Now's the Time: BCR

Anyone who’s ever wanted to see Stan Kessler lip-sync is in for a treat.  Kessler and bandmates including Dwight Frizzell, Bill Dye and Randy Weinstein mug their way through a tune from a recently released BCR album in footage captured at the Grand Emporium in 1995.  BCR hosts an "ultra-flesh dance" party at Californos on Saturday, December 26.

Now's the Time: B.C.R.

Thirty-seven years ago, a kid affiliated with the Kansas City Art Institute created a noisy sound collage. A befuddled blogger listed it as one of the Ten Best Kansas City Jazz Recordings. Black Crack Revue, eventually better known as B.C.R., evolved into a Dada-esque Sun Ra-inspired jazz band in the late '70s and early '80s. B.C.R. then morphed into the arty dance band displayed in the embedded 1995 video. Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Jazzbo, Stan Kessler and Randy Weinstein are among the featured musicians. B.C.R. performs at the RecordBar on Sunday, April 29.

Kidney Stew Is Fine

There wasn't even a stage. Legendary jump blues man Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and vocalist Priscilla Bowman were joined by a drummer and bassist on the floor of the Grand Emporium. It was my first time inside the joint, and I was certain my scrawny underage hide would be kicked out. But in the early '80s the Grand Emporium was still known as a skid row bar for day drunks, and none of the dozen people in the smoky room gave me a second glance. The things I heard and witnessed that night changed my life.