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Read more Kansas City Music Guide.
Kelce takes a break--
Word came down that the new annual tradition of Kelce Jam, a party with brothers Jason and Travis and several of their favorite acts, is off for this year, but they're promising an even bigger and better experience next year.
That leaves KC with one less summer festival, but Starlight opens its historic 75th season this weekend (with some renovations in-progress we previously mentioned) and look for LiveNation to offer some $30 tickets to several shows, beginning May 21, while they last (AEG books more shows locally at the moment, so selection won’t be as plentiful as in other markets)
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming week of May 19th-22nd.
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)
MONDAY MAY 19
Volume, May 19, miniBar, $13.15
Heavy fuzzed out psych rock from the desert of 29 Palms, CA, this trip is for fans of Monster Magnet, desert stoner rock, and dense doom rock. The band is said to draw its musical influences from bands such as The Stooges, MC5 and Black Flag to name a few, while also crafting their own heavy identity.
Originally formed in 1993 by ex-Fu Manchu singer Patrick Brink, the band has featured a revolving set of collaborators, and the current live lineup includes Mingus on drums, bassist Jason Hernandez and lead guitarist Derek Christiansen and their recent release is called “Joy of Navigation”. The Soiled Doves and Momovudu slated as support on the bill.
TUESDAY MAY 20
Another great and interesting speaker from the Kauffman’s Changemaker Speaker Series. At 23, Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner achieved her greatest dream: climbing an 8,000-meter peak. Fast forward to today, Gerlinde has climbed all 14 peaks of 8,000+ without supplemental oxygen and without the help of high-altitude porters, the first woman to do so.
She completed the quest on her 7th attempt up what many consider to be the most daunting climb in the world, the world’s second highest peak, K2, known worldwide as the “Savage Mountain,” in the remote Karakoram Range of Pakistan and China.
Leon Bridges, May 20, The Midland, $216 (resale only)
Modern soul artist Leon Bridges is finishing up his The Leon Tour, which began last year in support of his self-titled album, Leon, released last October. We last saw live him a decade ago in Minneapolis as he was just starting out, and his sound has developed and evolved since, while staying relevant. He embarks next on a co-headlining tour with fellow Texan Charlie Crockett to take them both through the summer.
Alabama-born country singer Kashus Culpepper will open.
MIKE w/ duendita and Anysia Kim, May 20, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $24-$28
The NYC rapper / producer (aka Michael Jordan Bonema) alongside Tony Seltzer just released the second single from their recentl collaborative album, Pinball 2, which was just released on May 7th via MIKE’s 10k label and is the sequel to their first joint project Pinball, which arrived last March.
This is all in addition to his tenth solo LP Showbiz!, making him one of the essential and prolific young voices in hip-hop this decade via his own label ,10k, and his free Young World festival in Brooklyn. The current #aotc tour is the biggest of MIKE’s career, and includes 40 dates across the country,
Arrive early for Queens, NY’s duendita band who compose and play bass-coated tones and mix of jazz, piano, soul and R&B,.Newest project is the 10-track EP, a strong desire to survive, released April 4th via MIKE’s 10k label with lead single, “baby teeth”. (yes, they seem to prefer lowercase).
Mean Girls (musical) May 20-25, Starlight, $14.72-$120.75
Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey ("30 Rock" and based on her film script), composer Jeff Richmond ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). and tells the story of a naïve newbie who falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies.
Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies, The Plastics – Regina, Gretchen and Karen. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina's reign, she learns the hard way that you can't cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. Wearing pink seems to be encouraged.
WEDNESDAY MAY 21
Patti Lupone, May 21, Kauffman,$43-$137
“A Life in Notes, A musical touchstone of a life” – the legendary performer trained at Juilliard in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and began her professional career in 1972 with The Acting Company. LuPone has won three Tony Awards including Best Actress in a Musical and a Grammy Award.
In her new concert, Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes, she performs an array of songs which do just that — songs that are touchstones and reflections on her life growing up in America — from a young girl during the burgeoning rock and roll scene of the fifties, to coming of age in the politically and socially turbulent sixties, to eventually achieving success with both career and family. The show was conceived and directed by Scott Wittman with music direction and arrangements by Joseph Thalken and was written by Jeffrey Richman.
Laura Jane Grace, May 21, Granada- Lawrence, $29.50-$35
The musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me! Is back on the road in support of the new upcoming album, “Adventure Club” (out July 18 with lead single, “Active Trauma”). and Lawrence gets an early date to hear the new music!
Grace fronts the band Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, a solo project she started in 2016 but this time, the billing reads Laura Jane Grace and the Mississippi Medicals (featuring Mikey Erg, Matt Patton, Paris Campbell Grace) with support from Pet Needs.
THURSDAY MAY 22
The Lion King (Broadway touring), May 22-June 1, Music Hall, $79-$317
The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before! - This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant return to the Music Hall! More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular (since it first opened in Minneapolis!) and it has remained one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions in modern theater history!
Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, the production brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of visuals. Its return again features the extraordinary work of Tony Award®-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and some of Broadway’s most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award®-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. Whether your first time or a repeat- run, don’t walk for the chance to see this beloved classic!
Gráinne Hunt, May 22, KC Irish Center, $23
Irish folk singer-songwriter Gráinne Hunt enchants audiences with her heart-melting vocals and emotional songs and her two original records delve into personal experiences, evoking pain and longing. She showcased in Kansas City at Folk Alliance International last February before her first US tour, mid-last year.
Aside from her solo work, Gráinne collaborates with guitarist Brendan Walsh in the duo Gráinne and Brendan such as on their 2019 release, “Songs From Ireland” and is also part of the folk duo Hibsen with Jim Murphy who wrote an album of songs based on James Joyce’s “Dubliners” on 2023 album,‘The Stern Task of Living’.
Gráinne Hunt is appearing with the financial support of Culture Ireland and we just covered her recent stop in St. Paul, MN.
L.A. Guns, May 22, Knuckleheads, $30
L.A. Guns (we think) are Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin, Adam Hamilton and Shawn Duncan, but check those local listings to be sure. They’ve been around since 1983, but splintered into two versions, which is nothing but confusing. With Tracii and Phil on-board, you’ve got the right one.
The band is promising a new record, Leopard Skin soon, but has the previous Black Diamonds album and 2021’s “Checkered Past,” to lean on in the meantime. And don’t forget those classic 80’s hits either - “The Ballad Of Jayne” “Over The Edge”; “Kiss My Love Goodbye”; “Electric Gypsy”; “Never Enough”; “Sex Action”, and more.
La Cerca, May 22 at Lucia- Lawrence AND May 23 at The Ship, Kansas City, $9.92
The desert psychedelic guitar four-piece La Cerca from Tucson, AZ is out in support of their latest album, 'A Nice Sweet Getaway'(via Fort Lowell Records). They've actually been around since '90s (originally as Wise Folk Malcontent) and are helmed by Andrew Gardner, alongside other founding member guitarist Bill Oberdick.
Building on influences from Sonic Youth and The Cure to Dylan and Ride, La Cerca additionally incorporates a desert-infused blend of shoegaze, ambient, twangy pop hooks, and signature dueling guitars. They play Lucia in downtown Lawrence (thought I don't see the event listing on the venue’s FB), then are the middle act of a three-band bill at The Ship in KC the following evening, so you really have no excuse to miss.
National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]
| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
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