Criteria Recording Studios founder Emerman dies

Mack Emerman, the founder of Criteria Recording Studios where acts including Eric Clapton, James Brown and the Bee Gees made some of their most famous records, has died after a long illness. He was 89.

Singer Miguel lands on fan at Billboard Music Awards

Two things singer Miguel didn't land at Sunday's Billboard Music Awards: an award for "Top R&B Song" and an attempted jump from one stage to another. The singer's high-energy performance of "Adorn" was amplified Sunday by the unsuccessful jump when his leg caught the face of a fan, her head slamming onto the stage.

Ticketmaster settles rewards lawsuit for $23M

Ticketmaster has agreed to settle claims for up to $23 million over a lawsuit affecting more than a million people who, after buying a ticket online, were enrolled in a rewards program that cost $9 a month but never gave them any benefits.

Pianist Alex Bugnon grew up among the greats

One of the most successful pianists in the smooth-jazz idiom didn’t come from some gritty inner city or pleasant suburb. Alex Bugnon, who comes to the Gem Theater with trumpeter Cindy Bradley on Saturday, hails from Montreux, the Swiss town at the foot of the Alps.

Rockfest is still the biggest, loudest, best party in KC

For many of the estimated 55,000 people in attendance, Rockfest isn't merely an 11-hour concert. Rockfest represents a spirited reunion of likeminded lovers of aggressive rock. The dark and despairing tone of Alice In Chains, the day's headliner, wasn't the least bit celebratory, but that didn't deter the diehard partiers.

Reunited Alice in Chains tops the bill at Rockfest 2013

A reunited Alice in Chains, one of the biggest bands of the grunge movement of the 1990s, headlined Rockfest — "the biggest one-day music festival in America" — on Saturday at Penn Valley Park. An anticipated horde of 50,000 heard a lineup that also included Device, Kansas City's Red Line Chemistry, Massachusetts' Killswitch Engage and the industrial rockabilly of Denmark's Volbeat.

Styx, REO Speedwagon return with a nostalgic good-time vibe

REO Speedwagon and Styx returned to Starlight Theater on Friday night for the fourth time in five years, and for a good reason. They always draws a big crowd. The bands aren’t who they used to be, but those details don’t matter when the live versions of the songs sound so much like the ways they were recorded.

The Tenors: Regular guys with divine voices

The group rides a professional high into its Friday concert in Kansas City. Its new album, “Lead With Your Heart,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s crossover charts. Last month the group snagged adult contemporary album of the year at the Juno Awards, Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys.

Woody Guthrie’s great American voice gets a new home in Tulsa

A nuanced and multidimensional portrait of Woody Guthrie, and a celebration of his art and influence, can be found in a new center in Tulsa. To listen to contemporary singer/songwriters, all roads lead to Guthrie. To listen to Nora Guthrie, his daughter, the road from the Woody Guthrie Center extends in all directions.

Diana Krall surprises audience at the Midland theater

Diana Krall, one of the most bankable commodities in jazz, represents different things to different people. Many observers consider her a reliable traditionalist. Others view Krall as a sultry pop star. She offered a simple explanation of herself to an audience of about 2,500 at the Midland theater Wednesday.

Hunter Hayes and Carrie Underwood perform at the Sprint Center

Carrie Underwood, who has gone from a wide-eyed "American Idol" contestant to a powerhouse country star in the span of eight years, performed Wednesday night at the Sprint Center, touring in support of her new record, "Blown Away." Hunter Hayes, country music's version of Justin Bieber, opened the show. Click the link to see photos from the concert by The Star's Joe Ledford.

Seventh annual Merle Jam: Half country, half blues, all to help out

Merle Jam at Knuckleheads has evolved into a fundraiser, an awareness campaign for the Midwest Transplant Network, a gathering of organ recipients and donor families, and a two-day music festival stocked with big-time entertainment. This year’s headliners are Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison on Friday, which is country night, and Delbert McClinton on Saturday, blues night.