Present Magazine

The Mailbox, Show #22: Songs for Haiti

I think most of us are familiar with the situation in Haiti; the massive earthquake that rocked the island last month has left death and devastation in its wake, something that's going to take years to fully turn around. Knowing that most of you are from the Kansas City are, and knowing the generosity that runs through my hometown, a good many of you have probably already given to a worthy charity. Paste Magazine has set up a website for those who would like to give, would like to give again, or have already given what they can. -mb

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.

Secret Garden

My daughter and I read the Secret Garden last week and I found myself just as enchanted by it as she was. So while I should have been packing for our trip into the Texas sunshine, I jumped into this doodle at the 11th hour, powered by the thought that the yearning for a little secret garden doesn't go away even when childhood ends. For some of us it means getting lost in art, for others it is a retreat into reading, writing, cooking, running, conversation with best friends, tending an actual garden—really anything that takes us into our own happy dream world.

The Ladies of Burlesque Downtown Underground

Meet the ladies of Burlesque Downtown Underground – Sweet Caroline, Puss-N-Boots, Foxy Roxy, Miss Kitty, Hot Cocoa, Cherry Pop, and Madame. These luscious ladies are the featured heart-pounding Valentine's entertainment for #1 CRUSH taking place on Friday, February 12, 9 PM at Crosstown Station.

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

In Focus: Architects/Federation of Horsepower

Photographer Todd Zimmer documents two heavy-hitting bands, Architects and Federation of Horsepower, performing at the top of their game at Aftershock in Merriam, Kansas during a January 29, 2010 performance.

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.

Show Review: Ha Ha Tonka, Ghosty, Tim York

Kansas City has been beaten down this winter. The city has seen more snow and more blizzards this year than it has seen in the past few decades. So when the weather threatened an opportunity for an enjoyable night of music, the residents simply shrugged it off. For it was an evening to be spent at the recordBar with the sounds of Tim York, Ghosty and the ever so popular Ha Ha Tonka.

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.

Grant Helps Local Neighborhoods Fight Childhood Obesity

A major grant for the KC Healthy Kids non-profit group will help battle issues most people would never associate with kid’s healthy eating and physical activity

Gallery Feature Directory

We passionately believe in supporting our creative community—its art, artists, and galleries. This directory contains all the artists who have been featured in PresentMagazine.com's Gallery.

Robert Quackenbush

When I was twenty-five, I knew that I was supposed to be a painter. Ultimately, it took me another twenty five years to get to a point where I had the freedom to pursue this dream on a full-time basis. During the intervening years I spent my available free time in art school. Wherever I lived I found a place to go to school. It started in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and it continues to this day. Whenever I had a place to use as a studio, I painted. When I didn’t have space, I painted in my head. In 1996, I was able to free myself to paint on a full-time basis. I got into two group shows in 1997, and since then I have had sixteen one-man shows and participated in numerous group exhibitions.—Robert Quackenbush

I Will Survive: Performances of Valentine's Martyrdom

Being invited to interview myself about the upcoming I WILL SURVIVE: Performances of Valentine’s Martyrdom at FISHTANK Performance Studio (1715 Wyandotte, KCMO 64108) on Thursday, February 11, and coming up blank, it occurred to me: Why not let my inner gay man interview me?

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

Ty Wilson

Ty Wilson's career had an early and remarkable start. His biography explains, “When Ty Wilson presented his brother’s drawing of a blue bird as his own in kindergarten, his teacher was so impressed that she asked him to draw another one while the class looked on. Armed with a blue Crayola, Ty stared at a blank sheet of white paper for several long, silent minutes before vowing two things: he would never lie again and he would learn how to draw.”

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

Sonic Spectrum Podcast 106

Host Robert Moore compiles music from Midlake, R.E.M., Soft Reeds, Adam Lee & The Dead Horse Sound Co., David Bowie, and more.

The Sonic Spectrum podcast is proudly sponsored by Temple Slug, The Roasterie Cafe, and KCPT.

Film Review: From Paris With Love

The new hyperspeed action movie From Paris With Love, starring John Travolta as a bald, goateed, and leather-jacketed U.S. FBI agent named Charlie Wax, is so dumb—so obnoxiously over the top, so asinine—that you have to wonder if Travolta knew what kind of a movie he was in and tailored his performance to match.

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

Show Review: Anvil

Todd Zimmer not only shot vivid close-up photographs of Canadian rockers Anvil, but also shares his firsthand perspective of the show.

Lips repeatedly waded into the middle of the crowd to lay down some ferocious guitar. Each time I felt the pleasant sensation of beer spilling down my back and into my pockets. Oh rock 'n roll how I love you.

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.

Preview: A Modern Night at The Folly

Photographs of some of the dancers that will perform at A Modern Night at The Folly Theater.

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

Words Worth: Jamison Green

"I believed I had a voice and needed to be heard through my actions, emotions, and words. Why do I write? I write because it's the only thing that keeps my heart beating," says Jamison Green, a young poet and freshman at Fort Hays State University who began to compete in poetry slams as he wrote more poems. While raw, Green's poems reveal his urgent need to express his voice through the rhythms of poetry.

"Voices" is proudly sponsored by KCPT.

Final Call for Artists: Liberty Arts Squared

The Liberty Arts Festival Committee (made up of the Liberty Arts Commission and Historic Downtown Liberty, Inc.) announces a call to fine artists and artisans for Liberty’s first arts festival with the theme of “Liberty Arts Squared.” Entries must be received by noon, February 26, 2010.

Zydeco Galore - Get Ready for Mardi Gras

When Pete Dulin asked me to scribble down what my “Top Ten Zydeco Albums” were, I was excited. Excited because I could stop working on the broken pallet jack at work, and instead turn to my true love: Zydeco! It's getting to be Mardi Gras season, and in this town Mardi Gras = partying down. ––Ernest James, zydeco musician

Check out this guide to authentic, essential zydeco music for your Mardi Gras (February 16, 2010) festivities.

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.

PLAY: Go. See. Do.

Jammin� for Wellness - NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston

Renowned pianist Randy Weston, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, performs on February 4, 2010, 6:30-9 PM, in a free concert, Jammin' for Wellness: Jazz as an International Catalyst for Medican and Spiritual Healing, at the American Jazz Museum atrium. Mr. Weston will perform and discuss elements of his celebrated Uhuru Africa Suite (now celebrating its 50th Anniversary) and its role as a spiritual healer within the context of his work in Central Africa.

Presenting: I LOVE YOU at Hammerpress

Local letterpress printer Hammerpress has adapted its retail space (110 Southwest Boulevard) to welcome I LOVE YOU, a two-chair salon and barbershop operated by Amber Hodgson. The shared space will also include a modern take on the general store stocked with a carefully curated mix of products.

So You Think You Can Curate?

Who, or what, makes a curator? The word “curator” has been co-opted since the mid-90s, according to Alex Williams of the New York Times, by the “aesthically-minded,” bringing a formerly exalted term to the masses. Ultimately, this has led to a change in the context of the field, particularly in visual art museums.

"Voices" is proudly sponsored by KCPT.

Slow Food KC Presents From Snout to Tail-Pork 102

Slow Food KC presents From Snout to Tail-Pork 102, a second annual small plate dinner of dishes that include various parts of the whole hog from snout to tail.

Cooking Class: Braising - Turning Tough Into Terrific

Braising is a great technique that can take even the toughest, cheapest cut of meat and turn it into a something tender and full of intense flavor. Definitively, the term “braising” refers to cooking tougher foods partially submerged in a flavorful liquid for a long period of time.

Review: Grey Gardens

Grey Gardens is a Horatio Alger tale of rags-to-riches played in reverse and in reverence under the nimble direction of Nedra Dixon (in her directorial debut at the Unicorn). Dixon shepherds and choreographs the cast through an awkward Act 1 to a stunning and heartbreaking Act 2.

"Arts" is proudly sponsored by the Actor Training Studio.

The Mailbox, Show #17

Host Michael Byars takes this week off from The Mailbox in honor of his birthday. Here's an encore presentation of The Mailbox #17, where he closed out 2009 with music from Betse Ellis, Bill Frisell, The Bad Plus, and more.

Music" is proudly sponsored by American Jazz Museum.