Author Archives: Mark Manning

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About Mark Manning

For 19 years Mark Manning has served as Coordinator of the KCK Organic Teaching Gardens, an Initiative of The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity, Health Careers Pathways Program, K-12. Each year Mark works with 1000 to 2000 students, between K through 8th grades, with organic, "raised bed" gardens built directly on the school grounds of three Middle Schools and four Elementary Schools in the inner city of the Kansas City, Kansas school district. Mark conducts over 440 workshops annually in classrooms at these schools. He started the project under the guidance of Marcia Pomeroy, in 1999, after working in a literacy program. The KCK Organic Teaching Gardens has been financially supported through grants from The Kauffman Foundation, and The University of Kansas Medical Center. The project has been recognized locally and nationally by The National Gardening Association, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Community Gardens, The Green Bliss Festival, The Urban Farm & Garden Tour, and on the PBS television program America's Harvest. Mark learned about gardening from his grandmother Edna Jacobsen on the family's McCool Junction, Nebraska farm. His grandmother raised a huge garden, chickens, sheep and cattle. She preserved apples, wild berry jams, and beets and virtually everything she grew was canned for consumption in winter months. Edna raised seven children with no running water and as a child lived in a sod house. His passion for the school gardening program has been fueled by the fact that he doesn't see the lessons he learned from his grandmother passed down to kids today. Kids need to know where their food comes from, especially with the rise of diabetes, and over weight Americans. We can all learn from our gardens how to treat ourselves and the world better.

WMM Playlist from March 22, 2023

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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, March 22, 2023

Iris DeMent + KKFI Band Auction with Kelly Dougherty + Audrey Bramlett

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

KKFI’s Band Auction is on March 25 & 26, 2023. Early bidding has started at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023 Bands will play LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios, and we will spin tracks and interview these artists, listeners will have 25 to 30 minutes to call 888-931-0901 to place a bid. The highest bidder will be able to schedule your own private concert. Bands include: Brody Buster, Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats, Starhaven Rounders, Kat King, Jass, Quite Frankly, The Royal Chief, Marcus Lewis, Kristin & Lucy Hamilton, Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor, Timbers Trio, Calvin Arsenia, Mark Montgomery, IVORY BLUE, Just Angel, Amado Espinoza, and Hadiza.

Some of the bands from KKFI Band Auction on Saturday, March 25

  1. Kat King – “Gone South (Radio Edit)”
    from: “Gone South” – Single / Manor Records / January 13, 2023
    [Produced by Joel Martin. Led by Kat, on vocals with. Derek Melies on guitar, John Kaul McCain on bass, Daniel Cole on drums, & Kara LePage on keys bring a refreshing dynamism both on and off the stage. Centering on themes of self-care, steadfast friendship, and revitalizing optimism. On September 20, 2022 Kat King released the single “With Nothing In My Way.” This followed their single “New Sun” released Juy 29, 2022. “New Sun” was a follow up to the June 9, 2021 SAY WHAT YOU MEAN 5-track EP recorded with her band. Co-produced & mixed/mastered by Joel Martin. Lawrence Kansas based singer songwriter Kat King released her last single “Song of Spain” in 2019 and her single “2017” in, 2018. She released her 5-song EP “Falling Up” on December 1, 2017. Kat King has been creating music since the 2nd grade. She’s produced one 13-song album and three EP’s, the first one released at the age of 14. More info at: http://www.katbking.com]

[Kat King is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sat., March 25, at 11:15 AM on SirenSong. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can make a pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. Jass – “Grow”
    from: At the Close of a Decade / JASS / November 26, 2022
    [Jass is Jasmine “Jass” Couch. Jass released the single “Lifetime” on January 6, 2023. “Jass and The Boys released the single “Love U Like I Love U” on December 2, 2022. Jass released the EP, OFF KEY: TOO HIGH on September 23, 2022. Jass released the single “Higher Ground” on August 16, 2022. It was #1 on WMM’s 50 Favorite Singles of 2022. Jass released her single, “Him” on February 23, 2022. Jass released At the Close of a Decade on November 26, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 121 Best Recordings of 2021. She wrote, “After years of writing and recording in voice memos .. I decided to grab my iPad and began recording something that I am very proud of. I named it, At the Close of A Decade, and released it in November 2019. With my iPhone/iPad, some apple headphones, I created this project. The amazing people around me told me it was worth it, even when I didn’t believe it myself. I convinced myself I would be the only one that liked my songs. If you decide to listen you’ll hear sound clips of shows and movies that made a difference in the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself, and the way I overcame my experiences. I remember asking my grandma and my son if I should release what I’ve been writing and they both said very simply to do it, so I’ve done it. I want to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been my soundboards during this process, all of the people that have asked me when it’s coming, the people that have kept me accountable, and believed that this time it was for real. My story is so very triumphant and beautiful because I have overcome experiences and shunned the fear I had to do what I love. It’s crazy how you can talk your way out of some amazing things and also how you can talk yourself into making some amazing things happen. If you partake, I hope you enjoy.” // Jass has opened for Thundercat sat GRINDERS, headlined a show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence with my boys! (Colby Bales and Brande Moser), and she opened up for The New Respects at The Uptown, and sang the Negro National Anthem at BLAQUE to School Night at the KC Monarchs game.More info at: http://www.jassrcouch.com]

[Jass’ song “GROW” was included a recent episode of the television drama Bel-Air on the Peacock Network, directed and created by filmmaker Morgan Cooper. ]

[Jass plays Songbird Session at Blip Roasters, 1301 Woodswether Rd., Kansas City West Bpttoms. on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 8:00 PM]

[Jass is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sat., March 25, at 12:15 PM on SirenSong. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can make a pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. Quite Frankly the Band – “Is This Still Even Fun?”
    from: “Is This Still Even Fun?”- Single / Quite Frankly the Band / October 22, 2021
    [Follow up to the bands earlier single, “Blue/Red” was released May 14, 2021. In the dawn of 2016, shy but precocious middle schooler, founding member and bassist Scout Matthew, decided she wanted to try her hand at turning her musical ambition into reality by creating a band that would take her and her friends well beyond their beginning musical education at School of Rock. She began planning rehearsals out of her garage and within a short time, she convinced her supportive family to renovate their home’s basement into a rehearsal space. Ever since, Quite Frankly the Band has been committed to perfecting its sound, writing their own original music and adding amazing covers. // This young band is no longer just a student band, holding its own opening for, The Greeting Committee, The Darbies, John Corabi, The Jacks and LA Guns! with several yers experience the band members have moved into high school and beyond, Jolson, Carolyn, Scout, Gavin & Eli have built an impressive resume. // The band gained attention by being the youngest winners of the Nelson Atkins Battle of The Bands 2018 and for being nominated as Pitch’s “Best in KC” two years in a row. They’ve played First Fridays in the Crossroads, Starlight Theater, The Rino, recordBar, Lemonade Park, Kauffman Stadium, Sprint Center with Big Slick and Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame. More info at: http://www.quitefranklytheband.com]

[Quite Frankly play The Westport Bowery, 817 Westport Road, KCMO, on March 24, 2023 at 8:00 PM with Jolson & Fear of Snakes, and Malek & the Vibez.]

[Quite Frankly is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sat., March 25, at 1:15 PM on The Tenth Voice. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. The Royal Chief – “What You Started (Radio Edit)”
    from: “What You Started (Radio Edit)” – Single / Sovereign Sound / March 8, 2022
    [Born in Kansas City, Missouri as Jamel Thompson to a single mother, The Chief is the youngest of six – two brother’s on his mother’s side and another brother and twin sisters from his father. Growing up, his mother fostered his mind; she encouraged The Royal Chief to read relentlessly and to experiment with his talents. This promoted a period where The Royal Chief began expressing himself by writing stories. Chief spent most of his early life in the urban areas of Kansas City. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas briefly before returning to Kansas City – to the suburbs – which provided an interesting contrast to his life before. // At the age of 13, after attending a concert in which Kanye West performed, Chief knew his path was in music and began rapping. Courtesy of his mother, he drew inspiration from R&B and Soul while getting his introduction to Hip Hop from his father and brothers. Hip Hop became a love and an outlet for him – a way to vent and document how he perceived the world. It was also an instrument for The Royal Chief to cope with the pain of losing his older brother and godmother who had a hand in raising him. // The Royal Chief moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. He spent his first year there, living out of his Honda Civic and obtained membership to a local gym to have access in order to take showers. He established a relationship with the manager at Tree Sound Studios through a mutual friend and was soon allowed to live in the studio’s building. He made the most of this opportunity by observing and learning many of the aspects of the music industry, audio/video recording, marketing, and most importantly building relationships and networking. Soon, he began to nurture a relationship with “Cyhi The Prynce” who took him under his wing allowing Chief to create and write for other G.O.O.D. Music artist. During this time, Chief was able to go on tour and learn just to write raps and incorporate rhythm and flow into his pieces to make them sound appealing. // In 2015, under his original moniker “J-Dub,” The Royal Chief began to meticulously focus on his own projects and released his first mixtape entitled Trial and Error. Later that same year, after a trip back to his hometown of KC, he made a conscious decision to change his stage name to something that reflected his passion for his two favorite hometown sports teams and one that represented his city. And in combining the names of those teams, he thus became “The Royal Chief”. Feeling the need to release some music to commemorate the name change, in September of 2016 he released his second project, an EP entitled Dawn – representing the beginning or “dawn of” something new. // In 2017, after seeing a Kareem “Biggs” Burke’s interview in which he said “if you don’t have your city you don’t have anybody,” Chief decided it was time for him to return home and build his name and his following up in his own city. That same year, after a house fire in which he lost everything but his life, he released his third project – an EP titled Homecoming. While building traction in the city, Chief worked diligently to network and perform live all around the Kansas City Metroplex and surrounding areas. In 2018, he released a three-track EP titled 3 Pack. Chief spent the next year working towards expanding existing relationships and building new ones. Chief’s objective was to spend time building a backing band for his live performances as well as collaborate with local artists and producers. And with this feat accomplished, in 2020, Chief released his fourth project titled Groundwork. Groundwork represents “laying the foundation” – it’s the cumulative efforts of networking, touring, and building a following. // More info at: http://www.theroyalchief.com/ %5D

[The Royal Chief is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sat., March 25, at 2:15 PM on This Way Out. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

Some of the bands from the KKFI Band Auction on Sunday, March 26

  1. Timbers – “I Could Be The One”
    from : Timbers [EP] / Timbers / March 24, 2018
    [Timbers are a high energy Americana band anchored in a focus on songcraft, rowdy performances and a taste for the absurd! Their goal is to create music that tells a story and helps people feel something. Though they began as a bar band ready for a good time, 10 years later, the Timbers crew have grown into a solid opening and headlining act all across Kansas City and the midwest. Aaron Mitchum on vocals & guitars, Devon Teran on guitar & pedal steel, Riley Taylor on bass & BGV, Nathan Lewis on drums, cover art, Jilliann De Jong on vocals. All songs written by Timbers. Timbers was formed in 2013, their music is blend of rock & roll, country, soul. Timbers released their EP Wasting Time on May 2, 2020. Timbers released the single “Breakers”on January 18, 2023. Timbers were on WMM on Jan. 18, 2023 More info at: timbersmusic.com ]

[Timbers are part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sun., March 26, at 10:20 AM on River Trade Radio. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. Calvin Arsenia – “Experience”
    from: Catastrophe / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017
    [Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey really began when he moved to the KC suburb of Olathe, teaching himself the guitar, and eventually the harp. He learned his signature instrument at the age of 20 after he couldn’t find a harpist as determined as him to meld folk, rock, classical, rap and R&B into the irresistible fusion which has become his calling card in KC and beyond. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer whose impassioned and conceptual stage shows (regularly sold-out in Kansas City, currently catching fire on the West Coast with a diverse following across Europe), are collaborative, costumed-culture-bridging spectacles which In KC Magazine has hailed as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-6-inch harpist with a natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Calvin released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe. Calvin Arsenia premiered these songs in a live show at recordBar in November 2016 in a stage show that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers, special lighting, back up singers, guest artists. Calvin’s 2018 national debut, Cantaloupe, September 15, 2018 on Center Cut Records, has been acclaimed for melding diverse textures into an alluring signature sound for the adventurous artist. On June 28, 2019 Calvin released Honeydew, an EP including a remix of three songs from Cantaloupe. On Dec. 13, 2019 Calvin released his full length Christmas album “all is calm.” Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Calvin is a graduate of Artist INC. ]

[Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.]

[Calvin Arsenia is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sun., March 26, at 11:10 AM on Foolkiller Folk. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. Ivory Blue – “Starlit Love Child”
    from: “Starlit Love Child” – Single / IVORY BLUE / October 28, 2022.
    [Follow up single to “Starlit Live Child’ released October 28, 2022. IVORY BLUE released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. COMPOUND LOVE was in the Top Ten of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE, IVORY BLUE served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. IVORY BLUE’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and give IVORY BLUE attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 artists/bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. // IVORY BLUE has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library, and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families, before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying Ivory to Kansas City, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender”. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. IVORY BLUE released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. IVORY BLUE released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. IVORY BLUE released their debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. IVORY BLUE released the single “Red Light” on July 29, 2022. IVORY BLUE released the single “Starlit Love Child” on October 28, 2022. IVORY BLUE released the single “All Outta Love” on February 24, 2023. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[IVORY BLUE is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sun., March 26, at 12:20 PM on FoolKiller Folk. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

  1. Just Angel – “Intent”
    from: Just Angel: Pt. 2 [EP] / Just Angel / December 25, 2021
    [Just Angel is a Kansas City based, Singer, musician, songwriter, dancer, and creative artist, Just Angel. Her powerful voice has been called, “Passionate … Soulful… and Inspiring.” Her music finds its home in Rock, Jazz, and Alternative, and she has found a way to incorporate those genres within her love with Soul and R&B. Just Angel has performed with My Brothers & Sisters. Just Angel and her band, The Wades can be found rocking stages with her original songs from her recordings and eclectic takes on popular music. She released her debut EP, JUST ANGEL, PART 1 on December 24, 2020. She released her follow up EP, JUST ANGEL, PART 2 on December 25, 2021. She also contributed vocals to the recent Sisterbot record. More info at: https://linktr.ee/JustAngel_TigerLilyStar. Just Angel and The Wades played SOLSOUL FEST 2022 presented by Arquesta Del SolSoul Friday September 30, doors open at 7:00 PM, at Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming St., KCMO, West Bottoms, featuring: The Phantastics, Regina Del Carmen, Jass, Ebony Tusks, Collidescope, Arquesta Del SolSoul and DJ SKEM]

[Just Angel is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sun., March 26, at 1:10 PM on World Sound. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Interview with Kelly Dougherty

Kelly Dougherty is Director of Development & Communications at KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio. Kelly joined KKFI 90.1 FM in September of 2022. Most recently, she was the Marketing Manager at the Folly Theatre. Having navigated and successfully marketed the Folly and its shows during a major pandemic, Kelly brings a sense of community, inclusion and thoughtfulness to the Director of Development position at KKFI. Before joining the Folly, she was the Communications Manager for Folk Alliance International, where she worked with local, national, and international artists, arts agencies, and governments, as well as Irish radio and TV RTE, the BBC, WWOZ in New Orleans, and other radio and television organizations. Kelly’s work experience also includes the private sector, working in the advertising world with Bernstein-Rein, VML, and the Intouch Group. // Kelly also works with local nonprofits in Kansas City, including being a founding member of the Kansas City Irish Festival, where she remains steadfast on the entertainment team. She is also an emeritus board member of the Kansas City Irish Center and was instrumental in purchasing Drexel Hall. Kelly is also an advisory board member for the Heartland Song Network and continues volunteering for causes close to her civic-minded heart. // She has a Master’s in Liberal Arts from Baker University and a Bachelor’s in Science majoring in Economics from Emporia State.

Kelly Dougherty joins us to share details about KKFI’s Band Auction Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26, where bands will play LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios, and we will spin tracks and interview these artists, and listeners will have 25 to 30 minutes to call 888 – 931 – 0901 to place a bid on these bands. The highest bidder will be able to schedule their own private concert. Bands include: Brody Buster, Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats, Starhaven Rounders, Kat King, Jass, Quite Frankly, The Royal Chief, Marcus Lewis, Kristin & Lucy Hamilton, Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor, Timbers Trio, Calvin Arsenia, Mark Montgomery, IVORY BLUE, Just Angel, Amado Espinoza, and Hadiza. At 10:45 we chat with one of our current High School Intern, Audrey Bramlett. Early bidding is happening right now at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023

Kelly Dougherty thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Since joining KKFI 90.1 FM in September of 2022 how is it going as Director of Development & Communications at KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio?

The KKFI Band Auction is back!

Saturday March 25th
8:15 to 8:45 Brody Buster (Blues Kitchen)
9:15 to 9:45 Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats (Blues Kitchen)
10:15 to 10:45 Starhaven Rounders (Blues Kitchen)
11:15 to 11:45 Kat King (Siren Song)
12:15 to 12:45 Jazz (Siren Song)
1:15 to 1:45 Quite Frankly (Tenth Voice)
2:15 to 2:45 The Royal Chief (This Way Out & Wings)
3:15 to 3:45 Marcus Lewis (Every Woman)

Sunday, March 26th
9:10 to 9:35 Kristin & Lucy Hamilton (River Trade)
9:45 to 10:10 Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor (River Trade)
10:20 to 10:45 Timbers Trio (River Trade)
11:10 to 11:35 Calvin Arsenia (Fool Killer)
11:45 to 12:10 Mark Montgomery (Fool Killer)
12:20 to 12:45 Ivory Blue (Fool Killer)
1:10 to 1:35 Just Angel (World Sound)
1:45 to 2:10 Amado Espinoza (World Sound)
2:20 to 2:45 Hadiza. (World Sound)

A few “band rules” for the winning bidders.
The bands will travel no more than 50 miles from KC.
Performance must take place within the year of winning the bid.
The performance is 2 hours with or without a break.
You are welcome to tip the artist at the time of the show
Must be a safe environment with plenty of room and access to electrical power.

If you have a summer party, birthday party or a bbq with friends, why not bring a band?

March 25, 2023

Brody Buster (8:15 to 8:45) (Blues Kitchen)

It gets lonely being a One Man Band. After placing in the 2017 International Blues Competition and whirlwind cross-country touring, legendary Blues harmonicist Brody Buster felt a burning desire for change. Feeling the One Man Band had run its course he went lookingfor more; building connections with local drummers. Merging all their musical influences together The Duo was born. / You haven’t heard The Blues quite like this. Brody Buster brings his take on familiar classics, B-sides and original tunes with a suprise around every corner. More info at: Www.brodybustermusic.com  

Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats (9:15 to 9:45) (Blues Kitchen)

Kansas City, MO USA – November 15, 2022: Hurricane Ian Benefit Concert at recordBar

KC bluesman Jason Vivone is a storyteller extraordinaire, telling tales that can make you laugh or cry, sing along or sit and think. Perhaps is is too simplistic though to call him a “bluesman” as he definitely pushes the blues envelope not just beyond the traditional boundaries, but beyond many traditional offshoots as well. His music backdrops are eclectic – he is unafraid to break away from any blues purist ideology and twist the music into his own signature version of it. ” – MW, Music Morsels More info at: http://www.reverbnation.com/jasonvivone http://www.facebook.com/jason.vivone

Starhaven Rounders (10:15 to 10:45) (Blues Kitchen)

Since their appearance in Kansas City in 2011, the Starhaven Rounders have swiftly built a reputation for high energy shows full of ‘sass and defiance’ (Tim Finn, KC Star). Conceived by drummer Wade Williamson (the descendant of a long line of country western musicians) the band pulls material for their songbook from other eras, performing fan favorites like ‘Pop a Top’ and ‘Six Days on the Road’, in addition to lesser known songs from iconic country legends like Willie Nelson, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and more. The six piece band (with dozens of years of combined experience on stage) is a classic country western lovers dream, featuring pedal steel and dueling male/female vocalists. Even people who don’t consider themselves fans of the genre will get caught up in the Rounders upbeat, full throttle performances. Starhaven Rounders play the music of the heartland, celebrating family tradition, great songwriting and legendary musicians. More info at: http://www.starhavenrounders.com

Kat King (11:15 to 11:45) (Siren Song)

KAT KING – I was sitting around chatting with a group of musicians in my city and one of them asked me what it was like to grow up with a mother who was also a performing musician. // We didn’t have a TV in our living room – just a piano and an open space to dance, stretch, and explore what our bodies could do. This often meant I was playing the piano and singing while my friends made up interpretive dances to my songs.  I owe so much of my musical growth to that piano. To my piano teacher Jane. To my friends. To my mother. // Now in my late-twenties I’ve self-produced and co-produced a combination of one 13-song album,  a number of singles, and three EP’s – the first one released at the age of 14. // I can’t wait for what the future holds. To see in which directions my music will continue to progress and who I get to meet and collaborate with along the way. I am forever grateful to those who continue to support me and I can only hope that my music gives you something, too. More info at: https://katbking.com/

Jass (12:15 to 12:45) (SirenSong)

My name is Jass and I am a vocalist, poet, instrumentalist, and creative from KCMO. I was introduced to music at a very young age, through church choir and school band. I have been writing, producing, and performing my own music since 2019, but have always written poems, short stories, & songs when I was a kid. Since I started sharing my original works, I’ve gotten the privilege to sing at many local venues, open up for several national recording artists, and many of the amazing artists here in KC. It has been a great joy to share my art and I am so excited for the opportunity to go further and represent my city. More info at: http://www.jassrcouch.com

Quite Frankly (1:15 to 1:45) (The Tenth Voice) 

Quite Frankly are the literal next generation of rock’n’roll” – Nick Spacek, music editor for The Pitch KC. // Quite Frankly began in 2017 when founding member Scout Matthews began to host a few other musicians in her garage to practice music for classes. Since then, the band has been evolving in both members and sound, finally landing on a group of talented and dedicated young adults who get s**t done. // After years of learning, growing, and performing, they’ve managed to gain the attention of local media and have been featured multiple times in The Pitch, as well as appearing on cable news channel Fox 4. Quite Frankly has played shows at festivals, major sporting events and even the Country Music Hall of Fame. // Their cover catalog draws in audiences of all ages while their growing number of original songs lean into an alternative rock sound. Quite Frankly is building their reputation and gaining an audience of fans along the way. // They’re currently booking 2023 dates and working on their debut album. More info at: https://www.quitefranklytheband.com/epk

3.24.23 Party! @the Bowery 8:00pm w/ Jolson & Fear of Snakes  w/ Malek & the Vibez 
4.7.23 First Fridays West Bottoms / times TBA 
5.20.23 Private Birthday Party 
6.10.23 Legends Outlets National Outlet Day / 12-2
6.17.23 Boulevardia / Times TBA 
6.18.23 Starlight Theater/ 6:15 w/ Matchbox Twenty 
6.23.23 Jeff Fest Lenexa 4:00pm 3 day music fest 
6.24.23 Mound City Jayhawk Fest / Times TBA 
7.23.23 Nelson Atkins Picnic on the Lawn / Times TBA 

Marcus Lewis (1:15 to 1:45) (The Tenth Voice)

Marcus Lewis holds a BM in jazz performance from Valdosta State University and MM in trombone performance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Marcus currently lives in Kansas City, MO where he leads his own quintet and 18-piece big band. His latest project, “Brass and Boujee”, debuted on the iTunes Jazz Charts at #2 and the Billboard contemporary jazz charts at #15. Marcus has a passion for education and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Future Jazz, a nonprofit dedicated to jazz education. He is also the Adjunct Jazz Trombone Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. // Marcus has performed at venues that include the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Klaipeda Jazz Festival in 2003, and the Jimmy Carter Summer Concert Series in 2008. As a sideman, he has also performed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Fest, the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Concert and the 2012 North Sea Jazz Festival, the Sydney Opera House, and for President Barack Obama at the White House in 2011 and 2012. Television shows include SNL, David Letterman, The Today Show, Jools Holland, Arsenio Hall, and American Idol. Marcus was awarded the 2008 Betty Carter Jazz Residency and the 2003 Outstanding Soloist award at the Wichita Jazz Festival, and won the Charlotte Street Generative Artist Award in 2018. // Some notable artists that Marcus has performed and/or recorded with are Aretha Franklin, Prince, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars, B.o.B, Jidenna, Musiqsoulchild, Avery Sunshine, The Barkays, Confunkshun, Quincy Jones, and Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players. Marcus is a B.A.C. artist/endorser, and plays their trombones exclusively. // Marcus stays busy touring, recordings, writing, arranging, teaching, and leading clinics and master classes worldwide. More info at: https://www.marcuslewis.net/

The Royal Chief (2:15 to 2:45) (This Way Out)

Born in Kansas City, Missouri as Jamel Thompson to a single mother, The Chief is the youngest of six – two brother’s on his mother’s side and another brother and twin sisters from his father. Growing up, his mother fostered his mind; she encouraged The Royal Chief to read relentlessly and to experiment with his talents. This promoted a period where The Royal Chief began expressing himself by writing stories. Chief spent most of his early life in the urban areas of Kansas City. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas briefly before returning to Kansas City – to the suburbs – which provided an interesting contrast to his life before. // At the age of 13, after attending a concert in which Kanye West performed, Chief knew his path was in music and began rapping. Courtesy of his mother, he drew inspiration from R&B and Soul while getting his introduction to Hip Hop from his father and brothers. Hip Hop became a love and an outlet for him – a way to vent and document how he perceived the world. It was also an instrument for The Royal Chief to cope with the pain of losing his older brother and godmother who had a hand in raising him. // The Royal Chief moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. He spent his first year there living out of his Honda Civic and obtained membership to a local gym to have access in order to take showers. He established a relationship with the manager at Tree Sound Studios through a mutual friend and was soon allowed to live in the studio’s building. He made the most of this opportunity by observing and learning many of the aspects of the music industry, audio/video recording, marketing, and most importantly building relationships and networking. Soon, he began to nurture a relationship with “Cyhi The Prynce” who took him under his wing allowing Chief to create and write for other G.O.O.D. Music artist. During this time, Chief was able to go on tour and learn just to write raps and incorporate rhythm and flow into his pieces to make them sound appealing. // In 2015, under his original moniker “J-Dub,” The Royal Chief began to meticulously focus on his own projects and released his first mixtape entitled Trial and Error. Later that same year, after a trip back to his hometown of KC, he made a conscious decision to change his stage name to something that reflected his passion for his two favorite home-town sports teams and one that represented his city. And in combining the names of those teams, he thus became “The Royal Chief”. Feeling the need to release some music to commemorate the name change, in September of 2016 he released his second project, an EP entitled Dawn – representing the beginning or “dawn of” something new. // In 2017, after seeing a Kareem “Biggs” Burke’s interview in which he said “if you don’t have your city you don’t have anybody,” Chief decided it was time for him to return home and build his name and his following up in his own city. That same year, after a house fire in which he lost everything but his life, he released his third project – an EP titled Homecoming. While building traction in the city, Chief worked diligently to network and perform live all around the Kansas City Metroplex and surrounding areas. In 2018, he released a three-track EP titled 3 Pack. Chief spent the next year working towards expanding existing relationships and building new ones. Chief’s objective was to spend time building a backing band for his live performances as well as collaborate with local artists and producers. And with this feat accomplished, in 2020, Chief released his fourth project titled Groundwork. Groundwork represents “laying the foundation” – it’s the cumulative efforts of networking, touring, and building a following. More info at: http://www.theroyalchief.com

Sunday, March 26

Kristin & Lucy Hamilton (9:10 to 9:35) (River Trade)

Kristin Hamilton draws from sun-drenched childhood days on ‘Ol MacDonald’s Farm in Savannah, MO, where she immersed herself in the beauty of nature on the farm and her parent’s vast collection of 1970s Country, Rock, and Gospel records. Kristin Hamilton’s music is folk-country tinged with the sweet flavor of bluegrass influenced by her experiences with tragic loss, profound faith, passionate love, and the desire to always have a little fun. Kristin’s soul-stirring performances give rise to heartfelt connections with her audience. // Kristin Hamilton formerly of Under The Big Oak Tree performs as a solo artist, as a duo with her daughter Lucy Gray, and with her full honky-tonk band, The Heat. // Kristin just released her debut solo album, Touch Of Blue on May 1st, 2022!. More info at: https://kristinhamiltonmusic.com/

Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor (9:45 to 10:10) (River Trade)

Bob Walkenhorst. Jeff Porter, and Norm Dahlor have been well-know musicians in the Kansas City and international music scenes for over 40 years. Bob and Jeff as members of the Rainmakers, Norm in the Elders. They began playing together as a trio 20 years ago, doing weekly gigs at the Record Bar and the Westsider for 15 years. They reunite for special occasions and charity fundraisers. More info at: http://www.bobwalkenhorst.com
http://www.eldersmusic.com http://www.facebook.com/isitwednesdayyet

Timbers Trio (10:20 to 10:45) (River Trade)

Timbers are a high energy Americana band anchored in a focus on songcraft, rowdy performances and a taste for the absurd! Their goal is to create music that tells a story and helps people feel something. Though they began as a bar band ready for a good time, 10 years later, the Timbers crew have grown into a solid opening and headlining act all across Kansas City and the midwest. Info at: http://www.timbersmusic.com

Calvin Arsenia (11:10 to 11:35) (Fool Killer)

Singer, harpist, and author Calvin Arsenia has built a reputation for turning the arts world on its head. Voted Kansas City’s Best Musician 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 (PitchKC), and featured on Billboard.com, NPR.org, NEWNOWNEXT, Pride.com, and GRAMMY.com, Arsenia’s angelic stylings on voice and harp create rare harmonies and arrangements that look past the boundaries of his traditional gospel and classical upbringing. Known for his elaborate and ceremonious sensory concert experiences that merge jazz and electronic influences, “Calvin has consistently deliver(s) genre-bending (and gender-bending) shows that tackle sexuality, religion, and race in a stunningly unorthodox manner – somewhere between sacred and sacrilege.” A healthy serving of indie rock, neo-soul, R&B, and a splash of art pop, this multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter is a shimmering force to be reckoned with. // “Jeff Buckley meets Nina Simone with this soul of Sam Cooke, and the sparkle of Bjork.” // The music is just one part of his prodigious performances, for Calvin believes the art is in crafting the perfect moment. His music is best served live, with sensational performances and high fashion from the visually striking performer who stands at 6’6”. // Alongside his best friend and co-host New York based comedian Justin Randall, Arsenia explores the ups and downs of being a queer person raised in the Evangelical Church in the 2020-2021 podcast We Were Christian Kids. // In 2021, Arsenia released a book of poems and stories called Every Good Boy Does Fine; Both a journey of individual healing and a call for action, these poems show that, with a little love and acceptance, anyone can flourish. // Aug 11, 2021 “He glides onto stage with a cheeky elegance and, from the tip of of rose-crowned head, through the pillar of his Rainbow Acoustic Electric harp, to the souls of his sometimes bare feet, Calvin tells stories.” AnotherSlice.life // Jan 25, 2020 “In this episode of Healing Masculine, Calvin and I play ourselves through a conversation on the freedom and confines of musicality, and how that relates to masculinity.” Healing Masculine // Jan 24, 2020 “It’s easy to get trapped in the mindset of thinking about the harp as a part of his sound, but there is so much more about the artist.” Crazeology /// Jan 23, 2020 “A recent Calvin Arsenia album is a milestone in his professional and personal growth.” NPR More info at: https://calvinarsenia.com/home

Mark Montgomery (11:45 to 12:10) (Fool Killer)

Mark Montgomery’s down-home Ozark-smooth baritone voice and big-city stories and have kept him on a trajectory through the United States, Mexico, and in his hometown of Kansas City. His blues songwriting and soul searing harmonica work will make you wonder how you can laugh and cry at the same time. With his most recent release “Difficult Man” on Love Honey Records, he continues to produce and tour with his honeybees. Mark is also a long-time passionate beekeeper. // In 2016 with an all-star studio lineup, Mark’s latest work – Difficult Man was released on Love Honey Records and is available to hear or download on bandcamp: mark montgomery music. // In January 2019, Mark returns to Memphis with more of his own music representing Kansas City as solo finalist in the IBC. He continues to tour, work bees, and play regular venues in the Kansas City area. More info at: http://www.markmontgomerymusic.com/

Ivory Blue (12:20 to 12:45) (Foolkiller Folk)

IVORY BLUE is an American multi genre singer/songwriter who lived a nomadic existence until settling in Kansas City, MO. At the age of 14 starting playing guitar and writing songs and by the age of 17 played in coffee shops and private events. As a multi-instrumentalist, IVORY began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band and by 2013 was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and released their first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ in 2015.  // In 2017, IVORY entered the national NeXt2Rock competition with over 1800 bands. The top 5 battled it off for the win at the legendary Viper Room, in Los Angeles CA where IVORY won over judges  Scott Borchetta (BMLG), John Varvatos (fashion designer), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox”), Desmond Child (Musician, producer) and Chris Lord-Alge (producer). IVORY BLUE became the grand prize winner and was awarded a one-year record deal with BMLG who re-released the song ‘Ready Get Set’ from the 2015 EP.   // After mastering the craft of writing, recording and self-producing all the tracks, IVORY BLUE is currently working with with Lester Estelle (Drummer for Kelly Clarkson), Craig Kew (Bass), Nick Poortman (Mixer) who worked alongside producers Justin Gray, Gil Norton, Big Tank, and Greg Haver, and Kurt Festge (Mastering) who worked with Citizen Kane & Violent Femmes, on finishing up a full-length Album ‘Compound Love’ to be released in January 2022 as well as the ‘Red Light’ EP later that year. // On August 18th, 2021, IVORY signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing out of Atlanta GA. More info at: http://www.ivoryblue.com

Just Angel (1:10 to 1:35) (World Sound)

Just Angel is a Kansas City based, Singer, musician, songwriter, dancer, and creative artist, Just Angel. Her powerful voice has been called, “Passionate … Soulful… and Inspiring.” Her music finds its home in Rock, Jazz, and Alternative, and she has found a way to incorporate those genres within her love with Soul and R&B. Just Angel has performed with My Brothers & Sisters. Just Angel and her band, The Wades can be found rocking stages with her original songs from her recordings and eclectic takes on popular music. She released her debut EP, JUST ANGEL, PART 1 on December 24, 2020. She released her follow up EP, JUST ANGEL, PART 2 on December 25, 2021. She also contributed vocals to the recent Sisterbot record. Info at: https://www.itsjustangel.com/

Armado Espinoza (1:45 to 2:10) (World Sound)

Amado Espinoza is a unique performing artist, composer, and instrument maker from Cochabamba, Bolivia, that respects his folk traditions of the Andes Mountains while creating compositions that are sincere to his musical-wanderlust personality. // Amado most recently received the 2022 Spirit of Folk award from Folk Alliance International. He is a 2019 grant recipient of the Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, a 2017 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Performing Arts Fellow. // Amado works as a solo performer and with his groups the Amado Espinoza Quartet, Colectivo Yanquitl, and Ayllu. He is a featured artist with Ensemble Iberica (Kansas City, MO), Oil rock band (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and guides musical meditations. // He composes for film, theatre, and dance. Notable projects include The Tempest (2021), with Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, El Amor que Mueve el Sol y Las Demas Estrellas (2020) for Kansas City Public Theatre, The Storytelling Project (2018) with UMKC’s MFA Theatre Acting and Directing Program, and We are the Landscape (2016), an independent theatrical offering to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) in Kansas City, Mo. // In October, 2019, Amado was invited by the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA, to give a masterclass on Andean Music, with emphasis on pre-Colombian instruments. // He co-founded Resonation Music and Arts, LLC with theatre-artist Karen Lisondra to use educational programming to inspire curiosity and respect for world cultures through music, dance, and storytelling. // Amado is a graduate of Milan Conservatory in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Hadiza. (2:20 to 2:45) (World Sound)

Photo by Canyon McCarty

Hadiza also plays in the band Collidescope and Arquesta Del SoulSol // “Hadiza released her acclaimed album SHADOW WEIGHT on November 22, 2019. It was part of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Hadiza released her EP GONE on December 29, 2018 with Madi Monroe on bass & guitar, JL Bolinger on drums, Hadiza Sa-Aadu on keyboards & vocals. Recording & Engineering: JL Bolinger & Madi Mclaughlin. Mixing & Mastering: Madi Mclaughlin. Hadiza. is a Kansas City based singer-songwriter. Previously based in her hometown of Iowa City, she has spent the 2018 slowly but surely carving out her place in the Kansas City scene both as a solo performer (as Hadiza.) and as lead vocalist and songwriter of experimental electronic group Collidescope. Blessed to have had parents who are very much NOT students of music, but recognized the importance of music education, Hadiza spent her childhood and adolescence in part as a student of piano. Vocally, Hadiza takes her cues from American artists including Fiona Apple, Tracey Chapman, and Billie Holiday and African artists including Angelique Kidjo. Her sound/genre is best described as an eclectic blend of blues, soul, folk, jazz and classical. Her songwriting is a process of release and acceptance of life events navigating an often brutal bleak and harsh world and is a form of therapy. If you don’t relate to the content, you just don’t relate. Oh well. The most amazing experience however is when a stranger in the audience connects with a song in their own way and is courageous enough to share that with her. Aside from the therapeutic aspect of creating music, this is why she continues to write and perform. Collidescope released their new 7-track album, DEEP TAPE, on December 31, 2020. Collidescope is essentially a duo that includes: Hadiza. on vocals, beats, & synthesizers; and Madison Monroe on guitar, bass, beats, synthesizers, mixing and vocals. DEEP TAPE includes Victoria Falls Stillwater on addition sound production and vocals, and was mixed and mastered by J.Ashley Miller aka Jametatone. DEEP TAPE is a follow up the the band’s debut EP Systemic released December 16, 2017. More info at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com or http://www.acollidescope.bandcamp.com

Kelly Dougherty, thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

KKFI’s Band Auction is Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26. Bands will play LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios, and we’ll spin tracks & interview these artists. Listeners will have 25 to 30 minutes to call 888-931-0901 to bid on these bands. The highest bidder will be able to schedule their own concert. Bands include: Brody Buster, Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats, Starhaven Rounders, Kat King, Jass, Quite Frankly, The Royal Chief, Marcus Lewis, Kristin & Lucy Hamilton, Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor, Timbers Trio, Calvin Arsenia, Mark Montgomery, IVORY BLUE, Just Angel, Amado Espinoza, and Hadiza. Bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023

10:43

  1. Hadiza. – “Reactions!”
    from: SHADOW WEIGHT / Hadiza. / November 22, 2019
    [Most recently Hadioza released the single Y2K on December 31, 2022 with music/lyrics: Hadiza. // Production: Bath Consolidated // Mixing/Mastering: HXXS // With the new single Hadiza released a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUV7wbN8obs Hadiza sent us this note: “Happy new year! I wanted to inform you of a new song I’ve just released as Hadiza….I’m quite proud of it! Hopefully you’ll enjoy the song and video (featuring choreography by me). I received notification that it’s now live on Spotify, but let me know if you’d like or need a .wav file if you wish to share over the airwaves.”” // “The song is a club song called Y2K and has actually been in the making more or less for about 2 years. My friend who wishes to be a ghostwriter (she doesn’t want people to identify her on the track), sent me the original beat, a house beat with a vocal sample of Chantal repeating “It’s the point of greatest intensity, pleasures of the highest sense”. // “Once she sent me the beat I immediately got to work adding some extra production and writing the words/melody and recording it into a full song. And as I was listening to it over and over, I began to move…which then turned into the full blown development of a routine to the song. “ // Lucky for me, I applied for and got the Charlotte Street studio residency as a performing artist with access to the dance and music rehearsal studios. That has allowed me more consistency with being able to rehearse and refine the choreography and I was also fortunate enough to be able to shoot the video inside the Black Box at Charlotte Street!” // “I worked with videographer, Lauren Schrader (just the two of us) to get the video footage. I then spent the month of December editing the footage into the above linked video. And last but not certainly not least, Gavin Neves of the noise duo HXXS mixed and mastered the track! “ // “It’s certainly not “mainstream” (have I ever sent you anything remotely “mainstream”? will I ever?) but it might make you want to move!” // Hadiza also plays in the band Collidescope and Arquesta Del SoulSol // “Hadiza released her acclaimed album SHADOW WEIGHT on November 22, 2019. It was part of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Hadiza released her EP GONE on December 29, 2018 with Madi Monroe on bass & guitar, JL Bolinger on drums, and Hadiza Sa-Aadu on keyboards & vocals. Recording & Engineering: JL Bolinger & Madi Mclaughlin. Mixing & Mastering: Madi Mclaughlin. Hadiza. is a sKansas City based singer-songwriter. Previously based in her hometown of Iowa City, she has spent the 2018 slowly but surely carving out her place in the Kansas City scene both as a solo performer (as Hadiza.) and as lead vocalist and songwriter of experimental electronic group Collidescope. Blessed to have had parents who are very much NOT students of music, but recognized the importance of music education, Hadiza spent her childhood and adolescence in part as a student of piano. Vocally, Hadiza takes her cues from American artists including Fiona Apple, Tracey Chapman, and Billie Holiday and African artists including Angelique Kidjo,. Her sound/genre is best described as an eclectic blend of blues, soul, folk, jazz and classical. Her songwriting is a process of release and acceptance of life events navigating an often brutal bleak and harsh world and is a form of therapy. If you don’t relate to the content, you just don’t relate. Oh well. The most amazing experience however is when a stranger in the audience connects with a song in their own way and is courageous enough to share that with her. Aside from the therapeutic aspect of creating music, this is why she continues to write and perform. Collidescope released their new 7-track album, DEEP TAPE, on December 31, 2020. Collidescope is essentially a duo that includes: Hadiza. on vocals, beats, & synthesizers; and Madison Monroe on guitar, bass, beats, synthesizers, mixing and vocals. DEEP TAPE includes Victoria Falls Stillwater on addition sound production and vocals, and was mixed and mastered by J.Ashley Miller aka Jametatone. DEEP TAPE is a follow up the the band’s debut EP Systemic released December 16, 2017. Hadiza also is part of the band Arquesta Del SolSoul. More info at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com or http://www.acollidescope.bandcamp.com]

[Hadiza is part of KKFI’s Band Auction Sun., March 26, at 2:20 PM on World Sound. When you can call 888-931-0901 to bid LIVE. You can pre-bid at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023%5D

10:47 – Interview with Audrey Bramlett.

90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio has Interns, and one of our interns is Audrey Bramlett who is currently in her Senior year in High School. Show is also a jazz musician and writes and records her own compositions. She has been working at KKFI under the leadership of KKFI’s wonderful Volunteer Coordinator Darryl Oliver

Audrey Bramlett, thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

10:57

  1. Pieta Brown – “Wondering How”
    from: Paradise Outlaw / Righteous Babe Records / March 3, 2014
    [Now available on Righteous Babe Records Pieta’s 2014 album ‘Paradise Outlaw.’ ‘Paradise Outlaw/ was recorded in four days at Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon’s April Base studio in Wisconsin with a supporting cast that includes Vernon, Amos Lee, Brown’s troubadour father, Greg Brown and various members of an experimental group of players she calls the Sawdust Collective. Paradise Outlaw boasts some of Pieta’s most emotionally resonant compositions, and some of her most expressive performances. // Produced by Pieta Brown. Co-Produced by Bo Ramsey. Recorded and Mixed by BJ Burton @ April Base; Wisconsin, USA // Additional Recording by John Svec @ EarthTone Audio; Iowa City, IA. Mastered by Richard Dodd, Nashville, TN. Pieta Brown: Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, National Resonator Guitar, Banjo, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Piano; Bo Ramsey: Electric Guitars; Michael Rossetto: Banjo, Electric Banjo, Electric Guitar; Jon Penner: Bass; JT Bates: Drums, Percussion; David Mansfield: Strings (+arrangements), Pedal Steel, Mandonlin; Amos Lee: Vocals (on Do You Know); Greg Brown: Acoustic Guitar (on Before Gas And TV); Lucie Thorne: Harmony Vocals; Justin Vernon: Harmony Vocals // Pieta Brown was born in 1973 in Iowa City, Iowa. Her early upbringing was in Iowa. There, Brown was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, singer songwriter Greg Brown. Brown spent her childhood living in 17 different residences between Iowa and Alabama. While living with her mother in Alabama, Brown began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano. As a musician and singer-songwriter she has released five albums and four EPs. Collaborator Bo Ramsey produced her 2002 debut record, Pieta Brown and co-produced her 2005 album In the Cool, which was named one of the year’s best by Amazon. Her next album Remember The Sun was released in 2007 and was cited as one of the year’s best in a The Wall Street Journal article. After the release of her next album, One and All, Brown joined Mark Knopfler’s North American tour, had a string of performance dates with John Prine, participated in a full orchestral show with Brandi Carlile, and embarked on her own performance tour in Australia. Brown’s 2009 EP, Shimmer was produced by Don Was after hearing her on his car radio in a live solo performance. In addition to Mark Knopfler, John Prine and Brandi Carlile, Brown has shared stages with JJ Cale, Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani DiFranco, Calexico, Neko Case, Mason Jennings, Shawn Mullins, Carrie Rodriguez and Jim Lauderdale. She has performed at festivals throughout North America including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Edmonton Folk Music Festival and more. Her national radio credits include performances on eTown and Mountain Stage. Brown is married to guitarist and producer, Bo Ramsey.]

11:00 – Station ID

  1. Iris DeMent – “Working On A World”
    from: Working On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. // On October 6, 2020 iris DeMent released her single “Going Down To Sing In Texas.” Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine. In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”]

[Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads 2715 Rochester Street, KCMO on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with guest Ana Egge opening the show.]

11:04 – Interview with Iris DeMent

Photo by Dasha Brown

Iris DeMent represents that place in the road, where Country and Folk music merge, with honest stories of working class people, not afraid to tell the truth about the times they are living through. // Iris DeMent was born on, January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, Arkansas. She was the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 3, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music. Within her own family there were many incredible vocalists, including her mother. During her teenage years, Iris was exposed to country, folk, & R&B. and the music of Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. // In the mid 1980s Iris moved to the Midwest, and after a series of jobs as a waitress and typist, she wrote her first song at the age of 25. She moved to Kansas City and played Harling’s Upstairs and open-mic nights. Iris met producer Jim Rooney from Nashville, in 1988, who helped her land a record contract. Iris DeMent made her national recording debut in 1991, with her independently produced album, INFAMOUS ANGEL The record won critical acclaim and John Prine mentioned Iris in his list of favorite recordings of the year, published in Rolling Stone. Despite a complete lack of support from country radio, the word of mouth praise for Iris DeMent’s INFAMOUS ANGEL earned her a deal with Warner Bros Records, which reissued INFAMOUS ANGEL in 1992. INFAMOUS ANGEL just celebrated its 30th anniversary, and was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone. Two albums followed, MY LIFE in 1994, and THE WAY I SHOULD in 1996, both nominated for Grammy Awards. From there, DeMent has released four albums on her own label, Flariella Records: LIFELINE in 2004, SING THE DELTA in 2012. THE TRACKLESS WOODS in 2015. Iris DeMent received the Americana Music Trailblazer Award in 2017. Iris has just released her 7th album, WORKIN’ ON A WORLD on February 24, 2023 which is receiving incredible reviews and even cracked the BillBoard Album charts. Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads tomorrow night, Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with Ana Egge. This show is SOLD OUT. Info at: http://www.Irisdement.com

Iris DeMent, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday Midday Medley

Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney.

It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’”

With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022.

DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world.

Iris DeMent recently made a surprise appearance at The Folk Alliance International Conference during the International Folk Music Awards. At the very end of the Awards Show, a Lifetime Achievement Award was given to John Prine’s Independent Record label Oh Boy! Records accepted by his wife Fiona and son Jack. The Milk Carton Kids performed one of John Prine’s songs, and then out came Iris DeMent to sing “Mexican Home” with The Milk Carton Kids . After the song Iris said from the stage that she was happy to be back in her “Hometown.”

You met John Prine early in your career. Can you tell us how you met and became friends.

For Iris’ 1991/1992 debut album, INFAMOUS ANGEL, John Prine wrote the liner notes:

“One night after receiving a copy of “Let the Mystery Be,” I was listening to the tape while frying a dozen or so pork chops in a skillet. Well Iris DeMent starts singing about “Mama’s Opry,” and being the sentimental fellow I am, I got a lump in my throat and a tear fell from my eyes into the hot oil. Well the oil popped out and burnt my arm as if the pork chops were trying to say, “Shut up, or I’ll really give you something to cry about.” Of course, pork chops can’t talk. But Iris DeMent’s songs can. They talk about isolated memories of life, love and living. And Iris has a voice I like a whole lot, like one you’ve heard before— but not really. So listen to this music, this Iris DeMent. It’s good for you. And if pork chops could talk, they’d probably learn how to sing one of her songs. Then we’d all have something to cry about.” – John Prine

In 1999 John Prine released IN SPITE OF OURSELVES, on Oh Boy Records, which was unusual for him in that it contained only one original song (the title track); the rest were covers of classic country songs. All of the tracks are duets with well-known female country vocalists, including Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Dolores Keane, Trisha Yearwood, and Iris DeMent who collaborated with John on the title track and “We’re Not The Jet Set” (In 1968 country superstar George Jones witnessed a fight between Tammy Wynette and her husband Don Chapel. At Jones’s urging, Wynette and her daughters drove away with him. Wynette and Jones married Feb. 16, 1969, and Wynette’s 4th daughter, Georgette, was born in 1970. Jones and Wynette, were nicknamed the “President and First Lady” of country music, and they recorded a string of hit duets that seemed drawn directly from their volatile relationship, which resulted in their divorcing in 1975. Their classic recordings included “Two Story House,” “Golden Ring,” and the humorous “(We’re Not) The Jet Set.”)

Iris toured with John Prine for 30 years opening for him and joining him on stage for his “Country Duets” segment. I saw them live at The Midland in Kansas City, in Lincoln Nebraska, in Omaha, Nebraska, in Chicago, Il.

Infamous Angel included, “Let The Mystery Be” a song covered by David Bryne, 10,000 Maniacs, Greg Brown, and was theme song for the 2nd season of HBO’s The Leftovers.

Iris DeMent’s first three releases, all on Warner Brothers records, were critically acclaimed. She received two Grammy nominations during this time, in the “Folk Music” category. Meanwhile country radio completely overlooked her original songs, and her amazing voice, that has been compared to Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.

Iris DeMent Discography

1992 Infamous Angel (Philo / Warner Bros.)

1994 My Life (Warner Bros.)

1996 The Way I Should (Warner Bros.)

2004 Lifeline (Flariella)

2012 Sing the Delta (Flariella)

2015 The Trackless Woods (Flariella)

2023 Workin’ on a World (Flariella)

Iris followed up her debut album INFAMOUS ANGEL with the autobiographical, MY LIFE, released in 1994. Iris followed with her third Warner Brother’s release, THE WAY I SHOULD, released in 1996, which contains some of Iris DeMent’s most political songs.

In the 2002 Iris DeMent did a benefit concert for The Friends of Community Radio at Unity Temple on The Plaza. I remember when Iris asked us if it was okay that she have a musician friend open the concert for her, we agreed because Iris was donating her talent to the cause of community radio. And then she told us that this musician friend was Greg Brown, who is known all over the country, but had never before played KC.

Later that year, on November 21, 2002 Greg married Iris DeMent in a private ceremony in the office of Rev. Sam Mann of Saint Mark Methodist Church in East KC.

Iris learned about Rev. Sam Mann from listing to his radio show on KKFI East of Troost.

Grammy Nominated Greg Brown is one of the most respected singer songwriters in music. He started professionally at the age of 18 organizing early folk concerts in NYC, Portland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. In the 1980s, he worked & toured extensively as musical director for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio program. He founded his own record label, named Red House Records after a home in which he lived in Iowa.

Greg Brown has released over 30 recordings and has allowed much of his music to be used to raise funds and awareness for environmental and social causes. His songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris DeMent and Joan Baez.

On November 11, 2011 Iris DeMent and Greg Brown did a special benefit concert at The Folly Theater to raise funds for Saint Mark Child Development Center. Saint Mark provides care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, as well as after school and summer programs for children 5-12 years old. All classrooms follow a year round curriculum based on ages and developmental needs of the children. The sold our show raised over $55,000.00 for the center.

At that Folly Theatre show Iris previewed many of the new songs that would on her upcoming 5th album, SING THE DELTA released in 2012, to glowing reviews from, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and was #1 on WMM’s 112 Best Recordings of 2012.

Iris DeMent released her 6th album, THE TRACKLESS WOODS in 2015 with even more national acclaim, and a #5 spot on WMM’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. THE TRACKLESS WOODS sets 18 poems by acclaimed 20th century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova to life. Hailed as one of Russia’s finest poets, Akhmatova survived the Bolshevik Revolution, both World Wars and Stalin. When Iris randomly stumbled upon Akhmatova’s work in a book of poetry a friend sent as a gift, she was immediately taken by the sorrow and burden of the poems. Iris recorded the album with co-producer Richard Bennett in her living room over a five-day period. The project also fulfilled a long yearned for desire to connect with her adopted daughter’s culture and history. Iris and her husband Greg Brown has adopted their daughter from Siberia in 2005, when she was 6, and Iris says ”I’d never have made this record were it not for her.”

On September 3, 2020, Grammy nominated singer songwriter Iris DeMent released the single “How Long.” Then, in October of 2020 Iris DeMent sent me a new song she had just written and created a lyric video. I immediately wrote back to Iris and said, “This song is so beautiful and so needed right now. I cried several times listening to it.” She wrote back, “It’s a cry and dance at the same time song. Can’t say I’ve written one of those before. She ended her message with a smily face and the words, “Much love!”

From http://www.irisdement.com:

Photo by Dasha Brown

On her transcendent new record, WORKIN’ ON A WORLD, Iris DeMent faces the modern world — as it is right now — with its climate catastrophe, pandemic illness, and epidemic of violence and social injustice — and not only asks us how we can keep working towards a better world, but implores us to love each other, despite our very different ways of seeing. Her songs are her way of healing our broken inner and outer spaces.

With an inimitable voice as John Prine described, “like you’ve heard, but not really,” and unforgettable melodies rooted in hymns, gospel, and old country music, she’s simply one of the finest singer-songwriters in America as well as one of our fiercest advocates for human rights. Her debut record Infamous Angel, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, MY LIFE and THE WAY I SHOULD, were both nominated for GRAMMYs. From there, DeMent released three records on her own label, Flariella Records, the most recent of which, THE TRACKLESS WOODS (2015), was hailed as “a quietly powerful triumph” by The Guardian. DeMent’s songs have also been featured in film (True Grit) and television (The Leftovers) and recorded by numerous artists. Fittingly, she received the Americana Music Trailblazer Award in 2017.

Workin’ On A World, her seventh album, started with the worry that woke DeMent up after the 2016 elections: how can we survive this? “Every day some new trauma was being added to the old ones that kept repeating themselves, and like everybody else, I was just trying to bear up under it all,” she recalls. She returned to a truth she had known since childhood: music is medicine. “My mom always had a way of finding the song that would prove equal to whatever situation we were facing. Throughout my life, songs have been lending me a hand. Writing songs, singing songs, putting them on records, has been a way for me to extend that hand to others.”

With grace, courage, and soul, Iris shares 13 anthems — love songs, really — to and for our broken inner and outer worlds. DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see / Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.”

She summons various social justice warriors, both past and present, to deliver messages of optimism. “How Long” references Martin Luther King, while “Warriors of Love” includes John Lewis and Rachel Corrie. “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. “I kept hearing a lot of talk about the arc of history that Dr. King so famously said bends towards justice,” she recalls. “I was having my doubts. But, then it dawned on me, he never said the arc would magically bend itself. Songs, over the course of history, have proven to be pretty good arc benders.”

Bending inward, DeMent reaches agilely under the slippery surface of politics. She grapples with loss on the deeply honest “I Won’t Ask You Why,” while encouraging compassion over hate in the awe-inspiring “Say A Good Word.” Album closer “Waycross, Georgia,” encompasses the end of the journey, thanking those along the way. As she approaches subjects of aging, loss, suicide, and service, an arc of compassion elevated to something far beyond words is transmitted. The delicate fierceness encompassed in the riveting power of her voice has somehow only grown over time.

Stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022.

The result is a hopeful album — shimmering with brilliant flashes of poignant humor and uplifting tenderness — that speaks the truth, “in the way that truth is always hopeful,” she explains. Reflecting on the lyrics of the song “The Sacred Now” (“see these walls/ let’s bring ‘em on down / it’s not a dream; it’s the sacred now”), DeMent is reminded of Jesus saying the Kingdom of God is within you and the Buddhist activist monk Thich Nhat Hanh saying the rose is in the compost; the compost is in the rose. On Workin’ On A World, Iris DeMent demonstrates that songs are the healing and the healing arises through song.

11:28

  1. Iris DeMent – “Sacred Now”
    from: Working On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Co-written with Pieta Brown. Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. // On October 6, 2020 iris DeMent released her single “Going Down To Sing In Texas.” Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine. In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”]

[Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads 2715 Rochester Street, KCMO on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with guest Ana Egge opening the show.]

11:32 – Underwriting

11:34 – More Interview with Iris DeMent

We are talking with Grammy Nominated and Americana Music Trailblazer Award winner Iris DeMent who had released seven critically acclaimed albums. Born in Paragould Arkansas, raised in California Iris moved to Kansas City in the late 1980s where shoe started her musical career and lived for nearly 2 decades and where she married her husband Greg Brown in the offices of Reverend Sam Mann at Saint Mark Methodist Church at 19th and Euclid. Iris has just released her 7th album, WORKIN’ ON A WORLD on February 24, 2023 which is receiving incredible reviews. Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads tomorrow night, Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with Ana Egge. This show is SOLD OUT. Info at: http://www.Irisdement.com

Iris DeMent, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday Midday Medley

In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”

Although I first met you in 1992 at the Kinko’s at 39th at Main Street, the first time I interviewed you on the radio was on March 22, 2006 for a special Wednesday Midday Medley I co-produced with Anne Winter, Celebrating Recycled Sounds the famous record store at Westport Road and Main Street, that was closing that week. You were on the show with Anne Winter who started Recycled Sounds after moving to KC in 1986. Anne became a friend to you, going on the road with you in 2003. Talking you into doing a Big Bang Buffet show with us performance art kids down in The West Bottoms in 1999, opening for Michael Moore with The Wilders at The Uptown Theatre.

Iris had done multiple benefit shows for KKFI including that very important show in 2002 at Unity Temple on the Plaza with Greg Brown for Friends of Community Radio. And in in 2006 with Greg Brown opening for Amy Goodman at Community Christian Church.

Along with Greg Brown, and John Prine, Iris has collaborated with Emmylou Harris, Tom Russell, Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band, Delbert McClinton, Nanci Griffith, Jeff Black, Teddy Thompson, Ana Egge, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Randy Scruggs, Pieta Brown, and many others.

Iris DeMent’s music has been featured in the films: “True Grit,” “The Song Catcher” (Where Iris also appears as an actress in the film), “The Horse Whisperer,” “Little Buddha,” and others. Her work is also on the television shows: In the final episode of Northern Exposure (“Our Town”), HBS’s The Leftovers (“Let The Mystery Be.”)

The promotional photographs of Iris DeMent were all taken by Dasha Brown.

Iris lives in Iowa City, Iowa with Greg Brown and daughter Dasha Brown, now 24 years old. For a brief while Iris and Greg lived in both Kansas City.

Greg Brown released his great album: Evening Call through Red House records in 2006. The Washington Post writes, “The singer-songwriter from Iowa has a baritone as rough and chunky as Thanksgiving gravy with the turkey bits still in, and that’s just how his words drip out on his album, “The Evening Call.” on “Whippoorwill” he sing as sweetly as his lover down in KC. That’s his wife, Iris DeMent, and on “Joy Tears,” he tells her, “When you start your singing, honey, the heavens open up with grace.”

In the catalog of songs written by Iris DeMent it becomes obvious that for Iris, Songwriting is an art, a calling, a balm, a sacred act, and communal act of recognition of family, community, justice, recovery.

Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads tomorrow night, Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with Ana Egge. This show is SOLD OUT. Info at: http://www.Irisdement.com

Iris DeMent thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Iris has just released her 7th album, WORKIN’ ON A WORLD on February 24, 2023 which is receiving incredible reviews. Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads tomorrow night, Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with Ana Egge. This show is SOLD OUT. Info at: http://www.Irisdement.com

The great and prolific British playwright and writer and activist George Bernard Shaw wrote, “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.” That sentiment is captured beautifully in in R\Iris DeMent’s song “Nothin’ For The Dead{ from her incredible new album WORKIN’ ON A WORLD.

For WMM & Iris DeMent, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

11:54:00

  1. Iris DeMent – “Nothin’ For The Dead”
    from: Working On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. // On October 6, 2020 iris DeMent released her single “Going Down To Sing In Texas.” Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine. In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”]

[Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads 2715 Rochester Street, KCMO on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with guest Ana Egge opening the show.]

  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
    Big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful listeners and friends who generously and thoughtfully donated to support KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio during our Wednesday MidDay Medley broadcast today! Through the airwaves, and through social media, a total of 55 people donated a total of $3149.00 to allow us to continue our mission. THANK YOU to my incredible co-hosts: Betse Ellis & Marion Merritt, and special guest J Kelly Dougherty, and very special guest Hermon Mehari for sharing your brilliance with our listeners. Thank you to Scott Bunte, Lincoln Dreher and Darryl Oliver for taking our donations over the phones.

Next week on March 29, our dear friend April Fletcher will return to KKFI after 35 years. She hosted a radio show on 90.1 FM KKFI back in 1998 called Mix Well Before Serving, broadcast Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. We will also welcome April’s Apartment-mate from 1989, Brad Cox of Owen Cox Dance Group with Jen Owen of to share details of Owen/Cox Dance Group’s new premiere “aRound & aRound” March 31 – April 2 at the City Stage Theatre in Union Station, KCMO.

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

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

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #986

WMM presents Iris DeMent + KKFI’s Band Auction Preview

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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, March 22, 2023

Iris DeMent LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios! + KKFI Band Auction with Kelly Dougherty + Audrey Bramlett

Mark Spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Iris DeMent, Pieta Brown, Kat King, Jass, Quite Frankly, The Royal Chief, Timbers, Calvin Arsenia, IVORY BLUE, Just Angel, and Hadiza.

At 10:30 KKFI’s Director of Development & Communications Kelly Dougherty gives us details about KKFI’s Band Auction March 25 & 26. Early bidding at: https://www.32auctions.com/kkifspring2023 On Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26, bands will play LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios, and we will spin tracks and interview these artists, listeners will have 25 to 30 minutes to call 888 – 931 – 0901 to place a bid. The highest bidder will be able to schedule your own private concert. Bands include: Brody Buster, Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats, Starhaven Rounders, Kat King, Jass, Quite Frankly, The Royal Chief, Marcus Lewis, Kristin & Lucy Hamilton, Bob Walkenhorst, Jeff Porter, & Norm Dahlor, Timbers Trio, Calvin Arsenia, Mark Montgomery, IVORY BLUE, Just Angel, Amado Espinoza, and Hadiza. At 10:45 we chat with one of our current High School Intern, Audrey Bramlett.

Photo by Dasha Brown

At 11:00 We devote our entire second hour to our special guest, Iris DeMent who joins us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios! We will feature music from DeMent’s critically acclaimed 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD released February 24, 2023. The record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. Iris DeMent, was born January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, Arkansas. She was the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 3, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music. During her teenage years, Iris was exposed to country, folk, & R&B. In the mid 1980s Iris moved to the midwest, and after a series of jobs as a waitress and typist she wrote her first song at the age of 25. She moved to Kansas City where she started her musical career playing Harling’s Upstairs and open-mic nights. Iris DeMent made her recording debut in 1991, with her album, INFAMOUS ANGEL which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, MY LIFE and THE WAY I SHOULD, were both nominated for Grammy Awards. From there, DeMent released three records on her own label, Flariella Records, the most recent of which, THE TRACKLESS WOODS (2015), was hailed as “a quietly powerful triumph” by The Guardian. DeMent’s songs have also been featured in film (True Grit) and television (The Leftovers) and recorded by numerous artists. Fittingly, she received the Americana Music Trailblazer Award in 2017. Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with Ana Egge. This show is SOLD OUT. More info at: http://www.Irisdement.com

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #986

WMM Playlist from March 15, 2023

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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, March 15, 2023

Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia of Ladies Rock! + Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores + Gayle Cade-Price

  1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
    from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
    [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
  1. Dragon Inn 3 – “I Can’t Stop”
    from: Trade Secrets / American Laundromat Records / April 18, 2023
    [The long-anticipated sophomore release from Dragon Inn 3. Features 10 brand new songs plus a fantastic cover of Yazoo’s “Only You.” // Dragon Inn 3 is: 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”. Cover photo: Dominik Podlipniak. Design: Dustin Williams. // 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, and Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in early 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 the song was even completed. More Info at: http://www.dragoninn3.com]

10:07 – ULAH SESSIONS presented by You Found Music and James Carter

You Found Music was created by James “Sarge” Carter who writes: “For many years I have loved music and what it has done for me, and that is why I created You Found Music. Supporting independent artists, helping them grow a fan base, and assisting in meeting any needs they may have from booking venues and festivals, to promoting a record. I am beyond passionate about helping people, and it’s what I do best.”

“You Found Music is different from the ordinary record label, management, promotions, and all around support element for the artist and/or singer songwriter. There is no contract to the service that we provide, and artists are completely in control of their works, bookings, sales, the revenue they generate, and direction they choose to go. We don’t function as a traditional label, and our service is a flat monthly fee. You decide if it’s a fit or not once we start working together. The purpose here is to provide a resource for all artists big or small, whether just starting out or a veteran in the industry. Community and support for one another is crucial in today’s time, and especially in an ever changing and evolving industry. Putting the power in the hands of the artist, and tailoring our service to fit their needs. You may find You Found Music as a launch pad to what’s next, or maybe a place you call home. The analogy that I like to give is “You’re the boxer, I didn’t train you how to fight or create, that is your’s, but when you’re in the fight, and look back to your corner you see me standing there at the ready with a stool in my hand, water, ice, and everything you need to get back out there for the next round.”

James Carter aka Sarge is the owner/founder of You Found Music. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a Veteran of 12 years. He served as a Personnel Chief, Administrative Chief, Staff Non-Commission Office In Charge (SNCOIC) of a Recruiting Sub-Station, and a Liaison for wounded, ill, and injured Marines at San Antonio Military Medical Center. James Carter is a songwriter. He writes “I have always loved to write, and this has been a joy in my life.” He most recently recorded ‘What’s Left of Me’, a song that he co-wrote with Donnie Blanz and is a tribute to all those who’ve served. “

James Carter studied at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and Park University in Kansas City, MO in areas of music business. He served as Director of Operations at Row Entertainment, Nashville, TN from 2014 to 2015, before relocating to Kansas City, MO. He as worked booking at Old Shawnee Pizza, Kansas City, MO venue under 300 capacity; booking ULAH Live Sessions, a boutique showcase capacity under 50; and has supported and assisted artists in their growth and exposure in all faucets of the music business. He has helped and supported single and album releases; pitched to publishers/labels; does booking for venues both locally and nationally touring artists; organized and developed showcases, conducts Artist/Band Management with Venue/Tour/Festival/Booking, and in a time of uncertainty hosted live streams to support artists from around the globe. James Carter works at building community and resource for artists and patrons alike.

This text above is from: http://www.youfoundmusic.com

IVORY BLUE photo by Sam Olson
  1. Ivory Blue – “All Outta Love”
    from: “All Outta Love” – Single / IVORY BLUE / February 24, 2023
    [Follow up single to “Starlit Live Child’ released October 28, 2022. IVORY BLUE released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. COMPOUND LOVE was in the Top Ten of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE, IVORY BLUE served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. IVORY BLUE’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and give IVORY BLUE attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 artists/bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. // IVORY BLUE has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library, and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families, before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying Ivory to Kansas City, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender”. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. IVORY BLUE released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. IVORY BLUE released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. IVORY BLUE released their debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. IVORY BLUE released the single “Red Light” on July 29, 2022. IVORY BLUE released the single “Starlit Love Child on October 28, 2022. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. Presented by You Found Music]

  1. Friendly Thieves – “You Better Run”
    from: “You Better Run” / Friendly Thieves / October 28, 2022
    [Debut single from five-piece alt-funk band, Friendly Thieves who are: Sam Wells on lead vocals, Jamae Breeze on lead guitar, Sam Millard on bass, John Goss on drums, and Ben Baker on saxophone. // From Michelle Bacon’s piece in http://www.bridge909.org: Friendly Thieves describes themselves as if “Alabama Shakes and Young The Giant had a Vulfpeck-inspired love child,” and well, that’s pretty spot on. Their single captures that intersection of vibrant indie-rock energy and exceptional musicianship, with an intriguing funk aroma. // The bands show at ULAH is their only KC show so far this year before the ban sets off on tour to Austin, Chicago, Denver, and Nashville. // Sam Wells released her debut EP, FOR THE DEFLATED on French Exit Records on December 31, 2020. Sam Wells is a Kansas City, based singer songwriter who has shared stages with Betsy Phillips, Kelly Hunt, Andrew Ryan, The Zack Pietrini Band, and The Phantastics. She was featured as a composer and performer in the Kansas City Repertory Theater production of “Ghost Light” performed on the lawn of The Nelson Atkin Museum of Art in October, 2020. Sam has also performed in Troostival (2020), Kansas City Porchfest (2019) and Jamdemic. In 2019, Wells released her debut single “Lesson Learned.” In early 2020 Wells released her second single “Sugar” producer and engineered by Riley Corbin at the Lawrence Kansas Public Library recording studio. It was only a decade ago, Sam Wells sat in her bedroom learning the Corrine Bailey Ray classic “Put Your Records On”. This was all it took to ignite a lifetime love affair with music. With her smooth and sultry voice and the warm tones of a baritone ukulele, she shares stories of love, loss and everything in between. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Sam Wells has lived in Lawrence, but now calls KC home. Sam Wells also contributed to The Black Lives Matter Compilation from French Exit Records that featured tracks from 22 acts from the area, and was released on July 6, 2020. Sam contributed the song, “Dear Black People”. On WMM we featured tracks from: Blackstarkids, Daniel Gum, Crystal Rose, UpKeep, Bream, Heavy Surface, Palace Intrigue, Self Harmony, and Sam Wells. 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. French Exit Records launched in 2018, and is an independent music label based out of Kansas City, Missouri founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond, and has organized live events. The Black Lives Matter Compilation is available on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: http://www.frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com. More information at: http://www.whoissamwells.com. Sam Wells was on WMM on May 13, 2020 and January 20, 2021.]

[Friendly Thieves play a ULAH Live Session, Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. Presented by You Found Music]

[Friendly Thieves play at Boulevardia Friday, June 16, 2023 at Crown Center.]

Ernest Melton photo by Jon Northington
  1. Ernest Melton – “Sonnet for Sanity”
    from: “Sonnet for Sanity” – Single / Ernest Melton / December 18, 2020
    [Ernest Melton released the single, “Chronicles of Conception” on April 21, 2020, and “Narrative for Natives” on March 9, 2020. Earnest Melton is also featured on the BodaciousThang single, “Say Hi” released Sept. 2, 2020 on Jucy Burrito Records. In 2019 Ernest Melton released the album “The Standard Imperfections.” In 2018 he released the album “The Time of the Slave Is Over.” Ernest Melton is a saxophonist, composer, and band leader currently residing in Kansas City, Missouri by way of Goldsboro, North Carolina. He relocated to his mother’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri at the age of ten where he picked up his first saxophone at Longfellow Academy of the Arts. Bored with the classical curriculum of the music department, Ernest studied more contemporary genres of music and the guitar until the age of fourteen when he joined his first jazz program through the American Jazz Museum of Kansas City. Playing mostly tenor sax by the age of fourteen, Ernest joined Lincoln High School jazz band and many other musical programs around the Greater Kansas City area. Naturally excelling, Melton left school at the age of sixteen to study music on his own. With kind neighbors and a supportive mother, Ernest was free to practice the saxophone, study albums, and write compositions at any hour of the day. It was during this time he found his first major influences in jazz like Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, and Pharoah Sanders. Pharoah’s polyphony were like echoes of Melton’s father, a Primitive Baptist preacher, and became a large influence of his playing. An avid composer as well, Ernest studied with tutors in classical orchestration, big band arranging, and Afro-Cuban drumming. He cites Charles Mingus, Igor Stravinsky, and Wayne Shorter as his favorite all around composers and still tries to implement their techniques in his music today. After being accepted into Berklee College of Music he decided not to attend and began his career playing music in bands of every genre around the Greater Kansas City area. In 2018 Ernest release his first full length album entitle, “The Time Of The Slave Is Over”, which received raved reviews at home and abroad by media such as Plastic Sax, Quest TV, and JAZIZZ to name a few. Currently, Melton is working on his second full length album. While still in his early twenties, Ernest Melton has played all over the country and plans to continue to travel abroad.]

[Ernest Melton and his Quartet play The Ship, 1217 Union Avenue, KCMO West Bottoms, on Thursday, March 16, at 8:00 PM.]

  1. Zion Isaiah – “Medicine”
    from: “Medicine’ – Single / Zion Isaiah / January 17, 2023
    [21 year old Zion Isaiah released the single “21” on October 28, 2022. Calla released the single “you and i (feat. Zion Isaiah & Hannah You) on June 15, 2022, on Memesquirt Records. Zion Isaiah released the single “So Harsh” on May 6, 2022. Zion Isaiah released the single “Oasis” on January 22, 2022. Zion Isaiah released the single “Tired of Missing You” on November 12, 2021. Zion Isaiah released the single, “Drive (feat. Painter Boy)” on August 13, 2021. Kansas City, Missouri based Zion Isaiah works at JHS Pedals, studies at Johnson County Community College, and Went to Kansas City Christian School. More info at: http://www.facebook.com/zeeon.boklender.%5D
  1. Akkilles- “Happily”
    from: Happily – Single / David Bennett / April 21, 2023
    [Akkilles is the music project of David Bennett who makes music under the moniker Akkilles. He also helps other people make music. Engineered & Produced by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in KCMO. Main vocals, keys, acoustic & electric guitar by David Bennett. Additional electric guitar by Baird Williams. Recorded at: Aorist Studios in KC. Akkilles released three singles in 2019. “By Myself” – Single was released November 1, 2019. “Meet in the Middle” was released October 25, 2019. “Feelin’ My Self” was released February 1, 2019. Akkilles released the critically acclaimed debut record “Something You’d Say” on July 2, 2013.]
  1. Jass – “Lifetime”
    from: “Liftetime” – Single / JASS / January 6, 2023
    [Jass is Jasmine “Jass” Couch. Jass and The Boys released the single “Love U Like I Love U” on December 2, 2022. Jass released the EP, OFF KEY: TOO HIGH on September 23, 2022. Jass released the single “Higher Ground” on August 16, 2022. It was #1 on WMM’s 50 Favorite Singles of 2022. Jass released her single, “Him” on February 23, 2022. Jass released At the Close of a Decade on November 26, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 121 Best Recordings of 2021. She wrote, “After years of writing and recording in voice memos .. I decided to grab my iPad and began recording something that I am very proud of. I named it, At the Close of A Decade, and released it in November 2019. With my iPhone/iPad, some apple headphones, I created this project. The amazing people around me told me it was worth it, even when I didn’t believe it myself. I convinced myself I would be the only one that liked my songs. If you decide to listen you’ll hear sound clips of shows and movies that made a difference in the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself, and the way I overcame my experiences. I remember asking my grandma and my son if I should release what I’ve been writing and they both said very simply to do it, so I’ve done it. I want to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been my soundboards during this process, all of the people that have asked me when it’s coming, the people that have kept me accountable, and believed that this time it was for real. My story is so very triumphant and beautiful because I have overcome experiences and shunned the fear I had to do what I love. It’s crazy how you can talk your way out of some amazing things and also how you can talk yourself into making some amazing things happen. If you partake, I hope you enjoy.” // Jass has opened for Thundercat sat GRINDERS, headlined a show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence with my boys! (Colby Bales and Brande Moser), and she opened up for The New Respects at The Uptown, and sang the Negro National Anthem at BLAQUE to School Night at the KC Monarchs game.More info at: http://www.jassrcouch.com]

[Jass’ song “GROW” was included inlets week’s episode of the television drama Bel-Air on the Peacock Network, directed and created by filmmaker Morgan Cooper. ]

[Jass plays Songbird Session at Blip Roasters, 1301 Woodswether Rd., Kansas City West Bpttoms. on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 8:00 PM]

10:29 – Underwriting

10:31 – Interview with Gayle Price

Gayle Cade-Price was most powerfully influenced by her mother, the original Rock and Roll Mama, Priscilla Bowman. Born in Kansas City, KS, the youngest of 2, and her passion for music was established very early in life. Gayle Price is the founder of the Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band with over 30 years of experience between their members. Lead singer, Gayle Cade-Price brings a sultry, soulful elegance to each and every performance. Her powerful, velvety, smooth voice, are complimented by her distinguished and phenomenally talented band members: Allen Monroe on keyboards, Desmond Jordan on drums, Wendell Dancer on bass, Charlotte Lockhart on background vocals, and Gerrit Blewitt on background vocals.

Pure Sweetness Entertainment led by Gayle Cade-Price performs at Uptown Lounge, 3400 Main Street KCMO on Thursday, March 30, 2023, 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Gayle Price thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Gayle Cade-Price writes that her biggest musical influence in her life was her mother, Priscilla Bowman.

Priscilla Bowman was born Priscilla Irene Mills, on May 30, 1928. She was a jazz and rhythm and blues singer, who had a No. 1 hit single on the Billboard magazine R&B chart in 1955 with the song “Hands Off”. She was the lead singer for the Jay McShann band.

The daughter of Ethel and Solomon Mills, she was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and has been called the city’s “original rock ‘n’ roll mama.” Her influences included singers Ruth Brown and Annie Laurie. She joined the Jay McShann band in the early 1950s. In 1955 the band signed with Vee-Jay Records, and Bowman recorded two sessions with them. One of the songs, “Hands Off” went to No. 1 on the R&B chart for three weeks in December 1955.

She recorded three sessions for Vee-Jay and its subsidiary label, Falcon, as a solo singer between 1957 and 1959 but could not repeat her success. However, in 1958 she was the first to record the song “A Rockin’ Good Way”, with uncredited vocal backing by The Spaniels. The song was written with Brook Benton and became a hit when Benton recorded it himself as a duo with Dinah Washington in 1960.

Bowman recorded again for Abner Records in 1959 and continued to record and make personal appearances, some with McShann, through the mid-1970s. She retired to family life. A compilation album of her recordings, An Original Rock & Roll Mama, was released in 1986. Bowman died in July 24, 1988 from lung cancer at the age of 60.

10:36

  1. Jay McShann and His Orchestra – “Hands Off (feat. Patricia Bowman”
    from: A Taste of The Blues, Vol. 1 / Concord / January 1, 2093
    [James Columbus “Jay” McShann was born January 12, 1916 and died December 7, 2006. He was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and Ben Webster.// McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and was nicknamed Hootie. During his youth he taught himself how to play the piano through observing his sister’s piano lessons and trying to practicing tunes he heard off the radio. He was also heavily influenced by late-night broadcasts of pianist Earl Hines from Chicago’s Grand Terrace Cafe: “When ‘Fatha’ (Hines) went off the air, I went to bed”. He began working as a professional musician in 1931 at the age of 15, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma, and neighboring Arkansas. // McShann moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1936, and set up his own big band which variously featured Charlie Parker (1937–42), Al Hibbler, Ben Webster, Paul Quinichette, Bernard Anderson, Gene Ramey, Jimmy Coe, Gus Johnson (1938–43), Harold “Doc” West, Earl Coleman, Walter Brown, and Jimmy Witherspoon, among others. His first recordings were all with Charlie Parker, the first as the Jay McShann Orchestra on August 9, 1940. // The band played both swing and blues numbers, but played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was “Confessin’ the Blues” with Walter Brown on vocals. The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944. After his return two years later, he found that small groups were now taking the place of big-bands in the jazz scene. // McShann told the Associated Press in 2003: “You’d hear some cat play, and somebody would say, ‘This cat, he sounds like he’s from Kansas City.’ It was Kansas City Style. They knew it on the East Coast. They knew it on the West Coast. They knew it up North, and they knew it down South.” // After World War II McShann began to lead small groups featuring the blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon began to record with McShann in 1945 and, fronting McShann’s band, he had a hit in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business”. As well as writing much material, Witherspoon continued recording with McShann’s band, which also featured Ben Webster. McShann had a modern rhythm and blues hit with “Hands Off”, featuring a vocal by Priscilla Bowman, in 1955. // In the late 1960s, McShann often performed as a singer as well as a pianist, often with violinist Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s, McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto, Ontario, where he made his last recording, “Hootie Blues”, in February 2001, after a recording career of 61 years. In 1979, he appeared prominently in The Last of the Blue Devils, a documentary film about Kansas City jazz. // One of McShann’s favorite stories to tell was how band member and friend Charlie Parker got his nickname “Bird”. During their drive to a gig in Nebraska with a car full of musicians, the driver of the car accidentally hit a chicken. According to McShann, Parker requested the driver turn around so he could get the bird, and sat with it in the backseat of the car all the way to Lincoln. Once they arrived he asked the keeper of the home they were staying in to cook it up for him. McShann died on December 7, 2006, in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 90.]

10:39 – More Interview with Gayle Price

We are talking with vocalist and band leader Gayle Cade-Price. And we just heard a recorded track from Gayle Price’s biggest influence, her mother, the original Rock and Roll Mama, Priscilla Bowman who joined the Jay McShann band in the early 1950s and In 1955 the band signed with Vee-Jay Records, and Bowman recorded two sessions with them. One of the songs, “Hands Off”, became a hit and stayed at No. 1 on the R&B chart for three weeks in December 1955.

Gayle Price is the founder of the Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band with over 30 years of experience between their members. Lead singer, Gayle Price brings a sultry, soulful elegance to each and every performance. Her powerful, velvety, smooth voice, are complimented by her distinguished and phenomenally talented band members.

Pure Sweetness Entertainment led by Gayle Price performs at Uptown Lounge, 3400 Main Street KCMO on Thursday, March 30, 2023, 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Gayle Price thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band has over 30 years of experience between their members.

Members:
Gayle Price on lead vocals
Allen Monroe on keyboards
Desmond Jordan on drums
Wendell Dancer on bass
Charlotte Lockhart on background vocals,
Gerrit Blewitt on background vocals.

Pure Sweetness Entertainment are enthusiastic, hardworking and an absolute band.

With creativity and talent in their blood, The Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band is sure to make any performance, the performance of a lifetime! Appealing both to urban and adult contemporary listeners, their music brings a distinct sophistication. Their sound is often smooth and mellow, oftentimes gritty and energizing, but never lifeless.

Pure Sweetness Entertainment play R&B, Pop, Rock, Gospel or Country music

Gayle Price is currently writing some songs to get recorded later this year.

Gayle Cade-Price thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Pure Sweetness Entertainment led by Gayle Cade-Price performs at Uptown Lounge, 3400 Main Street KCMO on Thursday, March 30, 2023, 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

More information at: https://puresweetnessent.wixsite.com/mysite

10:47

  1. Amy Ray – “Tear It Down with Allison Russell”
    from: If It All Goes South / Daemon Records / September 16, 2022
    [Amy Ray ‘s tenth solo album, If It All Goes South, on her own label Daemon Records. Recorded live to tape at Nashville’s Sound Emporium and mainly produced by her frequent collaborator Brian Speiser, If It All Goes South owes much of its freewheeling vitality to the potent chemistry between Ray and her longtime bandmates, including guitarist Jeff Fielder (a Seattle-based musician known for his work with artists like Mark Lanegan and Duff McKagan), keyboardist Daniel Walker (Heart, Ann Wilson, John Fullbright), pedal-steel player Matt Smith (also a member of The Honeycutters), banjo player Alison Brown, fiddle player/guitarist Adrian Carter, bassist Kerry Brooks, and drummer Jim Brock. The follow-up to 2018’s Holler (a widely acclaimed release featuring Vince Gill and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), the album also includes a dazzling lineup of guest musicians: Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, The Highwomen’s Natalie Hemby, Phil Cook, and I’m With Her, to name a few. // On April 24, 2020 The Indigo Girls released LOOK LONG, their 15th studio album. The Indigo Girls recorded the album with previous collaborator John Reynolds. Tour dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States but the duo performed a series of weekly live-streamed concerts online to raise money for charity as well as promote this release. These events were accompanied by a question and answer session and audience requests for performances. They also performed at a virtual festival of musicians raising money for the United Nations Foundation on Mother’s Day, 2020. Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. They started performing with the name Indigo Girls as students at Emory University, performing weekly at The Dugout, a bar in Emory Village. They released a self-produced, full-length record album entitled Strange Fire in 1987, and contracted with a major record company in 1988. After releasing nine albums with major record labels from 1987 through 2007, they have now resumed self-producing albums with their own IG Recordings company. Outside of working on Indigo Girls–related projects, Ray has released solo albums and founded a non-profit organization that promotes independent musicians, while Saliers is an entrepreneur in the restaurant industry as well as a professional author; she also collaborates with her father, Don Saliers, in performing for special groups and causes. Saliers & Ray are both lesbians and active in political and environmental causes.]

[THE INDIGO GIRLS play with THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY, Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 8:00 PM at The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO]

  1. The Ants – “Cheap & Easy”
    from: Good Luck Crow / The Ants / September 17, 2022
    [The Ants 12th release and follow up to SUN CITY VICES released November 14, 2020. For this record the band brought I whol team of Guest Artists including: Mason Vickery, Betse Ellie, Johnny Hamil, Wayne Gottstine, Sue Phillips, David Regnier, David Randall, Chris DeVictor and Brad Nichols helped on this one. Prior to this the band released their 8th full length album GOLDEN SUBMARINE on Octoner 13, 2017. For GOLDEN SUBMARINE band member Chad Bryan said: “It is safe to say they have been under the radar for the past 17 years. We’ve long been a band other bands enjoy, but haven’t really gotten past that and into a larger audience. We’ve been releasing music independently for the past ten years and were on a small label out of Chicago called Sickroom Records prior to that. We’ve been relegated to local and regional work the past several years due to real life obligations. We did quite a bit of touring 2003-2010. The nucleus of the band is a four piece that has been together since 2006. Half of the band lives in Lawrence, the other half in Kansas City.” Band members include: David Randall, Sean McEniry, Brad Nichols, Chad Bryan. http://www.killtheants.com]

[The Ants play a vinyl record release show for Good Luck Crow on Friday, March 17, 2023 at 10:00 PM at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, West Bottoms.]

  1. Emily King – “Medal”
    from: Special Occasion / ATO Records / May 5, 2023
    [New York native Emily King is set to release her latest studio album Special Occasion. The new body of work is King’s first album in 4 years, following her multi-Grammy-nominated ‘Scenery.’ Using music as a means of meditation, King works through the most overwhelming emotions with ineffable grace and resilience. Today King releases the project’s second single “Medal,” a joyfully upbeat song punctuated by driving-low end bass, rhythmic hand claps, and a soaring chorus. // “I’d had this melody in my head for a very long time,” Emily King explains. “It was a slow song until I got in the studio with my producer and we picked up the tempo. He started playing this funky bassline on the chorus and it was like instant joy! The lyric was ‘I wanna be the girl with the medal’ like, I want that shiny feeling you get when the person you have a crush on gives you their attention. These days though, I’ve been singing the song to myself which gives it a slightly different meaning. Like, ‘Hey you are the prize girl!’ ‘You are the medal and you already won yourself!’ Ha. Makes me feel good and then I get to dancing.” // ‘Special Occasion’ sees King bring ever-evolving levels of depth and nuance to her songwriting, rooting each revelation into a mesmerizing blend of soul, R&B, and forward-thinking pop. “It’s about trying to find some kind of light in the middle of your hardest times: those moments when you don’t really have anything to celebrate, you’re just alone and sitting in those feelings and trying to make sense of it all,” King explains. // Emily King (born July 10, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In 2019 Emily King was nominated for Best R&B Song for the 62nd Grammy Awards and her album Scenery was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In 2020 Emily King was nominated again, this time for t for her song “See Me”. // Born in New York City in 1985, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly taking her and her older brother with them. At age 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career. She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City including CBGB and The Bitter End. // King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and appeared on Nas’ 2004 album Street’s Disciple credited as simply “Emily”. Her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year. After leaving the label in 2008, King continued her work independently with producer Jeremy Most. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released in July 2011. Throughout this time, King toured domestically and internationally with many artists including Nas, John Legend, Floetry, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and Maroon 5. // In 2012, King was awarded the Holly Prize (a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly) from The Songwriters Hall of Fame for recognition of the “all-in songwriter” whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original. In the fall, King was invited by Emeli Sandé to open for her UK tour playing sold out shows in five cities including at The Royal Albert Hall in London. King collaborated with José James on his album No Beginning No End in 2013 and can be heard on the tracks “Heaven on the Ground” and the acoustic version of “Come to My Door”. In 2014, King performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles’ Little Black Dress tour. //King’s second studio album, The Switch, was self-released by her own label, Making Music Records, on 26 June 2015. The Wall Street Journal remarked that the album is “a tasteful collection of eleven songs that showcase King’s distinctive voice”. // She signed with the independent label ATO Records in 2017 and with them released her third studio album, Scenery, on 1 February 2019. // In late 2019, King once again performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles in her Amidst The Chaos Tour. // In 2019, King helped to compose “Being Human”, the ending theme song for the Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe Future, which she sang. Her song “Can’t Hold Me” was also used in an episode of the series. // King released her fourth studio album, Sides, on January 17, 2020. The album features acoustic takes on her previous songs, and includes a guest appearance by Sara Bareilles on the track “Teach You.” In response to racial unrest in the summer of 2020, King released the song “See Me” in August. The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.]
  1. The Critterz – “Stormtrooper Blues (Pew Pew)”
    from: “Stormtrooper Blues (Pew Pew)” – Single / The Critterz / May 5, 2023
    [The third single release from The Critterz comes out officially on April 1, 2023. The single was written by the band’s new member Don Dawn aka Breakadawn aka Dawn Yoder (who is also the lead singer of The Bad Ideas). She was introduced to the band by Pat Tomek. The Critterz are made up of Mist Blu, Rocky Raccoon, Alex ‘Ale Bear’ Boyd (who also plays with Interstate Run) and BreakaDawn on keyboards. Mist Blu describes themself as a “roughneck boygirl” and they do stump removal by day. Rocky Raccoon describes the band as: “reclusive and nocturnal.” Rocky Raccoon was formerly known for playing with pop punk band Helkat. The Critterz are punk-pop woodland creatures dedicated to fighting fascism and the occasional outdoor cat. They ask us not to worry because they don’t start fights. The Crittersz released their debut single, “La La Lu Lu Lu” on July 11, 2022. The Critters released their single, “It’s Gonna Be A Good Day” on October 13, 2022.]

[The Critters will play Thies Park’s “First Sundays” on April 2, 2023.]

11:00 – Station ID

  1. Flor de Toloache – “Una Vida Y Otra Más”
    from: Motherflower / Fever Records – Enigma / 1984
    [Flor de Toloache is an all-female mariachi band based in NYC and founded by Mireya I. Ramos & Shae Fiol in 2008. // Flor de Toloache first began playing in the NYC subways where they were noticed by numerous media outlets including the New York Times. In 2014, they released their first album Mariachi Flor de Toloache and in 2016 they toured with The Arcs after having contributed to their album Yours, Dreamily. In 2017, they won a Latin Grammy for “Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album” for their second studio album Las Caras Lindas – a first-time win by women. “We wanted to do fusion because there was so much more that we can express musically, and we wanted to work with [producer] Rafa Sardina,” says Ramos. “We were really excited and also nervous. We didn’t know what to expect.” In 2019, they were nominated for a Grammy for “Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album” for their third studio album Indestructible, which was produced by Rafa Sardina and includes collaborations with notable artists including John Legend, Miguel, Camilo Lara, and Alex Cuba.]

[Mireya Ramos of Flor de Toloache plays Mireya Ramos Presents Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, Kansas City Missouri.]

11:03 – Interview with Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia Noguera of Ladies Rock!

Latin-Grammy-winning, multiple Latin Grammy nominated and Grammy-nominated vocalist, violinist, Guitarron player, composer, producer, arranger and founder of Flor de Toloache – NY’s only all-women mariachi. She embodies all of her musical influences whether classical, mariachi, salsa, merengue or hip-hop, always creating a unique and refreshing sound. Her versatility, natural improvisational skills and beautiful tone has made her one of the top Latin artists in New York City and has landed her features on legendary albums by Latin Grammy Winner percussionist Luisito Quintero, Bobbito & Stretch, Len Smythe, Chicano Batman, AdrianQuesada (Black Pumas) and many more.

As a big advocate of empowering the next generation and promoting the importance of representation, she has been an integral part of educational projects like México Beyond Mariachi, Lincoln Center, and Mariachi Academy NY. She continues to share her experience and knowledge through workshops, educational programs and performances. Apart from touring with her band, she is proudly involved in She is the Music, the Recording Academy as a serving governor of the NY Chapter, a SAG-Aftra member and promoting her debut solo album self titled “Mireya” which include collaborations with Flor de Toloache, Gaby Moreno, Haydée Milanés, Camilo Lara, Adrian Quesada, Velcro and the legendary Mike Garson.

Mireya Ramos Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Erika Noguera is an entrepreneur, community organizer, and occasional performer who is passionate about nurturing communal healing and creating safe, inclusive spaces through art, connection, and mutual aid. She runs the coffee company, Doña Fina Café, with her dad; importing coffee directly from the family farm in Guatemala and roasting it weekly in KC. She also provides strategic communications expertise in the local arts and music community through the local youth empowerment nonprofit Art As Mentorship, Celebrate Ameri’kana Festival, and other projects.

Erika Noguera, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Mireya and Erika are here to share all of the details about Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, KCMO. A Celebration of Women’s History Month. Femmes and allies come together for an afternoon and evening of exploring the creative power in our voices. Beginning with a Vocal Workshop led by Mireya Ramos, founder of the Latin-Grammy winning, all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache. After the workshop, there will be time to connect with Mireya and local artists and makers. Refreshments and snacks provided. At 7:00 PM, Mireya will host an incredible line-up of powerhouse musicians and vocalists including: The Burney Sisters, Casii Stephan, Ezgi Karakus, Calvin Arsenia, Trevor Turla, Michael McClintock, Marco Pascolini, and Slim Hanson. Local vendors include: Socorro “Coco” Rico with ceramics and print, and original paintings; Bernadette Negrete with paper, and paint; Aliena Martes with weaving and jewelry; Doña Fina Café with family farmed coffee.

Mireya Ramos Presents Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, Kansas City Missouri.

Vocal workshop. Vendor Fair. Concert. A celebration of women in music and the life force of all who identify with the impulse to create.

A celebration of women in music and the life force of all who identify with the impulse to create. Latin-Grammy-winning founder, leader, and vocal powerhouse Mireya Ramos, presents Ladies Rock! A Celebration of Women’s History Month.

Come together with femmes and allies for an afternoon and evening of exploring the creative power in our voices. Beginning with a Vocal Workshop led by Mireya Ramos of founder of the Latin-Grammy winning, all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache.

About the Vocal Workshop: “I will be sharing with you breathing techniques, styling and some tricks that have helped me navigate my voice in different genres, allowed me to play around with many different colors, and led me to discover my own power through singing. We will join our voices with a few melodies you may all know and we will have fun playing around with different sounds that will help you discover new exciting things about your own voice.”

After the workshop, folks will have time to connect with Mireya and each other, and local artists and makers; all in the beautiful, light-filled Charlotte Street Foundation Hall. Refreshments and snacks provided.

Local artist & vendors include:
Socorro “Coco” Rico – ceramics and print, and original paintings
Bernadette Negrete – paper, and paint
Aliena Martes – weaving and jewelery
Doña Fina Café – direct-single origin- family farmed coffe

At 7:00 PM, Mireya will host an incredible line-up of powerhouse musicians and vocalists including: The Burney Sisters, Casii Stephan, Ezgi Karakus, Calvin Arsenia, Trevor Turla, Michael McClintock, Marco Pascolini, and Slim Hanson.

The Burney Sisters, comprised of sisters Olivia -17, Emma-15, and recently joined 12-year-old sister Bella, create music with a maturity and emotional intelligence that belies their age. Olivia and Emma write keen and knowing songs while arranging for multiple instruments and structuring unique and resonant harmonies. The result-personal and penetrating music that both connects with and captivates their listener. Their soul nurturing sibling harmonies and tunes are reminiscent of The Avett Brothers, First Aid Kit, Indigo Girls, The Staves, and Joseph. “The Burney Sisters… Have the talent and wisdom of artists three times their ages. They have already opened for Wynonna Judd, and played high profile music festivals.” – Bobby Jean Sawyer. — Wide Open Country

11:12

  1. The Burney Sisters – “Can’t Look Past Your Door (Single)”
    from: Can’t Look Past Your Door (Single) / BBS Productions / May 6, 2022
    [From Columbia, Missouri, The Burney Sisters, comprised of sisters Olivia-16, Emma-13, and recently joined 11-year-old sister Bella , create music with a maturity and emotional intelligence that belies their age. Olivia and Emma write keen and knowing songs while arranging for multiple instruments and structuring unique and resonant harmonies. The result—personal and penetrating music that both connects with and captivates the listener. Their soul nurturing sibling harmonies and tunes are reminiscent of The Avett Brothers, First Aid Kit, Indigo Girls, The Staves, and The Wild Reeds. More info at: http://www.theburneysisters.com] [The Burney Sisters were 2022 Folk Alliance International Official Showcase Artists – Performing Thursday, May 19, at 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM in Roanoke Room, in Westin Crown Center Hotel.]

[The Burney Sisters plays Mireya Ramos Presents Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, Kansas City Missouri.]

11:15 – More Interview with Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia Noguera

We are talking with Latin-Grammy-winning, multiple Latin Grammy nominated and Grammy-nominated vocalist, violinist, Guitarron player, composer, producer, arranger and founder of Flor de Toloache – NY’s only all-women mariachi. Mireya Ramos

And our friend Erika Cecilia Noguera entrepreneur, community organizer, and occasional performer who is passionate about nurturing communal healing and creating safe, inclusive spaces through art, connection, and mutual aid. She runs the coffee company, Doña Fina Café, with her dad; importing coffee directly from the family farm in Guatemala and roasting it weekly in KC.

Mireya Ramos and Erika Noguera, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Mireya and Erika are here to share all of the details about Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, KCMO. A Celebration of Women’s History Month.

Femmes and allies come together for an afternoon and evening of exploring the creative power in our voices. Beginning with a Vocal Workshop led by Mireya Ramos, founder of the Latin-Grammy winning, all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache.

Mireya Ramos embodies all of her musical influences whether classical, mariachi, salsa, merengue or hip-hop, always creating a unique and refreshing sound. Her versatility, natural improvisational skills and beautiful tone has made her one of the top Latin artists in New York City and has landed her features on legendary albums by Latin Grammy Winner percussionist Luisito Quintero, Bobbito & Stretch, Len Smythe, Chicano Batman, AdrianQuesada (Black Pumas) and many more.

As a big advocate of empowering the next generation and promoting the importance of representation, she has been an integral part of educational projects like México Beyond Mariachi, Lincoln Center, and Mariachi Academy NY. She continues to share her experience and knowledge through workshops, educational programs and performances. Apart from touring with her band, she is proudly involved in She is the Music, the Recording Academy as a serving governor of the NY Chapter, a SAG-Aftra member and promoting her debut solo album self titled “Mireya” which include collaborations with Flor de Toloache, Gaby Moreno, Haydée Milanés, Camilo Lara, Adrian Quesada, Velcro and the legendary Mike Garson.

Come together with femmes and allies for an afternoon and evening of exploring the creative power in our voices.

Beginning with a Vocal Workshop led by Mireya Ramos of founder of the Latin-Grammy winning, all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache.

After the workshop, we will have time to connect with Mireya and each other and local artists and makers; all in the beautiful, light-filled Charlotte Street Foundation Hall. Refreshments and snacks provided.

At 7:00 PM, Mireya will host an incredible line-up of powerhouse musicians and vocalists including: The Burney Sisters, Casii Stephan, Ezgi Karakus, Calvin Arsenia, Trevor Turla, Michael McClintock, Marco Pascolini, and Slim Hanson. Local vendors include: Socorro “Coco” Rico with ceramics and print, and original paintings; Bernadette Negrete with paper, and paint; Aliena Martes with weaving and jewelry; Doña Fina Café with family farmed coffee.

Event Sponsors:
FMK Music
Charlotte Street Foundation
Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City
Flyer Design: Megan Ammari

Casii Stephan is a MN born, indie-pop meets soul-rock artist now based in Tulsa, OK. Casii’s “gorgeously emotive voice inspires comparisons to alt-pop artists like Florence Welch and Fiona Apple with a writing style reminiscent of Carole King” (NPR). Her music combines her love for the storytelling elements of Disney ballads and the bold, brilliance of The White Stripes, as well as the soul-wrenching R&B melodies of H.E.R. Her songs have received awards and nominations from the Independent Music Awards, Hollywood Music and Media Awards, and USA Songwriting Competition. She has been featured in Billboard, Earmilk, and was named as one of NPR music’s Artists to watch in 2022. Casii Stephan and her band, “The Midnight Sun”have performed multiple official SXSW showcases, toured the Midwest, and recently performed in LA at the “We Found New Music showcase”. Casii’s live performance has received rave reviews from American Songwriter as a “knockout set of blues-funk and soul”. Casii just returned from the Folk Alliance International Music Conference where she was a jury-selected official showcase artist . Casii traveled to Muscle Shoals, AL early 2023 to record an EP with producer, Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones) and is set to release it later this year.

Mireya Ramos and Erika Noguera, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Mireya Ramos Presents Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, Kansas City Missouri.

Vocal workshop. Vendor Fair. Concert. A celebration of women in music and the life force of all who identify with the impulse to create.

11:24

  1. Casii Stephan – “Trust Fall”
    from: “Trust fall” – Single / Mills Record Company / May 31, 2013
    [Casii Stephan is a MN born, indie-pop meets soul-rock artist now based in Tulsa, OK. Casii’s “gorgeously emotive voice inspires comparisons to alt-pop artists like Florence Welch and Fiona Apple with a writing style reminiscent of Carole King” (NPR). Her music combines her love for the storytelling elements of Disney ballads and the bold, brilliance of The White Stripes, as well as the soul-wrenching R&B melodies of H.E.R. Her songs have received awards and nominations from the Independent Music Awards, Hollywood Music and Media Awards, and USA Songwriting Competition. She has been featured in Billboard, Earmilk, and was named as one of NPR music’s Artists to watch in 2022. Casii Stephan and her band, “The Midnight Sun”have performed multiple official SXSW showcases, toured the Midwest, and recently performed in LA at the “We Found New Music showcase”. Casii’s live performance has received rave reviews from American Songwriter as a “knockout set of blues-funk and soul”. Casii just returned from the Folk Alliance International Music Conference where she was a jury-selected official showcase artist . Casii traveled to Muscle Shoals, AL early 2023 to record an EP with producer, Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones) and is set to release it later this year.]

[Casii Stephan plays Mireya Ramos Presents Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, Kansas City Missouri.]

11:28 – Underwriting

  1. Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores – “Numb (Radio Edit)”
    from: “Numb” – Single / Frog Party / January 20, 2023
    [“Numb”, the latest single from Lawrence musicians Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, combines heartbroken lyrics with elements of moody, dark trap production and murky indie guitars. As described by Center Cut Records: “‘Numb’ begins with some Pink Floyd vocals in an echo chamber, and some soundbites laid over a haunting piano for good measure. Paul’s Philly soul special voice is back again, but this time we’ve got some distorted vocals and instruments with Deegan lurking in the mix.” – Patrick Sprehe // Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores are preparing to roll out their collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the coming months under the collective of Lawrence artists Frog Party. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through an eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, electronic music, and soul.Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores– released “Your Sunshine (Feat. Hannah Davis)” on April 29, 2022]

[You can also watch the music video for “Numb”, directed by Brooke Hemrick, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RycI_sJqg9s]

11:33 – Interview with Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores

Paul Jesse is a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, Kansas, whose debut EP, Stuck This Way came out in 2021 and combines his smooth and passionate vocals with psychedelic R&B, hip-hop, and electronic bedroom-pop production.

Deegan Poores is also a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, whose debut album from last year, The “Vanishing” Album, combines indie rock, yacht rock, power pop, and synth pop to create a genre-bending sound with co-production from singer-songwriter-producer-filmmaker Remy Styrk from Kansas City.

After coming together last year to make the song “Your Sunshine”, which features Lawrence based singer-songwriter Hannah Davis, Paul asked Deegan to executive produce his debut album. Hello Paul Jesse, releasing over the upcoming months as three EPs by Lawrence arts collective Frog Party, takes the sound Paul established on Stuck This Way and expands it to include elements of Deegan’s sound as well as trip hop, hyperpop, and folk, among other genres, all cohering around Paul’s voice and hooks. The lyrics chronicle Paul’s growth and development as a person through heartache, self-reflection, and love, and each EP captures a different stage of that transition. Hello Paul Jesse, Part I is out now, and new single “Remedy” featuring Arkko is out Friday, March 17th.

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores for being with us on WMM.

Center Cut Records had this to say about lead single “Numb”:
“‘Numb’ begins with some Pink Floyd vocals in an echo chamber, and some soundbites laid over a haunting piano for good measure. Paul’s Philly soul special voice is back again, but this time we’ve got some distorted vocals and instruments with Deegan lurking in the mix.” – Patrick Sprehe

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores are preparing to roll out their collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the coming months under the collective of Lawrence artists Frog Party.

The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through an eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, electronic music, and soul.

It’s being released in three parts, each part showcasing different stages of his development, and then as a full project to allow each section to be absorbed fully.

Part I captures Paul Jesse at his most anxious, sensitive, and depressed. Lyrically, the EP focuses on heartbreak, acceptance, and rejection, and the music reflects these dark themes. “Intro (Hello)” is a fever dream of spoken word samples and heavy synths that leads directly into the piano ballad “You Don’t Care”, a strong contender for radio play with its dramatic build. Fellow Frog Party artists Indiglow contribute a guest feature to “Not Perfect”, which finishes out the EP with spacey guitars from Deegan and moody synths and heavy trap drums courtesy of ProdbyRai

Last year Deegan Poores released The “Vanishing” Album on February 25, 2022. “Vanishing” was originally released as a single on June 19, 2020. Eventually the track became the title from Deegan’s THE “VANISHING” ALBUM. Written & produced by Deegan Poores. Deegan Poores is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Kansas City, Kansas. Production by: Deegan Poores and Remy Styrk. Engineering by: Remy Styrk. Mixing: Remy Styrk and Deegan Poores. Mastering: Val Cecil. Cover Art: Clayton Phillips. // To see the “Vanishing” video, directed & produced by Remy Styrk visit: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCie5UaItSkEugr7MJ6ubzvg // More info at: http://www.deeganpoores.bandcamp.com]

Last year Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores released the single “Your Sunshine (Feat. Hannah Davis)” on April 29, 2022. Paul Jesse is now a 22 year old singer songwriter based in Kansas City, MO. Paul Jesse & X-GD released the single “To The Sky” on February 25, 2022, and “Stuck This Way” on October 6, 2021. Paul Jesse released the single & video for the song, “Gone,” directed by @strife.studios. // “Your Sunshine” is a chill, trip-hop and classic R&B inspired song about feeling the warmth of one’s love even when they’re not in your presence. Over a bliss bed of murky drum samples, chunky bass, jangly guitars, and lush keyboards, Paul layers his vocals with featured vocalist and friend Hannah Davis to create huge harmonies. The anthemic chorus is an instant earworm. This song was the first collaboration between Paul and Deegan, and has led to a fruitful musical partnership. // Paul Jesse is a singer and songwriter from Lawrence, Kansas who combines his smooth and passionate vocals with production that combines elements of hip-hop, trap, pop, and psychedelic R&B. His self-produced debut EP, Stuck This Way, came out late last year and is a great document of his sound. // Info at: http://www.facebook.com/pauljessemusic

Frog Party is rolling out Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores’ collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the upcoming months as three EPs, with part I being released February 17th. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through Deegan’s eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, soul, and electronic music. Part I captured Paul at his most anxious, sensitive, and depressed, while “Remedy” alongside Part II convey a transition towards reflection, acceptance, and contentment.

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, singer-songwriter-producer duo from Lawrence, KS, are releasing a new single “Remedy (ft. arkko)” on Friday, March 17, 2023. “Remedy”, the latest single from Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, is an up-tempo hyperpop love song with lush synths, chipmunk vocals, pounding 808s, and thunderous bass. Paul both coos sweetly and belts out his admiration, while the guest verse from rapper-producer arkko takes the song for an anxious, frantic spin.

11:41

  1. Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores – “Remedy (feat. Arkko) (Radio Edit)”
    from: “Remedy (feat. Arkko) (Radio Edit)” – Single / Frog Party / March 17, 2023
    [Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, singer-songwriter-producer duo from Lawrence, KS. RIYL: James Blake, Joji, Yung Lean // “Remedy”, the latest single from Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, is an up-tempo hyperpop love song with lush synths, chipmunk vocals, pounding 808s, and thunderous bass. Paul both coos sweetly and belts out his admiration, while the guest verse from rapper-producer arkko takes the song for an anxious, frantic spin. // Frog Party is rolling out Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores’ collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the upcoming months as three EPs, with Part I was released February 17, 2023. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through Deegan’s eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, soul, and electronic music. Part I captured Paul at his most anxious, sensitive, and depressed, while “Remedy” alongside Part II convey a transition towards reflection, acceptance, and contentment.]

11:44 – More Interview with Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores

We are talking with Paul Jesse, a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, Kansas, whose debut EP, Stuck This Way came out in 2021 and combines his smooth and passionate vocals with psychedelic R&B, hip-hop, and electronic bedroom-pop production.

Deegan Poores is also a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, whose debut album from last year, The “Vanishing” Album, combines indie rock, yacht rock, power pop, and synth pop to create a genre-bending sound with co-production from singer-songwriter-producer-filmmaker Remy Styrk from Kansas City.

After coming together last year to make the song “Your Sunshine”, which features Lawrence based singer-songwriter Hannah Davis, Paul asked Deegan to executive produce his debut album. Hello Paul Jesse, releasing over the upcoming months as three EPs by Lawrence arts collective Frog Party, takes the sound Paul established on Stuck This Way and expands it to include elements of Deegan’s sound as well as trip hop, hyperpop, and folk, among other genres, all cohering around Paul’s voice and hooks. The lyrics chronicle Paul’s growth and development as a person through heartache, self-reflection, and love, and each EP captures a different stage of that transition. Hello Paul Jesse, Part I is out now, and new single “Remedy” featuring Arkko is out Friday, March 17th.

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores for being with us on WMM.

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, singer-songwriter-producer duo from Lawrence, KS. “Remedy”, the latest single from Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, is an up-tempo hyperpop love song with lush synths, chipmunk vocals, pounding 808s, and thunderous bass. Paul both coos sweetly and belts out his admiration, while the guest verse from rapper-producer arkko takes the song for an anxious, frantic spin. // Frog Party is rolling out Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores’ collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the upcoming months as three EPs, with Part I was released February 17, 2023. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through Deegan’s eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, soul, and electronic music. Part I captured Paul at his most anxious, sensitive, and depressed, while “Remedy” alongside Part II convey a transition towards reflection, acceptance, and contentment.

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores are preparing to roll out their collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, over the coming months under the collective of Lawrence artists Frog Party. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through an eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, electronic music, and soul. It’s being released in three parts, each part showcasing different stages of his development, and then as a full project to allow each section to be absorbed fully.

Part I captures Paul Jesse at his most anxious, sensitive, and depressed. Lyrically, the EP focuses on heartbreak, acceptance, and rejection, and the music reflects these dark themes. “Intro (Hello)” is a fever dream of spoken word samples and heavy synths that leads directly into the piano ballad “You Don’t Care”, a strong contender for radio play with its dramatic build.

Fellow Frog Party artists Indiglow contribute a guest feature to “Not Perfect”, which finishes out the EP with spacey guitars from Deegan and moody synths and heavy trap drums courtesy of ProdbyRai

Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores for being with us on WMM.

Hello Paul Jesse, releasing over the upcoming months as three EPs by Lawrence arts collective Frog Party, takes the sound Paul established on Stuck This Way and expands it to include elements of Deegan’s sound as well as trip hop, hyperpop, and folk, among other genres, all cohering around Paul’s voice and hooks. The lyrics chronicle Paul’s growth and development as a person through heartache, self-reflection, and love, and each EP captures a different stage of that transition. Hello Paul Jesse, Part I is out now, and new single “Remedy” featuring Arkko is out Friday, March 17th.

For WMM & Deegan & Paul, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

11:54

  1. Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores –“Not Perfect (feat. Indiglow) (Radio Edit)”
    from: Hello Paul Jesse, Pt. 1 – [EP] / Frog Party / February 17, 2023
    [Paul Jesse is a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, Kansas, whose debut EP, Stuck This Way came out in 2021 and combines his smooth and passionate vocals with psychedelic R&B, hip-hop, and electronic bedroom-pop production. Deegan Poores is also a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, whose debut album from last year, The “Vanishing” Album, combines indie rock, yacht rock, power pop, and synth pop to create a genre-bending sound with co-production from singer-songwriter-producer-filmmaker Remy Styrk from Kansas City. After coming together last year to make the song “Your Sunshine”, which features Lawrence based singer-songwriter Hannah Davis, Paul asked Deegan to executive produce his debut album. Hello Paul Jesse, releasing over the upcoming months as three EPs by Lawrence arts collective Frog Party, takes the sound Paul established on Stuck This Way and expands it to include elements of Deegan’s sound as well as trip hop, hyperpop, and folk, among other genres, all cohering around Paul’s voice and hooks. The lyrics chronicle Paul’s growth and development as a person through heartache, self-reflection, and love, and each EP captures a different stage of that transition. Hello Paul Jesse, Part I is out now, and new single “Remedy” featuring Arkko is out Friday, March 17, 2023
  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful listeners and friends who generously and thoughtfully donated to support KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio during our Wednesday MidDay Medley broadcast today! Through the airwaves, and through social media, a total of 55 people donated a total of $3149.00 to allow us to continue our mission. THANK YOU to my incredible co-hosts: Betse Ellis & Marion Merritt, and special guest J Kelly Dougherty, and very special guest Hermon Mehari for sharing your brilliance with our listeners. Thank you to Scott Bunte, Lincoln Dreher and Darryl Oliver for taking our donations over the phones.

Next week on March 22, WMM plays more New & MidCoastal Releases PLUS we talk with KKFI Director of Development and Communications Kelly Dougherty joins us to share the details about KKFI’s upcoming Band Auction March 25 and 26. We also chat with one of our current High School Intern, Audrey Bramlett AND in our entire second hour we welcome very special guest, IRIS DEMENT who plays a sold out show at Knuckleheads the following night March 23, and whose new album is WORKIN’ ON A WORLD is getting glowing reviews every where and cracked the Billboard Top 40 Album Charts!

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

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

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #985

WMM presents: Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia of Ladies Rock! + Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores + Gayle Cade-Price

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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, March 15, 2023

Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia of Ladies Rock! + Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores + Gayle Cade-Price

Dragon Inn 3

Mark Spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Dragon Inn 3, IVORY BLUE, Akkilles, Zion Isaiah, The Critterz, The Ants, Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, Jass, Friendly Thieves, Ernest Melton, Emily King, Amy Ray & Allison Russell, Flor de Toloache, The Burney Sisters, and Casii Stephan.

Gayle Cade-Price

At 10:30 we talk with Gayle Cade-Price founder of the Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band with over 30 years of experience between their members. Lead singer, Gayle Cade-Price brings a sultry, soulful elegance to each and every performance. Her powerful, velvety, smooth voice, are complimented by her distinguished and phenomenally talented band members: Allen Monroe on keyboards, Desmond Jordan on drums, Wendell Dancer on bass, Charlotte Lockhart on background vocals, and Gerrit Blewitt on background vocals. The Pure Sweetness Entertainment Band play The KC Daquiri Shop Bistreaux, 8725 Metcalf Ave., in Overland Park, Kansas, Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 7:00 PM More information at: https://puresweetnessent.wixsite.com/mysite

At 11:00 AM Mark welcomes Mireya Ramos & Erika Cecilia of Ladies Rock! on Saturday, March 18, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming, KCMO. A Celebration of Women’s History Month. Femmes and allies come together for an afternoon and evening of exploring the creative power in our voices. Beginning with a Vocal Workshop led by Mireya Ramos, founder of the Latin-Grammy winning, all-female mariachi group Flor de Toloache. After the workshop, there will be time to connect with Mireya and local artists and makers. Refreshments and snacks provided. At 7:00 PM, Mireya will host an incredible line-up of powerhouse musicians and vocalists including: The Burney Sisters, Casii Stephan, Ezgi Karakus, Calvin Arsenia, Trevor Turla, Michael McClintock, Marco Pascolini, and Slim Hanson. Local vendors include: Socorro “Coco” Rico with ceramics and print, and original paintings; Bernadette Negrete with paper, and paint; Aliena Martes with weaving and jewelry; Doña Fina Café with family farmed coffee. For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mireya-ramos-presents-ladies-rock-tickets-569544431727?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

At 11:30 Paul Jesse & Deegan Poores, a singer-songwriter-producer duo from Lawrence, KS, join us to talk about their collaborative album, Hello Paul Jesse, being released in three parts over the coming months. The album chronicles Paul’s development as a person, in his relationships, and in his relationship with himself through an eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, electronic music, and soul. It’s being released in three parts, (Three EPs) with each part showcasing different stages of Paul’s development, and then as a full album project to allow each section to be absorbed fully. Hello Paul Jesse, Part I [EP] was released on February 17, 2023. Their new single “Remedy” featuring Arkko will be out Friday, March 17, 2023. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com

Ernest Melton photo by Jon Northington
IVORY BLUE photo by Sam Olson

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #985

WMM Playlist from March 8, 2023

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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, March 8, 2023

PARIS WILLIAMS + The KC PUNK SHINDIG + IVORY BLUE

  1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
    from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
    [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Everything But The Girl photo by Robert Cheesmond (1983) (Right)
  1. Everything But The Girl – “Nothing Left To Lose”
    from: Fuse / Buzzin’ Fly – Virgin / April 21, 2023
    [Everything But The Girl have revealed their new track “Caution To The Wind” and its accompanying lyric video. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album Fuse out April 21st. The song is the follow up to current single “Nothing Left To Lose” which has seen fantastic support across radio and press, with BrooklynVegan calling it “one of the year’s most welcome surprises,” radio and editorial playlists. The track has topped one million streams on Spotify, and the video has been viewed over 1 million times on YouTube. // Written and produced by Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn over the spring-summer of 2021, Everything But The Girl’s new album Fuse is a modern take on the lustrous electronic soul the band first pioneered in the mid-90s. Thorn’s affecting and richly-textured voice is once again up front in Watt’s glimmering landscape of sub-bass, sharp beats, half-lit synths and empty space, and as before, the result is the sound of a band comfortable with being both sonically contemporary, yet agelessly themselves. // The pair recorded in secret at home and in a small riverside studio outside Bath with friend and engineer Bruno Ellingham. For the first two months, the artist name on the album files was simply TREN (Tracey and Ben), and early takes focused on ambient sound montages and improvised spectral piano loops recorded by Ben on his iPhone at home during his enforced pandemic isolation – ideas which later blossomed into atmospheric tracks such as “When You Mess Up” and “Interior Space.” // Everything But The Girl broke through on the UK indie scene in 1982 with a stark jazz-folk cover of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.” They then released a string of UK gold albums throughout the 80s, experimenting with jazz, guitar pop, orchestral wall-of-sound and drum-machine soul. After Watt’s near-death experience from a rare auto-immune condition in 1992, the pair returned unbowed with the million-selling ardent folktronica of Amplified Heart in 1994. It includes their biggest hit, “Missing,” after New York DJ-producer Todd Terry’s remix unexpectedly made the leap from heavy club play to global radio success (Number 2 US Hot 100; Number 3 UK Top 40). The sparkling Walking Wounded – emotional songs brimming with ideas from the mid 90s electronic scene – followed in 1996 (Number 4 UK Album Chart). Spawning four UK Top 40 hits, the record became the band’s first platinum selling album. After their final show at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2000, the pair chose to quit Everything But The Girl on a high. // Everything but the Girl is an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group’s early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single “Missing”. // The duo have accomplished four top ten and twelve top 40 singles in the UK and have received eight gold and two platinum album BPI certifications in the UK as well as one gold album RIAA certification in the US. Their cover of “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in 1988, a feat which would later be matched by “Missing”, which charted high in several countries and reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1995 and spent over seven months on the UK Singles Chart thanks to an extremely popular remix by Todd Terry which later led to a Brit Award nomination for Best British Single. // Their ninth album Walking Wounded (1996) set a new career best by entering the UK albums chart at number four; it spawned the top ten singles “Walking Wounded” and “Wrong”. The band went inactive in 2000, with Thorn declaring that she would no longer perform live. Thorn and Watt, who did not publicise their romantic relationship with each other while active, married in 2009, both released solo albums and said it was unlikely that Everything But the Girl would be active again. // However, in November 2022, Thorn announced that a new album had been recorded for release in spring 2023. Fuse, the band’s first new material in 24 years, will be released on 21 April 2023. // When Thorn and Watt met, they were both attending the University of Hull and both had contracted with the independent record company Cherry Red Records, as solo artists. Thorn was also a member of the trio Marine Girls. The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red: Thorn’s 1982 LP was A Distant Shore, an eight-track mini-album. Watt’s 1983 debut LP – the follow-up to his 1982 5-track EP Summer Into Winter featuring Robert Wyatt – was entitled North Marine Drive. // 1985 view of Turners, with the slogan Everything but the Girl. They formed a duo and adopted the name “Everything but the Girl” from the slogan used by the Hull shop Turner’s Furniture on Beverley Road. // EBTG’s debut single, a cover version of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”, was released in June 1982. After steady sales and exposure from a compilation album entitled Pillows & Prayers, the single was re-issued in August 1983. // Their debut album, Eden, was released in the UK in 1984. It reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart, spending twenty weeks on the chart. It featured the single “Each and Every One”, which reached number 28 on the UK top 40. Thorn wrote in 2016 that her lyric was misunderstood: “Our first single, ‘Each and Every One’, was intended as an angry lyric about being a female musician, patronised and overlooked by male music critics. My band the Marine Girls had attracted several reviews along the lines of ‘not bad for a girl’ and so the opening lines addressed this: ‘If you ever feel the time/To drop me a loving line/Maybe you should just think twice/I don’t wait around on your advice’. It was the instructions of music critics I wasn’t waiting around for, but I wrote it too subtly, and so it was heard as a lovelorn lament, a lonely girl waiting for a letter from a boy.” // In spite of their early history as established independent artists, to newcomers Everything but the Girl was considered part of the jazz/popular music style known as “sophisti-pop”, alongside other British acts like Carmel, Swing Out Sister, Sade, Matt Bianco and The Style Council. Both Watt and Thorn were guest musicians on the Style Council’s Café Bleu album, while EBTG worked with producer Robin Millar and engineers Ben Rogan and Mike Pela—who also collaborated with Sade—on their early albums. Although Eden was released in the UK, a different recording, Everything but the Girl, was released in the United States on the Sire label. The US release contains six tracks from Eden, two UK singles and four alternate tracks. // The 1985 album Love Not Money was their second studio album release, and signalled a move away from jazz and Latin influences to a more traditional electric guitar, bass and drums arrangements. The US edition included two additional songs that were not on the original UK release: a cover version of the Pretenders’ song “Kid” and “Heaven Help Me”. // The next year they released Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, recorded with an orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. They revealed the album’s inspiration by their choices of B-sides for its single releases: songs from Bacharach and Jimmy Webb on the 12″ versions (as well as a cover version of Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces”). The first single from the album was “Come on Home”, followed by “Don’t Leave Me Behind”. // In 1988, EBTG released Idlewild. Blending acoustic instrumentation with sequenced drums and synthesisers, it reached number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, spending fifteen weeks on the chart.[8] A cover version of Danny Whitten’s “I Don’t Want to Talk About It”, previously a success for Rod Stewart, was released as a single shortly afterwards. It reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and was added to the latter issues of the album. Around this time, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions asked Thorn to contribute vocals to the song “Big Snake” on their final studio album Mainstream. // Tommy Lipuma produced the band’s 1990 album The Language of Life, which featured the single “Driving”. “Driving” received heavy rotation on American adult alternative radio. The album featured a host of leading west coast session musicians including Omar Hakim, Joe Sample and Michael Brecker. Stan Getz contributed a tenor sax solo on the song “The Road”. // In 1991, they released the self-produced album Worldwide. It charted at number 29 on the UK Albums Chart. // 1992 saw the release of the acoustic Covers EP. It reached number 13 on the UK top 40. The lead track was “Love Is Strange”. It also included cover versions of Bruce Springsteen’s “Tougher Than the Rest”; Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time” and Elvis Costello’s “Alison”. These four tracks were included on the US only album, Acoustic. // In the summer of 1992, the duo was forced to curtail recording and touring for several months when Watt developed Churg–Strauss syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. Hospitalised for 10 weeks, and enduring several life-saving operations, he subsequently wrote a memoir, Patient, about his near-death ordeal. // In 1993, EBTG released two EPs in the UK. One featured a cover version of Paul Simon’s “The Only Living Boy in New York”. The other spawned a subsequent top ten UK hit, “I Didn’t Know I Was Looking for Love”, for Karen Ramirez. // 1994 saw EBTG release their seventh album, Amplified Heart, a hybrid of folk rock and electronica featuring contributions from guitarist Richard Thompson, double bassist Danny Thompson, drummer Dave Mattacks, and producer/programmer John Coxon. Producer Todd Terry remixed the track “Missing”, and when released as a single, it became an international success. It reached the top ten around the world, including the US, where it peaked at No. 2 in the Billboard Hot 100. // While recording Amplified Heart Thorn and Watt wrote lyrics and music for two tracks – “Protection” and “Better Things” on Massive Attack’s second album Protection. Thorn sang lead vocals on both. The single “Protection” reached number 14 on the UK top 40. The album reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. // Buoyed by the recent successes and out of contract at WEA, EBTG released the self-produced Walking Wounded in 1996 exclusively licensed to Atlantic Records for the United States and Canada and Virgin Records for the Rest of the World. Featuring collaborations with Spring Heel Jack and Howie B it ushered in a new electronic sound for their own work. It charted at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned two top ten UK singles – “Walking Wounded” and “Wrong”. Two further singles – “Single” and “Before Today” – reached number 20 and number 25 respectively. // In 1999, the duo followed it up with their ninth and final studio album, Temperamental. It charted at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. // “Self-awareness is a dangerous thing: by about the third or fourth record, people were throwing comparisons at us and you have to be very tough to withstand it. And by the end of the ’90s, we were playing to 5,000 people a night. I’d stand on stage, looking out, thinking, “I don’t want to be this big.” —Ben Watt in 2012, recalled a lacklustre feeling from the late 1990s, during the latter years of EBTG. // Between 2000 and 2022, there were no new recordings from Everything but the Girl. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, the duo curated compilations of their material. The 2004 compilation, Like the Deserts Miss the Rain, was a DVD release that included footage of a 1999 performance at the Forum venue in London, UK, for which John McKenzie and long-time collaborator Martin Ditcham performed alongside the pair as session musicians. // From 1999, Watt concentrated on DJ and production/remix work, finding success as one half of Lazy Dog, with partner Jay Hannan, and collaborating with Beth Orton on her 1999 album Central Reservation and her 2002 album Daybreaker. Watt then proceeded with a new angle on his solo career that included launching the Buzzin’ Fly record label in 2003, and becoming the part-owner-founder of the Neighbourhood and Cherry Jam nightclubs from 2002–2005. Watt released a string of club-oriented productions including the Bright Star EP, with producer Stimming and British singer Julia Biel, on Buzzin’ Fly in 2010. // In 2005, Thorn co-wrote and recorded vocals for the song “Damage”, a collaboration with German band Tiefschwarz that appeared on their Eat Books album. Thorn’s second solo album, Out of the Woods, was then released in 2007, followed by her third solo album, Love and Its Opposite, in 2010. In October 2011, Thorn released a cover version of The xx’s “Night Time”, on which Watt played guitar and sang backing vocals. This was their first recording together in over a decade, although it was not an Everything but the Girl release. // In an April 2011 interview, Thorn was asked whether she would ever work again with Watt as Everything but the Girl. Thorn responded, “Yes, we do keep saying we are nearly ready to maybe do some work together again. There are certain obstacles, some practical, some psychological, that we would need to overcome. But it may well happen.” A collection of Christmas songs, Tinsel and Lights, for which Thorn recorded cover versions of Christmas songs with two new original songs, was released in October 2012 on Buzzin’ Fly’s sister record label Strange Feeling. Watt and the couple’s children provided backing vocals on the original song “Joy”. // In 2012, the band’s first four albums were reissued by Edsel Records as “deluxe” double CDs, with demo recordings and other additional material. At the time, Watt explained that Warner Music Group still maintained control over their back catalogue: “our big fear was that one day we’d wake up and they’d have reissued them, without telling us.”; when the representative from Edsel, a company that specialises in reissued material, made contact, the couple decided that the time was appropriate. Additionally, Thorn stated that the thought of reforming the band and playing live filled her “with cold dread”—upon re-listening to the early EBTG records, Thorn experienced a sense of “Gosh, well, I’m not really that person any more.” // A second tranche of Demon/Edsel reissues, covering the four albums released between 1990 and 1994, was announced in September 2013. According to the EBTG website, “Once again, Ben and Tracey have helped at every stage of the process, sourcing demos, rarities and memorabilia for the releases.” // The band’s final two albums, Walking Wounded and Temperamental were given the deluxe treatment and were reissued by Demon/Edsel on September 4, 2015. // Watt hit the pause button on his record labels and DJ activities to return to his folk-jazz singer-songwriter roots in 2014. His first solo album since 1983, Hendra was released on April 14, 2014. It featured collaborations with Bernard Butler, formerly of the band Suede, Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The album won the ‘Best ‘Difficult’ Second Album’ category at the AIM Independent Music Awards 2014. It was included at No 27 in Uncut’s Top 75 Albums of 2014. He followed it up in 2016 with Fever Dream. It continued his relationship with Bernard Butler, and added guest cameos from MC Taylor of North Carolina folk-rock band, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Boston singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler. It received a 9/10 review in Uncut magazine. In a four-star review, The Guardian said: ‘In his early 50s, he is making some of the best music of his career.’ // In addition to solo music projects, both Thorn and Watt have written books. Thorn’s 2013 memoir, Bedsit Disco Queen, covers a significant portion of the history of EBTG as a band. // In July 2017, Everything but the Girl reclaimed the rights to eight of their albums, plus the American rights to Temperamental and Walking Wounded from Warner Music Group; this catalogue will now be distributed through Chrysalis Records under licence from Watt’s Strange Feeling label. // On November 2, 2022, Thorn announced on Twitter that a new Everything but the Girl album had been recorded and would be released in spring 2023. // The first single from their forthcoming album Fuse, “Nothing Left to Lose” premiered on BBC Radio 6 Music on January 10, 2023. Fuse will be released April 21, 2023 and will feature “Nothing Left to Lose” and nine more original songs both electronic and acoustic.]

The Queen Ida Mcbeth

One of Kansas City’s Queens of Jazz and Music was the great Ida McBeth. I first saw her live when I was in college in 1984 in Omaha, Nebraska. That same year, she was named by the Kansas City-based International Jazz Hall of Fame as both “Best Female Jazz Vocalist” and “Entertainer of the Year.” In 1990 Kansas City Mayor Richard Berkeley awarded her a special proclamation designating April 27, 1990 as “Ida McBeth’s 20th Anniversary Day.” And also in 1990, Ida was named as one of Kansas City’s “People of the Year” by Ingram’s Magazine. Most recently, Ida’s outstanding achievements have included performing the national anthem for the presidential nomination of Al Gore at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, Kansas City’s birthday bash at Arrowhead Stadium with Kenny Rogers and Walter Cronkite, as well as performing at the Smithsonian Institute in 2001. Ida was Crowned Queen of the Kansas City, Kansas Blues Street Festival for 2005 and given the key to the city. And she was voted “Best of R&B / Soul” in the Pitch Readers Poll for for both 2004 and 2005.

Critics have described her as “a jazz singer,” “a blues singer,” “a pop singer” and “a cabaret singer.” Still others have referred to her as “a story teller,” “a professor emeritus of body language,” “a consummate actress” and “the complete entertainer.” A song stylist is the title Ida prefers.

The New York Times applauded her “technique, taste and sass… her precise intuition, guts and raw confidence.”

The Kansas City Star wrote: “McBeth can rear back and howl with the best of them, but she comes through most profoundly on her quieter ballads, where you can hear every ripple, catch and inflection in her voice.”

Mrs. Ida Mae McBeth, passed away on March 1, 2023, at 3:00 AM, at her home, after an extended illness. She was 70 years young.

Ida McBeth Celebration of Life & Jam session will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the historic Gem Theatre located at 1615 E 19th Street KCMO in the historic 18th & Vine district.

Ida McBeth Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 13, 2023, 11:00 am at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church 2310 East Linwood Blvd. KCMO. Interment: Highland Park Cemetery, KCK. Visitation will be from 10:00 am – 11:00 am at the church. Service conducted by Lawrence A. Jones & Sons Funeral Chapel.

All monetary donations can be sent to Ida McBeth Family c/o Wyandotte West P.O. Box 9094, 1310 N. 78th Terrace KC KS 66112- 9498. National Kidney Foundation, 9218 Metcalf Avenue #424, Overland Park, Kansas 66212.

10:09

  1. Ida McBeth – “Who is She (And What is She to You)?”
    from: Special Request / Ida McBeth / 1998
    [She is a Kansas City legend! Produced by Ida McBeth. Co-produced by Bill Crain, Wayne Hawkins. Recorded, mixed and mastered at BCR Audio Productions, Kansas City, Engineered by Bill Crain. The musicians: Paul Evans on guitar, Wayne Hawkins on keyboards, Forest Stewart on Electric bass on all tracks except “The Song is You”, Gerald Spait on acoustic bass on “The Song Is You”, John Cushion on drums, Thomas Walker on drums, Kirk Whalum on tenor saxophone, Bill Crain on alto saxophone, Scotty McBee, Stephanie Moore, Lisa Collins and Daphne Mozee on backing vocals. This full length album came out between Ida’s 1992 release, A GIFT OF SONG and her 2006 release, LIVE ON THE VINE, her forth album release. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, by the age of five, Ida knew she wanted to be a singer. Ida McBeth has been a fixture on the Kansas City music scene for more than forty years, getting her first professional job before she even was out of high school. Ida was provided early exposure to a variety of talented vocalists by her mother. These singers included such greats as Nancy Wilson, Arthur Prysock, Nat King Cole, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight and Sarah Vaughan. “Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?” is a track from Bill Withers’ 1972 album, Still Bill. The music was written by Withers along with Stan McKenny, who wrote the lyrics. In 1996, Meshell Ndegeocello recorded the song for her Peace Beyond Passion CD on Madonna’s label Maverick Records. Meshell’s version was her only number one on the US dance charts as a solo artist. Her version also peaked at #34 on the soul chart.]

10:14 – Oleta Adams Plays The Folly Theatre March 11, 2023

Born the same year as Ida McBeth, in 1953, Oleta Adams got her musical start in the church in Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth. Before gaining her opportunity to perform, Adams faced a great deal of rejection. Like Ida McBeth, on the 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where Oleta recorded a demo tape. However, many music executives were exclusively interested in disco music rather than Adams’ preferred style. With the advice of her singing coach, Lee Farrell, Adams moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she did a variety of local gigs. She started her career in the early 1980s with two self-financed albums, which had limited success. In 1985, Adams was discovered by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, founders of the English band Tears for Fears, while she was performing in the Peppercorn Duck Club at the Hyatt Hotel in Kansas City, while they were on a US tour. 1987, Orzabal and Smith invited her to join their band as a singer and pianist on their next album, The Seeds of Love. In 1989, the album was released and the single “Woman in Chains”, sung as a duet by Adams and Orzabal became her first hit song. Adams embarked on a world tour with Tears For Fears in 1990, performing by herself as the supporting artist at the start of each show, and remaining onstage throughout the Tears For Fears set where she would provide piano and vocals. // Following her work with Tears For Fears, Adams was offered a recording contract by their label, Fontana Records, and restarted her solo career in 1990. After meeting a number of producers, she worked with Orzabal, who co-produced her new album, Circle of One. The album received acclaim, and eventually peaked at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in 1991, after she scored her biggest hit to date with a Grammy nominated cover of Brenda Russell‘s “Get Here”. The song reached the UK and US top 5 and became popular during the 1991 Gulf War conflict, as families of deployed troops in the region embraced the tune as a theme song. In 1994, Adams married drummer John Cushon at a United Methodist church in Kansas City, where they both taught Sunday School. They met in 1980 while working on a demo tape for Adams. Adams stated that she never had a passion to get married but on January 17, 1994 she and Cushon were involved in the Los Angeles earthquake. Adams referred to this as a sign from God that she was ready to get married. Oleta Adams husband John Cushon played drims in Ida McBeth’s album SPECIAL REQUEST.

Oleta Adams plays The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Saturday, March 11, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org

10:15

  1. Oleta Adams – “Rhythm of Life”
    from: Circle of One / Island Def Jam / January 1, 1990
    [Oleta Adams (born May 4, 1953) is an American singer and pianist. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to Tears for Fears’s international chart-topping album The Seeds of Love (1989). Her albums Circle of One (1991) and Evolution (1993) were top 10 hits in the UK; the former yielded a Grammy-nominated cover of Brenda Russell’s “Get Here”, which was a top 5 hit in both the UK and the US. Adams has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, as well as two Soul Train Music Awards. // Circle of One is the third album by American vocalist, pianist, and songwriter Oleta Adams and was released in 1990. Circle of One was Adams’ first album to receive wide distribution; her two earlier albums (an untitled album in 1982 and Going on Record in 1983) were self-financed and received only local distribution. // After a successful collaboration with Tears for Fears on their 1989 album The Seeds of Love, Adams was offered a record deal of her own with Tears for Fears then-label Fontana Records. Produced by Tears for Fears’ Roland Orzabal with Dave Bascombe, the album was initially unsuccessful as were the first two singles “Rhythm of Life” and “Circle of One”. However, Adams had a hit in early 1991 with the third single from the album, her cover of Brenda Russell’s “Get Here,” which peaked at #4 in the UK Singles Chart and #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album, which had received considerable critical acclaim, was re-released with two additional tracks and peaked at #1 in the UK Albums Chart and made the Top 20 of the US Billboard 200. It was certified Gold in both the UK and the US and received two Grammy nominations. // Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised listening to gospel music. In her youth, her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth. She got her musical start in the church. // Before gaining her opportunity to perform, Adams faced a great deal of rejection. In the 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she recorded a demo tape. However, many music executives were exclusively interested in disco music rather than Adams’ preferred style.// With the advice of her singing coach, Lee Farrell, Adams moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she did a variety of local gigs. She started her career in the early 1980s with two self-financed albums, which had limited success. // Oleta Adams sang the National Anthem prior to Game Two of the 1984 American League Championship Series. // In 1985, Adams was discovered by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, founders of the English band Tears for Fears, while she was performing in the Peppercorn Duck Club at the Hyatt Hotel in Kansas City, while they were on a US tour. Soon after, Adams stopped performing in hotels and had started to look for alternative employment. In 1987, Orzabal and Smith contacted her to invite her to join their band as a singer and pianist on their next album, The Seeds of Love. A year later she participated in two sessions while she toured the Nordic countries. // In 1989, the album was released and the single “Woman in Chains”, sung as a duet by Adams and Orzabal and with Phil Collins on drums, became her first hit. Adams embarked on a world tour with Tears For Fears in 1990, performing by herself as the supporting artist at the start of each show, and remaining onstage throughout the Tears For Fears set where she would provide piano and vocals. // Following her work with Tears For Fears, Adams was offered a recording contract by their label, Fontana Records, and restarted her solo career in 1990. After meeting a number of producers, she worked with Orzabal, who co-produced her new album, Circle of One. The album received acclaim, and eventually peaked at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in 1991, after she scored her biggest hit to date with a Grammy nominated cover of Brenda Russell’s “Get Here”. The song reached the UK and US top 5 and became popular during the 1991 Gulf War conflict, as families of deployed troops in the region embraced the tune as a theme song. 1991 also saw Adams sign to independent music publisher Fairwood Music, and contribute to the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album Two Rooms, on which appeared her version of John’s 1974 hit “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”. Adams’ version became another top 40 hit in the UK. // Her next album, Evolution (1993), was also a commercial success, making the UK top 10. It also featured her self-penned adult contemporary single “Window of Hope”. Her 1995 release, Moving On, saw Adams move more in the direction of R&B, and she also reunited with Roland Orzabal for the duet “Me and My Big Ideas”, on the Tears For Fears album, Raoul and the Kings of Spain, the same year. Two years later, she released the Christian themed album Come Walk with Me, where she received a nomination for a Grammy Award for “Holy Is the Lamb” in 1997. // In 1998, she toured as a guest vocalist on Phil Collins’s Big Band Jazz Tour. // In 2001, Adams released her sixth album, All the Love, a return to an R&B/Adult contemporary sound. The album was re-released in 2004 in Germany with a different title I Can’t Live a Day without You. //In 2004, Adams reunited with Tears for Fears once again as she made a surprise guest appearance onstage at their Kansas City concert, performing “Woman in Chains”. // On October 3, 2006, Adams released her first Christmas album, entitled Christmas Time with Oleta. // On April 21, 2009, Adams released her eighth album entitled Let’s Stay Here. // On February 10, 2017, Adams released her ninth album, her first album in eight years, entitled Third Set. // In 1994, Adams married drummer John Cushon at a United Methodist church in Kansas City, where they both taught Sunday School. They met in 1980 while working on a demo tape for Adams. Adams stated that she never had a passion to get married but on January 17, 1994 she and Cushon were involved in the Los Angeles earthquake. Adams referred to this as a sign from God that she was ready to get married.]

[Oleta Adams plays The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Saturday, March 11, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org]

10:22

  1. Catty Cline – “Leading You”
    from: Leading You – Single / Manor Records / February 28, 2023
    [Catty Cline is singer/songwriter Anna Redmond, who was originally based out of Springfield, MO, and is now based in Kansas City. She has previously performed in Upkeep, her earliest project (with Spencer Pearson), and Buckle Up Baby (with Addie McKenzie and others). She has also self-released a few singles on bandcamp under her name. Influenced by a mix of slower bedroom-pop, alt-pop, neo-folk, and 90’s girl punk, she hopes that her music reflects her true character. Catty Cline released the 6-track EP SCRATCH on September 24, 2021 through Manor Records. More information at: http://www.manorrecords.com]
  1. The Salvation Choir – “Tafakarini (Radio Edit)”
    from: Tafakarini / The Salvation Choir / February 8, 2023
    [This single release contains 3 versions of Tafakarini: Tafararini (Live in Kansas City, full version) 09:36 / Tafakarini (Radio edit) 05:04 / and Utukuzwe (Bonus track, lo-fi phone demo) 03:31 video . The Salvation Choir is a Congolese Rumba band from Congo and Tanzania based in Kansas City, Missouri. The are over 20 members in the choir and the choir masters are Jeune Premier Silambien and Pastor John Wilondja. “Tafakarini” was recorded live in our front yard in Kansas City, Missouri in April 2022. It was recorded and mixed by Danny Bowersox and Tyler Bachert. “Utukuzwe” is a lo-fi demo of our song that was featured on Dust To Digital. Recorded on a cassette tape and cell phone by Pastor John Wilondja in 2021. // The Salvation Choir are planning to record in the studio in 2023. More info at: www:thesalvationchoir.com

[The Salvation Choir will play at Boulevardia Saturday, June 17, 2023 at Crown Center.]

10:31 – Underwriting

  1. Paris Williams – “Wake Up! (Radio Edit)”
    from: REBEL HEART / Bitter Sweet Sound / January 31, 2023
    [Paris Williams is a 24-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school.Paris Williams previously released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

10:36 – Interview with Paris Williams

Photo by Patrick Sumner

Paris Williams is a 24-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi.

Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school.

Paris Williams, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Congratulations on the new EP, REBEL HEART released January 31, 2023.

The EP is a beautiful demonstration of what Paris writes about in his bio, his “DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility.”

Releasing music through his own bedroom pop label Bitter Sweet Sound.

Paris Williams is from Muskegon, Michigan he moved to Kansas City to find more of a community of musical artists. He is also good friends with members of the Blackstarkids.

“LONDON, TOKYO” features the vocals of Sam Wells.

10:45

  1. Paris Williams – “LONDON, TOKYO (feat. Sam Wells)” (Radio Edit)”
    from: REBEL HEART / Bitter Sweet Sound / January 31, 2023
    [Paris Williams is a 24-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

10:48 – More Interview with Paris Williams

We are talking with Paris Williams is a 24-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet.” Williams Premiered in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris just recently release his new EP REBEL HEART

Paris Williams, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Congratulations on the new EP, REBEL HEART released January 31, 2023.

About “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” Shuttlecock Music Magazine wrote: “Co-produced by Williams, Bloom Allen, and Internet Brad, the track features a sublime mixture of bright, inviting rhymes and the type of nocturnal rhythms you can do schoolwork to, or whatever that YouTube stream is. The single is backed by another track called “As Of Late,” which Williams accurately described at a recent show as (paraphrasing) ‘two minutes of straight bars.’

Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi.

Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music.

This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018.

Paris Williams was searching for other musical artists who came from Muskegon, Michigan, that was when he learned more, and then also wrote a song called “Iggy Pop.”

Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school.

Paris Williams, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Paris just recently release his new EP REBEL HEART on January 31, 2023

More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis

10:57

  1. Paris Williams – “Sunsets & Solariums (Radio Edit)”
    from: REBEL HEART / Bitter Sweet Sounds / January 31, 2023
    [Paris Williams is a 24-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school.Paris Williams previously released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis

11:00 – Station ID

  1. Get Smart! – “Just For The Moment”
    from: Action Reaction / Fever Records – Enigma / 1984
    [Debut album by American Post-punk band Get Smart!, released on Enigma Records’ “Fever” imprint in 1984. / It was originally announced, in Nebraska’s “Capitol Punishment”, that the album would be released on the “Fresh Sounds” label, which had previously released the band’s debut single and the “Fresh Sounds” cassette, but the band eventually signed with the Philadelphia based “Fever Records” / The album was originally recorded by Michael McGee and produced by Taylor Ross at Media Sound in Oklahoma City. Ross then recruited Iain Burgess to remix the album for release at Chicago Recording Company in Chicago. // An earlier version of “Ankle Deep In Mud” had appeared on their debut single, “Numbers and Colours”, and an earlier version of “Black Mirror” has appeared on the “Sub Pop #7” compilation cassette. // All songs were written by the band, except for “Ankle Deep In Mud” which was written by Vance Lyons, and “Black Mirror” where the lyrics were written by Vance Lyons and the music was written by Get Smart!. (Vance Lyons had played with Marc Koch in a previous band called the Battling Tops.) // Side 1 and Side 2 were originally supposed to be reversed, as the album was supposed to start with “On And On” and then end with “You’ve Got To Stop” (i.e. it would start with “On” and end with “Stop”), but for some unknown reason this was reversed in the final product. // Get Smart! formed in Lawrence, KS in 1980. The group helped to solidify Lawrence as an alternative music hotbed and toured extensively, performing 300 shows in six years. They released a flexi-disc and Words Move, a 4-track EP in 1981. In 1983 they relocated to Chicago. Their first LP, “Action Reaction” was released in 1984. The band’s second LP, “Swimming With Sharks” was released in 1986. During seven years of relentless touring, Get Smart! earned a national reputation for intense live shows and edged their way onto college radio playlists with their first two LPs, Action Reaction (1984) and Swimming With Sharks (1986). In January, 1987, the band began work on their third album with seminal recording engineer, Iain Burgess. In 1990 Get Smart! Disbanded. These recordings were archived for 33 years until Get Smart! reformed in 2020 and released the album OH YEAH NO on November 17, 2020 with the aim of matching their live sound, the band commissioned Steve Albini to craft the final mixes with them. These six songs prove that the tension and inspiration shown on their first LPs was no idle promise. Get Smart! played a special Reunion Show, Saturday, November 6, 2021 at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Lawrence, KS with Pedaljets, Other Geese, Boy Soprano, and DJ Ray Velasquez. More info at: http://www.getsmartmusic.com]

[Get Smart play the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated]

  1. The Bad Ideas – “Im Stuck”
    from: Red Kate & The Bad Ideas – Split 7″ / Mills Record Company / May 31, 2013
    [The Bad Ideas are: Britt Adair on guitar, Breaka Dawn on vocals, Matt Roberts on bass, and Way Jillis on drums. The Bad Ideas is an American punk band from Kansas City, Missouri formed in August 2011. They’ve written all original songs and are influenced by post-hardcore, punk, and early 80’s punk. Their EP, Worse Thoughts, was recorded on January 22, 2012 and released March, 2012. TheEP was one of WMM’s Best Recordings of 2012 Their first self-produced full length album, Lesson #1 was released March 8, 2013. The Bad Ideas also released a 7″ split with Red Kate on March 31, 2014 on vinyl. The band released a full length cassette, “Leave Me Alone” on June 6, 2015. The Bad Ideas released their album Happiness on March 30, 2019. Britt Adair was our guest on WMM on March 6, 2019.]

[The Bad Ideas play the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s);; and Irradiated]

11:03 – Interview with Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt, and Frank Loose Jr.

Aaron Rhodes is a Kansas City music journalist and the editor-in-chief of Shuttlecock Music Magazine. He’s also had bylines in Rolling Stone, The Pitch, and 90.9 The Bridge’s blog and has had his photos featured in Maximum Rocknroll and No Echo. Rhodes also is currently in charge of booking and promotions at Stadium Drive’s Farewell Cafe and Howdy art space.

Aaron Rhodes welcome back to WMM.

Patrick W. Sumner is a social and political activist in Metropolitan Kansas City.
While a youth in Kansas City, Missouri, Sumner was involved in the punk rock music scene. He attended Penn Valley Community College, as well as the University of Kansas where he earned a degree in American Studies with an emphasis on Great Plains culture in 1997. He and his brother, Brandon, produced several award winning documentaries including an exploration of alleyways in Rear Entry, and Civil War on Wheels, which explores the world of demolition derby. Sumner taught social studies and African American history at Central High School in the early 2000s. Sumner has been an advocate and leader in a wide variety of reform issues in areas such as education, prisons and community building. He was a member of the Kansas City chapter of the NAACP and a representative for the Volker Neighborhood Association, among other various organizations and movements.

Patrick W. Sumner welcome back to WMM.

Frank Loose Jr. is one of the founding members of Get Smart! is a three-piece post-punk band formed in 1980 with Marcus Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose while at University of Kansas in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment, and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent in the alternative music scene in Lawrence. They released their first record in 1981, which was a flexi disc released with “Talk Talk” magazine. This was followed by a self-released 4-track EP called Words Move. In 1982 they relocated to Chicago, Illinois and were signed to Fever Records label (an independent label in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and released their first album, Action Reaction in 1984. Their second album, Swimming with Sharks, was released in 1986 on Enigma Records’ “Restless Records” imprint. The band re-united in 2020 and released the EP, OH YEAH NO on November 17, 2020 with the aim of matching their live sound, the band commissioned Steve Albini to craft the final mixes with them. These six songs prove that the tension and inspiration shown on their first LPs was no idle promise. Get Smart! played a special Reunion Show, Saturday, November 6, 2021 at The Bottleneck.

Frank Loose Jr. Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Kurt Witt os a Kansas City Punk Rock Pioneer. Kurt was an original member of the band Orange Doe-Nuts (O.D.) who were formed out of the band Open Defiance (O.D.) in December of 1983. They were a Punk band from Kansas City. The band’s members were Larry Kenski, Kurt Witt, Donny Byrom, Mark Biemuller & Mike Sims. Kurt Witt, along with Donny Byrom and Paul were also in the band Choke.

Kurt Witt, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kirt Witt, and Frank Loose Jr. join us to share details about the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Doors at 7:00 PM, Show starts at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO. with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated.

Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt, and Frank Loose Jr. Thank you for being with us on WMM

The KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Doors at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO. with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated.

This night of vintage and contemporary perspectives on a musical DIY art form that took rock back from the big labels and arenas and put it back into garages, basements, empty storefronts and old industrial spaces that revolutionized Rock & Roll and inspired a multi-generational subculture that has informed fashion and popular culture around the globe.

Bent Edge KC Punk, Farewell KCMO, and Shuttlecock Music Magazine present a KC PUNK SHINDIG—a night of vintage and contemporary perspectives on a musical DIY art form that took rock back from the big labels and arenas and put it back into garages, basements, empty storefronts and old industrial spaces that revolutionized Rock & Roll and inspired a multi-generational subculture that has informed fashion and popular culture around the globe.

Featuring Get Smart!, one of Lawrence and KC’s earliest punk groups; the band that saved KC punk, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); KC’s raw and talented The Bad Ideas; and new and younger Kansas City based punk band Irradiated.

Orange Doe-Nuts (O.D.) were formed out of the band Open Defiance (O.D.) in December of 1983. They were a Punk band from Kansas City. The band’s members were Larry Kenski (vocals), Kurt Witt (guitar), Donny Byrom (guitar), Mark Biemuller (bass) & Mike Sims (drums).

Donny Byrom, Kurt Witt, and Paul had all been in the band Choke.

The O.D.’s would eventually add Mike on drums who played in the Columbia, Missouri band Causes of Tragedy..

The O.D.’s Cover art by Doug Easterwood & inner sleeve designed by ‘Mott-ly’ of the Kansas City punk band ‘Mudhead’.

Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt and Frank Loose Jr. stay with us.

Here is a rare recording of Orange Doe-Nuts doing their “O.D. Theme.”

Kurt Witt, “That’s a nice instrumental.”

11:13

  1. Orange Doe-Nuts – “O.D. Theme”
    from: Back at the Ranch / Fresh Sounds / 1984
    [Kansas City hardcore punk band formed out of the band Open Defiance (O.D.) with members being; Larry Kenski (vocals), Kurt Witt (guitar), Donny Byrom (guitar), Mark Biemuller (bass) & Mike Sims (drums). Don, Kurt & Paul later formed the band Choke. Cover art by Doug Easterwood & inner sleeve designed by ‘Mott-ly’ of the Kansas City punk band Mudhead.]

[Orange Doe-Nuts play the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Get Smart; The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated]

  1. Get Smart! – “Every Road You Go Down”
    rom: Swimming With Sharks / Restless Records – Enigma / 1986
    [Marc Koch on vocals & guitar; Lisa Wertman Crowe on vocals & bass; and Frank Loose on vocals & drums. Swimming With Sharks is the second album by Get Smart!, released on Enigma Records’ “Restless” imprint in 1986. Live versions of “Back Into The Future” and “World Without End”, recorded at CBGB, had previously been released as a single. “Gold To Rust” was released in Spain as a split single, coupled with “Home” by Gone Fishin’ (from their Can’t Get Lost When You’re Goin’ Nowhere album) by Enigma Europe. The album was produced by Iain Burgess at Chicago Recording Company in Chicago in 1985. All songs were written collectively by the band. // “Swimming With Sharks” finds Get Smart! progressing along nicely. The trio speedily works its multifarious way through ten songs in various idioms, offering sketchy poetic lyrics along the way. They’re still rough around the edges — drummer Frank Loose gets stuck in patterns that limit songs’ appeal — and neither bassist Lisa Wertman nor guitarist Marc Koch is that great a singer, but workable ideas and cool sounds bubble up regularly enough to make Swimming With Sharks a safe and rewarding experience.” (Ira Robbins, Trouser Press, 1986) // Get Smart! formed in Lawrence, KS in 1980. The group helped to solidify Lawrence as an alternative music hotbed and toured extensively, performing 300 shows in six years. They released a flexi-disc and Words Move, a 4-track EP in 1981. In 1983 they relocated to Chicago. Their first LP, “Action Reaction” was released in 1984. The band’s second LP, “Swimming With Sharks” was released in 1986. During seven years of relentless touring, Get Smart! earned a national reputation for intense live shows and edged their way onto college radio playlists with their first two LPs, Action Reaction (1984) and Swimming With Sharks (1986). In January, 1987, the band began work on their third album with seminal recording engineer, Iain Burgess. In 1990 Get Smart! Disbanded. These recordings were archived for 33 years until Get Smart! reformed in 2020 and released the album OH YEAH NO on November 17, 2020 with the aim of matching their live sound, the band commissioned Steve Albini to craft the final mixes with them. These six songs prove that the tension and inspiration shown on their first LPs was no idle promise. Get Smart! played a special Reunion Show, Saturday, November 6, 2021 at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Lawrence, KS with Pedaljets, Other Geese, Boy Soprano, and DJ Ray Velasquez. More info at: http://www.getsmartmusic.com]

[Get Smart play the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated]

11:18 – More Interview with Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt & Frank Loose Jr.

We are talking with Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurtt Witt, and Frank Loose Jr. about The KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Doors at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO. with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated.

“Every Road You Go Down,” from the Get Smart!’s 2nd LP, Swimming With Sharks, with Frank Loose Jr. singing lead.

Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt, & Frank Loose Jr. Thank you for being with us on WMM

Bent Edge KC Punk, Farewell KCMO, and Shuttlecock Music Magazine present a KC PUNK SHINDIG—a night of vintage and contemporary perspectives on a musical DIY art form that took rock back from the big labels and arenas and put it back into garages, basements, empty storefronts and old industrial spaces that revolutionized Rock & Roll and inspired a multi-generational subculture that has informed fashion and popular culture around the globe.

Get Smart! is a three-piece post-punk band formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 consisting of Marcus Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10-year career. The band re-united in 2020. //

The band formed while at University of Kansas in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment, and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent in the alternative music scene in Lawrence. They released their first record in 1981, which was a flexi disc released with “Talk Talk” magazine. This was followed by a self-released 4-track EP called Words Move. They had 5 songs on the four band split cassette, released by Fresh Sounds Records, called Fresh Sounds From Middle America (vol 1) (the four bands being Get Smart!, the Embarrassment, the Yard Apes and the Mortal Micronotz).

In 1982 they relocated to Chicago, Illinois. The group were signed by Colin Camerer to his Fever Records label (an independent label in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and released their first album, Action Reaction in 1984. Their second album, Swimming with Sharks, was released in 1986 on Enigma Records’ “Restless Records” imprint.

The band received considerable coverage in Nebraska’s Capitol Punishment fanzine.

In 1987 Bob Lara, from the band Reaction, was added as a second guitarist. Shortly afterwards, Frank Loose left the band. He was originally replaced in 1988 by Ric Menck. Menck only stayed with the band for a short time. He was replaced by Jay Sebastian (aka “Redd Klaats”). Sebastian left the band after about a year, at which they continued as an acoustic trio until they disbanded in 1990.

After Get Smart! Lisa Wertman continued performing with Bob Lara as “The Lisa and Bob Show” for about a year. Then she joined the band Dolly Varden as a founding member. Later she would perform with the Nora O’Connor Band, the Honeybees and Jeanie B and the Jelly Beans, and now plays in Damaged Gods, a Gang of Four tribute. Marcus Koch moved back to Lawrence and currently plays in the country band “Cryin’ Out Loud”. Bob Lara has played in many local Chicago bands and has participated in several re-unions of his old band “Reaction”. Ric Menck went on to form Velvet Crush. Jay Sebastian went on to form the “Twang Bang” duo.

The band reunited with the original line-up, for a 40th anniversary show, on November 6, 2021.

Band members:
Marcus Koch – guitar, lead vocals (1980–1990, 2020)
Lisa Wertman Crowe – bass, lead vocals (1980–1990, 2020)
Frank Loose – drums, lead vocals (1980–1987, 2020)

Past members
Ric Menck – drums (1988)
Jay Sebastian (aka “Redd Klaats”) – drums (1988–1989)
Bob Lara – guitar, vocals (1988–1990)

Discography
Frank Loose, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Marcus Koch circa 1980, Lawrence, KS

Singles and EPs
“Numbers and Colours” / “Ankle Deep In Mud” (1981 flexi, Fresh Sounds) (with “Talk Talk” magazine, 1981-05-13)
Words Move (4 song EP, Syntax, 1981-12-08)
Fresh Sounds from Middle America (vol 1) (split/cassette, Fresh Sounds, 1981-12-12)
“Back Into The Future” / “World Without End” (1985 live, Fever/Enigma)
“Gold To Rust” (1987 45, Enigma Europe)
“Oh Yeah No” (6 song EP, Capitol Punishment, 2020-11-17)

Albums
Get Smart! (1981, 11 song demo tape)
Action Reaction (1984, 12 song LP, Fever/Enigma)
Swimming with Sharks (1986, 10 song LP, Restless/Enigma)
Compilation appearances[edit]
Inspiration Series No. 1 (German cassette) – included “On And On” (different version)
Sub Pop No. 5 – included “Eat, Sleep A Go-Go” (from the “Words Move” EP)
Sub Pop No. 7 – included “Black Mirror” (different version)
Enigma Variations – included “Just For The Moment” (from Action Reaction)
Restless Variations – included “Back Into The Future” (from Swimming with Sharks)
Heat From The Wind Chill Factory — included “What It Is We Fear” (acoustic version)

Frank Loose
Get Smart!
Contact: Frank Loose, frankloosejr@gmail.com
321-262-2049
Website: GetSmartMusic.com
Music: getsmart.bandcamp.com
Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @GetSmartBand

Aaron Rhodes
Owner/Editor-in-chief
http://www.shuttlecockmusic.com
Websites/socials: http://www.shuttlecockmusic.com, @ShuttlecockMag (IG, Twitter), @FarewellCafe (Twitter), @FarewellKCMO (IG), @HowdyKCMO (IG, Twitter), @IntroFreeMind – personal page (IG, Twitter).

Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, Kurt Witt and Frank Loose Jr. Thank you for being with us on WMM

The KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Doors at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO. with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated.

11:28

  1. The Bad Ideas – “Apocalypse Detroit”
    from: Red Kate & The Bad Ideas – Split 7″ / Mills Record Company / May 31, 2013
    [The Bad Ideas are: Britt Adair on guitar, Breaka Dawn on vocals, Matt Roberts on bass, and Way Jillis on drums. The Bad Ideas is an American punk band from Kansas City, Missouri formed in August 2011. They’ve written all original songs and are influenced by post-hardcore, punk, and early 80’s punk. Their EP, Worse Thoughts, was recorded on January 22, 2012 and released March, 2012. TheEP was one of WMM’s Best Recordings of 2012 Their first self-produced full length album, Lesson #1 was released March 8, 2013. The Bad Ideas also released a 7″ split with Red Kate on March 31, 2014 on vinyl. The band released a full length cassette, “Leave Me Alone” on June 6, 2015. The Bad Ideas released their album Happiness on March 30, 2019. Britt Adair was our guest on WMM on March 6, 2019.]

[The Bad Ideas play the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Get Smart!, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); The Bad Ideas; and Irradiated]

11:30 – Underwriting

  1. Ivory Blue – “Starlit Love Child”
    from: “Starlit Live Child’ – Single / Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing / October 28, 2022
    [Ivory Blue released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library., and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. Ivory Blue released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.]

11:35 – Interview with Ivory Blue

IVORY BLUE join us to share details about their upcoming show when IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. IVORY BLUE most recently released the new single & video, “Starlit Love Child” on October 28, 2022, from their forthcoming 2023 album. IVORY BLUE started writing music at a very young age, creating their unique alt-rock sound, using a tape recorder to superimpose sounds that added to a song production. After starting performances in coffee shops and small venues, they began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, IVORY BLUE settled in KC. On July 29th, 2022, and after studying the craft of recording and self- producing, this amazing singer-songwriter with a passionate love for everyone struggling through life, released their first full length album, COMPOUND LOVE. This was followed by their single, “Red Light” and now “Starlit Love Child.” More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic

Ivory Blue thanks for being with us on WMM.

IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.

IVORY BLUE‘s single “Starlit Love Child came after the release of Ivory’s debut full-length album, COMPOUND LOVE released on February 25, 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering.More info at: http://www.ivorybluemusic.com

COMPOUND LOVE, released February 25. 2022 was in the TOP TEN of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022.

IVORY BLUE lived a nomadic existence until settling in Kansas City MO and becoming part of the local musical community. After winning a nationwide talent contest in 2017 Ivory Blue started having success with some national and international radio play which continues today.

Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15.

Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics.

By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017.

Ivory entered NeXt2Rock, a nationwide talent search with over 1800 artists/bands who applied to find fresh and promising rock artists.

The top 5 national bands battled it off for the win in Los Angeles CA at the legendary Viper Room, with judges Scott Borchetta (BMLG), John Varvatos (fashion designer), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox”), Desmond Child (Musician, producer), Chris Lord-Alge (producer), Ivory Blue won over the judges and became the grand prize winner! Ivory

Ivory won the contest and a one-year record deal with BMLG who re-released the song Ready Get Set from the 2015 EP. Ivory’s 2018 re-release of ‘Ready Get Set’ undauntedly received National and International airplay within weeks.

NeXt2Rock Judges Comments about Ivory Blue:

“You got star quality and a lot of potential” by Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox” on KLOS (95.5) Los Angeles, CA, USA)

“Giving us the diamond in the rough we can only dream of, the foundation that’s built underneath it, that’s what music is made from. by Chris Lord-Alge (Engineer/Mixer).

“I love everything about you, you sing what you live, you’re fantastic” by Desmond Child (Musician \ Songwriter and Producer).

“We’ve been waiting for the WOW, and you are the WOW”, “You’re a true artist” by John Varvatos (Fashion Designer and Record Label Head)

“You exude artistry from the minute you step on that stage” by Scott Borchetta – Big Machine Label Group president and CEO.

“There’s something special about you”, “You’re a true artist” by Gavin Rossdale (British musician, singer, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band BUSH).

Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, Kansas City Public Library, and Kauffman Stadium.

11:42

  1. Ivory Blue – “Red Light”
    from: “Red Light” – Single / Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing / October 28, 2022
    [Ivory Blue released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library., and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. Ivory Blue released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.]

11:45 – More Interview with Ivory Blue

IVORY BLUE started writing music at a very young age, creating their unique alt-rock sound, using a tape recorder to superimpose sounds that added to a song production. After starting performances in coffee shops and small venues, they began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, IVORY BLUE settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting a following for their strong vocals and deeply personal lyrics. On July 29th, 2022, and after studying the craft of recording and self- producing, this amazing singer-songwriter with a passionate love for everyone struggling through life, released their first full length album, COMPOUND LOVE. This was followed by their single, “Red Light” and “Starlit Love Child.”

IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.

Ivory Blue thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Ivory Blue has been busy in the studio putting together new music for upcoming releases after the spring 2022 release of their debut full length album COMPOUND LOVE. In 2020 Ivory released the singles “Elite Dreamland,” (Feb. 17, 2021), “Half a Life” (Sept. 20, 2021), and “Family Tables” on September 7, 2021.

In February 2020 and after studying the craft of recording and self-producing, this amazing singer-songwriter with soaring vocals, passionate love for everyone struggling through life, released ‘Elite Dreamland’. There are no words to describe the incredible artistry behind this song. a single that hits your heart about understanding how it feels to be misunderstood in a world of people that seem to know what they are doing.

IVORY BLUE produces all the tracks with the exception of Drums and Bass. Ivory is currently working with Lester Estelle (Drummer for Kelly Clarkson), Craig Kew (Bass) KC, Kurt Festge (Mastering | Citizen Kane & Violent Femmes) NC. and Nick Poortman (LA based Los Angeles based Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Songwriter) Nick has worked alongside producers including Justin Gray, Gil Norton, Big Tank, and Greg Haver on sessions throughout the USA, UK, Europe, and New Zealand.

Ivory Blue released the video of ‘FAMILY TABLES’ on August 21, 2021 and the track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue is currently finishing the first full length CD/Album ‘Compound Love’ to be released in 2021 as well as the Red Light EP for 2022.

“Family Tables” hit #1 on Banks Radio in Australia the first week of the release. 23 countries have listed on Ivory’s Spotify reports and that after just 1 week released.

https://www.ivorybluemusic.com/post/article-links-on-family-tables
https://www.ionindiemagazine.com

Ivory Blue has been on the WMM 15 times since 2015.

Ivory Blue thanks for being with us on WMM.

IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.

More info at: http://www.ivorybluemusic.co

11:54

  1. Ivory Blue – “Family Table”
    from: “Compound Love / Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing / February 25, 2022
    [Ivory Blue released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library., and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. Ivory Blue released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D
    [IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS.]
  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful listeners and friends who generously and thoughtfully donated to support KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio during our Wednesday MidDay Medley broadcast today! Through the airwaves, and through social media, a total of 55 people donated a total of $3149.00 to allow us to continue our mission. THANK YOU to my incredible co-hosts: Betse Ellis & Marion Merritt, and special guest J Kelly Dougherty, and very special guest Hermon Mehari for sharing your brilliance with our listeners. Thank you to Scott Bunte, Lincoln Dreher and Darryl Oliver for taking our donations over the phones.

Malek Azreal

Next week on March 15, WMM plays more New & MidCoastal Releases PLUS we talk with Gayle Price about her band Pure Sweetness. We welcome Malek Azreal and his band Malek and The Vibez!, and we talk with songwriters and performers Paul Jesse and Deegan Poores

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

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

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #984

WMM presents: PARIS WILLIAMS + The KC PUNK SHINDIG + IVORY BLUE

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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, March 8, 2023

PARIS WILLIAMS + The KC PUNK SHINDIG + IVORY BLUE

Mark Spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: The Salvation Choir, Paris Williams, Catty Cline, Ida McBeth, IVORY BLUE, Oleta Adams, The Bad Ideas, Get Smart, Orange Doe-Nuts, and Everything But The Girl.

At 10:30 we talk with Paris Williams live in our 90.1 FM Studios about his new EP, REBEL HEART released on January 31, 2023 on Bitter Sweet Sounds. Paris Williams is a Rapper/Producer originally from Muskegon, MI. Previously Paris Williams released the single, Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky” on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis

At 11:00 AM Mark talks with Patrick Sumner, Aaron Rhodes, and Frank Loose Jr. about the KC PUNK SHINDIG – From VFW to Farewell, 1983 – 2023 presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Doors at 7:00 PM, Show starts at 8:00 PM, at FAREWELL, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO. This night of vintage and contemporary perspectives on a musical DIY art form that took rock back from the big labels and arenas and put it back into garages, basements, empty storefronts and old industrial spaces that revolutionized Rock & Roll and inspired a multi-generational subculture that has informed fashion and popular culture around the globe. Featuring Get Smart!, one of Lawrence and KC’s earliest punk groups; the band that saved KC punk, Orange Doe-Nuts (OD’s); KC’s raw and talented The Bad Ideas; and new and younger Kansas City based punk band Irradiated.

At 11:30 we welcome back to the show, IVORY BLUE who released their debut full length album, COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. In 2022 IVORY BLUE signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing of Atlanta GA on August 18, 2021. This company is managing Ivory and handling all of their publishing. For COMPOUND LOVE, IVORY BLUE served as songwriter, producer, vocalist, and played all instruments, with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, IVORY BLUE plays a ULAH Live Session, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM ay ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic

Everything But The Girl photo by Robert Cheesmond (1983)

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #984

WMM Playlist from March 1, 2023

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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, March 1, 2023

Sweet Honey In The Rock + Tim Miller + Cardio Party

  1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
    from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
    [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
  1. Monta – “Looking Back”
    from: “Looking Back” – Single / The Record Machine / February 27, 2023
    [This new single follows “Everybody’s Baby” that the band released on January 27, 2023. The band writes, “Looking Back” focuses on sentimental feelings on repeat, lost to the fantasy of past freedoms while the present moment blurs by on the wayside. Bubbling synth pop with waves of introspection. About Monta: It’s a strange time to be making music at all. In the midst of this bizarre attention economy, it’s hard to retrain our minds to sit still for an entire song. We are in constant states of flux. Kansas City’s resident post-punkers Monta find themselves in that same state of change now. The band is finding freedom in the moment, wherever it takes them. // Monta means “to climb higher.” Through lineup changes and scenes ebbing and flowing, this band continues that climb. Founded by brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore, Monta (originally Monta At Odds) has grown into its own community with a rotating cast of musicians and characters. Krysztof Nemeth and Lucas Behrens play guitars. Dedric Moore experiments with synthesizers and electronics. On drums, Matthew Heinrich is the heartbeat of the band; keeping everyone in time and allowing for spontaneous musical moments. After exploring the far reaches of sound through psych-rock freakouts, the band is now turning their attention towards melody. Joined by songwriter and vocalist Mikal Shapiro, Monta is now able to take their noisy, pulsing soundscapes and pair those with pop hooks. With friends and other collaborators making appearances, Monta expand and contract to fit the need of the song. // This shift towards melody is audible in their newer material. “Everybody’s Baby” is a dark-wave rager, perfect for the back room of a dimly-lit club. “Looking Back” is an uplifting synth pop groove mixed with contemplative thoughts about the past. // Peak of Eternal Light, released in 2021, alternates between dreamy post-punk and dark synth pop with no missteps in between. Dedric remarks that the band is in the process of “simplifying the song down to what it needs.”The band has honed-in on this approach, and are making some of their most interesting material to date.Their songs beg us to dance away the darker moments of our lives. By dredging up these murky memories and setting them against a backdrop of groovy, angular post-punk, Monta helps us to make sense of this cold, bleak world. In a cultural ocean with ever-changing waves, it’s nice to know that some things are still built to last. Monta is here to stay, even though they won’t ever remain the same. More Information at: kosmiccity.com / therecordmachine.co]

[Monta play Volume 1 of Dreams Never End Concert series by Cosmic City, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd, KCMO, on May 26, 2023 with Carrellee, Emmaline Twist, and Morgue VVitch.]

  1. Major Matt Mason USA – “Victims of The Storms”
    from: “Victims of The Storms” – Single / Olive Juice Music / February 23, 2022
    [Matt Roth on guitar & vocals, Brian Hurtgen on drums, and Dane Bridges on bass. Recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Audio (Shawnee, KS) Produced by Matt Roth and Paul Malinowski
    copyright 2023. (Claws Beat Skin BMI). // Major Matt Mason USA previously released, “Stupid Feelings: on May 6, 2022. Major Matt Mason released “Endless Summer” on November 18, 2020. Major Matt Mason USA is the performing name for musician, poet, and producer Matt Roth. Originally from Shawnee, Kansas, Matt cut his teeth playing guitar for local Lawrence, KS freak out and math rock bands Magic Nose and Dracomagnet in the early 1990s. // In 1994 Matt moved to New York City where he became active in the anti-folk and DIY music scene of New York’s East Village. Centering around the infamous Monday night, open mic, Antihoots at the Sidewalk Cafe, the scene was an early stomping ground for an array of artists including Beck, Regina Spektor, The Moldy Peaches, Langhorne Slim, John S. Hall (King Missile), Jeffrey Lewis, Shilpa Ray, Kimya Dawson, Diane Cluck, and many more. // In 1998 MMM released his debut solo album Me Me Me in the US. The album was licensed for the UK and Europe on Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis MacDonald’s label, Shoeshine Records. He would continue to release two more albums with Shoeshine: 2002’s Honey Are you Ready for the Ballet and 2004’s Bad People Rule The World. In 2005 Matt released a one-off project under the moniker of Kansas State Flower and in 2007 he returned as Major Matt Mason USA with the album Senile Pie Strive Pip Melancholy. // In 2001 he formed the band Schwervon! with Nan Turner. Schwervon! would go on to release five albums and a handful of singles, including a 7” on, Pavement member, Bob Nastanovich’s label Broker’s Tip Records. // During his time in New York, he established Olive Juice Music, a recording studio, independent record label, and online record distro headquartered in his apartment in the Lower East Side. Olive Juice Music would go on to host the OJ All Day Music Fest, for three years, as well as the OJ Distro, a hub for over three hundred independent releases in the early days of online mailorder. OJ Studios has produced recordings for many notable artists including: Kimya Dawson, Daniel Johnston, Jeffrey Louis, Adam Green (Moldy Peaches), Toby Goodshank, The Lovely Eggs, L.D. Beghtol (Magnetic Fields), Dan Fishback, Paleface, Phoebe Kreutz, Elastic No No Band and more. // In 2012 Matt moved back to Shawnee, Kansas and re-inserted himself into the Kansas City Music/ Poetry Scene. In 2015 he started a poetry blog entitled Beef Jerky Clouds and in 2017 formed a side project, Broken Heart Syndrome, featuring Pat Tomek of The Rainmakers on drums. // [Major Matt Mason USA continues to perform as a solo act and as a band. Through his combined projects he has shared the stage, opening, for luminaries such as Belle and Sebastian, Guided By Voices, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), The Vaselines, The Wedding Present, Daniel Johnston, Lucy Dacus and many more. // As of the fall of 2019 Major Matt Mason USA has been performing with Brian Hurtgen on drums and more recently Dane Bridges on Bass. More info at: http://www.majormattmasonusa.com]
  1. The War and Treaty – “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me”
    from: Lover’s Game / Mercury Nashville – UMG / March 10, 2023
    [We first met The War and Treaty right before their Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference on Friday, February 16, 2018. We first played them on February 7, 2018. The War and Treaty released their full length debut album, “Healing Tide” on August 10, 2018. Michael Trotter Jr & Tanya Blount-Trotter are from Albion, Michigan. For Michael Trotter Jr., the journey began in 2004, when he arrived in Iraq, an untested soldier stricken by fear and self-doubt. His captain made it his personal mission to see to Trotter’s survival. The unit was encamped in one of Saddam Hussein’s private palaces, and in a forgotten corner in its basement, they found a black upright piano that once belonged to the dictator himself. When Trotter shared the fact he could sing, he was encouraged to teach himself to play piano on that confiscated keyboard. “I wrote my first song after that captain was killed,” Trotter recalls. “I sang it for his memorial in Iraq.” Soon after it became his mission to sing at the memorial services for those that had fallen. For the next three years, he sang songs that brought solace and comfort to the members of his unit. His efforts eventually garnered wider recognition as well. He came in first place in “Military Idol,” the army’s version of “American Idol,” during a competition held in Baumholder, Germany. Following his discharge, he was featured on the Hope Channel program “My Story, My Song.” Then he met Tanya Blount. Blount’s musically influences include Mahalia Jackson, Sister Odette and Aretha Franklin. The two fell in love, got married and used the experiences they had gained to create a new musical collaboration. The couple then secured the services of musicians whose skills add a distinctive sound to The War and Treaty’s blend of roots music, blue grass, folk, gospel and soul. Their 2017 EP Down to the River was released July 21, 2017. Recorded in Albion, Michigan, Down to the River boasts a sound that’s both stirring and sensual, driven by joy, determination and an unceasing upward gaze. The music is visceral but never morose, flush with emotion but void of despair… a style that touches on a variety of genres, but never finds itself confined to anyone. The arrangements are uncluttered– harmonies, basslines, guitar and mandolin licks, settle drum patterns and keyboards create an immensely moving soundscape — but the sentiments and emotions are fully realized and soar with a steady, chilling assurance. “The recording process wasn’t like anything I ever experienced,” Tanya recalls. “This EP has allowed me to breathe musically. I feel like all I have wanted to express for the past ten years has come forth with what we’ve done. The combination of heart, soul and the overwhelming amount of love that Michael and I have for one another comes across in this record.“ “I was sitting on the banks of the Euphrates River in Baghdad dreaming about one day being able to play and sing professionally for people all around the world,” Michael reflects. “As we recorded our music, I constantly had flashbacks of those desert dreams. I thought to myself that this is actually the perfect ending to usher in a new beginning in my life.” ]

[The War and Treaty play Boulevardia June 16, 2023 at Crown Center.]

  1. The Freedom Affair – “Make Me Surrender (Instrumental)”
    from: FREEDOM IS LOVE INSTRUMENTALS / Sunflower Soul Records / Feb. 17, 2023
    [The Freedom Affair are proud to present “Freedom Is Love Instrumentals” as a follow-up to the 2020 debut album of the same title. Ranging from driving funk, to luscious soul, with a tinge of gospel, listeners are now able to explore the complex accompaniment that backed the powerhouse trio of ladies featured on the original album. “Freedom Is Love” was recorded and produced by Chris Hazelton, utilizing the best of vintage and new recording technologies to create an authentic experience, befitting of a soul record that would have been relevant 50 years ago as much as it will be 50 years from now. The Freedom Affair’s debut single “Rise Up” was released by Loveland, Ohio’s Colemine Records in June 2019 and has appeared in Netflix’s “Self Made” as well as the worldwide spot for Apple’s iWatch Series 6. // The Freedom Affair is: Cole Bales on guitar & sitar; Branden Moser on guitar; Chris Hazelton on bass guitar, organ, tambourine, glockenspiel, & chimes;
    Dave Brick on drums; Pete Carroll on trumpet; Brett Jackson on tenor sax, baritone sax, & tambourine. Additional Musicians: Pat Conway on congas, Alyssa Bell on viola, Elizabeth Codd on violin, Matt Bennett on violin. John Wickersham on timpani, Pamela Baskin-Watson on piano, and Nick Howell -on tambourine. All Horn & String Arrangements by Chris Hazelton except: “Heartaches Don’t Come Easy” and “Give A Little Love” by Pete Carroll & Brett Jackson, “Don’t Shoot” by Chris Hazelton & Alyssa Bell. Produced, Recorded, & Mixed by Chris Hazelton. Assistant Produced by Dave Brick. Rhythm Section on Track 10 recorded by Chad Meise. Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering license]

[The Freedom Affair play Boulevardia June 16, 2023 at Crown Center.]

  1. Paris Williams – “LONDON, TOKYO (feat. Sam Wells)” (radio edit)
    from: REBEL HEART / Bitter Sweet Sounds / January 31, 2023
    [Paris Williams is a Rapper/Producer originally from Muskegon, MI. Previously Paris Williams released the single, Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. From Shuttlecock Music Magazine: “Co-produced by Williams, Bloom Allen, and Internet Brad, the track features a sublime mixture of bright, inviting rhymes and the type of nocturnal rhythms you can do schoolwork to, or whatever that YouTube stream is. The single is backed by another track called “As Of Late,” which Williams accurately described at a recent show as (paraphrasing) ‘two minutes of straight bars.’ More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

[Paris Williams will be our guest on WMM next week on March 8, 2023.]

Photograph by Manon Halliburton
  1. Danielle Ate the Sandwich – “Other Cards To Play”
    from: Over Again (24 Hour Album) / Danielle Ate the Sandwich / February 26, 2023
    [The 6 songs on this album were written and recorded in 24 hours on February 25th-26th, 2023, during Danielle Ate the Sandwich’s 8th annual 24 Hour Album. This project challenges the artist to write, record, produce, and release a new album in just twenty four hours, live streaming the process to her fans. Patrons of Danielle Ate the Sandwich tuned in from all across the world to suggest ideas and offer support with Danielle during live streams held throughout the 24 hours. Life is short! Stay up all night and make stuff! // On February 20, 2022 Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the 7-track release, “Continued Curfew (24 Hour Album 2022)”. Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the 7-song album, 24 HOUR ALBUM (2021), on April 25, 2021. The 7 songs on this album were written and recorded in 24 hours on April 24th-25th, 2021, during Danielle Ate the Sandwich’s 6th annual 24 Hour Album. On May 28, 2021 Danielle Ate the Sandwich released, It’s Not a Burden (Original Songs from the Documentary Film) on Youngest Daughter Records. It’s Not A Burden is a powerful and brilliant film about the joys and pain of raising elderly parents. The songs are produced by Joanna Katcher. // Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the single, “A Weight, A Wall” on June 1, 2021. Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the single, “Goodbye to You” on August 22, 2021. More info at: http://www.danielleatethesandwich.com.]

[Danielle Ate the Sandwich will travel to New York to teach and perform at The Ashokan Center for Uke Fest, May 26th-29th! Information and registration: https://ashokancenter.org/product/uke-fest-2023%5D

10:30 – Underwriting

Photograph by Dona Ann McAdams

10:32 – Interview with Tim Miller

Tim Miller is an internationally acclaimed performance artist and gay rights activist. Tim has performed in such venues as the Yale Repertory Theatre, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has sold out shows from London to DC to Australia to Los Angeles. He addresses issues of gender, immigration, homophobia, and censorship. As one of the “NEA Four,” who successfully sued the federal government for violating their First Amendment rights when their funding was rescinded in the early 1990s, Miller has always played an important role in defending queer artistic expression on stage. Tim is cofounder of the two most important performance spaces in the country: PS 122 now known as, Performance Space New York and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California. Tim Miller’s autobiographical explorations into identity, politics, and art through the lens of his own experiences lead to visceral, humorous, and poignant performances. Tim Miller is the author of Shirts & Skin, Body Blows: Six Performances, and 1001 Beds: Performances, Essays, and Travels. Tim Miller’s newest book, A Body in the O, Performances and Stories was released last year from University of Wisconsin Press.

Tim Miller is currently serving as Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri at Columbia through March 5, 2023. Tim Miller’s new performance, A BODY IN THE O will be presented Thursday, March 2, at 7:30 PM, in Studio 4, McKee Gymnasium, 672 Hitt St., Columbia, Missouri. More info at: http://www.timmillerperformer.com

Tim Miller, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Tim Miller recently flew into the midwest from California to be a part of a Residency at The University of Missouri, but before traveling to Columbia, Tim first stopped off in at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas. Tim has written about his mom and family being from Kansas, and his mom’s love of sunflowers.

Congratulations to Tim Miller on his new book, A Body in The O. It is important, and funny, and subversive, and a guidebook for queer performance artists everywhere, and high school speech and forensics team members.

The cover of Tim’s book is a photograph shot by Dona Ann McAdams of Tim in 1984, after he had returned to the West Coast after living in NYC. Tim was wearing hot pants and a crop top and he climbed up from the back of the giant HOLLYWOOD sign, in the Hollywood Hills where he stood inside the letter O.

Tim talked about how The wooden O was how Shakespeare described his globe theatre.

Tim Miller writes in his new book how solo theatre performers are the first responders.

Informed by Tim’s own queer sense of justice, his experiences with women’s studies, and serving time in a punk band, Tim’s work in theatre, he found the tools, to tell the stories about his life and connect them to the world around us.

Mark Manning writes: “I first met Tim Miller in 1992. He led performance art workshops for gay men in Kansas City, while you were here to also perform your piece “My Queer Body” at the Granada Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas. And was Grand Marshall in our Gay Pride Parade.”

“Tim Miller, for me you have been a teacher, and guide. In 1990 when I wrote and performed my first performance piece, in an art space in Kansas City, about being in a “gay bashing,” I didn’t know where I fit in, your work, and your sense of community helped me understand that I was part of something bigger. That the personal is political. I searched out opportunities to find your writings, see the artist of the NEA 4 live on stage, and even ritualize the works by Karen Findley.”

As one of the “NEA Four,” who successfully sued the federal government for violating their First Amendment rights when their funding was rescinded in the early 1990s. Tim has written a lot about the Supreme Court, and has had his own up-close and personal experience with the United States Supreme Court. Recently, with the appointment of three justices shoved onto the court by Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell, our Supreme Court has started taking away rights and liberties from US Citizens. We asked Tim about his observations of the current Supremes.

Tim Miller travels all over the world performing his works, teaching workshops, doing residencies in Colleges and Universities, often in smaller communities. Still he encounters audiences that have never heard a gay person tell their story, out loud, in a theatre or space.

Tim Miller writes that is ultimately it is ALL About LOVE.

Tim’s book is dedicated Alistair McCartney Tim’s husband. You experiences with immigration, and marriage equality are some of the stories you share in A Body In The O.

Tim Miller’s newest book, A Body in the O, Performances and Stories was released from University of Wisconsin Press.

Tim Miller, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Tim Miller is currently serving as Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri at Columbia through March 5, 2023. Tim Miller’s new performance, A BODY IN THE O will be presented Thursday, March 2, at 7:30 PM, in Studio 4, McKee Gymnasium, 672 Hitt St., Columbia, Missouri.

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

10:50

  1. Overcoats – “Never Let You Go”
    from: Winner / Never Fall Back Records / April 7, 2023
    [Overcoats is the New York-based female duo of Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell. // The third full-length from Overcoats, Winner takes place in the kind of New York City spaces meant for unencumbered dreaming: fire escapes and rooftops, downtown late at night, the majestic Manhattan skyline as glimpsed from the George Washington Bridge. But in paying homage to the city that formed them, singer/songwriters Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell set their storytelling against a sonic backdrop more reminiscent of wide-open landscapes—an unbridled and euphoric sound that evokes the wild rush of hitting the road with your closest confidant, with no particular destination in mind. // Produced by two-time Grammy-winner Daniel Tashian (a co-producer on Kacey Musgraves’s widely acclaimed Golden Hour), Winner marks an evolution of the graceful musicality first displayed on Overcoats’ debut album YOUNG (a 2017 release that earned praise from outlets like the New York Times and NPR Music, who placed it at #4 on its best-of-the-year list). As a bold departure from YOUNG’s sparse electronic pop and the atmospheric indie-rock of The Fight (a 2020 release that nabbed them a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the American Association of Independent Music), the album encompasses a warm and luminous sound sculpted from a tightly curated mix of elements: earthy guitar tones, elegantly rugged textures, the duo’s signature heavenly harmonies. // Produced by Daniel Tashian except “Horsegirl” produced by Jackson Phillips & “Attention” produced by Nick Lobel. Co-produced by Mikey Reaves on “Never Let You Go” & “Vagabond” // Engineered by Konrad Snyder at The Study in Nashville, TN // Mixed by Lars Stalfors (“Horsegirl”, “New Suede Shoes”, “Green Eyes”, & “Vagabond” // Mixed by Tony Maserati (“Never Let You Go” & “Better Off”) // Mixed by James Krausse (“Want You Back”, “Say My Name”, “Attention”, “Don’t You Wanna”, & “Winner” // Mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty at Nomograph Mastering in Los Angeles, CA . // Their debut album YOUNG was released on April 21, 2017. We played “Nighttime hangover” on March 8, 2017. Their captures a sound rich in minimalism and melody: songs of connection and tension, on the depths of love and challenges of family. Overcoats’ music draws strength from vulnerability, finding light through darkness, and the catharsis of simple, honest songwriting. YOUNG is about a transformation: the passage into womanhood, sung through the shared experience of two best friends. YOUNG was written by Overcoats and co-produced by Nicolas Vernhes (Daughter, The War On Drugs, Dirty Projectors, Cass McCombs) and experimental R&B artist Autre Ne Veut, with additional production from Myles Avery and mixing by Ben Baptie (Lapsley, Lianne La Havas, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson). All songs written by Hana Rose Elion, Justine Mitchell and Adley Arthur Atkin.][Overcoats played Middle of The Map Fest]
  1. Lonnie Fisher – “Beautiful Star”
    from: BEAUTIFUL STAR / Lonnie Fisher / February 9, 2022
    [Last year, Lonnie Fisher’s 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was released January 19, 2022 and was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower with contributions from: Chris Nunez. Tim Jenkins, Tim Manning, and Julia Reynolds. On October 22, 2021 with his band, Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released, HAUNTED with Lonnie Fisher on lead vocals, 5 String Guitar & Keyboards; Tim Jenkins on guitars; Chris Nunez on drums, Tim Manning on bass, & Julia Reynolds on vocals & keyboards.Lonnie Fischer played a solo album release show for his new album BEAUTIFUL STAR at The Brick, 1727 McGeee Street, KCMO, on Friday, December 23, at 8:00 PM with The Criterz and Killer City. More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]
  1. John Vanderslice – “Crystals 26”
    from: “Crystals 26” – Single / Tiny Telephone / February 15, 2023
    [John Vanderslice was born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida. He is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer. He is the owner and founder of Tiny Telephone, an analog recording studio with locations in San Francisco Mission District and North Oakland. He released 10 full-length albums and 5 remix records and EPs on Dead Oceans and Barsuk Records and has collaborated with musicians such as The Mountain Goats, St. Vincent, and Spoon. // Since 2014, Vanderslice has been a full-time record producer at Tiny Telephone and has worked with Frog Eyes, Samantha Crain, the Mountain Goats, and Grandaddy. He has previously worked with Sophie Hunger, Bombadil, Strand Of Oaks and Spoon. // Vanderslice grew up in rural North Florida before his family moved to Maryland when he was 11. In 1989, he graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Maryland, where he also studied art history. Vanderslice moved to San Francisco in 1990. While supporting himself as a waiter, Vanderslice took classes at University of California, Berkeley, with the intention of becoming an English teacher. Vanderslice then spent five years as a member of the experimental band Mk Ultra, with whom he released three albums in the 1990s. The last of these, The Dream Is Over, received a 9.2 from Pitchfork. // In 1997, he founded Tiny Telephone, a 3,000 sq. ft., two-room recording studio in the Mission District of San Francisco. The studio was initially used as a rehearsal space before being developed as a full-time, all-analog recording studio. Bands who have recorded in the studio include Death Cab for Cutie, Sleater-Kinney, Okkervil River, Deerhoof, The Mountain Goats, The Magnetic Fields, Tune-yards, and Spoon. He opened Tiny Telephone’s Oakland studio in late 2015. // In 2000, Vanderslice released his first solo album, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, and briefly gained some national media attention for the single “Bill Gates Must Die” after concocting a hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over the song; Vanderslice had trouble manufacturing the CD because the artwork resembled that of a Windows installation disc, and at least one manufacturer was wary of legal action. During the controversy, he was interviewed by Spin, Wired, and the San Francisco Chronicle. // Many songs on the 2005 album Pixel Revolt referenced the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Iraq War and were more overtly political in their lyrical content. The album earned an 8.3 rating on Pitchfork and was cited for its “meticulous arrangements” with “everything in its right place”, and declared an “excellent album”. The album’s ending resolves the narrator’s struggles with acute depression (“Dead Slate Pacific”) and suicidal thoughts (“The Golden Gate”) with a love song to psychotropic drugs (“CRC 7173, Affectionately”). // The title of Vanderslice’s 2007 album, Emerald City, references both the nickname of the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and the name of the city in The Wizard of Oz. He has said about the album: “I was so beaten down after the 2000 election and after 9/11 and then the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan; I was so depleted as a person after all that stuff happened, that I had to write my way out of it. I really had to write political songs because for me it is a way of making sense and processing what is going on.” Emerald City achieved a score of 82/100 on Metacritic. Entertainment Weekly called the album “a gleaming gem” that doesn’t disappoint. Billboard’s review of the record called Vanderslice an “always perceptive lyricist”. Calling Vanderslice a “master story-teller”, Matt Fink of Paste said that Emerald City was “vividly imagined yet subtle in tone, with conflicted character sketches unfolding around somber synth melodies, creaky electronic effects, and fuzzy acoustic guitar strums.” // In 2009, with Romanian Names, Vanderslice broke away from overtly political lyrical content characteristic of previous albums and turned his focus to personal reflections on romance and a modern person’s relationship to the natural landscape. Maintaining his commitment to fully analog production, Vanderslice recorded guitar and piano tracks for this album in his analog basement studio of his San Francisco home. He completed further instrumentation and production at his own Tiny Telephone recording studio with producer Scott Solter. // In 2010, Vanderslice released a free EP called Green Grow The Rushes. // A full album, White Wilderness, was released on January 25, 2011, on Dead Oceans. Here, Vanderslice forwent his usual meticulous process of manipulating and heavily over-dubbing tracks in the recording studio, in favor a pared-down production style. He recorded the album live with Minna Choi and the 19-member Magik*Magik Orchestra, the house orchestra of Tiny Telephone, in three days at Berkeley’s historically-renowned Fantasy Studios. Vanderslice wrote acoustic versions of each song, while Choi wrote all orchestral arrangements. The collaboration resulted in a looser sound that maintained the structural complexity and pop sensibility of Vanderslice’s previous songwriting.Lyrically, Vanderslice reflects on his trajectory as a musician and performer and draws inspiration from the California landscape. “The Piano Lesson” recounts early memories of learning to play the piano as a child, while “After It Ends” imagines a performer destroying and escaping his venue at the end of a show. The romping “Convict Lake” is an autobiographical account of an overdose on LSD during a camping trip at this Sierra Nevada, California, lake. It was produced and recorded by John Congleton. // In January 2012, Vanderslice left his record contract with Dead Oceans. He created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to start his own label and reached his $18,500 goal within hours of starting the campaign,[26] which ultimately resulted in his ninth album, Dagger Beach. // With Dagger Beach, Vanderslice pushed experimentation with analog production techniques to the forefront of his songwriting. For some songs, including “Harlequin Press” and “Damage Control”, he tried to avoid familiar song structures by writing over improvised drum parts played by longtime collaborator Jason Slota. On the album, Vanderslice revisits the theme of navigating the California landscape as a metaphor for personal relationships: “Raw Wood” reflects on solo camping in Wildcat camp of Point Reyes National Park, while “North Coast Rep” describes a disintegrating friendship by way of a found photograph of the Sonoma, California, landscape. // In conjunction with Dagger Beach, Vanderslice released his own full cover version of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs. The idea for the cover album came in August 2012, when Vanderslice performed Diamond Dogs in full at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco, followed by a screening of Michel Gondry’s cult classic, The Science of Sleep. After intensive rehearsing for a single show with a limited audience, Vanderslice decided to channel his creative efforts with Bowie’s original material into an entire cover version of the album. It was released on limited edition vinyl in June 2013. Using the original album as a backbone to experiment and improvise in the recording studio with collaborators, Vanderslice altered lyrics, song structures, chord progressions, and titles of many of the songs. // With full control of the production and distribution of his self-released albums and a commitment to quality control, Vanderslice had both Dagger Beach and Diamond Dogs pressed on 200-gram vinyl by audiophile Quality Record Pressings plant. In response to widespread music file sharing and in an effort to control sound quality of distributed files, he has made high-quality music files of many self-released songs freely available online.// In an interview with The New Yorker, Vanderslice stated that a near-death experience in 2014, in which the van he was touring in almost flipped on Interstate 80 in Ohio, prompted him to quit touring and making records. Surviving the incident was a life-altering experience: “After that happened, maybe a second later, I was like, I’m done. I don’t want to die in a van. It wasn’t sad, it wasn’t celebratory. It was just like, eh, I had a good run.” // Vanderslice is a proponent of using analog instruments and recording equipment to produce a richer, more raw sound, which he has sometimes called “sloppy hi-fi”. He has collaborated closely with engineer/producers in the production of his albums, including John Congleton, Scott Solter, and John Croslin.// Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and also produced The Mountain Goats albums We Shall All Be Healed, The Sunset Tree, and Heretic Pride. In March and April 2009, he toured alongside The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle in the “Gone Primitive Tour”. These shows featured Vanderslice and Darnielle each playing acoustic sets and then performing material together. // On several occasions, Vanderslice has chosen bands to tour with him who have gone on to widespread recognition and critical respect, including Sufjan Stevens, Okkervil River, The Tallest Man On Earth, and St. Vincent. // Vanderslice is influenced by film and is a fan of David Lynch, whose work is referenced in his song “Promising Actress”. He is a prolific amateur photographer, and has taken publicity photos for Thao Nguyen, The Mountain Goats, Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and Mirah. He has also had his work used as album artwork by Matt Nathanson, Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes, and Mobius Band, as well as for his own 2009 release, Romanian Names.]

11:00 – Station ID

  1. Cardio Party – “Sphinx of Black Quartz”
    from: Emergentsia EP / Cardiac Records / November 1, 2022
    [Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick are the musicians that make up the band Cardio Party, an electronic duo creating dreamy soundscapes balanced with energetic choruses, pieced together like poetry, sharing a glimpse into their hearts & souls. Both raised in Wichita, Kansas, Anthony and Liv met in middle school where they bonded over their shared musical preferences. In 2012, they found their niche producing electronic music. Both adept at music production of all kinds, Anthony’s primary focus is mixing and mastering, while Liv focuses on composition and sound design. In 2021, the duo released a new song every month, culminating in their album CALISTHENICS. In 2022, they released their EP, EMERGENTSIA. They are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty]

11:03 – Interview with Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick

Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick are the musicians that make up the band Cardio Party, an electronic duo creating dreamy soundscapes balanced with energetic choruses, pieced together like poetry, sharing a glimpse into their hearts & souls. Both raised in Wichita, Kansas, Anthony and Liv met in middle school where they bonded over their shared musical preferences. In 2012, they found their niche producing electronic music. Both adept at music production of all kinds, Anthony’s primary focus is mixing and mastering, while Liv focuses on composition and sound design. In 2021, the duo released a new song every month, culminating in their album CALISTHENICS. In 2022, they released their EP, EMERGENTSIA. They are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty

Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick Thank you for being with us on WMM

Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick are the musicians that make up the band Cardio Party, an electronic duo creating dreamy soundscapes balanced with energetic choruses, pieced together like poetry, sharing a glimpse into their hearts & souls.

Both raised in Wichita, Kansas, Anthony and Liv met in middle school where they bonded over their shared musical preferences.

In 2012, they found their niche producing electronic music.

Both adept at music production of all kinds, Anthony’s primary focus is mixing and mastering, while Liv focuses on composition and sound design.

In 2021, the duo released a new song every month, culminating in their album CALISTHENICS.

In 2022, they released their EP, EMERGENTSIA.

They are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty

Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick Thank you for being with us on WMM

Cardio Party are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS and are releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty

11:18

  1. Cardio Party – “Pick Up The Phone” – Single
    from: “Pick Up The Phone” – Single / Cardiac Records / March 1, 2023
    [Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick are the musicians that make up the band Cardio Party, an electronic duo creating dreamy soundscapes balanced with energetic choruses, pieced together like poetry, sharing a glimpse into their hearts & souls. Both raised in Wichita, Kansas, Anthony and Liv met in middle school where they bonded over their shared musical preferences. In 2012, they found their niche producing electronic music. Both adept at music production of all kinds, Anthony’s primary focus is mixing and mastering, while Liv focuses on composition and sound design. In 2021, the duo released a new song every month, culminating in their album CALISTHENICS. In 2022, they released their EP, EMERGENTSIA. They are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty]
  1. Yo La Tengo – “Fallout”
    from: This Stupid World / Matador Records / February 10, 2023
    [Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for “I’ve got it”) is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). In 2015, original guitarist Dave Schramm rejoined the band and appears on their fourteenth album, Stuff Like That There. // Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called “the quintessential critics’ band” and maintains a strong cult following.[3] Though they mostly play original material, the band performs a wide repertoire of cover songs both in live performance and on record. // Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley formed the band as a couple in 1984. They chose the name Yo La Tengo, Spanish for “I have it”. The name came from a baseball anecdote that occurred during the 1962 season, when New York Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn and shortstop Elio Chacón found themselves colliding in the outfield. When Ashburn went for a catch, he would scream, “I got it! I got it!” only to run into Chacón, a Venezuelan who spoke only Spanish. Ashburn learned to yell, “Yo la tengo! Yo la tengo!” instead. In a later game, Ashburn happily saw Chacón backing off. He relaxed, positioned himself to catch the ball, and was instead run over by left fielder Frank Thomas, who understood no Spanish and had missed a team meeting that proposed using the words “Yo la tengo!” as a way to avoid outfield collisions.[5] After getting up, Thomas asked Ashburn, “What the hell is a yellow tango?” // Kaplan and Hubley placed an advertisement to recruit other musicians who shared their love for bands such as the Soft Boys, Mission of Burma, and Arthur Lee’s Love.[3] The group’s debut recording was a 7″ single entitled “The River of Water” backed with a cover of Lee’s “A House Is Not a Motel”, released in late 1985 with Dave Schramm on lead guitar and Dave Rick on bass. After recording “Private Doberman” for inclusion on a Coyote Records compilation entitled Luxury Condos Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon, Rick left the band and was replaced by Mike Lewis, the founding bass player of Boston garage-punk bands DMZ and Lyres, who was also a member of Brooklyn garage rock band the A-Bones throughout his tenure in YLT. // In 1986, Yo La Tengo released their first LP, Ride the Tiger on Coyote Records. Produced by former Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley who also took over bass duties on three songs, the album “marked Yo La Tengo as a band with real potential” according to reviewer Mark Deming. Kaplan was credited as “naive guitar” on the sleeve, and in the liner notes for the 1993 reissue of the album on City Slang Records, went so far as to say “Dave’s guitar playing is inarguably the best thing about the record.” // Schramm and Lewis left the band after the album’s release, with Kaplan subsequently taking on the role of lead guitar and Stephan Wichnewski joining to play bass. The group’s next album New Wave Hot Dogs (1987) sold poorly, but, in the words of Mark Deming, “was a quantum leap over the sound of their debut.” // The release of President Yo La Tengo in 1989 did much to establish the band’s reputation among rock critics including Robert Christgau who praised the “mysterioso guitar hook” in the first song titled “Barnaby, Hardly Working”. Produced by Gene Holder of The dB’s, the album was the band’s last release on Coyote. Despite the positive reception of the album, sales were still poor and Wichnewski left the band not long after. Hubley and Kaplan carried on as a duo and began playing two-electric-guitar shows. Kaplan, though typically a pragmatist, started carrying a bug trapped in amber in his pocket for luck. // Yo La Tengo reunited with Dave Schramm in 1990 to record Fakebook, an album of mostly acoustic tunes, including covers of Cat Stevens, Gene Clark, the Kinks, Daniel Johnston, among others, with five original songs by the band themselves, including an acoustic version of Barnaby Hardly Working. Again produced by Gene Holder, the album’s folk sound was a change of pace for the band. Years later, Kaplan recalled that the album was “just me and Georgia looking for an excuse to record with Dave Schramm and Al Greller” who played guitar and double bass on the album, respectively. // In 1991, with Dave Schramm in tow, Yo La Tengo collaborated with Daniel Johnston on the song “Speeding Motorcycle” which was released as a single. The band also released a 7″ single on Bar/None Records with the song “Walking Away from You” backed with a cover of Beat Happening’s “Cast a Shadow.” Gene Holder produced the single and played the bass. The That Is Yo La Tengo EP released later that year included some tracks that would end up on the group’s next LP. // After the release of That Is Yo La Tengo, James McNew (who also records under the solo moniker Dump) began playing bass with the band, forming the trio that continues to make up the band today. According to McNew, “I originally signed on as a fill-in for a short US tour, and a 4-week summer tour of Europe with Eleventh Dream Day. One night after a show in Munster, I was to look after our box of merchandise while Ira and Georgia went gallovanting through the town, meeting their policemen. Needless to say, during our soundcheck in Hamburg the next day, it suddenly dawned on me that I had left the box filled with copies of this EP back at the club in Munster. Oh man, was I in trouble… Sure… blame it on the rookie.” // The band recorded May I Sing with Me in Boston with Holder producing and Lou Giordano engineering. The album was released on Alias Records in 1992. Three of the album’s eleven songs (“Swing for Life”, “Out the Window” and “Five-Cornered Drone”) were carried over from the That Is Yo La Tengo EP and feature Holder on bass. The Upside-Down EP was released on CD in support of the album, rounding out the band’s releases on Alias. // In 1993, Yo La Tengo began their partnership with Matador Records, releasing a 7″ and CD5 of the song “Shaker” which the band recorded with John Siket in New Jersey. The following LP, 1993’s Painful, was also the beginning of the band’s fruitful creative partnership with producer Roger Moutenot, who has produced all of their subsequent albums up until 2013’s Fade, which was produced by John McEntire. Painful is the first Yo La Tengo album to feature James McNew on every song. Ira Kaplan explains: “I think this group really started when we made the record Painful. . . . Painful was the first record that we made as the three of us, and I think it sounds different from the things that came before it. Even though I can see connections with the earlier records and things we’ve done since, it really seems like mostly we’ve built on that record. Anything from before then is really, really different to me. Since Painful, I think we’ve gotten more confident and more willing to trust ourselves and trust each other, and probably better at dealing with things that go wrong.” // Rob Sheffield, writing in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide remarked that McNew “became an essential part of the sound on Painful, the 1993 album that kept every promise Yo La Tengo ever made and blew their previous highlights away.” Critical reaction was quite positive, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine calling it “a subtly addicting album.” Robert Christgau also praised the group once again, writing in his review that Yo La Tengo is “always friendly. This is not the forbidding experimentation of an aspiring vanguard. This is the fooling around of folks who like to go out on Saturday night and make some noise—and then go home humming it.” The band released Electr-O-Pura in 1995 to similar acclaim. For the first time, all songs were credited to the band as a whole rather than individual members; this became the norm for all future releases. // The band’s 1997 LP I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One synthesized the group’s eclectic combination of folk, punk rock, shoegazing, long instrumental noise-jams, and electronic music into a sprawling, multi-faceted style. Critical reaction was extremely positive; Pitchfork awarded the album a 9.7 out of 10, and AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that it was “arguably Yo La Tengo’s finest and most coherent album to date.” Kaplan recalled a turning point in the band’s musical progression: “I think after Electr–O-Pura we’ve had a direction of trying not to worry too hard about what the next album is going to sound like. Everything we’ve ever played on we just do whatever seems right at the moment, we just write a bunch of songs, and then go one baby step at the time and just do what seems right.” // With their critical reputation higher than ever before, the band toured extensively and their fan base continued to grow. In 1998, they collaborated with Jad Fair and released the album Strange but True to mixed reviews. Yo La Tengo had a cameo role as a Salvation Army band in the 1998 Hal Hartley film The Book of Life, and feature on its 1999 soundtrack release.[17] The band entered the studio again in late 1999 to record their ninth LP. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out was released in February 2000 to a warm reception. The album features some intimate songs with hushed, varied instrumentation and includes the 17-minute meditation “Night Falls On Hoboken”. // In 2001, Yo La Tengo recorded an instrumental score for eight short undersea documentaries by Jean Painlevé, entitled The Sounds of the Sounds of Science. The program debuted at the San Francisco Film Festival and has been performed live approximately twelve times. The band also released an EP with covers of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War” in late 2002. // The band’s tenth LP, Summer Sun, was released in 2003. Although the album received generally favorable reviews, some critics found the album’s quiet atmosphere “underwhelming.” Others criticized the band for a perceived lack of invention. When asked about the album’s quiet nature, Kaplan stated,”We made a decision at the last second just to leave the loud songs off. We were looking at the material we recorded and just trying to put out the best record that we could. At a certain point, we just thought it seemed right to put out the quiet ones. I’ve been aware that there’s been some surprise about that and people saying it’s even quieter than the last record, which has sort of taken me by surprise.” // Yo La Tengo collaborated with Yoko Ono on the 2003 charity album Wig in a Box: Songs from and Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch in support of the Harvey Milk High School. The band put together their first “best of” compilation entitled Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985–2003 which was released in 2005. They composed scores for four more films, 2005’s Junebug and Game 6, and 2006’s Shortbus and Old Joy. Their scores for these four films were collected on the 2008 compilation They Shoot, We Score. // Their eleventh LP, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, was released in 2006 to universal acclaim. Informed by their soundtrack work, the arrangements included more strings and horns than any of the band’s previous albums. Kaplan told an interviewer: “I think we gained an element of comfort with using that kind of instrumentation, and it became something we could draw on for our other songs.” In addition, the album was book-ended with two guitar jams lasting over ten minutes each. // In 2006, the band released Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics, a compilation of their live impromptu cover-song performances on the New Jersey freeform radio station, WFMU. As part of the station’s annual fundraising marathon, listeners who call in to pledge money to the station may request a favorite which the band will then perform on the spot. In late 2007, the band began performing acoustically for “The Freewheelin’ Yo La Tengo” tour. Audiences were encouraged to request songs and ask questions which, Kaplan stated, the band tried to answer “in a strategic manner so that the answers to the questions will lead to the next song.” // In March 2008, Yo La Tengo performed under the alias “Condo Fucks” at Brooklyn’s Magnetic Field. As Condo Fucks, the band released an album of cover songs, Fuckbook, on Matador in March 2009. // Popular Songs, the band’s 12th album, was released on Sept. 8, 2009. The album was recorded in the band’s rehearsal space in New Jersey and features two songs with elaborate string sections (composed by jazz composer Richard Evans). It entered the Billboard chart at No. 58, the highest entry of the band’s career thus far. // In 2009, Yo La Tengo contributed to Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox, a tribute album for New Zealand rock and roll musician Chris Knox who suffered a stroke in June 2009. Yo La Tengo covered Knox’s song “Coloured”. All proceeds from the album go towards Knox’s recovery. Also in 2009, Yo La Tengo contributed a cover of the song “Gentle Hour” to the AIDS benefit album, Dark Was the Night, produced by the Red Hot Organization. // Preceding their album Popular Songs, Yo La Tengo released an EP entitled Here to Fall Remixes in the summer of 2010. Remixes of their single Here to Fall were done by De La Soul, RJD2, and Pete Rock. This was Yo La Tengo’s third out-of-the-box remix EP in 14 years, following the Autumn Sweater and Danelectro Remix EPs. // In 2012 Yo La Tengo recorded a cover of Todd Rundgren’s “I Saw the Light” for a fund raising cd titled “Super Hits Of The Seventies” for radio station WFMU. In August 2012, they announced the release of an EP in September 2012 to be followed by a full-length album in January 2013. The EP includes three versions of the song “Stupid Things”: the single version, a remix by EYƎ, and the original 12-minute instrumental version. // In 2014 they toured and performed live onstage as film maker Sam Green live narrated an evolving version of his new film The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller in Austin, Burlington, Detroit, Ithaca, Portland, New Orleans and Vancouver. // In 2014, they played an Indiana-based Night Ranger cover band Bobby Night Ranger in the final episode of season 6 of the television series Parks and Recreation. // On August 28, 2015, Yo La Tengo released Stuff Like That There, an album (and “a sequel of sorts to Fakebook”) of re-recorded versions of some of their old songs as well as covers, including songs by The Cure, Hank Williams, and Sun Ra. // In 2016, the band released Murder in the Second Degree, a second compilation of their live impromptu cover-song performances on the New Jersey freeform radio station, WFMU. // In 2017, the band played two dates in New York City with Robyn Hitchcock. The performances included the Hitchcock album “Black Snake Diamond Role” in its entirety, as well as collections of classic Hitchcock songs and covers of other artists. // In 2018, Yo La Tengo released their 15th studio album, There’s a Riot Going On, which Pitchfork decided ‘reflects the group’s greatest and most instantly recognizable strengths’. // In 2020, Yo La Tengo released We Have Amnesia Sometimes which was recorded over a 10-day period from late April to early May amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The album consists of five instrumental, ambient compositions which were recorded with one microphone in the room and the band spread out adhering to social distance protocols laid out by Governor Murphy of New Jersey. // On February 10, 2023, the band will release their seventeenth studio album This Stupid World. // Yo La Tengo have always had the core members Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley. They have had 14 bass players. James McNew has been the bass player since 1992’s May I Sing With Me.]
Photo by Dasha Brown
  1. Iris DeMent – “How Long”
    from: Working On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Iris DeMent’s upcoming 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. // On October 6, 2020 iris DeMent released her single “Going Down To Sing In Texas.” Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine. In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”]

[Iris DeMent plays Knuckleheads 2715 Rochester Street, KCMO on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM with guest Ana Egge opening the show.] [Iris DeMent joins us LIVE on WMM on March 22.]

11:30 – Underwriting

  1. Sweet Honey In The Rock – “Sweet Sweet Honey”
    from: #LoveinEvolution / Appleseed Records / August 12, 2015
    [The renowned female African-American a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock shows off a new four-voice line-up that continues it’s ongoing evolution. Their first first studio recording in nine years, #LoveInEvolution’s breathtaking layers of voices often carry a strong sense of social and ecological urgency on original songs such as “Second Line Blues,” which challenges the current eruption of racial violence, and “Oh, Sankofa,” an angry summation of the last century of historical injustice against blacks. But there are also uplifting songs of life’s positives (“This Place Inside Where I Can Rest,” “A Prayer for the World: Song 23,” and the delightful single “IDK, But I’m LOL”) and rearranged traditional and cover songs relevant to the CD’s theme of improving individual and global existence while enduring the strains of daily life. Now in their 42nd year, Sweet Honey in the Rock has toured from Australia to Zimbabwe, performed in the White House at the request of President and First Lady Obama, accrued numerous honors, and established itself as an inspiring, empowering musical force worldwide. // Female centered and led, African-American a cappella ensemble. A Grammy Award-winning (and many times nominated) troupe who express their history as women of color. Founded in Washington in 1973 by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. She was a Baptist minister’s daughter who had been on the front lines of the civil rights movement. In the 1960s, Reagon performed at schools, prisons and political rallies with the Freedom Singers in support of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. They performed “We Shall Not Be Moved” at the 1963 March on Washington. Reagon retired from the group in 2004 and was replaced by two singers in a lineup that is forever changing. (There have been more than 30 singers working in Sweet Honey over the years.) The ensemble has together worked from four women, to the difficult five-part harmony, with a sixth member translating with sign language. Their name was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Sweet Honey in the Rock has been producing music for more than 30 years. Although the members of the group have changed over 3 decades, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a musical style rooted in the Gospel music, spirituals and hymns of the African-American Church. They’ve addressed topics including motherhood, spirituality, freedom, civil rights, domestic violence, immigration issues, and racism.] [In 2008 Sweet Honey In The Rock joined forces with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for an historic collaboration, “Go In Grace.” Choreographed by Ailey dancer Hope Boykin, the work featured new music by Sweet Honey, who performed on stage with members of the Ailey troupe. Through song and dance he audience was taken on a journey into the challenges and joys of one special family. “Go with Grace” was part of the 35th anniversary celebration for Sweet Honey In The Rock, and the 50th anniversary celebration for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Sweet Honey In The Rock performed with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre at The Midland Theatre in Kansas City.][On January 30, 2013 Sweet Honey In The Rock played the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at Kauffman Center For the Performing Arts.] [On February 23, 2018, Sweet Honey In The Rock played White Recital Hall at UMKC Conservatory of Music.]

[Sweet Honey in The Rock mark their 50th Anniversary with a three year celebration honoring their storied past and course for the future. The Ensemble play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org]

11:35 – Interview with Aisha Kahlil of Sweet Honey In The Rock

Our next guest Aisha Kahlil possesses a dynamic, innate power and range in jazz, blues, traditional, contemporary, and African vocal styles and techniques. She joined Sweet Honey in The Rock in 1981. She has been part of 25 of the ensemble’s 27 album releases. Aisha Kahlil has also released her own solo album, and has worked extensively as a singer, dancer, teacher and acclaimed actress. Her original composition “Wodaabe Nights” was featured in the film soundtrack “Africans in America,” and her composition “Fulani Chant” was included in the film soundtrack “Down in the Delta,” directed by Maya Angelou, and the soundtrack “Climb Against the Odds produced by the Breast Cancer Fund. Ms Kahlil’s film credits include “Beloved” starring Oprah Winfrey and directed by Jonathan Demme, and with Sweet Honey in the Rock and James Horner, has written and recorded original music for the soundtrack of the TNT film, “Freedom Song,” starring Danny Glover and directed by Phil Robinson. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK has been one of the most resilient and longstanding female ensembles in the history of contemporary music. the group performed at the White House at the request of President and Mrs. Obama during his first 100 days in office, they have toured in Europe, Australia and Africa, and served as artistic ambassadors for US Embassies based in Ethiopia, Peru, Jamaica, Swaziland and Belize.They are a three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Although the members have changed over five decades, the group continues to sing and perform worldwide. Over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Sweet Honey in The Rock play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org

Aisha Kahlil Thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Ms. Kahlil’s interest in music was evident at an early age. She was a member of local choirs in her native Buffalo, New York, and during her high school years performed as a vocalist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in several productions, including Porgy and Bess, Carmen Jones, and The Messiah. During this time she also sang the role of Monica in a special WGBH production of Menotti’s The Medium, and performed at Carnegie Hall in Julius Eastman’s avant-garde composition The Thruway. She worked concurrently with the Studio Arena Theatre where she was awarded a full scholarship, and The Buffalo Black Drama Workshop, where she became interested in the music of such jazz artists as John Coltrane, Leon Thomas, Betty Carter, Yma Sumac, and Pharoah Sanders.

By the time she entered college as a theatre student at Northeastern University in Boston, it was clear that Ms. Kahlil had an intuitive inclination for vocal jazz. Although her formal training had been in European classical music, she began experimenting with innovative, improvisational vocal techniques. During the same period, she studied voice and music theory at the New England Conservatory of Music, and performed with Ebony Jua, a local jazz ensemble that toured the east coast music circuit. While at Northeastern, Aisha directed M(ego) and the Green Ball of Freedom, Where we at? , a play by Martie charles, and performed and directed Sister Sonji, by Sonia Sanchez.

Following her studies, Ms. Kahlil spent three years in the Bay area, where she worked as a vocalist and dancer with the Raymond Sawyer Theatre and Halifu Productions, while performing and recording with the avant-garde jazz trio Infinite Sound. She then returned to Boston, and there worked with such groups as Stan Strickland and Sundance and The Art of Black Dance and Music, in addition to teaching at the Institute for Contemporary Dance, The Joy of Motion, the Boston Center for the Arts, and as a consultant to the Boston public school system.

Ms. Kahlil’s artistic pursuits have taken her to New York City, where she studied extensively at the Alvin Ailey School, and with Frank Hatchett, Pepsi Bethel, Fred Benjamin, and Emiko and Yasuko Tokunaga. She also appeared in the Joseph Papp off Broadway production of The Haggadah, co – composed and performed in the musical Two Thousand Seasons, and danced with such companies as Titos Sampas’sTanawa. During this time, she also performed with Talib Kibwe( T.K. Blue) and Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), and with Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra.

Since her arrival in Washington, D.C., she has worked with the D.C. Black Repertory Theatre and with Brother Ah and the Sounds of Awareness, and has been a featured artist in the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz in the Palm Court, in which she presented a special performance of the music of Gertrude “Ma” Rainey; the Queen Mother of the Classic Blues, to rave reviews. Aisha has taught and performed for the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers, as a dancer in Kankouran, and taught at the Dance Place. She also served as artistic director for the Youth Ensemble of Dancers and Drummers at the Levine School of Music, directed and choreographed for the First World Dance Theatre, and co directed and performed for the First World Productions, where she also co wrote with Nitanju Bolade Casel the original production Bright Moments in Great Black Music.
As a member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ms. Kahlil has been voted Best Soloist by the Contemporary A Capella Society, for her work on her composition Fulani Chant, and also for her rendition of See See Rider. Her original composition Wodaabe Nights has been featured in the film soundtrack Africans in America, and her composition Fulani Chant has been included in the film soundtrack Down in the Delta, directed by Maya Angelou, as well as the soundtrack Climb against the Odds, a film produced by the Breast cancer Fund. Ms Kahlil’s film credits include Beloved, starring Oprah Winfrey and directed by Jonathan Demme, and with Sweet Honey in the Rock and James Horner, has written and recorded original music for the soundtrack of the TNT filmFreedom Song, starring Danny Glover and directed by Phil Robinson. In 2005, Aisha was a finalist with her own band MyKa and the whole World Band in the annual contest Battle of the Bands, sponsored by Discmakers, and is a winner in the International Songwriting Competition’s (ISC) performance category with her original song, The Jewel Light.

Aisha has toured with her band in the islands of Hawaii; performing at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, at Cassanova’s, and at Studio Maui, where she also taught workshops in vocal improvisation and movement. She has recently presented her signature workshops at the Kripalu Yoga Institute. Journey to My-Ka is her first solo release, and is a compilation of her own original compositions and arrangements.

Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are an American three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language.[1] Originally a four-person ensemble, the group has expanded to five-part harmonies, with a sixth member acting as a sign-language interpreter. Although the members have changed over five decades, the group continues to sing and perform worldwide.

Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon, who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. Reagon retired from the group in 2004. The name of the group was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Johnson has said that this first song in which four women blended their voices was so powerful, that there was no question what the name of the group should be. The ensemble’s most powerful messages are proclaimed through an enormous catalog of songs addressing the world’s woes. They are currently occupied with immigration injustices, congressional greed and lack of compassion for citizens, the environmental imbalance, racial issues and women’s issues.

Sweet Honey in the Rock has received several Grammy Award nominations, including one for their children’s album, Still the Same Me which received the Silver Award from the National Association of Parenting Publications. They contributed their version of Lead Belly’s “Grey Goose” for from the compilation album Folkways: A Vision Shared which won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.

Their vocals appeared in a number of animated counting cartoons on the long-running PBS series Sesame Street, and the group was the subject of the 2005 documentary Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice.

The group has ventured through 20 vocalists since its creation. Embarking on a new chapter in their musical journey, Sweet Honey In The Rock now includes four core vocalists—Louise Robinson, Carol Maillard (both founding members), Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Aisha Kahlil. Shirley Childress, an American Sign Language Interpreter, performed live with the group from 1981 until her passing in 2017.

Influences: Sweet Honey in the Rock has been making music since the mid-1970s. Although the members of the group have changed over time, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a musical style rooted in the Gospel music, spirituals and hymns of the African-American Church. The ensemble composes much of their own music. They have addressed topics including motherhood, spirituality, freedom, civil rights, domestic violence, immigration issues, and racism. In their latest album, “#LoveinEvolution,” they address the additional topics of police shootings, specifically the Charleston church shooting, and the environment.

Members: Over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Beginning as a quartet, the group is now composed of six African-American women (including a professional American Sign Language interpreter who accompanies the group on concert tours).

Current group members:
Nitanju Bolade Casel
Aisha Kahlil
Louise Robinson (an original ensemble member)
Carol Lynn Maillard (an original ensemble member)
Barbara Hunt (sign language interpreter)
Rochelle Rice
Christie Dashiell
Romeir Mendez (bassist)

Previous group members
Ysaye Maria Barnwell
Bernice Johnson Reagon (founder)
Shirley Childress Saxton (sign language interpreter) (B.1947-D.2017)
Arnae Batson
Mie
Dianaruthe Wharton
Evelyn Maria Harris
Rosie Lee Hooks
Ayodele Harrington
Ingrid Ellis
Tia Juana Starks
Patricia Johnson
Yasmeen Williams
Laura Sharp
Tulani Jordan Kinard
Helena Coleman
Geraldine Hardin
Akua Opokuwaa
Navasha Daya (special guest for “40 and Fierce Tour”)

On June 22, 2010, the group released the song “Are We a Nation?”, their response to Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB-1070. An official music video of the song was released online on July 2, 2010. Directed by James Lester, the video was shot in New York City at Tainted Blue Recording Studio during a live recording session of the song. Amanda Navarro researched and provided the video’s archival images and Russel Soder was the cinematographer. Ramon Hervey II served as the project’s executive producer. The band donated a portion of the proceeds from the sales of “Are We a Nation?” to the Center for Community Change, an organization founded in 1968 to honor the life of Robert F. Kennedy. Sweet Honey in the Rock also joined The Sound Strike, boycotting performances within Arizona in protest of the law.

Sweet Honey in the Rock Discography
Sweet Honey in the Rock (1976)
B’lieve I’ll Run On… See What the End’s Gonna Be (1978)
Good News (1981)
We All… Every One of Us (1983)
The Other Side (1985)
Feel Something Drawing Me On (1985)
Breaths… The Best Of (1988)
Live at Carnegie Hall (1988)
All for Freedom (1989)
In This Land (1992)
Still on the Journey: The 20th Anniversary Album (1993)
I Got Shoes (1994)
Sacred Ground (1995)
Selections 1976–1988 (1997)
…Twenty Five… (1998)
Still the Same Me (2000)
Freedom Song (2000)
The Women Gather (2003)
Alive in Australia (2003)
Endings & Beginnings (2004)
Raise Your Voice (2005) [soundtrack]
Experience…101 (2007)
Go in Grace (2008)
“Are We a Nation?” (2010)
A Tribute — Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center (2013)
“Silent Night” (2014)

LoveInEvolution (2016)

Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards – 2008 – Best Musical Album For Children – Experience… 101
Grammy Awards – 2000 – Best Musical Album For Children – Still the Same Me

Sweet Honey in The Rock play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org

Aisha Kahlil Thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Sweet Honey in The Rock play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org

11:47

  1. Sweet Honey In The Rock – “IDK, But I’m LOL!”
    from: #LoveinEvolution / Appleseed Records / August 12, 2015
    [The renowned female African-American a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock shows off a new four-voice line-up that continues it’s ongoing evolution. Their first first studio recording in nine years, #LoveInEvolution’s breathtaking layers of voices often carry a strong sense of social and ecological urgency on original songs such as “Second Line Blues,” which challenges the current eruption of racial violence, and “Oh, Sankofa,” an angry summation of the last century of historical injustice against blacks. But there are also uplifting songs of life’s positives (“This Place Inside Where I Can Rest,” “A Prayer for the World: Song 23,” and the delightful single “IDK, But I’m LOL”) and rearranged traditional and cover songs relevant to the CD’s theme of improving individual and global existence while enduring the strains of daily life. Now in their 42nd year, Sweet Honey in the Rock has toured from Australia to Zimbabwe, performed in the White House at the request of President and First Lady Obama, accrued numerous honors, and established itself as an inspiring, empowering musical force worldwide. // Female centered and led, African-American a cappella ensemble. A Grammy Award-winning (and many times nominated) troupe who express their history as women of color. Founded in Washington in 1973 by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. She was a Baptist minister’s daughter who had been on the front lines of the civil rights movement. In the 1960s, Reagon performed at schools, prisons and political rallies with the Freedom Singers in support of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. They performed “We Shall Not Be Moved” at the 1963 March on Washington. Reagon retired from the group in 2004 and was replaced by two singers in a lineup that is forever changing. (There have been more than 30 singers working in Sweet Honey over the years.) The ensemble has together worked from four women, to the difficult five-part harmony, with a sixth member translating with sign language. Their name was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Sweet Honey in the Rock has been producing music for more than 30 years. Although the members of the group have changed over 3 decades, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a musical style rooted in the Gospel music, spirituals and hymns of the African-American Church. They’ve addressed topics including motherhood, spirituality, freedom, civil rights, domestic violence, immigration issues, and racism.] [In 2008 Sweet Honey In The Rock joined forces with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for an historic collaboration, “Go In Grace.” Choreographed by Ailey dancer Hope Boykin, the work featured new music by Sweet Honey, who performed on stage with members of the Ailey troupe. Through song and dance he audience was taken on a journey into the challenges and joys of one special family. “Go with Grace” was part of the 35th anniversary celebration for Sweet Honey In The Rock, and the 50th anniversary celebration for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Sweet Honey In The Rock performed with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre at The Midland Theatre in Kansas City.][On January 30, 2013 Sweet Honey In The Rock played the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at Kauffman Center For the Performing Arts.] [On February 23, 2018, Sweet Honey In The Rock played White Recital Hall at UMKC Conservatory of Music.]

[Sweet Honey in The Rock mark their 50th Anniversary with a three year celebration honoring their storied past and course for the future. The Ensemble play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org]

  1. Janelle Monáe – “Float (feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80)”
    from: “Float (feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80)” – Single / Badboy Records / February 16, 2023
    [From Forbes.com, Feb 16, 2023 by Chris Malone Méndez: “Janelle Monáe Returns To Music With New Single ‘Float’. Since the release of their 2018 album Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe has been demonstrating their talents in other media from the screen to the page. They appeared in hit movies like Moonlight, Hidden Figures, and more recently, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Last year, they released their first-ever book, The Memory Librarian, consisting of short stories set in the cyberpunk world of Dirty Computer. All the while, fans have wondered when — or if — Monáe would ever return to music, the arena where audiences everywhere first met the tuxedo-clad artist over a decade ago. // Today, Monáe is back with a new single titled “Float,” marking their first new music since the 2021 protest anthem “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout).” To bring the song to life, Monáe recruited Seun Kuti, the youngest son of Nigerian musical pioneer Fela Kuti, and his Afrobeat band Egypt 80 as featured guests. The track was released via Monáe’s Wondaland Records label and was produced by Snoh Aalegra collaborator Sensei Bruno and Wondaland signees Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Nana Kwabena. // “Ahhhh it feels good to be releasing music!!” the singer wrote on social media celebrating the song’s release. “Sending love and waves to everyone who takes the time to listen! I pray you hold these words close to your heart cause they came straight from mine.” // Monáe has been teasing an official return to music for a while, and “Float” appears to be only a taste of what’s to come. The cover art for “Float” features a tracklist obstructed largely by an orange vinyl record, leaving not much visible other than “Side A” and “Side B.” Details around the singer’s impending fifth studio album remain light, but given the now-customary five-year intervals between projects, fans can likely expect the LP to be released sometime this year.// Janelle Monáe Robinson was born on December 1, 1985 in Kansas City, Kansas and was raised in a working-class community of Kansas City, Quindaro. Her mother, Janet, worked as a janitor and a hotel maid. Her father, Michael Robinson Summers, was a truck driver. Monáe’s parents separated when Monáe was a toddler and her mother later married a postal worker. Monáe has a younger sister, Kimmy, from their mother’s remarriage. // Monáe was raised Baptist and learned to sing at a local church. Her family members were musicians and performers at the local AME church, the Baptist church, and the Church of God in Christ. Monáe dreamed of being a singer and a performer from a very young age, and has cited the fictional character of Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz as a musical influence. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which Monáe bought two copies of with her first check, was another source of inspiration. She performed songs from the album on Juneteenth talent shows, winning three years in a row. // As a teenager, Monáe was enrolled in the Coterie Theater’s Young Playwrights’ Round Table, which began writing musicals. One musical, completed when she was around the age of 12, was inspired by the 1979 Stevie Wonder album Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants”. // Monáe attended F. L. Schlagle High School, and after high school, moved to New York City to study musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she was the only black woman in her class. Monáe enjoyed the experience, but feared that she might lose her edge and “sound, or look or feel like anybody else”. In a 2010 interview Monáe explained, “I felt like that was a home but I wanted to write my own musicals. I didn’t want to have to live vicariously through a character that had been played thousands of times – in a line with everybody wanting to play the same person.” // After a year and a half, Monáe dropped out of the academy and relocated to Atlanta, enrolling in Perimeter College at Georgia State University. She began writing her own music and performing around the campus. In 2003, Monáe self-released a demo album titled The Audition, which she sold out of the trunk of a Mitsubishi Galant. During this period, Monáe became acquainted with songwriters and producers Chuck Lightning and Nate Wonder. The three would eventually form the Wondaland Arts Collective. She worked at an Office Depot but was fired for answering a fan’s e-mail using a company computer, an incident that inspired the song “Lettin’ Go”, which in turn attracted the attention of Big Boi. // Janelle Monáe Robinson (/moʊˈneɪ/; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and record producer. Monáe is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Monáe won an MTV Video Music Award and the ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2010. Monáe was also honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015 and the Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2018. In 2012, Monáe became a CoverGirl spokesperson. Boston City Council named October 16, 2013 “Janelle Monáe Day” in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of her artistry and social leadership. // Monáe’s musical career began in 2003 upon releasing a demo album titled The Audition. In 2007, Monáe publicly debuted with a conceptual EP titled Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase). It peaked at number two on the US Top Heatseekers chart, and in 2010, through Bad Boy Records, Monáe released a first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid, a concept album and sequel to her first EP. In 2011, Monáe was featured as a guest vocalist on fun.’s single “We Are Young”, which achieved major commercial success, topping the charts of more than ten countries and garnering Monáe a wider audience. Her second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released in 2013 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, serving as the fourth and fifth installments of the seven-part Metropolis concept series. // In 2016, Monáe made her theatrical film debut in two high-profile productions; Monáe starred in Hidden Figures as NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson, and also starred in Moonlight. Hidden Figures was a box office success, while Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony. Monáe’s third studio album, Dirty Computer, also described as a concept album, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim; it was chosen as the best album of the year by several publications and earned Monáe two nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was further promoted by Monáe’s Dirty Computer Tour, which lasted from June to August 2018.]
  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful listeners and friends who generously and thoughtfully donated to support KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio during our Wednesday MidDay Medley broadcast today! Through the airwaves, and through social media, a total of 55 people donated a total of $3149.00 to allow us to continue our mission. THANK YOU to my incredible co-hosts: Betse Ellis & Marion Merritt, and special guest J Kelly Dougherty, and very special guest Hermon Mehari for sharing your brilliance with our listeners. Thank you to Scott Bunte, Lincoln Dreher and Darryl Oliver for taking our donations over the phones.

Next week on March 8, WMM plays more New & MidCoastal Releases PLUS we talk with Paris Williams about his new EP REBEL HEART released on January 31, 2023. we also talk with Frank Loose of Get Smart, Patrick Sumner and Aaron Rhoades about KC Punk Shindig, March 11 at 7:00 PM. At Farewell, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO presented by Bent Edge and Shuttlecock. We also talk with IVORY BLUE!!!

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

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

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #983

WMM Presents: Sweet Honey in The Rock + Tim Miller + Cardio Party

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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, March 1, 2023

Sweet Honey In The Rock + Tim Miller + Cardio Party

Mark Spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Monta, The Freedom Affair, Iris DeMent, Paris Williams, Major Matt Mason, Janelle Monae, Lonnie Fisher, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Cardio Party, The War and Treaty, Yo La Tengo, Sweet Honey in The Rock, John Vanderslice, and Overcoats.

At 10:30 we talk with Tim Miller, acclaimed performance artist who has played Yale Repertory Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Art in London, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. He addresses issues of gender, immigration, homophobia, & censorship. As one of the “NEA Four,” who successfully sued the federal government for violating their First Amendment rights when their funding was rescinded in the early 1990s, Miller has played an important role in defending queer artistic expression on stage. Tim is cofounder of the two most important performance spaces in the country: PS 122 now known as, Performance Space New York and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California. Tim is the author of Shirts & Skin, Body Blows: Six Performances, and 1001 Beds: Performances, Essays, and Travels. Tim Miller’s newest book, A Body in the O, Performances and Stories, was released from University of Wisconsin Press. Tim Miller is currently serving as Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri at Columbia through March 5, 2023. Tim Miller’s new performance, A BODY IN THE O will be presented Thursday, March 2, at 7:30 PM, in Studio 4, McKee Gymnasium, 672 Hitt St., Columbia, Missouri. More info at: http://www.timmillerperformer.com

At 11:00 AM Mark talks with Anthony Cruz & Olivia “Liv” Wyrick of the band Cardio Party, an electronic duo creating dreamy soundscapes balanced with energetic choruses, pieced together like poetry, sharing a glimpse into their hearts & souls. Both raised in Wichita, Kansas, Anthony and Liv met in middle school where they bonded over their shared musical preferences. In 2012, they found their niche producing electronic music. Both adept at music production of all kinds, Anthony’s primary focus is mixing and mastering, while Liv focuses on composition and sound design. In 2021, the duo released a new song every month, culminating in their album CALISTHENICS. In 2022, they released their EP, EMERGENTSIA. They are currently working on their next album, ALLOSTATIS releasing a new single every month in 2023. More info at: soundcloud.com/cardioparty

At 11:30 AM we talk with Aisha Kahlil of Sweet Honey in The Rock. Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are a three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Although the members have changed over five decades, the group continues to sing and perform worldwide. Over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Sweet Honey in The Rock play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #983

WMM Playlist from February 22, 2023

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

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Guest Producer Fally Afani

WMM welcomes back to the show, Fally Afani as our special “Guest Producer.”

Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning nearly 39 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. She has received several Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards as well as an Edward R. Murrow award for her online work in journalism. Fally lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where she reports on local & touring musicians and is the editor & founder of, I Heart Local Music a comprehensive website providing info and place for music lovers in Lawrence to gather. It was started out of a deep love & appreciation for the local music scene. And has grown to produce a quarterly printed magazine. Fally is also the recipient of the Rocket Grant Award, which helped develop live music events for her community. As a straight ally she has almost single handedly resurrected Lawrence Pride and helped make it an institution. In 2015, a video she made detailing one second of her life every day gained national attention after it was featured on BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post. Fally Afani works as Communications Coordinator of The University of Kansas School of Music. She is married with two children. Fally’s family immigrated to the United States from Palestine. Fally Afani received her M.S. in Digital Content Strategy, University of Kansas, in 2021, and her B.S. in Journalism, University of Kansas, in 2003. For more information you can visit: http://www.iheartlocalmusic.com

  1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
    from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
    [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
  1. Flash Floods – “I Don’t Wanna Know”
    from: Halfway To Anywhere / Flash Floods / December 23, 2022
    [Flash Floods call their trio a “y’allternative” band. The Lawrence, Kansas based band, Flash Floods released “I Don’t Wanna Know” as a single on August 26, 2022. Fally Afani writes in I Heart Local Music “One of our favorite acts to watch in 2022 is ending it in style. After releasing the very catchy “I Don’t Wanna Know,” Flash Floods has just leaked a second track off their upcoming release called “Don’t Take Advice.” // Flash Floods played an album release show at the Bottleneck, on December 23, with Christina Graves and Tyler Gregory. // Flash Floods has consistently been one of I Heart Local Music’s favorite live acts over the past year. “Their live presence is peppy and entirely likable, a bit of a stark contrast from the laid back and good-natured demeanor of their sound. In a world of noise and rising tensions, Flash Floods is the calming breath we need in our day.”]
  1. The Roseline – “Paper Plane”
    from: Constancy / RPH Records / November 5, 2021
    [“Paper Plane” was the third single from The Roseline’s 8th album, CONSTANCY released August 6, 2021. “This song is arguably the most epic and ambitious thing we’ve attempted. It’s almost seven minutes long and bookended by spacey guitar loops, so it’s pretty decidedly anti-single. I just wanted to write a really propulsive heartland rocker. Lyrically, it’s a fictional narrative about a person escaping a dead-end town. We’re all pretty stoked about how it came out.” – Colin Halliburton (lead singer/songwriter). / Colin Halliburton on acoustic guitar, vocals, aux percussion; Bradley McKellip on 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitars; Colin Jones on bass; Jim Piller on drums; Heidi Gluck on backup vocals; Chase Horseman on synth; Joel Nanos – engineer, production, mix, mastered, recorded and produced by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. // The Roseline are an alt-country, Americana, rock band, formed by Colin Halliburton with friends in 2005. The Roseline released their 6th album GOOD / GRIEF on April 3, 2021. The Roseline released BLOOD on September 29, 2017; and TOWNIE on June 19, 2015. The band has toured the US and Halliburton has completed two European solo tours thus far, taking him through Poland, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Colin Halliburton joined us on WMM on March 25, 2020. More info at: https://roselinemusic.com%5D
  1. Unfit Wives – “Dreamin'”
    from: LIVE & UNFIT / Lost Cowgirl Records / September 17, 2021
    [Unfit Wives bring their hard-driving bluegrass originals to Kansas City and surrounding areas with hot licks, lyrics, and feisty four-part harmonies. Unfit Wives are: Jenna Rae on guitar & vocals, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle & vocals, Monica Greenwood on mandolin & vocals, Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass & vocals, and Reagan Zagan on banjo & vocals. Unfit Wives have performed in a variety of settings from bars, wineries, festivals and private events, to larger listening rooms including Knuckleheads Saloon, Liberty Hall, and The Granada Theater in Emporia, KS. No matter the size of the stage (or if there even is one), these ladies bring hot licks, humorous song-writing, feisty harmonies and a high-spirited performance to every show. Their original songs incorporate honest emotions of Unfit Wives, a name that was birthed with from the band’s drive to question society’s standards for women, live unapologetically, and celebrate everyone’s “unfit”-ness. Some of their influences include Wanda Jackson, Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, The Chicks, Bill Monroe, and Split Lip Rayfield. Info: http://www.unfitwives.com http://www.thelostcowgirl.com]
  1. Carswell & Hope – “Lo/Behold”
    from: Sign Of The Times / Silly Goose Records / August 30, 2022
    [Recorded and produced by Jason Slote and Nick Carswell. Mixed and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Lawrence KS based 5-piece band formed June 25, 2012. The band is: Nick Carswell, Jason Slote, Austin Quick, Chris Handley, and Jordan Tucker. Songwriter Nick Carswell is originally from Ireland and has found a new home on the plains of Kansas.Songwriter Nick Carswell is originally from Limerick, Ireland, Nick Carswell has been living in Lawrence, KS since 2011. He formed Carswell & Hope in late 2012. The band released their debut album in 2014, coinciding with a two week Irish tour. Nick also plays bass in the electro-pop band Pink Royal and is the force behind Silly Goose Records and the annual Mix-Master music conference, now part of the Crossroads Music Festival. http://www.carswellandhope.bandcamp.com]
  1. LYXE – “Wave”
    from: Everything You Could Ever Want / LYXE / September 15, 2022
    [LYXE is a new band from Lawrence, Kansas, formed in 2019 that played locally until Covid forced the band into a two year hiatus. Recently reformed, the band has had a successful string of shows in 2022 and released their first EP, Everything You Could Ever Want on September 15, 2022. Lead by frontman Ryan Wise of The Sluts, the debut single “Wave” showcases the band’s fun pop rock sensibility. We experience a different side of Wise’s songwriting with crooning vocals and vintage guitar sounds. Accompanied by drummer Jimmy Girod and bassist AJ Knudson, LYXE creates hip shaking rhythms reminiscent of classic 80’s and 90’s sounds.“Wave” is the ideal first taste of what this band can accomplish.]

10:32 – Underwriting

  1. The Creepy Jingles – “Cardinal Cinnabon”
    from: TAKE ME AY MY WORDPLAY / High Dive Records / March 25, 2022
    [From band’s 11-track, full-length debut, TAKE ME AT MY WORD PLAY. The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, 4-piece rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer / song-writer Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. Nick Robertson on drums, Travis McKenzie on guitar, and Andrew Woody on bass guitar bring first class musicianship and creativity, helping Nixon paint the perfect picture of colors and sounds that don’t stay in the lines. Their new album, “Take Me at My Wordplay” is an eclectic blend of catchy Brit-Pop melodies that dance around the landscape of surf, NY garage rock, psychedelia and folk music. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. The release was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019.]
  1. Radkey – “Romance Dawn”
    from: Delicious Rock Noise / Another Century / November 11, 2016
    [This album came after the band was signed to Another Century Records who reissued their critically acclaimed debut full length album, Dark Black Makeup from 2015, and renamed it, Delicious Rock Noise, and added two new songs, both inspired by the band’s love of comic books. Radkey is a trio originally I 2010 from St. Joesph, Missouri, and now based in Kansas City, made up of brothers Darrion, Isaiah, and Solomon. Their influences include The Who and Nirvana. The band has toured Europe several times and all over North American and at multiple festivals. Most recently Radkey released the single, “Better Than This” ontheir own label Little Man Records on September 23, 2022. Radkey also released the single “Games (Tonight)”: on January 28, 2022 on Little Man Records. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. The band has released multiple full-length recordings. In 2021 Radkey was featured in Dave Grohl’s van-touring documentary film, WHAT DRIVES US. Radkey released GREEN ROOM on Little Man Records on November 27, 2020.On Green Room the band serve as their own producers. Radkey released DARK BLACK MAKE UP in 2015 and DELICIOUS ROCK NOISE in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]
Photos by Fally Afani
  1. Vedettes – “Sick Of”
    from: EPHEMERAL / Vedettes / March 1, 2019
    [Five studio-recorded and mastered tunes, recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski from May to December 2018 at Massive Sound in Shawnee, Kansas.This Lawrence, Kansas based 4-piece band was formed in 2015 with Heather Lofflin on lead vocals & guitar; Lizz Weiler on bass, & backup vocals; Ben White on lead guitar & backup vocals. More informatin at: http://www.vedettes.com]
  1. Serene Fiend – “Unto Myself”
    from: Elegies and Effigies / Joel Bonner / August 25, 2022
    [Serene Fiend is an artist from Lawrence, KS whose sounds focus on industrial and pop but dabble in heavy metal, ambient, and minimalist sub-genres. // Serene Fiend’s long overdue first full-length album, Elegies and Effigies exists on a continuum ranging from industrial to pop with sprinkles of death metal and glam mixed in – “industrial death pop” for short. // The track list explores topics of introspection, self-destruction, grief, resilience, and self-betterment. Over its course, the album references itself melodically and lyrically through motifs and evolving context, benefiting repeat listens and granular focus. It is a bleak album, but centers around a thread of hope and optimism. // Written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Joel Bonner. // Synthesizer solo on “Unto Myself” written and performed by Daniel Glascock. // Guitar solo on “Don’t Want To Die” written and performed by Sam Piper. // “Something About Us” originally written and recorded by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo // Artwork by Joel Bonner . Info at http://www.serenefiend.bandcamp.com]
  1. Pure xtc – “Shadow”
    from: Shed My Skin EP / Taylor Hughes / November 18, 2022
    [Shed My Skin EP follows the Pure XTC single “Get Lost“ released September 9, 2022, and “Shadow” released June 1, 2022. Pure xtc released the EP Nobody’s Home on November 12, 2021. Pure xtc is the musical project of Kansas City based Taylor Hughes. Taylor is also the drummer for the band EXNATIONS who are on hiatus. The idea of pure xtc was formed during an extremely isolating time for multi-instrumentalist, Hughes. Living truly on her own for the first time, she moved to the NYC metro in 2019. Time was spent crying on subways, climbing new rooftops, meeting new people, avoiding new people, feeling extremely fulfilled to feeling like a hollow empty shell. “Ghost” was produced & mixed by Walter Kazmier of Silk City Grooves Studio and mastered by Mike Piacentini of Sony Entertainment’s Battery studios. http://www.purextcmusic.com] [Pure XTC aka Taylor Hughes was our guest on WMM July 14, 2021. And November 10, 2021. and November 16, 2022]

11:03 – Station ID

  1. Stephonne – “Sweet Tooth”
    from: SIS: Side A – EP/ Stephonne Singleton / August 7, 2020
    [Co-produced by, Justin Mantooth, and recorded at Westend Recording Studios. Johnny Hamil on bass, Ben Byard on guitar and Adam McKee on drums. Stephonne grew up in KCK. He has performed in multiple shows for Late Night Theatre. Stephonne told John Long of Camp Magazine “I was surrounded by records, and my parents always had music on.” A special video for “Want Me” was released in 2020. On June 24, 2022 Stephonne released SIS: Side B [EP] Co-produced by, Justin Mantooth, and recorded at Westend Recording Studios. Johnny Hamil on bass, and Adam McKee on drums. Stephonne released the single, “Cross My Heart (Sexy M.F.) on June 3, 2022. Stephonne released the single, “Deja Vu” with Shilow and Regina Del Carmen on May 9, 2022. Stephonne released the single “The King’s Gambit” on July 28, 2021. Stephonne was part of the single, “Elephant Man (feat. Stephonne)” from Lee Walter Redding & Stephonne, released April 9, 2021. Stephonne released the single “Beautiful Life (Acoustic)” on January 15, 2021. Stephonne released SIS: Side A on August 7, 2020. The 4 song EP contained the song “Want Me” that was also made into a video featuring body painting on to Stephonne’s body from artist Ryan Wilks. Stephonne released his debut album, “Caged Bird Sings Songs About Red Beard.” The album was one of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Stephonne was born and raised in Wyandotte Cou, Kansas. Stephonne grew up in KCK. ]

[Charlotte Street announced on Monday, February 13, 2023 that the recipients of the 2023 Generative Performing Artist Awards are Stephonne Singleton and Tiara Nicole. This year, Charlotte Street’s Visual Artist Awards were given to Ruben Castillo, Sean Nash and SunYoung Park. Congratulations to them all! Much deserved!!!! Bravo!!!]

  1. Cuee – “See You Tonight”
    from: With Love (3-song) – Single / Cuee / February 14, 2023
    [Cuee most recently released the (3-song Single “Coming Out” on June 24, 2022. Lawrence based hip-hop artist Cuee is a rapper with a Master’s Degree. Cuee received his Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas. Cuee is also a graduate of Artist Inc. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Cuee has wowed audiences in Lawrence and KC with exciting live performances. And since 2017 Cue has released several critically acclaimed albums, an EP, multiple singles. We last talked with Cuee on March 3, 2021 and on May 5, 2021 and before that, on August 12, 2020, when he released the single “Who’s Back.” and before that on May 29, 2019. Cuee released the single: “Ain’t Goin Backon May 7, 2021, “Gravity (Feat: Lindsey Alderman)” on April 29, 2021 and part of GOSPEL the album. In 2020 Cuee’ track, “Shook” landed on an official Spotify playlist dedicated to transgender, non-binary and gender-fluid musicians across the globe including Kim Petras and Lex Allen. Spotify sent out a note said, “Hey Cuee you hit a high note this month.” Cuee said he didn’t even know what that meant, and he looked up to discover he had over 24,000 listener during the month of June on Spotify. I was trying to figure out what happened. I did a little research, I logged onto my instagram account, I was starting to get a flood of followers. I was just tracing it back and I landed on a Spotify playlist, it was an editorial playlist so he couldn’t find out who put him on there. “Someone found me.” Cuee made three trips home to Chicago to record the record. For the new album GOSPEL Cuee explained that this term can have biblical connections but it also means ‘the truth.” The video for “Ain’t Going Back” takes place in a church, and is a declaration of freedom, and identity, while also paying respect. Cuee talked us about how the track was created in the studio and translating the song into a video that was shot in a church. Last time we talked with Cuee he shared his thoughts about ‘”Queerness in a church,” Cuee said, “you know, is very…different, I mean I wanted to bring that into that space, and freedom into that space, allow that space to be seen and heard by other people who traditionally wont take up that space.” Originally from Chicago, Illinois. 27 year old Lawrence based hip-hop artist emcee, and educator. Cuee has gained fans over the last six years in Lawrence and Kansas City for his critically acclaimed musical releases and live performances. Along with getting his Master’s Degree, Cuee has released around 30 different musical tracks, legally changed his name, and has transitioned physically and vocally. The song “Ain’t Going Back” features Cuee’s friend Joel Leoj who is originally from Florida, but after moving to Chicago, became friends with Cuee in school, and recently moved to Lawrence to make music and collaborate on recordings with Cuee. Cuee explained that they have known each other since high school, that they “started a Hip Hop culture club in our high school, to bring music, kinda having a place to chill after school, write music together as a community. That’s how we started.” “I moved out here to Kansas, to go to school, he stayed back in Miami, and then we kind of connected back, maybe about two years ago, and hit it off really strong. We decided we wanted to pursue this music thing together. We decided let’s just do this. So he said he was going to move to Lawrence. I didn’t believe him at first, until he showed up on my doorstep, and I was like, Wow, you are here, let’s do this.” Joel Leoj released the album, JOEY IN WONDERLAND on January 31, 2021. Cuee is a featured guest emcee on the tracks “Eden” and “No Debate.” More info at: http://www.officialcuee.com]
  1. Vicman – “Lust (Radio Ready)”
    from: The VCMN Project / Vicman / May 13, 2022
    [Vicman is also known as VCMN. They released their debut album entitled “The VCMN Project” on Friday, May 13, 2022. VCMN is an American singer-songwriter duo who’s artistry is shaped by way of edgy, alternative R&B, Pop, and Rock. Victoria and Emmanuel “Manny” Cable—aka the “Vic” and “Man” of VCMN. Victoria grew up in the Bethel International Center of Worship church in Kansas City, Kansas, where her father, Cleveland Drone, was a pastor. From the ages of 10-19, she toured across the country singing gospel music. Manny came to performance via a different path: ballet and modern dance. They’ve been working it out with the rhythms and the rhymes for years now. VCMN Project was first birthed into existence when they were still dating; the album was finished after they were married. It all began on their living room sofa. The VCMN Project is just as much a party as it is a beautifully written love story. The 10-track “The VCMN Project” encompasses a song from every top 40 music genre. R&B, Rap, Pop, Alternative Rock, Ballad, Country, Hip Hop, and Dance Pop. VCMN played Lawrence Gay Pride, presented by I Heart Local Music. Fri. June 24, 2022 at Lucia, 1016 Massachusetts St. with Cuee & Friends. More info at: http://www.vcmnofficial.com]
  1. Making Movies – “Cuna De Vida”
    from: A La Deriva / Independent / December 21, 2012
    [For this recording: Enrique Chi (guitar/lead vox), Brendan Culp (drums), Diego Chi (bass), Juan-Carlos Chaurand (percussion /keyboard).] [Most recently Making Movies released XOPA through Cosmica Artists on June 17, 2022. XOPA and was recorded in Memphis, produced by Ben Yonas and mixed by Tchad Blake. More info at: http://www.makingmovies.world. Making Movies is a KCbased 4-piece band and made up of : Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and Duncan Burnett on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and KC Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Making Movies released the 5-song EP, EN VIVO (SIN APLAUSO) on February 4, 2022. Prior to that, Making Movies released the 6-track EP BORING BITS, on May 7, 2021, which includes their single “La Marcha.” On February 5, the band released a sneak peek of the new music they’ve been working on. The 7-song, La Cuarentena EP includes a brand new version of the first Making Movies song, “La Marcha” and the lullaby “Could You?” (both mixed by Jim Eno of Spoon and tracked at Memphis Magnetic studio), and the love ballad “Una Vida.” The EP was ranked #25 inWMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2021. The EP also includes: covers of Talking Heads and Tears for Fears classics, plus bonus live acoustic tracks. This EP was made available on BandCamp for only three days on February 5 through February 7, 2021. Since then it has been made private, an is not available anywhere. Making Movies released their single “Could You” on January 12, 2021. About “Could You” lead singer Enrique Javier Chi wrote, “I was thinking about what to share for “Could You?” and I just go back to the fact that Memphis is a profound place… it is a place where you can feel what America truly is and where it comes from. I think you see and feel the reality that so much of this nation was built from exploiting people. You can see that our pop culture is driven by the Black community and yet that community is still the most oppressed in the nation. Things are still so messed up. // Memphis is the place where Elvis started singing black music with a country twang and where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. It’s a beautiful place, it’s a charming place, it feels at times downtrodden and it’s a place that reminds me of home (both KC and Panamá in different ways. Our experiences going to Memphis gave us the context to create “Could You?” It was filmed originally for AMERI’KANA TV..” Making Movies released their critically acclaimed album ameri’kana through 3/2 Recordings on May 24, 2019. This was #1 on WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Produced by Steve Berlin and Ben Yonas. The notes for this album read: “ameri’kana is a canary in a coal mine, the watchman at the tower. It is a desire to remember where we come from and assure that we better ourselves in every step along our journey. Every chapter is an example, a reason to not be silent and not accept corrupt leaders as something inevitable. ameri’kana is based on faith, faith that every person on this continent carries within themselves the ability to grow, to awaken their consciousness and merits of the same rights. We were accomplices to get ourselves to this point so we will have to be accomplices in the solutions.” This was the band’s follow up release to their critically acclaimed, I Am Another You, released May 26, 2017. The quartet has toured with Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation, Cold War Kids, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Tennis, Sergio Mendoza of Calexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Enrique Chi joined WMM on May 19, 2021.]
  1. Maria The Mexican – “El Cascabel”
    from: Moon Colored Jade / Independent / Oct. 18, 2013
    [Most recently Maria The Mexican released the single, “Bottle of Wine” on July 17, 2022, On March 11, 2016, Maria The Mexican released their album, South of The Border Moonlight. In 2013 Maria The Mexican released their debut full length, Moon Colored Jade. Influenced by traditional Mariachi music, Maria The Mexican is a hybrid of Mexican folklore and Rock. For over ten years, Teresa and Maria Elena Cuevas have performed with Marachi Estrella founded by their grandmother Teresa Cuevas in 1970. As one of the first all female mariachi bands in the country, Maria Teresa Alonzo Cuevas is a pioneer in the Hispanic musical community. Her band flourished in the 80s but was struck by tragedy when four of the seven members were killed in the Hyatt Skywalk collapse in 1981. Once Teresa recovered she began teaching her grandchildren Mariachi music. In 2000, Teresa and Maria began exploring other genres of music while simultaneously co-directing Mariachi Estrella. Today the fusion of Maria The Mexican is mixed with a touch of blues, soul, funk, and rock n’ roll enhanced by the musical knowledge and sounds of Garrett Nordstrom.]
  1. Turnstile – “Mystery”
    from: GLOW ON / Roadrunner Records / August 27, 2022
    [Turnstile are an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2010. They have released five EPs and three studio albums. The band’s third album Glow On was released in 2021 to critical and commercial success; the songs “Holiday” and “Blackout” earned the band three nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards. // Turnstile was formed in 2010 and grew out of Baltimore’s emerging hardcore scene. They released their debut EP, Pressure to Succeed, in 2011 and their second EP, Step 2 Rhythm, in 2013, both via Reaper Records. On January 13, 2015, Turnstile released their debut full-length album, Nonstop Feeling, on the same label. The album was recorded at Salad Days Studios with producer Brian McTernan. Supporting the release of the album, Turnstile went on both an East Coast and a West Coast tour with Superheaven, titled the Nonstop Feeling Tour. They also supported New Found Glory on their Spring 2015 tour. Following this tour, their guitarist Sean Coo stepped down, and a replacement was found in Pat McCrory of fellow Maryland-based hardcore band Angel Du$t.// On September 16, 2016, Turnstile released their third EP, titled Move Thru Me. The record charted at No. 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart and No. 19 on the Hard Rock Albums chart. The band embarked on the Move Thru Me Tour across the U.S. with support from Angel Du$t, Big Bite, Crimewatch, Fury and Lock on select dates in the fall of 2016. The band began recording for their second album under Roadrunner Records in the fall of 2017, completing recording in early 2018. The record was produced by Will Yip at his Studio 4 recording studio. On February 23, 2018, the band released the album, titled Time & Space – their first release under a major label. This was followed by the band embarking across the U.S. on the Time & Space Tour with support from Touché Amoré, Culture Abuse and Razorbumps. A European leg followed this with support from Fury, a South Korean and Southeast Asia leg, and a U.K. leg with support from Wicca Phase Springs Eternal and Big Cheese. Three of the album’s tracks were reworked with DJ and producer Mall Grab and released as an EP, titled Share A View, in January 2020. // On June 27, 2021, the band released their fifth EP, Turnstile Love Connection, alongside an accompanying short film directed by Yates. On July 15, 2021, the band announced the release of another album, Glow On. The first single from the album, “Alien Love Call”, was released and featured British musician Blood Orange.// On July 27, 2021, it was announced by the Suicideboys on social media that they would be one of the performers for their Grey Day Tour that ran from September 25, 2021 to November 16 the same year, along with the other G59 artists, like Night Lovell, Ramirez, Germ, Shakewell, and Chetta. Other performers, like Slowthai, Chief Keef, and Yung Gravy were also present within some dates of the tour. // On August 27, 2021, the band’s third full-length album, Glow On, was released, debuting at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. The album was met with universal acclaim from critics, and Rolling Stone listed Glow On at No. 8 on its list of The Best 50 Albums of 2021. // In March 2022, it was announced that the band would support My Chemical Romance on select dates of their North American Reunion Tour. // On August 12, 2022, the band announced via Instagram that they had parted ways with guitarist Brady Ebert, a couple of months ahead of their fall headlining tour.[16] Before this, Ebert had notably been absent from the band’s tours, and had been replaced by Greg Cerwonka of Take Offense. // On October 11, 2022, it was announced that the band would support Blink-182 on the North American leg of their upcoming 2023 global tour. // On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Turnstile was nominated for three Grammy Awards: “Holiday” was nominated for Best Rock Performance, and “Blackout” was nominated for both Best Rock Song and Best Metal Performance. // Critics and journalists have categorised Turnstile’s music as hardcore punk, melodic hardcore, alternative rock and nu metal. In interviews, the members describe their own music as hardcore. // Current members: Daniel Fang on drums, programming (2010–present), Brendan Yates on lead vocals, percussion (2010–present), “Freaky” Franz Lyons on bass, percussion, backing and lead vocals (2010–present), Pat McCrory on rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2016–present).]
  1. THICK – “Your Mom”
    from: 5 Years Behind / Epitaph / March 6, 2020
    [Since first forming in 2014, New York trio THICK have triumphed at turning the harshest truths into wildly exhilarating punk songs. On their second album Happy Now, vocalist/guitarist Nikki Sisti, vocalist/bassist Kate Black, and vocalist/drummer Shari Page deliver their most complex and confessional work yet, exploring everything from self-sabotage and insecurity to victim-blaming and destructive relationships. Raw, irreverent, and brutally honest, Happy Now ultimately offers both joyful catharsis and much-needed instruction for living well in turbulent times. // “Most of our songs lean toward optimism, even when there’s a lot of pain in them,” says Sisti, who refers to THICK’s output as a “living diary.” “It’s not about toxic positivity or trying to force yourself into happiness; it’s about recognizing that it’s okay to feel a whole spectrum of emotions, and then getting to the other side and really growing from your experiences.” // The follow-up to 5 Years Behind (a 2020 release praised by Under the Rader as a “dazzling debut album…laced with anger, humor, killer guitar riffs, and soaring punk melodies”), Happy Now finds THICK working again with producer Joel Hamilton (Iggy Pop, Juiceboxxx) and recording at Studio G Brooklyn. In a profound evolution of their previous work, the 11-track album encompasses sharper arrangements and stickier hooks and a more explosive energy—an effect often achieved through the sheer force of their three voices singing in unstoppable unison. // Kicking off with a glorious bang, Happy Now opens on the frenetic urgency of “Happiness”: a dizzying yet incisive track that sets THICK’s self-reflection to a fantastically breakneck rhythm. “That song’s about the different ways we seek validation, and how whether you look for it externally or internally, it’s never an easy process,” says Black. “In the end, it’s about being more aware of where we’re trying to find happiness.” With its brilliant back-and-forth between riotous shouting and impossibly sweet harmonies, “Loser” arrives as a thrilling celebration of hopeless imperfection, cleverly twisting its closing lyric into an unlikely mantra (“I’ll always be a loser”). “Especially in music, it’s so easy to feel like a loser and a fuck-up,” says Page. “We want people to know that it’s okay to mess up and that everyone’s a loser sometimes. It’s really the best way to live, instead of trying to be number-one all the time.” And on “Tell Myself,” Happy Now slips into a wistful mood as THICK tenderly impart insight to their younger selves. “As you get older, you sometimes look at your little-kid self and wish you could give them a hug and tell them everything’s going to be okay,” says Black. “It’s not about minimizing life experiences, but a reminder that you’re stronger than you think and that—despite what it feels like in the moment—there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” // True to the egalitarian spirit of the band, THICK take a highly collaborative approach to their songwriting without ever sacrificing the intimacy of their lyrics. In the writing of the heavy-hearted “Disappear,” for instance, Sisti lifted directly from her journal in telling the story of “loving someone who gets lost in their own head, and how painful that can be.” Meanwhile, on “Her Chapstick,” Page opens up about a struggle in her own relationship. “It has to do with the experience of a partner seeking external affection,” she says. “It’s about navigating the feelings of why a partner is sharing themselves with someone else when you are right there.” // All New York State natives, THICK’s three members first crossed paths through shows at Brooklyn’s DIY/all-ages spaces and soon became a mainstay in that very scene. Since signing to Epitaph in 2018—and making their label debut with their self-titled third EP the following year—the band has dramatically expanded their reach and toured all over the country, including a 2021 run with punk legends Flogging Molly and Violent Femmes. But even as their fanbase grows exponentially, THICK thrive on forging an uncommonly close connection with their audience. “Getting to share our songs with new people and build community in places we’ve never been before has been the most fulfilling experience for us,” says Black. “We want to leave everyone smiling from ear to ear and get them moving around and hopefully look up at us and say, ‘Oh, I can do that. I’m gonna start my own band now.’”]
  1. The Mars Volta – “Vigil”
    from: The Mars Volta / Clouds Hill / September 16, 2022
    [7th studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, Produced by guitarist, songwriter and musical director Omar Rodríguez-López, the album was preceded by the singles “Blacklight Shine”, “Graveyard Love” and “Vigil”. // Self-titled to mark a “clean slate” in the band’s history, it is the band’s first studio album in over ten years, following their 2012 album, Noctourniquet, and subsequent break-up. After reuniting in secret in 2019, band leaders Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala made a conscious effort to break from their previous progressive rock sound and record a pop-influenced album, with Bixler-Zavala directly addressing his family’s recent struggles with the Church of Scientology in his lyrics. // Founding bass guitarist Eva Gardner and longtime keyboardist and percussionist Marcel Rodríguez-López returned to the band during the recording process, recording their parts in New York alongside session drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones. Jazz pianist Leo Genovese contributed to the recording process, eventually joining the band on a full-time basis for the album’s accompanying tour, alongside new drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui. // In late 2012, following the release of the Mars Volta’s sixth studio album, Noctourniquet, core members Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals) and Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, production) disbanded the group after a falling out between the pair. Writing on his personal Twitter account in early 2013, Bixler-Zavala stated: “I can’t sit here and pretend any more. I no longer am a member of Mars Volta. For the record I tried my hardest to get a full scale North American tour going for Noctourniquet but Omar did not want to.” Reflecting on this in 2022, Bixler-Zavala noted: “I was in a really impatient place when I left the band, very immaturely, in a loud way on social media. It was just sort of being a brat.” At this time, Bixler-Zavala had joined the Church of Scientology, creating tension between himself and Rodríguez-López and resulting in the pair growing apart. // Within two years of the falling-out, the pair had reconciled, subsequently forming the supergroup Antemasque and working on the At the Drive-In album, In•ter a•li•a (2017), before regrouping as the Mars Volta in secret in 2019. Remarking on the differences between At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta, Rodríguez-López noted: “The At the Drive-In thing was a very finite thing. It was partly nostalgia and the past, and where we come from and our roots. There’s a certain expectation and a certain thing that you have to give there, and the parameters are very much set. With the Mars Volta, it always goes back to the idea of, ‘Is it exciting, does it move me? Is what I’m hearing coming back out of the speakers just something that makes me dance?’” // A press release for the album stated that the album contains only “two tracks longer than four minutes”,]
  1. Cannons – “Bad Dream”
    from: Fever Dream / Coplumbia Records / March 25, 2022
    [Cannons is an American indie pop band formed in 2013 in Los Angeles. The band consists of lead vocalist Michelle Joy, guitarist Ryan Clapham, and keyboardist and bassist Paul Davis. // Ryan Clapham and Paul Davis, who have been friends since childhood, began composing music together in their teenage years. In 2013, Joy posted an advertisement on Craigslist seeking a band looking for a singer. Clapham and Davis connected with Joy, and she was recruited as Cannons’ frontwoman. // Cannons issued their first EP Up All Night in 2014. The band then released their debut album Night Drive in 2017, as well as a second EP, In a Heartbeat, the following year. Shadows, Cannons’ second album, was released in 2019 by AntiFragile Music. “Fire for You”, the first single from Shadows, gained significant commercial traction after being featured in a 2020 episode of the comedy-drama TV series Never Have I Ever. The band subsequently signed to Columbia Records. In early 2021, “Fire for You” reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.]

11:32 – Underwriting

  1. Amr Diab – “Nour El Ain”
    from: Tea in Marrakech / Stern’s Music / April 15, 2021
    [Nour El Ain (English: “Light of The Eye”) is Egyptian singer Amr Diab’s most successful album. It was released in January 1996 and became a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but worldwide. The album was recognized at the World Music Awards for the best-selling album in the Middle East for 1996. // The title track and its English version “Habibi”, was an international phenomenon, becoming a crossover hit in Pakistan, India, Brazil, Iran, Argentina, Chile, France, and South Africa. The song was remixed by several European arrangers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song “Nour El Ain”, was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in Egyptian pop music at the time. “Nour El Ain” was at the time the best selling album ever released by a Middle Eastern artist. // Amr Diab was born on 11 October 1961) is an Egyptian singer, composer and actor. He has established himself as a globally acclaimed recording artist and author. He is a Guinness World Record holder, the best selling Middle Eastern artist, a seven-times winner of World Music Awards and five-times winner of Platinum Records. // Diab was born as Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab on October 11, 1961 in Port Said to a middle-class Muslim family from the Egyptian countryside of Menia Elamh, in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. Diab graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music from the Cairo Academy of Arts in 1986. // Diab released his first album entitled Ya Tareeq in 1983. Diab’s second album, Ghanny Men Albak (1984), was the first of a series of records he released with Delta Sound; including Hala Hala (1986), Khalseen (1987), and Mayyal (1988), with the title track becoming one of the top 10 songs in the world at the time[citation needed]. His later releases include Shawa’na (1989), Matkhafesh (1990), Habibi (1991), Ayyamna (1992), Ya Omrena (1993), Weylomony (1994), and Rag’een (1995). // By 1992, he became the first Egyptian and Middle Eastern artist to start making high-tech music videos. // In 1996, Diab released his first album with Alam El Phan entitled Nour El Ain, and he won the World Music Award for the first time, which proved an international success and gained Diab recognition beyond the Arabic-speaking world. Diab recorded four more albums with Alam El Phan, including Amarain (1999). Diab also collaborated with Khaled (on the song “Alby”) and with Angela Dimitriou (on the song “Bahebak Aktar”). // According to research by Michael Frishkopf, he has created a style in the song “Nour El Ain”, termed as “Mediterranean music”, a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms. // In the summer of 2004, Diab, having left Alam El Phan, released his first album with Rotana Records, Leily Nahary, which he followed up with the hugely successful Kammel Kalamak (2005), and El Lilady (2007). // Wayah was released for sale on the internet on 27 June 2009; however, the album was leaked online and was downloaded illegally amid complaints of slow download speed on the official site. Diab’s fans initiated a massive boycott of the sites with the illegal copies. // On October 18, 2009, Diab won four 2009 African Music Awards in the categories of best artist, album, vocalist and song for “Wayah”; Diab had been nominated by the Big Apple Music Awards. // In February 2011, Diab released his hit single Masr Allet (“Egypt spoke”), followed by the release of his album Banadeek Taala in September, produced by Rotana. In 2012, Diab hosted the first Google Hangout in the Middle East during his performance in Dubai. In October 2014, Diab released his album Shoft El Ayam, which topped his last album El Leila and again became the best-selling album in Egypt on iTunes. In July 2015, Diab released a music video for his song “Gamalo” from his album Shoft El Ayam. In March 2016, he released Ahla w Ahla, his first album since he left Rotana Music. The album was produced by the record label Nay For Media. His new album Maadi el Nas was released in July 2017 with Nay Records. // His 2014 album Shoft El Ayam peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums Charts, making him the first Egyptian and Middle Eastern performer to accomplish such a feat. // In October 2018, he released a new album called Kol Hayaty. In 2019, he released a mini-album, Ana Gheir, and in February 2020 he released his 35th album, Sahran, which included 16 songs. // In February 2022, Anghami announced an exclusive partnership that will see the Diab’s entire Nay Label audio and video catalogue and future releases available only on Anghami. // Diab is known as the “father of Mediterranean music According to author Michael Frishkopf, Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially with his international hit, “Nour El Ain”. Moreover, Diab is known as a composer, having composed more than 97 of his own songs. // Diab is one of the first singers to popularize music videos in the whole MENA region and is the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos. // Diab’s fame in the music industry has led him to experiment with other forms of media, such as film. Diab played himself in his first film, El Afareet, which was released in 1989. It also starred Madiha Kamel. His second film was Hussein El-Imam’s production Ice Cream in Gleam (Ays Krim fi Glym), in which Diab starred in 1992, was chosen as one of the best five Egyptian musical films by the University of California, Los Angeles (ULCA) School of Theater, Film and Television. The film was featured in the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s new program “Music on the Nile: Fifty Years of Egyptian Musical Films” at James Bridges Theater at UCLA on 6, 8 and 10 April 1999. David Chute of the LA Weekly termed it “observant” and “a big leap”. His third movie was released in 1993, and was named Deahk We La’ab (Laughter and Fun). The film premiered in the Egyptian Film Festival in 1993. Diab played alongside international Egyptian movie star Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) and Yousra. Overall, Diab did not experience the same level of success in film that he had with his music career. Since 1993, Diab has focused on his singing career. // During the 2011 uprising, some protesters criticized Diab for staying silent, and for fleeing Egypt for London. A few days after former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, Diab composed and sang a memorial song, “Masr A’let” (Egypt Said), and released it in conjunction with a music video showing pictures of the martyrs who died in the uprising. He initiated a charity campaign “Masry Begad” (“Truly Egyptian”).[citation needed] His online radio station Diab FM often presents talks and discussions about what the Diab FM team can offer to the community as well as applying it practically by being present in different sites across Egypt with a new humanitarian project each week. // Diab has an elder daughter from his first marriage to Egyptian actress Shereen Reda. In 1994, he was married to Saudi businesswoman Zeina Ashour. They have three children. In 2018, he went on to marry Egyptian actress, Dina El Sherbiny, after his relationship with Ashour ended. Diab and El Sherbiny separated in late 2020.]
  1. Nancy Ajram – “Badna Nwalee El Jaw”
    from: “Badna Nwalee El Jaw” – Single / In2Musica / September 7, 2018
    [Nancy Nabil Ajram was born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality and businesswoman, dubbed by Spotify as the “Queen of Arab Pop”.[1] With the support of her father, she began performing as a child and appeared on several television shows in her early years. By the age of 15, Ajram signed a recording contract with EMI and released her debut studio album Mihtagalak (1998). In spite of being under the legal age, Ajram was exceptionally accepted to the Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon. The following year, she released her second album Sheel Oyoonak Anni (2001). // Her breakthrough occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known Lebanese producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her controversial smash hit single “Akhasmak Ah”; created by Egyptian composer Mohamed Saad, and third studio album Ya Salam (2003) in which she adopted a public image as a sex symbol while reinventing her music. Ajram’s fourth album Ah W Noss (2004) was another commercial success, spawning the chart-topping singles “Ah W Noss”, “Lawn Ouyounak”, “Oul Tani Keda” and “Inta Eyh”, at which point she had established pop icon status in the Middle East.[5] In 2007, Ajram released her first children’s album, Shakhbat Shakhabit, which was the most notable and successful work for children at the time. Betfakkar Fi Eih (2008), her sixth album produced seven singles including the commercially successful Egyptian hits, “Betfakkar Fi Eih”, “Min Dally Nseek” and the Lebanese single “Mashi Haddi”, won Ajram’s first World Music Award as world’s best-selling Middle Eastern artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date. // Having sold over 30 million records worldwide as of 2007, Ajram is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern music artists.[6] By 2010 she was announced the best-selling Middle Eastern female singer of the decade (2000–2009). Throughout her career, Ajram has released eleven studio albums to date (including two dedicated for children) and numerous chart toppers such as “Yay”, “Ya Tabtab”, “Moegaba”, “Ehsas Jdeed”, “Ibn El Giran”, “Fi Hagat”, “Ya Kether”, “Ma Tegi Hena” and “Badna Nwalee El Jaw”. Ajram is the first and only female spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Arab world, releasing several promotional Coke anthems that became instant smash-hits, such as “Oul Tani Keda”, “El Dounya Helwa”, “Noss El Kawn” and “Shaggaa Bi Alamak”. Ajram has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times, and was similarly listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arab singers. // She has also featured in patriotic songs for her country Lebanon, and has also dedicated seven patriotic songs to Egypt; a country she’s widely popular in thanks to her Egyptian hits such as “Akhasmak Ah” and “Ah we Noss”. // Between 2013 and 2017, Ajram served as a judge on MBC’s reality talent show Arab Idol. She also began serving as a coach on The Voice Kids Arabia in 2016. In 2020, Nancy was the most-streamed Arab female artist on Spotify, achieving more than 100 million plays of her songs, followed by Lebanese icon Fairuz with 67 million plays. // On September 28, 2009, The Oprah Winfrey Show aired an episode titled “Fame Around the World” that talked about the most famous celebrities around the globe in brief reports. Representing the Middle East region and Arab world, Ajram appeared in a report featured on the show and was described by Oprah as “the Britney Spears of the Middle East”. Ajram is the first and only Middle-Eastern artist ever mentioned on the show. // In September 2014, Ajram returned as a judge on the third season of Arab Idol. Three of the four judges, including her, returned with Ragheb Alama being replaced, after two consecutive seasons, by another well-known Lebanese singer, Wael Kfoury. A month later, October 2, 2014, Huawei announced Ajram as its Middle East and North Africa Brand Ambassador at the launch of the Ascend Mate 7 smartphone in Dubai.[47] A day before, the TV commercial came out on Ajram’s official Facebook page featured her hit “Nam Bi Albi” from Nancy 8 album, which was filmed with Lebanese director Said El Marouk and produced by Oliver Ojeil under the label of his production company Chiaroscuro Films. 48 hours later, the TVC reached 1 Million views.]

Nancy Ajram Discography

Mihtagalak (1998)
Sheel Oyoonak Anni (2001)
Ya Salam (2003)
Ah W Noss (2004)
Ya Tabtab…Wa Dallaa (2006)
Shakhbat Shakhabit (2007)
Betfakkar Fi Eih (2008)
Nancy 7 (2010)
Super Nancy (2012)
Nancy 8 (2014)
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek) (2017)
Nancy 10 (2021)

  1. DAM – “Emta Njawzak Yamma”
    from: Ben Haana Wa Maana / Cooking Vinyl Limited / June 7, 2019
    [DAM’s third studio album. DAM fuse traditional Middle Eastern sounds, rhythm and intonation of Arabic-language rap and the unmistakably hip-hop attitude. Formed in 1999 DAM were one of the first acts to popularise rapping in Arabic (although they also rap in English and Hebrew) and have since become renowned for their unique fusion of East and West which combines Arabic percussion rhythms, Middle Eastern melodies and urban hip-hop. Their first single Min Irhabi (‘Who’s the terrorist?’) racked up over 1 million downloads and brought the group to the attention of young people across the Middle East for both their distinctive musical style and the political and humanitarian subtext.]
  1. Mohammad Assaf – “Dammi Falastini”
    from: Muntasib Alqamah Amshi – EP / Mohammad Assaf / October 19, 2015
    [Mohammad Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf was born Sept. 1 1989, He is a Palestinian pop singer well known for being the winner of the 22nd season of Arab Idol, broadcast by the MBC network. His victory received worldwide coverage from the media and was welcomed with joy by Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world. In 2013, Assaf was named a goodwill ambassador for peace by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He was also named ambassador of culture & arts by the Palestinian government and was offered a position with “diplomatic standing” by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Assaf’s story is the basis of the 2015 film The Idol, directed by Hany Abu-Assad. After Arab Idol, Assaf has gone on to enjoy huge popularity in the Arab World and the Arab diaspora and has released two albums and a great number of singles and collaborations. Most of his music is sung in the Iraqi and Gulf dialects. // He was born in Misrata, Libya to Palestinian parents. He lived there until he was 4 years old, when his parents moved back to Gaza, he grew up in Khan Younis refugee camp with a middle class couple where he attended UNRWA elementary school. His mother’s family hails from the village of Bayt Daras, which was captured and depopulated by the nascent IDF in 1948 and his father’s family is from Beersheba. Assaf’s parents moved to Khan Yunis Refugee Camp when he was 4 years old. He is one of six siblings, three of whom, including Assaf, have been involved in performing live music. Assaf’s mother Intisar, a mathematics teacher, has stated that Assaf began singing at the age of five and “had a voice of someone who was much, much older.” Before his role on the television show he was attending Gaza City’s Palestine University majoring in media and public relations. Assaf did not have professional training as a singer; he started his career singing at weddings and other private events. He entered the public view in 2000 during a popular local television program where he called in and sung a nationalist song to the host’s praise. Afterward, he was frequently offered contracts with local record companies. Sometime after his first performance, he sang in a local event in Gaza attended by late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat. // Mohammad Assaf travelled from Gaza Strip to Egypt to audition for Arab Idol. It took him two days to reach Egypt by car due to complications on the border. At the beginning, he had to convince the Egyptian security at the border crossing, where he was stuck for two days, to leave Gaza. Once he reached the hotel where the auditions were taking place, the doors were closed in which they did not accept anymore auditions so he jumped over the wall. After he jumped over the wall, he couldn’t get a number to audition; he sat hopelessly in the hall where other contestants were waiting for their turn. He started singing to the contestants, and a Palestinian contestant, Ramadan Abu Nahel, who was waiting to audition heard him and gave him his number saying, “I know I won’t reach the finals but you will.”// He was given the nickname Asaroukh (“The Rocket”) by Lebanese singer and Arab Idol judge Ragheb Alama. Assaf was acclaimed by the jury and the public. His voice and appearance have drawn comparisons to Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez, which has garnered Assaf both fame and controversy. Fans merged part of Hafez’s name with Assaf’s, as in Assaf Hilm Falastine (“Assaf Palestine’s Dream”). Assaf’s final performance was his own song that was well known before his rise to fame “Ali al-kuffiyeh” (“Raise The Kuffiyeh”), a Palestinian song that called on Palestinians to raise their kuffiyehs (a traditional Arab headdress that has become a Palestinian nationalist symbol) and to unite, in light of the split between the two major Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had tuned in to watch his performance. On June 22, Assaf was declared the winner of Arab Idol, winning the most votes and coming ahead of two other competitors, Ahmed Gamal and Farah Youssef, from Egypt and Syria, respectively. Massive celebrations by Palestinians ensued after the announcement of his victory, including festivities held on the streets of Gaza City, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Khan Yunis, Nazareth, Lebanon and Jordan, And when his professional career as an artist began after the title of Arab Idol, he was accompanied by Awtar Band led by The Maestro Yacoub Al-Atrash in Arab and international festivals since then. // While Assaf has normally avoided politics on the show, he has stated “I can’t differentiate between my art and my patriotic attitude.” Assaf condemned the ongoing Israeli occupation of West Bank and the poor living conditions in the Gaza Strip. He also stated that Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi’s long-term hunger strike protest had inspired him. He frequently performed donning the checkered keffiyeh popularly associated with Palestinian nationalism. // He is highly popular in the Palestinian territories, where the Washington Post notes that the “streets of Gaza empty out” when the show goes on air on Fridays and Saturdays. Throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, large posters promoting Assaf have been hung on residences and shops. A source of pride, Assaf has been able to unite Palestinians’ sympathies in a way that Palestinian political factions have not been able. // Some Palestinian politicians have showed their support for the singer who has been creating a sense of unity among Palestinians, regardless of differing political beliefs. Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, called on all Palestinians to support Assaf. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had also called for Palestinians everywhere, including the diaspora, to vote for Assaf. Assaf also won support from the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s daughter, Zahwa, who encouraged viewers to vote for him. // Although prior to his participation in Arab Idol, Assaf stated he had been briefly detained by the security forces of the conservative Hamas party and paramilitary group—which maintains de facto control over Gaza—on over 20 different occasions in an effort to dissuade him from singing, the group has not suppressed Palestinian support for Assaf or viewership of the show. Signaling a shift in attitude, a Gaza-based Hamas MP, Yahya Mousa, lauded Assaf and referred to him the “ambassador for Palestinian art.”]
  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Fally Afani Thank you for being out Guest Producer on Wednesday MidDay Medley. Fally Afani is the editor & founder of, I Heart Local Music a comprehensive website providing info and place for music lovers in Lawrence to gather. It was started out of a deep love & appreciation for the local music scene. Info at: http://www.iheartlocalmusic.com

Next week on March 1, WMM plays more New & MidCoastal Releases PLUS we talk with internationally known Performance Artist Tim Miller who is coming to the University of Missouri at Columbia for a performance residency on February 26 through March 5, 2023. But before that he is performing In Lawrence, Kansas at The University of Kansas on Friday, February 24. AND… We also talk with Aisha Kahlil of Sweet Honey inThe Rock who play The Folly Theatre, 300 West 12th Street, KCMO, Friday, March 3, at 8:00 PM. More info at: http://www.follytheater.org]

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful listeners and friends who generously and thoughtfully donated to support KKFI 90.1 FM – Kansas City Community Radio during our Wednesday MidDay Medley Winter Fund Drive broadcast/ Through the airwaves, and through social media, a total of 54 people donated a total of $3149.00 to allow us to continue our mission.

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

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

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #982

WMM Welcomes Guest producer – Fally Afani

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

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Guest Producer Fally Afani

WMM welcomes back to the show, Fally Afani as our special “Guest Producer.” Fally will spin tracks from: Flash Floods, The Roseline, Unfit Wives, Carswell & Hope, LYXE, The Creepy Jingles, Radkey, Vedettes, Serene Fiend, Pure XTC, Stephonne, Cuee, Vicman, Making Movies, Maria The Mexican, Turnstile, THICK, The Mars Volta, Cannons, Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram, DAM, and Mohammed Assaf.

Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning nearly 39 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. She has received several Kansas Association of Broadcasters Awards as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for her online work in journalism. Fally lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where she reports on local & touring musicians and is the Editor & Founder of, I Heart Local Music a comprehensive website providing info and place for music lovers in Lawrence to gather. It was started out of a deep love & appreciation for the local music scene. And has grown to produce a quarterly printed magazine. More information at: http://www.iheartlocalmusic.com

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #982