The Lawrence Kansas Monthly Blog

  The following blog entry is based on a true story. Allow me to introduce to you, dad’s local band from back in the day. The Majestics Rhythm Revue. Here’s the inside scoop of the band. This is something that I will always remember for the rest of my life. The first time that I saw my dad’s band was when my mom and I went down to Eskimo Joe’s in Stillwater, Oklahoma. That was the first time I went there to see them perform. This is Stillwater’s Jumpin’ Little Juke Joint. A place where people can get something to eat and watch live music. It’s almost like a dinner and a show together in one. I’ll never forget my first time there, although I just wish I can go there with my dad for dinner. We’ll see about that for sure once we get a chance. My mom and I really loved their performance as I got all of this on videotape when I recorded the whole show on my video camera. And I gotta tell you right now, it was incredibly awesome. And I really love that place from back in the day. My next...

  Hi, today we’re gonna talk about something that my dad and I remember going to in 2006. The Wakarusa Festival! It was a four-day music festival held annually in early June 2004 to 2015. Named for the Wakarusa River, the festival was first held here at Clinton State Park in Lawrence, Kansas. Then it was moved to its new location just outside Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas.  The festival is known for an eclectic mix of music and has featured artists like Grammy award winners The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. They had really cool a ctivities besides music including disc golf, yoga, hiking, and swimming. Others have food vendors for getting some snacks, sodas, sno-cones, pizza, etc.  The festival grew dramatically from only 5,000 attendees at the initial 2004 Wakarusa to a record 20,000 in 2011.  After moving from Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, KS to Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR, the festival has continued to mak...

  Back in 2010, Jill and I were talking about putting together a special event for the heart of Lawrence Kansas. You see, I wanted to come up with my own event for "Battle of the Bands". Fortunately, the event needed a lot more work. So when I come back to live in Lawrence Kansas, I'm gonna get together with some friends of mine and help me come up with this special event in music. Now before I start talking about it, I wanna give you the 411 on what "Battle Of The Bands" really is here in Lawrence. A Battle of the Bands is a contest in which many bands, usually rock or metal bands, but often musical acts from a range of different styles, compete for the title of "best band".  Its history though goes back to earlier times, at least the 1930s swing era, when big band battles between famous band leaders like Chick Webb, Casa Loma Orchestra, Benny Goodman and Count Basie were regularly organised in big dancehalls, like the Savoy Ballroom. The winner is de...

  In the city of downtown Lawrence, there’s music and there’s live music. Here’s one thing you should know about. In Lawrence, there’s plenty of venues to see a concert somewhere. So let’s take a look at number one. The Bottleneck The Bottleneck is a place for karaoke, trivia, open-mic, and metal nights.  The Bottleneck is considered by many to be a rock and roll landmark. The historical building at 737 New Hampshire has been home to everything from a roller rink to a paper warehouse before finally taking shape as a live music club (alternately named Off the Wall Hall and Cogburns) in the '80s. It was renamed The Bottleneck in 1985 in honor of the numerous varieties of beer available. The Bottleneck’s journey began with a regular Monday evening open mic night giving local talent the opportunity to take the stage in front of friends and fans. From there, The Bottleneck soon cemented its status as a scheduled stop on many major city national tours giving the Lawrence community a...