Stephen Steigman

As the summer winds down, are you looking for some music to rev you up? Our critics here at Up to Date have scoured the best of local, national and international music released this year to give you a wide selection.

Chris Haghirian

Local picks:

The Sluts, "Let Me Go" from The Sluts

• "It's a nice, loud ruckus-y garage band sound. It looks like he's protecting himself with his drumsticks."

Hipshot Killer, "Give Me Something Better"

After a social media campaign with the twitter hashtag #LetJoyceSing, a Change.org petition, an invitation from Major League Baseball to sing in Game 7 of the World Series -- and the Royals victory that assured there would be a Game 7, Prairie Village, Kan. native Joyce DiDonato is ready to sing the National Anthem in the final game.

On the eve of the 2014 World Series, Up to Date broadcasts live from Kauffman Stadium, the "center of the sports universe."

During the hour we look at the team's chances in this year's series, what makes the Royals comeback so fascinating, how the staff of the Royals and Kauffman Stadium are preparing for packed houses and an onslaught of world media, and some new additions to the Royals Hall of Fame.

Guests:

The office of Kansas Secretary of State is usually a sleepy, bottom-of-the-ticket office that doesn't draw big attention at election time.

Not this year. Kris Kobach has been a high-profile, stir-it-up secretary of state in his four years in office where he's made cracking down on voter fraud a central concern.

His opponent, Jean Schodorf, is a former 10-year Republican state senator who later switched to the Democratic Party. She calls the way Kobach has handled the office an "embarrassment" to the state.

Shades of Jade is among Kansas City's many notable young jazz ensembles.  This band differentiates itself with an invigorating blend of bop and R&B.  This week's Local Listen features "Dynasty," an ebullient track from Shades of Jade's new album "Fingerprinted Memories.

Hear in KC: Shades of Jade performs Friday night October 3 at the Broadway Jazz Club, 3601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, Mo. 

Former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Kansas City on Sunday June 21 where she spoke with Rainy Day Books co-owner Vivien Jennings in front of a crowd of thousands at the Midland Theatre. 

The former Secretary of State was in town to promote her memoir, 'Hard Choices.'

It’s that time of year when turtles become easy targets on Missouri and Kansas highways.

Turns out that male box turtles don’t know any better. They’re just out looking for mates, and that journey has them crossing busy highways where too often they become road kill.

In the final portion of Tuesday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with a biologist from the Missouri Department of Conservation about those all too vulnerable turtles.

Guest:

Although he's in his early twenties, bassist Dominique Sanders is already a fixture in Kansas City's most prestigious jazz clubs.    Tivon Pennicott, a New York-based saxophonist best known for his work with the Grammy-winning star Esperanza Spalding, will join Sanders' trio at three area venues next week.  Sanders and Pennicott will explore the intersection of jazz and R&B at Broadway Jazz Club, the Blue Room and Take Five Coffee.

We are on the verge of what every sports fan dreads worse than the agony of defeat: the occasional lull. The Winter Olympics, timed so perfectly to counter the post-Super Bowl hangover, are winding down, while March Madness and Royals Opening Day remain just out of reach.

Fortunately, I’ve found an antidote, not to mention the perfect answer to two weeks of ice dancing: The bulls are coming to town!

The line-up has been announced for this year’s Middle of the Map music festival, which takes place April 3-5 at many locations in and around Westport.

For the next several weeks, our “Local Listen” segment will focus on musicians from the Kansas City area who will be sharing the stages with regional and national artists.

Russia’s incursion into the Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula has sparked a reaction across Europe. The region voted over the weekend to secede to be part of Russia, but the European Union, the United States and others have called that vote illegal. 

This year’s Middle of the Map music festival will take place April 3-5 at many locations in and around Westport. For the next several weeks, our “Local Listen” segment will focus on musicians from the Kansas City area who will be sharing the stages with regional and national artists.

Autism advocates argue that legislation being considered in Kansas falls short of best practices for treating the disorder.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 88 children in the United States has autism. 

It’s a disorder that impairs a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills. For some, the effects can be mild, but for others, the symptoms can be so severe that they leave individuals unable to care for themselves.

At 72, Graham Nash remains part of rock royalty, a musician who came to the U.S. as part of the British invasion with his band The Hollies and plays on today with his super-group Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Of all sporting events, perhaps none is more tangled up in dreams of glory and miracles and fellowship than the Olympic Games. For two weeks, the peoples of the planet come together in celebration of the Olympic spirit and all is well with the world!

Yeah, right.

The Olympics are a human endeavor. All those idealistic “principles” in the Olympic Charter—social responsibility, mutual understanding, universal respect—are written down because they’re so often forgotten. Just search “Olympic Scandals and Controversies” on Wikipedia; you’ll find nearly a hundred offenses.

The past few weeks have been pretty memorable for the Joplin band Me Like Bees: they won The Deli Magazine – Kansas City’s “Emerging Artist of 2013” readers’ poll, and they also won the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands, ensuring them a spot on this summer’s Warped Tour.

In this week's Local Listen, we hear “Brand New Fail” from their most recent album, “The Ides."

You can get a buzz from the sounds of Me Like Bees when they visit The Riot Room in Kansas City on February 28th.