New record store and art gallery opening in the Crossroads
Though the holiday weekend made for thin crowds this past First Friday, there was still culture to be had. Thanks to Ari Crane, co-proprietor of the fledgling Mod modern art gallery and record store at 1809 McGee, I left First Fridays one record richer (and $10 poorer, though happily so).
Crane told me some months ago of his plan to open an art gallery and vinyl emporium in the Crossroads, but I had no idea it would be so soon. I was in the neighborhood in search of sweet Christopher Elbow affirmation and stumbled right upon Mod's soft opening.
Mod, too, could prove worth waiting for when it officially opens in the Fall.
Along with a few vinyl racks -- some nice jazz, soul, rock and even some classical -- there was art on display in the big warehouse by local artists Shane Audley, Vanessa Lacy and Donna Gearman. Mod's resident DJ and office manager, Elgin Smith, set up decks and was spinning records. Always on the lookout for badass male vocal jazz, I picked up Joe Williams' Worth Waiting For, though there were tempting offerings from Coltrane, a Count Basie/Mingus record, a Yardbirds picture LP and other promising stuff.
By the time it officially opens in September (tentatively) Crane plans to have expanded the collection to the range of 8,000 to 12,000 records for sale, including new local releases. Copies of the latest Be/Non LP were for sale, with, Crane says, every cent of each album's $15 price tag going back to the band. "I'll get the word out for local musicians -- that's kinda my goal," says Crane.
A prodigious collector, Crane aims to traffic in '60s and '70s soul, funk and R&B, plus blues, classic rock, alternative and jazz, the latter being so important to a part of town just a few blocks to the east. I reached him by phone today and asked if he had any KC collectibles. Thinking he'd come back with some Jay McShann or Big Joe Turner (which he probably has as well), Crane put me on speakerphone and played samples from 45s recorded in the late '40s and '50s at a recording studio called Westport Enterprises in, of course, Westport. It wasn't jazz, though. Oh no. The tinny, warbly voices of the "Westport Sweethearts" and, separately, "Cowboy Bobby, Age 11" came through the phone. Cowboy Bobby's song: "Capgun Cowboy" by Dave G. Ruf.
So, yeah, it should be pretty interesting when Crane and his partner, Brian Ousley (who's handling the art) open Mod's doors for real. In the meantime, you can schedule an appointment to check out Mod's collection by calling Elgin at 816-294-5650 or Crane at 913-752-7796.
And if you know who Cowboy Bobby is (or was), by all means, give us the lowdown on this pint-sized wrangler of yore.
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