The Pitch: September 2022

2 THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM azuraamp.com Purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

29 Savage Love Pound for pound BY DAN SAVAGE 30 KC ShadowCARESbuddies BY BETH LIPOFF 24 Lights,FILM camera, funding? Kansas City’s filming incentives brought big-name reality productions, local jobs, and millions in revenue. Why don’t we have them at the state level? BY ABBY OLCESE Metro filmmakers face a lack in financial backing. Creatives for both local and national entities hope to find monetary benefits in the form of incentive packages while breathing life into Kansas’ and Missouri’s film culture. Roll the clip.

Photo by Libby Zander

16 FOOD & DRINK Going Feral Kate Frick on freelance farming and bar artistry BY JORDAN BARANOWSKI From the speakeasy to the farm, Kate Frick leans into herbaceous minimalism, complex minerality, and cheeky drink names. When she’s not behind the bar, she finds comfort in sustainable farming, restaurant consultation, and the occasional cocktail pop-up.

S EPTEM b ER 2022 CONTENTS THEPITCHKC.COM

Photo by Destiny Frack

THE PITCH September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 3 5 LetterLETTERfrom the Editor Coin-operated Boy BY BROCK WILBUR 6 SocialPOLITICSExperiment Democratic nominee Jess Piper embraces TikTok politics BY BARB SHELLY 10 FreeCULTUREPlay Pinball in KC BY JORDAN BARANOWSKI 14 FOOD & DRINK Against the Grain Marion Milling brings stoneground sustainability to the West Bottoms BY LIZ COOK 20 StagesMUSICof Life Eric Bikales on the remastering of Lawrence’s Sanctuary BY NICK SPACEK 24 Lights,FILM camera, funding? Kansas City’s filming incentives brought in big-name reality productions, local jobs, and millions in revenue. Why don’t we have them at the state BYlevel?ABBY OLCESE 26 SeptemberEVENTS Calendar BY THOMAS WHITE 28 LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS Keep Them Coming Let’s talk pleasure! BY KRISTEN THOMAS Cover by Cassondra Jones 16 Going Feral Kate Frick on freelance farming and bar artistry BY JORDAN BARANOWSKI 17 Eat This Now The Town BYButtermilkCompany’sCheesecakeKALAELKINTON Drink This Now Iced Horchata Latte at Anchor Island Coffee BY NINA CHERRY 18 Mise en Place Thuy Soldner of Liquid Garden Juice Co. wants you to take a (wellness) shot with her BY STEPH CASTOR 10 FreeCULTUREPlay Pinball in KC BY JORDAN “Matchplay,”BARANOWSKI“strikeout,and “pingolf” are just a few terms newcomers to the silver ball need to learn. Take a look at KC’s deeply nostalgic and understated pinball microcosm. Oh, and don’t forget to bring some quarters.

4 THE PITCH September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM Berry Fruit Slice Limited time Thurs., Sept. 22, 3-5:30pm only. This summer berry fruit slice is composed of thin sheets almond joconde (cake), mixed berry mousse filling & a mixed berry gelee glaze to finish. This is one of many half-priced options that will be featured. The price for this item will be $2.50. Located on the SE corner of JCCC in the WHCA building. Enter from the Quivira entrance. The building will be ahead of you, slightly to the right. 12345 COLLEGE BLVD. OVERLAND PARK, KS 66210 Sept.19-25 This is a dessert drink with mango pulp, yogurt, milk and sugar. This drink is soothing, mouthwatering and refreshing. This is one of the most popular items at OFBF. 3938 RAINBOW BLVD. KANSAS CITY, KS 66103 H OT & F RESH 1 2 3 5 COLLEGE BOULEVARD OVER L A D A R K KS 66210 (913)469 8500 X 3 6 1 round label 3.5” x 3.5” blue circle indicates die cut. Does not print Mango Lassi Graham cracker cake filled with smoked chocolate ganache, drizzled with chocolate, and topped with burnt marshmallow. 19617 W 101ST ST. LENEXA, KS 66220 Available inside the downtown Marriott at both Bar Central & MetropolitanKC Restaurant. 200 W 12TH ST. KANSAS CITY, MO 64105 Smores Lava Cake’ Spiced CheesecakePearTerrine with Dulce de Leche Follow the event on for up-to-date info! To include your restaurant or bakery, email jason@thepitchkc.com. 1/2 price desserts all week long!

How a local art teacher became an accidental sticker artist BY MICHAEL MACKIE Morally correct vandalism takes shape in Chris Frye’s spin-off cartoon stickers. The art teacher talks about side hustles and bootleg inspiration in this digital article. You can find the recap here. >>>

Welcome, dear readers, to the Septem ber issue of The Pitch This month, we’re digging into the story of an extremely online Missouri politician, a hyper-specific tale of a new local mill, and deep dive into what the hell is going on with the lack of state funding for filmmakers in the Show Me State. But our cover story—as you can see from Cassondra’s hella cool illustration—is an extended feature by Jordan Baranowski on the KC Pinball scene. While pinball may be the type of child hood amusement that you’ve since relegat ed to the dustbin of nostalgic memories, I can assure you that not only has the play er-base never fully faded, but more so we are living in a period of vibrant resurgence. Communities around the tables, featuring competitive leagues that form new bonds between strangers, are increasingly becom ing an excellent draw for a night out on the town. I’d say that it’s one of the only activi ties that gets me away from the screens I de pend on for Netflix and doomscrolling, but honestly, all my favorite tables have gnarly digital elements, so maybe I’ve not fully de tached from the distraction of technology. That said, the tactile sensation of absolutely pummeling some targets and feeling a gi gantic gamebox vibrate with kinect chaos is difficult to replicate elsewhere in my in creasingly heremitic lifestyle.

Letter from the

As a kid, I was shipped off to Lawrence every summer to spend multiple weeks at Roy Williams’ KU basketball camp. With in the now-demolished McCollum Hall, I spent a poorly proportioned amount of time focusing on basketball, and instead, absolutely running game on the dorm’s main floor arcade. There was a Mortal Kom bat cabinet—a game whose violence was off-limits at home for a third grade small town Kansas boy—where I quickly mas

Editor Editor-in-Chief Brock Wilbur President & Chief Operating Officer Andrew Miller Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Associate Editor Steph Castor Community Manager Sarah Sipple Music Editor Nick Spacek Film Editor Abby Olcese Calendar Editor Thomas White Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren House Designers Miroslav CassondraPavlovicJones Contributing Writers Emily Cox, Liz Cook, Barb Shelly, Beth Lipoff, Michael Mackie, Kristen Thomas, Kala Elkinton, Michael Cripe, Jordan Baranowski, Tyler Shane, Justin Burnell, Emeline Hutton, Lauren Textor, Sophia Johnson, Isaac Biehl, Caroline Rose Newman, Nina Cherry, Adrian Torres, Patrick Moore Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Chase Castor, Travis Young, Jim Nimmo, Chris Ortiz, Destiny Frack, Barry Meitler, Archana Sundar, Angela C. Bond, Anna Perry-Rushton Contributing Designers and Illustrators Alex Peak, John Alvarez, Jake Edmisten Editorial Interns Grace Wilmot, Ivy Anderegg VOICE MEDIA GROUP National 1-888-278-9866Advertisingvmgadvertising.com DISTRIBUTION The Pitch distributes 20,000 copies a month 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. COPYRIGHT

By Brock Wilbur

COIN-OPERATED BOY

may be reproduced in

There’s that stupid Aerosmith table in the Dallas airport that was left on free play, and during a long layover it provided me with at least three-dozen loops of “Dude Looks Like A Lady.” There is the small army of ma chines built as a tie-in to Francis Ford Cop pola’s 1992 adaptation of Dracula that inex plicably occupy every arcade, gas station, and pizza place in Portland, Oregon. No, I have no idea how to explain that one either, but it does contain audio samples of an ex ceedingly 1992 Keanu Reeves showing off just how bad he could rip an English accent. Just before pandemic, my wife and I took our little brother through the Big Brothers & Big Sisters program to his first arcade. Alejandro was in middle school and loved video games, but had never set foot in one of those darkened spaces where quar ters and noise and Mountain Dew came to party.One of Alejandro’s first realizations was that arcade games… require a lot of work. Those joysticks and the mashing of buttons can work you into a sweat if you’re not used to it. That and the sheer intensity of blasting your way, as a team, through the entirety of the X-Men or Simpsons beat-em-ups.

But this was also my first opportunity to introduce someone new to the art of pin ball. Alejandro grasped the challenge, frus tration, and hilarious unpredictability of this antagonistic experience almost imme diately. Even on some of the more mediocre old-school machines, it remains one of my favorite gaming moments, watching him light up brighter than the table itself when he first activated a multiball bonus, and Ju rassic Park went absolutely nutzo. As much as I love a good round of Xbox multiplayer and shooting racist teenagers from around the world in Call of Duty, noth ing will ever be able to touch the sound of silver and the burst of pure unhinged dopa mine that comes from the rock ’n’ roll sen sation of setting a high score while friends and strangers cheer you on. Here’s to hop ing that this month’s story gets you to travel to one of our favorite local haunts and sink an hour into rediscovering the joy of whiff ing the ball on your very first pull, and then rallying—plowing forward towards a me ga-score victory.

Pitch in and we’ll make it through, THEPITCHKC.COM Check This Out at ThePitchKC.com

The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2022 by The Pitch LLC. No portion whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher. The Pitch 3543 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111 For information or to share a story tip, email: tips@thepitchkc.com For advertising: orandrew@thepitchkc.com816-218-6792 tered the art of spamming Sub-Zero’s freeze abilities to embarrass the college students who assumed I’d be easy pickings. Less so than my newfound enjoyment of exploding people with superpowers, or from light gun games where I helped clean up Area 51 and houses full of zombies, I fell head over heels for pinball. What would be come some of my lifetime favorite machines were all there in a row, and I sunk weeks into learning their tiny nuances, the sub tle curves, the unexpected traps, and how much effort I would need to put in before a table finally admitted that it was mine. Was pinball my first relationship? Hm. Taking that one with me to therapy. Moving on. I’ve rarely encountered a machine that I don’t find a new joy in, or a rededication to understanding its methods both inside and out. There’s that first Addams Family table in Lawrence, where I’ll never forget the first time my ball locked and an animatronic hand reached out of a box to steal me away.

THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM 5

S EPTEM b ER 2022 CONTENTS

A dirt road Democrat

6 THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE JESS PIPER EMBRACES TIKTOK POLITICS

Jess Piper is a social media sensation, a fundraising machine, and the darling of Democrats in Missouri and beyond. But when we meet at a Starbucks on Main Street in Maryville, Missouri the morning of Aug. 3, Piper has the look of somebody coming off of a bad night. She tells me she spent hours the pre vious evening obsessively refreshing the Missouri Secretary of State’s website as the returns from the Aug. 2 primary election rolledPiperin. was unopposed in her bid to be come the Democratic nominee for an open seat in the Missouri House, but she wanted a good showing. Enough to give her some momentum going into the general election in a district where a Democrat hasn’t won a State House seat in 30 years. Alas, the Democratic votes capped at 1,094. Jeff Farnan, who will be Piper’s Re publican opponent, racked up 3,338 votes in his race against four other candidates Piper’s campaign manager, Jessica Gracey, tried to provide reassurance. Most of the action in Missouri was in the Republi can primary, she noted, so voters requested the GOP ballot. Election night in November will be different, promised Gracey, an asso ciate professor of political science at North west Missouri State University in Maryville. Piper moved on to searching the inter net for articles about how Democrats can win in rural areas. This turned out to be as agitating as watching for “They’revotes.allwritten by people who ar en’t rural,” Piper says. “They’re all like, ‘Just listen to voters. Don’t tell them they vote against their own interests.’ Of course I’m not going to tell someone they vote against theirPiperinterests.”points out that no Democrat has mounted a serious race for the state legisla tive seat in her district for years. So it’s not like voters have had a chance to evaluate who best represents their interests. It was 3 a.m. when she finally popped a Tylenol and drifted off to sleep, still baf fled over the conventional wisdom for blue candidates trying to win over a red country. “Don’t disparage people. Don’t be an elitist,” Piper says. “How can I be an elitist? I live this life. This is who I am.”

Speaking truth by TikTok

Social Experiment POLITICS

Piper’s Twitter following is well over 36,000. But it pales in comparison to her TikTok universe, where she has more than 170,000Yearsfollowers.ofengaging students in class rooms, it seems, is ideal TikTok training. Piper posts from her car, her yard, and her home. Often, she’ll wake up in the morning, think of something to say, and post it online, sans makeup, hair mussed and completely real. Her videos are funny and fearless. With every social media post, Piper sends a message to America’s heartland, says Jessica Podhola, president of the Great er Kansas City Coalition of Labor Union Women.“Jess has captured such a following and audience because there are thousands and thousands of progressive rural voters plan youR visit!

In 2016, Piper was a wife, a mom, and a high school English teacher living in a centu ry-old farmhouse in tiny Hopkins, Missouri, who worried about paying bills and voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Today she’s a 46-year-old celebrated “dirt road Democrat”—the new label for Democrats trying to make inroads in rural areas.She’s invited to speak at political func tions around Missouri. Candidates from all over contact her for advice. People across the country send her money and wish her luck.Actually, they send a large sum of money. Thanks to her outsized social media presence, Piper has raised $177,244 so far for her House race, mostly small donations. Farnan, her opponent, has raised $64,277. The five Republicans who entered the pri mary raised a combined total of $108,353. Piper is aware that people will be watching what happens in her sparsely populated House district in the northwest Missouri“Whatcorner.I’mdoing is twofold,” she says. “I want to be a state representative. I want to represent my community. But I also want this message out—that we are here. There are people like me here, lots of us. I feel like if this all begins and ends with me, it doesn’t mean anything.”

By Barb Shelly

Soon after Trump was elected, a teacher in Maryville started calling out the Missouri legislature in an endless stream of spot-on tweets.Piper blisters lawmakers over Missou ri’s abysmal investment in its public schools (50th in the nation in teacher pay, 49th in educational funding). She blasts Repub licans for their fidelity to gun ownership while the state has the nation’s fourth high est incidence of deaths by firearms. She tweets relentlessly about Missou ri’s health care failures and warns that the state’s near-total ban on abortion will harm women and familes.

The wrath to come Piper’s GOP opponent, Jeff Farnan, is a cat tle rancher, an optician, and a school board member of the Jefferson C-123 School Dis trict. “He’s a very nice man,” Piper claims. She says she bought a pair of glasses from his Maryville optical business, the Spec Shoppe.Farnan, who does seem congenial, tells me in a phone call that he’s running to pro tect the future for his grandchildren.

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Some adults were less thrilled. People called her principal and superintendent, demanding that she be fired. It didn’t help when, during the pandemic, Piper showed up on a TV newscast taking part in a NEA rally for COVID mitigation measures in schools.Piper was protected by tenure, but her husband, who taught at an alternative school in the same district, was not. In a move that she thinks was retaliation for her outspoken positions, he was told his ser vices were no longer needed.

On Nov. 22, 2020, Piper announced on her social media channels that she was run ning for Missouri House District 1, an elect ed office last won by a Democrat in 1990.

In third grade, Jess went to live with her mother on a dairy farm in Oklahoma. She attended school on a Na tive American reservation. “I think I was the only blond-haired kid there,” she says.

Pipersomethingthereshemonth,says.Andwaselse.hadvotedin 2020 and taken notice of her choices in the race for state rep resentative. The incumbent House member was on the ballot seeking a fourth term. The line where a Democrat’s name should have appeared was empty. Around that time, Piper decided to run for office.

“I’ve been told I can’t win, but I don’t play to lose—ever,” she said on Twitter. “I’m a mom, teacher, rural Missourian, and a fighter. I believe every Missourian deserves representation.”

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 7 not only in Missouri but in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas. They’re everywhere,” Podhola says. “Her willingness to call out people in power has electrified a huge following of people who would never, ever pay attention to northwest Missouri.”

A hardscrabble childhood Piper’s identity as a fighter was carved from a hard life. Born in Metairie, Louisiana, to teenage parents who didn’t stay together, she spent much of her childhood moving about the south with her dad and younger sister as he struggled to hold a job.

Piper finished high school in Ozark, Arkansas. She married at age 18, gave birth to two children, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and education from the University of Arkansas. In 2008, Piper’s then-husband got a job working as a contractor at Fort Leav enworth, Kansas. The family moved to the Kansas City area. That marriage ended and Piper met and married Dustin Piper, a divorced dad from King City, Missouri. They moved to Maryville so that one of their sons, a talent ed football player, could attend high school there and get noticed by coaches at North west Missouri State University. He ended up with a scholarship. Between them, Jess and Dustin now have five children and threeThroughgrandkids.all these moves, Piper taught at public schools. Her eight years at Maryville High School, teaching American literature, were the best, she says. She used literature and poetry to tell her students the story of America, including its history of slavery.“Not one of them ever said, ‘Oh, I’m embarrassed to be white,’” she says. “They were like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know and now I want to do better.’”

“I know what it’s like to be hungry,” Piper says. “I know what it’s like to be dis missed because you’re dirty.” She tells a story about getting kicked out of a Brownie troop with her sister because they showed up without underwear. As a teacher, she pro tected kids who came to school unshow ered and in un washed clothes. “I under stand shame,” she says. “I un derstand what people go through and I don’t think they should have to go through that. And I don’t like bullies.”

In February 2021, Piper gave notice that she was leaving her job. She was wor ried about contracting COVID and wanted to keep her elemen tary-age daughter at home for the same reason. Also, she was seething over teacher pay in Missouri. With 16 years’ experience and a master’s degree, her takehome pay was $2,200 a

Farnan says he pretty much exhaust ed his campaign money on the primary, so he’ll have to work on fundraising. But he doesn’t sound too worried about his race.

“I just wonder, you know, what their life is going to be like in 20 or 30 years,” he says. “If they are going to have the same rights and liberties that we do now, or are people going to come in and, you know, take away their gun rights and force them to eat plantbased hamburger. That’s why I’m running.”

“You can actually have honest conversa tions there,” he Volunteerssays.have already offered to come to northwest Missouri and knock on doors on Piper’s behalf. Some students at Northwest Missouri State University have indicated a willingness to get involved.

The message Piper wants to send to her con stituents is simple. Republicans have had a supermajority in the Missouri legislature for two decades, she says, and life for people in rural Missouri keeps getting worse. Roads are crumbling. Schools are going to fourday weeks. Hospitals and family farms are disappearing. It’s time for change. But how to get that message across in a district where residents are suspicious of Democrats and antagonistic to the progres sive positions that Piper unapologetically puts out Graythere?says the best way to reach vot ers’ hearts and minds is on their doorsteps.

“She puts it all on the line,” Podho la says. “It doesn’t surprise me that the toughest candidate in Missouri on the ground right now, putting in the work, speaking truth to power, is a teacher named Jessica.”

POLITICS

For Podhola, Piper is the ideal candi date—authentic, tenacious and smart.

Taking the message to the doorstep

For the moment, Democrats seem heartened by the fact that she’s trying.

8 THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM

“I think I pretty much have the advan tage, with this being a Republican com munity,” he says. “I don’t know that she represents the majority of people in the district.”Farnan says he is “definitely pro-life” and “will not support any changes to the Second“AndAmendment.”thenIjust feel like I have good Christian values,” he says. “I value my fami ly. I value my church. I value my neighbors.” I ask if he thinks Piper doesn’t have good Christian values. “No, I’m not saying that,” he says. “I don’t know her. I don’t know what her faith is. I don’t want to say anything disparaging about her.” Oh, but others will do that for him.

“I have people tell me all day long, ‘We believe in you,’” she says. “But if I can’t do it, it’s awful. I know someone always loses. That’s how it works. But it’s hard when peo ple put their hope in you.”

Northwest Missouri is the political fief dom of U.S. Congressman Sam Graves, of political mastermind Jeff Roe and his Axi om Strategies firm, and of prolific political donor Stan Herzog, who died in 2019 but left in place an apparatus to support candi dates.These are seasoned political actors who play rough and who locked down ev ery state office in northwest Missouri for Republicans years ago. They are not about to concede a seat to an outspoken English teacher.“She’s going to get attacked and they’re going to go after her,” says Doug Gray, a Democratic political consultant with deep roots in northwest Missouri. He points out, though, that Piper will have resources to counter attacks and get her message out. “Jess is doing what Democrats talk about all the time,” he says. “People need to step up and do the hard work. She’s created energy. I don’t think anyone expects mira cles, but she’s saying what I feel.”

“She has the resources to reach every voter in the district as many times as she wants,” Podhola says. Piper loves the fact that she’s outraised all of her Republican opponents. But with resources come expectations, and with ex pectations comes a burden.

“Democrats did not lose outstate Mis souri overnight,” Podhola says. “And it’s go ing to take a concerted effort to take some of that back. But we’ll never take anything back if we don’t have people willing to run for office and do the hard work.”

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The next evolution of pinball came around 1980, when solid state machines arrived on the scene. These machines used microchips and complex circuitry to help control events that were happening around the playfield, allowing much more elabo rate designs. This updated technology also allowed the introduction of music and voic es, easier incorporation of ramps and layout elements, and made it a practical necessity for machines to include multiball modes. Firepower is widely credited as the first sol id state machine to include multiball. Other examples of early solid state machines in clude Centaur, Flash Gordon, and Paragon Solid state machines soon incorporat ed dot-matrix screen displays, showcasing fun animation alongside the score during gameplay. Those have evolved on modern machines to LCD displays, allowing full vid eo clips and other complex videos to play out during each ball. Most modern ma chines draw from licensed properties. Mov ies and TV shows are popular (think Dead pool, Godzilla, Rick and Morty, and Strang er Things). Bands are also a fairly common pinball license—you can rock out to KISS, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, The Beatles, and more while you flip.

WE HAVE ISSUES Become a Pitch Member to get monthly issues delivered to your Supportthepitchkc.com/memberdoor.independentjournalismforaslowas$5permonth.Scantolearnmore. CULTURE

Kansas City has a thriving pinball scene, whether you’re looking to collect, play casually, or truly dive in and compete in high-level tournaments—you just have to know where to look.

Nick Greenup is the owner and pinball adoption specialist at Solid State Pinball Supply. This KCMO shop has a functioning arcade with dozens of pinball machines. They order parts, fix cabinets, and run tour naments throughout the year. Greenup describes the draw of pinball as unlike any thing else. “Pinball has elements of video games, gambling games, skill-based dexter ity games, and a risk-reward element that hits just right,” he says. “Combine that with the nostalgia, the themes, the competitive aspect, and the intuitive ‘survival’ aspect… pinball has something for everyone.”

Wizard Mode

Photos by Kelcie McKenney

The arcade community is the central element that keeps Greenup and other no table locals coming back to the bumpers.

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 11

“There are a ton of different personalities and walks of life who all come together and bond over their love of pinball,” he says. “The pinball community in KC is full of the nicest people. I’m so happy to call many of them my friends,” says Artie Scholes, owner of the 403 Club. The bar in Straw berry Hill currently houses around 12 ma chines.“I was immediately hooked after my first tournament. Growing up, I had always loved playing pinball with my dad, and I had such a good time finding a communi ty of people with the same interest,” Keri Wing says. Wing is a pinball repair specialist through Solid State Pinball with Greenup, and she also travels to bars and homes to fix machines through her own company, Keri WingWingPinball.isalso a bit of a wide scale celeb rity in the pinball scene. As of this writing, she’s ranked in the top 50 of all pinball play ers worldwide, and she’s currently the no. 1 women’s player in the world. bumper Legacy Though the origins of modern pinball date back much further, the first wave of ma chines that could really identify as “pinball” came out around 1950. These contraptions are usually referred to as electromechanical (EM) machines—they’re easily identified by their scorekeeping reels, as opposed to digital displays, and those charming sounds: bells, buzzes, and chimes. Popu lar machines of this era include Heat Wave, Centigrade 37, and Kings & Queens.

“Onecommunity?ofthekeyfactors that draws peo ple to pinball is how it has basically stayed unchanged for decades,” Greenup says. He explains that, while every machine has different strategies and layouts, it’s easy to grasp the basics. “You launch the ball, and you do whatever you can to not let it drain. That’s a very simple objective.” It’s an ob jective that’s stayed the same for nearly a century.Itcan be daunting to try to figure out what’s happening on any given cabinet while you’re focusing on not allowing the ball to sneak past your flippers. At the most basic level, you want to do everything you can to keep the ball under control and shoot at flashing lights. It sounds reductive, but pinball machines are pretty good at telling you what to do if you know what to look for. Flashing lights and audio cues are the game’s way of telling you where to aim. But how do you keep the ball under control? That’s where practice comes in. Machines are designed to entice you to try high-risk shots, which can often send the ball caroming across the playfield if they aren’t hit well. Side-to-side ball movement is a killer in pinball, as it’s much harder to predict where the ball is headed and save it fromWingdraining.recommends learning how to slow the ball down, and to practice aiming

Pinball machines hold some serious nostalgia. Maybe you remember a bust ed-ass Terminator 2: Judgment Day ma chine in the corner of a pizza joint. Maybe there were a few intimidating specimens lined up at the arcade in the mall. But it doesn’t have to be confined to memory.

Think you have what it takes to climb the ranks and become a top player in the Kan sas City

Pizza West and Knub’s Pub 5436 Roberts St. and 5386 Roberts St., Shawnee, KS 66226 Owned by brothers David and Cory Knub ley, these Shawnee pinball spots are locat ed just a few doors down from one another. The Knubleys have worked in the restaurant industry for decades, and both locations are family-friendly places to get your nosh on, by the hour. This makes for a worthy prac tice environment, as you don’t have to wor ry about “wasting” a game by working on a technique or shot that you aren’t familiar with. It’s also located in the same building as The Combine, so you can pop over for a slice of pizza and a beer in between rounds.

Novelty Play

ing explanation can really change how you approach a game of pinball.”

Techniques with fancy-sounding names like “live catches”, “post transfers”, and “slap saves” get thrown around, and all have situ ational usability.

Solid State Pinball Supply 1106 E 30th St, Kansas City, MO 64109 There are a few unique details that make Solid State one of our top spots. The pay ment system is one of them. Rather than dropping coins into the machine for each play, all of Solid State’s machines are set to free play, which allows you to, instead, pay for the same ramp or other shot repeated ly. This will help you learn how the angle and speed of the flipper can change how the ball travels, and these skills can easily transfer between shots and different ma chines.Once you’ve learned an element of control, there are all sorts of skills to mas ter—nudging the game just enough to save a ball but not enough to tilt, which locks your flippers and ends your ball entirely.

Wing says that taking the next step as a player involves being familiar enough with the machine and your own skills to know what to do and when to do it, often in a series of split-second decisions. “Lucky for us, practicing those skills is fun,” she says.Both Wing and Greenup recommend watching YouTube channels like “PAPA Pinball” and “DEAD FLIP,” or tuning into Twitch.tv tournament streams. “When you’re inexperienced, watching good play ers without much context is hard to follow,” Greenup says. “But stream commentators and YouTube tutorials usually do a great job of explaining what a player is trying to do, or why they shoot their ball a certain way. Watching high-level play with an underly

403 Club 614 Reynolds Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101 Artie Scholes took over this Strawberry Hill

Photos by Kelcie McKenney

Solid State Pinball Supply also has a range of machines from the 1960s to some of the most recent releases. Greenup and Wing are always tinkering away, providing expert upkeep. If you’re looking to purchase a machine or parts for personal use, Solid State is a great place to start. Greenup is in the routing business, and he knows where and what to look for.

If you’re just starting out in pinball, you’ll want a spot with a variety of well-main tained games. Pinball machines take a lot of abuse. It might not seem like a big deal, but imagine shooting at a dented basketball hoop. Here are the spots around Kansas City we recommend to get your flip on.

CULTURE

12 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM favorite in 2011 and made it into one of the top metro spots for playing pinball. With its well-worn interior and cheap draft beers, it’s a dive bar in all the right ways. Better yet, 403 Club is also home to about a dozen per fectly maintained machines. Scholes says that pinball players “vote with their quar ters” on which machines stay on site—if one underperforms for a significant period, he rotates it out. Have a drink and watch the Royals while you get your pin on.

CULTURE “YOU LAUNCH THE BALL, AND YOU DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO NOT LET IT DRAIN. THAT’S A VERY OBJECTIVE.”SIMPLE Your thing? Celebrating every part of you. Our thing? Birth control. Let ’s connect! Schedule a virtual appointment today by visiting ppgreatplains.org or calling 1-800-230-PLAN.

First Saturday every month at 403 Club at 5 p.m.

• Third Saturday every month at Pizza West at 5 p.m.

Pingolf: Players play the same “course” of machines, with each machine represent ing a hole in a round of golf. Every machine has a target score that players are trying to reach. The number of balls it takes per play er to get to that point value becomes their score for that hole. For example, if the tar get is 50 million points, and you break 50 million on your third ball, you would score a “3” on that machine. Like a game of golf, the lowest score at the end of the round is the Therewinner.are other tournament styles out there, but these seem to be the most com mon. Most regular tournaments follow the matchplay or strikeout framework, and playing in a single tournament will earn a spot in the official ranking system of the In ternational Flip per Pinball As sociation (IFPA), allowing you to keep track of your progress as you play in more tour naments and in crease your rank ing. Players can search for thetournamentscially-sanctionedoffionIFPA’swebsite or talk to anyone in the pinball community to find them. There are a few monthly tour naments we can count on in Kansas City:

•

Strikeout: Similar to matchplay, strikeout tournaments also split each player into random groups for each round. Instead of awarding points after each round, the low est-scoring players of each group receive a strike. Three strikes and you’re knocked out of the tournament.

• Fourth Saturday every month at Solid State Pinball Supply at 2 p.m.

• Second Sunday every month at Knub’s Pub at 2 p.m.

• Most tournaments have a small entry fee (usually $5 in addition to the coin-drop for each machine). Prize money is paid out to the top finishers, and all skill levels are welcome. End-of-ball bonus

If you’re like a number of people who’ve been bitten by the pinball bug, you might have fond memories of a certain machine. Pinball Maps is a crowd-sourced app and website that allows players to search for specific games and locations. Anyone looking to buy a machine for home or business use can contact Nick Greenup for his acquisition expertise. If he doesn’t already have that machine at Solid State Pinball Supply, or in storage, he’ll like ly comb through his list of contacts to help obtain one from a reputable source.

Matchplay: Players are split into random groups, and each person plays a single game on the same machine. Points are awarded to each player based on where they finish in the group once everyone’s game is com plete. After a set number of rounds, there is a cut to the top four or eight players with the highest point total for the final few rounds.

You Belong At... Start your new Medical Assisting career in 12 months! Degree & Certificate Programs in: · Medical Assisting · Massage Therapy · Fitness & Nutrition *Average placement rate for all three programs. Campuses in Kansas City, Wichita, Lawrence, & Springfield 1.866.443.9140 WellSpring.edu 86% JOB PLACEMENT RATE* watch sports, and earn a high score. Pizza West and Knub’s Pub each have about 10 pinball machines that are main tained to showroom quality and regular ly rotated. Like Solid State, they also try to highlight a variety of eras and styles in their machines. Up-Down KC 101 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 Up-Down KC is a great place to get your feet wet when it comes to bumpers. They rotate through about 10 ma chines, but they aren’t confined to the silver ball. There are a num ber of coin-drop arcade games, skeeball costsDistrict.CrossroadsoverlookingerThere’stodoevenpop-a-shots,ramps,andaNinten64hookedupaprojector.alsoakilltwo-storypatiotheArtsEverygameonlyonetoken, and you can buy pounds of them at the bar. Tokens are on special for 10 cents each all day Thursday. Games at Up-Down tend to take a lot more abuse and are maintained a lot less, but you certainly get your money’s worth. Multiball Showdown Once you’ve learned the basics of pinball, tournaments are one of the best ways to rapidly improve—plus, you get to watch the strategies of the top players in the area. There are a few common tournament styles to look out for:

There are tons of ways to get involved with the Kansas City pinball scene, and it’s welcoming to newcomers and salty veter ans alike.Justdon’t forget your quarters.

“It really is a return to the historic eco nomics of this area and it really does benefit a wide group of people just by having the in frastructure here,” he says. “You can ensure that the flour you buy is helping to support your neighborhood farmer and miller and just completing that local grain economy. The money is staying as close to home as possible.”One of his first duties? Helping get the mill set up for retail sales. Until this spring, the mill had primarily been selling whole

14 THE PITCH | September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM MARION MILLING BRINGS STONE-GROUND SUSTAINABILITY TO THE WEST BOTTOMS

By Liz Cook

Will berndt is not a salesman. The founder of Marion Milling, a small flour mill that opened in the West Bottoms last year, is a baker by trade and by temper ament. He’s soft-spoken—maybe a little taciturn. Before he got into milling, he spent almost a decade baking bread at Fervere and Ibis Bakery. He’s used to working in the still, solitary hours when most of the world is asleep.Now, he’s ready for the rest of the world to wake up. He’s got a vision to sell, even if the selling gives him hives. He wants to build a local grain economy. When I meet Berndt at the mill—a cool and cavernous space on the third floor of a historic building—he’s dressed in monastic monochrome: gray pants, gray shirt, gray trucker hat, all coated in a fine white dust ing of flour as though he’s trying to blend in with his granite mills. All of Marion Milling’s flours are ground on two 40-inch granite grist mills. They’re made by Andrew Heyn of New American Stone Mills, a small Vermont company that Berndt credits with the resur gence of traditional stone milling across the country.IfBerndt were a salesman, his pitch might sound a little like this: There aren’t many flour mills that use traditional stone milling techniques these days. Even fewer have Marion Milling’s focus on local wheat and regenerative agriculture. Berndt pays small farmers more than five times what they’d make per pound on the commodities market to grow heirloom wheat varieties— bred for flavor, not just for yield—and to grow them with organic practices. And his focus on smaller regional farms in Missou ri, Kansas, and eastern Oklahoma means Marion Milling’s flour has a smaller eco logical footprint. Sustainability is a guiding principle. Even the bran sifted out of Mar ion Milling’s flour gets used (currently, as feed for heritage pigs at Odd Bird Farm near Weston, MO). To be clear, Berndt, who lumps him self in with the “wheat nerds,” cares about all of this very deeply. It’s why he started the mill with business partner (and Ibis Bakery founder) Chris Matsch. But he gets the most animated—the most salesman-like—when he talks about flavor.

If you pick up a bag of all-purpose flour at the grocery store—Pillsbury, Gold Med al, King Arthur—you’re probably getting something that was processed on a roller mill. Those flours have some advantages. Namely, they’re cheap and consistent. But Berndt is hoping bakers are starting to care more about both flavor and nutrition.

FOOD & DRINK

To help spread the word, Berndt hired the mill’s first employee in May: Jon Szaj nuk, Director of Sales and Development. Szajnuk is a salesman. He’s charismat ic and genuine, the kind of guy who can talk to strangers with ease. He’s also a fellow wheat nerd who runs a cottage bread busi ness called Jonny Bakes out of his home in Brookside.Every Saturday, Szajnuk sells Marion Milling’s flour—and the bread he makes with it—to eager customers at the Brookside Farmer’s Market. But even if Szajnuk wasn’t on the payroll, he’d probably still be talking up the mill to anyone who stopped by his stall. Szajnuk had been using Marion Mill ing’s flour for his breads for more than a year before joining the company. Telling the mill’s story comes naturally.

AgainsttheGrain

“As you try different varieties of wheat, you can see how they perform a little bit different, taste a little bit different,” Berndt says. “I would compare it to single-origin coffee. This comes from one field, and we mill it into a bag of flour.” In some ways, Kansas City seems rife for a “single-origin wheat” renaissance. If Kansas is the Wheat State, Kansas City might as well be the Wheat Belt’s buckle. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kansas City had dozens of flour mills. In a 1938 article in The Kansas City Star, grain magnate Frank A. Theis (namesake of Theis Park) stated, “No other industry, directly or indirectly, has been more closely identified with the growth of Kansas City.” Few of those mills remain today. The ones that do process cheap commodity wheat on high-capacity “roller mills,” which use large, steel cylinders to remove as much bran from the flour as possible. (Stone mill ing, by contrast, grinds more of the whole wheat berry into the flour, making it both more nutritious and, well, wheatier tasting.)

“There’s a huge difference when you have a fresh stone-milled flour, lighty sift ed, high extraction. It just smells different. When you feed your starter with it, it’s more active.”He dips a hand into a grain tote the width of a VW beetle and sifts a few kernels of unmilled wheat through his fingers—a variety called Warthog Red. “This is grown in Sweet Springs, MO, by a guy named Greg.” (The Greg in question is Greg Gui er, of 180 Farms.) It’s the wheat he uses for Marion Milling’s all-purpose flour. Each of Marion Milling’s flours uses a different wheat—the high-protein flour is milled from “Glenn,” a hard spring wheat; the pasta flour is milled from durum. Rye and spelt are also in the regular rotation.

MARION MILLING

“It’s not something people really think about much, flour being a living thing that someone grows. You don’t think about it like a tomato or something. But it’s similar. I think there’s more people interested in find ing out where their grains are coming from.”

1026 Hickory marionmilling.com913-303-8949St

FOOD & DRINK Will berndt stands, surrounded on the mill floor by 2,000-pound totes. He admires the heirloom grains as they sift through his fingers.

Big Mood Natural Wines keeps a few bags on hand, as do the Made In Kansas City shops. A few partnering farms sell flour at their farmer’s market stalls or include bags in their CSA shares. And the mill recently opened up an online store for direct-to-consumer sales. They’re going to need to keep grow ing to build the “local grain economy” they want to see. Berndt and Szajunk have am bitious goals. They’ve got a lofty annual sales target and a plan for organic certifi cation. They’re also hoping to add another climate-controlled space where they can clean and store wheat. The West Bottoms location is large, but it’s filling up fast. Plus, it’s on the third floor. When the freight ele vator broke down, they had to haul wheat up the stairs, bucket by bucket. Add “mechanization” to that list of goals. Even when the elevator’s functioning, Marion Milling is still a low-tech operation. Berndt lifts every pound of wheat into the hoppers himself. He mills every batch of flour himself. He and Szajnuk bag all of the flour by hand and go Dutch on the delivery runs.“I should probably hire some more people, but I’ve been stubborn about it,” Berndt says. He squints out at the mill floor, where 2,000-pound totes of wheat are lined up like soldiers, waiting to be milled. “It’s probably time.”

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 15 sale to restaurants and bakeries—Town Company, Zero Zero Pasta, Fox and Bull. Now, home bakers can buy 3-pound bags of it, too. Coverage is still limited, but the mill is adding retail partners each week.

Photos by Zach Bauman

It became a vault for stories on synchronic ity and weird timing. Frick is a creator with an innate sense of taste and humanity. She says she allows appropriate seasonal flavors to guide her in developing a menu, but her ability to read people equally influences the bill of“I’mfare.a farmer in addition to developing these menus,” she says. “I try to be extreme ly thoughtful about what ingredients can be

16 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM

Frick joined forces with local hospi tality mavens Shantel Grace and Chef Rozz Petrozz to develop the bar program at Salt well Farm Kitchen, and she knew it was a good fit as soon as she stepped inside. The

Kate is cool. Photos by Destiny Frack

If you’re unfamiliar, John Brown’s Under ground is a speakeasy near 7th and Mas sachusetts Street in Lawrence. Despite the pandemic, they are still going strong with bottled curbside cocktails to-go. They’ve built a mighty following—including nu merous service industry veterans—com bining their unusual creative license and high-quality spirits to make a name as one of the premier cocktail spots in the area. Frick didn’t rest on the momentum of suc cess, the inspiration acted as a catalyst for JBU’s“Withtriumphwhat became John Brown’s Underground, I had proven to myself that I could run the show,” Frick says. “I had grand ideas for my own place, so I started looking for a venue. I was aware of this an cient, quaint building in Tonganoxie, and I decided to approach the owners with my vision.”Frick’s vision became the Myers Hotel Bar, best known for herbaceous cocktails that utilized esoteric ingredients, and its welcoming atmosphere—a mentality that has carried over to Frick’s more recent ven tures. And, like John Brown’s Underground, it quickly started gaining word-of-mouth press thanks to a devoted following from Lawrence, to Olathe, and beyond. The Myers became a roadside stop for travelers in need of refreshments and Uber rides gone awry. ethically sourced and which local ingredi ents I can use in developing my drinks.” She lets those thoughts flow through her entire menu and leans into playful and more ex perimental ideas. Myers Hotel Bar shut down during the pandemic—a decision Frick hated making.

Many people who work in the food and cocktail industries follow Family Cir cus-esque routes to reach their payoff. A stop off here—a quick pause there—spin ning their wheels a bit in something com pletely off the path, but ultimately getting where they need to be. Kate Frick has gone through one such adventure. She’s cut her teeth at some of the best-kept secrets just outside of KC—spots that are well worth the trip to Lawrence, Tonganoxie, and more. Frick lent us a hand in understanding her relocation through the hospitality industry, and the creative spirit that inspired her concoctions.

“We went through alterations to try to stay afloat,” she says. “In a small town, you have to be resourceful, but we couldn’t keep things going there as COVID stretched on.” Luckily, she had opened some doors and made friends in the right places—her next opportunity wasn’t far off.

Frick started out at a catering company in college and learned about the industry first-hand from long, unwieldy hours and the assembly line-style of work that comes with planning food for events. She walked away to pursue other interests before a friend at 715, an award-winning Tuscan-in spired bistro in Lawrence, recruited her to join their team. It was evident she made an impression there, as she was approached by a group of regular patrons who turned out to be investors. They kept their eye on Frick and eventually asked her to help bring a lit tle cocktail culture to a college town. Frick decided to take the risk. She put together the menu and team that would later become John Brown’s Underground.

StephElkintonCastor

espresso from Broadway Roasting Company, the homemade horch ata is made exclusively by co-owner Armando Vasquez and is topped with an extra dash of cinnamon. Broadway’s signature espresso blend—an earthy, smooth, and full-bodied roast—is mellowed out perfectly by Vasquez’s milk and rice blend with out masking the espresso’s tasting notes, and vice-versa. Beat the heat and drink it over ice, just as horchata should be served.

“It really opened a lot of eyes to how things have long been run,” she says. “We need to start looking out for people’s well-being and mental health. Owners and restaurateurs have to shift the way they are running their businesses, and that will shift the way guests approach going out for food and drinks.”Between farming, menu planning, and a number of pop-up events, she stays pret ty busy. Follow her on Instagram (@myer shotelbar) to get the low down on her new fangled concoctions and perennial sneak peeks. If you fancy yourself a cocktail con noisseur, you owe it to yourself to find her. Whether you’re curious about herbal aper itifs or sustainably sourced produce, Kate Frick is your ever-dependable confidant.

EAT THIS NOW | DRINK THIS NOW THEPITCHKC.COM

816.221.7559 | bluebirdbistro.com 1700 Summit Street grown by hand made by hand LatteHorchataIced at AnchorBYIslandAnchorCoffeeNINACHERRYIslandCoffee 4101 Troost Ave. Kansas City, MO 64110 restaurant’s “extreme farm-to-table” ethos immediately appealed to her, and many believe the team there is building a sustain able way for small restaurants to function.

FOOD & DRINK

The cocktail menu at Saltwell Farm Kitchen is exactly what we’ve come to expect from a virtuoso like Frick, effortlessly blending classic and experimental options—the “Eau de Tomate” features housemade tomato shrub, vodka, agave, and lime—to match the food on offer. She’s even making a strong push into the “low-and-no” world, with a number of low-ABV and alcohol-free drink options that’ll still knock your socks off.

Kala

The Company’sTown Cheesecakebuttermilk BY KALA ELKINTON The Town Company 1228 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64110

Despite the Myers Hotel Bar’s tenure being cut short, Frick does find some silver lining in her experience there.

The tropical-themed café goes far beyond slinging coffee and food. In the past two-and-half years, Anchor Island has become a strong, bustling community hub. Stick around a bit longer for some chicken tamales (with salsa verde, of course), and it won’t take long until you find yourself making new friends—Vasquez being the first one.

The buttermilk cheesecake at The Town Company makes a solid argument for anyone to become a dessert person. Recently added to the menu, it is slightly sweet and extra creamy. The Yoli masa shortbread adds a savory crunch to round out the lavish filling and is complemented with a seasonal stonefruit topping. The buttermilk cheesecake is a balanced treat and an absolutely delightful way to end your meal at The Town Company. To really amp up your dessert, pair it with a glass of Port wine or sauvignon blanc.

Frick has also partnered with Juniper Hill Farms north of Lawrence to kick off a once-a-week public pizza night—paired, naturally, with a dynamite alternating drink menu. Frick and the team at Juniper Hill hope to start serving up pizza and cocktails by the end of this summer, and Frick prom ises that the countryside view is “one of the best in all of Lawrence.”

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 17

Located in Midtown at 41st and Troost, this LGBTQ+ cou ple-owned coffee shop boasts an extensive menu of adven turous drinks, including the unroasted Green Espresso Latte, Taro Latte, and Dirty Sunrise (with espresso instead of tequila). But the Iced Horch ata Latte is Anchor Island Cof fee’s Containingspecialty.

“For one, I learned a lot about my ap proach and the types of places I wanted to tie my philosophy to,” she says. “I only want to work with people who I can forge a strong connection with—people who want to build something unique with me. I’ve reached a point in my career where I only want to put my energy and love into things I feel aligned with.”Frick attributes changes within the hospitality industry to the influence of the COVID pandemic, it’s no question that ev erything has changed around the globe. Pa trons and workers alike are not strangers to the culture shift.

The Town Company opened in the back corner of the ground floor at Hotel Kansas City during the early days of the pandemic. It’s beautifully designed to be a casual and cozy dining room, surround ing the kitchen’s wood-fired hearth. It is both the present and the future of fine dining, offering up an innovative menu developed around locally sourced seasonal ingredients and served in reason ably sized portions to allow room for exploring other dishes.

Thuy Soldner is a humble entrepreneur who works so hard she can hardly stop to pose for a photo. From washing dish es, to shaping peanut butter chocolate chip protein balls, to bottling turmeric water, her resumé would suggest that she knows how to take care of people. After some pandem ic delay, Soldner launched Liquid Garden Juice Co. earlier this year in effort to deliv er cold-pressed juices and healthy snacks to businesses and anyone looking for an immunity boost. She currently distributes her products to Saltwell Farm Kitchen, where they can be tasted in the carefully crafted cocktail menu—they were our little birds shedding light on Soldner’s small but mighty efforts. When did you first develop a passion for fresh, cold-pressed juices? Cold-pressed juice first came into my life in 2018. I was working as a branding manager for a restaurant group called Grace Hospitality Co. and helped run a cold-press juice shop and restaurant. My goal was to work with any of the multiple brands that owner Shan tel Grace had and do what she needed me to do. For example, Moonfluf is her organic cotton candy brand that I worked with. I did everything from sampling our products at a food fair to making bulk sales to a grocery store. Whatever direction Shantel wanted to take, I was lucky enough to get to be a part of it. In what ways has your upbringing influ enced your recipes? My grandfather, may he rest in peace, was a man that believed in and practiced Eastern medicine. He lived with my family growing up, and I can re member all of us practicing everything from cupping for sore backs, all the way to using ginger and turmeric in our daily cooking. Who are some local hospitality icons you’ve enjoyed working with? How did those relationships begin? I really, really enjoy working with Saltwell Farm Kitch en. What Shantel Grace and Chef Rozz are Thuy Soldner captured in the back-of-house bustle. (bottom) KaleMe juice blend from Liquid Garden Juice Co. Courtesy Thuy Soldner

Mise En Place is a series answersrecommendations,questions,ofanswers,andculinarywisdomfromthefoodanddrinkmastersthatpushKCflavorfurther.Thefollowinghavebeeneditedforlengthandclarity.

doing is so amazing. All the thought, love, and care they put into their space and dishes really shows. We have been delivering fresh juice to them from the start, and I just love how our products seem to fit the weekly menus so well. Shantel and I have known each other since our sorority days. In 2018, our paths crossed, and she brought me on to her hos pitality team. This was where Chef Rozz and I met. Even days before we opened Liquid Garden, I’d seek advice from him. No detail ever gets by Rozz. What is your favorite juice blend? What in spired it? KaleMe. I love this one. It’s like a big salad. I drink it almost every day. Shan tel and her mom inspired me on this blend and to really dive in on everything I could learn about health and wellness. Our health is all that we have. We just want to sincerely bring this product in its rawest and truest form to our community. Health and well ness for all. What’s your go-to meal after a long day of work? Rotisserie chicken and steamed veg gies with a couple of shots of ReRoot.

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18 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM

OCTOBER 24-30 1/2 price deliciousness all week! TO PARTICIPATE, CONTACT JASON@THEPITCHKC.COM NEXTANNOUNCEDMOREMONTH!

A Short but Powerful Tenure I wish we would’ve had a stretch, like some of these other bands in the Midwest where they’ve been around for years, and years, and years, and everybody knew them. We were kind of a bright star that burned out quickly because I think we started in prob ably ‘71, and I think sometime in ‘73 it was all over.When we first got together with the new members, Mid-Continent said, “Why don’t you go rehearse it at the Red Dog?” That was the central watering hole for ev erybody back then. Mike Murphy, who was our manager said, “We need to have some promotional material, like a recording or something that we can get you guys off the ground,” so we got this idea to make a re cord, but we’d only been together for two or three weeks. We were absolutely new and just exploring the possibilities, so we literal ly threw that record together. We were fortunate enough to have a sound man, because of our manager, Mike Murphy. I mean, that guy invested a lot in us. I’d never been at a band before that that had its own sound man and light man. Mur phy bought us a vehicle to tow a trailer with all our equipment. He bought us a huge PA system and the coolest thing of all, for me— he bought us a Mellotron. Nobody had one of those. Nobody had a Mellotron. You had to go listen to the Moody Blues if you want ed to hear a Mellotron. It was the most finicky, ill-designed

20 THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM

ERIC BIKALES ON THE REMASTERING OF LAWRENCE’S SANCTUARY

Circa 1971, singer and bassist Dennis Loewen had reached the limits of what he could do with his longtime band, The Fabulous Flippers. Originating in Hays, the garage-soul act was the party band of choice in the Midwest for the better part of a decade. The group was highlighted along side soul and rock band, The Red Dogs; and folk rock troop, The Blue Things, as features for Mid-Continent Productions. When Loe wen decided he’d had enough, he started a group called the Magnificent Sanctuary Band—yet, again, another band with a big horn section. While it didn’t last for very long, it morphed into a four-piece called FunkFunkPunch.Punch then became Sanctuary, which was as far from the Flippers’ party band as one could imagine. Much as The Beatles went from covers of Little Richard and Carl Perkins to “While My Guitar Gen tly Weeps” or “Strawberry Fields Forever,” so did Loewen go from “The Harlem Shuffle” to Yes’ “Time And A Word” and Edgar Win ter’s “Winter’s SanctuaryDream.”hada short run, but their sole self-titled LP, recorded in 1971 at the Red Dog Inn (now Liberty Hall), has be come something of a collector’s item for progressive rock heads. The rare mix of key board and flute accents appealed to con noisseurs. Unavailable since its initial re lease on the Lawrence-based Veritas label, it’s being reissued this month via Sundazed Records on vinyl, and is making its compact disc debut with four bonus cuts. To get the story of how this underground classic came to be, keyboardist and flute player Eric Bi kales, lent a musical and explanative ear. The birth of Sanctuary Eric Bikales: They needed a keyboard play er. [Loewen] had already met Roger Bruner, who’s a very talented singer/songwriter/ guitar player from Minneapolis. Roger and Dennis, they just hit it off, and they had a drummer who was exceptional. I had become disillusioned with Uni versity of Kansas and I quit and it had noth ing to do with Dennis and his efforts. It is just something that happened to me. I just didn’t like the music school at KU and I felt like I was spinning my wheels, so I quit.

By Nick Spacek Stages of Life MUSIC

I hadn’t been out of school for two weeks before I got this call from Mid-Con tinent: “Would you like to do some playing with this little band called Funk Punch?” I went down and jammed with him and we really hit it off. It was great. The only thing about it was that I felt like their drummer–even though he was really good—my best friend that I’d grown up with was actually better. I felt like Norm Weinberg would just be the perfect compliment and Dennis was open-minded enough to say, “Well, let’s have a little jam session with him and see whatWehappens.”did,and it was so magical and so great for us that Norm actually quit school, figuring he could go back and finish up someday, which is exactly what he did.

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 21 Turn over a new leaf Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. Volunteer with us today! PAID STUDIES ENROLLING NOW! You can help create a healthier future by participating in clinical research. 913.825.4400 or jcct.com ConvenientLenexa,KSlocation!

instrument that you could imagine. In the wintertime, it was just hell. You’d take it out of the trailer and get it in to the warm air as quickly as possible to let it acclimate. Maybe after a three hours it would settle down so that you could play a note without it wobbling. But that wasn’t the only thing.

Sundazed Records was owned and started by a guy named Bob Irwin. Bob is a producer, great guitar player, and he’s a very smart and very talented guy who happens to live down the street from me in Leiper’s Fork. We had heard each other play at the local watering hole. When I first moved here, I used to go down there and play all the time. I started playing with Bob and we got a little jazz group together, just four of us. At one point, I was telling him about Sanctuary and he said, “I should check this out because I have this record company, Sundazed, that I started in New York.” This was about three years ago. Bob said, “I’d like to check out Sanctuary and see if there’s a way we could maybe rerelease that record you made.” Then came the pandemic, and life’s upheavals, and then in the middle of that somewhere, Bob decided to sell the entire operation to somebody here in Nash ville.It was a very slow process. It just took forever. Sometimes it was difficult, but it did eventually happen. I went down to Bob’s house. I brought the masters. I went out and collected all the masters that we had done and somehow, I just got so lucky because I was able to get our original Sanctuary mas ters from Boone, who had them stored away in his garage in Palm Springs. He sent them to me, I took ‘em down to Bob’s house, and we remastered the record at his place. We couldn’t have asked for a better situation. And to this day, all the four guys in Sanctuary are still best of friends. Never had an argument. Never had a nasty word. It’s been a strange and wonderful tale that we have. We’ve just been lucky, and I’m very grateful for that.

Sundazed Records’ reissue of Sanctuary’s self-titled LP is available on vinyl and com pact disc Friday, Sept. 9.

MUSIC

22 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM SUNDAYS 4:00 - 7:00PM! VOLLEYBALL BEACH 13105 HOLMES ROAD BLUESVOLLEYBALLBEACH.COM816.942.2820& BREWS LIVE MUSIC ON THE DECK AT VOLLEYBALL BEACH ADMISSION FREE FOOD DRINKS& GREAT PARKING FREE SEPTEMBER 4 WATSON FAMILY BOMBERS SEPTEMBER 11 NICOLE SPRINGER SEPTEMBER 18 HOWARD MAHAN SEPTEMBER 25 THE OLD NO. 5 s OCTOBER 2 NICK SCHNEBELEN OCTOBER 9 HOWARD MAHAN

Sanctuary really wanted to have a piano. I really wanted to play real piano because that’s my first instrument. So, we managed to find a little piano manufacturer that made small pianos, and we bought one. So, Sanctuary toured around with a piano and a Mellotron. I had to tune the piano every gig and—oh my God, tuning a piano? That’s not for the faint of heart. When it came to the studio, our sound man, Boone Anderson, from Boone, Iowa— he was really into it. He was one of those guys that knew electronics. He knew sound. He knew the technical side of what was out there. To this day, he runs a major show room in Las Vegas. He’s their main sound guy. He’s in charge of everything. But back then he owned a Crown four-track tape re corder, which was pretty hot stuff. Hardly anybody had a Crown. So, we had a really long snake, and we ran it all the way from the offices in the back of the Red Dog where Mid-Continent was. We made that into the control room and then we set up on the stage. We literal ly had to run through our material with no mistakes. We couldn’t do any punch-ins be cause of the nature of what we were doing. I mean, we couldn’t even talk to each other. It would take 10 minutes to go up and talk to Boone in the control room. For instance, when I did a flute solo, I couldn’t use the microphone on the stage, because two of the other instruments would leak into it, so I had to jump off the stage, run down stairs into the basement, into the boiler room, and put on a pair of headphones real quick and start playing the flute. I had to do that in four bars. That’s about all we could afford—a little separa tion between whatever we had just played and where the flute solo starts. It was a bit of an athletic experience. Then I’d have to run back upstairs, put my flute away, and start playing keyboards again. It was all choreographed. And we’d only been together for a few weeks!

The Resurrection Norm, our drummer, found an old Sanc tuary album on eBay for, like, $350 and we thought, “Oh, my God, this is amazing,” because I’ve had that experience where we worked really hard on an album and years later, we see it in the record store bargain bin for 69 cents. It’s kind of amazing that re cord turned into a collector’s item. It’s a bit tersweet thing. I wish we could have done things differently. I wish we could have done it better. I wish I would’ve been more on top of my game, but you know what? This was representative of who we were. We were trying to approach things straight from the heart.Weweren’t copying other people’s ar rangements, even with the Edgar Winter medley. We worked out the chord changes and then we did it our own way. This is how we approached everything.

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 23 for:therapyHydrationIV wellnessvitaminbooster the flu hangoversmigrainesjetlag fatigue performanceathletic••••••• Becoming a member of 90.9 The Bridge keeps homegrown talent on our stages and commercials off of our Listener-Supportedairwaves. Radio Scan the QR code to donate at bridge909.org Power Kansas City’s local music scene with your donation today! Becoming a member of 90.9 The Bridge keeps homegrown talent on our stages and commercials off of our airwaves. Power Kansas City’s local music scene with your donation today! bridge909.org

This region wasn’t always missing out on film business. Shannon says that when incentive packages—a common practice across other industries that states might court for jobs—started within the film in dustry roughly two decades ago, Missouri was one of the first states to offer an incen tive program. That program concluded in 2013 and was never revived.

Ever wondered why Netflix’s Ozark, which is set in rural Missouri, was ac tually filmed in Atlanta? For that matter, why did the fourth season of Fargo, which was set in Kansas City, film in Chicago? Steph Shannon, the head of Kansas City’s film office, can tell you. She was there when the Fargo production representatives came to visit. “We hosted their scouts, but they shot in Illinois because it was cheaper,” she says.Unfortunately, this budgeting folly isn’t a one-off occurrence. The root of the problem can be summed up in two words: filming incentives. To boost jobs and regional economies, many states offer competitive perks pack ages that make it financially attractive to shoot movies or TV shows there. Packages can come in the form of tax credits, exemp tions, grant money, or other benefits that ultimately make it less expensive to film in certain locations. In almost all cases, a pro duction agrees to spend an allotted amount of money within the state, and hire a desig nated crew of locals in order to qualify for theseShannonincentives.says these programs tend to vary by location, taking into account state budgets and the size of a given market.

“It wasn’t a priority.”

“The sunset was written into the bill language,” Shannon says. “When the at tempt was made to reinstate it, other things pulled the attention of legislators and it wasn’t a Kansas,priority.”similarly, had a short-lived in centive program between 2009 and 2012. Bills reinstating filming incentives in Kan sas and Missouri are currently in the works after a long process convincing officials to get onInboard.themeantime, Kansas City has been making inroads of its own. The city passed a local incentive in 2015, making us the lone example of a city with an incentive package in a state without one. Kansas City’s pack age offers a 10% cash rebate on qualified expenses inside city limits, with certain re quirements

“Becauseattached.ofthat we’ve been able to pitch for projects we aren’t usually able to pitch for,” Shannon says. “I’ve hosted scouts for productions that are bigger than our usual market, because they were willing to

When incentive agreements are in place, it means that when a production comes to town, so do jobs. It also means that local productions have an easier time getting their projects off the ground. Neither Kansas nor Missouri currently have state wide filming incentive programs, which means investors are far less likely to green light a project that wants to shoot here.

“They are such a huge deal,” says Jill Gevargizian, a producer and director who shot her first feature, The Stylist, in Kan sas City. “I had a project I was pitching at Fantasia [the Canadian genre film festival], and every conversation with investors was, ‘Where will you shoot? What are the incen tives there?’ They don’t care about the proj ect itself, they care most about where you’re shooting and what they can get out of it.”

24 THE PITCH | September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM

“They’re individually developed to be a good fit for the state that’s creating them,” she explains.Statewide incentive programs are a driving force behind the filmmaking hubs around the country that make it possible to build a career on film sets outside of New York or Los Angeles. Cities like Austin, At lanta, Chicago, and New Orleans have built up entire local industries on the backs of the productions they draw. Recently, Mar tin Scorsese’s forthcoming film Killers of the Flower Moon and the FX series Reservation Dogs brought money and outside attention to Oklahoma when they filmed in the area.

Incentives benefit more than just peo ple working in the industry, says Max Thom as, owner of the Kansas City, Kansas-based equipment house Lights On. “I see it as a healthy way to subsi dize businesses from a public standpoint,” Thomas says. “Productions can benefit ho tels, restaurants, caterers, people who sell wardrobe items. Having a public subsidy is a benefit, in a broad sense, for lots of small businesses based in the creative arts.”

The retention problem

Burghart says Gevargizian’s film is an example of KC’s potential as a hub for low-budget filmmaking. “You can’t make a movie for $3 million in Atlanta or L.A., but you could do that here,” he says.

A future hub for midwest filmmaking

“It was always my dream to shoot The Stylist here because I have so much pride in our city and want to give jobs locally,” Gevargizian says. “We qualified for Kan sas City’s rebate incentive, and that made a huge difference. For a film like mine, you have to hope you find money as you go, and you just have to start making it.”

For Scout Productions co-founder and executive producer Michael Williams, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning will mark his third time filming in Kansas City, his previous outings here being Queer Eye and the 1995 TV movie Truman. “The city has been so welcoming to us, from the Kan sas City Film Office to the various people we’ve met over the years,” Williams says. “We are happy to be able to provide jobs to the community while bringing in business to the shops, restaurants, hotels, and other establishments.”Williams’fellow Scout co-founder and executive producer David Collins also notes KC’s openness and production capabilities as a major draw. “This is a very produc tion-friendly community, and I have per sonally made some friends here over the years,” he says. “The city has a real charm.”

Njenga says that while he plans to keep working here, the temptation to leave is strong. “People want to stay in KC, but if it’s your dreams versus that, a lot of people are pushed to move,” he says.

On the Kansas side, Max Thomas says efforts to get a proposed tax incentive bill to the floor for a vote will start in January, when the legislative session reconvenes.

Photos by Christopher Smith and Libby Zander

Once Kansas and Missouri have incentive packages in place, Shannon says the future looks bright for developing further film making resources for local and visiting pro ductions.“Wewant our people to come back and make things, stay here and make things,” Shannon says. “That’s the goal, to be a Mid west hub for production and have diverse crew and acting offerings as well as quality facilities. We want entrepreneurs to come here, set up shop, and stay and work.”

Max Thomas, whose work has put him in close contact with Kansas City’s filmmak ing scene, says more statewide support for projects in Kansas and Missouri could not only help bring in outside productions, but secure the robust local talent the area al ready

Shannon says the KC film office currently works with around 200 productions annu ally. The year-over-year average economic impact of KC film office projects is around $10 million. In 2021, the impact was $15 million.“Ifeel like the projects have gotten more ambitious,” Shannon says. “In the last five years, it feels like there’s been a boom in indie filmmaking in KC, both from people here and people coming from outside.”

On the home front, artists like Gevar gizian and Burghart have experienced no table success with their work. Jake and Ben Burghart’s short film Suspense premiered at Fantasia in 2020. Gevargizian’s The Styl ist premiered at Austin’s Fantastic Fest that same year, eventually receiving a home video release from the cult-favorite imprint Arrow, and a streaming release on Shudder.

“I want to shoot in Kansas City. Making that a reality is becoming nearly impossi ble unless I get a big star to agree to do [the project] for next to nothing, or find another state that will offer us incentives, but also has the same landscape and geography that match the story I’m trying to tell,” Dastmal chian says. “If I do that, I’ll have to rewrite the whole thing, which is what I’m having to consider now. It’s really sad.”

“Thehas.first example I can think of is [BelAir creator] Morgan Cooper. He moved to L.A., which is good for him,” Thomas says. “But there’s a certain amount of brain drain here, where people grow out of the market and need to go elsewhere.”

The lack of statewide filming incen

Ryan Njenga says he’d like to see Kan sas City rise to the level of Chicago or Austin in terms of film production and cultivating local talent. “An incentive focused on sup porting independent art can help make that happen,” Njenga says. “Continuing to build off what the film commission is doing and cultivating more of a community. We have a community here, but there’s not a lot of cohesion, and that could help.”

“There’s a huge contingency of talent ed artists in front of and behind the cam era with connections here who have made names for themselves, and they’re sound ing the call,” Dastmalchian says. “I’m always optimistic, I’m never going to be pessimistic about this. If it sounds like I’ve got my gloves on, it’s because I’m ready to fight.”

While that work pays the bills, film maker Jacob Burghart says plenty of local creatives would prefer to work on their pas sion projects instead. “We have so many people who want to make movies, who are sick of doing commercials, and are passion ate about narrative filmmaking.”

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 25 consider us,” Shannon says. That effort helped bring Queer Eye to Kansas City in 2018 for its fourth season.

tives has also become a major issue for art ists and productions who want to work in Kansas or Missouri, but can’t make it finan cially feasible to do so. Actor and filmmak er David Dastmalchian, a former Overland Park resident now living in L.A., wrote and starred in the Kansas City-set 2018 feature All Creatures Here Below “I want to tell the most authentic sto ries with the most attention to detail from my own life experience,” he says. “These lo calities are so under-shot in film and TV, but they’re so specific to a certain type of color scheme, flora, fauna, actual urban architec ture. It’s so Dastmalchianunique.” says he had plans to shoot another project here as well, but the lack of state assistance is making that diffi cult.

The promise of repeat business from a ma jor production company, and increased interest around the cause of reinstated film incentives, means more work for local filmmakers like Ryan Njenga, who says that for most filmmakers who live here, getting steady work normally means working in ad vertising.“That’s how we try to put money aside and fund more creative projects,” says Njen ga, whose non-commercial work includes short films and music videos for regional acts.

Shannon cites the recent Mali Elfman sci-fi road trip film Next Exit, which was filmed partially in Kansas City. It’s a recent success story and the product of a relation ship that started when Elfman was scouting here for a different project. “She brought her directorial debut film here to shoot be cause of that,” Shannon says. “We’ll abso lutely take a piece of that, to be known as a place where you can find a good crew to work with, get your filming done, and go.”

The same production company behind the show, Scout Productions, chose to return to KC to shoot the upcoming Peacock re ality series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning based on the success of that previ ous experience.“Whenthey made Queer Eye here in 2018, they had a good production experi ence and support from the city, our office, and the community. Because of that expe rience, they’ve helped us get our hats in the ring for multiple projects since,” Shannon says. “With the local incentive program, I was able to assemble a pitch package and get help from the mayor’s office. We got some help from [SNL star and former KC resident] Heidi Gardner, and included other elements that are part of a traditional pitch, like potential locations, crew options, and housing options.”

Between the lack of state financial support for their own projects, and slim possibilities for industry work with projects coming in from outside the region, retain ing qualified artists is becoming a problem.

“The next step for us is gathering grassroots support,” he says. “We’re starting an or ganization called Grow Kansas Film to get people involved as a push forward with the legislature, to get the bill to the floor and get it passed.”Dastmalchian says that with regional tal ent (and outside talent with regional roots) at a critical mass, the time is right to act.

FILM

“People want to stay in KC, but if it’s your dreams versus that, a lot of people are pushed to move.”

The metro’s growingfilmmaker profile

Sept. 8 - 10 Johnson County Old Settlers, Downtown Olathe Sept. 9 - 30 At The Heart Of The Matter: Judith G. Levy Solo Exhibit, Studios Inc. Sept. 10 - 11 Greater Kansas City Garlic Fest, Antioch Urban Growers Sept. 16 - 18 Copland’s Third Symphony, Kauffman Center Sept.EVENTS2 Weird Al Yankovic, Kauffman Center Sept. 3 Roger Waters, T-Mobile Center Shinedown, Azura Amphitheater Sept. 4 Stories, Truthtelling, & Ukuleles w/ Moon light Serenade, The RINO Art Garden KC, City Market Sept. 5 Modest Mouse, Grinders KC Bike for the Brain, Mission, KS Sept. 6 The Joy Formidable, recordBar Pershing Lecture Series: Austria at War 1914, National WWI Museum & Memorial Sept. 7 Poetry Slam, Blip Roasters Stick To Your Guns, Granada Arts Fishing Club, recordBar Sept. 8 Judah & the Lion, Uptown Theater

The Grisly Hand, Crossroads Hotel Red Hot Chili Pipers, Knuckleheads Sept. 15 Third Thursday Jazz Jam w/ Jackie Myers, PH Coffee Chiefs v. Chargers (Home Opener), Arrow head Stadium Sept. 16 Iconic French Dishes (cooking class), Culi nary Center of Kansas City Sept. 17 Barns Courtney, recordBar Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival, KCK Community College Gang of Youths, Bottleneck 75th Anniversay Bash, Kelly’s Westport Inn Sept. 18 KC Current v. Portland Thorns, Children’s Mercy Park East Crossroads Field Day, Double Shift Brewing Sept. 19 The Freedom Affair, The Ship Emily Frost Duo, Chaz on the Plaza Sept. 20 Pavement, Uptown Theater Melvins, recordBar Sept. 21 Royals v. Twins (Bark at the Park), Kauff man Stadium Eric Lindell & Anson Funderburgh, Knuck leheads

Sept. 2 - 4

The National, Grinders KC Cheap Trick, Uptown Theater Sept. 14 Jimmy Eat World, Uptown Theater

26 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM

Kevin Gates, Azura Amphitheater Ziggy & the Neptunes, Nighthawk Pottery Pub, Crane Brewing Sept. 9 Twenty One Pilots, T-Mobile Center

Now in its 20th year, Irish Fest has become a Labor Day Weekend tradition in KC. You don’t have to hail from the Emerald Isle to enjoy the whiskey tastings, food trucks, live performances, Irish brunch, or specialty vendors—but it helps. Irish Fest is less St. Paddy’s parade and more family-friendly-end-of-summer-celtic-themed county fair in the middle of the city. Tickets start at $30 for single-day general admission.

Puppets a Glow-GO, National WWI Muse um & Memorial 12th Annual Grape Stomp, The Vineyard at J. Creek Sept. 10 Hanson, Uptown Theater Michael Bublé, T-Mobile Center

Judith G. Levy Artist Talk, Studios Inc. Sept. 11 Bill Maher, Uptown Theater

Sept. 2 - 30 KC Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

By Thomas White

Sept. 9Lemonade10 Social bands & brews

Lemonade Park Yes, it’s all local. Lemonade Social Bands & Brews highlights 10 metro area indie bands and nine locally-owned breweries. The two-day celebration of music and beer all goes down in the West Bottoms with The Get Up Kids closing out the festival. Tickets run at $15 for Friday, $20 for Saturday, and a $50 VIP ticket includes a beer tasting.

FestIrishCrownCenter

Sept. 2 - 5 Santa Cali Gon Days, Independence Square Sept. 7 - 11 Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince w/ KC Symphony, Kauffman Center

Gameday Experience (Chiefs watch par ty), KC Live! Sept. 12 Moonspell, Granada Shinyribs, Knuckleheads Sept. 13 Panic! At the Disco, T-Mobile Center

Sept.ONGOING1-30 American Art Deco: Designing for the Peo ple, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Sept. 1 - 30 On the Margins: 19th Century’s Forgotten People, John Wornall House Museum

Sept. 24 Dinosaur Jr., The Truman Fall Pint Path, North Kansas City Gwar-B-Q, Grinders KC Donut Fest, Rochester Brewing & Roasting Co. Sept. 25 Bear’s Den, Knuckleheads Sept. 26

The M80s: Ultimate 80s Dance Party, Knuckleheads

THE PITCH September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM 27 Sept. 27 The Cult, Uptown Theater Rodney Crowell, Knuckleheads Leanne Morgan, The Midland Pale Waves, recordBar Sept. 28 The Elders, Crossroads Hotel American Royal World Series of BBQ, Kan sas Speedway Sept. 29 The Fab Four (Beatles Tribute), KC Live! Giveon, The Midland Sept. 30 The Horn ft. Sean Jones, Kauffman Center Nick Schnebelen, Knuckleheads

Sept. 23

Sept. 22 of Montreal, Granada Jo Koy, Cable Dahmer Arena

Sept. 25

Sept. 23 Sauced and Lost, Liberty Corn Maze

Children’sWashingtonv.SpiritMercyPark

Our women’s soccer team hasn’t lost a match since Memorial Day—as of press time anyway—it’d be pretty neat if we could maintain that streak. The Current faces the reigning NWSL champion, Washington Spirit, for the 2022 home finale. And it’s Fan Appreciation Night. There will be some special merchandise and an opportunity for celebration in the soccer capital of the U.S. Tickets start at $15.

Sept.

The Ring: 20th Anniversary, Screenland Armour Stay in the know about KC’s upcoming events on our interactive online calendar!

The TheAnthemGaslightMidland

Grinders KC We at The Pitch love a few things: free drinks, Ted Lasso, and the band Making Movies. We literally can’t stop talking about them (they were on our cover a mere two months ago). Check out everything they do, particularly the Celebrate Ameri’kana Music & Arts Festival honoring Black, Brown, and Indigenous culture—all for a good cause. Proceeds go to Art as Mentorship, a nonprofit that supports young artists. Tickets are $35.

Celebrate10 Ameri’kana Music & Arts Festival

KC Current

Back together full time after an on-again off-again split in 2015, The Gaslight Anthem brings their ‘what if Bruce Springsteen did punk’ sound to KC. The band is currently working on a sixth studio album. Frontman Brian Fallon has put aside a solo career for the time being. Tickets to see the Jersey boys start at $39.50.

Sexual pleasure should be exercised within the context of sexual rights, particularly the rights to equality and non-discrimination, autonomy, and bodily integrity, the right to the highest attainable standard of health and freedom of expression.”

But what would a fun time be without some sort of theme or genre? The World Associ ation for Sexual Health (WAS) named the 2022 World Sexual Health Day event “Let’s Talk Pleasure.” WAS believes, “Pleasure is a critical part of sexual health—and rights— which makes it central to overall health and well-being.”TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) says, “Sexual health, when viewed affirma tively, requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relation ships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and vio lence.” Pleasure as a gateway drug?

goes on to state, “The experiences of hu man sexual pleasure are diverse, and sexual rights ensure that pleasure is a positive ex perience for all concerned and not obtained by violating other people’s human rights and well-being.”Includingpleasure in your organiz ing efforts is necessary. Seeking pleasure is an act of resilience because it’s saying, “Yes, this world is fucked up, but right now I choose to en joy this.” Sometimes it’s even an act of resistance. Educate yourself via the works of Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, and Zahra Ali—all au thors and educators of the human sexual expe rience. Find local organizers that are doing the work around sexual health, from col lecting barrier protection to housing trans gender unhoused teens. Volunteer your time, and do the work. Being able to experience pleasure is a measure of freedom, according to brown in Pleasure Activism. More frequently, we are seeing state legislatures decide who gets the freedom to live their lives as current bills and filibusters see fit. It’s as if legislators think freedom means leading a life similar to their own, through the same grayscale lenses. Standing up for the rights and free doms of others, especially women and the LGBTQ+ community right now only means more freedom for you too. Stress disconnects us from being pres ent, so as we connect to the moment via pleasure, we decrease our stress, which has this cyclical effect. My motto is, “Exer cise, meditate, masturbate.” Movement and meditation connect you to your mind and body. Masturbation connects you to your pleasure. All three remove the hormone cortisol from your body. Sometimes people need tools (beyond sex toys) to help them connect to pleasure.

I mean, yeah, and no, but yeah… if that’s what you’re adrienneinto.maree brown (yes, all low ercase) is an activist, doula, and author of the 2019 book Pleasure Activism who was My motto is, “Exercise, meditate, tomeditationMovementmasturbate.”andconnectyouyourmindandbody.

THE PITCH SEX & LOVE KEEP THEM COMING

PLEASURE!TALKPhelpsShelbybyIllustrationsBissey.NicolebyPhoto

LET’S

You can find Kristen @OpenTheDoorsKC on Twitter or openthedoorscoaching com. Check out her podcast Keep Them Coming

The WAS sexual Pleasure Declaration

When I say I advocate for pleasure, what comes to mind? Images of bacchanalia-es que drunken orgies, food porn, overindul gence, or being disconnected from reality?

There is no sexual liberation without racial, social, and economic justice. There are people in the community who don’t have a choice, safety, communication skills, or the opportunity to say “no.”

28 THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM quoted by Colorlines as saying that pleasure is “about pure aliveness and actually being present for the world around you.” When you are present, you are open to allowing sensations to be experienced in the mo ment. Pleasure is the ultimate antidote to any physical, mental, or emotional ailment.

Some people fear that tapping into pleasure will unleash their uncontrolla ble hormone monster within. If you’ve deprived yourself totally of pleasure your whole life, the floodgates might be opened. But for most, pleasure is not a gateway drug. We cannot overdose on pleasure. Our bod ies and minds know no limits for pleasure. You will not die from too much pleasure. You also won’t become desensitized to pleasure over time. In fact, you will become more whole, and more content when you allow yourself to experience it. How can we promote pleasure through our activism?

There are people who think this plane of existence is supposed to be about pain and suffering. I am clearly not one of those people. Pleasure is a cornerstone in my life these days, and I do what I can to help oth ers embrace it.

I have tried to find pleasure through food, travel, art, and—as an adult—sexu al experiences. But lemme tell you, there are some cheeses in this world that have brought me more pleasure than 90% of the orgasms I’ve had (the cheese is that good). In my early 30s, while the lingering pleasurable memories remained, some thing still wasn’t clicking. I felt guilty, lust ful, or dirty at times—perhaps because there was no one in my life to say, “Yeah, it’s totally cool, you can do whatever you want as long as it’s safe, sane, and consensual.” As I began to advocate for other peo ple’s pleasure via my coaching business, I found it easier to discover my own. How could I tell others to do what feels good without giving myself that same permis sion? Opening the door for others helped me open my own door. I want to highlight and honor pleasure because September is Sexual Health Month.

Websites like The Pleasure Project, omgYES. com, and Scarleteen.com are helpful re sources packed with information. Books like The Power of Now and The Four Agree ments can help you with everyday presence, which will allow space for pleasure to be abundant in your life. Start talking about pleasure more with others. Advocate for pleasure freedom in your work. Help provide space for others to experience pleasure. Look for new ways to broaden what it all looks like for you.

The WAS Sexual Pleasure Declaration states, “Self-determination, consent, safe ty, privacy, confidence, and the ability to communicate and negotiate sexual rela tions are key enabling factors for pleasure to contribute to sexual health and well-being.

Pleasure can be about little moments like your first sip of coffee, smelling a rose, or a touch from your lover in just the right spot. What are those lingering moments if you can’t make the choice?

POUND FOR POUND

THE PITCH SEX & LOVE SAVAGE LOVE It’s also possible the woman he’s fucked hated his style and, like you, hoped Pretty Boy would hear “OUCH,” stop, solicit their feedback, and correct course. Seeing that’s not something he’s either able or inclined to do, you’re gonna have to use your words and the actual leverage you have over him— your pussy, not your mutuals—to get him to fuck you without physically hurting you. If he wants back in your pussy, tell him he has do it/things/you differently. More foreplay, going slower, using lube, not going all the way in (with or without an Ohnut)— whatever he needs to do to make sex more comfortable and pleasurable for you, that needs to be a clearly-stated (by you!) and enforced (ditto!) condition of him getting anywhere near your pussy ever again. And if he laughs it off, BASTARD, set him on P.S.fire*.What happened to the paddles?

Email Dan at mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage New website at Savage.Love!

If he wants back in your pussy, tell him he has do it/ things/you differently.

Now I’m mad. This motherfucker knew! He did it on purpose! I ask him point blank if he got off on it and he won’t answer. Which means he did. Now I want to set him on fire. But here’s the thing: Pretty Boy is the finest thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting my hands on in my entire life. I warned him that I have a history of channeling my rage into intricate revenge plots, most too crazy to carry out. I did rat him out to the dude who hooked us up. As for Pretty Boy, I could tell him to sit down, shut up, and hear my truth, but I already delivered that message. (See: OUCH.) I should probably slam the door and lock it, but he is the finest thing! And I’ve never had a hookup that wasn’t a little bit sketchy. But this is too much, right? RIGHT?

THE PITCH | September 2022 | THEPITCHKC.COM 29

Long story short: Pret ty Boy thinks he’s a great fuck cuz he’s got a great big one and can pound long and hard. My pussy ain’t been touched in almost three years but so far as I know “OUCH” is the uni versal safe word! Maybe I should’ve picked a better one because I had to say it so many times! I figured it was heat of the moment stuff, so I wasn’t mad, and agreed to hook up again. Much more OUCH, but on both sides this time. (Love bites!) Next day I’m figuring out how to manage this. I find a thing called an Ohnut and I tell Pretty Boy I’m willing to plunk down the money. Whatever it takes to make his PIV pounding less OUCH. And then we have this conversation: Sore Lady: “So, surely this has happened be fore, Prettyyes?”Boy: “Of course it has. LOL.”

Dear Dan: A friend hooked me up with a much younger guy for weed. Let’s call him “Pretty Boy.” He knew something about me—Pretty Boy had been to a party at my house—and I knew something about him: he’s a burner, like our mutual. Consent is supposed to be a core burner value and be fore we hook up, Pretty Boy asks if he can bring his paddles. So, we had a talk and I tell him I’m open to a little pain, but I’m mostly meh about it. (Except love bites. I love me some love bites.)

Dear bASTARD: So, Pretty Boy doesn’t care if you come or not, he ignores your feedback during sex, and he engages in rough sex knowing it’s sometimes painful—in a bad way—for his sex partners. Fuck that guy. By which I mean, of course, don’t fuck that guy. But you’re obviously tempted to fuck that guy again, BASTARD, as you make clear in your letter. (A letter I spent an hour editing for, um, clarity.) You wanna fuck Pretty Boy again because he’s the “finest thing” you’ve ever gotten to touch. Pretty Boy is so hot, BASTARD, that you’re tempt ed to fuck him despite wanting to set him on fire—in a bad way—after you spoke to him about the sex being painful.

Straight Rights Watch: Last week the House of Representatives approved a bill— now headed to the Senate—to protect the right of every American to use contracep tives. Only eight Republicans voted for it; 195 Republicans voted against it. They real ly do want to take your birth control away, kids, just like Clarence Thomas said in Dobbs. We’ve already seen workers at Wal greens refusing to sell condoms to straight couples because the workers believe sex should always be open to conception, even sex they aren’t personally having. If these motherfuckers get their way you’re gonna be left with the pull-out method**. And at the rate we’re going I could see the same assholes who wouldn’t sell you condoms in 2022 kicking down your bedroom door in 2032 and pushing you back in just when you were ready to pull out. Because it says right there in their bible that Jesus doesn’t want you spilling your seed on the ground—or on the floor or on the face or anywhere else.

—Boys Are Supposed To Ask Right, Dan? P.S. I didn’t even cum either time!

*Figuratively and reputationally.

Look, BASTARD, having a hot FWB is great, but having a hot FWB—or boyfriend or girlfriend or enbyfriend—who’s a shitty, selfish, inconsiderate lover is a lot like own ing a house with an amazing view that hap pens to be right next door to a trash inciner ator. Sooner or later you get used to the view and start taking it for granted, BASTARD, and the only you really notice after that is the stench.Still,if you’re inclined to extend Pret ty Boy the benefit of the doubt, BASTARD, it wouldn’t be hard to whip one up. He’s young! It’s entirely possible all the women he’s fucked up to this point in his short life liked his style, i.e., long and hard pounding!

**And anal and oral and outercourse and mutual masturbation and cyber and sex toys. But you get my point. And a quick shout-out to all my Canadian readers who don’t have to worry about this shit. Yet. Go to Savage.Love to read the rest.

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“It’s a reminder that I’m not alone even if it feels like I am,” she says. She’s been volunteering with Shad ow Buddies for about four years now, and has served as an intern there this summer, reaching out to hospitals and other facilities that might want the dolls, packaging dolls in the warehouse, and making calls for their September fundraising gala. Looking at the process from the other side, Diskin says, “It really hit me how much of an impact these dolls can have. I was asked to talk to a little girl in second grade who has a cleft lip and was getting bullied. She came home crying every day, saying she was ugly and no one looks like her and people at school were telling her she’s not pretty, and she’ll never be pretty. I took a Shadow Buddy to her and told her about my experiences.”Diskin’s doll helped her build confi dence, even when she didn’t know anyone else who looked like her. Shadow Buddies provides the dolls at no cost to the families. A mixture of corpo rate sponsorships from companies such as Garmin and Blue Cross Blue Shield, along with grants and smaller donations, keeps the dolls flowing out into the community. In addition to the dolls, Shadow Buddies also facilitates other programs. Inclusions of specialized summer backpacks for spe cial needs children at camp, pink parties with make-up and crafts, and a superhero costumes program help bolster childhood confidence even further. Shadow Buddies is always looking for volun teers of all ages to dress the dolls, assemble and iron their accessories, sew small blankets, and more. For more information, visit shadowbud dies.org/get-involved/volunteer Lexi Diskin with her Cleft Lip buddy. (below) Marty and Miles Postlethwait Photos by Beth Lipoff

| September 2022 THEPITCHKC.COM

Having a specialized medical condition is difficult for anyone, but it’s especially tough on kids. For the past 27 years, Shad ow Buddies has aimed to mix comfort with education to empower children with ana tomical differences, helping them embrace theirTheuniqueness.nonprofit distributes dolls whose physical appearances mimic different con ditions such as a cleft palate or a lung trans plant, so that a child always has a friend who looks like them, even when the other kids around them don’t understand.

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Although they contract with a compa ny in Nepal to make the dolls, many cus tomized touches happen close to home in Lenexa, KS. The dolls come in three differ ent skin tones with five different hair colors. Each year, they design a new doll. For kids who have multiple conditions, they do their best to combine multiple characteristics on one doll. A vision buddy would have glasses, while an oncology bud dy might have a port in its chest. That’s also where the education component comes into the “Youpicture.canactually access that port, so oncology nurses and nurse educators can demonstrate on their buddy how they’re going to get their chemo and do their treat ment,” Postlethwait says.

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Olathe resident Lexie Diskin knows firsthand how impactful the buddies are. She was born with Goldenhar syndrome, resulting in cleft lip and palate. When she was five, she got her cleft lip buddy. “It was really fun having a doll that looked like me, because they don’t really make dolls look out of the norm,” Diskin says. Her buddy came to medical appoint ments with her. “They demonstrated some of the procedures on the doll before they did it to me, so I had a better understanding of what was going to happen,” Diskin says. “It just gave me a sense of comfort having it with me. I was able to become more ed ucated. Whenever they talk about it, you’re so little you don’t understand it. But when you can visualize it, it’s much easier to un derstand what’s happening.”

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$110,569OVERincontestprizes

Over the next two years her maternal hope materialized, the goal took shape in a nonprofit that aided children like Miles in accepting their differences. Since then, Shadow Buddies has given out more than 2 million dolls in every state, as well as 19 countries. About 10,000 go out to kids in the Kansas City area each year. It was never just a local operation. Be cause Miles was getting some of his treat ments in New York, news of his doll quickly KC CARES spread and impressed various medical pro fessionals. Hospitals in Chicago, Wisconsin, Florida, and California joined the list of fa cilities handing out Shadow Buddies.

Fifteen years after treatment, she doesn’t carry it around anymore, but she still has her buddy at home in her room.

It all started when Marty Postlethwait’s son, Miles, was born premature with multi ple serious congenital birth defects. As he got older, he felt isolated by the difficulties of his condition and the treatments he had to undergo, later telling Postlethwait he wanted to have a friend who was just like him.

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Show 8

Stages 100+

By Beth Lipoff

KC Cares

“He wanted a friend who he could re late to that had the same scar down its chest like he did from having open-heart surger ies. And at the time, he had an ostomy and wanted a buddy with an ostomy pouch,” Postlethwait says. “This was a friend that he could take back and forth to the operating room and to procedures, and it would pro vide him that comfort and compassion.”

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Shadow buddies

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