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, December 31, 2025

The 120 Best Recordings of 2025
(Part 4 of 4)

We present part-four, of our four-week special: WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025. In 2025 there were over 1675 MidCoastal (KC area) releases in Albums, EPs, & Singles…(that we know of). We’ve culled these releases for WMM’s mix of New & MidCoastal Releases. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length albums and EPs of 2025.

In 2025 we’ve broadcast nearly 900 different tracks on WMM over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 500 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. 70 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2025 we’ve conducted over 175 interviews with 159 special guests. Nearly 50 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, so we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music, and more music discovery for your ears. Our “Best of Lists” can be found at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org

Today we bring you the finale, we’ll count down #30 through #1 with tracks from:The Freedom Affair, Black Light Animals, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Fullbloods, Pool Culture, Eddie Moore, Joel Vs Joel, Daniel Gum, She Said, Dragon Inn 3, Hembree, Ty Faison, TheBabeGabe, Willi Carlisle, Suzannah Johannes, Samantha Fish, Hermon Mehari & Tony Tixier, Lnrd Dstroy X Chromadadata, Stereolab, Bon Iver, Geese, Ken Pomeroy, Mavis Staples, Sudan Archives, Music from TRANSA, Wednesday, Tunde Adebimpe. Tune-Yards, Big Thief, and Snocaps.

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
   from: Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Universal / Dec. 20, 1979 [WMM’s theme]

2. (#30.) Tunde Adebimpe – “Magnetic”
   from: Thee Black Boltz / Sub Pop Records / April 18., 2025
   [Acclaimed TV On The Radio frontman and multi-hyphenate talent Tunde Adebimpe has released a new song “God Knows,” from his highly anticipated debut solo album, Thee Black Boltz. // “God Knows” delves into the complexities of a bittersweet breakup, showcasing Adebimpe’s distinctive vocals and introspective lyrics. The song captures the raw vulnerability of heartbreak as Adebimpe sings, “You’re the worst thing I ever loved, And you’re bad news but I still want to give you my love.” // Of the latest single, the TV on the Radio frontman says “Breaking up is hard to down dooby doo down do”. // Thee Black Boltz is produced by Tunde Adebimpe & Wilder Zoby, and executive produced by Zoby, with additional production and contributions from Jaleel Bunton & Jahphet Landis (of TV on the Radio), and more. Showcasing visionary soundscapes, the album is a nod to Adebimpe’s propensity to write and sing about the human condition – in all its forms, under all its stressors, both big and small. // “Adebimpe is strutting back into the spotlight with style.” – Consequence // “Adebimpe is plagued with the state of the world, as he muses on the human race, love, tenderness and how to fly above it all. He whistles, claps and yelps—in all the ways that made TV On The Radio songs so com-pelling and mesmeric—but with a progressive voice that sounds fresh and thrilling in 2024.” – Paste // “‘’Magnetic’… It’s an apt name for the track, which opens with a reflective, melancholic lyric (‘I was thinking about my time in space’) before the propulsive instrumentals drop in and never let up.” – AV Club // “Tunde Adebimpe had quite the 2024, stealing scenes in Twisters and reuniting with TV on the Radio to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. The front man will get a little more “me” time this year with his first solo album via Sub Pop.” – Vulture’s “Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear in 2025”

3. (#29.) Tune – Yards – “Limelight (Radio Edit)”
   from: Better Dreaming / 4AD Records / May 16, 2025
   [Tune-Yards is the Oakland, California–based music project of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner. Garbus’s music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and uses elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion. Tune-Yards’ 2011 album Whokill was ranked the number one album of that year in The Village Voice’s annual Pazz and Jop critics’ poll. // The album Nikki Nack was released in 2014, with its first single, “Water Fountain”, being picked up by Google Pixel in 2016 for an advertising campaign. The album I Can Feel You Creep into My Private Life was released in January 2018. At the same time, Tune-Yards provided an atmospheric score for the sci-fi film Sorry to Bother You. // Born in 1979, Garbus was raised in New York City and in New Canaan, Connecticut. She attended Smith College. She was a puppeteer for the Sandglass Theater in Vermont and lived in Montreal where she played ukulele in the band Sister Suvi with guitarist Patrick Gregoire and drummer Nico Dann. Merrill’s sister Ruth Garbus is also a musician who has played solo and in the band Happy Birthday. After releasing her first Tune-Yards album in 2008, she moved to Oakland, where her partner in Tune-Yards, Nate Brenner, also lives. // The first Tune-Yards album, Bird-Brains (stylized as BiRd-BrAiNs) was originally self-released by Garbus on recycled cassette tape. It was recorded using only a handheld voice recorder. A limited edition vinyl was released in June 2009, via the Portland-based imprint Marriage Records. In July 2009, it was announced that Tune-Yards had signed to 4AD, and a limited edition pressing of Bird-Brains was released on August 17, 2009. A full worldwide release followed on November 16, 2009 (and November 17 in North America). The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: “Want Me To” and “Real Live Flesh.” // A second album, Whokill (stylized as w h o k i l l), was released on April 19, 2011. A single from it, “Bizness”, came out in February 2011. It was produced by Garbus and engineered by Eli Crews at New, Improved Studios in Oakland. Applying the live approach to Garbus’ studio work for the first time, Garbus works with bass player Nate Brenner, who co-wrote some of the album’s songs. Comparing the act to Sonic Youth, Frontier Psychiatrist said, “if Bird-Brains was Garbus’ Evol, a record bursting with musical ideas that attempted to subvert the notion of song, who kill is Garbus’ Sister, a record that embraces the traditional pop song as a vehicle to convey those ideas.” The album as well as singles “Bizness” and “Gangsta” received mention on many top 2011 album and song lists, including Time, Rolling Stone, Spin, and the New York Times. In early 2012, the Village Voice’s annual “Pazz and Jop” poll of critics named Whokill the No. 1 album of 2011. The song “Fiya” is featured on a 2010 commercial for the Blackberry Torch, while the song “Gangsta” has been used in the television shows Orange Is the New Black, Letterkenny, Weeds and The Good Wife and the song “Bizness” was used in Season 3 of Transparent. // Garbus started recording material for her third LP during the latter half of 2013, with a working title of Sink-o. A May 6, 2014 release date was later announced with the title Nikki Nack. The album spawned three singles, including “Water Fountain”, which was featured in the soundtrack for EA Sports video game FIFA 15 as well as in a 2016 commercial for the Google Pixel. // A fourth album was released on January 19, 2018, called I Can Feel You Creep into My Private Life. The album showed more of an electronic influence. The single “Look at Your Hands” was released earlier, in October 2017, followed by “Heart Attack” in January.// The Tune-Yards scored the satiric science fiction film Sorry to Bother You (2018). The film was shown at Sundance in January, then began a theatrical run in July. Its soundtrack songs are performed by the Coup, fronted by the film’s director, Boots Riley. Riley said he started working with Tune-Yards in “early 2015” to create the film’s score, with demo tracks already available before the script was complete, and before the start of principal photography. Riley said he was attracted to Garbus’s voice, and to the band’s “unorthodox use of percussion and vocal layering.” Garbus also composed the theme music for The New Yorker Radio Hour. // In 2021, Tune-Yards appeared as the opening performance for Google I/O with Artificial Intelligence powered vocal accompaniment.]

4. (#28.) Big Thief – “Incomprehensible”
   from: Double Infinity / 4AD / September 5, 2025
   [4x Grammy nominated Big Thief have announced their sixth studio album, Double Infinity, out September 5th via 4AD, and shared the lead single and album opener, “Incomprehensible.” Double Infinity is the follow-up to 2022’s Grammy-nominated album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, and was recorded last winter at the Power Station, New York City. Together with a community of musicians, they would play for nine hours a day, tracking together – simultaneously – improvising arrangements and making collective discoveries. The album was recorded live with minimal overdubs. Double Infinity was produced, engineered and mixed by longtime Big Thief collaborator Dom Monks. “How can beauty that is living be anything but true?” Adrianne asks as she drives nose against the future with childhood mementos on lead single “Incomprehensible.” She understands “everything I see from now on will be something new.” The silver hairs on her shoulders are new as well. Yet fear of aging is cracked by proof. If a life is shaped by living, “Let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair.” Being born, then staying a while, remains the greatest mystery. Adrianne claims her place and time. “Incomprehensible, let me be.” // To celebrate the release of Double Infinity, Big Thief will embark on the first leg of their Somersault Slide 360 Tour. The extensive tour – their first US shows in over a year – kicks off in September and includes stops at Berkeley’s The Greek Theater, Los Angeles’s The Hollywood Bowl (their largest non-festival headline show yet), Boston’s MGM Music Hall, and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium. // “the best indie-folk band around.” – Rolling Stone]

5. (#27.) Snocaps – “Heathcliff”
   from: Snocaps / Anti / October 31, 2025
   [Snocaps is the debut full-length album from American indie rock band Snocaps, consisting of Katie and Allison Crutchfield, joined by multi-instrumentalist MJ Lenderman and producer Brad Cook. The album was surprise-released on October 31, 2025. The album was named one of the “11 New Albums You Should Listen To Now” by Pitchfork upon its release. // The Snocaps project marks the first time the Crutchfield twins had recorded music together since the split of their previous band, PS Eliot. It also marks Allison Crutchfield’s first new music in seven years, following the release of the fourth Swearin’ album Fall Into the Sun in 2018. In a post to her Substack newsletter, Katie Crutchfield noted that she and Alison had initially broached the idea of a new project in 2023, prior to the release of the Waxahatchee album Tigers Blood. She wrote that the sisters were interested in “making something akin to what we made when we were younger” with “no ambitions and no plan, purely for our own enjoyment, for the experience of making something we ourselves wanted to hear.” The album was recorded with Cook and Lenderman over the course of a week, with Katie describing the experience as “realigning with the earliest, purest versions of our music-making selves”. // All tracks are written by Katie Crutchfield and Alison Crutchfield.]

6. (#26.) Hembree – “On The Line”
   from: Dive Bar Funeral – EP / Peermusic III / August 8, 2025
   [5-song EP containing a slightly longer version of their recent single “On The Line” plus 4 new songs. “On The Line” was one of three new singles Hembree has released this year so far, including, “Don’t Look Down” released April 4, 2025, and “U R WHAT U EAT” released February 7, 2025. Last year, Hembree released their third studio album BETTER DAYS on August 9, 2024 and was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Hembree is: Isaac Flynn, Eric Davis, Garrett Childers, Alex Ward & Austin Ward. Mixed by: Isaac Flynn. Mastered by: Ian Sefchick. Drums engineered by: Martin Cooke. Additional vocals by: Devynn Carter on tracks 1, 6, 9 and 10. Recorded at Kingsize Soundlabs (Los Angeles, CA), Peermusic (Burbank, CA) and Isaac’s house. Produced by: Isaac Flynn . // Hembree released their The 15-track album, IT’S A DREAM on February 4, 2022. It was part of WMM 120 Best Recordings of 2023. Hembree, is a KC born band was formed in November of 2015, with Isaac Flynn on guitar, & lead vocals, Garrett Childers on bass & vocals, Eric Davis on keys & synth, Alex Ward on guitar, and Austin Ward on drums. Hembree is signed to Thirty Tigers of Nashville, TN. The band was founded by original members Isaac Flynn, Garrett Childers, and Eric Davis. Brothers Alex and Austin Ward later joined in 2018. Hembree quickly garnered national attention after their single “Holy Water” was placed in an Apple commercial that aired during Super Bowl LII. The band’s music has been featured in a variety of other national placements, including Monday Night Football (NFL) and Bose. Hembree has notably supported Elvis Costello, Phoenix, Cold War Kids, Vance Joy, JR JR, and Joywave, among others. The band first toured Europe in Fall 2018. In 2018, Hembree signed with Thirty Tigers to release their first full-length album House on Fire, released 4/26/2019. In 2019, Hembree performed at Hangout Music Festival. They will also appear on the soundtrack of 13 Reasons Why: Season 3 with the song “Culture”. Hembree was named one of NPR’s Slingshot 2018 Artists to Watch. Rolling Stone named Hembree as one of the thirty best artists at SXSW 2018. “Had It All” debuted on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 on January 19, 2017. Lowe described the song as “absolutely fantastic.” “Holy Water” was featured in Apple’s HomePod “Distortion” TV spot, which ran during Super Bowl LII, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, and the 2018 Winter Olympics. Hembree released the single, “Reach Out” on July 20, 2021 and “Operators (feat. Bodye)” on Sept. 21, 2021on Oread Records. More info at: http://www.hembreemusic.com][Hembree plays their 10th Anniversary show August 16, at Liberty Hall, in Lawrence, KS with Cowboy Indian Bear.]

7. (#25.) Wednesday – “Elderberry Wine”
   from: Bleeds / Dead Oceans / September 19, 2025
   [Wednesday, the North Carolina rock band led by generational songwriter Karly Hartzman released their breakthrough album, Rat Saw God. The album was one of 2023’s most critically acclaimed releases, landing on year end lists at the New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, The Atlantic, The Ringer, The FADER, Paste, Consequence, Stereogum and more. // Wednesday is Karly Hartzman, MJ Lenderman, Xandy Chelmis, Alan Miller, and Ethan Baechtold. // “What makes Wednesday one of the best bands in the world is Hartzman’s songwriting. It’s paradisiacal in a scuzzy way, adaptable to any underbelly in North America and wickedly unafraid of being too truthful or unabashed.” -Paste // “Karly Hartzman’s storytelling remains a beautifully magpie-like collection of little details drawn from memory and observation, woven together into a transcendent indie rock tapestry.” -The AV Club // Rat Saw God released September 8, 2022. It was in the top 30 of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Hartzman was inspired to start playing guitar after watching Mitski’s NPR Tiny Desk concert. Hartzman attended college in Asheville, where she met Daniel Gorham. The two recorded an album together under the moniker Wednesday titled yep definitely. The band’s name was inspired by the British band The Sundays. // After releasing this record, Hartzman formed another band called Diva Sweetly, alongside members of the band Pictures of Vernon. Hartzman was interested in making shoegaze music, which was not the music Diva Sweetly was making. Thus, Hartzman gathered new members to join the Wednesday band and released the second album with the group, titled I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone in 2020. The group released their third record, Twin Plagues, on August 13, 2021.// On March 11, 2022, the band released a covers album titled Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ’em Up, featuring covers versions of songs by Gary Stewart, Chris Bell, Roger Miller, Drive-By Truckers, Hotline TNT, Greg Sage, Vic Chestnut, Medicine and The Smashing Pumpkins. On September 8, 2022, the band left Orindal Records and signed to Dead Oceans, releasing the single “Bull Believer”. On January 18, 2023, the band released the single “Chosen to Deserve” and announced a fifth album, Rat Saw God, which was released on April 7, 2023.] [Wednesday played the recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd, KCMO, on Wednesday, May 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM]

8.(#24.) Willi Carlisle – “We Have Fed You All for 1000 Years – Radio edit”
from: Winged Victory / Willi Carlisle – Signature Sounds / June 27, 2025
[“It feels relatively easy to crown Winged Victory as the high-water mark of Carlisle’s recorded output…” – No Depression // “His thoughtful musings and memorable melodies collide in weird and wondrous ways over and over again” – Bandcamo // “Like a true poet Willi Carlisle invents a sound like none other…” – western AF // “Winged Victory reveals there is great beauty in darkness, that singing itself is an act of optimism, and that exile creates its own narratives. Therein, Carlisle has found a way of singing through dark times.” – The Bluegrass Situation // “The return of one of folk music’s most life-affirming and brilliantly eccentric voices.” – Holler // “The singer-songwriter’s songbook is a hymnal of folk gospels so full of heart they nearly pop at the seams; weeping with wisdom and brimming with radical empathy, they’re like arms you could fall into at your weakest, your worst. They are fiercely, fervently life-affirming in a world increasingly undone by hate—songs that we need now more than ever.” – Paste // Within his heart and his music, folksinger Willi Carlisle holds tight the conviction that love is bigger than hate, and no-one is expendable. Deemed “One of country music’s most important and unmistakable voices.” (PASTE), Carlisle’s music has always been a dance between spectacle and philosophy. On his fourth studio (and first self-produced) album, Winged Victory, Carlisle returns with his signature blend of traditionally-rooted folk music and kaleidoscope of oddball characters to confer with his core tenets in more overt and provocative ways. // Intent on creating art and a well-rounded life in a broken world, Carlisle directly addresses the hope that by understanding our collective suffering we might be free of it. Rather than a manifesto, the eleven songs on Winged Victory should be understood as a reflection. They revel in the beauty of tiny, monetarily-worthless moments and things, offering with them a consideration of our innate humanity. // WILLI CARLISLE is a poet and a folk singer for the people, but his extraordinary gift for turning a phrase isn’t about high falutin’ pontificatin’; it’s about looking out for one another and connecting through our shared human condition. // For 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. .. More info at: http://www.willicarlisle.com ]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. (#23.) Sudan Archives – “MY TYPE”
   from: THE BPM / Stones Throw Records / July 21, 2015
   [LA based violinist Sudan Archives, combines elements of the modern and ancient. The 23 year-old self-taught violinist draws inspiration from Sudanese fiddlers, R&B, West African rhythms, and experimental electronic music. Building records around rhythms and melodies from the strings of her violin and raw vocals, Sudan effortlessly draws the link between traditional African music and contemporary electronic production // Sudan Archives’ highly anticipated third album THE BPM is out now on Stones Throw, marking her most liberated and forward-looking work to date. Across fifteen tracks, the violinist, vocalist, and producer – real name Brittney Parks – embodies the idea that “The BPM is the power,” channeling rhythm as a source of personal freedom, joy, and self-definition. // Following acclaimed albums Athena and Natural Brown Prom Queen, THE BPM imagines a gleaming future where technology and emotion pulse in perfect sync. Inspired by the club sounds of Chicago and Detroit alongside global dance music and experimental beatwork, the record sees Parks fully embracing the persona of “Gadget Girl” – a technologically advanced artist exalting in the tools that first gave her a voice. “I’m all gadget girled out now,” Sudan explains, “but I’ve never felt so free as a human.” // THE BPM was recorded in Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, with Sudan stepping into the role of executive producer and working exclusively with family and close friends. The album includes the singles “A BUG’S LIFE”, “MY TYPE,” and “DEAD.” The New York Times praised “DEAD” as “shape-shifting, maximalist, ultimately unstoppable,” while Stereogum called it “a full-on dance floor rager.” // A radiant exploration of self-love, technology, and transformation, THE BPM captures Sudan Archives in full command – an executive producer, artist, and visionary expanding the limits of her sound and identity. Sudan’s most raucous and party-starting record, it’s also her most vulnerable, and a monumental step forward – the kind of leap you can only make when you trust your instincts, trust the people around you, and lock into your own rhythm. // “[THE BPM] aligns instinct and intellect, human and machine, bravado and desire. Every song is crammed with ideas and sonic surprises” – The New York Times // “It’s not merely an album to dance to – it feels like a sanctuary where every song is like a hymn in full technicolour: cybernetic and uncontainable.” – NME // “Every immaculately constructed track overflows with both ideas and emotions.” – FLOOD.]

10. (#22.) Lauren Auder + Wendy & Lisa – “I Would Die 4 U”
    from: TRAИƧA / Red Hot / November 22, 2024
    [One of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the storied activist and music production non-profit Red Hot, TRAИƧA is a spiritual journey across eight chapters and 46 songs with over 100 artists contributing. The album spotlights the gifts of many of the most daring, imaginative trans and non-binary artists working today. // Dust Reid, who led production on Red Hot’s 2014 tribute to Arthur Russell, and Massima Bell, an artist and activist based in Los Angeles, began tracing the contours of what would become TRAИƧA together in 2021. The two producers originally met at a video shoot in upstate New York, and immediately bonded over their shared love of Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s music, as well as a common devotional connection to nature. The passing of SOPHIE, the pathbreaking electronic producer who died in January 2021, galvanized the producers and focused their work. “We started talking about all the gifts that trans artists have been giving to the world, and wanted to create a Red Hot project that centered and celebrated those gifts,” says Reid. “We hoped to create a narrative that positions trans and non-binary people as leaders in our society insofar as the deep inner work they do to affirm who they are in our current climate. We felt this is something everybody should do. Whether you identify as trans or non-binary or otherwise, if you took the time to explore your gender, get in touch with the feeling side of yourself, maybe we would have a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care, and healing.” // Bell and Reid began conceiving of the album as a spiritual journey in eight chapters, a mirror of the original eight-stripe rainbow pride flag. The narrative begins at the earliest awareness of consciousness; moves through awakening, trauma, and grief; and arrives at liberation and continual reinvention. “One thing trans people do all the time is turn grief into possibility,” says Bell. “Living under the ongoing Western binary system, trans people reveal maps of possibility for everyone. It’s something that we can all learn from – expanding the possibility of human life.” Each chapter begins with a “chapter track,” kicking off a collection of songs that speak to that chapter’s theme. // As the producers began inviting musicians to contribute to TRAИƧA, the political climate in the United States and across the world started to foment an acute reactionary streak. Legislation denying trans people the hard-won right to medically transition proliferated across the country. Book bans rained down on libraries, stamping shut crucial apertures into trans and queer lives. The necessity of TRAИƧA’s presence in the world started to crystallize. // “The stakes have never been higher,” notes Bell. “We’re seeing a rise in anti-trans hate and vitriol that is particularly being spewed in the United States. I am a trans person from Iowa, one of the states that signed into law a bill that prohibits access to gender-affirming care. It is clearly, materially, a terrifying time.” // TRAИƧA FEATURED ARTISTS:Adrianne Lenker * Ahya Simone * Alan Sparhawk (Low) * Allison Russell * Am Taylor * Anajah * Ana Roxanne * André 3000 * Anjimile * Arthur Baker * Asher White * AV María * Babehoven * Bartees Strange * Belina Rose * Benét * Beverly Glenn-Copeland * Bill Callahan * Blake Mills * Bloomsday * Calvin Lauber * Caroline Rose * Cassandra Croft * Cassandra Jenkins * Christian Lee Hutson * claire rousay * Clairo * CLARITY * Cole Pulice * Dave Longstreth * Devendra Banhart * Eileen Myles * Eli Winter * Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland * Ezra Furman * Faye Webster * Fleet Foxes * Frankie Cosmos * Gary Gunn * Gia Margaret * Green-House * Grouper * Hand Habits * Heart Shaped * Helado Negro * Hunter Schafer * Jamal Shakeri * Jay Dee Daugherty * Jayne County * Jeff Tweedy * Jlin * Joy Guidry * Julianna Barwick * Julie Byrne * Julien Baker * Kara Jackson * Kathi Wilcox * KB Brookins * Kelela * Laraaji * Laura Jane Grace * Lauren Auder * Lee Ranaldo * Lightning Bug * Lomelda * Lucy Liyou * Lynn Avery * Lyra Pramuk * L’Rain * Mary Lattimore * MIZU * Moor Mother * More Eaze * Moses Sumney * Nico Georis * Niecy Blues * Nina Keith * Nsámbu Za Suékama * NYC Trans Oral History Project * Pepper MaShay * Perfume Genius * Pharoah Sanders * Quinn Christopherson * Rachika Nayar * Sade Adu * Sam Smith * Sharon Van Etten * SKY * SOAK * Soft Rōnin * Sparkle Division * Taryn Blake Miller * Teddy Geiger * Time Wharp * Wendy & Lisa of the Revolution * Yaeji * Yaya Bey // >>> Lauren Auder was born in 1998. She is a British-French singer-songwriter and record producer. Born in Watford and raised in the French town of Albi, she began her career producing for underground French and English rap artists. Auder signed to True Panther Sounds and made her solo debut in 2018 with the EP Who Carry’s You, which was followed by the EP Two Caves In in 2020. Her debut album, The Infinite Spine, was released on 18 July 2023. // Auder was born in Watford, near London, where she lived until the age of seven when she moved with her music journalist parents to Albi, France to avoid the “hectic and expensive lifestyle” of London. At the time of their migration, her mother worked at NME, while her father worked at Kerrang!. She revealed in 2015, at the age of seventeen, that she was doing literary studies in Albi. In 2015, Auder began working with artists in the London underground hip hop scene such as Lord Pusswhip, Jeshi and Slowthai, while also self-publishing content onto SoundCloud on the side. During this period of her early career, Daisy Jones of Dazed wrote, “With [her] woozy, far-away vocals and dreamy, half-baked beats, the 17-year-old French-English producer sounds like King Krule if [she] got heavily into hip hop and pushed [her] music through a coedine-coated seive.” After graduating from high school in September 2016, she returned to London shortly after signing to independent record label True Panther Sounds. // In December 2017, Auder made her professional solo debut under True Panther Sounds with the single “The Baptist” which was inspired by Maurice Duruflé and received acclaim from Pitchfork. This was followed by her second single “These Broken Limbs Again Into One Body” in February 2018. Both singles would feature on her debut EP Who Carry’s You, which was released in March 2018. In October 2018, she accompanied Christine and the Queens on their tour of Europe supporting the album Chris (2018). // Supported by the singles “June 14th” and “Meek”, Auder’s second EP Two Caves In was released in March 2020. In September 2020, Auder and Boston-based producer Mmph provided American band Haim a remix version of the song “Summer Girl” by for their titular remix EP. In December 2020, Auder and American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek released a cover version of the song “Some Small Hope” by Virginia Astley.// Auder released her third EP, 5 Songs for the Dysphoric, in February 2021. Her first album The Infinite Spine was released on July 18, 2023. // Auder is a baritone vocalist. Daisy Jones of Noisey described her musical style as orchestral pop. Steve Janes of WithGuitars.com wrote that she “adopt[s] the ethos of classic era baroque pop to fuse elements of post-rock and soul with modern classical, ambient and experimental electronics.” Auder cites French composer Maurice Duruflé and California rap duo Main Attrakionz as some of her biggest musical influences, while also being inspired by romantic poets such as William Blake. // In September 2019, Auder came out as transgender. She used they pronouns up until August 2020 when she began publicly identifying as a woman. She told i-D: “In a lot of ways I’ve known forever, and in other ways I’ve known since I was 12, and in other ways I’m only just figuring it out, but I’m way more in touch with myself and how I feel and who I want to be […] I think it’s made me more confident and aware of myself. That transition in my life, and becoming an adult, has gone hand in hand with the way I present my work.” // As of October 2020, Auder resides in Bermondsey in England. // Wendy & Lisa (briefly known as Girl Bros.) is a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band the Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasing their eponymous debut studio album in 1987. In recent years they have turned their attention to writing music for film and television and have won an Emmy Award. // They have released five studio albums, with their most recent album being 2008’s White Flags of Winter Chimneys. // In 1980, Lisa Coleman replaced Gayle Chapman in Prince’s touring band on keyboards and piano. Coleman was asked to contribute vocals to several tracks over his next few albums. In 1983, guitarist Dez Dickerson left the band over religious conflicts. Prince invited Wendy Melvoin (Lisa’s girlfriend at the time) into the band as they began to record Purple Rain (1984). The film and album turned Prince and the newly named Revolution into superstars. Prince’s personal life also became intertwined with Melvoin’s when he began dating her twin sister Susannah. // After Purple Rain (1984), Prince and the Revolution recorded Around the World in a Day (1985) and then Parade (1986), the soundtrack to Prince’s film Under the Cherry Moon (1986). In interviews, the two reported they felt they were not getting the recognition and credit they deserved despite their growing contributions to his work. During 1986, Melvoin and Coleman became increasingly disillusioned with Prince’s decision to expand the Revolution with non-musicians, such as Wally Safford and Greg Brooks, and Prince’s increasing machismo that these new members brought with them. Unhappy and vocal about their feelings, they were eventually convinced to remain with the band through the end of the Hit N Run – Parade Tour. However, Prince felt spurned and as a result he had already decided he would dissolve the Revolution once the tour was complete. Hence, by October 1986, Melvoin and Coleman (along with Bobby Z.) were dismissed by Prince, disrupting the Dream Factory album that was already completed and effectively dissolving The Revolution. // In 1987 the duo released an album simply titled Wendy and Lisa on Columbia Records in the US and on Virgin Records in the UK. The singles released were “Honeymoon Express”, “Waterfall” and “Sideshow” but none hit the top 40 on either side of the Atlantic. The follow-up album, Fruit at the Bottom, was released in 1989. The singles released were “Are You My Baby?”, “Lolly Lolly” (remixed by Prince) and “Satisfaction”, which gave them a top 40 single in the UK. “Waterfall ’89” failed to capitalize on the success of “Satisfaction” and reached another minor placing. // In 1990, the duo signed with Virgin Records in the US (which was already their label in Europe) and released Eroica. However, this too met only minor chart success. In 1991, Virgin UK released the remix album Re-mix-In-a-Carnation, a selection of club mixes from the first three albums as remixed by producers like the Orb, William Orbit, and Nellee Hooper. // In the mid-1990s, Wendy & Lisa worked on several movie projects with record producer Trevor Horn. They recorded an album with him as producer, but had a falling out (according to them, due to Horn and his wife Jill Sinclair’s alleged homophobia) and the project was shelved, leaving the master tapes in Horn’s hands and acrimony between the parties involved. // Their next solo effort – the 1998 album Girl Bros. – was the first to be independently released, with all subsequent releases also self-released. // In 2004, the duo reached a rapprochement with Prince and contributed to several tracks on his Planet Earth (2007) album. // In December 2008, White Flags of Winter Chimneys was released. The title is taken from a line in the Joni Mitchell song “Hejira”. 2011 saw the release of the Snapshots EP, which came with limited edition artwork, autographs and a photo book. It is a 6-track collection of songs that were recorded over the preceding 20 years of their careers but had previously never been released. // Melvoin and Coleman have done session work and/or written songs with Seal, k.d. lang, Joni Mitchell, Meshell Ndegeocello, Pearl Jam, Terence Trent D’Arby, Lisa Germano, Lisa Marie Presley, Liz Phair, Michael Penn, Grace Jones, Tricky, the Three O’Clock, Uh Huh Her, Sheryl Crow, Victoria Williams, Rob Thomas, Gwen Stefani, Skye Edwards, Scritti Politti, Nerina Pallot, OK Go, Madonna, The Like, Nina Gordon, fDeluxe, the Family, Doyle Bramhall II, Nikka Costa, André Cymone, Kate Earl, Eric Clapton, Bettye LaVette, Ilse DeLange, Mac Miller, and Walk the Moon. Their vocals were featured on the soundtrack for Toys (1992). // Their first scoring project was for Dangerous Minds (1995). The team has scored numerous TV shows and films, including popular TV shows like Crossing Jordan, Heroes, Nurse Jackie and Firefly Lane. // Wendy & Lisa technically share the honor of winners of a Grammy and Oscar for being part of the Revolution, as Purple Rain (1984) won two Grammys, and the Oscar for Best Original Score. In 2010, they received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for their work on Nurse Jackie. They received the ASCAP award for Composers of the Year for their work on Dangerous Minds (1995), the theme to HBO’s Carnivàle, Crossing Jordan and Heroes. They were nominated for an Emmy in 2012 for the main title theme for the Fox show Touch. // Melvoin and Coleman have made numerous contributions to television themes. They wrote theme music and background scores for TV shows such as Shades of Blue, Crossing Jordan, Bionic Woman, Carnivàle, Heroes, Mercy and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. // In 2001 they worked with Neil Finn on his second solo album, One Nil. // They have also been featured on several film scores and soundtracks, including Dangerous Minds (1995), Hav Plenty (1997), Something New (2006), and Wine Country (2019). The film Toys (1992) featured their song “The Closing of the Year” as its main theme, and they also produced the full-length Heroes: Original Score, released in April 2009, composed entirely of their full-length compositions for each of the show’s characters. They scored the TV series Touch created by Crossing Jordan and Heroes creator, Tim Kring. // Melvoin and Coleman collaborated with Grace Jones for her 2008 album Hurricane.]

11. (#21.) Hermon Mehari & Tony Tixier – “POEM FOR THE OPPRESSED”
    from: SOUL SONG / Komos Jazz / April 25, 2025
    [Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Tony Tixier on Fender Rhodes. // Hermon Mehari and Tony Tixier first met in 2010, in their early twenties, in a club on Paris’s Rue des Lombards for a concert with saxophonist Rodolphe Lauretta. Over the next decade, the two musicians took opposite paths, while continuing to collaborate on two continents. The American trumpeter moved to France to discover European culture and the world cultures that coexist there, while the Parisian pianist of Martinican origin spent several years in the USA, immersing himself in the roots of jazz and Afro-American music. // In June 2024, the two musicians, who had been working for fifteen years on numerous albums and collaborations, and whose musical understanding had continued to be forged in clubs, festivals, and on recordings, met again for a duet at the TOC-TOC festival in the Puisaye region, where Antoine Rajon was a collaborator. Enthusiastic about the idea, the artistic director of the KOMOS label invited them back to his home in this corner of Burgundy to record this Fender Rhodes/trumpet formula. He called on sound engineer Christian Hierro, who traveled with his mobile studio for the album recording, then mixed and produced the master in his studio in Lyon, using the best analog equipment and his expert ear. // At dusk on November 12, 2024, the duo played eight tracks in a single, direct take on a 33-minute magnetic tape. // Four unusual cover versions were carefully chosen. “Maimoun” is a composition emblematic of pianist Stanley Cowell’s style, also recorded by Marion Brown. George Duke’s “The Black Messiah” was captured live by Cannonball Adderley’s band on an album of the same name but has never been released as a studio version. “Hello To The Wind” was created by Bobby Hutcherson in 1969, sung by Eugene McDaniels. Finally, “Laini,” dedicated by the great Martinican pianist Marius Cultier to one of his daughters, is a mazurka dear to Tony’s heart. // Each of the musicians also contributed a composition: Hermon with “This Is Our Fantasy,” written especially for the session, and Tony with “Poem For The Oppressed,” a moving composition with an explicit title. Lastly, the duo improvised two tracks, without repetition, in mutual symbiosis and echo. // SOUL SONG captures a moment without enhancement, transformation, or additives, far removed from contemporary virtual technologies. // A&R : Antoine Rajon // Sound engineer : Christian Hierro. // Analog recording on 1/2 inch tape at Antoine’s Burgundy home on the 12th of November 2024, no edits, no overdubs. // Analog mix and mastering at Christian’s Back to Mono studio in Lyon in November 2024. // Hermon Mehari grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, home of Lincoln University. He received his BM in Jazz Performance from UMKC Conservatory of Music in 2010. Hermon was also the winner of the 2008 National Trumpet Competition and placed second in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. Hermon Mehari Mehari was the winner of the 2015 Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition and a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. He is a founding member with Ben Leifer, Ryan Lee , John Brewer, and William Sanders of the band Diverse Jazz, and Diverse Trio. In 2014 Diverse released the album “Our Journey” which was recorded in Paris featuring Logan Richardson on alto saxophone. In 2015-2016 Hermon Mehari was a founding member of the KC super group The Buhs with Julia Haile, Lee Langston, Anthony Saunders, Reach, Les Izmore, Ryan J. Lee, Ben Leifer, Tim Braun, Brad Williams, and Kinyon Price. Hermon Mehari released his debut solo album, BLEU in 2017, and his 2nd solo album A CHANGE FOR THE DREAMLIKE in 2020. In 2021 Hermon Mehari with Alessandro Lanzoni released the 11 track Contemporary Jazz album Arc Fiction. Mehari released ASMARA on November 18, 2022. Recorded and mixed by Félix Rémy in Paris with Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Peter Schlamb on piano & vibraphone, Luca Fattorini on double bass, Gautier Garrigue on drums, and Faytinga on vocals. // In addition to performing and touring all over the world, Hermon dedicates himself to being a serious educator, runs a weekly musical radio program called “The Session” on KCUR 89.3, is constantly collaborating with other musicians. Hermon Merhari has collaborated with Peter Schlamb, Making Movies, John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons, Mikal Shapiro, Krystle Warren. Hermon was featured on Bobby Watson’s 2013 release, “Check Cashing Day”.]

12. (#20.) Lnrd Dstroy x Chromadadata – “Peaced Out ft. Aaron Alexander, Octavio Santos, Tina Sol (radio edit)”
    from: Enter The ScribbleVerse / A Space Suit Production / June 26, 2025
    [Produced by Lnrd Dstroy & Chromadadata // “What began as a short film about the artist Scribe has grown into a multidimensional exploration of the creative experience. Music, a vital thread in that journey, took center stage as Leonard DStroy and Chromadadata expanded their original film score into a full sonic odyssey—one that drifts from wide open fields to the far reaches of space. // This project is more than a soundtrack—it’s a mood, a companion for your road trips, your creative deep dives, your moments of stillness. Full of chill-out vibes and soul-nourishing lyrics, it invites you to reflect: What fuels your own creative path? // So grab your headphones, crank the stereo, and Enter the Scribbleverse.” -Scribe // Track 05 features Aaron Alexander & Ubi on vocals. Track 07 features Peter Schlamb on Vibraphone. Track 11 features Dom Sanders on Bass. Track 14 features Ubi on vocals. Track 17 features Aaron Alexander on vocals, Octavio Santos on Trumpet/ Arrangement, and Tina Sol on Strings. // Mixed/ Mastered/ Executive Produced by Lnrd Dstroy. Cover Art by Scribe. A Space Suit Production.]

13. (#19.) Suzannah Johannes – “Rebecca”
    from: Kansas City: Hanz Bronze Boulevard / Suzannah Johannes / August 29, 2025
    [Lawrence based singer songwriter Suzannah Johannes about her new album, Kansas City: Hanz Bronze Boulevard, to be released on August 29, 2025. Raised on a farm outside of Powhattan, Kansas, Suzannah was surrounded by music from an early age but didn’t begin teaching herself guitar and singing until after college, thanks to her friend, Hanz Bronze. In 2007, she won the KJHK Farmers Ball and used the prize money to record at Black Lodge Studio Four tracks from those sessions became a debut EP, released by Range Life Records in 2008. After becoming a mother in 2014 and balancing full-time work, music took a back seat—but with new self-released material on the way, she’s finding balance and momentum creating and playing music in Lawrence and Kansas City. Over the past 19 years, she has performed solo and with a rotating group of collaborators. Kansas City, features contributions from Jimmy Fitzner, John Nichols, and Mike Stover of The Grisly Hand, Bill Dolan from 5ive Style, and Brooke and Mike Tuley of Brooke Tuley and the Moontravelers and Ad Astra Per Aspera. More info at: http://www.suzannahjohannes.com. ]

14. (#18.) Samantha Fish – “Lose You”
    from: Paper Doll / Concord – Rounder Records / April 25, 2022.
    [Fish tracked Paper Doll at The Orb in Austin and Savannah Studios in LA in the midst of a grueling touring schedule, recording with her touring band for the first time: Ron Johnson (bass), Jamie Douglass (drums), and Mickey Finn (keys). // Samantha Fish made National TV Debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show on April 25, 2025 // Her 2019 album KILL OR BE KIND was part of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. // Samantha Fish (born January 30, 1989) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. While often cited as a blues artist, Fish’s work features and draws from multiple genres, including rock, country, funk, bluegrass, and ballads. // Fish grew up in the Kansas City area. She started out playing the drums, but switched to guitar when she was 15. Fish’s mother was the instructor in a local church choir, and her father played guitar with friends. Initially hearing recordings of Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, she later heard music from Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones and cites the Stones’ album Sticky Fingers as an early influence. She and her sister were both drawn towards blues music in their teenage years. // Fish regularly went to the Knuckleheads Saloon to hear touring blues artists. After turning 18, she often joined in with the singers and bands who were performing there.[ // In 2009, Fish recorded and produced Live Bait. The live album attracted the attention of a talent company, who recommended her to Ruf Records.[3] Ruf Records put together a record with Fish and two other female blues artists, Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde, titled Girls with Guitars. The three guitarists then toured on the Ruf Records 2011 Blues Caravan in the U.S. and Europe. // Fish continued touring with the Samantha Fish Band, featuring “Go-Go Ray” Pollard on drums and Chris Alexander on bass, playing in Europe and the United States. In 2011, Fish recorded Runaway with the help of her mentor Mike Zito. The album won the 2012 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist. // Fish appeared on Devon Allman’s 2013 album Turquoise in a duet covering the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks’ song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. During the summer of 2013, Fish was called up on stage to play with a skeptical Buddy Guy who was so impressed with her playing on the guitar, he declared with a beaming smile to his audience, “When this kind of shit happens, I’ll play all night!” // In 2013, Fish released her second major studio album, Black Wind Howlin’, featuring Mike Zito on guitar, Yonrico Scott on drums, Johnny Sansone on harmonica, and Paul Thorn, vocal duet on one track. The album was recorded in Dockside Studios, in Maurice, Louisiana. Zito’s bandmates from his group Royal Southern Brotherhood, Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton, were brought in to assist in the session recordings.[4] Also in 2013, Fish appeared on The Healers Live at Knuckleheads Saloon, producing a CD/DVD collaboration with Jimmy Hall, Reese Wynans, Kate Moss, and Danielle and Kris Schnebelen (sister and brother, formerly of the band Trampled Under Foot). Proceeds benefit the Blue Star Connection. The Healers occasionally perform together as their schedule permits. // Fish’s third studio album, Wild Heart, was released on July 10, 2015. The album is more roots rock than her earlier blues rock. Fish wrote five songs on the record. She co-wrote five other songs with Jim McCormick in Nashville, Tennessee. Luther Dickinson produced the album, as well as played various stringed instruments (guitar, bass, mandolin, lap steel) to flesh out the sound. The album was recorded in four studios, Royal Studios and Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, Zebra Ranch in Coldwater, Mississippi, and Blade Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. Other musicians on the record are Brady Blade (drums), Lightnin’ Malcolm (guitar), Shardé Thomas (drums), Dominic Davis (bass), Shontelle Norman-Beatty (background vocals), and Risse Norman (background vocals). // Fish released her fourth solo album, Chills & Fever on March 17, 2017. The album was recorded in Detroit and was recorded with members of the band The Detroit Cobras. Bobby Harlow produced the album.[10] Belle of the West followed in December 2017. // Fish released her sixth solo album, Kill or Be Kind, on September 20, 2019, on her new label, Rounder Records.[1 It was chosen as a ‘Favorite Blues Album’ by AllMusic. // Fish released her seventh solo album, Faster, on September 10, 2021, on Rounder Records. The album was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum, and features drummer Josh Freese and bass player Diego Navaira of The Last Bandoleros. Kansas City area rapper Tech N9ne is featured on the song “Loud”. // In 2022, Fish was featured in the documentary short Love Letters: Samantha Fish Live From New Orleans presented by Carl Van Productions in association with Very Productive Pictures and WYES-TV, airing in both 2022 and 2023. // In May 2023, Fish released the collaborative album Death Wish Blues (Rounder Records) with Jesse Dayton, and the pair set forth on an extensive tour schedule throughout the US, UK, and Europe. Supporting them on the UK leg of their tour was Canadian roots rock band The Commoners. Death Wish Blues was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards. // Her older sister, Amanda Fish, is a singer-songwriter as well and a multi-instrumentalist who has recorded for VizzTone Records.]

15. (#17.) Stereolab – “Aerial Troubles”
    from: Instant Holograms On Metal Film / Duophonic UHF /Warp Records /May 23, 2025
    [The Anglo-French avant pop band Stereolab were formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group’s sound features influences from krautrock and 1960s French pop music, often incorporating a repetitive motorik beat with the use of vintage electronic keyboards and female vocals sung in English and French. Their lyrics have political and philosophical themes influenced by the Surrealist and Situationist art movements. While performing, they play in a more feedback-driven and guitar-oriented style. Since the mid-1990s, the band have drawn from funk, jazz and Brazilian music. // Stereolab were formed by Gane (guitar and keyboards) and Sadier (vocals, keyboards and guitar) after the break-up of McCarthy. The two were romantically involved for fourteen years and are the group’s only consistent members. Other longtime members included 1992 addition Mary Hansen (backing vocals, keyboards and guitar), who died in 2002, and 1993 addition Andy Ramsay (drums). The High Llamas’ leader Sean O’Hagan (guitar and keyboards) was a member from 1993 to 1994 and continued appearing on later records for occasional guest appearances. // Throughout their career, Stereolab have achieved moderate commercial success. The band were released from their recording contract with Elektra Records, and their self-owned label Duophonic signed a distribution deal with Too Pure and later Warp Records. After a ten-year hiatus, the band reunited for live performances in 2019. // Stereolab announces their first new record in 15 years. It includes 13 new studio recordings as well as guest contributions from Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf, Marie Merlet and Molly Read. Alongside the announcement, the group shares a first glimpse into their forthcoming project with first single “Aerial Troubles.” // Instant Holograms On Metal Film will be available on double vinyl LP in standard and colour variants, as well as compact disc and digital formats. The album will arrive two days ahead of the launch of their world tour in Brussels on May 25th. They will then take their discography across Europe with dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris, among others. They’ll be kicking off the North American leg of the tour this coming October with shows across the United States before heading back to perform a string of shows across the UK. ]

16. (#16.) Bon Iver – “Everything is Peaceful Love”
    from: SABLE fABLE / Jagjaguar / April 11, 2025
    [ Sable, Fable (stylized as SABLE, fABLE) is the fifth studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on April 11, 2025, via Jagjaguwar. The album is a continuation of the Sable EP (2024), which is included as a separate disc on vinyl. Marking the band’s first album in nearly six years since I, I (2019), it features guest appearances from Dijon, Flock of Dimes, and Danielle Haim, with additional contributions from Kacy Hill, Jacob Collier and Mk.gee, among others. // Produced by Justin Vernon and Jim-E Stack, it is musically split between Bon Iver’s predominantly folk-leaning output showcased on Sable and the contemporary R&B, pop and soul-leaning Fable. Its lyrics primarily concern newfound love. The album received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with critics noting its brighter soundscapes and Vernon’s more straightforward approach to songwriting. // Bon Iver (/ˌboʊn iːˈvɛər/ BONE ee-VAIR) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guitar), Sean Carey (drums, keyboards, vocals), Michael Lewis (vocals, baritone guitar, guitar, violin, saxophone), Matthew McCaughan (drums, bass, vocals), Andrew Fitzpatrick (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Jenn Wasner (guitar, keyboards, vocals). // Vernon released Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon spent three months isolated in a cabin in western Wisconsin. In 2012, the band won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for their eponymous album Bon Iver. They released their third album 22, A Million to critical acclaim in 2016. Their fourth album, I, I, was released in 2019. The album was nominated at the 2020 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year. Their fifth and most recent album, Sable, Fable, was released in 2025. // The name “Bon Iver” derives from the French phrase bon hiver (pronounced [bɔn‿ivɛʁ]; ‘good winter’), taken from a greeting on 1990s TV series Northern Exposure. // After the breakup of his band DeYarmond Edison, the ending of a relationship, and a bout of mononucleosis hepatitis, Vernon left Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved back to Wisconsin. He spent the oncoming winter months at his father’s cabin in Dunn County, Wisconsin. According to Vernon, it was during this time that the “Bon Iver” moniker first entered his mind; while bedridden with mononucleosis, he began watching the 1990s TV series Northern Exposure on DVD. One episode depicts a group of citizens in Alaska, where the show is set, emerging from their homes into the first snowfall of the winter and wishing one another bon hiver (lit. “good winter”). This was initially transcribed by Vernon as “boniverre”; however, when he learned of its proper French spelling, he elected not to use it, deciding hiver reminded him too much of “liver”, the site of his illness at the time.]]

10:59 – Station ID

17. (#15.) Geese – “Cobra”
    from: Getting Killed / Partisan Records / September 26, 2025
    [Getting Killed is the 4th studio album by Geese. It was released by Partisan Records as the full-length follow-up to their 2023 album 3D Country, as well as frontman Cameron Winter’s 2024 solo album Heavy Metal. It was preceded by the singles “Taxes”, “Trinidad” and “100 Horses”. // Getting Killed was produced alongside Kenny Beats. It was recorded over a 10-day period and has been described as “shambolic in structure but passionately performed”, with the band “[balancing] a disarming tenderness with an intensified anger”. The album’s lead single, “Taxes”, was released on July 8, 2025. The song’s music video has been described as containing “a hallucinatory rush of moshing, screaming, and violence that feels akin to an exorcism”. // On June 23, 2025, the band announced a North American headlining tour in support of the album. The tour is scheduled to begin in South Burlington, Vermont on October 10, and conclude in Brooklyn, New York on November 21. // On July 24, Cameron Winter leaked the album’s opening track, “Trinidad”, via a now-removed link shared on his Instagram page. The song was officially released 5 days later, on July 29. // All lyrics are written by Cameron Winter; all music is composed by Winter, Max Bassin, Dominic DiGesu, and Emily Green. // In the summer of 2021, Geese emerged from out of nowhere, sparking a hype cycle unlike anything that had been seen for a young American rock band in recent memory. Suddenly a band that had previously planned to release some music, break up, and go away to college was touring the world. They made their TV debut on Colbert, were profiled by the NY Times, Stereogum Band To Watch, Consequence Artist Of The Month, Paste Best Of What’s Next, Rolling Stone called them “indie rock prodigies,” and they toured with Jack White and Spoon. // And during this entire process, that very same band everyone was getting to know ceased to exist. On a practical level, Geese are still the group we were introduced to in 2021: vocalist Cameron Winter, guitarist Gus Green, guitarist Foster Hudson, bassist Dom DiGesu, and drummer Max Bassin. But on June 23, 2023 Geese returned with their third album, ‘3D Country’ fusing recognizable sounds with warped meditations on daily life in a world sliding out of view, Geese repurposing fragments of classic rock into a sound that is stranger and wholly their own. Right out the gates, the album kicks off with serpentine grooves underneath the armageddon visions of “2122,” before quickly ceding to the title track’s gospel-flecked chorus.“Undoer” is a slowburn simmer constantly building to something apocalyptic; “Crusades” travels back to Medieval times but chugs along on a “Heroes”-esque groove before strings swoop in around it. Later, Green and Hudson’s guitars bend and fry while Hudson also jumps in on vocals for an inhuman wail on “Mysterious Love,” and the whole album ends with the sideways piano elegy of “St. Elmo,” playing out like a saloon song viewed through a funhouse mirror. // More info: http://www.geeseband.com]

18.(#14.) Ken Pomeroy – “Dogs Die”
from: Cruel Joke / Rounder Records / May 16, 2025
[Ken Pomeroy was seen performing in the blockbuster film Twisters and also on the soundtrack album. Ken Pomeroy had her music featured in FX/Hulu television show Reservation Dogs. // Ken Pomeroy spoke on Indigenous Leadership & Advocacy panel at AmericanaFest 2024 . // Anchored in Pomeroy’s Native Cherokee heritage, Cruel Joke is a powerful collection that showcases her raw songwriting and engaging voice. Produced by Pomeroy’s musical partner Dakota McDaniel, Gary Paczosa (John Prine, Alison Krauss, Sierra Ferrell, Katie Pruitt) and Colton Jean, the project consists of twelve deeply personal tracks (including a collaboration with her longtime songwriting hero John Moreland) that find Pomeroy telling stories of her own self-realizations and reflections as well as observations of the world around her. // In the shuffling “Pareidolia,” images of bucolic destruction build up to a wry realization: “I guess a cruel joke is all we can afford.” The song is a tribute to Buck Meek, one of Pomeroy’s songwriting heroes. // In celebration of the release, Pomeroy recently sat down with Rolling Stone and The Line of Best Fit to discuss her album, which is already receiving critical acclaim: “Stripped down and intimate while evoking the sound of folk music and country and even occasional notes of Phoebe Bridgers. It’s highly recommended.” —NPR Music // “Some artists chase trends, but Ken Pomeroy is chasing ghosts – the half-remembered hymns of John Denver, the Oklahoma songwriters who took her in, the Cherokee stories that won’t let her go”—The Line of Best Fit // “gorgeous, bare-bones country-folk…stops you in your tracks with little more than Ken’s voice and acoustic guitar”—Brooklyn Vegan // “You’ll be hard-pressed to find another songwriter in 2025 who’ll hit you with a beautiful yet devastating song like Ken Pomeroy…sublime”—Holler // Known for her impactful live shows, Pomeroy will perform select headline dates this spring including stops at Nashville’s Row One, Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right and Tulsa’s Mercury Lounge (two nights, both sold-out). She will also join Iron & Wine, I’m With Her and Turnpike Troubadours for several dates this year and perform at Newport Folk Festival in July. // Of the album, Pomeroy shares, “Dakota and I began recording ‘Cicadas’ back in February of 2023. That marked the beginning of our long two-year journey and so much has happened since we started. The oldest song was written when I was 13 years old. The most recent one was written and added to the record only a few months ago, just before we finished recording. For almost two years, we dedicated almost every waking moment to working on Cruel Joke.” // An Oklahoma native, Pomeroy is already receiving widespread attention and has established herself as “a new voice reviving the age-old Native Americana sound” (Teen Vogue). To date, the 22-year-old has appeared in the hit film Twisters, in which she performed a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Wall of Death;” had her song “Cicadas” featured in Hulu’s show Reservation Dogs; and toured alongside artists such as Lukas Nelson, Iron & Wine, American Aquarium, John Moreland, and Kaitlin Butts. A skilled guitarist and versatile session musician, she has also lent her musical abilities to projects by artists such as Wilderado, Kyle Nix of the Turnpike Troubadours, J.R. Carroll, and more.]

19. (#13.) Mavis Staples – “Beautiful Strangers”
    from: Sad And Beautiful World / Anti / June 10, 2025
    [For this new album Mavis Staples recorded a song written by Kevin Morby who released this song only as a single in 2016 in tribute to the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting. Staples’ version is gentle and lived-in. It’s got electric guitars from MJ Lenderman and Staples’ bandleader Rick Holmstrom. Brad Cook plays vibraphone, and his brother Phil adds piano. Nathaniel Rateliff and Tré Burt sing backup vocals. Unsurprisingly, Kevin Morby is pretty bowled over by the existence of this cover. Morby says. “It isn’t easy to put into words what it feels like having one of the best, most important vocalists and cultural figures of both the 20th and 21st century sing one of my songs. But hearing Mavis sing “Beautiful Strangers” is hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career. Far beyond any kind of accolade or acclaim — having one of my biggest heroes sing something I wrote is the most validating and flattering thing that could ever happen to me as a songwriter and person. Thank you, Mavis. Mavis also wields that extremely rare power to take a song somebody else wrote and make it entirely her own. As the person who penned “Beautiful Stranger,” I feel I have every right to say: Her version is better. // This was the second single from Mavis Staple’s new album of cover songs. The first single was “Godspeed” written by Frank Ocean. A legendary performer who turned 86 next month on July 10, Mavis Staples continues to be a tour-de-force in music and a voice for the voiceless in today’s divided society. Well known for her work in the gospel and Americana space, Staples is also an R&B icon who famously worked with the one and only Prince in his 80’s heyday. // Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. She’s both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a civil rights icon; a GRAMMY Award-winner; a chart-topping soul/gospel/R&B pioneer; a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House. // At a time when most artists begin to wind down, Staples ramped things up, releasing a trio of critically acclaimed albums in her 70’s with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy that prompted Pitchfork to rave that “her voice has only gained texture and power over the years” and People to proclaim that she “provides the comfort of a higher power.” “I sing because I want to leave people feeling better than I found them,” Staples says. “I want them to walk away with a positive message in their hearts, feeling stronger than they felt before. I’m singing to myself for those same reasons, too.” // On July 9, Staples and award-winning children’s poet Carol Boston Weatherford will release the new children’s book ‘Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples’, a vibrant and poetic new picture book that introduces young readers to Staples’ life story, who began singing at age 8 and ever since has used her voice as a rallying cry to the country at numerous civil rights protests and continues to sing and share her message of love, faith and justice in front of large audiences today. // Staples recently celebrated her upcoming birthday early in stellar fashion at Los Angeles’s YouTube Theater this past April, gracing the stage alongside a star-studded lineup including Hozier, Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Black Pumas, and more. Currently on tour in Europe, Staples will return to the US and perform at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic on the nation’s birthday. The next day she begins a run of dates with Norah Jones, who she affectionally calls “my baby sister.” All upcoming dates are listed below. // Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family’s band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving member. During her time in the group, she recorded the hit singles “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again”. In 1969, Staples released her self-titled debut solo album. // Staples continued to release solo albums throughout the following decades and collaborated with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Prince, Arcade Fire, Nona Hendryx, Ry Cooder, and David Byrne. Her eighth studio album You Are Not Alone (2010), earned critical acclaim, and became her first album as a soloist to reach number one on a Billboard chart, peaking atop the Top Gospel Albums chart. It also earned Staples her first Grammy Award win. Following this, she released the albums One True Vine (2013), Livin’ on a High Note (2016), If All I Was Was Black (2017), and We Get By (2019); she is also featured on the single “Nina Cried Power” by Hozier. // Staples is the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and has won three Grammy Awards, including one for Album of the Year as a featured artist on We Are by Jon Batiste.[6] Named one of the ‘100 Greatest Singers of all Time’ by Rolling Stone in 2008; Staples was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018, as a member of The Staple Singers. Additionally, she was made a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2016. The following year, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a soloist. In 2019, she received the inaugural Rock Hall Honors Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a soloist. // Staples was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 10, 1939. She began her career with her family group in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a hit in 1956 with “Uncloudy Day” for the Vee-Jay label. When Mavis graduated from what is now Paul Robeson High School in 1957, The Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar and including the voices of Mavis and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Pervis, the Staples were called “God’s Greatest Hitmakers”. // With Mavis’ voice and Pops’ songs, singing, and guitar playing, the Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers (with recordings on United and Riverside as well as Vee-Jay) to become the most spectacular and influential spirituality-based group in America. By the mid-1960s The Staple Singers, inspired by Pops’ close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement. They covered contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” and a version of Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth”. // During a December 20, 2008, appearance on National Public Radio’s news show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, when Staples was asked about her past personal relationship with Dylan, she admitted that they “were good friends, yes indeed” and that he had asked her father for her hand in marriage. // The Staples sang “message” songs like “Long Walk to D.C.” and “When Will We Be Paid?,” bringing their moving and articulate music to a huge number of young people. The group signed to Stax Records in 1968, joining their gospel harmonies and deep faith with musical accompaniment from members of Booker T. and the MGs. The Staple Singers hit the Top 40 eight times between 1971 and 1975, including two No. 1 singles, “I’ll Take You There”, produced by Al Bell and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning, “Let’s Do It Again,” and a No. 2 single “Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?” // Mavis made her first solo foray while at Epic Records with The Staple Singers, releasing a lone single “Crying in the Chapel” to little fanfare in the late 1960s. The single was finally re-released on the 1994 Sony Music collection Lost Soul. Her first solo album would not come until a 1969 self-titled release for the Stax label. After another Stax release, Only for the Lonely, in 1970, she released a soundtrack album, A Piece of the Action, on Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom label. A 1984 album (also self-titled) preceded two albums under the direction of rock star Prince; 1989’s Time Waits for No One, followed by 1993’s The Voice, which People magazine named one of the Top Ten Albums of 1993. Her 1996 release, Spirituals & Gospels: A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, was recorded with keyboardist Lucky Peterson. The recording honors Mahalia Jackson, a close family friend and a significant influence on Mavis Staples’s life. // Staples singing during the 2006 NEA National Heritage Fellows concert. // Staples made a major national return with the release of the album Have a Little Faith on Chicago’s Alligator Records, produced by Jim Tullio, in 2004. The album featured spiritual music, some of it semi-acoustic. // In 2004, Staples contributed to a Verve release by legendary jazz-rock guitarist, John Scofield. The album, entitled That’s What I Say, was a tribute to the great Ray Charles and led to a live tour featuring Staples, John Scofield, pianist Gary Versace, drummer Steve Hass, and bassist Rueben Rodriguez. A new album for Anti- Records entitled We’ll Never Turn Back was released on April 24, 2007. The Ry Cooder-produced concept album focuses on gospel songs of the civil rights movement and also included two new original songs by Cooder. // Her voice has been sampled by some of the biggest selling artists, including Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Ice Cube, Ludacris, and Hozier. Staples has recorded with a wide variety of musicians, from her friend, Bob Dylan (with whom she was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award in the “Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals” category for their duet on “Gonna Change My Way of Thinking”, from the album Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan) to The Band, Ray Charles, Prince, Nona Hendryx, George Jones, Natalie Merchant, Ann Peebles, and Delbert McClinton. She has provided vocals on current albums by Los Lobos and Dr. John, and she appears on tribute albums to such artists as Johnny Paycheck, Stephen Foster and Bob Dylan. // In 2003, Staples performed in Memphis at the Orpheum Theater alongside a cadre of her fellow former Stax Records stars during “Soul Comes Home,” a concert held in conjunction with the grand opening of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music at the original site of Stax Records, and appears on the CD & DVD that were recorded and filmed during the event. In 2004, she returned as guest artist for the Stax Music Academy’s SNAP! Summer Music Camp and performed again at the Orpheum with 225 of the academy’s students. In June 2007, she again returned to the venue to perform at the Stax 50th Anniversary Concert to Benefit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, produced by Concord Records, who now owns and has revived the Stax Records label. // In 2009, Staples, along with Patty Griffin and The Tri-City Singers, released a version of the song “Waiting For My Child To Come Home” on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration. // On October 30, 2010, Staples performed at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear alongside singer Jeff Tweedy. In 2011 she was joined on-stage at the Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival by Arcade Fire singer Win Butler. The two performed a version of “The Weight” by The Band. // Staples also performed at the 33rd Kennedy Center Honors, singing in a tribute to honoree Paul McCartney. // Staples headlined on June 10, 2012, at Chicago’s Annual Blues Festival in Grant Park. // On June 27, 2015, Staples performed on the Park Stage of Glastonbury Somerset UK. On October 31, 2015, Staples performed with Joan Osborne in Washington, D.C. at The George Washington // University’s Lisner Auditorium as part of their Solid Soul Tour. // In February 2016, Staples’s album Livin’ on a High Note was released. Produced by M. Ward, the album features songs written specifically for Staples by Nick Cave, Justin Vernon, tUnE-yArds, Neko Case, Aloe Blacc, and others. Discussing the album Staples said: “I’ve been singing my freedom songs and I wanted to stretch out and sing some songs that were new. I told the writers I was looking for some joyful songs. I want to leave something to lift people up; I’m so busy making people cry, not from sadness, but I’m always telling a part of history that brought us down and I’m trying to bring us back up. These songwriters gave me a challenge. They gave me that feeling of, ‘Hey, I can hang! I can still do this!’ There’s a variety, and it makes me feel refreshed and brand new. Just like Benjamin Booker wrote on the opening track, ‘I got friends and I got love around me, I got people, the people who love me.’ I’m living on a high note, I’m above the clouds. I’m just so grateful. I must be the happiest old girl in the world. Yes, indeed.” // In January 2017, Staples was featured as a guest vocalist on “I Give You Power”, a single from Arcade Fire benefiting the American Civil Liberties Union. In February 2017, Staples appeared on NPR’s Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me! in the “Not My Job” segment, answering questions about the rock band The Shaggs. In April 2017, “Let Me Out”, a single from the fifth studio album by Gorillaz, Humanz, was released, featuring Staples and rapper Pusha T. // Staples’s sixteenth album If All I Was Was Black was released on November 17, 2017. The record was again produced by Jeff Tweedy and contains all original songs cowritten by Mavis and Tweedy. Following the release, Staples toured with Bob Dylan. She also appeared on the 2017/18 Hootenanny. In 2018, she sang on Hozier’s single “Nina Cried Power”. // In May 2019, Staples celebrated her 80th birthday with a concert at the Apollo Theater, 63 years after first appearing at the theater as a teenager with her family band, the Staple Singers, in 1956. The show, which featured special guest artists, including David Byrne & Norah Jones, is one of a series of collaborative concerts she staged in May to commemorate her 80th birthday. She performed at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. // In 2022, Staples released Carry Me Home, a collaboration with Levon Helm, recorded at Helm’s Midnight Ramble in 2011. // She released the single “Worthy” on June 18, 2024. // On May 13, 2022 Kevin Morby released THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH on Dead Oceans. It was #7 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. It was Kevin Morby’s 7th album as a solo artist. From http://www.rollingstone.com: “In January 2020, songwriter Kevin Morby witnessed his father collapse from a medical event while visiting his childhood home in Kansas. In a state of shock, the singer spent the evening looking at old family photos and fixated on an image of his father as a young man, looking, as Morby states, ‘full of confidence.’ The experience forced Morby to confront both the idea of mortality and the passage of time — and, after an extended sojourn in Tennessee, these reflections came together in the form of his upcoming album, This Is a Photograph. To mark the announcement, the singer released the record’s eponymous single, accompanied by a music video directed by Chantal Anderson. Produced by frequent Morby collaborator Sam Cohen, This Is a Photograph was primarily written in Memphis’ historic Peabody Hotel, where the singer-songwriter holed up in search of inspiration and self-realization amongst the city’s dark past.” // On October 16, 2020 Kevin Morby released SUNDOWNER, ranked #20 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020 and was his 6th release. Kevin Robert Morby was born April 2, 1988. SUNDOWNER was the follow up to his 2019 release OH MY GOD. Kevin Morby released CITY MUSIC in 2017. Kevin learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens. 17-year-old Morby dropped out of Blue Valley Northwest High School, got his GED, and moved from his native KC to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, supporting himself by working bike delivery and café jobs. He later joined the noise-folk group Woods on bass. While living in Brooklyn, he became close friends and roommates with Cassie Ramone of the punk trio Vivian Girls, and the two formed a side project together called The Babies, who released albums in 2011 and 2012. He began a solo career in 2013 releasing his debut HARLEM RIVER. His 2nd album STILL LIFE was released in 2014. SINGING SAW was in WMM’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016. His album CITY MUSIC was in WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018.]

20. (#12.) TyFaison – “The Gospel (Radio Edit)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / Seven Rings Media / September 26, 2025
    [Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human. TyFaizon is a multi faceted musical artist, writer, producer, composer, TyFaison is also known as Mango Marai. TyFaison is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. TyFaison rose to international acclaim with BLACKSTARKIDS. // Mark: When we first heard BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun!” from their album: SURF on Bedroom Records, released Feb. 28, 2020, we lost our minds. It was one of our most played song on the radio show that year and landed at #2 in WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. Blackstarkids were a phenomenon who came out of Raytown Missouri and SURF became the soundtrack for the summer of 2020. // Blackstarkids were a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio that include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school meeting at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on Aug. 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. // Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020. // Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album on October 22, 2020, followed by Puppies Forever on Oct. 15, 2021, and Cyberkiss on Sept. 23, 2022. Blackstarkids released their last two albums Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024, and Heaven on Urf on Oct. 25, 2024. // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Ty gained experience, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. // In Sept. 20, 2024. After the break-up of BlackStarKids last year, TyFaison with Medici formed the production company “The Human” and then produced Paris Williams 2024 album A PARIS WILLIAMS JOINT (released Nov. 19, 2024) and then the full length album MANGO MARAI & SATURN STAR, (released in Dec. 2024). Ty then lent his talent to collaborating with BlackStarKids bandmate and close friend TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Her debut mixtape HONEY POP, was released on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED was released on Aug. 8, 2025. Both albums were produced by The Human.

21. (#11.) TheBabeGabe X The Human – “HONEYPOP (clean)”
    from: HONEYPOP RELOADED / Seven Rings Media / August 8, 2025
    [One of two full length albums release in 2025 by TheBabeGabe, the other being HONEYPOP on Seven Rings Media released March 5, 2025, both with production by The Human // After years of being the girl in the band, TheBabeGabe is stepping out, and standing ten toes down. As she dives into her solo career, Gabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy that she did as 1/3 of the alt-rap trio BLACKSTARKIDS. This time though, she’s telling her story, and forging a fresh start. The debut mixtape HONEY POP introduces the world to a young black girl from Kansas City that’s hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. Her energy is infectious, and you won’t want to be the one standing in her way, which becomes clear from the rowdy hook of the project’s lead single PSA. “It’s in my DNA, killing shit like every day, take this as a PSA, don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say.” // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, Glass Animals, & more. That confidence shines through on braggadocios tracks like Only See Me, Pulse, and Pep Rally where she raps, “hoe shut the fuck up when I’m talking, got a pretty face but this mouth repulsive.” Pulling inspiration from future peers like Doja Cat & Tyler, The Creator, Gabe is quick to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound. There’s no shortage of variety with sticky hooks, soulful ballads, Janelle Monáe -esque pop hits, somber reflective cuts, and boomy west-coast kickbacks. // No song boasts this genre-bending ability better than the double track RIOT GRRL//DRAMA QUEEN. Starting with an inspirational pop-punk banger that could make any Olivia Rodrigo fan nod in approval, it soon turns to the emotional DRAMA QUEEN, seeing Gabe grapple with difficult changes and struggle to find the best way forward. Listening to Gabe can often feel like hanging with your bestie in that you’re getting both the yap sessions about the everyday as well as the venting about life’s drama and all its uncertainties. // These confessions, boasts, hooks, croons, screams, beats, and sounds all come together to create an extraordinary portrait of a young artist figuring it out. It’s an unfiltered showcase that sees Gabe pull back the curtain and step forward so you can meet her where she’s at. So when you listen, you’re seeing her for who she really is. And for many, that’s someone you can see yourself in. That’s TheBabeGabe. // TheBabeGabe was one-third of the Kansas City based BLACKSTARKIDZ Gen-Z upstarts BLACKSTARKIDS have released their sixth studio album Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024 through Dirty Hit Records and immediately followed with an 8-track 7th studio album HEAVEN ON URF, on Oct. 25, 2024 on Dirty Hit Records. Music writer Bill Brownlee talked with us about how the band created a double album, but the record company decided to release as two separate albums. The music from both albums relate to each other. Before the release of Saturn Dayz the band released their single and video “SOULMATEZ!” on August 30, 2024. “SOULMATEZ!,” is a magnetic, blissed-out bop that brings together pop, indie, and alt-rap, reminiscent of Dev Hynes-era Solange mixed with De La Soul. // The follow up to BLACKSTARKIDS’ acclaimed 2022 album CYBERKISS* which featured standout singles “CYBERKISS 2 U* ft. beabadoobee” and “SEX APPEAL,” SATURN DAYZ is an otherworldly, genre-crossing testament to their unrelenting artistry and is their most impressive work to date. PRESS HERE to pre-save SATURN DAYZ. // Putting out music at a prolific rate and making waves for their formidable songwriting and producing talents, as well as their endless energy and truly limitless sound, BLACKSTARKIDS have received critical acclaim from New York Times, MTV, UPROXX, Billboard, Alternative Press, SPIN, Ones To Watch, Rolling Stone France, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Coup De Main, and more. Blending garage rock with synth-punk and hip-hop to usher in a new surge of indie, such as on their beloved album Puppies Forever which features anthemic singles “ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS,” “JUNO,” and “FIGHT CLUB,” BLACKSTARKIDS are well on their way to indie stardom and have previously toured with the likes of The 1975, COIN, Glass Animals, beabadoobee, Christian Leave, GroupLove. // Incorporating each member’s wide-ranging influences into their blissful DIY sound, such as Toro Y Moi, NERD*, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Outkast, Odd Future, and A Tribe Called Quest, BLACKSTARKIDS first captivated the internet with their “black coming of age trilogy” of projects Let’s Play Sports, Surf, and Whatever, Man that feature critically acclaimed singles including “BRITNEY BITCH” and “FRANKIE MUNIZ.” // Blackstarkids are phenomenon who came out of KC in 2020 became the soundtrack for the summer. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020, Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their third album release of 2020. Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. KC is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.”]

THE TOP TEN!

22. (#10.) Black Light Animals – “Last Call For Love Songs”
    from: LAST CALL FOR LOVE SONGS / The Record Machine / March 28, 2025
    [Black Light Animals are: Cole Bales on lead vocals, background vocals, guitar, keyboards; Cody Calhoun on lead guitar & percussion; Branden Moser on bass, guitar, keyboards, drums & percussion; and Alex Hartmann on drums & percussion. All songs written and produced by Black Light Animals. Lyrics by Cole Bales, Cody Calhoun, Branden Moser. Mixed and engineered by Cole Bales. Mastered by Adam Boose. Featuring Nate Hubert on keyboards & background vocals; spoken word intro and outro by Jass. Seyko Groves & Paula Saunders on additional background vocals and vocal arrangements. Brett Jackson on saxophone. Recorded at Groove King Studios in KCMO. // Formed from the ashes of their last band, Instant Karma the new record contains lush pop vocals crooned over spaghetti western riffs, psychedelic synth, and hip hop drums. Playboys of the Western World is a sprawling, decadent examination of what it means to be a human being through the lens of horror movie organs, spaghetti western guitars, hip hop grooves, psychedelic sojourns, and ballads crooned to lovers in the night. More info at: http://www.blacklightanimalsband.bandcamp.com]

23. (#9.) Dragon Inn 3 – “Send Your Love”
    from: Full Disclosure / American Laundromat Records / October 13, 2025
    [The first four songs on Full Disclosure were written over the course of three decades. Grace started writing “Never Lost” as a teenager in 2002. I started working on “Send Your Love” in 2015 but couldn’t figure out how to finish it until I saw the movie True Romance for the first time last year. Sharon and I collaborated on “Taking It Back” and “Yer Too Good” this year. We couldn’t have made these songs without some of our new and old friends. Ryan Wasoba, who I played shows with in the early 2000s, helped us record some guitars on “Never Lost.” And our new friends Nick Wilkerson (drums), Brandon Yangmi (recording engineer), and Scoops Dardaris (mixing) helped us out on everything else.// The second set of four songs on the EP are a collection of digital singles we released over the past few years and collected here for the first time on cassette. // We’re super lucky and grateful to work with American Laundromat Records, Bank Robber Music, and SRG studios. They’ve been helping us release music for the last seven years. Special thanks to Lonny Unitus for the excellent cassette design and layouts.” – Philip Dickey // Performed by Dragon Inn 3: Grace Bentley on vocals; Philip Dickey on bass, drums, guitar, synths, & vocals; Sharon Hamm on synths, vocals. // Additional Musicians: Nick Wilkerson on drums on Send Your Love, Never Lost, Yer Too Good, and Clock Machine; Ryan Wasoba on distorted guitars on Never Lost; Matt Vollmer on Fender VI on Yer Too Good; Juan C. Marioni on Acoustic 12-String on Yer Too Good; Samo T. on feedback on Never Lost. // Mixed by Scoops Dardaris// Recorded by Philip Dickey, Jack Florio, Brandon Yangmi, Ryan Wasoba, and Ross Brown. // Mastered by Sean Glonek at SRG studios // In 2023 Dragon Inn 3 released Trade Secrets on American Laundromat Records on April 18, 2023, their sophomore release featuring 10 new original songs plus a cover of Yazoo’s “Only You.” // For Dragon Inn 3 second album: Grace Bentley on vocals; Philip Dickey on synths, drums, guitar, bass & vocals; Sharon Hamm on synths & vocals; David Hill on vocals & synths. Recorded from 2018 to 2022 at Davey’s house and Sharon’s house. Recorded, mixed, and produced by Philip Dickey. Additional recording and mixing help from Ross Brown, David Hill, and Chase Horseman. Mastered by Sean Glonek at SRG studios. Additional musicians: Bill Belzer percussion “I Can’t Stop”, John Cardwell guitar “Finally Going Down”, Ben Collins guitar “I Can’t Stop”, Tim Gillespie saxophone “I Can’t Stop” “Out Of Control” “Trade Secrets Theme”, Anita Kitungano vocals “See It Your Way”, John O’Hallaron guitar “Teleport”, Bora Wilondja vocals “See It Your Way” “Trade Secrets Theme”, Mauwa Wilondja vocals “Trade Secrets Theme”, Pelo Wilondja percussion “I Could Never”. Additional writers: Emma Bentley Ruzicka “Not Enough”, Bora Wilondja “See It Your Way”, JR Top “See It Your Way”, and Vincent Clark “Only You”. // Kansas City based band formed in 2012 with Grace Bentley, Sharon Bowie, Philip K. Dickey, E.P. Marcus. Dragon Inn 3’s debut LP DOUBLE LINE on August 17, 2018 through American Laundromat records. DOUBLE LINE was part of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. The band spent six years whittling away on the songs. Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Dragon Inn 3’s playful take on 80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner). The cinematic origins of Dragon Inn 3 can be traced back to 2012, when Philip Dickey (leader of the indie-pop group, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) wrote a theme song for the award-winning short film Ghoul School. “If you watch the trailer you can tell it’s the same premise and look as Stranger Things–we just accidentally made it three years before them,” Dickey says. “I had so much fun making the soundtrack with the director (E.P. Marcus) that we decided to start a band.” Dickey recruited his sister, Sharon Bowie, an occupational therapist, and his wife, children’s librarian Grace Bentley, to help with songwriting and vocal duties. The group self-released the Ghoul School Soundtrack EP in late 2012, receiving high praise from Consequence of Sound, Philadelphia’s WXPN, and The Riverfront Times, before climbing to #1 on Bandcamp’s cassette charts. Then it was back to the studio (i.e. the bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and hotel rooms that doubled as makeshift recording studios). In between full-time jobs, parenthood, graduate school classes, and cross country moves, the members of Dragon Inn 3 put Double Line to tape. “I’m a stay-at-home dad now, so I would work on song arrangements and rough mixes when our toddler was taking his naps,” explains Dickey. “Grace would come home from work and record all her parts after his bedtime. We recorded all the breathy vocals in the living room and all the yelly parts in the garage so we wouldn’t wake him up.” The result is a highly addictive album that creates “a soundtrack for the more introspective moments on and off the dance floor,” according to critic David Greenwald. With members spread out over the country (KC, LA, Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in 2018. A demo of “Bad Boy” co-written with Free Energy’s Paul Sprangers landed in a commercial for Ryan Adams’ Beats 1 Radio show before it was even completed. More: http://www.dragoninn3.com Phil Dickey joined on WMM May 3, 2023.]

24. (#8.) Daniel Gum – “If Everyday Was Sun”
    from:The Great Conjunction / Manor Records / February 7, 2025
    [All songs written/performed by Daniel Gum (BMI), production/engineering: Mike Crawford & Daniel Gum, mixing: Daniel Gum, bass: Joel Stratton, drums/percussion: Micah Ritchie. With Joel Stratton (piano on 1, baritone guitar on 2), Wills Van Doorn (slide guitar on 3), Brandon Bray (lead guitar on 6), Cole Crawford (piano on 10), Devon Teran (pedal steel on 2), Evan Herd (writing for drums on 7), Rachel Cionitti (bgvs on 1-6, 8), mastering: Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering, artwork/lettering: Daniel Gum] // Here’s what Daniel had to say about this track: “This song was written reflecting on a past relationship—thinking things probably could have worked out if we met 5 years later than we did. Or maybe they wouldn’t have.. but I’ll never know. This song is a part of a series of singles leading up to my second album. I hope you enjoy the chord progressions and slide guitar especially”. // Daniel Gum is a singer-songwriter based out of Kansas City, KS who has been active since 2017. Daniel Gum released the single “Julia” on December 9, 2022. Daniel Gum released the single “Wolverine (ft. Rachel Cion)” on September 19, 2921. Daniel Gu, released the electronic pop EP, I’M NOT DEAD in 2017 and an acoustic EP, MOON in 2018. In addition to working on his own solo project, Daniel has been working with other local groups—playing bass and engineering for his band Pillow (a post-punk/shoegaze group) and playing drums behind singer-songwriter Chloe Jacobson, also doing some recording for her. Channeling the likes of Elliott Smith & Andy Shauf, he co-produced his new record THIRTEEN with Mike Crawford, playing almost everything you hear on the album and mixing it himself. Signing to Manor Records in the spring of 2020, he officially released THIRTEEN on cassette & CD on October 30, 2020. All songs written, performed, and.mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Daniel Gum is a 24 year old singer-songwriter . Since the age of 12, he has spent the majority of his time writing and recording songs by himself in his room. The Moon EP was released December 7, 2019. It was engineered by Mike Crawford and Daniel Gum and mixed by Daniel Gum with piano and accordion by Cole Crawford. Daniel Gun released his EPI’M NOT DEAD on October 25, 2017, and his 10-song album Reorient on July 31, 2015, with all songs written, recorded and mixed by Daniel Gum who also performed all vocals guitars, drums, piano, bass. harmonica, and programming. The first single from Daniel Gum’s album, Thirteen “Ruin Your Life” was released on September 4, The second single, “In The Worst Ways” was released September 28, 2020. ] [On our July 22, 2020, WMM show we played Daniel Gum’s track, “Tired Saint” from French Exit Records – Black Lives Matter Compilation, released July 6, 2020. French Exit Records was launched two years ago as an independent music label in KCMO, founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond,. BLM Compilation is 22 acts from the area, with all proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally. Daniel Gum joined us on WMM on November 11, 2020]

11:27 – Underwriting

25. (#7.) Pool Culture – “Birds Like These”
    from:Pure Lemon / Les Bonbons Electriques / October 17, 2025
    [Les Bonbons Electriques, an imprint of The Record Machine. // Pool Culture is an electronic dream pop band from Kansas City, MO. Through distorted synthesizers, overdriven found-sound samples, and glitched-out electronics, the four-piece puts an electronic twist inside a rock band, removing guitars and substituting them with synths. The band draws on 90s IDM, trip hop, and shoegaze influences, imbuing their synthesizers with the sonic characteristics of busted equipment: filters, overdrives, distortion, and modulation hybridize low and high fidelity instrumentation. This sound, coupled with live bass and drums, captures the dynamic scope of a rock band but with electronic production in a pop package. Blooming beneath dreamy vocals, Pool Culture creates an emotional landscape populated with hope, desperation, love, and doubt, glistening within a vibrant ecosystem of sounds. // The band started as a solo project for Mark Ronning after he graduated from college in 2017, but it grew into an earnest project when it became a full band in 2023, with Jeff McCreary on bass guitar, Kody Krause on drums, Iona DeWalt on synth, and Mark Ronning on vocals and synthesizer. Now, in 2025, Pool Culture features Sean Logan on drums, and they are promoting their upcoming EP “Pure Lemon” with a stint of small tours, beginning this weekend. They’ve released two singles so far, and the third comes out Friday, September 19th. / “Birds Like These was their first of three singles Pool Culture, put out leading up to the release of PURE LEMON. The second single “Mathletes” was released on August 22, 2025 and the band’s third single “Finish Line”, was released on September 19, 2025. // Pool Culture released their single “brighter lighter” on April 20, 2018, with music and lyrics and production by Mark Ronning. all instruments and vocals by Mark Ronning. mixed by Reid Kruger at Waterbury recording. // Mark Ronning is a musician who specializes in the synthesizer, playing Rhodes and synth in the electrofolk band Mr. Golden Sun and synth in the electronic dreampop four-piece Pool Culture. Mr. Golden Sun is wrapping up their first full length record, and Pool Culture is going into the studio this October and November to work on their first full band releases. Additionally, Mark plays the modular synthesizer and participates in KC Synth Collective, coordinates electronic performance events for his pop-up show Les Bonbons Electriques, and helps out with Outer Reaches. In collaboration with Nathan Reusch, Mark is also starting a record label called Les Bonbons Electriques, which is an imprint of The Record Machine, which will focus on artistry, experimentation, and electronic music. Mark Ronning & Iona Dewalt joined us on WMM oj Septembe 17, 2025.] [Pool Culture played miniBar, Wednesday, September 17, at 7:00pm with Ryder The Eagle, and Prototones.]

26. (#6) Eddie Moore – “In The Kitchen”
    from: What Makes Us / Eddie Moore Music / March 25, 2024
    [“In the Kitchen” features: Eddie Moore on piano, Bass, & Rhoades; Jaylen Ward on drums; Ben Tervort on bass, Isaiah Petrie on vibes. Written & Produced by Eddie Moore(Emoremyz BMI). Executive Producer – Eddie Moore, Co-Producer – Dan Israel. Mixed By- Eddie Moore. Mastered By Crayge Lindesay. Recorded at First Run Studios engineered by Dan Israel // When you speak to Eddie Moore you find an ocean of calm, and when you listen to Eddie Moore you find the depth of that ocean. Moore reaches from the soul with every note, in a deep way, with a tension just below the surface. His yearning for exploration and curiosity in music contribute to an ebb and flow freedom of expression. // On March 5, 2024 Eddie Moore released the EP Aperture (Live Piano Works) through Eddie Moore Music. // On April 20, 2023 Eddie Moore released the single “Tsunami” Recorded & produced at Moore’s Tribe Studios, the song features Jaylen Ward on drums. Mixed & mastered by veteran KC savant Crayge Lindesay. // Eddie Moore released his critically acclaimed album INTUITION on Oct. 28, 2022. Written & Produced by Eddie Moore. Recorded at Tribe Studios. Featuring Tim Ogutu on guitar. Mix & Mastered by Rick Carson at Make Believe Studios. Album Art by Brandon Wilson. // Eddie Moore released the single, “Love Song” (with Joel Castillo & Bree Cummings) on Oct. 22, 2021. // We The People released the single, “Single Double” on June 10, 2021. Written & Produced By Eddie Moore on keyboards, key bass, & programming; Zach Morrow on drums; and Jason Emmond on bass. // Eddie Moore’s band We The People released their album MISUNDERSTOOD on Sept. 25, 2020. // Eddie Moore is the recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Street Generative Performance Award for his genre bending collaborations. Raised in Houston Texas, he began his musical journey at Texas Southern University where he later earned a Bachelors in Arts and immersed himself in the Houston music scene. Eddie relocated to KC to study under Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-KC where he received a M.A in Jazz Studies. He was 2017’s Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art “Artist in Residence” in collaboration with Rashid Johnson. In 2018 his work with The Outer Circle was nominated for an Indie Music Award for “007”. His music has been featured commercially for Sprint, Netflix’s “Queer Eye”, and Morgan Cooper’s short film “Room Tone”. Moore has shared the stage and recordings with Bobby Watson, Logan Richardson, Maurice Brown, Boys II Men, Brian Blade and the Fellowship, John Baptiste, Erykah Badu, Mosdef, Bilal, Ledisi, Chantae Cann, Krystal Warren, Matt Otto, Brandon Draper, Andre Hayward, Tivon Pennicott, Various Blonde, Dominique Sanders, 77 Jefferson, and the Marcus Lewis Big Band. Eddie Moore joined WMM on Sept. 23, 2020 and Nov. 23, 2022. More info at http://www.eddiemooremusic.com]

27. (#5.) joel vs. joel – “ad hominem”
    from: Smile in the Mirror / Enigmatic Brunch Records / August 19, 2025
    [all songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum. // oel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton. With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements. This is all interconnected with vulnerably delivered lyrics that convey the manifold feelings of one’s humanity. // Some craftsmen work in wood, stone, or metal. Others sculpt with more intangible and ethereal materials: notes, chords, rhythms, riffs, melodies, and human emotion. Both toil over their medium until it outwardly takes the shape of their inner being. The outcome of joel vs joel’s labor is the beautifully crafted debut album, Smile in the Mirror. // Smile in the Mirror is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising.// Joel Stratton who performs as joel vs joel. Joel is a Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, with classical training from UMKC Conservatory of Music. Joel Stratton trained as a “serious” jazz musician and gigged his way through many Kansas City venues with an upright bass in tow. Curiously this gave way to repeated toe-dips in the singer-songwriter circle, starting as a sideman with Alyssa Murray’s AM Trio. There followed a head-first plunge into a self-stirred mixture of 60’s baroque pop, 70’s folk rock, and the indie rock mainstays of his youth. Joel has released several EP’s of original music under the moniker Tropic of Leo. Joel has also played and collaborated with the bands Supermoto, Eggs on Mars and Daniel Gum. joel vs. joel is getting ready to release his debut album, SMILE IN THE MIRROR on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 through Enigmatic Brunch Records a “small batch” local record label with this being their very first album release. Info at: http://www.enigmaticbrunchrecords.bandcamp.com

28. (#4.) She Said – “Time”
    from: What! / May 10, 2025
    [Jennie Ferguson on vocals & guitar, Scott Mize on guitar, Doug Hitchcock on drums, and Matt Kesler, on bass. Matt Kesler and Scott Mize used to be in a band called Sylvan Grove. Lyrics by Jennie Ferguson, music by Jennie Ferguson and She Said. Produced by She Said. Recorded and Engineered by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound in Shawnee, Kansas. Mixing by Paul Malinowski and She Said. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Jennie Ferguson and Scott Mize used to play in a band called Shotgun Solution. This was after the time of Jennie’s all-girl psych/pop band PMS. Doug Hitchcock has played with Matt Kesler in the Midtown Jazz Quartet. Doug has played with Freedie Johston, and the band Near Death Experience. Matt Kesler also plays in the famous bands The Pedajets and The Doo Dads.]

29. (#3.) Fullbloods – “No Hesitation”
    from: Playing It Safe / High Dive Records / March 7, 2025
    [Fullbloods is a studio project of songwriter and producer Ross Brown (Shy Boys, Koney, Snacky). Live he is joined by his friends. The first single, “No Hesitation” was released on December 7, 2024. All songs written, performed, recorded, mixed by Ross Brown (℗© 2019 Bargain Hunt Music / ASCAP) in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. // Fullbloods released their 3rd full-length album Soft and Virtual Touch on High Dive Records on April 3, 2020. // Fullbloods is a studio project of songwriter and producer Ross Brown who is also in the bands: Shy Boys, Koney, and Snacky. When Fullbloods play live, Ross is joined on stage by his friends. // Writing about Ross Brown’s previous Fullbloods album, Soft and Virtual Touch , Lionell Williams aka “Vinyl Williams” of PRIVATE PLAYLIST on KCRW calls “Ross Brown a frickin’ genius. He’s the modern day Brian Wilson of America. His whole album, the entire way through, is one of those albums [where] every microsecond, every quantum moment, is wow. He’s just a straight-up genius.” Info: http://www.fullbloods.com.][Fullbloods played The Ship on February 21, at 9:00 pm with Fake Italian for Daniel Gum’s The Great Conjunction Album Release Show. ][Fullbloods played Hillsiders in KCK on March 7 at 8:00 PM for their own PLAYING IT SAFE Album Release Show with Schemada, and 2w33dy.]

30. (#2.) Katy Guillen & The Drive – “Staying Awake”
    from: MAKE THAT SOUND / Are and Be Recordings / October 17, 2025
    [Katy Guillen & The Drive released the singles: “What If” on July 25, and “Outcome” on August 22, 2025) from the band’s upcoming album.// MAKE THAT SOUND was Produced by Megan McCormick, Engineered & Mixed by Brandon Bell with Annie Petrik, Mastered by Kim Rosen. Katy Guillen on vocals & guitar; Stephanie Williams on drums & percussion; Megan McCormick on bass, backing vocals, additional guitars & percussion; Erin Manning on Synthesizers; and Brandon Bell on Loops & programming. // Established in 2019, Katy Guillen & The Drive is an independent Indie Roots Rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, formed by partners Katy Guillen (Vocals, Guitar) and Stephanie Williams (Drums). The band’s 2022 debut album Another One Gained, produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards), “hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs,” lauds Uncut Magazine. Under The Radar Magazine declares the duo “evokes a timeless indie rock sound” and displays “effortless instrumental chemistry that gives both members a chance to shine.” Following this release, the band unleashed Another One Gained Deluxe featuring ‘Batallas,’ a highly anticipated Spanish version of the fan-favorite ‘Battles,’ which spotlighted special guest Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos (Flor De Toloache) on violin and backing vocals. // Katy Guillen & The Drive prides itself on fostering empowered spaces for women in music both onstage and off, and performances showcase the group’s signature all-female powerhouse formation, technical prowess, and electrifying chemistry. This core value heavily influenced the band’s second full-length effort Make That Sound. Guillen admits, “Having never worked with a woman in the studio, that’s something we wanted to change on this record. We wanted more female energy, ideas, and power to influence this album.” With this goal in mind, the band was eventually led to Producer Megan McCormick (Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah). As a result of their fast friendship and facile chemistry, the duo embraced their newfound creative trust in this relationship and ran with it. Within a matter of a few days, the three collaborated on everything from songwriting and arrangements to live tracking and overdubs, resulting in a liberated, emboldened, and nuanced new record. Williams shares, “The recording process was dense and fast. It required being totally present, trusting our initial instincts, and pushing into some uncharted territory at times.” Guillen speaks to the inspiration behind the songs and process, “In creating this album I felt particularly inspired by the countless strong and important women in my life, the love that I’ve grown with my partner, and the strength I’ve gained from digging inward through challenging times.” Make That Sound is a celebration of self-empowerment, liberation, vulnerability, honesty, and love. In addition to McCormick, the band was fortunate to work with engineers Brandon Bell (Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell) and Annie Petrik on tracking and mixing, as well as mastering engineer Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Allison Russell). The band will partner with Nashville-based indie label and artist collective Are & Be Recordings for the release.][Katy Guillen & The Drive set out for a 32 city tour Sept. 19 – Nov. 23, 2025 with a show at Knuckleheads on Nov. 14.]

31. (#1.) The Freedom Affair – “The Water”
    from: The Freedom Affair / Sunflower Soul Records / May 9, 2025
    [Shon Ruffin on vocals, Paula Saunders on vocals, Seyko Groves on vocals, Cole Bales on guitar, Branden Moser on bass & Acoustic Guitar, Chris Hazelton on Hammond B3 Organ, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Piano, Bass (Track 4), Vocals; Dave Brick on drums; Pete Carroll on trumpet & flugelhorn; Brett Jackson on tenor sax, baritone sax, tambourine. Recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. Recording Engineer: Boo Mitchell. Tape Operator: Wesley Graham. Produced by: Chris Hazelton, Dave Brick, and The Freedom Affair. Mixed by: Vince Chiarito. Mastered by: JJ Golden at Golden Mastering. Horn Arrangements by: Hazelton, Carroll, Jackson, and Bales. Design and Layout: Tracy Lenihan // The Freedom Affair has planted deep roots in soul music from their start, but after nearly a decade together, the group’s self-titled sophomore album focuses their sound squarely where Muscle Shoals meets Memphis Soul. It’s a masterstroke of impassioned message-music exploring ageless themes of inequity, love, and togetherness. // A fateful February 2023 encounter with Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Boo Mitchell (Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Al Green) at Royal Studios created a spark that sent the band back to Kansas City with new musical conviction. By November, the band had returned to record all-new Southern Soul-inspired songs in the legendary Memphis studio. // The ever-powerful female trio fronting the band–Paula Saunders, Seyko Groves, and Shon Ruffin–has been the hallmark of The Freedom Affair’s sound and identity, and their collective vocal prowess is on full display ranging from tough to tender, touching on heartache and hope. The experience at Royal studios convinced the band that there isn’t a better room to record horns. The “one take” horns of Pete Carroll on trumpet and Brett Jackson on saxophone prove their years together as a unit have paid off with their precision and lines written to meet the vibe perfectly. With rhythm section personnel remaining the same from their debut album Freedom is Love, a shift in instrumentation moves Chris Hazelton from bass to his primary instrument of the Hammond B3 organ along with various keyboards. Branden Moser swaps in the bass, which also happens to be his primary instrument, from his former rhythm guitar. Cole Bales continues to dig into timeless riffs on lead guitar, and Dave Brick maintains the backbone with the heavy boom-bap on drums. This album has cemented The Freedom Affair’s sound: enduring melodies with rich arrangements, backed by a gritty pulse. // Royal was the perfect site for this album, and the band took full advantage of the studio’s history by incorporating studio tools and relics throughout the process. With only four days to fully track the ten-song album, the band insisted on using the same Ampex 1” tape recorder that produced all the Hi Record hits from 1974 and prior to preserve authenticity. It was the first time the machine had been used for an album since 1974. The limitations and quirks of using vintage, analog gear made way for magic moments that shape the album’s charm. The record calls fresh attention to classic Southern Soul with all the coziness and warmth you’d expect from listening to Al Green or Ann Peebles, captured in the very same room. Mixed by Vince Chiarito (Hive Mind, Jalen Ngonda, Charles Bradley) and mastered by JJ Golden (Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, The James Hunter Six, Antibalas), this album is a truly an all-killer, no-filler lesson in soul music.]

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

NEXT WEEK, on January 7, 2026, 10-Noon, on KKFI 90.1 FM we present our annualTribute to Iris DeMent with music from: Iris DeMent, Greg Brown, and John Prine, and from her inspirations:Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Merle Haggard. AND… our annual Tribute to David Bowie with musical tracks from his studio albums, from his Reality Tour Live recordings, from songs performed by musicians he influenced: The Sea and Cake, Chase The Horseman, Calvin Arsenia, Julia Othmer and Ondara, from electronic musical pioneers Kraftwerk, and from Oscar winning film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

The text in this playlist is a collage and “cut & paste” of information from artist’s websites, press releases, event info, wikipedia, social media pages, BandCamp, liner notes, and where noted.

WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025 at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedey.org

You can find our playlists at:
http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org
http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley
http://www.bandcamp.com/wednesdaymiddaymedley

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

Thanks for listening – Happy New Year!

Show #1128