Recent Stories
Help's Angels
Lawrence’s Social Service League is in its element in these tough times
Jean Ann Pike is no stranger to desperation. As manager of the Social Service League, she deals daily—intimately—with all sorts of people in need. These days, there are just more of them...
The Kids Are Alright
Lawrence’s best-known band reunites as greatest Get Up Kids cover band in the world
Rock and roll break-ups are often tumultuous, emotionally charged affairs. And so it was for the Get Up Kids, probably the best-known band to come out of Lawrence in the last decade. After their March 13th show at Liberty Hall, the Kids will head to Alaska, Los Angeles, Belgium, New York, and beyond—all in conjunction with the release of their 10th anniversary edition of “Something To Write Home About.”
Cast and Present
The Appleseed Cast embarks on new sonic expedition
In a one-handed count of Lawrence bands whose last two records have each sold over 25,000 copies, you’d likely have fingers left over. Tom King interviews The Appleseed Cast about its new album "Sagarmatha" and mountains to climb in 2009.
Meet the New Boss
Fix-it specialist David Leamon steps up to guide the Lawrence Arts Center through uncertain times.
New Lawrence Arts Center Director David Leamon is faced with the Obama-like challenge of resurrecting an ailing institution in tough economic times, and of regaining the respect of local artists, many of whom now criticize the LAC's exhibition policies as largely unrepresentative of Lawrence's varied and vibrant arts scene.
"We Ape, We Mimic, We Mock, We Act"
Endurance is insurance for the EMU Theatre
When Nathan Cadman and Andy Stowers staged their first EMU Theatre production in a downtown Lawrence coffee shop, they had more imagination than money. Ten years and over 40 productions later, that may still be true—but their enthusiasm is stronger than ever.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
Painter Molly Murphy and the Less Traveled Truth
When you begin a conversation about Art in Lawrence, it usually doesn't take long before you're talking about Molly Murphy. Whether as curator for art shows at the Bourgeois Pig and Lawrence Arts Center, or as a member and gallery partner of the Fresh Produce Art Collective, Murphy's full-bore involvement in the local art scene frequently earns positive comment — but it's her painting that provokes the most chatter.
Before I Die...
How two artists use death to amplify life
What make some people more aware of their own mortality than others? What motivates people to take action in their lives? What values do we hold as a society? Artists Nicole Kenney and ks rives address these questions in their global survey of human attitudes toward death in a project called "Before I Die I Want To..."
Synchronicity
A consideration of the internet and the evolution of consciousness
Thanks to the internet, all of the drama, emotionalism, and occasional comedy of the 2008 U.S. elections have resonated far more widely-both here and around the globe-than ever before. Much has been written about this, the first truly wired U.S. election. That's not exactly our concern here, though. Our concern is relatively elusive-it is to make of the broadening, more unified awareness ushered in by the internet:
Winds of Change
Coal, Kansas Politics, and The New Activism
It's another overflow Monday evening at the Free State Brewery, and they're wobbling like bowling pins out on the patio. In a ritual instigated in large part by bargain-priced beer, townies of all stripes gather in number on this night to jostle, slosh on, and holler at each other. The din of the place is a physical presence and the tap handles move like metronomes. Hippies hang with lawyers and students debate professors, boundaries blurred by conviviality and a torrent of Copperhead Ale.
Star child
The enigmatic Justin Roelofs and his first solo show in Lawrence
In three years, Justin Roelofs has recorded two albums and set foot on stage exactly once, guesting with Ratatat in San Francisco. So, for fans of his music, his show this week in Lawrence is not to be missed.
