Here's a sampling of what Kansas City nightlife has to offer.
It takes a whole lot of fabulous to keep J Space going, so every month we feature guest stars for you to meet and learn about. Our July guest is Lisa Houser, an Overland Park good witch who knows how to be bad.
Bad Witch
Oh the draw of $1 flip-flops.
You would have thought Old Navy was giving gasoline away Saturday morning. By the time I arrived with five eager nieces and nephews in tow, the Olathe store had been open only 15 minutes, and already moms were leaving the store as if it was on fire, kids and Old Navy plastic bags in hand.
Aaliyah
Seven years after her death, it's still hard to believe Aaliyah is gone. I look at artists like Ciara, Rihanna, Cherish, even Justin Timberlake, and I see Aaliyah's influences. Fader magazine gave her the cover of the annual icon issue, in stores now. Here's a snippet from the press release.
“It only took Aaliyah a few albums to make an indelible mark on the world of pop music, but today her influence can be felt across numerous genres,” said Chris Richards, Executive Editor of The FADER. “This issue not only tracks that influence, but also offers a more personal glimpse into the life of a true pop visionary.”
I'm going to pick up an issue of the magazine today. I still remember where I was when she died. I was an intern. I was 22, it was August 25th and I was supposed to be reviewing a Tech N9ne show. I started getting phone calls from friends who knew how much I loved her. Then I was asked to write about it. This is what I wrote a week after her death, Saturday,September 1, 2001:
The Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards air here Sunday, and it will be a bittersweet affair.
It was a week ago today that Aaliyah, the superstar songstress/actress/model died in a tragic plane crash in the Bahamas.
Since then, from Kansas City radio to national television, there's been an outpouring of grief.
"She was so sweet, always," a teary-eyed Beyonce Knowles, 20, of Destiny's Child told MTV backstage at the Lady of Soul taping. "She was one of the most beautiful people on the inside and out. It's tragic."
I couldn't agree more.
At every turning point in my life, there was an Aaliyah CD to relate to - to cry to, to laugh to, to dance to.
It was summer 1994 when I first saw the video for "Back and Forth." We were both 15, and sophomore year had just begun. So I grabbed my baggy jeans (oh, I wished they were Tommy Hilfiger), my crop top and shades, and became an Aaliyah groupie.
Her first album, "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number," dropped and soon became my anthem. I kissed my first boyfriend while Aaliyah's voice, like a breath of seduction, sang "At Your Best."
When the time came to pack up for college, "One in a Million" went to the dorm with me. I felt like I was entering a new phase, learning to express myself and be a little sassy, too. Her music was my ongoing soundtrack. I played "If Your Girl Only Knew" and "Hot Like Fire" and just danced my cares away.
Hits like "Are You That Somebody" became the motivation behind my aerobics routine. Junior year my sorority sisters and I set our Greek alphabet to her song "I Don't Wanna Be" (I just wanna be, Sigma Gamma, Sigma Gamma ... ). Her bounce beats and whispering voice are a feel-good combination.
The single "We Need a Resolution" - an appeal to her lover - came out during my final semester before graduation. I was a lovesick insomniac. That song reflected my mood and lifted my spirit. I was becoming a woman and, with degree in hand, I ventured off into the real world.
Two months later the CD "Aaliyah" was released. It became my sanity on bad days and my smile, just because. Every song has a melody and a lyrical moment with a meaning.
"It's Whatever" is the perfect love groove: "You're my tree and through the storms you've stood strong for me/kept me warm as can be/like a candy to an apple/we go together/you're so sweet on me/I can say that I do believe this is destiny."
She must have been thinking of her boyfriend Damon Dash, who co-runs Roc-A-Fella Records with rapper Jay-Z. In an emotional phone call with MTV, he said they'd planned to get married, maybe after she filmed "The Matrix" sequels.
"She was the best person I ever knew," he said. "It was like being with your homeboy and your girl at the same time."
As I have grown, Aaliyah's music has grown with me. At 22, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was all sultry soul. Her name in Arabic means "powerful one," and she exuded, with humility, a power to touch millions. She allowed herself to be a vessel in which great things were carried, and that was her life.
"This is what I always wanted," she told Vibe magazine. "I breathe to perform, to entertain. I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I'm just a really happy girl ... I feel very fulfilled and complete."
It is said that music is soul medicine. Aaliyah has been my prescription for several years and will be for many more to come.
Every Tuesday and Saturday my lifestyle column runs in The Kansas City Star, and you can find the most recent ones below. For previous columns, click here.
Two years ago April Lacher was a stay-at-home mom and wife. That alone was hard work _ taking care of her son, paying bills, cleaning house, running the day-to-day errands. Still, she wanted more.
She'd discovered she had an artsy side when she was planning her wedding. To save money, she took on the task of decorating the facility, designed the floral arrangements and helped create the invitations.
"I realized I loved creating beautiful things that other people could appreciate," says April, 32.
So when a family member couldn't use a lip balm because of an allergy to almond oil, April figured she could make some.
I just don’t understand why there has to be so much T’n’A. It’s everywhere. Just take a look at our new entertainment district.
I mean, the Power & Light is sexy enough with Mosaic, the chic lounge with Miami flair.
The indoor-outdoor living room with potent martinis is the gem of the Cordish Co.’s mall of bars that have taken over downtown.
But it isn’t enough to have sultry décor and a hot staff. The P&L wants its waitresses to look as if they’re auditioning for a spot in the Pussycat Dolls.
Seriously, the servers at Angel’s Rock Bar look like extras in that old Christina Aguilera video — “Dirrty.” And pretty much every bar in the district serves up a wait staff with thighs exposed and/or breasts spilling out of their tops.
