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 February 7, 2018

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Music from the Folk Alliance International Conference
+ Instant Karma + Julia Othmer + Hedwig And The Angry Inch

10:00 – Artists playing Official Showcases at 2018 Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14, 15, 16, and 17 at the Westin Crown Center. More info at http://www.folk.org.

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

2. Steve Poltz – “Hey God I’ll Trade You Donald Trump for Leonard Cohen”
from: Hey God I’ll Trade You Donald Trump for Leonard Cohen – Single / 98 Pounder / Feb 7, 2017
[Steve Poltz (born February 19, 1960) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band The Rugburns and is best known for his collaborations with singer Jewel, especially the 1996 single, “You Were Meant for Me” which reached number 2 in the US. Poltz was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and later immigrated with his family to Pasadena, California, then to Palm Springs, California. He attended the University of San Diego, where he received a degree in political science, he met guitarist Robert Driscoll and The Rugburns were formed. Poltz and his bandmates developed a local and national cult following by playing coffeehouses and bars. While performing dates at the Innerchange Coffeehouse in San Diego, he formed a relationship with Jewel, frequently opening for her on tours, co-writing songs, and appearing in her music video for “You Were Meant For Me.”In 1998, Poltz released his first solo album, One Left Shoe, for Mercury Records. A disagreement in the artistic direction of his material led to him leaving the label and forming his own company, 98 Pounder Records. Five years later, he recorded Chinese Vacation, an album heavily influenced by the events of September 11 and the murder of one of his closest friends. During a radio interview and performance on the Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw radio program, he performed a “male” version of “You Were Meant For Me”. During the bridge, he went on a 5-minute rant on David Cassidy and assorted stories in Las Vegas, including one that led to the album name “One Left Shoe”. Poltz also performed the song on the Bob and Tom Show and included the Cassidy story during the bridge.]

[Steve Poltz plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Thurs, Feb 15, at 9:00 pm, on Benton’s 20th Floor.]

3. Crys Matthews – “Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers”
from: Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers EP / Crys Matthews / August 4, 2017
[Crys Matthews is from Herndon, Virgina. In August, 2017 she simultaneously released both a new full-length album, The Imagineers and an EP, Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers. These collections showcase two sides of Matthews’ dynamic songwriting; The Imagineers is a selection of thoughtful songs about love and life while Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers tackles social justice themes. Songs from both projects have already garnered accolades such as being selected as a finalist for the NewSong Music Competition, and winning the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Matthews sings about hope, love, perseverance and justice with an ease and candor that one might expect from a southeastern North Carolina native whose mother happens to be a preacher. Equally at home in an acoustic listening room as she is on stage at large music festivals, Matthews has quickly gathered a loyal following playing such prestigious venues and festivals as The Birchmere, The Hamilton, BMI’s Island Hopper Songwriter Festival, the 40th Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, Folk Alliance International, 30A Songwriters Festival, Northeast Regional Folk Alliance and many more.]

[Crys Matthews plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Thurs, Feb 15, at 7:45 pm, in Brookside Room.]

4. Madisen Ward & the Mama Bear – “Whole Lotta Problems”
from: Skeleton Crew / Glassnote Entertainment Group / May 19, 2015
[Debut full length from Madisen Ward and Ruth Ward, who both play guitar, and sing harmonizing as son and mom. They have skyrocketed out of Kansas City, garnering international acclaim, and new fans from all over the world. We first played their music on this radio show in early May of 2013 after our mutual friend Joel Nanos of Element Recording sent us a copy of their independent EP, “We Burned The Cane Field.” Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear opened for BB King at The Midland, on October 2014. 96.5’s The Buzz’s Lazlo Gieger saw them and was blown away. He contacted his friend, Daniel Glass, founder of Glassnote Records who traveled to Kansas City to meet with Madisen and Ruth. 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 shows together, playing Madisen’s original songs along with the occassional cover of a classic track, reinterpreted in their own incredibly beautiful performace of two voices and two guitars in harmony and orchestration. Their debut album, The Skeleton Crew, was our most played record of 2015 and was #1 on our 115 Best Recordings of 2015. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear are currently working on their 2nd album.]

[Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Friday, Feb 16, at 8:15 pm, in Shawnee Mission Room.]

5. The War and Treaty – “Down The River”
from: Down The River / Strong World Entertainment / July 21, 2017
[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. 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, bass lines, 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 plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Friday, Feb 16, at 9:00 pm, in Washington Park Plaza.]

6. Mary Gauthier – “The War After the War”
from: Rifles and Rosary Beads / In The Black / January 26, 2018
[Brand new collection of songs by Mary Gauthier, co-written with U.S. veterans and their families, through Songwriting With Soldiers, a non-profit organization that pairs US veterans with professional songwriters. These songs are a glimpse inside the hearts and souls of both male and female soldiers, and their spouses. From Pop Matters: “SongwritingWith:Soldiers is an organization founded by songwriter Darden Smith that holds retreats pairing wounded veterans with established songwriters to help them to find a voice to express their experiences and through their sharing work towards emotional and spiritual healing. Songwriters who have participated in the program include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Marshall Crenshaw, Radney Foster, and Amy Speace, and some of the songs produced have been recorded by major country artists including Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Luke Bryan, and Garth Brooks. Mary Gauthier is a natural to serve as a contributor to this cause, her powerful autobiographical songwriting on past records addressing such topics as addiction, abandonment, and the search for meaning amidst pain. Turning her empathetic ear to the plights of others, she guides a group of veterans and their families through the composition of 11 highly effective and affecting songs. Of the experience, Gauthier writes “None of the veterans are artists. They don’t write songs; they don’t know that songs can be used to move trauma. Their understanding of song doesn’t include that. For me, it’s been the whole damn deal. Songwriting saved me. It’s what I think the best songs do, help articulate the ineffable, make the invisible visible, creating resonance, so that people (including the songwriter) don’t feel alone.” Gauthier was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born to a mother she never knew and left in St Vincent’s Women and Infants Asylum, Gauthier was adopted when she was a year old by an Italian Catholic couple from Thibodaux, Louisiana. At age 15, she ran away from home, and spent the next several years in drug rehabilitation, halfway houses, and living with friends; she spent her 18th birthday in a jail cell. Struggling to deal with being adopted, she used drugs and alcohol. These experiences provided fodder for her songwriting later on. Spurred on by friends, she enrolled at Louisiana State University as a philosophy major, dropping out during her senior year. After attending the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, she opened a Cajun restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, Dixie Kitchen (also the title of her first album). Mary ran, and cooked at, the restaurant for eleven years. She was arrested for drunk driving opening night, July 12, 1990, and has been sober ever since. After achieving sobriety, she was driven to dedicate herself full-time to songwriting, and embarked upon a career in music. She wrote her first song at age 35. She sold her share in the restaurant to finance her second album, Drag Queens in Limousines, in 1998. The summer of the release of this album, she was invited to play 11 major folk festivals, including the Newport Folk Festival. Drag Queens in Limousines won in The 1st Annual Independent Music Awards for Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song, and she was nominated for Best New Artist of the year by the Boston Music Awards. She was nominated for three Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards (GLAMA) and won best country artist of the year. In 2002 her third album, Filth and Fire, was named “Best Indy CD of the year” by Jon Pareles of The New York Times. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001 and secured a publishing deal with Harlan Howard Songs, then secured a record deal with Lost Highway, a division of Universal Music, in 2003. Her first major label release, in 2005, Mercy Now was on the top 10 list for the year in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News, and Billboard Magazine.]

[Mary Gauthier plays a Rebels and Renagades Showcase at Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester, KCMO, Thursday, Feb 15, at 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM, dedicated to the memory of Louis Jay Meyers]

[Mary Gauthier plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Thursday, Feb 15, at 9:45 pm, in Shawnee Mission Room.]

7. Darling West – “After My Time”
from: While I Was Asleep / Jansen Records / February 16, 2018
[Three piece Americana/Country/Folk band from Oslo, Norway. Since the release of their second album, “Vinyl and a Heartache”, they have played concerts all over the world, been listed on the biggest radio channels in Norway and appeared on the Top 100 Country charts in the US, streamed more than three million times on Spotify, booked to the biggest festivals in Norway and Americanafest in Nashville and won a Norwegian Grammy. The band has unveiled two singles from the album they plan to release in early 2018.]

[Darling West plays an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference, Sat, Feb 17, at 9:15 pm, in Liberty Room.]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Instant Karma

8. Instant Karma – “Make Me A Man”
from: Trying To Find My Mind / Independent / July 22, 2017
[Cole Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass, Zach Harris on drums. All songs written by Instant Karma. Mixed by Zach Harris. Mastered at Eureka Mastering.]

[Instant Karma plays The Brick, at 1727 McGee, on Friday, Feb 9, at 9 PM, w/ Wild Eye, and Akkilles.]

[Instant Karma plays The Rino 314 Armour Rd. North Kansas City, Thursday, February 15, at 7:00 PM, with The Velveteers, and Grey Eyes.]

10:35 – Interview with Colby Bales & Branden Moser

Julia Othmer, Branden Moser, and Colby Bales on the February 7, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI.

Colby Bales & Branden Moser are members of the Kansas City 4-piece band, Instant Karma. Instant Karma plays The Brick, at 1727 McGee, KCMO, on Friday, February 9, at 9 PM, with Wild Eye, and Akkilles. Instant Karma plays The Rino 314 Armour Rd. North Kansas City, Thursday, February 15, at 7:00 PM, with The Velveteers, and Grey Eyes. More info at: http://www.instantkarmakc.com

Colby Bales & Branden Moser, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Instant Karma with Colby Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass and keyboards, & Zach Harris on drums. Now with back up singers

Colby Bales and Cody Calhoun met in High School. They have been playing music together for 5 years. They became friends after forming the band,

Instant Karma bass player Branden Moser has called the band, “a drug trip through the soul section of your local record store.”

Instant Karma is recording new music that will be released as a 7 inch 45 rpm Single to be released through Sunflower Soul Records in collaboration with Chris Hazelton. The band shared one the sides from the new single live in our 90.1 FM Studios.

10:43

9. Instant Karma – “Shine On” (LIVE)
from: New song to be released as a 7” Single through Sunflower Soul Records
[Colby Bales on vocals & guitar, Branden Moser on harmony vocals.]

Instant Karma! is a 4 piece psych/soul rock band from Kansas City, MO. Their influences range from The Black Keys to Syl Johnson to the Wu Tang Clan.

Steven Ervay wrote for PlayistPlay: “This dynamic group mixes everything you love about soul, funk, and rock to create their unique peppy sound. The songs carry a palpable groove to them, accentuated by frontman Colby Bales’ smooth voice and the charming call and responses of the female backup singers.”

Instant Karma! has recently collaborated with other Kansas City musical artists: Erica Joy, Duncan Burnett on “Wiseman,” and Andrew Foshee.

Colby Bales & Branden Moser are also the co-founders of Groove King Records.

Instant Karma! will be playing The MidCoast Takeover, and will open for Durand Jones & The Indications, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Sunday, April 8, at 7:00 PM.

10:54

10. Instant Karma – “Trying to Find My Mind”
from: Trying To Find My Mind / Independent / July 22, 2017
[Cole Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass, Zach Harris on drums. All songs written by Instant Karma. Mixed by Zach Harris. Mastered at Eureka Mastering.]

[Instant Karma plays The Brick, at 1727 McGee, KCMO, on Friday, February 9, at 9 PM, with Wild Eye, and Akkilles.]

[Instant Karma plays The Rino 314 Armour Rd. North Kansas City, Thursday, February 15, at 7:00 PM, with The Velveteers, and Grey Eyes.]

11:00 – Station ID

11. Julia Othmer – “Hungry Days (Make Me Feel)”
from: Hungry Days (Make Me Feel) – Single / Julia Othmer & James Lundie / 6/30/17
[One several new singles released from Julia Othmer, as part of “Sound,” her second full-length album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James Lundie, who also married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” Julia has just returned from an East Coast Tour.]

[Julia Othmer plays Knuckleheads, at 2715 Rochester St, Fri, Feb 9, at 7:30 pm.]

[Julia Othmer will also be playing several Private Showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14-17, at The Weston Crown Center.]

11:04 – Interview with Julia Othmer

Julia Othmer

Julia Othmer is getting ready to release “Sound,” her second full-length album, produced with James Lundie, who married Julia in January of 2016 during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School and moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her first full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” Julia Othmer plays Knuckleheads, at 2715 Rochester Street, Friday, February 9, at 7:30 pm. Julia Othmer will also be playing several Private Showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14-17, at The Weston Crown Center.

Julia Othmer, thanks for being with us on WMM

Julia Othmer was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She went to Park Hill High and studied at Columbia University in New York City.

Julia has lived in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Colorado

Julia moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her first full-length album, “Oasis Motel.”

Out of Print Magazine says: “This Thursday evening in the quaint little village of NYC, Julia Othmer, the mesmerizingly sultry singer/songwriter will be riding into town tucked under the wings of a Southwest jet. She will be performing at Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen St. New York, NY) at 7PM sharp. If you haven’t heard of her, it may be because she has been diligently working on her new album for the last few years on the sunny and less immediate coast. Formerly a Kansas City native, Julia has put her pillow in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, some gondola in Colorado and finally Los Angeles, the city of lights and traffic, where she currently lives with her little white piano, her rock star and her cat Cosmo. Julia’s musical musings are so diverse that they become quite elusive to the simple description. Perhaps the best way to explain it would be if Nora Jones, Tom Waits, Billy Holiday and Lyle Lovett had a musical orgy and let you watch behind a curtain of burning lace and a whiskey waterfall. I’ll bring the unfiltered cigarettes, you bring your soul.”

11:25

12. Julia Othmer – “Purple and Gray”
from: Purple and Gray – Single / Julia Othmer & James Lundie / Sept. 29, 2017
[One several new singles released from Julia Othmer, as part of “Sound,” her second full-length album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James Lundie, who also married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” Julia has just returned from an East Coast Tour.]

[Julia Othmer plays Knuckleheads, at 2715 Rochester St, Fri, Feb 9, at 7:30 pm.]

[Julia Othmer will also be playing several Private Showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14-17, at The Weston Crown Center.]

11:29 – Underwriting

11:31 – Hedwig & The Angry Inch

Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, running thru Feb. 17 at the Arts Asylum, 1000 E 9th, KCMO.

13. Hedwig & The Angry Inch – “Tear Me Down”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Hedwig & The Angry Inch / Hybrid / 2001
[Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film written, adapted, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who also portrayed the title role, reprising his performance from the original production. Based on Mitchell’s and Stephen Trask’s stage musical of the same name, the film follows a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer who survives a botched sex change operation. Hedwig subsequently develops a relationship with a younger man, Tommy, becoming his mentor and musical collaborator, only to have Tommy steal her music and move on without her. The film follows Hedwig and her backing band, the Angry Inch, as they shadow Tommy’s tour, while exploring Hedwig’s past and complex gender identity. The musical has developed a devoted cult following. Despite largely positive reviews from critics and audiences, the film was a box office bomb, grossing only $3.6 million from an estimated $6 million budget. In 2001, the film won the Best Director and Audience Awards at the Sundance Film Festival as well as Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Mitchell received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and the Premiere magazine Performance of the Year Award. Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by a genderqueer East German singer, Hedwig Robinson. The story draws on Mitchell’s life as the son of a U.S. Army Major General who once commanded the U.S. sector of occupied West Berlin. The character of Hedwig was inspired by a German divorced U.S. Army wife who was a Mitchell family babysitter and moonlighted as a prostitute at her Junction City, Kansas, trailer park home. The music is steeped in the androgynous 1970s glam rock style of David Bowie (who co-produced the Los Angeles production of the show), as well as the work of John Lennon and early punk performers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. The musical opened Off-Broadway in 1998, and won the Obie Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The production ran for two years, and was remounted with various casts by the original creative team in other US cities. In 2000, the musical had a London West End production, and it has been produced throughout the world in hundreds of stage productions. In 2014, the show saw its first Broadway incarnation, opening that April at the Belasco Theatre and winning the year’s Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The production closed on September 13, 2015. A national tour of the show began at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre in October 2016 before closing at the Kennedy Center in July 2017. The character of Hedwig was originally a supporting character in the piece. She was loosely inspired by a German female babysitter/prostitute who worked for Mitchell’s family when he was a teenager in Junction City, Kansas. The character of Tommy, originally conceived as the main character, was based on Mitchell himself: both were gay, the sons of an army general, deeply Roman Catholic, and fascinated with mythology. Hedwig became the story’s protagonist when Trask encouraged Mitchell to showcase their earliest material in 1994 at NYC’s drag-punk club Squeezebox, where Trask headed the house band and Mitchell’s boyfriend, Jack Steeb, played bass. They agreed the piece should be developed through band gigs in clubs rather than in a theater setting in order to preserve a rock energy. Mitchell was deeply influenced by Squeezebox’s roster of drag performers who performed rock covers. The setlists of Hedwig’s first gigs included many covers with lyrics rewritten by Mitchell to tell Hedwig’s story: Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well”; Television’s “See No Evil”; Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World”; Yoko Ono’s “Death of Samantha”; Pere Ubu’s “Non-Alignment Pact”; Cher’s “Half Breed”; David Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging”; Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes”; and the Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.” A German glam rendition of Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” once served as the musical’s finale. Mitchell’s second gig was as fill-in host at Squeezebox on a bill featuring singer Deborah Harry of Blondie. It was for this occasion that Mike Potter first designed Hedwig’s trademark wig, which was initially constructed from toilet paper rolls wrapped with synthetic blond hair. Mitchell, Trask, and the band Cheater (Jack Steeb, Chris Wielding, Dave McKinley, and Scott Bilbrey) continued to workshop material at venues such as Fez Nightclub and Westbeth Theater Center for four years before premiering the completed musical Off-Broadway in 1998. Mitchell has explained that Hedwig is not a trans woman, but a genderqueer character. “She’s more than a woman or a man,” he has said. “She’s a gender of one and that is accidentally so beautiful.”]

11:35 – Interview with Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist

Katie Gilchrist, Justin Carter-Van Pelt, and Julia Othmer on the February 7, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is currently running through February 17 at the Arts Asylum, 1000 E 9th, KCMO. Justin Carter-Van Pelt has returned to Kansas City to reprise his award-winning turn as Hedwig a role he debuted with Eubank Productions in 2002 to sold-out crowds. Katie Gilchrist as Yitzhak brings her rock star vocals to this production, written by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask and the winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. This KC production is presented by the Egads! Theatre in association with Arts Asylum and was directed by Vanessa Severo.

Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist Thanks for being with us on WMM

Justin Carter-Van Pelt has returned to Kansas City to reprise his award-winning turn as Hedwig a role he debuted with Eubank Productions in 2002 to sold-out crowds.

Justin Carter-Van Pelt grew up in Lee’s Summitt, Missouri. He received his BFA in Musical Theatre at Southwest Missouri State University Lives in New York, New York Married Alex Carter-Van Pelsince October 12, 2017

Justin has done many shows in Kansas City including The Unicorn Theatre, Late Night Theatre, Eubank Productions, and bar Natasha you were one of the the founders of

Katie Gilchrist went to Archbishop O’hara High School, she studied English/Theatre/Music at Saint Mary College, and studied at UMKC. She lives and works non-stop as a professional actress in Kansas City, and her resume is incredible: KC Rep, Unicorn Theatre The Living Room Theatre, Amy Farrand & The Like. She is Artistic Director at Kansas City Irish Theatre, Artist, Manager and Co-Owner at Bohemian Cult Revival, part of the Girls Troupe at Late Night Theatre, Manager and performer at The Pearl KC, Performer at KC Strips

The music of “Hedwig” is “steeped in the androgynous 1970s glam rock style of David Bowie (who co-produced the Los Angeles production of the show), as well as the work of John Lennon and early punk performers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.”

Songs from the show:

“Tear Me Down” – Hedwig with Yitzhak
“The Origin of Love” – Hedwig
“Sugar Daddy” – Hedwig with Yitzhak
“Angry Inch” – Hedwig
“Wig in a Box” – Hedwig
“Wicked Little Town” – Hedwig
“The Long Grift” – Yitzhak/Skszp
“Hedwig’s Lament” – Hedwig
“Exquisite Corpse” – Hedwig with Yitzhak
“Wicked Little Town (Reprise)” – Hedwig as Tommy
“Midnight Radio” – Hedwig

1998 Off Broadway Debut
2001 Independent Film
2014 Broadway Revival

The universality of Hedwig And The Angry Inch is demonstrated in the fact that there have been professional productions of “Hedwig” all over the world: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Berlin, Milan, Thailand, Turkey, The Netherlands, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Frankfurt, Edinburgh,

EGADS! THEATRE COMPANY with THE ARTS ASYLUM PRESENT
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH // January 31 – February 17, 2018
Text by John Cameron Mitchell // Music & Lyrics by Stephen Trask

Starring Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist.

Director Vanessa Severo, known best to Kansas City audiences as an actress, is no stranger to the piece having played the role of Yitzhak. This time she takes the reins; “Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a fully immersive production which brings the elements of rock ‘n’ roll, philosophy, and face melting harmonies together.”

The Angry Inch band: Richie St. John, Sean Hogge, Mark Johnson and Felix Dukes.

“The concept of the stage production is that the audience is watching genderqueer rock singer Hedwig Robinson’s musical act as she follows rockstar Tommy Gnosis’s (much more successful) tour around the country. Occasionally Hedwig opens a door onstage to listen to Gnosis’s concert, which is playing in an adjoining venue. Gnosis is recovering from an incident that nearly ruined his career, having crashed his car into a school bus while high and receiving oral sex from none other than Hedwig herself. Capitalizing on her notoriety from the incident, Hedwig determines to tell the audience her story (“Tear Me Down”).”

“She is aided and hindered by her assistant, back-up singer and husband, Yitzhak. A Jewish drag queen from Zagreb, Yitzhak has an unhealthy, codependent relationship with Hedwig. She verbally abuses him throughout the evening, and it becomes clear that she is threatened by his natural talent, which eclipses her own. She describes how she agreed to marry him only after extracting a promise from him to never perform as a woman again, and he bitterly resents her treatment of him. (To further the musical’s theme of blurred gender lines, Yitzhak is played by a female actress.)”

Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is thrillingly progressive and thoroughly entertaining.

Egads! Theatre Company (the evolution of Eubank Productions) fosters emerging theatre professionals, produces theatre entertainment that is relevant and/or outlandish, and provides Kansas City audiences with quality productions as a stimulating outlet.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is currently running through February 17 at the Arts Asylum, 1000 E 9th, KCMO, presented by the Egads! Theatre in association with Arts Asylum

More info at: http://www.egadstheatre.com or hedwigkc.com

11:56

14. Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Original Brdwy Cast – “Exquisite Corpse”
from: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Orig. Brdwy Cast Rec) / Hedwig Brdwy Co. / June 11, 2014
[Neil Patrick Harris starred in the first Broadway production at the Belasco Theatre, which began previews on March 29, 2014, and officially opened on April 22, 2014. Harris stayed in the production through August 17, 2014. The director was Michael Mayer with musical staging by Spencer Liff. Lena Hall played Yitzhak, Hedwig’s husband, until April 2015. This production won several Tony awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Harris) and Best Featured Actress in a musical (Hall). It was also nominated for Best Costume Design for a Musical (Arianne Phillips), who also did the costumes for the original 2001 film. After Harris departed the production, Andrew Rannells took over the role of Hedwig on August 20, 2014, followed by Michael C. Hall, who played Hedwig from October 16, 2014, through January 18, 2015. The production then featured co-creator John Cameron Mitchell, who returned to the role from January 21 to April 26, 2015. Darren Criss took over the role of Hedwig on April 29 and played until July 19, 2015. Taye Diggs assumed the role on July 22, 2015, and performed through the production’s end on September 13, 2015. After Lena Hall left the production on April 4, 2015, Rebecca Naomi Jones took over as Yitzhak on April 14, 2015, following a week-long stint with Shannon Conley in the role.The Broadway production closed on September 13, 2015, after 22 previews and 507 regular performances. This version of the musical updates the story to modern day and has Hedwig performing on the abandoned set of Hurt Locker: The Musical, which closed the prior evening midway through its first performance. Hedwig explains that because it closed so quickly, she was able to convince one of the producers to allow her to use what would have been an otherwise empty and unused stage. Faux Playbills for the musical are littered throughout the theater and discuss various elements of the musical, which Hedwig occasionally mentions offhand throughout the musical. Director Michael Mayer stated that they came up with the idea for Hurt Locker: The Musical as a way to explain Hedwig’s presence in a Broadway theater. It was also used as a way to update the script to modern day as well as explain how Hedwig would be able to use such stage settings. Various newspapers have commented favorably on the faux Playbills, both an element of the musical and as a piece separate from the musical itself.]

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

Next week on February 14 we spin more music from artists playing Folk Alliance International Conference. Plus Victor & Penny join us LIVE in the 90.1 FM Studios.

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

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

Show #720

Wednesday MidDay Medley features Music from Folk Alliance International + Instant Karma + Julia Othmer + Hedwig And The Angry Inch

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Music from the Folk Alliance International Conference
+ Instant Karma + Julia Othmer + Hedwig And The Angry Inch

Mark plays songs from musical artists playing Official Showcases at the upcoming 2018 Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14, 15, 16, and 17 at the Westin Crown Center. We’ll hear tracks from: Crys Matthews, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, The War and Treaty, Mary Gauthier, Steve Poltz, and Darling West. More info at http://www.folk.org

Instant Karma

At 10:30 members of the band Instant Karma join us to share new music. Instant Karma features Cole Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass, Zach Harris on drums. Instant Karma bass player Branden Moser has called the band, “a drug trip through the soul section of your local record store.” Instant Karma plays The Brick, at 1727 McGee, KCMO, on Friday, February 9, at 9 PM, with Wild Eye, and Akkilles. Instant Karma plays The Rino 314 Armour Rd. North Kansas City, Thursday, February 15, at 7:00 PM, with The Velveteers, and Grey Eyes. More info at: http://www.instantkarmakc.com

Julia Othmer

At 11:00 Mark talks with Julia Othmer who is getting ready to release “Sound,” her second full-length album, produced with James Lundie, who married Julia in January of 2016 during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School and moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her first full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” Julia Othmer plays Knuckleheads, at 2715 Rochester Street, Friday, February 9, at 7:30 pm. Julia Othmer will also be playing several Private Showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference, February 14-17, at The Weston Crown Center. More info at http://www.juliaothmer.com.

Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, running thru Feb. 17 at the Arts Asylum, 1000 E 9th, KCMO.

At 11:30 Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchrist share details of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, running through February 17 at the Arts Asylum, 1000 E 9th, KCMO. Justin Carter-Van Pelt has returned to Kansas City to reprise his award-winning turn as Hedwig a role he debuted with Eubank Productions in 2002 to sold-out crowds. Katie Gilchrist as Yitzhak brings her rock star vocals to this production, written by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask and the winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. This KC production is presented by the Egads! Theatre in association with Arts Asylum and was directed by Vanessa Severo. More info at: http://www.egadstheatre.com or hedwigkc.com

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

Show #720

WMM Playlist from January 31, 2018

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The MidCoast Sound and The Super Blue Blood Moon
+ Betse Ellis + Marion Merritt

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

2. Chris Meck & The Guilty Birds – “Destination Revolution”
from: Destination Revolution – Single / Independent / January 20, 2017
[A new music video from the band featuring this song premiered January 20, 2017. Recorded by Chris Meck, down the rabbit hole at Whisker Gables, Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Chad Meise at Massive Sound Studios, Shawnee, KS. KC based trio with Chris Meck on lead guitar & vocals, Michelle Bacon on drums, and Calandra Ysquierdo on bass guitar & vocals. Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds released their debut full-length, It’s 4 A.M. Somewhere, on April 8, 2016]

[Chris Meck & The Guilty Birds play the MidCoast Takeover Fundraiser Part 2, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Saturday, February 24, at 9:30 PM with Broken Arrows and Headlight Rivals to benefit MidCoast takeover organized by The Midwest Music Foundation.]

3. Sleeping At Last – “January 31, 2018: Super Blue Blood Moon”
from: January 31, 2018: Super Blue Blood Moon – Single / Asteroid B – 612 / Jan 28, 2018
[Musical project led by singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Ryan O’Neal. The project initially began in Wheaton, Illinois as a 3-piece band with Ryan O’Neal as the lead singer and guitarist, his brother Chad O’Neal as the drummer, and Dan Perdue as the bassist. The band independently recorded their debut album, Capture in 2000, which they used to attract the attention of Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who helped them get signed to a major record label Interscope Records. The band released their first and only major label album, Ghosts in 2003, before going independent again and releasing Keep No Score in 2006, and Storyboards in 2009. In the years following the release of their first four albums, both Chad O’Neal and Perdue would both leave the band to pursue other interests. Ryan O’Neal chose to retain the use of the band’s name for his solo work from that point on, but opted to focus on single songs and short EPs than any further traditional albums.]

10:05:30 – Intro

Early this morning of January 31, we have experienced a full moon, a total lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a super moon. All incredible, and even more exciting because they all happened at the same time. We just heard a new composition from Chicago musican and composer, Sleeping At Last, the musical project of Chad O’Neal, and his brand new song called, “January 31, 2018: Super Blue Blood Moon” written for this moment in time.

Today on this Super Blue Blood Moon day we bring you “The MidCoast Sound,” new and area musical releases from: Howard Iceberg & The Titanics, Calvin Arsenia, RUBEO, Krystle Warren, Bobby Watson, Khrystal., KD Kuro, Betse & Clarke, Sara Morgan, Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type, Victor & Penny, Truckstop Honeymoon, Chase the Horseman, Fathers, and Sara Swenson. We started w/ Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds,

And joining me for the entire show is Betse Ellis and Marion Merritt.

Betse Ellis is originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Music and a Bachelors of Arts in English, from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She has been playing the Violin for over 40 years, with over 20 years playing fiddle and also working as a teacher of music. Betse was one of the founding members of the critically acclaimed and internationally known band, The Wilders. Betse has released two solo records, and now is recording and performing with her partner, multi-instrumentalist Clarke Wyatt, as Betse & Clarke. Their debut album, “River Still Rise” was in our Top Ten, of The 116 Best Recordings of 2016, and last year they released a new full length recording on cassette called Tunes We Like, part of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017.

Marion Merritt is our most frequent contributor to WMM, She grew up in Los Angeles, and St. Louis. She went to college in Columbia, Missouri. She studied art and musical engineering, and is a avid lover of classic films and punk rock music. She saw Talking Heads on their first U.S. tour when they played One Block West, in 1978. For 14 years she has been sharing her musical discoveries and information from her musically-encyclopedic brain on Wednesday MidDay Medley. Marion has joined us for every on-air fund drive to help raise funds for the MidCoast Radio Project. Marion is also the proprietor of Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri, featurinh new vinyl releases, weekly in-store performances from young and upcoming bands, and last fall was the location for a wedding. More information at: http://www.recordwithmerritt.com

Non-Commercial, Community Radio, means that three times a year, we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming, to ask YOU our beautiful-listeners, to help us continue 90.1 FM’s unique, 24-7 programming, that is…essentially free to you. In just a few weeks 90.1 FM KKFI will be celebrating our 30th year on the airwaves. While the spirit of this station is kept alive by hundreds of volunteers who passionately donate their time and abilities to keep the transmission of our 100,000-watt-signal alive. We are a operated by a not-for-profit organization, incorporated over 40 years ago, called The MidCoast Radio Project.

YOU are the reason we are able to stay alive.

Along with all of the music, in the last 12 months, WMM has interviewed 200 guests: Kemet The Phantom, D Rashawn Gilmore, Steve Tullipana, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Krystle Warren, Scott Hobart, Necia Gamby, Dedric Moore, Brenton Cook, Erica Joy, Wick Thomas, Kadesh Flow, Betse Ellis, Clarke Wyatt, Calvin Arsenia, Nico Gray, Ron Megee, Nan Turner, Matthew Roth, Johnny Hamil, Marco Pascolini, Ada Brumback, Shortsweather, Erin Keller, Summer Osborne, Jen Appell, Steve Gardels, Cynthia Hardeman, Fally Afani, Matt Kesler, Scott Mize, Jennie Ferguson, Doug Hitchcock, Cole Bales, Cody Calhoun, Scott Hrabko, Jonathan Brokaw, Ethan Savage, Jesslay Huh, Jamie Rich, David Weeda, Austin Williams, Philip Hooser, IVØRY BLACK, Anna Selle, Bill Dickey, Roxi Copland, Joy Baker, Kathryn Golden, Bill Sundahl, Derick Cunninhgham, Desmond Mason, Bill Svoboda, Claire Adams, Ross Brown, Jerad Tomasino, Laurel Parks, Ben Parks, Maria Cuevas, Garrett Nordstrom, Barry Lee, Noah Davis, Steven Eubank, Julie Shaw, Sarah Beth Mundy, Lovergurl (Stephanie Bankston, Brook Worlledge, Heather Andrews), Johnny Hamil, Chad Meise, Marco Pascolini, Mikal Shapiro, Chris Haghirian, Nathan Reusch, Ivory Black, Spencer Brown, Aaron Rhodes, The Sleazebeats (Charlie Colbourne, Bill Belzer), Jen Harris, Ryan Wilks, Jennifer Appell, Beth Marshall, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, Ron Megee, Calvin Arsenia, Janet Henry, Michael McQuary, Nico Gray, Red Kate (Shawn Saving, Shaun Hamontree), Raves Arey, Clint Hoffmeier, Matt Tady, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Alan Winkler, Brenton Cook, Run With It (Miguel Carabello, Ben Byard, Daniel Cole) Matthew Dunehoo, Lou Jane Temple, Dave Storms, Sondra Freeman, David George, Jade Osborne, Quinn Hernandez, Shaun Crowly, Marion Merritt, John Craige, Megan Slankard, The Jellyman’s Daughter (Graham Coe, Emily Kelly, and Paul Gilbody), Jennifer McCartney, Autumn McCartney, Amy Marcus, Susanna Lee, Michelle Bacon, Kyle Dahlquist, Vanessa Severo, Amy Farrand, Tim Finn, Fally Afani, Simone Briand, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jenny Mendez, Chato Villalobos, Miguel Morales, Philip blue owl Hooser, Barry Lee, & Whitney Boyd, Simone Briand, Emma Carter, Mackenzie Goodwin, Vigthor Zophoniasson & Lauren Braton, Salar Rajabnick, Barbara Eubank, Samn Wright, Caitlin Jemma & Bart Budwig, Michael McQuary, David Wayne Reed, Barclay Martin, Rabbi Moti Rieber, Crystal Clayton, Howard Iceberg, Zachary Van Benthusen, Krysztof Nemeth, Britt Adair, Duncan Burnett, Promise Clutter, Chris Meck, Teri Quinn, Mirina Landry, Victor & Penny (Erin McGrane & Jeff Freling), Judy Mills, Stephonne Singleton, Jamie Searle, Patrick Alexander.

10:16

4. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “Walkin’ In Milwaukee”
from: Netherlands / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / December 20, 2017
[On this track: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals, Rich Hill on piano & harmony vocals, Bryan Hicks on stand-up bass & harmony vocals, Gary Cradle on percussion, Dan Bliss on guitar, and Betse Ellis on violin. Howard Iceberg calls this album, “More songs from another time and place. This time around, a story album. Not mine, but that of spirits both close and far. Help from Durrell and Hemingway. The stories fleshed out by some of KC’s jazz cats, not to mention the usual suspects. I keep my eyes open and my mouth shut (heh heh). Imagining I am seeing the arc of love and the arc of life more clearly with the years. Waiting for a train.” Howard Iceberg on vocal, guitar, harmony vocals; Rich Hill on piano, organ, electric piano, trombone, accordion, harmony vocals; Bryan Hicks on standup bass, electric bass, harmony vocals; Gary Cardile on percussion; Doug Auwarter on drums; Dan Bliss on guitar; Camry Ivory on vocals, harmony vocals; Charles Perkins on sax, flute; Betse Ellis on violin, Marco (Macro) Pascolini on baritone guitar, pedal steel; Phil Wade on dobro; Jeff (Jeff Eff) Freling on guitar; Chad Rex on guitar. All words and music by Howard Iceberg © 2017 Howard Iceberg. All rights reserved. Produced by Howard Iceberg and Rich Hill. Recorded by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios and Rich Hill at The Hilltop. Mixed by Howard Iceberg and Pat Tomek.]

[Howard Iceberg plays an Album Release show at The Ship, March 29. Proceeds to benefit Care Beyond the Boulevard a non-profit providing medical & social services to homeless and vulnerable groups.]

5. Betse & Clarke – “Highway Man”
from: Tunes We Like / Betse & Clarke / September 13, 2017
[Highway Man is from Bill (Willie) Bilyeu, part of a large musical Ozark family, that includes Mark Bilyeu, a good friend to Betse & Clarke. Betse learned this tune specially for an Ozark Heroes weekend the duo did with The Creek Rocks (comprised of Mark and his wife, Cindy Woolf). On the track Betse plays standard fiddle and Clarke plays guitar. Released only in analog on cassette featuring Betse Ellis on standard & cross-tuned fiddles, Clarke Wyatt on banjos & guitar, and some selections played by the Brushy Creek String Band, with Brett Hodges on guitar and Alex Mallett on bass. Produced as the first in a series of instrumental recordings. Betse & Clarke will continue this model, with plans to record on analog reel-to-reel tape for the next release in the series. The music may see an online release and digital distribution, but the plan is that all physical copies will be in analog format. Recorded by Wyatt live with no overdubs at home in KCMO, the instrumental collection highlights traditional Ozark tunes, learned from early string band recordings of the 1920s and from later Ozark heroes such as Bob Holt and soon to be 101 year old Violet Hensley. Betse & Clarke are a traditional and future folk duo with Betse Ellis on fiddles, violins, viola & vocals and Clarke Wyatt on banjos, guitar, cello, multi-instruments. Betse & Clarke have played and toured around the world. Individually their musical roots go deep in the KC music scene. Clarke Wyatt is a founding member of Mr. Marco’s V7, and Betse Ellis is a founding member of The Wilders. In 2016 Betse & Clarke released ”River Still Rise.”]

[Betse & Clarke will be performing Love Songs in Downtown St. Joe, with Under The Big Oak Tree, on Saturday, February 3, at 2:00 pm, at the Paradox Coffee & Theatre, 107 S. 6th Street, Saint Joseph, Missouri as part of the Handpicked seasonal concert series.]

[Betse & Clarke and Under The Big Oak Tree play The Brick, Mon, Feb 5, at 6pm for Rural Grit Happy Hour.]

[Betse & Clarke will also be instructors at the 2018 Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, February 16, 17, and 18 at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center as part of Folk Alliance International Conference. http://www.folk.org]

6. Victor & Penny – “Wake Up Early”
from: Wake Up Early – Single / EAT.HEAR.RECORDS / November 15, 2017
[Erin McGrane, Jeff Freling formed Victor & Penny in 2010. The vinyl-only label was started by Steve Tulipana and the team at recordBar. Written by Erin McGrane and Jeff Freling. Recorded mixed and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab. Erin McGrane on ukulele & vocals, Jeff Freling guitar & vocals, featuring James Issac on clarinet & soprano sax, Kyle Dahlquist on trombone, glokenspiel & vocals, Jeff harshbarger on upright bass, and Brian Steever on drums. Sleve design by Marco Pascolini. EAT.HEAR.RECORDS. 1520 Grand Ave. KCMO 64108 http://www.therecordbar.com]

[Victor & Penny and the Loose Change Orchestra play Swing Night at the Chesterfield, 1400 Main St, Kansas City, Missouri, Friday, February 2, at 8:30 Beginner Swing Dance lessons, 9:00 Victor & Penny]

[Victor & Penny and the Loose Change Orchestra will join famed composer and musician David Amram for David Amram: A Musical Life, interviewed by Chuck Haddix, Tuesday, February 13 at 7 PM, at The Olathe Public Library, 201 E Park St, Olathe, Kansas]

[Victor & Penny play an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International Conference at Saturday, February 17, at 6:45 PM in The Garden Terrace at Weston Crown Center.]

7. Fathers – “Solamente”
from: “Solamente” – Single / Fathers / 2017
[One of 3 songs recorded from new 8-piece band, formed in 2017, Kenneth Storz on lead vocals, guitar, & keys; Brooke Honeycutt on vocals, bells, percussion; David Littlewood on voice, keyboards, bells; Snake Bourret on percussion, bells, keys; Matt Guilliums on bass & percussion; Bryce VZ on vibraphone, voice, & percussion; Josh Seerden on guitar, keys, bass, percussion; Celeste Tilley on trombone, vocals, & percussion.]

[Fathers plays Sound Machine KC, Friday, February 16, at 7:00 pm, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, with Pink Royal, y god y, and The Fey (from Lincoln, Nebraska).]

We heard from Betse & Clarke in that last segment. Betse has been part of the KC Music Community for nearly 30 years now, and through most of those years she has made appearances on 90.1 FM as a musician. She has been a frequent guest on Wednesday MidDay Medley, River Trade Radio, and Signal to Noise with Barry Lee. She has emceed special KKFI fundraisers, and was the music director of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s LIVE stage version of A Story In A Song at the recordBar, and for the last 7 years she has been joining us during our on-air fund-drive shows to encourage our listeners to donate

Today’s show is our 719th consecutive weekly show. Last Fall we celebrated our 700th show, representing 1406 hours of radio, 10,000 hours of preparation, nearly 2000 guests, and over 15,000 songs, from thousands of musical artists.

To say we’ve been inspired by the KC music scene, is an understatement. In just this last year, we’ve played from over 200 local releases of 2017. The KC music community is fueled by a collaborative and generous heart that is beating in so many of the artists I’ve met while doing this show. I am inspired by the women who created radio on 90.1 FM long before me: my friend April Fletcher who know plays bass professionally in Los Angeles, and my friend Anne Winter, who left us in 2009, and reminded us how we’re all connected. I’m inspired by the diverse , intelligent, motivated, listeners, looking for place on the dial, where they can connect to the amazing stories and music and voice of our community.

Today we celebrate the pure idea of community radio, free form radio, radio that tells the story of the people who live here, the artists, the writers, the teachers, the performers, the lovers. Today we celebrate 719 weeks of Wednesday MidDay Medley, the show that has brought us together, at this time, on this frequency, in these community airwaves.

10:35 – Underwriting

8. Calvin Arsenia – “Back To You”
from: Caviar EP/ Calvin Arsenia / December 5, 2017
[Produced for attendees at Calvin’s “Secret Show,” Tuesday, December 5, at Wickstock West, 1324 West 12th Street, in The West Bottoms, and for supporters of his Outlyre Tour. Words and Music by Calvin Arsenia. Produced by Jametatone, Simon Huntley and Calvin Arsenia. Recorded at The Infoaming Vertex. Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On Februay 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 released Live at Greenwood Social Hall from his June 11, 2017 live performance at Greenwood Social Hall, 1760 Bellevue. In the late Summer and Fall Calvin went on a three month US/European Outlyre Tour where he has played San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Lyon and Paris. in over 40 shows, with musician and friend Simon Huntley who plays with Quixotic. Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, banjo, guitar and harp. Calvin teaches music. Calvin is a graduate of Artist INC.]

[Calvin Arsenia will be playing back up for Sara Swenson, in her early show at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Saturday, February 3, at 5:00 pm, with Jake Wells opening.]

9. Sara Swenson – “In A Field”
from: Sara Swenson / Sara Swenson / September 12, 2008
[Critically acclaimed singer songwriter Sara Swenson has released some of our most played and favorite recordings of the last 10 years. Her self titled debut ended up at the top of our list of The 100 Best Recordings of 2009. In 2010 Sara Swenson released her second full length recording, “All Things Big and Small” again working with Don Chaffer in Nashville who added new layers to Sara’s great songs and voice. In November of 2011, Sara released her 5 song EP called “Never Left My Mind,” featuring her band at the time, The Pearl Snaps. In that time frame, she also had picked up two Kansas City Singer-Songwriter of the Year awards, performed with Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, and placed a song on the season finale of ABC’s “Private Practice.” Then after the school year ended in 2012, Sara Swenson left her job as a High School English and Journalism Teacher in Platte County High School, and left the Kansas City music scene, and she flew off to the United Kingdom, where she got married. In the Spring of 2014, Sara returned to Kansas City and performed for the Folk Alliance International Conference. On July 18, 2014 Sara released Runway Lights her 4th studio album that captures snapshots of her 18-month experience of living abroad, moving from dating to marriage and sorting through the accompanying transitions. Produced by Don Chaffer in Nashville.]

[Sara Swenson plays early show at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Sat, Feb 3, 5:00 pm, w/ Jake Wells opening.]

10. Truckstop Honeymoon – “Go Go Go”
from: Big Things and Little Things / S. West & M. West / January 6, 2017
[Katie West & Mike West are based in Lawrence, KS, and were relocated here after Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of their home. Hollering with all their hearts over a five string banjo and a doghouse bass, Truckstop Honeymoon live the life they sing about. Touring across three continents with four kids and a truck load of songs, Katie and Mike West tell stories about the strangeness of everyday life. Their music combines elements of bluegrass, music hall jazz and straight up rock’n’roll. Vaudevillian wit and showmanship spike their energetic live shows, while the fearless honesty of their songs touches the hearts of listners around the world. In eleven years Truckstop Honeymoon have released eight CDs and a full length documentary film on Baton Rouge label, Squirrel Records. They perform at International folk festivals, rock clubs, neighborhood bars, house concerts and hay barns from Nebraska to Tasmania. Truckstop Honeymoon’s story begins in New Orleans, where Katie played wash-tub bass and blues piano in the streets of the French Quarter. There she met Mike, who slung a banjo and sold his CDs to tourists as a curative for hangovers and small mindedness. After a court house wedding, they hit the road together. They spent their wedding night in a truckstop somewhere between Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Swamp, where Truckstop Honeymoon was born. More info at: http://www.truckstophoneymoon.com.]

[Truckstop Honeymoon play The Brick, 1727 McGee St., Kansas City, Saturday, February 3.]

We heard Calvin Arsenia, Sara Swenson, Mike and Katie West part of the Kansas City musical community of professional musicians who make their living making music, based in in Kansas City like our friend Betse Ellis, and also Kasey Rausch, who was one of the first musicians to play live on WMM almost 14 years ago. Kasey also co-hosts River Trade Radio with Mikal Shapiro, on Sunday Mornings at 9:00 Am on 90.1 FM KKFI. Kasey is one of many KC Professional Musicians, who take time away from their work and art to donate time to community radio as they host and produce some of KKFI’s finest radio programs, Including Jeff Hashbarger, Jason Vivone, Sam Wisman, Roger Wilder, Bob and Diana Suckiel, Gerald Dunn, Dwight Frizzell, Jessie Gilpin, Ernest James, and Mikal Shapiro.

We are The Voice of The Community

90.1 offers 104 different radio programs. 82 of these programs are locally created and produced and hosted and engineered and written by over 100 different people, who create content, and personally handcraft each show. There are 143 hours each week of locally produced handcrafted programs. You we not find this kind of representative diversity anywhere else on your radio or television dial. It is very special. It needs to be nourished and kept alive in a world of corporate nationally owned commercial or religious broadcasting. Not only do we bring the most diverse and unfiltered news and information, but our musical playlists are deep, and comprehensive. In one week you can hear over 2000 different songs played, in Blues, Jazz, Folk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Classical, World, Americana, Southern Soul, Fusion, Soul, Rock, New Wave, Electronic, Native, Local, Old Timey, Rockabilly, Women’s, Children’s, Gospel, and Experimental. With all of this you also hear the voices from the hundreds of KKFI volunteers and the hundreds of guests who share their stories, while broadcasting live from our non-commercial, midtown studios, here at 39th & Main, in the center of our metro, across two states, and many cities, and hundreds of communities, and thousands of radios. How much is this worth to you?

10:56

11. KD Kuro – “JULES (feat. Domineko & Chase the Horseman (radio edit)”
from: Good-Luck / Kwame Boateng / August 1, 2017
[This track was produced by Chase the Horseman. KD Kuro is the musical project of Kwame Boateng, a Kansas City based rapper. He was born in Arlington, Virginia, and graduated from Olathe South High School in 2008. After attending Coffeyville Community College Kwame as KD Kuro started his rap career in 2012 and has been cultivating and refining his sound over the course of the last 5 years. Kwame grew up with musical influences like N.E.R.D and Missy Elliot that helped to mold the music he creates. His debut album was co-produced by Chase the Horseman and Nathan “Geesace” Gisecke. KD Kuro’s debut album is available at: http://www.kwamekuro.bandcamp.com] [KD Kuro Kwame Boateng & Chase The Horseman joined us live on WMM on Aug 2.]

[KD Kuro plays Three Headed Thursdays, at Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, Kansas, Thursday, February 1, at 10:00 PM with Khrystal., MetaWatt & TRS-One.]

11:00 – Station ID

12. Khrystal. – “dont be mad (free)”
from: The Glow Up / Khrystal. / September 1, 2017
[Produced & Written by Khrystal Coppage and Duncan Burnett. Follow up to Khrystal’s Debut EP From EP – Quarter Century Living. Executive Produced By Duncan Burnett. Written By Khrystal Coppage & Duncan Burnett. Kansas City based Khrystal Coppage served as Editor-in-Chief of Khorage Magazine. She served as Production Manager at UMKC University News from 2015 to 2016. She graduated from UMKC in 2016 where she studied Family Studies. She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2013. She is a graduate of Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, in KCK. http://mixtapemonkey.com/2073/khrystal-q-u-a-r-t-e-r-c-e-n-t-u-r-y-l-i-v-i-n-g%5D

[Khrystal. plays Three Headed Thursdays, Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, Kansas, Thursday, February 1, at 10:00 PM with KD Kuro, MetaWatt & TRS-One.]

13. R U B E O – “XANAXIS”
from: XANAXIS – Single / R U B E O / October 17, 2017
[RUBEO is Joe Rubeo a Kansas City based Electronic Music Producer. Music and Lyrics by: RUBEO. Engineered and Produced by: Evan Bissel. RUBEO released the single “Another Life” on September 9, 2017. Joe Rubeo grew up in the Kansas City area. He went to Blue Valley Northeast High School, and studied Music and Theology at Manhattan Christian College. He also studied at Solar Energy International and works in the renewable energy field as a technician.]

[R U B E O plays The Rino, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, Friday, February 2, at 7:00 PM, with Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type, and Brother Moses.]

KKFI’s Mission Statement: KKFI is the Kansas City area’s independent, noncommercial community radio station. We seek to stimulate, educate and entertain our audience, to reflect the diversity of the local and world community, and to provide a channel for individuals and groups, issues and music that have been overlooked, suppressed or under-represented by other media.

KKFI’s Philosophy Statement: KKFI is committed to diversity in programming and discourse and seeks to create a climate of mutual respect and collaboration among volunteers and staff.

11:14

14. Krystle Warren – “Move”
from: Three The Hard Way / Parlour Door Music / August 18, 2017
[Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane (D’Angelo, Emily King, PJ Morton). Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. Last year in Krystle Warren premiered this song and her other new songs from this album at the Middle of the Map Fest in a packed room at Californos in Westport and later at The Polsky Theatre for the Performing Arts Series of Johnsons County Community College. For this record Krystle decided to play every instrument and vocals & back up vocals, “playing bass, drums, lap steel, piano, guitar, and vocals directly to analog tape. She and Ben Kane recorded in Villetaneuse, France, a small town on the outskirts of Paris in a vintage 70s era studio that offered just the right, rich sound to suggest the musical foundation for the record, and to do justice to the duo’s carefully balanced arrangements.” On the radio show last year Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones. Originally from KC, Krystle learned to play the guitar by listening to Rubber Soul & Revolver from The Beatles. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career in collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After living in San Francisco and NYC, Krystle was signed to a French label, Because Music, and moved to Paris to release “Circles” in 2009. Krystle played French and British television programs, including Later with Jools Holland, garnering critical acclaim and traveling all over the world with Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Norah Jones, and Joan As Police Woman. Krystle created, Parlour Door Music, to release “Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace” a recording from a 13-day session in Brooklyn, where she recorded 24 songs live with 28 musicians including her band, The Faculty, alongside choirs, horn and string sections.] [Krystle Warren was on WMM on September 20. We played her music on 12 different shows last year.]

15. Bobby Watson – “The Guitarist ‘For Grant Green'”
from: Made in America / Smoke Sessions Records / April 21, 2017
[Grant Green was born in St. Louis, Missouri, June 6, 1935. He died January 31, 1979. Grant Green was an American jazz guitarist and composer. He first performed in a professional setting at the age of 13 as a member of a gospel music ensemble. His influences were Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Jimmy Raney, he first played boogie-woogie before moving on to jazz. His first recordings in St. Louis were with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest for the United label. The drummer in the band was Elvin Jones, later the powerhouse behind sax player John Coltrane. Green recorded with Elvin again in the early 1960s. Lou Donaldson discovered him playing in a bar in St. Louis. After touring together with Donaldson, Green arrived in New York around 1959–60. Recording prolifically and mainly for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop and Latin-tinged idioms throughout his career. Critics Michael Erlewine and Ron Wynn write, “A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar … Green’s playing is immediately recognizable – perhaps more than any other guitarist.” Critic Dave Hunter described his sound as “lithe, loose, slightly bluesy and righteously groovy”. He often performed in an organ trio, a small group with an organ and drummer. Apart from guitarist Charlie Christian, Green’s primary influences were saxophonists, particularly Charlie Parker, and his approach was therefore almost exclusively linear rather than chordal. He thus rarely played rhythm guitar except as a sideman on albums led by other musicians. The simplicity and immediacy of Green’s playing, which tended to avoid chromaticism, derived from his early work playing rhythm and blues and, although at his best he achieved a synthesis of this style with bop, he was essentially a blues guitarist and returned almost exclusively to this style in his later career. From Smoke Sessions Records on Made in America: Jazz great Bobby Watson celebrates some of the vital but less well-known contributions of African-Americans on Made in America, his first recording on Smoke Sessions Records. Saxophonist and composer Watson does his part to call attention to black pioneers in a variety of fields, from politics to pop culture, science to sports. These compositions are inspired by a few names that should be familiar to jazz fans, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Grant Green, but also by more obscure historic figures such as Wendell Pruitt, Butterfly McQueen, Major Taylor, Madam C.J. Walker, Isaac Murphy, Bass Reeves, and Dr. Mark Dean. Watson explains, “This project has been a history lesson for me and I hope it will be a history lesson for the listeners.” From wikipedia.org: “Bobby Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, August 23, 1953. he is an American post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Watson now has 27 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role. Watson has recorded more than 100 original compositions. Watson grew up in Bonner Springs, Kansas, and Kansas City, Kansas. He attended the University of Miami with fellow students Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and Bruce Hornsby. After graduating in 1975, he moved to NYC and joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He performed with the Messengers from 1977 to 1981. After the Jazz Messengers, Watson work with many notable musicians, including: drummers Max Roach and Louis Hayes, fellow saxophonists George Coleman and Branford Marsalis, multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. In addition, Watson has served in a supporting role for a number of vocalists including: Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, and Carmen Lundy, and has performed as a sideman with Carlos Santana, George Coleman, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Bob Belden and John Hicks. Later, in association with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, Watson started the first edition of Horizon, an acoustic quintet modeled after the Jazz Messengers but with its own slightly more modern twist. In addition to his work as leader of Horizon, Watson also led a group known as the High court of Swing (a tribute to the music of Johnny Hodges), The Tailor-Made Big Band (16 pieces in all) and is a founding member of the 29th Street Saxophone Quartet, an all-horn, four-piece group with alto saxophonist Ed Jackson, tenor saxophonist Rich Rothenberg, and baritone saxophonist Jim Hartog. Watson also composed an original song for the soundtrack of Robert De Niro’s A Bronx Tale (1993). A resident of New York for most of his professional life, Watson served as a member of the adjunct faculty and taught private saxophone at William Patterson University from 1985 to 1986 and the Manhattan School of Music from 1996 to 1999. He is currently involved with the Thelonious Monk Institute’s yearly “Jazz in America” high school outreach program. In 2000, he was approached to return to his native midwestern surroundings on the Kansas-Missouri border. Watson was selected as the first William D. and Mary Grant/Missouri, Distinguished Professorship in Jazz Studies. The past seven years he has served as the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music although he still manages to balance live engagements around the world with his teaching responsibilities. Watson’s ensembles at UMKC have garnered several awards and national recognition.]

[Bobby Watson plays Kansas City Jazz: From Basie to Bebop featuring BOBBY Watson, Fri, Feb 9, at 8 PM, at The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri hosted by American Jazz Museum and The Kansas City Symphony.]

11:25 – Underwriting

Kansas City Community Radio 90.1 FM offers loads of information about what is going on in the community. Not only does this show interview nearly 200 guest each year, not only do we play nearly 1000 different songs with nearly half of those being locally produced, but we also shine a light on area not-for-profit theatre companies, art museums & galleries, area festivals, service organizations, area record labels and record stores, the area music scene, arts scene, theatre scene, literary arts scene, political action scene.

In just this past year, we’ve featured segments shining a light on: Spinning Tree Theatre, Middle of The Map Fest, Shuttlecock Music Showcase, First Friday Film Fest, American Jazz Museum, KC Fringe Theatre Fest, Late Night Theatre, Crossroads Music Fest, Midwest Music Foundation and the MidCoast Takeover, Kansas City Public Library, Record Store Day, Folk Alliance International Conference, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , Lawrence Field Day Fest, 31st & Brklyn, Kansas City Pride Fest, Girls Rock! and the Annual Girls Rock! Camp, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Apocalypse Meow, The Buffalo Room, Standing Rock, Union Station, Outer Reaches Festival, Plaza Art Fair, No Wave Fest, Haymaker Records, Johnson County Performing Arts Series, The Pop Poetry Series at Prospero’s Books, Datura Records, Center of The City Fest, Too Much Rock, Crossroads Summer Block Party, Shelf Life, Kansans Against Campus Carry, Kansas Interfaith Action, Like Me Lighthouse, The Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, The Band That Fell To Earth A Tribute To David Bowie, The Kauffman Center for The Performing Arts, Artist Inc., and more…

11:35

16. Akkilles – “Leave Your Love”
from: Something You’d Say / The Record Machine / July 2, 2013
[Debut full-length release from Akkilles, the experimental project of Kansas City based singer/songwriter David Bennett. Bennett started the project in the summer of 2011.]

[Akkilles plays The Brick, 1727 McGee, KCMO, Friday, Feb 9 at 9 PM, w/ Wild Eye, and Instant Karma.]

17. Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type – “Teenage Bodies”
from: Teenage Bodies – Single / Independent / September 13, 2017
[Indie synthpop from Kansas City based, 5-piece band that includes: Rachel Mallin on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Walker on bass, Austin Edmisten on drums & back-up vocals, Jesse Bartmess on synthesizers & keyboards. “Teenage Bodies,” the latest single from Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type, shows a band solidifying its identity. Mallin wrote, recorded and produced her first album, The Persistence of Vision, in 2014 — a solo effort that spoke to her synthpop sensibilities and landed her on Kansas City radio. That same year, she left the University of Missouri to pursue a music career, and enlisted bassist Justin Walker and drummer Austin Edmisten to form The Wild Type. By mid-2016, the act — with keyboardist Jesse Bartmess and former guitarist Matt Kosinski — released its debut EP, Degenerate Matters, recorded, produced, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Musical Arrangements written and performed by Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, Austin Edmisten, Jesse Bartmess, and Matt Kosinski. Lyrics written by Rachel Mallin. That same year, The Wild Type earned support slots for acts from Cold War Kids to Metric and The Struts, and widespread recognition in its hometown at festivals such as Middle of the Map and Boulevardia.]

[Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type play The Rino, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, Friday, February 2, at 7:00 PM, with Brother Moses, and RUBEO.]

18. Chase The Horseman – “RIPchord”
from: RIPchord – Single / Chase the Horseman / October 24, 2017
[Recorded at Element Recording with Engineering, Mixing, Mastering, Coiling, Tutelage nu Joel Nanos , and Fritz Hutchison on C&C Drums, Kustom K Cymbals, Heidi Lynne Gluck on Fender Jazz Bass, Grounding, and Chase Horseman on Prophet 600, Wurlitzer 206, Drumbrute, Arp Explorer, Hagstrom 12-String, Framus 12 String, vox. Chase the Horseman is a band, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and producer. He has composed music for over 36 films and as musician has collaborated with Clairaudients, Teri Quinn, Heidi Lynne Gluck, and many more.]

[Chase The Horseman plays Ollie’s Local, Saturday, February 3, at 5:00 pm.]

Driving in your car, at the office, at the gym, in your garage, in your cubicle, in your art-space, on your iPad, at your construction site, in your kitchen, in your barn, YOU can take 90.1 with you, as your companion. 90.1 FM is generally a good date. Good for a few laughs, fun to dance with, always interested in good conversation. Isn’t 90.1 FM KKFI worth a few dollars a day, or a week? So many people tune in to kkfi.org everyday, but studies show, that less than 1 percent actually donate to keep this miracle of broadcasting alive. Your support means that you will help bring this programming to folks who could not donate at this time, for whatever the reason.

11:56

19. Sara Morgan – “Never Been to Nashville”
from: Average Jane / River Delta Records / January 26, 2018
[KC based Singer/Songwriter, originally from McGehee, Arkansas. Sara Morgan plays saxophone, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and piano. Sara has opened for BJ Thomas, John Michael Montgomery, John Corbett, Sean Rowe, Chuck Mead, Ben Taylor, and was the preshow before Loretta Lynn at The Uptown, November 2014. Ms. Lynn hosted Sara on her tour bus after Sara’s set and prior to Ms. Lynn’s performance.]

[Sara Morgan plays In-Store at Mills Record Company, 4045 Broadway, KCMO, Thurs, Feb 1 at 7:30]

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

Next week on February 7, the band Instant Karma will play live in our 90.1 FM Studios, plus we’ll be playing music from artists playing the 2018 Folk Alliance International Conference, plus Julia Othmer joins us, and we’ll talk with cast members of Hedwig And The Angry Inch.

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

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

Show #719

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s “The MidCoast Sound” and The Super Blue Blood Moon

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The MidCoast Sound and The Super Blue Blood Moon
+ Betse Ellis + Marion Merritt

During the early hours of January 31, there will be a full moon, a total lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon. None of these things is all that unusual. What is rare is that they’re happening all together on one day.

Mark plays “The MidCoast Sound” with new and area musical releases from: Howard Iceberg & The Titanics, Calvin Arsenia, R U B E O, Krystle Warren, Digital Leather, Bobby Watson, Khrystal., KD Kuro, Betse & Clarke, Sara Morgan, Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type, Victor & Penny, Truckstop Honeymoon, Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds, Chase the Horseman, Fathers, and Sara Swenson.

We welcome Kansas City based musician Betse Ellis, critically acclaimed fiddler, singer, and songwriter, and half of Betse & Clarke who joins us for the entire show as our special guest co-host! Also joining us is: Marion Merritt, longtime contributor to Wednesday MidDay Medley, and owner of Records With Merritt. Marion and Betse will help to encourage our diverse and beautiful listeners to call 888-931-0901, and support 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio.

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

Show #719

WMM Playlist from January 24, 2018

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

New & MidCoastal Releases
+ Spinning Tree Theatre’s FULL GALLOP +
Ryan Lee Toms & Paul S. Nyakatura of FACEFACE

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

2. The Go! Team – “Semicircle Song”
from: SEMICIRCLE / Memphis Industries / January 19, 2018
[5th studio album from the six-piece band from Brighton, England. They combine indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of blaxploitation and Bollywood soundtracks, double Dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples from various sources. The band’s vocals vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by Ninja (with Angela Won-Yin Mak also singing some solos), vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices. Ian Parton conceived the project after wanting to create music incorporating Sonic Youth-style guitars, double Dutch chants, Bollywood soundtracks, old school hip hop and electro. These ideas led towards the recording of Thunder, Lightning, Strike in his parents’ kitchen. Their debut album was released September 13, 2004.]

3. Yo La Tengo – “Shades of Blue”
from: There’s a Riot Going On / Matador Records / Expected March 16, 2018
[15th album from 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 f14th 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. They chose the name “Yo La Tengo” (Spanish for “I have it”; or referring to a female-gender object or person, also “I’ve Got Her”) in an effort to avoid any connotations in English. The name came from a baseball anecdote. During the 1962 season, New York Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn and Venezuelan 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, 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. After getting up, Thomas asked Ashburn, “What the hell is a Yellow Tango?”]

4. They Might Be Giants – “Last Wave”
from: I Like Fun / Idlewild Recordings / January 19, 2018
[20th studio album from band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh & John Linnell. During TMBG’s early years, Flansburgh & Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo’s current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. The group is best known for an unconventional and experimental style of alternative music. Over their career, they have found success on the modern rock and CMJ charts. More recently they have also found success in children’s music, and in theme music for several television programs and films. TMBG have released 19 studio albums. Flood has been certified platinum and their children’s music albums Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s, and Here Comes Science have all been certified gold. The band has won two Grammy Awards, one in 2002 for their song “Boss of Me”, which is most known as the theme song of the television series Malcolm in the Middle. They won their second in 2009 for Here Come the 123s. The band has sold over 4 million records. Linnell and Flansburgh first met as teenagers growing up in Lincoln, Massachusetts. They began writing songs together while attending Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School but did not form a band at that time. The two attended separate colleges after high school and Linnell joined The Mundanes, a new wave group from Rhode Island. The two reunited in 1981 after moving to Brooklyn (to the same apartment building on the same day) to continue their career.]

[They Might Be Giants play The Truman, 601 E. Truman Rd, KC, on Tues, Mar 13, at 8:00 PM.]

5.tUnE-yArDs – “ABC 123”
from: I can feel you creep into my private life / 4AD / January 19, 2018
[4th album from the music project of New England native Merrill Garbus (born March 4, 1979). Garbus’s music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and utilizes elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion, in addition to electric bass played by Nate Brenner. Tune-Yards’ 2011 album Whokill was ranked the number one album of that year in The Village Voice’s annual Pazz and Jop critic’s poll. Garbus was raised in New York City and in New Canaan, Connecticut. She attended Smith College. She was a puppeteer for the Sandglass Theater in Vermont and lived in Montreal where she played ukulele in the band Sister Suvi with guitarist Patrick Gregoire & drummer Nico Dann. Merrill’s sister Ruth Garbus is also a musician who has played solo and in the band Happy Birthday. After releasing her first Tune-Yards album in 2006, she moved to Oakland, California, where her partner in Tune-Yards, Nate Brenner, also lives. The first Tune-Yards album, BiRd-BrAiNs was originally self-released by Garbus on recycled cassette tape. It was recorded using only a handheld voice recorder. A limited edition vinyl was released in June 2009, via the Portland-based imprint Marriage Records. In July 2009, it was announced that Tune-Yards had signed to 4AD, and a limited edition pressing of Bird-Brains was released on August 17, 2009. A full worldwide release followed on November 16, 2009 (and November 17 in North America). The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: “Want Me To” and “Real Live Flesh.”]

6. Betty Davis – “Nasty Gal”
from: Nasty Gal / Independent / Originally released 1975 – Reissued 2009 by Light In The Attic
[3rd studio album from Betty Davis (born Betty Mabry, July 26, 1945) who also produced this record. Betty davis is an American funk and soul singer. She is known as one of the most influential voices of the funk era and a performer who was known for her memorable live shows. Betty Mabry grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and just outside Pittsburgh. On her grandmother’s farm in Reidsville, North Carolina, she listened to B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, and Elmore James and other blues musicians. One of the first songs she wrote, at the age of twelve, was called “I’m Going to Bake That Cake of Love.” Aged 16, she left Pittsburgh for New York City, enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Technology while living with her aunt. She soaked up the Greenwich Village culture and folk music of the early 1960s. She associated herself with frequenters of the Cellar, a hip uptown club where young and stylish people congregated. It was a multiracial, artsy crowd of models, design students, actors, and singers. At the Cellar she played records and chatted people up. She also worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour. In her time in New York, she met several musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. The seeds of her musical career were planted through her friendship with soul singer Lou Courtney, who produced her first single, “The Cellar” with simple, catchy lyrics like, “Where you going fellas, so fly? / I’m going to the Cellar, my oh my / What you going to do there / We’re going to boogaloo there.” The single was a local jam for the Cellar. Yet her first professional gig was not until she wrote “Uptown (to Harlem)” for the Chambers Brothers. Their 1967 album was a major success, but Betty Mabry was focusing on her modeling career. She was successful as a model but felt bored by the work. According to Oliver Wang’s They Say I’m Different liner notes, she said, “I didn’t like modeling because you didn’t need brains to do it. It’s only going to last as long as you look good.” She met Miles Davis in 1967 and married him in September 1968. In just one year of marriage, she influenced him greatly by introducing him to the fashions and the new popular music trends of the era. In his autobiography, Miles credited Betty with helping to plant the seeds of his future musical explorations by introducing the trumpeter to psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and funk innovator Sly Stone. The Miles Davis album Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) includes a song named after her and her photo on the front cover. Miles believed that Hendrix and Betty had an affair which supposedly hastened the end of their marriage, but Betty denies this. Hendrix and Miles stayed close after the divorce, planning to record, until Hendrix’s death. The influence of Hendrix and especially Sly Stone on Miles Davis was obvious on the album Bitches Brew (1970), which ushered in the era of jazz fusion. The origin of the album’s title is unknown, but some believe Miles was subtly paying tribute to Betty and her girlfriends. In fact, it is said that he originally wanted to call the album Witches Brew—it was Betty who convinced him to change it. After the end of her marriage with Davis, Betty moved to London, probably around 1971, to pursue her modeling career. She wrote music while in the UK and returned to the US around 1972 with the intention of recording songs with Santana. Instead, she recorded her own songs with a group of West Coast funk musicians. Her first record, Betty Davis, was released in 1973. She had two minor hits on the Billboard R&B chart: “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up”, which reached no. 66 in 1973, and “Shut Off the Lights”, which reached no. 97 in 1975. Davis released two more studio albums, They Say I’m Different (1974) and her major label debut on Island Records Nasty Gal (1975). None of the three albums was a commercial success. Davis remained a cult figure as a singer, due in part to her open sexual attitude, which was controversial for the time. Some of her shows were boycotted, and her songs were not played on the radio due to pressure by religious groups and the NAACP. Both Betty Davis (1973) and They Say I’m Different (1974) were re-released by Light in the Attic Records on May 1, 2007. In September 2009, Light in the Attic Records reissued Nasty Gal and her unreleased fourth studio album recorded in 1976, re-titled as Is It Love or Desire?. Both reissues contained extensive liner notes and shed some light on the mystery of why her fourth album, considered possibly to be her best work by many members of her last band (Herbie Hancock, Chuck Rainey, Alphonse Mouzon), was shelved by the record label and remained unreleased for 33 years. After some final recording sessions in 1979 (Crashin’ from Passion), Davis eventually stopped making music and returned to Pennsylvania. Material from the 1979 recording sessions was eventually used for two bootleg albums, Hangin’ Out in Hollywood (1995) and Crashin’ from Passion (1996). A greatest hits album, Anti Love: The Best of Betty Davis, was released in 2000.]

7. The MGDs – “North Park”
from: Somos Como Somos / The MGDs / November 4, 2017
[From the band’s new EP, their 3rd studio release. Matt Davis on drums, percussion & vocals, Greg Bush on bass, Damon Parker on keyboards & vocals, Scott “Snoof” Middleton on guitar, Rudy Vasquez on saxophones, and Eric Martens on trumpet. This Kansas City based 6-piece band that mixes piano and brass with a dynamic rhythm section that adds a unique flavor to the iconic Kansas City music culture, blending of funk and blues with soulful stylings. In what started as a 3-piece between longtime friends in 2008, the MGDs have evolved into a potent powerhouse, high-energy ensemble with regular monthly appearances at the Phoenix, and appearances at the Sunset Music Fest, the City Market Crawfish Fest, the 6th annual Phoenix Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Middle of The Map Fest, Boulevardia, The Plaza Art Fair, Kauffman Stadium before two Kansas City Royals games. In 2016 the band released their 2nd studio LP, “Wake Up”.] [The MGDs played an EP Release show, Saturday, November 4, at 9:00 pm, at The Black Dolphin.]

[The MGDs play The Phoenix, 302 West 8th St., Friday, January 26, at 7:00 pm.]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Interview with Andrew Grayman Parkhurst

Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst, is Managing Director of Spinning Tree Theatre, and a co-founder of the theatre with partner Michael Grayman-Parkhurst. Andrew grew up in Kansas City and received his Bachelors in Fine Arts from Texas Christian University. He has been a member of Actor Equity Association since 1996. As a dancer he has worked with Roman Polanski, he was chosen and directed by Alvin Ailey at age 16 to dance Memoria. Andrew sang and danced on 2009 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. He has been a part of five international productions of West Side Story. He has worked all over the world as an actor and dancer in shows such as: Call Me Madam, La Cage aux Folles, and Evita. He was an original cast member and dance captain of the Broadway touring production of Mamma Mia! for over 2,000 performances. He was in the touring company of Chicago. He has worked as a choreographer on Broadway, and in New York City, across the country, and in Kansas City for The Coterie, Starlight Theatre, New Theatre, and The Midland. Andrew joins us today to share information about Spinning Tree Theatre‘s new show FULL GALLOP, running January 26 through February 11 at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in KCMO. Tickets available at Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More information at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Full Gallop – Kansas City premiere! – 13 Dates – Jan 26 – Feb 11

FULL GALLOP is based on the life of fashion doyenne Diana Vreeland, who stood at the center of American style for five decades. As editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines, and as a member of the International Café Society, she chronicled the extraordinary people and events of her time.

FULL GALLOP is a portrait of this remarkable woman at a turning point in her life. Vreeland has just returned home to New York after four months in Europe—a trip she took after being fired from Vogue magazine. She throws an impromptu dinner party in the hope that a wealthy friend who is invited will bankroll her in starting a magazine of her own. Other friends, however, attempt to persuade her to take a job at the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art. In her distinctive style, once she decides in which direction her life will move, she goes at it “full gallop.”

Spinning Tree Theatre at Just off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central St., KCMO

Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222 //// tickets.cto.umkc.edu

Full Gallop by Mark Hampton and Mary Louise Wilson
starring Cheryl Weaver as Diana Vreeland /// directed by Doug Weaver

Stage Manager: Taylorrae Burton
Scenic and Properties Design: De De DeVille
Lighting Design: Nicole Jaja
Sound Design: Jeff Eubank
Hair Design: Russell Bagwell-Shein
Assistant Stage Manager: Victoria Barbee

FULL GALLOP previews Fri, Jan 26 at 7:30pm and Sat, Jan 27 at 2:00pm.

Official Opening Night is Saturday, January 27 at 7:30pm.

Cast & artistic team will hold a talkback following the Thursday, February 1 performance.

Performances are Wed-Sat at 7:30pm / Sundays at 2:00pm thru Feb 11 at JOB Theatre.

FULL GALLOP runs approx 90 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

FULL GALLOP is recommended for ages 14 and up.

Spinning Tree Theatre’s new show FULL GALLOP, is running January 26 through February 11 at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in KCMO. Tickets available at Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More info at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

10:45

8. The Sea and Cake – “Any Day”
from: Any Day / Thrill Jockey Records / Expecting May 11, 2018
[11th album and first new album in 6 years from indie rock band with a jazz influence, based in Chicago. The group formed in the mid-1990s from members of The Coctails (Archer Prewitt), Shrimp Boat (Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge), and Tortoise (John McEntire); the group’s name came from a willful reinterpretation (as the result of an accidental miscomprehension) of “The C in Cake”, a song by Gastr del Sol. Starting with 1997’s The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic sound sources, such as drum machines and synthesizers, to color its music, but has retained its distinctive post-jazz combo style. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire almost exclusively plays drums in The Sea and Cake. Members Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, and John McEntire each have released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea And Cake’s releases are largely paintings by member Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. (Postcards of some of the One Bedroom-era photos were sold on the band’s 2003 tour.) Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design. The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2007, returning with Everybody. Their eighth studio album, Car Alarm, was released in October 2008. Their album, “Runner” was released in 2012.]

9. The Grisly Hand – “Municipal Farm Blues’
from: Country Singles / Independent / April 26, 2013
[Formed in 2009. For this recording: Jimmy Fitzner (Guitar and Vocals), Lauren Krum (Vocals and Percussion), Johnny Nichols (Bass and Vocals), Matt Richey (Drums), Mike Stover (Steel Guitar), and Ben Summers (Guitar and Mandolin).]

[The Grisly Hand play recordBar, 1520 Grand, Friday, January 26, with Andrew Foshee.]

10. Andrew Foshee – “Honor Among Thieves”
from: Strange Relations / Andrew Foshee / October 31, 2017
[Andrew Foshee on acoustic guitar, vocals, sampling, keys; Jon Estes on classical guitar, electric guitar, standup bass, piano, keys, percussion, string arrangements; Jeremy Fetzer on electric guitar, acoustic guitar; Jack Lawrence on bass guitar; Dave Racine on drums, percussion; Alexis Saski on backing vocals; Jem Cohen on backing vocals; Molly Parden on backing vocals; Liz Estes on viola, violin; Amy Helman on viola, violin; Eduardo DuQuesne on words of encouragement. Produced, engineered and mixed by Andrija Tokic
At The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. Mastered by John Baldwin At John Baldwin Mastering in Nashville, TN. Additional production and sequencing done by Andrew At Ye Ol’ Basement Studio in Kansas City, MO. Cover art by Mariano Peccinetti. Andrew Foshee is a songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. His knack for cinematic home recordings has lead to several song placements in tv and new media. Earlier this year he teamed up with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker) and a high clergy of guest musicians at Tokic’s Nashville studio, The Bomb Shelter, to fully realize his latest project. More info at: http://www.andrewfoshee.com] [Andrew Foshee joined us on WMM on November 1.]

[Andrew Foshee plays an album release at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Fri, Jan 26, w/ The Grisly Hand]

11:00 – Station ID

11. Matt Otto & Andy Ehling – “Eleven Thirty”
from: Reunion / Jazz Collective Records / February 2, 2017
[Matt Otto (tenor sax), Andy Ehling (alto sax), Leonard Thompson (rhodes), Brad Williams (drums), and Ben Leifer (bass). Andy Ehling, who spearheaded the project, flew from the Bay Area to KC in summer of 2015. After rehearsing and performing the music live, the band went into the studio for 2 days to record the material. Leonard Thompson flew in from NYC, while Brad, Matt & Ben are local to the KC area. The music is a nice reflection of both Matt & Andy’s compositions and improvisation. The two have played together for over 30 years. Audio engineer – Nate Espy of Rooftop Media KC. Mixed & Mastered by Matt Otto.]
[Matt Otto plays The Blue Room, Sat, Jan 27]

12. Minnie Riperton & Stevie Wonder – “Take a Little Trip”
from: Perfect Angel (Deluxe Edition) / Capitol / orig. Aug. 9, 1974 — Reissued Dec. 5, 2017
[Produced by Stevie Wonder under the name “El Toro Negro” to circumvent Motown’s refusal to allow him to produce the record for Epic. Minnie Julia Riperton-Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979), known professionally as Minnie Riperton, was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You” and her five-octave coloratura soprano. She is also widely known for her use of the whistle register and has been referred to by the media as the “Queen of the whistle register”. Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago’s Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her no. 1 single, “Lovin’ You”. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. Riperton died of cancer on July 12, 1979 at age 31.]

13. Stevie Wonder – “You Haven’t Done Nothing”
from: Fullfillingness First Finale / Motown / 1974
[Stevie Wonder; widely considered one of the albums from his “classic period”. Released on July 22, 1974 on the Tamla label, it is Wonder’s nineteenth album overall, and seventeenth studio album. According to Billboard magazine, it was Wonder’s first studio album to top the Pop Albums chart where it remained for two weeks, while it was his third album to top the R&B/Black Albums chart where it spent nine non-consecutive weeks. Subsequent to the epic sweep and social consciousness of Innervisions, this set projected a reflective, decidedly somber tone. The musical arrangements used in several songs while masterly could be considered sparse in comparison to others among his 1970s masterworks, especially in the bleak “They Won’t Go When I Go” and understated “Creepin'”. While largely a stripped down, more personal sounding record, Wonder had not completely foregone social commentary on the world around him. The No. 1 hit “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” launched a pointed criticism of the Nixon administration bolstered by clavinet, drum machine, and a Jackson 5 cameo. The album received three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, in 1974.]

11:14

14. FACEFACE – “We Awesome (radio edit)”
from: MMMM / FACEFACE / Expected Late Winter 2018
[KC based experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration with Ryan Lee Toms & Paul S. Nyakatura.]

11:17 – Interview with Ryan Lee Toms & Paul Nyakatura of FACEFACE

Ryan Lee Toms and Paul S. Nyakatura of FACEFACE on the January 24, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Ryan Lee Toms is a Kansas City based multi-instumentalist, composer and artist who has recorded original experimental dance electronic music as RLT with John Besuch. Ryan also plays guitar with the math rock band HMPH! and he plays drums for the Kansas City based, 5-piece post-punk deathrock band Beelzebabes. All the while Ryan has also been nurturing a fourth collaboration called FACEFACE, an experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration with Paul S Nyakatura.

Ryan Lee Toms, thanks for being with us again on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Paul S. Nyakatura, is a Kansas City based award winning voiceover artist, stand up comedian, commercial producer, and rapper and hip hop artist. Paul is the voice of FACEFACE and featured in the FACEFACE video for their new song, “We Awesome,” all shot in one take from Celestial Pictures.

Paul S. Nyakatura, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Paul grew up in Kansas City Kansas and attended F L Schlagle High and Sumner Academy of Arts & Sciences. Paul studied Social Sciences at Kansas State University.

Ryan grew up in Wamego, Kansas, about 15 miles east of Manhattan, Kansas.

Ryan plays keyboards with RLT and FACEFACE, drums with Beelzebabes, guitar with HMPH! with Jonathan Thatch, and their new bass player, Kitten Adventure Bogs (his legal name).

FACEFACE released a video for their new song, “We Awesome,” all shot in one-take from Celestial Pictures.

11:27

15. FACEFACE – “Gun Control (radio edit)”
from: MMMM / FACEFACE / Expected Late Winter 2018
[KC based experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration with Ryan Lee Toms & Paul S. Nyakatura.]

We’re talking with Ryan Lee Toms and Paul S Nyakatura about FACEFACE, an experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration. Ryan and Paul have brought in music from the new FACEFACE release MMMMM.

MMMM stands for: Mutant Midwestern Musical Millennials

Paul is a former Hot 103 DJ

Paul Nyakatura has voiced over 1000 commercials in the past 5 years.

Paul Nyakatura has been doing Stand up comedy for the past 8 years. He has performed at The Improv, Stanford & Sons, and clibs and colleges across the midwest.

Paul Nyakatura released A Mixed Tape, January 17, 2013 More info at: http://www.paulnyakatura.bandcamp.com

FaceFace released “You Make The Party” through Mother Russia Industries, July 4, 2014

Ryan Lee Toms and Paul Nyakatura, thanks for being with us on WMM.

More information at: http://www.paulnyakatura.com rltlives.bandcamp.com

11:36

16. FACEFACE – “ISM’s (radio edit)”
from: MMMM / FACEFACE / Expected Late Winter 2018
[KC based experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration with Ryan Lee Toms & Paul S. Nyakatura.]

17. First Aid Kit – “Ruins”
from: Ruins / Columbia / January 19, 2018
[4th full length album from Swedish folk duo of sisters: Klara (vocals/guitar) and Johanna Söderberg (vocals/keyboards/Autoharp/bass guitar). When performing live, the duo are accompanied by a drummer, a pedal steel guitarist and recently a keyboard player. They have now released four albums, two EPs and a handful of singles. In 2015 they were nominated for a Brit Award as one of the 5 best international groups. Sisters Johanna & Klara Söderberg are from Enskede, in the outskirts of Stockholm. Johanna was born Oct 31, 1990 and Klara on Jan 8, 1993. Their father was a member of the Swedish rock band Lolita Pop but he quit before Johanna was born and later became a teacher of history & religion. Their mother is a teacher of cinematography. From childhood, Klara & Johanna were eager singers by giving concerts using a jump rope as a pretend microphone. Klara’s first favorite songs were Judy Garland’s songs from The Wizard of Oz and Billie Holiday’s version of Gloomy Sunday, that she sang without much understanding of the English lyrics. Klara wrote her first song “Femton mil i min Barbiebil” when she was six. They both attended the International English school of Enskede. Klara applied for admission to a music school but she was not accepted. In 2005 when Klara was 12, a friend introduced her to the band Bright Eyes. This led her to country music stars such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Carter family, Louvin Brothers, Townes Van Zandt, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. The same year she received a guitar as a Christmas present and quickly learned to play it. Johanna enjoyed a wide range of music from Britney Spears to German Techno. However, it wasn’t until watching the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and listening to the film’s soundtrack that she was inspired to sing “Down to the River to Pray” with sister, Klara. Fascinated by the result they started to sing together at home and then as street singers, in the Stockholm metro and in front of liquor stores. They came up with the name for their band simply by randomly opening a dictionary.Klara and Johanna also started to write and compose their own country-folk songs inspired by Devendra Banhart and CocoRosie, among others, without much influence from their parents who were more fond of Patti Smith, Velvet Underground and Pixies. Their father confessed later in a Swedish radio program that he was astonished and actually a little jealous of the ease his daughters had in producing top-notch music. The most important advice their father gave to them was to sing so loud that even somebody behind the wall could hear it.]

11:44 – Underwriting

18. Katy Guillen and The Girls – “Can’t Live Here Anymore”
from: Remember What You Knew Before / KG & The Girls / November 11, 2017
[For this new album the band worked with producer Lennon Bone. The band reworked songs from the 2012 album Katy & Go-Go, the 2014 Katy & The Girls eponymous debut album, and from 2016’s “Heavy Days” with one new song. Katy Guillen and The Girls, were formed in September of 2012 in Kansas City. The blues influenced roots rock trio is made up of Katy Guillen on guitar & vocals, Claire Adams on bass & vocals, & Stephanie Williams on drums.] [Katy Guillen & The Girls joined us on WMM on November 8, 2017.]

[Katy Guillen and The Girls play the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS, Fri, Jan 26, with Heidi Lynne Gluck]

[Katy Guillen & Claire Adams play Ca Va, 4149 Pennsylvania, Thurs. Jan. 25, at 9:00 PM.]

19. Heidi Lynne Gluck – “Better Homes & Gardens”
from: Pony Show / Lotuspool Records / August 26, 2016
[Lawrence, Kansas based Heidi Lynne Gluck is a songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist originally from the middle of Canada. After transplanting herself from the plains of Manitoba to the midwestern United States, Heidi quickly became an in-demand player, performing on stage and in the studio both as a solo artist and with renowned musicians including Juliana Hatfield & Some Girls, Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos, Lily & Madeleine, The Pieces, The Only Children, and others. Heidi Lynne Gluck played 90.1 FM’s Crossroads Music Fest, September 10. Heidi Lynne Gluck joined us live on WMM on June 8, and August 24, 2016.]

[Heidi Lynne Gluck play the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS, Friday, Jan 26, with Katy Guillen and The Girls.]

11:56

20. Dylan Guthrie & The Good Time Guys – “Dreaming of Love”
from: Dreaming of Love – Single / Dylan Guthrie & The Good Time Guys / January 2, 2018
[Dylan Guthrie & The Good Time Guys released their debut EP, Live at The Indiana House, on December 19, 2016. Dylan Guthrie was formerly the lead singer for Pink Royal who left to travel and work in China and is back and has now formed a new six piece band with several of the members of Pink Royal. The band is made up of Dylan Guthrie, Olie Bowden, Alexander Hartmann, Vik Govindarajan, Lucas Parker, and Cody Stuber. Mixed by Jim Barnes. Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc.]

[Dylan Guthrie & The Good Time Guys play Lucia Beer Garden & Grill, 1016 Massachusetts Street, in Lawrence Kansas, Friday, February 9, at 9:00 pm, with North Folk, and Lucas Parker.]

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

Next week on Wednesday, January 31 we present “The MidCoast Sound” with music from: Bobby Watson, Akkilles, Rubeo, Victor & Penny, Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds, Betse & Clarke, Fathers, KD Kuro, Chase The Horseman, Calvin Arsenia, Howard Iceberg, Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type, Sara Swenson, Truckstop Honeymoon, Khrystal, and more! Also next week, Marion Merritt and Betse Ellis join me for the entire show as our special Guest Co-Hosts for our Winter On-Air Fund Drive Show to encourage YOU, our wonderful and beautiful listeners, to pick up the phone and call in to 888-931-0901 to donate to the Voice of The Community – 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. We will have some special WMM “Thank You Gifts.”

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

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

Show #718

Wednesday MidDay Medley features FACEFACE and Full Gallop

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

New & MidCoastal Releases
+ Spinning Tree Theatre’s FULL GALLOP +
Ryan Lee Toms of FACEFACE

Mark plays New & MidCoastal Releases from: FACEFACE, Katy Guillen and The Girls, The MGDs, Matt Otto & Andy Ehling, Andrew Foshee, The Grisly Hand, Dylan Guthrie & The Good Time Guys, The Sea and cake, Tune-Yards, The Go! Team, Yo La Tengo, First Aid Kit, Minnie Riperton, Stevie Wonder, They Might Be Giants, and Betty Davis.

At 10:30, we’ll talk with founders of Spinning Tree Theatre about FULL GALLOP, their newest show running January 26 through February 11 at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in KCMO. Cheryl Weaver stars as fashion doyenne Diana Vreeland in this one-woman play. Tickets available at Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More information at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

At 11:15 Mark talks with Ryan Lee Toms about FACEFACE, an experimental electronic hiphop musical collaboration with Paul S Nyakatura. We will play music from the new FACEFACE release MMMMM. FACEFACE recently released a video for their new song, “We Awesome,” all shot in one take form Celestial Pictures. You can check out their new video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3K825nRSwg&t

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

Show #718

WMM Playlist from January 17, 2018

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Maria Vasquez Boyd, Tim J. Harte, Ryan Wilks, and Lesley Pories on the January 17, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley

New & MidCoastal Releases + Lesley Pories
+ Ryan Wilks & Here Where You Wish

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

2. Destroyer – “Tinseltown Swimming in Blood”
from: Ken / Merge Records / October 20, 2017
[11th studio album from Destroyer from Vancouver, British Columbia fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar and formed in 1995. Destroyer songs are characterized by abstract, poetic lyrics and idiosyncratic vocals. The band’s discography draws on a variety of musical influences, resulting in albums that can sound markedly distinct from one another; in Bejar’s words, “That’s kind of my goal: to start from scratch every time.” Daniel Bejar was born October 4, 1972. Bejar has gained widespread popularity through his musical collaborations with Vancouver indie-rock band The New Pornographers, but has released far more material as the frontman of his band Destroyer. He is renowned for his poetic and often cryptic lyrics as well as his unorthodox vocals. Bejar’s father was a Spanish physicist and his mother was a Spanish teacher. Growing up, Bejar moved frequently, and as an adult he has resided in Canada and Spain. Bejar attended University of British Columbia for three years: “To my credit, I eventually dropped out; to my discredit, I waited three years to do it. I was taking mostly English and Philosophy classes, fooling myself into thinking I might be an academic.”]

[Destroyer plays recordbar, 1520 Grand, TONIGHT, January 17, at 9:00 PM with Mega Bog]

3. Be/Non – “Freedom Palace” [2015 new version, John Huff on lead vocals]
from: Freedom Palace / Haymaker Records / February 17, 2018
[Brodie Rush is a songwriter, musician, singer, organizer, artist, film maker, music video creator. Over 20 years ago KC native, Brodie Rush formed the experimental, psychedelic, prog-pop band. In 1996, Be/Non recorded two sets of songs in a small home studio in Lawrence, Kansas, that would become their first two EPs released on cassette. Be/Non, The band has had more members than Spinal Tap, but Brodie has remained the only consistent member, songwriter and producer. Be/Non personnel: 2007, Brodie Rush – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Drums; Ben Ruth – Bass, Upright Bass, Vocals; Adam Stotts – Guitar, Vocals; John Huff – Keyboards, Synths, Vocals; Adam Phillips – Drums (although Ryan Shank – played Drums on this track.) All songs written by: Brodie Rush, except Freedom Palace with music: John Huff & lyrics: Brodie Rush. Produced by Brodie Rush. Recorded at Westend Recording (Kansas City, Kansas) 2007 (Basic tracks, some overdubs); The Gold Room (Kansas City, Missouri) 2007 (Overdubs); Studio G (Brooklyn New York) 2007 (Mixing, Overdubs); The Map Room (Lawrence, Kansas) 2003 (Overdubs). Engineeres: Paul Malinowski Recorded at Westend Recording (Kansas City, Kansas) 2007 ; Brodie Rush The Gold Room (Kansas City, Missouri) 2007; Joel Hamilton Studio G (Brooklyn New York) 2007 ; Peter Buxton The Map Room (Lawrence, Kansas) 2003, (Saxophone overdubs imported from “Do The Heat” off the record, “Esperanto At The Pantheon, Incognito”). Mixed by Joel Hamilton at Studio G (Brooklyn New York) 2007. Mastered by Brodie Rush. Thanks John Hulston, Anodyne Records, Brenton Cook, Haymaker Records, Paul Malinowski, Tony Maimone, Justin Warring, Adam Phillips, Brandon Phillips, Steve Neuenburg, Mike Miller, Shawna Sowersby-Booth, David Hanson, Billy Brimblecom, Steve Tulipana, Jason Cantu, David Gaume, Robert Moczydlowsky, Laurel Birdsong Sears, Kid Millions, Cypher Sound, The Record Bar. Dedicated to: Failed marriages throughout time and space. The troubled “Freedom Palace” LP was recorded over 10 years ago in the summer of 2007 by Paul Malinowski and Brodie Rush in Kansas City, Missouri. Anodyne Records had commissioned Be/Non to re-record songs from, “RAN” and “Esperanto At The Pantheon, Incognito” along with other unreleased material. The music from the title track “Freedom Palace” was written by John Huff and had the album been released, would have been the first Be/Non composition not penned by Brodie Rush. Be/Non was a 5 piece before recording negotiations began in 2007. Directly before preproduction, the band had lost its drummer of 3 years and Be/Non was actively searching for a replacement. Between Brodie filling in on drums for two songs and Billy Brimblecom playing drums on another track, Be/Non asked Adam Phillips of The Architects to drum on the album’s remaining songs. The album was mostly recorded at Westend Studios in Kansas City and at Brodie’s home studio The Gold Room. After tracking 97% of the album, the project was taken to Studio G in Brooklyn New York for mixing by Joel Hamilton. 10 days later, the album was mixed and ready for duplication. No formal album covers had been decided on. John Huff had an idea of a Unipegadong by a nebula in space, while Brodie was thinking a castle floating in mid air. The first cover idea was mostly just pointing arrows going in all directions. Emotionally that was probably the closest to the mindset of that recording. The album “Freedom Palace” was never pressed or released. Because a contractual arrangement could not be agreed upon between Anodyne Records and Be/Non, the band would not see an album released until 2009, “A Mountain Of Yeses”, 11 years after it’s last release in 1998. “Freedom Palace” is dismissed by the band as a complete failure. Ultimately not having rights to the recordings, the inability to reach a contractual agreement with Anodyne Records and unhappiness with the final mix led to the disbanding of the “Freedom Palace” line up in early 2008. Reclusive, secluded and freshly divorced, a depressed Brodie Rush stopped all live performances for the next two years. Spending time to construct the concept record “A Mountain Of Yeses” as a solo endeavor under the Be/Non band moniker. Then, six years later in 2014, John Hulston of Anodyne Records graciously gave Brodie Rush full rights to the “Freedom Palace” recordings and masters. Be/Non has since tried numerous times to re-record the material for a proper release, but never could fully accomplish this task. Finally, for the entire world, for better or for worse, Be/Non and Haymaker Records would like to present the final mix of “Freedom Palace” the way it was originally intended. Be/Non adamantly renounces the production, mix and performances on these recordings, with few exceptions. The album was mixed and recorded during a dizzying haze of drug and alcohol abuse. The lyrics, the tone and the feel of the record is very unfocused, angry and misguided. This record does not reflect the proper sonic soundscape or performances Brodie Rush and Be/Non had intended whatsoever. “Freedom Palace” was full of rehashed versions of songs better left to their previous incarnations. “Moi Ou Toi” from the 7″ is a remake from “Freedom Palace” but the “FP” version is a remake of the original “Ran” version. Complicated. In fact ALL of the recordings on “FP” are remakes from “Ran” and “Esperanto.” “Do the Heat” and “Lucy” are again remakes of the “Ran” and “Esperanto” versions. The version of “Ice Fight” on “FP” I think… is different than the B-Side to “Moi Ou Toi”. A different remix with other instruments. We had two different versions from 2015. The Kraftwerk reference was unintentional. John Huff started playing that back in 2006 but hadn’t heard the Kraftwerk song until I played it for him in 2015. He just did that and thought he was cool. I hadn’t heard that tune until 2010 or so. It was an accident. There is an unreleased, unfinished song called “No God Of Mine” I recorded in 2002 on my 8 track that when I tried to remake it in 2007 with Mike Cochran on drums, John heard it and played me a song from the band YWKMBT Trail Of Dead from 2005 that was almost identical even the timing on the changes. The vocal melody was different tho. I got so disturbed by it that I stop working on the song altogether. “Garlic”, “In The Nighttime” “More Than Enough” and “Current And The Rind” were all part of an unreleased collection called “Enhance The Smoky” from 2000. Same year “Tenderfoot” was written.]

4. Momma’s Boy – “Want Me Back”
from: Don’t Talk About It – Single / Dead Summer Single Series / November 3, 2017
[2nd release of Momma’s Boys’ Dead Summer Single Series. Written by Peter Beatty. Lead vocals by Jared Bajkowski. Momma’s Boy, an Indie Surf Pop 4-piece band from KCMO, formed December 2015, and made up of former members of Rev Gusto: Peter Beatty on guitar & vocals, Shaun Crowley on guitar & vocals, Quinn Hernandez on drums, and Jared Bajkowski on bass & vocals. Recorded at Element Recording Studios with Joel Nanos.Their debut EP Liquid Courage was released Feb. 25, 2017.]

[Momma’s Boy play Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, Friday, January 19, at 9:00 with Rachel Mallin & The wild Type, and Dreamgirl.]

5. Superorganism – “Everybody Wants To Be Famous”
from: Superorganism / Domino Records / Expected: March 2, 2018
[Superorganism is an indie pop band that formed in early 2017. The group is made up of 8 members, one of which is a 17-year-old Japanese girl only known as Orono. The 7 other members go by the names of Harry, Emily, Ruby, B, Tucan, Soul, and Robert. The group, started with members from all over the world including The United States, Japan, South Korea, London, Australia, and New Zealand, makes original internet-age electronically-tinged indie pop music. Bandmembers Harry, Emily, Ruby, B, Tucan, Soul, and Robert were all longtime friends who decided it was finally time to work together. Harry and Emily met Orono during one of their old band’s Japan shows (she attended as a fan), and they struck up a Facebook friendship with their future bandmate. After discovering she could sing, they invited her to add lyrics and vocals to a demo they’d been working on for a new project at the beginning of 2017.]

6. Dead Voices – “Trust A Fool”
from: Dead Voices / Independent / April 20, 2013
[Formed in Sept 2010, by David Regnier, Jason Beers, Matt Richey, Michael Stover, Marco Pascolini.]

[Dead Voices play recordBar, 1520 Grand, Sat., Jan. 20, at 9:00 with Slights, and The Old Chelsea]

7. Sara Morgan – “Never Been to Nashville”
from: Average Jane / River Delta Records / Expected January 26, 2018
[KC based Singer/Songwriter, originally from McGehee, Arkansas. Sara Morgan plays saxophone, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and piano. Sara has opened for BJ Thomas, John Michael Montgomery, John Corbett, Sean Rowe, Chuck Mead, Ben Taylor, and was the preshow before Loretta Lynn at The Uptown, November 2014. Ms. Lynn hosted Sara on her tour bus after Sara’s set and prior to Ms. Lynn’s performance.]

[Sara Morgan plays a CD Preview, Fri, Jan. 19, at 8:30 PM, at Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads Saloon.]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Interview with Lesley Pories

MidCoast Radio Project Board Member and 90.1 FM Membership Committee Chair – Lesley Pories joins to talk about 90.1 FM KKFI, and how listeners can become more involved. Lesley moved to KC four years ago and has been volunteering at 90.1 FM for most of that time, and has served on the Board of Directors for two of those years. A DC native, Lesley has a Masters in Urban Planning from UNC Chapel Hill and a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Aside from the East Coast, she’s lived and worked in Uzbekistan, India and Guinea. Here in KC, she also serves on the Board of BikeWalkKC. During the day, Lesley works as a Senior Sector Analyst at water and sanitation non-profit, Water.org.

Lesley Pories, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Lesley grew up in Vienna (Virginia).

Two Masters Degrees

Lesley volunteered in Peace Corps for two years in Uzbekistan.

Lesley worked for The Carter Center and spent three months observing political elections in Guinea

Water.org – Kansas City – Senior Sector Analyst – traveling India

Volunteering at KKFI for more information: Volunteer@kkfi.org

10:44

8. Marideth Sisco & Accomplices – “Been Here Before”
from: Empty Doors / Juneapple Records / November 23, 2017
[Written by Marideth Sisco and songwriting partner Robin Frederick. Performed by Sisco with members of The Blackberry Winter Band: Linda Stoffel – Vocals, Dennis Crider – Guitar, Van Colbert – Banjo, Tedi May – Upright Bass, Bo Brown – Mandolin & Dobro. Marideth Sisco is a journalist, teacher, author, musician, student of folklore, and creator of Elder Mountain Press, a venue for publishing stories relevant to Ozarks culture and history. You can hear her essays “These Ozarks Hills” on public radio, ksmu.org. Discovered by producers of the independent film Winter’s Bone who asked her to be a part of the film and to serve as music consultant. “Winter’s Bone,” ended up winning best picture and best screenplay at Sundance Film Festival, it was honored at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The band that created the music for the film is has made several tours, and recordings. More information at http://www.maridethsisco.com]

9. David Byrne – “Everybody’s Coming To My House”
from: American Utopia / Todomundo – Nonesuch / March 9, 2018
[Co written with Brian Eno. David Byrne’s first solo studio album since 2004’s Grown Backwards. Even though since then he has released albums with Brian Eno, Fat Boy Slim, and St. Vincent. The album is his 11th outside of his work with talking Heads. The new album is one part of a larger multimedia project entitled Reasons to Be Cheerful which aims to give reasons for being happy and optimistic in spite of political strife and environmental problems. The project was entitled after the Ian Dury song “Reasons to Be Cheerful (Part 3)”. David Byrne writes: “Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way? Am I referring to the past or the future? Is it personal or political? These songs don’t describe an imaginary or possibly impossible place but rather attempt to depict the world we live in now. Many of us, I suspect, are not satisfied with that world—the world we have made for ourselves. We look around and we ask ourselves—well, does it have to be like this? Is there another way? These songs are about that looking and that asking. This album is indirectly about those aspirational impulses. Sometimes to describe is to reveal, to see other possibilities. To ask a question is to begin the process of looking for an answer. To be descriptive is also to be prescriptive, in a way. The act of asking is a big step. The songs are sincere—the title is not ironic. The title refers not to a specific utopia, but rather to our longing, frustration, aspirations, fears, and hopes regarding what could be possible, what else is possible. The description, the discontent and the desire—I have a feeling that is what these songs touch on. I have no prescriptions or surefire answers, but I sense that I am not the only one looking and asking, wondering and still holding onto some tiny bit of hope, unwilling to succumb entirely to despair or cynicism.”]

[David Byrne plays the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for he Performing Arts, Thursday, June 7, at 7:30 PM. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Jan 23.]

10. Old Sound – “The Ocean”
from: Rain Follows The Plow / Independent / February 2014
[Greg Herrenbruck on bass & vocals; Grady Keller on mandolin, acoustic guitar & vocals; Chad Brothers on acoustic guitar & vocals. Recorded and produced by Phil Wade at his studio: Alluvial Fan Studios.]

[Old Sound plays The Phoenix, 302 West 8th St., Thursday, January 18, at 7:00 pm.]

11. Hipshot Killer – “They Will Try To Kill Us All”
from: They Will Try To Kill Us All / Throwing Things / January 16, 2016
[KC based 3-piece power punk band formed in the fall of 2008. The current line up consists of: Mike Alexander (Revolvers, Architects, John Velge and The Prodigal Sons, The Starhaven Rounders), on guitar & vocals, Chris Wagner (100 Years War, Jackie Carrol, John Velge and The Prodigal Sons) on bass & vocals, legendary drummer Jon “Buddy” Paul, who plays in (The Big Iron, The Revolvers.) For the recording: Mike Alexander on guitar & vocals, Chris Wagner on bass & vocals, Thomas Becker (Beautiful Bodies), on drums. The band released their debut record Hipshot Killer, April 29, 2011, and a single on Too Much Rock on October 21. Mike Alexander joined us live on WMM on October 19.]

[Hipshot Killer plays miniBar, 3810 Broadway, Saturday, January 20, with various Blonde, North By North, and Witch Jail.]

11:00 – Station ID

12. Sufjan Stevens – “Tonya Harding (In Eb major)”
from: Tonya Harding – Single / Asthmatic Kitty Records / December 8, 2017
[Sufjan Stevens (SOOF-yan) was born July 1, 1975, and is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His debut album A Sun Came was released in 2000 on the Asthmatic Kitty label which he cofounded with his stepfather. He is perhaps best known for his 2005 album Illinois, which hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the single “Chicago” from that album. Stevens was born in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of nine, when his family moved to Petoskey, in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. He was raised by his father Rasjid and his stepmother Pat, only occasionally visiting his mother, Carrie, in Oregon after she married her second husband Lowell Brams. (Brams later became the head of Stevens’ record label Asthmatic Kitty).He attended the Detroit Waldorf School, Petoskey High School and Interlochen Arts Academy, and graduated from Harbor Light Christian School. He then attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and earned a Masters of Fine Arts from The New School in New York City. Sufjan is a Persian name meaning “comes with a sword”. It predates Islam and most famously belonged to Abu Sufyan, a figure from early Islamic history. The name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an inter-faith spiritual community to which his parents belonged when he was born. A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens is known for his use of the banjo, but also plays guitar, piano, drums, xylophone, and several other instruments, often playing all of these on his albums through the use of multitrack recording. While in school, he studied the oboe and English horn, which he also plays on his albums. Stevens did not learn to play the guitar until his time at Hope College. Stevens lives in Kensington, Brooklyn, in New York City, where he makes up the Brooklyn staff of Asthmatic Kitty Records.]

13. Payge Turner – “Only One”
from: Only One – Single / Justin’s Place / September 1, 2017
[Second Single from Kansas City based singer songwriter originally born in the Caribbean. Payge moved to Colby, Kansas when she was in the 6th grade. she writes that, “Ever since I was able to talk, all I ever wanted to do was sing!”]

[Payge Turner plays “An Acoustic Evening” with Pink Royal and Instant Karma, Thursday, January 25, at 7:00 PM, at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City.]

14. Jake Wells – “Circle of Life”
from: “Circle of Life” – Single / Beach Boy Music / February 21, 2017
[Kansas City based indie folk singer songwriter. Jake Wells was born in Florida grew up in Colorado. Jake studied Music Composition at University of Northern Colorado. “Jake’s sound evokes an emotionality and maturity much deeper than his age of 21 would imply.” He was named one of Spotify’s top 20. He has performed on stages since he was a teenager. His single releases are currently gaining radio play in the Midwest on several FM stations.]

[Jake Wells plays SoundMachine KC with Belle Game, and Spirit is The Spirit, Mlnday, January 29, at 7:00 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd.]

11:15 – Interview with Ryan Wilks & Tim J. Harte

Ryan Wilks is a Kansas City based artist who’s work has explored gender issues, queer erotica, femininity and sexuality. His new exhibit, Here Where You Wish, is an immersive public installation coming to the Kansas City Public Library, at 14 West 10th Street, First Friday, April 6, 2018. Wilks is constructing a large public altar in the Central Library with a transformative temple-like labyrinth entry-way being crafted by renowned artist Ari Fish. Tim J Harte is composing ritual based sounds/music for the event. The 40 square feet altar is being constructed by Sean Prudden and Ryan Wilks, to house the objects that people bring to the piece.

Ryan Wilks, thanks for being with us again on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Also with us is musician, composer, co-founder of the Kansas City record label, Mother Russia Industries, Tim J.Harte makes music using Sega Genesis, Dungeons and Dragons, math and several hard working laptop computers. Tim J. Harte is currently studying composition at UMKC’s Conservatory of Music. He just recently composed music and conducted a 7 piece ensemble for Trench Warfare, a theatrical performance presented last Saturday evening, January 13, at the National World War I Museum and Memorial J.C. Nichols Auditorium.

Tim J. Harte, thanks for being with us again on t90.1 FM.

To support this project you can visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1840510472/here-where-you-wish/description

Here Where You Wish is an immersive public installation coming to the Kansas City Public Library, Central Library location at 14 W. 10th St. on April 6, 2018.

From Ryan’s press materials: Kansas City-based visual artist Ryan Wilks is constructing a large public altar in the KCPL Central Library with a transformative temple-like labyrinth entry way that encourages the public to consciously and methodically enter. The elaborate and flowing entrance is meticulously crafted by renowned artist Ari Fish.

Tim J Harte akadungionmaster is composing ritual based sounds/music to softly play through the installation. The altar itself will be 40 square feet and constructed by Sean Prudden and Ryan Wilks, and will beautifully house the objects that people leave behind.

11:25

15. AKADungeonMaster – “B LUCE DELL-ALBA”
from: MOTHER RUSSIA INDUSTRIES DOT COM VOL. THREE / M. R. I. / June 24, 2016
[Mother Russia Industries is a Kansas City based music label formed in 2008 by Tim J Harte and Rita Brinkerhoff supporting the music of AKA DJ DUNGEONMASTER, Blondie Brunetti, and others.]

We are talking with Ryan Wilks & Tim J. Harte about the new exhibit, Here Where You Wish

From Ryan’s press materials: Altars are typically resurrected to pay homage to a historical event or to worship deities. This altar is intended to serve as a nondenominational safe-space for personal expression and reflection. Created for everyone, by everyone. People from all walks of life are encouraged to write down a wish and leave it on the altar. A wish, a non-religious prayer, opens us up to a child-like connection to the invisible and allows us to gently believe even if just for a second that what we most desire can and will come true if we are bold enough to speak its name.

2017 was a hard year for all of us. No matter what side of the protest lines we stand, we do so because we are uneasy, angry, afraid, and unwilling to compromise what we think is right. There is a need to create a safe and sacred space for all of us to feel hope in. To believe in the power of the individual and of a wish.

The altar will be up for 3 months and will grow substantially in its aesthetic as people leave behind a wish on paper and/or an object. Wilks will be rolling up the paper wishes and tying them to hundreds of feather sculptures rotating above the altar, stirring the energy of the wishes. Here Where You Wish will provide a space for internal dialogue and reflection. As the installation is in a heavily-trafficked public library, attending participants will contribute to the interactive aspects of the installation. Additionally, Wilks has plans to utilize and honor the objects others leave in the space by publishing a book, which will be a literary and visual documentation of what Kansas City is wishing for in 2018.

Risks and challenges

Every project comes with its own unique risks and challenges:

Foreseeably people will want to know where their objects that they have left at the altar will end up. We are open to suggestions! Obviously since Here Where You Wish is in a public space, leaving behind your grandmothers broach is not encouraged if your heart is intent on getting it back once the installation is complete. People may feel connected to certain objects and take them with them. This is not necessarily the goal here, but it may happen, and the Library nor anyone involved in the project can be held responsible for missing objects. Items left should hold some emotional weight with the individual but not to the degree that letting it go with a wish would cause regret.

The objects at the end of the project will be repurposed respectfully, and possibly a part of a more permanent installation in a public space.

There is also the vulnerability of writing down a wish, and people may not want their wish shared in a book; there will be verbiage at the installation that lets people know these are anonymous wishes and to not add information that you would not feel comfortable being published, such as a name. There is something beautiful though, in letting such a vulnerable thing as a wish, be shared with the world, because for every wish there are thousands of people wishing the same wish.

There will be verbiage explaining that objects such as weapons, alcohol, drugs, and food are not welcomed to be placed upon the altar.
Ryan Wilks will be coming in twice weekly to ensure that these requests are fulfilled as will library staff.

Ryan Wilks and Tim J. Harte, thanks for being with us again on WMM

His new exhibit, Here Where You Wish, is an immersive public installation coming to the Kansas City Public Library, at 14 West 10th Street, First Friday, April 6, 2018.

More info at: http://www.wilkspainting.com
http://www.motherrussiaindustries.bandcamp.com

11:37

16. Superchunk – “Erasure (feat. Waxahatchee & Stephin Merritt)”
from: What a Time to Be Alive / Merge / Expected: February 16, 2018
[11th album release from band formed in 1989 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Superchunk is Mac McCaughan (guitar, vocals), Jim Wilbur (guitar, backing vocals), Jon Wurster (drums, backing vocals), and Laura Ballance (bass, backing vocals). Since releasing their first 7-inch in 1989, Superchunk has run the gamut of milestone albums: early punk rock stompers, polished mid-career masterpieces, and lush, adventurous curveballs. Recorded by Beau Sorenson at Manifold Recording, Pittsboro, NC., except “Break the Glass” and “I Got Cut” at Overdub Lane. Mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering .]

11:41 – Underwriting

17. Minnie Riperton – “Lovin’ You (Single Version With Countdown)”
from: Perfect Angel (Deluxe Edition) / Capitol / orig. Aug. 9, 1974 -Reissued Dec. 5, 2017
[Produced by Stevie Wonder under the name “El Toro Negro” to circumvent Motown’s refusal to allow him to produce the record for Epic. Minnie Julia Riperton-Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979), known professionally as Minnie Riperton, was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You” and her five-octave coloratura soprano. She is also widely known for her use of the whistle register and has been referred to by the media as the “Queen of the whistle register”. Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago’s Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her no. 1 single, “Lovin’ You”. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. Riperton died of cancer on July 12, 1979 at age 31.]

18. The Hillary Watts Riot – “Killer Kind”
from: A/S/L / Money Wolf Music / April 20, 2012
[Debut album. THWR include: Hillary Watts Bird, Christian Hankel, Tommy Donoho, Sergio Moreno, Justin Penney. They describe their music as “freak pop.” This band is so fun to see live.]

[The Hillary Watts Riot play Bottleneck, LFK Sat, Jan 20 w/Alice Sweet Alice, Benevox, People Watching]

19. Westerners – “Tetris”
from: Reoccurring Dream Theme / The Record Machine / July 14, 2017
[Debut full length album from Lawrence / Kansas City based band formed in August of 2013. The band includes: Mitch Hewlett, Josh Hartranft, Matthew Pesma and Gerardo Rojas. Westerners signed to Kansas City independent label The Record Machine in 2015.] [Westerners played an album release at Mills Record Co, Fri, July 7, w/ Shortsweather and at Love Garden Records, Lawrence, July 8, w/ No Magic, and CS Luxem.]

[The Westerners play recordBar, 1520 Grand, Sun, Jan 21, ay 8:00 PM, with Motherfolk and Toughies.]

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

Next Week on Wednesday, January 24 we’ll talk with company members of Spinning Tree Theatre about FULL GALLOP their newest show running January 26 through February 11 at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in KCMO. Tickets available at Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More information at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com. Cheryl Weaver stars as fashion doyenne Diana Vreeland in this one-woman play. The Kansas City premiere is directed by Doug Weaver.

Also next week we’ll talk with Ryan Lee Toms about his newest musical collaboration, FaceFace and their latest release MMMMM.

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

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

Show #717

WMM talks with Ryan Wilks of Here Where You Wish + Lesley Pories

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

New & MidCoastal Releases + Lesley Pories +
+ Ryan Wilks & Here Where You Wish

Mark plays New & MidCoastal Releases from: Momma’s Boy, Sara Morgan, Nathan Corsi, Be/Non, Payge Turner, Dead Voices, Marideth Sisco & Accomplices, Westerners, Jake Wells, Mother Russia Industries, The Hillary Watts Riot, Hipshot Killer, Old Sound, Destroyer, Superorganism, Minnie Riperton, Sufjan Stevens, and Superchunk with Waxahatchee & Stephin Merritt.

At 10:30, MidCoast Radio Project Board Member and 90.1 FM Membership Committee Chair – Lesley Pories joins us to talk about 90.1 FM KKFI, and how listeners can become more involved. Lesley has been volunteering at 90.1 FM for nearly three years, and has served on the Board of Directors for two of those years. She is originally from Vienna, Virgina has worked in Washington DC, and Atlanta. Lesley spent two years teaching English as a Peace Corp Volunteer in Uzbekistan, worked on small water conservation in Hubli, India, observed presidential elections in Guinea, and obtained two Masters Degrees from the University of North Carolina and the Fletcher School (Tufts). Lesley currently works as a Senior Sector Analyst at Water.org based here in Kansas City.

At 11:15, Mark talks with artist Ryan Wilks about his new exhibit, Here Where You Wish, an immersive public installation coming to the Kansas City Public Library, at 14 West 10th Street, First Friday, April 6, 2018. Wilks is constructing a large public altar in the Central Library with a transformative temple-like labyrinth entry-way being crafted by renowned artist Ari Fish. Tim J Harte is composing ritual based sounds/music for the event. The 40 square feet altar is being constructed by Sean Prudden and Ryan Wilks, to house the objects that people bring to the piece. To support this project you can visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1840510472/here-where-you-wish/description

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

Show #717

WMM Playlist from January 10, 2018

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

“Remembering MLK”

Wednesday MidDay Medley celebrates the life of human rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born Jan. 15, 1929.

MLK led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, was a cofounder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, and served as it’s first president. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his, “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination thru civil disobedience and non-violent means.

By the time of his death in 1968, Dr. King had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War. King was assassinated, April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 198I. This year this national holiday falls on his actual birthday, Monday, January 15.

As Pete Seeger wrote: “Songs gave them the courage to believe they would not fail.” Today we feature music of & inspired by the civil rights movement.

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

2. Soweto Gospel Choir – “Pride (In The Name of Love)”
from: In the Name of Love – Africa Celebrates U2 / Shout! Factory Records / 2008
[Formed in Soweto, South Africa, by David Mulovhedzi & Beverly Bryer, two choir directors. The 30-member ensemble blends African gospel, Negro spirituals, reggae and American popular music. The group performed at the first of the 46664 concerts for Nelson Mandela and has toured internationally. Their albums Blessed and African Spirit won Grammy Awards for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2007 and 2008.]

3. International Noise Conspiracy / MLK Jr. – “The First Conspiracy / Let Freedom Ring”
from: Adbusters – Live Without Dead Time / Adbusters / 2003
[The (International) Noise Conspiracy (abbreviated T(I)NC) were a Swedish rock band formed in Sweden in the late months of 1998. The line-up consists of Dennis Lyxzén (vocals), Inge Johansson (bass), Lars Strömberg (guitar), and Ludwig Dahlberg (drums). The band is known for its punk and garage rock musical influences, and its impassioned left-wing political stance. Influenced by a quote from 1960’s folk singer Phil Ochs, according to lead singer Lyxzén, the band wanted to achieve an ideal blend of music and politics that was, “a cross between Elvis Presley and Che Guevara.”]

4. Labelle – “Something in The Air / The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
from: Something Silver / Warner Archives / 1997 [orig. Pressure Cookin’ / 1973, 3rd album from the funk/soul trio of: Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash who each shared a rap on “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” a poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron. It was the B-side to Scott-Heron’s first single, “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”, from his album Pieces of a Man (1971). “Something in the Air” is a song orig. recorded by Thunderclap Newman, a band created by Pete Townshend for The Who’s former roadie John ‘Speedy’ Keen who wrote and sang the song. It was a UK #1 single for three weeks in July 1969.]

10:14 – Soul Brother

MLK said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

MLK said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

5. Curtis Mayfield – “Beautiful Brother of Mine”
from: Roots / Curtom-Buddah / October, 1971 [2nd solo release from Curtis Mayfield, born in Chicago, June 3, 1942. One of the most influential musicians behind soul & politically conscious African-American music. Mayfield started his musical career in a gospel choir. Moving to the North Side of Chicago he met Jerry Butler in 1956 at the age of 14, and joined vocal group The Impressions. As a songwriter, Mayfield became noted as one of the first musicians to bring more prevalent themes of social awareness into soul music. In 1965, he wrote “People Get Ready” for The Impressions, which displayed his more politically charged songwriting. After leaving The Impressions in 1970, Mayfield released several albums, including the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Super Fly in 1972. The soundtrack was noted for its socially conscious themes, mostly addressing problems surrounding inner city minorities such as crime, poverty and drug abuse. Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990. Despite this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album, New World Order, in 1996. Mayfield won a Grammy Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, and was a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Impressions in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a 2-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. He died from complications of type 2 diabetes, Dec 26, 1999, at 57.]

6. Maceo & The Macks – “Soul Power ’74”
from: James Brown’s Funky People, Pt. 2 / People Records / 1988
[This record is sampled more than crackers and chees at Costco, it contains samples itself in the form of tape overlays of civil rights rallies, a Dr. King speech, and an announcement of King’s assassination. Maceo Parker played saxophone with James Brown, Parliment, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and Prince.]

7. Sweet Honey in The Rock, Aaron Neville, Lamar Campbell & Spirit of Praise -“Ella’s Song”
from: Soundtrack to Boycott / HBO / 2001 [Critically acclaimed 2001 film staring Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Terrence Howard as Ralph Abernathy, and CCH Pounder as Jo Ann Robinson.]

10:28 – Underwriting

10:30 – King’s Life, Death, and Spirit

MLK said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

8. Common & John Legend – “Glory”
from: Selma (Music from the Motion Picture) / Paramount Pictures-Pathe / January 6, 2015
[Golden Globe winning song from the new motion picture Selma. Most of the millions of African Americans across the South had effectively been disenfranchised since the turn of the century by a series of discriminatory requirements and practices. Finding resistance by white officials to be intractable, even after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This led to the three Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 where Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) were joined by organizers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committeeand also invited Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and activists of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to join them. These marches were part of the Selma Voting Rights Campaign and led to the passage that year of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. The 54-mile highway from Selma to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery was a demonstration showing the desire of black American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression.]

9. Mahalia Jackson – “How I Got Over”
from: The Original Apollo Sessions / Couch & Madison Partners / May 25, 2013
[Gospel hymn composed & published in 1951 by Clara Ward (1924-1973). It was performed by Mahalia Jackson at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 before 250,000 people. Mahalia Jackson (Oct. 26, 1911 – Jan. 27, 1972) was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”. She became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world, heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States”. She recorded about 30 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen “golds”—million-sellers. “I sing God’s music because it makes me feel free,” Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, “It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.”]

10. Martin Luther King Jr. – “MLK – I Have A Dream 1963 (excerpt)”
from: Inspirational Speeches, Vo. 3 / Orange Leisure / May 16, 2011 [American civil rights leader/activist and Baptist minister, born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King’s speeches have been issued on numerous releases – his most well-known and influential address being “I Have a Dream”, which was held during “The March on Washington” in 1963. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.]

11. Marian Anderson – “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”
from: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands / BMG / Orig. 1961 [Reissued 1991]
[Marian Anderson (Feb 27, 1897 – Apr. 8, 1993) was one of the most celebrated singers of the 20th century. In 1939, the (DAR) refused to let Anderson sing in Constitution Hall. With the aid of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. before a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions. Anderson became the first black person, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC on Jan. 7, 1955. Anderson worked as a delegate to the UN Human Rights Committee and “goodwill ambassadress” for the U.S. Dept. of State, giving concerts all over the world. She participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.]

12. Tramaine Hawkins, Ella Mitchell, Billy Porter & Chorus -“Rocka My Soul”
from: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre “Revelations” / V2 / 1998
[Revelations is the signature choreographic work of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was first produced by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in New York City, New York on January 31, 1960. Revelations tells the story of African-American faith and tenacity from slavery to freedom through a suite of dances set to spirituals and blues music. It’s been performed in over 70 countries in the half century since then and has been described as “the most widely seen modern dance work in the world.” The finale song of the three part “Revelations” is “Rocka My Soul In The Bosom Of Abraham” and it has been described by writer Juliana Lewis-Ferguson as a, “spiritually powerful conclusion to the suite and a purely physical release of emotion.”]

10:47 – Freedom

MLK said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

13. Nina Simone -“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”
from: Silk and Soul / RCA / 1967
[Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933. She died on April 21, 2003. Nina Simone was a singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop. Born in North Carolina, the sixth child of a preacher, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of the few supporters in her hometown of Tryon, North Carolina, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in NYC. Simone recorded more than 40 albums. “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” is a gospel/jazz song written by Billy Taylor & “Dick Dallas.”]

14. Solomon Burke – “None Of Us Are Free”
from: Don’t Give Up On Me / Fat Possum / 2002
[Back up singers: The Blind Boys of Alabama. Born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940, Solomon Burke died October 10, 2010. He was an American preacher & singer, who shaped the sound of rhythm & blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s and a “key transitional figure in the development of soul music from rhythm & blues. During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the Billboard R&B charts. In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. His album Don’t Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums.]

15. Nina Simone – “I Shall Be Released”
from: To Love Somebody / RCA / 1967
[1 of 3 Bob Dylan songs Nina Simone performed for this album. Written by Dylan in 1967. The Band recorded the first officially-released version of the song for their 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink, with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko & Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus. The song was also performed near the end of the Band’s 1976 farewell concert, The Last Waltz, in which all the night’s performers (except of Muddy Waters) plus Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood appeared on the same stage.]

11:02 – Station I.D.

11:02 – The Staple Singers & Bobby Watson and “Unpaid Bills”

MLK said, “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.”

16. Pops Staples – “You Gotta Serve Somebody”
from: e-town live volume 3 / e-town / December 18, 2002
[Recorded Sept. 16, 1994, Live in Boulder]
[Originally written by Bob Dylan. Roebuck “Pops” Staples was born on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi, on Dec. 28, 1914, the youngest of 14 children. When growing up he heard, and began to play with, local blues guitarists such as Charlie Patton, who lived on the nearby Dockery Plantation, Robert Johnson, and Son House. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, and sang with a gospel group before marrying and moving to Chicago in 1935. A “pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 70s,” and an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer. Patriarch of The Staple Singers, which included his son Pervis and daughters Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha.]

17. Mavis Staples – “Down in Mississippi”
from: Live – Hope At The Hideout / Anti / 2008 [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mavis Staples, of The Staple Singers, is a celebrated equal rights activist. She’s performed at inaugural parties for Presidents Kennedy, Carter and Clinton, Recorded in June, 2008, in the run up to the Presidential election of Barrack Obama. Recorded live in the intimate bar The Hideout, in her hometown of Chicago. Mavis Staples, marched, sang & protested alongside Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.]

18. The Staple Singers – “When Will We Be Paid”
from: Single / Stax (Fantasy / Ace) / 1967

19. Bobby Watson & The I Have a Dream Project–”Check Cashing Day” [feat. Glenn North]
from: Check Cashing Day / Lafiya Music / Digital – Aug. 28, 2013 / Physical – Nov. 12, 2013
[From wikipedia.org: “Bobby Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, August 23, 1953. he is an American post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Watson now has 27 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role. Watson has recorded more than 100 original compositions. Watson grew up in Bonner Springs and Kansas City, Kansas.]

11:21 – Bands of Brothers

MLK said, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”

20. Isley Brothers – “Brother, Brother, Brother”
from: Brotherhood / Hear Music / 2006

23. The Holmes Brothers – “Promised Land”
from: Promised Land / Rounder / 1997

24. The Chambers Brothers – “People Get Ready”
from: The Time Has Come / Columbia / 1967 [written by Curtis Mayfield]

11:33 – Underwriting

11:35 – Music tells the Story

MLK said, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

15. Thelonius Monk Septet – “Abide With Me”
from: Monk’s Music / Riverside / 1957 [written by William Henry Monk, an organist, church musician, and music editor, born March 16, 1823 and died March 18, 1889. He composed a fair number of popular hymns, including one of the most famous from nineteenth century England, “Eventide,” used for the hymn “Abide with Me.” He also wrote a number of anthems.]

22. The Swan Silvertones – “Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep”
from: Platinum Gospel: The Swan Silvertones / Sonorous Entertainment / 2012 (1959)
[“Mary Don’t You Weep” (alternately titled “O Mary Don’t You Weep”, “Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep, Don’t You Mourn”, or variations thereof) is a Negro spiritual that originates from before the American Civil War – thus it is what scholars call a “slave song,” “a label that describes their origins among the enslaved,” and it contains “coded messages of hope and resistance.” It is one of the most important of Negro spirituals. The song tells the Biblical story of Mary of Bethany and her distraught pleas to Jesus to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Other narratives relate to The Exodus and the Passage of the Red Sea, with the chorus proclaiming Pharaoh’s army got drown-ded!, and to God’s rainbow covenant to Noah after the Great Flood. With liberation thus one of its themes, the song again become popular during the Civil Rights Movement. Additionally, a song that explicitly chronicles the victories of the Civil Rights Movement, “If You Miss Me from the Back of the Bus”, written by Charles Neblett of The Freedom Singers, was sung to this tune and became one of the most well-known songs of that movement. In 2015 it was announced that The Swan Silvertones’s version of the song will be inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry for the song’s “cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy”. The first recording of the song was by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1915. The best known recordings were made by the vocal gospel group The Caravans in 1958, with Inez Andrews as the lead singer, and The Swan Silvertones in 1959. “Mary Don’t You Weep” became The Swan Silvertones’ greatest hit, and lead singer Claude Jeter’s interpolation “I’ll be a bridge over deep water if you trust in my name” served as Paul Simon’s inspiration to write his 1970 song “Bridge over Troubled Water”.The spiritual’s lyric God gave Noah the rainbow sign, no more water the fire next time inspired the title for The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin’s 1963 account of race relations in America.]

30. Krystle Warren – “Red Clay”
from: Three The Hard Way / Parlour Door Music / August 18, 2017
[With this song Krystle Warren tells the story of the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921 in which hundreds of African Americans were murdered, and their community was fire bombed, and burned to the ground, from the sky, by the Ku Klux Klan. Thousands of victims were also jailed and imprisoned. Three The Hard Way was produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane (D’Angelo, Emily King, PJ Morton). Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. Last year in Krystle Warren premiered this song and her other new songs from this album at the Middle of the Map Fest in a packed room at Californos in Westport and later at The Polsky Theatre for the Performing Arts Series of Johnsons County Community College. For this record Krystle decided to play every instrument and vocals & back up vocals, “playing bass, drums, lap steel, piano, guitar, and vocals directly to analog tape. She and Ben Kane recorded in Villetaneuse, France, a small town on the outskirts of Paris in a vintage 70s era studio that offered just the right, rich sound to suggest the musical foundation for the record, and to do justice to the duo’s carefully balanced arrangements.” On the radio show last year Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones. Originally from KC, Krystle learned to play the guitar by listening to Rubber Soul & Revolver from The Beatles. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career in collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After living in San Francisco and NYC, Krystle was signed to a French label, Because Music, and moved to Paris to release “Circles” in 2009. Krystle played French and British television programs, including Later with Jools Holland, garnering critical acclaim and traveling all over the world with Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Norah Jones, and Joan As Police Woman. Krystle created, Parlour Door Music, to release “Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace” a recording from a 13-day session in Brooklyn, where she recorded 24 songs live with 28 musicians including her band, The Faculty, alongside choirs, horn and string sections.] [Krystle Warren was on WMM on September 20. We played her music on 12 different shows.]

11:45 – Gospel & Folk Music Carried the Message

We go out with a special set of music starting with the late Pete Seeger singing a song he adapted and made famous, followed by Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie singing a Pete Seeger song called “Dr. King,” and ending with a song written by Woody Guthrie performed by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings

MLK said, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”

21. Pete Seeger – “We Shall Overcome”
from: The Essential Pete Seeger / Columbia – Legacy / 2004
[Derived from a gospel song by Reverend Charles Tindley called “We Will Overcome” written in 1901. Adapted and made famous by Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and others the song became central to the civil rights movement of the 1950 and 1960s and eventually used all around the world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made use of “we shall overcome” in the final Sunday March 31, 1968 speech before his assassination.]

22. Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion – “Dr. King”
from: exploration / New West / 2005 [written by Pete Seeger]

23. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “This Land is Your Land”
from: Naturally / Daptone / 2005
[written by Woody Guthrie, Sarah Lee’s Grandfather.]
[In November 2016, Sharon Jones suffered a stroke while watching the 2016 United States presidential election results and another the following day. Jones remained alert and lucid during the initial period of her hospital stay, jokingly claiming that the news of Donald Trump’s victory was responsible for her stroke. She died on November 18, 2016, in Cooperstown, New York, aged 60. Sharon Lafaye Jones was born May 4, 1956 and died this year on November 18, 2016. She was an American soul and funk singer. Although she collaborated with Lou Reed, David Byrne and others, she is best known as lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success relatively late in life, releasing her first record when she was 40 years old. In 2014, Jones was nominated for her first Grammy, in the category Best R&B Album, for Give the People What They Want. Jones was born in Augusta, Georgia, the daughter of Ella Mae Price Jones and Charlie Jones, living in adjacent North Augusta, South Carolina. Jones was the youngest of six children; her siblings are Dora, Charles, Ike, Willa and Henry. Jones’s mother raised her deceased sister’s four children as well as her own. She moved the family to New York City when Sharon was a young child. As children, she and her brothers would often imitate the singing and dancing of James Brown. Her mother happened to know Brown, who was also from Augusta.Jones grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. In 1975, she graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn. She attended Brooklyn College. A regular gospel singer in church, Jones often entered talent shows backed by local funk bands in the early 1970s. Session work then continued with backing vocals, often credited to Lafaye Jones, but in the absence of any recording contract as a solo singer, she spent many years working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo, until receiving a mid-life career break in 1996 after she appeared on a session backing the soul and deep funk legend Lee Fields. Sharon Jones was part of the very beginning of Daptone Records Daptone Records’ first release was a full-length album by Sharon Jones. A new band, the Dap-Kings, was formed from the former members of the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials. Some of the musicians went on to record for Lehman’s Soul Fire label, while some formed the Budos Band, an Afro-beat band. From the original Soul Providers, Roth (also known as Bosco Mann) on bass, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpet player Anda Szilagyi and organist Earl Maxton were joined by original Mighty Imperials saxophonist Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss, plus Neal Sugarman from Sugarman 3, to form The Dap-Kings. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the released the album Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in May of 2002, , for which they received immediate attention and acclaim from enthusiasts, DJs and collectors. Next they released, Naturally (2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007) and I Learned the Hard Way (2010). They are seen by many as the spearhead of a revival of soul and funk.]

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

Next Week on Wednesday, January 17, Brodie Rush and Ben Ruth join us to share music from their latest Be/Non release, FREEDOM PALACE, recorded 12 years ago in the summer of 2006, but never pressed or released due to a record label disagreement. It is now being released through Haymaker Records. In our second hour we’ll talk with Kansas City based artist Ryan Wilkes about Here Where You Wish, an immersive public installation coming to the Kansas City Public Library, Central Library location at 14 W. 10th St. on April 6, 2018. Ryan Wilks is constructing a large public altar in the Central Library with a transformative temple-like labyrinth entry way that encourages the public to consciously and methodically enter. The elaborate and flowing entrance is meticulously crafted by renowned artist Ari Fish. Tim J Harte is composing ritual based sounds/music to softly play through the installation. The altar itself will be 40 square feet and constructed by Sean Prudden and Ryan Wilks, and will beautifully house the objects that people leave behind. To support this project through Ryan’s KickStarter Campaign you can visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1840510472/here-where-you-wish/description

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

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

Show #716

Wednesday MidDay Medley – “Remembering MLK”

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Mark Manning

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

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

“Remembering MLK”

Wednesday MidDay Medley celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929. Dr. King led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death, Dr. King had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 198I.

Mark plays music of the movement from: Mavis Staples, Pops Staples, The Staple Singers, Krystle Warren, Bobby Watson & The I Have A Dream Project Featuring Glenn North, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Labelle, Common & John Legend, Curtis Mayfield, Maceo & The Macks, Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, The Swan Silvertones, Thelonious Monk Septet, Sweet Honey in The Rock, The Holmes Brothers, The Chambers Brothers, The Isley Brothers, Aaron Neville, Soweto Gospel Choir, Tramaine Hawkins, Ella Mitchell, Billy Porter, Solomon Burke, Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion.

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

Show #716

Wednesday MidDay Medley

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

Author Archives: Mark Manning

About Mark Manning

WMM Playlist from February 7, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley features Music from Folk Alliance International + Instant Karma + Julia Othmer + Hedwig And The Angry Inch

WMM Playlist from January 31, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s “The MidCoast Sound” and The Super Blue Blood Moon

WMM Playlist from January 24, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley features FACEFACE and Full Gallop

WMM Playlist from January 17, 2018

WMM talks with Ryan Wilks of Here Where You Wish + Lesley Pories

WMM Playlist from January 10, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley – “Remembering MLK”