Bill Brownlee

Taylor Swift isn’t in town, but her connections will make a local impact at Travis Kelce’s music festival and Jack Antonoff’s show at Grinders. Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, revenge song expert Ashley McBryde, and blues slinger Gary Clark Jr. round out the concert calendar.

Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh know their music of choice will never be mainstream, so the pair have cobbled together a set of spaces where their Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society can thrive.

This month marks the onset of the most rewarding season for music under the stars, and groove-rock band 311 is set to oblige Kansas City audiences outdoors. Waxahatchee, Kane Brown and others will entertain this April’s indoor listeners.

After moving from Lawrence, Kansas, to New York City, Freedy Johnston hit it big with his major-label debut album, and charted on the Billboard Top 100. The 'songwriters' songwriter' is now attempting a shift away from his rock roots.

A slate of superstars will appear in Kansas City this month, including Bad Bunny, Drake, Sleater-Kinney and Jenny Lewis. Easter Sunday features a performance by R&B evangelist Anthony Hamilton to end the month on a high note.

An uptick in this February concert calendar’s momentousness is the first sign that spring shows will be here before you know it. For now, performances from world-renowned artists like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iqlesias, Marty Stuart and Delfeayo Marsalis will have to suffice.

After rebuilding her music career twice, Danielle Nicole's new album shows her claiming her power — and the ownership rights to her recordings. “I've put out 10 records,” she said. “And this is the first time I haven't felt screwed.”

Appearances by the astonishingly versatile Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a band led by the heralded Jason Isbell, and the vintage jazz revivalists Hot Sardines headline this month’s live music offerings.

After a former mayor spent $144,000 of public money on the synthetic saxophone, it became the centerpiece of a Kansas City institution. A reissued recording of the instrument, played by our greatest bebopper, was released last month.

Entertaining guests from out of town or in need of a break from your family? The holiday season is an ideal time to revisit what Kansas City has to offer, including the refined pianism of Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, the unruly rock of Thelma and the Sleaze, the protest songs of Sunny War and the classic rock hits of John Waite.