LFK Event of the Week: MXM2014

We all know that LFK musicians are great at playing drunken shows at 1:04 am at the Replay, but are they always great at getting people to attend these shows?  Or getting their music out to the masses?  Well, maybe not always.  Luckily, the silly geese from Silly Goose Records are hosting a major "music industry event" this weekend called Mix/Master (or the hashtag-friendly #MXM2014), which will feature a Saturday afternoon of  panels at the Bottleneck about "copyright--contracts--royalties--bookings--radio--promoting" and more.  And that will be followed by music from area favorites The Phantastics, Forrester, and others.  

Nick from Silly Goose Records sent us this blurb about the event:

"We all know that Lawrence is full of great music, ranging from the zany and bizarre to some really accomplished musicians and bands. The general idea is that there actually is an audience out there for whatever kind of music you get off on, and through MXM2014 we're aiming to help bands think about how to reach that audience, and yes, even make money from it. It's a pretty radical idea."

Check out the Silly Goose website for MXM2014 here and the FB event page here. And make sure to attend the Friday "songwriter night" kick off party at Five Bar and Tables as well:   info here.

The Last Amber Ale: A Twitter Tone-Poem for Buffalo Bob's

It's the end of an era in LFK today as Buffalo Bob's closes after 37 years in business.  By LFK restaurant standards, that's an eternity.  Yet the restaurant's long reign on Mass. Street is a bit of a mystery.  Presumably it has loyal supporters?  Certainly it had plenty of business from out-of-towners who might have (reasonably but incorrectly) expected that LFK's proximity to KC would bode well for good barbecue.  But we didn't find much support in the local Twitter-world as we attempted to solicit the best and worst experiences of local diners for a Twitter-tone poem about Bob's.

Anyway, head down today for one last Fat Tire Amber Ale (RIGHT NOW!) and a plate of curly fries, if you're so inclined, and enjoy the poem. Thanks to everyone who submitted.  There were so many we couldn't use them all.  And hopefully Bob and the City Fathers won't have you all excommunicated for your comments!

       
THE LAST AMBER ALE:  A (MOSTLY UNPLEASANT) ODE TO BUFFALO BOB'S

Only time I went there, 
Schumm didn't even command me 
to have a Fat Tire that very moment.

They served me an unfresh Freestate the last time I went. 
And were out of brisket. 
HOW'S A BBQ PLACE OUT OF BRISKET AT NOON?

I had a cold brisket sandwich there once.
It was so cold
that the grease 
had crystallized on the meat. 
Worst barbecue ever.

I thought Buffalo Bobs was great in 1990
 not sure why I never went back...

Eating at Buffalo Bob's 
at the insistence of friends in High School
helped make me the vegetarian that I am today.

Moved to LFK in '96...
was told of moldy bread 
under an open-faced sandwich. 
Never stepped inside.

I managed to successfully avoid eating there
except for 3 times
 in 30+ years 

I lived in Lawrence for a decade 
and never knew anyone who went there regularly.

My dad took me and my brother
when we were young.
 My brother shot ketchup on the ceiling 
and my dad got pissed. 

Have you considered that Buffalo Bob's only survived 
all these years 
from one-time weekend visits of parents of KU students?

My roommate worked there as a cook in '03. 
When he came home from work
 my dog would lick the grease 
off his shoes
 for hours.

1 sketchy meal at BB's -
 when they briefly changed turkey vendors. 
All other 300 meals in past 25 yrs were great! 

At least Buffalo Bob's wasn't selling weed out the back... 
Nevermind.
Would have been better if they were selling weed.

I walked by it many times 
and never was the odor so bad as to offend me.

One time Punnilingus and I ate there while intoxicated.

Always loved that place.
Drove up from Topeka in the early 80s just to eat there.
Sad to see them go.

FUCK THAT PLACE. WORST JOB EVER.

Went once and realized it housed no actual BBQ food. 
Never went again.

They had gross cheese sticks. 
How do you mess up fried cheese?



Photo from 2010 via Kansas Travel.

 

Early to Midweek Scenester Picks: Hold Steady and Deer Tick; Sorority Slashers; Super Nerd Night

It's an odd day in LFK.  The library is closed.  Free State  is closed. What the hell is one to do?

Well, ol' John McCauley is down at the Granada tonight with Deer Tick. Will he behave, or will he misbehave?  The Hold Steady is the headliner.  Pitchfork isn't particularly impressed by their new album Teeth Dreams except for the opening line, which they fucking LOVE (but strangely do not quote):  "That beautiful shit Finn used to talk? Those beer-battered barroom floors and sloppy upper-Midwestern hagiographies? That neurons-blazing, every line-better-than-the-last Minneapolis mythos? The gang's all here."  (full review here).

 


Tuesday brings the "Sorority Slashers" edition of Horror Remix to the Bottleneck.  Chip is particularly excited for this one, since these films will almost certainly feature A LOT of boobs.  More than usual even. The FB event page is here




And Super Nerd Night is back at the Bottleneck on Wednesday but we're not having much luck finding flyers or FB event pages right now.  Hook us up, somebody.  Anyway, bands are probably playing while nerds do nerdy stuff.  You know the routine by now.

Weekend Picks: Patio Doo-Wop; Pre-Apocalyptic Comedy; Farmer's Ball; and a Birthday Bash

There's a Dean Monkey and the Dropouts matinee show at the Replay tonight. It probably won't look like the photo below, but it's likely to look weird in some fashion.




Beloved radio personality Laura Larson gets top billing in the newest hijinks from the Under the Table gang.  Catch them in the basement at Frank's at 10:00 on Saturday.





We predicted three out of the four bands who advanced in last week's Farmer's Ball contest: Psychic Heat, Paper Buffalo, and OILS.   Westerners caught us by surprise.  Check out this recent profile from our friends at I Heart Local Music and make sure to head to the Bottleneck for the finals on Saturday.  We've got a PBR riding on Psychic Heat but of course it mostly depends as usual on who gets to play the late night slots after all their friends have shown up to vote.





But Saturday's wildest gig is surely Black on Black headlining a "birthday celebration of fucked up proportions" at the Replay with a stacked four band bill with Red Kate, Ebony Tusks, and Sona.  

A Few More Final Friday Picks: Genetically Engineered Unicorns; Art on a Fence; Better Block Lawrence

We're sticking with the "Student Hangouts" exhibit at Watkins as our top choice this week (check out our preview here),  especially because we're now told there will be free booze from the Sandbar on offer (Bahama Mamas!).

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And you surely can't go wrong with a Justin Marable Wonder Fair exhibit about  "a mythical herd of genetically engineered unicorns" called "Waste Not Mystics."  Visit the FB event page here, where we snagged the cover photo:



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Our friends at the @FakeFinalFriday Twitter account tipped us off to a non-fake (though it sounds kind of fake) show by Dave DeHetre called "On the Fence."

Description:  "Since it's been almost a year since I showed any of my new work, I thought I'd throw some stuff up on my back fence for this month's final fridays. My fence is conveniently located behind sunfire ceramics, kinda near the LAC and the Percolator. So stop by."

The FB event page is here


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We're a little unclear on the Better Block Lawrence project in ELFK, but it certainly sounds like a good thing:  "BBL is currently engaging local community residents, artists and business to help envision a better 9th Street, connecting Massachusetts to Pennsylvania and the East Lawrence Arts Warehouse District. The goal is to envision what a sustainable community might look like in a Lawrence Arts District, and to the local community an opportunity to share their vision for their neighborhood."

Check out their FB event page here.

And we also hear there's a sweet new coffee shop called Decade over there somewhere (9th and Delaware). Go and find it and report back.

Beers of the Week: Nelson Muntz SPA At Free State; Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S Oatmeal Imperial Stout

We'll drink any beer that's (presumably?) named after a Simpsons' character, so we stopped by Free State last night during Science on Tap to sample a Nelson Muntz SPA.  Boy, it sure made us want to bully those science nerds in the back room, who were engaged in a discussion of using isotopes to track the geographical origins of major cocaine shipments.  Now we're just hoping for more Simpsons-themed beers.  How about a Millhouse, which should ideally be a pale and weak beer.

While ordering our Nelson, we chatted with none other than Ted from Ted's Taphouse holding court at the bar (Ted's is closed on Tuesday).  This encounter reminded us that we haven't been to Ted's in a few weeks.  Hopefully they still have some Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S Oatmeal Imperial Stout.  (photo via Ted's FB page).

Early Final Friday Pick: Watkins' Museum Exhibit on Student Hangouts

We are far too old to know very much about today's student hangouts.  But we know a little.

We know that the Boom Boom Room at the Hawk is a good place to screw in public.

And we know that Quinton's now operates a bus that will come pick you up on Tuesday nights and deliver you to the bar to get hammered.  (take notes, Replay!!).

But we're anxious to learn more, particularly about the student hangouts of the past, when LFK was the kind of conservative place that burned pinball machines and banned dancing, Footloose-style. Check out Lawhorn's fun LJ-World piece on the era here.

So we'll be headed to Watkins Museum on Friday evening for a Final Friday exhibit called "From Classroom to Cafe: A Century of Student Hangouts," which promises to trace student hangouts "from the confectioneries and soda fountains of the late 1800s to the bars and concert halls of today."  We're particularly interested in the Dine-A-Mite Inn, a 23rd Street hotspot in the late 50's where, according to Lawhorn's piece, rival fraternities would often settle disputes by having a sing-off.  Terrific idea, bros!  Why can't we return to those peaceful times instead of today's dumbass street "brawls" outside Brother's.

Here's a photo we snagged from a cool site featuring a lot of classic LFK photos.





Chip:  "The old stuff is cool, but hopefully the exhibit features a video installation with some nice Vines from the Boom Boom Room."

Visit the FB event page here.  So far, two people are going, which sounds about right given the recent lack of excitement about Final Friday events.

Things We Like This Week: Falcons in LFK; A New Twitter Re-Enactment Project; Famous Gingers Drinking Ginger Beer

Not long ago the City Fathers were poised to pass an ordinance allowing licensed falconers to keep falcons within the city limits.  Not sure if it happened, but let's hope so.   While we aren't licensed falconers, we vow to obtain that license soon, especially after partying with this falcon in South Park on Earth Day.

We've been craving another Twitter historical re-enactment since last summer's #QR1863 Quantrill's Raid project. Luckily, another one is on the horizon for this summer.  While it lacks the local angle, it should still be worthwhile. And they seem okay with a few hijinks involved as well.  We're hearing rumors that the beloved horse of #QR1863 may re-emerge as a War Horse!

Follow @KU_WWI  and @KUCREES for details and attend a "casting call" on April 30 at KU.  Full info for that event here:

And surely we can agree that last week's greatest photo came from our friends at Mass Street Soda. Yep, it's KU basketball's legendary ginger Matt Kleinmann preparing to enjoy a nice ginger beer.  Follow LFK's hippest new business @MassStreetSoda to see which celebrities pop up soon.  We're hoping Val Kilmer stops by to drink some Huckleberry Soda. 

Weekend Picks: Kansas Relays; Record Store Day; Farmer's Ball; Easter/4-20/Python

Plenty of big events this weekend in LFK, starting with the Scott McLanahan/Sam Pink reading hosted by PBR Book Club and LPL on Friday.

The Kansas Relays are underway, way the hell out at Rock Chalk Park in LFK...if you can find your way through all the construction of the far-from-completed complex.  And the very popular downtown shot put event remains downtown on Friday evening (no thanks to KU Athletics).

Saturday brings Record Store Day and Earth Day festivities.  There's an Earth Day parade but, sadly, not a Record Store Day parade in which scenesters march up and down Mass. Street showing off their Love Garden purchases (well, that happens, but it's not an organized affair).  Check out the Love Garden FB event page here.

And Saturday night brings the opening round of the Farmer's Ball. It's the 20th anniversary of this event.  Get a rundown on the eight bands here via LJ-World.  Our prediction is that it will come down to a tight battle between three already-well-established LFK favorites:  Psychic Heat (ever-present); Oils (ever-involving); and Paper Buffalo (ever-young).  Paper Buffalo's young fans will show up in big numbers, which is not a given for the late-night scenester fans of Heat and Owls. But can those Buffalo fans stay out past their curfew late enough to cast their vote due to the Ball's not-ideal voting rules?  Final prediction: Psychic Heat by a narrow margin, though Chip is for Narkalark, which employs more bleeps and bloops than the others.  Give Narkalark a "like" on FB here.  And visit the Farmer's Ball FB event page here

And Sunday is Easter, and also 4/20.  Dude, the stoners are gonna eat SO MANY Easter Eggs this year!

Make sure to catch Life of Brian at Liberty Hall on Sunday evening as the "Month of Python" winds down.

Did you miss Holy Grail last night? It was a blast.  We especially enjoyed Maggie's opening intro and stern warning to discourage any potential balcony "halfwits" who think their versions of the lines are better than Michael Palin's.  It might still be possible to get one of the sweet posters made especially for the event. 

Our Interview With Author Scott McClanahan: "...the only sense that makes sense in the long run is nonsense.

Well, it's finally happening.  PBR Book Club is emerging from its underground lair in the Taproom basement and hosting a public reading this Friday, April 18 at 7:00 in the Roost featuring two acclaimed small-press authors whose works we've recently read:  Sam Pink and Scott McClanahan.  Mr. Pink (as we like to call him, because it sounds like some Reservoir Dogs-shit) hails from Chicago.  His recent works include Rontel and Witch Piss.  McClanahan, author of Crapalachia and Hill William, is visiting us all the way from West Virginia.

Please join us on Friday and show them some love. Coffee and booze will be available and our friends at The Raven will be selling books from the authors.  Visit the FB event page here.

And check out the Larryville Artists interview with Sam Pink here.

Here's our chat with Scott McClanahan:


Chip:  First off, what in hell is possessing you and Sam Pink to trek all the way to Lawrence Fucking Kansas to hang with a gang of hooligans called PBR Book Club?  And what do you predict from this visit? Is shit going to get weird?  Is someone going to have to bail Pink out of jail?

Scott:  Maybe so.  I think it's ridiculous we're travelling all that way, but really the only sense that makes sense in the long run is nonsense.  It's like when you're a drug addict or a drunk.  The only person who will talk to you is God and the only woman who will have you is the Betty Ford center.  I feel that way about Kansas.

Richard:  Our book club mostly liked Crapalachia a lot, right up until the appendix, which infuriated about half of the group by calling so much of the "truth" of your memoir into question.  Talk a little about that book and the appendix. Did you intend to ruffle feathers with that technique? Or to further the continuing debate about the extent to which memoirs should be "true," etc?

Scott: Anyone who believes what they read are pretty silly.  I only think my daddy is my daddy because my mother told me so.

I'm sort of bored with the truth vs. fiction debate.

Chip:  Me too.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm even "real" myself,  outside of this blog.  You know?  So let's talk about the new book. Except, sorry, I haven't read Hill William yet. What's it about?  Is it better than Crapalachia? Is it going to trick me again at the end??

Scott:  Hill William has plenty of girls, car chases, and shoot outs.  It's a laugh riot.  You'll love it.

Richard:  What's the best sentence you've ever written--or the one you're most proud of--and why?

Scott: I think sentences by themselves are rather silly things.  It's like asking a musician about their favorite note.  The thing that is important is when you put all of those notes together and make something out of them.  I'm more interested in the totality of it than the minutia.

Chip:  What's your next project?  Have you considered writing a young adult dystopian novel, because that's apparently where the money is at right now.

Scott: I'm writing a book called the Sarah Book.  It's a love story.

Richard:  I just read an interview with you in the Oxford American where you talk about being lumped in with Southern writers even though you don't consider yourself Southern.  But, as a southern boy myself, I still have to ask you the eternal southern lit question:  O'Connor or Faulkner?

 

Scott:  Neither. I'm more of a fan of Carson McCullers.

Stuff We Like: Downtown Diner (With Pie!); LPL Announces Opening Date for New Library; Dead Girls Play Adventureland Soundtrack (Again)

Is there some sort of pie revolution underway in LFK?  The news of an impending downtown diner--the Ladybird Cafe--burst onto the scene yesterday, along with the news that Buffalo Bob's would be closing after 37 years (so you better grab a final Fat Tire Amber Ale right now, if you catch our reference!)  Ladybird will take over the Dynamite Saloon space at Bob's.

Ladybird will be operated by some of the masterminds of 715, and feature pies from their current piemaker, Mrs. Dodge.  And these pies will actually be affordable! ($2.99 a slice, or so we've been told).  Now if they just dish up some reasonably priced comfort food (ideally meatloaf, and maybe fries with gravy) we'll be very happy indeed!

Look at this gorgeous strawberry rhubarb pie that was recently dished up at 715 (photo from 715 FB page).

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Our friends at Lawrence Public Library have officially announced their grand opening date.  It'll be July 26!  And what happens to Free Borders after that?  Perhaps a grocery store?? (wishful thinking).

Here's a recent-ish photo of the new building taking shape (photo from the LPL Facebook page):

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One of our favorite all-time Replay shows was when the Dead Girls played the Adventureland soundtrack on Halloween, many moons ago.  Now they're bringing it back. Not to LFK, sadly, but to Alamo KC tomorrow night at an Adventureland screening that's part of the Middle of the Map film component.  This will be awesome! 

Two Legends in LFK This Week: Riff Raff and John Cale

Viral video superstar and wacky self-mythologizing rapper Riff Raff takes the stage at Liberty Hall tonight.  We interviewed him two years ago when he played a Goomba Rave event at the Bottleneck. Some baffling highlights from the interview:

Chip:  In "Orion’s Belt," you rap “When it comes to hateful words, I got skin like a rhinoceros”  To what extent do you pay attention to what dumbshit interweb bloggers like myself say about your work?

Riff Raff:   i LAUGH AT iT ALL iTS SO FUN & FUNNY TO THiNK THAT CHERRY COKE & CHERRY PEPSi DONT TASTE ALiKE BUT THEY DO KiNDA TASTE ALiKE AT MiDNiGHT

Chip:  Do you ever get a boner when performing with Little Debbie and Kitty Pryde.  Because I sure do when I watch those videos!


 Riff Raff: YOU CAN HAVE THEM BOTH .. i DONT HAVE SEX WiTH ANYONE

Read the interview in full here.

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The crowd for the composer and legendary Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale on Tuesday at the LAC is likely to skew a bit older.  Drakkar Sauna opens up this show, which is part of the 940 Live series. We're guessing it's a dream come true for LFK's still-freakiest duo.  More details here via LAC.

Will you be a true scenester and go to both?  Or will you follow Chip's lead, and head to the Miley Cyrus show in KC tonight.

Chip: "I hope she licks a bunch of stuff."

Weekend Picks: Massholes; Art Auctions; and the Return of Don Draper

LFK's comedy nerds will be assembling to watch Monty Python's Meaning of Life tonight at Liberty Hall.

Afterward, many will surely drift over to Frank's for a wonderfully-titled new comedy/quiz show called Massholes which focuses (as you can surely guess) on local culture and politics.  Visit the FB event page here, which promises that "The Winner of the evening becomes MAYOR OF LAWRENCE!"  We certainly hope this is true. How many fucking times does Amyx really need to be the Mayor anyway?  We'd totally prefer Mayor Andy Morton.

[Note: the FB event page notes that the start time is officially right around 10:00, to allow the Python-goers time to arrive].

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Saturday is the biggest night of the year for the Lawrence Arts Center as they host their 34rd annual benefit art auction.  It's an impressive collection.  As of Wednesday, when we strolled through, you can totally still place the first bid on Burroughs' $30,000 triptych.  Get on it, high rollers!

Personally, we'd prefer this much more affordable piece of suitcase-art with Burroughs painted on it.

Sadly, though, most poor LFK scenesters can't even afford the $40 ticket to get in the door.

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And Sunday? Sunday looks boring.  Maybe you should stay home, get high, and catch the season premiere of the final season of Mad Men.   It's gonna be groovy, as the poster suggests.

Nerd Nite 26 Recap: Cats and Çatalhöyük / Scenester Pick of the Day: Real Estate and Your Friend at Liberty Hall

Well, we know that Nerd Nite 26 ended (for us) at Burger Stand, where we joined a newspaperman, a local activist, and a honkytonker on stage for a rousing karaoke rendition of "I Wanna Be Sedated."

But how did the evening "evolve" into this moment?  Let's retrace our steps.

The first presentation of this death-centric Nerd Nite evening was a surprisingly optimistic take on the notion of extinction.  The takeaway: "Extinction is not forever" (since other species evolve to fill that niche).  Hopefully the lesser prairie chickens of Kansas are reassured by all of this. For those lost by the science of the lecture (such as Chip), there were plenty of animal photos to enjoy.  Bandicoots are funny.

Next up, PBR Book Club's delightful Lindsey offered a clear and concise and altogether terrifying glimpse into a parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii, whose goal is to "get a cat to eat it" so it can "bang" inside the cat and reproduce.  Lindsey informed us that 1 in 4 nerds at the gathering were likely hosts to this parasite.  Gross.  But at least this presentation also had some nice kitty pictures, and even a pic of the Simpsons' crazy cat lady.

And, speaking of PBR Book Club, those crafty kids used the break after Lindsey's presentation to promote and distribute flyers for their first-ever reading, coming up on Good Friday at the Roost and featuring two esteemed small-press authors: Chicago's Sam Pink and West Virginia's Scott McClanahan.




Then: a presentation on burial practices in 7000 BCE Çatalhöyük, with imagery of a lot of buried babies (drinking game: take a drink every time the presenter uses the word "neonates").

After all this, wouldn't you end up at the Burger Stand singing about sedation too?

Let's end with a sense of the evening as pieced together through the tweets of @punnilingus, who was the officially-endorsed guest live-tweeter of the Nite, a position that sounds prestigious but doesn't really offer any benefits and forces the person to tweet maniacally in an effort to keep up with the info.

Four tweets from @punnilingus:

"The aye-aye and I! Beatles, beetles, and humping AT-AT Walkers" #nnlfk #thingsGeorgeLucasdidntwantus2see

"1/3 of the world has this parasite. Thanks cats! Toxo" #nnlfk @NerdNiteKS

 "It's difficult to whack off a dead body ... you have to wait until it's skeletal" @NerdNiteKS #nnlfk

"This crowd would be great at charades, but terrible at Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity" #nnlfk @NerdNiteKS

Drink special of the evening: the Corpse Reviver.


The next Nerd Nite is May 14.  Theme:  Earth, Wind, and Fire.  (please tell us that the music of that band will be played exclusively during the breaks).


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We already gave a shout out to Your Friend's sure-to-be-killer opening set at tonight's SUA/KJHK-sponsored Real Estate show at Liberty Hall, but let's check in with Pitchfork to make sure that Real Estate is still suitably cool.

Boy, are they!!

Their new album Atlas scores a very high 8.8 (full review here, and let it be noted that this is a stone classic of a Pitchfork review: simultaneously pompous and incisive). An excerpt:

"The once-ideal pool party band, in other words, has turned to soundtracking the cleanup: Everyone's gone, the sky's threatening rain, there are cigarette butts floating in the pool, and we've all gotta work tomorrow."

Chip:  "So, this show is gonna rock!! Or, wait...is it??"

Local Girls Make Good: Your Friend and La Guerre / (Root) Beer of the Week: Judge Wapner's Root Beer

Today is for the ladies!

As all of you scenesters well know, Your Friend is all over the place these days, with a new album on Domino Records, a great new LFK-centric video for "Tame One" (watch it below), and a sweet opening slot  for Real Estate at Liberty Hall tomorrow (Apr. 10).   But what happened to her unusually punctuated name that we loved so well??  Perhaps it was too difficult for the lazy media outlets?

And La Guerre is on a roll too, with a new album called Rare and Collectible Spirits (stream it here via Bandcamp) and a great opening slot next week at the Granada with ex-hometown heroes Mates of State making their second LFK appearance within a year.  It may not be as awesome as last year when MoS played that "surprise" gig in the cockfighting pit in No Law, but it will still be pretty awesome.

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Normally we don't support non-alcoholic beverages, but we're making an exception for the funky sodas down at Mass Street Soda, which opened up yesterday at 1103 Mass.  Our favorite so far: Judge Wapner's root beer.  The catchphrase is: "I sentence you to drink my root beer."  No need, Judge!  We'd totally drink it of our own free will. 

Stuff We Like and A Cat We Miss: Limestone Pizza; Ultimate Sausage Platter; Alice the Dusty Bookshelf Cat

It hasn't even opened yet, but already we like any place that bills itself as a "neo-prairie pizza" joint.  We don't know what that means, but it's been serving as Twitter fodder for us and others for months now.  Chip believes the pizzas will be delivered by a team of oxen.  Give the good folks at Limeston a "like" on FB here, where they are already quite popular.  While you're there, check out the top ten names in their contest to name their gigantic wood-fired oven.  Among them is Marge.  But how about "Large Marge?" 

715 Restaurant recently made our list of "stuff we like" when they started serving pie (which has already increased in price by 50 cents).  Today they're back on the list again with something called the "ultimate sausage platter."   It costs $50.   So...who all wants to chip in and order this sumbitch? (Chip: "Me!").   It's "served with accompaniments," which we imagine is one of those contraptions that doctors use to restart your hearts.

And LFK was saddened by the passing of Alice this weekend, the Dusty Bookshelf's cat of 15 years. You should check out the touching comments that people are sharing on their FB page.  Hopefully someone will write the story of Alice one of these days, a tale that we suspect might just rival the recent bestseller Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.

Here is Alice, courtesy of the FB page.  RIP.

Early Week Picks: Thieves Guild Goes 80's / Comedy at a Hookah Bar / Nerd Nite 26 Gets Morbid / And More

Our favorite sexy sketching event is back tonight at Fatso's with an installment of 80's-themed poses and performances called "True Colors."  Sketch artists just wanna have fun too, you know!  Visit the FB event page here.

Lawrence's comedy scene seems hellbent on hosting events in every possible unexpected location (Charlie's Eastside; the Big 6 Room at the Eldridge, etc).  Tonight's may be the oddest yet as the Hookah House hosts "Smoking With Comedians."  Yes, you can listen to jokes while enjoying  a special "custom blend to smoke for this night only, at a discounted price." We assume it contains hashish, right?  More info here.

Our favorite LFK "run-of-the-mill experimental, Jungian attic rock trio," Organ Loaners, are at the Taproom tonight with Draags and Captains of Moderation.  Check out Organ Loaners' EP via Bandcamp to hear tunes like "Fueled By Franzia" (great title!) and a rollicking and very loud version of "Milk Cow Blues."

The FB event page for tonight's show is here.

Last month's Nerd Nite was a glorious return to form after a few mixed-bag outings. What does Nerd Nite 26 have in store for us on Wednesday?

PBR Book Club's delightful Lindsey will teach us about parasites in a presentation called "How to be a Great Host: Toxoplasma Gondii and You." She promised us that it will be "gross, but not too gross."

The other two presentations cover burial practices and extinction.

It promises to be a nerdily morbid affair!

Full details here via the FB event page.

Weekend Picks Are Cancelled Today: Head to Kansas City

Readers, LFK hasn't got much to offer you this weekend. Oh sure, the new Wes Anderson has finally reached Liberty Hall (on BOTH screens): shout out to Wes for helping keep Liberty Hall financially stable.  And of course Psychic Heat is playing at the Replay.  But most of the big events are in KC.

You've got your Middle of the Map Fest.

 


You've got your Center of the City Fest.

And you've got your KC Film Fest. 

Where will we be?  Well, probably at the Replay watching a band called Deep Fried Squirrel because Chip thinks the picture on the Facebook event page is funny.