Kansas City Playlist: Will Single-Serve 'Shooter' Crackdown Work?!?

Tonight we consider local authoritarian tendencies and recycled plans that never seem to improve desperate circumstances. 

At the risk of answering our own question: 

No, it's unlikely that banning small liquor bottles will improve local life in and around Prospect Avenue.  

At the very least we're talking about imposing a slight inconvenience and shutting down a few stores.   

Again, old school residents will remember the 90s-era citywide 40 oz. ban that didn't have ANY impact on local gang culture and violence in the urban core. 

This time around what's even more troubling is that local leaders are willing to set a dangerous prescient by imposing special legislation for one neighborhood over another — Basically endorsing an anti-American sentiment which attempts to inform us all that rules shouldn't be applied equally.

And so . . .

Here's quizzical "community support" for the effort that will reduce the quotient of local liberty, if only by 1.7 ounces . . . Check-it:  

The proposed ordinance comes as community leaders point to the concentration of liquor stores in some neighborhoods as a contributing factor to street-level problems.

"You have a liquor store on almost every single corner," said Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who represents the city's 3rd District.

The city held a town hall Saturday for the Prospect Avenue corridor to discuss the new ordinance that would limit certain types of alcohol sales in the community.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas City considers banning small single-bottle alcohol sales to reduce crime in Prospect Avenue corridor

And all of this inspires our playlist tonight . . .

Let's start with a LMFAO & Lil' Jon crunk classic that exemplified the start of the 2010s and remains an anthem for middle-aged dudes across the nation.

Since this local liquor store crisis dates back to the 90s, we'll revive one of the better tracks from the era. 1994's "Gin & Juice" might be one of Snoop Dogg's most melodic tracks and captured the morally ambiguous spirit(s) of the Clinton-era perfectly.

Given the subject matter, it's probably important that we mention the impact of addiction . . . "The Bottle" by poet/singer Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson was released in 1974 and instantly earned underground and critical success. The song serves as a social commentary on alcohol abuse, and it features a Caribbean beat and notable flute solo by Jackson, with Scott-Heron playing keyboards. Whilst the musical style may hearken back to another era, the sentiments expressed in the track still seem to drive most contemporary discussions of liquor overindulgence within urban communities

Blues background that sums up our bridge song perfectly: "George Thorogood and his Delaware Destroyers made the song all their own whilst simultaneously providing an homage to the great John Lee Hooker. Lyrically, Thorogood tips his hat to Hooker from back to front, remaining true to the legend’s words and phrasing. Musically, the structure of the songs remain mostly the same, though Thorogood does amp up the speed to a much faster pace — despite the fact that the finally constructed song clocks in at a whopping eight and a half minutes."

Finally, our main contention for this missive is that “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound by Hank Williams Jr. defines this cowtown's boozy conversation and serves as Americana that crosses cultures and time. In the early morning hours, the track speaks to Kansas City's longstanding "issues" with liquor control for both better and mostly worse. 

Here's a better summary and more info on the classic:  

"Although the lyrics’ woe-is-me message may not hold up when looked through a modern lens, Williams Jr.’s honky tonk tear-jerker was then seen as a continuation of country traditionalism. He never tried to break away from his roots, often referencing his late father, country music pioneer Hank Williams."

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.