Wednesday MidDay Medley Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Krystle Warren + Bill Sundahl & 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest
Mark spins tracks from 15 of the 35 bands playing the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest including: Krystle Warren & The Faculty, The Royal Chief, Stranded in the City, Talia Keys, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, SEYKO, Rudy Love and the Encore, Sara Swenson, Laura Noble, The MGDs, Friendly Thieves, Jelly Rose, Nature Boys, Osezua, and John L. Keck.
At 10:00 Bill Sundahl joins us to share details about the 21st Annual KKFI Crossroads Music Fest, Saturday, September 6, 2025, Noon to Midnight, in the Historic West Bottoms with 35 Bands, on 6 stages including: Lemonade Park, The Campground, Voltaire, The Livestock Exchange Lot, Stockyards Brewing, and a VIP stage at the Ox Cafe & Bakery. CMF also presents a Free Band of Angels Day Party at Lemonade Park from Noon to 3:00pm with: The Apologies, Little Miss Dynamite, Flat Susan, and Sass-A-Brass Band. Crossroads Music Festival is a fundraiser for 90.1 FM KKFI. Starting at 3:00pm to Midnight all CMF Festival Stages will require a wristband. Purchase tickets at: WWW.CMFKC.COM
At 11:00am, CMF headliner – Krystle Warren joins to share details about The Faculty’s first 2005 official EP release, DIARY, just recently re-released and remastered by Ben Kane, who originally recorded those sessions at Electric Lady Studios, where he also co-produced and mixed the tracks with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. Krystle Warren is one of our most played artists and most frequent guests. Krystle Warren began performing in her native Kansas City at the age of 16. She graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the full length album CIRCLES in 2009. Their epic sophomore release, LOVE SONGS followed in 2011, and contained 24 songs about love, recorded in New York City over the span of two weeks, with close to thirty musicians. Around this time, Krystle also joined forces with one of her musical idols, Rufus Wainwright, on his world tour as opener and bandmate. Krystle Warren released her solo album THREE THE HARD WAY, co-produced with Ben Kane in 2017. Krystle will also be sharing details of , Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s released EXTENDED PLAY in November of 2024. EXTENDED PLAY was #1 on WMM’s 120 Beast Recordings of 2024. More info at: http://www.krystlewarren.com
On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org
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, August 27, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + TheBabeGabe & TyFaison + Mitzi McKee + Don Simon & Morgan Holcomb
“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks” from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Cass McCombs – “Peace” from: Interior Live Oak / Domino / August 15, 2025, 2019 [First single from Cass McCombs new album Interior Live Oak. Pubnlicity material reports this is Cass’s most personal album to date, and, more than any previous record, shows Cass’ vast range as a lyricist and musician. It draws from everything Cass has created over two decades of experimentation to cut through with a direct and clarifying light. Throughout, his attitude is hopeful, which may sound odd for someone who often sings about the more extreme aspects of modern life. Interior Live Oak, however, is the resolve of someone who has lived those extremes. NPR MUSIC writes: “Cass McCombs’ songs are slow, languid and beautiful, which feels like the right counterbalance to our fast-paced times.” MOJO writes: “Steadily, Interior Live Oak becomes the kind of record it’s impossible to be casual about… Those who find themselves in his songs can expect to be transformed, no longer just lover, friend, chance encounter, but an epic hero, warrior, a creature in the throes of metamorphosis.” // Cass McCombs was born 1977 in Concord, California. He is an American musician, best known for blending genres such as rock, folk, psychedelic, punk, and alt country, he has played in numerous bands in the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest during the 1990s, often in DIY spaces, before relocating to New York City. He moved to San Francisco in 2001, where he recorded his debut E.P., entitled Not the Way E.P., released on Monitor Records in Baltimore. McCombs then recorded a Peel Session for John Peel in 2003, and that year released his first LP A, also touring with Baltimore’s OXES as his backing band. McCombs and his band spent much of 2003 and 2004 touring, performing everywhere from the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival to house shows. McCombs otherwise divided his time amongst the Pacific Northwest, England and Baltimore. In spring 2005 he released PREfection on Monitor Records and 4AD, and in support of the album he toured with Modest Mouse. Later that year, he moved to Southern California to begin work on his third full-length, Dropping the Writ, which was released on October 9, 2007, by Domino Records. It was named one of Amazon.com’s Best Albums of 2007. Also in 2007 he toured with Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. He signed a multiple-album deal with Domino Records, who released his following four records including Catacombs (2009), which was voted one of the “50 Top Albums on the Year” by Pitchfork. It was followed by Wit’s End (2011), Humor Risk (2011), and Big Wheel and Others (2013). He toured with John Cale in 2012, and also performed at the benefit concert Occupy Sandy. Other bands he has performed or toured with include Ariel Pink, Cat Power, Band of Horses, Andrew Bird, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Peter Bjorn and John, Papercuts, The Shins, Iron and Wine, Deerhoof, The Walkmen, Jana Hunter, Thurston Moore, Joe Russo and The War On Drugs. His single “Bradley Manning” premiered on the Democracy Now News Hour in 2012. His songs have been featured in films including the surf film The Present (2009), and Ralph Arlyck documentary Following Sean, as well as notable skate videos featuring Jason Dill, Jerry Hsu Chima Ferguson and Dylan Rieder. His song “Bobby, King of Boys Town” appeared in HBO show Girls (Season 2, Episode 9 – “On All Fours”). In 2014 he did a co-headlining fall tour with the Meat Puppets. McCombs is a member of The Skiffle Players, who released their debut LP, Skifflin’ on February 12, 2016. In June 2016, McCombs performed at the Primavera Sound and Field Day music festivals. McCombs ANTI- Records debut, Mangy Love was released on August 26, 2016. // Cass McCombs released Tip of the Sphere on Anti Records on February 8, 2019.]
Kathleen Edwards – “Save Your Soul” from: BILLIONAIRE / Dualtone / June 3, 2025 [Acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Kathleen Edwards returns with her highly anticipated new album, Billionaire, August 22 on Dualtone Records. Evoking her debut, Failer, the new 10-song album is full of Edwards’ trademark lyrical sharpness and unflinching observations and was produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson. Celebrated as one of the forebears of modern alt-country and Americana music, Edwards is beloved by fans and fellow musicians, and praised by The New York Times for her, “droll, observant and unsparing tone that is all her own. In her best lines, Edwards has the conversational vernacular and emotional eloquence of a great short-story writer.” Since debuting in 2003, Edwards has released five albums, including 2020’s Total Freedom — her first after stepping away from music for almost a decade. Released to overwhelming acclaim with pieces at The New Yorker, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and more, Pitchfork called it,”a creative breakthrough, written solely for the thrill of discovery,” while Rolling Stone declared it as, “devastatingly great.” Most recently, Edwards released a covers EP featuring special guests Isbell, Bahamas and Daniel Tashian and including renditions of Isbell’s “Traveling Alone,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Human Touch,” The Flaming Lips’ “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate,” Tom Petty’s “Crawling Back To You” and more. She has been nominated for multiple JUNO and Americana Awards and, in 2012, was awarded the SOCAN Songwriting Prize.]
Jon Batiste – “BIG MONEY” from: BIG MONEY/ Verve – Interscope / August 27, 2025 [Multi-GRAMMY® and Academy Award® winner Jon Batiste today announced his new album BIG MONEY, out August 22 via Verve/Interscope. Described by The Guardian as “a certified musical genius,” Batiste continues to defy categorization with BIG MONEY—a bold, groove-driven statement about humanity, capitalism, and Americana. Stripping things down to their most essential elements, the album delivers a richly textured sound layered with spirit, irony, joy, and depth. Written and recorded mostly live in single takes over the course of just two weeks, BIG MONEY captures the raw immediacy of creative expression. The emphasis on collective energy and spontaneity draws on the roots of American music as a communal force—and offers an antidote to modern disconnection. // At the heart of the album is its title track—a percussive, hook-laden anthem sparked by a moment of inspiration following Batiste’s 2024 performance at The Ryman Auditorium. He wrote the song on guitar before he even knew he was making a new album. On the surface, it’s an infectious call for ambition. Beneath the rhythm, it’s a layered meditation on capitalism, survival, and what we choose to value. // “This is the circus of love. Under our tent there is revival and joy,” Batiste says. “You don’t lose your soul—you gain it. When Mama says, ‘Don’t be a dummy, everybody chasing that BIG MONEY,’ Mama is pushing you—while warning you. It cuts both ways.” // The track, anchored by Batiste’s guitar and retro-soul revivalist Nick Waterhouse, is brought to life by the soaring vocals of The Womack Sisters—a rising trio and granddaughters of soul legend Sam Cooke—who echo the refrain: “Might as well live for something you can feel…something that’s real.” // Batiste co-produced the album with longtime creative confidant Dion “No ID” Wilson. Other collaborators include Andra Day, Randy Newman, and a tight-knit group of musicians, songwriters, and engineers. Rather than aiming for polish, the sessions prioritized feel and presence—capturing performances in real time and preserving their imperfections as part of the record’s spiritual DNA. // Anchored by lyricism, heart, and the power of collaboration, BIG MONEY reframes and recasts Americana for a new generation—drawing on Batiste’s New Orleans roots, his gospel and protest music lineage, and his love of raw, immediate expression. The sonic palette spans blues, soul, reggae, and minimalist balladry, daring to classify them all as part of a new, evolving genre: New Americana. // Variety has called Batiste “a protean pianist and megawatt personality”—a description embodied here as he dances between styles and philosophies without losing cohesion. Each track builds on the last to create a unified vision of music as both resistance and release. // “However you interpret the songs,” Batiste says, “you can’t help feeling them. You can’t help accepting an invitation into the tent. Come in and have fun…some deeply serious fun.” // Earlier this year, Batiste made headlines for his powerful performance of the National Anthem at the 2025 Super Bowl, which brought his singular artistry to one of America’s most-watched stages. He also took home two GRAMMY® Awards—Best Music Film for the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary American Symphony, and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “It Never Went Away,” the Oscar-nominated track he co-wrote with Dan Wilson for the film. // BIG MONEY follows Beethoven Blues, released November 15 via Verve/Interscope. The album marked Batiste’s biggest sales week to date, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart and No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart. It also entered the Billboard 200 at No. 64—his highest debut on the chart and his fifth career entry. Beethoven Blues held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums chart for nine consecutive weeks and topped the Billboard Classical Albums chart for five weeks. Showcasing his interpolations of Beethoven’s most iconic works through an expansive and innovative lens, the album expands the boundaries of classical music by infusing it with spontaneity, soul, and inclusivity. // Batiste will support BIG MONEY with a national headlining run, The BIG MONEY Tour: Jon Batiste Plays America, kicking off August 27 in Kansas City, MO. The tour will stop at more than 30 venues across the country, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Grand Ole Opry, and a co-headline date with Diana Ross at The Muny in St. Louis, MO. Full tour dates below and ticket information are available at jonbatiste.com.]
[Jon Batiste plays The Midland Theatre 1228 Main St, KCMO, TONIGHT – Wed., Aug. 27, at 8:00, doors at 7:00pm.]
KeiyaA – “stupid prizes” from: “stupid prizes”- Single / XL Recordings / August 20, 2020 [After five years of navigating loss, grief, and anger, Chicago-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer keiyaA emerges in the light of reinvention and healing, shaped by years of solitude spent in the unending tide of mess and renewal, returning to share her findings with unapologetic clarity. Her new single “stupid prizes,” accompanied by a self-co-directed music video with Caity Arthur, is a soulful, arresting prelude that marks a powerful next chapter. Known for her penetrating explorations of Black womanhood and liberation, rich harmonies, and fearless experimentation, keiyaA reintroduces her artistry with the same emotional intensity and sonic innovation that defined her 2020 debut Forever, Ya Girl, arriving in the wake of her first theatrical stage play, milk thot. // Speaking about “stupid prizes,” keiyaA says: “i wrote, recorded, and produced “stupid prizes” all in one sitting, at home late at night in my living room in Brooklyn. i sampled Percy Faith, an orchestral composer known for creating rich and luscious scores and show tunes, helping contribute to this classic “American” sound. i sought out to create this sort of bed of irony, to speak and sing about being miserable on top of this beautiful, dreamy and romantic music. which speaks not only to what it can feel like navigating my internal and external worlds, but also what it feels like being a marginalized person in America.” // In 2020, keiyaA released her self-produced debut album Forever, Ya Girl, a genre-defying blend of jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and experimental music that earned widespread critical acclaim. The project went on to receive Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” designation, landed on year-end best-of lists from The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and was later named to Pitchfork’s Best of the Decade So Far list. It also drew praise from artists including Solange, Jay-Z, Earl Sweatshirt, Blood Orange, Kimberly Drew, and Moses Sumney. The album announced keiyaA as one of music’s most vital new voices and producers, and the attention it garnered gave her the access to expand on her creative vision—one that has since grown into a thriving garden of projects, performances, and collaborations, each distinct but rooted in her singular artistry. // Since the release of Forever, Ya Girl, keiyaA showcased her dynamism through a Tiny Desk concert and appearances at Solange’s El Dorado Ballroom show at BAM, Wales Bonner’s Togetherness presentation at the Guggenheim, ESSENSE’s Girls United Summit, and MoMA PS1’s Warm Up series. She walked in Telfar’s 20th-anniversary show, contributed music to the brand’s Moose Knuckles collaboration, and scored Nike’s Come Thru series. She also performed at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, as well as in her hometown of Chicago at Pitchfork Music Festival and Theaster Gates’ Kenwood Garden community space. // Earlier this year, keiyaA expanded her artistic expression with milk thot, her first full-length stage production, which premiered at Abrons Arts Center in New York City. The performance combined live music, poetry, and choreography to delve into topics such as self-image, family lineage, and societal consumption. Developed during a residency at Abrons, milk thot marked a significant evolution in her multidisciplinary approach to storytelling. // In 2025 keiyaA will release her much anticipated sophomore album. // KeiyaA released her break through album Forever, Ya Girl through Forever Recordings on March 27, 2020 This album was part of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2020. The debut album from KeiyaA originally from Chicago, now based in NYC. Written and produced by keiyaA, featuring additional production from dj blackpower & dj cowriiie. Mixed & mastered by BSTFRND. // Chakeiya Camille Richmond was born July 28, 1992. She is known professionally as Keiyaa (stylized as KeiyaA), is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and a record producer. She independently released her debut album Forever, Ya Girl in 2020. // Chakeiya Camille Richmond was born and raised in Chicago on the city’s south side. During childhood she sang in the Chicago Children’s Choir until switching to the alto saxophone in seventh grade. She cited soul artists including Chaka Khan, Patrice Rushen, jazz musicians like John Coltrane and Miles Davis and R&B groups such as SWV as early musical influences. She also finds inspiration in goth and post-punk/alternative rock artists like Nirvana and Siouxsie and the Banshees. // Richmond attended University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia College to study jazz and play alto sax before leaving due to disillusionment with the program’s hierarchical nature, as well difficulty balancing school with working full-time. Shortly after she decided to pursue music professionally. // While still playing and performing on alto sax, she collaborated with Chicago musicians including Noname and Vic Mensa. She decided to switch her focus to solo work producing and singing R&B and electronic music. Perform-ing under the name Keiya, she released her debut EP, WORK, in July 2015. It was described as “emotional, sleepy, and yet strikingly optimistic” by These Days magazine. Shortly after its release she moved to New York. She added an additional “A” to her name (KeiyaA) in order to differentiate herself from other performers on streaming sites. // KeiyaA’s debut album Forever, Ya Girl was released in March 2020 and self-produced under her personal label Forever Recordings. It was reviewed by Olivia Ovendon for KEXP as featuring “powerful mantra-esque lyrics, and woozy, heady, immersive beats in captivating fashion.” Esquire described the sound as “downcast grime and smooth R&B.” Pitchfork writer Clare Lobenfeld rated the album an 8.2/10 and praised its “resolute realness that can only happen outside the major label gaze.” Forever, Ya Girl was named to Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian’s “Best Albums of 2020” lists. // Keiyaa resides in Brooklyn.]
Kat King – “It’s In A Dream” from: “It’s In A Dream”- Single / Kat King / July 11, 2025 [Kat King released the single “Somersaults”on May 2, 2025.// Kat King released the single “I Might Like It” through Manor Records on February 28, 2025 / / Kat King, on lead vocals, Derek Melies on guitar, John Kaul McCain on bass, Daniel Cole on drums, & Kara LePage on keyboards. Produced by Isaac Flynn of Hembree. // Kat King released the EP Domestic Bliss on April 5, 2024. Domestic Bliss was in the Top 25 of WMM’s 129 Best Recordings of 2024. // On October 6, 2023 Kat King released the single. “Bight-Eyed.” // On June 16, 2024 Kat King released the single “Baby Talk.” // On Jan. 13, 2023 Kat King released “Gone South” Produced by Joel Martin. Centering on themes of self-care, steadfast friendship, and revitalizing optimism. On September 20, 2022 Kat King released the single “With Nothing In My Way.” This followed their single “New Sun” released July 29, 2022. “New Sun” was a follow up to the June 9, 2021, SAY WHAT YOU MEAN 5-track EP, recorded with her band. Co-produced & mixed / mastered by Joel Martin. Lawrence KS based singer songwriter Kat King released her last single “Song of Spain” in 2019 and her single “2017” in, 2018. She released her 5-song EP “Falling Up” on Dec. 1, 2017. // Kat King’s career started as far back as 2nd grade in small town Kansas. As a solo singer-songwriter act, she produced one 13-song album and three EP’s. Now based in Kansas City, Kat King graduated into a 5-piece indie-pop rock group who are gearing up for the release of their second EP together. Their infectious energy has landed them on some of KC’s biggest stages.]
[Kat King plays The Ship 1221 Union Ave., KCMO WEST BOTTOMS on Saturday, October 25.]
Paris Williams & Bloom Allen – “Truthfully” (radio edit) from: Give Em Hell, Truthfully – Single / BitterSweet Sound / August 12, 2025 [Paris Williams is a 26-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the EP COCOA on December 10, 2020 . // He released the single , “Austin”on February 18, 2021. // Paris Williams released the single, “Sweeter” on July 9, 2021. // He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. // He released the single ,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. // He released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. // Paris Williams released the EP REBEL HEART on January 31, 2023. This release was part of WMM ‘s 120 Best Recordings of 2023. // Paris Williams released the single, “Pack Light” on July 25, 2023. // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “C.est La Vie” on September 14, 2024, // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “Ayo (Feat TyFaison)” on September 18, 2024. // Paris Williams & The Human released the 10-track album, A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024. This release was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Paris Williams & TheBabeGabe released the single “Me Again” on April 28, 2025, // More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]
[Paris Williams plays Turnaround Fest August 29 – 30 at White Schoolhouse, 1510 N. 3rd Street, Lawrence, KS. with, Dalima Kapten, The Elektrik Band, Flora From Kansas, Teazers, Discotek Mama, and 95 Sweetbird – All Ages.]
Significant Brother
Significant Brother – “Look At You Now” from: Low Tempo, High Times / The Record Machine / July 18, 2025 [Written, performed, mixed by Alex Ward“Look At You Now” is one of three mew singles released from the upcoming solo debut album LOW TEMPO, HIGH TIMES. The single “Temporary Phase” was released on June 20, 2025. // The Single. “Less Me, More You” was released on August 22, 2025. // Significant Brother is the indie-rock solo project of Alex Ward – a longtime collaborator in bands like Hembree, The Noise FM, and Scores. After more than 25 years playing in bands, Alex decided it was finally time to release music that didn’t rely on his bandmates texting him back. // Significant Brother’s debut album, Low Tempo, High Times, is a five-year collection of tracks pulled directly from the “could this be a song?” folder on his desktop. These were the oddballs, the misfits, the tracks that didn’t quite fit with his other bands but were too personal (or too weird) to let go. Nearly every sound on the album was written, performed, and mixed by Alex — sometimes at 3 a.m., usually in gym shorts, and never far from his cat Carl. The result? Dreamy, low-key, yet danceable songs about navigating aging, relationships, and the end of the world — set to a melodic, slightly offbeat soundtrack.]
10:28 – Underwriting
10:30 – Interview with Morgan Holcomb and Don Simon
Morgan Holcomb is a senior at Smithville High School in Smithville, Missouri. For over a year, she has hosted The Local Show with Morgan, a program spotlighting local and regional artists. The show airs Sunday evenings from 5-8 p.m. on Warrior Radio, the school’s online station, and is also syndicated on community radio stations Oak Grove Radio in Minneapolis, Kansas, and Radio Joe in St. Joseph, Missouri. After graduation, Morgan plans to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, where she will major in marketing and minor in broadcasting.
Don Simon teaches broadcasting, business, and marketing at Smithville High School in Smithville, Missouri. Now in his fourth year as a high school teacher, he previously worked in a variety of legal and business roles in the Kansas City area. He is a former Board Member of 90.1 FM KKFI, he has worked with the Art Institutes of Kansas City, Artist Inc., Folk Alliance International, and has consulted artists and worked in record labels and festivals.
Morgan Holcomb and Don Simon join us in our 90.1 FM studios to share details about Warrior Radio, an award-winning, Internet student-run station for Smithville High School, in Smithville, Missouri. More info at: http://www.tinyurl.com/Warrior-Radio
Morgan Holcomb and Don Simon Thank you for being with us on WMM
About Warrior Radio: Curated by high school students, Warrior Radio is on the air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the Live365 streaming service.
From Smithville to the World…it’s Warrior Radio, an award-winning, student-run Internet station! Part of the Smithville Media Network.
The station can also be accessed by downloading the Warrior Radio app from Google Play or the Live365 app to a mobile phone or tablet from the Apple App Store or Google Play and adding Warrior Radio as a “Favorite.” Or listen on ROKU, AppleTV, Amazon Fire Stick, Chromecast, or other streaming devices by adding the Live365 app
645 S. Commercial Ave., Smithville, MO, United States, Missouri (816) 532-0405
Morgan Holcomb is a senior at Smithville and is host of “The Local Show with Morgan,” Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm, spotlighting local & regional artists.
It’s The Local Show with Morgan! Three hours of local and regional artists every Sunday. This week, new music by 90 MInute Cassette, Land Lion, and Kasey Rausch. If you want to hear your music on a future episode of the Local Show, email or share your MP3s and album art to: broadcastingshs@smithville.k12.mo.us.
Morgan plans to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, and major in marketing and minor in broadcasting.
Don Simon teaches broadcasting, business, and marketing at Smithville High School. Now in his fourth year as a high school teacher, he previously worked in a variety of legal and business roles in the Kansas City area.
Morgan Holcomb and Don Simon Thank you for being with us on WMM
Katy Guillen & The Drive – “What If” from: “What If” – Single / Are and Be Recordings / July 25, 2025 [One of two new singles (including “Outcome” released August 22, 2025) from the band’s upcoming album MAKE THAT SOUND.// “What If” was written by Katy Guillen & The Drive with Megan McCormick. Produced by Megan McCormick, Engineered & Mixed by Brandon Bell with Annie Petrik, Mastered by Kim Rosen. Katy Guillen on vocals & guitar; Stephanie Williams on drums & percussion; Megan McCormick on bass, backing vocals, additional guitars & percussion; Erin Manning on Synthesizers; and Brandon Bell on Loops & programming. // Established in 2019, Katy Guillen & The Drive is an independent Indie Roots Rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, formed by partners Katy Guillen (Vocals, Guitar) and Stephanie Williams (Drums). The band’s 2022 debut album Another One Gained, produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards), “hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs,” lauds Uncut Magazine. Under The Radar Magazine declares the duo “evokes a timeless indie rock sound” and displays “effortless instrumental chemistry that gives both members a chance to shine.” Following this release, the band unleashed Another One Gained Deluxe featuring ‘Batallas,’ a highly anticipated Spanish version of the fan-favorite ‘Battles,’ which spotlighted special guest Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos (Flor De Toloache) on violin and backing vocals. // Katy Guillen & The Drive prides itself on fostering empowered spaces for women in music both onstage and off, and performances showcase the group’s signature all-female powerhouse formation, technical prowess, and electrifying chemistry. This core value heavily influenced the band’s second full-length effort Make That Sound. Guillen admits, “Having never worked with a woman in the studio, that’s something we wanted to change on this record. We wanted more female energy, ideas, and power to influence this album.” With this goal in mind, the band was eventually led to Producer Megan McCormick (Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah). As a result of their fast friendship and facile chemistry, the duo embraced their newfound creative trust in this relationship and ran with it. Within a matter of a few days, the three collaborated on everything from songwriting and arrangements to live tracking and overdubs, resulting in a liberated, emboldened, and nuanced new record. Williams shares, “The recording process was dense and fast. It required being totally present, trusting our initial instincts, and pushing into some uncharted territory at times.” Guillen speaks to the inspiration behind the songs and process, “In creating this album I felt particularly inspired by the countless strong and important women in my life, the love that I’ve grown with my partner, and the strength I’ve gained from digging inward through challenging times.” Make That Sound is a celebration of self-empowerment, liberation, vulnerability, honesty, and love. In addition to McCormick, the band was fortunate to work with engineers Brandon Bell (Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell) and Annie Petrik on tracking and mixing, as well as mastering engineer Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Allison Russell). The band will partner with Nashville-based indie label and artist collective Are & Be Recordings for the release.]
[Katy Guillen & The Drive set out for a 32 city tour September 19 through November 23, 2025 with a show at Knuckleheads on Friday, November 14 at 8:00pm.]
Religion of Heartbreak – “100 Degrees” from: LUNATE EP / Kosmic City Records / September 12, 2025 [Religion of Heartbreak transform perpetual longing into dance floor salvation with their new single “100 Degrees,”another taste of their upcoming EP Lunate (September 12). Mikal Shapiro’s sensually detached vocals float over Dedric Moore’s pounding EBM foundation, where snakey synth leads coil around italo disco-ized bass lines in a haze of post-wave nostalgia. The track resuscitates lost loves through desperate dreamscapes that spark second chances, casting shadows from the past while the fog machine churns at maximum capacity. // “100 Degrees”captures that feeling when eyes meet across a crowded floor and resistance becomes impossible—a moment when dancing eyeliner moves and syncretic chemistry collide. This is electronic pop music for the romantically wounded, the perfect soundtrack for those who prefer their heartbreak served with a relentless beat. // Religion of Heartbreak Bio: Music for those broken moments and flashes of love. // Religion of Heartbreak formed out of a desire to make music with a darker dance floor focus. The combination of Mikal Shapiro’s vocals battling against Dedric’s icy synths, mechanized beats and dub-inflected electro-bass creates a juxtaposition that works in all the right ways. // Religion of Heartbreak delves into the sounds of Darkwave, EBM, and the darker side of Synth Pop. The grooves are there. The songs are clever, and always filled with a sense of lost love as we follow our dark hearts. // Religion of Heartbreak delves into the sounds of Darkwave, EBM, and the darker side of Synth Pop. The grooves are there. The songs are clever and always filled with a sense of lost love as we follow our dark hearts. // ROH is the band formerly known as Monta At Odds. It was recently announced that Krysztof Nemeth was stepping away for Religion of Heatbreak to focus on his band ReViser also with Dedric Moore and with Breaka Dawn. // On June 27, 2025 Religion of Heartbreak released the single “Love Tourniquet” through Kosmic City Records // On February 3, 2025 Religion of Heartbreak released the 5 song EP Dream Reflection with Dedric Moore on vocals, guitar, synths, programming; Mikal Shapiro on vocals, Krysztof Nemeth: baritone guitar, electronic percussion; Alexander Thomas on electronic percussion on MGGG, Dream Reflection, Skeptic; Regan Moore on electronic percussion on Dark Hour of Meditation // Dream Reflection EP carries forward the motorized heartbeat of classic darkwave while forging its own metallic path. Drawing from EBM and Synth Pop traditions, this five-track release sees the Monta At Odds offshoot strip away unnecessary embellishments, leaving only the essential elements and textural remnants that speak to our collective digital malaise. // The EP’s centerpiece and title track emerges like a ghost in the machine, with Mikal Shapiro’s coolly delivered vocals floating above Dedric Moore’s gritty synth programming and precision-guided guitar along with Krysztof Nemeth’s synth pad percussion. Each track builds upon this foundation, from the robot-dance urgency of “Forget About You” to the beautiful desolation of “Skeptic,” creating a cohesive statement about modern isolation and the personas we construct. The result feels familiar and alien—like catching your reflection in a black mirror and seeing someone else staring back.]
[Religion of Heartbreak plays miniBar, 3810 Broadway Blvd., KCMO on Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 7:00pm with Carrellee and Sleep Akima, Juliette Frost opening.]
11:00 – Station ID
Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo – “Your Scream and Shout” from: Inverted Shadows / Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo / Fall, 2025 [From upcoming debut album Inverted Shadows. Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. // Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also worked the front-of-house. Mitzi and on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Sat., Sept. 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, Kissy Fit and Cat Voltron.]
11:03 – Interview with Mitzi McKee
And now we happily welcome back to Wednesday Midday Medley, Kansas City based Mitzi McKee who grew up in a musical and theatrical family in Phoenix, AZ, and has played in several punk bands over the years, along with performing in over 40 plays & musicals since the age of 5. Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi began playing out solo here in KC back in 2022, frequenting The Pairing and Chartreuse Saloon, until forming the Precious Cargo in 2024 with longtime friends & previous bandmates Brendan Bennett (bass) of The Stonebreakers & Nuthatch 47, and Caleb Robertson (drums) of Valency. Mitzi McKee and the Precious Cargo are proud to be releasing their debut album, Inverted Shadows, later this fall.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, and Cat Voltron.
Mitzi McKee thanks for being with us on WMM.
We just heard “Your Scream and Shout”
We had Mitzi on WMM on July 3, 2024. That was over a year ago and so much has happened since then…
The Pairing closed.
Mitzi and wife had a baby, Charlie – a new addition to their family.
Mitzi McKee and the Precious Cargo have recorded a new album called Inverted Shadows
Mitzi McKee and the Precious Cargo have been playing out more.
Mitzi McKee grew up in Phoenix, Arizona in a musical theatre household, and performed in nearly 40 stage productions in Phoenix.
Mitzi McKee played in punk & hardcore bands for over 10 years.
Mitzi played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun,
and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair.
Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency.
Mitzi began playing out solo here in KC back in 2022, frequenting The Pairing and Chartreuse Saloon, until forming the Precious Cargo in 2024 with longtime friends & previous bandmates Brendan Bennett (bass) of The Stonebreakers & Nuthatch 47, and Caleb Robertson (drums) of Valency.
Mitzi McKee and the Precious Cargo are proud to be releasing their debut album, Inverted Shadows, later this fall.
11:12
Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo – “Metamorphosis” from: “Metamorhosis”- Single / Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo / August 6, 2025 [First single, ‘Metamorphosis’, off our upcoming debut album Inverted Shadows. Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. // Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also worked the front-of-house. Mitzi and on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, and Cat Voltron.]
11:15 – More Interview with Mitzi McKee
We are talking with singer-songwriter Mitzi McKee
Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she worked the front-of-house.
The Precious Cargo were formed in 2024 with longtime friends & previous bandmates Brendan Bennett (bass) of The Stonebreakers & Nuthatch 47, and Caleb Robertson (drums) of Valency.
Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, and Cat Voltron.
She/her. Musician, mama, actress, baker, cook. Thinks mostly in movie quotes. Punx 4 lyfe
Mitzi writes: I actually didn’t join AA until last December, having already white-knuckled it for 29 months. My addictive tendencies, while not succumbing to alcohol, were manifesting in other ways that were of no help at all to my mental health & family life. At the urgent behest of my wife & father, I finally sought out a queer group (which I didn’t think existed in town; BIG thanks to Annie Thrax for the tip-off 😘) that met on Sunday nights, in the backroom of the very same bar where I’d started my heaviest drinking by that point, way back in the summer of 2014. The group was a revelation.
People like me, having dealt with things I had too, all coming together to essentially do some real growing up and become the people we wanted to be. It’s honestly akin to a second therapy session every week, and I highly recommend ripping off the bandaid for anyone who’s been thinking of going but has been hesitant. I’ve realized, and have happily accepted, that I need the group in my life. The camaraderie of the people. The catharsis of speaking my piece every week. It mentally cleanses me somewhat. And I truly couldn’t be more grateful to still be sober, and to have the support of the folks in this lovely group.
Mitzi talked with Mark about her receiving her first-ever recovery milestone coin in front of the whole group after revealing her 3-year soberversary had passed. She talked all the hard work she has been putting in so far in her maturity & self-care, and that even though the learning journey never ceases. “Take it from someone who almost did: Don’t ever give up on yourself. There is always a light.”
Mitzi works as a construction tech at Kind Mind Organization & Renovation
Mitzi McKee is married to Tarryn Godwin-Failla
Their oldest child Lyric James is now in First Grade
Mitzi McKee Thanks for being with us on WMM.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.
Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, and Cat Voltron.
11:25
Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo – “Threads and Branches” from: Inverted Shadows / Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo / Fall, 2025 [From upcoming debut album Inverted Shadows. Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. // Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also worked the front-of-house. Mitzi and on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, and Cat Voltron.]
11:28 – Underwriting
TheBabeGabe X The Human – “Miss U” from: HONEYPOP: RELOADED / Seven Rings Media / August 15, 2025 [This isn’t a remix album, these are 12 new songs. // Production by The Human which is the production duo of Kansas City based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, United Kingdom. // After years of being the girl in the band, TheBabeGabe is stepping out, and standing ten toes down. As she dives into her solo career, Gabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy that she did as 1/3 of the alt-rap trio BLACKSTARKIDS. This time though, she’s telling her story, and forging a fresh start. The debut mixtape HONEY POP introduces the world to a young black girl from Kansas City that’s hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. Her energy is infectious, and you won’t want to be the one standing in her way, which becomes clear from the rowdy hook of the project’s lead single PSA. “It’s in my DNA, killing shit like every day, take this as a PSA, don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say.”
[TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS. on Friday, August 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.]
11:33 – Interview with TheBabeGabe & TyFaison
TheBabeGabe and TyFaison are 2/3rds of the BLACKSTARKIDS. After the break-up of the band last year, longtime friend TyFaison is collaborating with TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Years of being the girl in the the alt-rap trio, TheBabeGabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy to the released of her debut mixtape HONEYPOP, on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED on August 8, 2025. RELOADED isn’t a remix album, these are 12 new songs. Both albums introduce to the world a young black girl from KC hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. That confidence shines through as she pulls from influences such as Doja Cat, Tyler The Creator, Missy Elliott, & Janet Jackson to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound.
BabeGabe thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
HONEYPOP and HONEYPOP: RELOADED were both produced by “The Human” which is the production duo of Kansas City based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, United Kingdom. On Bandcamp we found that TyFaison made a 14 track album when he was 13. He released Space Cult on August 31, 2013, followed by the 12 track album, internet en casa, which was released September 26, 2015, and the 12 track album, scottie, which was released on October 8, 2016. (Ty told us there were several others before these that he didn’t put on Bandcamp.) The first album from BLACKSTARKIDS, LET’S PLAY SPORTS was released August 1, 2019, followed by SURF in February 2020, WHATEVER MAN on October 22, 2020, PUPPIES FOREVER on October 15, 2021, CYBERKISS on September 23, 2022, SATURN DAYZ on September 20, 2024, and HEAVEN ON EARTH in September 20, 2024. With Medici as “The Human” Ty produced Paris Williams 2024 album A PARIS WILLIAMS JOINT released November 19, 2024, and the full length album MANGO MARAI & SATURN STAR, released in December 2024.
TyFaison Thanks for being with us on Wednesday Midday Medley
TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS.on Friday, August 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.
Formerly a member of alternative Kansas City trio BLACKSTARKIDS, rapper-singer TheBabeGabe reemerges on her debut solo mixtape HONEYPOP. Released on March 5, the 12-track project is a detour from the original Gabe, born Gabrielle Kearney, that BLACKSTARKIDS loyalists met in 2019. Just five months separated from the group’s final release, Heaven on Earth, Gabe’s fearlessness shows in her delivery and vision, no longer being hindered as a lone female voice.
Over spaced-out beats by BLACKSTARKIDS alum TyFazion, one-half of production duo TheHuman, Gabe’s deeply reflective on HONEYPOP, whether she’s intensely expressing the burdens she carries (“Soul Food”) or seamlessly fitting herself in the current drum and bass wave (“Futuristic Lovers”). Gabe’s individuality knows no bounds, and on HONEYPOP, she gets to know explorative versions of herself.
Gabe and Ty met in high school, where they first planned to collaborate on a project together, but it was following the disbanding of BLACKSTARKIDS, including former member Deiondre, that the artist sat with herself to rediscover her musical perspective.
When we first heard BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun!” from: SURF on Bedroom Records, released February 28, 2020, we lost our minds. It was one of our most played song on the radio show that year and landed at #2 in WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020.
Blackstarkids were/are phenomenon who came out of Raytown, Missouri and SURF became the soundtrack for the summer of 2020.
Blackstarkids are a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective).
The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019.
The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020.
Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On October 29, 2020,
Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album of 2020.
Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. Kansas City is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.”
Ty wrote, “The Kansas City scene is great, the community here is so supportive and genuine. This is a really prideful city here and I think they’re finally getting the musicians they deserve.”
11:42
TheBabeGabe X The Human – “Minutes” from: HONEYPOP: RELOADED / Seven Rings Media / August 15, 2025 [This isn’t a remix album, these are 12 new songs. // Production by The Human which is the production duo of Kansas City based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, United Kingdom. // After years of being the girl in the band, TheBabeGabe is stepping out, and standing ten toes down. As she dives into her solo career, Gabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy that she did as 1/3 of the alt-rap trio BLACKSTARKIDS. This time though, she’s telling her story, and forging a fresh start. The debut mixtape HONEY POP introduces the world to a young black girl from Kansas City that’s hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. Her energy is infectious, and you won’t want to be the one standing in her way, which becomes clear from the rowdy hook of the project’s lead single PSA. “It’s in my DNA, killing shit like every day, take this as a PSA, don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say.”
[TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS.on Friday, August 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.]
11:45 – More Interview with TheBabeGabe & TyFaison
TheBabeGabe and TyFaison are two thirds of the acclaimed BLACKSTARKIDS. After the break-up of the band last year, longtime friend TyFaison is collaborating with TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Years of being the girl in the the alt-rap trio, TheBabeGabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy to the released of her debut mixtape HONEYPOP, on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED on August 8, 2025. RELOADED isn’t a remix album, these are 12 new songs. Both albums introduce to the world a young black girl from Kansas City hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. That confidence shines through as she pulls from influences such as Doja Cat, Tyler The Creator, Kelis, Missy Elliott, & Janet Jackson to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound. HONEYPOP and HONEYPOP: RELOADED were both produced by “The Human” which is the production duo of Kansas City based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, United Kingdom.
BabeGabe and TyFaison thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS.on Friday, October 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.
The following notes are from: TheBabeGabe’s HONEYPOP Era: A Black Girl Weirdo Anthem By Jaelani Turner-Williams March 19, 2025
TheBabeGabe:
“When I was working on this project, there was so much going on in my personal life and then we’d just disbanded the group, so I was just kind of lost on what’s next,” Gabe tells AFROPUNK. “I just had doubts about going as a solo artist. It’s not always easy for people who are in bands to make that transition, so just worried about that and then coming out of a label situation that didn’t go as well. So, I feel like this project in a way really healed me and Ty specifically because we got to regroup together and figure out what’s next.”
“We were both going through the band breakup. It was kind of hard for us and so we really took that time to come back together and figure out what’s going to be next. I’ve known Ty for so long and I feel like it just makes sense that me and him really locked in on this project,” Gabe shares.
“I feel like a lot of the songs on ‘HONEYPOP,’ they would not make sense to do in BLACKSTARKIDS, but those are the songs I’ve been wanting to make for so long,” Gabe says. “After ‘Saturn Dayz,’ we were going to take a break initially and just say, ‘Yeah, let’s do the solo run,’ so we were already prepared to do the solo albums.”
“Everybody thought I was the weirdest girl ever ‘cause I love Tyler, the Creator. And it’s so crazy now because like the kids absolutely love him, but [initially] they were like, ‘Girl, he’s kind of different. What’s the appeal here?’”
It has been written that Gabe in a transitional stage with HONEYPOP.
“I definitely feel like growing up, I wasn’t as welcome in certain communities just because I liked things that might not have been [accepted in] my culture. I really want those girls who feel like, ‘I like this and I like that’ to feel welcomed into what I’m doing because I know what it feels like to feel outcasted, in a way.’”
TheBabeGabe and TyFaison thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS. on Friday, August 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.
We close w/ TheBabeGabe X The Human – “FUTURISTIC LOVERS” For WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening.
11:55
TheBabeGabe X The Human – “FUTURISTIC LOVERS” from: HONEYPOP / Seven Rings Media / March 5, 2025 [Production by The Human // After years of being the girl in the band, TheBabeGabe is stepping out, and standing ten toes down. As she dives into her solo career, Gabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy that she did as 1/3 of the alt-rap trio BLACKSTARKIDS. This time though, she’s telling her story, and forging a fresh start. The debut mixtape HONEY POP introduces the world to a young black girl from Kansas City that’s hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. Her energy is infectious, and you won’t want to be the one standing in her way, which becomes clear from the rowdy hook of the project’s lead single PSA. “It’s in my DNA, killing shit like every day, take this as a PSA, don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say.” // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, Glass Animals, & more. That confidence shines through on braggadocios tracks like Only See Me, Pulse, and Pep Rally where she raps, “hoe shut the fuck up when I’m talking, got a pretty face but this mouth repulsive.” Pulling inspiration from future peers like Doja Cat & Tyler, The Creator, Gabe is quick to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound. There’s no shortage of variety with sticky hooks, soulful ballads, Janelle Monáe -esque pop hits, somber reflective cuts, and boomy west-coast kickbacks. // No song boasts this genre-bending ability better than the double track RIOT GRRL//DRAMA QUEEN. Starting with an inspirational pop-punk banger that could make any Olivia Rodrigo fan nod in approval, it soon turns to the emotional DRAMA QUEEN, seeing Gabe grapple with difficult changes and struggle to find the best way forward. Listening to Gabe can often feel like hanging with your bestie in that you’re getting both the yap sessions about the everyday as well as the venting about life’s drama and all its uncertainties. // These confessions, boasts, hooks, croons, screams, beats, and sounds all come together to create an extraordinary portrait of a young artist figuring it out. It’s an unfiltered showcase that sees Gabe pull back the curtain and step forward so you can meet her where she’s at. So when you listen, you’re seeing her for who she really is. And for many, that’s someone you can see yourself in. That’s TheBabeGabe. // TheBabeGabe was one-third of the Kansas City based BLACKSTARKIDZ Gen-Z upstarts BLACKSTARKIDS have released their sixth studio album Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024 through Dirty Hit Records and immediately followed with an 8-track 7th studio album HEAVEN ON URF, on Oct. 25, 2024 on Dirty Hit Records. Music writer Bill Brownlee talked with us about how the band created a double album, but the record company decided to release as two separate albums. The music from both albums relate to each other. Before the release of Saturn Dayz the band released their single and video “SOULMATEZ!” on August 30, 2024. “SOULMATEZ!,” is a magnetic, blissed-out bop that brings together pop, indie, and alt-rap, reminiscent of Dev Hynes-era Solange mixed with De La Soul. // The follow up to BLACKSTARKIDS’ acclaimed 2022 album CYBERKISS* which featured standout singles “CYBERKISS 2 U* ft. beabadoobee” and “SEX APPEAL,” SATURN DAYZ is an otherworldly, genre-crossing testament to their unrelenting artistry and is their most impressive work to date. PRESS HERE to pre-save SATURN DAYZ. // Putting out music at a prolific rate and making waves for their formidable songwriting and producing talents, as well as their endless energy and truly limitless sound, BLACKSTARKIDS have received critical acclaim from New York Times, MTV, UPROXX, Billboard, Alternative Press, SPIN, Ones To Watch, Rolling Stone France, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Coup De Main, and more. Blending garage rock with synth-punk and hip-hop to usher in a new surge of indie, such as on their beloved album Puppies Forever which features anthemic singles “ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS,” “JUNO,” and “FIGHT CLUB,” BLACKSTARKIDS are well on their way to indie stardom and have previously toured with the likes of The 1975, COIN, Glass Animals, beabadoobee, Christian Leave, GroupLove. // Incorporating each member’s wide-ranging influences into their blissful DIY sound, such as Toro Y Moi, NERD*, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Outkast, Odd Future, and A Tribe Called Quest, BLACKSTARKIDS first captivated the internet with their “black coming of age trilogy” of projects Let’s Play Sports, Surf, and Whatever, Man that feature critically acclaimed singles including “BRITNEY BITCH” and “FRANKIE MUNIZ.” // Blackstarkids are phenomenon who came out of KC in 2020 became the soundtrack for the summer. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020, Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their third album release of 2020. Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. KC is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.” Deiondre added, “The music scene here is getting cool now, there’s a lot of jazz musicians that go to school for music here too but you can find people from different scenes all over if around the city.” Ty wrote, “The KC scene is great, the community here is so supportive and genuine. This is a really prideful city here and I think they’re finally getting the musicians they deserve.”]
[TheBabeGabe plays The Bottleneck 737, New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS.on Friday, August 29 at 8:00pm opening for Niontay with Tah, Naasha,, Lov3, L4va, and Melak.]
Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now” from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
NEXT WEEK, on September 3 – we welcome special guests: Bill Sundahl joins us to share all of the details of the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest. We will feature music from the Festival. AND…we also welcome very special Guest and the Crossroads Music Headliner – Krystle Warren.
A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper and Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Office Manager Book Keeper – Shaina Littler.
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information. Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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, August 27, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + TheBabeGabe & TyFaison + Mitzi McKee + Don Simon & Morgan Holcomb
Mark spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: TheBabeGabe & The Human, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Significant Brother, Mitzi McKee & the Precious Cargo, Paris Williams with Saving Miles Lemon, Religion of Heartbreak, Kat King, KeiyaA, Jon Batiste, Kathleen Edwards, Mac DeMarco, and Cass McCombs.
At 10:30am Morgan Holcomb and Don Simon share details about Warrior Radio, an award-winning, Internet student-run station for Smithville High School, in Smithville, Missouri. Morgan Holcomb is a senior at Smithville and is host of “The Local Show with Morgan,” Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm, spotlighting local & regional artists. The show not only airs on Warrior Radio, but is syndicated on community radio stations: Oak Grove Radio in Minneapolis, Kansas, and Radio Joe in St. Joseph, Missouri. Morgan plans to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, and major in marketing and minor in broadcasting. Don Simon teaches broadcasting, business, and marketing at Smithville High School. Now in his fourth year as a high school teacher, he previously worked in a variety of legal and business roles in the Kansas City area. More at: http://www.tinyurl.com/Warrior-Radio
At 11:00 we welcome back Mitzi McKee who grew up in a musical and theatrical family in Phoenix, AZ, and has played in several punk bands over the years, along with performing in over 40 plays & musicals since the age of 5. Mitzi began playing out solo here in KC back in 2022, frequenting The Pairing and Chartreuse Saloon, until forming the Precious Cargo in 2024 with longtime friends & previous bandmates Brendan Bennett (bass) of The Stonebreakers & Nuthatch 47, and Caleb Robertson (drums) of Valency. Mitzi McKee and the Precious Cargo are proud to be releasing their debut album, Inverted Shadows, later this fall. // Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore. // Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, Kissy Fit and Cat Voltron.
At 11:30 Mark talks with TheBabeGabe and TyFaison two thirds of the acclaimed BLACKSTARKIDS. After the break-up of the band, longtime friend TyFaison is collaborating with TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Years of being the girl in the the alt-rap trio, TheBabeGabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy to the released of her debut mixtape HONEYPOP, on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED on August 8, 2025. RELOADED isn’t a remix album, these are 12 new songs. Both albums introduce to the world a young black girl from Kansas City hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. That confidence shines through as she pulls from influences such as Doja Cat, Tyler The Creator, Kelis, Missy Elliott, & Janet Jackson to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound. HONEYPOP and HONEYPOP: RELOADED were both produced by “The Human” which is the production duo of Kansas City based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, United Kingdom.
On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org
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, August 20, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + joel vs. joel + Guest Producer Jim Hubbell with “Sacred Samples: Tracing Back to the Roots”.
“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks” from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby – “You Found Me (From the Netflix Series ‘Too Much’)” from: “You Found Me” – Single / Anti & Dead Oceans Records / July 10, 2025 [Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby cover the song originally written and released by the Denver Colorado band The Fray from their January 30, 2009 release The Fray. // Waxahatchee’s March 22m 2024 release Tiger’s Blood was in the Top 10 of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Kansas City based Katie Crutchfield’s southern roots are undeniable. The name of her solo musical project Waxahatchee comes from a creek not far from her childhood home in Alabama and seems to represent both where she came from and where she’s going. // Tiger’s Blood was produced by Brad Cook. Engineered & mixed by Gerardo “Jerry” Ordonez. Assistant engineering by Natalia Chernitsky. Mastered by Emily Lazar. Recorded and Mixed at Sonic Ranch Recording Studios. // On March 27, 2020 Waxahatchee released SAINT CLOUD which was in the TOP 20 of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2020. On Saint Cloud all songs were written by Katie Crutchfield. Recorded & mixed at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, TX & Long Pond in Stuyvesant, NY. Produced by Brad Cook. Engineered by Jerry Ordonez. Additional engineering by Jon Low. Mixed by Jon Low. Mastered by Brent Lambert at The Kitchen. KATIE CRUTCHFIELD on vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keys; BRAD COOK on bass, acoustic guitar, piano, keys, synth; BOBBY COLOMBO on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys; BILL LENNOX on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys, percussion; NICK KINSEY on drums, percussion; JOSH KAUFMAN on electric guitars, piano, organ, percussion. More info at: http://www.waxahatchee.com.] [Waxahatchee played the Uptown Theatre on April 18, 2024] // [MJ Lenderman released from: Manning Fireworks through Anti records on September 6, 2024 // Mark Jacob Lenderman (born 1999), also known as Jake Lenderman and MJ Lenderman, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released three solo albums, and also plays with the alternative rock band Wednesday. He also has played drums for Indigo De Souza. Lenderman’s style has been described as alt-country, classic rock, and indie rock music. // Lenderman was born in Asheville, North Carolina. His great-grandfather was saxophonist Charlie Ventura. He was raised Catholic and was an altar boy. He played basketball and obsessively watched tapes of Michael Jordan. He grew up listening to Mark Linkous and Jason Molina. In his junior and senior years of high school, he began posting his music to Bandcamp. Lenderman studied at UNC Asheville for three semesters.[ // In 2018, Lenderman played the drums for fellow Asheville artist Indigo De Souza on her albums I Love My Mom and Any Shape You Take. Lenderman met Karly Hartzman, lead singer for the group Wednesday, and he joined the band for an EP called How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open (2018). // In July 2019, he released a self-titled album, his first solo album. At that time, he was working in an ice cream shop to support himself financially. // Lenderman toured with Wednesday in early February 2020, until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the tour. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while collecting unemployment insurance, Lenderman wrote the songs that became the album Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, released in 2021. // His third album Boat Songs was released in 2022 on Dear Life Records. It was listed as one of the best albums of 2022 by Pitchfork, The A.V. Club, and The Ringer. After the success of the album, Lenderman signed a recording contract with Anti-. In 2023, he released the singles “Rudolph” and “Knockin'”. // Lenderman contributed guitar and vocals to the album Tiger’s Blood by Waxahatchee, released in March 2024, and was listed as featured guest artist on the album’s lead single, “Right Back To It”. In March 2024, Lenderman performed “Right Back To It” with Waxahatchee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Lenderman’s next album, Manning Fireworks, released in September 2024. // from: Kevin Morby’s May 13, 2022 released THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH was Kevin Morby’s 7th album as a solo artist. From http://www.rollingstone.com: “In January 2020, songwriter Kevin Morby witnessed his father collapse from a medical event while visiting his childhood home in Kansas. In a state of shock, the singer spent the evening looking at old family photos and fixated on an image of his father as a young man, looking, as Morby states, ‘full of confidence.’ The experience forced Morby to confront both the idea of mortality and the passage of time — and, after an extended sojourn in Tennessee, these reflections came together in the form of his upcoming album, This Is a Photograph. To mark the announcement, the singer released the record’s eponymous single, accompanied by a music video directed by Chantal Anderson. Produced by frequent Morby collaborator Sam Cohen, This Is a Photograph was primarily written in Memphis’ historic Peabody Hotel, where the singer-songwriter holed up in search of inspiration and self-realization amongst the city’s dark past.” Morby will also embark on a 65 City tour of Europe and North America through the majority of 2022, which starts May 20 in Madrid, Spain and wraps Nov. 12 in Vancouver, BC. On October 16, 2020 Kevin Morby released SUNDOWNER, ranked #20 on WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2020 and was the 6th release from Kevin Robert Morby born April 2, 1988. SUNDOWNER was the follow up to his 2019 release OH MY GOD. Kevin Morby released CITY MUSIC in 2017. Kevin learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens. 17-year-old Morby dropped out of Blue Valley Northwest High School, got his GED, and moved from his native Kansas City to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, supporting himself by working bike delivery and café jobs. He later joined the noise-folk group Woods on bass. While living in Brooklyn, he became close friends and roommates with Cassie Ramone of the punk trio Vivian Girls, and the two formed a side project together called The Babies, who released albums in 2011 and 2012. He began a solo career in 2013 releasing his debut album HARLEM RIVER. His 2nd album STILL LIFE was released in 2014. His album SINGING SAW was in WMM’s The 116 Best Recordings of 2016. His album CITY MUSIC was in WMM’s The 118 Best Recordings of 2018.]
Pool Culture – “Birds Like These” from: “Birds Like These” – Single / Les Bonbons Electriques / July 25, 2025 [Les Bonbons Electriques, an imprint of The Record Machine. “Birds Like These is the first of three new songs that Pool Culture, is putting out over the next three months leading up to Their first EP, PURE LEMON. The second single “Mathletes”, will be released on August 22, 2025 and the band’s third single “Finish Line”, will be released on September 19, 2025. // Pool Culture released their single “brighter lighter” on April 20, 2018, with music and lyrics and production by Mark Ronning. all instruments and vocals by Mark Ronning. mixed by Reid Kruger at Waterbury recording. // Mark Ronning is a musician who specializes in the synthesizer, playing Rhodes and synth in the electrofolk band Mr. Golden Sun and synth in the electronic dreampop four-piece Pool Culture. Mr. Golden Sun is wrapping up their first full length record, and Pool Culture is going into the studio this October and November to work on their first full band releases. Additionally, Mark plays the modular synthesizer and participates in KC Synth Collective, coordinates electronic performance events for his pop-up show Les Bonbons Electriques, and helps out with Outer Reaches. In collaboration with Nathan Reusch, Mark is also starting a record label called Les Bonbons Electriques, which is an imprint of The Record Machine, which will focus on artistry, experimentation, and electronic music. ]
[Pool Culture plays Arts On Broadway, 3550 Broadway Blvd., KCMO, on Saturday, August 23 at 7:00pm with Rude Cousin, Near Me Open Now, and Jocelyn Nixon]
[Mark Ronning of Pool Culture will be our guest on WMM on September 17, 2025]
The Matchsellers – “What Am I Gonna Do Now” from: Psychobiography / The Matchsellers / August 2, 2025 [Julie Bates is a classically trained violinist from Kansas City. Andrew Morris is a Chicago blues guitarist from Warsaw, Indiana. They met in Leipzig, Germany. During their year of living in the former East Germany, the pair began reanalyzing the songs of their homeland, and developed a tight yet gritty bluegrass style. In the summer of 2013 they left their jobs to hit the road and haven’t looked back. // In the band’s most recent iteration, mandolinist Brian McCarty brings an invaluable lifetime of experience in the Bluegrass tradition, while Brandon Day thrills audiences with his intricate bass solos. // On February 14, 2025 The Matchsellers reeased the single, “I Can’t Believe We’re Still In Love.” // On May 3, 2024 The Matchsellers released LIVE AT THE WAREHOUSE. // On October 28, 2022 The Matchsellers released The Wishful Thinker’s Hall of Game // On February 12, 2016 they released their album, SONGS WE MADE UP, one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016.. In late 2014 they released their debut full length recording, “Kosciusko County,” one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. The Matchsellers have toured 3 European countries and 25 US States, performing 180 shows a year, including last year for the KC Fringe Festival, Bluegrass Bazaar in Flint, Michigan, Norman Music Festival in Norman, OK, and a 1st place win at the Eddie Owen Presents songwriting competition in Atlanta, GA.]
[The Matchsellers play a two-act musical at Hammer’s 3901 Main Street, KCMO for LoKey Wednesday, TONIGHT August 20, 2025 at 7:00pm]
Teri Quinn – “Full of Glitter (Radio edit)” from: Full of Glitter – Single / Teri Quinn / July 11, 2025 [Teri Quinn on vocals, guitar, and songwriting; Landon Hambright on guitar and vocals, Carly Atwood on bass, Jon Goss on drums. Producer: Chase Horseman. Mastering: Mystery Room Mastering. // Teri Quinn writes: “Full Of Glitter is about the duality of Nihilism and Imposter Syndrome that rips through me like sudden lightning bolts. It’s a song that flowed out of me fast like blood from a fresh, deep cut. // I struggle with Imposter Syndrome, and feel like I am either too much or not enough. I was feeling it heavily the day I wrote this tune. When I write, I have a tendency to get in my head thinking I need to be deep, profound and poetic. Sometimes I feel like I talk a big game as an artist with little to show. Writing this tune was an exercise in getting out of my head and saying what was on my heart and mind in a way that was direct and straight-forward. // Hence the line ‘I’m full of shit, I’m full of glitter.’ // I struggle deeply with depression that manifests in numbness and nihilism. I go through long droughts feeling like nothing matters and there is no point so why bother. And at the same time, everything means the world to me and I am constantly on a search for beauty and meaning. // Hence the line ‘Nothing really matters, and everything means the world to me.’ // My struggles with depression and imposter syndrome also manifests in deep jealousy. I cannot stop comparing myself to others. And that constant comparison as an artist keeps me feeling artistically constipated. I know I have a team around me ready to help me grow and succeed yet I still find myself walking around with a bitter taste in my mouth. // Hence the line, ‘I’m filled with love and I’m feeling bitter.’ // I wanted the approach and production of this song to be a departure from my usual indie folk sensibilities. I worked with my bandmates and my producer, Chase Horseman, to make this song sound post rock and massive. This again was an exercise in releasing the reserves and letting go. I am afraid of being ‘too much’. So I leaned into that fear and wrote something that feels more intense than I’ve ever written.”]
[Teri Quinn plays Farewell 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO, TONIGHT, August 20, 2025 with 2W33DY, Shady Cove, and True Lions.]
Alabama Shakes – “Sound & Color” from: Sound & Color / Alabama Shakes – ATO Records / April 21, 2015 [Formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009. The band currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner, and drummer Steve Johnson. The group rose to prominence from virtual obscurity in the early 2010s with their distinctive and soulful roots rock sound. The band began their career touring and performing at bars and clubs around the Southeast for two years while honing their sound and writing music. They recorded their debut album, Boys & Girls, themselves in Nashville while still unsigned. Online acclaim led ATO Records to sign the band, which released Boys & Girls in 2012 to acclaim. The album had a hit single, “Hold On,” and was nominated for three Grammy Awards. After a long touring cycle, the band recorded their sophomore record, Sound & Color, which was released in 2015 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Brittany Howard’s solo releases are fabulous.]
[Alabama Shakes play Starlight on Sunday, August 24, at 8:00pm]
Logan Richardson – “Red Light, Go” from: “Red Light, Go” Single / WAX Industry / August 8, 2025 [“Red Light, Go” is part of an upcoming new EP called, Coloring Book. Logan writes: “It is more than music — it’s physiological. Each track is a different body state, a different way the mind and nervous system react to life. The first single, ‘Body’, was the inhale — stillness, weight, the moment of awareness before motion. ‘Red Light, Go’ is the exhale — that flash when decision overtakes hesitation, when stillness breaks into velocity. It’s 1 minute 45 seconds of ambient drum and bass that feels like a heartbeat about to sprint. I’m telling this story one release at a time, until the full EP drops. Stay with me — the next piece of the body is coming soon.” // Logan Richardson was born July 29, 1980, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and producer. // Richardson debuted as a bandleader with his 2007 album Cerebral Flow. He is also a member of the band NEXT Collective. In 2015, Richardson released his label recording debut entitled SHIFT on Blue Note Records featuring Pat Metheny, Jason Moran, Harish Raghavan, and Nasheet Waits. // Richardson grew up surrounded by the numerous LPs and 45s of his parents. He was constantly immersed in R&B, pop, rock, funk, soul, Motown, and gospel from an early age. His first musical memories include artists such as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Prince (musician), Mahalia Jackson, Phil Collins, James Ingram, Hall & Oates, and Michael Jackson. // While attending Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, Richardson was exposed to jazz personalities who would have a profound impact on his future. Max Roach was the first jazz musician Richardson can remember seeing live. The American Jazz Museum brought Roach to Kansas City frequently in the mid 1990s as a clinician. Richardson also had the opportunity to perform with legendary Kansas City bandleader Jay McShann in the 1990s, in addition to studying with Kansas City Saxophone great, and educator Ahmad Alaadeen. In 1996 Richardson began leading his own groups in Kansas City while in high school. // Richardson performed with the Kansas City Symphony in concert February 27, 1997 at the age of 16, when he was invited by then conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra Bill McGlaughlin, a performance that changed his life. // Moving to New York City in August 2001, Richardson witnessed the September 11th attacks first hand. He was enrolled at the New School University where he met, befriended, and performed with young musicians Frank Locrasto, Tommy Crane, Jamire Williams, Joe Sanders, Burniss Earl Travis, Dekel Bor, and teachers Greg Tardy, Carl Allen, Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, and many others including Stefon Harris, JD Allen, Butch Morris, Mulgrew Miller, and more….. // Since 2005, Richardson has led his own group, SHIFT. Featuring Richardson’s soloing & compositions, as well as the creative and genre-bending playing of his compatriots, SHIFT attempts to answer the question, “Can there be new music in jazz?” // Richardson has also been a member of drummer Nasheet Waits (son of jazz drummer Freddie Waits) group Equality, a band that has played many top international festivals such as “North Sea Jazz Festival”, and “Jazz Baltica” with pianists Jason Moran, Stanley Cowell, and bassist Tarus Mateen. // On February 27, 2009, Richardson was a member of the much-lauded Monk at Town Hall performance with Jason Moran & Big Bandwagon, culminating in the historic performance at Town Hall celebrating a reshaping of Monk’s music by Moran.]
[Logan Richardson is part of a new documentary film called, BIRD Not Out of Nowhere that looks back at the years Bird spent in Kansas City and his lasting legacy on the Kansas City jazz scene. The film is directed and produced by Emmy Award-winner Brad Austin and features rarely seen archival footage of Parker, and interviews with musicians and historians, and live performances from some of Kansas City’s most talented jazz musicians including Bobby Watson and Lonnie McFadden and also featuring our friend Chuck Haddix. // There will be a special screening of the film at the Museum of Kansas City on Thurs, August 21, 2025 at 6:00pm with Chuck Haddix.]
Stephonne – “Worship at the Chappell” from: “Worship at the Chappell” – Single / Glory Blue Music / August 15, 2025 [Co-written with Shawn M. Stewart and produced with Patrick Meagher, the song is a declaration of power, pleasure, and pride—a sonic celebration of being fully and freely oneself. “Worship at the Chappell” is a bold, genre-bending anthem from Kansas City artist Stephonne—an electrifying fusion of disco, pop, and gospel spirit. Inspired by fellow Missouri native Chappell Roan, the track transforms the dance floor into a sanctuary for queer joy, spiritual liberation, and unapologetic self-love. With soaring vocals, provocative lyrics, and infectious grooves, Stephonne delivers a soulful sermon for the marginalized. // Stephonne describes himself as the lovechild of Prince & Billie Holiday. He grew up in KCK and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Benedictine College, and Masters in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. Stephonne is a 2023 winner of the Charlotte Street Generative Performing Arts Fellows. // Stephonne is an Alternative/Genrequeer singer-songwriter, cultural producer, and generative performing artist from Kansas City, MO. They synthesize music, written/spoken word, performance and visual art/media into an inimitable art. They share their struggles, triumphs, and journey to self-love through multidisciplinary performance and have sent audiences on visceral and experiential journeys through a multitude of music and video releases since 2015. Bold new 2025 singles and videos continue to push boundaries! New experiences, both sonic and visual, await us from the upcoming sophomore LP, STEPHONNE. // Singer, songwriter, actor, model, artist, activist – Stephonne Singleton keeps very busy, serving as a board member of KC Folk Fest, organizing tribute shows, playing: music festivals, Charlotte Street Foundation, Lemonade Park, Lawrence Pride, Manor Records, Midwest Music Foundation, The AIDS Service Foundation of KC, InterUrban ArtHouse, Crossroads Music Fest, The Black Box, The Folly Theatre, and West 18th Street Fashion Show. Stephonne released his EP SIS: Side B on June 24, 2022. Stephonne released the single “I” on August 21, 2024. Stephonne released the single “I think its Gonna Be Alright” I April 2025. Stephonne released the single, Forgive Me, Father (Sinead O’Connor) on May 21, 2025. // More info at: http://www.stephonne.com]
[Stephonne will be a guest on WMM on September 10, 2025.]
10:31 – Underwriting
joel vs. joel – “ad hominem” from: Smile in the Mirror / Enigmatic Brunch Records / August 19, 2025 [all songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum. // oel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton. With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements. This is all interconnected with vulnerably delivered lyrics that convey the manifold feelings of one’s humanity. // Some craftsmen work in wood, stone, or metal. Others sculpt with more intangible and ethereal materials: notes, chords, rhythms, riffs, melodies, and human emotion. Both toil over their medium until it outwardly takes the shape of their inner being. The outcome of joel vs joel’s labor is the beautifully crafted debut album, Smile in the Mirror. // Smile in the Mirror is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising.]
[joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.]
11:35 – Interview with joel vs. joel
Joel Stratton performs as joel vs joel. Joel is a Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, with classical training from UMKC Conservatory of Music. Joel Stratton trained as a “serious” jazz musician and gigged his way through many Kansas City venues with an upright bass in tow. Curiously this gave way to repeated toe-dips in the singer-songwriter circle, starting as a sideman with Alyssa Murray’s AM Trio. There followed a head-first plunge into a self-stirred mixture of 60’s baroque pop, 70’s folk rock, and the indie rock mainstays of his youth. Joel has released several EP’s of original music under the moniker Tropic of Leo. Joel has also played and collaborated with the bands Supermoto, Eggs on Mars and Daniel Gum. joel vs. joel is getting ready to release his debut album, SMILE IN THE MIRROR on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 through Enigmatic Brunch Records a “small batch” local record label with this being their very first album release. Info at: http://www.enigmaticbrunchrecords.bandcamp.com
joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.
Joel Stratton thanks for being with us on WMM.
joel vs joel’s new album Smile in the Mirror was just released by Enigmatic Brunch Records on August 19, 2025
Smile in the Mirror is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is comfortably familiar and strikingly and pleasingly surprising.
joel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton.
With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements. This is all interconnected with vulnerably delivered lyrics that convey the manifold feelings of one’s humanity.
All songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum.
Joel Stratton trained as a “serious” jazz musician and gigged his way through many Kansas City venues with an upright bass in tow. Curiously this gave way to repeated toe-dips in the singer-songwriter circle, starting as a sideman with Alyssa Murray’s AM Trio. There followed a head-first plunge into a self-stirred mixture of 60’s baroque pop, 70’s folk rock, and the indie rock mainstays of his youth. Joel has released two EP’s of original music under the moniker Tropic of Leo with a third due in the spring of 2019.
Some craftsmen work in wood, stone, or metal. Others sculpt with more intangible and ethereal materials: notes, chords, rhythms, riffs, melodies, and human emotion. Both toil over their medium until it outwardly takes the shape of their inner being. The outcome of joel vs joel’s labor is the beautifully crafted debut album, Smile in the Mirror.
10:44
joel vs. joel – “gotta b in love” from: Smile in the Mirror / Enigmatic Brunch Records / August 19, 2025 [all songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum. // oel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton. With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements. This is all interconnected with vulnerably delivered lyrics that convey the manifold feelings of one’s humanity. // Some craftsmen work in wood, stone, or metal. Others sculpt with more intangible and ethereal materials: notes, chords, rhythms, riffs, melodies, and human emotion. Both toil over their medium until it outwardly takes the shape of their inner being. The outcome of joel vs joel’s labor is the beautifully crafted debut album, Smile in the Mirror. // Smile in the Mirror is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising.]
[joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.]
10:46 – More Interview with joel vs. joel
Joel Stratton performs as joel vs joel. Joel is a Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, with classical training, who has played and collaborated with the bands Supermoto, Eggs on Mars and Daniel Gum. Joel vs joel is getting ready to release his debut album, SMILE IN THE MIRROR on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 through Enigmatic Brunch Records a “small batch” local record label with this being their very first album release. SMILE IN THE MIRROR is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising. Info at: http://www.enigmaticbrunchrecords.bandcamp.com
Joel Stratton thanks for being with us on WMM.
joel vs joel’s new album Smile in the Mirror was just released by Enigmatic Brunch Records on August 19, 2025
joel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton. With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements.
All songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum.
joel vs. joel plays with True Lion at Farewell 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO, TONIGHT, August 20, 2025 with 2W33DY, Tweri Quinn, and Shady Cove.
joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.
On Saturday June 28, 2025 Joel performed some of his favorite Dylan songs at Lemonade Park with a band included Colby Bales, Seyko BG, Nathan Corsi, Tom Hudson, Fritz Hutchison, and Cody Calhoun.
Joel Stratton grew up in Topeka Kansas and went to Washburn Rutal High School wheere he graduated in 2011.
“Love on the Line” is the album’s third single, an unconventional love song with a joyous lilt. As with the rest of his upcoming 11-track album, Stratton takes emotive turns that equally invoke ‘70s folk-rock songwriters, ‘90s alt crooners and timeless power pop, with deep sincerity in his sonorous vocals. Clocking in just over three minutes, the track feels exploratory while being completely accessible to any listener.
Joel Stratton thanks for being with us on WMM.
joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.
joel vs. joel – “Love on The Line” from: Smile in the Mirror / Enigmatic Brunch Records / August 19, 2025 [all songs written by joel stratton. mixed by daniel gum. mastered by mike nolte @ eureka mastering. performances by: isaiah petrie (vibraphone 2,3,10); micah ritchie (drums); jon self (lead guitar L channel track 10); doug bybee (synth 4,6); joanna metsker (violin on 7,8,11); drums, vibes, strings recorded by mike crawford; bass, aco guitars, recorded by daniel gum. // oel vs joel is the moniker of Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, Joel Stratton. With classical training, but also an instinctive and emotive musicality that can’t be taught, joel vs joel sculpts with complex chord structures, time signatures, deftly fingerpicked guitar, well-plotted bass, vibraphones, percussion, and other eclectic musical arrangements. This is all interconnected with vulnerably delivered lyrics that convey the manifold feelings of one’s humanity. // Some craftsmen work in wood, stone, or metal. Others sculpt with more intangible and ethereal materials: notes, chords, rhythms, riffs, melodies, and human emotion. Both toil over their medium until it outwardly takes the shape of their inner being. The outcome of joel vs joel’s labor is the beautifully crafted debut album, Smile in the Mirror. // Smile in the Mirror is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising.]
[joel vs. joel plays a Smile in the Mirror – Album Release Show at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave., KCMO on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 7:00pm with Fritz and Sons.]
Queen Anne – “Let’s Dance” from: “Let’d Dance” – Single // Landing Music / August 12, 2025 [Queen Anne is the American indie-pop duo of singer-songwriter Katie Silverman and writer/producer Sandy Chila. Their music blends the lush melodicism of ’80s pop with a sharp post-modern edge, resulting in darkly ethereal and insidiously catchy songs. // Known for her roles on New Girl, PEN15, and the film The Exorcists, Silverman brings her creative force into the musical realm with Queen Anne. With a knack for transforming everyday frustrations into emotionally resonant narratives, the band’s debut release offers more than just a cover, it’s a statement of intent. “Let’s Dance” invites listeners into Queen Anne’s cinematic soundscape, setting the tone for what’s to come. // Queen Anne’s Katie Silverman says: “When I was younger, Bowie was a huge influence, not just his music but in his persona, and his visuals, and just the whole vibe. I really wanted to cover one of his songs, both to pay homage and as an excuse to listen to them over and over. I picked ‘Let’s Dance’ because there’s something so fervent, so this-is-our-last-chance about that song, and because I already owned a pair of red shoes.”]
11:00 – Station ID
11:00 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Sacred Samples: Tracing Back to the Roots”
Welcome back to WMM. In our second hour, we welcome Guest Producer – Jim Hubbell with a show he is calling, “Sacred Samples: Tracing Back to the Roots”. Jim Hubbell is a proud resident of Kansas City, Missouri, a place he’s called home since the mid-1990s when he moved here after graduating from the University of Kansas. Jim Hubbell lives in the Crossroads neighborhood with his husband, Sean Kelley. By day, Jim works as the Director of Solutions Engineering for the software company StreetLight Data, whose mission is to help public agencies plan and design better transportation systems so we don’t end up with blunders like the intersection of Westport Rd. & Southwest Trafficway.
Jim Hubbell’s passions include: food (both creating and consuming), travel to exotic places, protecting the natural environment, advocating for the rights of disenfranchised and disadvantaged populations, appreciating visual and performing arts, and spending quality time with friends and family including his 14 nieces and nephews.
Of course, Jim’s number one passion is discovering, listening to, playing, and generally “nerding out” over music. You can catch Jim, aka DJ Santi, playing at various bars and clubs around Kansas City including Bear Bust at Woody’s the first Saturday of the month. Jim’s musical journey began at a very young age when he was tall enough to start playing records on the Zenith stereo console in his home. His interests have twisted and turned through just about every musical genre imaginable, but it was his discovery of house, trance, and techno while in high school that kindled a deep love of electronic music that has persisted through the present. Jim is a proud member of Kansas City’s Queer House Collective—find them on Instagram—a tight-knit group of queer DJs that love, support, and challenge one another.
11:02 – Special Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Love Sensation”
Jim (Intro): Hello everybody, and thanks so much to Mark Manning and KKFI for having me on Wednesday MidDay Medley today as a guest producer! // Mark already introduce me, so I’m going to jump right into the show since we’ve only got an hour and I have a lot of great music and music history to share.
Today we’ll be having a little house music party, so get ready to dance, or bop around in your seat depending on where you’re at. // Now today’s theme is centered on house music. More specifically, we’re going to pick a few songs that have been sampled extensively throughout the history of house music, essentially tracing these well-known samples back to their original sources. Some of these original songs are quite well known, while others are a bit more obscure. As I said, we’ve got a lot of ground (and history) to cover, so let’s get going.
First up is “Love Sensation!” // “Love Sensation” is a 1980 song performed by American singer Loleatta Holloway, taken from her album of the same name. It was released on Gold Mind Records, a disco label from Philadelphia.
Loleatta Holloway: Born in Chicago // Gospel, R&B, Soul, Disco // Sang lead vocals for 30 singles; featured vocalist on many more. // According to the (British online news outlet) Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music. // Did not always receive proper credit (ex. Ride on Time – Black Box) and often had to take legal action to receive the proper royalties. // The song was produced and written by Dan Hartman, arranged by Norman Harris, and mixed by Tom Moulton.
Dan Hartman was a prolific musician, songwriter, and producer probably best known for disco hits such as (this song) “Love Sensation,” “Relight My Fire” (also featuring vocals by Loleatta Holoway), and “Instant Replay.” // He worked with several high-profile musicians including James Brown, Steve Winwood, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, and Bonnie Tyler.
Originally, Hartman envisioned either Bette Midler or Patti LaBelle as singing “Love Sensation”. After seeing Holloway perform at a nightclub, he approached her instead to sing the vocals. // Sampled by 300 songs, per whosampled.com. Most likely even more.
11:05
Loleatta Holloway – “Love Sensation” from: Love Sensation / Gold Mind Records / 1980 [Love Sensation is the sixth and final studio album recorded by American singer Loleatta Holloway, released in 1980 on the Gold Mind label. Recorded at Sigma Sond Studios, written by Dan Hartman. // Loleatta Holloway was born November 5, 1946 and died on March 21, 2011. She was an American singer known for disco songs such as “Hit and Run” and “Love Sensation”. In December 2016, Billboard named her the 95th-most successful dance artist of all time. According to the Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music, used in house and dance tracks such as the 1989 Black Box single “Ride on Time”. // Holloway began singing gospel with her mother in the Holloway Community Singers in Chicago and recorded with Albertina Walker in the Caravans gospel group between 1967 and 1971. Holloway was also a cast member of the Chicago troupe of Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope. Around this time, she met her future producer, manager, and husband Floyd Smith, and recorded “Rainbow ’71” in 1971, a Curtis Mayfield song that Gene Chandler had recorded in 1963. It was initially released on the Apache label, but was picked up for national distribution by Galaxy Records. // In the early 1970s, Holloway signed a recording contract with the Atlanta-based soul music label Aware, part of the General Recording Corporation (GRC), owned by Michael Thevis. Holloway recorded two albums for the label, both of them produced by Floyd Smith — Loleatta (1973) and Cry to Me (1975). Her first single from the second album, the ballad, “Cry to Me” rose to No. 10 Billboard R&B and No. 68 on the Hot 100, but before the label could really establish Holloway, it went out of business. // Top Philadelphia arranger and producer Norman Harris signed Holloway in 1976 for his new label, Gold Mind, a subsidiary of New York’s Salsoul Records. The first release from the album Loleatta was another Sam Dees ballad, “Worn Out Broken Heart,” which reached No. 25 R&B, but the B-side, “Dreaming,” climbed to No. 72 on the pop chart and launched her as a disco act. // She contributed vocals to “Relight My Fire” for Dan Hartman, who then wrote and produced the title track of her fourth and final album for Gold Mind, Love Sensation (1980). 18 of her songs charted on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including four #1s. However, it was a ballad that proved to be another big R&B hit for her. “Only You” was written and produced by Bunny Sigler, who also sang with Holloway on the track, and it reached No. 11 in 1978. // In the early 1980s, Holloway had another dance hit with “Crash Goes Love” (#5 on the U.S. Dance chart, No. 86 on the US R&B Chart). She also recorded one single, “So Sweet,” for the fledgling house-music label DJ International Records. // According to the Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music. The Italian house music group Black Box sampled Holloway’s “Love Sensation” vocals for their 1989 single “Ride on Time”. In the UK, it topped the singles chart for six weeks and became the year’s bestselling single. The sample was used without permission; according to several sources, Holloway reached a settlement and was paid damages. However, one of the “Ride on Time” producers said in 2018 that Holloway “never saw a penny” and that only Salsoul, the owner of the master, had received payment. // Holloway resented the “Ride on Time” episode, and said: “I’ve been around for years trying to get this one hit record. It annoyed me knowing that Black Box were number one and I was not getting any credit for it.” She also expressed frustration that Black Box was paid more for performances than her, even after she was billed as “the voice of Black Box”. Davoli said he regretted not meeting Holloway before her death in 2011, and would have liked to apologize “for how messy things got”. // Holloway’s fortunes dramatically improved, however, when she had her first US No. 1 hit when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featured her vocals in the chart-topping “Good Vibrations” (1991). Holloway performed with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to promote the single and she received full vocal credit as well as a share of the royalties. This was shortly after the backlash against various acts such as Milli Vanilli and the groups that used the vocals of Martha Wash, but refused to give her credit until she sued. // In 1992, Holloway had a hit with the dance band Cappella. There, she appeared billed alongside Cappella on the single “Take Me Away” (UK #25). // More recent dance chart entries included “Share My Joy” (Credited to “GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway”), “What Goes Around Comes Around” (credited to “GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway”) in 2000, and “Relight My Fire” (credited to “Martin featuring Holloway”), which hit No. 5 in 2003. While not a single, “Like a Prayer”, a Madonna cover, was a track on the Madonna tribute album Virgin Voices. The song “Love Sensation ’06” reached No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart. // Holloway died aged 64 on March 21, 2011, from heart failure. She had four children. // The song was produced and written by Dan Hartman, arranged by Norman Harris, and mixed by Tom Moulton. It was a hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, where the song spent a week at No. 1 in September 1980.[1] Vocals from the song have been widely sampled, particularly in electronic dance music, such as in the 1989 Black Box song “Ride on Time”. // Originally, Hartman envisioned either Bette Midler or Patti LaBelle as singing “Love Sensation”. However, after seeing Holloway perform at a nightclub, he approached her instead to sing the vocals. In various interviews, Holloway recalled that Hartman had her perform the song 29 times over a two-day recording session. She lost her voice as a result, and only recovered by putting Vicks VapoRub in her coffee. // Since the rise of the remix culture during the 1980s, “Love Sensation” has been heavily sampled with large portions of the song incorporated into other works.[5] The original 1989 release of “Ride on Time” by Black Box sampled Holloway’s “Thank you baby, ’cause you’re right (sic) on time” lyric before a rerecording as well as instrumental portions by the Salsoul Orchestra, and Hartman received a writing credit. // In 1991, “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch lifted a sample of Holloway’s singing. She received a singing credit on the No. 1 song, giving Holloway her highest U.S. pop chart hit. Holloway even made an appearance performing the chorus in the music video. “Good Vibrations” itself has been frequently sampled with the inclusion of Holloway’s contribution.
Parts of “Love Sensation” have been sampled and reused in songs such as:
“I Wanna Have Some Fun” (1988) by Samantha Fox “Ride on Time” (1989) by Black Box[7][8][9][10] “I Don’t Know Anybody Else” (1989) by Black Box/Martha Wash “Grand Piano” (1989) by Mixmaster “Just Like a Queen” (1989) by Ellis-D “Dance 2 Trance” (1990) by Dance 2 Trance “We All Feel Better in the Dark” (1990) by the Pet Shop Boys “Take Me Away” (1990) by 2 in a Room “Take Me Away” (1991) by Cappella (using the same sample as 2 in a Room) “Good Vibrations” (1991) by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch[11] “Move” (1993) by Moby “(You Got Me) Burnin’ Up” (1998) by Cevin Fisher feat. Loleatta Holloway “Yappie Feet” (2000) by Deavid Soul “Semisation” (2004) by Technical Itch “Love Sensation” (2006) by Eddie Thoneick & Kurd Maverick “Take Me Away” (2008) by Chase & Status “Burning Up” (2009) by Skream “Sweep the Floor” (2009) by Joris Voorn “Still Speedin'” (2011) by Sway “Blind Faith” (2011) by Chase & Status “Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)” (2012) by Dillon Francis “Soul Train” (2012) by Geck-e “Devil in Me” (2012) by Alexandra Burke “Thank You” by Third Party feat. Loleatta Holloway “Semisation 2013” (2013) by Technical Itch vs. The Panacea “Overtime” (2013) by Cash Cash “Day and Night” feat. Will Miller & Carter Lang (2014) by A Billion Young “Good Vibration” (2015) by Majk Spirit & DJ Mad Skill “Good Vibes” (2015) by Kryder & the Wulf “Temptation” (2015) by Still Young, Simon de Jano & Madwill “Gud Vibrations” (2015) by Nghtmre & SLANDER “Natural Power” (2015) by Ruiz Cunha “So Nice!” (2016) by Diserpier “World of Our Love” (2016) by Client Liaison “Disco Sensation” (2016) by Funkatron “Let Me Tell You” (2017) by ANOTR “Ketamine Dreams” (2017) by Partiboi69 “Sensational” (2017) by Sam Feldt “Sweet Sensation” (2018) by Flo-Rida “Summer Love” (2018) by Liam Berkeley “You Get Down” (2019) by Todd Terry “Seat Belt” (2019) by ROBPM “You Little Beauty” (2019) by Fisher “This Is Oh!” (2019) by Elio Riso and Muter & Muter “Camba” (2019) by Fer BR “Feeling Good” (2019) by Brokenears
11:07 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Love Sensation” – “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)”
Jim: Moby is Richard Melville Hall // American musician, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and animal rights activist. // I always believed he chose the stage name, Moby, because he was a descendant of Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick. However, while doing my research for this show, I learned, at least according to his Wikipedia page, that story is not actually true. His father gave him the nickname Moby three days after his birth as his parents considered the name Richard too large for a newborn baby.
This song is a fantastic release that combines elements of several genres as they existed in the early nineties. The Wikipedia page describes it as techno, but it arguably includes elements of house, trance, breakbeat, and hardcore. Whatever the pedigree, it’s a wonderful release that holds a special place in my heart. It also employs creative use of the Loleatta Holloway sample.
11:08:30
Moby – “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)” from: extended play / Mute / ugust 31, 1993 [“Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)” is a song by American electronic musician Moby, with a chorus sampling from Loleatta Holloway’s 1980 song “Love Sensation”. It was first released as the title track on Moby’s extended play Move, which was issued on August 31, 1993, as his first release on Mute Records in the United Kingdom and on Elektra Records in the United States. It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. // “Move” was released as a two-track single from the EP in certain territories, featuring the EP version of the song and a “Disco Threat” mix of the same song. The song “All That I Need Is to Be Loved” from the Move EP was also issued as a single and later included in a different version on Moby’s third studio album Everything Is Wrong (1995). Remixes of “Move” were also featured on the Everything Is Wrong remix album (1996). // Everett True from Melody Maker wrote, “Yes, yes, yes! Finest record of its kind since ‘Ride on Time’.”Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it five out of five and named it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance. He added, “This EP is Moby’s first release on Mute and is shaping up to be a big hit. Already massive on the nation’s dancefloors, the title track is a charging anthemic house track, identified by its “You make me feel so good” female vocal. The various mixes, including MK’s excellent Blades remix, are ensuring widespread appeal.” Stuart Bailie from NME said, “Moby gives Jesus Christ a sleeve credit, but the spirit’s flagging on “Move”. Screaming velocity and Black Box shoutey vocals may signify some big holy show, but maybe they disguise a lack of new tricks.” Sam Wood from Philadelphia Inquirer declared it as “a fiercely energetic dance-floor anthem”. Charles Aaron from Spin commented, “The only card-carrying human in the techno scene takes a generically transcendent house-diva vocal and plunges it into a sampled torment of biblical proportions, a war between flesh, spirit, and technology that exudes skepticism and ecstasy in equal spurts. I think I love this guy.”]
11:11 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Love Sensation” – “You Got Me Burnin’ Up”
Jim: Cevin Fisher (Tommy Boy Silver Label, 1998)
Cevin Fisher: Real name Kevin Fisher, but professional name spelled with a “c” (but pronounced the same way). For years, I mispronounced his name as “Sevin.” // Originally from New Jersey, Cevin is a prominent figure in the New York house music scene, working as a DJ, remixer, and producer since the age of 17. // Also known for producing house music classics like “Freaks Come Out” and “Women Beat Their Men.”
This release is a house music anthem that’s appeared in countless mixes and compilations. Quoting from the bio on his website, “explosive beats, captivating vocals, deep house vibes, and tribal rhythms are his notable strengths.” That description certainly holds true for this groovy track, so let’s listen.
11:12
Cevin Fisher – “You Got Me Burnin’ Up” from: “(You Got Me) Burnin’ Up” (w/ Loleatta Holloway) – Single / Tommy Boy Silver Label / 1998 [Cevin Fisher (born Kevin Fisher, October 26, 1963) is an American house music DJ and record producer. He is best known for songs such as “The Freaks Come Out” (billed as Cevin Fisher’s Big Freak) and “(You Got Me) Burning Up”, the latter of which featured vocals by Loleatta Holloway. He achieved five entries in the UK top 75 between October 1998 and February 2001.]
Jim: Daddy Squad – According to his profile on Resident Advisor, Daddy Squad is the new project of Andrew Armstrong where he explores all things Italo Disco, but bringing in elements of rave, breaks, house, disco.
Prior to this project, Andrew was part of the electronic music duo Monarchy with Ra Black. They were active from 2009-2021and released 4 studio albums. They also created remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Jamiroquai, Kylie Minogue, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). // Originally from Australia, currently based in Madrid, Spain.
This song was just released back in March of this year. “Won’t Stop Rocking” is a clever mix of electro, house and pop. It surgically slices and blends Loleatta Holloway vocals with another sample that I’ve yet to track down and ID, but the result is pure dancefloor fun and always gets people moving. Let’s check it out.
11:15
Renato Cohen & Daddy Squad – “Won’t Stop Rocking” from: Always On My Mind / Melopée Records / March 21, 2025 [When the organic and percussive italotechno of Renato Cohen meets the retrofuturistic electrodisco of Daddy Squad, the result is inevitably a music with raw and innovative energy, inspired and inspiring ! // “Always On My Mind” is a track with formidable effectiveness which could be the trailer for a frantic chase. A pure dancefloor product with a wild rhythm ! // The second track “Chupito” clearly appeals to the roots of both artists. And although the song remains electro, we clearly discover Italo and Disco inspiration ! // To close this supercharged release, “Won’t Stop Rocking” is a clever mix of electro, house and pop, still dancefloor but more suited to warmup. // produced by Renato Cohen & Daddy Squad, mastering by Lopazz]
11:17 – Special Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Life is Something Special”
Jim: The second “original” track I’ve chosen to feature today is “Life Is Something Special” by the N.Y.C. Peech Boys (Island Records, 1983). // This song is a real groover, and has elements of disco, boogie, funk and soul. // The NYC Peech Boys, obviously rooted in New York City, were a band that comprised several important disco-era musicians including Bernard Fowler, Steven Brown, Robert Kasper, Darryl Short, Larry Levan and Michael de Benedictus. // Of those members, probably the 2 most well known in the disco and house music worlds are Larry Levan and Bernard Fowler.
Larry Levan was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern dance club. He had a huge influence on modern dance music, ushering in an electronic, post-disco sound that presaged the ascendence of what would come to be known as house music.
Bernard Fowler is probably not as well known in the world of dance music but was and is an important and accomplished musician and vocalist. He’s worked with a wide range of artists including Herbie Hancock, Public Image Limited, Phillip Glass and most notably, the Rolling Stones, for whom he performs as a backup vocalist.
Although perhaps not sampled as much as Loleatta Holloway’s Love Sensation featured in the first series, this song has had an undeniable influence on an astounding range of electronic dance music tracks spanning various genres. So let’s listen to about the first 3 minutes of Life is Something Special, by the NYC Peech Boys.
11:19
N.Y.C. Peech Boys – “Life is Something Special” from: “Life is Something Special” – 12” Single / Island Records / 1982 [The Peech Boys, also known as the New York Citi Peech Boys or NYC Peech Boys, were a band that comprised Bernard Fowler, Steven Brown, Robert Kasper, Darryl Short, Larry Levan and Michael de Benedictus. The group formed at the Paradise Garage, being influenced by Larry Levan. They only released four 12″ discs with “On a Journey” peaking at #56 in the 1983 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. However, they are most known for their 1982 song “Don’t Make Me Wait”, which was one of the early hits in the New York house/garage scene, due to Levan’s playing it at the Paradise Garage. “Don’t Make Me Wait” was their only UK Singles Chart entry, peaking at #49 in November 1982. They were signed to the West End Records label, but in 1984 they split up.]
11:22 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Life is Something Special” – “Feel It”
Jim: Such a great track, right? OK, so now let’s hear some songs that were influenced by the NYC Peech Boys’ “Life is Something Special.”
First up is “Feel It” by Coco, Steel and Lovebomb (Instant Records, 1991) // Now, this song probably falls under the house/deep house umbrella, although I think you’ll hear traces of ambient and electronica in there, too. I absolutely love this song, and even though it’s almost 35 years old I think it has a real timeless quality. /// The song was produced by a British electronic music group made up of Chris Mellor (Coco), Lene Stokes (Steel), and Craig Woodrow (Lovebomb).
It was originally released on a small label called Instant Records, but was then picked up and re-released a year later on Warp Records, a more widely-known and still very active independent record label currently based in London, England. Warp is also known for working with artists such as Aphex Twin, Nightmares on Wax, and Stereolab, just to name a few.
The first time I remember hearing this song was on DJ Ray Velazquez’s radio show, Nocturnal Transmissions, which aired Sunday nights back when I was in college on the defunct Lawrence, KS radio station, KLZR, The Lazer. DJ Ray was hugely influential to my journey discovering and understanding electronic music. I’d like to give him a shout-out for introducing me and so many others to an incredible array of artists and producers.
So let’s check out a clip of Feel It, by Coco, Steel, and Lovebomb.
11:23
Coco, Steel and Lovebomb – “Feel It” from: “Feel It” – 12” Single / Warp Records / 1991 [Also included on the bands’s first album “It” released by Warp Records in 1994. // Coco Steel & Lovebomb is a concept group created by Chris Coco in the early 90s. Their first single, Feel It, was a reflection of, and a big hit in, his resident DJ slots at the Coco Club at the Zap in Brighton that ran from 89-94. They made an album for Warp Records called It and later two albums of experimental sampled electronica for A Man Called Adam’s Other Records. Now back with new music.]
11:26 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Life is Something Special” – “Freak It!”
Jim: Ahhh, that song really takes me to a happy place, and I hope it did for everyone listening, too. Let’s continue down the path of exploring songs that were influenced by “Life is Something Special” by the NYC Peech Boys.
The next one we’ll hear is “Freak It!” by Studio 45 (Azuli Records, 1999). This one takes us back squarely into the realm of “true” house music, and stays close to the original disco and funk vibe of the original Peech Boys track. It’s a real classic house track that’s been remixed several times.
Studio 45, perhaps a play on Studio 54, is a German house duo made up of Jens Brachvogel & Tilo Ciesla. According to Discogs they’ve released about 17 songs under this particular moniker, the most recent of which just came out in 2023. // Freak It! Is a fun, swinging house track that really captures the sound of the late 90s/early 2000s. In addition to sampling vocals from “Life is Something Special,” it also heavily samples a song called “Phoenix” by the Aquarian Dream.
Let’s hear a clip that captures its essence.
11:27
Studio 45 – “Freak It!” from: “Freak It” – 12” Single / Azuli Records / 1999 [German House act by Jens Brachvogel & Tilo Ciesla. // Their biggest hit, ‘Freak It!’ (1999), contained music samples of ‘Phoenix’ by Aquarian Dream (2) and vocal samples from ‘Life Is Something Special (Acapella)’ by the Peech Boys.]
11:30 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Life is Something Special” – “Something Special E”
Jim: Oh yeah, was that freaky enough for you? That song never gets old for me, and I hope everyone listening enjoyed the clip we just heard. As a reminder, we’re listening to house and electronic music tracks that sampled and were otherwise influenced by the 1983 song “Life is Something Special” by the NYC Peech Boys.
Next up, we’re going to jump from 1983 to the year 2015 and check out a release called “Something Special E” by Eddie Fowlkes on British house music label Defected. // Now the record label may be from across the pond, but Eddie Fowlkes is from Detroit, MI here in the United States. He’s a techno and house DJ/producer also known as Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes, who’s also released under various other monikers.
Eddie was born on Christmas Eve 1962. He started DJing in the late 1970s, and was known for performing with three turntables, a mixer, a wah-wah pedal, and the TR-808 & 909 drum machines. He was part of Juan Atkins’s Deep Space DJ collective which included Art Payne, Keith Martin, and Derrick May, who was also Fowlkes’s roommate.
So let’s enjoy Something Special E, by Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes.
11:31
Eddie Fowlkes – “Something Special E” from: “That’s What I Think About – Single / Defected / November 11, 2013 [Also available on Unfinished Business, Vol. 3 Compiled & Mixed by Luke Soloman released April 17, 2015. // Eddie Fowlkes is an American techno and house DJ. He was influential to the early Detroit techno scene. Eddie Fowlkes was born on December 24, 1962, in Detroit, Michigan. After attending a 1978 Charivari party with his older sisters where he saw DJ Darryl Shannon mixing records, Fowlkes requested a mixer for Christmas and later made his DJ debut in the late 70s. He was part of Juan Atkins’s Deep Space DJ collective which included Art Payne, Keith Martin, and Derrick May, who was also Fowlkes’s roommate. In the 1980s, Fowlkes performed with three turntables, a mixer, a wah-wah pedal, and the TR-808 & 909 drum machines. // Kevin Saunderson said that seeing Fowlkes DJ at a fraternity party inspired him to get involved in the Deep Space Crew and become a better DJ. // After hearing a Cybotron performance, Fowlkes moved from being interested solely in DJing to creating his own records. Borrowing equipment from Atkins, he trained his ear and taught himself to play the keyboard over a couple of months. While Fowlkes and May were roommates, Fowlkes built his studio in his bedroom and started working on his first record. His first release under his own name was issued in 1986. That release on Metroplex Records, “Goodbye Kiss”, helped establish what would come to be known as Detroit techno. // With the 1991 M.I.D. (Made In Detroit) release of Detroit Techno Soul, Fowlkes introduced the concept of techno soul because “Detroit … is both house heads and techno heads.”[6] This was followed by the 1993 Tresor release The Birth of Technosoul, featuring 3MB (Moritz von Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann). // Fowlkes started releasing on his own label, City Boy Records, in 1993. Fowlkes also owns the Detroit Wax imprint on City Boy. // Eddie Fowlkes’s handprints are cemented on the Detroit Historical Museum’s Legends Plaza as a techno-music pioneer.]
11:33 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Life is Something Special” – “Joey’s Love Bomb”
Jim: We just finished listening to a clip of “Something Special E” by Eddie Fowlkes, which makes use of a well-known sample from “Life is Something Special” by the NYC Peech Boys. Defected is known for releasing a countless number of classic, popular house music tracks that stay true to hallmark characteristics of that genre, and that last song was no exception.
Next, we’re going to take a bit of a detour from the house music highway, journeying into territory that’s a little less known and probably more niche in its audience type. // This next clip comes from a London-based production duo comprising Gerardo Delgado and Quinn Whalley, aka Paranoid London. Now, I have to admit I only discovered Paranoid London a few years ago, even though they’ve been active since 2008 according to their profile on Resident Advisor. And while I may be late to the game, I’m definitely a super fan of them now. I regularly incorporate their songs into my DJ sets, and I would LOVE to catch them performing live someday.
They don’t have a huge internet footprint, but they’re on social media platforms and I encourage anyone that likes this next song to give them a follow.
This next clip is taken from a song they released on their own, eponymous record label in 2020. It comes from the third of a series of EPs called PLEDITS. While a majority of their releases fall under the Acid House subgenre, I’d say this particular track demonstrates influences by techno and even industrial music, too. Let’s check it out, and be sure to turn up your speakers for this one!
11:34
Paranoid London – “Joey’s Love Bomb” from: PLEDITS#3 / Paranoid London Records / 2020 [London-based production duo: Gerardo Delgado and Quinn Whalley. // PLEDITS 3 = Couple of edits for that imaginary dancefloor we’re all dreaming of where it’s going balls to the wall & you can play anything you like. These are brutal but funky. As usual a few familiar elements redone to soften the blow. Also, we forgot to put an ending on one them before we sent it off for mastering. “Joey’s Lovebomb” and “Pulsewidth”.]
11:37 – Underwriting
11:39 – Special Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Let No Man Put Asunder”
Jim: How about that?? If anybody out there listening felt a primal urge to destroy property in your immediate vicinity, or perhaps anyone driving suddenly found themselves driving at double the posted speed limit, that’s totally understandable. This seems like a good time to take a deep breath, exhale, and slow things back down a little as we move into our third and final series of today’s show, where we’re tracing house and other types of dance music tracks back to the original songs that have been extensively sampled throughout the years.
For this last series, we’re going back to a classic, classic song named “Let No Man Put Asunder” by First Choice. // Some songs get sampled once and fade away. But Let No Man Put Asunder by First Choice? It’s a 1977 disco classic from an album titled Delusions originally released on Gold Mind Records. This song gave us a hook that became part of the DNA of house music.
Before listening to the song, though, who was First Choice? First Choice was (and is) an American girl group and vocal music trio from Philadelphia. Their R&B and disco hits included “Armed and Extremely Dangerous”, “Smarty Pants”, “The Player (Part 1)”, “Guilty”, “Love Thang”, and “Doctor Love”. They were signed to soul label Philly Groove and to disco label Gold Mind, and later to Warner Bros. and Salsoul.
Though some of the members of First Choice have changed over the years, the lineup has always included founding members Rochelle Fleming and Annette Guest. The 3rd member providing vocals was Ursula Herring when they recorded “Let No Man Put Asunder” in 1977. It’s worth noting that this song didn’t receive a lot of heavy play or attention outside the disco clubs of Philadelphia when it was first released. However, after it was re-released on Salsoul in 1983, it shot up to number 13 on dance music charts in the United States.
Now put on your bellbottoms and sequins, and let’s give a listen to this song that’s left an indelible mark on house music.
11:41
FIRST CHOICE
First Choice – “Let No Man Put Asunder” from: “Let No Man Put Asunder” – Single / Salsoul Records / 1983 [Originally released on their 1977 album Delusions on Gold Mind Records. // First Choice is an American girl group and vocal music trio from Philadelphia. Their R&B and disco hits included “Armed and Extremely Dangerous”, “Smarty Pants”, “The Player (Part 1)”, “Guilty”, “Love Thang”, and “Doctor Love”. They were signed to soul label Philly Groove and to disco label Gold Mind, and later to Warner Bros. and Salsoul. // First Choice began singing in high school as the Debonettes. The group consisted of lead singer Rochelle Fleming, Annette Guest, Wardell Piper and Malanie McSears. They performed in clubs after school in and around Philadelphia. They were introduced to record man Norman Harris by radio DJ Georgie Woods.[2] Harris produced their first single “This Is the House Where Love Died”. The single failed to chart nationally but was played in Philadelphia and dance club across the U.S. Their next release was “Armed and Extremely Dangerous”. The single quickly became an R&B top 11 hit in early 1973 and making the UK top 20. // Wardell Piper quit the group to go solo before their first album was released, and is not pictured on the sleeve although she did sing on the album. She was replaced by singer Joyce Jones. Their new hit enabled the group to get national exposure on TV shows such as Dinah, Soul Train, and American Bandstand. Other R&B hits followed. “Smarty Pants” went to number 25 R&B and became the group’s biggest UK single reaching number 9 in the UK Singles Chart, “Newsy Neighbors” and “The Player” which became their biggest R&B hit peaking at number 7. // The band switched labels in 1976 to Warner Bros. Records. Jones left the group and was replaced by Ursula Herring. At Warner’s they recorded dance floor hits including “Gotta Get Away From You Baby”, “Ain’t He Bad” and the album title song, “So Let Us Entertain You”. In 1977, the trio switched labels again this time recording for their producer Norman Harris’ label, Gold Mind Records, where they got their biggest dance single, the infectious “Doctor Love”. The single was from their album, Delusions, that AllMusic critic Ed Hogan regarded as the trio’s best LP. The next release came in March 1979 called Hold Your Horses. Ursula Herring left and was replaced by Debbie Martin. The LP contained the dance hits “Love Thang”, “Double Cross” and the title track “Hold Your Horses”. // The trio officially disbanded in 1980 however, in 1983, Salsoul Records released “Let No Man Put Asunder” from their 1977 album, Delusions. That single rose to number 13 on the Billboard dance chart and has become the group’s signature song and still a current favorite on the house music scene. // Rochelle Fleming continued to record and perform internationally as a solo artist. Annette Guest became a successful songwriter writing for artists such as Stephanie Mills. // The group was influential to early house and techno music, because of sampling by many artists, including Todd Terry and the Jungle Brothers, mostly from First Choice’s 1977 track, “Let No Man Put Asunder”. The track was also covered by Mary J. Blige on her 1999 album, Mary. // On August 6, 2014, First Choice performed a reunion concert at East River Bandshell, New York City, with original members Rochelle Fleming, Annette Guest, Wardell Piper and Ursula Herring. The concert featured many of the group’s ex-label mates from Salsoul Records. The group is still performing, but without Rochelle Fleming. Annette Guest and Ursula Herring, along with Andre Jackson, are currently performing as The First Choice. // In 2019, rapper J. Cole sampled their song “Wake Up to Me” in his song “Middle Child”. ]
11:45 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Let No Man Put Asunder” – “Let’s Go”
Jim: Oh, so good, so good! This could take up a whole show on its own but today let’s trace it through a few pioneers who flipped it into early house classics that still stand the test of time. // First up for tracks sampling First Choice: “Let’s Go” by Edwin Smith aka Fast Eddie // Fast Eddie began as a DJ of the early Chicago house movement, including playing spots on WGCI-FM and WBMX. Produced extensively from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. // One of the architects of Hip House. // Fast Eddie is well known for fusing rap lyrics with house beats, making him a bridge between two worlds. // The track we’ll listen to, “Let’s Go,” was released on D.J. International Records, 1988. // Listen to how the Asunder vocal interjects with that ‘Oh yeah!’ over bright piano chords and a driving beat.
11:46
Fast Eddie – “Let’s Go” from: “Let’s Go” – 12” Single / D.J. International Records / 1988 [Edwin A. Smith, known as Fast Eddie, is an American house producer and hip hop musician from Chicago, Illinois. // Fast Eddie began as a DJ of the early Chicago house movement, including playing spots on WGCI-FM and WBMX. During that period, he produced one of his first singles in collaboration with Kenny “Jammin'” Jason entitled “Can You Dance”, circa 1986. In 1987, Eddie came out with other house tracks such as “The Whop”, based on the dance of the same name. // Eddie left WGCI for WBMX for a short time and then quit his radio DJ gigs to concentrate on producing. In 1988, he scored one of his biggest hits with “Acid Thunder” on DJ International Records. However, it was the track “Hip House” that established his career as a producer. Eddie popularized the genre of hip house. He scored several hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including “Git On Up” (featuring Sundance), which spent a week at number one in 1989, but only reached number 49 in the UK Singles Chart. // Eddie tried his hand at gangsta rap in 1990 by forming the group America’s Most Wanted. Later that year, he released “Make Some Noise”. At some time during 1995, Eddie made two ghetto house collaborations. The first of these is titled “Booty Call” with DJ Sneak and the other is titled “Pump It” with DJ Funk.]
11:48:30 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Let No Man Put Asunder” – “Do It Properly”
Jim: Next up, we’ll listen to a track called “Do It Properly” released by 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican (Grooveline, 1987). // This group, with a decidedly vague and long name, was a short-lived house music project. And why you may have never heard of 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican, you’re likely familiar with at least 2 of its members: Robert Clivillés (one of the Puerto Ricans) and David Cole (the black man). Clivillés and Cole formed C+C Music Factory, known for several dance and pop hits, most notably Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now). They also produced and wrote various hits for artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, James Brown, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Deborah Cooper, Scarlett Santana, and many others. // Rounding out the group are David Morales (the other Puerto Rican) and Chep Nunez (the Dominican). Chep Nunez sadly died way too early in 1990, as did David Cole in 1995. // David Morales is a true superstar DJ and producer who has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and many, many more. David currently continues to produce and tour as a DJ. // Listen for how the Asunder vocal is chopped and dropped over the bassline from Adonis’s No Way Back—a Chicago classic in its own right—creating a fierce late-80s New York house hybrid.// This collision of two iconic tracks turned ‘Do It Properly’ into a peak-time weapon for DJs on both sides of the Chicago–New York axis.
11:49:30
2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican – “Do It Properly” from: “Do It Properly” – 12” Single / Grooveline / 1987 [Produced, Written, and Arranged by David Cole and Robert Clivilles who would later become C + C Music Factory // 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican was a short-lived house music group featuring David Morales and Robert Clivillés (Puerto Ricans), David Cole (Black), and Chep Nuñez (Dominican). In 1987, they scored a hit in dance clubs with their debut song, “Do It Properly,” the only release on Grooveline Records. The track was inspired by Cole and Bruce Forest’s DJ sets at New York club Better Days, where they would mix Adonis’ “No Way Back” with scratching, other songs, and samples. Cole, Clivillés, and Morales all performed at Better Days (Clivillés and Morales as DJ and Cole as keyboardist) in the late 1980s. The single was released in the UK on the London Records label; it entered the UK singles chart on June 13, 1987, and reached a peak of number 47, remaining in the chart for four weeks. In 1988, Clivillés and Cole recorded a sequel called “So Many Ways (Do It Properly Part II)” with the Brat Pack on Vendetta/A&M Records. “Do It Properly” was covered again by vocalist Deborah Cooper, who later worked with C+C Music Factory in 1999 for the Collaboration. // In 1989, 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican released a single called “Scandalous” on Capitol Records in the United States and on Syncopate (a label of EMI)) in the UK. // Later in 1989, Clivillés and Cole started C+C Music Factory. David Morales had a successful solo career in the 1990s and Chep Nuñez died in 1990. David Cole died in 1995.]
11:52 – Guest Producer Jim Hubbell – “Let No Man Put Asunder” – “We Gotta Love”
Jim: And for our final song influenced by “Let No Man Put Asunder” by First Choice, we have “We Gotta Love” by DJ Funk (Street Traxx III, 1995) // DJ Funk. A pioneer of Ghetto House in Chicago. He strips Asunder down to its rawest loop and rides it over another house-history gem—the Street Player horn riff made famous by the Bucketheads—creating a collision of two of dance music’s most iconic samples.
By blending both, he bridges disco’s deep roots with the stripped, party-focused energy of Ghetto House. // From Frankie Knuckles sets at the Warehouse, to Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s club edits, to the bedroom studios of today—“Let No Man Put Asunder” has been scratched in, reimagined, remixed, and rebuilt for decades. And it’s still packing dance floors. But first… Back to the host of Wednesday Midday Medley, Mark Manning!
DJ FUNK
DJ Funk – “We Gotta Love” from: Street Traxx III 12” (6-track Vinyl) / Dance Mania / 1995 [Charles Chambers was born Jan 25, 1971 and was better known by his stage name DJ Funk. He was an American DJ who pioneered the ghetto house subgenre of house music. Through the 1990s, he built a regional reputation in the Chicago-Detroit region and in the Midwest rave scene. His 1999 album Booty House Anthems was distributed nationally and sold over one million copies. He founded the Funk Records label in 2006. He is included in Modulations, a 1998 film documentary of electronic music. DJ Funk died from cancer on March 4, 2025, at the age of 54.]
Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now” from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
NEXT WEEK, on August 27 – we welcome special guests: Don Simon & High School Radio Broadcasters + Mitzi McKee + The Babe Gabe and Ty Faison
A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper and Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Office Manager Book Keeper – Shaina Littler.
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information. Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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, August 20, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + joel vs. joel + Guest Producer Jim Hubbell with “Sacred Samples: Tracing Back to the Roots”.
Mark spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: The Matchsellers, Teri Quinn, Logan Richardson, Pool Culture, Stephonne, joel vs. joel, Waxahatchee and Kevin Morby. We’ll also play Queen Anne and Alabama Shakes.
At 10:30am we talk with Joel Stratton who performs as joel vs joel. Joel is a Kansas City-based multi-instrumentalist, with classical training, who has played and collaborated with the bands Supermoto, Eggs on Mars, and Daniel Gum. Stratton’s debut album, SMILE IN THE MIRROR is being released, August 19, 2025 through a new record label, Enigmatic Brunch Records, a “small batch” local record label with this being their very first album release. SMILE IN THE MIRROR is a protestation of struggles with identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. These innate human feelings are combined with instrumentation that is at times comfortably familiar and at others strikingly and pleasingly surprising. Info at: http://www.enigmaticbrunchrecords.bandcamp.com
At 11:00 we welcome Jim Hubbell as Guest Producer with a special hour called “Sacred Samples: Tracing Back to the Roots”. Jim Hubbell graduated from the University of Kansas and moved to Kansas City in the mid 1990s. He lives in the Crossroads neighborhood with his husband, Sean Kelley and works as the Director of Solutions Engineering for StreetLight Data, a software company whose mission is to help public agencies plan and design better transportation systems. You can catch Jim, aka DJ Santi, playing at various bars and clubs around Kansas City including Bear Bust at Woody’s the first Saturday of the month. Jim is a proud member of Kansas City’s Queer House Collective, a tight-knit group of queer DJs that love, support, and challenge one another.
Jim will spin tracks from: Loleatta Holloway, Moby, Cevin Fisher, Renato Cohen & Daddy Squad, N.Y.C. Peech Boys, Coco Steel and Lovebomb, Studio 45, Eddie Fowlkes, Paranoid London, First Choice, Fast Eddie, 2 Puerto Ricans a Blackman and a Dominican, and DJ Funk.
On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org
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, August 13, 2025
The World of Lotuspool Records with Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi
“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks” from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Zoom – “Balboa’s Cannon” from: Helium Octipede / Lotuspool / October 5, 2018 [Helium Octipede originally released in 1993 by Tim Kerr Records, the same label that William S. Burroughs was on at the time. Lotuspool re-released Helium Octipede in 2018, which included a 180 gram vinyl release of the album. I picked this song because Zoom is our flagship band. They were the reason we started the label. It was their EP, “Rockin’ In Rio” that inspired us all to move to Lawrence to start the label. Oddly enough, Lotuspool didn’t release the Rockin’ in Rio EP till 2018, when we released it on 8-track and digital. // Mark Henning on vocals, guitar & percussion; Jeremy Sidener on vocals, bass, & percussion; Chris Cosgrove on drums, bass & percussion; Steve Tubbert on guitar, percussion & other [Radon]. Produced June 1-9, 1993 at Zeno studios, Phoenix, AZ.]
10:03
Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we’ll welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is the co-founder of Lotuspool Records. He also is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters who released their 7th album, the 13 track album, Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers, on September 23, 2022. Lotuspool Records, was born in 1992. Chris writes “We started the label when we were very young, and the bands that were on it were very young, too,” he reported. “Back then, you could put out an indie record and get a lot of attention and press. At that time, there was a lot of support for indie music. Around 2000, Lotuspool went on an unofficial hiatus. The label was never inactive, but Garibaldi spent most of 2000s doing Los Angeles connected gigs. In 2011, Chris Garibaldi relocated to Parkville, he and Scott Hartley — bassist in the Suneaters — brought a new vision for Lotuspool Records. The label has been the home for releases for Heidi Lynne Gluck, The Bump Band, Bully Pulpit, The Whips, Poster Children, Zoom, Voice of Action, June Henry, Hollow Body, Chris Cardwel, and many others This year the label is celebrating 33 years!
Chris Garibaldi, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
Chris: We will spin tracks from: Heidi Lynne Gluck, James Grauerholz, June Henry, Krafty LoveLordz, Suneaters, Bully Pulpit, Poster Children, Panel Door, Hum, The Bump Band, The Whips, Mild 7, and Voice of Action.
We started with Zoom – “Balboa’s Cannon”
Chris: I picked this song because Zoom is our flagship band. They were the reason we started the label. It was their EP, “Rockin’ In Rio” that inspired us all to move to Lawrence to start the label. Oddly enough, Lotuspool didn’t release the Rockin’ in Rio EP till 2018, when we released it on 8-track and digital.
Zoom was Mark Henning on vocals, guitar & percussion; Jeremy Sidener on vocals, bass, & percussion; Chris Cosgrove on drums, bass & percussion; Steve Tubbert on guitar, percussion & other [Radon]. Produced June 1-9, 1993 at Zeno studios, Phoenix, AZ.
Heidi Lynne Gluck – Pony Show / Lotuspool Records / August 26, 2016
Chris: “Title track from Heidi’s 2016 release on Lotuspool. This was another 180 gram vinyl release and is one of the best albums we’ve ever released. I’m a huge Heidi fan.”
10:10
Heidi Lynne Gluck – “Pony Show” from: Pony Show / Lotuspool Records / August 26, 2016 [Chris: “Title track from Heidi’s 2016 release on Lotuspool. This was another 180 gram vinyl release and is one of the best albums we’ve ever released. I’m a huge Heidi fan.” // Heidi Lynne Gluck is a Canadian-born artist who calls Lawrence, Kansas home. 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. Heidi is every musician’s dream to play with, given her impeccable ear for nuance and detail. She is a versatile singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, playing bass, keys, vocals, guitar, accordion and lap steel. // Heidi has collaborated live and in studio with dozens of musicians, including Tom Brousseau, John C Reilly, Juliana Hatfield, Margo and the Nuclear So and So’s, The Roseline, Lily and Madeleine, Frogpond, and 95 Sweetbird. Heidi’s music channels 70’s folk rock with a groovy Wurlitzer laying the bed for her warm, matter-of-fact delivery. Subtle acoustic guitar lines snake around crunchy electrics, embellished with ethereal pedal steel guitar. // She’s been featured on The Moth, The Great American Folk Show, The Mystery Hour and NPR live sessions. Her songs have been placed in The Listeners documentary and Tig Notaro’s hit show, ‘One Mississippi’.// She has recorded three albums. Heidi recorded and produced the majority of these albums at home. // Her message is uplifting and nurturing without being cloying, encouraging you to acknowledge your pain and face the unknown with strength and grace. Heidi Lynne Gluck released a remixed version of her song “Severence” through Dynamite Red on March 11, 2024. Heidi Lynne Gluck released the album, MIGRATE OR DIE on July 7, 2023. The album was #1 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. She released the singles: “All I See Is Magic” on May 25, 2023, “I’m Not Free” on June 2, 2023 and “Skyscraper” on June 7, 2023 Heidi released two singles with Tom Brosseau, “Under African Skies” on Feb. 17, 2023 ang “Sunflower” on Dec. 15, 2022. Heidi Lynne Gluck released the 8th edition of the Too Much Rock, limited edition, 7” vinyl Single Series on Aug. 3, 2018, featuring her original song, “Party Line.” and the B-side, “Good Guys and Bad Guys” a new version of Camper Van Beethoven song. Heidi Lynne Gluck released her critically acclaimed album, PONY SHOW through Lawrence based Lotuspool Records on Aug. 26, 2016. This was the follow-up to her critically acclaimed release THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ROOM, released April 28, 2015. Heidi Lynne Gluck also plays with the band the Roseline and was a featured vocalist on “Beauty in the Distance” with Asterales.] Heidi Lynne Gluck played 90.1 FM’s Crossroads Music Fest, September 10, 2023. Heidi Lynne Gluck joined us live on WMM on June 8, and August 24.]
10:15 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we’ll welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the world of Lotuspool.
We just heard the Title track from Heidi’s 2016 release on Lotuspool The Pony Show.
Next up: To A Hustler – James Grauerholz
Song from the double album anthology, Life’s Too Good To Keep. Released in 2024 in a project that took five years to complete.
James was a key figure for Lotuspool in the early 90s. He let us use his studio, his equipment, and his talents. He co-engineered the initial Panel Donor release.
10:19
James Grauerholz – “To A Hustler” from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024 [Written in 1993. Recorded by James Grauerholz live to stereo DAT in KJHK’s on air studio in 1994 in Lawrence, Kansas. / James Grauerholz writes: “A talented young man named Jamie, who after ur brief love affair had to move San Francisco, where I bitterly imagined him meeting with disappointment.” // Mark Henning writes in the album’s liner notes: To anyone in the Art, Literary & Music world, James has long been known as ‘The Burroughs Guy’. From 1974 until William Burroughs death in 1997, James has handled the business of William S. Burroughs Communications, acting as his manager, bibliographer, editor, literary executor and companion. To this day he continues to helm the business of Burroughs. What has been little-known up until now is that James has led a double life as an accomplished musician and songwriter with an extensive body of work stretching back from the late 1960s to the present. In fact, music was his first passion. // James set out to be a singer-songwriter before fate led to his calling with William S. Burroughs and despite the demands of his literary responsibilities, he continued to write music as a creative outlet. Over the years James witnessed and has been an important figure in many extraordinary musical eras. He was referred to as the ‘Zelig of Punk Rock’, having been part of a small coterie who helped kick-start the CBGBs scene in NYC from 1974 through the end of the decade. If you haven’t read the book ‘Please Kill Me’ by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, do yourself a favor and pick it up. James’ stories are among the best in it. His ‘mates’ during that time were the likes of Lester Bangs, Howard Brookner, Robert Palmer and Robert Quine -to name only a few. // The Zelig comparison is dead accurate, but it goes far beyond Punk Rock. James was there for the Midwestern Country-Rock explosion of the early 1970s. The legendary oral history ‘Cows Are Freaky When They Look At You’ paints a hilariously warped picture of the people in James orbit during those K.C./Lawrence years prior to him moving to NYC. He was there for the AOR singer-songwriter movement of the late 1970s, mixing his songs with Boz Skaggs in San Francisco. He was at the Hacienda in Manchester when Factory Records ruled the scene and where New Order, The Smiths and The Fall took the world by storm. He was around when New Wave and Hardcore emerged AND he was a steadfast contributor to the evolution of underground music of the early 1990s. In Lawrence, KS where James has lived since the early 1980s, and where Zoom and Lotuspool Records evolved, James lent his opinions, his studio, his gear, his chops and his time, unselfishly on innumerable occasions to help fledgling bands get a leg up. // Through all of these eras, James’ voice as a songwriter has held its own piece of real estate. Each of the twenty-two tracks represented on this double album bear a style that is distinctly his own, both lyrically and compositionally. It is worth adding that James is one hell of an accomplished guitar player too. Assembling this collection was no easy task, despite James’ impeccable documentation of his own catalog. Tapes were baked, no stone was left unturned and several ‘new’ discoveries were made that hadn’t made their way into the master list. // What you have here is a collection of songs that span thirty years, or as James so aptly puts it ‘My Life In Four Acts’ -with each side of the two LPs representing an Act. Though much of the material could easily be considered Great American Songbook in style (hooks everywhere, turns of phrase that remain stuck in your head, broad themes of love, loss & loneliness…), there is also a deeply personal and distinctly Queer element to the songs. One must not forget that back in the 1970s hardly anyone was doing this. In fact, James may have created his very own lane. There were Queer outsider artists like Tom Wilson doing more ‘camp’ numbers, but NO ONE was doing pop-type radio songs represented here. Some of the songs could even qualify as a new genre: Gay Yacht Rock. One must also wonder whether, despite the appeal factor, maybe James just wanted to keep the songs for himself as a log of his own personal journey? // You, the listener can decide for yourself. We hope you enjoy these four acts as much as we did while assembling them. For me they just keep getting better the more I listen.” – Mark Henning (Zoom, National Trust, Voice of Action)]
10:23 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the world of Lotuspool.
We just heard To A Hustler – James Grauerholz – from the double album anthology, Life’s Too Good To Keep. Released in 2024 in a project that took five years to complete.
Next up: “Close” – June (August) Henry
From the 2020 album South Ramp, originally released under the name August Henry. August transitioned to June and is now our most popular artist.
Second generation Lotuspool. June is the spawn of Matt Hyde, the other Lotuspool founder.
10:27
June Henry – “Close” from: South Ramp / Lotuspool Records / 2020 [Chris: originally released under the name August Henry. August transitioned to June and is now our most popular artist. June Henry is a second generation Lotuspool. June is the spawn of Matt Hyde, the other Lotuspool founder. // June Henry released The Exhumation of Princess Pavement on February 14, 2024. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // June Henry is a 22-year-old is a Lawrence KS. Based, freak folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.. Her music explores themes of mental illness, queerness, and growing up. // Prior to her official debut, Henry had collected her music in a Google Drive folder, shared only with a small group of friends. Bedridden in 2022, she was convinced to release this music in her first official album Class Pet. // It’s not really something I know how to do, as much as something I have to do to stop myself from exploding,“ from June Henry’s Spotify bio. // Since her debut, she hasn’t gone more than a couple months between releases- creating a niche audience and some of her most popular songs, such as Void-Adjacent and Excoriation. // In 2024 she has released 9n singles, two 4-song EPs., the 11 track album, The Exhumation of Princess Pavement, released February 14, 2024, the 14 track album Between Singles and One-Offs, exclusive CD comprised of singles and EP tracks released May 27, 2024, the 17 track album Podium, released June 30, 2024. // June Henry released the single “method act” on December 16, 2023. // June Henry released the single “fall into” on December 2, 2023. // June Henry released the 3-track EP “the light I SPIT OUT” on November 14, 2023. // June Henry released the single “vampire song” on November 3, 3023. // June Henry released the 5-song EP “flat earth romcom” on September 22, 2023. // June Henry released the 11-track album “something friend” on June 20, 2022. // June Henry released the 15-track album “class pet” on March 15, 2022. // June Henry released the 7-track album, “SOUTH RAMP” through Lotuspool Records when she was “a gay boy in high school (released as August Henry.) // June Henry has been posting a bunch of tunes on bandcamp! These are official releases along with things that have been archived from streaming platforms, AND many demos and voice memos from long ago. Her personal favorite is “the trouble i made”, which features five tracks written and recorded in high school. The first one, “straight boys, was recorded when June was fourteen. Check http://www.junehen.bandcamp.com for even more releases from June Henry.]
10:30 – Underwriting
10:32 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we’ll welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the world of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is also the lead singer, guitarist for the band Suneaters
Chris: “One of the mistakes we made as kids running the label was that we made a lot of short-term decisions,” Garibaldi says. “We didn’t have foresight. We were too concerned about paychecks and debt. And now it’s like, ‘Let’s take the thing that we do well, which is to foster interesting music, and not worry about the little things.’ Let’s see if we might be able to figure out something that might make the music bigger. That’s the goal.”
Up next: Krafty LoveLordz with “Baggin’ Babes”
Recorded in 1990, released in 2015 on the Krafty LoveLordz anthology album, Head Case.
A lot of Lotuspool roots stem from the LoveLordz. Bully Pulpit and Suneaters have ex-LoveLordz in them.
10:36
Krafty LoveLordz – “Baggin Babes” from: Head Case / Lotuspool Records / August 4, 2015 [Labeling themselves, “The second most awesome band to come out of La Grange, IL!” The Krafty Lovelordz were all about granola bars, burritos and massive amounts of coffee. They were the ultimate testimony to what happens when bored teens pick up instruments after consuming all the SST, Touch & Go, Twin Tone, and Homestead LPs that one could find in the mid to late 80s. Recorded in 1990, but released in 2015 on the Krafty LoveLordz anthology album, Head Case. A lot of Lotuspool roots stem from the LoveLordz. Bully Pulpit and Suneaters have ex-LoveLordz in them. ]
Suneaters
10:39 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we’ll welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the world of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is also the lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Krafty LoveLordz – “Baggin Babes” from: Head Case / Lotuspool / Aug. 4, 2015
Next up: Suneaters – “Burden in the Hand”
Released in 2022 on the album, Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fingers. Suneaters IV is my greatest musical achievement as it got on The Big Takeover’s list of Top 200 albums in 2022.
10:43
Suneaters – “Burden in the Hand” from: Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers / Lotuspool Records / September 23, 2022 [Suneaters’ seventh album, “Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers” is an homage to late 80s digging through record store “alternative” bins looking for appealing art and unique song titles. // Find herein some surf vibes, a dash of Cars and unexpected Americana. Other touchstones include Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr, Guided By Voices, Minutemen and Television. Mix in frenetic jams, a la Meat Puppets and a dose of Animals era Pink Floyd and there you have it. // Incorporating the touch, the feel of their previous releases, but now with eager brevity, this latest incarnation of Suneaters subtracts excesses and adds copious hooks. Featuring driving rhythms courtesy of new drummer and longtime Lawrence Kansas club owner, Nick Carroll, Chris, Mike and Scott explore the landscapes of their most cherished indie/punk/new wave rock. Children of the 70s exploring music of the 80s and 90s in the 2020s. // Suneaters are an American psychedelic, rock and roll band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2008. Its core members are Scott Hartley, Chris Garibaldi, Chris Cardwell, and Michael Judd. Suneaters’ debut LP “One” was released in October 2011 on Lotuspool Records, an independent record label started by Chris Garibaldi in the early 1990s. Suneaters advocate what they call a DIT (Do-it-together) culture – a variation on the DIY (Do-it-yourself) punk rock ethos. DIT emphasizes collaboration, collective action, art sharing, and experimentation in fracturing the dominant music industry paradigms. // Suneaters released the albums: Suneaters I in 2011, Suneaters XIII in 2012, Suneaters II: Loving Relationship in 2015, Suneaters XII: L’appel Du Vide in 2017, Suneaters III: Unfathomable Darkness in 2019, Suneaters XI: It’s The Future in 2021. // Chris Garibaldi writes: Suneaters IV is my greatest musical achievement as it got on The Big Takeover’s list of Top 200 albums in 2022.]
10:45 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the world of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is also the lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Suneaters – “Burden in the Hand” from: Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers / Lotuspool Records / September 23, 2022
Next up: Bully Pulpit with “The Art of Disappearing”
Released in 2023 on Natural Flavors, the fourth and best album by Bully Pulpit. Bully Pulpit was the third band signed to Lotuspool after Zoom and Panel Donor. They average a new album every 10 years and we are hoping they can pick up that pace since every album seems to top the last.
10:49
Bully Pulpit – “The Art of Disappearing” from: Natural Flavors / Lotuspool Records / June 23, 2023 [Bully Pulpit released their fourth album, “Natural Flavors” on June 23, 2023. The band of Chicago natives is currently comprised of Matt Hohmann (guitar) Tom Banks (vox, guitar), Jim Valentin (bass, synthesizer), and Jim MacGregor (drums, guitar, keyboard). “Natural Flavors” includes tracks written and recorded with previous member of the Pulpit, Liz Bustamante (drums, percussion). // The album’s opening track, “The Art of Disappearing” was adapted from the Naomi Shihab Nye poem of the same title. Nye graciously granted use of the lyrics when she heard the song. // Matt Engstrom and Soren Pedersen recorded the album over a series of sessions while Engstrom manned the dials for the final mixes and mastering. // As is the case for the last three Pulpit albums, Lotuspool mainstay artist/designer Michael Legleiter created the album’s artwork with photography submitted by the band and clever use of AI. // Thomas Banks on guitar & vocals; Matt Hohmann on guitar; Jim Valentin on bass & synthesizer; Liz Bustamante on on drums & percussion; Jim MacGregor on drums, guitar & keyboards; Matthew Mrozinski on tenor saxophone. Recorded by Soren Pedersen. Recorded, Mixed and Mastered By Matt Engstrom. Album was released in the US, but the album was pressed in the Czech Republic. The LP was released in an outer sleeve with a sticker reading “Made In Czech Republic”.]
10:53 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is also the lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: The Art of Disappearing – Bully Pulpit from Natural Flavors / Lotuspool Records / June 23, 2023
Next up: Poster Children with “Grand Bargain!”
Lotuspool has released all the Poster Children albums that were engineered by Steve Albini. They did other things with him (Eps and singles), but we re-released Daisychain Reaction and Flower Plower. Grand Bargain! was Poster Children’s latest album and the album where they returned to working with Steve after a long stretch of albums done by other engineers.
Lotuspool is extremely proud to work with Poster Children since Rick and Rose helped us start Lotuspool back in 92’. We also are all disciples of Steve Albini’s and are heartbroken that he’s gone.
10:57
Poster Children – ”Grand Bargain” from: Grand Bargain / Lotuspool Records / May 18, 2018 [Rick Valentin on vocals & guitar; Rose Marshack on bass & vocals; Jim Valentin on guitar & keyboards; and Matt Friscia on drums. Engineered and Mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio (July 30-31 2016, July 29-30 2017, August 25-26 2017). Mastered by Bob Westonat at Chicago Mastering Service. All Songs written by Poster Children. // Poster Children was formed in Champaign, Illinois in 1987 by Rick Valentin (guitar, vocals) and Rose Marshack (bass, vocals). Jim Valentin joined on guitar in 1991 and Matt Friscia (drummer #7) joined in 2001. // They have released twelve studio albums, on various independent and major labels, and one feature-length film, “Zero Stars.” // Known for their strong DIY ethic, the band members toured incessantly in the 1990s, driving their own van around the US and Europe, creating their own artwork and T-shirt designs, and operating their own record label. Poster Children were also pioneers in several forms of electronic technology relating to performance art, including enhanced CDs, webcasts, and blogs. // In 2023, the band re-released their first album, Flower Plower, in a deluxe double-vinyl set on Lotuspool Records and University of Illinois Press published Rose’s book, Play Like a Man, recounting her time in the band and indie rock scene of the 80s and 90s.]
11:00 Station ID
11:00 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we’ll welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is the lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Poster Children – ”Grand Bargain” from: Grand Bargain / Lotuspool Records / May 18, 2018
Next up: Panel Donor with “Lt. Weightmen”
Song from the second Panel Donor album Lotuspool released, 1996’s Lobedom and Global. Matt Nalbach, a longtime friend and band mate of mine, was the in-house Lotuspool engineer and while he didn’t engineer the album version of Lt. Weigtmen for Panel Donor, he did engineer the demo. He was wearing a Lyons Township High School Weightmen tee shirt when he recorded the song and thus inspired the song’s title. The relevance of Lyons Township High School is because a LOT of Lotuspool acts include people who went to Lyons Township High School. The comedy of the shirt is that none of us were on the weight lifting team when we attended LT.
Lyons Township High School Alums: Zoom Bully Pulpit Poster Children Hollow Body June is the offspring of an LT grad Krafty LoveLordz were an LT band Mild 7 Suneaters And Voice of Action
11:04
Panel Donor – “Lt. Weightman” from: Lobedom & Global / Lotuspool Records / October 1, 1996 [Guitar, Vocals – Jeremy Sidener on guitar & vocals; Brandon Aikin on guitar, vocals, & Moog Synthesizer; Charlie Hines on sass, loops & tapes; Jeff Conaway on drums, loops and tapes. Mastered by Brandon Aikin, Brian Byers. Producer – Christina Files. Engineered by Dave Schuman and Michael Deming at Studio .45, Hartford, CT, July 25-August 1, 1995. Artwork by Bob Deck, Brady Vest, Liz Ebert/ // Two editions exist: a Release version in silver-backed letterpressed digipak, and a Promo version in a letterpressed digipak on yellow art paper, with the band’s name spelled incorrectly on the spine. // Panel Donor was a brilliant collection of musicians with a flair for the delightfully bizarre. // Originally helmed by Brandon Aikin (vocals, guitar), Jeff Conaway (drums), and Charlie Hines (bass), Panel Donor added Zoom bassist, Jeremy Sidener (vocals, guitar) to create their most notable album, “Lobedom and Global”. // With a mighty run from 1994 to 1997 and a single show reunion in 2017, Panel Donor is a cherished and missed juggernaut from the 90s indie/math rock era.]
11:08 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Panel Donor – “Lt. Weightman” from: Lobedom & Global / Lotuspool Records / October 1, 1996
Up next: Hum with “Diffuse”
Released in 1993 on Lotuspool’s first compilation album, Feast of the Sybarites. Chris writes: “I believe Hum recorded the track in the same session as their massive RCA release, You’d Prefer An Astronaut. They gave us the track for free and it is now our most streamed song of all time.”
11:12
Hum – “Diffuse” from: Feast of the Sybarites / Lotuspool Records / October 1, 1993 [A collection of Lotuspudlians. Chris writes: I believe Hum recorded the track in the same session as their massive RCA release, You’d Prefer An Astronaut. They gave us the track for free and it is now our most streamed song of all time. // Jeff Dimpsey on bass guitar, Tim Lash on guitar, Bryan St. Pere on drums, and Matt Talbott on guitar and vocals. // Hum is an American alternative rock band from Champaign, Illinois, United States. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit “Stars”. After initially disbanding in 2000, Hum was largely inactive (save for sporadic performances) until reuniting in 2015 for a series of short tours. On June 23, 2020, the band announced and released Inlet, their first album of new material in over twenty-two years. There is another lost media album called Menthol, which is not anywhere online. // The initial lineup of the band formed in 1989, with guitarist Andy Switzky, guitarist Matt Talbott, bass guitarist Akis Boyatzis and drummer Jeff Kropp. Talbott and Switzky met at a cafe named Treno’s, in Urbana, Illinois, where Switzky worked. Discussions about music led to the two forming the nucleus of Hum. Talbott had previously played in the local group We Ate Plato and was presently a member of Honcho Overload; Switzky had performed in the semi-serious live band Obvious Man and had studio experience with Designer Mustard Gas. // The group performed at Akis’ basement for their initial months. At the suggestion of Rick Valentin of Poster Children, the band chose the name Hum (over contenders like Grendel’s Arm, Pod, and Feedbag), an intentional vague description of their sound and went through a second drummer before overhearing Bryan St. Pere playing along to a Rush record out of his apartment window and recruiting him. // This lineup was not to last long, though, as Boyatzis left home for Greece in 1990. Local musician Joe Futrelle, who played with Switzky in Designer Mustard Gas joined briefly, before leaving for more serious musical pursuits and was replaced by Rod van Huis, later of Steakdaddy Six. For personal reasons, he amicably left the band and went on to perform in the Great Crusades. With the addition of Balthazar “Baltie” de Lay, of the band Mother (later Menthol), the band recorded their first demo in famed engineer Steve Albini’s basement in Chicago. // The band recorded eight songs in first or second takes, with only vocal overdubs and had an official demo to shop around, named Kissing Me Is Like Kissing an Angel. At this point, Switzky was the group’s primary singer, guitarist and songwriter, which remained the case when their first album, Fillet Show, was released by local label 12 Inch Records in 1991. The album features a faster, heavy sound somewhere between punk rock and heavy metal, with more overt political and humorous material than the later oblique lyrics that Matt Talbott would write. // Pressure grew on de Lay to focus his efforts on Mother and other pursuits, so he too left on good terms with the other members of Hum. Left without a bassist again, Talbott suggested Jeff Dimpsey, his bandmate in Honcho Overload. In that group, and during his brief stint with the Poster Children, Dimpsey played guitar and Talbott actually played bass, but the transition was smooth, and the band recorded two singles, “Hello Kitty” and “Sundress”, the former on 12 Inch, and the latter on the new Champaign-based label Mud Records. Around this time, the Champaign scene started to coalesce with members of one band joining up with members of another to form an indefinite amount of one-off side projects, and the Parasol Records distribution company helped promote local acts nationally and brought in alternative music to record stores in Champaign, Illinois. // In the interim between these singles and the next album, creative differences grew between members of the band, and Switzky left. The remaining members recruited a local fan named Tim Lash, almost a decade their junior, to play guitar. His previous experience had been in a speed metal group The Grand Vizars (with Joe Ludwinski from Scurvine and Matt Friedburger from The Fiery Furnaces), and once casually remarked to the band after a show that if they ever needed a guitarist, they could give him a call. // The classic lineup of the band was in place, and the quartet headed to Idful Studios with Brad Wood producing Electra 2000. The album was released in its first two pressings by 12 Inch Records and distributed through Cargo Records. The lyrics were far more non-linear and conceptual, and introduced some of the space and science imagery that would dominate later songs. The album produced no singles, but due in no small part to distribution by Parasol, caught the attention of representatives from RCA Records. The band was signed, and hooked up with local club owner and sometimes-musician Ward Gollings as tour manager. They switched to producer Keith Cleversley for their major-label debut You’d Prefer an Astronaut in 1995. The album would produce their biggest hit, the single “Stars”, which ended up peaking at #11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. They also supported the album with promotional appearances on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Howard Stern Show, 120 Minutes, and a video that was included in an episode of Beavis and Butthead. // The album swiftly sold 250,000 copies, and Hum played their largest dates promoting the record. Further singles “The Pod” and the promotional “I’d Like Your Hair Long” failed to generate much interest, and the band spent much of the rest of the year and 1996 on the road. In late 1997, they teamed with Mark Rubel at Pogo Studios to record their fourth album, Downward Is Heavenward.]
11:17 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Hum – “Diffuse” from: Feast of the Sybarites / Lotuspool Records / October 1, 1993 – A collection of Lotuspudlians.
Up next: The Bump Band with “Snookie’s Vibe”
From the album, Our Music, which was recorded in 1983 and shelved due to Bump Funk’s issues with his label at the time.
Chris writes: I’m close friends with Bump’s son, the rapper J. Scott and when J. brought me this album, we realized Lotuspool had to put it out, so the album was released in 2022. Nick Spacek, KC journalist has been tremendously kind to this album.
11:21
The Bump Band – “Snookie’s Vibe” from: Our Music / Lotuspool Records / March 4, 2022 [Bump Funk on keyboards, Wanda Byrd on vocals, Robert Clarkson on guitar, Herman Lacy on drums, Terry Grimmett on saxophone. Music By, Arranged By – Jerald Scott. // Jerald Scott (known as Bump Funk) was legendary in the Kansas City soul music scene. From the late 60’s to the early 80’s, Bump and his bands electrified crowds across the country with live performances that rivaled the largest names of that era. After performing with a number of groups, Bump assembled a band of musicians that most shared his talents and passions, “The Bump Band.” // “Our Music”, the Bump Band’s only full length album, was recorded in 1983. It was never released due to “industry challenges.” The original recordings were forgotten for decades, but were recently discovered in Bump’s attic. When Bump’s son, Jeremy Scott, and the folks at Lotuspool Records listened to this lost treasure, it was undeniable that “Our Music” had to be shared. // The release of “Our Music” is a dream come true for Bump. It’s also a loving tribute to the band members no longer with us (Herman, Terry and Wanda). We hope you enjoy the vibes! // From the album, Our Music, which was recorded in 1983 and shelved due to Bump Funk’s issues with his label at the time. // Chris Garibaldi of Lotuspool Recordswrites: I’m close friends with Bump’s son, the rapper J. Scott and when J. brought me this album, we realized Lotuspool had to put it out, so the album was released in 2022. // Nick Spacek, KC journalist has been tremendously kind to this album.]
11:27 – Underwriting
11:29 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: The Bump Band – “Snookie’s Vibe” from: Our Music / Lotuspool Records / March 4, 2022
Up next: The Whips with “Ready or Not (Featuring Anna Duntz)”
From The Whips first full LP, How To Hold A Grudge released in 2023, this is a monster pop album. The Whips, like June Henry are going to break. Too much talent, too much hustle to fail.
Second generation Lotuspool, son of Zoom’s drummer.
11:32
The Whips – “Ready Or Not (Feat. Anna Duntz)” from: How to Hold a Grudge / Lotuspool Records / September 1, 2023 [The Whips are Miles Patterson on drums, Quinn Cosgrove on bass, Max Indiveri on guitar, and Coop on piano. The Whips are a funk/soul band based in Kansas City. The Whips released their 12 track debut album HOW TO HOLD A GRUDGE on Lotuspool Records on September 1, 2023, Recorded with Audio Engineer Chris Cosgrove. the album features an array of their favorite local musicians guest in various tracks including: Malek Azrael, Anna Duntz, Atomic Blonde, Die Jane, Tre’ Mutava, Lymerrick & Lucy Brock. // The Whips released their EP STARDUST & MOTOR OIL on Midtopia Records on August 2, 2024. It was pat of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. The Whips released their single, “Begin Again”on February 2, 2024. The Whips released their single, “As Long As You Want Me” on March 8, 2024. The Whips released their 6-track Debut EP, NEVER CHANGE, OR DO on August 20, 2021 on Draft Crew Records. The Whips released multiple singles in 2021. // Fueled by stimulants, a love of funk music, and the need to compensate for something, four lifelong friends set out to travel the country competing to embarrass each other and rope unsuspecting strangers into their escapades. Is this Tru TV’s Impractical Jokers? No this is The Whips! Hailing from the longitudinal center of the United States, The CEOs of Midwestern Funk continue to cruise the sweet freeways of the U.S. of A. to swap sweat with fans of the high-stakes funk pop filled with both hooks AND grooves so syncopated that they reset all clocks in a 40-mile radius. // They also surf the waves of the web with their rapidly accumulating internet following gained from viral videos of their funkiest moments. Build a song? That was them! Call and response game? That was them! The Hindenburg disaster? no comment. Each member of The Whips has pledged their life, and the life of their firstborn child to the pursuit of high-energy funk that makes your toes tingle and they have NO BACK-UP PLAN! They’re so funky, sweaty, and mildly famous online, so what are you waiting for? Join The Whips today and recruit two friends to be your own boss! // More info at: ww.thewhipsband.com]
11:36 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: The Whips – “Ready Or Not (Feat. Anna Duntz)” from: How to Hold a Grudge / Lotuspool Records / September 1, 2023
Up next: Mild 7 with “Rain Sweat”
Recorded in the late 1980s, but released on the Mild 7 EP in 2013, this is another LT high school legendary gem. This tape got passed around our school for years. I’m glad we finally got to put it out.
11:39
Mild 7 – “Rain Sweat” from: Mild 7 EP / Lotuspool Records / April 20, 2013 [MILD 7 TAKES IT EASY, RIDER – Grifting the moniker from a much‐loved brand of Japanese cancer sticks, Mild 7 arrived on their scene exceeding the limits of domestic space. Partners in smoke Darin Walsh and Thomas F. Banks (Bully Pulpit, Hollow Body) first bonded as sophomore year imports to Lyons Township High School, where they began to collaborate on a set of acoustic duets to be performed on suburban street corners and at Cool Kid parties. / At some point 1986 arrived and their pal Jim Valentin (Poster Children, Salaryman) fired up his Fostex 4‐track to collect a short batch of these esoteric compositions. The resulting tracks document their arcane adolescence devoted to preternaturally skewed desiderata; these interests expressed via acoustic guitar tunes are sonically indebted to the hard‐working vocabularies of DIY jazz, acid folk, and sundry SST artists of the day. // Chris Garibaldi of Lotuspool Records writes: Recorded in the late 1980s, but released on the Mild 7 EP in 2013, this is another LT high school legendary gem. This tape got passed around our school for years. I’m glad we finally got to put it out.]
11:41 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Mild 7 – “Rain Sweat” from: Mild 7 EP / Lotuspool Records / April 20, 2013
Up next: Chris Cardwell – “Aurora”
11:45
Chris Cardwell – “Aurora” from: Burning Heart / Lotuspool Records / September 21, 2018 [Sometimes you shouldn’t argue with the evidence in front of you. Songs you just have to let guide you. Roll over you. They might show you the promise in a small inflection, the charity in the pick and bend of a steel string, the gift of a vulnerable pause. // Like toes in the sand, the songs feel right. Heart meet sleeve. Sounds keen and kind, welcoming and modest like the soft seed from a sycamore pod. // Reluctant confessions cling like hickory smoke to his pensive sounds. Cardwell, like a Kristofferson from Kansas up to his elbows in Sunday mornings, has spirit and weary pegged. The saunters of a song rendered to give shape to memories. Like when you hear a song for the first time and know instantly it’s the one that’s been bouncing around in your head since the day your eyes opened. // Listening while your wheels purr from Bird City to Flint Hills, Chris, companion sitting shotgun, might just help you understand where things went wrong. Or he might stroll by in song to explain why lovers abandon themselves for a small taste of endless. So pay attention! .. The fraternity of Van Zandt, Parsons, Prine and Buckley finds an eager pledge in Cardwell. Sympathetic and honest with a splash of divinity, his scuffed soul makes it’s way into your bar. It buys you a cold one, loans a smoke and makes you a good friend. One you can always rely on.
11:47 – Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi from Lotuspool Records
Today on WMM we welcome Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi co-founder of Lotuspool Records for a special look inside the World of Lotuspool.
Chris Garibaldi is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters
We just heard: Chris Cardwell – “Aurora” from: Burning Heart / Lotuspool Records / September 21, 2018
We close with – Voice of Action and “Sell Everybody Out”
Released on the self-titled album, Voice of Action in 2018. Mark Henning of Zoom’s last band.
Mark and Scott Hartley are two guys who have been enormous contributors to Lotuspool throughout the years. They both played together in grade school in a band called The Locals. Mark might argue that Lotuspool’s roots arguably started there.
Chris Garibaldi, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
For WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening.
11:53
Voice of Action – “Sell Everybody Out” from: Voice of Action / Lotuspool Records / October 19, 2018 [VoA is a collection of Mark Henning’s more recent compositions. He spent the late 90s and early-to-mid aughts making broad gestures in the studio with The National Trust and wanted to move towards something he could show up and play without seventeen other musicians. // He helmed the legendary, but criminally overlooked early 90s band Zoom, who shape-shifted the first four years of the decade and invented a brand new sound on their last LP, “Helium Octipede”, a collaboration with the dark prince of American Underground Rock-n-Roll, the one-and-only Greg Sage (Wipers). The Creator of it all. // He spent many years in Chicago and New York making playing and making records with the likes of Brian McMahon (Electric Eels), Chris Connelly (Ministry & Revolting Cocks), Neil Rosario (Dolomite/National Trust), Hamish Kilgour (The Clean), Dwight Twilley, The Lowdown Dirty D.A.W.G.S. to name a few. // He is joined by Jeff Panall on drums (Songs Ohia, Hot Dog City) and Alissa Hacker on bass (Twat Vibe, Office).
Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now” from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
Next week, on Wednesday, August 20, Brad Smith joins us to discuss Enigmatic Brunch and in our second hour Jim Hubbell joins us as “Guest Producer” to share his Electronic Dance Music DJ Skills with a special show show the roots of a melody sampled in dance music.
A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper and Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Office Manager Book Keeper – Shaina Littler.
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information. Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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, August 13, 2025
The World of Lotuspool Records with Guest Producer Chris Garibaldi
Mark welcomes Chris Garibaldi as our special Guest Producer. Chris Garibaldi is the co-founder of Lotuspool Records. He also is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters who released their 7th album, the 13 track album, Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers, on September 23, 2022. Lotuspool Records, was born in 1992. Chris writes “We started the label when we were very young, and the bands that were on it were very young, too,” he reported. “Back then, you could put out an indie record and get a lot of attention and press. At that time, there was a lot of support for indie music. Around 2000, Lotuspool went on an unofficial hiatus. The label was never inactive, but Garibaldi spent most of 2000s doing Los Angeles connected gigs. In 2011, Chris Garibaldi relocated to Parkville, he and Scott Hartley — bassist in the Suneaters — brought a new vision for Lotuspool Records. The label has been the home for releases for Heidi Lynne Gluck, The Bump Band, Bully Pulpit, The Whips, Poster Children, Zoom, Voice of Action, June Henry, Hollow Body, Chris Cardwell, and many others This year the label is celebrating 33 years!
Chris Garibalbi will spin Lotuspool tracks from: Zoom, Heidi Lynne Gluck, James Grauerholz, June Henry, Krafty LoveLordz, Suneaters, Bully Pulpit, Poster Children, Panel Door, Hum, The Bump Band, The Whips, Mild 7, Chris Cardwell, and Voice of Action.
On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org
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, August 6, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire + Paul Jesse + Keyon Monté & Lee Sampson
“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks” from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Calvin Arsenia – “Experience” from: Catastrophe / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017 [On June 23, 2023 Calvin Arsenia released Paradise his 14 track album. It is only available through http://www.calvinarsenia.com // A new turning point as a songwriter. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, Racism, The Police, being on probation, gay love. The album contains collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow and Jametatone. Calvin Arsenia one of our most frequent guests, who first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. KC Magazine has hailed Calvin as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself the guitar, piano, banjo. He learned his signature instrument, the harp, at the age of 20. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016 that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: Cantaloupe in 2018, with a sold out gigantic spectical at The Gem Theatre on Saturday, September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. Sessions in 2019, and the EP HONEY DEW, and the EP Goddess with Quixotic, the Holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “Summer in Hindsight,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and now Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2013 He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.] [Calvin Arsenia played a PARADISE Album Release Party, June 23, and June 24, at The Emerald, 1715 West 9th Street, KCMO, WEST BOTTOMS. More at: http://www.calvinarsenia.com]
[Calvin Arsenia plays Percheron on the rooftop of Crossroads Hotel, 2101 Central Street, KCMO on Sunday, August 10, at 7:00pm]
Hembree – “On The Line” from: “On The Line: – Single / Peermusic III / June 13, 2025 [“On The Line” is one of three new singles Hembree has released this year so far, including, “Don’t Look Down” released April 4, 2025, and “U R WHAT U EAT” released February 7, 2025. Last year, Hembree released their third studio album BETTER DAYS on August 9, 2024 and was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Hembree is: Isaac Flynn, Eric Davis, Garrett Childers, Alex Ward & Austin Ward. Mixed by: Isaac Flynn. Mastered by: Ian Sefchick. Drums engineered by: Martin Cooke. Additional vocals by: Devynn Carter on tracks 1, 6, 9 and 10. Recorded at Kingsize Soundlabs (Los Angeles, CA), Peermusic (Burbank, CA) and Isaac’s house. Produced by: Isaac Flynn . // Hembree released their The 15-track album, IT’S A DREAM on February 4, 2022. It was part of WMM 120 Best Recordings of 2023. Hembree, is a KC born band was formed in November of 2015, with Isaac Flynn on guitar, & lead vocals, Garrett Childers on bass & vocals, Eric Davis on keys & synth, Alex Ward on guitar, and Austin Ward on drums. Hembree is signed to Thirty Tigers of Nashville, TN. The band was founded by original members Isaac Flynn, Garrett Childers, and Eric Davis. Brothers Alex and Austin Ward later joined in 2018. Hembree quickly garnered national attention after their single “Holy Water” was placed in an Apple commercial that aired during Super Bowl LII. The band’s music has been featured in a variety of other national placements, including Monday Night Football (NFL) and Bose. Hembree has notably supported Elvis Costello, Phoenix, Cold War Kids, Vance Joy, JR JR, and Joywave, among others. The band first toured Europe in Fall 2018. In 2018, Hembree signed with Thirty Tigers to release their first full-length album House on Fire, released 4/26/2019. In 2019, Hembree performed at Hangout Music Festival. They will also appear on the soundtrack of 13 Reasons Why: Season 3 with the song “Culture”. Hembree was named one of NPR’s Slingshot 2018 Artists to Watch. Rolling Stone named Hembree as one of the thirty best artists at SXSW 2018. “Had It All” debuted on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 on January 19, 2017. Lowe described the song as “absolutely fantastic.” “Holy Water” was featured in Apple’s HomePod “Distortion” TV spot, which ran during Super Bowl LII, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, and the 2018 Winter Olympics. Hembree released the single, “Reach Out” on July 20, 2021 and “Operators (feat. Bodye)” on Sept. 21, 2021on Oread Records. More info at: http://www.hembreemusic.com]
[Hembree plays their 10th Anniversary show Saturday, August 16, at 7:30pm, at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS with Cowboy Indian Bear.]
Cowboy Indian Bear – “Let It Down” from: Live Old, Die Young / The Record Machine / April 23, 2013 [Released on White Vinyl! Joshua Browning served the band as producer and engineer. The songs were recorded over a three year period, where the band was also constantly touring, living on the road, keeping the van running. Beau Bruns – percussion, vocals, glockenspiel, guitar, Charles Calhoun – vocals, guitar, bass, keys, percussion, Martinez Hillard – vocals, guitar, keys, bass, percussion; Katlyn Conroy vocals, piano, keys. Part of WMM’s 113 Best Recordings of 2013.]
[Cowboy Indian Bear plays the Hembree 10th Anniversary show Saturday, August 16, at 7:30pm, at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS.]
Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo – “Metamorphosis” from: “Metamorphosis”- Single / Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo / August 6, 2025 [‘Metamorphosis’, is the first single from the trio’s upcoming debut album, Inverted Shadows. Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. // Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also worked the front-of-house. Mitzi and on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.]
[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play a Single Release Party @ miniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 7:00pm with Shapiro Brothers, Kissy Fit and Cat Voltron.]
Elexa Dawson – “Roots Grow” from: “Roots Grow” – Single / Turns Out Records / August 12, 2025 [Elexa Dawson – Indigenous Soul – honey dirt vocals, and spellbinding storytelling. // “Roots Grow,” is the second single from Elexa Dawson’s new upcoming album STAY PUT. Elexa says of “Roots Grow”: “I’ve always appreciated shadow work. There’s a nod to compost and the animacy of soil.” // On July 18 Elexa dawson released the foirst somng;e from Stay Put, “Bailing Hay.” With Stay Put Elexa is reviving the ensemble who backed her on her 2019 debut album, Music is Medicine. Stay Put delivers a hazy, classic sound that benefits from the electric experimentation that paid dividends for her 2024 collaborative album, Wanderlust.This was the first of two new singles Elexa has released so far this year. Elexa will release “Roots Grow” on August 15, 2025. // On February 2, 2024 Elexa Dawson & Stanley Hotel released WANDERLUST through Turns Out Records. Wanderlust was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Wanderlust was recorded at: Remote Studios. Engineered and Mixed: Isaac Nelson, Adam Stanley. Mastered by: Brody Wellman. Produced by: Elexa Dawson, Isaac Nelson, Adam Stanley, Doug Swindell. Published By: Turns Out Records. Dawson Elexa creates community-focused Americana music with soulful vocals and connection to land. Oklahoma Native, Elexa now calls Kansas her home. Wanderlust is Elexa’s sophomore release (Feb 2024) collaboration with Stanley Hotel. // Elexa Dawson also fronts the bands: Heyleon and Weda Skirts. Alexa is a Potawatomi activist and educator. Elexa facilitates songwriting workshops, talking circles, and relational plant education. // Mikal Shapiro, of Siren Song, on 90.1 FM KKFI writes, “Dear Music Lovers, do yourself a favor and put this honey in your ears. Elexa Dawson delivers yet another stunning collection of heartfelt songs in her sophomore release. // A collaboration with indie folk rockers Stanley Hotel, the chemistry is palpable and the production sparkles with Dawson’s clear and powerful voice sitting comfortably in the full-spectrum arrangements. // A soul-stirring journey through earth and sky, “Wanderlust” provides the perfect soundtrack to that road-trip you’ve been dreaming about… and you don’t have to burn any gas to get there.” // More on WANDERLUST: Nestled within the red dirt country hills of Oklahoma, Elexa Dawson and the acclaimed Stanley Hotel embarked on a visionary collaboration, crafting what can only be described as a sonic spaceship named “Wanderlust.” Reviewed as “a soul-stirring journey through earth and sky,” the album invites listeners to explore uncharted realms through its captivating songs. // From the inaugural track’s exploration of the outer limits of human experience to the final guided meditation conveying a message from the ancestors, “Wanderlust” stands as an epic odyssey worthy of the finest traveling shoes. Each song serves as a unique stop on this musical tour, gathering sentiments of loneliness, love, connection, and completion. Whether dancing with the transient and the lovers in “Rainbows,” getting “High on the Street,” or contemplating life under the southwestern sky with the poignant “Lonely Coyote,” every moment resonates with the depth of the human experience. // Elexa Dawson’s return to her Oklahoma roots for recording at Remote Records, the experimental laboratory of Stanley Hotel members Adam Stanley, Isaac Nelson, and Doug Swindell, underscores the organic collaboration between the artists. With mutual admiration at the core of their sonic choices, Stanley Hotel’s earthy soundscape perfectly supports Elexa’s vocal prowess. As both parties contribute astute compositions, the album maintains its cohesion by invoking nature’s spirits while playfully exploring the ether and always grounding itself back in the dirt. // “Wanderlust” marks Elexa’s sophomore release following her debut album, “Music is Medicine,” in 2019. The collaboration with Stanley Hotel showcases their multi-genre style and eclectic musicality, evident in releases such as “Samson Mammoth” and “The Wolf Told Me.” Elexa’s vocal quality, described by Raye Zaragoza as cutting right to the soul, blends seamlessly with Stanley Hotel’s unique style, creating a magical and expansive listening experience. http://www.elexadawson.com]
[Elexa Dawson plays Tunes @ Noon, Thursday, August 7 at 12:00pm at the famous, The Church Studio, 304 S Trentoin Ave, Tulsa, OK.]
Pool Culture – “Birds Like These” from: “Birds Like These” – Single / Les Bonbons Electriques / July 25, 2025 [Les Bonbons Electriques, an imprint of The Record Machine. “Birds Like These is the first of three new soinges that Pool Culture, is putting out over the next three months leading up to Their first EP, PURE LEMON. The second single “Mathletes”, will be released on August 22, 2025 and the band;s third single “Finish Line”, will be released on September 19, 2025. // Pool Culture released their single “brighter lighter” on April 20, 2018, with music and lyrics and production by Mark Ronning. all instruments and vocals by Mark Ronning. mixed by Reid Kruger at Waterbury recording. // Mark Ronning is a musician who specializes in the synthesizer, playing Rhodes and synth in the electrofolk band Mr. Golden Sun and synth in the electronic dreampop four-piece Pool Culture. Mr. Golden Sun is wrapping up their first full length record, and Pool Culture is going into the studio this October and November to work on their first full band releases. Additionally, Mark plays the modular synthesizer and participates in KC Synth Collective, coordinates electronic performance events for his pop-up show Les Bonbons Electriques, and helps out with Outer Reaches. In collaboration with Nathan Reusch, Mark is also starting a record label called Les Bonbons Electriques, which is an imprint of The Record Machine, which will focus on artistry, experimentation, and electronic music. ]
[Pool Culture plays Replay Lounge, 946 Mass Street, Lawrence KS, on Saturday, August 16 at 10:00pm with Hotel Leo, and Oxford Remedy
[Mark Ronning of Pool Culture will be our guest on WMM on September 17, 2025]
Ivory Blue – “Mirrors” rom: “Mirrors” – Single / IVORY BLUE / August 1, 2025 [What IVORY BLUE says: “It’s about seeing yourself clearly through the reflections around you and realizing you’re a piece of the bigger picture. I’ve been transforming inside and out, and this track is just one of the mirrors I’ve looked into along the way.” // Kansas City based artist, IVORY BLUE has a tendency of breaking through barriers that keeps her from saying what needs to be said, regardless of style. Bringing us hard hitting rock inspired ear candy like “Starlit Love Child” and “Control”, the idea of genre is only a tool IVORY uses to express her ability to communicate through music. // IVORY BLUE released the single “Heartbeat” on March 28, 2025. // IVORY BLUE released the single “Rhythm of the Radio” on January 31, 2025 // IVORY BLUE released the single “Exiled” on November 29, 2024. IVORY BLUE released the single “Olé!” on October 4, 2024, Breathing Underwater” on August 9, 2024, “Bad Dreams”on June 7, 2024, “Batter Up” on April 22, 2024, “Flashback” on March 15, 2024, “Howl” on Feb. 16, 2024. // IVORY BLUE released their 2nd full length album, STARLIT LOVE CHILD, on Nov. 17, 2023. The 10-track album was in the top five of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2023, and in the “Best of” lists at 90.9 The Bridge and stations around the world. // On Oct. 27, 2023 IVORY BLUE released the single “Ghost of Life.” This single followed IVORY’s previous releases,”In A World Like This” from Sept. 22, 2023, ”The Best of Life” from Aug. 4, 2023 and “Control” from May 26, 2023. IVORY released the single “All Outta Love” on Feb. 24, 2023. // IVORY BLUE released the single “Starlit Love Child” on Oct. 28, 2022, “Red Light” on July 29, 2022. // IVORY BLUE released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on Feb. 25, 2022. COMPOUND LOVE was in the Top 10 of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE, IVORY BLUE served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. // IVORY BLUE released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. // IVORY BLUE’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and give IVORY BLUE attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017 when Ivory was among 1800 artists/bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. // IVORY BLUE has played with The Band That Fell to Earth, Boulevardia, Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Fest, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at KC Public Library, and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families, before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying Ivory to Kansas City, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. In 2011, Ivory settled in the Kansas City, MO area. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender”, and then later as Trans-Female. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. More info at: http://www.ivorybluemusic.com]
10:29 – Underwriting
Day Shepherd – “Sick and Tired (Feat. Markus Raines)” from: “Sick and Tired (Feat. Markus Raines)” – Single / Irony & Anemia Records / July 4, 2025 [As well as being a singer songwriter, Day Shepherd is a Licensed Professional Counselor at D & M Shepherd INC. Day studied Counseling psychology at Avila University and graduated in 1996. // Day Shepherd approaches his songwriting and the accompanying music from a number of different angles. In his youth, he found the hard driving rock and metal of the 70s and 80s provided intensity and emotional expression that resonated. As he continued his journey musically, he has enjoyed lyricists who are able to set the scene and tell us a story in their lyrics. As an acoustic guitarist with some training in classical guitar, Day Shepherd enjoys the vibe of fingerpicking in music. Day hopes that his songs inspire audiences to feel the intensity of emotions, and find a space where their own journey is heard and seen. There are also times when music is the platform by which we speak for those without a voice. Day hopes that he can provide that platform for important concerns within society. // y dear friend Markus Raines, who joined me with his incredible soulful vocals. Special thanks to Ivory Blue for her amazing vision in producing the instrumental, accompaniment and other aspects of the recording.” / Markus Raines is KC based rapper, singer, producer, actor. Markus studied Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University]
10:36 – Interview with Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire
As well as being a singer songwriter, Day Shepherd is a Licensed Professional Counselor at D & M Shepherd INC. Day studied Counseling psychology at Avila University and graduated in 1996. Day Shepherd approaches songwriting and the accompanying music from a number of different angles. In his youth, he found the hard driving rock & metal of the 70s & 80s provided intensity and emotional expression that resonated. As he continued his journey musically, he has enjoyed lyricists who are able to set the scene and tell us a story in their lyrics. As an acoustic guitarist with some training in classical guitar, Day Shepherd enjoys the vibe of fingerpicking in music. Day hopes that his songs inspire audiences to feel the intensity of emotions, and find a space where their own journey is heard & seen. There are also times when music is the platform by which we speak for those without a voice. Day hopes that he can provide that platform for important concerns within society.
Day Shepherd Thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
Tirzah DeMeire (she/her) is a singer songwriter who performs in the KC area in which she has grown up. She uses music as an outlet for hardships in her personal life and also for what she sees in our current climate. Tirzah is a sensitive soul, and her lyrics are written carefully and lovingly. Her fifty songs span across themes of loss, love, trauma, heartbreak, and spirituality. She is currently looking for a producer to record her first album but is happy performing at local gigs and open mics in the meantime.
Tirzah DeMeire – Thank you for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
Day Shepherd, on social media you identify with this statement: “As a blind person, therapist, and musician …(that you) hope to inspire!
We just heard “Sick and Tired”
Day Shepherd describes Sick and Tired as a song about the nature of humanity’s struggle with treating each other with dignity, equity and kindness. The song was written during the tumultuous times after George Floyd’s murder and many other political developments in which the tone of our conversations have become more negative and divisive. It highlights the importance of inclusion of all people and support of all things related to equity.
Day is proud of this song and am grateful for my dear friend Markus Raines, who joined me with his incredible soulful vocals.
Markus Raines is Kansas City based rapper, singer, producer, actor. Markus studied Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University
Special thanks to Ivory Blue for her amazing vision in producing the instrumental, accompaniment and other aspects of the recording.
Day Shepherd met Markus Raines at Crow’s Coffee House Open Mic.
Tirzah DeMeire also perform through open mic nights.
10:43
Day Shepherd – “Chosen (feat. Tirzah )” from: “Chosen (feat. Tirzah)” – Single / Irony & Anemia Records / September 13, 2024 [As well as being a singer songwriter, Day Shepherd is a Licensed Professional Counselor at D & M Shepherd INC. Day studied Counseling psychology at Avila University and graduated in 1996. This song is written in support of the LGBTQ community and it’s the story of ChosenFamily. I have a dear friend who came out to her family as being lesbian and her family is struggling to accept her sexuality. This family has been very important to me and it has saddened me deeply that they could not support their daughter. // Tirzah DeMeire (she/her) is a singer songwriter who performs in the KC area in which she has grown up. She uses music as an outlet for hardships in her personal life and also for what she sees in our current climate. Tirzah is a sensitive soul, and her lyrics are written carefully and lovingly. Her fifty songs span across themes of loss, love, trauma, heartbreak, and spirituality. She is currently looking for a producer to record her first album but is happy performing at local gigs and open mics in the meantime.
10:47 – More Interview with Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire
We are talking with Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire two Kansas City based singer songwriters who have collaborated together and have also wriiten songs that deal with social justice, civil rights, LGBTQIA thems, women’s rights.
Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire thank you for being with us on WMM
We just heard “Chosen Family” about this song Day writes, “This song is written in support of the LGBTQ community and it’s the story of #ChosenFamily. I have a dear friend who came out to her family as being lesbian, And her family is struggling to accept her sexuality. This family has been very important to me and it has saddened me deeply that they could not support their daughter. I wrote this song and have had the opportunity to go to a studio and record this song with my dear friend Tirzah.”
Day Shepherd’s song, “Mom & Me” was published in April 2025 on Distrokid. About “Mom & Me” Day writes, this “is a song about the tragic loss of a daughter from both the mom‘s perspective and the daughter‘s potential response. It was written after a poem was shared with me from the mom‘s perspective. The heart, wrenching nature of grief is more acutely demonstrated in this song as the ongoing struggle between grief, loss, and a desire to reunite is contrasted.”
Day continues, “Caitlyn Stegeman graciously agreed to be the vocalist representing the voice of the Mom in this song. Her vocal styling with such tremendous ability to emote and demonstrate the pain within the lyrics is stunning. I am grateful for her participation in this song and her friendship. Tirzah DeMere again brings her incredibly powerful and intensely personal expression in the role of the daughter in this song. Her striking soprano voice cuts through the mix and shares the daughters appreciation and desire to reunite. I am grateful for Tirzah‘s participation in her friendship, ensuring this important song for anyone especially a parent who has lost a loved one unexpectedly.”
Day continues: “As the composer of the chorus and bridge lyrics as well as the music, I am so very grateful for this opportunity to share such an important song in the context of being a musician, but also as a therapist working with many individuals who experience so much pain. Special thanks to Ivory Blue and Klaartje Van Lue for Producing this song and making it so powerful.”
Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire thank you for being with us on WMM
10:53
Day Shepherd w/ Caitlyn Stegeman & Tirzah DeMere – “Mom and Me” from: “Mom and Me” – Single / Irony & Anemia Records / April 24, 2024 [Mom & Me is a song about the tragic loss of a daughter from both the mom‘s perspective and the daughter‘s potential response. It was written after a poem was shared with me from the mom‘s perspective. The heart, wrenching nature of grief is more acutely demonstrated in this song as the ongoing struggle between grief, loss, and a desire to reunite is contrasted. // Caitlyn Stegeman graciously agreed to be the vocalist representing the voice of the Mom in this song. Her vocal styling with such tremendous ability to emote and demonstrate the pain within the lyrics is stunning. I am grateful for her participation in this song and her friendship. // Tirzah DeMere again brings her incredibly powerful and intensely personal expression in the role of the daughter in this song. Her striking soprano voice cuts through the mix and shares the daughters appreciation and desire to reunite. I am grateful for Tirzah‘s participation in her friendship, ensuring this important song for anyone especially a parent who has lost a loved one unexpectedly. // As the composer of the chorus and bridge lyrics as well as the music, I am so very grateful for this opportunity to share such an important song in the context of being a musician, but also as a therapist working with many individuals who experience so much pain. Special thanks to Ivory Blue and Klaartje Van Lue for Producing this song and making it so powerful.]
11:00 – Station ID
Paul Jesse – “Night To Day” from: Cycles / Fowl Mouth / August 14, 2025 [Cycles is the sophomore album from Lawrence, KS-based singer Paul Jesse. The album was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis. The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects. The 9-track Pop record releases on August 15th, with a hometown release show the night before on August 14, at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest. To top it all off, Paul secured a feature from NYC-based artist Deem Spencer on the track “Open the Door”, very much a full circle moment for Paul and his second album, “Cycles”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com]
[Paul Jesse plays The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, KS, on Thursday, August 14, at 8:00pm with Cooper, Jay P, and Kyler Stoneking]
11:04 – Interview with Paul Jesse
We welcome back to the show, Paul Jesse is a singer, songwriter, and producer crafting introspective, genre-blurring music from the heart of Kansas. Blending the intimacy of indie pop with the groove and atmosphere of electronic R&B, his sound is as emotionally raw as it is sonically rich.
Paul’s musical journey began behind a drum kit in high school, writing and performing in a duo with his brother under the name Night Class. After years of creative evolution, Paul launched his solo project in 2021, with his debut EP, Stuck This Way a bringing a deeply personal voice to a soundscape shaped by moody synths, soulful vocals, and minimalist beats. In 2024, he released his debut album Hello Paul Jesse (Deluxe) — a bold introduction to his world. Now, he’s entering a new chapter upcoming sophomore album, signaling a more vulnerable and refined sound. CYCLES, was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis. The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects. The 9-track Pop record will be released on August 15th, with a hometown release show August 14 at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com
Paul Jesse thanks for being with us on WMM.
Paul Jesse plays The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, KS, on Thursday, August 14, at 8:00pm with Cooper, Jay P, and Kyler Stoneking.
CYCLES, was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis.
The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects.
Paul secured a feature from NYC-based artist Deem Spencer on the track “Open the Door”, very much a full circle moment for Paul and his second album, “Cycles”.
Paul has shared the stage with artists like 454, Marlon Funaki, NNAMDÏ , Slow Hollows, and Pardyalone, continuing to build a name rooted in emotional honesty, DIY spirit, and genre-fluid expression.
Paul Jesse single “Hesitation” was released through Fowl Mouth on May 2, 2025. This was the second single from his upcoming sophomore album, signaling a more vulnerable and refined sound. Paul has continued to build a name rooted in emotional honesty, DIY spirit, and genre-fluid expression.
Paul Jesse was on our show in March of 2023 when he collaborated with Deegan Poores, to record the “Hello Paul Jesse”.
Paul Jesse is a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, Kansas, whose songs combines his smooth and passionate vocals with psychedelic R&B, hip-hop, and electronic bedroom-pop production.
Paul Jesse collaborated with Deegan Poores to make the song “Your Sunshine”,”Your Sunshine (Feat. Hannah Davis)” on April 29, 2022. Paul asked Deegan to executive produce his debut album. Hello Paul Jesse, a 16 track album released on October 4, 2024. Several songs from the album were released through 2023 and 2024 as three EPs and each EP chronicled Paul’s growth and development as a person through heartache, self-reflection, and love, with Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 capturing a different stage of Paul’s transition. The EP’s included many singles like “Numb” released on January 20, 2023. As described by Center Cut Records: “’Numb’ begins with some Pink Floyd vocals in an echo chamber, and some soundbites laid over a haunting piano for good measure. Paul’s Philly soul special voice is back again, but this time we’ve got some distorted vocals and instruments with Deegan lurking in the mix.” – Patrick Sprehe. Also “Remedy” featuring Arkko released, March 17, 29023
Paul Jesse – “Cycles” from: Cycles / Fowl Mouth / August 14, 2025 [Cycles is the sophomore album from Lawrence, KS-based singer Paul Jesse. The album was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis. The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects. The 9-track Pop record releases on August 15th, with a hometown release show the night before on August 14, at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest. To top it all off, Paul secured a feature from NYC-based artist Deem Spencer on the track “Open the Door”, very much a full circle moment for Paul and his second album, “Cycles”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com]
[Paul Jesse plays The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, KS, on Thursday, August 14, at 8:00pm with Cooper, Jay P, and Kyler Stoneking]
11:16 – More Interview with Paul Jesse
We are talking with singer-songwriter Paul Jesse. His musical journey began behind a drum kit in high school, writing and performing in a duo with his brother under the name Night Class. In 2024, he released his debut album, Hello Paul Jesse. Now, he’s entering a new chapter with “Drugs Can’t Save Me” the first single from his upcoming sophomore album, signaling a more vulnerable and refined sound. Paul has continued to build a name rooted in emotional honesty, DIY spirit, and genre-fluid expression. Paul Jesse was on our show in March of 2023 when he collaborated with Deegan Poores, to record the “Hello Paul Jesse, series of releases”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com
Paul Jesse thanks for being with us on WMM.
Paul Jesse, a singer, songwriter, and producer based out of Lawrence, Kansas, whose debut EP, Stuck This Way came out in 2021 and combines his smooth and passionate vocals with psychedelic R&B, hip-hop, and electronic bedroom-pop production.
Paul Jesse’ released “Drugs Can’t Save Me” and “Hesitation” the first and second singles from Paul Jesse’s upcoming sophomore album, Cycles signaling a more vulnerable and refined sound. Paul has continued to build a name rooted in emotional honesty, DIY spirit, and genre-fluid expression. Paul Jesse was on our show in March of 2023 when he collaborated with Deegan Poores, to record the “Hello Paul Jesse, series of releases”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com]
The 9-track Pop record releases on August 15th, with a hometown release show the night before on August 14, at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest.
Paul Jesse Shows – Tour
Wed, Aug 6 – 7:00PM – Dalima Kapten / Paul Jesse – Heavy Anchor, St. Louis, MO Sun, Aug 10 – 7:00PM – Dalima Kapten / Paul Jesse / The Kitchen Counters – DRKMATTR, Nashville, TN Thurs, Aug 14 – 8:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour – The Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS Sat, Aug16 @ 10:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour – Bremen Cafe, Milwaukee, WI Tues Aug 9:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour – The Burlin, August 20 @ 9:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour – The Underdog, Nashville, TN Frid Aug 22 @ 8:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour -= Havenhaus, Memphis, TN Sun, Aug 24 @ 8:00PM – Paul Jesse: The Cycles Tour – Moshmellow, St. Louis, MO
Paul Jesse, Thanks for being with us on WMM.
11:24
Paul Jesse – “Antenna” from: Cycles / Fowl Mouth / August 14, 2025 [Cycles is the sophomore album from Lawrence, KS-based singer Paul Jesse. The album was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis. The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects. The 9-track Pop record releases on August 15th, with a hometown release show the night before on August 14, at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest. To top it all off, Paul secured a feature from NYC-based artist Deem Spencer on the track “Open the Door”, very much a full circle moment for Paul and his second album, “Cycles”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com]
[Paul Jesse plays The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, KS, on Thursday, August 14, at 8:00pm with Cooper, Jay P, and Kyler Stoneking]
11:28 – Underwriting
Blob Castle – “Coronation Scene GATS by HXVSAGE & SIXQUEET (remixed for Macbeth KC)” from: Macbeth KC Sound Design / Blob Castle / July – August, 2025 [Sound Designer Robert Castillo DJs and plays bass live during the Macbeth performances. He writes: “The central theme, in terms of the auditory approach, is to create the ambiance of a grungey underground rave. The entire play is set in a post-apocolyptic future, so all the audio has been following that line. The music for the two banquet scenes takes you right to a lowly-lit warehouse in the broken down manufacturing part of town that you had to get coordinates from three checkpoints to arrive at. The lighting team has done a great job in brining that vision to light for the audience to experience. // The other, more cinematic sounds throughout the performance are meant to create tension and discomfort for the audience. The play itself is very dark. It start and ends and is filled throughout with death. There is one scene when Macbeth is convulsing as the weird sisters/witches transport him into a dream-like stupor where he has three apparitions. When making the audio for that moment, I kept asking myself “how can I make myself feel more and more uncomfortable?”]
11:37 – Interview with Keyon Monté and Lee Sampson
Keyon Monté is a Kansas City native whose work has found homes in many parts of the world. His upbringing exposed him to many of the arts that have become the foundation to which he feeds his faith and creative thought. His grandfather, a painter and comic illustrator possessed a style of storytelling that permeated his childhood, allowing Keyon to develop his craft at a very young age. Two grandmothers, one a poet, and the other a world traveler, exposed him to theater which he found to be the most exhilarating way to combine his skills.
Keyon earned a BA in Costume Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he sharpened his eye for detail. Since then, he has designed educational productions, devised theatre and film. At La MaMa ETC his desire to write for the theatre was ignited with his first one-act play, QUEEN, that was developed abroad in Italy. In 2020, he completed a portrait series using storytelling to uplift the Black community in a continuous dialogue. The series remains his most popular, featured in galleries and editorials. His art work has also been in ad campaigns for Broadway productions like A Strange Loop, Hadestown, and Six. Off-Broadway his work has been displayed in key art and show posters for The New Group, National Black Theatre, Remy Bumpo and more.
Now as a playwright, he funnels his imagination into several ambitious narratives, centered among the perspectives of the black and brown, combing history for constellations of experiences to explore in our current climate. Keyon is currently working on his three act play N* HEAVEN eyeing a premiere in NYC in 2025.
Lee Sampson plays the role of Macbeth. He comes from the world of music. Lee’s bio: Having formerly worked under the name BlckSamson, where he dropped his first solo EP “Love Trilogy” & single “Jump”. Now goes by the name Lee Samson. An Homage to his grandfather, the famous quartet singer, Lee Williams of The Spiritual QC’s. Lee Samson not only taps into his soulful heritage by carrying his grandfather’s name but also by letting his southern spirit shine thru his contemporary & alternative sounds of RnB, Soul, & Hip-Hop. Currently, LEE is expressing his struggle for love through a string of songs dedicated to his debut album “PHILOPHOBIA”. In hopes to conquer this fear, and claim what were once familiar feelings. He infuses his new music by expressing his love for the alternative world of pop, r&b, and rock, while still paying homage to his hip-hop and R&B core. (from http://www.leesamson.bandzoogle.com)
Keyon Monté joins us today to share the details about a bold new production of Macbeth. In this immersive new experience, Shakespeare’s legendary tale of ambition, blood, and prophecy is reawakened inside a gutted office building in downtown Kansas City. Set in the distant future, the production surrounds the audience with shadows, smoke, and the rhythmic pulse of a dying world. As witches glitch, a DJ manipulates sound live each night, and audience members step into roles themselves, Macbeth KC becomes not just a story — but a haunting cycle you’re trapped inside.
MACBETH KC traps its audience inside a chilling loop of power, paranoia, and collapse. From playwright, visual artist, and costume designer Keyon Monté, in his first work for the Kansas City scene, this limited-run, fuses industrial fashion, live music, audience participation, and guerrilla lighting to conjure a kingdom ravaged by fallout and fate. Music by Blob Castle.
Macbeth KC runs through August 10 with performances: Thursday, August 7, at 7:30pm, Friday August 8, at 6:00pm, Saturday, August 9 at 8:00pm, and Sunday, August 10, at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. All performances at: 710 Central Avenue, KCMO. For more info you can visit: http://www.macbethkc.com for Keyon’s art visit: http://www.keyonmonte.com
Keyon Monté thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
Monte: I’ve been involved in theater on and off since middle school. When I started at Paseo my major was technical theater, but I was involved in everything. I would be in the band room with the music students, in the fashion department working on costumes, in visual arts drawing and painting, and in productions performing. Teachers would tap me for different projects. I was everywhere. It was a very free and creative time.
Keyon Monte, who has worked as a costume illustrator for Broadway shows and moved back to Kansas City in 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Monte’s recent design work includes a Juneteenth collaboration with KC Current, where his design inspired by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas was featured on the team’s commemorative T-shirts.
The spark for “Macbeth KC” came unexpectedly when Monte was working at Hive Coworking and encountered an under-used area in the building.
“One day when the elevator wasn’t working, I came down and I saw how dark it was,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is crazy. This could be a great space for theater.’”
That discovery launched Monte into crafting the show himself, using his own funds, with help from a $15,000 fellowship from the Black Theater Coalition (BTC), a Broadway-based initiative supporting Black creatives behind the scenes. Keyon is using that support to make “Macbeth KC” his boldest work to date, he said.
Monte told local media: “The show will happen right in front of them and around them,” he said. “You’re not doing it in a space where the audience is on one side and the stage is on the other. That means the audience has some kind of distance, some kind of safety, but not here.”
“If you look at some of the costumes, you would think it was something that could be worn on a runway right now,” he said. “There’s this high fashion aesthetic to what we’re doing.”
Monte’s creative collaborators include KC filmmakers, sculptors, musicians, and artists.
Sound Designer Robert Castillo DJs & plays bass live during the Macbeth KC. He writes: “The central theme, in terms of the auditory approach, is to create the ambiance of a grungy underground rave. The entire play is set in a post-apocalyptic future, so all the audio has been following that line. The music for the two banquet scenes takes you right to a lowly-lit warehouse in the broken down manufacturing part of town that you had to get coordinates from three checkpoints to arrive at. The lighting team has done a great job in brining that vision to light for the audience to experience. // The other, more cinematic sounds throughout the performance are meant to create tension & discomfort for the audience. The play is very dark. It starts and ends and is filled throughout with death. There is one scene when Macbeth is convulsing as the weird sisters/witches transport him into a dream-like stupor where he has three apparitions. When making the audio for that moment, I kept asking myself “how can I make myself feel more uncomfortable?”
Keyon has said: “What I love about Macbeth is that it tells the truth about the way human beings really are,” Monte said. “There are no heroes in Macbeth. There are no good people. There are no saviors. At the end of the day, everyone has to tell the truth about who they are and what they are.”
Keyon Monté and Lee Sampson thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
Macbeth KC runs through August 10 with performances: Thursday, August 7, at 7:30pm, Friday August 8, at 6:00pm, Saturday, August 9 at 8:00pm, and Sunday, August 10, at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. All performances at: 710 Central Avenue, KCMO. For more info you can visit: http://www.macbethkc.com
You can see more of Keyon’s portraits, designs and to learn more aboou his plays you can visit; http://www.keyonmonte.com
11:51
Blob Castle – “Convulsing Sounds” from: Macbeth KC Sound Design / Blob Castle / July – August, 2025 [Sound Designer Robert Castillo DJs and plays bass live during the Macbeth performances. He writes: “The central theme, in terms of the auditory approach, is to create the ambiance of a grungey underground rave. The entire play is set in a post-apocolyptic future, so all the audio has been following that line. The music for the two banquet scenes takes you right to a lowly-lit warehouse in the broken down manufacturing part of town that you had to get coordinates from three checkpoints to arrive at. The lighting team has done a great job in brining that vision to light for the audience to experience. // The other, more cinematic sounds throughout the performance are meant to create tension and discomfort for the audience. The play itself is very dark. It start and ends and is filled throughout with death. There is one scene when Macbeth is convulsing as the weird sisters/witches transport him into a dream-like stupor where he has three apparitions. When making the audio for that moment, I kept asking myself “how can I make myself feel more and more uncomfortable?”]
11:52
Cyndi Lauper & Pattie Labelle – “Time After Time” LIVE from: VH1 Divas Duets: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas / VH1 / May 22, 2003 [Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper was born June 22, 1953. She is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range,[4] Lauper has sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has also been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for LGBTQ rights in the United States. // Her debut studio album She’s So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—”Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, “Time After Time”, “She Bop”, and “All Through the Night”—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. The music video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” won the Best Female Video Award at the inaugural 1984 MTV Video Music Awards and has been recognized by MTV, VH1 and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music videos of the era. Her second studio album, True Colors (1986), scored two more top-five hits; the title track and “Change of Heart”. Lauper’s chart success continued with the singles “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” (1985), “I Drove All Night” (1989) and the dance club hit “That’s What I Think” (1993). // Since 1983, Lauper has released twelve studio albums and participated in many other projects. In 2010, Memphis Blues became Billboard’s most successful blues album of the year, remaining at number one on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 13 consecutive weeks. In 2013, she won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, making her the first woman to win the category by herself.[10] The musical was awarded five other Tonys, including Best Musical. In 2014, Lauper was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording. In 2016, the West End production won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. // Lauper’s accolades include two Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, three MTV Video Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is one of the few singers to win three of the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT). In 2015, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lauper was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. Her debut studio album ranked among Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while “Time After Time” was included in VH1’s list of the 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 years. VH1 has ranked Lauper No. 58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. // Patricia Louise Holte was born May 24, 1944. She is known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the “Godmother of Soul”. LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and frontwoman of the vocal group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. After the group’s name change to Labelle in the 1970s, they released the number-one hit “Lady Marmalade” before disbanding in 1976. // In 1977, LaBelle began a solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed debut album, which included the career-defining song “You Are My Friend”. LaBelle became a mainstream solo star in 1984 following the success of the singles “If Only You Knew”, “Love, Need and Want You” (later sampled for 2002’s “Dilemma”), “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up”. In 1986, LaBelle released a number-one album, Winner in You, and its number-one single “On My Own”, a duet with Michael McDonald. In 1989, the standard “If You Asked Me To” (later covered by Celine Dion) was released on Be Yourself. LaBelle won a 1992 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her 1991 album Burnin’, an album that featured “Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)”, “Feels Like Another One”, and “When You’ve Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)”. She won a second Grammy for the live album Live! One Night Only. Her 1990s albums Burnin’, Gems (1994), and Flame (1997) continued her popularity with young R&B audiences throughout the decade. She reunited with her Labelle bandmates for the album Back to Now, which was followed by a well-received promotional tour. // LaBelle has also had success as an actress with a role in the Academy Award-nominated film A Soldier’s Story, and in television shows such as A Different World and American Horror Story: Freak Show. In 1992, LaBelle starred in her own sitcom Out All Night. In 2002, LaBelle hosted her own lifestyle show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle, on TV One. In 2015, LaBelle took part in the dance competition Dancing with the Stars at the age of 70. Labelle has also seen success launching her own brand of bedding, cookbooks, and food for various companies. In 2015 her Patti’s Sweet Potato Pie sold millions when a YouTube video praising the product went viral. As a result, over a 72-hour period, Walmart sold one pie every second. // In a career which has spanned seven decades, LaBelle has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. She has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone included her on their list of 100 Greatest Singers. LaBelle is a dramatic soprano recognized for her vocal power, modal register range and emotive delivery.]
[Cyndi Lauper plays the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour at Azura Amphitheater, 633 N 130th Street in Bonner Springs KS., on Saturday, August 9, at 7:30pm with Jake Wesley Rogers.]
Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now” from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
Next week, on Wednesday, August 13, Chris Garibalbi of Lotuspool Records joins us a special Guest Producer!
A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper and Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information. Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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, August 6, 2025
New & MidCoastal Releases + Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire + Paul Jesse + Keyon Monté and The Scottish Play
Mark spins more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Elexa Dawson, Hembree, Pool Culture, Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo, IVORY BLUE, Day Shepherd, Caitlyn Stegeman, Tirzah DeMeire, Markus Raines, Paul Jesse, Mr. Marco’s V-7, Calvin Arsenia, Cowboy Indian Bear, Cyndi Lauper & Patti Labelle.
At 10:30am we talk with Day Shepherd & Tirzah DeMeire. With Day Shepherd‘s work as a musician, he approaches songwriting and the accompanying music from a number of different angles. In his youth, he found the hard driving rock and metal of the 70s and 80s provided intensity and emotional expression that resonated. As he continued his journey musically, he has enjoyed lyricists who are able to set the scene and tell us a story in their lyrics. As an acoustic guitarist with some training in classical guitar, Day Shepherd enjoys the vibe of fingerpicking in music. Day hopes that his songs inspire audiences to feel the intensity of emotions, and find a space where their own journey is heard and seen. There are also times when music is the platform by which we speak for those without a voice. Day hopes that he can provide that platform for important concerns within society.
Tirzah DeMeire (she/her) is a singer songwriter who performs in the KC area in which she has grown up. She uses music as an outlet for hardships in her personal life and also for what she sees in our current climate. Tirzah is a sensitive soul, and her lyrics are written carefully and lovingly. Her fifty songs span across themes of loss, love, trauma, heartbreak, and spirituality. She is currently looking for a producer to record her first album but is happy performing at local gigs and open mics in the meantime.
At 11:00 we welcome back Paul Jesse who is a singer, songwriter, and producer crafting introspective and genre-blurring music from Lawrence, Kansas. Blending the intimacy of indie pop with the groove and atmosphere of electronic R&B, his sound is as emotionally raw as it is sonically rich. Paul launched his solo project in 2021, bringing a deeply personal voice to a soundscape shaped by moody synths, soulful vocals, and minimalist beats. In 2024, he released his debut album “Hello Paul Jesse” — a bold introduction to his world. Now, he’s entering a new chapter with his upcoming sophomore album, “Cycles”, signaling a more vulnerable and refined sound. Paul has shared the stage with artists like 454, Marlon Funaki, NNAMDÏ , Slow Hollows, and Pardyalone, continuing to build a name rooted in emotional honesty, DIY spirit, and genre-fluid expression. Go to pauljesse.com for more details on his upcoming August tour & new album “Cycles”.
At 11:30 Keyon Monté shares the details about a bold new production of Macbeth. In this immersive new experience, Shakespeare’s legendary tale of ambition, blood, and prophecy is reawakened inside a gutted office building in downtown Kansas City. Set in the distant future, the production surrounds the audience with shadows, smoke, and the rhythmic pulse of a dying world. As witches glitch, a DJ manipulates sound live each night, and audience members step into roles themselves, Macbeth KC becomes not just a story — but a haunting cycle you’re trapped inside. MACBETH KC traps its audience inside a chilling loop of power, paranoia, and collapse. From playwright, visual artist, and costume designer Keyon Monté, in his first work for the Kansas City scene, this limited-run, fuses industrial fashion, live music, audience participation, and guerrilla lighting to conjure a kingdom ravaged by fallout and fate. Music by Blob Castle. The production runs through August 10 with performances: Thursday, August 7, at 7:30pm, Friday August 8, at 6:00pm, Saturday, August 9 at 8:00pm, and Sunday, August 10, at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. All performances at: 710 Central Avenue, KCMO.. For more info you can visit: http://www.macbethkc.com
On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org
“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks” from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
Anna Moss & Calvin Arsenia – “It Was Only a Dream (Live)” from: “It Was Only A Dream (Live)” – Single / Moss Tones / May 16, 2025 [With the world outside her window rapidly unraveling into chaotic madness, Anna Moss found herself holed up alone in her New Orleans home during 2020’s unprecedented global pandemic. Frozen in a state of paralyzing panic, crippling anxiety, and isolation, she was armed with only a guitar, and the voices in her head. A working musician her entire adult life, touring gigs and studio sessions had suddenly screeched to a harrowing halt. // Online, friends and fans sparred feverishly, screaming at each other and into the ether, while the realities and insecurities of her precarious situation sent the singer/multi-instrumentalist spiraling into a deep depression. // Manifested from the nadir of her own darkness and demoralization, Moss mined a medicinal muse from within, incessantly writing on guitar and rediscovering her salvation in song. Intimate, delicate, dreamy, messy, a flurry of new tunes began to flow freely, slowly liberating Anna from the suffocating clutches of her own despair. Emerging from the ashes of this traumatic, dehumanizing spell: a phoenix of deeply personal compositions that would eventually comprise Amnesty, Anna Moss’s solo debut LP released in March 2024 via Empire Records. // An intoxicating gumbo of bedroom pop and existential R&B, Amnesty is at once Anna’s potent opening salvo and a righteous rebirth, too. Paeans born of an emotional purge peel back the rawest, realest layers to reveal ruminations on an artist’s humanity. Throughout Amnesty, Moss treads distinctly different topography than with the idiosyncratic Handmade Moments—her long-running political folk-hop duo with partner Joel Ludford. Rich in ethereal harmonies, subtle sensuality, and melodies majestic, her album’s stripped-down, organic-soul sound leans into throbbing basslines and pulses with a buoyant thump. // Born and raised in the rural Ozark Mountains but currently rooted in the Crescent City, initially Anna had no intention to embark on a solo side project, never mind record an album. However, by January 2021, the pandemic still had the city—and Anna’s sanity—in a veritable vice grip, and this project gave her dreary days a purpose. Once she’d sketched out this smattering of brave new songs, she marched down to Royal Street—a busy busking hub in the famed French Quarter—ostensibly to rehearse the numbers in NOLA’s oldest neighborhood. // These nascent sidewalk sessions—low-pressure performances often powered by car batteries with tourists milling about—saw Moss connect with a fresh collaborator in Brazil-born drummer Fernando Lima, as Ludford provided electric bass. Amid blooming magnolias, Creole cottages, and the stoic oaks, seeds were sown for a glorious new beginning. // Ten tracks brimming with sultry instrumentation and a sharp-tongued chanteuse at the wheel, Amnesty embraces minimalism, yet arrives abundant in earworm escapism. With whispered sweet nothings and a healthy dose of sardonic wit, the protagonist elucidates themes of compassion, abolition, and forgiveness. On album opener “Slow Down Kamikaze”, breezy flute and a mellifluous vibe deftly disguise a rather heavy dialog that dares to dream oneself invisible. The vulnerable “Colors” chases the demons away with laconic, shoegaze strumming, a hazy shade of welter, and everybody crumbling to find a clue. // “Day After Day” is a first-take meditation on learning to love yourself; razor-sharp “Sickness In The Spirit” unpacks paradoxes and personal reckonings to make room for moral inventory. Biblical blues for a new world order, the gripping “Penis Envy” traces its genesis back a dozen years, a dusty, dormant idea finally brought to biting fruition once Anna arranged it for guitar. A defiant, Freudian refutation of the story of the Garden of Eden, Moss drinks down the evils of patriarchal dogma and returns serve, swingin’ for the fences with trademark style and verve. // A testimony to unconditional love and unwavering understanding, “Neverending” unspools an enchanting swirl that welcomes French vocalist Cyrille Aimée for a debutantes’ duet. Longtime California collaborators Rainbow Girls lend a canyon of heavenly harmonics to the Topanga-tinged title track, as “Amnesty” splits the difference between serenity and seduction. On first single “Gravy”, a disarming, irresistible chill is drizzled with muted trumpet courtesy of Ashlin Parker (Dumpstaphunk, Trumpet Mafia). Other guest contributors to Amnesty include Alex Toth (Rubblebucket) and Grammy-winning trombonist Miles Lyons (SOUL Brass Band). // Anna Moss wrote, arranged, tracked, and mixes Amnesty in her New Orleans home studio, assisted by engineers Bob Gaiser and Christian Lee King. /// On June 23, 2023 Calvin Arsenia released his 14 track album Paradise. Available through http://www.calvinarsenia.com // A new turning point as a songwriter. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, Racism, The Police, being on probation, gay love. The album contains collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow and Jametatone. Calvin Arsenia one of our most frequent guests, who first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. KC Magazine has hailed Calvin as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself the guitar, piano, banjo. He learned his signature instrument, the harp, at the age of 20. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016 that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: Cantaloupe in 2018, with a sold out gigantic spectical at The Gem Theatre on Saturday, September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. Sessions in 2019, and the EP HONEY DEW, and the EP Goddess with Quixotic, the Holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “Summer in Hindsight,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and now Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of VERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.] [Calvin Arsenia played a PARADISE Album Release Party, Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, at 7:00 PM at The Emerald, 1715 West 9th Street, KCMO, WEST BOTTOMS. More info at http://www.calvinarsenia.com][Calvin Arsenia was our guest on WMM on Jan. 18, 2023, June 21, 2023, and our 1000th Show on June 28, 2923.]
[Calvin Arsenia plays ULAH-PALOOZA at ULAH 4709 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. Two days of music and in-store performances! Saturday, August 2 at 12:00pm Noon with Calvin Arsenia followed by Caitlin Natalia, Marküs Raines, Day & Tizah, Heath Church, Nathan Corsi, Julie Bennett Hume, David George, Jamogi, playing until 8:00pm, and continuing on Sunday, August 3 at 12:00 Noon with David Luther, followed by The Canterberries, Christian Dixon, Gracie Caggiano, Russell The Love Muscle, Marty Bush, Joshua Jamês, Emma Jo, Zava, and DJ Ashton Martin, playing until 9:00pm. Presented by You Found Music, The David Luther and ULAH and all in support of ULAH’s GoFundMe campaign. Learn more by visiting http://www.ulahkc.com]
The Matchsellers – “The Same Moon” from: Psychobiography / The Matchsellers / August 2, 2025 [Julie Bates is a classically trained violinist from Kansas City. Andrew Morris is a Chicago blues guitarist from Warsaw, Indiana. They met in Leipzig, Germany. During their year of living in the former East Germany, the pair began reanalyzing the songs of their homeland, and developed a tight yet gritty bluegrass style. In the summer of 2013 they left their jobs to hit the road and haven’t looked back. // In the band’s most recent iteration, mandolinist Brian McCarty brings an invaluable lifetime of experience in the Bluegrass tradition, while Brandon Day thrills audiences with his intricate bass solos. // On February 14, 2025 The Matchsellers reeased the single, “I Can’t Believe We’re Still In Love.” // On May 3, 2024 The Matchsellers released LIVE AT THE WAREHOUSE. // On October 28, 2022 The Matchsellers released The Wishful Thinker’s Hall of Game // On February 12, 2016 they released their album, SONGS WE MADE UP, one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016.. In late 2014 they released their debut full length recording, “Kosciusko County,” one of Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. The Matchsellers have toured 3 European countries and 25 US States, performing 180 shows a year, including last year for the KC Fringe Festival, Bluegrass Bazaar in Flint, Michigan, Norman Music Festival in Norman, OK, and a 1st place win at the Eddie Owen Presents songwriting competition in Atlanta, GA.]
[The Matchsellers play a Psychobiography Album Release show Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 7:00pm in The Ruby Room at Musical Theatre Heritage in Crown Center Shops, Level 3 2450 Grand, KCMO.]
Lee Walter Redding – “All My Text Messages Are Verification Codes” (CD #4) (3:00) from: Student Loan Forgiveness Program – EP / Lee Walter Redding / July 18, 2025 [Lee Walter Redding released the single “It Should Be Ours” on February 24, 2025. // On July 15, 2022 Lee Walter Redding released the EP live From The Argyle Wallpaper. Lee Walter Redding on vocals, guitar; Justin Rogers on bass; Andy Kirk on guitar/synth and Justin Skinner on drums. // Lee Walter Redding released “Elephant Man (feat. Stephonne)” on April 9, 2021. Lee told us that he learned about Stephonne Singleton from listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley and hearing Stephonne for the first time. WMM bringing musical collaborations together since 2004. // Kansas City based Lee Walter Redding was raised on 60s rock, steeped in 90s Britpop ennui, and guided by contemporary neo-soul, Lee Walter Redding weaves dry humor into vibrant sonic textures that sway from wistful to chaotic. Think 2010s Nick Lowe fronting The Velvet Underground. On warped vinyl. More info at: http://www.leewalterredding.bandcamp.com] [Lee Walter Redding was our guest on WMM on July 13, 2022]
David Luther – “Wrecking Bay” from: Who You Are / David Luther / April 25, 2025 [David Luther released the first single “Smile About Something” on January 21, 2025. David Luther released the 2d single, “If Love Just Ain’t Enough (feat. Garrison Starr) on February 28, 2025. all singles off of David’s upcoming album EWHO YOU ARE expected April 25, 2025. // David Luther Broxterman recorded his first self-titled EP in 2009 with Nashville producer Neilson Hubbard. The EP featured backing vocals from Americana artist Garrison Starr. This experience was the catalyst that would send him on his path to a music career, gigging part-time to begin with while working full-time as a social worker. // In 2020, during the heart of COVID-19, David knew it was time to embrace becoming a full-time musician.. Stepping away from social work and side jobs, especially as a single father of two boys, was a faith move then. During this time, David collaborated with David George and Pat Tomek on his EP Take Me Home, which was released in 2022. The EP included the anthem Home To Kansas City and World’s Gonna Change, a song co-written by David, Brandon Mashburn, and Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning songwriter Tom Whitlock. George and Tomek’s dedication and artistry to the project, along with the exceptional musicians and singers, inspired David. Shortly after, David worked with his sister Anna Taylor and producer Brandon Mashburn on the single I Will, released in 2023, a song to draw attention to things that unite rather than divide us. // In July 2024, David again joined Neilson Hubbard, studio musician Juan Solórzano, and engineer Dylan Alldridge in their East Nashville studio to record a new full-length Americana album. The album, Who You Are, features partner Kelly Dougherty on several songs and Garrison Starr on If Love Just Ain’t Enough. The songs on the LP are a journey of David’s songwriting, many coming from painful places in the past and leading up to the last song he finished the night before the last days of recording, the title track. // David is grateful for the people in his family and community who have come alongside him, often carrying him and sometimes dragging or chasing him down his path. He says he can’t imagine how he’d still be doing this without their ongoing help and encouragement, especially that of his partner and manager, Kelly Dougherty. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but there’s no going back.”]
[David Luther plays KC Wine Company 13875 S Gardner Rd #1 Olathe, KS, Sat., August 3, at 2:00PM]
[David Luther plays ULAH-PALOOZA at ULAH 4709 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS. Two days of music and in-store performances! Saturday, August 2 at 12:00pm Noon with Calvin Arsenia followed by Caitlin Natalia, Marküs Raines, Day & Tizah, Heath Church, Nathan Corsi, Julie Bennett Hume, David George, Jamogi, playing until 8:00pm, and continuing on Sunday, August 3 at 12:00 Noon with David Luther, followed by The Canterberries, Christian Dixon, Gracie Caggiano, Russell The Love Muscle, Marty Bush, Joshua Jamês, Emma Jo, Zava, and DJ Ashton Martin, playing until 9:00pm. Presented by You Found Music, The David Luther and ULAH and all in support of ULAH’s GoFundMe campaign. Learn more by visiting http://www.ulahkc.com]
Lucy Gray – “Purple Skies” from: “Purple Skies” – Single / Lucy Gray / July 25, 2025 [Music & Lyrics by Lucy Gray Hamilton. Vocals, Ukulele by Lucy Gray Hamilton. Bass, Guitar & keyboards by Gregory Gagnon. // Lucy Gray released the single “Sixteen and Happy” on May 24, 2024. Produced by Gregory Gagnon- ShapeNote Studios & Robert Rebeck- Westend Recording Studios (Kansas City, MO). This recording was made possible by the Heartland Song Network and Gregory Gagnon of ShapeNote Studios. // ‘sixteen & happy” for me is a lot of things. It’s being sad on your birthday. It’s how crushing it can be when someone you were once so close with isn’t around anymore. It reveals how hard it is to acknowledge true feelings and how it can take time to express them. My deepest gratitude to Heartland Song Network and Greg Gagnon at ShapeNote Studios for making this recording possible!” – Lucy Gray // SONGWRITER, COMPOSER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST – Lucy Gray grew up performing on festival stages from the young age of 7 while studying classical & fiddle style violin. By the age of 9 she was performing her own original songs leading her to 4 awards for songwriting & composition, invitations to speak at events, repeated radio spins, tv appearances & most recently a grant to record her latest single!]
Boxknife – “Ready or Not” – Single” from: “Ready or Not” Single / Squarestab Records / August 1, 2025 [Boxknife released their EP Manifestering on May 20, 2022. The band released their debut single “The Tower” just prior to that date. Boxknife, a queer dark-pop band from Kansas City made up of Stephanie Bankston, Britt Wild, Mia Morrow, and Brook Worlledge who formed from the ashes of the band Lovergurl. Keyboardist and vocalist, Stephanie Bankston was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a graduate of The University of Missouri. She moved abroad in her 20s, and lived in Seoul, Korea, where she played in a mostly female band called BaekMa (“White Horse”). Stephanie returned to Kansas City in the Fall 2015. Brook Worlledge, is a Kansas City native. She is the band’s lead vocalist and drummer and writes songs for the band. Brook is a defender of the proletariat. Brook’s influences range from The B-52s, The Velvet Underground, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Brit Wild has played to Wick and the Tricks and other bands in Kansas City.]
[Boxknife play the Video Premiere Party and Single release for “Ready or Not” Friday, August 1, at 9:00pm at the Union Library, 1317 Union Ave, in West Bottom, KCMO with drag by Cee J The Troll and Mx. Virtue, with Musical performance by @theblackmariahtheater and Tarot by Mama Matthew.]
Radkey – “Victory” from: “Victory” – Single / Little Man Records / March 28, 2025 [On September 23, 2022 Radkey released the single “Better Than This.” The band released “Games (Tonight)”: on January 28, 2022 on Little Man Records. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released multiple full-length recordings. IN 2021 Radkey was featured in Dave Grohl’s van-touring documentary film, WHAT DRIVES US. Radkey released GREEN ROOM on Little Man Records on November 27, 2020.On Green Room the band serve as their own producers. Radkey released DARK BLACK MAKE UP in 2015 and DELICIOUS ROCK NOISE in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]
[Radkey plays and presents RADFEST 3 on Friday, August 1, 2025 at 6:00pm to 11:00pm at Lemonade Park 1628 Wyoming Street, KCMO with Frogpond, The Rackatees, and Gascan.]
10:29 – Underwriting
Bobcat Attack – “Found In The Grass” from: The Year of The Bobcat / Les Bon Bons Electriques – The Record Machine / Aug. 1, 2025 [Bobcat Attack released the single “Bird of Prey” on January 10, 2025 Bobcat Attack is the alter ego of electronic musician Nathan Reusch. Reusch has a passion for blending dub, techno, and ambient electronica into his own improvised vision. His compositions, crafted with synthesizers, drum machines, and modular synths, create a pulsing soundscape that is both intimate and lush, setting him apart in the electronic music scene. // Reusch first started making electronic music influenced by emo/punk in the early 2000s, opening for acts like Taking Back Sunday, Mewihoutyou, Coheed and Cambria, to more fitting artists like Joy Electric, Atom & His Package, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Yacht. In 2003, he started his indie label, The Record Machine, and in 2011, he founded KC’s Middle of the Map Fest; his time and focus on making his music came to a halt. The pandemic inspired Reusch to dust off his Bobcat Attack moniker and renewed his interest in making music. After a few months of waywardly trying to figure out patches and midi cables, he joined KC’s Synth Collective and found a group of similarly-minded electronic musicians. // After a year of playing and organizing shows with the KC Synth Collective, he is regaining his footing; Reusch is ready to release his first new material in nearly two decades. Bobcat Attack bridges the gap between ambient, dub-techno, and house music. The result is a rich textural environment of blooming melodies, entrancing techno beats, and ambient soundscapes that immerses the listener in a vibrant, flooding forest of electronica. His arrangements are patient and complete, and there’s always a discovery bubbling underneath the surface. // Bobcat Attack’s debut single release, “Pallas,” (Sept. 20, 2024) was the inaugural release on Les Bon Bons Electriques – The Record Machine imprint. This collaboration between fellow electronic musician and collaborator Mark Ronning (Mr. Golden Sun/Pool Culure) and Reusch’s label, The Record Machine,]
[Bobcat Attack plays YEAR OF THE BOBCAT EP release show on Thursday, July 31 at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO, with FaceFace, Hautlle and Slow Poke.]
11:33 – Interview with Nathan Reusch
Bobcat Attack is Nathan Reusch co-founder of The Record Machine an area music label that is celebrating 22 years! Nathan Reusch first started making electronic music under the name Bobcat Attack influenced by emo/punk in the early 2000s, opening for acts like Taking Back Sunday, Mewihoutyou, Coheed and Cambria, to more fitting artists like Joy Electric, Atom & His Package, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Yacht. In 2003, he started his indie label, The Record Machine, and in 2011, he founded KC’s Middle of the Map Fest; his time and focus on making his music came to a halt. Under Nathan’s leadership The Record Machine has been the label for Static Phantoms, Monta, Various Blonde, Cowboy Indian Bear, LaGuerre, The Philistines, and Black Light Animals and many more. Nathan is also a DJ. The pandemic inspired Reusch to dust off his Bobcat Attack moniker and renewed his interest in making music. After a few months of waywardly trying to figure out patches and midi cables, he joined KC’s Synth Collective and found a group of similarly-minded electronic musicians. His debut track, Pallas, released September 18, 2024 was the inaugural release on Les Bon Bons Electriques imprint on The Record Machine label. This collaboration between fellow electronic musician and collaborator Mark Ronning (Mr. Golden Sun/Pool Culure) and Reusch’s label, The Record Machine,
Nathan Reusch thanks for being with us on WMM.
Bobcat Attack plays YEAR OF THE BOBCAT EP release show on Thursday, July 31 at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO, with FaceFace, Hautlle and Slow Poke.
Last year the Kansas City record label The Record Machine launched a new imprint, “Les Bonbons Electriques”. Creative collaboration between label-owner Nathan Reusch and musician Mark Ronning began as a shared passion for synthesizers and has turned into an expansion of The Record Machine’s label.
On September 20th, 2024, Bobcat Attack, the moniker of electronic artist Nathan Reusch, released his first single. September 20th marked the beginning of Les Bonbons Electriques, an imprint of The Record Machine, a collaboration between Reusch and electronic musician Mark Ronning (Pool Culture, Mr. Golden Sun). Les Bonbons Electriques (“electric candy” in French) is a new imprint that will focus on artistry, experimentation, and electronic music. For Reusch’s project Bobcat Attack, where his modular synthesizer is the center of his electronic, ambient, and dub techno-influenced music, Les Bonbons Electriques is the perfect label match.
Les Bonbons Electriques began as a series of pop-up shows to feature Kansas City electronic artists, inspired by Ronning’s foray into modular synthesis during the pandemic. When Reusch and Ronning connected in 2022 over a shared passion for modular synthesis, they formed a fast friendship and, from this, a creative collaboration was born. Now, the name “Les Bonbons Electriques” will be both a live performance series as well as a record label imprint of The Record Machine.
The initiation of this new imprint comes with exciting new artists and releases. Bobcat Attack’s first single “Pallas” is releasing on September 20th, a pulsing track with a bouncing melody over ambient architecture. And, on October 4th, indie pop band, The House, will be releasing their single “Honey”, a soaring tune with electronic augmentation over chamber-pop arrangements. This first duo of releases serves as the perfect representation of the space that Les Bonbons Electriques can occupy: a spectrum of organic and inorganic sounds, from those fully distorted, filtered, and modulated by electronica to acoustic instruments wrapped up in swirling, synthesized ambience.
Connect with The Record Machine and Les Bonbons Electriques @therecordmachine @lesbonbonselectriques @bobcatattack.me @thehouse.band
Nathan Reusch thanks for being with us on WMM.
Bobcat Attack plays YEAR OF THE BOBCAT EP release show on Thursday, July 31 at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO, with FaceFace, Hautlle and Slow Poke.
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Bobcat Attack – “Drifter” from: The Year of The Bobcat / Les Bon Bons Electriques – The Record Machine / Aug. 1, 2025 [Bobcat Attack released the single “Bird of Prey” on January 10, 2025 Bobcat Attack is the alter ego of electronic musician Nathan Reusch. Reusch has a passion for blending dub, techno, and ambient electronica into his own improvised vision. His compositions, crafted with synthesizers, drum machines, and modular synths, create a pulsing soundscape that is both intimate and lush, setting him apart in the electronic music scene. // Reusch first started making electronic music influenced by emo/punk in the early 2000s, opening for acts like Taking Back Sunday, Mewihoutyou, Coheed and Cambria, to more fitting artists like Joy Electric, Atom & His Package, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Yacht. In 2003, he started his indie label, The Record Machine, and in 2011, he founded KC’s Middle of the Map Fest; his time and focus on making his music came to a halt. The pandemic inspired Reusch to dust off his Bobcat Attack moniker and renewed his interest in making music. After a few months of waywardly trying to figure out patches and midi cables, he joined KC’s Synth Collective and found a group of similarly-minded electronic musicians. // After a year of playing and organizing shows with the KC Synth Collective, he is regaining his footing; Reusch is ready to release his first new material in nearly two decades. Bobcat Attack bridges the gap between ambient, dub-techno, and house music. The result is a rich textural environment of blooming melodies, entrancing techno beats, and ambient soundscapes that immerses the listener in a vibrant, flooding forest of electronica. His arrangements are patient and complete, and there’s always a discovery bubbling underneath the surface. // Bobcat Attack’s debut single release, “Pallas,” (Sept. 20, 2024) was the inaugural release on Les Bon Bons Electriques – The Record Machine imprint. This collaboration between fellow electronic musician and collaborator Mark Ronning (Mr. Golden Sun/Pool Culure) and Reusch’s label, The Record Machine,]
[Bobcat Attack plays YEAR OF THE BOBCAT EP release show on Thursday, July 31 at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO, with FaceFace, Hautlle and Slow Poke.]
Maya Mikity – “As One” from: “As One” – Single / Sailing Wonder / April 16, 2025 [Maya Mikity is a local KC pop singer-songwriter based in the U.S. She this dance/EDM track titled in a collaboration with Triangle. “As One” is currently featured as the theme song for ZIP FM, one of Japan’s leading radio stations, and has also been added to many major playlists like Electronic House Chill Out and EDM NOMAD. It has also been playing on radio stations all around the world. “As One” is one of 10 single Maya Mikity has release this year so far.]
T.A. Rell – “4oreign (Radio Edit)” from: Love Pages: Pt. 1 – EP / T.A.P. OUT Music / March 27, 2025 [“4oreign: was originally released as a single on April 13, 2024. Arick “TA. Rell” Ridgell is a 23 year old producer/writer/artist who recently has began emerging by way of the internet. The Kansas City,Missouri native was born August 29,1990. He’s an alumni of Center High School (Kansas City,MO, 64131), and a current student at Longview Community College (Lee’s Summit,MO), where he’s currently looking to obtain a degree in Audio Engineering. He’s what you’d call a mixing pot of R&B, country, gospel, pop, rock and roll, etc… TA’s “style influenced by a variety of artists such as Ray Charles, James Brown, Smokie Robinson, The Temptations, Jamie Foxx, Tank, Tyrese, Musiq Soulchild, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, amongst others. T.A. tries not to trap himself in the box on genres but tries to use his love for all music to unlock the hearts and souls of listeners around the world. ]
11:00 – Station ID
11:00 – Special Guest Producer SYLKYSAN
SYLKYSAN is Sandra Draper. Sandra is a member of KKFI’s Board of Directors, Sandra was born in Kansas City and attended Paseo High School. Sandra became a student at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and eventually returning to Kansas City to complete her last year graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree studying history and communications at The University of Missouri at Kansas City. She is the mother of four children three sons and one daughter. While her children were all born on different years 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981 two of her sons were born on the same day, and her daughter and other son were also born on the same day. For the past year Sandra has been volunteering at KKFI and has been in training to host and produce her own radio show, Silky San’s Soul Sensation coming soon in the overnight hours on 90.1 FM
Traffic – “Rainmaker” from: Low Spark of High Heeled Boys / Universal Island Records / November 1, 1971 [The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is the fifth studio album by English rock band Traffic, released in 1971. The album was Traffic’s most successful in the United States, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and becoming their only platinum-certified album there, indicating sales in excess of one million. However, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom. The album features the minor hit “Rock & Roll Stew” and the title track, which received heavy FM airplay. // It was Traffic’s first studio album to feature percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah, and the only studio appearance of drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Ric Grech. Grech had previously worked with Traffic singer/multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood in the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. This is the only Traffic album to feature two lead vocals by Jim Capaldi (“Light Up or Leave Me Alone” and “Rock & Roll Stew”). His only other solo lead vocal on a Traffic studio album was on “Dealer” from Mr. Fantasy (1967). // As with other Traffic albums, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys featured varied influences, including jazz, folk music and Classical. The name of the album’s title track was suggested by the actor Michael J. Pollard. // The LP’s front cover is notable for its top right and bottom left corners being clipped, giving the illusion of a three-dimensional cube. This effect would be repeated on their next album, Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory. On original pressings of the UK and some European versions, the title of both the album and song are shown as ‘The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys’ (with a hyphen) on the record labels. // The title of the album and the eponymous single on it became the source of some controversy in the UK upon initial release. At that time, the phrase “high-heeled boys” was often used by British writers as a slang term referring to organized-crime assassins. When it became clear the song was not inspired by this and was using the term in a non-descriptive sense, the issue faded away. // The album was certified gold less than a year after its release in the United States, and eventually certified platinum in 1996. It was remastered and reissued with one bonus track on 19 March 2002.]
Creed – “Weathered” from: Weathered / The Bicycle Music Company / January 1, 2001
Pleasure – “Sassafras Girl” from: Joyous / Craft Recordings / 1977 [Pleasure is an American Band from Portland Oregon. They became apart of the underground music scene in the 70’s with the hit Glide from the album Future Now. Pleasure is an American band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Blending soul, funk and jazz with a street edge, they became a cult group on the underground black music scene of the late 1970s. Their song “Glide”, from the album Future Now, went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in 1979; it was their biggest hit. The band broke up in 1982. // A new version of the band re-formed in 2019 and released an album, Now Is the Time. // Pleasure was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1972 as a merger of two local bands: The Franchise which included drummer Bruce Carter (December 28, 1956 — August 12, 2006), bassist Nathaniel Phillips, and guitarist Marlon McClain, and The Soul Masters. The rest of the band members included keyboardist Michael Hepburn / Donald Hepburn. Saxophonist Dennis Springer, trombonist/guitarist Dan Brewster, vocalist Sherman Davis, and percussionist Bruce Smith have been part of the group along the way, including trumpet player Tony Collins and lead vocalist/guitarist Randy Hall. // In 1974, Grover Washington who was a big fan of the band directed them to seek out The Crusaders’ Wayne Henderson. Impressed with what he heard, his enthusiasm led them to a deal with Fantasy Records. This was the beginning of a six-year relationship with the label and a four-year relationship with Wayne Henderson who through his own production company “At Home Productions”, was the band’s producer and mentor. // In 1979, the band released the album Future Now, which included the hit “Glide”; it went to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Billboard R&B chart. // Pleasure managed to fuse many styles of music including jazz, funk, soul, and rock along the way and achieved national recognition and excellent record sales, along with catching the ear of many hip hop artists who were inspired to sample much of Pleasure’s material. // This success was visibly evidenced with the now well-established African-American classic cult film, House Party featuring Kid and Play, and recently the comedy film Uncle Drew. Bruce Carter’s drum solo on “Bouncy Lady” along with songs “Let’s Dance” and “Joyous” were used in the Ultimate Breaks and Beats Series. // “Joyous” was also used on Janet Jackson’s 1997 release, The Velvet Rope (“Free Xone”), and “Future Now” was used in Will Smith’s 2002 release, Born to Reign (“1000 Kisses”). “Celebrate The Good Things”, “Thoughts Of Old Flames” and others are still being sampled and used today. // After their breakup in 1982 most members managed to stay active in the music scene one way or another through teaching, producing other acts, songwriting for Disney, and touring with artists such as Kenny G, Herb Alpert, The Crusaders, The Whispers, United We Funk All Stars, the Dazz Band and Cool’R. // Michael Hepburn (owner of the name and co-founder) is still performing, producing and is presently working as a Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the King County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. // Pleasure now is composed of Michael Hepburn, Nathaniel Phillips, Douglas Lewis, Dennis Springer, Brian Foxworth, and Tiffany Wilson, and released an album on Pleasure Records in 2019 called Now Is The Time. They also released “One More Time” from the current album as the “A” side of a 45 rpm vinyl record by Neil Pounds under his UK label Six Nine Records Ltd. The “B” side of their 45 is “For Your Pleasure,” which is the introductory selection on the album.]
The JWB – “Groove Axis” from: Groove Axis / Groovward Publishing / October 19, 2010 [The JWB is James Ward Band. The JWB is a Jazz Fusion band formed over 20 years ago. The JWB combines Jazz, R&B, Funk, and Gospel music. This is a Family Band that consists of Angela Ward on Keyboards, James Ward on Bass, and Jaylen Ward on Drums. Other members of the band include Clifford Mills on Vocals and Percussion, Travis Johnson on Guitar, and Gerald Dunn on Sax.]
Clifford Mills – “In My Dreams” from: Unchained – Single / Sony Music / August 15, 2022 [Clifford Mills first got started with my singing career in church (Handy Chapel AME) in Joplin, Mo. at the age of 5. At that age I sang my first solo (“99 and a Half Won’t Do”). When I reached high school I sang in my first secular group by the name of “The Confessions” at Central Sr. High in Kansas City, Mo. The release date of my CD entitled “Unchained” was September 22nd 2022. with two songs. Only Time Will Tell and In My Dreams..]
11:25 – Underwriting
Donny Hathaway – “Love Love Love” from: Extension of a Man / Atco / June 18, 1973 [Extension of a Man is the final studio album released by the R&B/soul singer Donny Hathaway on Atco Records in 1973. // The release was his last solo studio album. It is noted for including a young Stanley Clarke of Return to Forever on a couple of tracks, as well as drummer Fred White, brother to Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, who worked with Hathaway in Chicago in the early days. White also played with Hathaway on concert dates and is featured on Hathaway’s live performance recordings. // The opening instrumental track pays homage to the melody of “Here Comes De Honey Man” from The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. // Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who Rolling Stone described as a “soul legend”. His most popular songs include “The Ghetto”, “This Christmas”, “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, and “Little Ghetto Boy”. Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of “A Song for You”, “For All We Know”, “Jealous Guy” and “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, along with “Where Is the Love” and “The Closer I Get to You”, two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.]
Otis Redding and Carla Thomas – “Tramp” from: King & Queen / Atlantic Records / March 16, 1967 [King & Queen is a studio album by the American recording artists Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. It is Thomas’ fourth album and Redding’s sixth and the final studio album before his death on December 10, 1967. Influenced by Marvin Gaye’s duets, the album features ten covers of soul classics and the eleventh finishing song co-written by Redding. // The album includes crossover hits “Tramp” and “Knock on Wood”. Following Redding’s death, the single “Lovey Dovey” was also released. The original album’s liner notes were written by Tennessee Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. It was released on March 16, 1967, by Stax Records. // Producer Jim Stewart had the idea to produce a duet album with Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, as he thought it would help their musical careers’ progress, and that “[Redding’s] rawness and [Thomas’s] sophistication would work” well together. Another reason to combine the two artists was in the hopes of achieving a success similar to that which Motown singer Marvin Gaye had with both Mary Wells and Kim Weston. Carla Thomas was already successful in the R&B business; she had already had many singles appear in both the Hot 100 and Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles charts, most recently her 1966 song “B-A-B-Y”. Redding agreed to record with Thomas, simply stating, “Well, hey, you from Memphis, you from Tennessee, you can hang”. At the time the album was recorded in January 1967, Thomas was studying at Howard University in Washington D.C. for an M.A. in English. Recorded in about six days (another source states only three days), the album features eleven songs: ten covers of soul classics, and an eleventh song, “Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis”, that Redding co-wrote with Al Bell. It features house band Booker T. & the M.G.’s, pianist Isaac Hayes, and the brass section the Memphis Horns. Six out of eleven songs were cut during their session; the rest were overdubbed by Redding in the following days owing to their concert obligations. // Three singles were released from the album: “Tramp”, the first cut song, was released as a single in April and peaked at number two on Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and at number twenty-six on Billboard Hot 100; “Knock on Wood” peaked in September at number eight on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and number thirty on the Hot 100 charts; and “Lovey Dovey” was released late in 1968, and charted at number twenty-one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles list and number sixty on the Hot 100. The album was released on March 16, 1967.]
Johnny “Guitar” Watson – “Superman Lover” from: Ain’t That A Bitch / High Fashion Music / September 19, 1976 [John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), often known professionally as Johnny “Guitar” Watson, was an American musician. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording career spanned 40 years, and encompassed rhythm and blues, funk and soul music. // Watson recorded throughout the 1950s and 1960s with some success. His 1954 instrumental single “Space Guitar” was the first of his recordings to showcase his electric guitar playing. His creative self-reinvention in the 1970s, with funk overtones, saw Watson have hits with “Ain’t That a Bitch” and “Superman Lover”. His highest charting single was 1977’s “A Real Mother for Ya”. // Watson was born in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But young Watson was immediately attracted to the sound of the guitar, in particular the electric guitar as played by T-Bone Walker and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. // His grandfather, a preacher, was also musical. “My grandfather used to sing while he’d play guitar in church, man,” Watson reflected many years later. When Johnny was 11, his grandfather offered to give him a guitar if, and only if, the boy did not play any of the “devil’s music”. His parents separated in 1950, when he was 15. His mother moved to Los Angeles, and took Watson with her. // In his new city, Watson won several local talent shows. This led to his employment, while still a teenager, with jump blues-style bands such as Chuck Higgins’s Mellotones and Amos Milburn. He worked as a vocalist, pianist, and guitarist.[3] He quickly made a name for himself in the African-American juke joints of the West Coast, where he first recorded for Federal Records in 1952. He was billed as Young John Watson until 1954. That year, he saw the Joan Crawford film Johnny Guitar, and a new stage name was born. // On June 7, 1953, Shorty Rogers included Watson as part of his Orchestra to perform at the ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert, held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. Also featured that day were Roy Brown and his Orchestra, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, Nat King Cole, and Louis Armstrong and his All Stars with Velma Middleton. // Watson affected a swaggering, yet humorous personality, indulging a taste for flashy clothes and wild showmanship on stage. His “attacking” style of playing, without a pick, resulted in him often needing to change the strings on his guitar once or twice a show, because he “stressified on them” so much, as he put it. Watson’s 1954 instrumental single “Space Guitar” was his first recording to show his “sheer off-the-wall madness” on electric guitar, although it did not chart. According to music historian Larry Birnbaum, for “Space Guitar” he “came into his own as a guitarist”. Watson would later influence a subsequent generation of guitarists. His song “Gangster of Love” was first released on Keen Records in 1957. It did not appear in the charts at the time, but was later re-recorded and became a hit in 1978, becoming Watson’s “most famous song”. // He toured and recorded with his friend Larry Williams, as well as Little Richard, Don and Dewey, the Olympics, Johnny Otis and, in the mid-1970s with David Axelrod.[3] In 1975 he was a guest performer on two tracks (flambe vocals on the out-choruses of “San Ber’dino” and “Andy”) on the Frank Zappa album, One Size Fits All. He also played with Herb Alpert and George Duke. But as the popularity of blues declined and the era of soul music dawned in the 1960s, Watson transformed himself from southern blues singer with pompadour into urban soul singer in a pimp hat. His new style was emphatic – wearing gold teeth, broad-brimmed hats, flashy suits, fashionable outsized sunglasses and ostentatious jewelry. // He modified his music accordingly. His albums Ain’t That a Bitch[3] (included funk blues singles “Superman Lover” and “I Need It”) and A Real Mother For Ya (1977) fused funk and blues. Reviewing A Real Mother for Ya, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau’s Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): “Watson has been perfecting his own brand of easy-listening funk for years, and this time he’s finally gone into the studio with his guitar Freddie and his drummer Emry and a bunch of electric keyboards and come up with a whole album of good stuff. The riff-based tracks go on too long but go down easy and the lyrics have an edge. Granted, Watson can’t match George Benson’s chops, but this is dance music, chops would just get in the way. And I prefer his Lou-Rawls-without-pipes to Benson’s Stevie-Wonder-ditto”. The title track, “A Real Mother for Ya”, released in 1977, was Watson’s highest charting single. // Watson’s album Love Jones was released in 1980. The death of his friend Larry Williams by gunshot in 1980 and other personal setbacks, led to Watson briefly withdrawing from the spotlight in the 1980s. “I got caught up with the wrong people doing the wrong things”, he was quoted as saying by The New York Times. // The release of his album Bow Wow in 1994 brought Watson more visibility and chart success than he had ever known. The album received a Grammy Award nomination. In a 1994 interview with David Ritz for liner notes to The Funk Anthology, Watson was asked if his 1980 song “Telephone Bill” anticipated rap music. “Anticipated?” Watson replied. “I damn well invented it! … And I wasn’t the only one. Talking rhyming lyrics to a groove is something you’d hear in the clubs everywhere from Macon to Memphis. Man, talking has always been the name of the game. When I sing, I’m talking in melody. When I play, I’m talking with my guitar. I may be talking trash, baby, but I’m talking”. // In 1995, he was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in a presentation and performance ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium. In February 1995, Watson was interviewed by Tomcat Mahoney for his Brooklyn, New York-based blues radio show The Other Half. Watson discussed at length his influences and those he had influenced, referencing Guitar Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley’s 1996 and final studio album, A Man Amongst Men, playing vocoder on the track “I Can’t Stand It” and singing on the track “Bo Diddley Is Crazy”. // “Johnny was always aware of what was going on around him”, recalled Susan Maier Watson (later to become his wife) in an interview printed in the liner notes to the album The Very Best of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson (1999). “He was proud that he could change with the times and not get stuck in the past”. // Watson died of a heart attack while on tour on May 17, 1996, collapsing on stage at the Ocean Boulevard Blues Cafe in Yokohama, Japan. At around 7:40, when performing the first verse of “Superman Lover”, his first song of the night, he made a gesture as if pushing the microphone stand towards the audience, with his hand on his chest and fell down on his back. He was pronounced dead, at a nearby hospital, less than two hours later. Two days afterward one of Watson’s band mates told the audience, “Johnny once said that if he were to die, he wanted to die on stage”. He was 61. Watson left behind two children. His remains were brought home for interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, and buried in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Enduring Honor, Holly Terrace entrance. Since 2022 his son De Jon has been employed with the American professional baseball team the Washington Nationals. // Watson stated: “I used to play the guitar standing on my hands, I had a 150 foot cord and I could get on top of the auditorium – those things Jimi Hendrix was doing, I started that shit”! // Frank Zappa stated that “Watson’s 1956 song ‘Three Hours Past Midnight’ inspired me to become a guitarist”. Watson contributed to Zappa’s albums One Size Fits All (1975), Them or Us (1984), Thing-Fish (1984) and Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (1985). In an August 1979 issue of Musician magazine Zappa said, “To me, it seems incomprehensible that a person could listen to ‘Three Hours Past Midnight’ by Johnny Guitar Watson and not be moved to get violent… I mean, that’s really saying something. Same with the guitar solo on ‘Story Of My Life’ by Guitar Slim. I mean, that stuff used to make me violent. I’d just want to get an icepick and go out and work over the neighborhood!” // Steve Miller recorded Watson’s “Gangster of Love” on his 1968 album Sailor. Miller then made a reference to his song title in his 1969 song “Space Cowboy” (“And you know that I’m a gangster of love”) from his 1969 album, Brave New World. Miller’s 1973 hit song “The Joker” included the lyric “Some call me the gangster of love”. Miller had also borrowed the sobriquet for his own “The Gangster Is Back”, on his 1971 album Rock Love. // Jimmie Vaughan, brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, is quoted as saying: “When my brother Stevie and I were growing up in Dallas, we idolized very few guitarists. We were highly selective and highly critical. Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson was at the top of the list, along with Freddie, Albert and B. B. King”. Watson influenced Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Etta James, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. // Bobby Womack said: “Music-wise, he (Watson) was the most dangerous gunslinger out there, even when others made a lot of noise in the charts – I’m thinking of Sly Stone or George Clinton”. // Etta James stated, in an interview at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: “Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson … Just one of my favorite singers of all time. I first met him when we were both on the road with Johnny Otis in the ’50s, when I was a teenager. We traveled the country in a car together so I would hear him sing every night. His singing style was the one I took on when I was 17 – people used to call me the female Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and him the male Etta James … He knew what the blues was all about”. James is also quoted as saying: “I got everything from Johnny … He was my main model … My whole ballad style comes from my imitating Johnny’s style… He was the baddest and the best … Johnny Guitar Watson was not just a guitarist: the man was a master musician. He could call out charts; he could write a beautiful melody or a nasty groove at the drop of a hat; he could lay on the harmonies and he could come up with a whole sound”. // Interviewed after his death, blues producer Mike Vernon said of Watson, a friend and colleague: “In the blues world, there are very, very few innovative talents of the size of a Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson… John has constantly experimented, he’s tried to stay with the times, and created a lot of fantastic music which the anoraks of the blues world tend to pooh-pooh. A talent like John’s is very hard to keep in check”.]
The Force M.D.’s (Photo by Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Force M.D.’s – “Love is a House” from: Touch and Go / Tommy Boy Music / January 1, 1987 [The Force M.D.s are an American R&B vocal group that was formed in 1981 in Staten Island, New York. Although the group has old school hip hop roots, it is perhaps best known for their soulful R&B tunes such as “Tender Love,” “Love Is a House,” “Tears,” and “Here I Go Again.” They are considered major forerunners of the new jack swing movement. // The band was originally named The L.D.s, and then became the Force MCs.Though the group was not quite always as recognizable as other New York R&B acts when it first started, they were among the first R&B vocal groups to intermix doo-wop-affected singing with and sometimes over hip-hop beats. // The group was composed of brothers Stevie D., Antoine “T.C.D.” (February 3, 1963 – January 18, 1998), and Rodney “Khalil” Lundy, and their uncle Jessie Lee Daniels (July 4, 1963 – January 4, 2022). Later, friends Trisco Pearson (October 23, 1962 – September 16, 2016) and Charles “Mercury” Nelson (December 19, 1964 – March 9, 1995) from the Mariners Harbor housing projects joined the group. // The group began performing on Times Square, New York City street corners and during trips on the Staten Island ferry. After the L.D.s connected with DJ Dr. Rock (Roger Daniels) they then performed as “Dr. Rock & the Force MCs.”[2] The group was discovered by hip hop promoter Vansilk in summer 1981. The three members were Dr. Rock, Stevie D. and Mercury. In collaboration with Dr. Rock, the group continued to perfect their unique sound, which was unusual at the time: a fusion of doo-wop harmonies and hip-hop that involved singing, rapping and group member’s “human beatbox” melodies at underground hip hop shows. They gained even more credibility and respect from local fans after competing in an emcee lyrical battle against the well known Cold Crush Brothers from the Bronx in 1983. // By 1984, the group signed with Tommy Boy Records. This is the same year the group changed their name to the Force MDs, which stood for “Musical Diversity”. They had developed into a quiet storm/contemporary R&B group, with its top-ten R&B hit, “Tears”, from the debut album, Love Letters. (With the exception of their first album, the group was the first act on Tommy Boy to have major-label distribution through its then-parent Warner Bros. Records.) // The group produced a collection of R&B hits throughout the 1980s, and received overwhelming commercial success from the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-penned love song “Tender Love” from their second album, 1985’s Chillin’. The song was featured in the 1985 feature film and soundtrack Krush Groove, and proved to be a success, peaking at No. 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming an instant R&B classic after it stayed on the chart for 19 weeks. “Tender Love” was also one of the tracks that helped Jam & Lewis garner a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year. The song “Itchin’ for a Scratch” was performed by the group in the 1985 feature film Rappin’, and was also part of the soundtrack. // In 1987 they finally scored their first R&B #1 hit, “Love Is a House,” from their third album, Touch and Go. // By the late 1980s the group’s popularity began to wane. A fourth album, Step to Me, was released in 1990, which featured record production by Full Force, Marley Marl, Monte Moir (of the band The Time), and others. Members Pearson and Nelson left soon afterward, replaced by original member Rodney “Khalil” Lundy (who had initially left the band early in their career) and new member Shawn Waters. The group then released the album Moments in Time in 1994, but failed to chart or produce any hits. In 1996 the group appeared on several tracks on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman. // hree of the group’s members died during the latter half of the 1990s: Nelson suffered a fatal heart attack in 1995; former collaborator DJ Dr. Rock died suddenly of AIDS in 1996; and in 1998, Antoine Lundy died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. // Surviving members of the group’s classic lineup – Daniels, Pearson, and Stevie D. Lundy – along with Rodney Lundy returned with a comeback album, The Reunion, in 2000, but it failed to chart or register any hits. Damen Heyward, a native of The Bronx formerly of the mid-/late-1980s group 4 By Four, later joined the group as well. After leaving the group, Heyward went on to tour with artists such as Joe. // Trisco Pearson died on September 16, 2016, at age 53, after a battle with stage 4 cancer. His death was announced by Bow Legged Lou of Full Force. Jessie Daniels died on January 4, 2022, at the age of 58.]
Alicia Keys – “Underdog” from: ALICIA / RCA – Sony Records Corp / September 18, 2020 [Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Met with critical acclaim and commercial success, the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. It contained the Billboard Hot 100-number one single “Fallin'”. Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the singles “You Don’t Know My Name”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, and “Diary” (featuring Tony! Toni! Toné!).[8] Its release earned an additional four Grammy Awards. // Her 2004 duet with Usher, “My Boo”, became her second number-one single in the US. Keys’s first live album, Unplugged (2005), spawned the single “Unbreakable” and made her the first female artist to have an MTV Unplugged project debut atop the Billboard 200. Her third album, As I Am (2007), sold seven million units worldwide and yielded her third Billboard Hot 100-number one single, “No One”. In 2007, Keys made her film debut in the action-thriller Smokin’ Aces, and performed the theme song to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace with her single “Another Way to Die” (with Jack White) the following year.[10] Her fourth album, The Element of Freedom (2009), peaked atop the UK Albums Chart, sold four million copies worldwide, and was supported by the singles “Doesn’t Mean Anything”, “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart”, and “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”. // Keys guest appeared on Jay-Z’s 2009 single “Empire State of Mind”, which became her fourth number-one hit in the US. Her fifth album, Girl on Fire (2012), was her fourth non-consecutive album to peak the Billboard 200, and was supported by its lead single of the same name; her sixth album, Here (2016), peaked at number two on the chart. Her seventh and eighth studio albums, Alicia (2020) and Keys (2021), spawned the singles “Show Me Love” (featuring Miguel), “Underdog”, “Lala” and “Best of Me”. Her ninth, Santa Baby (2022), was a holiday album and her first independent release. In 2023, she wrote, composed and co-produced her first Broadway musical, Hell’s Kitchen, which won two Tony Awards. // Keys has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the world’s best-selling music artists. She was named by Billboard as the Top Artist of the 2000s in the R&B/Hip-Hop category, and placed tenth on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. She has received numerous accolades in her career, including 17 Grammy Awards, 17 NAACP Image Awards, 12 ASCAP Awards, and an award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and National Music Publishers Association. Keys was also honored with the Producers & Engineers Wing Award and the Global Impact Award by the Recording Industry Association of America. VH1 included her on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 100 Greatest Women in Music lists, while Time has named her in their 100 list of most influential people in 2005 and 2017. Keys is also acclaimed for her humanitarian work, philanthropy, and activism. She co-founded the nonprofit HIV/AIDS-fighting organization Keep a Child Alive in 2003, for which she serves as Global Ambassador.]
Steel Pulse – “Worth His Weight in Gold (Rally Round)” (CD #23) (4:34) from: True Democracy / Electra Records / May 4, 1982 [Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ronald McQueen (bass); along with Basil’s brother Colin briefly on drums and Mykaell Riley (vocals, percussion). Steel Pulse were the first non-Jamaican act to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Collectively the band has won one Grammy award with nine nominations. // Frontman David Hinds of Steel Pulse in concert in Antwerp, 2022. // Basil Gabbidon and David Hinds became inspired to form Steel Pulse after listening to Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Catch a Fire. The band formed in 1975; their debut single release “Kibudu, Mansetta And Abuku” arrived on the small independent label Dip, and linked the plight of urban black youth with the image of a greater African homeland. They followed it with “Nyah Luv” for Anchor. They were initially refused live dates in Caribbean venues in Birmingham due to their Rastafarian beliefs. During the popularization of punk rock in the mid-1970’s, Steel Pulse began to play punk venues such as the Hope and Anchor in London and The Electric Circus in Manchester in 1976. // Aligning themselves closely with the Rock Against Racism organization and featuring in its first music festival in early 1978, they chose to tour with sympathetic elements of the punk movement, including the Stranglers and XTC. Eventually they found a more natural home in support slots for Burning Spear, which brought them to the attention of Island Records. // Their first release for Island was the “Ku Klux Klan” single, about the evils of racism, and one often accompanied by a visual parody of the sect on stage; the song was ranked the 460th-greatest song of all time in Rolling Stone’s 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. By this time, their ranks had swelled to include Selwyn Brown (keyboards), Steve “Grizzly” Nisbett (drums), Alphonso Martin (vocals, percussion) and Mykaell Riley (vocals). Their debut album, Handsworth Revolution (recorded in 1977 and released in early 1978), was part the evolution of roots reggae outside Jamaica. However, despite critical and moderate commercial success over three albums, the relationship with Island Records had soured by the advent of their third album, Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever). // The band made their US concert debut at the Mudd Club in New York in 1980. // Tom Terrell, who would later serve as their manager, was instrumental in masterminding a Steel Pulse concert on the night of Bob Marley’s funeral, which was broadcast live around the world from the 9:30 Club, 930 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., on 21 May 1981. // In 1982 Steel Pulse formed their own label Wise Man Doctrine Records. They also reached a distribution deal with Elektra Records for the US market. They released True Democracy, distinguished by the Garvey-eulogizing ‘Rally Round’ cut. A further definitive set arrived in Earth Crisis in 1984. However, Elektra chose to take a leaf out of Island’s book in trying to coerce Steel Pulse into a more mainstream vein, asking them to emulate the pop-reggae stance of Eddy Grant.[5] Babylon the Bandit was consequently weakened, but did contain “Not King James Version”. // Steel Pulse released Babylon The Bandit in 1985, for which the band won a Grammy award. // Their next move was to MCA for State of Emergency (1988), which retained some of the synthesized dance elements of its predecessor. // Rastafari Centennial, Steel Pulse’s first live record, was recorded live at the Elysee Montmartre in Paris, over three nights in January 1992, and dedicated to the hundred-year anniversary of the birth of Haile Selassie.[6] It was the first recording since the defection of Alphonso Martin, leaving the trio of Hinds, Nisbett and Selwyn. While they still faced criticism at the hands of British reggae fans, in the United States their reputation was growing, becoming the first ever reggae band to appear on the Tonight television show. Their profile was raised further when, in 1992, Hinds challenged the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission in the Supreme Court, asserting that their cab drivers discriminated against black people in general and Rastafarians in particular. The lawsuit was later dropped by Steel Pulse. // In 1989 the group contributed I Can’t Stand it to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing. // In 1994 the group headlined some of the world’s biggest reggae festivals including Reggae Sunsplash USA, Jamaican Sunsplash, Japan Splash and Northern California annual Reggae on the River Festival. In 1986, Steel Pulse contributed a version of “Franklin’s Tower” on Pow Wow Records’ Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead compilation. They recorded The Police’s “Can’t Stand Losing You” for a reggae compilation of Police tunes that appeared on the Ark 21 label. Rastanthology, a 17-song collection of Steel Pulse classics, was released on the band’s own Wise Man Doctrine label in 1996. // In 1997 the band released Rage and Fury. // Until February 2001 it had been many years since Pulse had performed in their hometown of Birmingham. They decided to perform at the Ray Watts memorial concert, which was held at the Irish Centre. Pulse shared the stage with Watts’ band, Beshara, along with other artists from Birmingham. // In 2004 Steel Pulse returned to their militant roots with African Holocaust – their eleventh studio album. With guest appearances by Damian Marley, Capleton, and Tiken Jah Fakoly (on the track African Holocaust), the album is a collection of protest and spiritual songs, including “Global Warning” (a dire warning about climate change), “Tyrant”, a protest song against political corruption, and “No More Weapons”, an anti-war song. Also featured on the album is a cover of the Bob Dylan song, “George Jackson”. // In 2007 the band released a music video for the track “Door of No Return”. The video was produced by Driftwood Pictures Ltd., and was shot on location in Senegal and New York City. The video was directed by Trishul Thejasvi and produced by Yoni Gal. The video had its world premier at the Times 51st BFI London Film Festival in October 2007. // In a 2013 interview with Midnight Raver, David Hinds indicated that a new studio album and documentary, tentatively titled Steel Pulse: The Definitive Story, would be released in 2014.[10] However, on 10 July 2014 Midnight Raver reported that, according to Hinds, both the studio album and documentary will be delayed until at least 2015. // In anticipation of a new Steel Pulse album, the Roots Reggae Library has indexed two compilation albums of the latest Steel Pulse singles. The albums are called Positivity and Jah Way, both named after tracks on the albums. // In October 2018 Steel Pulse announced their new album, the first in 14 years, Mass Manipulation, was released on Rootfire Cooperative[13] a non-traditional label which provides interest free loans and label services to independent musicians.[14] The single “Stop You Coming and Come” was released on 7 December. The album was nominated for the 2020 Grammy Awards. // On 22 March 2023 the Easy Star All-Stars released a cover of “Five Years” in collaboration with Steel Pulse, from their album Ziggy Stardub, a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. A music video, directed by Robert Bartolome, was released on the same day. // Former drummer Conrad Kelly died on 8 May 2024, at the age of 65. // A Grammy Award was given for their 1986 album Babylon the Bandit. Steel Pulse has also been nominated for albums Victims (1991), Rastafari Centennial (1992), Rage and Fury (1998), Living Legacy (2000). and Mass Manipulation (2019).]
Maysa – “Pouring Rain” from: Blue Velvet Soul / Shanachie Ent. Group / June 18, 2013 [Maysa Leak (born August 16, 1966) is an American jazz singer better known by her mononym Maysa. She is well known by fans of smooth jazz both for her solo work and her work with the British band Incognito. // Leak attended Milford Mill High School in western Baltimore County.[2] After receiving her degree from Morgan State University, Maysa headed to Southern California to perform with Stevie Wonder’s female backup group Wonderlove.[1] While with Wonder, Maysa was a vocalist on the Jungle Fever soundtrack. It was during an over-the-telephone audition in the early 1990s that Maysa became a member of the British jazz/funk/R&B band Incognito and, in 1992, she relocated to London and recorded Tribes, Vibes & Scribes, featuring the hit single “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”. Maysa recorded her self-titled debut in 1995. Maysa has also collaborated with jazz performers such as Gerald Veasley, Rick Braun, Will Downing, Jason Miles’ Soul Summit, Rhythm Logic, Jonathan Butler, and Pieces of a Dream. Maysa continues to live in Baltimore. She has a son named Jazz.]
Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now” from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper and Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!
Next week, on August 6 – Mark Welcomes Special Guests Day Shepherd, Paul Jesse, and Keyon Woods
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information. Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
Wednesday MidDay Medley 