Staff

Phil Cauthon (lawrence.com editor)

Recent stories

Ani snubs fans at Liberty
February 25, 2005
Ani DiFranco is more than today’s single biggest DIY singer-songwriter. Ani is an icon. Her lyrics are often inspirational and empowering, words you can memorize and take home with you, pithy snippets of wisdom that you can apply to life.
All about the people
February 7, 2005
I can’t imagine living anywhere other than in Lawrence, Kansas. Among the things that keep me here, two stand out: The intense creative drive that such a high percentage of people here share, and the down-to-earth ease that people tend to assume with others, even complete strangers.
Local flava
Check out some of the bands that make the Lawrence music scene such a tasty buffet
August 14, 2004
Lawrence launches Hometown Fest
January 2, 2004
At his first major film festival in Palm Beach, Jeremy Osbern got a pretty good idea of what he’ll have to do to make it in the movie biz. “I learned that buzz is everything,” said Osbern, a Kansas University senior in film studies, whose 16-minute short “The Passion” won immediate praise from reviewers at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in April.
Replay Lounge has reasons to celebrate
August 16, 2003
When the Replay Lounge opened 10 years ago, it wasn’t the indie rock icon it’s since become. At first, the building at the corner of 10th and Mass. was opened as a pinball joint where you could get a beer, 75-cent burgers and milkshakes. The music would come the next year, and when it did, it overshadowed everything else (except maybe the beer).
Hip or just hype?
National magazine leaves Lawrence off list of top rock ‘n’ roll towns
August 16, 2003
If the opinions of two of the largest national music magazines mean anything at all, Lawrence’s scene is somewhat less hip than it has been hyped.
Hip or hype?
National magazines leave Lawrence off top rock towns list
April 25, 2003
If the opinions of two of the largest national music magazines mean anything at all, Lawrence’s scene is somewhat less hip than it has been hyped. The May issue of Blender magazine, which hits newsstands this week, names its “20 Most Rock & Roll Towns in America,” including such sonic centers as Austin, Texas, New York City’s Williamsburg, and the more recently arisen scene in Omaha, Neb.
Political punk Jello Biafra takes verbal aim
April 18, 2003
Like his name, Jello Biafra is at once comical and very, very disturbing. Biafra (born Eric Boucher, renaming himself after a Nigerian civil war that claimed more than a million lives, mostly women and children) is a master of mixing humor with a portentous political commentary seldom found in mainstream media.
Christian act The Billions seeks secular acceptance
April 11, 2003
The Billions came home from tour last week with egos absolutely destroyed. Before loading up the minivan and trailer and embarking on just their second tour, The Billions — Dan and Sam Billen, Jared Bowes and Ken Komiya — had reason to be pleased with themselves.
Tech N9ne battles industry
January 24, 2003
As the war over Internet file sharing goes global with the music industry’s suit against Kazaa — the multinational successor to mp3 file-sharing giant Napster — a Kansas City rapper is fostering a revolution that could undermine the industry’s case. In taking down Napster, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) argued the availability of free mp3s online was responsible for record low album sales.

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Recent photos

Rena Ralston, Lawrence

Rundstrom bids an overflow crowd farewell at Split Lip Rayfield's last show on Stage 5 at the Walnut Valley Festival, 2006.

After a chance meeting earned Lawrence drummer Kliph Scurlock a slot as a Flaming Lips roadie, the band's 2002 collaboration with artist Beck offered him a shot behind the kit. He still plays drums for the band.

Split Lip Rayfield performs Saturday and Monday morning at the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival

Split Lip Rayfield's Jeff Eaton holds the upright bass he constructed out of a gas tank and a single string of weed whacker line.

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