The Slacker Morning Show

Located at Country Club Plaza on the corner of Ward Parkway and Broadway Street, Seasons 52 in Kansas City offers fresh, seasonal New American cuisine for lunch and dinner. Seasons 52 combines a chic restaurant with the fresh appeal of the local farmer’s market. Enjoy seasonal ingredients at their peak of freshness, like Wild Alaska Halibut, Copper River Salmon, Nantucket Bay Scallops, and Black Mission Figs, to name a few. Or discover our extensive wine list, featuring more than 100 international wines, with 52 available by the glass. Seasons 52 allows you to enjoy the best of Kansas City’s local dining scene. Join us Monday through Friday from 4pm to 6:30pm for $5 small plates, organic craft cocktails, wine, and beer during our Sunset at Seasons happy hour. If you’re looking for a dining experience that is casual yet sophisticated, our warm and inviting modern space located just minutes from The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and just off U.S. 71, can accommodate you. Seasons 52 Fresh Grill and Wine Bar was recently voted 2016 Socially Responsible Restaurant of the Year by Technomic due to our dedication to sustainability and our local communities.

Red Door Grill as an “upscale neighborhood joint.“ Whether you’re coming to us straight from work for burgers with friends, enjoying a romantic night out for drinks or entertaining a business associate, you’re always welcomed here.

We promise a great experience every time you visit. Since we opened in 2013 we’ve provided our customers with the freshest, most flavorful food and great service at a good value. Whether it’s your first time dining with us or you’re a regular, you’ll have a great time at Red Door Grill.

We’ve always been eager to bring Red Door Grill to Kansas City and in December 2016, we crossed the state line and opened our second location in Brookside!

Not only is Red Door Grill locally owned and operated, we strive to consistently serve the best local ingredients to your table. We’re proud of the partnerships we’ve developed with local and regional providers. Their level of pride and care matches our own and, we think, makes for better food.

So, stop into Red Door Grill with friends and family, or let us host your next business lunch. You’ll be welcomed with a selection of woodfired favorites like burgers, flatbreads, and fish specials, all while being made to feel right at home!

#kickassfriedchicken

#BrooksideJenniferisback!

Southern rock unit the Outlaws were formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1972 by singers/guitarists Hughie Thomasson and Henry Paul, bassist Frank O'Keefe, and drummer Monte Yoho. With the 1973 addition of guitarist Billy Jones, the lineup was complete, and after a year of intense touring the band became the first act signed to Arista under Clive Davis; the Outlaws' self-titled 1975 album spotlighted their Eagles-influenced harmonies and Allman Brothers-like guitar attack, yielding the Top 40 hit "There Goes Another Love Song."

The architect behind Foreigner’s extraordinary catalogue of smash hits, Mick has crafted some of rock music’s most enduring songs and produced 10 multi-platinum albums. Grammy and Golden Globe nominated songwriter, performer and producer and winner of the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriter award in Britain in 1998, Mick first began playing guitar in his early teens. "I knew early on that I could never hold a regular job. I had to play guitar. I had to somehow make my way into music" he says.

After starting his own Blues/Rock band and opening for the Rolling Stones in pubs across South London, Mick’s first big break came in 1964 when he moved to Paris and was hired to play with French singer Sylvie Vartan and later hired to work as musical director for French rock icon, Johnny Hallyday. Jones returned to his native England in the early 70’s to reform the band Spooky Tooth with Gary Wright. After Spooky Tooth broke up, Mick moved to New York City and, in 1976, formed Foreigner with fellow Brits Ian Mc Donald and Dennis Elliott, and Americans Lou Gramm, Alan Greenwood and Ed Gagliardi.

In his own words:

"My initial musical vision for Foreigner was to combine Blues and R&B with British Rock and make it sound soulful and authentic. I?d grown up in England and had the English influence but I was also inspired by many elements of American music, from Mississippi Blues to Country and Western. Foreigner was the vehicle to get that musical blend across."

"I’m grateful to be surrounded by the talented musicians that make up Foreigner today. Now each night on stage brings Foreigner’s music alive with energy and excitement. Thanks guys for making it all new again!"

Quotes from Mick talking about Foreigner and the new "Feels Like The First Time" 3-Disc Album:

"When doing the ‘Hot Blooded’ solo I did my damnedest to set the amp on fire, which is what originally happened," Mick says laughing, "I turned it up to 11, I kicked it. . . "

"My feeling over the years is that if you can write a song on an acoustic instrument, and it sounds good, you know you have a good song," Mick explains. "The first time we approached these songs this way I was flabbergasted about how well they adapted back to their nucleus. It’s been an eye opener how stripping the songs bare brings fresh meaning and emotion out of them. The reaction has been so strong that it made me rethink the whole thing and put more attention to the unplugged show. People feel the intimacy, I talk about the songs and how they came about."

"Its' been 6 years since the new line-up has been in place. The success, for me, merited giving the public studio recordings of songs by the new band," Mick Jones asserts. "People know the new Foreigner, so the Foreigner they see live is the same Foreigner they can get on record."

Jake Shimabukuro can still vividly remember the first time he held a ukulele, at age four. It was an encounter that would shape his destiny and give the world one of the most exceptional and innovative uke players in the history of the instrument—an artist who has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.

“My mom played, and I kept bugging her to teach me,” he recalls. “So one day we sat down on the floor and she put her old Kamaka ukulele in my hands. I remember being so nervous. Then she showed me how to strum the strings and taught me my first chord. I fell in love with the ukulele immediately. From that day on, you had to pry the instrument away from me in order to get me to do anything else.”

That first brush with musical fate took place in Honolulu, Hawai’i, where Jake was born and still makes his home. Growing up, he studied and played a number of other musical instruments—drums, piano and guitar. “But none of those instruments spoke to me the way the ukulele did,” he says. “There was something about the uke that was different. Music was my passion, but I had no idea that I could make it as a musician. I always thought that maybe I’d be a school teacher and incorporate music into the classroom, rather than being on a stage performing in front of people.”

Of course, Shimabukuro would end up performing on many of the world’s most renowned stages. Starting his career in Hawai’i, he took his inspiration from some of the islands’ great uke players—Eddie Kamae, Ohta-San and Peter Moon. But he quickly expanded his scope from there, drawing influences from across the musical spectrum.

“As I got older,” he says, “I realized that I could also learn from guitar players, drummers, violinists, pianists, singers and even dancers. And then I started to observe athletes. Athletes are artists too. I was heavily influenced by people like Bruce Lee and Michael Jordan – applying their philosophy and intense, mental focus to music performance.”

As a member of the group Pure Heart, Shimabukuro became a local phenomenon. From Hawai’i, his fame next spread to Japan. He was signed to Epic Records (Sony/Japan) in 2001 as a solo artist. It was the start of what would become a deep catalog of solo albums, noted for their dazzling fretwork, ambitious repertoire and wistful melodicism. And in 2005, Shimabukuro became an international phenomenon when a video of him performing the George Harrison song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube.

“At the time, I didn’t even know what YouTube was,” Jake laughs. “Nobody did, especially in Hawai’i. But I had some friends who were going to college on the mainland and they sent me a link to the video. By the time I saw it, it already had millions of views. My name wasn’t even on it then. All it said was ‘Asian guy shreds on ukulele,’ or something like that. That’s what opened up the doors to touring in North America, Europe, Asia and beyond. It was a big turning point for me.”

By adapting a guitar hero anthem for the ukulele (Eric Clapton had played lead guitar on the Beatles’ original recording) Shimabukuro made a significant statement: The ukulele, with its humble four strings and modest two-octave range, is an instrument limited only by the imagination and creativity of the person playing it. Along with his own original compositions, Jake became noted for his solo uke arrangements of such varied pieces as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

“A lot of those are just songs that I really love,” he says. “I’d sit at home and work out how to play some of them on the ukulele. A lot of it is for my own curiosity. I always wondered, ‘Man, what would “Bohemian Rhapsody” sound like on a ukulele?’ And then it’s my stubborn nature not to give up until I’d figured out how to do it.”

Widespread acclaim brought high-visibility collaborations with a wide range of artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Dave Koz, Michael McDonald, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Tommy Emmanuel, and Marty Friedman. Jake Shimabukuro has topped Billboard’s World Music Chart on numerous occasions, and has sold out prestigious venues and festivals such as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House, Wolf Trap, Bonnaroo, SXSW, and the Playboy Jazz Festival. He even played for Queen Elizabeth II at The Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England.

Shimabukuro’s busy touring schedule—140 dates a year—is complemented by a rich and varied catalog of albums that capture the many moods of the uke. His most recent CD, Nashville Sessions, is one of his most adventurous, multifaceted and engaging records to date, blending elements of jazz virtuosity with heartfelt melodicism.

A husband and father of two, Jake balances his stellar career with

family life and community service. He travels to schools around the world spreading positive messages to young people, encouraging them to live drug free and find their passion—just as he did at age four when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson. In the time since then, he has played a key role in the current revival of interest in the ukulele.

“When I first started touring the mainland,” he recalls, “everybody would say, ‘Oh man, I didn’t know you could play that kind of music on that thing.’ But now there are so many iconic artists playing the ukulele, like Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Train, Jimmy Buffett, Michael McDonald, Dave Mathews and Taylor Swift. Even popular cartoons like ‘Peg + Cat’ and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ have ukulele soundtracks. The popularity of the ukulele keeps growing every year. And I’m constantly discovering new sounds, styles and expressive possibilities within the instrument through projects like the Nashville Sessions album. By the time we finished that recording, I already had tons of ideas for the next album. I can’t wait to get back into the studio and experiment some more.”

Slacker interview with Thursday Morning 10/20/16 with Chiefs Kingdom Champion First Pass Honoree Honoree: Dr. Allen M. Chen, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Kansas Cancer Center!