Nick Spacek

Suzannah Johannes Back in July, we premiered “Colleen Part 1” from Lawrence singer-songwriter Suzannah Johannes’ then-forthcoming album, Kansas City: Hanz Bronze Boulevard, a new collection of songs marking her first release in over a decade. For those into vinyl, you’ve had its follow-up, Los Angeles: The Missing Album, since August, but it finally hit streaming services on Friday, January 2....

CJ Chenier plays his father’s accordion. // photo credit Shadow Scape Records Off and on for the better part of a decade, the Folk Alliance International Conference took place at Kansas City’s Westin Crown Center hotel, packing ballrooms and hotel rooms with people from all over the world to see an equally international array of musical acts, informative panels, and...

Peter McPoland. // photo by Juneau Janzen Peter McPoland’s most recent album, Big Lucky, is the fourth release from the singer-songwriter and sees the “Romeo + Juliet” musician returning to his roots, both musically and literally. The Texas performer not only wrote and recorded the whole thing himself, but reconnected with longtime high school friends to bring together the band,...

Hudson Freeman. // image courtesy the artist Hudson Freeman and Brian Gerald Bulger play the Encore at Uptown Theater on Wednesday, March 11. Details on that show here. Last spring, Brooklyn-based musician Hudson Freeman released his latest album, Is A Folk Artist. Kansas City-based singer-songwriter Brian Gerald Bulger released his new EP and accompanying memoir, Thank God I’m Far From...

Illustrated by Katelyn Betz As we spring into summer, it’s necessary to make sure that you’re up-to-date with all the best in local music, both sonically and visually, so that you can be sure to have the freshest tunes coming out your speakers and off whatever screen you use for viewing. In this latest Cine Local, there’s soul, indie pop,...

The Chainsmokers. // photo by Archana Sundar Regardless of whether or not the World Cup bring the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Kansas City promised by FIFA, area residents will benefit musically from the multiple free concerts on offer as part of the festivities. The biggest draws are the shows at the FIFA Fan Festival on the grounds of...

Country Stampede at Azura. // photo courtesy Kustom Entertainment Country Stampede takes place at Azura Amphitheater from Thursday, June 25, through Saturday, June 27, and features Rascal Flatts, Zach Top, Treaty Oak Revival, Wyatt Flores, Scotty McCreery, and Tracy Lawrence, among others. Details on the festival here. In its 30-year history, Kansas’ country music festival, Country Stampede, has steadily moved...

Kody Keplinger. // photo by Aleksandr Karjaka New York Times bestselling author Kody Keplinger came to readers’ attention with her debut novel, The Duff, written when she was in high school. Her latest, Where Lost Girls Go, out now from Scholastic Press, is described as The Girls by Emma Cline meets The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson, and it’s a...

Whiskey Mash Band. // photo courtesy the artist You can find more information about the free Whiskey Mash Band show at the FAI offices here. While its annual conference won’t be back in town until 2028, it’s worth remembering Folk Alliance International is still based in Kansas City and making things happen locally. One of those things is their regular...

Photo courtesy Northside Social The way my schedule works out, I consider Tuesdays my Fridays, and about a year ago, I started going out on Tuesday evenings to have a cocktail or two, rather than my very standard “cheap beer and a shot of whiskey” going-out beverage regimen. In an effort to expand my palate, my trips would take me...