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

Bill Sundahl & KKFI’s 30th Anniversary! + Out Here Now – Kansas City LGBT Film Festival
with: Jamie Rich, Austin Williams, Lea Hopkins, Stuart Hinds, Savannah Rodgers, & Philip blue owl Hooser.

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980
[WMM’s theme song]

2. Sunflower Bean – “I Was a Fool”
from: Twentytwo in Blue / Mom + Pop / March 23, 2018
[3-piece rock band from Glen Head, New York and Brooklyn founded in 2013. The band consists of Nick Kivlen (lead guitar and vocals), Jacob Faber (drums), and Julia Cumming (bass and lead vocals). The group has released two albums, Human Ceremony (Fat Possum Records, 2016) and Twentytwo in Blue (Mom + Pop Music, 2018). The band’s appearance at the 2014 CMJ Music Marathon received good notices from All Songs Considered’s Bob Boilen and from The New York Times’s Jon Pareles, who wrote “New York is still home to bands as varied as Sunflower Bean, whose music suggests what might have happened if psychedelia had emerged after punk and the Police rather than before.” They released their first EP, ‘’Show Me Your Seven Secrets’’, initially through their Bandcamp page on January 5, 2015, and later via Fat Possum Records. The EP, which features the singles “Tame Impala” and “2013”, was called “astonishingly good” by the NME. (The band, fans of Tame Impala, had named a song after the Australian combo, noting that Tame Impala itself had named a song “Led Zeppelin”.) Cumming provided a good description of the band’s sound at the time to i-D: “We used to call it ‘neo-psychedelia for the digital age’, and now we’ve just been calling it ‘night music’, however someone may take that. It’s like if Black Sabbath mixed with The Smiths, maybe?” The band – then as now – toured relentlessly, gaining themselves the title of New York City’s “hardest-working band” in 2014); they still tour extensively today, both as headliners and as openers for bands like Pixies, Wolf Alice, DIIV, Foxygen, Best Coast, Cherry Glazerr and Sleigh Bells.]

[Sunflower Bean plays recordBar, Tuesday, June 26, with Public Access T.V., and Instant Karma.]

3. Shy Boys – “Take The Doggie”
from: Bell House / Polyvinyl Record Co. / August 3, 2018
[Shy Boys are an American indie-pop band from Kansas City, Missouri. The line-up consists of brothers Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch, Konnor Ervin, Kyle Little and Ross Brown. The group formed shortly after the trio became roommates in 2012. Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin were already band mates in the indie-pop band The ACBs and Collin had been playing for years in the Kansas City area in various bands. The three shared a love for 1960s era pop rock and soon started writing their own music. In 2014 they released the self-titled Shy Boys on High Dive Records. The album received generally positive reviews and the single “Bully Fight” was featured on Spin.com. In June 2014 the band recorded and released two more singles and one of them, “Life Is Peachy,” was featured on Stereogum. On April 4th, 2018, it was announced that the band had signed to Polyvinyl Record Co. They will be releasing their sophomore album, Bell House on August 3rd, 2018. The first single from the album, “Take the Doggie” and an accompanying lyric video were released on June 5, 2018. In 2011 we started playing songs from The I’ms, a duo made of up Collin and Kyle, who posted 6 of their self recorded songs on their Facebook page. We included this informal release in our Top Ten of The 111 Best Recordings of 2011.]

[Shy Boys plays a Record Release Show, Sat, August 4, at 8:00 PM at recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO.]

4. Approach – “The Luv (Clean Edit)”
from: Elegant Knock / Datura Records / January 20, 2017
[Lawrence based Sean Hunt is Approach. Sequenced, Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered By: Aikido Bray at Prosidio Gardens in Lawrence. Sean Hunt writes: “Elegant Knock” started out as a beat album named after a production night I throw in Lawrence. It turned into a 10 track album that pays respect to a sound & vibe that I loved in High School. It isn’t a throwback project, it’s a “why aren’t we still freaking these sounds now” thang. My original concept was flipped when I dug out my old Ensoniq EPS 16+ and started funking around. The next thing I knew I was making an album I wanted to rap on. I did all of the production on the EPS (everything and it’s was headache) and made a few mixing edits on the Ensoniq ASR-10 (mainly stereo pans). I pushed myself to use the tools of yesteryear to capture the feeling I was seeking out (it was a pain in the ass and I lost a ton of beats in the process). I loved every second of it though. I feel like it’s the perfect bridge between my Lincoln Marshall project with Milkdrop and my album “Antique Mall” (coming soon).]

[Approach plays the I Heart Local Music – The Magazine Launch Party, Friday, June 22 at 7:00 PM at Jackpot Music Hall, with The Bad Ideas and CS Luxem.]

5. Melody’s Echo Chamber – “Breathe in, Breathe Out”
from: Bon Voyage / Fat Possum Records / June 15, 2018
[Melody’s Echo Chamber is the main project of French musician Melody Prochet. When Prochet’s previous project My Bee’s Garden supported Tame Impala on their European tour in 2010, Prochet collaborated with Kevin Parker to produce her new solo material as Melody’s Echo Chamber. The material was recorded in Parker’s makeshift studio in Perth, Australia and Prochet’s grandmother’s seaside home in the south of France. The self-titled debut album was released on Fat Possum Records in the Fall of 2012. In 2013, the debut album peaked at 61 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart. Q Magazine gave the album 8/10 calling it an “intoxicating listen that’s well worth experiencing for yourself.” Drowned in Sound’s Dom Gourlay awarded the album 9/10 and stated: “Whatever happens next, she can rest assured safe in the knowledge that together with her beau they’ve conjured up one of 2012’s–or any other year in recent memory–finest debuts.” In October 2014, Melody’s Echo Chamber released “Shirim”, the first single from her upcoming second album. In December 2014, it was announced that Melody’s Echo Chamber would play at Levitation, the 2015 Austin Psych Fest in Austin, Texas but her appearance was later cancelled due to visa issues. In April 2017 Melody Prochet released a new track on YouTube called Cross My Heart and announced a new album called Bon Voyage which she is producing independently. Bon Voyage was set to release in spring of 2017. On Tuesday 27 June 2017, in a statement released by the family of Melody Prochet, it was revealed that Melody had suffered a “serious accident” earlier in June, adding that her upcoming tour would be cancelled. On 3 April 2018, Prochet released the single “Breathe in, Breathe out” accompanied by a music video. She announced via Instagram that Bon Voyage was scheduled to release on June 15, 2018.]

6. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear – “Everybody’s Got Problems”
from: The Radio Winners – EP / Glassnote Records / July 27, 2018
[Second single from their upcoming EP. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear have garnered international acclaim, and new fans from all over the world. They signed with Glassnote Records and recorded their debut full length album in Nashville with acclaimed producer Jim Abiss. They performed their debut single “Silent Movies” on The Late Show with David Letterman, they’ve toured across the United States, and Europe, more than once. They were featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s The Today Show, and “Later With Jools Holland and played Bonnaroo, Pilgramage, and the Newport Folk Festival, and the Ryman Theatre, in Nashville. Ruth Ward has continually performed throughout her life, mostly in coffee shops and open mics, for over 30 years, even recording a solo record. In the midst of this she got married and became a mom, and was busy raising a family. Madisen Ward was born in Oklahoma, and grew up in the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from William Chrisman High School in 2007. Madisen’s journey to become a musician, was “melodically passed down” through the songs of his mother, where Madisen grew up watching his mom perform at local coffee shops. Eventually he began to learn to play the guitar, and poured his talent for writing into the music to create original songs. They began playing Madisen’s original songs along with the occasional cover of a classic track, reinterpreted in their own incredibly beautiful performance of two voices and two guitars in harmony and orchestration. Their debut, The Skeleton Crew, was released May 9, 2015 and was our most played record that year and was #1 on WMM’s The 115 Best Recordings of 2015.]

[Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear play Royal Oak Music Theatre in Detroit, Michigan opening for Lake Street Dive, Tuesday June 26, at 7:00 PM.]

7. Jessica Paige – “Night Train”
from: Night Train – Single / Independent / June 1, 2018
[29 year old Jessica Paige moved to Kansas City from Manhattan, Kansas, after caring for her ailing grandmother for several years. She told CJ Janovy of KCUR News. “After she passed away, I started doing music full time, recorded my album and started touring.” Jessica self-produced my first album “Sweet Nothings” with Nashville-based artists and producers. The album is a reflection of the life-cycle of a relationship; the exciting and insecure beginnings to the lamenting demise of something that was once beautiful. The single released from the album, “Beautiful Life,” is a soul-pop reflection of someone trying to reconcile the conflicting emotions of trying to rescue or walk away from a relationship, while still appreciating how beautiful it is to love, regardless of how things turnout. While working on “Sweet Nothings,” Jessica settled in to Kansas City to start working with a full band and laying the groundwork for her next album.]

[Jessica Paige plays a matinee show at Replay Lounge in Lawrence, Sunday, June 24, at 5:00 pm with Carswell and Hope.]

8. Dicta – “Ice Cream and Muscle Relaxers”
from: Lucrative Talent Showcase / Dicta / February 14, 2018
[Kyle Anthony on bass, Neil Hebrank on drums, Mark Lewis on guitar, Joel Shields on guitar & vocals. All music by Dicta. All words by Dicta, except “Damn You Jim, You Woke Me Up,” adapted from John Berryman’s poem of the same name. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Nick Freeman in Leavenworth, KS at various points between April and December 2017. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering in Omaha, NE. Cover photo by Hillary Watts. Band photo by Rachel Monahan. ]

[Dicta plays The Hillary Watts Riot Album Release at The Rino, Friday, June 22, at 7:00 PM with The Black Creatures.]

10:26 – Underwriting

9. The Elders – “Show Me a Soul”
from: True / The Elders / November 23, 2017
[The 8th studio album from the KC based band formed in 1998 who’ve won acclaim from PASTE Magazine, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, Music Row Magazine, Goldmine Magazine, TRAD Magazine (France), Chicago Sun-Times, Kansas City Star and more. The Elders have headlined major Celtic Festivals in North America and Europe. For the past 14 years they have sponsored a tour of Ireland in which fans are invited to join in on an extraordinary 12 day excursion visiting historical and geographical sights during the day and gathering at a local pub or ballroom at night for pints and performances by the band. The Elders are: Ian Byrne on vocals, drums, percussion, whistle; Steve Phillips on vocals, guitar, mandolin; Diana Ladio on fiddle; Brent Hoad on vocals, keyboards, fiddle, guitar; Norm Dahlor on vocals, bass, guitar, banjo; and Kian Byrne on vocals, drums, bass, mandolin.]

10:32 – Interview with Bill Sundahl

Bill Sundahl, KKFI’s Development Director joins us to talk about 90.1 FM’s 30th Anniversary Celebration at The Folly Theatre, June 30, at 7:00 pm. The show will demonstrate KKFI’s diverse programming with two all-star bands led by Clint Ashlock, and Michelle Bacon, with songs performed by The Elders, Julia Othmer, Sara Morgan, Kemet the Phantom, Kadesh Flow, Una Walkenhorst, Cubanisms, Bob & Diana Suckiel, Jason Vivone, Robert Rodriguez, Rosie’s Bar & Grill, and more. The onstage presentation begins at 7:15 with a KKFI History Presentation and Panel of Founders, followed at 8:00 pm with a showcase of musical artists. More info at: http://www.follytheatre.org

Bill Sundahl thanks for being with us on WMM.

KKFI 30th Anniversary at Folly Theater – Saturday, June 30 at 7 PM – 10:30 PM
The Folly Theater, 300 W 12th St, Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Tickets: http://www.follytheater.org

6:00 VIP Reception at Folly Theater.
Mingle with KKFI DJs & Hosts, enjoy complementary cuisine & libations. Please join in KKFI’s History.

7:00 Doors

7:15 History Presentation & Founders Panel

8:00 Musical Show
This show will demonstrate KKFI’s diverse programming with 2 all-star bands led by Clint Ashlock, Director of KC Jazz Orchestra, & Michelle Bacon, The Band Who Fell to Earth.
Backing over 20 other Artists Single Performances by:
The Elders
Julia Othmer
Sara Morgan
Ernie Lock of Sopchoppy
Eve Sheldon
Kemet the Phantom
Una Walkenhorst
Cubanisms
Kadesh Flow
Pablo Sanhueza
Ernest James Zydeco
Jo Music
Junebug and The Porch Lights
Jason Vivone
Gerald Trimble & Jambaroque
Robert Rodriguez & Greg Conchola
Robert Suckiel & Diana Suckiel
Rosie’s Bar & Grill
& Many More

KKFI Hosts will be side stage in an old-school radio show format

kkfi.org/events for deeper dive into artists performing

Tickets – Availability info at: http://www.follytheatre.org

Hotel Rooms- Kansas City Marriott Downtown
Reserve your room $149 per night (Normally $299)
MUST Present tickets at check in / Available while they last / Rate for June 30th Only

Bill Sundahl thanks for being with us on WMM.

KKFI – 90.1 FM’s 30th Anniversary Celebration at The Folly Theatre, June 30, VIP Reception at 6:00 PM. KKFI History Presentation and Panel of Founders, at 7:15 pm. The musical show at 8:00 with two all-star bands led by Clint Ashlock, and Michelle Bacon, with songs performed by The Elders, Julia Othmer, Sara Morgan, Kemet the Phantom, Kadesh Flow, Una Walkenhorst, Cubanisms, Bob & Diana Suckiel, Jason Vivone, Robert Rodriguez, Rosie’s Bar & Grill, and more. More info at: http://www.follytheatre.org

10:42

10. Parquet Courts – “Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience”
from: Wide Awake / Rough Trade / May 18, 2018
[6th studio album from Parquet Courts, of Denton, Texas, currently residing in New York City, New York. The band consists of Andrew Savage on vocals & guitar, Austin Brown on vocals & guitar, Sean Yeaton on bass, and Max Savage on drums. The band released their debut album, American Specialties, as a limited cassette release, in 2011. The band’s second studio album, Light Up Gold (2012), was initially released on Savage’s Dull Tools label and later reissued on What’s Your Rupture? in 2013.[1] Light Up Gold received widespread critical acclaim in both the DIY underground and mainstream rock press. In 2014, the band reached #55 on the Billboard albums chart with its third studio album, Sunbathing Animal. Later in 2014, the band released “Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth” as a single under an alternative name, Parkay Quarts. Soon after they released their fourth studio album, Content Nausea, on which Sean and Max were absent, due to other commitments.The following year, the band released a mostly instrumental, experimental EP, entitled Monastic Living. On February 4, 2016, the band announced their fifth studio album, entitled Human Performance. The album was released on April 8 through Rough Trade. On October 13, 2017, the band’s co-frontman A. Savage released his first solo album, Thawing Dawn, through Dull Tools.]

11. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – “Talking Straight”
from: Hope Downs / Sub Pop / June 15, 2018
[Debut full-length album from Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, an Australian indie rock band formed in Melbourne in 2013 by singer-guitarists Fran Keaney, Tom Russo & Joe White. The band’s five members are Keaney, his cousin Joe White, Tom Russo, his brother Joe Russo on bass guitar, and Marcel Tussie on drums. Their debut EP, Talk Tight, was released in 2016 on Ivy League Records. It was followed by their second EP, the French Press, which was mixed by Doug Boehm and released in 2017 on Sub Pop Records. Robert Christgau gave Talk Tight an A grade, writing that “If you like the [guitar] effect—and why not, it’s beautiful—you’ll gravitate to it on sound alone. But what I’m loving at least as much is lyrics that suit the bright white male culture the sound implies.” He also compared the band’s sound to that of the Go-Betweens, a comparison that has also been made by critics like Stephen Deusner.]

12. Laura Veirs – “Seven Falls”
from: The Lookout / Raven Marching Band / April 13, 2018
[Laura Pauline Veirs was born October 24, 1973. She was raised in Colorado. She studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, and worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China. While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop music at home. However, she didn’t “listen seriously,” she says, until her 20s. At Carleton, she joined an all-girl punk band called Rair Kx!. After graduation, her taste moved to older country and folk, and during her time in China she began writing lyrics. In 1999, Veirs released a self-titled album, which was recorded live and featuring just herself and guitar. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire, accompanied by veteran musicians such as Bill Frisell. She then signed to Nonesuch and released Carbon Glacier. She also signed to Bella Union for European distribution. Year of Meteors followed in August 2005, and was selected by the New York Times as a “critic’s choice”. Veirs released her last full-length for Nonesuch, Saltbreakers, in 2007. July Flame appeared in January 2010 on her own Raven Marching Band Records. The Washington Post praised it. In November 2011, Veirs released the album Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children. The album presents mostly traditional songs, and features an array of guest musicians, including Colin Meloy, Jim James and Bela Fleck. Tumble Bee won a Parents’ Choice Award in 2012. In September 2012, her first feature film soundtrack was released: Hello I Must Be Going. The exclusive soundtrack features eight instrumental versions of previously released songs, five catalog favorites and one new vocal track, “Spring Song”. In August 2013, she released Warp and Weft. In 2015, she worked on the album Carrie and Lowell by Sufjan Stevens. Veirs husband and long term collaborator Tucker Martine engineered some of the album. Veirs was lead songwriter for the 2016 album case/lang/veirs, a collaborative project between Veirs, k.d. lang and Neko Case. The album received positive reviews. Veirs currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Her husband, Portland-based producer Tucker Martine, has produced her last nine albums, and plays many instruments on the records as well. Their first son, Tennessee Veirs Martine, was born in April 2010. In May 2013 they had a second son, Oz Rhodes Martine. Veirs runs a record label, Raven Marching Band Records, that has released her own and other artists’ music. In 2016, the label released Introducing Karl Blau, which was crowdfunded. In 2007, Veirs said about her lyrics, “I like to be personal in my writing, but not overly confessional.”]

13. The Hillary Watts Riot – “Disco Love Ball Heart”
from: Freakout / Money Wolf Music / June 22, 2018
[Follow up to their June 22, 2012 debut EP release: A/S/L from Money Wolf Music . THWR include: Hillary Watts Bird om vocals, Christian Hankel on bass, Tommy Donoho on guitar, and Logan Compton on drums. They describe their music as “freak pop.” This band is so fun to see live.]

[The Hillary Watts Riot play an Album Release Show for Freakout, at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, on Friday, June 22, at 7:00 PM with Dicta, and The Black Creatures.]

11:00 – Station Identification

11:00 – Interview with Jamie Rich, Austin Williams, Lea Hopkins, Stuart Hinds

Jamie Rich, Philip Hooser, Lea Hopkins, Austin Williams, and Stuart Hinds on the June 20, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI/

The annual Out Here Now: Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, begins tomorrow June 21 and runs through June 28 at Tivoli Cinemas in Westport.

For the past nineteen years, Jamie Rich has served as the festival director for the Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, the city’s oldest and best-attended community film program. He coordinates the marketing and special screenings at the Tivoli Cinema in Westport, including the popular Open Circle Spiritual Cinema Series. Jamie Rich, joins us as guest co-host for our second hour.

Jamie Rich, thanks for being with us today on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Our very special guests include: Austin Williams, UMKC doctoral candidate, seeking an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in American History and Educational Leadership, Policy, and Foundations. Austin has been collaborating with UMKC’s Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid America (GLAMA) and the Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, to create his first documentary feature, THE ORDINANCE PROJECT making it’s world premiere at the OUT HERE NOW KC LGBT Film Fest, Thursday, June 21, at 7:00 PM.

Austin Williams, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Also joining us is Stuart Hinds, Curator of the Gay & Lesbian Archive of Mid-America (GLAMA) of UMKC shares how GLAMA offered source material and collaborated with Austin Williams on The Ordinance Project.

Stuart Hinds, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We also welcome Lea Hopkins who is featured in The Ordinance Project and is one of Kansas City’s earliest LGBT Activists forming Christopher Street Association helping to organize Kansas City’s first Gay Pride Parade and a protest of Anita Bryant’s Save Our Children campaign, when Anita made a stop in Kansas City.

Hello Lea Hopkins!

We also welcome, Philip blue owl Hooser, actor, playwright, director, teacher, and dramaturg. He has been on stage at The Rep, The Unicorn, the Coterie, Late Night Theater, Gorilla Theatre, Mystery Train Theatre, Just Off Broadway, The Fishtank, Musical Theatre Hertitage. His plays have been produced at The Unicorn, The Coterie, Gorilla Theatre, Late Night Theatre to name a few. Philip recent;ly participated in a live performance for Risk! Philip gives the preshow lectures at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, and is also the creative genius behind “Eat Their Words,” a live performance and reading of celebrity biographies in Kansas City. Philip does film pieces with Michael McQuary for KIFF and OM Film Fest. Philip Blue Owl Hooser is the co-host of The Tenth Voice on 90.1 FM – KKFI. Philip is also part of the team that produces the Out Here Now Film Festival.

Hello Philip blue owl Hooser

And later we will talk with Savannah Rodgers, KC based filmmaker and artist-in-residence at the Charlotte Street Foundation. Savannah’s short documentary debut DRAGTIVISTS will screen Out Here Now, on Saturday, June 23, at 1:30 PM. More info on all the films in the festival at: http://www.outherenow.com.

Jamie Rich this is the 19th year of the Festival

2018 Celebration of Courage Award – Documentary
THE ORDINANCE PROJECT
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING THUR JUNE 21 | 7:00PM

Be here for the world premiere of a powerful, locally-produced new documentary about the most contested piece of legislation in Kansas City history.

Directed by historian and UMKC Doctoral Candidate, Austin Williams, THE ORDINANCE PROJECT commemorates the 25th anniversary of this landmark event through the voices and personal stories of those who were there. With insightful perspectives on the root of the local gay and lesbian civil rights movement, the film transports you back to the front lines of a life or death struggle within the context of the AIDS epidemic which fanned the flames of homophobia and forced issues of LGBT discrimination to the forefront.

On June 3, 1993, the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri added “sexual orientation” to its civil rights ordinance, capping an epic, three-year civic and political battle. While activists, organizers, politicians, and opponents spent years debating this particular issue, the fight for LGBT civil rights has a much deeper past in KC which continues today.

Austin Williams will offer an Audience Q&A following the screening. Keith Spare, one of the founding members of the KC Human Rights Commission, will also be honored with a Celebration of Courage Award for his many years of service to the LGBT community.

As Austin writes, “it was one of the most highly contested pieces of legislation in Kansas City history. It marked a turning point, after which discrimination against gays and lesbians could no longer be ignored, and it demonstrated how homophobia and the fear of AIDS were not only intertwined — they were inseparable.” More information at http://www.theordinanceproject.com

Austin Williams has been working on an oral history project, Responding to AIDS: Kansas City (1981-1995), and a documentary film, The Ordinance Project. His research focuses on the Kansas City activists and politicians who supported and opposed a series of ordinances introduced in the early 1990s designed to protect gays, lesbians, and people with HIV/AIDS from experiencing discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

Austin has spent the last two and a half years studying Kansas City’s efforts to pass anti-discrimination legislation for members of the LGBT community. With the help of Stuart Hinds and the staff at The Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America (GLAMA), Austin has pored through thousands of primary sources and digitized dozens of hours of VHS footage.

Austin writes, “I have been blessed to meet many of the activists and politicians directly involved in Kansas City’s fight for civil rights. People have invited me into their homes and shared their stories over cups of coffee. THE ORDINANCE PROJECT is our collective effort to capture their memories on film.”

Austin collaborated with UMKC’s Gay & Lesbian Archive of Mid America (GLAMA) and the Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, he is currently working on an oral history project, Responding to AIDS: Kansas City (1981-1995), along with The Ordinance Project.

Austin’s research focuses on the Kansas City activists and politicians who supported and opposed a series of ordinances introduced in the early 1990s designed to protect gays, lesbians, and people with HIV/AIDS from experiencing discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

At the height of the AIDS crisis, the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri debated whether or not to amend its Civil Rights Ordinance to prevent discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and people with HIV/AIDS.

It quickly became the most highly contested piece of legislation in KC’s history, galvanizing both supporters and opponents while exposing a social divide that is still felt today.

The Ordinance Project features interviews with civic leaders such as:

Emanuel Cleaver: US Congressman, former Mayor, former Council Member

Katheryn Shields: City Council Member

Joanne Collins: Former Kansas City Council Member

Dan Cofran: Former Kansas City Council Member

Michael Bates: Former Director of the Kansas City Human Relations Department

As well as community activists:

Keith Spare: Longtime LGBT Community Activist

Lea Hopkins: Christopher Street Association

David Weeda: Co-founder of the Human Rights Ordinance Project (HROP).

Linda May: Co-Chair of Mayor Cleaver’s Commission on Lesbian and Gay Concerns

Jon D. Barnett: Co-founder of ACT UP/KC & Human Rights Ordinance Project

Steve Pierce: Gay Talk & Committee Member of The Greater Kansas City AIDS Council

Kay Madden: Co-founder of Pink Triangle Political Coalition

Mark Manning: Co-founder of the Big Bang Buffet

Randy Hite of Heartland Men’s Chorus

Stuart Hinds: Curator of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America

Carl Hippensteel: Member of Pink Triangle Political Coalition and ACT UP/KC

Jim Hull: Co-Founder of ACT UP/KC

More info on all the films in the festival at: http://www.outherenow.com.

11:23

14. Romanovsky & Phillips – “Homophobia”
from: Trouble In Paradise / Fresh Fruit Records / 1986
[Romanovsky & Phillips is a gay singing duo named after its members, Ron Romanovsky and Paul Phillips. They are best known for their original recordings and live performances featuring songs combining humor with poignant observations about the lives of gay men (and to a lesser extent, lesbian women) in contemporary American society. Romanovsky & Phillips began their career at San Francisco’s Valencia Rose Cafe in 1982, as the musical break for Gay Comedy Open Mike Night. They mounted their first national tour in the fall of 1983. They toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Australia. Over the years the duo released seven albums under the “Fresh Fruit” label. Sydney Daily Mirror described them as “delightful and entertaining Ambassadors of Homosexuality.” Originally a romantic couple, the two ended that aspect of their relationship in the early 1990s, but continued to record and perform together, describing themselves as “a gay Sonny and Cher” (who had also briefly continued their professional collaboration following their divorce). In 1998 they presented their full-length musical, Jayson, at the 45th Street theatre in New York. A year later the duo decided to take some time off the road. While Phillips put music on hold to pursue other interests, Romanovsky took up a new instrument: the accordion. In 2002 he released a solo album in French, Je m’appelle Dadou. In 2004, Ron was commissioned to write a “circus opera” for Nurses for the Rights of the Child, a group of labor and delivery nurses who are conscientious objectors to male circumcision. After two years of writing and several workshop performances, It’s A Boy! was premiered in August, 2006 at the 9th International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity and Human Rights at the University of Washington in Seattle. The opera featured music written for accordion, violin and five vocalists. A recording was released concurrently. Immediately following up It’s A Boy! came the release of Pittsburgh to Paris, marking Ron’s return to song writing. In December, 2006, Fresh Fruit Records re-released all of R&P’s recordings. In 2007 Ron returned to the concert stage, this time fronting a four-piece band and performing his newest material along with several updated R&P chestnuts. The year culminated in a sold-out show in Taos, New Mexico, where Ron shared the bill with comic Vicki Shaw. His newest recording, Turn Up the Fun!, released in January 2008, is a return to his queer music roots, offering 14 original tracks featuring the characteristic satire, off-beat observations and poignancy that fans have come to expect. Currently, Romanovsky performs frequently in and around his adopted hometown of Santa Fe with his quartet, “Welcome to Bohemia”.]

Romanovsky & Phillips – Discography

I Thought You’d Be Taller – 1984
Trouble In Paradise – 1986
Emotional Rollercoaster – 1988
Be Political, Not Polite – 1991
Hopeful Romantic – (Ron Romanovsky, solo) 1992
Brave Boys – (“best of” collection) 1994
Let’s Flaunt It – (live) 1995
Je m’appelle Dadou – (Ron Romanovsky, solo) 2002
It’s A Boy! – (a circus opera by Ron Romanovsky) 2006
Pittsburgh to Paris – (Ron Romanovsky, solo) 2006
Turn Up the Fun! – (Ron Romanovsky, solo) 2008]

[From the soundtrack of the film The Ordinance Project playing the OUT HERE NOW KC LGBT Film Fest, Thursday, June 21, at 7:00 PM.]

11:27 – More of our Interview with Jamie Rich, Philip blue owl Hooser, Stuart Hinds, and Savannah Rodgers

Schedule – Out Here Now: KC LGBT Film Festival, June 21 – 28

2018 Celebration of Courage Award – Documentary
THE ORDINANCE PROJECT
WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING THUR JUNE 21 | 7:00PM
Be here for the world premiere of a powerful, locally-produced new documentary about the most contested piece of legislation in Kansas City history. Directed by historian and UMKC Doctoral Candidate, Austin Williams, THE ORDINANCE PROJECT commemorates the 25th anniversary of this landmark event through the voices and personal stories of those who were there. With insightful perspectives on the root of the local gay and lesbian civil rights movement, the film transports you back to the front lines of a life or death struggle within the context of the AIDS epidemic which fanned the flames of homophobia and forced issues of LGBT discrimination to the forefront.

On June 3, 1993, the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri added “sexual orientation” to its civil rights ordinance, capping an epic, three-year civic and political battle. While activists, organizers, politicians, and opponents spent years debating this particular issue, the fight for LGBT civil rights has a much deeper past in KC which continues today.

Featuring interviews with civic leaders such as Emanuel Cleaver, Katheryn Shields, Joanne Collins, and Dan Cofran as well as community activists Keith Spare, Lea Hopkins, David Weeda, Linda May, Jon Barnett, Steve Pierce, Kay Madden, Mark Manning, Randy Hite, Stuart Hinds, Carl Hippensteel, and Jim Hull.

Austin Williams will offer an Audience Q&A following the screening. Keith Spare, one of the founding members of the KC Human Rights Commission, will also be honored with a Celebration of Courage Award for his many years of service to the LGBT community
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2018 Celebration of Courage Award – Short Film
NORTHERN COURAGE
FRI JUNE 22 | 1:30PM
You’re invited to open your mind (and your heart) and help select the winner from this year’s honored finalists. Remarkably, these five powerful and resonant stories from emerging filmmakers all have a Canadian connection. DUST chronicles a young boy’s difficulty accepting his older brother’s transformation, when she returns from university. In PRE-DRINK, an evening spent together destabilizes best friends since forever when both decide to have sex together for the first time. A black male burn-survivor and amputee, on a date with a regularly-abled man, faces his demons as he attempts to experience intimacy for the first time since his accident in THE THINGS YOU THINK I’M THINKING. A son struggles to honor the identity of his recently deceased parent while his mother tries to uphold the appearance of a conventional family in SILVIA IN THE WAVES. When MARGUERITE, a diabetic woman in her seventies, discovers that her faithful caretaker is a lesbian, she is moved to open her heart and attempts to make peace with her past.

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
FRI JUNE 22 | 3:30PM
Make it a truly Fabulous Friday with a sextet of films about love, lust and relationships. Short on time? We have just the solution. Go to OutHereNow.com for a revealing preview.

DYKES, CAMERA, ACTION
FRI JUNE 22 | 5:45PM
Lesbians didn’t always get to see themselves on screen
but between Stonewall, the feminist movement, and the experimental cinema of the 1970s, a once invisible population became seen and heard, and transformed the social imagination about queerness. Filmmakers Barbara Hammer, Su Friedrich, Rose Troche, Yoruba Richen, Desiree Akhavan, Vicky Du, critic B. Ruby Rich and others share moving and often hilarious stories from their lives and discuss how they’ve expressed female identity through film. MIDWEST PREMIERE

IDEAL HOME
FRI JUNE 22 | 7:45PM
Our Opening Weekend kicks off with Kansas City’s own Paul Rudd (totally rockin’ his dad beard) paired with British comedian Steve Coogan in a delightful rom-com with sardonic wit! They co-star as Erasmus and Paul, a bickering gay couple whose life is turned inside out when a ten-year old boy shows up at their door claiming to be Erasmus’ grandson. Neither Paul, nor Erasmus, are ready to give up their extravagant lifestyles to be parents, but maybe this little kid has a thing or two to teach them about the value of family. With Jack Gore, Alison Pill and Jake McDoran.
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ORDINANCE PROJECT
Screening & Community Response
SAT JUNE 23 | 10:30AM
Stuart Hinds, the director of the Gay & Lesbian Archives of Mid-America, leads a community talkback and discussion following this encore screening of THE ORDINANCE PROJECT. Invited guests and some of those featured in the film will share their responses and participate in an Q&A with the audience. As the fight for LGBT civil rights continues today, hear from local activists and community organizers offering their perspectives and plans as well. Please join us for this timely gathering.

LATINX VOICES
SAT JUNE 23 | 10:45AM
Five vibrant and emerging voices of LGBTQ cinema with illuminating and revealing Latinx stories of diverse sexual and gender experiences. Hosted by poet and community organizer Alex Martinez and co-presented by Brown Pulse/ Brown Voices. 3 SIBLINGS with different gender identities and sexual orientations bring us into their world during São Paulo’s Pride Celebration. On the day famous Mexican singer JUAN GABRIEL dies, best friends Beto and Daniel will redefine their friendship. Manuel is a gay Latino teen searching for a GUARDIAN. In the midst of her family’s rejection, ELENA wants to experience her own sexuality. And, two men fall in love exploring the TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT IN SAO PAOLO.

(At both of these Saturday morning Coffeehouse Matinee Screenings there will be fresh-brewed coffee from the Broadway Cafe as well as sweet and savory treats to enjoy.)

KC-Q
Hometown Creativity on Film SAT JUNE 23 | 1:30 PM
Enjoy five new films brimming with local ingenuity. The stories, the themes and even the directors themselves have their filmmaking origins from the Kansas City area. David Wayne Reed’s ETERNAL HARVEST follows the cycle of life as depicted by the growing season on a rural Kansas farm. Award-winning director Savannah Rodgers’ DRAGTIVISTS finds the intersection of activism and drag performance in Lawrence, KS. Filmmaker Joshua Steven Allred based his film SINNER on his teenage years in Kansas City. In KU grad Hunter Harding’s TAYLOR SWIFT: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO a homophobic father learns his teenage son is gay, and responds by committing him to a psychotic, gay-conversion surgery. KC native filmmaker/photographer Keegun Selley profiles a local college student who is transitioning from female to male in HUMAN IS HUMAN.

MAN MADE
SAT JUNE 23 | 3:30PM
MAN MADE takes us into the heart of transgender male (FTM) culture, revealing unexpected truths about gender, masculinity, humanity and love. Four trans men (who like the film’s director were born and raised female), take a variety of life paths toward stepping on stage at Trans FitCon, the only all-transgender bodybuilding competition in the world (held in Atlanta, GA). MAN MADE is a character-driven, intimate, and riveting verité-style competition film, but also a unique social justice narrative. It speaks to the ways in which we all choose to define and reshape ourselves, both figuratively and literally. We follow thier emotional and physical journeys as they navigate lives as the men they are, despite very real risks inherent in the current social and political climate. The strength on display in this deeply personal film transcends the physical. For the men of MAN MADE, it’s not about winning—it’s about being seen.

WOMENS COMEDY SHOWCASE with Special Guests
SAT JUNE 23 | 5:45PM
It’s a guaranteed good time as the spotlight shines on comedies by, for and about women. Each of these films is vying for your vote for Best Comedy, so come out and enjoy some on-screen love and laughter. In GETTING STARTED, chemistry ensues immediately on a first date, but will their mutual attraction be enough to overcome some of the challenges presented in their budding relationship. FOXY TROT is a whimsical, romantic comedy about a married lesbian couple who unexpectedly face their relationship issues in a hetero-normative ballroom dance class. HEATHER HAS FOUR MOMS who all weigh in when 14 year old Heather’s plan to lose her virginity is discovered. After seeing a dreadful statue dedicated to her comedic idol, Lucille Ball, a risk averse comedienne battling a recent breast cancer diagnosis makes it her mission to destroy SCARY LUCY.

BOYS LIFE
SAT JUNE 23 | 7:45PM
Young gay men on the threshold of adulthood. From first crush to first encounters. From one night stands to what happens next. It’s all here. Including the Midwest Premiere of a film that picks up from where a young man’s gay classic left off. Spanning across 14 years and capturing two turning points in the lives of Ben and Johnny, THE DARE PROJECT is an enticing two part film about sexual attraction and an enduring connection. After a break up, a young man (played by OUT HERE NOW favorite Ben Baur) struggles to open up to a new relationship with awkward/hilarious/ disastrous results in SOMETHING NEW. After being shamed by an online hookup for being too FEMME, Carson must confront his own notions of masculinity and gender roles within the LGBTQ community. When a game of spin the bottle starts, 15 year old Bram decides to twist the fate of the evening, and maybe his whole life in TURN IT AROUND.
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EVERY ACT OF LIFE
SUN JUNE 24 | 1:30PM
The groundbreaking life and work of Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally is profiled in this uniquely entertaining and moving tribute. You are guided through his over 5-decade career in the American theatre, the struggle for LGBT rights, his triumph over addiction, finding true love, and the need (now more than ever) for writers and artists to shape society’s value. EVERY ACT OF LIFE is the first cinematic portrait of one of the world’s most honored and risk-taking playwrights. The film weaves together immersive storytelling, rare footage and photos, new performances, film of classic plays, and intimate access to Terrence’s personal life. Featuring Angela Lansbury, F. Murray Abraham, Larry Kramer, Nathan Lane, Christine Baranski, Matthew Broderick, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci, and many more luminaries plus the voices of Dan Bucatinsky, Bryan Cranston, and Meryl Streep.

SAY YES
SUN JUNE 24 | 3:30PM
This year’s Centerpiece Sunday includes the Midwest Premiere of a compelling, new film about the too-often overlooked “B” in LGBT cinema. From the writer/director of OUT HERE NOW favorites COFFEE DATE and TRU LOVED comes a touching and tender look at marriage, commitment and the boundaries of love. A young woman (Leah McKendrick) diagnosed with cancer tries to play matchmaker between her soon-to-be widowed husband (Patrick Zeller) and her bisexual twin brother (Matt Pascua). This tender meditation on love, loss, and connections reaches far beyond the traditional confines of sexual orientation. The conflict/resolve with terminal illness, mortality, compassion and sexual fluidity are all touched upon in this poignant and heartfelt film. With Shari Belafonte, Alberto Manquero, Stefanie Estes & Alexandra Paul and featuring music by OUT HERE NOW alum and Warrensburg native Tom Goss.

PORCUPINE LAKE
SUN JUNE 24 | 5:45PM
Two girls dangling on the brink of adulthood enjoy a summertime of fleeting childhood adventures, in this courageous and touching new film by Slovakian- Canadian director Ingrid Veninger. During a hot and hazy summertime in northern Ontario, 13-year-old Bea (Charlotte Salisbury) wants a best friend more than anything else, but when she meets boisterous Kate (Lucinda Armstrong Hall), she gets more than she imagined. How will their lives be changed by this daring, new relationship? And, can the bond they forge in the summer sun endure? This beautifully made and remarkably timeless coming of age story features luminous performances by the two talented young lead actresses. Equally funny, real and poignant PORCUPINE LAKE is a story of bravery, small-town summer love, and the secret world of girls.

A MOMENT IN THE REEDS
SUN JUNE 24 | 7:45PM
This year’s final Centerpiece Screening is an intimate and sexually-charged drama about a chance encounter between two men by the Finnish lakeside. Leevi, who has left Finland behind to study abroad, returns for the summer to help his father renovate the family lake house. Tareq, a Syrian asylum seeker, has also been hired to help, and when Leevi’s father returns to town on business, the two young men give into their mutual attraction, spending a few midsummer days discovering one another. Among the first queer-themed feature films made in Finland, this tender and sensual film casts the long-marginalized voices of sexual and ethnic minorities center-stage in a story about the search for freedom, acceptance and a place to call home. With stirring and compelling performances by the two lead actors, A MOMENT IN THE REEDS is one of the most moving gay romance stories of recent years.
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FEARS FOR QUEERS
MON JUNE 25 | 5:45PM
It’s baaaack…. Our frightfully popular horror/thriller showcase returns with a new set of chillingly fine offerings designed to keep you on the edge of your seat. In THE QUIET ROOM, Michael’s attempt at suicide awakens a psych ward demon. He must stop her before she kills everyone in the hospital he connects with. In HIPPOPOTAMUS, when left alone to caretake a gay nude resort closed for the season, a man finds himself confronted by what he can see and by what he can’t. When nothing is hidden, it’s also about what sees you. In MEET UP with the promise of weed and a “good time,” an emotionally starved gay man decides to give an enigmatic stranger a ride home, completely unaware what the night will unfold. And, in HORROR, SEX AND HAIR CURLERS, a salon owner suspects her husband is cheating on her. And, he is. With a young man as handsome as he is mysterious. She is furious but she has no idea how weird and horrific this day is about to get!

STILL WAITING IN THE WINGS
MON JUNE 25 | 7:45PM
OUT HERE NOW favorite Jeffrey Johns is back with a new musical adventure featuring some very familiar faces including Kansas City’s beloved own, Ed Asner. This tune- filled fable follows the trials and triumphs of actors waiting tables in Times Square. While dreaming of the Broadway stage, the reality of slinging hash under florescent lights mixes sweet aspirations with bitter drama. There’s no people like show people and there’s no telling what can happen when they’re pitted against each other. Nick Adams, Ed Asner, Carole Cook, Lee Meriwether, Patricia Richardson, Chita Rivera, Seth Rudetsky, Sally Struthers, Bruce Vilanch, and Cindy Williams round out this heartwarming homage to Broadway with some delightful cameos. Star and writer Jeffrey Johns will introduce his film and offer a Q&A following.
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TRUTH UNFOLDING
TUES JUNE 26 | 5:45PM
Compelling and revealing stories from near and far delve into nuances of LGBTQ experiences through memorable and moving performances. The five honored finalists for Best Dramatic Short are presented in this twilight Audience Choice Showcase.

VENUS
TUES JUNE 26 | 7:45PM
At once hilarious and serious, smart and sassy, this articulate, absorbing, and lively gender shifting comedy, is the witty tale of Sid (featuring Debargo Sanyal in a remarkable performance), a transitioning woman whose life takes a surprising turn when a 14-year-old boy arrives at her door with the announcing that he is her son. What follows is a laugh-out-loud slice of life as Sid is forced to entertain the curious and very persistent teen while navigating fraught relationships with her traditional Punjabi parents and her closeted on-again, off-again boyfriend. Heartwarming and an absolute delight to watch—with an infectious bilingual soundtrack, to boot—VENUS presents us with a trans woman seeking to overcome societal, familial, and personal odds to simply assert her freedom and live in her own skin. As genders, generations and cultures collide, this award- winning film proves finding yourself is truly a family affair!
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TRANS YOUTH
WED JUNE 27 | 5:30PM
Young People 21 & Under Admitted Free
This brave new film follows a handful of young trans in Austin, Texas as they forge and fortify their adult identities. In an early scene, Elliot, a youth with choppy green hair, recounts how their father says trans people are ‘destroying the fabric of America.’ In the next scene, holding their phone in a shaking hand, they tell their mother, their father’s voice in the background, that they’re transgender. While trans identity is more visible than ever — the subject of television shows, talked about in the media, and tied up in controversial legislation — films that take us directly into the lives of trans youth are rare. TRANS YOUTH, by closely following seven different subjects as they navigate both the tumult and the ecstasy of growing up, lets us get to know them as individuals rather than stereotypes. Director Rebecca Adler will attend and offer a Q&A following.

WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY
WED JUNE 27 | 7:45PM
Hermit or sexpot? SNL great Molly Shannon stars as poet and fully lesbian Emily Dickinson in a brilliantly quirky comedy that challenges how history gets recorded. Writer/Director Madeline Olnek restores Dickinson’s true nature as an LGBTQ hero and model for new wave feminism. With the title taken from her raciest poem, WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY sheds new light on the life of famously reclusive poet, revealing her hidden romance with her brother’s wife, and the irreverent side of Dickinson that the world at large never saw. Exploring the fierce rivalry between her brother’s wife and his mistress—who published Dickinson’s poems after her death—the film is also about the struggle to bring to life the work of one of history’s most gifted poets.
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SHORTS COMPETITION
THUR JUNE 28 | 5:45PM
Join us for this popular closing night Audience Choice Showcase where your vote helps determine which of the top 11 short films (less than 10 minutes each) will earn this year’s cash prize. Preview the finalists at our website now.

MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING
THUR JUNE 28 | 7:45PM
In this merry movie of matrimony, happily engaged Antonio brings his fiancé Paulo to the exquisite old Italian village of his birth to meet his headstrong parents and reveal his sexuality, setting out on a quest to make a city founded on religious tradition understand that love is love. It was love at first sight for our happy couple who now live peacefully in a Berlin apartment with their quirky and musical landlord, Benedetta. On the day of their engagement, their new roommate arrives, the depressed cross-dressing Donato and they all embark on a journey to finally reveal their relationship to their families. Their first stop is the exquisite old Italian village where Antonio’s father is the mayor and his mother is the headstrong matriarch. In a whirl of surreal yet sentimental chaos, Antonio & Paulo are met with stringent conditions related to their wedding ceremony. Can a city founded on religious tradition embrace the new, modern family? Let’s just say…you’ll be delighted to see what enfolds in our closing night romantic comedy.

11:39 – Underwriting

11:41 – More of our Interview with Jamie Rich, Philip blue owl Hooser, Savannah Rodgers, and Stuart Hinds.

Out Here Now: KC LGBT Film Festival, June 21 – 28 at Tivoli Cinemas in Westport. http://www.outherenow.com

Savannah Rodgers and Stuart Hinds on the June 20, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI.

Savannah Rodgers, KC based filmmaker and artist-in-residence at the Charlotte Street Foundation. Savannah’s short documentary debut DRAGTIVISTS won awards at the Tallgrass Film Festival and Twister Alley International Film Festival and will screen as part of Out Here Now, on Saturday, June 23, at 1:30 PM.

Savannah Rodgers thanks for being with us on WMM.

Savannah is a Board Member for Film Society KC, and a Programmer at the Slamdance Film Festival.

In 2018, she was recognized with the Dandelion Award for Women in Film at the First City Film Festival and the Indie Spirit Award at the Bare Bones International Film Festival.

More info on all the films in the festival at: http://www.outherenow.com.

We end the show with the classic: DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY sung by Thelma Houston. This huge disco hit for becomes a pivotal part of the new comedy, MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING which is the official closing night selection in this year’s OUT HERE NOW Film Festival on Thursday, June 28th at the Tivoli. More info on all the films in the festival at: http://www.outherenow.com.

Savannah Rodgers, Stuart Hinds, Lea Hopkins, Austin Williams, and Jamie Rich on the June 20, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI.

For Wednesday MidDay Medley, Savannah Rodgers, Jamie Rich, Austin Williams, Lea Hopkins, and Stuart Hinds, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

11:56

15. Thelma Houston – “Don’t Leave Me This Way (Single Version)”
from: Any Way You Like It / Motown / December 2, 1976
[George Benson on guitar. Produced by Hal Davis. “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was covered by Motown in 1976. Originally assigned to Diana Ross, it was intended to be the follow-up to her hit “Love Hangover” but was reassigned and given to the upcoming Motown artist Thelma Houston instead.” Written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. First charting as a hit for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act on Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International label in 1975, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was later a huge disco hit for Motown artist Thelma Houston in 1977. The song was also a major hit for British group the Communards in 1986. Thelma Houston was born May 7, 1946. She scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, which won the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi. Her mother was a cotton picker. She and her three sisters grew up primarily in Long Beach, California. After marrying and having two children, she joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group and was subsequently signed as a recording artist with Dunhill Records. She is not related to Whitney Houston. In 1969, Houston released her debut album, entitled Sunshower, produced, arranged and composed by Jimmy Webb except for one track. In 1971 she signed with Motown Records but her early recordings with them were largely unsuccessful. Her most notable single during that period was “You’ve Been Doing Wrong for So Long” which peaked at #64 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1974. However Houston’s vocal prowess on that track secured her a nomination for a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1973 Motown Productions announced a projected biopic of Dinah Washington which would star Houston; however the project was dropped due to difficulties in getting clearance from Washington’s relatives. In April 1974 Houston joined the cast of The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, playing various characters during the show’s skits. The show was canceled in August and for the next several years her work was limited to demo recordings and performing at small venues. Houston took acting classes and received her first role in the 1975 made-for-television film Death Scream. In that same year Sheffield Lab released “I’ve Got the Music in Me” a Direct to disc recording by Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker that went on to become a benchmark vinyl recording for audiophiles. The following year she recorded songs for the soundtrack of the film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings starring Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones. In 1975 Houston appeared on the Golden Globe Award broadcast performing the nominated song “On & On” and also was featured in a tribute to Berry Gordy on that year’s American Music Award broadcast singing “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”. That year Houston’s version of “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” was being set for single release when it was pulled and the song given to Diana Ross to serve as the theme song for the movie Mahogany. In 1976 Houston sang backing vocals for Motown label mate Jermaine Jackson on his album My Name Is Jermaine. Houston released her third album Any Way You Like It in 1976. The first single released was her version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ 1975 song “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. In February 1977 the track hit Number 1 in the U.S. on the R&B and Club Play Singles charts, then in April 1977 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Don’t Leave Me This Way” won Houston the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the Grammys for 1977. Besides its US success “Don’t Leave Me This Way” became a hit in at least twelve countries, including the UK where it reached Number 13 despite the concurrent single release of the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes original, which reached Number 5. Also in 1977 Houston teamed up with Jerry Butler to record the album Thelma & Jerry and that November 1977 she co-starred in the film Game Show Models. It was announced in February 1977 that Houston would star as Bessie Smith in a filmation of the play Me and Bessie, to be produced by Motown; after an announcement that December that Houston was set to portray Bessie Smith in a biopic to be produced in 1978 by Columbia Pictures nothing more was heard of the project.]

[Thelma Houston played KC Pride Fest, Sun, June 3, at 6:00 at The Richard L Berkley Riverfront Park.]

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

Next week, on June 27 Chris Haghirian and Nathan Reusch join us to share music and information about this year’s Middle of The Map Fest.

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/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1F

Show #739

Wednesday MidDay Medley