The Pitch: February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018 I FREE I PITCH.COM

Egos collide in Brookside KenTaco’s return The Folk Alliance looks ahead Local refugees in the age of Trump Tavernonna battles the hotel restaurant curse Plus: Brunched!

SHAMROCK FC MMA

RODNEY CARRINGTON

GENE WATSON

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND

FEBRUARY 3

FEBRUARY 9 & 10

FEBRUARY 24

MARCH 2

THREE DOG NIGHT

UNDER THE STREETLAMP

TRAVIS TRITT

MARCH 9

MARCH 16

APRIL 27

Join us in the Star Pavilion for our thrilling upcoming shows. Get your tickets at ticketmaster.com or visit the Ameristar gift shop to receive $5 off the standard ticket price with your mychoice ® card.

Free Live Entertainment 8:30p –12:30a SASS MONKEY • February 2 BUCKET BAND • February 3 CARL WORDEN BAND • February 9 & 10 VANTAGE POINT • February 16

INSTAMATICS • February 17 SELLE BROTHERS BAND • February 23 MIDNIGHT RODEO • February 24

3200 N AMERISTAR DRIVE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 816.414.7000 | AMERISTAR.COM Must be 21 or older to gamble. Must be a mychoice member to receive mychoice discount. Must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult to enter Star Pavilion. Must be at least 21 to enter Depot #9.

Tickets available online at ticketmaster.com (service charges and handling fees added by ticketmaster.com), or at the Gift Shop. No refunds/exchanges unless canceled or postponed. Offer not valid for persons on a Disassociated Patrons, Voluntary Exclusion or Self Exclusion List in jurisdictions which Pinnacle Entertainment operates or who have been otherwise excluded from Ameristar Kansas City, MO. Gambling problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. ©2018 Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

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CONTENTS

THE PITCH

Publisher Stephanie Carey Editor David Hudnall Digital Editor Kelcie McKenney Contributing Writers Tracy Abeln, Traci Angel, Liz Cook, Karen Dillon, April Fleming, Roxie Hammill, Libby Hanssen, Deborah Hirsch, Larry Kopitnik, Angela Lutz, Dan Lybarger, David Martin, Eric Melin, Annie Raab, Aaron Rhodes, Barbara Shelly, Nick Spacek, Lucas Wetzel Little Village Creative Services Jordan Sellergren Contributing Photographers Zach Bauman, Chase Castor, Jennifer Wetzel Graphic Designers Jada Escue Director of Marketing and Operations Jason Dockery Senior Multimedia Specialist Steven Suarez Multimedia Specialists Jada Escue, Becky Losey Office Administrator and Marketing Coordinator Andrew Miller

CAREY MEDIA

Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Carey Chief Operating Officer Adam Carey

VOICE MEDIA GROUP

National Advertising 1-888-278-9866 vmgadvertising.com

DISTRIBUTION

UNDER THE STREETLAMP MARCH 16

The Pitch distributes 35,000 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.

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QUESTIONNAIRE

Stephanie and Adam Carey Meet the new owners of The Pitch.

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STREETSIDE

There Goes the Neighborhood?

Chill out about the Westport sidewalk vacation; coffee wars in Brookside; KenTaco’s back.

BY DAVID HUDNALL

14

NEWS

Unsettled Checking in with the local refugee community after a year of Trump.

BY TRACI ANGEL

16

SHOP GIRL

Love for the Haters Two local businesses — Fetch and Sunlight Day Spa — might help you dread Valentine’s Day less.

BY ANGELA LUTZ

COPYRIGHT

Purchase tickets online at ticketmaster.com or at the Ameristar Gift Shop.

The contents of The Pitch are Copyright 2018 by KC Communications, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher.

The Pitch main phone number: 816561-6061 The Pitch address: 1627 Main, Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 64108 For information or to leave a story tip, e-mail: tips@pitch.com For calendar submission consideration, e-mail: calendar@pitch.com For classifieds: steven.suarez@pitch. com or 816-218-6732 For retail advertising: 816-218-6702

3200 N AMERISTAR DRIVE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 816.414.7000 AMERISTAR.COM Must be 21 or older to gamble. Must be a mychoice ® member to receive mychoice discount.

Must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult to enter Star Pavilion. Must be at least 21 to enter Depot #9. Tickets available online at ticketmaster.com (service charges and handling fees added by ticketmaster.com), or at the Gift Shop. No refunds/exchanges unless canceled or postponed. Offer not valid for persons on a Disassociated Patrons, Voluntary Exclusion or Self Exclusion List in jurisdictions which Pinnacle Entertainment operates or who have been otherwise excluded from Ameristar Kansas City, MO. Gambling problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. ©2018 Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

ON THE COVER

You didn’t really think the Chiefs would be playing football in February, did you?

PHOTO BY ZACH BAUMAN

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

CONTENTS

20

FEATURE

Lit Up How Brandon Love turned suicidal heartbreak into a thriving, Olathe-based candle company.

BY KELCIE MCKENNEY

22

PARTIES

Bloody Good Time Bring an empty stomach and enthusiasm for tomatobased cocktails to The Pitch’s Brunched, on February 10.

BY KELCIE MCKENNEY

16 34

24

32

Sacred Cow For Wes Gartner and Jill Myers, reviving the iconic Golden Ox was a long, arduous haul. But the steaks are just about done.

BY APRIL FLEMING

Farewell, Not Goodbye The Folk Alliance International Conference leaves KC after this month’s event. What’s next?

BY NICK SPACEK

FOOD

26

CAFE

Check-in Time Can Tavernonna become more than just a hotel restaurant?

BY LIZ COOK

30

MUSIC

Lenny Letter One hundred years of Bernstein. Plus: February’s classical music events.

BY LIBBY HANSSEN

MUSIC

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MUSIC

Active Voice The busy creative life of Khrystal Coppage.

BY AARON RHODES

36 FILM

Grab the Popcorn ...and get an early start on this year’s Oscar season — before time’s up.

BY ERIC MELIN

38

CALENDAR

Going out What to do in February.

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

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QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION

“EVERY DAY, I WAKE UP AND I THINK, ‘HOLY MOLY, I OWN THE PITCH.’” Stephanie Carey

KELCIE MCKENNEY

Stephanie & Adam Carey

We are currently binge-watching: The End of the Fucking World on Netflix.

What makes Kansas City special? It’s this fantastic mix of a city — the culture, dining, art, and entertainment — but it’s also got a great hometown feel to it. We’re always amazed at discovering mutual friends and connections. It seems like we are all within only three degrees of separation.

The most important thing you’ve learned during your career: Stephanie: Take risks. I took my biggest risk right after college. I moved to a small town in North Carolina where I knew no one and worked as a reporter at a daily newspaper. I never looked back. Every risk I’ve taken professionally has taught me about myself, brought me lifelong friends, and ultimately prepared me to be the publisher of The Pitch.

As of January 1, 2018, The Pitch is once again locally owned. Our new overlords are Stephanie and Adam Carey, a married couple who both grew up in the Kansas suburbs and now live in the Valentine neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. This is their first media investment, but they’re long-time Pitch readers, and they seem jazzed about preserving The Pitch as an independent voice in Kansas City. But, like, who are they?

Meet the Careys.

Your favorite social media platform?

Facebook, because we can invite our friends to our parties. Stephanie is pretty active on Twitter, too.

What changes should readers expect?

They should expect an increased focus on local, in everything from news coverage to bringing back the calendar of events online.

The last book you read: Adam: The latest in The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Stephanie: Girl Logic by Iliza Shlesinger.

Where do you see The Pitch in five years? As the first place people in Kansas City look to for real investigative journalism and entertainment updates.

What’s your hidden talent? Adam: Painting nerdy miniatures. Stephanie: I can knit left-handed, even though I’m right handed.

Who did you want to be when you grew up? Adam: A comic book artist, but I was a terrible artist. Stephanie: A “dinosaur scientist.”

Meet the new owners of The Pitch.

Twitter: @queenofquirky, @adamcareyred Hometown: We are both from Kansas City.

Adam went to Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and Stephanie attended Blue Valley Northwest High School.

Current neighborhood: Valentine Your drink: We are red wine drinkers, but when we are having cocktails, Adam loves a good whiskey, and Stephanie likes Tito’s and soda. Boulevard Pale Ale and Crane Brewing Company’s sours are Adam’s go-to beers. Our house motto is, “Never an empty glass.”

Where’s dinner? Our house. Stephanie loves to cook.

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

What does Kansas City need more of?

The Pitch!

The first thing you did once you bought The Pitch: The sale closed at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, so we had a champagne toast with our closest friends. Then we toasted to the New Year! There was a lot of champagne.

What has been the biggest surprise after buying a newspaper? Stephanie: The biggest surprise is that it actually happened; it was always a dream in the back of my head. Every day, I wake up and I think, “Holy moly, I own The Pitch.” Then I think about the 10,000 things on my to-do list and it’s just another day.

What is the last thing you laughed at?

Adam: Todd Barry’s latest stand-up special and The Good Place. Stephanie: You watched Todd Barry already? OK, fine. Probably a friend on Snapchat.

What do you do when you aren’t at The Pitch? Stephanie: I love true crime podcasts and binge-ing on audio books. You might also find me hamming it up with my girltribe at [Westport’s] Green Room on any given evening. Adam: I have an unhealthy obsession with tabletop games.

Do you have any pets? We have a rambunctious corgi named Tyrion who is spoiled rotten.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Stephanie: Bad reality television. Adam: Pickled bologna. No, really. It’s a thing. Stephanie: It’s a really, really gross thing.

The best advice you ever got: Adam: Learn how to take no for an answer. Stephanie: Always ask for what you want.

What is the future of print? The future of print is the same as the future of local media.

Print is just one of many formats local media has to communicate. It is here to stay.

What’s your greatest struggle right now? Finding enough hours in the day.

What is your soapbox? Local media is not dying. It’s simply evolving. Proof: you’re reading this.

Do you have anything you want to say to our readers? We’re looking forward to meeting you at our Pitch events around town. We want to be your alternative voice, so please let us know how we can better serve you.

STREETSIDE

There Goes the Neighborhood?

DAVID HUDNALL

Chill out about the Westport sidewalk vacation; egos collide in Brookside; an unholy alliance is resurrected in Overland Park

BY DAVID HUDNALL

In October 2017, longtime Westport bar owner Bill Nigro was quoted in a Kansas City Star story about what the city’s social scene is like for African Americans. Nigro is a reporter’s dream: he speaks his mind, gives colorful quotes, rarely backs away from controversy.

“I don’t believe in playing hip-hop and

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

rap music and drawing a specific crowd,” he told the paper. “I’m not looking for that.

I’ve owned a few country nightclubs, and I’ve had fewer problems out of that crowd.

If that makes me racist, fine. If somebody’s offended by that, fine.”

He went on: “People get afraid to talk about race, but you have to talk about it

when you’re in the nightlife business. Security, too. They go hand-in-hand. And if you don’t talk about those two things, it’ll put you out of business.”

Hoo boy. Maybe those kinds of comments fly in a 1998 Hearne Christopher, Jr., gossip column, but in 2018, they land with a big ol’ thud. And the article came out at a time when Nigro and other Westport bar owners were being extra careful not to be perceived as racist. The Westport Regional Business League had been trying for over a year to get the city’s blessing to privatize the sidewalks in the entertainment district. To do so would allow the WRBL to set up entry points around the district and wand patrons for weapons before they enter on Friday and Saturday nights.

Nigro and others with the WRBL argued that their plan was the best solution to the gun violence that has long plagued

Westport. (In 2016, there were 16 gun-related offenses in the district; through just nine months of 2017, there had already been 65 gun offenses.) Still, something about the proposal felt a little icky. Were these guys trying to turn Westport into the Power and Light District, where there’s a well-documented history of racially discriminatory practices? Was “preventing violence” really just code for excluding African American patrons from the district? Those perceptions already made WRBL’s quest difficult.

Then Nigro starts running his mouth in the Star. Short of a literal racial slur, it is hard to imagine the man saying something less helpful to his own cause.

In the end, though, the WRBL got its sidewalks. In late December, after several grueling months of city meetings, the City Council voted 8-5 to allow the sidewalk vacation. I attended a couple of those meetings, and I monitored social-media outrage about the privatization. I was struck by the gap between the information revealed in the former and the opinions held among the latter. Many of those who opposed this ordinance seemed to be unaware, or willfully ignorant, of several relevant details contained in it.

For example, lots of people believe that roping off the entrances to the district means the WRBL could implement a dress code that will target black patrons. This is a very legitimate concern, as this exact same thing has been tried at Power and Light. But a civil-rights protection amendment was attached to the sidewalk ordinance that prohibits dress codes. Nor can security officers manning the entrances check patrons for outstanding warrants.

The NAACP opposed the ordinance despite these amendments. After listening to some of their concerns at a planning meeting, Alissia Canady — a black councilwoman who noted that she is both a former prosecutor and a victim of violent crime — piped up and identified what she sees as the real problem: recklessly lax gun laws enacted in Missouri in recent years that hamstring the efforts of local law enforcement in urban centers like Kansas City.

“For anyone who wants to race-bait on this issue, shame on you,” Canady said. “Racism is real, but this is a different time. People are now allowed to walk around with assault rifles in public. If we don’t do something to deal with this [in Westport], we stand the risk of looking back and saying ‘Woe is us’ because we did nothing. This [ordinance] doesn’t solve gun violence, but it deals with it in a popular entertainment district where thousands gather…We can’t let the haunting history of racism stop us from keeping the people of Kansas City safe.”

When civil rights concerns are dispensed with, as they are in the finalized ordinance, the only thing about which

STREETSIDE

DAVID HUDNALL

to object is the selling off of a public asset (sidewalks) to Westport business owners.

But this is a very small public asset. And it offers an opportunity to get a handle on violent crime in Westport, something that only naive people would deny has long dogged the district. And if the city doesn’t like the way the WRBL is conducting itself on these sidewalks, a clause in the ordinance allows for the city to yank the sidewalks back at any time, with only 30 days’ notice.

Nevertheless, there was no shortage of people loudly railing against this thing, mostly on Twitter. Here are some of those complaints, along with some possible responses: Ordinary citizens won’t be able to enjoy historic Westport anymore without being wanded. The gates will be up from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Nobody comes to this square block of Westport during these hours to do anything but party.

And if you want to do something besides party, you’re allowed to. You just have to be 21 years old and not carrying a gun.

Most of the violence happens after midnight. Why not just close the bars early? Because it’s a nightlife district. Sorry.

Most of the violence occurs outside the area that will be gated off by security, so why even bother? As KCPD representatives — as well as Councilwoman Heather Hall, who is married to a KCPD officer — noted in a meeting, alleviating gun concerns inside the security area would allow police to devote more resources to patrolling the area outside the gates.

This is a slippery slope. Other entertainment districts, or even bars, will try to get their sidewalks privatized now. Good luck getting that through the council. This plan received a huge amount of scrutiny, was tweaked multiple times to address concerns, and still only squeaked by with an 8-5 vote.

It’s too costly. If the city wants to take back the sidewalks, it’ll cost taxpayers $150,000. That is peanuts compared to the other ideas for dealing with crime in Westport, most of which involve paying more police to patrol the area.

At City Council, several speakers noted that there aren’t any studies out there showing that privatizing sidewalks to combat crime is an effective idea. They meant this as a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing. We’re trying something new. And the ordinance has been sensitive to community concerns, through amendments that prevent civil rights abuses and minimize the financial risk to the city. This is, so far, a positive story. Should it start to look otherwise, we’ll be watching.

•

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New arrivals in Kansas City — whether they’re retreating after being priced out of more expensive coastal metros, or flocking from smaller Midwestern towns and cities for KC’s cultural amenities — haven’t heard a lot of the old stories us natives know by heart. Sometimes these stories are worth repeating. Here’s a heartwarming tale you might not know if you’re young or new in

MANY OF THOSE WHO OPPOSED THIS ORDINANCE SEEMED TO BE UNAWARE, OR WILLFULLY IGNORANT, OF SEVERAL RELEVANT DETAILS CONTAINED IN IT.

town.

In the late nineties, Starbucks moved into the Westport corner currently occupied by HopCat. Next door, of course, was Broadway Cafe, the wonderful independent coffee shop frequented by Kansas City’s greatest weirdos, artists, and eccentrics. Everybody was afraid Starbucks was going to put Broadway out of business. Instead, ten years later, the Starbucks shuttered. Broadway prevailed. Score one for the little guy.

A much lamer version of this story is currently playing out in Brookside, where signs singing “Keep Brookside Local” sprout from the neighborhood’s well-manicured lawns. This campaign, or whatever you want to call it, is the handiwork of Danny O’Neill, owner of local coffee chain The Roasterie.

It’s a reaction to the news, long rumored but official as of January 1, that a Starbucks was coming to Brookside’s quaint, old, cute shopping district.

Support local businesses? Sure. But there are a few inconvenient truths about #KeepBrooksideLocal. First is that the Starbucks is replacing Mr. Goodcents, which is itself a national chain. Second is that there are already tons of non-local establishments in Brookside. Third is that O’Neill only got vocal about local when the newest kid on the block turned out to be a direct competitor to his business. Where were his signs when Panera Bread, CVS, Vitamin Shoppe, and Bank of America set up shop in Brookside?

“This isn’t about Starbucks,” O’Neill told me recently. “This is about not wanting Brookside to go the way of the Plaza or Prairie Village [Shopping Center] where it’s all international chains. As somebody who has lived in Brookside since 1991, for me that would just suck. So, hopefully, this [campaign] is something that gets people thinking about whether they want Brookside to be the next home of a Buffalo Wild Wings, or whatever.”

In a separate blog post on the Roasterie’s website, O’Neill went so far as to say that First Washington Realty, which owns the majority of commercial property in Brookside, “gets it” — meaning the importance of local. At the end of November, First Washington — a Maryland-based company with real estate investments in about 20 different states — booted Shopgirls (a local business) out of its Brookside space. The owner told the Star that she’d never once been late on rent in 10 years, but that she was nevertheless “unable to come to reasonable terms” with First Washington on a new lease.

The man responsible for bringing Starbucks to Brookside, and the target of O’Neill’s passive aggression, is Joe Zwillenberg. Best known for owning Westport Flea Market, Zwillenberg has, over the last halfdecade, gradually bought up small chunks of Brookside that include the strip from Goodcents to Domo and the building that pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

11

STREETSIDE

houses Mike’s Wine and Spirits and Jimmy John’s. He’s a Brookside guy, too, with a bigass mansion right on Ward Parkway. Like O’Neill, Zwillenberg likes to tout his Brookside bona fides, wistfully recalling youthful days as an ice-cream scooper at Baskin-Robbins (now Avenues Bistro).

“This is about coffee, not local,” Zwillenberg says. “It’s about competition. And, look, I get it: I remember when a Sonic moved in across the street from us at the Flea Market. But it forces you to make your business better.”

Zwillenberg says that national companies take up “about 15 percent” of the property he owns in Brookside. He shrugs off the yard signs.

“Some people put my address on social media and said things to my kids at school,” Zwillenberg says. “It’s a minority of people, maybe five or ten people, who are actually upset about this Starbucks.”

There’s one last tasty note to this story.

In late December, the Roasterie opened a new location on the western edge of the Southmoreland neighborhood, at the corner of 43rd and Main. One block away is a Starbucks. Zwillenberg is also the landlord to that Starbucks. Payback?

“Intellectually, I understand what you’re getting at there,” O’Neill told me.

“But we’ve been working for years on that location. As far as Brookside, in a number of months the Starbucks will be open, and we’ll [Roasterie] still be open, and I’ll still be saying the same thing, which is support The Dime Store, support [Brookside] Toy and Science, support all the rest, support local.

I never hear anybody say, ‘Ew, I don’t want to go there, it’s all locally owned, not enough chains.’ Do you?”

•

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Who could forget when the KenTacoHut opened at 119th Street and Metcalf, back in the nineties? Lots of people, probably. Lots of people probably forgot that. But I have not! What a hedonistic thrill it was to order a Personal Pan and a chalupa in the same building, for the same meal. It felt like the future. Talk about thinking outside the bun.

In early December, I received an interesting press release, which is almost an oxymoron. But here it was, a good one: “OVERLAND PARK KFC/TACO BELL REOPENS FOLLOWING NEARLY $3 MILLION RENOVATION.” I wasn’t aware the original KenTacoHut had closed. My mind traveled back to Overland Park in the nineties, yes, but also to three years ago, on a drive home from Minneapolis with a couple of friends. It was getting late, and we had been hungry for a long time, so we pulled off Interstate 35 into some nowhere town near the IowaMissouri border. It was Sunday night, and

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

The greasiest statue in Johnson County DAVID HUDNALL

our food options were limited. In the end, it came down to KFC and some local place that I recall (probably falsely) being named Kooter’s Kitchen. Ordinarily, Kooter’s would be the obvious choice: more adventurous, a better story for later. But we were exhausted, and Kooter’s looked menacing in the dark, like the kind of place where they might lock the doors and beat the shit out of the three goofball city slickers who’d arrived in a Kia hatchback. So we chickened out — literally — and drove to the KFC. When I sat down and tried to start writing about this, I found that I could not recall with much specificity what transpired at the KFC that night. I remember oppressive lighting. I remember a meal eaten more or less in silence. I remember an unpleasant staff. I remember shoving the contents of my mostly-full tray into the trash and walking out the door. But not much else. I now believe I have blocked out certain parts of the experience in a subconscious effort to protect myself from dark truths revealed in that restaurant.

I do know that, back on the highway, we agreed that it was among the worst and most depressing meals we’d ever eaten — no small feat; I am constantly eating terrible food at terrible places — and I vowed never to dine at a KFC again.

Then a few years passed, Donald Trump was elected president, and during his campaign of terror he was photographed eating a bucket of KFC with a lardy smile on his face. I recalled my vow and praised myself.

You were right to make that vow, I nodded.

You’re principled. You have strong values.

But the press release was too tempting. And my newsman’s instincts told me that this was the kind of content our readers crave. I messaged those two friends from the road trip and proposed a reunion with the Colonel. Anything for a story.

The new KenTaco — notably, minus the Hut — promised modern amenities. The release stated that the renovation is part of a larger strategy to rebrand 70 percent of KFC’s locations. They call this rebrand the “American Showman” design. The KenTaco, I was promised, would boast “a completely customized design aesthetic, exclusive food offerings, and is the first and only location to feature KFC’s virtual reality training game.”

A Mix 93.3 van was parked outside the entrance, blaring the hits of today, as the four of us thirtysomething men — we’d recruited one more — tumbled out of our idiot clown car. It was a Saturday, and the place had been open for a few days. A “Grand Opening” banner attached to the building flapped in the wind.

Few things are as amusing as a behemoth corporate brand attempting a makeover in the hopes of endearing itself to a younger and hipper demographic. By these standards, the KenTaco was a raging success. They sell Urban Outfitters-y t-shirts there with phrases like “If You Don’t Like Taco Bell, You’re Wrong” emblazoned across them in trendy fonts. There’s also a life-size Colonel Sanders statue — for selfie-taking,

natch. Also, a book about the founder of Taco Bell. It’s called Taco Titan.

Inside, it’s nice, and the staff was very friendly, and there are several flat-screen TVs for watching sports while you enjoy your Volcano Tacos. On one of the TVs, two obscure college football teams were battling it out in the New Orleans Bowl.

“New Orleans Bowl,” I said. “Sounds like a KFC menu item.”

Pleased with my little joke, I turned back around for a look at the screen and found myself face to face with a man in a hat carrying an old-timey tray filled with a variety of dipping sauces, mints, toothpicks, napkins, and other such items. Would we like any of his complimentary wares? I selected a fun-size tub of creamy buffalo sauce and dipped my chicken leg in it. I’d do it again!

The virtual reality escape room game wasn’t up and going when we were there, so I was unable to experience how deeply stupid that thing is.

Of course, what you really want to know is what we ordered. Bryan spent a total of $5 for KFC hot wings (“too dry”) and an iced tea. I suspect Bryan ate before coming, which makes me furious. Dan ordered off the Taco Bell value menu — Fritos burrito, Chipotle Chicken Loaded Griller, Potato Soft Taco — but still somehow spent $6. “They act like it’s a dollar menu,” Dan lamented, “but, really, all the stuff is more like two dollars.” We nodded in knowing agreement.

Konnor, who I have come to believe actually likes KFC, spent $8.72 on a “big box” of chicken that came with coleslaw and gravy. I spent in excess of $11. I took six or seven bites of the chicken in my two-piece meal, then tossed it aside for my Dorito Locos Taco kicker. I later finished my KFC biscuit and mashed potatoes. For dessert, I planned to order from the special KFC bakery. But it’s just the regular KFC biscuits with sugary glazes on top. Instead, I got three chocolate chip cookies, ate one, and generously distributed the other two to my friends. They were bad.

As we drove away, I asked the group for some feedback, hoping for an insight I could incorporate into my eventual column. What did we find interesting about the KenTaco?

There was a long pause.

“There’s two separate drive-thrus,” I ventured, pointing at the separate windows.

“One for each. That’s something, I guess.”

More silence. The layout inside the KenTaco is sort of a split-level setup, where you can walk down a half-flight of stairs to an eating area, or walk up a half-flight of stairs to a different eating area.

“There’s two…floors,” Konnor said.

“Hmm,” I said. “I’m not sure if there’s enough here for a column.”

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urbanminingvintage.com 3105 Gillham Rd | Kansas City pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

13

NEWS

Unsettled

How is Kansas City’s refugee community faring under Trump?

Not well.

Catholic Charities’ Susan Peters teaches a pre-literacy class for refugees at Catholic Charities in Kansas City, Kansas. Students come from Congo, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

JENNIFER WETZEL

BY TRACI ANGEL

Istahil Bile lives with her three young daughters in an apartment in Kansas City’s historic Northeast neighborhood. It’s a hardscrabble kind of life. She takes one bus to her local hotel job, two buses to the grocery store.

But Bile is one of the lucky ones. A Somali woman, she came to the United States after spending seven years in a refugee camp.

She left behind a husband and many family members. But she tries not to think of the past. She is focused only on what lies ahead.

“I want to talk English, to get better,” Bile says. “To get a better job.”

Bile arrived here during a time when the number of refugees entering the U.S. was climbing. But American policy related to the vetting and resettlement process has shifted dramatically since Trump’s inauguration. As president, Trump has reversed former Secretary of State John Kerry’s 2015 vow, made in solidarity with European countries, to increase the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. in the coming years.

During Obama’s last days in office, refugee agencies across the country were tasked with placing roughly 120,000 families. The Trump administration quickly dropped that number to 85,000. Then it was cut again, to 50,000.

This is bad news for refugees, of course, but also for the groups that serve them. Here in Kansas City, several organizations work with the federal government to provide assistance to refugees like Bile: Jewish Vocational Services, Della Lamb, Catholic Charities. Another group, KC for Refugees, exists to help fill in the gaps of what those organi-

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

zations can’t provide. But with the number of incoming refugees dramatically slashed under Trump, these groups are staring down cutbacks and struggling to offer services.

Catholic Charities resettled 400 refugees in 2016. Last year, that number was down to 250, with 150 projected for 2018. At Jewish Vocational Services, they’ve readjusted expectations for how many refugees they can serve. In fiscal year 2016, they assisted 600 refugees. Last year, it was 450, and 2018 is looking like 350. Federal funding is based on how many refugees these organizations assist. If they’re assisting half the people they were two years ago, that means they receive half the funding. Which means layoffs — a dozen full- and part-time employees have been let go at JVS, which executive director says is “a big impact” there.

“Most unfortunate is that we employ people who are refugees themselves,” Singer says. She adds that, in addition to the policy changes, the administration’s “unwelcoming rhetoric” has made for a “really, really hard year for the refugee community.”

Judy Akers, executive director at Della Lamb, says that, a year ago, the agency had seven full-time staff members and several others working part-time to help with resettlement cases. Della Lamb is now down to three full-time employees. The organization served 220 refugees in 2016 and was ramping up to serve 300 by 2018. Instead, the numbers are falling; Della Lamb will likely provide assistance to only 135 refugees this year.

“It’s just overwhelming,” Akers says.

“You continue to have refugees who come

through the door in need of some kind of assistance, and we just don’t have the staff.

We do what we can and continue to provide services no matter what.”

Since the 1970s, Vietnamese, Somalian, and, most recently, Syrian refugees have landed in Kansas City. They’ve made their homes here, and in doing so they’ve made our city a richer cultural place. Often, they arrive having already made great sacrifices.

Singer, of JVS, tells the story of a young woman from Iraq who lived in a Turkish camp before making it to the U.S. As a minor, she was part of her family’s refugee case.

But once she turned 18, she was assigned her own, separate case.

Then came the hard decision. She was granted admission, but the rest of her family — her mom, dad, and brother (who was suffering from health problems) — was not.

The family decided to send the daughter, who is now in her early 20s, by herself in Kansas City, to a new country, a new life. “[She] came to the U.S. thinking that her family was close behind her,” Singer says. “Then last January, the [Muslim ban] court order came down.”

The refugee program is built on the concept of hope, Singer says. When a country like the U.S. stops welcoming new people, “It shatters the hope that family members left behind will ever be resettled,” Singer says.

Dr. Sofia Khan, who founded and runs KC for Refugees, says that, without the vans dropping off new refugees for resettlement in Kansas City, her group has changed its area of focus to the “hundreds and hundreds who are already settled here who might be struggling.” People like Bile and her three young daughters.

Before the recent cuts, local agencies employed staff members who built working relationships with property owners, landlords, and potential employers. With reduced staff, the refugees who are already here find themselves on their own.

“Housing [them] is becoming a huge problem,” Khan says. “They are reaching out to us. Some of the families are really struggling.”

When Khan started KC for Refugees, her intention was to establish a network of volunteers. Now she finds herself applying for grants, hoping just to sustain the organization.

“My concern is that, the way things are going, they might disassemble the refugee program, and fewer and fewer [refugees] will [come] to the Kansas City area,” Khan says. “But we will try to push forward.”

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Love for the Haters

Two local highlights from our quest to dread Valentine’s Day less.

BY ANGELA LUTZ

Those jumbo-sized Brach’s conversation hearts that invade drugstore aisles this time of year? They double as sidewalk chalk. That might be my favorite part of Valentine’s Day, which is an unnecessary garbage holiday.

I don’t say that as an embittered single person, either. I say it as a jaded married one. This year, though, I’ve decided to follow the capitalism playbook and do something special for my husband on Feb. 14. Still, I prefer to keep Valentine’s Day simple (read: affordable) yet memorable. This goal leads me to Fetch, a paper goods and retail shop that opened down the strip from Blip Coffee Roasters in the West Bottoms last fall.

With its matte black walls, polished wood floors, and exposed concrete pillars, the space feels elegant and inviting, espe-

16

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

cially on a cold day. I’m greeted by Stephanie Richardson, who co-owns Fetch with her business partner, Patrick Froman. With warm, reddish-brown hair and an easy smile, Richardson talks to me like an old friend as we walk around the shop.

“We didn’t want Fetch to feel too feminine,” she explains, showing me a shelf filled with eucalyptus and juniper-scented soaps.

“We look for stuff that can be used by all genders.”

She spritzes some room spray, and it smells woodsy and kind of dangerous, like that time I went to Big Sur alone in my 20s.

Everything at Fetch is made in America, often in out-of-town boutiques discovered

by Richardson and Froman on their travels, though they feature a few local makers as

well. Most shelves are stocked with a variety of candles, bath products, coffee mugs, and totes, but there’s enough here that you could visit several times and always see something new. On my third walkthrough, I spot notebooks emblazoned with “This Meeting is Bullshit” and “Brilliant Ideas I Had While Drunk.”

About the latter, Richardson jokes, “We had to include that one because that’s how we came up with the idea for the store.”

The sense of humor runs deep here.

Richardson tells me their beer cozies reading “Day Drunk” and “What the Fuck Happened Last Night” get quickly snatched up on the weekends, and irreverent greeting cards by Denver-based Craft Boner are hard to keep on the shelves. The card that reads “Your Penis is My Favorite” is currently sold out. Even the name of the store, a hashtagready catchphrase from the movie Mean Girls, is a bit tongue-in-cheek.

But this lighthearted playfulness is balanced with a serious desire to do good. Richardson says she and Froman like to partner with companies that give back. Californiabased Fable Soap Co., for instance, donates a bar of soap to women’s shelters with each purchase, and local candle maker Untamed Supply gives a portion of its proceeds to national parks. Fetch also carries products by

“WE DIDN’T WANT FETCH TO FEEL TOO FEMININE. WE LOOK FOR STUFF THAT CAN BE USED BY ALL GENDERS.” Stephanie Richardson

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“We want to support sustainable practices and small businesses that take care of their employees and the environment,” Richardson says. “We see Fetch as a place where you can always come and be among friends.”

Before I leave, Richardson offers me a LaCroix, which is as refreshing to my palate as Fetch has been to my sweetheart-centric shopping experience. I make plans to return for their Valentine pop-up market Feb. 3, which will be held in the shop’s large back room and feature vintage and handmade goods from Village Collection, Whiskey + Bone, and Commonwild, as well as crepes from Seven Swans Creperie.

With a solid gift plan in place, I start considering unique outings with my husband that don’t include our typical overpriced dinner at a restaurant neither of us has heard of because our first choice was already booked for weeks by the time we remembered to call the night before. With its infrared sauna dates, Sunlight Spa in Overland Park seems to offer just the ticket.

For me, the thought of sweltering in a traditional sauna sounds unappealing and unsexy; I always emerge from these wooden hotboxes dripping, panting, and disoriented, like a wet dog with low blood sugar. But Brooke Basaldua, Sunlight Spa’s marketing director, assures me her infrared saunas offer a different kind of experience. For starters, it’s a bit cooler in there, topping out around 140 degrees as opposed to 200. And there’s no steam involved.

“Traditional saunas get unbearably hot because it just heats the air,” Basaldua explains. “But infrared heats the body directly.

The gentle heat raises the core temperature and leads to a deeper, detoxifying sweat.”

I become instantly skeptical at any mention of these nebulous and pervasive

“toxins” that have allegedly infiltrated everything we consume, but it’s five degrees and sleeting outside, so I’m eager to get warm. I take off my jacket and step inside the sauna, which can comfortably hold up to three people. Within a few moments, I feel pleasantly toasty and even a bit gooey, like a marshmallow browned over a campfire.

The temperature and infrared wavelength can be adjusted via a touchscreen monitor mounted to the wall in front of me. I can feel the sweat beading in my armpits as Basaldua enumerates the sauna’s many benefits, including weight loss, detoxification, and pain relief. I ask her why I’d want to take a date there.

“There are no outside distractions and hopefully no phones,” she says. “You can talk or be comfortably silent while doing something good for yourself. You aren’t wearing makeup, so it creates true authenticity, and that creates intimacy.”

Again, I’m a bit incredulous, but I guess Basaldua would know better than I do – Sunlight Spa has been a pioneer in infrared spa technology for the last ten years, with its products in use all over the country and favored by several major celebrities. She even cites a UMKC study showing that regular infrared sessions can improve heart health and lower blood pressure without medication.

And that’s great, but on this frigid day I’m more concerned with how I will feel after a surprisingly affordable $35 session. (It’s $55 for a couple, and packages are also available.) When I emerge, I’m calm and surprisingly clear-headed, as though I’ve just taken a two-hour nap. In other words, the sauna offers instant gratification. And if we’re being honest, nothing speaks to the spirit of Valentine’s Day more than that.

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FEATURES

Lit Up

Love, at the Crumble Co. warehouse. The business also maintains a 20,000-follower Facebook community group that’s “a safe space for topics concerning mental health.”

KELCIE MCKENNEY

How Brandon Love turned suicidal heartbreak into a thriving, Olathe-based candle company.

BY KELCIE MCKENNEY

Crumble Candle Company’s origin story is dark. Much like a candle, though, it gives way to light.

It starts in 2015, with Brandon Love, then 17 years old, living in Baltimore and suffering through a bad breakup. Depression transitioned into suicidal thoughts, and one day Love found himself in his father’s closet with a gun to his head. Then a thought crossed his mind, something a friend had told him about getting through tough times: “Stay busy.”

Love had been crafty his whole life — in his spare time, he’d make buttons and stuffed animals, or worked on graphic design projects. Maybe, he thought, a new, creative venture could pull him out of his deepening darkness. Rather than ending it all in that closet, he walked downstairs and asked his mom, Darlene Troutner, if she’d be interested in making some candles with him. They each put $50 toward supplies and started producing wax melts in their home kitchen,

20

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

selling their finished products on Etsy.

Pretty quickly, it became apparent that there was a market for Love’s creations. His lifesaving hobby was starting to look like a viable business. When his ex-boyfriend resurfaced, Love realized he needed to leave Baltimore and focus on Crumble Candle Company, as he had named it. He had a few friends in Kansas City. It seemed like an upand-coming type of place, a good fit for a growing business. So, in 2016, he made the move to the Midwest.

“For a year, I was hardcore ramen-noodle budgeting, but it was wonderful,” Love says. “I was having more fun than I’d ever had.”

In Kansas City, Love also found catharsis by weaving his past struggles into the identity of his candle company. He calls Crumble Co. an “anti-suicide and pro-joy aroma company,” and sells wax melts with titles like “Exploding Unicorns” and “F*ck Anxiety.” And, with Crumble Co.’s robust

“FOR A YEAR, I WAS HARDCORE RAMEN-NOODLE BUDGETING, BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL. I WAS HAVING MORE FUN THAN I’D EVER HAD.” Brandon Love

Facebook group, he’s walking the walk.

The 20,000-member Crumble Family (it’s separate from Crumble Co.’s company page, which has over 60,000 followers) bills itself as not only “proudly Facebook’s largest candle community,” but also an “online safespace for topics concerning mental health.”

People share their own experiences and provide support for others. Volunteer moderators respond to every post with messages of compassion. So do Crumble Co. employees like Spencer Gustin.

“I definitely have my own sort of battle with mental illness and suicide,” Gustin says, “and I also really wanted to have some sort of purpose to wake up to in the morning.

And Crumble Co. let me have that.”

“To me, our mission is to make bad days a little brighter,” Love says. “We’re in an industry that’s so basic. We could just sell wax, but [instead] we’re getting to do this thing where we have direct impacts on people’s lives.”

In the last two years, Crumble Co. has blossomed into a five-employee business that operates out of an extremely pink Olathe warehouse decorated with unicorn and mermaid images. (The success of the business also gave Love the opportunity to move his parents from Baltimore to Kansas City; they both work for him now.) It smells heavenly, owing to candles christened with product names like Oh So Pretty, Fruity Loops, Boy’s Tears, Sexy Lumberjack, and Man Bun. The vibe is collaborative: the whole team is involved with every part of the business, from shipping to pouring the wax melts to packaging and trying out new scents.

“It’s very strictly unstrict,” Love says.

“When you’re doing one mundane task, it’s not good for mental health, and we’re a mental health company. So every five minutes we’re doing something else. We’ll be on the floor producing, blasting music and dabbing while pouring wax. Every wax is made with music and bad dance moves.”

Currently, Crumble Co. sells its candles at HyperKC, in the River Market, though the bulk of sales are online at crumbleco.com.

In the near future, though, Love is angling to relocate the company’s facilities closer to downtown Kansas City, to a space with a storefront. He wants to start making other bath products and become “Kansas City’s go-to bath and body store.”

Love recently went through another breakup, but by now he knows the drill. He quickly channeled his blues into a new line of wax melts.

“I make the best stuff throughout breakups: I make the best content, I make the best speeches, I make the best bars,” Love says. “So we made a whole ‘Boys Boys Boys’ line: Boyfriend Sweater, Boyfriend Snuggles, you name it. I’m Taylor Swifting through every breakup I’ve ever gone through.”

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

21

PARTIES

Bloody Good Time

Bring an empty stomach and enthusiasm for tomato-based cocktails to The Pitch’s Brunched, February 10.

BY KELCIE MCKENNEY

We are serious about brunch here in Kansas City — serious enough that The Pitch has created an event specifically in honor of this most delicious portmanteau. Held Saturday, February 10th, at the Madrid Theatre, Brunched promises sanctuary from the cold and a bountiful spread of Bloody Marys and breakfasty bites from restaurants all across Kansas City.

Participating restaurants include: EJ’s Urban Eatery, Mockingbird Lounge, Pig and Finch, American Slang, with many more to be added by the time you read this. They’ll be serving up plenty of mid-morning delicacies for your sampling pleasure. Beignets

(with sweet potato puree and crab salad), yes. Chicken and waffles (with sriracha mayo), you bet. French toast (with whipped cream, mint, and maple syrup), you know it.

Come hungry.

And thirsty. Brunched is about more than just taste-testing your next hangover meal. It’s about getting boozed up, too. Bartenders from 10 local spots will face off in a Bloody Mary competition. The undisputed winner, of course, is you, presuming you attend; free samples of every concoction are ticket gets you samples of every concoction.

That makes this arguably better than a bottomless Bloody Mary bar, since each drink is

From full service to express drop-off and everything in between, you can rest assured that you will get the menu and service you need to make your celebration a success!

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

different from the last. (Our lovely sponsor, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, will supply the liquor for those Bloodys.) Breakfast cocktails not your style? A cash bar will be open at the Madrid, with plenty of other drinks to choose from.

So, on February 10, at least, forget booking a Saturday-morning restaurant reservation. Buy a ticket (pitch.com/pitchevents) and head to the Madrid instead.

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $35 for VIP; doors open at 11:30 a.m. for VIP guests, noon for GA. See you there.

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FOOD

Sacred Cow ZACH BAUMAN

For Wes Gartner and Jill Myers, reviving the iconic Golden Ox was a long, arduous haul. But the steaks are just about done.

BY APRIL FLEMING

For awhile there, it was looking like the Golden Ox might become office space.

The West Bottoms mainstay — depending on how you score it, the oldest steakhouse in town, and the birthplace of the Kansas City Strip — had closed at the end of 2014, after 65 years of serving up steaks and spuds in the Livestock Exchange Building. A year later, Wes Gartner and Jill Myers (who own Voltaire, across the street) announced they’d signed a lease for the north end of the space, which was divided in two after the closing. (Stockyards Brewing Company took over the south end.) The plan was to renovate the space, update the restaurant’s

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

menu, and reopen the Golden Ox in September 2016.

But reinvigorating the old Ox proved to be no ordinary buildout. The Livestock Exchange Building is 108 years old, which presented uniquely difficult design challenges.

And the restaurant had made few upgrades; the underlying mechanical systems hadn’t been touched in 60 years. It quickly became clear that just about everything save for the structure itself needed to be redesigned or rebuilt: the plumbing and electrical systems, old grease traps, HVAC. So much work was required that more than one engineer came in, took a look, and declared a restaurant

renovation impossible. Landlord Bill Haw, Sr., a supporter of Gartner and Myers’ plan, conceded that perhaps the Ox was destined to house a startup or a lawyer’s office. Maybe this steakhouse revival wasn’t meant to be.

“But I never really believed that it wouldn’t happen,” says Gartner.

“We couldn’t let Bill Haw down,” Myers jokes.

Ultimately, they found a variety of creative solutions to their engineering problems. The hood vent at the old Golden Ox ran up all nine stories of the Livestock Exchange Building before reaching the atmosphere. In addition to being questionably legal, this arrangement didn’t fit well into Gartner and Myers’ plans for a wood-fired grill. Wood meant cleaning the ductwork once a month, and nobody wants to clean nine stories of ductwork every 30 days. Instead, engineers routed the hood up just one story and then out the side of the structure.

Gartner and Myers were then able to concentrate on more straightforward fixes, such as replacing an electrical system that still used antique glass fuses.

Much of the interior design work was entrusted to John O’Brien of Hammer Out Design. Early in his career, O’Brien worked for Gilbert and Robertson, the original designers of the Ox. A crew carefully removed the restaurant’s interior cattleman-friendly wood paneling, disassembling it piece by piece before numbering and storing it for later reassembly.

“This project has taken on a personal importance to [O’Brien],” Gartner says. “We could have never done it without his guidance and his eye. From the beginning, he understood that we want to be accessible to a new generation while showing total respect to the older generation, and not alienating either one of them.”

Designwise, at least, the new Ox succeeds on that front. (I should note here that, as someone who arrived in the area near the turn of the millennium, I don’t feel much fuzzy nostalgia for the old Ox. I dined there in an era of badly stained carpets, harsh fluorescent lights, and dry chicken breasts served unadorned and unaccompanied.)

The general layout will be familiar to the

former clientele, though the grill has been moved from the floor to the kitchen (it’s still visible to diners) and a rich, wood bar has been built in its place. Softer, warm lighting emphasizes the masculine details, like the wood paneling and dark furniture.

Thoughtful as the design and engineering have been, diners are, of course, not coming to the Ox solely for fancy new vents or atmosphere. They’ll want their steaks. Gartner and Myers have resurrected the straightforward, old-school Kansas City steakhouse menu while calibrating it to appeal to a wide swath of potential customers.

“I think we appeal to a younger generation by offering really high-quality, natural, local-when-possible ingredients,” Gartner says. “And also by providing vegetarian options and a composed vegan option, which might be blasphemy to have at a steakhouse.

But I think [that’s] really important to have.”

So, yes: traditionalists can order up a Kansas City strip and a baked potato. The more adventurous among us can opt for locally grown vegetables and steak cuts from boutique cattle breeds.

And wine. General manager and certified sommelier Richard Trinidad Garcia brings with him a level of knowledge that goes beyond the old Ox’s “red or white?” binary. But he doesn’t intend to overwhelm customers; he’ll stock a relatively compact list of about 50 varieties, with high-quality, accessible selections from California and France alongside some surprising choices for those who want something a little more obscure. And bartender Katy Wade has crafted a menu of classic cocktails to correspond to the Ox’s vintage feel.

Something entirely new about Gartner and Myers’ creation is Ox Café and Bakery, which will live inside the restaurant but maintain a separate dining space, menu, and hours. The café will be easiest to access from inside the Livestock Exchange Building (and will presumably aim to serve other tenants of the building). It’ll be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving freshly baked breads and pastries, breakfast and lunch items, coffee and espresso. (The restaurant will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.) Gartner notes that chef Will Noyes has been experimenting with different breads for months and adds that the announcement of a new pastry chef is forthcoming.

Sticking to an opening dates is always dangerous in the restaurant industry, a truth felt keenly by Gartner and Myers after two years of design- and construction-related delays. But they’re finally at the goal line.

The opening is pegged for late February. All that’s left to do is swing open the doors and see who stampedes in. pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

25

FOOD

Check-in Time

The chicken Parm (above), ricotta cavatelli (top right) and Tavern burger (bottom right) ZACH BAUMAN

Tavernonna seeks to transcend the trappings of the hotel restaurant.

Tavernonna

BY LIZ COOK

It’s a bit of a cliché, the underperforming hotel restaurant, but it’s endured for good reason. Consider the challenges facing hotel chefs: the marathon hours, the high customer volume, the pressure to offer something to please every necktie with a breakfast voucher.

Never mind the problem of motivation.

Each traveling circus or T-Swift tour means a revolving door of new guests with new palates. The burden to court local, repeat customers is low.

The Hotel Phillips is battling that image with Tavernonna, its year-old anchor restaurant. It is gaining ground. Sure, the Chicagobased restaurant group DMK has skewed conservative with its vision of a modern Italian trattoria, and some miscues suggest coordination problems with back-of-house staff. But splashes of creativity hint at a brighter future for the location, where the cocktails are novel, the pastas are comforting, and nearly every dish is snowed with a conciliatory layer of Grana Padano.

Brunch is served from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, and it’s an economical way to sample executive chef Bryant Wigger’s Italian comfort food. Leave the shortorder standards to the hotel’s guests and ask

26

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

for the fried chicken and biscuits. Wigger’s fried chicken is excellent — it won him the Golden Fork at last year’s Taste of Kansas City competition—and the breading on the dish I sampled stayed crisp beneath a heavy coating of spicy Italian sausage gravy and molten egg yolks. The biscuit was buttery and crisp, if a bit dense, and a piquant red pepper sauce brightened up the rich flavors.

(Gold star to the server who immediately noticed that the dish hit the table without that pepper sauce and corrected the error.)

The sandwiches at that meal were less balanced. My server praised the rosemary chicken sandwich, but it arrived on a vulture-sized ciabatta that had been toasted to a Herculean chew. The bun overpowered the pancetta, the mozzarella, the rapini pesto — and my puny human jaw. The French dip suffered from a similar problem; though its bun was more tender, it dwarfed the flavors of the (very good) shaved steak and horseradish cream. Another quibble is that the sandwich arrived sans jus, and neither the kitchen nor our server noticed the omission. But the Tuscan fries served alongside smoothed things over. The spuds were light and crisp, tossed with garlic and rosemary and mossed with salty cheese.

Those fries showed up again with the Tavern burger, a remarkable feat of chargrilled engineering. I’m incessantly railing, in the old-man-yells-at-cloud tradition, against Big Beautiful Burgers stuffed into wispy buns that leave nothing to the imagination. But Wigger has the beef-to-bun ratio nailed to the third decimal place: behold the modestly plump round of Hatfield Farms ground beef flanked by a soft, shiny-domed bun strong enough to withstand the condiments (aged cheddar, smoky bacon, balsamic-glazed onions) without overwhelming them. My patty arrived a hair too charred— more bitter than juicy—and yet I’d order it again on measurements alone.

The dinner menu is approachable and unfussy, with flavors that seem at times calibrated to an outsider’s idea of a Midwesterner’s palate (salt, fat, cheese). No one here will roll their eyes if you order a plate of spaghetti — pomodoro, cacio e pepe, or all’amatriciana, all satisfying and satisfactory. The rigatoni Bolognese I tried on a recent visit was a rock-solid read on a classic. The housemade rigatoni was firm and chewy, the ideal foil for glossy morsels of braised beef.

The gravy was rich and savory (if a bit soupy), with a crucial drizzle of an extra-fruity

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

olive oil to freshen the flavors.

But when Wigger gets weird with it, diners win. The baked ziti hummed with bolder, more complex flavors thanks to hunks of roasted red peppers, smears of smoky eggplant, and thin ribbons of grassy pesto festooned over the top like tinsel. The noodles were cooked a minute too long in the version I tried (the ziti is the only pasta Wigger doesn’t make), but the flavors were so bright — and the mozzarella so silky — that I didn’t much care.

I was eager to revisit the ricotta cavatelli, a dish I’d sampled at the restaurant some months ago that made me pine for a Bryant Wigger baseball card. Imagine delicate, ricotta-lined dumplings bathed in brown butter and nestled in a creamy lake of fontina fonduta, the whole plate trimmed Christmas-green with the gently curled husks of Brussels sprouts. But a recent visit made me wonder if I’d embellished that memory. The same plate arrived a dull brown, the colors muddy and the flavors muddled.

With a hotel’s punishing hours and service schedules, consistency can be a challenge — especially when it comes to finicky flavors and time-consuming plating. But the creative touches on a few of Tavernonna’s dishes demonstrate how those risks can yield returns. A pompom of fresh fennel proved an ideal complement for a crisp-skinned branzino swimming in a garlicky white wine and tomato brodo. Chunky pickled vegetables likewise leavened a potentially heavy chicken “Parm” (Wigger uses caciocavallo cheese in lieu of Parmesan) with a jolt of acid. And a skull cap of tangy lemon ricotta was the perfect crown for “nonna’s meatballs,” appetite-teasing rounds of dense-but-springy brisket swathed in a velvety pomodoro sauce.

Side dishes here are à la carte, but a handful are worth the expense. Skip the cheesy polenta, which was well-textured but bland. I preferred the grilled escarole, which

came soused in a tangy vinaigrette. The lake of dribbly vinaigrette made the dish (and my chin) look sloppy, but a blush of heat from ‘nduja sausage banished any impulse to propriety. But my hands-down favorite was a dish of Brussels sprouts with a painter’s feel for composition: a salty funk from grana Padano, a rich nuttiness from brown butter, a slight crunch from slivered almonds, and a sweet undercurrent from caramelized sugars. This is a vegetable worth sharing as a starter (along with those meatballs) Cocktails are another high point, giving you good reason to drink your dessert.

Cold weather begs for brandy, and Tavernonna’s seasonal offerings are crafted with the care of year-round classics. The Refreshing Holiday lived up to its name, combining apple brandy (allegedly “bacon-fat-washed,” though those notes escaped detection) with cinnamon syrup, a housemade cinnamon and pear purée, and a creamy head of eggwhite foam stippled with nutmeg. The drink was complex but balanced, with warm undertones of spiced cider and a smooth finish that belied the booze.

The silver medal went to the cognac flip, which blended Hennessy VSOP and cream with a housemade orgeat (an almond syrup) infused with espresso and toasted hazelnut.

The drink tasted like a melted milkshake — a little sweet for my taste, with a custardy finish from the egg yolk that the intervening flavors couldn’t quite overcome. Still, it was a sneakily sippable drink.

The drinks and small plates at Tavernonna are strong enough to shrug off that hotel-food reputation. A few imaginative touches show Chef Wigger’s feel for balanced flavors and bold ingredients. But for the restaurant to bring in more than its keycard clientele, it may need to grapple with an overall tendency to play (and plate) it safe.

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29

MUSIC

Lenny Letter One hundred years of Bernstein.

BY LIBBY HANSSEN

When the news fills with divisive talk of border walls, I think of the wall that came tumbling down some 28 years ago. I think of Leonard Bernstein, in Berlin, leading an orchestra of German, British, American, French, and Russian musicians through Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, in a concert televised across the globe. Bernstein, 71 years old, sick and sweating, but shying away not at all from the jubilance and triumph of the event, eyes squeezed shut as the audience begins to clap at his final, exultant “Ode to Freedom.”

I’ve been thinking of that extraordinary Christmas Day in 1989 a lot lately. I’ve been thinking about Bernstein himself, too, as the runup to his 100th birthday approaches on August 25.

Bernstein was a first-generation American from a not-particularly-musical Jewish family in Boston. He became, perhaps, the greatest rock star in the modern era of classical music. Bernstein was magnanimous, charming, egotistical, handsome, incorrigible, erudite. He was as adept at addressing political leaders as he was children, as many learned from his popular Young People’s Concerts from 1958-1972.

From his rushed debut in 1943 to his final appearance in 1989, Bernstein led the New York Philharmonic in over 1,000 concerts. The music he wrote, like the ever-popular “West Side Story,” crossed all barriers of classical and popular, from high art to delicious kitsch, leaving an astounding output

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

that is his most lasting legacy.

Bold and brash, Bernstein nevertheless struggled to live his truth, challenging the societal expectations of the day. Deeply in tune with his Jewish heritage, he was an outspoken activist and humanitarian, promoting civil rights, anti-militarization, and AIDS research.

I also think about Bernstein (“Lenny” to those who knew him) introducing a seven-year-old prodigy, an immigrant of Chinese heritage, to President John F. Kennedy.

“Art...flowing into and out of America, has long been the attraction of our country to foreign artists and scientists and thinkers,” Bernstein said, “[They] come not only to visit us but often to join us as Americans, to become citizens of what to some has historically been the Land of Opportunity, but to others the Land of Freedom.”

That prodigy was cellist Yo-Yo Ma. He joins the Kansas City Symphony in March for its “A Century of Bernstein” celebration, with KCS performances honoring the man and his music from February through June.

Bernstein’s conducting style — emotive, exuberant — drew ire from the stodgy critics of the day, but was never without musical connection. (A double plus for the 21st century: Bernstein’s dramatic gestures and facial expressions are magnificently GIF-worthy.)

One sees his influence in Kansas City Symphony’s own music director Michael Stern, who grew up knowing Bernstein both professionally and as a family friend.

PAUL DE HUECK

Some local organizations have already begun their Bernstein centennial homages.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City performed “Arias and Barcarolles” as part of its Explorations Series last October, and Kinnor Philharmonic opened its New Years Day concert with the overture to “West Side Story.” Other local groups have performances planned for the 2018/2019 season.

Bernstein did not hide in a fortress of his art, separate from the musicians, the audiences, or the man on the street. He instead used his art, his passion, and his position to challenge and criticize, to break down barriers and build connections. That legacy is what I celebrate this year — and every time I think about him.

CONCERTS

CLASSICAL MUSIC CALENDAR FEBRUARY FRIDAY, FEB. 2–SUNDAY FEB. 4

SATURDAY, FEB. 10, 7:30 P.M.

FRIDAY, FEB. 16, 7:30 P.M.

FRIDAY FEB. 23 – SUNDAY FEB. 25

The Kansas City Symphony begins its A Century of Bernstein celebration with “Serenade,” performed with violinist Sharon Roffman. Music director Michael Stern’s father, Isaac, gave the world premiere in 1954, with Bernstein conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Tesla Quartet, named for inventor Nikola Tesla, performs for the Park ICM Distinguished Alumni Series. 1900 Building

Acclaimed pianist Mitsuko Uchida performs a program of Franz Schubert masterworks. Harriman-Jewell Series, Folly Theater

Kansas City Symphony, led by guest conductor David Zinman, performs Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from On The Waterfront, part of A Century of Bernstein, with Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7, 6 P.M. KCS’s Free Symphony Happy Hour concert is “Bernstein and Beyond.” Reserve tickets in advance: these are always at capacity.

Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

FRIDAY, FEB. 9, 7:30 P.M. Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., makes its fourth KC appearance. Harriman-Jewell Series, Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

FRIDAY, FEB. 9–SUNDAY, FEB. 11 Saxophonist Bobby Watson and guests join the Kansas City Symphony for “A Tribute to Kansas City Jazz: from Basie to Bebop.” Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

SATURDAY, FEB. 10, 7:30 P.M.

SUNDAY, FEB. 11, 7 P.M. Violinist Lara St. John and pianist Matt Herskowitz perform “Lavuta” (“violin” in Romani), a diverse program of Eastern European works. Carlsen Center Presents, JCCC, Polsky Theatre

TUESDAY, FEB. 13, 6:30 P.M. Kansas City Chamber Orchestra hosts its annual Valentine event, with dinner, drinks and string serenades. Californos

THURSDAY, FEB. 15–SUNDAY, FEB. 18 KCS continues its popular Harry Potter Film Concert Series with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Seeing the movie with a live score is like seeing it for the first time. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

THURSDAY, FEB. 15–SUNDAY, FEB. 18 Kansas City Ballet presents its emerging choreographer showcase with “New Moves,” featuring six world premieres.

Michael and Ginger Frost Studio Theater, Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity

SUNDAY, FEB. 18, 2:30 P.M. Early music ensemble Ricercar Consort performs an intimate selection of J.S. Bach’s works in “Music for Anna Magdalena Bach.” Friends of Chamber Music, Village Presbyterian Church

SUNDAY, FEB. 19, 7:30 P.M. Midwest Chamber Ensemble features soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson in “Vieux Amis – Nouveaux Costumes (Old Friends in New Clothes)”. Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

TUESDAY, FEB. 20, 6 P.M. Kansas City Symphony’s “Sounds Relaxing” endeavor pairs guided meditation and mindful movement with string quartet selections. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21, 7:30 P.M. Ensemble Iberica brings in flamenco guitarists Antonio Andrade and Miguel Sotelo from Sevilla, Spain. JCCC, Polsky Theater

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Brentano String Quartet shakes up its repertoire with pianist Jonathan Biss.

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SATURDAY, FEB. 24, 8 P.M. Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs “Star Dust” to a selection of David Bowie songs. Carlsen Center Presents, JCCC, Polsky Theatre Sunday, February 25, 2 p.m.

Mid America Freedom Band’s “Votes for Women!” concertizes the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C., and features the work of Missouri suffragette Alma Nash. National World War I Museum and Memorial

MONDAY, FEB. 26, 12 P.M. KC Baroque Consortium performs for the Ruel Joyce Series. Johnson County Community College, Carlsen Center Recital Hall

MONDAY, FEB. 26, 7:30 P.M.

Bach Aria Soloists showcase the magnificent new instrument in “Opus 22: An Organ Celebration.” Village Presbyterian Church

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31

MUSIC

Farewell, Not Goodbye

The Folk Alliance International Conference leaves Kansas City after this month’s event. What’s next?

BY NICK SPACEK

Historically, international acts have not tended to play their first American shows in Kansas City. We’re deep in the middle of the country, far from any border. We’re not an entertainment center like the coastal poles of New York and Los Angeles. And we don’t have a live-music economy the way, say, Austin or Nashville or New Orleans does.

Little by little, though, things change.

Oh Pep, fast-rising folk-pop group from Melbourne, Australia, played its first U.S. show in Kansas City in 2015.

“It was an introduction to performing in America we could not have even dreamed of,” says lead singer and mandolin player Pepita Emmerichs. “We made so many valuable connections there, including team members and friends we continue to work with. We perform in Kansas City whenever we get the chance. It feels like home every time.”

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

What brought Oh Pep to our humble Midwest town was the Folk Alliance International Conference, which its organizers bill as the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Folk Alliance International relocated its headquarters from Memphis to Kansas City in 2013, and the conference has been held at the Westin Crown Center since 2014. Every year, hundreds of acts flood the metro over one winter weekend — this year, it’s February 14-18 — to showcase their talents for suits and fans alike.

Like his predecessor, Louis Jay Meyers, FAI executive director Aengus Finnan sees the conference as a complement to Kansas City’s already-robust music community. (Meyers, one of the founders of South

by Southwest, died in 2016.) It gives local musicians access to regional, national, and international artists, as well as industry pro-

“IT WAS AN INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMING IN AMERICA WE COULD NOT HAVE EVEN DREAMED OF.” Pepita Emmerichs (above, right) of Australia’s Oh Pep, on the Folk Alliance Conference in KC

fessionals.

“There’s something to be said for meeting with international touring artists, and seeing the work that’s being created and performances,” Finnan says. “[As a musician], you can study your peers and people that might be out ahead of you a couple of years.

It’s provided a really intensive way for the local music community to fast-track their growth and their career.”

The same might be said of its impact on the city’s image. Cruz Contreras, frontman for the Knoxville-based roots band the Black Lillies, says that, while he had been through the area before, his band saw Kansas City in a new light, thanks to FAI’s conference being hubbed at the centrally located Westin.

“It certainly gave us an opportunity to get to know the town and to feel more connected to it,” he says.

Unfortunately, the conference moves to Montreal in 2019. But Finnan wants to assuage any fears that FAI’s presence in Kansas City will diminish as a result. FAI’s roots will stay in Kansas City.

“We are about to renew a lease for our [River Market] office,” Finnan says. “Our offices here in Kansas City are expanding, and the conference will be coming back in and out of Kansas City in the future. This is not the last time that Kansas City will see the conference.”

This year’s event does not lack for boldface names. (A full list of showcasing artists can be found at folkconference.org.) Performers include Dar Williams, Mary Gauthier, John Oates (yep, of Hall and Oates), Grant-Lee Phillips, Jorma Kaukonen, and The Stray Birds. But the real joy of the conference is stumbling upon some unknown artist in a hallway and being blown away by the performance. And this year, more than any prior year, there’s a greater chance that artist won’t be a bearded white dude strumming an acoustic guitar. It might be an Estonian act, or a local Latin-American act (Making Movies, Cubanism), or bluegrass players from Japan.

“That has been a very specific endeavor,” Finnan says of increasing diversity at the conference. “It has been one of the most important things that we, as an organization, can do — and should do. To me, the root of folk music is community. Although the conference is an industry event, ultimately, we have a social responsibility to ensure that the full community is represented.”

This inclusivity is consistent with the ideal Meyers expressed when he moved here in 2013: to be a steward of the word folk, and to keep its definition broad.

“As we connect across borders and see how many independent artists are creating work that is intimate and powerful,” Finnan says, wrapping up our chat, “I do believe that we’ve never had a more active time under the banner of folk music than we do now.”

It’s time to put on your Big boy pants

…AGAIN.

April 12

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tickets on sale February 12th at pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

33

SECTION MUSIC

AARON RHODES

Active Voice The busy creative life of Khrystal Coppage.

BY AARON RHODES

Every once in a while, Khrystal Coppage will hashtag her Instagram posts #AwkwardBlackGirlRap. It’s a clever bit of socialmedia self-marketing, but it also captures the Wyandotte County native’s personality, both onstage and off. She doesn’t suffer from stage fright or clunky flow. But she can be awkward. She doesn’t always know what to say.

It’s perhaps the cost of actively pursuing

34

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

so many different creative endeavors at the relatively young age of 26. In addition to being a wife and mother, Coppage acts, writes, sings, and raps. Those latter two she put on hold from 2014 through 2016, while she was busy with school (she graduated from UMKC in 2016) and raising her son, Kurij.

But Coppage was hardly sitting still creatively during that time. She was putting out a bimonthly magazine, Khorage (named after

ECHOES OF SOLANGE AND SYD ON KHRYSTAL’S LATEST.

her son), which was conceived as an outlet to provide more positive imagery for black girls. Each of the two dozen issues highlighted three black community leaders.

But last year Coppage returned to the mic, releasing two EPs under the stage name Khrystal.

“I needed to let out a lot of stuff,” Coppage says. “I had a lot of lessons I had learned that I knew other people were going through and needed to hear.”

Her new music was coaxed along by Duncan Burnett, a rapper, producer, and drummer Coppage met back when she was performing Christian raps under the name Kid Kool. Burnett had been watching the #BlackGirlMagic movement explode in Chicago, where acts like Noname and Jamila Woods were finding a mainstream audience

MUSIC

bridging the worlds of poetry and positive hip hop. He wanted to make something similar happen in Kansas City. He thought of Coppage.

“She’s just got a vibe or a energy,” Burnett says of Coppage. “She’s just got something special, something different, and she owns it.”

He encouraged Coppage to start making music again. She took his nudge as a sign.

“It’s weird, but I felt it,” Coppage says. “I really believe the universe brings you what you need in the moment.”

The pair first convened on New Year’s Day 2017 and knocked out two songs right away, including “Melanin Poppin’,” which would soon become a crowd favorite and the first track for which Khrystal recorded

a music video. Those songs and a few more were released in June 2017 on the Quarter Century Living EP. The follow-up, titled The Glow Up, features all-original production from Burnett based on mood-boarding and input from Coppage. She cites recent releases by Solange and Syd as influences on the record.

This year will see the release of Khrystal’s first full-length record, which will likely be a collaborative affair rooted in the burgeoning collective known as NuBlvckCity, which formed last year with the aim of making positive music that impacts the community. Active members include Khrystal, Duncan, Sauce, Kartez Marcel, and Mae C. They’re all gigging frequently, essentially stringing together whole tours of regional open-mic events. Many of them met through local churches, and they’ve performed at several benefit shows, as well as the opening of Ruby Jean’s Troost location.

Every month, NuBlvckCity members perform at Rap Asylum, a local showcase and open mic held at Westport Coffee House. Rap Asylum reflects the collective’s values and seems to be one of the only places in Kansas City where one can catch a Christian trap artist, followed by a first-time freestyler, followed by some of the city’s most established hip-hop acts.

Coppage was scheduled to perform at the January show, but missed it due to rehearsals for a theatre production. She’s been acting since she was six years old, and she and her husband, Robert (aka Tre Cop), first met while working on a play in high school.

Last year, Khrystal was in the cast of We Shall Not Be Moved: The Student Sit-ins of 1960, at the Coterie Theatre. She and Robert have been giving improv comedy a whirl lately, too. Robert auditioned at Comedy City in October, and by the time December rolled around, Khrystal was taking the stage with him.

Many performers see their home as simply a place to rest and recharge, but Khrystal and Robert see it as a place to be creatively challenged.

“As soon as she started doing her music again, I was like, ‘You know, I’m gonna have to do my music,’” Robert says. “We inspire each other, push each other.”

Coppage says one of her goals is to make the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. At the rate she’s going, that does not seem entirely implausible. She has a few years left to make it happen — plenty of time push through any awkwardness and figure out exactly what she wants to say, and which stage she wants to say it from.

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

35

FILM

Grab the Popcorn

...and get an early start on Oscar season — before time’s up.

BY ERIC MELIN

Don’t feel bad if, while watching the 90th annual Academy Awards on March 4, you haven’t seen (or even heard of) half the movies that are nominated. It’s the film industry’s fault. Increasingly, the studios release all their Oscar bait at the end of the year. They assume Academy voters have short memories, and they want their film to be the last one voters see. A healthy chunk of this year’s Oscar contenders were released for oneweek qualifying runs in 2017 in Los Angeles and New York. For the rest of us, these are essentially 2018 films.

There are lots of reasons to tune in this year, though, namely to see how the presenters, nominees, and host Jimmy Kimmel (who has a lot to live up to after Seth Meyers’ fiery Golden Globes performance) will han-

36

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

dle the snowballing #TimesUp and #MeToo movements. Hollywood’s pervasive sexism problem is still being unearthed, and other gender-equality issues (uneven pay scales, a lack of opportunities for women to write or direct) are also coming to a head.

Of course, this is all happening while the country is re-evaluating its relationship with the movies, and deciding whether they need to go to the theater anymore at all.

At least five big Oscar contenders are still around in theaters in February, while many more are available to buy or rent through streaming services, pay cable, and on 4K and Blu-ray. Here’s your guide for the films to catch up with this month so that you’re primed for Oscar night. (Go to pitch.com to see my category-by category predictions and

Margot Robbie on the set of the Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya.

INCREASINGLY, STUDIOS RELEASE THEIR OSCAR BAIT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, ASSUMING ACADEMY VOTERS HAVE SHORT MEMORIES.

learn more about attending my free annual KC Oscar Party.)

With his romantic fantasy drama The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro has a commanding lead for Best Director, having won the award at both the Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. If you are prioritizing which movies to see in the theater based on production design and cinematography, put this one right at the top. It’s a gorgeous movie filled with subtle twists on familiar themes and lots of empathy for its underdog characters, including an Amazonian fish creature code-named the Asset.

Since it stars Academy favorites Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep and is directed by Steven Spielberg, The Post had a lot of buzz with Oscar prognosticators as 2017 drew to a close. But after going 0 for 6 at the Golden Globes and 0 for 8 at the Critics’ Choice Awards (which are actually statistically more predictive of the Academy Awards), its chances of winning much at the Oscars are pretty much nil at this point. It’s just as well.

Thanks to President Trump’s Nixon-esque war with the media, the 70s-era freedom-of-

FILM

More Oscar Must-Sees

2018 Official Oscar Short Film Programs Feb. 9 at Tivoli Cinemas Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri out on Blu-ray, 4K, digital HD on Feb. 27 Lady Bird in theaters now Dunkirk — out on Blu-ray, 4K, rent or buy digital HD Get Out streaming on HBOGo, out on Blu-ray, 4K, digital HD now The Florida Project out on Blu-ray, 4K, digital HD on Feb. 13 The Big Sick streaming on Amazon Prime, rent or buy digital HD Darkest Hour in theaters now Mudbound streaming on Netflix Coco out on Blu-ray, 4K, digital HD on Feb. 27 Blade Runner 2049 out on Blu-ray, 4K, rent or buy digital HD Logan streaming on HBOGo, out on Blu-ray, 4K, digital HD now Molly’s Game in theaters now Wonder Woman out on Blu-ray, 4K, rent or buy digital HD City of Ghosts streaming on Amazon Prime Icarus streaming on Netflix Faces Places on Blu-ray, 4K, rent or buy digital HD on March 6 Last Men in Aleppo streaming on Netflix Strong Island streaming on Netflix In The Fade, A Fantastic Woman, Foxtrot, Loveless coming in February to Tivoli Cinemas

press drama couldn’t be more relevant, but the film blows its early promise by talking down to the audience in the final act.

Also in theaters now, and similarly beautiful to behold on the big screen, is writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, starring Daniel Day-Lewis in what he says will be his last acting role. The film is a shoo-in to win Costume Design, but this wickedly entertaining romantic drama holds so many other wonderful surprises that it would be a shame to concentrate only on its exquisite visuals. Ironically, Phantom Thread is not eligible in the Best Cinematography category anyway, because for the first time in his career, Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights) served as his own director of photography. Various crew members helped him get the job done on his first outing, so PTA decided to remain uncredited, and therefore can’t be nominated.

Set in 1950s couture London, Phantom Thread is Anderson’s first film shot outside of America. Day-Lewis plays a Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned dressmaker with no equal. Everything in his life revolves around his craft, including the women he “keeps” before growing tired of them, and his sister (Lesley Manville), who heads up the business and gives him whatever he needs to stay focused on work. When strong-willed waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps) enters his orbit and refuses to suffer the same fate as the ladies before her, Reynolds’ life goes into uncharted territory.

On the surface, Phantom Thread looks like just another safe, crowd-pleasing period drama aimed at the NPR crowd. It’s actually a fascinating, slow-burn character study that’s not afraid to embrace a little darkness.

And like most other PTA films, it’s got a wry sense of humor. At first, Phantom Thread fascinates mostly due to the extreme attention to detail in the insular, rigid world that it creates. Beyond that, though, Reynolds’ chilly exterior begins melting in the most unexpected ways and the story opens itself up to earnest (and well-earned) affection.

Does the fierce and unconventional biopic I, Tonya finally give vilified Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding a fair shake? Or does it let her off the hook for the role she may have played in the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan? The way you answer that question after seeing the film will likely depend on how much you have invested in that story in the first place. At the very least, I, Tonya asks a lot of tough questions about class in America, even as it takes the same mocking tone that it accuses the media of taking as the scandal unfolded.

The film details Harding’s life from the age of four, which included frequent bouts of mental and physical abuse from both her mother, LaVona Golden (Allison Janney, frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress), and boyfriend-turned-husband Jeff Gillooly

NOW OPEN (Stan Sebastian). Although Tonya (played

by Margot Robbie) was an accomplished technical skater — and the first to execute a triple axel/double toe-loop combo in competition — the judges always looked at her as poor white trash and, as her friends and family say, never scored her appropriately.

This assertion, as well as much of the movie’s perspective, comes from contemporary interviews with the people involved. Onscreen text demeaningly refers to these interviews as “irony-free. Why not let us decide on our own that these accounts are unreliable and full of hyperbole?

Director Craig Gillespie frames the story with mockumentary-style re-enactments of the interviews, while his characters sometimes break the fourth wall during a heated moment to dispute its veracity. “This,” Tonya says, chasing her husband with a shotgun in a scene described by Gillooly, “never happened.”

The affecting coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name details an eventful summer in the Italian countryside in 1983, as experienced by a 17-year-old boy who is exploring his own sexuality and searching for identity. When American grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) comes to live with his family, Elio (played by Timothée Chalamet, who swept early critics’ awards but has emerged as an Oscar dark horse) finds himself unable to operate as normal. His friends and the girls he sees every day somehow become less important as his desire for Oliver grows. Anyone who has experienced the flush of first love will relate, but the fact that the film is specific and detailed both emotionally and physically in its portrayal of a gay relationship makes it a standout.

As written by Best Adapted Screenplay frontrunner James Ivory (based on the 2007 novel by André Aciman) and directed by Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name is an exquisite example of subjective filmmaking. Everything is rooted in Elio’s experience, and his behavior is as complicated and messy as real human beings often are. He’s a sensitive, self-aware person. He’s also unable to control his feelings. Guadagnino gives Elio and Oliver’s romance such an intimate quality that you’d be forgiven for feeling like a voyeur.

Michael Stuhlbarg, who supplies a healthy dose of humanity to what could have been a one-note supporting role in The Shape of Water, also gives a standout performance in Call Me By Your Name. He plays Elio’s father, an archeology professor, and the reason for Oliver’s visit. Stuhlbarg is an omnipresent figure throughout but immediately goes from naturalistic background color to the emotionally resonant core of the film, thanks to one late-film monologue, delivered beautifully.

“A Global Must See Exhibition” - CNN.com

Purchase Tickets At UnionStation.org pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

37

EVENTS

FEB. 1-28

FEB. 9-11

Through The Eyes of Picasso, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

KC Remodel + Garden Show, American Royal Center

FEB. 1-28 The Art of the Brick, Union Station

FEB. 2 Spice Girls: The Dragtacular, Missie B’s First Friday Film Festival, MTH Theater at Crown Center

FEB. 10 Shelf Life with David Wayne Reed, The Brick Kathleen Madigan, The Midland Brunched, The Madrid Theatre Mickey Avalon & Dirt Nasty The Riot Room

Tim Allen, The Midland

FEB. 13

FEB. 6

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Truman

WWE Smackdown Live, Sprint Center

Lil Xan, The Granada (Lawrence)

National Geographic Live, Florian Schulz: Into the Arctic Kingdom, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

FEB. 14 ADULT, RecordBar

FEB. 7 Tyler the Creator, with special guests Vince Staples and Taco, The Midland

FEB. 8 Alan Jackson: Honky Tonk Highway Tour, Silverstein Eye Centers Arena

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THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

FEB. 9 Dance Theatre of Harlem, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Pedro the Lion, RecordBar

FEB. 15 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

SECTION

pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

39

EVENTS

FEB. 16 -18

FEB. 18

Planet Comicon, Bartle Hall Brad Paisley, Sprint Center

Kansas City Folk Alliance Festival, The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center

FEB. 16

FEB. 20

Jeezy, Tee Grizzley, Uptown Theater

Ani DiFranco, The Madrid Theatre

FEB. 16

FEB. 21

Third Friday - Downtown Overland Park, Downtown Overland Park

Talib Kweli, The Riot Room

Girls!Girls!Girls!

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Matthew Davies & Friends, Mike Kelly’s Westsider

Playmates and soul mates...

HALF HOUR FREE

5th Annual Tunes For TARA Benefit Concert & Silent Auction, Boulevard Brewing Co. Asleep at the Wheel, Knuckleheads Saloon

FEB. 17 Hembree, Uptown Theater Real Singles, Real Fun...

Kansas City:

816-841-1521 40

18+ MegaMates.com

THE PITCH | February 2018 | pitch.com

1-816-533-0048 More Numbers: 1-800-926-6000 Livelinks.com, 18+

FEB. 22 A Day to Remember, The Midland

FEB. 23 TobyMac, Sprint Center Lee Brice, The Midland Allied Saints, Mike Kelly’s Westsider

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Tuck Everlasting, Coterie Theatre

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Steve Aoki, Uptown Theater

FEB. 28 Aaron Lewis, VooDoo Lounge

FEB. 28 - MARCH 4 KC International Auto Show, KC Convention Center

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COTERIE THEATRE AT CROWN CENTER The Secret of Courage | Now through Feb. 11 2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. TheCoterie.org or (816) 474-6552 KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Now through Feb. 18 Spencer Theatre, UMKC Campus (816) 235-2700 QUALITY HILL PLAYHOUSE That Old Black Magic: Harold Arlen Brings in the Blues Now through Feb. 18 303 W. 10th St., Downtown Kansas City, Mo. QualityHillPlayhouse.com or (816) 421-1700 THE LEWIS & SHIRLEY WHITE THEATRE AT THE J 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Feb. 3 – 18 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, Kan. (913) 327-8054 or TheWhiteTheatre.org AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM Max Groove | Friday, Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m.

Blue Room Jazz Club AmericanJazzMuseum.org HARRIMAN-JEWELL SERIES Dance Theatre of Harlem Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts hjseries.org KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY POPS KC Jazz Tribute featuring Bobby Watson Feb. 9 – 11 Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center (816) 471-0400 or kcsymphony.org STARLIGHT THEATRE INDOORS Dixie’s Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull…

Feb. 13 - 19, various times 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, Mo. (816) 363-7827 or kcstarlight.com KANSAS CITY BALLET New Moves | Feb. 15 - 18 Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity (816) 931-8993 FOLLY THEATER JAZZ SERIES Cyrille Aimee | Saturday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.

300 W 12th St, Downtown Kansas City, Mo. (816) 474-4444 or FollyTheater.org KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Peter Cetera | Sunday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.

Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center (816) 994-7222 or kauffmancenter.org KANSAS CITY BROADWAY SERIES Finding Neverland – the story behind Peter Pan Feb. 27 – March 4 Music Hall, Downtown Kansas City, Mo. (800) 745-3000 or BroadwayInKC.com Follow KCLiveArts on Facebook and sign up for E-News Alerts at KCLiveArts.org pitch.com | February 2018 | THE PITCH

41

MARKETPLACE LOCAL 910

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2010 Management/Professional Bayer U.S. LLC’s Kansas City, MO, office seeks Manager Project Excellence to provide leadership & mgmt of Project Excellence function for E&T Americas. Duties incl: aligning Project Execution in the Americas w/Corporate Engrg & Technology; ensuring project execution excellence & state of the art know how in project mgmt & execution; driving standardization & best practices in project mgmt; ensuring quality of project mgmt & execution; dvlpng & managing unit, ensuring operational alignment w/E&T strategy & customers; & driving improvement & optimization of project mgmt competences.

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43

STOKLEY

OF MINT CONDITION

FEBRUARY 10

HIGH VALLEY FEBRUARY 15

IN THIS MOMENT

AARON LEWIS

FEBRUARY 17

FEBRUARY 28 AND MARCH 1

THE WITCHING HOUR TOUR WITH P.O.D., NEW YEAR’S DAY & DED

SONGS AND STORIES TOUR

MATISYAHU

WALK OFF THE EARTH

ERIC JOHNSON

ATMOSPHERE

MARCH 2

MARCH 14

MARCH 14

MARCH 24

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Tickets available at VooDooKC.com or Ticketmaster.com/voodookc or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Located minutes from Downtown Kansas City. Unlimited Free Parking. All shows are 18 & up.

Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. Subject to change or cancellation. Phone and online orders are subject to service fees. Must be 21 years or older to gamble, obtain a Total Rewards® card or enter VooDoo®. ©2018, Caesars License Company, LLC.