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, June 18, 2025

WMM presents Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning on James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep + Lonnie Fisher + Sisterbot & Hadiza. – Solstice at Sunset

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. Hadiza. – “Reactions!”
   from: SHADOW WEIGHT / Hadiza. / November 22, 2019
   [Hadiza also plays in the band Collidescope and Arquesta Del SoulSol // “Hadiza released her acclaimed album SHADOW WEIGHT on November 22, 2019. It was part of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Hadiza released her EP GONE on December 29, 2018 with Madi Monroe on bass & guitar, JL Bolinger on drums, and Hadiza Sa-Aadu on keyboards & vocals. Recording & Engineering: JL Bolinger & Madi Mclaughlin. Mixing & Mastering: Madi Mclaughlin. Hadiza. is a sKansas City based singer-songwriter. Previously based in her hometown of Iowa City, she has spent the 2018 slowly but surely carving out her place in the Kansas City scene both as a solo performer (as Hadiza.) and as lead vocalist and songwriter of experimental electronic group Collidescope. Blessed to have had parents who are very much NOT students of music, but recognized the importance of music education, Hadiza spent her childhood and adolescence in part as a student of piano. Vocally, Hadiza takes her cues from American artists including Fiona Apple, Tracey Chapman, and Billie Holiday and African artists including Angelique Kidjo,. Her sound/genre is best described as an eclectic blend of blues, soul, folk, jazz and classical. Her songwriting is a process of release and acceptance of life events navigating an often brutal bleak and harsh world and is a form of therapy. If you don’t relate to the content, you just don’t relate. Oh well. The most amazing experience however is when a stranger in the audience connects with a song in their own way and is courageous enough to share that with her. Aside from the therapeutic aspect of creating music, this is why she continues to write and perform. Collidescope released their new 7-track album, DEEP TAPE, on December 31, 2020. Collidescope is essentially a duo that includes: Hadiza. on vocals, beats, & synthesizers; and Madison Monroe on guitar, bass, beats, synthesizers, mixing and vocals. DEEP TAPE includes Victoria Falls Stillwater on addition sound production and vocals, and was mixed and mastered by J.Ashley Miller aka Jametatone. DEEP TAPE is a follow up the the band’s debut EP Systemic released December 16, 2017. Hadiza also is part of the band Arquesta Del SolSoul. More info at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com or http://www.acollidescope.bandcamp.com]

[Hadiza plays Solstice at Sunset Mini-Fest at Manheim Gardens, 4229 Forest, KCMO, Sat. June 21.]

3. Sisterbot – “Approval (feat. Just Angel)”
   from: Truth House / Sisterbot / July 10, 2021
   [Sisterbot is a performing artist dedicated to breaking genre boundaries, creating cosmic musical and theatrical experiences. The 9-piece Sisterbot Band is a “punk pop chamber orchestra” complete with electric guitar, drums, piano, strings and horn. “Truth House (2021) is a concept album written over the span of three years, encapsulating a chapter of my life that I spent in a house alone, dealing with the aftermath of trauma and rebirth.”- Sisterbot (Adee Dancy). Written by Sisterbot. Produced by Jametatone and Sisterbot. Engineered, Mixed, Mastered by Jametatone, except “Approval” which was Produced, Engineered, & Mixed by Andrew Bonci Jr. at Magnolia Tree Studios, with AJ Bonci on guitar, Just Angel and Sisterbot on vocals. Cover Art by Mazzy Mann. Adee Rocket Dancy released the single “Hello Moon (feat. The Swallowtails)” on April 26, 2021. (This song is also on the Sisterbot album.) Produced by Jametatone & Adee Rocket Dancy. Adee Rocket Dancy on piano & vocals & cello; Rachel Lovelace on bassoon; Mikala Petillo on guitar & background vocals, Mixing and Mastering by Jametatone, (J. Asley Miller). Adee Rocket Dancy writes, “This is a song about my life-long love for the moon, featuring The Swallowtails (Rachel Lovelace & Miki P). Adee chose the date April 26, 2021, as their release date, to honor the full moon called “The Pink Moon.” More info at: Sisterbot.bandcamp.com]

[Sisterbot plays Solstice at Sunset Mini-Fest at Manheim Gardens, 4229 Forest Avenue, KCMO, Saturday, June 21.]

10:11 – Interview with Adee Dancy, and Hadiza.

Adee Dancy (Sisterbot), is a performing artist born and raised in the KC area. Adee is a student of many teachers and disciplines, attempting to amalgamate all they have learned and loved, into their artistic life. Adorning many different hats, Adee has stepped into a multitude of roles in their career such as professional cellist, music director, vocalist, composer, actor, and more. With dynamic string writing and theatrical rock at the helm of their work, Adee captains a project and alter-ego called Sisterbot, that fuses their multiple disciplines. Adee feels extremely lucky to have music, art, & theater as means of expression and livelihood! Adee has collaborated with many groups including Owen Cox Dance Group, No Divide KC, and The Swallowtails. More info at http://sisterbotmusic.com

Adee Dancy (Sisterbot), (They/Them) thanks for being with us on WMM.

Hadiza. shuffles between multiple hats in their work. They are most known as 1/2 of experimental queer duo Collidescope, w/ best friend & roommate Madison Mclaughlin. The two (with the help of some awesome friends) are getting ready to release their final recording project DEEP TAPE 2 before a hiatus. Hadiza is also working on their second solo album supported by Arts KC, titled Diaspora Gothic, to be released in the fall of 2025. This year, Arts KC also supported Hadiza’s pursuits to build artistic connections in their home country, Ghana. Hadiza spent January connecting and collaborating in practice and performance as a resident at Crazinist Artist Studio for the Perfocraze International Artist Residency in Kumasi, Ghana. pIAR was founded and is led by Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi a Ghanaian woman activist and performance artist of trans experience.

Hadiza (They/Them), thanks for being with us on WMM.

Adee, Hadiza. are here to share details about Solstice at Sunset Mini-Fest at Manheim Gardens, 4229 Forest, KCMO, Sat, June 21, 2:00pm to midnight. This all-ages garden festival returns with immersive garden activities, wellness offerings, and a lineup featuring 8 musical acts: Snow Goose, Kissin, Babydoll, 2W33dy, Hadiza., Sisterbot, Christina Silvius, and Coloratura, with performances running from 3 to 11:00 pm. Guests can enjoy 10-minute yoga flows with Charenee from New Moon Wellness, explore the grounds with a garden passport scavenger hunt, bundle fresh herbs, collect a DIY snack directly from the garden, look to the sky with telescope time and stargazing.

The community-powered celebration, now Mini-Festival, Solstice at Sunset is back at Manheim Gardens on Sat, June 21, 2025, 2pm to midnight, and it’s free to attend.
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After an inspiring inaugural run last summer hosted by the KC Queertet, Sisterbot, Hadiza., and Christina Silvius, this all-ages garden festival returns with a full lineup of live music, immersive garden activities, and wellness offerings, all set in one of Kansas City’s most vibrant green spaces: Manheim Gardens, located at 4229 Forest Ave, KCMO.
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This year’s lineup features 8 musical acts: Snow Goose, Kissin, Babydoll, 2W33dy, Hadiza., Sisterbot, Christina Silvius, and Coloratura, with performances running from 3-11pm. Guests can enjoy 10-minute yoga flows with Charenee from New Moon Wellness, explore the grounds with a garden passport scavenger hunt, bundle fresh herbs, collect a DIY snack directly from the garden, look to the sky with telescope time and stargazing once the sun sets, and more.
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Festival highlights include:
*Live music from local artists
*Garden-to-table activities like snack foraging and herb workshops
*Yoga, health station, and chill zones for relaxation and restoration
*Zine library, donation and merch stations, and more
*Telescope stargazing after dark

Special thanks to Zan Bondi and all of the Manheim Garden volunteers for their time, efforts, and collaboration.

One of the man organizers of this event is Zan Bondi is a food pantry farmer, artist and mystic. Zan is the programming director and founder of Wednesday Potlucks for World Peace at Manheim Gardens – which happens every Wednesday from 6:30-830pm, May-October, where folks harvest greens for the community + local food pantry and share dinner. They’ve spent over a decade dedicated to food sovereignty and helping folk deindustrialize their homes, hearts and minds. Come to the garden and let’s grow together!

Audience need only to bring curiosity, a water bottle, and something to sit on. .

Beautiful show poster made by the amazing Claire Monroe at Oddities Prints.

Adee Rocket Dancy writes, “Three years ago, I wrote a song called “You Won’t Play Me.” I had been cleaning my apartment when I found an old pile of letters that brought back difficult memories… they were from someone who had spun many webs of lies and manipulations to gain my attention and affection. I hadn’t realized the extent of this mind-molding until my mid-20’s, after nearly a decade of experiences with this person. Holding the letters in my hand, I felt anger, embarrassment, protective of my younger self, but also, freedom. The knowledge that this person had no hold over me today, or ever again, gave me a sense of triumph. In a rush of catharsis, I ripped up all of the letters, tossing them into the air with relief. Immediately, this song came to me. I sat down at the keyboard, and out it poured. // More info at: sisterbotmusic.com // Sisterbot.bandcamp.com

Sisterbot is a performing artist and composer dedicated to breaking genre and disciplinary boundaries in order to create musical and theatrical experiences. Each piece is episodic, cathartic, and gives an internal look into the beauty and the bizarre of the human experience through epic theatrical and musical storytelling. The 7-to-14-piece Sisterbot Ensemble is described as a “punk pop chamber orchestra,” with a full rock rhythm section and the addition of strings and background vocals. Sisterbot connects and communicates about love, community, gratitude, queerness, the preciousness of life, the preservation of our planet, and our place in this vast universe.

Adee Dancy / Sisterbot told Voyage magazine: As a kid, I was mesmerized by outer space. I was sure that I was going to be an astronaut, so much so that I begged my mom to let me go to Space Camp 6 times (the one from all the commercials in Huntsville, Alabama). At the same time that my space obsession began, I also started playing the cello, which I frequently refer to as my first love (besides my amazing parents and sisters!). My love for music was very deeply rooted, with a very musical mom who always played piano, and guitar, and sang harmonies with me, a dad with an ear for hit melodies and great albums, and a stepdad with mega rock guitar skills. And of course, I had some of the greatest and most supportive music educators I could ask for.

Fast-forward to high school- I was still on the path of becoming something within the field of astronomy, engineering, robotics, or science in general. But then, my world turned upside down when I got the chance to see the world-renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, in concert with the Kansas City Symphony at the brand new, state-of-the-art Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It was an experience that I truly will never forget. I remember being so completely engaged and involved in the performance, watching Yo-Yo Ma play the Dvorâk Cello Concerto. I had a truly out-of-body experience for the first and only time in my life, and I awakened in the middle of the piece with tears streaming down my face and the resounding, undeniable calling in my mind and heart: I have to pursue music!

From that moment forward, I changed my entire career path, switched all of my engineering classes to music classes, and went on to pursue music in college. I have a background in both classical cello and classical voice, with a degree in cello and an enthusiasm/private study of the other. I realized towards the end of my Bachelor’s degree that classical music was a love of mine, but not an avenue I wanted to truly pursue. My first few years of college were extremely difficult, with an unforgiving private teacher, being in the closet, experiencing the death of a person I loved, and a general feeling of inadequacy as a classical cellist. I realized through music directing my first musical that I had a passion for theater and popular music, and it brought me to write my own music!

Adee officially began their own musical project, which was originally called “Adee Rocket Dancy.” Adee picked the name in tribute to childhood dreams of astronomy and rocket science that have always been fascinating and mesmerizing to them. Adee knew that they wanted to incorporate those themes into their musical journey. Adee released 3 singles under that name until realizing at a coffee shop with bandmates that “Sisterbot” had a great ring to it. It was originally a joke that we laughed really hard about, but then it stuck! Two weeks before, “Truth House” came out, Adee, their mom, and stepdad, were finalizing album artwork, and decided at that moment to make the change.

Solstice at Sunset Mini-Fest at Manheim Gardens, 4229 Forest, KCMO, Sat, June 21, 2:00pm to midnight. This all-ages garden festival has immersive garden activities, wellness offerings, and a lineup fof 8 musical acts: Snow Goose, Kissin, Babydoll, 2W33dy, Hadiza., Sisterbot, Christina Silvius, & Coloratura, with performances running from 3 to 11:00 pm.

10:28

4. Collidescope – “Dodo Bird”
   from: FunHouse / Collidescope / October 13, 2022
   [Collidescope includes: Hadiza. on vocals, beats, & synthesizers; and Madison Monroe on guitar, bass, beats, synthesizers, mixing & vocals. On December 31, 2020 Collidescope released their 7-track album DEEP TAPE. DEEP TAPE includes Victoria Falls Stillwater on addition sound production and vocals, and was mixed and mastered by J.Ashley Miller. DEEP TAPE is a follow up the band’s debut EP SYSTEMIC released December 16, 2017. Hadiza also released her solo album SHADOW WEIGHT on Nov. 22, 2019. Collidescope are getting ready to release their final recording project DEEP TAPE 2 before a hiatus. Hadiza is also working on their second solo album supported by Arts KC, titled Diaspora Gothic, to be released in the fall of 2025. More info at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com or http://www.acollidescope.bandcamp.com ]

10:33 – Underwriting

5. Lonnie Fisher – “Hear My Voice”
   from: “Hear My Voice” – Single / Lonnie Fisher / April 18, 2025
   [Lonnie Fisher studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher released the EP SEEDS on July 27, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released the 8 track album BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released his 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower. On October 22, 2021 with his band Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released HAUNTED More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]

10:39 – Interview with Lonnie Fisher

“Hear My Voice” is one of several new singles from the prolific Kansas City musical riock and roller – Lonnie Fisher who studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher & The Funeral released the album, HAUNTED on October 22, 2021. He released his solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022; BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023; the EP, SEEDS on July 28, 2023, and the album FLOATING PALACE, on August 9, 2024. Info at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.

Lonnie Fisher Thank you for being with us on WMM.

6/5: Lansing Correctional Facility experience in a room without phones. It was glorious!

Lonnie: On the night of June 5, my band and I experienced a unique enthusiasm and appreciation from the residents of Lansing Correctional Facility that went far beyond a traditional gig, in an extremely unorthodox setting. We had a soulful connection with this amazing community and experienced the creation of music together, the way humans are supposed to. It was another reminder of shows of yore when cell phones weren’t so distracting and the audience was just as much a part of the show as the musicians. We will be forever grateful for the experience and can’t wait to do it again!

6/21: Upcoming art and music show, featuring artist Mark Freeman at Discourse Brewery OPKS (4-8pm parking lot tent show, food truck, free, family-friendly)

2 new tunes will be released July 10 (Lonnie’s Birthday)

Zero One Zero (it is not officially released on any platform though). Recorded and played last year with Ed Rose, of the famed Black Lodge Studios, at the cool recording studio in Lawrence Public Library. The other song is called Get Away, recorded at Weights and Measures, with guest vocals from Steve Tulipana (Season to Risk).

Lonnie Fisher plays Replay Lounge in Lawrence on July 5.
Lonnie Fisher plays Hillsiders in KCK on July 23.
Lonnie Fisher plays The Bottleneck in Lawrence on August 1.

Lonnie Fisher continued to go to his new local recording home at Weights and Measures Soundlab, where he has been remastering old and creating new songs with Duane Trower like a madman since before the pandemic. Lonnie released some newly recorded and remastered solo tracks in 2022’s Famous Girl, 2023’s Seeds EP and the album John Brown Karmageddon. His most recent songs written in the last 5 years can be found on 2023’s Beautiful Star, 2024’s Floating Palace, and his upcoming album The Onion’s Tale this fall. He’s already in the studio, working on 2026’s album.

We’d really like for people to be on our old fashioned email newsletter to learn more about who we’re playing with and lots more details. We are very skittish about social media nowadays. thelonniefisher.com

We’re introducing The Fisher Flea to shows.We decided to expand our merch table to homemade goods, cool quirky items, books, as well as the standard merch. The sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, and jarred sauces are a hit!

10:46

6. Lonnie Fisher – ” Zero One Zero with Tara Fisher” (LIVE)
   from: “Zero One Zero” – Single / Lonnie Fisher / July 10, 2025
   [Lonnie Fisher studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher released the EP SEEDS on July 27, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released the 8 track album BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released his 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower. On October 22, 2021 with his band Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released HAUNTED More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]

10:50 – More Interview with Lonnie Fisher

Lonnie Fisher is a native Kansan, playing a unique 5-string guitar with no G string and a voice that some call reminiscent of David Bowie or Roy Orbison. Lonnie moved to Lawrence, Kansas from the western part of the state in the 1990’s, as the college town found its place on the national music scene. The project he started there, Sturgeon Mill, played live venues all around the West and Midwest, with the song “Kill Yourself or I Will” charting in European countries. After Sturgeon Mill broke up in the 2000’s, he began experimenting with solo work at Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas with Ed Rose. A few projects came and went, but nothing really stuck until his band, Lonnie Fisher & the Funeral. He also found his love of cooking during this time and worked his way up to dinner chef at Wheatfield’s in Lawrence.

Tragedy struck in about 2010 when Lonnie lost his father and the love of his life over a very short period of time. He grieved, got lost in alcohol addiction, and then had a stroke. In 2015, he moved to the Kansas City area. With that move, he evolved Lonnie Fisher & The Funeral with some new local members. Tragedy struck again in 2017 when he had a second stroke. This set him back more than the first as he had to quit his kitchen job because the stroke affected his memory and how he processes information. He eventually learned to live life without alcohol and relearned how to play and sing. With some other health issues on the horizon, he decided that he would focus more on recording and disbanded Lonnie Fisher & The Funeral.

He continued to go to his new local recording home at Weights and Measures Soundlab, where he has been remastering old and creating new songs with Duane Trower like a madman since before the pandemic. Lonnie released some newly recorded and remastered solo tracks in 2022’s Famous Girl, 2023’s Seeds EP and the album John Brown Karmageddon. His most recent songs written in the last 5 years can be found on 2023’s Beautiful Star, 2024’s Floating Palace, and his upcoming album The Onion’s Tale this fall. He’s already in the studio, working on 2026’s album.

Lonnie: “I’m so grateful to be back, and I have so many people to thank for their kindness and support. Most importantly, my wife Tara, who was with me through all the dark moments, deserves real credit for my being alive.”

Sheri at The Brick in KCMO, Steve Tulipana at Record Bar KCMO, Duane Trower Weights and Measures Soundlab KCMO, Lawrence venues The Replay Lounge, Bottleneck, Gaslight Gardens, Northside Social, all of these people and places gave me a second chance to resurrect my career. I love them very much.

Life is truly a gift. Work hard. Play harder. Take care of your body and mental health. When everything is working together in harmony, there’s nothing you can’t do.

Website: https://lonniefisher.bandcamp.com/album/seeds
Instagram: Lonnie Fisher official
Facebook: Lonnie Fisher singer/songwriter
Youtube: Lonnie Fisher

Lonnie Fisher Thank you for being with us on WMM.

10:57

7. Lonnie Fisher – “Mediocre White Man (feat. Tara Fisher)”
   from: “Mediocre White Man (feat. Tara Fisher)” – Single / Lonnie Fisher / April 18, 2025
   [Lonnie Fisher studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher released the EP SEEDS on July 27, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released the 8 track album BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released his 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower. On October 22, 2021 with his band Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released HAUNTED More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]

11:00 – Station ID – Life’s Too Good To Keep – Side A – Act One

8. James Grauerholz – “Be That Way”
   from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024
   [Written in 1993. Recorded by Brad Koehler, at Hairball IV Studio, Lawrence, Kansas. / James Grauerholz writes: “I wrote this for Matt Schepis, who was my boyfriend in 1993. He is now almost fifty and we’re good friends. Other players: Mark Henning of Zoom, guitar fills and vocal; Scott Lovern of the Lonesome Wranglers on keyboards; Bill Belzer of Mongol Beach Party on drums; Darren Welch of Dracomagnet on bass guitar. For this one session we were Draco Zoom Mongol Ramblers. The song was first released on Tim/Ker records out of Portland, Oregon on the “Cough It Up: The Hairball Story” compilation.” // Mark Henning writes in the album’s liner notes: To anyone in the Art, Literary & Music world, James has long been known as ‘The Burroughs Guy’. From 1974 until William Burroughs death in 1997, James has handled the business of William S. Burroughs Communications, acting as his manager, bibliographer, editor, literary executor and companion. To this day he continues to helm the business of Burroughs. What has been little-known up until now is that James has led a double life as an accomplished musician and songwriter with an extensive body of work stretching back from the late 1960s to the present. In fact, music was his first passion. // James set out to be a singer-songwriter before fate led to his calling with William S. Burroughs and despite the demands of his literary responsibilities, he continued to write music as a creative outlet. Over the years James witnessed and has been an important figure in many extraordinary musical eras. He was referred to as the ‘Zelig of Punk Rock’, having been part of a small coterie who helped kick-start the CBGBs scene in NYC from 1974 through the end of the decade. If you haven’t read the book ‘Please Kill Me’ by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, do yourself a favor and pick it up. James’ stories are among the best in it. His ‘mates’ during that time were the likes of Lester Bangs, Howard Brookner, Robert Palmer and Robert Quine -to name only a few. // The Zelig comparison is dead accurate, but it goes far beyond Punk Rock. James was there for the Midwestern Country-Rock explosion of the early 1970s. The legendary oral history ‘Cows Are Freaky When They Look At You’ paints a hilariously warped picture of the people in James orbit during those K.C./Lawrence years prior to him moving to NYC. He was there for the AOR singer-songwriter movement of the late 1970s, mixing his songs with Boz Skaggs in San Francisco. He was at the Hacienda in Manchester when Factory Records ruled the scene and where New Order, The Smiths and The Fall took the world by storm. He was around when New Wave and Hardcore emerged AND he was a steadfast contributor to the evolution of underground music of the early 1990s. In Lawrence, KS where James has lived since the early 1980s, and where Zoom and Lotuspool Records evolved, James lent his opinions, his studio, his gear, his chops and his time, unselfishly on innumerable occasions to help fledgling bands get a leg up. // Through all of these eras, James’ voice as a songwriter has held its own piece of real estate. Each of the twenty-two tracks represented on this double album bear a style that is distinctly his own, both lyrically and compositionally. It is worth adding that James is one hell of an accomplished guitar player too. Assembling this collection was no easy task, despite James’ impeccable documentation of his own catalog. Tapes were baked, no stone was left unturned and several ‘new’ discoveries were made that hadn’t made their way into the master list. // What you have here is a collection of songs that span thirty years, or as James so aptly puts it ‘My Life In Four Acts’ -with each side of the two LPs representing an Act. Though much of the material could easily be considered Great American Songbook in style (hooks everywhere, turns of phrase that remain stuck in your head, broad themes of love, loss & loneliness…), there is also a deeply personal and distinctly Queer element to the songs. One must not forget that back in the 1970s hardly anyone was doing this. In fact, James may have created his very own lane. There were Queer outsider artists like Tom Wilson doing more ‘camp’ numbers, but NO ONE was doing pop-type radio songs represented here. Some of the songs could even qualify as a new genre: Gay Yacht Rock. One must also wonder whether, despite the appeal factor, maybe James just wanted to keep the songs for himself as a log of his own personal journey? // You, the listener can decide for yourself. We hope you enjoy these four acts as much as we did while assembling them. For me they just keep getting better the more I listen.” – Mark Henning (Zoom, National Trust, Voice of Action)]

11:03 – Interview with Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning

Mark Henning was born on South Side of Chicago in 1970 into a musical family. His Grandfather was a Music Educator and Big Band Leader of the Leo Henning Orchestra. Mark was initiated into his music and started playing guitar at the age of 8 and then saxophone and electric guitar and started his first band The Locals. Mark met Chris Garibaldi when he moved to his neighborhood. In high school Mark discovered the underground music in Chicago, and played basement Hardcore shows. Mark went to University Of Kansas in 1988 where he majored in Advertising and got my undergrad B.S.J. from the William Allen White School Of Journalism. With Chris Cosgrove and Steve Tubbart Jeremy Sidener the band Zoom was created. Mark met James Grauerholz and William Burroughs in 1992. They were label-mates on T/K Records out of Portland but all lived in Lawrence. Mark played and recorded with James. Mark moved back to Chicago in 1995, ad started playing in The National Trust, recording two albums on Thrill Jockey. Mark worked at Reckless Records in Chicago from 1996-2000k and also Dusty Groove Records. Mark started a successful D.J. night at Danny’s in Chicago that continued for 20 years until 2017. Mark moved to Brooklyn in 2000 Managed Dubway recording Studios in Manhattan, worked and lived in New Orleans and eventually moved back to Chicago in 2006 to focus on music with the National Trust. Mark toured Europe, bought a bungalow on the West Side, worked for a Commercial Photography House, had a son name Leo in 2008. Mark continues to write. He put out a 45” with Fred Schneider and Elvira on Jack White’s Third Man label in 2013-14. Started a three piece called VoA and released an album on Lotuspool in 2018. On 2019 he started work on the James Grauerholz Album until it was released in November of 2024.

Mark Henning thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Chris Garibaldi is the co-founder of Lotuspool Records. He also is lead singer, guitarist and occasional trombonist for the band Suneaters who released their 7th album, the 13 track album, Suneaters IV: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fingers, on September 23, 2022. Lotuspool Records, was born in 1992. Chris writes “We started the label when we were very young, and the bands that were on it were very young, too,” he tells me. “Back then, you could put out an indie record and get a lot of attention and press. At that time, there was a lot of support for indie music. Around 2000, Lotuspool went on an unofficial hiatus. The label was never inactive, but Garibaldi spent most of 2000s living in Los Angeles. In 2011, a Garibaldi relocated to Parkville, he and Scott Hartley — bassist in the Suneaters — brought a new vision for Lotuspool Records. He label has been the moe for releases for Heidi Lynne Gluck, The Bump Band, Bully Pulpit, The Whips, Poster Children, Zoom, Voice of Action, June Henry, Hollow Body, Chris Cardwel, and many others This year the label is celebrating 33 years!

Chris Garibaldi, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Chris Garibaldi and Mark Henning join us to share details about the new Lotuspool release: James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep, a 21-track, double vinyl album of the recorded songs of James Grauerholz. Grauerholz has long been known as ‘The Burroughs Guy’. From 1974 until William Burroughs death in 1997, James handled the business of William S. Burroughs Communications, acting as his manager, bibliographer, editor, literary executor and companion. To this day he continues to helm the business of Burroughs. What has been little-known up until now is that James has led a double life as an accomplished musician and songwriter with an extensive body of work stretching back from the late 1960s to the present. In fact, music was his first passion. More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

Lotus Pool Records presents…James Grauerholz Life’s Too Good To Keep

“Be That Way”– Written in 1993. Recorded by Brad Koehler, at Hairball IV Studio, Lawrence, Kansas. / James Grauerholz writes: “I wrote this for Matt Schepis, who was my boyfriend in 1993. He is now almost fifty and we’re good friends. Other players: Mark Henning of Zoom, guitar fills and vocal; Scott Lovern of the Lonesome Wranglers on keyboards; Bill Belzer of Mongol Beach Party on drums; Darren Welch of Dracomagnet on bass guitar. For this one session we were Draco Zoom Mongol Ramblers. The song was first released on Tim/Ker records out of Portland, Oregon on the “Cough It Up: The Hairball Story” compilation.”

James Grauerholz was born December 14, 1953, in Coffeyville, Kansas, and attended the University of Kansas for a year before dropping out and traveling to New York City. By his own admission, he was fascinated with Beat Generation literature and authors.

Grauerholz became acquainted with Burroughs in the 1970s while befriending Allen Ginsberg in New York City. Ginsberg recommended Grauerholz to Burroughs as a possible assistant and their working relationship began in this simple manner, yet grew to be a major factor in the popularization of Burroughs and his works. Grauerholz became Burroughs’s friend and business manager until the author’s death in 1997.

Grauerholz helped edit a trilogy of novels: Cities of the Red Night (1981), The Place of Dead Roads (1985) and The Western Lands (1987). He acted as Burroughs’s business manager, spearheading reading tours in the 1980s and 1990s, and wrote editorial copy for Interzone, a compilation of stories. He quit working for Burroughs and returned to Kansas in the early 1980s, and this quickly led Burroughs to relocate to the Midwestern university town of Lawrence, Kansas, to work more closely with Grauerholz again. Up until Burroughs’s death in 1997, Grauerholz supported him, getting him reading engagements, commercial advertisements (Nike shoes), and parts in films (Drugstore Cowboy), as well as recording Burroughs’s readings. He looked after Burroughs’s physical needs as well, taking him to a methadone clinic in Kansas City weekly, as well as providing him with companionship and acting as a kind of social secretary to the many people that came to Kansas to meet Burroughs.

Grauerholz wrote biographical sketches for a Burroughs reader, Word Virus, and edited a posthumous release of Burroughs’ diaries, Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs. Grauerholz worked on a full-length biography on Burroughs, but reportedly handed his writings and other material in the project to Barry Miles in March 2010.[1] The book, Call Me Burroughs: A Life, was published in 2014, with Miles as the sole credited author.

Works as editor or co-editor of William Burroughs
• Cities of the Red Night, 1981
• The Place of Dead Roads, 1985
• The Western Lands, 1987
• My Education: A Book of Dreams, 1995
• Interzone, 1985
• Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. Burroughs, 2000

Audio productions: Naked Lunch (Warner, 1995), and Let Me Hang You (Khannibalism, 2016)
both recordings produced by Grauerholz and Hal Wilner with music by Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell and Eyvind Kang

Works as author Include: Grauerholz, James and Ira Silverberg. (2000) Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader. Grove Press. (Editor and author of biographical sketches preceding each chapter). AND Grauerholz, James. The Death of Joan Vollmer Burroughs: What Really Happened?. American Studies Department, University of Kansas. Online.

Mark Henning first met James in 1992 when his band Zoom was being courted by Tim Kerr Records of Portland, Oregon. Zoom had been introduced to the label through Greg Sage of Wipers fame, who was Producing what would be our final record, Helium Octipede.

Coincidentally James and William Burroughs were both signed to Tim Kerr Records and we all happened to live in Lawrence, KS. James and I met up at a Mexican restaurant near 19th & Mass St. and discussed the music biz over enchiladas. James was incredibly supportive of our move to join the label, gave me a boatload of wise advice and a long friendship ensued.

To anyone in the Art, Literary & Music world, James has long been known as ‘The Burroughs Guy’. From 1974 until William Burroughs death in 1997, James has handled the business of William S. Burroughs Communications, acting as his manager, bibliographer, editor, literary executor and companion. To this day he continues to helm the business of Burroughs. What has been little-known up until now is that James has led a double life as an accomplished musician and songwriter with an extensive body of work stretching back from the late 1960s to the present. In fact, music was his first passion.

James Grauerholz was referred to as the ‘Zelig of Punk Rock’

James set out to be a singer-songwriter before fate led to his calling with William S. Burroughs and despite the demands of his literary responsibilities, he continued to write music as a creative outlet. Over the years James witnessed and has been an important figure in many extraordinary musical eras. He was referred to as the ‘Zelig of Punk Rock’, having been part of a small coterie who helped kick-start the CBGBs scene in NYC from 1974 through the end of the decade. If you haven’t read the book ‘Please Kill Me’ by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, do yourself a favor and pick it up. James’ stories are among the best in it. His ‘mates’ during that time were the likes of Lester Bangs, Howard Brookner, Robert Palmer and Robert Quine -to name only a few.

11:15 – Life’s Too Good To Keep – Side A – Act One

9. James Grauerholz – “Rainy Kansas City”
   from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024
   [Written in 1973. Recorded by James Grauerholz, by myself in my bachelor apartment in Kansas City , Missouri, next door to the Associated photography Building where I worked then at 3716 Main Street, Kansas City.]

11:18 – More Interview with Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning

We are talking with Chris Garibaldi and Mark Henning about the new Lotuspool release: James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep, a 21-track, double vinyl album of the recorded songs of James Grauerholz. Released November 1, 2024. More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

“Rainy Kansas City” – Written in 1973. Recorded by James Grauerholz, by myself in my bachelor apartment in Kansas City , Missouri, next door to the Associated photography Building where I worked then at 3716 Main Street, Kansas City. James writes: “I was thinking of my many fears about moving to New York City – which I nevertheless did soon afterward.]

The Zelig comparison is dead accurate, but it goes far beyond Punk Rock. James was there for the Midwestern Country-Rock explosion of the early 1970s. The legendary oral history ‘Cows Are Freaky When They Look At You’ paints a hilariously warped picture of the people in James orbit during those K.C./Lawrence years prior to him moving to NYC. He was there for the AOR singer-songwriter movement of the late 1970s, mixing his songs with Boz Skaggs in San Francisco. He was at the Hacienda in Manchester when Factory Records ruled the scene and where New Order, The Smiths and The Fall took the world by storm. He was around when New Wave and Hardcore emerged AND he was a steadfast contributor to the evolution of underground music of the early 1990s.

In Lawrence, KS where James has lived since the early 1980s, and where Zoom and Lotuspool Records evolved, James lent his opinions, his studio, his gear, his chops and his time, unselfishly on innumerable occasions to help fledgling bands get a leg up.

11:28 – Underwriting

11:30 – Life’s Too Good To Keep – Side B – Act 2

10. James Grauerholz – “New York City Lullabye”
    from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024
    [Written in 1974. Recorded by James Grauerholz on stereo cassette tape in April 1974 while William slept – late one night at 452 Broadway, New York City.. / James Grauerholz writes: “William S. Burroughs, my father and lover for 23 years until his death on August 2, 1997. He had been my favorite writer since 1966, and when I finally met William, I immediately decided ‘Life’s to good to keep.’”]

11:33 – More Interview with Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning

11:33 – More Interview with Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning

We are talking with Chris Garibaldi and Mark Henning about the new Lotuspool release: James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep, a 21-track, double vinyl album of the recorded songs of James Grauerholz. Released Noveber 1, 2024. More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

“New York City Lullabye “ – Written in 1974. Recorded by James Grauerholz on stereo cassette tape in April 1974 while William slept – late one night at 452 Broadway, New York City. / James Grauerholz writes: “William S. Burroughs, my father and lover for 23 years until his death on August 2, 1997. He had been my favorite writer since 1966, and when I finally met William, I immediately decided ‘Life’s to good to keep.’”

Single Release Dates:
10/4/24: Be That Way
10/11/24: New York City Lullabye
10/18/24: Heaven’s Radio
10/25/24: The Intersection Of You And Me

Grauerholz has long been known as ‘The Burroughs Guy’. From 1974 until William Burroughs death in 1997, James handled the business of William S. Burroughs Communications, acting as his manager, bibliographer, editor, literary executor and companion. To this day he continues to helm the business of Burroughs.

What has been little-known up until now is that James has led a double life as an accomplished musician and songwriter with an extensive body of work stretching back from the late 1960s to the present. In fact, music was his first passion. More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

Through all of these eras, James’ voice as a songwriter has held its own piece of real estate. Each of the twenty-two tracks represented on this double album bear a style that is distinctly his own, both lyrically and compositionally. It is worth adding that James is one hell of an accomplished guitar player too. Assembling this collection was no easy task, despite James’ impeccable documentation of his own catalog. Tapes were baked, no stone was left unturned and several ‘new’ discoveries were made that hadn’t made their way into the master list.

11:40 – Life’s Too Good To Keep – Side C – Act 3

11. James Grauerholz – “Heaven’s Radio”
    from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024
    [Written in 1985. Recorded by James Grauerholz live to four-track cassette at 215 Illinois Street In Lawrence Kansas that summer. Written for Neil Cadger whom I met in 1978 in San Francisco and visited in Canada (Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and in Paris in 1981. We are still good friends.”]

11:45 – More Interview with Chris Garibaldi & Mark Henning

We are talking with Chris Garibaldi and Mark Henning about the new Lotuspool release: James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep, a 21-track, double vinyl album of the recorded songs of James Grauerholz. Released Noveber 1, 2024. More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

“Heaven’s Radio” – Written in 1985. Recorded by James Grauerholz live to four-track cassette at 215 Illinois Street In Lawrence Kansas that summer. Written for Neil Cadger whom I met in 1978 in San Francisco and visited in Canada (Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and in Paris in 1981. We are still good friends.”]

What you have here is a collection of songs that span thirty years, or as James so aptly puts it ‘My Life In Four Acts’ -with each side of the two LPs representing an Act. Though much of the material could easily be considered Great American Songbook in style (hooks everywhere, turns of phrase that remain stuck in your head, broad themes of love, loss & loneliness…), there is also a deeply personal and distinctly Queer element to the songs. One must not forget that back in the 1970s hardly anyone was doing this. In fact, James may have created his very own lane. There were Queer outsider artists like Tom Wilson doing more ‘camp’ numbers, but NO ONE was doing pop-type radio songs represented here. Some of the songs could even qualify as a new genre: Gay Yacht Rock. One must also wonder whether, despite the appeal factor, maybe James just wanted to keep the songs for himself as a log of his own personal journey?

You, the listener can decide for yourself. We hope you enjoy these four acts as much as we did while assembling them. For me they just keep getting better the more I listen.

Mark Henning (Zoom, National Trust, Voice of Action)

Chris: “One of the mistakes we made as kids running the label was that we made a lot of short-term decisions,” Garibaldi says. “We didn’t have foresight. We were too concerned about paychecks and debt. And now it’s like, ‘Let’s take the thing that we do well, which is to foster interesting music, and not worry about the little things.’ Let’s see if we might be able to figure out something that might make the music bigger. That’s the goal.”

“The Intersection Of You And Me” – Recorded by Ed Rose at Hairball IV Studios. Tom Johnson and Chuck Mahoney remixed in 2004. For “Psrk” a Colorado boy with whomI’m really glad to have been friends. Also for Mikal Elder, an Air Force Academy student whom I met in Pueblo, Mexico, in 2000 at an American Studies scholarly conference at the Universidad do las Americas/Puébla, where he presented a paper on Ernest Hemingway and William S Burroughs. My friend Mikal is a professional cargo pilot today.

Chris Garibaldi and Mark Henning, thanks for being with us on WMM

The new Lotuspool release: James Grauerholz – Life’s Too Good To Keep, a 21-track, double vinyl album of the recorded songs of James Grauerholz was released November 1, 2024 More info at: http://www.lotuspool.com

For WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening.

11:54 – Life’s Too Good To Keep – Side D – Act 4

12. James Grauerholz – “The Intersection Of You And Me”
    from: Life’s Too Good To Keep / Lotuspool Records / November 1, 2024
    [Recorded by Ed Rose at Hairball IV Studios. Tom Johnson and Chuck Mahoney remixed in 2004. For “Psrk” a Colorado boy with whom I’m really glad to have been friends. Also for Mikal Elder, an Air Force Academy student whom I met in Pueblo, Mexico, in 2000 at an American Studies scholarly conference at the Universidad do las Americas/Puébla, where he presented a paper on Ernest Hemingway and William S Burroughs. My friend Mikal is a professional cargo pilot today.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, June 25 We talk with Lawrence Kansas based singer songwriter Suzanne Johannes about her new album Hanz Bronze Boulevard to be released on August 29, 2025. // at 11:00 member of the band Marmoppes return to Wednesday MidDay Medley ot share music and news. // And at 11:30 We talk with musician and guitarist Keelon Van about his new album THIRD EYE.

Big THANK YOU TO THE FABULOUS 44 PEOPLE WHO DONATED in support of Wednesday MidDay Medley for KKFI 90.1 FM’s during our On-Air Winter Fund Drive! With the help of my amazing co-hosts, we raised $2,693.00 toward our goal of $2,685.00. We achieved 100% of our goal for KKFI 90.1 FM. Thank you Betse Ellis, Rachio Head, and Mikal Shapiro and J Kelly Dougherty and all our fabulous donors and listeners!

THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

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

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

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Show #1100