you after the song is done. But I can’t go back and be like, ‘Comfort me, song,’ because it’s not going to. It’s just something I got out. It was a feeling.”

He pauses. “Did I go off? Should I not have said some of those things?” He gives a wry smile.

This is Berwanger’s thing: a share-it-all willingness to cram a little bit of ugliness into a hook-heavy pop song. By the end of the EP, with the sun setting on the battlefield where he has met his demons, there’s a hint that he just might win. You gotta believe you’re not falling, you gotta keep both shoes on the ground, Berwanger repeats on the acoustic closing track, “Lost and Founds.” It’s a mantra, one that comes to mind as we leave the bar. I watch him place one foot in front of the other, hands shoved in his pockets, while we walk to our cars in the cold.

“That might have been the darkest interview ever,” he tells me, back outside the Lawrence Arts Center, and his voice sounds both amused and contrite. “Please,” he says after offering a one-armed embrace, “don’t make me sound too cynical.”

E-mail natalie.gallagher@pitch.com

J a z z B e at Julian Vaughn, at thE gEm thEatEr

Some of the most popular shows in the Jammin’ at the Gem series are those of smooth jazz. Last year, Najee sold every seat. This year’s series opens with jazz that’s as smooth as it gets, headlined by the 6-foot-7-inch bass-guitar-playing son and grandson of Kansas City preachers.

Julian Vaughn has been compared with jazz bassist (and former NBA player) Wayman Tisdale. But in Vaughn’s music, you’ll also hear influences of R&B, traces of hip-hop, and the gospel with which he grew up. His 2012 album, Breakthrough, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s jazz chart. His fourth CD, Limitless, was released earlier this year. Vaughn is a new star of smooth jazz. Saturday night, KC welcomes him home.

— Larry Kopitnik Julian Vaughn, 8 p.m. Saturday, December 12, at the Gem Theater (1615 East 18th Street, 816-474-6262); tickets start at $35.

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

25

26

Music

Domestic Bliss

My Oh My’s A.M. Merker finds comfort in growing older.

By

N ata l ie G a l l a Ghe r

Live Music

every FriDay Night 8-12pM Dec 11 - Cross Eyed Cats Dec 18 - June Bug & The Porchlights Dec 25 - Closed: Merry Christmas CheCk out our website for food speCials & upComing band dates!

523 E. Red Bridge Rd. KCMO • Red Bridge Shopping Center •

816.942.0400 • www.theDailyLimitkc.com

Need some

C h r i s D o lt

EAR CANDY? P

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

harmonies. It’s the Joe Cocker thing — he’d have a whole choir behind him. I’m really conscientious now about writing choruses that have spots for the girls.

Also, you know, I feel like I used to write a lot more country music before, and I’ve kind of lost interest in that. It’s probably still in there a little bit, but I’m really wanting to write for this group, which I kind of see as more classic rock-and-roll band.

That’s funny — I heard this EP and I was immediately like, “Oh, this is Americana.”

[Laughs.] No doubt it’s in there, but it’s one of those things where you sit down to write a song and you know it’s still you sitting down to write that song, regardless of whatever new vision you have. That’s [country music] always kind of been in me, I think.

I feel like there’s a change in tone on Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way — that’s what I noticed. You’re writing about different things.

You seem a little more settled.

When I wrote Your Heart Not Mine, I wasn’t married. I didn’t have kids. Now I am married.

I do have kids. If there’s a theme to Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way, I think it’s about getting older and maybe not necessarily missing being younger and the life that went along with that, but maybe being nostalgic for it occasionally. I think there’s some nostalgia in there and coming to terms with it just because I think that’s where I’m at. I wouldn’t change

pitch.com

anything, but I’m not even close to being in the same spot I was when I wrote some of My Oh My’s earlier material.

With eight band members, scheduling practice must be a nightmare. Are you guys planning to schedule a tour?

I think we would all like to tour, but it’s not practical. Three of us have kids, so it’s probably not very realistic to plan a tour. But that doesn’t mean all of us are not totally dedicated and passionate about the band. It’s something that we all love to do.

At the same time, you’re going through the expense of releasing new material. I think the easiest way to measure success or feel like you’re moving forward is in tracking sales or widening your audience. But My Oh My must have a different scale.

I think we’ve been successful just in the fact that I feel we keep getting better. Our live shows are getting better, and I think this record is an improvement over the last one. I think that’s maybe our level of success — just playing good shows. Did that set make us feel good? Did we improve upon last time? That kind of thing.

None of us think we’re going to make money doing this, or not very much. We love getting together and playing songs. This band is unusual relative to some of the other bands that I’ve been in because we’re all vested in it and we all get along. I think we just want to do something that we feel good about and try to get better and continue to play shows that people enjoy.

E-mail natalie.gallagher@pitch.com

Sign up for MUSIC NEWSLETTER

@PITCHSTREET CHANCE TO WIN FREE TICKETS MOVIE PASSES MORE+

et

s

er

tw

ch t I p

/

m .co

itt

e tr

TWITTER.C0M /PITCHSTREET

the pitch

Saturday, December 12, at the Tank Room

Merker (right) gets the band together.

FOLLOW+

26

My Oh My With the Roseline and Bad Math

US

arts of Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way sound as though My Oh My could have played Woodstock. There’s the Joe Cockerinspired opener, “Marianne,” and the acoustic “That’s All Right,” which could have been written by Levon Helm. There’s even a hint of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road-era Elton John in the opening piano chords for “Thief.”

Frontman A.M. Merker has a grainy tenor that works on all of it. It’s the kind of voice that sounds equally suited for long slideguitar notes and bombastic rock arrangements. On Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way, he favors the latter. I chatted with Merker about the new songs and My Oh My’s direction ahead of Saturday’s release show at the Tank Room.

The Pitch: The last release from My Oh My was Your Heart Not Mine, in March 2014. How do you feel the music has evolved on Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way? Merker: We had a change in lineup. My cousin Corbin [Logan] was one of our bass players, and his wife, Christin [KuchemLogan], was one of our singers, and when they moved to Colorado, Jason Harper [former Pitch music editor] came on board to play bass, and we added two new singers to replace Christin — to her credit, I guess — because I always secretly liked the idea of having three.

A lot of the songs for Your Heart Not Mine were written before My Oh My was a band, and so we’d kind of have to figure out how they worked with the group. These songs [on Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way] were written specifically for this group of people, which I think makes for a better record. Now, I’m always writing with the girls’ vocals in mind. I love strong, mixed male-and-female

27

Music

Music Forecast

Crystal Gayle

There’s a theater in Crystal Gayle’s hometown of Wabash, Indiana, named for the singer.

Such an illustrious status is something we could all hope to achieve in our lifetimes if only we were blessed with the sun-kissed pipes of the Grammy Award-winning singer best known for the 1977 hit “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” Talent is in the bloodline: The 64-year-old is the younger sister of the legendary Loretta Lynn. Expect a hit-heavy, comfortable and nostalgic set Saturday.

Saturday, December 12, Ameristar Casino (3200 North Ameristar Drive, 816-414-7000)

Tech N9ne

The day after Thanksgiving, Tech N9ne released Strangeulation Vol. II. It’s the rap mogul’s 16th studio album, and it features guest spots from several of Tech’s Strange Music signees, including Krizz Kaliko, Ces Cru, Murs and Mayday. In its first week, Strangeulation Vol. II moved more than 24,000 units — not

bad for the king of the underground. (Tech is still largely unrepresented on the radio.)

We imagine a different kind of holiday cheer will be spread during Saturday’s “Tech the Halls” show.

Saturday, December 12, the Midland (1228 Main, 816-283-9921)

Claire & the Classical Revolution

If you haven’t been lucky enough to see a performance by Claire & the Crowded Stage, here’s what to expect: Upward of 10 instrumentalists fighting for a piece of whatever stage the group has taken over to create a surprisingly mellifluous sound. It’s a joyful experience and a slightly less serious endeavor than frontwoman Claire Adams’ other project (as the bassist in blues-rock ensemble Katy Guillen and the Girls). Adams debuts a new group Saturday: Claire & the Classical Revolution, featuring the chamber group Classical Revolution KC, helmed by siblings Nick and Alyssa Bell. The partnership makes for a stunning new sound

f o r e c a s t

By

n ata l ie G a l l a Ghe r

Tech N9ne: dreaming of a white Christmas — one you can experience at this release party for CCR’s debut 7-inch, "In the Blue."

Saturday, December 12, Buffalo Room (817 Westport Road, 816-931-1986)

Tab Benoit

The weather is getting colder, so you might as well bring some heat to your life however you can get it. If that means with smoking guitar riffs, so be it. Louisiana guitarist Tab Benoit is back in town, and there’s no better venue than Knuckleheads Saloon for his particular brand of swampy blues guitar and New Orleans-inspired jam. Benoit has a long list of albums and accolades — including several Blues Music Awards — so you’re guaranteed a long, steamy night in the bayou.

Saturday, December 12, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Pick of the Week

Locally Sourced

Singer-Songwriter

Living Legend

Hippity Hop

Bring on the Blues

Sing It, Sister

New Beginnings

It’s Cold Outside

Night of Nostalgia

Chamber Pop

Guitar Whiz

the pitch

m o n t h x x–x x , 2 0 0 x

pitch.com

USE PROMO CODE NYEPZB FOR $5 OFF

THUR DEC 10TH

ZACK MUFASA EVERY TUESDAY

KARAOKE WITH TONY T THUR DEC 17TH

K e Y

pitch.com

PB

NYE TICKETS ON SALE NOW NYE-LIVE.COM

DJ LEE

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

27

28 continued from page 11

THEATER SHOWS AND EVENTS Dates and times vary.

Buyer & Cellar | Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main, unicorntheatre.org

Dirty Dancing | Through Sunday, Music Hall, 301 W. 13th St., theaterleague.com Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play | Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main, unicorntheatre.org

On Shoulders Now | Just Off Broadway

Theatre, 3051 Central, kcmeltingpot.com

6x10 Ten-Minute Play Festival | Friday-

Sunday, the Barn Players, 6219 Martway, Mission, thebarnplayers.org

Thursday | 12.10 | PERFORMING ARTS

Transformative Stories, featuring neuroanatomist

and author Jill Bolte Taylor and singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer | 7 p.m. Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St., festivaloffaithskc.org L I T E R A R Y/ S P O K E N W O R D

Laura Packer’s Storytelling | 7 p.m. Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway

Grand Marquis | 7 p.m. Jazz, 1823 W. 39th St. Chris Hazelton Trio | 9 p.m. Green Lady Lounge,

Kevin Farley | 8 p.m. Stanford’s Comedy Club, 7328 W.

Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

John Paul’s Flying Circus with Dave Hays | 7:30 p.m. B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ, 1205 E. 85th St.

Charles Kelley | 8 p.m. Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway

Kirko Bangz, DJ G Train, King Osiris, PXR, Stylez & the Busty Drummer, Yoshi the Poet | 8 p.m. The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts

The Lesserhasbeens, Sea Kings | 9 p.m. Local Tap, 7300 W. 119th St., Overland Park

Justin Mance, Barb Wire Revolt, the Ragged Few | 8 p.m. Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, 3402 Main

The Night the Buzz Stole XXmas, featuring Leon Bridges, Houndmouth, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Spencer McKenzie Brown | 6:30 p.m. The Midland, 1228 Main

Ship, 1217 Union

Andrew Ouellette Trio | 5:30 p.m. Green Lady Lounge,

Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire, Lawrence

David Koechner | 7:30 p.m. Improv Comedy Club and

heads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Pamona, Real Adults, Blet, Riala | 9 p.m. The

Nick Schnebelen & Heather | 8:30 p.m. Knuckle-

National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, 100 W. 26th St., RSVP at kcpt.org

100 W. 26th St., RSVP at kcpt.org

HOLIDAY SHOWS AND EVENTS

St., facebook.com/Late-Night-Theatre

Candlelight Tours | 6 p.m., Friday and Satur-

day, $15, John Wornall House and Museum, 6115 Wornall, wornallmajors.org

A Charlie Brown Christmas | The Coterie

Theatre, Crown Center, 2450 Grand, thecoterie.org

A Christmas Carol | Kansas City Repertory Theatre, UMKC campus, 4949 Cherry, kcrep.org

A Christmas Celebration | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, Missouri Town 1855, 8010 E. Park Rd. (in Fleming Park), Lee’s Summit, jacksongov.org

A Kansas Nutcracker: 1856 Herald of Freedom Edition | Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire, Lawrence, lawrenceartscenter.org

KC Ballet: The Nutcracker | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway, kcballet.org

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie party | 7:15 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Tuesday,

Alamo Drafthouse, 1400 Main

Olde World Christmas | Noon-4:15 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center, 720 N. Fourth St., KCK

Christmas in the Park | 5:30-10 p.m. Longview

Lake Campground, 10711 W. Scherer

Santa Express | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 630 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs

Christmas in Song | Quality Hill Playhouse, 303

The Santaland Diaries | Kansas City Repertory

Tornado Rose | Jazzhaus, 926-1/2 Massachusetts,

Classic Holiday Movie Series: Polar Express pajama party | Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd.

Scrooged | 7 & 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts, Lawrence, libertyhall.net

Via Luna, Hate Shapes, Jipetto | 10 p.m. Replay

Ashley Davis: The Christmas Sessions | 7:30 p.m. Wednesday | Lied Center of Kansas, 1600 Stewart Dr., Lawrence, lied.ku.edu

A Spectacular Christmas Show | Musical

Elf movie party | 7 p.m. Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Alamo Drafthouse, 1400 Main

Unsilent Night Holiday Music Walk | Meet up

Shedding Watts, House of Grey, Sri Yantra |

Downton Abbey Season 6 screening | 4 p.m.

Downton Abbey Season 6 screening | 4 p.m. at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial,

Betty White Christmas | Missie B’s, 805 W. 39th

Good Time Season 3: A Comedy Event for the People | 7 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts,

FILM

Th e e nd b eg i n s.

Hot Club of Cowtown, Victor & Penny | 8 p.m.

1809 Grand

Dinner Theater, 7260 N.W. 87th St.

SDAY

12.10

Holy Grail, Night Demon, Vanlade, Uberficker | 8 p.m. The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway

119th St., Overland Park

Lawrence

TH U R

1809 Grand

Organ Night with Greg Meise Trio | 8 p.m. The COMEDY

DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 6 SCREENING

9:30 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd.

Snuff Jazz | 9:30 p.m. The Ship, 1217 Union

Lawrence

W. 10th St., qualityhillplayhouse.com

Theatre, Copaken Stage, 13th St. and Walnut

SPORTS & REC

Ice skating | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace, 2425 Grand

Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

Lester “Duck” Warner | 7 p.m. The Blue Room, MUSIC

1600 E. 18th St.

Alexis Barclay & Clay Hughes | 7 p.m. The Phoenix,

302 W. Eighth St.

Dan Doran | 9 p.m. The Phoenix, 302 W. Eighth St. 28

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

NIGHTLIFE

DJ G Train | 10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

pitch.com

Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane | Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, 13800 Switzer Rd., Overland Park, drfarmstead.org

Theater Heritage, Crown Center, 2450 Grand, mthkc.com

5-6 p.m. Sunday, the Cheesecake Factory, 4701 Wyandotte, see Facebook

A Very 5’10” Christmas | 10 p.m. Saturday, Comedy City, 3600 Broadway, comedycity.cc

29

Need

Hot Club of Cowtown

A Drink?

r th u

y s da

0 12.1

Va l e r i e F r e m i n

ds he a kle c . u Kn ats up he

Find

Hot Club of Cowtown | 8 p.m. at Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz | 8 p.m. Tapcade,

1701 McGee

SPorTS & rEC

J fernandez | 10 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd.

ice skating | 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace, 2425 Grand

Amanda fish Band, Lonnie Mcfadden | 4:30 p.m.

The Monthly Layover with Brenton & Daniel |

Stop Day Eve Karaoke | Jackpot Music Hall, 943

2015 Division i Men’s Soccer Championship | Children’s Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way., KCK,

flannigan’s right Hook | 10 p.m. Kelly’s Westport

MuSiC

9 p.m. The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire, Lawrence

Delynia Bailey and the Boss Kings, interstring | 5:30 p.m. The Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St.

Grandma Strange, the new Suits, Sterling Witt, the Lesserhasbeens | 8 p.m. The All-Star Rock Bar,

10 p.m. MiniBar, 3810 Broadway

Massachusetts, Lawrence

ncaa.com

Jingle Bell Doc, featuring Doc Severinsen and the Kansas City Symphony | 8 p.m. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway, kcsymphony.org

Hall, 7300 W. 119th St., Overland Park

Sweet Honey in the rock | 7:30 p.m. Lied Center of

Connie and the Blueswreckers | 9 p.m. B.B.’s

Kansas, 1600 Stewart Dr., Lawrence, lied.ku.edu CoMEDy

Kevin farley | 7:45 & 9:45 p.m. Stanford’s Comedy

Club, 7328 W. 119th St., Overland Park

David Koechner | 7:30 & 10 p.m. Improv Comedy Club and Dinner Theater, 7260 N.W. 87th St.

Inn, 500 Westport Rd.

fractal Sky, Thumpur, Kraang B2B Bobaf3t |

Friday | 12.11 | PErforMinG ArTS

The Phoenix, 302 W. Eighth St.

The Bon Ton Soul Accordion Band | 6 p.m. Kanza

Lawnside BBQ, 1205 E. 85th St.

Coversmith | Jazzhaus, 926-1/2 Massachusetts, Lawrence

7210 N.E. 43rd St.

Check out mobile happy hour app

Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Lil Durk, T-rell, Pryo, Coup DV & Lil Savv | 7 p.m.

The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence

The night the Buzz Stole XXXmas, featuring the 1975, Borns, Wolf Alice, Swim Deep | 6:30 p.m. The Midland, 1228 Main

feel never real, Thousand years Wide, Trial by fire, Bentt | 6 p.m. Aftershock, 5240 Merriam

14th St.

Dr., Merriam

by time, feature, name or location on your iphone/ blackberry/android.

Heartland Steel Guitar Christmas Party | 8 p.m.

Billy Ebeling and the Late for Dinner Band |

Jazz, 1823 W. 39th St.

happy hours

The old no. 5s | 9 p.m. The Kill Devil Club, 61 E.

continued on page 30

pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

the pitch

29

30 continued from page 29 Phogtown | Jackpot Music Hall, 943 Massachusetts, Lawrence

American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and Hollywood | Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak, nelson-atkins.org

Dominique Sanders, Tim Whitmer | 5:30 p.m.

Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand

The Center Is a Moving Target: If You Lived (T)Here | Fridays and Saturdays, Kemper at the

Schwervon, Arc Flash, Youngest Children |

10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

Crossroads, 33 W. 19th St.

Marty Stuart | 7 p.m. Liberty Hall, 644 Massachu-

Dark Days, Bright Nights: Contemporary Paintings From Finland | Kemper Museum of

setts, Lawrence

Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd.

Toasted for Tots, featuring Dallas Wayne, Outlaw

Jim & the Whiskey Benders, the Bullhaulers, Ernest James | 8 p.m. Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Freak Power: Hunter S. Thompson | Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire, Lawrence, lawrenceartscenter.org

Westerners, DJ Drunk Santa | 9 p.m. MiniBar,

3810 Broadway

fr i d

DJ Proof | 10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts,

Ramsey mohsen

DJ grand Marino | 10 p.m. MiniBar, 3810 Broadway

Lawrence

Flirt Friday | 9 p.m. VooDoo, Harrah’s Casino,

1 Riverboat Dr., North Kansas City

a

Saturday | 12.12 | PerForMiNg ArTS

Jim Brickman: Comfort & Joy | 8 p.m. Yardley

ug a c ly for au s e.

The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, benefiting operation Breakthrough | 8:30 p.m. (VIP 7:30 p.m.) at Tower Tavern, 401 E. 31st St., kcsweaterparty.com

FilM

Die Hard quote-along | 10:30 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse,

1400 Main

The Polar Express family party | Noon, Alamo Drafthouse, 1400 Main

Unbroken | 1:30 p.m. Kansas City Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., kclibrary.org

The Celtic Tenors | 8 p.m. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th

F00D & DriNK

Top-shelf Jameson tasting | 3 p.m., $20, Celtic

l i T e r A r Y/ S P o K e N W o r D

Un-Crap Your Life book-launch party, with author Stellabelle | 6 p.m. Records with Merritt, 1614 Westport Rd.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak

Intimate Riot : Peregrine Honig’s viewer-

Hall at JCCC, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, jccc.edu

St., follytheater.org

Philip Haas: The Four Seasons |

G et

Soul Preservers featuring elgin Smith | 9 p.m.

The Ship, 1217 Union

gallery Conversations Drop-in Tour | 1 p.m.

Saturday, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick

12 . y 11

Wrong Kata Trio | 6 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Mas-

sachusetts, Lawrence

NighTliFe

Art Exhibits And EvEnts

thE UGLY christmAs sWEAtEr pArtY

Ranch, 404 Main, Weston, celticranch.com SPorTS & reC

ice skating | 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace,

Hand of God, Koktopus | 8 p.m. The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway

The City Collective, the ragged Few | 8 p.m. The

Granada, 1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence

The Conquerors, Berwanger, Psychic heat |

Club, 7328 W. 119th St., Overland Park

David Koechner | 7 & 9:45 p.m. Improv Comedy Club and Dinner Theater, 7260 N.W. 87th St.

The M80s | 9:30 p.m. The BrewTop Pub & Patio, 6601 W. 135th St., Overland Park

Crystal gayle | 8 p.m. Star Pavilion at Ameristar Casino, 3200 N. Ameristar Dr.

Mr. & the Mrs., Slime Flower, old Man Creaky Bones | 6 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts,

grand Villanova | 9 p.m. The Kill Devil Club, 61 E.

Bar, 3611 Broadway

Lawrence

14th St.

old No. 5s | 9 p.m. Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Molly hammer Quartet | 6 p.m. Green Lady Lounge,

outlaw Jake, ryan Manuel, Melvin litton, Megan luttrell, Streetlevel Uprising, Til Willis & erratic Cowboy, the Cascades | 8 p.m. The Bottleneck, 737

hooligan holiday, featuring Bunny Gang, Freedom

Sound Collective, the Jam On | 8 p.m. Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, 3402 Main

Kansas City hustle, Scotch hollow | Jazzhaus,

926-1/2 Massachusetts, Lawrence

MUSiC

Moderately Wanted Comedy | 8 p.m. Uptown Arts

la Fonda Allstars, Kelley gant | 4:30 p.m. The

Four Fried Chickens and a Coke | 9 p.m. B.B.’s

Kansas vs. oregon State men’s basketball |

4:05 p.m. Municipal Auditorium, 301 W. 13th St.

Andrzej Zielinski: Open Sourced | Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park

Lawnside BBQ, 1205 E. 85th St.

1809 Grand

UMKC vs. Mississippi State men’s basketball |

man Museum of Contemporary Art, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, nermanmuseum.org

Phoenix, 302 W. Eighth St.

2425 Grand

7 p.m. Sprint Center, 1407 Grand, sprintcenter.com

Robert Zakanitch: Ephemeral Beauty | Ner-

10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

CoMeDY

Kevin Farley | 7:45 & 9:45 p.m. Stanford’s Comedy

friendly interpretation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland | Kansas City Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., kclibrary.org

New Hampshire, Lawrence

Perpetual Change | Local Tap, 7300 W. 119th St.,

Overland Park

lonnie ray Blues Band | Jazz, 1859 Village West

Pkwy., KCK

heads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

KC Jazz Ambassadors’ Sinatra Centennial, featuring the Dave Stephens Band | 8 p.m. Valentine Room at the Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway

rnr orchestra, Johnny hamil | The Brick, 1727

Cannibal Christmas: A tribute to Cannibal Corpse, featuring members of Torn the Fuck Apart,

pot Music Hall, 943 Massachusetts, Lawrence

Kingfisher, odd harmona, Animal Parade | Jack-

Salted Blue | Red Door Grill, 11851 Roe, Leawood

Tab Benoit, Kris lager Band | 8:30 p.m. Knuckle-

McGee

ShoPPiNg

lolA giant holiday Showcase | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Van Go, 715 New Jersey, Lawrence

30

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

Troglodyte, Origin, Unmerciful, Diskreet, Gornography, Marasmus, A Plague in Faith, At the Left

pitch.com

Shpongle, Alex grey | 7 p.m. Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway

31

a spectacular christmas show

Something & the Whatevers, Fritz Hutchison Band, American Slim, Instant Karma | 8 p.m.

Monday | 12.14 |

Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, 3402 Main

peRFORMING ARTS

Stairway to Zeppelin, KC/DC | 5 p.m. Kanza Hall,

Blue Monday poetry and open mic | 8-10 p.m.

7300 W. 119th St., Overland Park

Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway

Tech N9ne’s Tech the Halls | 8 p.m. The Midland,

SpORTS & ReC

1228 Main

Ice skating | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace, 2425 Grand

Third Annual KU vs. MU Showdown | 8:30 p.m.

The Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St.

MUSIC

Township Rebellion, Opiate | 8 p.m. VooDoo,

Harrah’s Casino, 1 Riverboat Dr., North Kansas City

A la Mode | 8 p.m. The Tank Room, 1813 Grand

Julian Vaughn | 8 p.m. Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18th St.

B Vibe | 9 p.m. Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand

1 12.1

f

Wuzz, Soul Tribe, Collapse, Killing Gannon |

6 p.m. Aftershock, 5240 Merriam Dr., Merriam

g g in Sin s e l l be

New Hampshire, Lawrence

tim scott

NIGHTlIFe

DJ Candlepants | The Eighth Street Taproom, 801

y r i da

DJ e | Quaff Bar & Grill, 1010 Broadway Sophie Sassafrass’ Hokum & Flash, featuring A.J. Gaither, Jenny Pierce, Dizzie LeStrange, Cricket, Lola Ambrosia | 10 p.m. Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway

Sunday | 12.13 | COMeDy

Kevin Farley | 7 p.m. Stanford’s Comedy Club, 7328 W.

119th St., Overland Park

David Koechner | 7 p.m. Improv Comedy Club and Dinner Theater, 7260 N.W. 87th St.

A Spectacular Christmas Show | Musical Theater Heritage, Crown Center, 2450 Grand,mthkc.com, through

December 23; above: Lauren Braton

NIGHTlIFe

Geeks Who Drink pub Quiz | 8 p.m. The Chester-

field, 1400 Main SpORTS & ReC

Chiefs vs. Chargers | Noon, Arrowhead Stadium

Gorilla Music’s Jingle Bell Rock Metal Fest |

4 p.m. The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence

Hooligan Holiday, featuring Mondy Neysmith

Geeks Who Drink pub Quiz | 8 p.m. Green Room Burgers & Beer, 4010 Pennsylvania

2015 Division I Men’s Soccer Championship | Children’s Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, KCK,

Montgomery, the Pyramids | 5 p.m. Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway

Karaoke Sammitch | 10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946

Invent, Animate, Vitalis, Her Name Whispers Murder, Conflicts | Jackpot Music Hall, 943 Mas-

Open Mic | 8 p.m. The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire,

MUSIC

ncaa.com

Burn Halo, Black Tide | 6 p.m. Aftershock, 5240

Merriam Dr., Merriam

lOlA Giant Holiday Showcase | Noon-5 p.m. Van

The Fluorescent, lillie lemon, Mark Robinson | 10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

FIlM

David George & A Crooked Mile, Chris Meck & the Guilty Birds, the Good Hearts | 7:30 p.m.

It’s A Wonderful Life | 4 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse,

Jam session with James and Angela Ward |

7 p.m. The Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St.

Rural Grit Happy Hour | 6 p.m. The Brick, 1727 McGee

SHOppING

Go, 715 New Jersey, Lawrence

Gee Watts, Clark Rooseveltte, Brief, 1Bounce | 8 p.m. The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway

sachusetts, Lawrence

627 Big Band | 8:30-11:30 p.m. Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand

Massachusetts, Lawrence

Lawrence

Sonic Spectrum Music Trivia | 7 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd.

Tuesday | 12.15 | NIGHTlIFe l I T e R A R y/ S p O K e N W O R D

RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd.

1400 Main

Geeks Who Drink pub Quiz | 7 p.m. Double Shift

Brewing Co., 412 E. 18th St.

White Girl DJ set | 10 p.m. Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

Writers place poetry Series | 7 p.m. Johnson County Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park, writersplace.org continued on page 32

Want to be part of the

CHRISTMAS PARTY TUESDAY, DEC. 15TH • 4pm-2am • Over 60 girls • FREE Buffett • Prizes & Giveaway’s 30 seconds east of the Power & Light District

IN CROWD?

SUPPORT KC AND

Sign up for

PROMOTIONAL NEWSLETTER

2800 East 12th St. • Kansas City, MO 64127 816.231.9696 • KcShadyLady.com

pitch.com

BUY LOCAL DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

THE PITCH

31

32 continued from page 31 Comedy

make me Laugh with Tai Fu Panda | 8 p.m. The All-Star Rock Bar, 7210 N.E. 43rd St., theallstarkc.com open-mic Comedy with Rashaad Wright | 8 p.m.

The Tank Room, 1813 Grand

Roast of Santa Claus | 8 p.m. Improv Comedy Club and Dinner Theater, 7260 N.W. 87th St. SPoRTS & ReC

Ice skating | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace,

2425 Grand

open-mic night | 8 p.m. Stanford’s Comedy Club, 7328

muSIC

SPoRTS & ReC

Clint Ashlock’s New Jazz order, organ Jazz Trio | 7 p.m. Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand

Ice skating | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Crown Center Ice Terrace,

The matt Cook Collective | 7 p.m. Uptown Arts

W. 119th St., Overland Park

2425 Grand

FILm

Cinema Cabaliste | 7 p.m. Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway

Bar, 3611 Broadway

david Creighton organization | 8:30 p.m. The Ship, 1217 Union

dead Voices, oldfield Victory, Small Waves |

9:30 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd.

The Funtastic World of Santasploitation |

9:55 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, 1400 Main

gnarly davidson, Carousel, young Bull | 10 p.m.

Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts, Lawrence

muSIC

devon Allman, danielle Nicole Band | 8 p.m.

Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

Bell Witch, Wreckmeister Harmonies, orphans of doom | 9:45 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd. Jesse Harris | 7 p.m. RecordBar, 1020 Westport Rd. John Kizilarmut Trio | 9 p.m. Green Lady Lounge,

1809 Grand

Lyric Lab: music open mic | 9-11:30 p.m. Uptown

Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway

Straight No Chaser | 8 p.m. The Midland, 1228 Main

Heartist | 6 p.m. Aftershock, 5240 Merriam Dr., Merriam

Hip-Hop essence | The Brick, 1727 McGee Jim and Karla | 7 p.m. B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ, 1205 E. 85th St.

17

Annual

TH

Daytime

Christmas Buffet

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11th • 10:30 A.M. - 2 P.M. $15 PER PERSON 140 N. 9th • Lawrence, KS 66044 • 785.843.9800 Wes Flamingo

TheFlamingo Club, Lawrence, KS

816.841.1577 913.279.9202

LONELY

30 Minute

FREE Trial!

18+

HOUSEWIVES

Brendan macNaughton | Jazz, 1859 Village West Pkwy., KCK

The Scott moyer Band | 7:30 p.m. Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester

98.9 the Rock’s Twisted Christmas, featuring Steel Panther, Aranda | 8 p.m. The Midland, 1228 Main

Dating made Easy

NIgHTLIFe

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 8 p.m. The Cashew,

2000 Grand

Brian Ruskin Band | 7 p.m. The Phoenix, 302 W.

Eighth St.

NIgHTLIFe

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 7 p.m. Cinder Block Brewery, 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 8 p.m. Hi Dive Lounge, 1411 W. 39th St.

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 8 p.m. Local Tap, 7300

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 8 p.m. The Burg & Barrel, 7042 W. 76th St., Overland Park

Nerd Nite | 6:30 p.m. MiniBar, 3810 Broadway

geeks Who drink Pub Quiz | 7 p.m. Sully’s Pub,

Spinstyles | 8 p.m. The Tank Room, 1813 Grand

mike Scott, Bill Pile | MO Brew, 1403 W. 39th St.

Steddy P | 10 p.m. MiniBar, 3810 Broadway

Wednesday | 12.16 | Comedy

Red Front Funnies open-mic contest | 8 p.m. Red Front Bar and Grill, 310 Admiral Blvd.

32

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

E-mail submissions to calendar@pitch.com or enter submissions at pitch.com, where you can search our complete listings guide.

pitch.com

AND REPLY TO ADS Free Code: Pitch Weekly

to Listen & Reply to ads.

4048 Broadway

W. 119th St., Overland Park

5436 Johnson Dr., Mission

FREE

girl unit, Sigrah, Nmezee | 8 p.m. The Riot Room,

FREE TO LISTEN

FREE CODE:

Pitch Weekly

Kansas City

(816) 326.9936 (913) 904.9977 For other local numbers: 18+ www.MegaMates.com

FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU

Kansas City:

(816) 326-9926 (913) 904-9974 www.megamates.com 18+

33

S ava g e L o v e

hard work Dear Dan: I’m a 24-year-old gay male with few

resources and no “marketable” skills. I’ve made a lot of bad choices and now I struggle to make ends meet in a crappy dead-end job, living paycheck to paycheck in an expensive East Coast city. Recently, someone on Grindr offered me $3,000 to have sex with him. He’s homely and nearly three times my age, but he seems kind and respectful. I could really use that money.

I have no moral opposition to prostitution, but the few friends I’ve spoken to were horrified.

Part of me agrees and thinks this is a really bad idea and I’ll regret it. But there’s another part of me that figures, hey, it’s just sex — and I’ve done more humiliating things for a lot less money. It makes me sad to think that the only way I can make money is prostituting myself because my looks aren’t going to last forever. And let’s face it: Prostitution is an ugly and messy business, and it wouldn’t impress a potential future employer.

Stressed Over Taking Elderly Man’s Payment to Eat Dick Dear SOTEMPTED: I shared your letter with

Eric Sprankle, an assistant professor of psychology at Minnesota State University and a licensed clinical psychologist. “This young man is distressed that he may have to resort to ‘prostituting himself,’ which suggests he, like most people, views sex work as the selling of one’s body or the selling of oneself,” Sprankle said.

But you wouldn’t be selling yourself or your body. You would be selling access to your body and whatever kind of sex you consented to have with this man in exchange for his money.

“Sex work is the sale of a service,” Sprankle said. “The service may involve specific body parts that aren’t typically involved in most industries, but it's unequivocally a service-labor industry. Just as massage therapists aren’t selling their hands or themselves when working out the kinks of some wealthy older client, sex workers are merely selling physical and emotional labor.”

Massage therapists who haaaaate seeing their occupation referenced in conversations about sex work — all those hardworking, neverjerking massage therapists — might wanna check their privilege, as all the cool kids on campus are saying these days.

“Massage therapists have the privilege of not worrying about being shamed and shunned by friends,” Sprankle said, “and not worrying about being arrested for violating archaic laws.” You will have to worry about shame, stigma and arrest if you decide to go ahead with this.

“He will have to be selective about whom he shares his work experiences with and may have to keep it a lifelong secret from family and co-workers,” Sprankle said. “This could

feel isolating and inauthentic. And while I’m not aware of any empirical evidence to suggest men who enter sex work in this manner later regret their decision, this young man’s friends have already given him a glimpse of the unfortunate double-standard social stigma of pursuing this work.”

Because I’m a full-service sex-advice professional, I shared your letter with a couple of guys who’ve actually done sex work — one a bona fide sex worker, the other a sexual adventurer.

“I was struck by the words SOTEMPTED used to describe sex work: ugly, messy, humiliating,” said Mike Crawford, a sex worker, sex-workers-rights activist and self-identified “cashsexual.” “For many of us, it’s actually nothing like that. When you strip away the moralizing and misinformation, sex work is simply a job that provides a valuable service to your clients. Humiliation or mess can be involved, if that’s what gets them off, but there is absolutely nothing inherently ugly or degrading about the work itself.”

What about regrets?

“It’s true that he could wind up regretting doing the paid-sex thing,” Crawford said.

“There’s a chance of regret in almost any hookup. Lots of people who didn’t get paid for sex wind up having post-fuck regrets. I’d also encourage him to consider the possibility that he might look back and regret not taking the plunge. I’ve met plenty of sex workers over the years who wish they had started sooner.”

“I don’t regret it,” said Philip (not his real name), a reader who sent me a question about wanting to experience getting paid for sex and later took the plunge. “I felt like I was in the power position. And in the moment, it wasn’t distressing. Just be sure to negotiate everything in advance — what’s on the table and what’s not — and be very clear about expectations and limits.”

Philip, who is bisexual, wound up being

By

D a n S ava ge paid for sex by two guys. Both were older, both were more nervous than he was, and neither was a looker.

“But you don’t really look,” Philip said. “You close your eyes, you detach yourself from yourself — it’s like meta-sex, like watching yourself having sex.”

You may find detaching from yourself in that way to be emotionally unpleasant or even exhausting, but not everyone does. If your first experience goes well and you decide to see this particular guy again or start doing sex work regularly, pay close attention to your emotions and your health. If you don’t enjoy the actual work of sex work or if you find it emotionally unpleasant or exhausting, stop doing sex work.

It has to be said that there are plenty of people out there who regret doing sex work.

Their stories aren’t hard to find — activists who want sex work to remain illegal are constantly promoting them. But feelings of regret aren’t unique to sex work, and people who do regret doing sex work often cite the consequences of its illegality (police harassment, criminal record) as chief among their regrets.

One last piece of advice from Crawford: “There’s a pretty glaring red flag here: $3,000 is a really, really steep price for a single date.

I’m not implying that SOTEMPTED isn’t worth it, but the old ‘if it sounds too good to be true’ adage definitely applies in sex work. Should he decide to do this, he needs to screen carefully before agreeing to meet in person. The safety resources on the Sex Workers Outreach Project website (swopusa.org) are a great place for him to learn how to do just that.”

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN CHATLINE TM

816.533.0048

Try for FREE

Ahora en Español

For More Local Numbers: 1.800.926.6000 www.livelinks.com Teligence/18+

Dear Dan: I’m a straight 20-something woman.

I recently gave my partner a blowjob. He was enjoying it, obviously, and then he said, “I’m feeling brave. I want you to finger me.” I’ve never fingered a man before, and he has never suggested that he might be into that, so I was caught off guard. I responded, “But we don’t have lube!”

He didn’t say anything, and I finished him off without fingering him. He hasn’t brought it up since. He’s a manly man and conservative. I want him to be able to experience that if it’s something he wants to experience, but I don’t know what to say!

2 Prod or Not 2 Prod Dear 2PON2P: You don’t have to say anything.

Just buy a little bottle of lube — not a full-size bottle (most of those look like giant cocks, and we don’t want to scare this manly man to death) — and set it on the nightstand. When he notices it, smile and say, “That’s for the next time you’re feeling brave.”

Have a question for Dan Savage?

E-mail him at mail@savagelove.net pitch.com

pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

m o n t h x x–x x , 2 0 0 x

the pitch

THE PITCH

33

PB

34

Now HiriNg Follow on Twitter: @Phillips_Jobs Like on Facebook: Hotel Phillips Employment Opportunities Link to apply: http://bit.ly/1nMCMWa

for the following full time positions:

• Chief Engineer • Valet • Housekeeping • Night Auditor • Security • Servers

NOW HIRING! Full-time and part-time Unarmed Security Guard positions available now! Gardner, Olathe & KC North areas.

Apply online at www.trevecca.us or in person at 8320 N. Oak Tfy, L-100, KCMO 64118

KVC HOSPITAL NOW HIRING LEAD FOOD SERVICE STAFF. Culinary creative freedom allowed and encouraged.

Visit www.kvc.org/careers for more information and to apply.

for

G ncerts • HIRsaIsN City Co ent Staff NOW n a K • • Ev ll a

ts ketb g Even KU Bas ers Sportin tions • rs • Ticket Tak n e v n o C • Ushe

Health Massage

Professional therapists Mon-Fri 10am-10pm Sat-Sun 12pm-10pm Body 60/hr, Foot 40/hr

Apply in person 4050 Pennsylvania Ste. 111 KCMO 64111 Or online www.crowdsystems.com

34

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

pitch.com

913-808-5998. 7536 W 119th St. Overland Park. KS

35 2046

Stylish Apartments in Historic Building on W 39th

HILTON PRESIDENT IS NOW HIRING

FT Sous Chef FT Line Cook u FT Room Attendant Other Openings available, u FT Concierge call our Job Hotline. 816-303-1696 Pre-screen Interviews: u FT Valet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday u

u

8:30am - Noon & 1:00-3:00pm

1329 Baltimore

500 502

Kansas City, MO 64105 512 Adult Phone Entertainment

Miscellaneous

FRIEND/ DRIVER NEEDED I am seeking a Friend/Driver to drive a single, well educated, 51 year old LADY to classes, store, errands etc. Mostly in the Northland.

Clean Driving Record.

Professional, Educated Retirees Preferred.

Must live in the Northland.

NOT A SALARY/HOURLY PAID POSITION. Pay is per trip only!

816-876-1416 NO TEXT PLEASE

EXLTUBE NOW HIRING

Established Steel Tube & Pipe Manufacture.

30+ Years & Still Growing.

Three Shifts of Manufacturing & Shipping Opportunities Available Website only has partial listing of Opportunities Potential to earn $2K in Monthly Production Bonus Apply In Person 1000 Burlington Street, North Kansas City www.exltube.com EOE

KC After Hours

Organic E-liquid

Experience the only USDA Certifi ed 100% Organic & Vegan E-liquid in 8 naturally fl avored options and 4 nicotine levels.

Available in KC exclusively at our stores Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

KS-KCKS | $475-$575 913-299-9748 HEAT & WATER PAID...

NO GAS BILL!KCK25 ACRE SETTING. 63rd & ANN, 5 minutes West of I-635 & I-70 One bedroom $475; Two bedroom $575. No pets please. You CANNOT BEAT this value! Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer!

1110

Roommates

ALL AREAS ROOMMATES.COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN) ALL AREAS ROOMMATES.COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN)

Call NOW! MUCH NICER THAN THE PRICE!

7000

MUSIC/MUSIC ROW

7004 Musical Instruction/ Classes Piano, Voice, and Guitar lessons available from Professional musician and Instructor. Instructor teaches in a fun and meaningful context from ages 4 to the young at heart. Sessions are a half-hour and an hour. Students who sign up before February will receive $5 off. For more info. please call/ text Kathleen (913)206-2151 or email:Klmamuric@yahoo.com

1000

REAL ESTATE Homes for Sale

913-488-8300 www.FORMLS.com

KC’s finest

Freebirds is Hiring at our Kansas City and Overland Park Locations!!

We are looking for Front of the House, Food Service, Kitchen and Prep Apply Online Careers.Freebirds.com

Massage/Bodyrubs

NOW PAYING TOP $$$$

for Attractive Ladies Must be dependable & have reliable transportation.

Full time/PartTime Positions available For more info please call 816-753-9966

Massage Referral Hotline Erotic, Sensual Adult Entertainment Since 1993 For Over 20 Years.

Booking 6pm-2am, 7 nights per week 816-753-9966

Miscellaneous

1102 Apartments for Rent

ALL AREAS ALL PRICES

Massage Referral Hotline

KC AFTER HOURS

4028

1002

Adult Employment

510 Adult Massage/ Stress Reduction

BUY, SELL, TRADE, MARKETPLACE

2050 Restaurant/Hospitality/ Hotel

ADULT

BACCALA’ STRIP CLUB NOW HIRING DANCERS Contact Joe 7pm-3am Mon-Sat 816-808-7175

4000

2000

EMPLOYMENT

2034

General

CROWD SYSTEMS

3000 3034

NOW HIRING

FOR KU BASKETBALL SPORTING EVENTS KANSAS CITY CONCERTS CONVENTIONS Event Staff, Ushers Ticket Takers Apply in person: 4050 Pennsylvania Ste.111 KCMO or apply online: www.crowdsystems.com

2042

KVC HOSPITAL NOW HIRING LEAD FOOD SERVICE STAFF. Culinary creative freedom allowed and encouraged.

Visit www.kvc.org/careers for more information and to apply.

Legal

$99 DIVORCE $99 Simple, Uncontested + Filing Fee. Don Davis.

816-531-1330

Short SalesForeclosures-Condos Townhomes-Single Family Homes.

New & Resale Want to see what your home is worth?

CALL NOW RE/MAX STATELINE Sharon Sigman 913-488-8300 or 913-338-8444

SERVICES Insurance

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING @ $40 Auto & SR22, Renters, Homeowners, Motorcycle, Business

MO & KS

DeMasters Ins. LLC

816-531-1000 KCinsurance.com

1100

HOUSING/RENTALS

1102 Apartments for Rent

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: All real estate advertised herein is subject to Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to adverise, “any preferences, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or dicriminaton.

We will not knowing accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on a equal opportunity basis.

pitch.com

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

THE PITCH

35

36

CASH LOANS... ...WITH 15 MINUTE APPROVAL

WE WANT TO MAKE YOU A LOAN!!!

(816) 842-5336 LICENSED BY THE STATE OF MISSOURI

MERIT BROKERAGE 3607 BROADWAY KCMO 64111 noblefinance.net

Organic E-liquid Experience the only USDA Certified 100% Organic & Vegan E-liquid in 8 naturally flavored options and 4 nicotine levels.

Available in KC exclusively at our stores Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

Scared? Anxious? Confused?

Help Is Here!

DWI, Solicitation, Traffic,

Internet Crimes, Hit & Run, Power & Light Violations.

816-221-5900 - www.The-Law.com David Lurie Attorney

CROWD SYSTEMS-NOW HIRING For KU Basketball-Kansas City Concerts Sporting Events-Conventions Event Staff, Ushers, Ticket Takers

Apply in Person: 4050 Pennsylvania Ste. 111 Or Online www.crowdsystems.com EOE

DUI-TRAFFIC-SPEEDING! Kansas & Missouri Reasonable rates!

Susan Bratcher 816-453-2240 www.bratcherlaw.biz

$99 DIVORCE $99

Simple, Uncontested + Filing Fee. Don Davis.

816-531-1330

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING @ $40

Auto & SR22, Renters, Homeowners, Motorcycle, Business

MO & KS DeMasters Ins. LLC 816-531-1000 KCinsurance.com 99.7% Toxin Free w/n an hour We can help you pass Coopers 3617 Broadway, KCMO 816.931.7222

HOTEL ROOMS

A-1 Motel 816-765-6300 Capital Inn 816-765-4331 6101 E. 87th St./Hillcrest Rd. HBO, Phone, Banquet Hall $39.99 Day/ $169 Week/ $499 Month + Tax

foldingcartstore.com Because you can’t carry it all.

CASH FOR CARS Running or Not! Cash Paid Now! (913) 271-9406

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING @ $40

Organic E-liquid Available in KC exclusively at our stores Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

from

&

Auto & SR22, Renters, Homeowners, Motorcycle, Business

MO & KS DeMasters Ins. LLC 816-531-1000 KCinsurance.com

Legal CBD

Cannabidiol is still legal in MO & is in stock now! Available in oral, edible, & e-liquid options. 500mg starting at just $30.00!

Available at

Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

$99 DIVORCE $99

Simple, Uncontested + Filing Fee. Don Davis.

816-531-1330

Coca-Cola Christmas Gift Auction 1216 SW Throop, Topeka, KS 66604 785-554-0828

AUCTION ENDS: 12/16/2015 7PM CST

WWW.EQUIP-BID.COM 36

the pitch

DECEMBER 10 -16, 2015

EROTIC CITY

Newly Remodeled Showroom Featuring FULL LINE of: Detox & Whizz Kits, Vapes, Glass & Sex Toys 8401 E Truman Rd, KC, MO 816-252-3370 9am-Midnight 7 days per week Established Steel Tube & Pipe Manufacture. 30+ Years & Still Growing.

Three Shifts of Manufacturing & Shipping Opportunities Available Website only has partial listing of Opportunities Potential to earn $2K in Monthly Production Bonus Apply In Person 1000 Burlington Street, North Kansas City www.exltube.com EOE

HOTEL ROOMS

A-1 Motel 816-765-6300 Capital Inn 816-765-4331 6101 E. 87th St./Hillcrest Rd. HBO, Phone, Banquet Hall $39.99 Day/ $169 Week/ $499 Month + Tax

99.7% Toxin Free w/n an hour We can help you pass Coopers 3617 Broadway, KCMO 816.931.7222

foldingcartstore.com Because you can’t carry it all.

Attorney since 1976: 913-345-4100, KS/MO. Injuries, workers comp, criminal, divorce, DUI, traffic, and more. Low fees, Call Greg Bangs.

Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

EXLTUBE-NOW HIRING

Experience the only USDA Certified 100% Organic & Vegan E-liquid in 8 naturally flavored options and 4 nicotine levels.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

NEED SHOES? loafers.com

Legal CBD

Cannabidiol is still legal in MO & is in stock now! Available in oral, edible, & e-liquid options. 500mg starting at just $30.00!

Available at

deemdead.com rsk@kerleycopycenter.com

EXLTUBE-NOW HIRING

Established Steel Tube & Pipe Manufacture. 30+ Years & Still Growing.

Three Shifts of Manufacturing & Shipping Opportunities Available Website only has partial listing of Opportunities Potential to earn $2K in Monthly Production Bonus Apply In Person 1000 Burlington Street, North Kansas City www.exltube.com EOE

Scared? Anxious? Confused?

CROWD SYSTEMS-NOW HIRING For KU Basketball-Kansas City Concerts Sporting Events-Conventions Event Staff, Ushers, Ticket Takers

Apply in Person: 4050 Pennsylvania Ste. 111 Or Online www.crowdsystems.com EOE

EROTIC CITY

Newly Remodeled Showroom Featuring FULL LINE of: Detox & Whizz Kits, Vapes, Glass & Sex Toys 8401 E Truman Rd, KC, MO 816-252-3370 9am-Midnight 7 days per week

DUI-TRAFFIC-SPEEDING! Kansas & Missouri Reasonable rates!

Susan Bratcher 816-453-2240 www.bratcherlaw.biz

NEED SHOES? loafers.com

HOTEL ROOMS

foldingcartstore.com Because you can’t carry it all.

pitch.com

A-1 Motel 816-765-6300 Capital Inn 816-765-4331 6101 E. 87th St./Hillcrest Rd. HBO, Phone, Banquet Hall $39.99 Day/ $169 Week/ $499 Month + Tax

Help Is Here!

DWI, Solicitation, Traffic,

Internet Crimes, Hit & Run, Power & Light Violations.

816-221-5900 - www.The-Law.com David Lurie Attorney

CASH FOR CARS Running or Not! Cash Paid Now! (913) 271-9406

Organic E-liquid Experience the only USDA Certified 100% Organic & Vegan E-liquid in 8 naturally flavored options and 4 nicotine levels.

Available in KC exclusively at our stores Main Street Tobacco @ 4307 Main Street (43rd & Main) 816-531-4441 AND KC Smoke & Vape @ 1605 Westport Road (Just East of Stateline) 816-931-4434.

$99 DIVORCE $99

Simple, Uncontested + Filing Fee. Don Davis.

816-531-1330