Wednesday MidDay Medley’s The 118 Best Recordings of 2018 (Part 1 of 4)

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, December 5, 2018

The 118 Best Recordings of 2018
(Part 1 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-one, of our four-week special: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of the year. We realize that these “Best of” lists can seem very subjective, please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2018 we’ve played nearly 1000 different songs on the show, and we’ve played from over 400 New Releases. More than 250 of these were New MidCoastal Releases. We also conducted over 117 interviews with over 150 different guests. 75 of the representative recordings in our “Best of” list were MidCoastal Releases. Over 35 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM. It’s all good!

Tune into 90.1 FM, Wednesdays in December, as we present our 4-week series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018. December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. We’ll be packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 118 of Best Recordings of 2018!

This Wednesday, we’ll count down #118 through #90 of our list, with music from: Miki P, The UK’s, Those Far Out Arrows, The Sexy Accident, Cat Dail, Erin Eades, Stacy Busch, Digital Leather, Oh Dear Oh My, Noah Davis, Helen Gillet, Sona, Timbers, Eggs On Mars, Wade D. Brown, Noname, Cris Williamson, Joan As Police Woman, Foxing, Sunny War, Bernice, Tunde Olaniran, Tash Sultana, Adrianne Lenker, Femi Kuti, Marc Ribot & Fay Victor, Car Seat Headrest, Melody’s Echo Chamber, and Superorganism.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #763

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 25 Favorite Singles of 2018

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 MidDay Medley’s
25 Favorite Singles of 2018

#25. Y god Y – “Tired”
from: “Tired” – Single / Y god Y / February 16, 2018
[KC based duo made up of Garrett Marsh on vocals & Joel Martin on music, making “experimental R & B” with influences of 80’s electropop. This is their 3rd single. They released “All Day” Sept. 19, 2017 Produced & recorded by Joel Martin, written by Joel Martin and Garrett Marsh. More info at http://www.ygody.bandcamp.com]

#24. Lava Dreams – “SWEET SWEET”
from: “SWEET SWEET” – Single / Lava Dreams / October 19, 2018
[Written, produced, recorded, and performed by Lava Dreams. Lava Dreams is Kansas City based songwriter and producer Julia Hamilton on guitar, and lead vocals. Hear Queer writes: “In her music, Julia Hamilton of Lava Dreams creates landscapes and terrains to explore. Ambient sound and swimming melodies fill the environments that Hamilton is constructing through song.”]

#23. Payge Turner – “But For Now”
from: Acoustic Vibes – Single / Middleman / February 25, 2018
[3rd Single from KC based singer songwriter originally born in the Caribbean. Payge moved to Colby, Kansas when she was in the 6th grade. She writes, “Ever since I was able to talk, all I ever wanted to do was sing!”]

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

#21. Keaton Conrad – “(If I Told You to) Stay”
from: “(If I Told You to) Stay” – Single / Keaton Conrad / July 20, 2018
[Keaton Conrad is a recording artist from Kansas City. He has been regarded as “exceptionally promising” (The Kansas City Star) and “making things happen on stages …with an engaging voice and passion for creating good music” (Ink Magazine). In 2015, Keaton Conrad released his debut EP, Panic & Blame, which contained five original songs that were heavily inspired by the pop rock sound he grew up on. His first full-length album, Waves, followed in January 2017 which ranged in style from pop rock to hip-hop to ambient. Conrad spent 2 years as the lead singer & keyboardist in the cover band ChangeUp, performing around KC.][On November 30, 2018, Keaton Conrad is releasing a new single called “Scars and Diamonds”]

#20. Danny McGaw – “You an Me”
from: “You an Me” – Single / Danny McGaw / September 1, 2018
[Manchester, England born Danny McGaw was a footballer, then a street musician, then a bar musician, and then a husband and father living in Lawrence, Kansas, where he released one of our favorite recordings of 2012 called, “Eccles Road.” After that he formed the band, Welles The Traveler with Jason Jones, Dan Hines, Chad Brothers, and Mike West, who produced the group’s debut recording. Eventually Danny and family relocated to California. He has made 10 records in 14 years and records his songs in his home studio.]

#19. Jo MacKenzie – “Stuck”
from: “Stuck’ – Single / Jo Mackenzie/ September 1, 2018
[One of 5 new singles released this year from Kansas City based 15 year old singer songwriter Jo MacKenzie.]

#18. Lovergurl – “Rebel”
from: “Rebel” – Single / Lovergurl / September 14, 2018
[Recorded and mastered with RLT at Audibly Recording. KC based 4-piece band, Lovergurl caught our ear with their synth pop sound and lyrics reflecting social and political messages with hip hop and punk elements. Lovergurl released their EP, The President is a Sex Offender on May 19, 2017. 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 27 years old and is a Kansas City native. She is the band’s drummer and she sings 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. Lovergurl guitarist and vocalist, Heather Andrews is also 27. She was born and raised in Rhode Island, and moved to Kansas City in 2011 and fell in love with the city.]

#17. Hot Suede – “Forget About You”
from: “Forget About You” – Single / Hot Suede / August 16,, 2018
[Formed October 4, 2017, Hot Suede is a new original rock and roll band from Kansas City, Missouri showcasing fiery guitar riffs, an equally groovy and thunderous rhythm section, soaring vocals, and unparalleled swagger. Rising from the ashes of juggernaut Cherokee Rock Rifle, guitarists Doug Nelson, Scott Reed, and drummer Brett Southard joined forces with bassist Chad Toney and vocalist Wayne Hutcherson aka Bobby W. Topaz to form an unpretentious rock band with classic undertones and guitar-driven songwriting. On October 12, 2017 Hot Suede released the single “Get What You Came For.” On December 20, 2017 Hot Suede released the single, “Make It Harder.” More info at: http://www.hotsuede.com]

#16. Olivia Fox – “Utah”
from: “Utah” – Single / OLIVIA FOX / February 16, 2018
[Lauren Flynn, Aubrey Callahan and Tiffany Smith make up the KC band, OLIVIA FOX who released their self titled debut EP, June 2, 2017. OLIVIA FOX followed with three singles: “Slow Motion” released Dec 14, 2017, “Utah” released Feb 16, 2018, and “Easy” released June 1, 2018. On November 2, 2018 the band released their EP Renditions, with 4 songs written by The Doors, The Beatles, The Cranberries, and Bon Jovi. OLIVIA FOX call their sound Folk/Pop, a marriage between classic folk vocals & harmonies to modern programmed beats & synth pads.] [Olivia Fox played Middle of The Map + Crossroads Music Fest]

#15. Chloe Jacobson – “True Blue”
from: “True Blue” – Single / Chloe Jacobson / November 16, 2018
[Kansas City, Missouri based singer songwriter. Her soulful, bluesy vocals are colored with the pop cadence of aughts-era emo. Her first album release, titled “Frozen Fruit” is expected to drop in early 2019 following with a midwest tour soon to be announced. More info at: http://www.chloejacobson.online]

#14. The Depth and The Whisper – “Souvenir”
from: “Souvenir” – Single / The Depth and The Whisper / October 26, 2018
[Dave Tanner on bass, guitar & vocals; Albert Bickley on guitar & vocals. Albert Bickley, a Kansas City native, has been writing, recording and performing original music for years. Everything, including other bands he’s been in, have led to this moment and this project. Dave Tanner, a Canadian who calls Parkville, MO, home, has played bass in numerous bands through the years from rock and heavy metal to folk and punk. Albert Bickley and Dave Tanner do not believe the world owes them anything, but they know that they have something to give her. The two songwriters and musicians met in 2010 in the music scene of Kansas City, where they both had been active for several years. “When my last band broke up and I wrote new songs again, I immediately thought of Dave,” Albert remembers “I wanted his bass. I just told him to come over when you have time. He played the demos, we listened to it and just said, ‘That’s it! Perfect! ‘”This feeling is very rare.” Dave confirms:” We immediately had great respect and reverence for each other. We are both at the moment. And our music satisfies a deep need in us. We complement each other, we get better. And by that I do not just mean the music. “Because since then an extraordinary friendship has grown between them. “Albert and I started a conversation back then,” Dave explains, “and it never ended.”]

#13. Kelly Hunt – “Dear Sarah”
from: “Dear Sarah” – Single / Never Records / September 14, 2018
[Kelly Hunt performs her adaptation of the Sullivan Ballou Civil War love letter. Sullivan wrote this letter to his wife one week before he was killed at the Battle of Bull Run. This song was recorded by Ted Riederer of Never Records on September 14, 2018. New York artist and musician Ted Reiderer launched Never Records in 2010 as part of a collaborative project with curators No Longer Empty in the former sales floor of Tower Records’ fabled East Village flagship store. One year later, Never Records had expanded to become a mobile record-making lab, using recording equipment and a vinyl record lathe to cut two, four-minute records on the spot for whoever walks in the door (one copy stays behind in the fast-growing library). Never Records opened in Kansas City on August 25, 2018 as part of Open Spaces Kansas City, and ran through October 28th, 2018, in a storefront space in the Crossroads district of Kansas City. The space was located at 1611 Oak St., KCMO. The exhibition was open Wednesday – Sunday, with workshops and special events. Never Records is a combination recording studio and record shop, all operating in one building. The sole proprietor, interior decorator, and engineer is New York-based artist Ted Riederer. Inspired by his own redemptive education at a young age inside the walls of a local record store in Rockville, Maryland as well as the field recording projects of Alan Lomax, Riederer devised his unique community art installation in the early part of this century and has been replicating it with regional variations throughout the world since 2010. Performers from a locale sign up for recording sessions ahead of time, with no auditions necessary. Riederer usually offers three hour sessions, during which he mixes on the fly and cuts vinyl right in front of the artist’s eyes once both are satisfied with a particular take. The recordings are free to the artist, the sessions are open to the public, and you can’t buy anything you see. Ted hasn’t lowered prices by cutting out the middleman. He is the middleman. He is not a vertical operation; he is an elliptical one, a constant feedback loop supplying its own demand. Still, everyone takes something home, even if it’s the barest speck of record shop camaraderie inadvertently inhaled. Within the walls of the Never Records shop, visitors can view a gallery of photographs and artwork from previous temporary establishments in the US and UK, as well as flip through stacks of vinyl representing the hundreds of solo folk artists, punk bands, storytellers, jazz groups, and noisicians who jumped at the chance for a free recording session. Black wooden bins hold a curated selection of records from the growing collection, but these aren’t for sale or even trade. The artist or band is allowed to take their own copy home, and another is added to Riederer’s archives, as well as a digital copy. Riederer encourages bands to use the recording any way they want. There are no fees, royalties, or ownership issues. More information at: http://www.neverrecords.net]

#12. Chase The Horseman – “U Martyr U”
from: “U Martyr U” – Single / Chase the Horseman / June 10, 2018
[Recorded at Element Recording with Joel Nanos and at Chase’s Home Studio. Featuring Lennon Bone on Drums. Chase the Horseman is a band, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and producer. He has composed music for over 36 films and as musician has collaborated with Clairaudients, Teri Quinn, Heidi Lynne Gluck, and many more. Chase The Horseman also released the single “Modern Ruins” on Oct 4, 2018.]

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

#10. Red Kate – “Iraqi Girl”
from: “Iraqi Girl” – Single / Too Much Rock / February 24, 2018
[L. Ron Drunkard on bass & lead vocals, Andrew Whelan on drums & vocals, Desmond Poirier on guitar & vocals. The KC based Punk Rock and Roll band, Red Kate has been rocking venues since 2007. In the review of their debut EP, The Pitch wrote, “Bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, (aka Shawn Saving) is a socialist activist by day, bellows like an Appalachian Roger Daltrey.” The band’s first full-length album, “When the Troubles Come” was released on Replay Records in 2013. In 2016 the band released their follow up, full – length record, unamerican activities, on Kansas City’s coop record label, Black Site. The band has also released two 7″ split single releases with The Bad ideas, and Stiff Middle Fingers. Red Kate released “Iraqi Girl,” as part of the Too Much Rock – Singles Series, 7” vinyl 45-rpm release, with a B side cover of TSOL’s,” American Zone,” the first recording with the band’s newest member, rhythm guitarist Shaun Hamontree. Too Much Rock, is a music blog created by Sid Sowder in 1997 to share photos, videos & comments of live music shows . The Too Much Rock Singles Series is a collection of 45 rpm singles that marry great songs with great bands all for the love of vinyl. Each old-school two-song single features one unique song paired with one cover chosen by Too Much Rock who press 500 limited edition copies and then simply give them to the band. Schwervon!, Rev Gusto, Josh Berwanger Band, The Uncouth, Hipshot Killer, and Witch Jail have all recorded for the Too Much Rock Single Series. Info at: http://www.toomuchrock.com.]

#9. Remy Styrk – “In Too Deep”
from: “In Too Deep” – Single / Remy Sryrk / June 13, 2018
[20 year old Remy Stryk lives in Leawood Kansas. Originally from Newark, New Jersey. This multi instrumentalist has been writing & recording music for several years. “In Too Deep” is one of 4 singles Remy has released in the last 2 years. Written by Remy Styrk. Mixed & Mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording. Remy Styrk released the EP Sunday, on Jan 25, 2018 a follow up to the Aug 12, 2015 full length album, Telling Stories Through The Basement Door.]

#8. Instant Karma – “Give Me Freedom”
from: “Give Me Freedom” – Single b/w “Shine On” / Sunflower Soul Records / May 11, 2018
[Recorded, mixed, and produced by Chris Hazelton, and mastered by Adam Boose. Instant Karma features Cole Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass, Zach Harris on drums. With Caitlin Walker and Grace Sakoulas Griffin-Spain on Background Vocals.]

#7. Heidi Lynne Gluck – “Party Line”
from: “Party Line” – Single b/w “Good Guys and Bad Guys” / Too Much Rock / August 3, 2018
[Produced and engineered by Heidi Gluck at 200 Studios, Lawrence, Kansas. The tracks were co-produced, mixed and mastered by Paul Mahern at White Arc in Bloomington, Indiana. Lawrence, Kansas based songwriter, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Heidi Lynne Gluck is a originally from Manitoba, Canada. After transplanting herself from the plains of Manitoba to the midwestern plains of the United States, Heidi quickly became an in demand player, performing on stage and in the studio both as a solo artist and with renowned musicians including: The Roseline, Approach, Josh Berwanger, Juliana Hatfield & Some Girls, Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos, Lily & Madeleine, The Pieces, The Only Children, and others. In 2015 Heidi released her critically acclaimed EP, Only Girl In The Room, last year on Lotuspool Records. In 2016 Heidi Lynne Gluck released her full length album called, Pony Show, also on Lotuspool, and on vinyl. Heidi Lynne Gluck released “Party Line” with as part of the Too Much Rock – Singles Series, 7” vinyl 45-rpm release, with a B side cover of Camper Van Beethoven’s,”Good Guys and Bad Guys.” Too Much Rock, is a music blog created by Sid Sowder in 1997 to share photos, videos & comments of live music shows . The Too Much Rock Singles Series is a collection of 45 rpm singles that marry great songs with great bands all for the love of vinyl. Each old-school two-song single features one unique song paired with one cover chosen by Too Much Rock who press 500 limited edition copies and then simply give them to the band. Schwervon!, Rev Gusto, Josh Berwanger Band, The Uncouth, Hipshot Killer, Witch Jail, Red Kate have all recorded for the Too Much Rock Single Series. Info at: http://www.toomuchrock.com.]

#6. The Black Creatures – “Elements”
from: “Elements” – Single / The Black Creatures / February 14, 2018
[The Black Creatures are a dark pop hip-hop musical duo from Kansas City, Missouri pulling elements from sci-fi to tell an inter-dimensional story. Xavier Martin and Jade Beomh released their debut album, See No Evil, on December 6, 2017.]

#5. Freight Train Rabbit Killer – “Shake Em”
from: “Shake Em” B-Side Single of “Happy Times Waltz” / Rural Grit-Haymaker Records / Oct 26, 2018
[Volume 4 of a 4-part 7″ vinyl release called, Wake Snake Death Dance.This song was written by Mark Smeltzer. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Organica Studios with Andrew Crowley who also played keyboards. Freight Train Rabbit Killer, a musical duet made up of Kristopher Bruders (Freight Train) and Mark Smeltzer (Rabbit Killer).]

#4. Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type – “It Isn’t Love”
from: “It Isn’t Love” – Single / Rachel Mallin / November 9, 2018
[Indie synthpop from Kansas City based, 4-piece band that includes: Rachel Mallin on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Walker on bass, Austin Edmisten on drums & back-up vocals. “It Isn’t Love” the latest single from Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type. Mallin wrote, recorded and produced her first album, The Persistence of Vision, in 2014 — a solo effort that spoke to her synthpop sensibilities and landed her on Kansas City radio. That same year, she left the University of Missouri to pursue a music career, and enlisted bassist Justin Walker and drummer Austin Edmisten to form The Wild Type. By mid-2016, the act — with keyboardist Jesse Bartmess and former guitarist Matt Kosinski — released its debut EP, Degenerate Matters, recorded, produced, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Musical Arrangements written and performed by Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, Austin Edmisten, Jesse Bartmess, and Matt Kosinski. Lyrics written by Rachel Mallin. That same year, The Wild Type earned support slots for acts from Cold War Kids to Metric and The Struts, and widespread recognition in its hometown at festivals such as Middle of the Map and Boulevardia.]

#3. Momma’s Boy – “Love That Way (Demo)”
from: “Love That Way (Demo)” – Single / Manor Records / June 26, 2018
[Momma’s Boy, is an Indie Surf Pop 4-piece band from KCMO, formed December 2015, and made up of former members of Rev Gusto: Peter Beatty on guitar & vocals, Shaun Crowley on guitar & vocals, Quinn Hernandez on drums, and Jared Bajkowski on bass & vocals. Their debut EP Liquid Courage was released February 25, 2017. Self-recorded in the Momma’s Boy band practice attic. Mixed by Jared Bajkowski, and mastered by Ross Brown. This track was released as part of a series of singles the band has put out over the year. including “Want Me Back” released January 19, 2018 (part of Dead Summer Single Series), and “Asleep On The Floor” on October 12, 2018 (part of Demo Singles Series).]

#2. Radkey – “Basement”
from: “Basement” – Single / the Century Family / July 31, 2018
[Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joins us live in our 90.1 FM studios to talk about their upcoming performance Saturday night at recordBar with Quixotic Performers, as headliners for the 14th Annual Crossroads Music Fest. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City several years ago. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and recently were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. After Crossroads Music Fest the band goes back on the road playing shows with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they’ll go back into the studio to record their next album with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. Then in 2019 they play shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. “Basement” is one of several singles that band has released this year, including “St. Elwood” released August 24, 2018; “Rock & Roll Homeschool” released October 5, 2018; and “Junes” released November 16, 2018.]

#1. Violet and The Undercurrents – “Still Here”
from: “Still Here” – Single / Violet Vonder Haar Music / November 1, 2018
[Columbia Missouri based band made up of Violet Vonder Haar on lead vocals & guitar; Linda Bott on bass guitar; Phylshawn Johnson on drums, and Lizzy Weiland on lead guitar. The Columbia, Missouri-based quartet is anchored by the intrepid songwriting of Violet Vonder Haar and enriched by the creative energy of her musical counterparts. Raised in a small town at the edge of the Missouri River and nurtured by a thriving folk music-centered community, Vonder Haar started honing her craft as a songwriter, performer and vocalist at an early age. She was inspired by her father, a riverboat captain who introduced her to the music of folk legends and encouraged her journey as an artist. More information at: http://www.violetandtheundercurrents.com]

These are stand alone single releases of 2018 that are not included on any EPs or full length album releases.

In 2018 we’ve played from over 400 New & MidCoastal Releases. In 2018 we’ve played from over 250 MidCoastal New Releases, of these nearly 200 were from full length or EP recordings, and over 50 were single releases. We also conducted over 117 interviews with over 150 different guests, live over our community airwaves.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4 week series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018. December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th we’ll count down representative tracks from our favorite EPs and full length albums of 2018. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

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

WMM Playlist from Nov. 28, 2018

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, November 28, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s
25 Favorite Singles of 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents our 25 Favorite Singles of 2018. These are stand alone single releases of 2018 that are not included on any EPs or full length album releases. We’ll count down #25 to #1.

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

2. (#25) Y god Y – “Tired”
from: “Tired” – Single / Y god Y / February 16, 2018
[KC based duo made up of Garrett Marsh on vocals & Joel Martin on music, making “experimental R & B” with influences of 80’s electropop. This is their 3rd single. They released “All Day” Sept. 19, 2017 Produced & recorded by Joel Martin, written by Joel Martin and Garrett Marsh. More info at http://www.ygody.bandcamp.com]

3. (#24) Lava Dreams – “SWEET SWEET”
from: “SWEET SWEET” – Single / Lava Dreams / October 19, 2018
[Written, produced, recorded, and performed by Lava Dreams. Lava Dreams is Kansas City based songwriter and producer Julia Hamilton on guitar, and lead vocals. Hear Queer writes: “In her music, Julia Hamilton of Lava Dreams creates landscapes and terrains to explore. Ambient sound and swimming melodies fill the environments that Hamilton is constructing through song.”]

[Lava Dreams played Outer Reaches Fest, at recordBar.]

4. (#23) Payge Turner – “But For Now”
from: Acoustic Vibes – Single / Middleman / February 25, 2018
[3rd Single from KC based singer songwriter originally born in the Caribbean. Payge moved to Colby, Kansas when she was in the 6th grade. She writes, “Ever since I was able to talk, all I ever wanted to do was sing!”]

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

6. (#21) Keaton Conrad – “(If I Told You to) Stay”
from: “(If I Told You to) Stay” – Single / Keaton Conrad / July 20, 2018
[Keaton Conrad is a recording artist from Kansas City. He has been regarded as “exceptionally promising” (The Kansas City Star) and “making things happen on stages …with an engaging voice and passion for creating good music” (Ink Magazine). In 2015, Keaton Conrad released his debut EP, Panic & Blame, which contained five original songs that were heavily inspired by the pop rock sound he grew up on. His first full-length album, Waves, followed in January 2017 which ranged in style from pop rock to hip-hop to ambient. Conrad spent 2 years as the lead singer & keyboardist in the cover band ChangeUp, performing around KC. ]

[On November 30, 2018, Keaton Conrad is releasing a new single called “Scars and Diamonds”]

10:27 – Underwriting

7. (#20) Danny McGaw – “You an Me”
from: “You an Me” – Single / Danny McGaw / September 1, 2018
[Manchester, England born Danny McGaw was a footballer, then a street musician, then a bar musician, and then a husband and father living in Lawrence, Kansas, where he released one of our favorite recordings of 2012 called, “Eccles Road.” After that he formed the band, Welles The Traveler with Jason Jones, Dan Hines, Chad Brothers, and Mike West, who produced the group’s debut recording. Eventually Danny and family relocated to California. He has made 10 records in 14 years and records his songs in his home studio.]

[Danny McGaw played Plaza Art Fair, Sept. 23.]

8. (#19) Jo MacKenzie – “Stuck”
from: “Stuck’ – Single / Jo Mackenzie/ September 1, 2018
[One of 5 new singles released this year from Kansas City based 15 year old singer songwriter Jo MacKenzie.]

[Jo Mackenzie played in the special preshow showcase opening for Miki P’s Album Release Show, Friday, September 14, at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, with: Alisön Hawkins, Adee Dancy, Kelly Hunt, Jo MacKenzie, Courtney Ann Hall, Ivy Roots, and Mason Blaize Cline.]

[Jo MacKenzie also played 90.1 FM KKFI’s 30th Anniversary at The Folly Theatre, June 30.]

9. (#18) Lovergurl – “Rebel”
from: “Rebel” – Single / Lovergurl / September 14, 2018
[Recorded and mastered with RLT at Audibly Recording. KC based 4-piece band, Lovergurl caught our ear with their synth pop sound and lyrics reflecting social and political messages with hip hop and punk elements. Lovergurl released their EP, The President is a Sex Offender on May 19, 2017. 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 27 years old and is a Kansas City native. She is the band’s drummer and she sings 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. Lovergurl guitarist and vocalist, Heather Andrews is also 27. She was born and raised in Rhode Island, and moved to Kansas City in 2011 and fell in love with the city.]

[Lovergurl play Stray Cat Film Center, 1662 Broadway, KCMO on Friday, December 7, at 9:00 PM for the Joesph Warren & The Wanderlust Revival “HAIR LIKE LEMONS” music video prtemiere concert with Erica Joy]

[Lovergurl play The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO, Friday, December 14, at 8:00 PM, opening for The Sluts with Other Americans.]

10. (#17) Hot Suede – “Forget About You”
from: “Forget About You” – Single / Hot Suede / August 16,, 2018
[Formed October 4, 2017, Hot Suede is a new original rock and roll band from Kansas City, Missouri showcasing fiery guitar riffs, an equally groovy and thunderous rhythm section, soaring vocals, and unparalleled swagger. Rising from the ashes of juggernaut Cherokee Rock Rifle, guitarists Doug Nelson, Scott Reed, and drummer Brett Southard joined forces with bassist Chad Toney and vocalist Wayne Hutcherson aka Bobby W. Topaz to form an unpretentious rock band with classic undertones and guitar-driven songwriting. On October 12, 2017 Hot Suede released the single “Get What You Came For.” On December 20, 2017 Hot Suede released the single, “Make It Harder.” More info at: http://www.hotsuede.com]

[Hot Suede played Mills Record Company, Fri, Nov 2, for Apocalypse Meow 11.]

11. (#16) Olivia Fox – “Utah”
from: “Utah” – Single / OLIVIA FOX / February 16, 2018
[Lauren Flynn, Aubrey Callahan and Tiffany Smith make up the KC band, OLIVIA FOX who released their self titled debut EP, June 2, 2017. OLIVIA FOX followed with three singles: “Slow Motion” released Dec 14, 2017, “Utah” released Feb 16, 2018, and “Easy” released June 1, 2018. On November 2, 2018 the band released their EP Renditions, with 4 songs written by The Doors, The Beatles, The Cranberries, and Bon Jovi. OLIVIA FOX call their sound Folk/Pop, a marriage between classic folk vocals & harmonies to modern programmed beats & synth pads.] [Olivia Fox played Middle of The Map + Crossroads Music Fest]

12. (#15) Chloe Jacobson – “True Blue”
from: “True Blue” – Single / Chloe Jacobson / November 16, 2018
[Kansas City, Missouri based singer songwriter. Her soulful, bluesy vocals are colored with the pop cadence of aughts-era emo. Her first album release, titled “Frozen Fruit” is expected to drop in early 2019 following with a midwest tour soon to be announced. More info at: http://www.chloejacobson.online]

[Chloe Jacobson played Manor Records for MOCSA, on November 16, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms with Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize.]

13. (#14) The Depth and The Whisper – “Souvenir”
from: “Souvenir” – Single / The Depth and The Whisper / October 26, 2018
[Dave Tanner on bass, guitar & vocals; Albert Bickley on guitar & vocals. Albert Bickley, a Kansas City native, has been writing, recording and performing original music for years. Everything, including other bands he’s been in, have led to this moment and this project. Dave Tanner, a Canadian who calls Parkville, MO, home, has played bass in numerous bands through the years from rock and heavy metal to folk and punk. Albert Bickley and Dave Tanner do not believe the world owes them anything, but they know that they have something to give her. The two songwriters and musicians met in 2010 in the music scene of Kansas City, where they both had been active for several years. “When my last band broke up and I wrote new songs again, I immediately thought of Dave,” Albert remembers “I wanted his bass. I just told him to come over when you have time. He played the demos, we listened to it and just said, ‘That’s it! Perfect! ‘”This feeling is very rare.” Dave confirms:” We immediately had great respect and reverence for each other. We are both at the moment. And our music satisfies a deep need in us. We complement each other, we get better. And by that I do not just mean the music. “Because since then an extraordinary friendship has grown between them. “Albert and I started a conversation back then,” Dave explains, “and it never ended.”]

11:00 – Station ID

14. (#13) Kelly Hunt – “Dear Sarah”
from: “Dear Sarah” – Single / Never Records / September 14, 2018
[Kelly Hunt performs her adaptation of the Sullivan Ballou Civil War love letter. Sullivan wrote this letter to his wife one week before he was killed at the Battle of Bull Run. This song was recorded by Ted Riederer of Never Records on September 14, 2018. New York artist and musician Ted Reiderer launched Never Records in 2010 as part of a collaborative project with curators No Longer Empty in the former sales floor of Tower Records’ fabled East Village flagship store. One year later, Never Records had expanded to become a mobile record-making lab, using recording equipment and a vinyl record lathe to cut two, four-minute records on the spot for whoever walks in the door (one copy stays behind in the fast-growing library). Never Records opened in Kansas City on August 25, 2018 as part of Open Spaces Kansas City, and ran through October 28th, 2018, in a storefront space in the Crossroads district of Kansas City. The space was located at 1611 Oak St., KCMO. The exhibition was open Wednesday – Sunday, with workshops and special events. Never Records is a combination recording studio and record shop, all operating in one building. The sole proprietor, interior decorator, and engineer is New York-based artist Ted Riederer. Inspired by his own redemptive education at a young age inside the walls of a local record store in Rockville, Maryland as well as the field recording projects of Alan Lomax, Riederer devised his unique community art installation in the early part of this century and has been replicating it with regional variations throughout the world since 2010. Performers from a locale sign up for recording sessions ahead of time, with no auditions necessary. Riederer usually offers three hour sessions, during which he mixes on the fly and cuts vinyl right in front of the artist’s eyes once both are satisfied with a particular take. The recordings are free to the artist, the sessions are open to the public, and you can’t buy anything you see. Ted hasn’t lowered prices by cutting out the middleman. He is the middleman. He is not a vertical operation; he is an elliptical one, a constant feedback loop supplying its own demand. Still, everyone takes something home, even if it’s the barest speck of record shop camaraderie inadvertently inhaled. Within the walls of the Never Records shop, visitors can view a gallery of photographs and artwork from previous temporary establishments in the US and UK, as well as flip through stacks of vinyl representing the hundreds of solo folk artists, punk bands, storytellers, jazz groups, and noisicians who jumped at the chance for a free recording session. Black wooden bins hold a curated selection of records from the growing collection, but these aren’t for sale or even trade. The artist or band is allowed to take their own copy home, and another is added to Riederer’s archives, as well as a digital copy. Riederer encourages bands to use the recording any way they want. There are no fees, royalties, or ownership issues. More information at: http://www.neverrecords.net]

15. (#12) Chase The Horseman – “U Martyr U”
from: “U Martyr U” – Single / Chase the Horseman / June 10, 2018
[Recorded at Element Recording with Joel Nanos and at Chase’s Home Studio. Featuring Lennon Bone on Drums. Chase the Horseman is a band, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and producer. He has composed music for over 36 films and as musician has collaborated with Clairaudients, Teri Quinn, Heidi Lynne Gluck, and many more. Chase The Horseman also released the single “Modern Ruins” on Oct 4, 2018.]

[Chase The Horseman played Middle of The Map and Apocalypse Meow 11]

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

11:15 – Top Ten Singles

17. (#10) Red Kate – “Iraqi Girl”
from: “Iraqi Girl” – Single / Too Much Rock / February 24, 2018
[L. Ron Drunkard on bass & lead vocals, Andrew Whelan on drums & vocals, Desmond Poirier on guitar & vocals. The KC based Punk Rock and Roll band, Red Kate has been rocking venues since 2007. In the review of their debut EP, The Pitch wrote, “Bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, (aka Shawn Saving) is a socialist activist by day, bellows like an Appalachian Roger Daltrey.” The band’s first full-length album, “When the Troubles Come” was released on Replay Records in 2013. In 2016 the band released their follow up, full – length record, unamerican activities, on Kansas City’s coop record label, Black Site. The band has also released two 7″ split single releases with The Bad ideas, and Stiff Middle Fingers. Red Kate released “Iraqi Girl,” as part of the Too Much Rock – Singles Series, 7” vinyl 45-rpm release, with a B side cover of TSOL’s,” American Zone,” the first recording with the band’s newest member, rhythm guitarist Shaun Hamontree. Too Much Rock, is a music blog created by Sid Sowder in 1997 to share photos, videos & comments of live music shows . The Too Much Rock Singles Series is a collection of 45 rpm singles that marry great songs with great bands all for the love of vinyl. Each old-school two-song single features one unique song paired with one cover chosen by Too Much Rock who press 500 limited edition copies and then simply give them to the band. Schwervon!, Rev Gusto, Josh Berwanger Band, The Uncouth, Hipshot Killer, and Witch Jail have all recorded for the Too Much Rock Single Series. Info at: http://www.toomuchrock.com.]

18. (#9) Remy Styrk – “In Too Deep”
from: “In Too Deep” – Single / Remy Sryrk / June 13, 2018
[20 year old Remy Stryk lives in Leawood Kansas. Originally from Newark, New Jersey. This multi instrumentalist has been writing & recording music for several years. “In Too Deep” is one of 4 singles Remy has released in the last 2 years. Written by Remy Styrk. Mixed & Mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording. Remy Styrk released the EP Sunday, on Jan 25, 2018 a follow up to the Aug 12, 2015 full length album, Telling Stories Through The Basement Door.]

19. (#8) Instant Karma – “Give Me Freedom”
from: “Give Me Freedom” – Single b/w “Shine On” / Sunflower Soul Records / May 11, 2018
[Recorded, mixed, and produced by Chris Hazelton, and mastered by Adam Boose. Instant Karma features Cole Bales on vocals & guitar, Cody Calhoun on guitar, Branden Moser on bass, Zach Harris on drums. With Caitlin Walker and Grace Sakoulas Griffin-Spain on Background Vocals.]

20. (#7) Heidi Lynne Gluck – “Party Line”
from: “Party Line” – Single b/w “Good Guys and Bad Guys” / Too Much Rock / August 3, 2018
[Produced and engineered by Heidi Gluck at 200 Studios, Lawrence, Kansas. The tracks were co-produced, mixed and mastered by Paul Mahern at White Arc in Bloomington, Indiana. Lawrence, Kansas based songwriter, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Heidi Lynne Gluck is a originally from Manitoba, Canada. After transplanting herself from the plains of Manitoba to the midwestern plains of the United States, Heidi quickly became an in demand player, performing on stage and in the studio both as a solo artist and with renowned musicians including: The Roseline, Approach, Josh Berwanger, Juliana Hatfield & Some Girls, Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos, Lily & Madeleine, The Pieces, The Only Children, and others. In 2015 Heidi released her critically acclaimed EP, Only Girl In The Room, last year on Lotuspool Records. In 2016 Heidi Lynne Gluck released her full length album called, Pony Show, also on Lotuspool, and on vinyl. Heidi Lynne Gluck released “Party Line” with as part of the Too Much Rock – Singles Series, 7” vinyl 45-rpm release, with a B side cover of Camper Van Beethoven’s,”Good Guys and Bad Guys.” Too Much Rock, is a music blog created by Sid Sowder in 1997 to share photos, videos & comments of live music shows . The Too Much Rock Singles Series is a collection of 45 rpm singles that marry great songs with great bands all for the love of vinyl. Each old-school two-song single features one unique song paired with one cover chosen by Too Much Rock who press 500 limited edition copies and then simply give them to the band. Schwervon!, Rev Gusto, Josh Berwanger Band, The Uncouth, Hipshot Killer, Witch Jail, Red Kate have all recorded for the Too Much Rock Single Series. Info at: http://www.toomuchrock.com.]

11:29 – Underwriting

21. (#6) The Black Creatures – “Elements”
from: “Elements” – Single / The Black Creatures / February 14, 2018
[The Black Creatures are a dark pop hip-hop musical duo from Kansas City, Missouri pulling elements from sci-fi to tell an inter-dimensional story. Xavier Martin and Jade Beomh released their debut album, See No Evil, on December 6, 2017.]

22. (#5) Freight Train Rabbit Killer – “Shake Em”
from: “Shake Em” B-Side Single of “Happy Times Waltz” / Rural Grit-Haymaker Records / Oct 26, 2018
[Volume 4 of a 4-part 7″ vinyl release called, Wake Snake Death Dance.This song was written by Mark Smeltzer. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Organica Studios with Andrew Crowley who also played keyboards. Freight Train Rabbit Killer, a musical duet made up of Kristopher Bruders (Freight Train) and Mark Smeltzer (Rabbit Killer).]

[Freight Train Rabbit Killer play Outer Reaches Fest, Friday, October 26 at recordbar.]

23. (#4) Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type – “It Isn’t Love”
from: “It Isn’t Love” – Single / Rachel Mallin / November 9, 2018
[Indie synthpop from Kansas City based, 4-piece band that includes: Rachel Mallin on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Walker on bass, Austin Edmisten on drums & back-up vocals. “It Isn’t Love” the latest single from Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type. Mallin wrote, recorded and produced her first album, The Persistence of Vision, in 2014 — a solo effort that spoke to her synthpop sensibilities and landed her on Kansas City radio. That same year, she left the University of Missouri to pursue a music career, and enlisted bassist Justin Walker and drummer Austin Edmisten to form The Wild Type. By mid-2016, the act — with keyboardist Jesse Bartmess and former guitarist Matt Kosinski — released its debut EP, Degenerate Matters, recorded, produced, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Musical Arrangements written and performed by Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, Austin Edmisten, Jesse Bartmess, and Matt Kosinski. Lyrics written by Rachel Mallin. That same year, The Wild Type earned support slots for acts from Cold War Kids to Metric and The Struts, and widespread recognition in its hometown at festivals such as Middle of the Map and Boulevardia.]

24. (#3) Momma’s Boy – “Love That Way (Demo)”
from: “Love That Way (Demo)” – Single / Manor Records / June 26, 2018
[Momma’s Boy, is an Indie Surf Pop 4-piece band from KCMO, formed December 2015, and made up of former members of Rev Gusto: Peter Beatty on guitar & vocals, Shaun Crowley on guitar & vocals, Quinn Hernandez on drums, and Jared Bajkowski on bass & vocals. Their debut EP Liquid Courage was released February 25, 2017. Self-recorded in the Momma’s Boy band practice attic. Mixed by Jared Bajkowski, and mastered by Ross Brown. This track was released as part of a series of singles the band has put out over the year. including “Want Me Back” released January 19, 2018 (part of Dead Summer Single Series), and “Asleep On The Floor” on October 12, 2018 (part of Demo Singles Series).]

[Momma’s Boy play Iowa City Yacht Club in Iowa City, on Saturday, December 1.]

25. (#2) Radkey – “Basement”
from: “Basement” – Single / the Century Family / July 31, 2018
[Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joins us live in our 90.1 FM studios to talk about their upcoming performance Saturday night at recordBar with Quixotic Performers, as headliners for the 14th Annual Crossroads Music Fest. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City several years ago. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and recently were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. After Crossroads Music Fest the band goes back on the road playing shows with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they’ll go back into the studio to record their next album with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. Then in 2019 they play shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. “Basement” is one of several singles that band has released this year, including “St. Elwood” released August 24, 2018; “Rock & Roll Homeschool” released October 5, 2018; and “Junes” released November 16, 2018.]

26. (#1) Violet and The Undercurrents – “Still Here”
from: “Still Here” – Single / Violet Vonder Haar Music / November 1, 2018
[Columbia Missouri based band made up of Violet Vonder Haar on lead vocals & guitar; Linda Bott on bass guitar; Phylshawn Johnson on drums, and Lizzy Weiland on lead guitar. The Columbia, Missouri-based quartet is anchored by the intrepid songwriting of Violet Vonder Haar and enriched by the creative energy of her musical counterparts. Raised in a small town at the edge of the Missouri River and nurtured by a thriving folk music-centered community, Vonder Haar started honing her craft as a songwriter, performer and vocalist at an early age. She was inspired by her father, a riverboat captain who introduced her to the music of folk legends and encouraged her journey as an artist. More information at: http://www.violetandtheundercurrents.com]

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

Next week, on December 5, we present part one of our 4 week series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Wednesdays in December on the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th we will be counting down representative tracks from our favorite EPs and full length albums. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

In 2018 we’ve played from over 400 New & MidCoastal Releases. In 2018 we’ve played from over 250 MidCoastal New Releases, of these nearly 200 were from full length or EP recordings, and over 50 were single releases. We also conducted over 117 interviews with over 150 different guests, live over our community airwaves.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4-week special series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018, on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

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

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

Show #762

WMM’s 25 Favorite Singles of 2018

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, November 28, 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s
25 Favorite Singles of 2018

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents our Favorite 25 Singles of 2018. These are stand alone single releases of 2018 that are not included on any EPs or full length album releases. We’ll count down #25 to #1.

Mark features 25 tracks from: Radkey, Heidi Lynne Gluck, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, Violet and The Undercurrents, Momma’s Boy, Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type, Kelly Hunt, Red Kate, Instant Karma, The Black Creatures, Jessica Paige, Chase the Horseman, Hot Suede, Chloe Jacobsen, Olivia Fox, Danny McGaw, Keaton Conrad, Lovergurl, Remy Stryk, Jo MacKenzie, Payge Turner, Dylan Guthrie & the Good Time Guys, Y God Y, The Depth and The Whisper and Lava Dreams.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4-week special series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018, on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

In 2018 we’ve played from over 400 New & MidCoastal Releases. In 2018 we’ve played from over 250 MidCoastal New Releases, of these nearly 200 were from full length or EP recordings, and over 50 were single releases. We also conducted over 117 interviews with over 150 different guests, live over our community airwaves.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #762

WMM’s Playlist from November 21, 2018

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, November 21, 2018

2018 – The Year in Music
with: Tim Finn, Marion Merritt, Chris Haghirian, & Fally Afani

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

Today we take a look at 2018: The Year in Music with 4 special guests who’ll share their Favorite Musical Releases of 2018. Guests include: Tim Finn of In Kansas City Magazine, Marion Merritt of Records With Merritt, Chris Haghirian of Eight One Sixty on 90.9 The Bridge, and Fally Afani of I Heart Local Music.

Tim Finn of In Kansas City Magazine

10:06 – Interview with Tim Finn

Tim Finn is Music Writer for In Kansas City Magazine. Tim is originally from Youngstown, New York. He studied at University of Missouri in Columbia and received his Masters of Arts, in Journalism from the University of Kansas. Tim served as Music Writer of the KC Star, where he worked for 29 years. You can hear Tim Finn Thursday afternoons between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM on 90.9 The Bridge with Jon Hart.

Tim Finn’s Favorite Musical Releases of 2018

#5. Calvin Arsenia – Cantaloupe/ Bullseye Records / September 15, 2018

2. Calvin Arsenia – “Toxic”
from: Cantaloupe / Bullseye Records / September 15, 2018 (KC Release)
[The first release on Bullseye Records. Calvin Arsenia who came home to KC in 2014 after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has released the EPs, Moments, Prose, and last year’s full length debut, Catastrophe. This year he released the EP Caviar to special guests who attended his Wickstock West show in West Bottoms. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, banjo, guitar & harp. Calvin has played Folk Alliance International, KC Fringe Fest, Apocalypse Meow, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Last year he undertook a three month US/European Outlyre Tour where he has played San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Lyon and Paris.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays The Truman December 31 with Making Movies.]

#4. Mikal Shapiro – The Musical II / Mikal Shapiro / May 26, 2018

3. Mikal Shapiro – “Everybody’s Baby”
from: The Musical II / Mikal Shapiro / May 26, 2018
[“Everybody’s Baby” is her pop song she wrote, but all the songs on The Musical 11 are great. The sequel to Shapiro’s 2015 concept album “The Musical.” Mikal Shapiro, on vocals & guitar, Chad Brothers on vocals & guitar, Johnny Hamil on bass, and Matt Richey on drums. Special guests include: Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Tina Bilberry on viola & violin, Damon Parker on keyboards, and Lauren Hughes on vocals. Engineered and co-produced by Joel Nanos at Element Recording & Mastering Studios. Mikal Shapiro is a KC songwriter whose musical influences span popular songs, psych rock, lounge, classic country and old time spirituals. She has toured extensively across the U.S. and has recorded five critically acclaimed albums. KC Star and Tim Finn declared her album “The Musical” to be one of his top five releases of 2015. A third generation storyteller, she draws inspiration from her travels, love life, and the state of the Union.]

[Mikal Shapiro will be performing vocals for the MONTA AT ODDS Argentum Dreams RECORD RELEASE in a special ‘One Performance Only’ show on Saturday, December 1, at 8:00 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, with SHANA FALANA [NYC}, MIKAL SHAPIRO & “The Musical” Band / with live video projections from VJDN8]

#3. Bob & Una Walkenhorst – For Tomorrow / Bat Records / October 12, 2018

4. Bob & Una Walkenhorst – “For Tomorrow”
from: For Tomorrow / BAT Records / October 12, 2018
[25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. Following the release of her debut album “Scars” in 2014, Una immediately had “new fans. . . coming out of the proverbial woodwork” (AXS). Paired with refreshingly raw vocals, Una’s heartfelt lyrics “will stop you in your tracks (at once beautiful and chilling),” wrote Gilded Palace Radio, as she weaves stories of genuine human experience. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. This year the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, in clear beautiful harmonies, with that extra special shared musical DNA, that can be heard in the harmonies of The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, or Shy Boys.]

[Bob & Una Walkenhorst play RSD Black Friday Nov. 23, at 2:00 PM, at Vinyl Renaissance & Audio 7932 Sante Fe Dr, Overland Park]

#2 Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear – Radio Winners EP / Glassnote / July 27, 2018

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

[Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear have just returned home from the road with The Record Company with shows in NYC, Philadelphia, Portland Maine, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham, Austin, Dallas, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver.]

#1. Amy Farrand and The Like – One / Amy Farrand / April 28, 2018

6. Amy Farrand and The Like – “Sweet Thing”
from: One / Amy Farrand / April 28, 2018
[Amy Farrand & The Like are Amy Farrand on lead vocals & guitar, Steve Tubbert on bass, Felix Dukes on drums, Kyle Dahlquist on keyboards & backing vocals, Stephan Jean-Francois on trumpet, and Katie Gilchrist on backing vocals. 11-song debut album was recorded with Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab. Amy Farrand plays over a dozen instruments, bass, drums, lap steel, guitar, she has hosted variety shows, and radio shows and has been a a member of the bands: American Catastrophe, Experimental Instrument Orchestra, Shotgun Idols, Sister Mary Rotten Crotch, Atlantic Fadeout, The Silver Maggies. One reviewer wrote of her, “Amy Farrand is a tough-as-nails vocalist making her an invaluable asset to any live act.”]

10:30 – Underwriting

Marion Merritt of Records With Merritt

10:32 – Interview with Marion Merritt

For nearly 15 years Marion Merritt has been sharing her musical discoveries and information from her musically encyclopedic brain. Marion is the creator of Records With Merritt, a small, independent, minority owned business, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri.

Marion Merritt’s Favorite Musical Releases of 2018

#5 – Blood Orange / Domino Recording Co. / August 24, 2018

7. Blood Orange – “Orlando”
from: Negro Swan / Domino Recording Co / August 24, 2018
[Devonté Hynes aka David Joseph Michael Hynes, was born December 23, 1985, better known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is a British singer, songwriter, composer, producer, dancer and director. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album in 2005. Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion and subsequently four more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2018. He has written, played or produced for artists such as Tinashe, Solange Knowles, Sky Ferreira, FKA twigs, Haim, Florence and the Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diana Vickers, The Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue, A$AP Rocky and Blondie. Hynes was voted the 49th ‘coolest person in rock’ in NME’s 2007 Cool List, jumping to position 20 in the following year’s list]

#4. Cowboy Junkies – All That Reckoning / Latent Records / July 13, 2018

8. Cowboy Junkies – “All That Reckoning, Pt. 1”
from: All That Reckoning / Latent Records / July 13, 2018
[The Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985. The group was formed in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timmins are siblings, and Anton worked with Michael Timmins during their first couple of bands. John Timmins was initially a member of the band but left the group before the recording of their first album. The band line-up has never changed since, although they use several guest musicians on many of their albums, including multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird who has performed on every album except the first. The Junkies’ 1986 debut album, produced by Canadian producer Peter Moore, was the blues-inspired Whites Off Earth Now!!, recorded in the family garage using a single ambisonic microphone. The Junkies gained worldwide fame and recognition with their second album, The Trinity Session, recorded in 1987 at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity. Their sound, again using the ambisonic microphone, and their mix of blues, country, folk, rock and jazz earned them both critical attention and a strong fan base. The Los Angeles Times named the recording as one of the ten best albums of 1988. The Cowboy Junkies have gone on to record a total of sixteen studio albums and five live albums, and remain an active band for over thirty years.]

#3. Tash Sultana – Flow State / Lonely Lands Records – Mom + Pop / August 31, 2018

9. Tash Sultana – “Big Smoke”
from: Flow State / Lonely Lands Records – Mom + Pop / August 31, 2018
[Natasha “Tash” Sultana was born June 15, 1995. She is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Described as a “one-woman band who brings new meaning to the concept of multi-tasking”. Half Australian and half Maltese, Sultana was born and grew up in Melbourne. She received a guitar from her grandfather when she was three, and has played ever since. She now can play over 10 instruments including guitar, bass, trumpet, flute, percussion and saxophone. Sultana’s teenage years were troubled. A self-described drug addict, she developed drug-induced psychosis when she was 17, and had to undergo several months of therapy to recover. Unable to find regular work, she turned to busking on the streets of Melbourne to get by.]

#2. Fantastic Negrito – Please Don’t Be Dead / Blackball Universe / June 15, 2018

10. Fantastic Negrito – “A Letter To Fear”
from: Please Don’t Be Dead / Blackball Universe – Cooking Vinyl / June 15, 2018
[Fantastic Negrito was raised in an orthodox Muslim household. His father was a Somali-Caribbean immigrant who mostly played traditional African music. When, at the age of 12, Negrito’s family moved from Massachusetts to Oakland, California. Oakland in 1970s was a million miles from Negrito’s conservative childhood. He went from Arab chants to Funkadelic in one day. By the time he was 20, Negrito had taught himself to play every instrument he could get his hands on. He was recording music, and after some difficulties on the streets he packed his bags and headed to LA, armed with a demo on cassette. Negrito signed with a million dollar deal at Interscope. The record deal was a disaster. Gangsta rap was ruling the airwaves and Negrito was in the wrong place at the wrong era. Negrito came out of the deal with a failed album and his confidence gutted. In 2000, Negrito was in a near fatal car accident that put him in a coma. For four weeks it was touch and go. Because his muscles atrophied while bedridden, he had to go through months of frustrating physical therapy to regain use of his legs. Rods were placed throughout his body. And worst of all, his playing hand was mutilated. Back in Oakland, Negrito forgot about life as a musician. He got married, he planted vegetables, raised his own chickens, and made money growing weed. He also settled into being a man, on his own, clear of the distractions of wanting to be a star. And then his son Kyu was born. He began recording without the hindrances that come with chasing trends. Negrito turned to the original DNA of all American music, the Blues. The beating life had given him primed him to channel his literal and musical forefathers: the Blues musicians of the Delta]

#1. R+R=Now – Collagically Speaking / Blue Note Records / June 15, 2018

11. R+R=NOW – “The Night In Question (feat. Terry Crews)”
from: Collagically Speaking (feat. Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Taylor McFerrin & Justin Tyson) Blue Note / June 15, 2018
[Reflect+Respond=Now, a supergroup featuring Robert Glasper on keybords, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah on trumpet, Derrick Hodge on bass, Taylor McFerrin on synthesizer, Justin Tyson on drums, and Terrace Martin on synth and vocoder. Motivated by their ethos to “reflect and respond,” forward-thinking jazz supergroup R+R=Now makes an ambitious, socially conscious blend of post-bop jazz, electronic-tinged fusion, avant-garde improvisational music, and hip-hop-influenced funk. Led by acclaimed pianist Robert Glasper, the group came together while he was working on Nina Revisited, a companion album released in conjunction with the 2015 Nina Simone documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?]

11:00 – Station ID

Chris Haghirian of Eight One Sixty on 90.1 The Bridge

11:00 – Interview with Chris Haghirian

Chris Haghirian has worked for The KC Star for 19 years and helped launch INK in April of 2008 where he puts together music promotions, and organizes music at, Boulevardia, The Plaza Art Fair, and Wednesday “Winsday” home game concerts at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals. Chris hosts Star Sessions Live every Monday at Noon on Facebook Live. With Nathan Reusch of The Record Machine, Chris makes The Middle of The Map Fest happen each year, and Chris gets to share his amazing passion for the Kansas City music scene as host, with Sarah Bradshaw, of Eight One Sixty, heard Tuesday nights at 6:00 pm, on 90.9 The Bridge.

Chris Haghirian’s Favorite Musical Releases of 2017

#5. Cat Power – Wanderer / Domino Recording Co / October 5, 2018

12. Cat Power – “Woman feat. Lana Del Rey (Single Version)”
from: Wanderer / Domino Recording Co / October 5, 2018
[10th studio album by Cat Power The album was produced entirely by Marshall herself and was written and recorded in Miami and Los Angeles over the past few years, she stated: “The course my life has taken in this journey—going from town to town, with my guitar, telling my tale; with reverence to the people who did this generations before me. Folk singers, blues singers, and everything in between. They were all wanderers, and I am lucky to be among them.” The album includes a collaboration with Lana Del Rey, whom Marshall opened for on the European leg of her LA to the Moon Tour. It is her first album to not be released on Matador since 1996. In support of the release, Marshall has embarked a world tour, that began in September. Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall was born January 21, 1972, She is better known by her stage name Cat Power. She is a singer-songwriter, musician, occasional actress, and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall’s first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in Atlanta, Marshall was raised throughout the southern United States, and began performing in local bands in Atlanta in the early 1990s. She was discovered opening for Liz Phair in 1994 by Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, with whom she recorded her first two albums, Dear Sir (1995) and Myra Lee (1996), on the same day in 1994. In 1996 she signed with Matador Records, and released a third album of new material with Shelley and Foljahn, What Would the Community Think. Following this she released the critically acclaimed Moon Pix (1998), recorded with members of Dirty Three, and The Covers Record (2000), a collection of sparsely-arranged cover songs. After a brief hiatus she released You Are Free (2003), featuring guest musicians Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder, followed by the soul-influenced The Greatest (2006), recorded with numerous Memphis studio musicians. A second album of cover tracks, Jukebox, was released in 2008. In 2012 she released the self-produced Sun, which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200, the highest charting album of her career to date. Critics have noted the constant evolution of Cat Power’s sound, with a “mix of punk, folk and blues” on her earliest albums, and elements of soul and other genres more prevalent in her later material. Her 2012 album Sun incorporated electronica, in a self-proclaimed move from the “slower” guitar-based songs she initially wrote for the album.]

#4. Christine and The Queens – Chris / Because Music / September 21, 2018

13. Christine and The Queens – “Doesn’t Matter”
from: Chris / Because Music / September 21, 2018
[Chris is the second studio album by French singer Christine and the Queens, released in both English and French versions through Because Music. It was preceded by the release of two singles, each of which were released in both English and French versions: “Girlfriend” / “Damn, dis-moi”, featuring Dâm-Funk, and “Doesn’t Matter” / “Doesn’t Matter (Voleur de soleil)”. An English-language single, “5 Dollars”, was also released alongside an S&M-inspired video, followed by the French version of “La Marcheuse”. Héloïse Letissier (born 1 June 1988), known professionally as Christine and the Queens (or, as of 2017, simply Chris), is a French singer, songwriter and producer. Born in Nantes, France, Letissier studied theatre before forming her solo musical group Christine and the Queens. Letissier has been signed to the independent record label Because Music since 2012. Her work combines music, performance, art videos, drawings and photography.]

#3. Dragon Inn 3 – Double Line / American Laundromat / August 17, 2018

14. Dragon Inn 3 – “Club Sauce”
from: Double Line / American Laundromat Records / August 17, 2018
[Kansas City based and formed in 2012 with Grace Bentley, Sharon Bowie, Philip K. Dickey, E.P. Marcus. Dragon Inn 3’s debut LP clocks in at 28 minutes, but the band spent six years whittling away on the songs that would eventually become Double Line. Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Dragon Inn 3’s playful take on 80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner). The cinematic origins of Dragon Inn 3 can be traced back to 2012, when Philip Dickey (leader of the indie-pop group Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) wrote a theme song for the award-winning short film Ghoul School. “If you watch the trailer you can tell it’s the same premise and look as Stranger Things–we just accidentally made it three years before them,” Dickey says. “I had so much fun making the soundtrack with the director (E.P. Marcus) that we decided to start a band.” Dickey recruited his sister, Sharon Bowie, an occupational therapist, and his wife, children’s librarian Grace Bentley, to help with songwriting and vocal duties. The group self-released the Ghoul School Soundtrack EP in late 2012, receiving high praise from Consequence of Sound, Philadelphia’s WXPN, and The Riverfront Times, before climbing to #1 on Bandcamp’s cassette charts. Then it was back to the studio (i.e. the bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and hotel rooms that doubled as makeshift recording studios). In between full-time jobs, parenthood, graduate school classes, and cross country moves, the members of Dragon Inn 3 put Double Line to tape. “I’m a stay-at-home dad now, so I would work on song arrangements and rough mixes when our toddler was taking his naps,” explains Dickey. “Grace would come home from work and record all her parts after his bedtime. We recorded all the breathy vocals in the living room and all the yelly parts in the garage so we wouldn’t wake him up.” The result is a highly addictive album that creates “a soundtrack for the more introspective moments on and off the dance floor,” according to critic David Greenwald. Opening track “What Kind Of World Are You Living In” plays like Blondie if the band hired Hall and Oates to record guitars. The album takes an intimate turn with “Bad Boy,” Bowie’s dreamy “Rocket Launcher,” and Bentley’s introspective cover of Robin Gibb’s “Juliet.” “3 Minute Mile” swoons with arpeggios and a hypnotic MOOG bass, while Bentley softly repeats the phrase “desperation/bad desire.” Then there are Italo-disco tinged tracks “Backstabber” and “Club Sauce,” with sing-songy pop hooks that harken back to Madonna and Whitney Houston’s greatest hits. “Double Line Theme” and “Murder In The Third” show off DI3’s soundtrack aspirations, and sound like lost Tangerine Dream and Giorgio Moroder B-sides. “Up In The Business” provides indelible synth hooks and a triumphant ending to Double Line. With members spread out over the country (KC, LA, and Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in early 2018. A demo of “Bad Boy” (co-written with Free Energy’s Paul Sprangers) landed in a commercial for Ryan Adams’ Beats 1 Radio show before the song was even completed.]

#2. Bob & Una Walkenhorst – For Tomorrow / Bat Records / October 12, 2018

15. Bob & Una Walkenhorst – “Get On The Bus”
from: For Tomorrow / BAT Records / October 12, 2018
[25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. Following the release of her debut album “Scars” in 2014, Una immediately had “new fans. . . coming out of the proverbial woodwork” (AXS). Paired with refreshingly raw vocals, Una’s heartfelt lyrics “will stop you in your tracks (at once beautiful and chilling),” wrote Gilded Palace Radio, as she weaves stories of genuine human experience. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. This year the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, in clear beautiful harmonies, with that extra special shared musical DNA, that can be heard in the harmonies of The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, or Shy Boys.]

[Bob & Una Walkenhorst play RSD Black Friday Nov. 23, at 2:00 PM, at Vinyl Renaissance & Audio 7932 Sante Fe Dr, Overland Park]

#1. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born Soundtrack / Interscope / Oct. 5, 2018

16. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – “Shallow”
from: A Star Is Born Soundtrack / Interscope / October 5, 2018
[A Star Is Born is a 2018 American musical romantic drama film produced and directed by Bradley Cooper (in his directorial debut) and written by Eric Roth, Cooper and Will Fetters. A remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it stars Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott, and follows a hard-drinking musician (Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a young singer (Gaga). It marks the fourth remake of the original 1937 film, after the 1954 musical, the 1976 rock musical and the 2013 Bollywood romance film. After seeing him perform at Desert Trip festival, Cooper approached Lukas Nelson (son of country music singer Willie Nelson) and asked him to help work on the film. Nelson agreed and wrote several songs, which he sent to the producers. Nelson subsequently met Lady Gaga and began writing songs with her and she, in turn, provided backing vocals on two tracks on his self-titled 2017 album. The soundtrack, performed by Gaga and Cooper, was released on October 5, 2018, by Interscope Records. The studio announced that the album “features 19 songs in a wide range of musical styles + 15 dialogue tracks that will take you on a journey that mirrors the experience of seeing the film.”.]

11:29 – Underwriting

Fally Afani of I Heart Local Music

10:31 – Interview with Fally Afani

Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning more than 17 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. She has received several Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards as well as an Edward R. Murrow award for her online work in journalism. Fally lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where she reports on local and touring musicians and where she is the founder of, I Heart Local Music a comprehensive website providing info and place for music lovers in Lawrence to gather. It was started out of a deep love and appreciation for the local music scene. More information at: http://www.iheartlocalmusic.com

11:33 – Fally Afani’s Favorite Musical Releases of 2018

#5. Khrystal – “The Awkward Muva / Khrystal / July 13, 2018

17. Khrystal. – “Some People”
from: The Awkward Muva / Khrystal. / July 13, 2018
[Khrystal Coppage is Editor-in-Chief of Khorage Magazine. She served as Production Manager at UMKC University News from 2015 to 2016. She graduated from UMKC in 2016 where she studied Family Studies. She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2013. She is a graduate of Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, in KCK. You can hear her debut album at; http://mixtapemonkey.com/2073/khrystal-q-u-a-r-t-e-r-c-e-n-t-u-r-y-l-i-v-i-n-g. Khrystal also released the three song EP, The Glow Up produced by Duncan Burnett on November 7, 2017 ]

#4. Pale Tongue – Pale Tongue EP / Manor Records / October 5, 2018

18. Pale Tongue – “King in Yellow”
from: Pale Tongue EP / Manor Records / October 5, 2018
[Lawrence based 3-piece band formed by Carlos Calderon and Nick Fredrickson of The Appleseed Cast and bassist James Thomblinson of Arc Flash, and Psychic Heat. The trio has molded their ripping ‘dungeon rock’ sound into a fierce torrent of fuzz and fury, bending and merging gritty acidic psych-punk with hypnogogic dreamscapes, crafting a realm of experience dripping in cosmic horror and heady awe. Engineered by Mitch Hewlett. Mix and Mastered by Joel Coon.]

#3. Sona – Sona EP2 / Spounds Wierd Records / September 14, 2018

19. Sona – “Pop Song”
from: Sona EP 2 / Something Sounds Weird Records / September 14, 2018
[Sona began as the love child of husband and wife Brian and Jenna Goodman. Add Bobby Reeves on drums makes this alternative indie rock shoegaze post-punkLawrence Kansas based band a “power trio.” The EP was recorded at Fire & Ice Studios Baldwin, KS and was engineered/mixed by Steve Squire and mastered by Duane Trower with all songs written by SONA ©2018 Something Sounds Weird Records]

#4. Serene Fiend – Sowing Dischord / DK Records / July 27, 2018

20. Serene Fiend – “Just Wont Go Away”
from: Sowing Discord / DK Records / July 27, 2018
[Industrial pop-rock project from Lawrence, Kansas based Joel Bonner. Vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers, Drum Programming, Mixing, Mastering by Joel Bonner. Written by Joel Bonner. I Heart Local Music calls Sowing Discord “warm and beautiful, wrapping you up its lush sound.”]

#1 CS Luxem – Symptoms / Whatever Forever / February 17, 2018

21. CS Luxem – “Let Me Go On”
from: Symptoms / Whatever Forever / February 17, 2018
[Debut full-length from CS Luxem who works as a solo artist as well as a collaborator. CS Luxem has released several EPs and has performed all over the United States and Europe. Info at http://www.csluxem.bandcamp.com]

Fally’s Honorable Mentions:
Brass and Boujee – “All Day”
Bummer – “Reefer Sadness” off Holy Terror
HighWesthus – “Fangs” off TAKOTSUBO: a love story
The Phantastics – “Life of the Party” off of Life of the Party EP
Duncan Burnett – “Black Boy Joy” off The Almighty
Calvin Arsenia – “Tip Toe” or “Toxic” off Cantaloupe

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

Next week on November 28, Wednesday MidDay Medley presents our Top 25 Singles of 2018 (These are stand alone single releases of 2018 that are not included on any EPs or full length album releases.)

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4-week special series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018, on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

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

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

Show #761

Wednesday MidDay Medley with Tim Finn + Marion Merritt + Chris Haghirian + Fally Afani

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, November 21, 2018

2018 – The Year in Music
with: Tim Finn, Marion Merritt, Chris Haghirian, & Fally Afani

Mark welcomes four special guests who share their Favorite Musical Releases of 2018. Guests include: Tim Finn – Music Writer for In Kansas City Magazine, Marion Merritt – owner of Records With Merritt, Chris Haghirian – of The Kansas City Star and Host of Eight One Sixty on 90.9 The Bridge, and Fally Afani – Founder & Editor of I Heart Local Music.

We’ll hear representative tracks from: Calvin Arsenia, Bob & Una Walkenhorst, Mikal Shapiro, Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear, Amy Farrand and The Like, Khrystal, Pale Tongue, Sona, Serene Fiend, CS Luxem, Dragon Inn 3, Cat Power, Tash Sultana, Christine and the Queens, Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, Blood Orange, Cowboy Junkies, Fantastic Negrito, and R+R=Now.

NEXT WEEK, On November 28, Wednesday MidDay Medley presents our Top 25 Singles of 2018 (These are stand alone single releases of 2018 that are not included on any EPs or full length album releases.)

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4-week special series: The 118 Best Recordings of 2018, on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #761

WMM Playlist from November 14, 2018

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, November 14, 2018

Royce “Sauce” Handy
+ Shaun Crowley & Mason Blaize +
Dr. Michael J C Taylor + New & MidCoastal Releases

1. “It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s theme song]

2. The Depth and The Whisper – “Souvenir”
from: “Souvenir” – Single / The Depth and The Whisper / October 26, 2018
[Dave Tanner on bass, guitar & vocals; Albert Bickley on guitar & vocals. Albert Bickley, a Kansas City native, has been writing, recording and performing original music for years. Everything, including other bands he’s been in, have led to this moment and this project. Dave Tanner, a Canadian who calls Parkville, MO, home, has played bass in numerous bands through the years from rock and heavy metal to folk and punk. Albert Bickley and Dave Tanner do not believe the world owes them anything, but they know that they have something to give her. The two songwriters and musicians met in 2010 in the music scene of Kansas City, where they both had been active for several years. “When my last band broke up and I wrote new songs again, I immediately thought of Dave,” Albert remembers “I wanted his bass. I just told him to come over when you have time. He played the demos, we listened to it and just said, ‘That’s it! Perfect! ‘”This feeling is very rare.” Dave confirms:” We immediately had great respect and reverence for each other. We are both at the moment. And our music satisfies a deep need in us. We complement each other, we get better. And by that I do not just mean the music. “Because since then an extraordinary friendship has grown between them. “Albert and I started a conversation back then,” Dave explains, “and it never ended.”]

3. Monta At Odds – “Chromosphere”
from: Argentum Dreams / Haymaker Records / October 19, 2018
[6th full length release from the psychedelic, experimental indie/space rock/electronic collective based in KCK formed by brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore. The band describes their music as: Mutant Disco, minimal synthwave, post-punk dance, Electronica, Indie, Space Rock, Ambient. Current members include: Dedric Moore, Delaney Moore, Alexander Thomas, Adam Davies, Zach Bozich, Aaron Osborne, Matthew Hayden, past supporting members: Mika Tanaya, Sterling Holman, Bree Plaster; Eric Bessenbacher, Ryan Shank, Jeremiah James, Samer Saba, Doug Hutchinson, Erin O’Neill, Sam Behrens, Luke Behrens, Sam Hughes, Tom Romero, Caleb Aldrich, John Aldrich.]

[MONTA AT ODDS plays an Argentum Dreams RECORD RELEASE with Mikal Shapiro performing vocals in a special ‘One Performance Only’ show on Saturday, December 1, at 8:00 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, with SHANA FALANA (NYC), MIKAL SHAPIRO & “The Musical” Band / with live video projections from VJDN8]

4. The UK’s – “AWOD”
from: American Way of Death – EP / The UK’s / November 17, 2018
[Kansas City based band formed in July 2010 with Noah Bartelt on lead vocals & guitar, Scott Combs on guitar & vocals, Katelyn Miles on bass, Tarquin Eugene Kellough on drums. This EP is their follow up release to their 2016 debut album “Bad Seed”, featuring their single “The Poison Squad” released in March of 2018 and four more tracks. More info at: http://www.theuksband.com]

[The UK’s play an EP Release Bonanza Show with Shoebox Money who are also releasing a new EP, Saturday, November 17, at 8:00 PM, at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, with The Way Way Back, and Kid Computer.]

5. Shoebox Money – “Lifeline”
from: Reason and Rhyme Side B / Avenue Records / November 17, 2018
[Lawrence, Kansas based band that has recently had some line up changes. The current band includes: Hannah Norris on guitar & vocals , Ben Wellwood on guitar & harmonica & vocals, Patrick Spanier on bass, John Feess on slide guitar, and Nico Williams on percussion. This new EP is a follow up to the band’s September 1, 2018 EP release, Reason & Rhyme – Side A. After winning the Farmer’s Ball 2018 Battle of the Bands in Lawrence, Kansas the band finally had the funds to record their first ever professional EP. Filled with tales of frustration, heartbreak, longing, and good times, they are incredibly proud of the music they have worked so hard to create.]

[Shoebox Money play an EP Release Bonanza Show with The UK’s who are also releasing a new EP, Saturday, November 17, at 8:00 PM, at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., North Kansas City, with The Way Way Back, and Kid Computer.]

6. Heidi Phillips and Danny Krause – “Be Good”
from: Honest I’m Fine / Heidi Phillips and Danny Krause / June 23, 2018
[Heidi Phillips on vocals, guitar, mandolin, & drums; Danny Krause on vocals, guitar, mandolin, & bass; Zeke Krause on percussion; and Linn Buck on piano. Heidi and Danny played together in the short lived band Abileen who released a great album and broke up just as the album was being released. Before that Heidi was the co-songwriter for the alternative rock band Frogpond that she formed in 1994. Frogpond achieved considerable success and was signed to Tristar Music and Columbia Records. Through a few line up changes the band included Heidi Phillips, Justine Volpe, Krisite Stremel, Megan Hamilton, Tawni Freeland and the late Billy Johnson who played drums on all of their recordings and who passed away on February 14, 2018 at the age of 42.]

7. Eggs on Mars – “Sod is Good”
from: Mama Pancake / Eggs On Mars / November 9, 2018
[KC based 3-piece, lo-fi, psych-surf-garage rock band with Brad Smith on guitars, vocals & keyboards; Justin Longmeyer on bass; and Mason Potter on drums & percussion. Mama Pancake was recorded May through September of 2018. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rodd Fenton. All songs by Eggs on Mars.]

8. BRONCHO – “Boys Got To Go”
from: Bad Behavior / Park The Van Records / October 12, 2018
[4th album from indie rock band formed in Norman, Oklahoma in 2010. The current lineup consists of Ryan Lindsey on guitar and vocals, Ben King and Mandii Larsen on guitars, Penny Pitchlynn on bass and Nathan Price on drums.Their debut album Can’t Get Past the Lips originally came out in 2011 and was rereleased by Fairfax Recordings in 2013. Broncho released their second album Just Enough Hip to Be Woman on September 16, 2014 on Dine Alone Records. The album received generally favorable reviews from the music press.The band’s song “It’s On” was played over the closing credits of “Females Only,” the first episode of the third season of the HBO series Girls. “Try Me Out Sometime” was used in an advertisement for HBO Now and Movie 43. “Try Me Out Sometime” was also featured in the documentary, Valley Uprising. The track “Class Historian” was used in a commercial featuring Kate Hudson for her Fabletics brand of women’s athletic clothing as well as Cartoon Network’s bearstack campaign. “Class Historian” also appears on the soundtrack for Vacation, as well as the second episode of the second season of Santa Clarita Diet.]

[BRONCHO plays The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, on Saturday, November 17, at 8:00 PM with Valen, and Momma’s Boy.]

10:28 – Underwriting

Michael J C Taylor on the November 14, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

10:32 – Interview with Michael J C Taylor

Constitutional Historian, Dr. Michael J C Taylor joins us to talk about his new book, The Preamble and Mission of the Constitution, to be released December 9, 2018 from Peter Lang Publishing of New York. Michael J C Taylor earned his bachelor of arts from Rockhurst College and obtained his doctorate in history and political science from the University of Missouri Kansas City. He served as Professor of American History and Politics at Dickinson State University, Bemidji State University and Paine College.

Michael J C Taylor, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

From the book cover: “The Preamble and Mission of the Constitution is an intellectual history of the six essential phrases of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. These phrases convey what the essential goals and purposes of the Constitution are, and this book’s essential mission is to discern both the original intent they left to us. The Book examines the writing of the Framers, as well as the various works that inspire their ideas and the abstract concepts they studied.”

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution’s fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It states in general terms, and courts have referred to it as reliable evidence of the Founding Fathers’ intentions regarding the Constitution’s meaning and what they hoped the Constitution would achieve.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

From wikipedia: The phrase “People of the United States” has sometimes been understood to mean “citizens.” This approach reasons that, if the political community speaking for itself in the Preamble (“We the People”) includes only citizens, by negative implication it specifically excludes non-citizens in some fashion. It has also been construed to mean something like “all under the sovereign jurisdiction and authority of the United States.”[49] The phrase has been construed as affirming that the national government created by the Constitution derives its sovereignty from the people, (whereas “United Colonies” had identified external monarchical sovereignty) as well as confirming that the government under the Constitution was intended to govern and protect “the people” directly, as one society, instead of governing only the states as political units. The Court has also understood this language to mean that the sovereignty of the government under the U.S. Constitution is superior to that of the States. Stated in negative terms, the Preamble has been interpreted as meaning that the Constitution was not the act of sovereign and independent states.

From wikipedia.org: The phrase “to form a more perfect Union” has been construed as referring to the shift to the Constitution from the Articles of Confederation. The contemporary meaning of the word “perfect” was complete, finished, fully informed, confident, or certain. The phrase has been interpreted in various ways throughout history based on the context of the times. For example, shortly after the Civil War and the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court said that the “Union” was made “more perfect” by the creation of a federal government with enough power to act directly upon citizens, rather than a government with narrowly limited power that could act on citizens only indirectly through the states, e.g., by imposing taxes. Also, the institution was created as a government over the States and people, not an agreement (union) between the States. Later, the phrase came to mean the continual process of improvement of the country.

Jon Meacham wrote in 2018: “To know what has come before is to be armed against despair. If the men and women of the past, with all their flaws and limitations and ambitions and appetites, could press on through ignorance and superstition, racism and sexism, selfishness and greed, to create a freer, stronger nation, then perhaps we, too, can right wrongs and take another step toward that most enchanting and elusive destinations: a more perfect Union.”

Michael J C Taylor’s tie on the November 14, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

Michael J C Taylor wrote on his Facebook page: ““We, the people …” is the phrase the opens the U.S. Constitution. It is an inspiration to all of those who live or wish to live within the American republic. These words convey the vital foundation of this country and who is at the center of its governmental polices, its beneficence, and its aspirations.

Yet throughout it’s his history the people have been excluded from the choice of their representatives. When the republic was founded with the adoption of the Constitution only white land-owning males were allowed the voting franchise. It was argued by John Dickinson of Delaware and Gouveneur Morris of Pennsylvania that if all were allowed the right to vote the have-nots would take from the haves—an argument which appealed to the majority of the delegates for they were all men of position and wealth.

It was not until the opening of the West in the 1820s and 1830s the franchise was broadened to include all White males. Inspired by Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”, published in 1798, the push for women to vote began in the early 1840s. The movement’s public launch came with the Seneca Falls Convention held on 19 July 1848. However when the movement became affiliated with abolitionist causes it became a popular pariah in both the North and the South during the 1850s, while gaining ascendency in the West.

The voting franchise expanded with the 1870 ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution when all males regardless of color were provided the right to vote, but women were not included. Individual western states began allowing the votes of women in local and state election in the late 1870s. Victoria Woodhull offered herself as a presidential candidate in 1880, and Belva Lockwood actually ran for president in 1884, and was arrested when she attempted to vote for herself. The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920 and allowed women the right to vote, although state laws barred Asian and Hispanic women that right until 1954, and women of color until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

In short, the right to vote in a free and fair election for most Americans was long and hard-fought-for process. Those who benefitted from the casting of fewer votes, and who also already held the franchise, saw fit to block every action taken on behalf of “We, the people”. And they are engaged once again in this practice under the guise of “voter fraud”.

They have made laws in which some legitimate voters are barred from casting their ballots, or if they cast their ballots they are not counted. Then there are other laws which bar those with rural addresses lacking specific streets as locations which further contracts the voting populace. Then there are the political candidates who seek to stop recounting votes in fear of losing their provisional victory in the initial count which, of course, has the real effect of not counting every vote.

For a republic to function properly all who cast their ballots must be heard, and their votes tallied to determine the true victor in a popular election. To hinder this goal is the win by fraud, and to make public policy through malice and thievery. As the right to vote has been a hard-won process it does not benefit a country based upon the will of “We, the people” to exclude them from the choice of who is to represent them in a representative republic. And those who seek to gain from it have too much to gain from restricting the voice of American citizens.”

http://www.peterlang.com // Author Photo by Bill Pryor // Cover Image by Michael McQuary

Dr. Michael J C Taylor
Photo by Bill Pryor

Michael J C Taylor is not only a Scholar of U.S. Constitutional History he is also the co-founder and vocalist and 12-string acoustic guitarist and Composer with his band Hejira.

Side note: Hejira is the 8th studio album by Joni Mitchell, released in 1976. The songs on the album were largely written by Mitchell on a trip by car from Maine back to LA, with prominent imagery including highways, small towns and snow. The photographs of Mitchell on the front and back cover were taken by Norman Seeff and appear against a backdrop of Lake Mendota, in Madison, Wisconsin, after an ice storm. Characterized by lyrically dense, sprawling songs, and the distinctive fretless bass playing of Jaco Pastorius, Hejira marked Mitchell’s turn towards the jazz-based music she would implement on later recordings. The album did not sell as well as its predecessors, peaking at #22 in Mitchell’s native Canada. It also reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart in the U.S. (where it was certified gold by RIAA), and #11 in the UK, where it attained a silver certification. Critically, the album was generally well received, and in the years since its release, Hejira has been recognized as one of the high-water marks in Mitchell’s career.

The album title is a transliteration of the Arabic word “hijra”, which means “journey”, usually referring to the migration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (and his companions) from Mecca to Medina in 622. She later stated that when she chose the title, she was looking for a word that meant “running away with honor.” She found the word “hejira” while reading the dictionary, and was drawn to the “dangling j, like in Aja… it’s leaving the dream, no blame”.

Michael J C Taylor is also the cofounder writer producer for ‘Greenwich Mean Time’ a satirical comedy radio sho produced for KKFI between 1988 and 1989 with Pete Bakely, Harris Deutch, and Sheila Gerber with episodes that were nominated for both a George Foster Peabody Broadcast Award and the Playboy Free Speech Awards.

Michael J C Taylor, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

Dr. Michael J C Taylor’s new book, The Preamble and Mission of the Constitution, will be released December 9, 2018 from Peter Lang Publishing of New York. His book will be available through amazon and where ever books are sold.

10:48

9. Ex Acrobat – “Let’s Get Lost”
from: Let’s Get Lost – EP / Ex Acrobat / October 10, 2018
[Ex Acrobat is a Kansas City based 4-piece rock band with Justin Warring on guitar & vocals, Duane Trower on guitar, Chuck Irons on bass, John Cruz on drums.]

[Ex Acrobat play miniBar, 3810 Broadway, Thur, Dec. 6, at 9:00 PM, with Dead Soft, and Man Bear.]

10. Dragon Inn 3 – “What Kind Of World Are You Living In”
from: Double Line / American Laundromat Records / August 17, 2018
[Kansas City based and formed in 2012 with Grace Bentley, Sharon Bowie, Philip K. Dickey, E.P. Marcus. Dragon Inn 3’s debut LP clocks in at 28 minutes, but the band spent six years whittling away on the songs that would eventually become Double Line. Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Dragon Inn 3’s playful take on 80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner). The cinematic origins of Dragon Inn 3 can be traced back to 2012, when Philip Dickey (leader of the indie-pop group Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) wrote a theme song for the award-winning short film Ghoul School. “If you watch the trailer you can tell it’s the same premise and look as Stranger Things–we just accidentally made it three years before them,” Dickey says. “I had so much fun making the soundtrack with the director (E.P. Marcus) that we decided to start a band.” Dickey recruited his sister, Sharon Bowie, an occupational therapist, and his wife, children’s librarian Grace Bentley, to help with songwriting and vocal duties. The group self-released the Ghoul School Soundtrack EP in late 2012, receiving high praise from Consequence of Sound, Philadelphia’s WXPN, and The Riverfront Times, before climbing to #1 on Bandcamp’s cassette charts. Then it was back to the studio (i.e. the bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and hotel rooms that doubled as makeshift recording studios). In between full-time jobs, parenthood, graduate school classes, and cross country moves, the members of Dragon Inn 3 put Double Line to tape. “I’m a stay-at-home dad now, so I would work on song arrangements and rough mixes when our toddler was taking his naps,” explains Dickey. “Grace would come home from work and record all her parts after his bedtime. We recorded all the breathy vocals in the living room and all the yelly parts in the garage so we wouldn’t wake him up.” The result is a highly addictive album that creates “a soundtrack for the more introspective moments on and off the dance floor,” according to critic David Greenwald. Opening track “What Kind Of World Are You Living In” plays like Blondie if the band hired Hall and Oates to record guitars. The album takes an intimate turn with “Bad Boy,” Bowie’s dreamy “Rocket Launcher,” and Bentley’s introspective cover of Robin Gibb’s “Juliet.” “3 Minute Mile” swoons with arpeggios and a hypnotic MOOG bass, while Bentley softly repeats the phrase “desperation/bad desire.” Then there are Italo-disco tinged tracks “Backstabber” and “Club Sauce,” with sing-songy pop hooks that harken back to Madonna and Whitney Houston’s greatest hits. “Double Line Theme” and “Murder In The Third” show off DI3’s soundtrack aspirations, and sound like lost Tangerine Dream and Giorgio Moroder B-sides. “Up In The Business” provides indelible synth hooks and a triumphant ending to Double Line. With members spread out over the country (KC, LA, and Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in early 2018. A demo of “Bad Boy” (co-written with Free Energy’s Paul Sprangers) landed in a commercial for Ryan Adams’ Beats 1 Radio show before the song was even completed.]

11. Oh Dear Oh My – “Bon Appetit”
from: ASHDLA’ / Oh Dear Oh My / July 11, 2018
[KC synth/drum duo, is made up of Rani & Curt. This is their 2nd release. They’ve been playing locally for 3 years. This EP Ashdla’ is named for the Navajo word for Five. There are five tracks on their EP, as Curt is himself Navajo. Oh Dear Oh My tend toward dark & dancy but can’t seem to commit to a single rock genre.]

12. Meshell Ndegeocello – “Waterfalls”
from: Ventriloquism / Naive / March 16, 2018
[Singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and vocalist. Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rock. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, and has had ten career Grammy Award nominations. She has been credited for having “sparked the neo-soul movement.”Ventriloquism is the 12th studio album from Meshell Ndegeocello. The album covers eleven R&B and pop tracks originally recorded in the 1980s and 1990s. A portion of the profits of the album will go to the ACLU. Tis album follows “Comet, Come to Me”, her 11th studio album. “Waterfalls” is a song by American recording group TLC. It was written by band member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes with Marqueze Etheridge and Organized Noize for TLC’s second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), featuring production by the latter. The song was released as the third single from the album on May 29, 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on August 5, 1995. Often considered the group’s signature song, “Waterfalls” was an international hit, topping the charts in many different territories. The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the group their second US No. 1. The song was the No. 2 song of the year on the Billboard 1995 year-end chart. “Waterfalls” also peaked at No. 1 in New Zealand, Switzerland, and Germany, while reaching the top 10 in many other countries. “Waterfalls” received critical acclaim, earning 2 Grammy nominations at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996 for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song tackled issues of the illegal drug trade, promiscuity and HIV/AIDS. Jarett E. Nolan of BMG noted that “Waterfalls” was the first #1 song ever to reference AIDS in one of its verses. The accompanying music video for the song reflected its socially conscious lyrics. With a million-dollar budget, the video was an MTV staple credited for giving the single much of its success. It stayed atop the MTV Video Monitor chart for over a month, making TLC the first act to ever achieve this feat. The video won 4 MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, including top honors for Video of the Year. TLC was the first African-American act to ever receive the trophy.]

[TLC plays Ameristar Casino, Saturday, November 17, at 8:30 PM]

11:00 – Station ID

13. Sauce – “Apologize”
from: Soul Food 4 / Sauce / November 21, 2018
[Kansas City based Hip-Hop artist Sauce is back with his 4th original release. Sauce’s earlier releases charted on Billboard, iTunes and Amazon Hip-Hop charts. More info at: http://www.soundcloud.com/theycallmesauce%5D

[Sauce plays the Stockyard Sounds Concert Series with LUCUS, Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee, KCMO in the West Bottoms.]

[Sauce plays the SoulFood4 Release Show, A Concert to Celebrate Black Men, Health, Family and Purpose on Wed, Nov 21, at 6:00 PM at Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery, 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO.]

Royce “Sauce” Handy

11:04 – Interview with Royce “Sauce” Handy

Royce “Sauce” Handy is a rapper, a songwriter, a beat maker, a designer, a teacher, an MC, a business owner, a social media manager, a husband, a father., a community organizer. He has worked with the AdHoc Group Against Crime, Teens in Transition, Storytellers Inc., Arts Tech, Mid-America Regional Council, UMKC, Representative Brandon Ellington, Mayor Sly James. He is co-owner of The Rap Asylum, We are RAP, and owner of Melanin Connoisseur. Sauce has collaborated with visual artists, the hip hop community and with the collective NUBLVCKCITY. Last year Sauce released his EP Summer Sauce which was part of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017. Throughout November and December he will be touring midwestern and southern cities with Mae C., Kartez Marcel, VP3, and Kadesh Flow. Sauce joins us to share new music and information about the Stockyard Sounds Concert Series with LUCUS, Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee, KCMO in the West Bottoms. Sauce is on the verge of sending out his newest release Soul Food 4, with a special SoulFood4 Release show – A Concert to Celebrate Black Men, Health, Family and Purpose on Wednesday, November 21, at 6:00 PM at Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery, 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO.

Royce “Sauce” Handy, Thanks for being with us on WMM

Royce “Sauce” Handy grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. His father ran a small business Quindaro Boulevard. His mother grounded her son when he got into trouble. While being grounded he spent the days reading books. He had a large collection of Goosebumps books. He wrote, too, finding his way with words and language and rhthym. In 5th grade at Fairfax Elementary school he became known as a human jukebox. He memorized songs from Master P, Naz, Biggie and others that he heard on the radio.

He told Pitchweekly: “I think that kind of helped when I first heard hip-hop,” he says. “I was always into the lyrics.”

From Pitch KC: “By the time he attended Wyandotte High School, he and his friends would pound out beats on lunchroom tables and battle whenever they could. Everyone in the group had a rap name except Handy. At the time, the And1 Mixtape Tour filled ESPN airwaves with cartoon crossovers and impossible dunks; the king of the dribble back then was a scrawny kid named Philip Champion — Hot Sauce. Handy considered himself the king of his crew, so he cribbed the name. People called him Sauce.”

He got married at 22, and becoming a father transformed his perspective

In 2012 one of his best friends was injured seriously in a drive-by shooting. Multiple bullets struck the chest of Handy’s friend, who was hospitalized and fell into a coma for months.

When Handy returned to the recording studio he wanted his music to carry a message about the tragedy of his friend. His “Stop the violence,” music became a bridge for his involvement with began working with the AdHoc Group Against Crime, KC Mothers in Charge and other anti-violence groups around the city.

Handy’s track “Gunshots” was released in 2013 and spoke out against hip hop’s obsession with guns and violence. Handy performed his music in Boys & Girls Clubs, and after school programs and churches throughout the metro. “Gunshots” was played on Hot 103 Jamz and became a hit for Sauce.

Handy’s choice to use hip hop music to promote positive themes, and the celebration of women and men in our community started to grow from this experience and has formed Handy’s music in his last three professionally produced EPs, and continues into his new upcoming 4th EP Soul Food 4.

11:15

14. Sauce – “Cultivating Manhood feat. Ryan S. Harvey”
from: Soul Food 4 / Sauce / November 21, 2018
[Kansas City based Hip-Hop artist Sauce is back with his 4th original release. Sauce’s earlier releases charted on Billboard, iTunes and Amazon Hip-Hop charts. More info at: http://www.soundcloud.com/theycallmesauce%5D

11:17 – Interview with Royce “Sauce” Handy

Royce “Sauce’ Handy on the November 14, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

Royce “Sauce” Handy joins us to share new music and information about several shows he plays in the next week. Sauce plays the Stockyard Sounds Concert Series with LUCUS, Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee, KCMO in the West Bottoms. Sauce plays the SoulFood4 Release Show, A Concert to Celebrate Black Men, Health, Family and Purpose on Wednesday, November 21, at 6:00 PM at Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery, 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO.

Royce “Sauce” Handy, Thanks for being with us on WMM

Royce “Sauce” Handy and his musical partner, rapper and producer Kartez Marcel have worked with young people through the Teens in Transition program at ArtsTech. Michael Toombs, the director of Storytellers Inc, who coordinates the program told Pitchweekly, “He really added another dimension.”

NUBLVCKCITY is a group Hip Hop artists who collaborate as a collective musical entity. The group includes Sauce, Mae C., Kartez Marcel, and others.

Royce “Sauce” Handy is a Hip-Hop entrepreneur, creative, urban leader, and more. He has worked as an Air Quality/Public Affairs Intern at Mid-America Regional Council. He serves as Social Media Manager at Big Mommas Bakery-Cafe. Handy is Co-Owner/Talent Buyer at The Rap Asylum and Co-owner/Teacher at We Are RAP. He is owner/Designer at Melanin Connoisseur

Providing soulful & empowering tunes, Kansas City native, Sauce, guarantees a live performance that will inspire any & everyone. On top of being a go-to voice for the region, and having music that has peaked on iTunes, Amazon, and Billboard charts, he works with youth through Hip-Hop based initiatives. He is available for performing, speaking, teaching (Hip-Hop education), and more.

Royce “Sauce” Handy, Thanks for being with us on WMM

Sauce plays the Stockyard Sounds Concert Series with LUCUS, Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee, KCMO in the West Bottoms.

Sauce plays the SoulFood4 Release Show, A Concert to Celebrate Black Men, Health, Family and Purpose on Wednesday, November 21, at 6:00 PM at Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery, 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO.

11:25

15. Sauce – “Black Power Ranger”
from: Summer Sauce / Sauce / July 28, 2017
[3rd original release from Kansas City based Hip-Hop artist Sauce. It features Kendrick Lamar and Tech N9NE collaborator, Gee Watts, along with producer/rapper Duncan Burnett. Duncan Burnett produced all the songs except Childhood Crush, produced by M. Fasol. This concept EP sets the tone of love and greatness via future soul, live instruments, and summer vibes. Sauce’s earlier releases charted on Billboard, iTunes and Amazon Hip-Hop charts.]

11:28 – Underwriting

16. Rachel Cion – “One More Time 35mm”
from: One More Time 35mm – Single / Rachel Cion / November 9, 2018
[Rachel Cion is Rachel Cionitti an Olathe, Kansas based singer-songwriter who has posted multiple songs on her SoundCloud page.]

[Rachel Cion plays Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms with Chloe Jacobsen, and Mason Blaize.]

11:33 – Interview with Shaun Crowley and Mason Blaize

Royce “Sauce” Handy, Shaun Crowley, and Mason Blaize on the November 14, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

We first met Shaun Crowley in the band Rev Gusto. He is a classically trained guitarist, and has studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Shaun is part of the band Momma’s Boy and is a co-founder of Manor Records, a music label that grew out of Manor Fest, the first festival sized “house show” Shaun and friends produced in their basement featuring 12 bands. Shaun is also organizing the live music at Voltaire, 1617 Genessee, in the West Bottoms.

Kansas City based singer songwriter Mason Blaize who is a classically trained vocalist who has performed with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Mason plays piano, bass, ukulele and has played guitar snce she was 8 years old. Mason has gain fans through her shows at The Rino, Ollie’s Local and Californos. Mason Blaize will play live in our 90.1 FM Studios.

Shaun Crowley & Mason Blaize join us to share details about Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms. This is a benefit for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. MOCSA’s mission is to improve lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and assault and prevent sexual violence in our community. The show features musical sets from three of KC’s upcoming singer songwriters: Chloe Jacobsen, Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize.
Shaun Crowley and Rachel Mallin thanks for being with us on WMM.

Shaun Crowley & Mason Blaize thanks for being with us on WMM.

Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM,
Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms.

This is a benefit for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. MOCSA’s mission is to improve lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and assault and prevent sexual violence in our community. More info at: http://www.mocsa.org.

The show features musical sets from three of KC’s upcoming singer songwriters: Chloe Jacobsen, Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize.

11:42

Mason Blaize

17. Mason Blaize – “Time” (LIVE)

[Mason Blaize plays Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms with Rachel Cion, and Chloe Jacbson.]

We’re talking with Shaun Crowley & Mason Blaize about Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms. The show features musical sets from three of KC’s upcoming singer songwriters: Chloe Jacobsen, Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize.

This is a benefit for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. MOSCA’s mission is to improve lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and assault and prevent sexual violence in our community.

Momma’s Boy opens for BRONCHO atThe Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, on Saturday, November 17, at 8:00 PM with Valen.

Shaun Crowley and Mason Blaize thanks for being with us on WMM.

11:54

18. Chloe Jacobson – “True Blue”
from: Frozen Fruit / Chloe Jacobson / to be released soon
[Kansas City, Missouri based singer songwriter. Her soulful, bluesy vocals are colored with the pop cadence of aughts-era emo. Her first album release, titled “Frozen Fruit” is expected to drop in late 2018 or early 2019 following with a midwest tour soon to be announced. More info at: http://www.chloejacobson.online]

[Chloe Jacobson plays Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms with Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize.]

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

Next week on Wednesday November 21, Tim Finn – Music writer for IN Kansas City, Marion Merritt – owner of Records With Merritt, Chris Haghirian – from Ink and KC Star and host of Eight One Sixty on 90.9 The Bridge, and Fally Afani – founder of I Heart Local Music who all join us to share their favorite releases of 2018.

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

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

Show #760

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents: Royce “Sauce” Handy + Shaun Crowley, Rachel Mallin & Mason Blaize + Michael J C Taylor

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, November 14, 2018

Royce “Sauce” Handy +
Shaun Crowley, Rachel Mallin & Mason Blaize

+ Dr. Michael J C Taylor + New & MidCoastal Releases

Mark plays more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Monta At Odds, The UK’s, Shoebox Money, The Depth and the Whisper, Sauce, Heidi Phillips and Danny Krause, Oh Dear Oh My, Eggs On Mars, Ex-Acrobat, Chloe Jacobson, Dragon Inn 3, Rachel Cion, Broncho, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Dr. Michael J C Taylor
Photo by Bill Pryor

At 10:30 Constitutional Historian, Dr. Michael J C Taylor joins us to talk about his new book, The Preamble and Mission of the Constitution, to be released December 9, 2018 from Peter Lang Publishing of New York. Michael J C Taylor earned his bachelor of arts from Rockhurst College and obtained his doctorate in history and political science from the University of Missouri Kansas City. He served as Professor of American History and Politics at Dickinson State University, Bemidji State University and Paine College.

Royce “Sauce” Handy

At 11:00 Royce “Sauce” Handy joins us to share new music and information about several shows he plays in the next week. Sauce plays the Stockyard Sounds Concert Series with LUCUS, Monday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee, KCMO in the West Bottoms. Sauce plays the SoulFood4 Release Show, A Concert to Celebrate Black Men, Health, Family and Purpose on Wednesday, November 21, at 6:00 PM at Ruby Jean’s Juicery (Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery), 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO. More info at: http://www.soundcloud.com/theycallmesauce

Mason Blaize

At 11:30 Shaun Crowley & Rachel Mallin join us to share details about Manor Records for MOCSA, on Friday, November 16, at 5:00 PM, at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms. This is a benefit for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. MOSCA’s mission is to improve lives of those impacted by sexual abuse and assault and prevent sexual violence in our community. More info at: http://www.mosca.org. The show features musical sets from three of KC’s upcoming singer songwriters: Chloe Jacobsen, Rachel Cion, and Mason Blaize. Mason Blaize will play live in our 90.1 FM Studios.

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

Show #760

WMM Playlist from November 7, 2018

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, November 7, 2018

New & MidCoastal Releases +
SLIGHTS + Spinning Tree Theatre’s “The Nance”

10:00

1. “It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s theme song]

2. Violet and The Undercurrents – “Still Here”
from: Still Here – Single / Violet Vonder Haar Music / November 1, 2018
[Columbia Missouri based band made up of Violet Vonder Haar on lead vocals & guitar; Linda Bott on bass guitar; Phylshawn Johnson on drums, and Lizzy Weiland on lead guitar. The Columbia, Missouri-based quartet is anchored by the intrepid songwriting of Violet Vonder Haar and enriched by the creative energy of her musical counterparts. Raised in a small town at the edge of the Missouri River and nurtured by a thriving folk music-centered community, Vonder Haar started honing her craft as a songwriter, performer and vocalist at an early age. She was inspired by her father, a riverboat captain who introduced her to the music of folk legends and encouraged her journey as an artist. More information at: http://www.violetandtheundercurrents.com]

3. Amen Dunes – “Blue Rose”
from: Freedom / Sacred Bones Records / March 30, 2018
[The fifth studio album from Amen Dunes the musical project formed by American singer-songwriter and musician Damon McMahon in 2006 in New York. In addition to his regular collaborators Parker Kindred and Jordi Wheeler, Freedom features Delicate Steve and underground Roman musician Panoram. Chris Coady  (Beach House) produced. The record was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles.]

4. Blue False Indigo – “Rainbow”
from: More Light / Blue False Indigo / September 7, 2018
[They call their music “Spooky-Folk.” Makayla Scott on vocals & guitar; A.J Reynolds on vocals & keys; and Kara LePage on vocals & bass started the band in October 2013, in Springfield, Missouri.]

[Blue False Indigo play The Myers Hotel Bar, 220 South Main Street, Tonganoxie, KS with Kara Myree, and Teri Quinn, on Saturday, November 10, at 7:00 PM.]

5. Those Far Out Arrows – “Be Alright”
from: Part Time Lizards / High Dive Records / November 2, 2018
[Omaha, Nebraska band formed in 2013, by brothers Ben Keelan-White & Evan Keelan-White wbo perform with Derek Levasseur & Tanner Rogerson. Recorded & mixed by Those Far Out Arrows in Fall of 2016. Mastered by Jon Ochsner at ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska music writer Tim McMahan said, “They (Those Far Out Arrows) unapologetically cross ’60s British psychedelic with Bowery proto-punk a la Velvet Underground.” Those Far Out Arrows were recently signed to KC record label, High Dive Records.]

[Those Far Out Arrows, play an Album Release Show at The Brick, 1727 McGee St, KCMO, with Drug & Attics, and Faceface, at The Brick, on Friday, November 9, at 9:00 PM]

[Those Far Out Arrows, play an Album Release Show at Mills Record Company, 4045 Broadway, Blvd, KCMO, Saturday, November 9, 6:00 PM, with Arc Flash.]

6. Ken Nordine – “Blue”
from: Colors / Ken Nordine / 1966
[Colors is a “word jazz” album by voice-over and recording artist Ken Nordine. It was commissioned by the Fuller Paint Company to write radio advertisement spots, but after a few commercials became popular, it evolved to become an album of 34 songs. Each track personifies a different color or hue. Ken Nordine (born April 13, 1920) is an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of Word Jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that “you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you’ll almost certainly recognize his voice.” The son of Theresia and Nore S. Nordine, a contractor, Ken Nordine was born in Cherokee, Iowa. The family later moved to Chicago, where he attended Lane Technical College Prep High School and the University of Chicago. He has three sons with his wife Beryl, whom he married in 1945. During the 1940s, he was heard on The World’s Great Novels and other radio programs broadcast from Chicago. One of which, Honore de Balzac’s short story “Une passion dans le désert”, was recorded for the 1955 album Passion in the Desert. In 1955 he provided the voiceover on Billy Vaughn’s version of Shifting Whispering Sands, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He subsequently attracted wider attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on Word Jazz (Dot, 1957). Love Words, Son of Word Jazz (Dot, 1958) and his other albums in this vein feature Nordine’s narration over cool jazz by the Fred Katz Group featuring Chico Hamilton recording under an alias. Nordine began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat era and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. However, it has been observed that some of Nordine’s writings “are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe” than to the beats. Many of his word jazz tracks feature critiques of societal norms. Some are lightweight and humorous, while others reveal dark, paranoid undercurrents and bizarre, dream-like scenarios. Nordine’s DVD, The Eye Is Never Filled, (2005) provides a flow of abstract visuals to accompany the audio tracks. In 1990 Nordine was approached by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead to be the anchor for their New Year’s Eve radio broadcast from Oakland, California.[6] For the broadcast he recorded some improvisations with Garcia, drummer Mickey Hart and Egyptian musician Hamza El-Din. This subsequently lead to an album Devout Jazz, released on the Grateful Dead’s own label in 1991 and Upper Limbo in 1993[7] and appearances with the band such as their show at Rosemont, Illinois in March 1993.]

7. Tunde Olaniran – “Symbol”
from: Stranger / Magic Wheel / October 5, 2018
[Second full length album from Flint Michigan based Tunde Olaniran. In 2014, Olaniran released his first EP titled Yung Archetype (see: Jungian archetypes). Olaniran released his first full-length album in 2015 titled Transgressor. NPR’s Stephen Thompson notes, Olaniran, “presides over a bighearted sound and style that revolve around spirited statements of affirmation, a sprawling artistic palette and the pursuit of boldness in every sense of the word… It all adds up to a finely calibrated mix of purpose and playfulness, executed to stylish perfection.”]

10:30 – Underwriting

Spinning Tree Theatre presents the Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Nance,” running through November 18, at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Kansas City, Missouri.

10:32 – Interview with Michael Grayman-Parkhurst

Michael Grayman-Parkhurst of Spinning Tree Theatre joins us in our 90.1 FM Studios to share details about the Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Nance,” running through November 18, at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Kansas City, Missouri. The cast includes: Andy Perkins, Katie Gilchrist, Timothy Michael Houston, Ashley Personett, R.H. Wilhoit and Sarah Montoya. Tickets information is available at Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More information at: http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

Michael Grayman-Parkhurst thanks for being with us today on WMM.

Spinning Tree Theatre introduces Kansas City to The Nance

Spinning Tree Theatre proudly continues Season 8 November 2-18 with the Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s The Nance, the 2013 Lincoln Center-produced Broadway play featuring music by Glen Kelly.

Beane is also the writer of “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,” As Bees in Honey Drown and The Little Dog Laughed.

The Nance tells the story of burlesque’s stereotypically camp character and master of comic double entendre, almost always played by a straight man (so to speak). Mayor LaGuardia wants to clean up the city before the 1937 World’s Fair, and one of his targets is burlesque. What happens when our nance is gay…and has fallen in love? The Nance – equal parts drama and comedy – includes generous splashes of outrageous song-and-dance burlesque sketches.

Spinning Tree Managing Director Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst: “The Nance suits our aesthetic beautifully: wildly entertaining while meaningful. We believe this will be an introduction to most of our patrons about the comic representation of gay men in burlesque. It’s a unique opportunity to step back in time with a highly theatrical cast of characters.”

Artistic Director Michael Grayman-Parkhurst and Nicole Marie Green co-direct, continuing their collaboration from 2017’s Casa Valentina.

Andy Perkins in Spinning Tree Theatre’s “The Nance”

Their assembled cast: Andy Perkins (Chauncey Miles), Katie Gilchrist (Sylvie), Timothy Michael Houston (Ned), Ashley Personett (Joan), R.H. Wilhoit (Efram) and Sarah Montoya (Carmen).

Perkins was featured in 2017’s Casa Valentina; Personett in 2016’s Nine. The rest of the cast are making their Spinning Tree debuts.

The Nance team includes stage manager T.J. Burton, lighting designer Nicole Jaja, costume designer Shannon Smith-Regnier, sound designer Jeff Eubank, properties designer Eric Palmquist, choreographer Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst and music consultant Gary Green.

The Nance (November 2-18)

and the remainder of Spinning Tree Theatre’s 8th season

(the KC premiere of Eve Ensler’s Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World and an intimate telling of 10-time Tony Award winning musical Billy Elliot)

Just Off Broadway Theatre
3051 Central in Kansas City, Missouri

Tickets available by calling Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222.
More information including performance dates and times at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

10:45

8. The Get Up Kids – “Better This Way”
from: Kicker EP / Polyvinyl Record Co / To Be Released June 8, 2018
[Matt Pryor on vocals & guitars, Jim Suptic on guitar, Rob Pope on bass, James Dewees on keyboards, Ryan Pope on drums. On March 29, 2018, Polyvinyl Records announced on their Instagram account that they had signed the band and that new music will be coming soon. The Get Up Kids are an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-1990s emo scene, otherwise known as the “second wave” of emo music. As they gained prominence, they began touring with bands such as Green Day and Weezer before becoming headliners themselves, eventually embarking on international tours of Japan and Europe. They founded Heroes & Villains Records, an imprint of the successful indie rock label Vagrant Records. While the imprint was started to release albums by The Get Up Kids, it served as a launching pad for several side-projects such as The New Amsterdams and Reggie and the Full Effect. The Get Up Kids were viewed throughout their existence as a prototypical emo band, having been major players in the Midwest emo movement of the mid-1990s. Their second album Something to Write Home About remains their most widely acclaimed album, and is considered to be one of the quintessential albums of the second-wave emo movement. However, like many early emo bands, The Get Up Kids sought to dissociate themselves with the term, as it was considered dismissive to be seen as an “emo band.”[8] The band departed heavily from their established style with the release of their 2002 album On a Wire, which saw the band take on a much more layered, alternative rock sound. Years later, guitarist Jim Suptic even apologized for having the influence they did on many of the modern third-wave emo bands, commenting that “[t]he punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. It’s like glam rock now … If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize.” Due to internal conflicts, the band broke up in 2005. Three years later, the band reunited to support the tenth anniversary re-release of Something to Write Home About, and soon afterward entered the studio to write new material. In early 2010, the band released Simple Science, their first release in six years, followed in 2011 by the full-length There Are Rules. The Get Up Kids Members Rob Pope is also in the band Spoon; Jim Suptic is in the bands: Blackpool Lights, and Radar State; James Dewees is in the band Reggie and the Full Effect; and Matt Pryor performs often as a solo artists, and in the bands: Radar State, and The New Amsterdams.]

[The Get Up Kids play recordBar, Thursday, November 8, at 9:00 PM with Remember Sports]

9. Amanda Fish – “Free”
from: Free / VizzTone / September 14, 2018
[Amanda Fish began as a singer songwriter in late 2012, refining her original material as a solo act for 2 years before she formed her band in early 2014, a Roots Rock and Soul project featuring Amanda’s signature ‘from-the-gut’ vocals locked into a sturdy groove. In 2015, she released her first LP, “Down In The Dirt”, on VizzTone Label Group, for which she was awarded the 2016 “Sean Costello Rising Star” Blues Blast Music Award. Amanda and her band set Beale Street on fire in the 2017 International Blues Challenge Semi Finals, playing new material slated for her next release.]

[Amanda Fish plays The Brick, Saturday, November 10, at 9:00 PM with Broken Arrows.]

10. Julia Holter – “I Shall Love 2”
from: Aviary / Domino Recording Co Ltd / October 26, 2018
[Julia Shammas Holter was born December 18, 1984, in Holter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At age six her family moved to Los Angeles, where she later attended the Alexander Hamilton High School. She studied music at The University of Michigan for four years, graduating with a degree in composition. After seeing Michael Pisaro perform an avant-garde composition in Michigan, she was inspired to study with him at CalArts, where she graduated from another composition program. Holter contributed songs to multiple compilation albums in 2008. In 2010, she began playing with Linda Perhacs’ band and released a CD-R titled Celebration and a collection of live recordings. Her debut studio album, Tragedy, was released in August 2011 on Leaving Records. Inspired by Euripides’ Greek play Hippolytus, the album received generally favorable reviews and was named one of NPR’s “Best Outer Sound Albums of 2011”. Holter released a second album, Ekstasis, in March 2012 on the RVNG Intl. label. The album drew comparisons to works by such artists as Laurie Anderson, Julianna Barwick, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, Grouper, and Stereolab, and received many positive reviews. Holter spent three years making the album, whose title comes from the Greek word meaning “outside of oneself.” The music video for album track “Moni Mon Amie”, directed by Yelena Zhelezov, was also released in March. In addition to collaborating with other California-based musicians like Nite Jewel (Ramona Gonzalez), Holter released her third album, Loud City Song, in August 2013 on Domino Records.[4] Unlike her first two albums, which were recorded mostly alone in her bedroom, Holter recorded Loud City Song with an ensemble of musicians. In 2015, Holter released her fourth album Have You in My Wilderness, which became her most successful charting release to date. She also contributed to Ducktails’ fifth studio album, St. Catherine, with her bandmates Chris Votek and Andrew Tholl. Holter collaborated with Jean-Michel Jarre on a song for the second part of the Electronica double album, released on July 18, 2016. In November 2016, she curated her own program during the tenth anniversary edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht. This program included performances by Laurel Halo, Josephine Foster, Maya Dunietz, Jessica Moss and other artists. In September 2017, she performed a world premier of her scoring of the 1928 silent French film The Passion of Joan of Arc on September 29 at the FIGat7th in downtown Los Angeles. In September 2018, Holter announced her sixth commercially released album, Aviary, and released the lead single “I Shall Love 2”. She followed it with another single, “Words I Hear”, before the album’s release on October 26.]

11:00 – Station ID

11. Slights – “Why Cats Purr”
from: Flow State / Slights / November 30, 2018
[Slights is a collaboration band between Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo. In late January, 2017 the band recorded an album at Ghost Cat Studios in San Francisco with Ryan Kleeman and their friend Andrew Skikne on bass. Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter as well as part of the band, Of Tree. Matthew Dunehoo is also a filmmaker and actor, and has been a member of the influential bands: Loose Park, Baby Teardrops, Doris Henson, and The String and Return. More information at http://www.slightsband.com]

[Slights play an album release show with The Philistines and Emmaline Twist on Friday, November 30 at 8:30 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO]

Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo on the November 7, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

11:03 – Interview with Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo

Matthew Dunehoo and Ben Parks join us to talk about the debut release of their new band Slights play an album release show at recordBar, Friday, November 30, at 8:30 PM, with The Philistines, and Emmaline Twist. More information at http://www.slightsband.com

Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter as well as part of the band, Of Tree.

Matthew Dunehoo is also a filmmaker and actor, and has been a member of the bands: Tidy Hippy, Loose Park, Baby Teardrops, Doris Henson, and Proud n Tall.

Matt is the founder of Elk’s Pride Pictures, a film production company based in Kansas City, Missouri.

11:12

12. Slights – “Higher Than Stoned”
from: Flow State / Slights / November 30, 2018
[Slights is a collaboration band between Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo. In late January, 2017 the band recorded an album at Ghost Cat Studios in San Francisco with Ryan Kleeman and their friend Andrew Skikne on bass. Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter as well as part of the band, Of Tree. Matthew Dunehoo is also a filmmaker and actor, and has been a member of the influential bands: Loose Park, Baby Teardrops, Doris Henson, and The String and Return. More information at http://www.slightsband.com]

[Slights play an album release show with The Philistines and Emmaline Twist on Friday, November 30 at 8:30 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO]

11:14 – Interview with Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo

Slights

Matthew Dunehoo and Ben Parks are with us us to share music from their band Slights and their debut release titled: Flow State. Their new 11-song album was created over the past year and recorded an album at Ghost Cat Studios in San Francisco.

Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter who created the album cover for Flow State. Ben Parks is also part of the band, Of Tree with wife Laurel Parks

Matthew Dunehoo created: Elks Pride Pictures, LLC – Founded February 1, 2015

More information at http://www.slightsband.com

11:23

13. Slights – “The Witch and Robert Palmer”
from: Flow State / Slights / November 30, 2018
[Slights is a collaboration band between Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo. In late January, 2017 the band recorded an album at Ghost Cat Studios in San Francisco with Ryan Kleeman and their friend Andrew Skikne on bass. Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter as well as part of the band, Of Tree. Matthew Dunehoo is also a filmmaker and actor, and has been a member of the influential bands: Loose Park, Baby Teardrops, Doris Henson, and The String and Return. More information at http://www.slightsband.com]

[Slights play an album release show with The Philistines and Emmaline Twist on Friday, November 30 at 8:30 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO]

11:26 – Underwriting

14. No Magic – “Backspin”
from: In Cocoon / French Exit Records / November 9, 2018
[All songs written by Ben Sauder. Produced by Joel Martin. Mixed by Joel Martin and Ben Sauder. Mastered by Steve Squire. No Magic is Ben Sauder on guitars, keys, stairs, vocals, & auxiliary; Joel Martin on guitars, basses, keys, drums, vocals, patience; Heidi Gluck on bass, acoustic guitars, piano, slide guitar, vocals; and Jeff Stolz on drums and modelos. With: Leslie Butsch – Saxophone on “Backspin” and “San Francisco”. Kyle “Strings” Stringer – Bass on “While I Got You” and “Apart”. Brother Bobby Sauder – Bass on “Firefly”. Nicholas Stahl – Drums on “While I Got You”. Chris Luxem – Chorus Chant Vocals on “Smoke”. Garrett Marsh – Acoustic riff on “San Francisco”. Design and layout – Carl Smith. Cover photo – Ga Ji Ashlin Wang. Inside photo – Austin Pulliam .]

[No Magic plays an Album Release Show at Voltaire on Saturday, November 10, at 11;00 PM, with Chase the Horseman, and Vanity Plates.]

15. Broken Arrows – “Behind The Eightball”
from: Street Flowers / Intelligent Design Records / August 3, 2018
[Barry Lee on rhythm Guitar, lead & backing vocals; Mike Penner on lead & rhythm guitars, lead & backing vocals; Bill Ryan on lead & rhythm guitars, lead & backing vocals; John Chevalier on bass, keyboards, lead & backing vocals; Dave Storms on drums, percussion, lead & backing vocals. Special Guest Howard Iceberg on lead and backing vocals on “Recognize My Heart.” Drums & percussion tracks recorded at Roll Away The Stone Studio. All other tracks recorded at Cricket Palace Studio. Mixed & Mastered by Mike Penner]

[Broken Arrows play The Brick, Saturday, November 10, at 9:00 PM with Amanda Fish.]

16. Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type – “It Isn’t Love”
from: It isn’t Love – Single / Rachel Mallin / November 9, 2018
[Indie synthpop from Kansas City based, 4-piece band that includes: Rachel Mallin on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Walker on bass, Austin Edmisten on drums & back-up vocals. “It Isn’t Love” the latest single from Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type. Mallin wrote, recorded and produced her first album, The Persistence of Vision, in 2014 — a solo effort that spoke to her synthpop sensibilities and landed her on Kansas City radio. That same year, she left the University of Missouri to pursue a music career, and enlisted bassist Justin Walker and drummer Austin Edmisten to form The Wild Type. By mid-2016, the act — with keyboardist Jesse Bartmess and former guitarist Matt Kosinski — released its debut EP, Degenerate Matters, recorded, produced, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Musical Arrangements written and performed by Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, Austin Edmisten, Jesse Bartmess, and Matt Kosinski. Lyrics written by Rachel Mallin. That same year, The Wild Type earned support slots for acts from Cold War Kids to Metric and The Struts, and widespread recognition in its hometown at festivals such as Middle of the Map and Boulevardia.]

[Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type play The Truman, Saturday, November 10, at 7:00 opening for The Greeting Committee with Brother Moses.]

17. HighWesthus – “BLVCK”
from: TAKOTSUBO: a love story / Datura Records / October 24, 2018
[Written and produced and performed by HighWesthuss. HighWesthus was born in Chicago and is based in Kansas City. Last year Datura Records released The Trilogy. A set pf three releases that began with the May 2015 release, Part I. The Dead, and continued with the November 2015 release, Part II. The Wise. HighWesthus is a freelance multimedia artist living in Kansas City. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2012 with a BFA in Animation. He is one of four owners of Strange Paper Studio, based in Kansas City. HighWesthus specializes in illustration, animation, graphic design, video editing, sound editing, music producing, writing and storytelling.]

18. Erin Eades – “Free From Prison”
from: Diary / Erin Eades / October 19, 2018
[Debut EP from Erin Eades on acoustic guitar, cigar box guitar, vocals; Lucas Parker on electric guitar, bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5); Kenny Carter on bass (track 3); Colby Earlywine on drums; Jamie Malone on background vocals; Jay Vern on piano, B3 organ. Erin Eades is a singer-songwriter in Kansas City, MO. Originally from the mountain state of West Virginia, Eades began making music at the age of 12, when out of boredom her father handed her a 1950’s Gibson that had been stored away, waiting for someone to play. It wasn’t long before she began writing songs, recording her first album at age 17 as part of the duo Special Guest. After a more than decade-long hiatus from music, Eades began playing music again after moving to Kansas City and began her solo career in 2015. She has since played dozens of venues in the Kansas City area, won the 2016 HRC Kansas City Battle of the Bands Acoustic Stage, and has started to play more regionally, sharing her heartfelt lyrics, classic melodies, and percussive guitar style with audiences in the Midwest. Her music is genuine, and shares bits of her story, drawing from experiences that many find relatable. Influenced by the strong female singer-songwriters she listened to growing up, including Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Jewel, she followed their lead and added her own tinges of twang, angst, and blues. Eades released her debut single, “Looking From the Bottom” in 2017, ]

11:54

20. DeVotchKa – “Straight Shot”
from: This Night Falls Forever / Concord Records / August 24, 2018
[DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka (девочка), meaning “girl”. Based in Denver, Colorado, the quartet is made up of Nick Urata, who sings and plays theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, and trumpet; Tom Hagerman, who plays violin, accordion, and piano; Jeanie Schroder, who sings and plays sousaphone, double bass, and flute; and Shawn King, who plays percussion and trumpet.]

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

Next week on Wednesday November 14, Royce Sauce Handy shares details about SoulFood4 Release Show, Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at 6 PM at Ruby Jean’s Juicery (Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery), 3000 Troost Ave., KCMO. Also next week, Shaun Crowley and Rachel Mallin join us to share details about Manor Records for MOCSA, (Metropolitan Organization for Counter Sexual Assault.) Friday, November 16, at 5 PM at Blip Roasters, 1101 Mulberry, KCMO in The Bottoms. And also next week, constitutional historian, Michael J C Taylor joins us to talk about his new book.

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

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

Show #759

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents New & MidCoastal Releases + Slights + “The Nance”

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, November 7, 2018

New & MidCoastal Releases +
SLIGHTS + Spinning Tree Theatre’s “The Nance”

Mark plays more New & MidCoastal Releases from: SLIGHTS, No Magic, Violet & The Undercurrents, Those Far Out Arrows, The Get Up Kids, Broken Arrows, Blue False Indigo, HighWestHus, Erin Eades, Amanda Fish, Julia Holter, Amen Dunes, noname, Tunde Olaniran, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers & Lucy Dacus, and DeVotchca.

Spinning Tree Theatre presents the Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Nance,” running through November 18, at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Kansas City, Missouri.

At 10:30 company members of Spinning Tree Theatre join us to share details about their Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s The Nance, running through November 18, at Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Kansas City, Missouri. Artistic Director Michael Grayman-Parkhurst and Nicole Marie Green co-direct. Their assembled cast includes: Andy Perkins, Katie Gilchrist, Timothy Michael Houston, Ashley Personett, R.H. Wilhoit and Sarah Montoya. Tickets available by calling Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222. More information at: http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

Slights

At 11:00 Matthew Dunehoo and Ben Parks join us to talk about the debut release of their new band Slights. The new 11-song album is called Flow State, and was created over the past year. Ben Parks is also visual artist and painter as well as part of the band, Of Tree. Matthew Dunehoo is also a filmmaker and actor, and has been a member of the influential bands: Loose Park, Baby Teardrops, Doris Henson, and The String and Return. Slights play an album release show at recordBar, Friday, November 30, at 8:30 PM, with The Philistines, and Emmaline Twist. More information at http://www.slightsband.com

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

Show #759