The Pitch: Holiday Gift Guide (December 2023)

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December 2023 THEPITCHKC.COM

December 2023 CONTENTS THEPITCHKC.COM

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No Skips: Emma Jo walks on with high heels and six-shooters on new LP Girl Bandit

Kansas City-based country-americana artist Emma Jo recently released her second album, Girl Bandit. While most of the 10 tracks center around Emma Jo’s real-life experiences of moving on from relationships and loss, they also occasionally divert to feel-good sing-alongs about traveling, healing, and the Fountain City itself. Along with a vinyl pressing, Girl Bandit is streaming now on all platforms.

The Pitch sat down with Emma Jo to discuss the album in its entirety, getting track-bytrack anecdotes straight from the source.

Emma Jo. Courtesy photo

Brock Wilbur

High Spirits: The Pitch’s cheat sheet for holiday popups in Kansas City

THUNDERGONG! 2023 raises more than $800k for Steps of Faith foundation via beard trimming and Tom Petty covers

As per usual, businesses across the metro are gearing up for winter, offering themed menu items and enthusiastic decor for a limited time. There is no shortage of holiday cheer flowing throughout KC, and it all only seems to show up sooner as the years pass. Here is The Pitch’s script of all the joy and jubilation different businesses are offering as the seasons unfold. Don’t wait on standby, however.

Several festivities listed here are in high demand— folks want their jingle juice. Start gathering your holiday herd and find a pop-up that pops.

Billy Brimblecom and Jason Sudeikis’ seventh staging of the annual fundraiser reaped big rewards for charity. This Ted Lasso star studded event was one for the ages. Jason Sudekis, Will Forte, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, and Brendan Hunt with musical guests Kevin Morby and Nathaniel Rateliff lead us through a night of Tom Petty covers and auction wars. We can’t forget the surprise visit from “Elvis Castello.” In just three hours, THUNDERGONG! Fans raised over $800,000.

KC Christmas Pop-Ups Chicken N Pickle Holiday Hideaway. Courtesy Chicken N Pickle

6 LETTER

18 CULTURE

22 MUSIC

28 ADVICE

8 POLITICS

20 FOOD & DRINK

24 Daisy Buckët Does it Again

30 KC CARES

Letter from the Editor Paint you in silver, wrap you in cold

BY BROCK WILBUR

Time Sensitive Missouri abortion petition efforts remain in limbo

BY BARB SHELLY

10 GIFTS

The Pitch’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide Let our gift goblins guide you to winning the holidays

BY THE PITCH STAFF

Theater of the Mind Level One Game Shop levels up with Mugen Gaming and Kiri-ai: The Duel

BY RACHEL POTUCEK

Life’s a Party Bryan Arri’s sugarcane and agaveforward Fern Bar lands in the Crossroads

BY JORDAN BARANOWSKI

21 Eat This Now

Baked Mac & Cheese at Cliff’s Taphouse

BY SARAH SIPPLE

Feeling Seen Local merch merger is a spiffy new look for the music biz

BY NICK SPACEK

Welcome to Springfield pays tribute to a queer icon and is well-deserving of “Best New Local Album”

BY EMILY JACOBS

26 EVENTS

December Events Calendar

BY THE PITCH STAFF

Keep Them Coming Deck the balls

BY KRISTEN THOMAS

KC Cares Wild Souls

BY BETH LIPOFF

DECEMBER 2023 I FREE I THEPITCHKC.COM

LET OUR GIFT GOBLINS G U I D E YO U T O W I N N I N G T H E H O L DAY S

Drink This Now Noble Stout at Rochester Brewing & Roasting Company

BY SARAH SIPPLE

Cover by Cassondra Jones

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December 2023 THEPITCHKC.COM

The Pitch’s 2023 holiday gift recommendations for the gamers in your orbit

Kansas City gamers have a serious problem: 2023 gave us way too many games to play. Whether the player in your life is into shooters, RPGs, platformers, strategy, adventure, or fighting games, this year brought no shortage of stellar experiences to get lost in. Now, with the holidays at our doorsteps, you’re probably looking for the ultimate gaming gifts for your friends and family. It wasn’t easy, but we did our best to sort out 2023’s haul. Looking for a better controller to improve your Call of Duty skills? We can help. Searching for a fun multiplayer to crack open at a party? Look no further. Need just one more person to tell you to play Baldur’s Gate III before you finally give in? We’ve got you covered. PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC players will all find something to love here.

Courtesy photo

Editor-in-Chief Brock Wilbur President & Chief Operating Officer Andrew Miller Director of Marketing & Promotions Jason Dockery Managing Editor Steph Castor Community Manager & Food Editor Sarah Sipple Sales Executive Erin Carey Music Editor Nick Spacek Film Editor Abby Olcese Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Art Director Cassondra Jones Contributing Writers Michael Mackie, Barb Shelly, Beth Lipoff, Kristen Thomas, Jordan Baranowski, Lauren Textor, Adrian Torres, Kate Frick, Scott Poore, Hana Kim, Brynn Winkler, Sofia Mongillo, Rachel Potucek Editorial Interns Emily Jacobs, Hayden Kalp, Joe Ellett, Mar’Che Boggess, Zoe Strohm Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Brooke Tramel, Maura Dayton, Isabella Galvan, Allison Scavo, Pilsen Photo Co-op Contributing Designers and Illustrators Alex Peak, Chloe Freeman, Jake Edmisten

This is Bremlin. His love language is “Gifts.” Cassondra Jones

VOICE MEDIA GROUP National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.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 The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2023 by The Pitch LLC. No portion may be reproduced in 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: andrew@thepitchkc.com or 816-218-6792

Letter from the Editor PAINT YOU IN SILVER, WRAP YOU IN COLD

By Brock Wilbur

Dearest reader, Welcome to the December 2023 issue of The Pitch magazine, brought to you by your friends here in glamorous Kansas City.

With Thanksgiving safely behind us, we are free to focus all of our energies on what matters most: delicious, delightful capital-

ism—the reason for the season!

No applause break for capitalism?

Yeah, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise in our little “Commie Rag,” as one dedicated reader loves to refer to us. They aren’t wrong, and neither am I for feeling unceremoniously conflicted each December when the time for assembling our yearly gift-giving guide comes together. Are “things” and “stuff” the best use of our time, attention, and capital, especially as the world burns around us? Probably not! Am I still the type of guy hard-coded to gift-giving as my love language, to the point where I simply cannot conceive of a greater expression of love and respect than the spiritual transfer that comes with gifting just the right hard-tofind record or sentimental candle to just the right person? No, I will, unfortunately, never stop being that dude. The records and candles will keep coming until the credit card companies finally shut me down.

Giving “a thing” to someone just feels right. There’s a particular chemical rush that this season tees us up for that is simply too hard to rewrite from our coding. I know because I’ve tried. I’ve really fought back on “gift giving” in previous years—or attempted to move so far outside the box that there were no longer any boxes. There’s a transactional social construct that turns what should be personal and joyous into work-adjacent and even anxiety-crippling responsibility that can take all the fun out of the endeavor with a space vacuum-esque rush.

It’s hard to be asked to care about caring in a different way than you feel like caring or caring in a language that isn’t your own. Every year, I find myself trying to reinvent the approach as if I’ll find some improbable mix of sustainability, humanity, goodness, awareness, productivity, reflection, and joy. There’s no combination of donating in someone’s name to a mutual aid group combined with buying them a video game that is going to achieve all of that, but it doesn’t stop me from trying.

That’s why I have come to adore The Pitch’s gift guide round-up so very much.

The collection and selection of locally available items that support makers and move-shakers in the metro while also letting me assemble my best frontal attack on the ever-growing holiday gift “targets” in my life—well, it’s just a helpful thing to have.

We hope this year’s round-up (curated by our in-house demon elf squad) will help you with your shopping spree.

The other gift I’m giving, more generally to friends (and foes alike) this year… well, it feels internal, but perhaps it’s the best, most conscious gift I can hand out.

If you’re a long-time reader of the “Letter from the Editor” column, you might’ve noticed that 2022 was a big year of thanking those around me for patience, kindness, and aid. 2023 was a year where I tried my best to pay that back where needed in the community and in the relationships around me. Starting with this holiday season, my plan is to finally ascend to being the sort of person who doesn’t need like I used to need.

Even on my best days in years previous, I’ve always been the kind of tempest that brings towering highs and crushing lows with him wherever he goes. Now, with some stability in me, I’m just doing the work to winterize.

With my SAD lamps and my therapist appointments on the books, with my pile of winter reading suggestions lining my bedroom, and with a dog whose anxiety bubble is about to burst—it’s just the right time to not be a “need” on anyone else.

This Christmas, my best gift is getting my oxygen mask on first. Paint me in silver, wrap me in cold, and let’s see what happens when the giving of great goods comes alongside a little preventative good in our own hearts.

Pitch in, and we’ll make it through,

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POLITICS

Time Sensitive MISSOURI ABORTION PETITION EFFORTS REMAIN IN LIMBO

By Barb Shelly The evening of November 7 was beautiful in Ohio. As polls closed and votes rolled in, it became apparent that reasonable access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care would be enshrined in that state’s constitution.

Supporters crowded into hotel ballrooms and bars and clubs to cheer and laugh and weep for joy. Moms brought their children along. The vote was nowhere close; Ohioans stood up for bodily autonomy by a 13% margin.

An affirmation like that, in a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020, ought to be good news for Missouri. Like Ohio, Missouri steadily eroded abortion rights before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and Republican officials used the decision to ban the procedure almost entirely.

Also, like Ohio, Missouri has a process whereby citizens can turn to direct democracy to counteract the obstinance and worst instincts of their elected officials. Attempts are underway to put an initiative petition restoring reproductive rights in front of the state’s voters in 2024.

But when I talked to people invested in those efforts, I found them happy for the women of Ohio but not especially buoyed about the immediate prospects here.

“I think 2024 is going to be a huge lift,” says Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, the advocacy arm for Planned Parenthood Great Plains.

That is not the voice of pessimism.

Wales was in the thick of the August 2022 campaign to stop the Kansas Legislature from stripping the right to abortion from the state’s constitution. She knows that abortion rights are winning with voters.

But you have to get to the voters. In Missouri, that’s been like trying to wade through freshly poured concrete. You only have so much time before the concrete hardens, and you’re stuck.

A coalition of women’s health providers, civil liberties champions, and progressive groups has united in support of ballot measures filed by a political action committee called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. The PAC initially filed 11 petitions, all restoring abortion rights but differing in some details. That number has been whittled down to six.

Ideally, supporters would have settled on one petition by now and be hard at work collecting the 170,000-plus valid signatures of registered Missouri voters required to meet a May deadline.

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But as winter approaches with cold days, dark evenings, and fewer people gathering at community events, efforts remain in an excruciating limbo.

The holdup speaks volumes about extremism in the highest offices of the Missouri government.

Jay Ashcroft, the secretary of state and a candidate for governor next year, has written outlandish ballot titles shamelessly crafted to keep the petitions in court and out of the hands of signature collectors.

In one bit of good news, Ashcroft recently told reporters that, should he become governor, he would “have to quit” if reproductive rights were enshrined in the state constitution and he was asked to defend them.

So, at least there’s that possibility to look forward to.

Andrew Bailey, the appointed state attorney general who is running to be elected to the seat in 2024, has a very limited official role in the initiative petition process. Nevertheless, he dived in with a brazen attempt to override the elected state auditor’s estimate of how a constitutional amendment would affect Missouri’s finances.

The auditor said passage would not cost or save the state any money. Bailey contended it would cost millions of dollars—maybe trillions!—if one considers that “aborting unborn Missourians will have a deleterious impact on the future tax base.”

Courts have slapped down the attorney general’s attempt at overreach, just as they’ve squashed Ashcroft’s summaries. But, again, the delay is the point, and democracy be damned.

‘Dangerous substitutes’ complicate the picture The resistance from elected officials, however infuriating, was expected. In 2019, Ashcroft crafted a bag of procedural tricks to thwart a public referendum after the legislature passed what was then one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation. Of course he would reach into it now.

But a wrinkle that emerged in late August was a surprise.

It came in the form of six new initiative petitions filed with the secretary of state’s office. They are the work of Jamie Corley, a Republican political operative who created a new nonprofit called Missouri Women and Family Research Fund.

Corley has challenged Missouri’s ban on abortions except for medical emergencies to save the life of a pregnant person, calling it “draconian.” But her petitions call for a much more limited restoration of rights than the petitions filed by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom.

Two of them would enshrine the right to abortion only if the pregnancy were the result of rape or incest, if the fetus had fatal abnormalities, or if the health and safety of the mother were at risk. Four of the petitions would permit a person to terminate a preg-

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

nancy in the first 12 weeks.

Corley grew up in St. Louis and returned there in 2020 after career moves that included working in the press offices of three members of Congress, founding a political newsletter in San Francisco, and creating and selling art.

I have many questions for Corley, and at her request, I sent her some of them in an email. In response, she asked if I had received my questions from “a group,” saying they were suspiciously similar to queries she had received from a reporter in St. Louis.

Nope. Not unless you count the voices in my head pointing out ridiculously obvious inquiries.

I asked if Corley had consulted with abortion providers in Missouri before she filed her petitions (no one I interviewed has heard from her) and how she arrived at the 12-week mark cited in some of her petitions.

I wondered why all her petitions begin by stipulating that the state cannot “deny or interfere with the fundamental right to refuse to have an abortion.” And I especially wanted to know why her petitions require

that a rape must be reported to a hotline if the victim wishes to terminate the resulting pregnancy.

Part of Corley’s perspective can be found in a public letter she wrote to the Missouri Healthcare Professionals for Reproductive Rights, a group of about 300 physicians and other healthcare professionals working to restore decision-making authority in women’s reproductive care to patients in consultation with their doctors.

Dr. Jennifer Smith, a co-founder who is an OB-GYN in St. Louis, posted a statement calling Corley’s proposals “dangerous substitutes” for the petitions already filed by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom.

The proposed rape exception, Smith said, would be “nearly impossible to verify, and thus deny most victims abortion care.”

Citing data from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Smith noted that more than half of rapes go unreported. For child sexual abuse incidents, the reporting rate is estimated at 12%.

In her response, Corley noted that the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s

POLITICS statistics deal with rapes and child sexual abuse reported to law enforcement authorities. Many more victims contacted hotlines, she said.

However, hotlines succeed because of trust and confidentiality requirements. Corley says victims could contact them anonymously, not identify their abuser, and still obtain an abortion. But what, then, is the point of the requirement?

Opinions differ on whether Corley genuinely believes she is performing a service for the women of Missouri or is acting as a plant for people out there who don’t want abortions at all. I really don’t know. But her entrance on the scene is not helpful.

“It has caused an incredible amount of confusion for folks who are desperate to restore some sort of access,” says Wales, with Planned Parenthood Great Plains and its advocacy arm.

“There should be something inherently suspect about a measure that relates to abortion rights that doesn’t include abortion providers, that doesn’t include the longtime advocates and allies,” Wales adds. “Our moment here is to grow the table, and this small group of people who are pushing this effort are not including the experts in the care of the process. And it is worrisome.”

Corley’s watered-down approach has not impressed Secretary of State Ashcroft.

His summaries on her petitions are nearly as obnoxious as the ones he prepared for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. So Corley is also tied up in court.

The wrenching decision ahead As the executive director of the advocacy group Abortion Action Missouri, Mallory Schwarz is at the center of the drive to get a meaningful petition on the 2024 ballot.

“I have been trying to hold out hope,” she says. “Day to day, my prediction changes as to what I think may be possible.”

Schwarz has been involved in other petition drives in Missouri, and she understands the effort needed to collect signatures and run a campaign. Especially in a state where residents have been told for decades that abortion is evil.

“Abortion has been so stigmatized and surrounded by so much shame,” she says.

If the advocates engaged with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom can get beyond Ashcroft’s obstruction, a wrenching decision awaits. They will have to select just one of the six petitions under consideration to send into the world for signatures.

The language in the various petitions ranges from robust protection of the right to bodily autonomy with no restrictions to provisions allowing the legislature to enact regulations beginning at the 24th week of pregnancy or at the point when a physician determines a fetus to be “viable,” or able to survive outside of a mother’s womb. The petitions also offer different options regarding a ban on state funding for abortion and paren-

tal consent for minors.

To be clear, everyone at the table would love to see Missouri enshrine the right to abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with no more interference from a legislature that, over the years, has done everything in its power to harass providers and patients.

They disagree on what is possible. Abortion opposition has a powerful infrastructure in Missouri, and national groups would love to help defeat an expansion of reproductive rights here in America’s heartland.

“I think we want to be in a position where we can move the most expansive policy possible,” Schwarz says. “We also recognize that a lot of Missourians are being harmed right now by living in a state with a total ban. Part of our consideration is we need to do both things. We need to mitigate the harm right now as much as we possibly can while continuing to fight for the most expansive policy possible.”

Pamela Merritt, a longtime abortion activist who is executive director of Medical Students for Choice, sees nothing magical or essential about a 2024 ballot.

“When did that become do or die?” she asks. “My question is: Do we have the capacity and our act together enough to make this move in 2024? And if not, why would we take the risk?”

Passage of a ballot initiative would not automatically restore abortion access to Missouri, Merritt and others point out. Prior to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision, the legislature made it its mission every year to pass at least one awful law designed to close abortion clinics and intimidate providers and patients. All of those laws remain on the books.

If abortion rights were enshrined in Missouri’s constitution, they would come back and would have to be invalidated in court.

Merritt, whose organization works nationally and internationally, wants her home state to adopt a strategy that will protect newly gained abortion rights from a gerrymandered legislature that will never stop trying to interfere with women’s reproductive decisions.

“We need to organize for what we need, not for what we think we can get,” she says.

“Ballots are a tactic, and we need a strategy.”

No one I talked to disagrees with that point. But at some point, strategy collides with urgency.

“It is my strongest desire for it to be on the ballot as soon as possible,” says Smith, the St. Louis OB-GYN. In her practice now, she refers women facing difficult pregnancy decisions to doctors in Illinois, where laws acknowledge that abortion is a legal right.

Hundreds of women in outlying areas of Missouri don’t have that luxury, she says.

“Women are so afraid at this point, so afraid that I won’t be able to take care of them, or that I’ll feel like I’ll have to save their babies and let them die,” Smith says.

“The psychology of being a pregnant person in Missouri has really changed over the last year and a half.”

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BY MAR’CHE BOGGESS, STEPH CASTOR, JOE ELLETT, EMILY JACOBS, CASSONDRA JONES, HAYDEN KALP, SARAH SIPPLE, ZOE STROHM, BROCK WILBUR

Nowadays, it feels like years are composed of more than one year. 2023? That had at least four years of stuff in it, judging by the standards of, say, 2014. We’ve all simply been through too much. Do we all deserve a little reward for making it? Yes, we do. We can partake in some holiday gift-giving—and a bit of personal retail therapy.

For this year’s gift guide, we tried something a bit outside the box. Your pals at The Pitch have not only done the usual work of bringing together some of the highest quality, most delightful, totally KC local shopping options—but now it’s organized into a handy guide by personality type. Look, there’s nothing on these pages that we wouldn’t want to stuff in our own stockings, but there are just certain folks who are, traditionally, hard to find a proper and thoughtful gift for.

Scan for the full guide

In the following pages, our helpful Pitch gift goblins from the Westport Pole will lay out all the options for local holiday generosity so no one just gets “stuff” for stuff’s sake as we head into 2024.

[Apologies for spoilers to everyone in our direct personal orbit, and sorry in advance if you realize you’ve always been “The Sensitive Boyfriend Type.”]

For daddies, zaddies, and baddies The Woman in Me by Britney Spears Wise Blood Booksellers $32.99 It’s Britney, bitch. What more do we need to say?

Lil Stabby Necklace Donna’s Dress Shop $32 A fully-functioning tiny pocket knife that can open mail, cut fruit, and get more compliments than your fanciest engagement ring.

Baby Bullet Harness Red Hare Leather $140 A multi-purpose, gender-neutral chest harness that’s hot AF and promotes better posture.

Sex Kitten Dress Love from 1969 $69 This comfy but saucy dress can be glammed up or toned down while highlighting anyone’s best features.

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For the one getting their shit together (for real this time) Tropical Plant Jungle House $ Varies Cleaner air, clearer goals… or something like that. Pick out a cute pot that is so them, and take it up another notch by adding in a personal pot charm or climbing stake that shows you know their vibe.

Float + Massage Chair Floating KC $75/hour The gift of recentering. Make it even more special by offering to drive, then treat them to a local tea and pastry afterward.

Hair Transformation Moxie By KC $25-$300 A fresh start with a fresh ‘do. Treat your pal to a luxury salon experience for a boost in confidence to help crush those goals.

For the crunchy granola guys, gals, and pals

TRUNK TECH Hammock Sunflower Outdoor and Bike $60 A reliable camping hammock for those earthy festival folks. Bonaroo is right around the corner.

Lion’s Mane Grow Kit MyCo Planet $25-$35 You’ve probably heard that mushrooms promote good juju, or maybe that it’s just a bunch of woo-woo. But why not both? It’s called the brain mushroom for a reason. With a name like Lion’s Mane, we can’t help but trust it. (Bonus: Your foodie friends can cook with it!)

Goat Milk Soap Two Heifers Creations $6 Made with goat’s milk, jojoba oil, essential oils, and dried herbs for those who prefer natural self-care products and want to support local artisans.

Yes, chef: Gifts for the foodie who can’t wait for season 3 of The Bear Sexy Six Pack BBQ rubs & sauces Spice Bandit $49.80 Need to spice things up? Customize your local flavor picks for your foodie friend to zhuzh meats, cocktails, and more.

Red Honey Chamoy Boi $ TBA A little sweet, a little tangy, a little spicy. Do yourself a favor, and just put it on everything. At least once.

Custom Pasta Order Zero Zero Handmade Pasta $ Varies Take credit for this fresh, expert pasta. We’re not Santa—we won’t judge.

Bring a sample dish to your holiday gathering, then level up your White Elephant gift with a beautifully wrapped pasta-and-sauce combo.

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

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<3 For the sensitive boyfriend <3 “I Am Kenough” T-shirt Raygun $24.95 For those low-Kenergy days. It’s like wearing their heart on their sleeve.

(Is Emo Barbie a thing? It should be a thing.)

Hot Tub Soak & Sauna Mud & Lotus $55/hour Wanna get naked and slide into a mineral bath? Let your boo decompress in Lawrence’s outdoor cedar soaking tub destination. Join them, or don’t.

Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks Raven Book Store $41.94 The catch is to actually read it—not just have it strategically placed on a coffee table or display shelf.

Javelin by Sufjan Stevens (Lemonade Colored Vinyl) Josey Records $28.99 It’s actually a really, really good album.

You might wanna gift a box of tissues as well.

For the serial hobbyist JHS 3 Series Delay Pedal Big Dudes Music City $99 A solid, hand-built delay pedal for players who like to hear themselves talk.

Beginning Wheel Pottery Class (4-week) Belger Arts $175 Learn how to throw pots like a ceramics TikTok influencer.

Girl Sean Malto Arrow Head OG Deck (White) Escapist Skateboarding $65 A Chiefs-inspired deck from a local skateboarding hero.

KC Map Puzzle by Kansas City Puzzle Co. Made in KC $35 Have busy hands? This intricate 1,000-piece exploration of the city should help entertain.

Fairy Garden Craft Kit Scraps KC $10-$110 Fabricate a field of flora and fauna for your favorite fantasy forest friends.(**Gift Goblin approved)

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

For the one who dresses like a tourist Vintage Grey KC Heart Hoodie Charlie Hustle $72 An icon in its own right. This beyond-soft tee is a staple in Kansas Citians’ wardrobes. In fact, you might as well gift them a matching mug.

Signature KC Dad Hat (Black Denim) Made Mobb $35 Suggesting notions from cool dad to Midwest casual to this hat just goes with everything—it’s an accessory ideal for those who want to showcase KC pride without committing to a sports team, school, or landmark.

KC Western Auto Watercolor Print Carly Rae Studios $20+ For the friend who really loves our city and probably takes nightly joy rides down Grand Blvd.

For the one with a “Chiefs cave”

To-Go Beer Packs BKS Brewing $20 Feeling generous? Splurge for the good stuff. Pre-order pints of your favorite craft beer for the perfect tailgate with your pals!

Sunday Funday candle Effing Candle Co. $44 Smells like a Chiefs victory and Midwestern pride. Light this for good vibes and luck on game day. (And maybe to counteract the musk of spilled beer and cheeseball dust. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.)

The 87 Era Wagyu Beef Bundle KC Cattle Company $87 Ever heard of Wagyu beef being delivered to your door? Neither had we.

What’s better is the assortment of uncured hot dogs, summer sausage, bacon cheeseburger bratwursts, and ground beef this top-notch package includes.

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

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For the one who swiped right Custom Engagement Ring Waldo Jewelers $ Varies A gift that will make them say: “Holy shit, is this really happening?”

Seasonal Floral Bouquet Bergamot & Ivy $70+ Woo your boo with a one-of-akind floral arrangement from a genuine lilac master.

Couple’s Photoshoot Defie Photography $ Varies A photoshoot that shows off the best of your relationship dynamics, be it steamy, homey, comfortable, or confident—it’s unmistakably you.

Unplugged Weekend Getaway House $102+/night Go off the grid, but, like, in a cute, intimate way.

Gifties for Swifties Swelce Candle Fetch $16 Smells like a lot of Taylor Swift references that you may not fully understand but are still worth worshipping.

BELLBOY | Red Zone (Taylor’s Version) Crew Neck Westside Storey $58 Karma is a cozy sweatshirt featuring the hottest couple of the year doing what they do best.

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

1989: Taylor’s Version (2 LP) by Taylor Swift Records With Merritt $39.98 They probably already have this, but a backup never hurts. Maybe the first will wear out from play, or maybe this will be kept as a collector’s item.

Klassic Sweatpant (Sand) Tru Kolors $89 Support Daddy’s side biz.

For fancy-schmancy friends (or mothers-in-law) Bath Gel SKiN $20 Rub-a-dub-dub. Choose from Naked, Peppermint, or Sweet Orange shower gel and get that tub a-bubblin’.

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Wine Club Underdog Wine Co. $35-120/month Underdog Wine Co. in the Crestwood Shops offers an intimate imbibement experience. The wine club is a gift that keeps on giving— specifically, recurring deliveries of small-batch vinos for chill nights and playful brunches.

For pet people Christmas To-Do List Shirt Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption $25 Everyone loves a good list, especially when you can wear it.

Check boxes and contribute to an honorable cause.

Sponsor a Kitty Whiskers Cat Cafe $50 Adopt a cat without adopting a cat.

Teal & Red KC Heart Collar Charlie Hustle $28 Even pets can support the hottest new team in women’s professional sports.

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

15

Craft Cocktail Week

2023

Afterword Tavern & Shelves

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Mischief Managed

Santa Sugar Cookie

Rough Christmas planned at the in-laws? Dreading that holiday shopping crowd? Try this delightful combination of dark chocolate infused mezcal with a peppercorn & thyme simple, Amaro Montenegro, Bénédictine, grapefruit & lime, shaken with a little egg white. Combined, this cocktail is a perfect balance of bright seasonal flavors finished with a creamy texture. Enjoy one (or two?) to liven up your holiday mischief.

Vanilla Vodka, Frangelico, Half and Half and topped with Whipped Cream and a dusting of CoCoa Powder.

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

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1815 W. 39TH STREET KCMO 64111 THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

17

CULTURE As someone who hasn’t played board games since Chutes and Ladders in grade school, it took me a while to catch on to something big.

Theater of the Mind

LEVEL ONE GAME SHOP LEVELS UP WITH MUGEN GAMING AND KIRI-AI: THE DUEL

By Rachel Potucek

The tabletop gaming industry is hot— and getting hotter. While the rest of us weren’t looking, Dungeons & Dragons and Risk made room for a new wave of inclusive genre-busters: Queer power and romance (Thirsty Sword Lesbians), cozy quilts and cats (Calico), and scientifically-accurate ocean ecosystems (Oceans) are lighting up Kickstarter. Thousands of new games are released each year, and analyst agency Arizton forecasts the industry will nearly double by 2028.

Amid this boom, Mugen Gaming—a new game publisher founded by husband and wife duo Ai Namima-Davison and Shawn Davison, also founders of Level One Game Shop in Kansas City’s River Market— is making international waves for its first game Kiri-ai: The Duel, a two-player strategy card game set to release this month.

At this year’s Spiel Essen—the world’s largest board game convention at nearly 200,000 visitors per year—industry mag Dicebreaker named Kiri-ai one of the convention’s best games.

The Pitch sat down with Ai and Shawn of Mugen Gaming and Level One Game Shop to talk about their rise in the gaming scene and to play the sublimely strategic Kiri-ai.

The city’s game shop By the mid-2010s, tabletop gaming held a strong footprint in Kansas City’s surrounding suburbs, but at that time, there were no game shops inside the city itself. Ai and Shawn wanted to see if the city could sustain one, so they started inviting people to play.

They launched weekly Meetup gaming nights at Opera House Coffee & Food Emporium in the River Market and quickly reached capacity, so they took the business plunge and rented a small 500-square-foot retail space in the River Market.

They started with a small game selection at the time—nothing in stock, everything on the shelves—that they jokingly said looked more like a museum than a game shop. Every time someone bought a game, Ai and Shawn bought two more.

They kept inviting people to play, and people kept coming, so they strung lights in the hallways outside their shop to set up more tables, and within a year, people squeezed around crowded tables to play. It kept growing.

In 2017, they took over the lease of a neighboring shop to launch their current location, a space six times larger than the one they held before.

They call their store Level One Game Shop in honor of newcomers to the world

of gaming—a nod to the “level one” starting player in Dungeons & Dragons and other games.

“It’s where everyone starts,” says Ai. That inclusive mindset has been a driving force behind the community they’ve aimed to build in everything from their phrasing and marketing to their event formats. They flattened their event prizes so that new players, as well as seasoned pros, could win something, giving everyone the experience of a good game with good friends.

When the pandemic hit, Level One reorganized to reach people where they were—at home—and began offering local pickup and shipping.

Today, the shop is packed with hundreds of games in stock, organized by a larger team. Everything you see on the shelves is available online for order, and the store adds an average of two to three new games each week.

From retailers to publishers Shawn and Ai’s publishing company, Mugen Gaming, started somewhat unexpectedly.

Ai was raised in Japan, and on a trip to visit her family for Christmas in 2019, Shawn and Ai stopped by the Tokyo Game Market, Japan’s leading gaming trade fair.

The Tokyo Game Market stands out in the international industry for not standing out. As the world’s largest show for independent game developers, it tends to be less commercial and more craft-oriented.

Makers are more likely to bring their games to show and sell in small quantities.

“It has a ton of indie game makers, but the purchasing market is not as big—you have a lot of good designers but not a lot of people to sell to in that language,” says Shawn. “There are rows and rows of designers, but it’s hard for them to break into mass sales and distribution because there’s only a few companies who pick up titles.”

“We were just walking around, we were not thinking about publishing a game,” says Ai. They stopped by game designer Kamibayashi’s table and played his new game Kiri-ai, which, at the time, was slated for just 200 copies in print.

“It’s so unique,” says Ai. “We sat down and we played it and [said to ourselves] ‘We’d like to have this game in the United States—why don’t we try to publish this?’”

Just as they began conversations, the pandemic hit, and life went on pause. Last year, they picked back up to launch Mugen Gaming and its first published game, Kiri-ai.

To bring a game from design to distribution is no small feat. With Kamibayashi’s artwork and game mechanisms as a foundation, Ai and Shawn brought their retail

Ai demonstrates Kiri-ai: The Duel to Tom Vasel from The Dice Tower. Courtesy photo

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

CULTURE Shawn and Ai at Esser Spile in Germany in 2023.

Courtesy photo

experience to create new packaging—including an Edo period-style cloth wallet tied with gold string—and polished the game rules, translated and rewrote the instructions, and sourced a manufacturer.

In a stroke of Kansas City gaming community kismet, Ai and Shawn connected locally with an employee of international gaming publisher Lucky Duck Games.

Lucky Duck offered to co-publish and handle international distribution and translation and wanted to spotlight Kiri-ai at their Essen booth.

For Ai and Shawn, it was a perfect match. They could merge their retail experience and relationships with an international co-publisher and its distribution relationships. “[We knew] we’re only going to have one first game,” says Shawn. “And if they think we’re good enough to do that, then we’re gonna do that.”

In the crowded tabletop industry, marketing is the key to success: A lot of game designers launch on Kickstarter to leverage its built-in marketing amplifier, with the goal of building an audience that then drives a publisher to pick up the game and help drive sales. Shawn and Ai knew they had a trickier path ahead. Earlier in the year, they had taken Kiri-ai to game manufacturers at the GAMA Expo and picked up early reviews and interest, but they knew they were relatively unknown to the general public.

“We stood at the [demo] table for eight hours each day, especially Ai—she wore a traditional samurai outfit at the booth and demoed it for eight hours straight every day,” Shawn says. “That’s how we got a lot of hype and reviews.”

They noticed that people started stop-

ping by the booth because they’d heard about Kiri-ai, or saw others playing at convention hotels after hours. Then Dicebreaker and French reviewer Rue du jeu called it one of Essen’s top games, adding more buzz.

Kiri-ai: The Duel With just 16 cards, Kiri-ai: The Duel—which Kamibayashi originally named Don-ten no Kiri-ai (or “sword fight under the cloudy skies”), is a two-player card game that makes for a satisfyingly strategic duel.

It starts with the unfolding of the Edo-period wallet to pull your cards. The wallet’s inner folds reveal more artwork of swirling clouds, moonlight, and a scene poised for battle: Two samurai face each other on the cliff’s edge. Cloudy skies dark-

en the night. The moon breaks through as they strike. This is Kiri-ai: The Duel.

One card serves as a board, two cards as the players, and the rest are split to each player’s hand. Aside from a small instruction insert, the game is accessible in any language. Once you know how it’s played, you don’t need to read the cards to play.

With each round, you can invoke a lethal sword strike, suffer a blow, or make a graceful step just out of reach—if you’re lucky. If you’re hit, it’s just two strikes, and you’re out.

Players’ cards move forward and back along a straight duel line, reminiscent of fencing. A game can end in a few quick rounds or run up to 15 minutes, depending on your luck and how well you can read your opponent (or how well they can read you).

Cards come in and out of play each round, keeping you guessing about your opponent’s moves, and the game has advanced options to keep testing one another’s strategy.

With no heavy cardstock board, draw piles, meeples, or tokens, Kiri-ai feels like an impossibly agile feat compared to many popular games. The small wallet can fit in a pocket or purse better than a phone. Shawn and Ai say it’s great for travel—especially airplane tray tables.

With Kiri-ai launching this month, Ai and Shawn are hard at work talking to other retailers and demoing the game, one person at a time.

They also see potential in Kiri-ai for character packs, variant roles, and licensed versions for knights or Vikings (I’m hoping for a Jedi pack). They’re also planning to revisit the Tokyo Game Market this month and see Kamibayashi in person again.

Kiri-ai is available for pre-order in December, with broader distribution underway.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM

Kiri-ai lives on the rack at Level One Game Shop.

Courtesy photo

thepitchkc.com/member THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

19

FOOD & DRINK

Life’s a Party BRYAN ARRI’S SUGARCANE AND AGAVE-FORWARD FERN BAR LANDS IN THE CROSSROADS

By Jordan Baranowski Bryan Arri has long been a standout in the Kansas City cocktail scene. He’s shaken things up full-time at some of the metro’s most cutting-edge locations, including Manifesto, Rye, and The Monarch— you’ve probably noticed his fiery locks as he holds things down at the bar. For the past few years, Arri has hosted his own concept, Fern Bar, around the city. Now, after years of preparation, the pop-up bar is finally putting down roots of its own—Arri plans to open the brick-and-mortar location before the end of the year in the Crossroads Arts District.

Located at 2045 Broadway, Fern Bar will be a casual-chic cocktail spot that specializes in sugarcane and agave spirits. At the most basic level, that means rum and tequila/mezcal, though we’ve seen enough of Arri’s work to FERN BAR know that Fern Bar will push 2045 Broadway those boundaries as far as Boulevard, they can go.

Kansas City, MO Even though Arri’s ex64108, in the perience comes mostly from Crossroads Arts high-end concepts, he’s District looking to bring something of a new outlook to the local beverage scene. Fern Bar’s website proudly proclaims that it is “changing the way Kansas City drinks,” and Arri wants to make sure that any pretentiousness surrounding good cocktails is left at the door. When asked about his staff’s approach to their menu, Arri is happy to share a touching story.

“It comes from something my late grandfather, Tom, used to say,” Arri says.

“He was a man with an infectious laugh who was able to take command of any room through his incredible aura. During his life,

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FOOD & DRINK (Top) Bryan Arri toasts to Fern Bar’s brick-andmortar in the Crossroads. (Bottom) A Oaxaca Old Fashioned. Jack Hatzfeld

he suffered great hardship—including losing three wives to cancer. I once asked him how he was able to remain so joyful despite all the tragedy, and he told me, ‘First, keep your faith. Secondly, life’s just a party, and I’m there.’”

Arri continues: “When I was planning the concept of Fern Bar, I myself suffered a terrible loss: the passing of my little brother.

I knew I wanted a spot where you could leave your troubles at the door, a place where everyone felt safe and welcome, and a place where we could remind everyone that life is a party worth being at. If you’re here to chat with a bartender about artisanal mezcal, sip daiquiris with coworkers for happy hour, or take shots with your friends on a Saturday night—those all sound like parties to me. I really hope that every guest feels a bit of my grandfather’s spirit when they spend time at Fern Bar.” When Fern Bar opens their doors (Arri is hoping for mid-December but knows that delays are always a possibility), the first menu will showcase a selection of honed classics that each demonstrate the strengths of their focal spirit. These include rum-based drinks like Daiquiris, Mojitos, and Planter’s Punch. Across the aisle, agave-based spirits shine in refined versions of the Margarita, Paloma, Oaxaca Old Fashioned, and more. Arri also hopes to showcase classics that might fly a little under the standard radar: He highlights the Jungle Bird, Naked & Famous, and El Presidente as classic cocktails that don’t appear on many menus but will be a part of Fern Bar’s offerings on day one.

Starting simple is a two-fold process for Fern Bar. On the one hand, Arri knows that people generally aren’t as familiar with agave and sugarcane spirits as they might be with cocktails that utilize whiskey or vodka.

He says, “In today’s cocktail landscape, menus continue to get increasingly esoteric and difficult to understand. It’s easy to order a drink where you haven’t heard of half the ingredients and walk away absolutely loving it—but without any idea of why.”

By starting basic, he hopes guests are more willing to come on a journey with the bar and the staff, learning about what they like in a drink and why.

Of course, that also means he needs

to have an on-point staff. Arri is extremely confident in his team, educating them on the finer points of how these drinks were developed and helping them to understand the nuances of the different spirits they’re using. By starting them on the basic cocktails that use agave and sugarcane spirits, he hopes to create a team that is soon riffing and experimenting on some crazy concoctions.

“We are building a team toward becoming the best in the city at menu development,” he says.

Once they’ve got their footing, Arri says he can’t wait to see future menus at Fern Bar. Finally, Arri’s previous time at highend cocktail bars around the city has given him some unique connections and insights that he hopes to pass along to patrons.

“We really hope to be able to highlight smaller producers—people that are giving back to the communities they work within,” he says.

If you’re looking to expand your horizons on these historically varied and unique spirits, Fern Bar sounds like it will be one of the best places to taste and learn about them.

In case you couldn’t tell, Fern Bar is a place we’re really looking forward to. Keep up to date with them on social media to stay aware of when their doors are officially opening. Arri seems to have a strong, sustainable vision about how to continue pushing the cocktail scene in Kansas City forward and open a new spot that is welcoming and unpretentious, with plenty of outside-the-box ideas. Just like Grandpa Tom would have wanted: If Fern Bar is always going to be this kind of party, we are there for it.

Baked Mac & Cheese

By Sarah Sipple

Cliff’s Taphouse 3044 Gillham Road Kansas City, MO 64108

Winter can bring out a range of feelings, and comfort food is something we turn to in both celebration and loneliness. Cliff’s Taphouse

Sarah Sipple

in Martini Corner is there for you whether you need a welcoming space to dine alone or a reliable spot to bring a group. From the cozy covered patio to the friendly staff, this is a place where you feel like you’re part of the neighborhood.

Baked macaroni and cheese is a dish that many people find comforting or nostalgic. While there are differing opinions on the best recipe, the one that you don’t have to make yourself is often appreciated.

Cliff’s Taphouse uses a generous portion of penne held together with three cheeses—cheddar, parmesan, and Monterrey jack—and then tops it with toasted garlic breadcrumbs. This is on the lighter side of comparable dishes—not goopy or dripping with unnatural orange “cheese product.” The parmesan adds a noticeable depth.

Opting for buffalo chicken on top adds some filling protein and a nice variance of texture. The buffalo chicken is not overly sauced or spicy but brings a slight tang to the creamy pasta.

To round out a comfort-food meal, try starting with the Jalapeño Corn Chowder.

The soup is warm with a true, natural jalapeño heat and uniformly diced corn and potatoes. It is creamy, hearty, and very popular. If I get sick, this is the first thing I will have delivered.

As a finisher, the chocolate cake from Overland Park’s Golden Boy Pies and Cakes is a fantastically classic dessert, boasting a balance between sweet and dark chocolate as well as moist and lightweight. Trust me, you’ll make room in your “dessert stomach” for this.

Consider yourself comforted, at least for a few warm moments.

Noble Stout

By Sarah Sipple

Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company 2129 Washington St., Kansas City, MO 64108 100 S Main St., Parkville, MO 64152

Rochester’s Original Coffee Stout was nominated by readers as a finalist for “Best Stout” in our Best of KC 2023 contest.

A newer release, the Noble Stout, is a coffee stout with an 8.3% ABV. In the brewing process, Sarah Sipple Rochester uses their “Original” coffee blend, chipotle peppers, Madagascar vanilla beans, and cacao.

The result is a mild stout with a luscious texture.

Coffee is the primary flavor, with beer essence taking a backseat to the notes of chocolate and hickory. With a color between burnt church coffee and black forest cake, the stout is velvety and easily drinkable. This is not a stout that makes you feel like you’ve drunk a loaf of bread after one glass. It’s possible that it’s *too* drinkable–it goes down easy like a cold brew.

Rochester is a great spot for beer newbies. Without being bland or flavorless, many of the brews are gentle and pleasant versions of common beer styles. Flights of tasters are available to sample new-to-you beers. Two other stouts are on rotation lately—an imperial stout and a Russian imperial stout—plus sours, IPAs, cream ales, and more.

Pair this with a house-made donut for a decadent afternoon treat, or meet friends after work and pair this relatively light stout with an Italian sandwich for a hearty meal. Folks who are caffeine-sensitive can *rest easy* knowing that the caffeine content is negligible in coffee stouts.

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

21

MUSIC

Feeling Seen LOCAL MERCH MERGER IS A SPIFFY NEW LOOK FOR THE MUSIC BIZ

By Nick Spacek Six months ago, with absolutely no fanfare or even an announcement, Kansas City’s Seen Merch purchased long-running Lawrence businesses Blue Collar Press and the online counterpart known as Merchtable. For such an epic merger of two companies responsible for merchandise for acts like boygenius, Iron Maiden, Turnpike Troubadours, Willie Nelson, John Denver, and countless others, it seems remarkable that it would go unheralded.

However, given what Seen Merch founder and CEO RL Brooks had going on at the time, it’s understandable.

“May 3 of this year—the day before I had my first child—was the day,” says Brooks with a smile. “So yeah, that’s a big couple of days—signed the deal in the hospital parking lot. It was very wild. I had a business baby and a real baby.”

Brooks goes on to talk about the two companies that have existed side-by-side for well over a decade. Both started small, in a garage, and have expanded to help clients and customers worldwide.

With talks starting over a year ago in Summer 2022, it’s been worth the work, says former Blue Collar Press president Sean Ingram, who—along with partner Jim David—worked his last official time in office just days after I spoke with Brooks.

“We were the missing pieces for each business, so it just made a lot of sense,” says Ingram of the sale, a point echoed by Brooks while discussing the fact that the Merchtable and Blue Collar Press sale has been the biggest purchase thus far in Seen Merch’s history.

“I mean, literally, we were aligned culturally in demographics,” Brooks says.

While he’s quick to acknowledge that Seen and Blue Collar have always been competitors, he’s equally quick to mention that he’s always been a fan of what Ingram and David had been doing. Brooks is part of the eldest wave of the emo/screamo scene, having been the guitarist for local genre stalwarts in Flee the Seen, whereas Ingram and Brooks rode the mid-to-late ‘90s post-hardcore and indie movement as members of Coalesce and the Anniversary, respectively.

“It’s weird,” says Brooks. “We never really tussled. We never really ran into each other, but I was building the business, I think, at a higher rate. But they were also building the business in a certain segment at a higher rate. It’s kind of like our strengths were really aligned: Where they needed

22

more power, I had it, and where I needed more power, they had it. It’s really been an awesome marriage.”

When it comes to timing, the way the sale of Blue Collar and Merchtable happened to Seen was kismet, really, according to Brooks and Ingram.

“Funnily enough, we have the same lawyer, and our lawyer put us together,” Brooks says. “Sean and Jim were looking for an exit, and we have been in acquisition mode. Of course, our lawyer knows that. I didn’t know they were thinking about it. I had a feeling. I don’t know where in the universe that came from. I kind of always knew that we were going to collide one day.”

“We went through two really difficult things, and it just kind of shook us,” says Ingram.

The first was losing Blue Collar’s third partner—a story that Ingram’s not at liberty to discuss—coming on the heels of the pandemic.

“It was just bizarre and unexpected,” Ingram says. “We were looking at band merch and stuff and were just like, ‘Well, maybe this is the right time to exit.’”

Ingram explains that another question was how to solidify the business so it grows and then, essentially, get out of the way.

“Jim and I are also older,” says Ingram.

“We’re approaching 50, and being on the up and up on all of the new bands was getting more difficult. It’s kind of the age thing, but also just recognizing that if we’re gonna do it, this is the time to do it, and the way we should do it is such that the company will continue to keep feeding people and give people new opportunities to grow along-

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

side it.”

Upon discussing growth, Brooks reflects on the early days of Seen Merch and some of his first sales that ultimately pioneered the company’s expansion.

“The acquisition stuff really came naturally,” says Brooks. “The first one was Ink Tank Merch in Omaha, which was the merchandising arm of Saddle Creek Records.”

Brooks knew the production manager there, as well as the folks at Saddle Creek, and at the time, they were moving a lot of their operations to LA and didn’t know where to land their merchandise efforts.

“I said, ‘Sell it to me. I know what needs to happen with this business,’” Brooks says.

“It’s been awesome. It was really the basis of that. Then we bought KC ScreenPrint.”

This particular segment of the merch business is called “contract decoration,” in which marketing folks work with businesses. Brooks says it’s not as sexy as making band t-shirts or warehousing a label’s catalog of vinyl records, but the music industry is so tumultuous that Seen was really looking to find some stable, foundational pieces to add to their holdings. Blue Collar and Merchtable add another sturdy and functional business element, which means Seen can continue to do what they do best.

“It’s scaled,” Ingram says. “He figured it out. His quality is high. His customer service works.”

Doing tours and significant events where you need semi-trailers full of merch isn’t something Ingram ever really focused on with his role in sales and customer relations, but he is over the moon about how Brooks and Seen Merch have dialed it in.

When two become one. Blue Collar Press/ Merchtable and Seen Merch now operate under one umbrella company. Courtesy photos

From locals to legends, emerging artists to global superstars, discover the sound of Kansas City on 90.9 The Bridge.

DOWNLOAD OUR APP and Start Your Musical Journey.

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM 23

MUSIC

Daisy Buckët Does it Again WELCOME TO SPRINGFIELD PAYS TRIBUTE TO A QUEER ICON AND IS WELL-DESERVING OF “BEST NEW LOCAL ALBUM”

By Emily Jacobs Drag queen Daisy Buckët (aka Spencer Brown) has played a big part in the LGBTQ+ scene in Kansas City for over 15 years, winning “Best Drag Queen” in 2019, 2021, and 2022 in The Pitch—not to mention receiving coverage in national publications such as The New Yorker, Forbes Magazine, and CNN. She’s toured around the country, both solo and with the a capella group known as the Kinsey Sicks, and she appeared on Watch What Happens Live! With Andy Cohen and Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She’s also raised over $100,000 for the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

Daisy Buckët is best known for her insanely beautiful singing voice, and her second album, Welcome to Springfield, just dropped this fall. After setting the bar high with her first album, Pansy, which won “Best New Local Album” in The Pitch in 2018, her newest effort won the same award this year.

“I was so happy,” says Brown. “I was on a work call on Friday afternoon, I got off the call, somebody had texted me, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s today.’ But it’s not just a win for me. It’s a win for all of [the musicians].

They are all really well-known and respected musicians, so I’m happy for them.”

Welcome to Springfield is a tribute to British pop and soul singer Dusty Springfield, consisting of 11 covers of Springfield’s songs, from some of her hit songs like “Spooky” to deeper cuts like “Breakfast in Bed” and ranging from slower songs like “The Look of Love” to faster, upbeat tunes like “Wishin’ and Hopin.’” The sole secondary inspiration to the album that Brown cites is pop singer Ronnie Spector, and Daisy’s spin on the first track of the album, “Stay Awhile,” is a nod to her.

“I can’t compare to her voice,” says Brown. “She had a sort of theatricality and soulfulness to her sound that I think worked well for this album.”

The songs on the album follow a theme of love, heartbreak, and relationships—a theme that Brown himself relates to, and listeners will relate to as well.

While Brown discounts his own talents in comparison to Springfield, his warm, soothing voice shines and perfectly complements the record’s soulful instrumentals.

The beginnings of this album go all the way back to when Brown was recording Pansy. While pulling material for that album, Brown came across Springfield’s song, “If You Go Away”—which is on this album. Brown had wanted to do a cover of that song for the first album, but it ultimately didn’t work out. However, Brown kept coming back to that song over the next few years.

Brown started to read more about Springfield and became interested in her as a person after discovering how progressive and outspoken she was for her time— not to mention being queer—with a majority of her career taking place between the 1960s and 1980s. While Springfield never explicitly came out, she was known to cohabitate with female partners over the years and was never known to have a male partner, and she even went on the record to say something along the lines of enjoying the company of women as much as men.

Between enjoying Springfield’s style of music and

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

learning that she was a queer icon, Brown was inspired to record a cover album in honor of her.

“I have heard some people who, when it comes to cover albums, ‘Why would you just record somebody else’s music?’” says Brown. “Well, there’s a lot of people that might not know the music. When there’s a remake of a movie or a revival of a musical—you’re not trying to one-up the person that did it before you. You’re just bringing it back to life and calling attention to it.”

Brown reached out to songwriter/composer/guitarist Jeff Freling, who also worked on the first album, to help arrange the songs and get the record together. The list of songs was initially 17, but Freling helped Brown narrow the list down.

“I like working with artists who are just—they get it. We’re on the same track,” says Brown of working with Freling, to whom he gives immense credit for the album’s success.

Having worked with Freling before and building off of previous experience, Brown had a better idea of what to expect going into this album, and the process moved along more quickly. The album was recorded at Weights and Measures Soundlab, which was a finalist for “Best Music Studio” in The Pitch this year, with recording engineer Duane Trower mixing and mastering the record.

They recorded a large portion of the instrumentals and the main vocals in just two days in October 2022, starting around 9 a.m. and working into the afternoon both days.

“Singing before noon was not my favorite thing,” Brown says while laughing.

However, a few months later, they went back into the studio to add some more instrumentals and backing vocals, with the album finally being completed last summer before its release. The tracks feature a variety of instruments and a large lineup of local musicians who are all accomplished in their own right: Ken Lovern on piano, electric piano, and organ; Jeff Harshbarger on bass; Brian Steever on drums; Freling on guitars; Trevor Turla on trombone; Mark Hamblin on trumpet; and James Isaac on tenor and baritone saxophones. Talya Groves provided backing vocals on “Stay Awhile,” “Wishin’ and Hopin,’” and “Son Of A Preacher Man,” with all additional backing vocals being provided by Brown himself.

So what’s up next for the drag queen and musician?

In terms of music, for now, Brown is basking in the success of Daisy Buckët’s Welcome to Springfield, and he intends to put out another album eventually.

Recently, Brown completed his final Hocus Poke Us staged reading after 10 years of a cult-like gathering of fans, friends, and fellow queens. He’s enjoyed doing the readings every year, but he’s hoping that taking a step back from that will open up time to focus on new endeavors.

Most notably, coming up this summer, Brown will co-direct Music Theater Heritage’s production of La Cage aux Folles, a musical that he took part in several years ago. La Cage broke down barriers when it opened on Broadway in 1983 and became known as a “gay anthem,” with it being the first hit Broadway musical to have a gay couple as its central focus.

Despite the setbacks in LGBTQ+ rights in Missouri in recent years, Brown feels good about the climate in Kansas City for queers and drag queens and is optimistic about its future.

Brown performs as Daisy at Enzo Bistro & Wine Bar for Third Sundays at Enzo once a month and at Missie B’s for Music Mondays every week. A full list of Daisy Buckët’s upcoming performances can be found at missdaisybucket.com.

Daisy Buckët in studio. Courtesy photos

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25

December 3

December 12

Merry Axemas

Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center The Kansas City Horror Club and Black Rose Co. are teaming up for “Merry Axemas, A Spooky Holiday Market.” Find the perfect gift for the horror fans in your life from over 50 local vendors, and get a chance to have your picture taken with Krampus. The event is being held at the Stoney Creek Hotel on Sunday, December 3, from 12-6 p.m. Entry is free, and all ages are welcome.

December CALENDAR

By The Pitch Staff

ONGOING/MULTIPLE:

December 1-24

The Nutcracker, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

December 1-30 GloWild: Around the World, Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium

December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17 The Strawberry Swing Presents: 13th Annual Holiday Swing, Crown Center

December 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 Electric Glow, Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

December 14-16 Drunken Christmas Carol, or The Time We Went to Uncle Morty’s…, Lawrence Arts Center

December 21-24 Knights of Lights Festival, Kansas City Renaissance Festival

EVENTS

December 1 Adventure Club, The Midland The Phil Collins Experience, Uptown Theater

26

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show The Midland

Following the success of their highly acclaimed holiday special in 2020, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni and drag queen royalty, Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, are bringing their holiday tour back to Kansas City on Dec 12 at The Midland. Written and directed by BenDeLaCreme, you can be sure to expect a night full of witty comedy, new songs, and a few fan favorites. This show is recommended for ages 18 and up.

Tickets start at $49.50.

Thelma & The Sleaze, The Bottleneck Hail the Sun, Granada

December 6 Motherfolk, Encore Room

Dirty Dancing in Concert, Kansas City Convention Center Heartless Bastards, The Bottleneck FAC MMA 22, Cable Dahmer Arena Nest, Limb Dealer, Pusher, Farewell KCMO

December 2 Christmas in Hell 2: The Return of Satan Claus, Replay Lounge Cherry Bomb, VooDoo Lounge Angel Du$t, The Bottleneck 19th Annual KISSmas Show, Knuckleheads Lawrence Old Fashioned Christmas Parade, Downtown Lawrence

December 3 Running of the Bull(dogs), Bar K Kitchen Dwellers, recordBar Mae, The Bottleneck Poems: musicbyskippy’s EP Release and Holiday Show, Westport Coffee House

December 4 Jackie and Jan’s Jingle Jam, Hamburger Mary’s Pasquale Grasso, guitar, Lied Center of Kansas

December 5 106.5 The Wolf’s Acoustic Christmas, The Midland

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

December 7

The Uncouth Record Release w/ Doldrums, White LIne Nightmares, DJ Pez, The Brick A Motown Holiday, Gem Theater

December 10

A Christmas Carol, Lied Center of Kansas Level Up, recordBar Pony Bradshaw, The Bottleneck It’s a Wonderful Life: A live radio play, Lenexa City Hall

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Heartland Men’s Chorus Presents ‘A Very Merry Christmas Pageant,’ Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College

December 8

December 11

Joe Gatto, The Midland Roman Alexander, PBR Big Sky Moon Taxi, The Truman Kansas City Mavericks vs. Idaho Steelheads, Cable Dahmer Arena Boxknife, Thonggag, Cat F!ght, Replay Lounge

Patrick Droney, The Madrid Emery, The Almost, recordBar

December 9 Queer Bar Takeover, The Ship Mark Normand: Ya Don’t Say Tour, Uptown Theater Westport Christmas Market, Westport MoonShroom with Wayne Gottstine & Jamie Briggeman, Knuckleheads KPR Presents: Big Band Christmas 2023, Liberty Hall Tape B: Old School X New School 2023 Fall Tour, recordBar Winter Wonderland, North Kansas City Parks & Recreation Manor Records “Masterclass” ft. Michelle Bacon, Manor Records

December 13 Kansas City Mavericks vs. Allen Americans, Cable Dahmer Arena Country Christmas with Randy Houser, PBR Big Sky

December 14 Riot Ten, The Truman The Menzingers, Liberty Hall Joe Samba, Encore Room Midnight Market: Birthday Party, The Bottleneck

December 15 A Driftmist in the Night, The Bottleneck Kansas City Mavericks vs. Allen Americans, Cable Dahmer Arena Betsy O & the Hollaback boys, Konza Swamp Band, Replay Lounge

December 15

This is Important Podcast [Live] The Midland

The minds behind Workaholics and the 2018 Netflix movie Game Over, Man are ready to hit The Midland on Friday, December 15. This is Important, a podcast created and hosted

by Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, and Kyle Newacheck, was created during the pandemic and has flourished into a weekly show, boasting over 160 episodes of everything from fresh takes on politics to the fabled luggage talk. The tour was spawned from the ashes of a canceled Workaholics movie (thanks, Paramount+) and is full of good, cheap laughs and flying BuzzBallz.

December 16

December 23

TVBOO, The Madrid Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, T-Mobile Center Holiday Harmonies presented by Central Standard & Vocal Standard, The Folly Theater The Spooklights, Knuckleheads Krampusnacht Holiday Macabre Market, The Big Rip Brewing Company Lawrence City Band Holiday Market, Lawrence Public Library Heavy Petty Holiday Show, Granada Ugly Sweater Party, Bar K

Luck 20, Arithmetic Band, Carlos Homebrew Victory, Replay Lounge Radkey X-MAS Evil Eve feat. The Ugly Cowboys, The Utilitarians, recordBar

December 17

Jamiroquai - Funk Tribute, recordBar

December 27 Pamper the Madman, Plaid Iris, They Came in Droves, recordBar

December 28

December 18

Shakedown Strings: Playing the Grateful Dead, Knuckleheads

Kansas City Mavericks vs. Tulsa Oilers, Cable Dahmer Arena

December 21 Kansas State vs. Wichita State, T-Mobile Center

December 22 David George Orchestra Rock & Roll Christmas Show, The Madrid The Ugly Cowboys, The Rackatees, Alien Hellbop, Replay Lounge

Granada

Laura Jane Grace—founder, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Against Me!— comes to the Granada on Friday, December 29, with special guest Mya Byrne.

She also published the book Tranny: Confessions Of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout, an autobiography based on Grace’s journals that tackles her strong beliefs and struggles with mental illness and gender dysphoria to her coming out as a transgender woman—being one of the first punk rock icons to do so.

Grace’s Granada show is part of a quick run of solo dates promoting her new single, “Dysphoria Hoodie.”

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

December 29

December 20

Laura Jane Grace

December 25

Alexandra Kay, The Madrid Breed Meet-Up: German Shepherd, Bar K

Paint Your Pet, Bar K

December 29

December 30 JAM: Michael Jackson & Bruno Mars Tribute, Knuckleheads Various Blonde, Terrasoul, Bad Alaskan, Replay Lounge

December 31 Kansas City Mavericks vs. Wichita Thunder, Cable Dahmer Arena Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

December 29

Kansas Jayhawks vs.

Wichita State Shockers T-Mobile Center

The Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers men’s basketball teams are making their way to the Missouri side on Saturday, December 30, for their matchup at the T-Mobile Center. This is a great opportunity for Kansas City residents who are fans of either university to enjoy a clash between the two at a neutral venue. As the Jayhawks come off of a heartbreaking conclusion to their dominant 2022-23 regular season with their loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Bill Self and the boys are looking to get back on track with this mid-season rivalry meeting with Wichita State.

Stay in the know about KC’s upcoming events on our interactive online calendar!

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

27

THE PITCH ADVICE KEEP THEM COMING

if you bruise easily or you have a low pain tolerance. Don’t jump from porn right into a scene.”

“Don’t rush into anything,” subbie says.

“Do your research and educate yourself before playing because you could hurt someone with some of these things or hurt yourself.”

If you or your partner want to learn more, you can turn to a professional sexologist, in person or online, find your local kink groups on FetLife.com, or go to a party or

version, as plastic will stick to the skin.

Electrostimulation, urethral sounding, ball-busting, weighting/stretching, and chastity cages are more involved, with each practice having its own safety measures.

“One of my favorites is the ball crusher,” Goddess_Heathen says. “It’s like plexiglass with clamps on the corners. You can also get it with electrodes.”

Etsy has over 1000 items for sale for CBT, including a plethora of plexiglass ball crushers. There are some truly creatively depraved

Photo by Nicole Bissey. Illustrations by Shelby Phelps

CBT has as much variety as a holiday cookie platter.

DECK THE BALLS Warning: May induce phantom pain, feelings of nausea, or a sadistic smile.

Say “CBT” around therapists, and you might start discussing a treatment approach based on the theories of Albert Ellis and Pavlov. Say “CBT” to a kinkster, and we’re having an entirely different conversation about cock and ball torture.

CBT has as much variety as a holiday cookie platter. At its core, CBT typically has a person who likes to receive pain and teasing (a masochist) as the bottom, while the top (a sadist) inflicts pain and pleasure to the bottom’s genitals. CBT is considered on the more extreme side of the spectrum of BDSM. A man who’s been practicing for around a decade, who would like to be called “subbie” for this interview, said his practice involves “everything from impact play and chastity, to pegging and forced bi—probably way too many to list. I have an extensive collection of gear.”

CBT can involve intense pain, but it can also include intense teasing and tension building. Goddess_Heathen, a professional ball-buster, said it’s about inflicting a good amount of pain, then bringing in “nice touches, or petting, or using the Hitachi Wand on the head of the penis.” She gives small breaks in between to make the bottom wonder what’s coming next. Controlling the cycle of pain, anticipation, and pleasure is often part of the erotic power exchange be-

28

tween the top and bottom.

Goddess_Heathen has been in the kink world (aka “in the lifestyle”) for 25 years. She got started with cock and ball torture when a friend brought it up. Off and on for the last 12 years, men have sought her out to receive the pleasure and pain experience.

“I get control and power over someone else,” Goddess_Heathen says. “It’s exhilarating! It’s fun to see what I can do with simple items and play around. It’s a creative outlet.

You’re not out to harm. You’re not out to explode testicles. You’re into pushing the limits—how far can you take them?”

When asked why a person with a penis might like this, she says, “I believe it has a lot to do with the pushing of limits and boundaries. The need for being subservient—to please your dominant in this fashion is a blissful feeling.”

For subbie, he says, “There is not just the power exchange part, but also taking that pain for them, showing your devotion to them by taking it for them, pushing yourself to take more. But also you have to enjoy [it].

Just like with most BDSM, the pain from CBT gives you an adrenaline rush.”

Letting a new partner in on a kink, CBT or otherwise, can be intimidating but worth it. If you’re ready to discuss your desires and fantasies about cock and ball torture with your partner, be brief yet direct, then give them a chance to process and ask questions.

“Research what you’re doing,” Goddess_Heathen says. “Know what the body does to a certain degree. Know yourself, like

THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

dungeon to observe. Working with a Dominatrix or experienced top is an option if your partner is not interested in participating or is not confident enough to top yet.

A Dominatrix will likely want to meet a few times before torture time begins; therefore, it’s perfectly normal for you and your partner to talk about what a CBT scene could be like multiple times before you try anything physical.

“You have to take the time to get to know them, just like any other relationship.

You can’t just go full-on right off the bat. You are giving them the power to destroy you, so to speak,” says subbie.

There are countless ways to inflict pain on a cock or a testicle: poking, caging, scratching, whipping, trampling, and electrocution, just to name a few. If you’re just getting started, you don’t have to buy a thing—you have hands! Plus, you’d be surprised how many accessories and kitchen utensils you own that serve as perfect torture devices.

Goddess_Heathen suggests rubber bands, hair ties, 100% cotton clothesline, smaller wooden spoons, chip bag clips, and wooden clothes pins. subbie agrees that the wooden clothes pins are good for beginners until you can handle the more intense plastic

makers out there. There are even PDFs you can download from Dominatrixes with stepby-step scene instructions.

For obvious reasons, safety is paramount for cock and ball torture. Only about 50 pounds of force are needed to rupture a testicle, and yes, the penis can break. An adult’s hand strength averages from 44 to 72 pounds. The skin is also thinner and more delicate than most areas of the body and can be more prone to fine cuts, bruising, and scratches. Sensations of all kinds are enhanced.

Be mindful of blood flow. Never bind too tight or leave it in place for too long. If anything is turning purple, remove the binding immediately. Keep EMT scissors on hand for any bondage practice.

When you’re ready, subbie suggests you “find like-minded people to connect with and learn from. Most importantly, trust your gut—if something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. Always remember ‘Safe, Sane, & Consensual.’”

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

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THE PITCH | December 2023 | THEPITCHKC.COM

29

Wild Souls

By Beth Lipoff

When you find an injured owl or an orphaned fox, don’t swoop in to help them yourself. Call Wild Souls, a wild animal rescue and rehabilitation facility in Blue Springs.

For April Hoffman, the nonprofit is a dream come true. She built Wild Souls from the ground up, starting by taking classes for two years to get all the training she needed.

Right now, she’s working on opening a second location in Lone Jack.

“I have this thing in my personality when people say, ‘You can’t do that. It’ll never be done. You’re crazy.’ I’m like, ‘Watch this.’ It just got bigger than I ever dreamed it would become,” she says.

It’s been five years since Hoffman got her permits, and Wild Souls boasts an 89% release rate.

“We have a hotline that assists the public with free education on how to coexist with your wildlife neighbors, how to humanely evict your wildlife neighbors that you’re having conflict with, and to determine or identify rehabilitation candidates,” she says. “Instead of hiring a pest removal company to come out to your house and pay $500, we offer humane solutions for free.”

The majority of their hotline calls come from Blue Springs and Kansas City; they’re only licensed to work in Missouri. Their transport team, staffed with volunteers, responds to calls where hotline volunteers have determined an animal may be truly orphaned or injured.

“Say there’s an owl stuck in a fence— our volunteers will go on site, get the owl, bring it in, and then we rehab from there,” Hoffman says.

Animals they help include squirrels, opossums, beavers, skunks, foxes, coyotes, eagles, hawks, and owls. They do not work with deer due to rules about transporting

deer across county lines. Typically, they can respond to local calls, either with a callback or an actual visit, within an hour.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri named Wild Souls its conservation organization of the year for 2022.

Right now, Wild Souls operates on donations, but Hoffman hopes to secure government funding in the future. The grants they have received are for their educational public outreach efforts.

And it’s not just the animals they’re trying to help. This month, they’ll be holding their fourth annual “Shop with a Conservation Agent” program, where they take kids who have experienced some sort of hardship to purchase equipment for outdoor adventures.

Wild Souls is partnering with 13 game wardens from all over Missouri for the program. Each warden takes one kid shopping.

Seeing the kids enjoy the experience means a lot to Hoffman.

One recipient was an 11-year-old boy who had undergone two years of cancer treatment.

“Obviously, being cooped up in the hospital is no fun for a kid. His family got hit so hard financially with the chemo. With the shopping experience, he bought a tent, a fishing pole, and camping boots. Then we teamed up with other affiliate programs to where once they get that, we send them to another partner where they have free programs of going camping for a weekend,” she says.

She’s not the only one moved by the experience of helping the kids.

“You see these grown, stone-cold game warden faces turn so soft at the end of a day with all these kids,” she says.

With Wild Souls, Hoffman’s overall message to the public is, “Don’t kidnap

Wild Souls staff help rehabilitate wild animals.

Courtesy photos

wildlife. Let animals be. Don’t take them from their mom. Just because you find an animal doesn’t mean it needs help,” she says.

Volunteers must be 18 or older unless they have a parent or guardian who is also volunteering. Even then, younger volunteers are not as hands-on with animals as adults for insurance reasons.

Lee’s Summit resident Susan Hughes, the hotline’s lead volunteer, knows how critical it is to educate yourself on the animals you might be handling.

“There’s always more to learn because each animal is different, not only species-wise, but you never know how an animal’s going to react, so the body language of the animal is very important,” Hughes says.

For Cheyenne Cook, the hardest thing about volunteering with the animals is, “You can put your all into it and try, but at the end of the day, we know we can’t save everything. We have to come to an agreement with ourselves. We’re not God. Some things are out of our control.”

Although Wild Souls always needs volunteers to work the hotline and do the animal handling, Hoffman says what she really needs right now is someone to help coordinate events.

For more information on Wild Souls, visit wildsoulswildliferescuerehab.org

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