Sometimes you find talented people in the place you least expect. For me recently, that place was Twitter. Due to a misspelling in a Twitter name, Chris Mann inadvertently gave me a shoutout that was meant for one of his friends. When I replied to let him know about the mistake, I discovered that not only is he a talented musician/song writer, he’s also a Wichita native.
A few days ago, I had the pleasure of talking to Chris on the phone as he drove through the desert on his way …

Guest post by Ryan Unruh
“Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did. Lookin’ like a true survivor, feelin’ like a little kid.” – Bernie Taupin via Elton John
She wasn’t sure about all the words, but then again “Roy Cohn, Jaun Peron, Toscanini, Dancron” isn’t the catchiest lyric. Sarah Kallail improvised what she didn’t know from “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” dancing and singing in unison (kinda) with her friends while Billy Joel pounded a piano and chanted random cultural references 100-yards below.
It was pretty much what the girls …

As Carly Holmes so eloquently stated in her post about karaoke in Wichita, it’s a guaranteed good time. At the places she listed, you’ll likely hear country faves and past & present pop hits energetically performed by tipsy patrons. But there is one karaoke night in Wichita that is a bit different, where you’ll hear “Run to the Hills” and “Talk Dirty to Me.” It’s HEAVY METAL KARAOKE!
Kirby’s Beer Store (3227 E. 17th St.) is the locale for this metal mayhem. I attended HMK on Friday, Feb. …

This coming Final Friday, there is even more reason to celebrate the flourishing local music scene in ICT. True gentlemen about town, brothers James and John Beasley have been playing local venues for years, and have now produced their debut studio album, The Dust Covered Man.
Drawing off of the love of music instilled in them by their father, the brothers display harmonies that can only come from a lifetime of sharing rhymes, rhythms, and melodies. Presenting a unique blend of alternative acoustic folk music and old time country, Elliot …

Last Tuesday, my husband and I had a “date night.” We stopped after work at Byblos for some falafel and hummus, and then snuck off to a concert. But this wasn’t your usual concert. We didn’t pay $50 or more for each ticket, and parking was a piece of cake. We could sit anywhere and still claim to have the best seats in the house. At the end of the night, we went home excited and awestruck instead of deaf, hoarse, and irritable from the crowds.
How? We went to the …