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

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

WMM presents: D Rashaan Gilmore + Calvin Arsenia + FlareThaRebel + Shaun Crowley

Mark plays New & MidCoastal Releases from: Eggs on Mars, The Freedom Affair, Angie Fights Crime, Quiet Takes, Katie Ziegler, FlareThaRebel, Betse & Clarke, Calvin Arsenia, Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, and Al Green.

At 10:30 D. Rashaan Gilmore joins us to talk about the return of his radio show, “Unbossed and Unbothered with D. Rashaan Gilmore,” starting this Saturday, February 14 at 5:00pm on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. D. Rashaan Gilmore is a two-time Emmy Award winning host and producer of Flatland In Focus on Kansas City PBS. He has also served as a Newsweek contributing writer. After nearly four years as part of the team on 90.1’s The Tenth Voice, D. Rashaan made the leap to producing and hosting his own weekly radio show “Unbossed and Unbothered” that aired from 2021-2022 on 90.1 FM KKFI, before leaving KKFI to work at KCPT. A life-long resident of Kansas City. D Rashaan is community connector, organizer, collaborator, and AIDS activist, who serves as Founder and President/CEO at BlaqOut KC, which seeks to organize and mobilize the black, gay community in Kansas City and develop a leadership core. Gilmore has previously managed multiple significant HIV/ AIDS awareness and prevention grants for the Kansas City CARE Clinic. D Rashaan has also served as the Senior Field Organizer for PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT equality and advocacy organization. “Unbossed and Unbothered with D. Rashaan Gilmore” makes its return to 90.1 FM KKFI this Saturday, February 14 at 5:00pm. More info at: http://www.blaqout.org

At 11:00 Mark welcomes Calvin Arsenia a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, teacher, writer, actor, model, designer, and artist. Calvin is also the curator at The Greenwood Social Hall. Calvin Arsenia was born in Orlando, Florida. His creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself guitar, piano, banjo. He learned the harp, at the age of 20. Calvin Arsenia first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. His passion for stretching the boundaries saw him transformed after a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career. An Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, MOMENTS, in 2014, his EP, PROSE in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP, CATASTROPHE in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his full length debut, CATASTROPHE, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016, involving 50 people: dancers, body painting, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: CANTALOUPE in 2018, with a sold out show at The Gem Theatre on September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. SESSIONS in 2019, along with the EP, HONEY DEW, the EP, GODDESS with Quixotic, and the holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “SUMMER IN HINDSIGHT,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin Arsenia released his 14 track album PARADISE to fans on June 23, 2023. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, racism, probation, gay love, and collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow & Jametatone. KC Magazine hailed Calvin as “equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator, a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.” Calvin Arsenia was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Calvin is the recipient of the Charlotte Street Foundation 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards, along with The Black Creatures. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast, “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin Arsenia & Friends play Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester, Saturday, February 14 at 8:00pm, for a special Valentine’s Day Show. More info at: http://www.calvinarsenia.com

At 11:30am, FlareThaRebel returns to WMM to share details about Music Maker Mondays from Manor Records Foundation, & Brewery Emperial on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO to provide local music makers of all types – any genre, a laid-back, non-gig environment to connect, organize, and build community through a new monthly happy hour occurring the first Monday of each month. FlareThaRebel released his latest single “Mixology” on October 8, 2025 from his upcoming full length album DEAR CITY to be released in 2026. Career and love brought hip-hop MC FlareThaRebel back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, FlareThaRebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. FlareThaRebel is also known as Jeff Shafer who serves as Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC. More info at: http://www.cityyear.org

Shaun Crowley joins FlareThaRebel. Shaun is a classically trained guitarist, and has studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Crowley started playing in the Kansas City music community when he was 17 in band Rev Gusto who released their debut album on High Dive Records. Rev. Gusto then transformed into the band Momma’s Boy. Shaun is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization that functions as a record store and record label to support Kansas City musicians. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017 with concerts first in a rented house in Shawnee, then moving to a cafe in Strawberry Hill , then a basement space in the West Bottoms, and then to a storefront retail space on Troost. Manor Records has expanded the idea of what a music label can be, by creating multiple record store locations, hosting Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Blvd, KCMO; Manor Fest an eight day, two weekend music festival held progressively in eight different neighborhoods in Kansas City in May; and now Music Maker Mondays on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO. More info at http://www.manorrecords.com

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STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #1134