The UMKC Women’s Center and local art gallery InterUrban Arthouse are putting on an art exhibit this spring highlighting the unique experiences of women and femme-identifying artists in America. The show, viewable online or in person by appointment, is currently on display...

Kansas and Missouri’s state lawmaking bodies are both seeking to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ school sports. The proposed ban and similar laws are currently sweeping the nation’s state and local legislatures. The Human Rights Campaign is tracking the...

Co-developer of the first-ever commercially available synth keyboard and composer of the soundtracks for “The Shining,” “A Clockwork Orange” and the original “Tron,” Wendy Carlos remains one of the most influential pioneers of synth music of all time. Now 81, Carlos...

French electronic musicians Daft Punk announced their split on Feb. 22, 2021, in the form of a YouTube video titled “Epilogue.” Daft Punk, composed of members Thomas Baltanger and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, leave behind a formidable influence on electronic music and a...

With Ariana Grande’s “Positions (Deluxe)”, the artist builds on her momentum and introduces listeners to some of her sweetest songs yet. While “Positions” came out (on short notice) in October of 2020, Grande released the Deluxe Edition on Feb. 19, 2021, intent on...

Few trips to the record store are complete without finding stacks of Donna Summer albums on the shelves.  Her colorful and glamorous vinyl sleeves are easy to spot and catch the eye; most record stores typically stock multiple copies of albums like “Bad Girls,” “Once...

Chick Corea, a legendary jazz musician, composer and keyboardist, died of a rare form of cancer on Feb. 9, 2021, at the age of 79.  “Throughout his life and career, Chick relished in the freedom and the fun to be had in creating something new, and in playing the games...

The Federal Transportation Administration announced a $174 million grant on Jan. 8 to expand the Kansas City streetcar service to the UMKC area. Kansas City also received an additional $60 million worth of funding in 2020.  The funding will cover 3.5 new miles of rail,...

In an unexpected accident on Jan. 30, 34-year-old Scottish music producer Sophie Xeon fell to her death.  “Tragically, our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident. True to her spirituality, she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally...

In these cold winter months, nothing is more comforting than a hearty bowl of soup. However, soup can sometimes be expensive, time-consuming and difficult to make. Over my few years of living in an apartment as a college student, I developed this recipe for a super easy and...

In the final few weeks of his presidency, Donald Trump’s administration made several measures affecting how public institutions treat LGBTQ+ persons.  Just days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule that...

With a pandemic ravaging the world and financial insecurity abounding due to a huge loss of jobs, many students struggled to put their best effort into their schoolwork. While COVID-19 remains an imposing threat in our world, 2021 is a new year and a time to improve ourselves...

Out of an international network of young adults on the internet bursts a bright and explosive new sound — and Canadian producer-songwriter Petal Supply is helping to lead the charge. Her most recent release, “You’re So Pretty,” from her upcoming Nov. 27 EP “Hey,”...

With only two months left in the year, artists are losing time to make good on their promises of new music for 2020. The timeline of an album rollout has never been murkier. When COVID-19 struck the world, it upended the plans of musicians everywhere, forcing them to put...

On Oct. 23, 2020, the Virgil Thomson Foundation reissued two critically acclaimed albums of Virgil Thomson’s composition. New York Times’ chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini and a number of other musicians recorded the two albums, “Portraits and Self-Portraits”...

When the Black Lives Matter movement swept the country this summer, musical artists from cities across the nation joined the march. Many posted shows of support for the movement on their social media platforms, encouraging their fans to get involved in local demonstrations and...

Canadian jack-of-all-genres band Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar are releasing their new album, “The Reckless One,” this November, after debuting two new singles on Oct. 13. The group released the two singles, “Don’t Have To Be” and “I’ve Got A Feeling,” with...

When Rolling Stone published their first “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list in 2003, it was a pretty contentious piece of writing. The list remains as Rolling Stone’s most viewed and debated article ever featured. Their website states that just last year, the list...

If you think about the popular music of last year, you might reminisce fondly on singer The Weeknd’s incredible synth-pop record or rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s historic breakout and domination. Or perhaps, the viral dance craze behind singer Doja Cat’s #1 song “Say...

Despite the instinct of many to slow down and relax during the isolation of the pandemic, UMKC Theatre Production Manager Sadie DeSantis started a Youtube show. Her show, “10 @ 10,” holds an interview with a KC creative each episode.  “I’ve worked in many genres...

“Keeping Up With The Kardashians” will conclude its reign of terror in 2021, coming to a close after its twentieth season. It will be the end of an era for the Kardashian family, after the show launched the careers of many family members and, apparently, destroyed their...

It takes a lot of dedication to executive-produce three full albums while in quarantine. A.G. Cook, the producer/singer/songwriter (and apparent workaholic) behind London’s P.C. Music label released “Apple,” his second album in two months, on Sept. 18, 2020. Following...

With COVID-19 postponing any and all concerts indefinitely, artists big and small have been flocking to platforms across the internet to bring live music to fans.  Since the coronavirus pandemic struck America in early March, artists have been collaborating with virtual...

The challenges of being a first-generation college student have increased tenfold this year as COVID-19 runs rampant on university campuses. On top of navigating an already new experience, first generation students must deal with the universally unfamiliar situation of going...

“I’m not sure what the American dream is anymore, to be honest,” says Cheryl, a woman with dark hair and sunglasses as she looks out over the road from her driver’s seat. She clicks her turn signal on.  “The Disrupted,” a documentary by Sarah Colt and co-director...

Ah, cancel culture. It seems like everyone has been talking about it lately, from arts and culture to politics. Many claim that cancel culture is bringing the downfall of our society, and they are tired of seeing people “cancelled” in the eyes of the media.  However,...

The changes UMKC students have faced from Kansas City’s current shelter-in-place order have been hard to deal with. Many students are without campus, housing or food from the dining hall, or have lost jobs and are unable to pay their rent.  Some are having to deal...

Canadian artist and producer Grimes is a bit of a weirdo.  To create her critically acclaimed 2012 album, Visions, she infamously shut herself in her studio for nine days without food, sleep or visitors. In a description of her “wellness routine” in 2019, she claims...

FKA twigs — “MAGDALENE” ​(Nov. 8) U.K. pop surrealist FKA twigs will release her second studio album, ​”MAGDALENE​,” next month, following her 2015 debut album, ​”LP1.”​ FKA twigs creates a uniquely-haunting and minimalist sound on “Cellophane,”...

Snoop Dogg, adorned in a University of Kansas basketball jersey and a pair of sunglasses, shouts at the DJ to “gimme somethin’ for the ladies... this one’s for YOU.” He grins. Six young women come out in short shorts and heels and begin to climb on four dancing poles...