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

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Katie Gilchrist + Erin Keller + Mitzi McKee

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

2. Flamy Grant – “Fortune Teller”
   from: “Fortune Teller” – Single / Glam & Glory Records / October 24, 2023
   [Produced by Ben Grace. Sound engineer and electric guitars by Daniel Shearin. // Flamy Grant is winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and the 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. With influences from gospel and blues to folk and rock, this Americana showcase shines a spotlight on queerness, faith, and overcoming the spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces. // Flamy’s iconic roots-rock sound is influenced by singer/songwriters like Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman, Over the Rhine, and — of course — Amy Grant. Her art shines a spotlight on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma. With a bold lip, a big lash, and a blistering voice, Flamy is here to rewrite the rules when it comes to faith-based entertainment, demanding a reckoning for an industry that for too long has silenced and shut out its LGBTQ+ artists and fans. // Flamy Grant’s single “Good Day” was released September 6, 2023 and is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital sales chart. About “Fortune Teller” Flamy Grant writes: “There are some things queer people will always know more about — things you can only learn by navigating the often unwelcoming world as a queer person. If you let us, we can be a trustworthy guide: a fortune teller, a scientist, a time traveler, a prophet.” More information at: http://www.flamyfrant.com]

Fortune Teller (Lyrics)

I’m a medium, I’m a fortune teller
I know every word you’re gonna say
I’m a headstrong, lifelong city dweller
I can take you where you’re going by the fastest way
It’s gonna be okay

I traveled time, I’m here from the future
I can show you how this all turns out
I can save you with the data in my computer
We can flourish in the flood and avoid the drought
Yeah, we’re gonna make it out

You feel it in your bones 
But your head is moving slow

I’m a scientist, I got a method and a measure
For observable, reliable, repeatable fact
I’m a decorated educator in the field of pleasure
I’ve learned a lot of lessons I can reenact
Yeah, I been keeping track

You sense that I am true
But your heart is split in two

I’m a prophetess, singing my story
A dressed-up, effervescent, ethical fraud
But this world ain’t ready for an allegory, no
We’re still waiting on a literal god
I just smile and nod

You have intuition
And it’s telling you the story isn’t done

[Flamy Grant plays the Songwriter Round on Monday, February 19 at 7:00pm, in Lawrence, KS, with Siena Christie, and Jack Summers]

[Flamy Grant plays an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference on Thursday, February 22, at 7:30pm in Brookside Room at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. http://www.folk.org]

3. Abraham Alexander – “Tears Run Dry”
   from: SEA/SONS / Dualtone Music Group / April 14, 2023
   [Abraham Alexander’s debut album SEA/SONS. Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11 to escape the racial tensions they faced in his birthplace. Shortly after moving to the states, his birth mother was killed in a car accident with a drunk driver, leading Alexander to be adopted later in his teens. He found solace in sports as a soccer prodigy and later, following a torn ACL that ended his playing career, in music once a friend handed Alexander a guitar and he unexpectedly found songs pouring out of him. // The 11 tracks on SEA/SONS touch on themes of loss, redemption, longing, anguish and joy. And while his lyrics speak to pain, trauma and life-changing loss, he instills his music with a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope.][Abraham Alexander played The Madrid Theater, 3810 Main Street, KCMO on Monday, May 1, at 7:30 PM opening for Wilder Woods / The Fever / Sky Tour. More info at http://www.abrahamalexander.bandcamp.com]

[Folk Alliance International, the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, will present its 36th Annual Conference Feb. 21-25, 2024 in KCMO. The International Folk Music Awards (part of the conference) have announced the finalists for the 2023 Song of the Year and we’re thrilled that 4 of these songs have been in constant rotation on our playlists this year. The finalists are: “Changes” written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun // “Keep It On A Burner” written & performed by Margo Cilker // “The Returner” written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell // “Workin’ On A World” written & performed by Iris Dement // and “Tears Run Dry” written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander.]

4. Tracy Chapman – “Why?”
   from: Tracy Chapman / Elektra / April 5, 1988
   [Debut album by Tracy Chapman was recorded at the Powertrax studio in Hollywood, California. In 1987, Chapman was discovered by fellow Tufts University student Brian Koppelman. He offered to show her work to his father, who owned a successful publishing company; however, she did not consider the offer to be serious. After multiple performances, however, Koppelman found a demo tape of her singing her single “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution”, which he promoted to radio stations, and she was eventually signed to Elektra Records. // In early attempts to produce the first album, many producers turned down Chapman as they did not favor her musical direction. David Kershenbaum, however, decided to produce it as he wanted to record an acoustic music album. It was recorded in Hollywood, California, in eight weeks. Most of the writing is based on political and social causes. // Tracy Chapman gained critical acclaim from a wide majority of music critics, praising the simplicity, Chapman’s vocal ability and her political and social lyrical content. The album received commercial success in most of the countries it was released, making it to the top of the charts in many countries, including Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. It peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales exceeding over six million copies in the United States alone. // Three singles were released from the album, with the most commercially successful single being “Fast Car”. The song was performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute. It rose to the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also did well in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. Tracy Chapman is one of the best-selling albums of all time with sales of over 20 million copies worldwide. // Chapman started writing songs when she was immediately signed to Elektra Records. Koppelman started finding producers for the album with the demo tape of her single “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution”. However, she was turned down due to the popularity of dance-pop and synthpop at the time. They then found David Kershenbaum, who recalled later: “I’d been looking for something acoustic to do for some time . . . There was a sense in the industry of a slight boredom with everything out there and that people might be willing to listen again to lyrics and to someone who made statements.” // Chapman’s greatest concern during her meetings with Kershenbaum was that the integrity of her songs remain intact, because she wanted to record “real simple”. Kershenbaum said, “I wanted to make sure that she was in front, vocally and thematically, and that everything was built around her.” Every song that was featured on the result of the studio album was featured on her demo tape, except for “Fast Car”, which resulted as one of the last songs recorded on the album. Kershenbaum recalled that the first time she sang and performed it for him, he “loved it the minute I [he] heard it.” // The album was, in total, recorded in eight weeks at Powertrax, Kershenbaum’s Hollywood studio. Interviewed in 2002 by The Guardian, Kershenbaum stated that a lot of the public wanted “what she had” and said, “And they weren’t getting it. She got there at the right moment with stuff that was good.” Chapman was also interviewed and talked about the background of the album. She said, “The first record [Tracy Chapman] is seen as being more social commentary . . . more political. But I think that’s just all about perspective.” // In an interview with The Guardian in 2008, Chapman said: “My first record was almost not my first record.” The proposed producer for the studio album was killed in a car accident and the record company called in someone far less experienced to take over. // “Fast Car” was later recorded by country music singer Luke Combs for his 2023 album Gettin’ Old, from which it was released as the second single. Combs’ rendition of the song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Chapman the first black woman to solely write a country number one. Additionally, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, higher than Chapman’s original version.]

[Folk Alliance International will present its 36th Annual Conference February 21-25, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. FAI has confirmed the International Folk Music Awards will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to four-time GRAMMY Award-winner, thirteen-time GRAMMY nominee, Tracy Chapman!]

5. Joni Mitchell – “A Bird That Whistles”
   from: Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm / Geffen / March 23, 1988
   [13th studio album by oni Mitchell. Her third release on Geffen. The album features duets with artists such as Peter Gabriel on “My Secret Place,” Willie Nelson on “Cool Water,” Don Henley on “Snakes and Ladders,” and Billy Idol and Tom Petty on the track “Dancin’ Clown.” Henley also performs backing vocals on “Lakota,” and Wendy and Lisa perform backing vocals on “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms).” // In early 1986, Mitchell and Larry Klein visited Peter Gabriel’s Ashcombe House recording studio near Bath, England. Since Gabriel had mostly finished his album So by that time, he offered Mitchell and Klein the use of his studio if they wanted to record. They did, and the result was the track “My Secret Place” which was a duet between Mitchell and Gabriel. Mitchell told Musician magazine about this song: “It’s a love beginning song. The song’s about the threshold of intimacy. It’s a shared thing so I wanted it to be like the Song of Solomon, where you can’t tell what gender it is. It’s the uniting spirit of two people at the beginning of a relationship”. // In February 1987, Mitchell saw Billy Idol performing his hit version of the William Bell R&B ballad, “To Be a Lover” on the Grammy Awards show. She felt he captured the original spirit of rock’n’roll along with a new spark of energy, and would be perfect for a cameo on her song “Dancin’ Clown”. Idol came over to Mitchell’s studio one evening a few days after the Grammys and recorded his part, complete with yelps and howls. Mitchell told Macleans magazine about this pairing up: “It was for the contrast he provided. It’s a great little cameo for him, and he brings real life to the part.” Later, Tom Petty recorded his cameo on the same song. // While reminiscing about her friendship with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Mitchell recalled their unusual style of collaboration, explaining that since both she and he were painters, they possessed a “visual” understanding of music, where she could abstractly describe an emotion or a scene for him that he would translate in to his playing, an attribute she claimed was unique to him as a saxophone player. Before recording “A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)”, Mitchell gave Shorter the simple direction that he was “the bird on [the song],” and from there, “the first lick he made was so bird-like, it was perfect.” He immediately requested the opportunity to record a second take after finishing his first, but Joni refused, being happy with what she just heard him play. She later said that in that moment Shorter had “slept through his own magic.” // About Chalk Mark, Mitchell told interviewer Kristine McKenna: “I’ve discovered that with your focus no longer on finding a mate, you get a heightened sense of community, and I’ve become a bit more political – not too political though”. The song “Snakes and Ladders” (featuring Don Henley) was issued as a pre-release single to radio stations in January 1988.]

[Joni Mitchell (at the age of 80) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for AT NEWPORT released on Rhino on July 28, 2023.]

6. Buck Moon – “Indigo Night”
   from: Indigo Night / Buck Moon / January 25, 2024 (Full Moon)
   [Produced by Ivory Blue. Buck Wimberly performs as “Buck Moon” an LGBTQ artist and singer-songwriter who started his life in rural Texas growing up Southern Baptist. Being raised in smaller communities brought challenges for a young, creative, closeted gay kid, pushing Buck to hide parts of himself to minimize bullying, be accepted by his church community, and feel loved by family and friends. // Buck eventually came out at 33 after overcoming depression and has since been on a journey of self-discovery. Now in his forties, having raised two boys, and happily living with his life partner, he has been working on healing past traumas through shamanic experiences, expanded consciousness, and discovering the power of the medicine found within. // Believing that healing the world begins by healing oneself, Buck’s music aims to challenge the listener to learn self-love, connect with the Earth and the world around them, and discover the medicine within themselves. Buck weaves together genres of folk, roots, Americana, country, indie, and electronic to share personal stories and empathy-driven messages that are mindful, conscious, motivational, and self-empowering. // In Buck’s coming music, you’ll find the universally human themes of self-discovery, personal identity, love, struggle, mental health, growth, questioning one’s purpose, redemption, and self-actualization. Buck’s first single “Indigo Night” is a sonic painting of his transformative and spiritual rites of passage experience in the mountains of North Carolina. // More information at: http://www.buckmoonmusic.com]

[Buck Moon will be our guest on WMM on Valentine’s Day February 14]

[Buck and his partner Joey Mendez are the owners of ULAH Men’s Apparel & Lifestyle Store at Woodside Village, as well as LUNA by ULAH, and ULAH Home furnishings + Design. Every Month they host ULAH Live Sessions with You Found Music in an intimate performance with limited seating for 30 people. On Wednesday, February 14, at 8:00om, ULAH Live Sessions presents Nathan Corsi and My Atominc Daydream, at ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd., Westwood, KS. More info at: http://www.ulahkc.com]

7. The Shangri-Las – “Radio Spot: Good Taste Tip – Gift Receiving”
   from: Remember (Hits and Rarities from the Bad Girls of 60S Pop) / Charly / 2011(UK Release)
8. The Shangri-Las – “Give Him A Great Big Kiss”
   from: 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Shangri-Las / Def Jam / 2002
   [Written anfd produced by Shadow Morton. It debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late December 1964, and peaked at #18 for two weeks in late January/early February 1965. It was featured on their 1965 album Leader of the Pack. The New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders does a solo version of the song on his 1978 album So Alone. A version by the New York Dolls also appears on their 1985 compilation album Night of the Living Dolls. Also, on the band’s 1973 self-titled album, lead singer David Johansen quotes the “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” line, “you’d best believe I’m in love L-U-V”, in the opening of “Looking for a Kiss”. “Looking for a Kiss” tells the story of adolescent romantic desire hampered by peers who use drugs. // The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, Elizabeth “Betty” Weiss, Marguerite “Marge” Ganser, and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits “Remember (Walking in the Sand)”, “Give Him a Great Big Kiss”, and in particular, “Leader of the Pack” which went to #1 in the US in late 1964. // The group was formed at Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, New York City, in 1963. The group was two pairs of sisters: Mary Weiss (lead singer) and Elizabeth “Betty” Weiss, and identical twins Marguerite “Marge”/”Margie” Ganser & Mary Ann Ganser. // They began playing school shows, talent shows, and teen hops; Artie Ripp heard about them and arranged the group’s first record deal with Kama Sutra. Their first recording in December 1963 was “Simon Says”, later issued on the Smash label, on which Betty Weiss sang lead. They also recorded “Wishing Well” / “Hate to Say I Told You So”, which became their first release in early 1964 when leased to the small Spokane, Washington label. // They called themselves the Shangri-Las, after a restaurant in Queens. // Mary Weiss was the main lead singer; Betty, however, took lead on “Maybe” (the LP version), “Shout”, “Twist and Shout”, “Wishing Well”, and a number of B-sides and album tracks. Mary Ann Ganser took lead on most of “I’m Blue”, which is a cover of the Ikettes’ biggest hit at the time, and was included on their 1965 album Shangri-Las 65!. // The group appeared on several TV shows and continued to tour the US, but in 1966, two of three releases on Red Bird failed to crack the U.S. top 50, though the group remained popular in England & Japan. Mary Ann Ganser left, but returned early in 1967 when Marge – the most outspoken member, sometimes considered the leader – left. Red Bird Records had folded. The group recorded more tracks with Shadow Morton producing (some of which remain unreleased) and signed with Mercury Records. However, Morton had begun working with Janis Ian and Vanilla Fudge, and Mercury had little enthusiasm for the group. During their Mercury stint, the Shangri-Las had no further hits; in 1968, they disbanded, amid litigation. // All the Shangri-Las withdrew from the spotlight. Morton said, “The Shangri-Las vacated, they vanished”. Reportedly they were angry that they had received few royalties despite the millions of records they had sold. // Mary Weiss moved to NYCs Greenwich Village and then San Francisco. Returning to Manhattan a few years later and prevented from recording because of lawsuits, she worked as a secretary while taking college classes. She then went into the architectural industry, working in the accounting department of a New York architectural firm. Weiss moved up to be the chief purchasing agent and later ran a commercial furniture dealership. In the late 1980s she managed a furniture store and was an interior designer. By 2001, she was a furniture consultant to New York businesses. She married in 1974, but the marriage ended in 1988; she married again several years later, and her second husband managed her music career. // Following the successful re-issue of “Leader of the Pack” in the UK in 1976, which renewed interest in the group, Mary and Betty Weiss and Marge Ganser reunited. Contacting Seymour Stein of Sire Records, they spent summer 1977 in NYC with producer Andy Paley. Paley said the sessions went well, but they weren’t satisfied with all the material, and declined to release the record. The tapes are now owned by the Warner Music Group. They did, however, give a live performance at CBGB; Paley put together a band, including Lenny Kaye, and after two hours of rehearsal, the Shangri-Las returned to the stage for the first time in a decade. Although the Sire sessions came to naught, the group toyed with signing to another label; however, they were put off by the insistence of record executives that they be a disco vocal group, the musical trend of the day. Mary said she envisioned the Shangri-Las like punk singer Patti Smith. Eventually, the Shangri-Las split up again. // In March 2007, Norton Records released a solo album by Mary Weiss (backed by garage rockers The Reigning Sound) titled Dangerous Game. She performed in the United States, Spain, and France. // Mary Weiss died on January 19, 2024, at age 75. Betty Weiss is the last living member of the group. // She influenced The New York Dolls, Ramones, Amy Winehouse, Blondie, Sonic Youth, Black Lips, Superchunk, Le Tigre.]

9. Sleater-Kinney – “Say it Like You Mean It”
   from: Little Rope / Loma Vista – Concord / January 19, 2024
   [Little Rope is the eleventh studio album from Sleater-Kinney produced by John Congleton, the album was preceded by the singles: “Hell”, “Say It Like You Mean It”, and “Untidy Creature”. // Released to critical acclaim, Little Rope was completed in the aftermath of a deadly car accident involving Brownstein’s mother and stepfather in late 2022. Dealing with this event, the duo had to face up to questions surrounding “how we navigate grief, who we navigate it with, and the ways it transforms us” during the recording process. // The duo were joined in the studio by touring member Angie Boylan, who recorded the album’s drum parts, Death Cab for Cutie’s Dave Depper and Outer Orbit’s Galen Clark. // The idea of another Sleater-Kinney album was initially “up in the air”, as an introduction video of their previous album Path of Wellness (2021) resulted in a vague answer as to whether the duo would ever record another album. However, after the release of their tenth studio album they turned to John Congleton to produce their next record. They had planned to work with Congleton “for a long time” but had to wait for “the stars” to align. Recording took place at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, Oregon. // Half of the record had been written prior to Brownstein’s mother’s death, with the remaining tracks “approached with grief hanging heavy”. As a result, Little Rope deals with topics including “global crisis and personal tragedy”. Described as “one of the finest, most delicately layered” within their discography, the record is enriched through “complex, ambitious instrumentation”. // r Sleater-Kinney were formed in early 1994 in Olympia, Washington, by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. The group’s name is derived from Sleater Kinney Road, Interstate 5 exit number 108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. Tucker was formerly in the influential riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy, while Brownstein was formerly in the queercore band Excuse 17. They often played at gigs together and formed Sleater-Kinney as a side-project from their respective bands. When Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 disbanded, Sleater-Kinney became their primary focus. Janet Weiss of Quasi is the band’s longest lasting and final drummer, though Sleater-Kinney has had other drummers, including Lora Macfarlane, Misty Farrell, and Toni Gogin. Upon Tucker’s graduation from The Evergreen State College (where Brownstein remained a student for three more years), she and then-girlfriend Brownstein took a trip to Australia in early 1994. Their last day there, they stayed up all night recording what would become their self-titled debut album. It was released the following spring. They followed this with Call the Doctor (1996) and Dig Me Out (1997), and became critical darlings. The lineup features: Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), and Janet Weiss (drums). We saw Sleater-Kinney when they played The Uptown on April 26, 2015]

[Sleater-Kinney play The Truman, 601 East Truman Road, KCMO, on Monday, March 25, 2024, at 8:00pm with Palehound.]

10:35 – Underwriting

10. Veruca Salt – “Seether”
    from: American Thighs / Minty Fresh – DCG Records / September 37, 1994
    [Seether” is a 1994 single by American alternative rock band Veruca Salt. // The song was written by Veruca Salt singer-guitarist Nina Gordon. “Seether” was more pop-sounding compared to the rest of the band’s material. In a 1994 interview with MuchMusic, an interviewer suggested that “Seether” could either be about female “animalistic instincts” or bouts of rage. Gordon agreed that her songs’ meanings often changed during and after the writing process. “You write a song, think it’s about one thing for five minutes….and discover that it’s about many different things and working on many different levels.” In Veruca Salt’s 1997 hit single “Volcano Girls,” the seether was identified as “Louise,” which presumably refers to Veruca Salt singer-guitarist Louise Post. // Veruca Salt recorded the song in early 1994, with production by Brad Wood. They then released “Seether”/”All Hail Me” as their debut single on the independent label Minty Fresh. “Seether” quickly became popular on college and alternative radio stations. Its success led the band to record and release their debut album American Thighs, which included “Seether”, later that year. Shortly thereafter, the band signed with the major label Geffen Records, which re-released the album. “Seether” peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, became a hit on MTV, and launched the band into fame. // In 1994, the song was number 3 in British Radio One DJ John Peel’s Festive Fifty. In a 2014 retrospective, music magazine Paste listed “Seether” at number 10 on their list of the 50 greatest grunge songs of all time. //Pitchfork called it, “bubblegrunge at its finest, all guitar fuzz and pop stickiness and crackling angst animating a personification of anger that just can’t be leashed. ‘I try to cram her back in my mouth,’ co-frontwoman Nina Gordon sings in the verse, but she didn’t really try that hard. // Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago in 1992 by vocalist-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, drummer Jim Shapiro, and bassist Steve Lack. They are best known for their first single, “Seether”, which was released on the 1994 album American Thighs. That success was followed up with 1997’s Eight Arms to Hold You. By 1998, Post was the only original member still in the band and continued on with other musicians. Veruca Salt released the album Resolver in 2000 and the album IV in 2006. After a hiatus in 2012, the band reformed with its original lineup. Their fifth studio album, Ghost Notes, was released in 2015.]

10:40 – Interview with Katie Gilchrist

Katie Gilchrist is a graduate of UMKC MFA Acting/Directing program and has worked as an Actor and Director professionally for over 20 years. Voted by Broadway World as Best Director of a play for last year’s “Steel Magnolias” she has directed at The Unicorn, UMKC, The Living Room, The Fishtank, and will direct “Dial M for Murder” for KC Actors Theatre this summer. Katie has appeared on almost every stage in KC. She is a member of the UMKC Conservatory Alumni Board, the AIDS Service Foundation Steering Committee, Artistic Director of KC Strips, and sings with Lost Wax.

Katie Gilchrist joins us to share details about The 1994 Project, a year-long 30th Anniversary tribute to the films & music of 1994, of which she is the creator/curator. The Black Box & The 1994 Project present “THE AUDIENCE MIXTAPE”, a tribute series featuring iconic albums or singles from 1994 on January 27, 2024, at 7:30pm at The Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, WEST BOTTOMS, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theblackboxkc.com

Katie Gilchrist, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

The 1994 Project, a year-long 30th Anniversary tribute to the films & music of 1994, of which she is the creator/curator.

Katie Gilchrist, Thank you for being with us on WMM.

The Black Box & The 1994 Project present “THE AUDIENCE MIXTAPE”, a tribute series featuring iconic albums or singles from 1994 on January 27, at 7:30pm at The Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, WEST BOTTOMS, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theblackboxkc.com

10:55

11. Jeff Buckley – “Last Goodbye”
    from: Grace (Legacy Edition) / Columbia – Sony / August 23, 1994
    [Grace is the only studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released on August 23, 1994, by Columbia Records. The album had poor sales and received mixed reviews at the time of its release. However, in recent years it has dramatically risen in critical reputation. An extended version of the album (subtitled “Legacy Edition”), celebrating its tenth anniversary, was released on August 23, 2004. Grace is currently certified 8× platinum in Australia. The album has been cited by critics and listeners as one of the greatest albums of all time. // Buckley’s version of “Corpus Christi Carol” was based on a version by Janet Baker. A childhood friend introduced him to the song, and Buckley sang a version on the album as a way of thanking him. // Grace won appreciation from a host of revered musicians and artists, including members of Buckley’s biggest influence, Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page considered Grace close to being his “favorite album of the decade”. Robert Plant was also complimentary, as was Brad Pitt, saying of Buckley’s work, “There’s an undercurrent to his music, there’s something you can’t pinpoint. Like the best of films, or the best of art, there’s something going on underneath, and there’s a truth there. And I find his stuff absolutely haunting. It just… it’s under my skin.” Others who had influenced Buckley’s music lauded him: Bob Dylan named Buckley “one of the great songwriters of this decade”, and David Bowie considered Grace to be the best album ever made, and had said it would be one of his ten “Desert Island Records.” // In 2006, British Hit Singles & Albums and NME organized a poll of which, 40,000 people worldwide voted for the 100 best albums ever and Grace was placed at No. 23 on the list. // On April 2, 2014 it was announced that Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” would be inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry (the entire album hasn’t yet been inducted). // Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American musician. // Born in Anaheim, California,[1] Buckley was the only son of Mary (née Guibert) and Tim Buckley. His mother was a Zonian of mixed Greek, French, and Panamanian descent, while his father was the son of an Irish American father and an Italian American mother. Buckley was raised by his mother and stepfather, Ron Moorhead, in Southern California, and had a half-brother, Corey Moorhead. Buckley moved many times in and around Orange County while growing up, an upbringing Buckley called “rootless trailer trash”. As a child, Buckley was known as Scott “Scottie” Moorhead, based on his middle name and his stepfather’s surname. // His biological father, Tim Buckley, was a singer-songwriter who released a series of folk and jazz albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and who he said he only met once, at the age of eight. After his biological father died of a drug overdose in 1975, he chose to go by Buckley and his real first name, which he found on his birth certificate. To members of his family he remained “Scottie”. // Buckley was brought up around music; his mother was a classically trained pianist and cellist, and his stepfather introduced him to Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Pink Floyd at an early age. Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti was the first album he owned, and he has noted hard rock band Kiss as an early favorite. He grew up singing around the house and in harmony with his mother, and later noted that all his family sang. He began playing guitar at the age of five after discovering an acoustic guitar in his grandmother’s closet. At age 12, he decided to become a musician[19] and received his first electric guitar, a black Les Paul, at age 13. He attended Loara High School and played in the school jazz band; during this time, he developed an affinity for progressive rock bands Rush, Genesis, and Yes, as well as jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. // After graduating from high school, he moved to Hollywood to attend the Musicians Institute, completing a one-year course at age 19. Buckley later told Rolling Stone the school was “the biggest waste of time”, but noted in an interview with DoubleTake Magazine that he appreciated studying music theory there, saying, “I was attracted to really interesting harmonies, stuff that I would hear in Ravel, Ellington, Bartók.”// After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by performing cover songs at venues in East Village, Manhattan, such as Sin-é, while gradually focusing more on his own material. After rebuffing interest from record labels and Herb Cohen—the manager of his father, singer Tim Buckley—he signed with Columbia, recruited a band, and recorded what would be his only studio album, Grace, in 1994. // Over the following three years, the band toured extensively to promote Grace, including concerts in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 1996, they stopped touring and made sporadic attempts to record Buckley’s second album in New York City with Tom Verlaine as the producer. // On the evening of May 29, 1997, Buckley’s band flew to Memphis to join him in his studio to work on his new material. The same evening, Buckley went swimming fully dressed in Wolf River Harbor, a slack water channel of the Mississippi River, singing the chorus of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” while swimming under the Memphis Suspension Railway. Keith Foti, a roadie in Buckley’s band, remained on shore. After moving a radio and guitar out of reach from the wake from a passing tugboat, Foti looked up to see Buckley had vanished; the wake of the tugboat had swept him away from shore and under water. A rescue effort that night and the next morning by scuba teams and police failed to discover Buckley’s body. On June 4, passengers on the American Queen riverboat spotted his body in the Wolf River, caught in some branches. // Buckley’s autopsy showed no signs of drugs or alcohol in his system, and the death was ruled an accidental drowning. The official Jeff Buckley website published a statement saying his death was neither mysterious nor a suicide.]

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – Interview with Mitzi McKee

Mitzi McKee grew up in Phoenix, Arizona in a musical theatre household, and performed in nearly 40 stage productions in Phoenix and played in punk & hardcore bands for over 10 years. Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also works the front-of-house. Mitzi holds a standing residency on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads. Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call them-selves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, and Caleb Robertson on drums. Mitzi McKee plays LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios.

Mitzi McKee plays LIVE at Chartreuse Saloon, 1625 Oak Street, KCMO on Saturday, February 3, at 10:00pm. More info at: http://www.chartreusesaloon.com

Mitzi McKee, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

11:08

12. Mitzi McKee – “Your Scream & Your Shout” (LIVE)
    original song from Mitzi McKee

11:10 – More Interview with Mitzi McKee

Mitzi’s band, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call them-selves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, and Caleb Robertson on drums. Mitzi McKee plays LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios.

Mitzi McKee plays LIVE at Chartreuse Saloon, 1625 Oak Street, KCMO on Saturday, February 3, at 10:00pm. More info at: http://www.chartreusesaloon.com

11:16

13. Mitzi McKee – “Sugarspoon” (LIVE)
    original song from Mitzi McKee

11:18 – More Interview with Mitzi McKee

Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair.

Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at The Pairing, where she also works the front-of-house. Mitzi holds a standing residency on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.

11:24

14. Mitzi McKee – “Inverted Shadows” (LIVE)
    original song from Mitzi McKee

Mitzi McKee, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Mitzi McKee plays LIVE at Chartreuse Saloon, 1625 Oak Street, KCMO on Saturday, February 3, at 10:00pm. More info at: http://www.chartreusesaloon.com

11:30 – Underwriting

15. Erin Keller & The James Ward Band – “You Can Feel It In The Air” (CD #13) (6:29)
    from: Songs For Times Like These / Erin Keller / January 26, 2024
    [Erin Keller on vocals, James Ward on electric bass, Jaylen Ward on drums & cymbals, Angela Ward on keyboard, Chad Meise on electric guitar. Recorded & mixed by Chad Meise. Mastered by Collin Jordan. Artwork by David Ford. Photos & Graphic design by Kayla Haskins. // On May 9, 2016 Erin Keller released her debut solo album, DISTRACTED. // Erin Keller is originally from Waukee, Iowa. She was born in 1980. Erin has been singing on a professional level for 30 years. Erin sang with the internationally competitive Des Moines Children’s Choir for 5 years, and 3 years in All-State choir in high school, which helped her earn a voice performance degree from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, in 2002. Erin peforms with the Grammy-Award winning Kansas City Chorale. Erin has also worked as a featured soloist with Owen Cox Dance Ensemble, New Ear, KC jazz musicians, the big band at University of Colorado, a West African Highlife Ensemble, the Balkan brass band Gora Gora Orkestar. Erin also has experience writing her own music, singing in rock, folk, and free improv settings and she more recently earned a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In Colorado she worked for two years in public schools teaching music and moved back to KC to continue her career as musician and educator.]

[Erin Keller & the James Ward Band play an Album Release Dinner Matinee Show, Friday, January 26, 2024, at 6:00pm, at The Ship, 1221 Union Avenue, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theshipkc.com]

10:38 – Interview with Erin Keller

Erin Keller has performed in the Grammy Award–winning KC Chorale for 16 years, KC Civic Opera, New Ear, OwenCox Dance Group, the band Blackout Gorgeous, the folk/free improvisational ensemble, Prometheus Io, a West African High Life Ensemble, and the Balkan brass band, Gora Gora Orkestar, all the while doing solo & collaborative projects performing jazz standards & improvisation works with top musicians in KC & Denver. Erin’s voice is born out of an uncommon musical perspective, with a huge range of not only pitch, but also in execution of style and expression. Six and a half years ago, Erin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. She has been on chemo since her diagnosis, constantly fighting all the symptoms that come with being on chemo. During the Covid pandemic, Erin worked to create safe outdoor concerts for local performers & audiences. Since then, she has worked on multiple music projects including the upcoming release of her new recording, SONGS FOR TIMES LIKE THESE, with the James Ward Band doing original songs written & produced by Erin Keller and recorded by Chad Meise. Erin Keller & the James Ward Band play an Album Release Dinner Matinee Show, Friday, January 26, 2024, at 6:00pm, at The Ship, 1221 Union Avenue, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theshipkc.com

Erin Keller thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Songs For Times Like These features Erin Keller on vocals, with the James Ward Band

James Ward on electric bass,
Jaylen Ward on drums & cymbals,
Angela Ward on keyboard,

Along with Chad Meise on electric guitar.
Recorded & mixed by Chad Meise. Mastered by Collin Jordan.
Artwork by David Ford. Photos & Graphics by Kayla Haskins.

Erin Keller & the James Ward Band play an Album Release Dinner Matinee, Fri, Jan. 26, at 6:00pm, at The Ship, 1221 Union Avenue, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theshipkc.com

At The Ship on January 26, Erin Keller and The JWB will be performing Erin’s latest album “Songs for Times Like These” along with earlier original material, standards, and improvisations. Her latest release is political, funny, groovy, and thought-provoking. If you feel like the world is making you crazy, you might feel very seen and heard at this show! The songs are about humanity coming together in unity and love to make the world a better place. The JWB featuring James, Angela, and Jaylen Ward always lay down a funky groove you can dance and/or relax to. It will be a very special night!

Six and a half years ago, Erin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. She has been on chemo since her diagnosis, constantly fighting all the symptoms that come with being on chemo.

During the Covid pandemic, Erin worked to create safe outdoor concerts for local performers & audiences. Erin organizing shows for Raj Ma Hall and World Culture KC, a COVID SAFE outdoor series featuring world class musicians from right here in Kansas City. Raj Ma Hall and Kansas City Institution for the Arts located at the homeport/studio of artist Roger “Capt. RamJet” MacBride-Guibor. Learn more at http://www.rajmahall.org

Erin Keller is originally from Waukee, Iowa. She was born in 1980. Erin has been singing on a professional level for 30+ years. Erin sang with the internationally competitive Des Moines Children’s Choir for 5 years, and 3 years in All-State choir in high school, which helped her earn a voice performance degree from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, in 2002.

UMKC Conservatory of Music brought Erin to Kansas City, where she made friends and built collaborations with KC Civic Opera, KC Choral, Own Cox Dance Ensemble…

…but then Erin decided to get her Masters Degree and she left KC for Boulder, Colorado The University of Colorado and then later Denver where she worked for two years in public schools teaching music and moved back to KC to continue her career as musician and educator. After Colorado, Erin returned to KC.

In April 2016 Erin released her solo album, “Distracted,” and has been playing live shows while also being upfront and honest about her cancer diagnosis where she has received multiple rounds of chemo treatments. Distracted was also recorded with Chad Meise.

Erin Keller thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

16. Erin Keller & James Ward Band – “Gotta Get The White Stuff Out”
    from: Songs For Times Like These / Erin Keller / January 26, 2024
    [Erin Keller on vocals, James Ward on electric bass, Jaylen Ward on drums & cymbals, Angela Ward on keyboard, Chad Meise on electric guitar. Recorded & mixed by Chad Meise. Mastered by Collin Jordan. Artwork by David Ford. Photos & Graphic design by Kayla Haskins. // On May 9, 2016 Erin Keller released her debut solo album, DISTRACTED. // Erin Keller is originally from Waukee, Iowa. She was born in 1980. Erin has been singing on a professional level for 30 years. Erin sang with the internationally competitive Des Moines Children’s Choir for 5 years, and 3 years in All-State choir in high school, which helped her earn a voice performance degree from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, in 2002. Erin peforms with the Grammy-Award winning Kansas City Chorale. Erin has also worked as a featured soloist with Owen Cox Dance Ensemble, New Ear, KC jazz musicians, the big band at University of Colorado, a West African Highlife Ensemble, the Balkan brass band Gora Gora Orkestar. Erin also has experience writing her own music, singing in rock, folk, and free improv settings and she more recently earned a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In Colorado she worked for two years in public schools teaching music and moved back to KC to continue her career as musician and educator.]

[Erin Keller & the James Ward Band play an Album Release Dinner Matinee Show, Friday, January 26, 2024, at 6:00pm, at The Ship, 1221 Union Avenue, KCMO. More info at: http://www.theshipkc.com]

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

Next week on Wednesday, January 31 we welcome back our WMM Co-Producer Marion Merritt of Records With Merritt who will share her latest sonic discoveries and information from her musically encyclopedic brain.

We will also talk with Jennifer Roe, Interim Executive Director of Folk Aliance International, based here in Kansas City, who are gearing up for the 36th Annual Conference Feb. 21-25, 2024 at The Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center 1 East Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. http://www.folk.org.

THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers.

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.

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

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

Show #1030