Kanrocksas is off to a hot but fun start out at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS. By 5:30 things were humming along nicely as nine bands had already played sets on four stages spread across the speedway infield as crowds continued to grow early consuming tons of bottled water (and beer) but seemingly enjoying themselves in the heat with music playing form all over. Mother nature was also helping out with some cloud cover. Here are some photos we caught of the early goings on at the inaugural Kanrocksas. Keep coming back...

Screenland Theatre will host a FINAL DESTINATION Marathon with DownRight Creepy on Saturday, August 6. Fans of the franchise will gather to watch the first four Final Destination movies and will receive a collector’s ticket as they enter the marathon. Screenland Theatre will have FINAL DESTINATION drink specials and a special shot served in a FINAL DESTINATION shot glass! Prizes will be awarded throughout the evening and everyone who makes it through all 4 movies will have a chance to win special advance screening passes for...

I really liked the trailer for The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and I was excited to see this little indie film.  I am a fan of Jason Ritter, and the film has a stellar actor named Peter Fonda in the cast as well.  What could go wrong?  How could this be a bad film?  Well, I would have to say that while it is not horrible, it is not good either. The film follows twenty-somethings Eric Genson (Jason Ritter) and Spyder (Kevin Zegers).  Spyder is the vocalist in a popular band called The Lost Soulz, a goth rock and roll...

Do you remember Freaky Friday? You know, Jaime Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan switch bodies and have to adapt to each other’s lifestyles while learning more about themselves in the process? Yeah, I didn’t really like it either, but that sums up what The Change Up is about. Somewhere, deep in a dusty, bored conference room, someone said, “I bet we could make a Freaky Friday for guys.” Poof! The Change Up. Justin Bateman and Ryan Reynolds play two childhood friends, Dave and Mitch, who eventually grew apart. Dave never stopped...

Arctic Monkeys and Young Buffalo at the Palladium in Dallas, Texas on August 1, 2011 Young Buffalo is a band that I had never heard of before being asked to review this concert.  There are so many little known bands nowadays.  I do not listen to radio much anymore due to the fact that Dallas does not have a decent alternative station.  Most of the music I have found recently is because of friends’ recommendations, hearing it somewhere on the internet, or in a movie.  Going to a concert and getting surprised by an opening...

Guards had grabbed me with their free debut LP and released cover songs earlier this year and ever since then the album has yet to leave my iPod. With their performance at The Riot Room on Tuesday the band has turned me into a believer. Before I had the chance to catch the show I was given the opportunity to talk with Richie the front man for the band. We talked about Gaurds’ new album, Stage decorations and made fun of My Space a bit. As always enjoy the interview and let me know what you thought in the comments below....

For a show that was on the verge of being canceled it seemed that nothing could stop Cults and Guards, not even a pre-show power outage claiming the whole street would keep these bands from rocking a near capacity crowd. I can’t imagine I was the only one shocked by the amount of people that filled the tiny bar. Cults and Guards have always felt like two bands that were my own little secrets. Though while one more than the other, I did enjoy thinking that I had these bands all to myself.  Even though this feeling of artist...

08.02.2011– Kansas City, Kan. – Kanrocksas Music Festival will include local bands and deejays as part of the large-scale two-day music event. Local musicians and deejays were chosen from a competition at Wild Bill’s Local Music Showcase. Kanrocksas Music Festival announces the overall local band and deejay winners to perform at the music festival, along with the other winning finalists that will perform on the Campground Stage presented by The Pitch, 103.7 The Dam and 95.7 The Vibe radio stations at the Kansas Speedway®...

This week on Blu Monday we take a look at Donnie Darko 10th Anniversary Edition, Better Off Dead, Leon Morin Priest, and Source Code. Watch the video review and let us know what you think in the comments below. If your looking for more information on Source Code check out our interviews with the cast and crew here.   By Ryan Davis

Win advanced screening passes for you and a guest to see THE DEBT! The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen)...

I will admit that I felt hesitation after learning that the descriptively named Country Mice hailed from Brooklyn, New York. Nothing about their name evoked parallels to the big city and I feared that this was no more than a group of kids whose love for the southern mythos made them want to play a little rock-infused country music. I can’t imagine someone singing the blues who has never truly been blue nor can I fathom a country band that has never lived in the “country”. New York Cityis not notorious for its country scene...

In addition to more traditional food and beverage options, hungry and thirsty Kanrocksans will have options provided by of some of our area’s favorite food trucks. From well-known food trucks recognized in the Kansas City area for delivering unique food and drinks, to low–cost options at shaded vendors, a variety of food and cold beverages will be available to provide an uncommon cuisine experience for everyone. Local Food Trucks Include: CoffeeCakeKC Get a boost of caffeine with specialty cold and hot coffee drinks,...

The Amazing Spider-Man‘s first trailer has popped up on one of my favorite trailer sites, Movie-List.  Considering The Dark Knight Rises will be released in the theatres around the same time as The Amazing Spider-Man and the San Diego Comic Con is about to start, I guess the trailer would be expected.  Alas, this is not a teaser trailer.  Many of the actors that are in this film are in this trailer.  Of course, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are in the trailer, but also Dennis Leary, Rhys Ifans, Campbell Scott, Embeth...

If you like fighter planes and history, Red Tailsis the movie for you.  The film tells the story of the Tuskegee airmen, the all African-American fighter pilot team that operated during World War II.   There looks to be some impressive dog fight scenes, of course, they are CGI.  The film stars Bryan Cranston, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Brandon T. Jackson, David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Method Man, Ne-Yo, and Gerald McRaney.  The film also has a production credit for George Lucas. “1944. As the war in Europe continues...

Get to know the band Empires with me. After seeing a stellar set at The Record Bar on Thursday, I had to pull them aside, at least a couple of them, and find out more about them. The band, from Chicago, has been driving all over this country, and in this heat wave, with no air conditioning. So, the least you could do is give this interview a watch. Let me know what you think and be sure and check out Empires if they play a show near your home town. by Angela Davis