Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Folk Alliance International + Julia Othmer & James T. Lundie + Flamy Grant

Folk Alliance International Conference is Wednesday, February 21 through Saturday, February 24, 2024 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO. This year’s theme is ALCHEMY A Transformative Force. More information at: http://www.FOLK.org

“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]

2. Bad Alaskan – “Groove”
from: Red & Black / Bad Alaskan / June 19, 2023
[Bad Alaskan is Lawrence, Kansas based musician, scientist, researcher, speaker, activist, teacher, Alex Kimball Williams who identifies and celebrates her Native Alaskan / Black / Portuguese origins, with the motto: “Music is medicine.” Alex Kimball Williams also played in the band UltraVivid. Band Alaskan released the single “Red & Black” on December 10, 2021 The album also contains a cover of “Strange Fruit” that Bad Alaskan released as a single on August 17, 2019. Bad Alaskan writes: “This cover of ‘Strange Fruit’ is the perfect blend of old school & new school; direct reference & innovation; the blues & electronic. I’ve always loved the song & wanted to put my own indigenous spin on it. My classical & jazz training leaks through with solos & alterations to the lead melody. The 1939 recording featuring Billie Holiday’s vocals is my favorite cut of this classic. My variation alters the melody to fit a minor blues scale. The key is raised just slightly to stimulate discomfort, the tempo is more upbeat. Originally when she sang the song, it was always the end of her set, staff in the venue was instructed not to make any transactions. She would sing the song with eyes closed. Due to that devotional, prayer-like feel, I begin my sets with this song if I’m going to include it. I read somewhere that this song reminded her of her father. It lines up with my thoughts on my own ancestors, from what would have been his time. Instruments used are Korg Minilogue, Microkorg (vocoding) & Novation circuit. I always record all my parts at once (no over-dubbing), so please enjoy the “fruits” of my labor! Audio engineer: Ross Williams.]

[Bad Alaskan plays several Private Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference including: Thursday, February 22, at 11:00pm in Lawrence Free State Room #609. // Thursday, February 22, at 12:00am in Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) in Room #755. // Saturday February 24, 12:00am in Lawrence Free State Room # 609 of The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Crys Matthews – “Safe”
from: CHANGEMAKERS / Crys Matthews / May 26, 2021
[Winner of the 2022 Folk Alliance International Folk Muaic Award for Song of the Year. Crys Matthews was also an Official Showcase Artist for the 34th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference, May 18, 19, 21, 21, and 22 in Kansas City, at Westin Crown Center Hotel, More info at http://www.folk.org. Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls “the poster-child for intersectionality,” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift “a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.” She is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near. Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times. // ”Matthews began performing in 2010, but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 New Song Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released two new projects—her album of thoughtful songs on love and life called The Imagineers, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, which tackles social justice themes. Matthews also won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Loyal fans quickly followed as Matthews racked up performances at large music festivals and prestigious venues across the country including the Sundance Film Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and locally at venues like The Birchmere, TheHamilton, Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and Jammin’ Java. In her TedTalk about difficult conversations called “Sing, Don’t Shout—An Alternative Approach” Matthews spoke about being born and raised in a small town in southeastern NorthCarolina by an A.M.E.preacher, and how she witnessed the power of music from an early age. A former drum major and classically-trained clarinetist turned folk singer, Matthews is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to be “a drum major for justice.” // “I believe in hope,” Matthews said. “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.” And, from the title track to the last track, Changemakers does just that all while tackling some heavy topics like immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter, and gun safety to name a few.“ Ani DiFranco said, “People used to make records as in a record of an event,” said Matthews, “so I hope that these songs will serve as a time capsule, a record of the events of the last four years and what it was like to live through them.” Crys Matthews’s thoughtful, realistic and emotional songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul. More info at http://www.crysmatthews.com]

[Crys Matthews plays several private showcases, and is an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Friday, February 23, at 6:45pm in Washington Park Place 3 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Abraham Alexander – “Déja Vu (feat. Mavis Staples)”
from: SEA/SONS / Dualtone Music Group / April 14, 2023
[Abraham Alexander’s debut album SEA/SONS. Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11 to escape the racial tensions they faced in his birthplace. Shortly after moving to the states, his birth mother was killed in a car accident with a drunk driver, leading Alexander to be adopted later in his teens. He found solace in sports as a soccer prodigy and later, following a torn ACL that ended his playing career, in music once a friend handed Alexander a guitar and he unexpectedly found songs pouring out of him. // The 11 tracks on SEA/SONS touch on themes of loss, redemption, longing, anguish and joy. And while his lyrics speak to pain, trauma and life-changing loss, he instills his music with a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope.][Abraham Alexander played The Madrid Theater, 3810 Main Street, KCMO on Monday, May 1, at 7:30 PM opening for Wilder Woods / The Fever / Sky Tour. More info at http://www.abrahamalexander.bandcamp.com]

[Folk Alliance International, the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, will present its 36th Annual Conference Feb. 21-25, 2024 in KCMO. The International Folk Music Awards (part of the conference) have announced the finalists for the 2023 Song of the Year and we’re thrilled that 4 of these songs have been in constant rotation on our playlists this year. The finalists are: “Changes” written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun // “Keep It On A Burner” written & performed by Margo Cilker // “The Returner” written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell // “Workin’ On A World” written & performed by Iris Dement // and “Tears Run Dry” written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander.]

[Abraham Alexander plays an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 10:30pm in Washington Park Place 3 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

The Swallowtails – “Cocoon”
from: LUCKY PENNY EP / The Swallowtails / February 20, 2024
[The independent acoustic band, experimenting in the rock/pop genres while performing on what are traditionally folk/classical instruments, enter a new era having produced the entirety of this project themselves, with the songwriting matter touching on life’s big changes, challenges, and the realizations that time will heal. // “Since becoming a duo, it was time for us to reinvent our sound again. The songwriting on this EP is split between Rachel and myself, and this is Rachel’s debut release as a writer and singer. We spent all of January 2024 finishing the arrangements, recording and mixing the mini-record. It was a much needed release of energy for both of us, and we are definitely looking forward to adding these songs into our live sets and performing new material.”– Miki P, songwriter, singer and musician in The Swallowtails. // Est. in 2018, The Swallowtails are a Kansas City based musical duo comprised of musicians Miki P on guitar/vocals and Rachel Lovelace on bassoon/vocals. Their vision is to write honest, heartfelt songs that feel like you’re coming home to an old friend. As recording and performance artists, they have been showcased throughout Kansas City, performing at the Folly Theatre, Boulevardia Music Festival, The Kansas City Public Library as part of the 2023 Art in the Loop: Celebrate project, and most recently at Green Guitar Folk House opening for The Wildwoods. Their songwriting was awarded Best Song by a KC Band in 2023 by the Pitch Magazine for their tune “Take it Slow.” // Live video’s will be released on The Swallowtails YouTube page in support of the EP, the live session was filmed at West Bottoms Whiskey Co. // Swallowtails will be featuring the new EP at the Folk Alliance International Conference February 21st-25th. Both Miki & Rachel have earned scholarships to attend the conference. // Swallowtails embark on their 4th year entering NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest featuring a song off the EP, called “I’m on Fire” posted to NPR’s official contest site. // The Swallowtails have recently been approved as part of KCAIC Touring Artists Roster, through the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission. // On May 22, 2023 The Swallowtails released their 7-track EP THE WORLD STILL SPINS from Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, and Miki P on guitar & lead vocals. Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other. Miki P was born in Kansas City, KS. Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. Miki P performed “She Loves You” at her 7th grade talent show. In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and she wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. Miki P has played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. At 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, DOME OF SWALLOWS, that was released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019, In 2021 Miki P released the 6-song EP, DON’T LOSE HOPE, created in covid isolation, in Miki P’s home space. Sitting & working from Miki’s computer, she composed and recorded 80% of the EP, working through the music like a journal entry, creating each song from her internal hurricane of emotions. All songs written, recorded, played, & mixed by Miki P. Recorded & Mixed with Emma Klien & Jake Hilger. Mastered by Joel Nanos. Miki P released her single “Your Love” on June 24, 2022. Miki P’s released the single “Peter Parker!” on March 18, 2022. // More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com]

[Miki P plays several Private Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference including: Thursday, February 22, at 12:00am in Lawrence Free State Room #609 // and Rachel Lovelace on Friday, Feb. 23, at 2:30am in Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) in Room #755 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Calvin Arsenia – “Probation”
from: Paradise / Calvin Arsenia / June 23, 2023
[Paradise is Calvin Arsenia’s new 14 track album. It is only available through http://www.calvinarsenia.com // A new turning point as a songwriter. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, Racism, The Police, being on probation, gay love. The album contains collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow and Jametatone. Calvin Arsenia one of our most frequent guests, who first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. KC Magazine has hailed Calvin as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself the guitar, piano, banjo. He learned his signature instrument, the harp, at the age of 20. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016 that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: Cantaloupe in 2018, with a sold out gigantic spectical at The Gem Theatre on Saturday, September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. Sessions in 2019, and the EP HONEY DEW, and the EP Goddess with Quixotic, the Holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “Summer in Hindsight,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and now Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of VERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.] [Calvin Arsenia played a PARADISE Album Release Party, Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, at 7:00 PM at The Emerald, 1715 West 9th Street, KCMO, WEST BOTTOMS. More info at http://www.calvinarsenia.com][Calvin Arsenia was our guest on WMM on Jan. 18, 2023, June 21, 2023, and our 1000th Show on June 28, 2923.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays several Private Showcases at Folk Alliance International Conference at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Calvin Arsenia Discography

Calvin Arsenia – Moments [EP] / Independent / April 9, 2014
Calvin Arsenia was 24 when he released this EP after returning home to Kansas City after living and performing in Edinburgh, Scotland. Calvin works as a songwriter, composer, lyricist, producer, and engineer. Calvin Arsenia played live on Wednesday MidDay Medley on October 22. 2014.

Calvin Arsenia – Prose [EP] / Independent / February 3, 2015
Recorded over the course of three live sessions at Edinburgh’s Napier University. Produced by Graham Coe. Engineered by David O’Leary. Music and Lyrics: Calvin Arsenia, with Fiona Reid & Liselot Van Oosterom on Vocals, Graham Coe on Cello, Mark Smith on Percussion, Lyle Watt on Guitar Calvin Arsenia on Vocals & Guitar & Piano. Calvin Arsenia joined us on WMM on March 18, August 5, and October 28.

Calvin Arsenia – Catastrophe [EP] / Calvin Arsenia / February 17, 2016
Limited edition EP, produced for Folk Alliance International, contains demo recordings of original gems that are the blueprints for Calvin’s soon to be released full length debut, coming in 2017. Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. He has played all over town, including showcases at Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and collaborations with bands like My Brothers and Sisters. Standing at 6 foot 5 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, bango, guitar and harp. Calvin Arsenia is getting ready to release a new album in the fall. Calvin teaches music to elementary students. Calvin is also a graduate of Artist INC professional development program for artists in the Kansas City metro area and across the Mid-America Arts Alliance five state region. Calvin Arsenia joined us live on WMM on February 24, July 13, and November 2.

Calvin Arsenia – Catastrophe [Album] / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017
Calvin Arsenia premiered these songs in a live show at recordBar in November 2016 in a stage show that involved a cpmpany of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers, special lighting, back up singers, guest artists. Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, banjo, guitar and harp Calvin teaches music to elementary students. Calvin is also a graduate of Artist INC. Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Calvin recently returned home from a three month US/European Outlyre Tour where he has played San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerlnd, Lyon and Paris. in over 40 shows, with musician and friend Simon Huntley who plays with Quixotic. Calvin is working to release new music from Calvin’s June 11th, Live Recording at Kansas City’s newly restored Greenwood Social Hall, at 1750 Bellevue Ave. in KC. ] [Calvin Arsenia played Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Kristie Stremel, Jen Harris, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jen Appell, Bill Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquis-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray.] [Calvin Arsenia was on WMM on Feb. 15, April 12, Sept. 20, and Oct. 25 , 2017.

Calvin Arsenia – Live at Greenwood Social Hall / Unreleased / June 11, 2017
Solo live performance at Greenwood Social Hall, 1760 Bellevue, KCMO.

Calvin Arsenia – Caviar [EP] / Calvin Arsenia / December 5, 2017
Produced for attendees at Calvin’s “Secret Show,” Tuesday, December 5, at Wickstock West, 1324 West 12th Street, in The West Bottoms, and for supporters of his Outlyre Tour. Words and Music by Calvin Arsenia. Produced by Jametatone, Simon Huntley and Calvin Arsenia. Recorded at The Infoaming Vertex. Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. n the late Summer and Fall Calvin went on a three month US/European Outlyre Tour where he has played San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerlnd, Lyon and Paris. in over 40 shows, with musician and friend Simon Huntley who plays with Quixotic. Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, banjo, guitar and harp. Calvin teaches music. Calvin is a graduate of Artist INC.

Calvin Arsenia – Cantaloupe / Center Cut Records / September 15, 2018
Calvin’s 2018 national debut, Cantaloupe (Center Cut Records), has been acclaimed for melding diverse textures into an alluring signature sound for the adventurous artist.

Calvin Arsenia – L.A. Sessions / Center Cut Records / September 20, 2019
Calvin performed live at L.A.’s The Mint, showcasing songs on LA Sessions with musicians who collaborated on the album. Says Calvin: “It’s such a special experience to play with them. To be able to perform these songs in front of an audience and do this for a living – to have made a career out of something I love is so amazing – it is an honor that I never take for granted.”

Calvin Arsenia – Honeydew / Center Cut Records / June 28, 2019
[On September 15, 2018 Calvin released Cantaloupe on Center Cut Records. This new EP is a remix of three of the songs from Cantaloupe, plus a Talking Heads cover that was performed live in this style at a New Year’s Eve show at The Truman opening for Making Movies who performed the entire Talking Heads album, Remain in Light. The last three songs on Honeydew were from performed in this style at The Nelson Atkins 2019 event “Party Arty.” Honeydew was produced by Jametatone, Simon Huntley, Calvin Arsenia.

Quixotic & Calvin Arsenia – “Goddess – EP / Quixotic / May 17, 2019
[An innovative performance art collective that fuses imagination with technology, dance, projection, mapping & live music to create fully-immersive, multi-sensory experiences. Quixotic harnesses light, rhythm and expressive emotion. Quixotic was given Silicon Valley’s unofficial stamp of genius when they were invited to perform at the global TED Conference in 2012. A unique blend of performance art, technology & emotion. Quixotic fuses all these elements in to what the New York Times branded an “innovative circus performance”.]

Calvin Arsenia – all is calm / Calvin Arsenia. / December 13, 2019
[Arsenia’s dreamlike whimsy shimmering through your favorite Christmas Classics. All proceeds for this album go towards the purchase of Calvin’s first harp. Featuring: Ben Muñoz on Cello, Shane Borth on Violin & Voila, & Luke “Skippy” Harbur on Beatbox. Mastered by Jametatone at the Infoaming Vertex and special thanks to Simon Huntley. Calvin wrote: “I recorded the majority of this album in my bedroom in between flights to and from KC and SF. I had my nephews and friend’s kids in mind and wanted an album of Christmas lullabys. I think it became just a little more sassy than anticipated, but I think you’ll enjoy it regardless.

Calvin Arsenia – Summer in Hindsight / Calvin Arsenia & Mike Dillon / Oct. 16, 2020
Soundtrack by Calvin Arsenia and Mike Dillon for The West 18th Street Fashion Show’s 20th year as a feature-length film. COVID-19 changed everything in 2020. “We are moving it from the street to the screen,” says Peregrine Honig to inkansascitymagazine. “Mike Dillon and Calvin Arsenia will be scoring and performing in the film.” The film premiered October 16, 2020 at The Boulevard Drive-In. Honig wrote,. “We did this during a pandemic and a cultural revolution. I am not sure where else or how else this could happen at this moment in history.” Calvin Arsenia had recently been emotionally and greatly moved by the area and national Black Lives Matter Movement. His own research into his own family revealed that Calvin’s great, great, great grandmother Alice Gilliam Scott, was a former slave who lived to observe her 100th birthday as noted by a regional newspaper Calvin had written. In the summer of 2020 Calvin wrote “Revelation” an unreleased track inspired by Black Lives Matter. Calvin premiered the song on WMM on August 12, 2020. He later shared his other new songs, “Scars and Stripes” and “The Flying Monkees are Coming!” on our October 14, 2020 edition of WMM. Both of those songs ended up on Summer in Hindsight.

Calvin’s Book EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE / Andrews McMeel Universal / Oct. 5, 2021
a collection of Poetry & Prose More info at http://www.calvinarsenia.com

Lady Nade – “My Journey to The Sky”
from: “Lady Nade Cover Song (3-Song) Single / Lady Nade / May 16, 2023
[“My Journey to The Sky” was written by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and originally released in 1949 accompanied by Marie Knight and The Sam Price Trio on 78 RPM by The Decca Recording Company as a B-Side to “Up Above My Head I Hear Music in The Air.” // Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born Rosetta Nubin, on March 20, 1915, She died on October 9, 1973. She was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star of gospel music, and was among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, later being referred to as “the original soul sister” and “the Godmother of rock and roll”. She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton.// Tharpe was a pioneer in her guitar technique; she was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, opening the way to the rise of electric blues. Her guitar-playing technique had a profound influence on the development of British blues in the 1960s. Her European tour with Muddy Waters in 1964, with a stop in Manchester on May 7, is cited by British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards. // Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of “light” in the “darkness” of nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel, beginning in 1938 with the recording “Rock Me” and with her 1939 hit “This Train”. Her unique music left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists such as Ira Tucker Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While controversial among conservative religious groups due to her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music. // Tharpe’s 1944 release “Down by the Riverside” was selected for the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress in 2004, which noted that it “captures her spirited guitar playing and unique vocal style, demonstrating clearly her influence on early rhythm-and-blues performers” and cited her influence on “many gospel, jazz, and rock artists”. (“Down by the Riverside” was recorded by Tharpe on December 2, 1948, in New York City, and issued as Decca single 48106). Her 1945 hit “Strange Things Happening Every Day”, recorded in late 1944, featured Tharpe’s vocals and resonator guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over, hitting no. 2 on the Billboard “race records” chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B chart, in April 1945. The recording has been cited as a precursor of rock and roll, and alternatively has been called the first rock and roll record. In May 2018, Tharpe was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence. // Lady Nade released the single “Everything is Free” (written by Gillian Welch) on January 20, 2023. She released her third album, the 11 – track, WILLING on June 18, 2021. The title track was released as a single and won ‘UK song of the Year’ in the 2022 UK Americana Awards. Lady Nade started writing poems and songs as a form of healing from grief, performing in venues across her native city of Bristol, her work developed into a calling to connect with her fans on a deeper level and help lead them through life’s complicated tapestry with the healing power of music. She pours creativity into every song, often lavishing them with a recipe to match. // Named one of Bristol’s most influential women of 2022, Lady Nade is continuing her rise as a multi-award winning eclectic Folk and Americana singer-songwriter. Her third album ‘Willing’ entered both the official Folk and Americana charts on its release. With the title track Single winning ‘UK song of the Year’ in the 2022 UK Americana Awards.// Her songs carry messages of love, loss, hope, relationships, friendships and the positive connection between music, well-being. // Lady Nade has learnt that loss and grief isn’t something one can recover from alone and with her music and recipes she creates a communal experience that everyone can enter into on their own terms. // This Bristolian folk / Americana songwriter fills your heart with words and melodies that nourish the mind, body and soul. Her performances are like a reunion. Share a room with her, and she’ll give you her story. All of it. The joys and sorrows. You will love her for it, and she will love you back.]

[Lady Nade plays several Private Showcases at Folk Alliance International Conference at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

OKAN – “Eshu Nigüe”
from: Okantomi / OKAN / November 8, 2023
[Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, English and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees. They are most noted for their 2020 album Espiral, which won the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021. They were previously nominated in the same category at the Juno Awards of 2020 for their 2019 debut album Sombras. Rodriguez and Savigne are both former members of Jane Bunnett’s band Maqueque, who left that band in 2017 to form Okan. They perform both as a duo, and as leaders of a larger combo featuring session musicians.]

[OKAN play an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 6:15pm in Century A Room at The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

10:30 – Underwriting

9. Jon Muq – “Shake Shake”
from: Flying Away / Easy Eye Sound – Concord / May 31, 2024
[For Jon Muq, a singer-songwriter born in Uganda and now living in Austin, Texas, music is part of a larger conversation he’s having with the world and everybody in it. Drawing from African as well as western musical trends and traditions, he devises songs as small gifts, designed to settle into everyday life and provoke reflection and resilience. “These days the world is sad,” he explains, “so I wanted to make happy songs. I wanted to write songs that connected with the listener in a very personal way. When someone listens to my music, it’s not just about me and what I’m singing. It’s about how they understand the songs individually. I think these songs can speak many languages, depending on what you want from them. // Muq’s experiences as a child in Uganda and as a man in America give him a unique perspective on the world he’s addressing. “I grew up in a very different life, where so many people pass through hard times just because they don’t have much. Our biggest issue was food scarcity. Then I came to a different world, which gave me a picture of how to write a song that can find balance with everyone wherever they are, whether they have a lot or not much.” As he completes his debut with producer Dan Auerbach and tours with Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Amythyst Kiah, Corinne Bailey Rae, and others, Muq is expanding the scope of his music to speak to more and more people. // He has nursed his obsession with music for as long as he can remember. “When I was 7, I realized there was something about sound that I appreciated. We had a brass band at school that would play the school anthem, and I would sit between the horn players and it was so loud. I loved it. People would ask, Who is this strange boy up there with the band?” Later, he joined the group playing bugle, but was dismayed when he graduated and learned that his new school did not have a band. But it did have voices filling the hallways, which excited him. At night he would lay in his dormitory bed listening to those harmonies, eventually summoning the nerve to sneak out and track them down. He searched the three-story building until he found the choir room, and the group soon adopted the curious child as a mascot, giving him homemade shakers to play. “I joined the choir but didn’t sing. I was just following sound.” // During holidays, he would stay with a cousin in Kampala, cleaning house and working odd jobs to earn extra money. During one of those visits, the teenage Muq saw a CD that caught his attention: We Are the World. “I played it and was astounded. Where are these people singing very differently yet all singing the same song? I’m taking this CD. I didn’t even ask him. I just took it. I listened to it for a long time and I mastered all the vocals and tones of the people who were singing. That was my first exposure to modern western music, and it was fascinating to me.” It was a good lesson for him, as mimicking and mastering the vocals of such a disparate array of artists—from Michael Jackson to Cyndi Lauper to Kenny Rogers—expanded the expressive range of his voice. // It also taught Muq to write songs in English. “Since Uganda has 45 tribes, it has more than 45 languages. People sing in their own languages. My language is Luganda, but I have always sung in English.” In fact, he penned his first song as a love letter in English: “A friend of mine was going through a relationship problem. They were breaking up. He spoke English but could not write it, so I told him, I can write a letter for you to change her mind. And it worked! The girl was so happy, and she kept the letter.” Muq decided to make that his first song, so he asked his friend to steal the letter back so he could copy it. It eventually became “Always as One,” and “it’s still the song I start my shows with.” In addition to pursuing his creative endeavors, Muq has continued to devote time to charitable organizations in both Uganda and the U.S., working with non-profits and community programs that provide education, food, clothing, and support to those in need. // Muq would spend hours walking around the village of Mutungo at night and singing western songs. Residents would peek through fences trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious singer, much as he had done with the school choir, but Muq nervously remained in the shadows. During one of his roaming concerts, he made a discovery that changed his life as much as We Are the World did. “One evening I was walking and singing and I heard someone playing an instrument. It sounded familiar, but also new. Two men were out in their yard performing songs for church, and I just sat there and watched. I was 18 or 19 years old, and this was my first time to see a guitar in my life. I had seen them on TV, of course, but seeing one in person was different. When I saw it, it just made sense to me. When I held it, it just made sense. I knew that this was going to answer so many questions I had about music and the western world. // Muq taught himself to play guitar on his new friend’s instrument, eventually borrowing it for a regular gig at a local hotel. Even after a long shift, he would walk home playing and singing, and a video of him serenading homeless children on the streets of Kampalaled to a stint as an entertainer on Norwegian Cruise Line. That experience not only refined his repertoire but helped him secure a passport and visa. “They saw the vide and asked me if I wanted to sing on a boat. But this like a city on the water. I couldn’t believe it would float. My friends thought the pictures I showed them had been Photoshopped.” He admits there was no grand plan to his career, no strategy or roadmap. “I never expected it to work this way. I never said, I’m going to get a job at a hotel. I’m going to get a job on a cruise line. I’m going to work with Dan Auerbach. Everything happened because I was following sound. I was chasing it. I was just singing.” // On the seas and later in America, he developed a curious approach to writing songs. “I don’t sit down and say, I’m going to write a song now. Most times someone will be talking to me and I’m playing the guitar at the same time. For some reason, my brain can listen to both things at the same time, and I’ll come up with a melody or a phrase, or just an idea. It’s amazing how many songs I’ve written when someone else is talking and I’m just holding my guitar. Even in the studio with Dan, we would be talking about songs or just hanging out, and I would be playing my guitar and coming up with new songs.” That’s how he wrote many of the songs on his upcoming debut, including the plaintive, yet hopeful, “One You Love.” “I wanted to have a relationship with someone but it didn’t work out. This song describes how someone has brought something great into your life, even if they don’t stay in your life. It was not a happy experience, but that didn’t stop me from writing something positive. I wrote it and sang it very slow, but Dans said it could be quick and dancey. It sounds great that way.” // Muq currently calls Austin home, but he’s on the road more than he’s in Texas, touring frequently and bringing his sunny songs to audiences of all kinds. “When I arrived in America, I was coming from a different part of the world, and I was very lost. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what was coming tomorrow. I just following instinct. I always thought, If I can communicate with people through music, it will make me feel like I am not alone. I can speak to people very intimately using music.”]

[Jon Muq plays an official Showcase at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6:15pm in the Pershing Room, at The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Joy Clark – “Guest”
from: “Guest” – Single / Joy Clark / October 5, 2023
[Joy Clark is a black, queer, folk artist from New Orleans. She is a singer/songwriter, lyrical guitarist, and rising star. Her melodic offerings have been described as a balm for an anxious heart. Each song beckons the listener, welcoming them with open arms—always advocating for truth, authenticity, self-love, and the courage to boldly tell one’s story. Growing up the daughter of a minister, she learned to create an atmosphere ripe for an emotional experience. She believes music is her ministry and intimacy is her superpower. // http://www.countryqueer.com wrote: On June 10, 2022 Joy Clark released the singe “Good Thing.” In December of 2021 Joy Clark met three-time grammy nominee and Folk Music Award winner Allison Russell, at the EXIT/IN. After hearing each other perform, three months later Clark gets a call to perform with Russell in a performance at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. “It was a dream realized.” Clark said. Calling Russell a “generous” and “strategic” artist, Clark said she feels as though Russell is not only about playing a good show, but also building a community. “I love the way she approaches working with other people,” says Clark. But their collaboration didn’t end there. // Just a little over a week ago, a performance of Russell’s “4th Day Prayer” aired on Jimmy Kimmel, featuring Sista Strings, Larissa Maestro, Elizabeth Goodfellow, Mandy Fer, and…Joy Clark. The “Goddesses”, as Russell refers to them, had all played together in various configurations (Sista Strings would accompany Russell for one gig, Elizabeth, Mandy, and Joy on another,) but this was the first time that all seven of them shared the stage.]

[Joy Clark plays several Private Showcases at Folk Alliance International Conference including Wednesday, Feb, 2 at 10:30pm in the Rainbow Room #715 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

The Matchsellers – “Time To Get A Straight Job” from: The Wishful Thinker’s Hall of Game / The Matchsellers / October 28, 2022
[Julie Bates is a classically trained violinist from Kansas City. Andrew Morris is a Chicago blues guitarist from Warsaw, Indiana. They met in Leipzig, Germany. During their year of living in the former East Germany, the pair began reanalyzing the songs of their homeland, and developed a tight yet gritty bluegrass style. In the summer of 2013 they left their jobs to hit the road and haven’t looked back.On February 12, 2016 they released their album, SONGS WE MADE UP, one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016.. In late 2014 they released their debut full length recording, “Kosciusko County,” one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. The Matchsellers have toured 3 European countries and 25 US States, performing 180 shows a year, including last year for the KC Fringe Festival, Bluegrass Bazaar in Flint, Michigan, Norman Music Festival in Norman, OK, and a 1st place win at the Eddie Owen Presents songwriting competition in Atlanta, GA. The Matchsellers played Folk Alliance International Conference.]

[The Matchsellers play is an official Showcase at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 6:00pm in Washington Park Place 3, at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]
[The Matchsellers play several Private Showcases at Folk Alliance International Conference including: Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 12:00am in Heartland Song Network Room #742 // Thursday, Feb. 22, at 1:00am in Maven’s Henhouse Room 617 // Thursday, Feb. 22, at 2:30am in Whiskey Mash Room #550 // Friday, Feb. 23 at 11:00pm in Big Tent Room #629 // Friday, Feb. 23 at 2:20am in Whiskey Mash Room #550 // Saturday, Feb. 24 at 12:30am in Kerry Blech Traditional Room #723]

True Lions – “Blackberry Blossom”
from: Cold Gravy Bowl / Manor Records / March 1, 2024
[Alison “Al” Hawkins is a queer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, and leader of True Lions, a band consisting of Al and whoever is playing music with them, which often includes Fritz Hutchison—a drummer, singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, bandmate, bandleader, friend, sibling, Gemini, and Kansas Citian who just wants to do a good job and keep it fun for everybody. Last year, True Lions and Fritz Hutchison released a homemade split cassette tape via Manor Records. When their drummer Eli Kosko moved to the desert, Al, Fritz and bassist Carly Atwood started performing acoustically. When Carly was sometimes unavailable, Al and Fritz explored amplified fiddle, synth, and drums, through old-time tunes. Their noise art creation COLD GRAVY BOWL is scheduled for cassette release Friday, March 1 via Manor Records. // COLD GRAVY BOWL is the demon music baby of Kansas City duo Al Hawkins and Fritz Hutchison, blending amplified fiddle distortion, heavy drums, and bass synth through Ozark old-time. The album artwork was drawn by local queer artist Spade Nine. // True Lions released the True Lions- Fritz Hutchison Split Cassette through Manor Records on April 26, 2023. True Lions released their debut full length album, “The Fempire Strikes Back,” on Manor Records on April 9, 2021 with Alisön Hawkins on keytar & vocals; Adee Rocket Dancy on cello & vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, Elizabeth Kosko on drums & percussion; Iona DeWalt on synthesizers; Miki P on guitar & vocals, and Teri Quinn on bass & vocals. Recorded at Deep Space Co-op. Tracking & engineering by Ross Brown at Escape Pod Audio. Mixing and mastering by Joel Nanos at Element Recording. In 2019 True Lions released their EP debut, “Cute at Best,” on February 5, 2019. They followed up with a second EP called. You’re Not Invited, released on November 9, 2019. For these recordings True Lions was: Alison Hawkins on guitar, synth, and vocals; Elizabeth Kosko on percussion, vocals; Mikala Petillo on bass, vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, vocals; Leslie Butsch on saxophone, Ezgi Karakus on cello; and Teri Quinn on vocals. All songs written by True Lions and produced by Claire Adams and Alison Hawkins. Tracking & Engineering by Claire Adams. Mixing and Mastering by Ian Dobyns and Chase Horseman. More info at: http://www.manorrecords.com .] [True Lions joi us nest week on WMM.]

[True Lions play a Cold Gravy Bowl, Album Release show Saturday, March 2, 2024 with The Matchsellers, at The Emerald, (second floor) 1717 W. 9th Street, KCMO [West Bottoms]. Witness the theatrical punk drag rock and roll folk event.]

[True Lions play several Private Showcases at Folk Alliance International Conference including: Thursday, February 22, at 12:30am in Lawrence Free State Room #609at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Willi Carlisle – “Critterland”
from: Critterland / Signature Sounds Recordings / January 26, 2024
[For folksinger Willi Carlisle, singing is healing. And by singing together, he believes we can begin to reckon with the inevitability of human suffering and grow in love. On his latest album, Critterland, Carlisle invites audiences to join him: “If we allow ourselves to sing together, there’s a release of sadness, maybe even a communal one. And so for me personally, singing, like the literal act of thinking through suffering, is really freeing,” he says. // Rooted in the eclectic and collective world of his live shows, Carlisle’s third album, Critterland takes up where his sophomore album, Peculiar, Missouri left off, transforming Peculiar’s big tent into a Critterland menagerie and letting loose the weirdos he gathered together. The album is a wild romp through the backwaters of his mind and America, lingering in the odd corners of human nature to visit obscure oddballs, dark secrets and complicated truths about the beauty and pain of life and love. // Produced by the GRAMMY Award-nominated Darrell Scott and to be released Jan. 26, 2024 by Signature Sounds, Critterland considers where we come from and where we are going. On the album, he takes on human suffering through stories about forbidden love, loss, generational trauma, addiction, and suicide, believing that by processing the traits and trauma we inherit, he can reach a deeper understanding of what it means to succeed and to exist. // “[Critterland] is another brilliant composition from Carlisle, who has quickly established himself as one of country music’s most important and unmistakable voices.” -PASTE MAGAZINE // “One of the Top 10 “Best Things We Saw at Newport Folk Festival 2023” – Rolling Stone // Willi Carlisle is an absolute force of nature. From the moment he walks on stage you can’t take your eyes off of him and the minute he opens his mouth you can’t help but hang on every word. Even if the songs weren’t there, the showmanship alone would be worth the price of admission, but the scary part is the songs are just as good as the stories.” -BJ Barham .// Willi Carlisle released the album Peculiar, Missouri through Free Dirt Records on July 15, 2022. It was one of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. // Willi Carlisle is an “Ozark renaissance folklorist” who writes “brilliant, slice of life Americana.” (Sing Out!Magazine) A theatre artist, folksinger, poet, and square-dance caller, Willi received a BA from Knox College in Creative Writing and Performance Studies, and an MFA in Poetry at the University of Arkansas. His work has appeared in The Journal of American Folklore, The Midwest Review, and elsewhere. Willi is a co-leader of the Fayetteville Old-time Music and Dance Society and a company member with the Artist’s Laboratory Theater. His debut EP, “Too Nice to Mean Much,” is available at http://www.willicarlisle.com ]

[Willi Carlisle plays an official Showcase at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 6:45pm in Benton’s 20th Floor, at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Mireya & The Poor Choices – “Blue Bayou (feat. The Burney Sisters & Teevor Turla)”
from: Sin Fronteras / Mireya Ramos / September 15, 2023
[from mireyaramos.com: The U.S. border with Mexico has always been a fault line where cultural and political forces clash and meld with one another in a close embrace that is centuries old. The monumental musical project, Sin Fronteras, out September 2023, by Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices proves this 5,525-mile-long expanse that physically bisects the two countries and cultures doesn’t spiritually separate them. It is a ranchera and country dialogue that could only happen in Kansas City, Missouri which has become a second home for the New York City-based Mireya. // “La Frontera showcases the similarities between styles of music and traditions that on the surface may seem very different. I like that this album sparks a conversation—that’s always been important to me as an artist,” – Mireya Ramos // Mireya is a vocalist, violinist, composer, and arranger, and the founder of Flor de Toloache, NYC’s first and only all-women mariachi band. She co-produced Sin Fronteras with Beau Bledsoe, founder/director of classical chamber Ensemble Iberica. The 10-song album features 25 musicians, including Latin Grammy winners Texmaniacs, Ensemble Iberica, and western band Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices. Though this community spans different genres, generations, and cultures, it coalesced around an album of original and traditional songs that meld influences from both sides of the border. // “The parallels between the music on both sides of the border became obvious to me years ago—you can see that in the traditions of cowboys in the U.S. and Mexico,” says Beau, who grew up in Arkansas but spent summers in the early 1990s studying ranchera in a tiny town in Mexico near KCMO. // Mireya might be best known for her pioneering work with her two-time Latin Grammy-winning group Flor de Toloache, and her acclaimed solo career. Flor de Toloache has toured nationally and internationally, and performed on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert,” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and BBC 2’s Later with Jools Holland. The mariachi quartet has garnered critical-acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ Magazine, and The New York Times. // Mireya was born in California to proud Dominican and Mexican parents, and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her earliest connection to county music was through Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. When her family relocated from Puerto Rico to New York City, the Suzuki method, classically-trained violinist began to connect with bluegrass musicians and see firsthand the connections between the music of her Latin heritage and country music. Meeting Beau a decade ago and working with him for an internationally-themed seasonal performance series he curated in Kansas City only deepened the ranchera-country conversation for Mireya. // The shows documented a uniquely KCMO musical expression. Because of the city’s proximity to Interstate 35, a main tree branch for immigration to Mexico, Kansas City has had a long history of both traditional country and Latin music. “When I first moved here, I would study classical music at the conservatory, and play two-chord ranchera’s at night on the historic Southwest Blvd,” Beau recalls. // Latin-Grammy-winning, multiple Latin Grammy nominated and Grammy-nominated vocalist, violinist, Guitarron player, composer, producer, arranger and founder of Flor de Toloache – NY’s only all-women mariachi. She embodies all of her musical influences whether classical, mariachi, salsa, merengue or hip-hop, always creating a unique and refreshing sound. Her versatility, natural improvisational skills and beautiful tone has made her one of the top Latin artists in New York City and has landed her features on legendary albums by Latin Grammy Winner percussionist Luisito Quintero, Bobbito & Stretch, Len Smythe, Chicano Batman, Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas) and many more. As a big advocate of empowering the next generation and promoting the importance of representation, she has been an integral part of educational projects like México Beyond Mariachi, Lincoln Center, and Mariachi Academy NY. She continues to share her experience and knowledge through workshops, educational programs and performances. Apart from touring with her band, she is proudly involved in She is the Music, the Recording Academy as a serving governor of the NY Chapter, a SAG-Aftra member and promoting her debut solo album self titled “Mireya” which include collaborations with Flor de Toloache, Gaby Moreno, Haydée Milanés, Camilo Lara, Adrian Quesada, Velcro and the legendary Mike Garson. Originally for San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mireya Ramos, has an exciting new album coming out that was recorded here in Kansas City titled, Sin Fronteras, co-produced with Beau Bledsoe and the KC-based super-group, Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices. Sin Fronteras will be officially released on September 15, 2023. Mireya Ramos was on WMM on March 15 and August 23 ]

[Mireya Ramos plays an official Showcase at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 8:15pm in Century C, at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

The Trials of Cato – “I Thought You Were My Friend”
from: Gog Magog / The Trials of Cato / November 25, 2022
[The remarkable rise of BBC Radio 2 award winning trio The Trials of Cato on the UK folk-scene has been the subject of massive critical attention. Dubbed “the Sex Pistols of folk,” (J Davis) they pay clear homage to the tradition whilst twisting old bones into something febrile and modern, with stomping tunes and captivating stories. // Notably formed in Beirut, Lebanon, The Trials of Cato have blazed a trail like no other since returning to the UK in 2016. Memorable performances across Britain, Europe, and North America led to Mark Radcliffe hailing the band ‘one of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times,’ with their 2018 debut Hide and Hair going on to win the BBC Radio 2 ‘Best Album’ Folk Award. With their latest offering Gog Magog, The Trials of Cato present their most daring music to date. // 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Best Album Winners // Tomos on guitars / Polly on mandolin / Robin on bouzouki.]

[The Trials of Cato plays an official Showcase at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Friday, Feb. 23, at 6:00pm in Century C, at Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

11:00 – Station ID

Julia Othmer – “Hungry Days (Make Me Feel) (Radio Edit)”
from: Sound / Frickin Awesome Records / April 12, 2019
[Julia’s second album took three years to complete and was produced with James Lundie, who married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School and studied at Columbia University in NYC. She moved to LA in 2006 to record her first album, “Oasis Motel.”]

[Julia Othmer will be at a Folk Alliance International Conference in a panel discussion, Maximizing Your Revenue, Thursday, Feb. 22, at 3:00pm in the Pershing Room, at Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Rd, KCMO]

[Julia Othmer & James T Lundie’s new project, The Forcefields will present Transmission, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at 7:30pm in the Stern Theater at Charlotte Street Foundation, 3333 Wyoming St, KCMO.]

[Julia Othmer plays Folk Alliance International Conference Private Showcase at Cantina Navarro Room, on Sat. Feb. 24, 11:20pm in Room 537 of The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Rd, KCMO]

11:04 – Interview with Julia Othmer, & James Lundie

James T. Lundie and Julia Othmer on the Wednesday, February 21, 2024 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

Julia Othmer & James T Lundie join us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios to share detrails about their new project, The Forcefields. In a few minutes we will play The Forcefields new single “Slip Away.” Julia & James are debuting The Forcefields with a multi-media, live music experience called Transmission, Friday, February 23, 2024 at 7:30pm in the Stern Theater at Charlotte Street Foundation, 3333 Wyoming St, KCMO. The Forcefields will be the first of a new quarterly series offered by Charlotte Street called In(Site) highlighting local, regional, & national acts at pivotal points in their practices.

Julia Othmer, & James Lundie, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Julia Othmer will be at the Folk Alliance International Conference as part of a panel discussion called Maximizing Your Revenue, Thursday, February 22, at 3:00pm in the Pershing Room, at Folk Alliance International Conference.

Julia Othmer plays Folk Alliance International Conference Private Showcase at Cantina Navarro Room, on Saturday February 24, 11:20pm in Room 537 of The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO

Julia Othmer grew up in Kansas City. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School and studied at Columbia University in New York City. The child of European refugees, she draws from a broad and richly cultured palette of experience to create her intensely human yet otherworldly songs. Her piano-driven performances are a mesmerizing and superconscious fusion of raw power, vocal artistry and joy.

Julia Othmer moved to LA in 2006 to record her 1st album, OASIS MOTEL.

On a dark night in North London, singer-songwriter Julia Othmer landed on the front steps of producer-composer James T Lundie. She had been introduced to his music production and fell so deeply in love with his sonic architecture, she transported herself across the proverbial pond from LA to the UK, and refused to leave until he listened to her songs.

Julia released “Sound,” on April 12, 2019, her second album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James T. Lundie who married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. This began a deeply creative and inspired partnership both in music and in life. Together they have released (under Julia’s name) studio recordings, live recordings, short films to accompany their work, a multi-media performance experience, and multiple social and environmental justice initiatives.

Julia Othmer & James T. Lunde released Seeds (Vol. 1) on November 13, 2020. “Seeds” was Julia Othmer’s 3rd full length album and contained 10 live songs selected from her 30-day Songs of September Project, where Julia performed a different live cover of her favorite songs and broadcast the performance throughout the streaming social media platforms to inspire people to register and vote on November 3. From those songs Julia’s fans democratically selected their favorite tracks to be released together on “Seeds.”

In 2021 Julia and her husband James relocated to Kansas City.

In March 20, 2022 Julia Othmer released SEEDS VOLUME 2, her 4th album of live recordings from her 30-day “Songs of September Project“, where Julia covered songs of protest & hope, to inspire people to vote in 2020.

11:13

James T. Lundie, Chad Brothers & Julia Othmer on the Wednesday, February 21, 2024 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

Julia Othmer – “Russians”
from: SEEDS, Volume 2 (LIVE) / Frickin’ Awesome Records / March 20, 2021
[This is Julia’s 4th full length and contains 10 live songs selected from her 30-day Songs of September Project, where Julia performed live covers of her favorite songs of protest and hope, broadcast through streaming social platforms to inspire people to vote on November 3. Julia’s fans democratically selected their favorite tracks to be included on SEEDS. Julia Othmer released “Sound,” on April 12, 2019, her second album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James Lundie, who also married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record.. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” In 2018 to 2019 Julia Othmer toured with and opened for The Alarm in US show and shows in the United Kingdom. When Julia Othmer is in Kansas City she plays with Johnny Hamil on bass, Chris Tady on guitar, John Floyd Whitaker on drums. More info at http://www.juliaothmer.com. Julia Othmer was our guest on WMM on September 1, 2021 and March 9, 2022.]

[Julia Othmer will be at the Folk Alliance International Conference as part of a panel discussion called Maximizing Your Revenue, Thursday, February 22, at 3:00pm in the Pershing Room, at Folk Alliance.]

[Julia Othmer plays Folk Alliance International Conference Private Showcase at Cantina Navarro Room, on Sat. Feb. 24, 11:20pm in Room 537 of The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Rd, KCMO. More info at http://www.folk.org]

11:16 – More Interview with Julia Othmer, & James T. Lundie

Julia Othmer & James T Lundie join us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios to share detrails about their new project, The Forcefields. In a few minutes we will play The Forcefields new single “Slip Away.”

Julia & James are debuting The Forcefields with a multi-media, live music experience called Transmission, Friday, February 23, 2024 at 7:30pm in the Stern Theater at Charlotte Street Foundation, 3333 Wyoming St, KCMO.

The Forcefields will be the first of a new quarterly series offered by Charlotte Street called In(Site) highlighting local, regional, & national acts at pivotal points in their practices.

Julia Othmer, & James Lundie, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Inspired to take their collaboration to the next level, they are creating a new expanding sonic and visual aesthetic with their project: THE FORCEFIELDS.

Their sound is evolving into what is described as Annie Lennox hosting a full moon party with The Beach Boys and Portishead gathered round the fire. Their studio recordings feature James’ unique sonic tools, reimagined vintage synthesizers, audio gear and rebuilt, one-of-a-kind instruments, heard nowhere else in the world.

The Forcefields debut EP, BRIDGE, will be released in spring 2024. It is a sonic bridge between their previous work together and this new trajectory. Reinterpreting and distilling the essence of two of Julia’s previous songs, BRIDGE is a rhythmic, multi-layered and richly textured exploration of letting go and positive self realization.

7:30pm with an Artist Q&A Feedback Session to follow.

The Forcefields are featuring collaborations with these local and regional artists:
Simon Huntley – musician – https://simonhuntley.studio/
Sarah Hearn – artist researcher – https://www.sarahhearn.art/
Mikal Shapiro – shadow puppetry visual art – https://www.mikalshapiro.com/
Ian VanDusen – lighting design

The Forcefields will be the first of a new quarterly series offered by Charlotte Street called In(Site) highlighting local, regional, & national acts at pivotal points in their practices.

Julia & James are debuting The Forcefields with the release of their first single “Slip Away” on February 27.

Julia Othmer, & James Lundie, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Julia Othmer & James T Lundie’s new project, The Forcefields will present Transmission, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at 7:30pm in the Stern Theater at Charlotte Street Foundation, 3333 Wyoming St, KCMO.

Julia Othmer plays Folk Alliance International Conference Private Showcase at Cantina Navarro Room, on Sat. Feb. 24, 11:20pm in Room 537 of The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Rd, KCMO. More info at http://www.folk.org

The Forcefields play the Volland Foundation on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 2:00pm at theVolland Foundation, 24098 Volland Rd, Alma, KS in Collaboration with Sarah Hearn: Microbial Multiverse

More info at: http://www.juliaothmer.com

11:25

The Forcefields – “Slip Away”
from: “Slip Away” – Single / Frickin’ Awesome Records / February 27, 2024
[THE FORCEFIELDS is a brand new project, a new cosmosonic collaboration between Julia Othmer and James T Lundie AKA Aayama & Max Forcefield. The Forcefields present TRANSMISSION where they will be the debuting performers for Charlotte Street’s new series, In(SITE), highlighting local, regional, and national acts at pivotal points in their practices. In a multidisciplinary collaboration with artists Simon Huntley, Sarah Hearn, and Mikal Shapiro, Transmission is an exploration of cosmic vibrations and soundscapes in a stunning one-night-only production.]

11:28 – Underwriting

19. Flamy Grant – “Fortune Teller”
from: “Fortune Teller” – Single / Glam & Glory Records / October 24, 2023
[Produced by Ben Grace. Sound engineer and electric guitars by Daniel Shearin. // Flamy Grant is winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and the 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. With influences from gospel and blues to folk and rock, this Americana showcase shines a spotlight on queerness, faith, and overcoming the spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces. // Flamy’s iconic roots-rock sound is influenced by singer/songwriters like Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman, Over the Rhine, and — of course — Amy Grant. Her art shines a spotlight on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma. With a bold lip, a big lash, and a blistering voice, Flamy is here to rewrite the rules when it comes to faith-based entertainment, demanding a reckoning for an industry that for too long has silenced and shut out its LGBTQ+ artists and fans. // Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart. More information at: http://www.flamyfrant.com]

[Flamy Grant plays an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 7:30pm in Brookside Room at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. http://www.folk.org]

11:33 – Interview with Flamy Grant

Flamy Grant, is the winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and is a 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music album recorded by a drag performer. With influences from gospel and blues to folk and rock, this Americana showcase, shines a spotlight on queerness, faith, and overcoming the spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces.

Flamy’s iconic roots-rock sound is influenced by singer/songwriters like Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman, Over the Rhine, and — of course — Amy Grant. Her art shines a spotlight on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma. With a bold lip, a big lash, and a blistering voice, Flamy is here to rewrite the rules when it comes to faith-based entertainment, demanding a reckoning for an industry that for too long has silenced and shut out its LGBTQ+ artists and fans.

Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart.

Flamy Grant plays several private showcases, and is an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 7:30pm in Brookside Room at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.

Flamy Grant, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

About “Fortune Teller” Flamy Grant writes: “There are some things queer people will always know more about — things you can only learn by navigating the often unwelcoming world as a queer person. If you let us, we can be a trustworthy guide: a fortune teller, a scientist, a time traveler, a prophet.”

Fortune Teller (Lyrics)

I’m a medium, I’m a fortune teller
I know every word you’re gonna say
I’m a headstrong, lifelong city dweller
I can take you where you’re going by the fastest way
It’s gonna be okay

I traveled time, I’m here from the future
I can show you how this all turns out
I can save you with the data in my computer
We can flourish in the flood and avoid the drought
Yeah, we’re gonna make it out

You feel it in your bones
But your head is moving slow

I’m a scientist, I got a method and a measure
For observable, reliable, repeatable fact
I’m a decorated educator in the field of pleasure
I’ve learned a lot of lessons I can reenact
Yeah, I been keeping track

You sense that I am true
But your heart is split in two

I’m a prophetess, singing my story
A dressed-up, effervescent, ethical fraud
But this world ain’t ready for an allegory, no
We’re still waiting on a literal god
I just smile and nod

You have intuition
And it’s telling you the story isn’t done

Flamy Grant’s Hometown is Asheville, NC. Raised fundamentalist evangelical herself, much of Flamy’s music centers on the queer spiritual journey. She tells stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma in a world where LGBTQ+ people are frequently ignored by, harmed in, or ejected from religious spaces.

With a bold lip, a big lash, and a blistering voice, Flamy takes audiences to a soulful, uplifting church of her own making.

After growing up as a “deeply fundamentalist evangelical” in western North Carolina, Grant (whose real name is Matthew Blake) spent decades dedicated to church before coming out in her young adulthood and launching into drag in 2020. She built a fanbase on TikTok before releasing Bible Belt BabY, completely unaware of the bump in success it’d later receive.

1 Album “Bible Belt Baby,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27-August 4, 2023)

1 Single “Good Day,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27, 2023)

20 Single “Good Day,” Billboard Christian Digital Sales Chart (July 2023)

2 Single “Fortune Teller,” iTunes Christian Chart (October 24, 2023)

Top Ten Best Queer Country Albums of 2023 – Rainbow Rodeo Magazine
Nominee: Best Pop Album – San Diego Music Awards

Flamy Grant is a powerhouse vocalist, intrepid songwriter, and acclaimed drag queen from western North Carolina who blends folk, gospel, and roots, transporting audiences with therapeutic, theatrical storytelling and song. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, garnered international attention when it reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian Charts after a self-proclaimed MAGA preacher disparaged her online. The story was covered by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, People, Newsweek, Today, Paste, Them, Queerty, Instinct, and more. She was again featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and others after a Grammy Awards screening committee disqualified her record from the Contemporary Christian Music category due to adult language.

Bible Belt Baby was nominated for Best Pop Album at San Diego Music Awards & named one of the Top 10 Queer Country Albums of 2023 by Rainbow Rodeo Magazine. Flamy is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition, a 2023 QueerX Award nominee for Best Drag Artist, and 2024 Queerty Award nominee for Drag Royalty.

Flamy told Entertainment Weekly: “I’m here in all of my draggy audacity to demand they reckon with reality,” Flamy tells EW after her Bible Belt Baby topped the Christian charts amid a feud with Sean Feucht.

The North Carolina native saw a massive spike in sales after the former conservative political candidate Sean Feucht, who criticized Flamy for putting Caedmon’s Call band member Derek Webb into drag for the pair’s “Boys Will Be Girls” music video. Feucht, a fellow performer, shared a clip of Grant’s “Boys Will Be Girls” to social media. Utilizing harmful rhetoric that’s fueled recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation throughout the United States, Feucht called the video “sick” and “twisted.”

Flamy says Feucht subsequently slammed the duo’s work, and attempted to downplay her career prospects — and it backfired, as Flamy’s 2022 album Bible Belt Baby shot to No. 1 on the Christian iTunes charts, with the tune “Good Day” also topping the platform’s Christian songs ranking.

Flamy recalls “shame and fear” governing most of her early life, and says she found solace in Christian music, as secular pop was banned in her home. Flamy told Entertainment Weekly: “For me, drag started out as inner child work — reparenting myself and giving myself the opportunity to explore who I was becoming before my conservative upbringing forced me into a box that was never going to hold me,” she says. “The songs that I started writing in Flamy’s voice were all about recovery from the religious trauma I’d endured. I found myself writing about spirituality through the lens of a drag queen.”

She explains, “To me, Bible Belt Baby is a Christian album because it tells the story of someone who grew up trying to be the best Christian ever because they knew they were queer and had to work twice as hard to belong in a place that hated queerness, and despite their attempts to kick her out, she decided to plant her stiletto in sacred space.”

Now, just under four years into her drag career, Flamy has cut ties from evangelicalism and moved into “progressive and inclusive” sects of Christianity. She even assisted with her church’s digital services during the pandemic, delivering sermons in drag and performing in churches around the country. Though she boldly carries it, lifting that torch isn’t easy.

“I think it was actually really great that it took a minute for this moment to happen because I was ready,” Grant tells PEOPLE. “I had already chosen to release a record in the Christian genre. It was sitting there, just literally waiting for someone like Sean Feucht to give it a golden platter to fly off on.”

Flamy Grant Tour Reviews
“A cheeky, country-disco track guaranteed to smear a smile across you face as bold as a heavy lip.” —Rachel Cholst, TheBoot.com

“Her vocals are not post-production magic… her strong voice helps carry sincere lyrics.” —Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune

Flamy Grant On Tour – Over 70 dates booked, including:

End of Days Tour with Derek Webb, 17 cities
Official Showcase, Folk Alliance International Conferenc
Off-Broadway Solo Cabaret Show at Laurie Beechman Theatre
Kerrville Folk Festival opening weekend
Opening for Adeem the Artist’s album release shows
Cambridge Folk Festival, UK
Greenbelt Festival, UK (not yet announced)
Graceland Festival, Netherlands (not yet announced)

2023: 55+ dates played, including:

Winter Magic Tour with Rebecca Loebe & Crys Matthews
A Million Ways to Cry in the West Tour with Story & Tune
Official showcases at SWRFA & NERFA
Theology Beer Camp & QCF Conference

Flamy Grant is currently working on her second album. In December 2023, Flamy raised $56,608 from 559 backers on Kickstarter to fund her second studio album. She is recording it in March 2024 in Nashville at Forty-one Fifteen Studios. It is planned for a September 2024 release.

10:41

Flamy Grant on the Wednesday, February 21, 2024 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

20. Flamy Grant – “What Did You Drag Me Into?” (LIVE)
This song is from: BIBLE BELT BABY / Glam & Glory Records / October 6, 2022
[Produced by Ben Grace. // Flamy Grant is winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and the 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. With influences from gospel and blues to folk and rock, this Americana showcase shines a spotlight on queerness, faith, and overcoming the spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces. // Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart.]

11:44 – More Interview with Flamy Grant

We are talking with Flamy Grant, the winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and is a 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music album recorded by a drag performer. Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart.

A shame-slaying, hip-swaying drag artist with Appalachian roots. Flamy Grant bring a roots-rock sound influenced by gospel and Americana. Her music shines a spotlight on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma. “With a bold lip and a big lash, Flamy is here to rewrite the rules when it comes to religious music.”

Flamy Grant, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Flamy Grant plays multiple Private Showcases:
Wednesday, February 21, at 11:25pm Midwood Entertainment Room # 714
Thursday February 22, at 11:30pm Mammoth Bookings Room # 614
Thursday February 22, at 2:10am TRO Essex Room # 740
Friday, February 23, at 10:30 Big Tent Room # 629
Friday, February 23, at 1:30am Rainbow Room # 715
Friday, February 23, at Kerrville New Folk Room # 635
Saturday, February 24, at 12:00am House of Pancakes Room # 546

On Tour:
Mar 16 – Laurie Beechman Theatre – New York (NYC), NY
Mar 17 – Laurie Beechman Theatre – New York (NYC), NY
Mar 27 – Ugly Mug – Soquel, CA
Mar 28 – Community Congregational United Church of Christ – Los Alamitos, CA
Apr 04 – The Ringwald Theatre – Ferndale, MI
Apr 22 – Hammond United Church Hall – Maple Ridge, BC

After many years of living in San Diego, last Spring, Fkamy and her partner Chris moved to North Carolina. That move was the inspiration for the single, “I Think I See the Island.”

About the song “I Think I See the Island” Flamy Grant writes:

A few months ago, my spouse turned to me and said, “Let’s do it. Let’s go to North Carolina.”

For a long time, we had been vacillating between options for the next chapter of our life together. Chicago, Nashville, Vermont, Portland and Bend were all on the table, along with my hometown of Asheville, NC — or simply staying in San Diego.

I once moved halfway across the country for a relationship… to disastrous results. So while my gut was pulling me back toward the southeast, closer to my family and the music scene I felt would suit me best, I was feeling very sensitive to the idea of asking my partner to abandon his life in America’s Finest City and start fresh with me somewhere smaller, greener, and far less politically advantageous.

“Your career is building some real momentum,” Chris said. “It makes sense for us to be where Flamy can thrive. Plus, I’m kind of excited about the idea of exploring the east coast.”

That’s the kind of partner I am lucky enough to have.

I wrote this song for Chris, & am releasing it as a surprise on his birthday – the second time I’ve surprised him with a song (the 1st was for our wedding weekend and I’ve included it as a bonus track on this release). I’m probably going to have to retire this trick soon & think of other ways to mark special occasions. But with this being his last birthday as a California resident, I wanted to suspend time for a moment the way only music can.

“I Think I See The Island” is about the morning walks we’ve taken to the top of our neighborhood hill over the past 3.5 years. On the rare clear day, you can see the tiny Isla Coronado in the distance, way off the coast of Mexico. At some point, we got into the habit of pointing it out to each other, and this initially made me laugh when I first realized we were doing it.

“We’re becoming one of those couples who say the same things to each other every day,” I chuckled one morning after he’d pointed out the island’s silhouette emerging through the coastal haze.

I imagined us in our seventies shuffling to the top of that hill every morning, peering across the canyons with failing eyes, checking to see if the island would make an appearance today. And rather than feeling predictable or boring, I found the idea very, very comforting. The song came to me in one simple writing session, and I knew I wanted to gift it to Chris as a way to mark this season of our lives — pandemic dog walks; navigating our first years as a married couple in the suburbs; the tiny, recurring thrill of a silly game we played every morning.

To me, it feels holy.

Soon we’ll be searching for new paths to climb with our dog in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and no matter how clear the day, there will be no islands to look for. But new rituals will replace the old, and we’ll invent new things to say to each other every morning.

Still, I hope one day when we’re much older, we’re able to visit our old neighborhood in San Diego, climb to the top of the hill, and see the island that inspired this song.

Happy birthday, Christopher. I’m so grateful for the holy little moments anchoring our lives.

(I owe an extraordinary debt of gratitude to my producer Ben Grace, who brought this entire track to life in a few hours, and to Karyn Thurston, who magicked gorgeous background vocals after listening through approximately twice. Superstars.)

11:51

Flamy Grant, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

More info at: http://www.flamygrant.com

11:53

James T. Lundie, Flamy Grant, and Julia Othmer on the Wednesday, February 21, 2024 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

Flamy Grant – “I Think I See The Island”
from: “I hink I See The Island” – Single / Glam & Glory Records / July 4, 2023
[Produced by Ben Grace. Sound engineer and electric guitars by Daniel Shearin. // Flamy Grant is winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and the 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. With influences from gospel and blues to folk and rock, this Americana showcase shines a spotlight on queerness, faith, and overcoming the spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces. // Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart.]

[Flamy Grant plays an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thurs, Feb. 22, at 7:30pm in Brookside Room at The Westin Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, KCMO.]

Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Next week on Wednesday, February 28 we talk with Malek Azrael and premiere his new single, “in ur mind” to be released on March 1, 2024.

We also welcome Alison “Al” Hawkins & Fritz Hutchison of True Lions about their new recording, Cold Gravy Bowl, and their Album Release show Sat, March 2, 2024 with The Matchsellers, at The Emerald, (2nd floor) 1717 W. 9th Street, KCMO [West Bottoms].

Also next week I will be joined by Marion Merritt and Betse Ellis for our Winter Fund Drive Show. We want to hear from all of our listeners to call us up at 888-931-3901

THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers.

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #1034

Wednesday MidDay Medley

Wednesdays, 10 – Noon, on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

#1034 – February 21, 2024 Playlist

1 Album “Bible Belt Baby,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27-August 4, 2023)

1 Single “Good Day,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27, 2023)

20 Single “Good Day,” Billboard Christian Digital Sales Chart (July 2023)

2 Single “Fortune Teller,” iTunes Christian Chart (October 24, 2023)

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1 Album “Bible Belt Baby,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27-August 4, 2023)

1 Single “Good Day,” iTunes Christian Chart (July 27, 2023)

20 Single “Good Day,” Billboard Christian Digital Sales Chart (July 2023)

2 Single “Fortune Teller,” iTunes Christian Chart (October 24, 2023)

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