Tag Archives: M. Donnelly
Donnelly: Karrin Allyson, One of Jazz’s Finest, Returns to KC at Jardine’s
What a dream it must be… Can you imagine it?
A little girl from Great Bend, Kansas, discovers the piano at a young age. She seems a natural, plinking and pounding away. Soon she starts singing as well, and her voice carries with it a weight not possessed by many others.
She moves to Omaha and formally studies the piano. She starts gigging at small clubs in the area, then moves on to Minneapolis, then KC, all the while honing her gift of a voice. She records her first record around her 30th birthday and it receives high praise from the jazz community.
Maybe this could be my thing. Maybe this IS my thing.
On to the Big Apple…
Sounds Good: Chris Isaak@Uptown Theater, The Royal Bangs@Jackpot Saloon
Things are slowing down a little bit around here…
After last weekend’s barrage of quality shows, we now are slipping a little bit into the doldrums of the live music season, which seems to run from about Thanksgiving to February or so.
It’s cold out (normally), so girls don’t want to go out. And if girls aren’t going out, then dudes don’t go out either.
That shouldn’t really be the case this weekend, though, because one, Chris Isaak is in town. And he brings his own tropical climate with him.
Don’t say I didn’t give you a heads up guys…
Donnelly: The Jayhawks @ The Beaumont Club, November 12, 2011
Nothing fancy here. 
At least it didn’t seem fancy. It seemed simple and just right.
Watching The Jayhawks’ lead electric guitarist Gary Louris softly slide around the fretboard of his Gibson SG all night made me think, "Hey, I could do that."
Yeah, right.
He just made everything look so damn easy. Couple that with his soaring tenor vocals that are so naturally un-strained.
But it’s not easy. The fact of the matter is that Louris was just born to do this.
Donnelly: Lucinda Williams@Liberty Hall, November 11, 2011
Some critics think marriage has softened the jagged edges that defined Lucinda Williams’ songwriting and performing.
They say that Williams’ trademark angst, anger, and pain gave way to the boring happiness of a healthy and stable relationship when she married her longtime manager Tom Overby in 2006. They panned her latest release, Blessed, as sappy and lacking in grit, and wondered if her newfound happiness had stripped away her ability to find that tortured inner compartment she had used for so long to harvest material from.
It’s kind of the same argument that some have applied to Jeff Tweedy and his band, Wilco. After years of battling his demons, including a long stint addicted to painkillers, Tweedy finally got clean and proceeded to release several albums that simply didn’t match Wilco’s releases during the drug years. During a performance in the summer of 2003, a pale and sweaty Jeff Tweedy asked the audience, "Is everyone high out there?"
Sounds Good: North Mississippi@Knuckleheads, Lucinda Williams@Liberty Hall, 11.11.11@Downtown Lawrence, Jayhawks@Beaumont, Jakob Dylan@Indie
After looking at my picks for this weekend, I realized they’re super heavy on the rootsy, Americana thing.
Which is nice, if you’re into that whole deal.
If not, hey, you’re just wrong, that’s all.
I guess you can always go down to the Sprint Center and watch the bloated carcass that ate Axl Rose haul his ass on stage and try to scream without shitting his pants.
Seriously, I know he’s all old and stuff, and probably needs money real bad, but maybe it’s time to hang up the “leather pants-sexy rock star- front man” thing and just sign up for Celebrity Boxing or something.
Donnelly: Eleven Productions Jacki Becker is Throwing You a Party This Friday for 11.11.11
What’s that old cliché? — Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. 
It’s obvious that Jacki Becker, founder and boss woman of Eleven Productions, is doing what she loves. And while I’m sure she would admit that at times it takes a tremendous amount of work, there are rewards as well.
"Working with incredibly talented and creative people every day, how could I ask for more?" explained Becker, before revealing perhaps the best perk of working in the music business. "Oh, and the fact that I have never needed to buy t-shirts, hoodies or cloth bags in my life."
Hey, it’s the little things sometimes people, c’mon!
Becker has seen bands come and go, seen the ups and downs of the industry, and discovered many artists "before they were big." For 10 years now, her company has promoted bands in the Lawrence and KC area, as well Omaha, Iowa City, Springfield, and St. Louis.
Donnelly: David Bazan@The Bottleneck, November 5, 2011
The road is hard…
On the way to Lawrence to play a gig at the Bottleneck with local indie rockers, Cowboy Indian Bear, David Bazan and his band mates ran into some trouble with their transportation. Something about a messed up wheel, "but they will definitely be here eventually" the Bottleneck staffer assured me.
There’s nothing worse than breaking down in the middle of nowhere, especially when you have some place to be. You feel helpless, you’re not sure if you can get the right parts in time, and you’re resigned to just hanging in the local truck stop drinking coffee and perusing the Dr. Hook Greatest hits cd rack for hours.
Donnelly: Sporting Slaps Colorado Around (Again), Kansas City Celebrates
.jpg)
Hey Kansas City, your team just advanced to the conference finals. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think KC has had a winner like this in, what, 10-plus years?
Bask in it. It’s been a while since we’ve had a true contender.
But last night, in the miserable cold and rain, KC soccer fans showed why they’re among the best in the MLS.
They braved the elements and filled sold-out LIVESTRONG Sporting Park with the song and energy to help propel Sporting Kansas City‘s boys in blue into the Eastern Conference finals. The design of the stadium – in which every seat is covered – provided some shelter from the storm, and the gutty performance of the team did the rest.
Sounds Good: Social Distortion@Midland, Quiet Corral@Granada, The War On Drugs@Jackpot
This weekend is the real KC slut-walk…
You know, slutty witches, slutty nurses, slutty pirates, even slutty zombies.
Halloween just has a way of turning everything into a bikini contest. That’s the real trick.
Or is it the treat?
Either way, here’s where to go and what to listen to while you’re getting your slut on…
Donnelly: KC Boy Matt Besler Delivers, Sporting Win East
What a perfect ending to Matt Besler’s third MLS regular season.
After becoming "harder" in the offseason – something head coach Peter Vermes puts a helluva lot of stock in – Besler was chosen as an All-Star for the first time in his young career.
As consistent of a performer as KC has had all season long, Besler locked down the center defense, which has plagued the squad the last few years and seen a cast of thousands swing through to try their hand before inevitably being cut.
Pablo Escobar anyone? Man, that seems like a million years ago, doesn’t it?
Saturday night in DC, Besler put the cherry on top of it all, scoring a nice left footed goal that won the game against DC United 1-0, and won the Eastern Conference outright for Sporting.
Can I type that again just for my own enjoyment?
SPORTING KC WON THE EASTERN CONFERENCE AND LOCKED UP HOME FIELD FOR THE MLS PLAYOFFS!!
Sounds Good: Das Racist@Granada, Fourth of July@Jackpot
The days are getting shorter…
So you know what that means? No more sun dresses, for one, which is a total bummer. A severe rise in the suicide rate.
What else? KU basketball is right around the corner – that’s a good one.
But what I was thinking of is a bit more obvious – shorter days = longer nights.
For those of you who batten down the hatches and lie dormant through the blustery months, read no further!
But for those creatures of the night, please, read on…
Sounds Good: Buddy Guy@Knuckleheads, Roger Daltrey@Midland, Brett Dennen & Blind Pilot@Beaumont
After I sort of panned the Michael McDonald/ Boz Scaggs show last week, some commenters suggested I was perhaps an ageist.
But I like what I like. Which does include some old guy stuff like wide brimmed hats, bocce ball, and Buick LeSabres.
And as if that weren’t enough, look at this week’s lineup!
So stand down, good sirs, stand down…
Donnelly: St. Vincent @ Liberty Hall, October 7, 2011
Have you ever come out of a concert scratching your head filled with odd questions that you keep asking yourself?
"I really liked that, didn’t I?"
Or, "Was that awesome or just kind of weird?"
Or, "St. Vincent is really sexy for a robot."
OK, that last one isn’t a question.
Rewind three hours…
Sounds Good: St. Vincent@Liberty Hall, Minus the Bear@Granada, Portugal. The Man@Bottleneck
All Lawrence all the time this weekend.
Sure, you could pay 800 bucks and go out and see Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs tear up some gilfs and silver foxes.
You could.
Or you could take a little jaunt on down the road to that little hamlet known as Larry and see up-and-coming bands.
Then you could say, "Dude, I saw St. Vincent at this little theater in this little college town back before she got huge."
Instead of, "Dude, I saw Michael McDonald right before his fifth bypass surgery – he was actually dead for three minutes on the operating table before they brought his mellow groovin’ ass back to life!"
Choose wisely.
Donnelly: REM Walks Away Like the Wasted Guy Who Passed Out on the Living Room Floor
REM announced a few days ago that it was calling it quits after 31 years.
"A wise man once said–‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave,’" wrote singer Michael Stipe in the band’s official statement. "We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it."
I understand the sentiment, but by Stipe’s rationale, REM is the wasted guy who spilled his drink thrice, knocked over a plant, and is now drooling on himself half passed out on the living room floor.
He’s already raided your Doritos stash and taken a few chunks out of your Velveeta with his claws. You don’t really know him because a friend invited him to tag along, and you don’t want to go to bed with this half stranger in your house.
Stipe’s classy move would have been better executed after 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, an album that, though not my favorite, is certainly solid. If they had just stopped there, no one would have had to listen to Around the Sun.
Donnelly: Sporting Out of Sync, Jeferson Benched, In 1-1 Tie With Philly
In another game most observers dubbed "the biggest of the season," Sporting Kansas City managed to walk away with a point after battling to a 1-1 tie with the Philadelphia Union Saturday at Livestrong.
It’s true, every game is "the biggest" when the season’s winding down and the top of the Eastern Conference is jammed with five teams that have between 38 and 42 points.
Houston sits atop for the moment, with 42. Then Columbus and KC at 41, Philadelphia at 40, New York at 39, and DC 38. So you can see, the last few games of the regular season are absolutely crucial.
Sounds Good: Steve Earle@Uptown, Dollar Fox@???, An Horse@Jackpot
Hello everyone, it’s that time once again for "Who’s More Grizzled?" the game show that finds out who’s the roughest, toughest, most grizzled old timer around.
Let’s bring out the contestants. He is our returning champion; he dropped out of school in the ninth grade, is a former heroin addict, and has been married seven times – twice to the same woman. Plus, he attended the execution of an inmate in Texas in 1996, and has been accused of being a terrorist sympathizer.
Everyone say hello to Steve!
Steve, what’ve you been up to lately? – I don’t care much for you.
And I don’t blame you, Steve. Here are your categories: War, Hard Times, Bear Attacks, Ailments, Dead Wives, and finally, the Government…
Sounds Good: Foo Fighters@Sprint, Kauffman Center Open House, Okkervil River@Granada
What is it going to take for you to start doing everything I say?
Last week, I told you to go to the Bon Iver show at the Uptown, but you didn’t listen. And now look at you. All pasty white and disgusting.
When will you learn?
This weekend I’m not recommending anything as strongly as I did that show, but maybe it’s better if you start off with something a little easier, more accessible.
Baby steps, you know? Start with something easily digestible yet still legit, like, say, Foo Fighters. Then, slowly work your way into a little indie band like Okkervil River maybe.
See, it’s easy. Before you know it you’ll be listening to Neon Indian and Richmond Fontaine, craving PBR, and smoking Parliament Lights.
I know, I know, gross. But it’s worth it, trust me…
Donnelly: KC’s Best Team Riding High Atop Eastern Conference After Houston Shutout
.jpg "C.J. Sapong celebrates vs. Houston Dynamo")
Kansas City sports fans, take notice.
KC has a first place team.
A team that at various times earlier this season floundered during a self-imposed two month road trip. A team that heard many call for the firing of their head coach and technical director. A team that many said was buried half way through the long season, starting off the 2011 campaign with a 2-6-1 record.
A team with grit, personality, and a penchant for late-game dramatics. A team with a local ownership group that doesn’t skirt issues, but tackles them head-on. A team that is committed to winning, and has made public that they will accept nothing less than a playoff berth THIS SEASON.
Donnelly: Bon Iver at the Uptown Theater, September 9, 2011
After listening to Bon Iver’s latest self-titled album several times leading up to Friday night’s sold out Uptown Theater show, I had an idea in my head of what their performance might be like.
I figured it’d be a quiet, intimate show with lots of instrumentation, lots of ambient noise, and precise musicianship. And of course, Justin Vernon’s unique falsetto vocals that combine one part Prince and one part Beck from Midnite Vultures.
You know, some mellow nap-rock that would take me away to my own cabin in the winter woods of Wisconsin, where I could grow a beard and contemplate things by myself.
I couldn’t have been more wrong…
