Local music

For Kelly Hunt, writing music starts with a visual process. She's part of the 780 Songwriters Circle, a quarterly event in Lawrence that brings together artists to explore the creative process. The next event is June 10 at the Lawrence Public Library.

One of Kansas City's most popular jazz venues, Green Lady Lounge, is temporarily closed after a fire in a rooftop air conditioning unit Sunday. The venue is expected to be open in time for World Cup visitors.

World Cup visitors and locals can still get free tickets for the Fan Festival, which will host performances and a giant watch party to see the tournament matches.

Alberto Racanati grew up in Italy but moved to Kansas City more than 10 years ago to study trumpet at the UMKC Conservatory. Now, he makes genre-blending music solo as Alber and with his band I Maledetti. They'll perform at Manor Fest this May.

World Cup travelers and residents of the region can register to attend free performances from national touring artists and some of the city’s best local entertainers.

Rapper Jamel Thompson, better known as The Royal Chief, got his start in Atlanta learning about the industry and even ghostwriting for Kanye West. He came back home to Kansas City in 2017, and now works to advance the music industry here

A group of Kansas City musicians has been tasked to review a city-wide music strategy and draft recommendations for how to implement it. One of the goals is to enhance Kansas City’s music economy — and that includes possibly standardizing much musicians get paid for live performances.

The Band That Fell to Earth marks each anniversary of the performer’s death — and the band’s own founding — with two weekends of shows. The concert series at recordBar has become an annual tradition for fans of the glam rock pop star.

Streaming platforms like Spotify are now pushing users to music generated by artificial intelligence. Kansas City musicians question the necessity of these platforms altogether, while pushing for more regulations and urging consumers to support their music by buying it directly.

The beer and music festival debuted as a two-day event in the West Bottoms, and grew into one of the region’s signature events, moving to the Stockyards District then Crown Center. Organizers say the festival will not return for another season.

Nicolette Paige, Rick Cole and Xavier Fleming have held a steady presence in the Kansas City music scene for more than 15 years. As a trio, they blend reggae, neo-soul and a warm, organic sound into what Paige calls “soulful, feel-good music” wherever they play — even inside a moving streetcar.

Mike Corrigan is maintaining a centuries-old craft of making and repairing brass instruments. Musicians from Bruno Mars' band, Lincoln Center's jazz series and others from around the world come to his shop, which is also working to train the next generation.