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

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

New & MidCoastal Releases + Ty Faison + Flare Tha Rebel + Margo May, Jared Bond & Tim York

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. RxGhost – “Over and Over the Same Things (Live)”
   from: live at recordBar / Celery Wolf / September 17, 2025
   [Recorded: July-August 2024 at recordBar, Kansas City, MO. Recording: Cloud Nothings show recorded by Paul Malinowski / Shiner show recorded by Carlos Gloria. Mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound StudiosRxGhost is: Josh Thomas on vocals & guitar, Justin Brooks on drums, James Capps on guitar, Chris Smead on bass, and Jeremiah James Gonzales. Scaffolding was produced by RxGhost, recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound Studios and Recording engineer by Josh Thomas. Music by RxGhost and Lyrics by Josh Thomas. . RxGhost released their single, “Sponsored Content” on July 10, 2025. RxGhost released their singles “Anytime But Now” – “Undersaid”- Singles / Celery Wolf / March 14, 2025. RxGhost released their album Scaffolding on April 11, 2024, part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. More info at: rxghost.bandcamp.com]

[RxGhost play miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Fri, Oct. 10, 2025 at 7:00pm with Veldt, and Elska]

3. Jade Bird – “Save Your Tears”
   from: Who Wants to Talk About Love / Glassnote Records / July 18, 2025
   [Who Wants to Talk About Love is the third studio album from British singer-songwriter Jade Bird. The album is about Bird’s break up with her ex-fiancee and former bandmate Luke Prosser. Bird released the single “Who Wants” from the album in March 2025. // Jade Elizabeth Bird was born 1 October 1, 1997. Bird’s music has been influenced by many folk and Americana artists. The media, when describing Bird’s music, have drawn comparisons with pop, Americana, country and folk rock. // Bird’s childhood was spent in Hexham, London, Germany and Bridgend, South Wales. It was in Bridgend, living with her mother following the separation of her parents, that Bird began to write songs. In her final year at BRIT School, she recorded a demo that led to a management deal. This, in turn, was followed by her signing to Glassnote Records. In 2017, she released her first extended play (EP) titled Something American. This received a positive reception and she was listed in the BBC Sound of 2018 list at the end of that year. // In 2018, she released the song “Lottery”, which topped the Adult Alternative Songs, making her the fifth female solo artist to top that chart since 2010. The release of her eponymous debut studio album, in 2019, was met with a largely positive reception from critics. Her accolades include nominations at the Americana Music Honors & Awards and NME Awards and winning the award for International Breakthrough artist at the AIM Independent Music Awards in 2019. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Bird was the first artist to collaborate with Microsoft in what was named the RE:Surface project, a virtual live-streamed concert. In August 2021, she released her second album Different Kinds of Light. // Jade Elizabeth Bird was born in Hexham, Northumberland. Bird and her family moved to London when she was two years old, and lived on a military base in Germany when she was five. She later moved to Bridgend, South Wales, with her mother, after the divorce of her parents, which occurred when Bird was seven or eight. It was during this time in Wales, living with her mother and grandmother (who had also been through a divorce), that Bird began to write songs. At age 16, Bird began attending the BRIT School in Croydon, which she graduated from in 2016. While at the BRIT School, she performed at concerts several times a week. // While in her final year at BRIT School, Bird recorded a demo of 13 tracks in her friend’s bathroom, which would later bring her a management deal. Soon after the management deal, she signed to Glassnote Records. In 2017, she was sent to tour the United States with Brent Cobb. She played a showcase event at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas in March 2017 and later in the year she opened for First Aid Kit, Son Little and London Grammar. In 2017, Bird won the ANCHOR 2017 award of the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. // Also in 2017, Bird recorded her debut extended play (EP), Something American, in Rhinebeck, Boiceville and Palenville, all in New York. It was produced by Simon Felice, of The Felice Brothers and David Baron, and featured guitarist Will Rees, drummer Matt Johnson and guitarist Larry Campbell, and was released that same year. The EP received a positive reception from a number of critics. Stephanie Penman commented that the songs were “musical masterpieces” and Amanda Erwin stated “[it is] no surprise Bird has found a concrete voice of her own so quickly, unafraid to bare her raw emotions on each track.” The Line of Best Fit called the EP “a vibrant collection of folk and country-tinged songs”. She finished 2017 by appearing as a finalist for the BBC Sound Of award for 2018. // A year after releasing her debut EP, she released her debut single “Lottery”, a punk-influenced song with romantic lyrical themes. The song went to the top of the Adult Alternative Songs and remained there for three weeks. This made her only the fifth female solo artist to top that chart since 2010. On 31 July 31, 2018, Bird released her second single from what would be her debut studio album. The song, entitled “Uh Huh”, was accompanied by a video directed by Kate Moross.]

[Jade Bird plays recordBar. 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO on Thursday, October 9, at 8:00pm with Bre Kennedy.]

4. Chalis O’Neal – “Giant Steps”
   from: The Influence / Chalis O’Neal / May 30, 2025
   [Cvhalis O’Neal on sax with collaborators. Saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Desmond Mason, bassist Nsikoh Bébé Làlà and drummer Jaylen Ward. Musician and performer Chalis O’Neal released his debut album, FLIRTING on Nove,ber 15, 2021. Chalis picked up the trumpet at the age of eleven and began studying music at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. Chalis majored in Jazz Studies with a minor in Classical Trumpet under the direction of Jazz legend Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri Kansas City. O’Neal’s eclectic style ranges from jazz venues to theatre work with the New Theatre Restaurant performing and acting in the The Buddy Holly Story. O’Neal also has burlesque experience with Quixotic Cirque Nouveau. Chalis is also the lead trumpeter for the Afro futuristic band, Arquesta Del SolSoul. O’Neal has performed with Bobby Watson, Harold O’Neal, Tivon Pennicott, Marcus Strickland, Lisa Henry, and David Basse. // Chalis O’Neal is the youngest brother of Harold Mujahid O’Neal who was born March 27, 1981, and is an American pianist, composer, record producer, public speaker, dancer, and storyteller. He has recorded and performed with artists in a variety of musical genres (U2, Lupe Fiasco, Busta Rhymes, Damien Rice, Aloe Blacc, and Jay Z). O’Neal has been profiled and featured in numerous publications and programs including Forbes, NPR’s All Things Considered, Fortune, Studio 360, and the 92Y, with The New York Times comparing him to Duke Ellington, Kenny Kirkland, and Maurice Ravel. He is considered to be of this generation’s greatest pianists and composers. O’Neal has been awarded fellowship to the Royal Society of the Arts, with the Patron being Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and recently played a role as a creative expert for the Academy Award winning Pixar film, Soul. // Harold O’Neal was born in Arusha, Tanzania, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. His great-grandfather, Ollie Harold Pennington, was a jazz pianist and composer for silent film in Kansas City, where his grandmother walked to school with Charlie Parker. O’Neal began playing the piano by ear at age four on his father’s miniature keyboard. He found his earliest inspirations in the music of Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Disney. While growing up, he spent a considerable amount of time with his grandmother exploring various creative outlets, before eventually becoming a pianist. Having spent much of his youth living in the projects (Public Housing) and surviving near-death experiences, he credits music with saving his life. O’Neal attended the Paseo Academy Of Fine And Performing Arts, with classmates Logan Richardson, Lil’ Ronnie, and Brian Kennedy, where he began his jazz piano studies while being mentored by Ahmad Alaadeen. He studied classical piano and composition with Margie Cameron-Jarrett, whose musical lineage can be traced back to Franz Liszt. // O’Neal began working with musical luminaries from a young age – touring with Bobby Watson when he was 19 after studying composition at the Berklee College of Music. He then went on to the Manhattan School of Music, to study with Kenny Barron. It was there where he met the great American jazz pianist and composer, Andrew Hill, with whom he soon became the apprentice of. Mr. Hill was an apprentice of prolific composer Paul Hindemith. Following Andrew Hill’s advice, O’Neal left the Manhattan School of Music to replace pianist Jason Moran in the influential band, the Greg Osby 4, making his major-label debut recording for Blue Note Records at the age of 21. In 2004, O’Neal premiered a jazz quartet featuring Greg Osby, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Matt Brewer. // In the following years, O’Neal released a number of critically acclaimed albums including — “Charlie’s Suite” (2006), which was a compilation of his family’s legacy, “Whirling Mantis” (2010) with a jazz quartet, and a solo piano album “Marvelous Fantasy” (2011) on Smalls Records. He then partnered with Ski Beats and Damon Dash, after being signed to Universal Music Group as a songwriter and producer, to release the albums 24 Hour Karate School 2 (2011), Twilight (2012), and Cam’Ron And Vado’s Blu Tops (2012). In 2012, O’Neal formed a partnership with producers Lil Ronnie and Jerry Wonda working with many Pop and R&B artists (Miguel, Akon, Melissa Ethridge, Raphael Saadiq, French Montana). In 2013, he released the album “Man on the Street” featuring a jazz quartet as well as solo piano for BluRoc, an at the time incarnation of Rocafella Records distributed by Def Jam Records. // O’Neal worked as a composer for a featurette and the documentaries of the 2015 Disney film Tomorrowland produced by Academy Award winning filmmaker Anthony Giacchino, which starred George Clooney and Britt Robertson. The film was directed by Brad Bird with the film-score being composed by Michael Giacchino. His solo piano album “Piano Cinema” was released in May 2018, with “Sam and Sam” serving as the lead single. Following the album release, O’Neal completed a spring tour across the U.S. with The Blk Shp with Pixar as a partner. Recently, at the suggestion of Ed Catmull, O’Neal played a role with the filmmakers (Pete Docter, Dana Murray, Kemp Powers) as a creative expert in the development of Pixar’s Soul. // As a keynote speaker and storyteller, O’Neal has been featured at Google, The World Economic Forum, TEDX, Hatch Experience, C2 Montréal, Blk Shp Power Shift, and many other leading platforms.// In 2019, O’Neal was among the 100 international individuals selected to be a Gates Foundation Goalkeeper. Goalkeepers (Gates Foundation) is an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its aim is to bring together leaders from around the world to accelerate progress toward achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Invitations are issued to global leaders and aspiring personalities who have been personally selected by the board. Previous attendees include Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Amina J. Mohammed, Erna Solberg, Malala Yousafzai, and Trevor Noah.// In 2019, O’Neal was awarded fellowship to the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas Festival, a week-long event held in Aspen, Colorado in the United States. The Aspen Ideas Festival program of events includes discussions, seminars, panels, and tutorials from journalists, designers, innovators, politicians, diplomats, presidents, judges, musicians, artists, and writers. Topics covered during the festival include global politics and economics, U.S. Policy, the environment, technology, science, health, education, the arts, and economic issues. // In 2019, O’Neal was awarded fellowship to the Royal Society of the Arts. Founded in 1754 by William Shipley, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1847, and the right to use the term “Royal” in its name by King Edward VII in 1908. Notable past fellows include Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, Nelson Mandela, David Attenborough, William Hogarth, John Diefenbaker, and Tim Berners-Lee. Today, the RSA has fellows elected from 80 countries worldwide.// NPR All Things Considered: The Yule Log (TV program), Pianist Harold O’Neal and Bill Cosby’s Christmas story On December 25, 2011, O’Neal was featured along with Bill Cosby for the Christmas Day edition of NPR’s All Things Considered, with O’Neal being hosted and interviewed by Guy Raz. // Electric Burma On June 18, 2012, O’Neal performed with U2, Lupe Fiasco, Bob Geldof, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo and many other major artists for the presentation of Amnesty International’s prestigious ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ Award to Aung San Suu Kyi. The award was originally announced from the stage when U2 played Croke Park in July 2009 – while the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient was still under house arrest in Burma. // Global Citizen: World on Stage On 22 September 2016, O’Neal performed with Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter for The Global Citizen Festival’s The World on Stage, a night curated by Tom Morello and Jon Batiste. The evening was dedicated to several prominent speakers who addressed various causes—such as education, the refugee crisis, gender equality, poverty, hunger, and much more—and the presentation of the inaugural George Harrison Global Citizen award, presented by Paul Simon to Olivia and Dhani Harrison (George’s widow and son). // On December 4, 2018, Herbie Hancock received the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal (Royal Society of Arts) from the Royal Society for the Arts at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—being recognized for his long lifetime of creative achievements and humanitarian efforts. The 264-year-old Royal Society for the Arts, based in London, includes Franklin as a founding fellow and initiated the Benjamin Franklin medal in 1956 to honor people who transcend their vocation to generally benefit mankind. The ceremony featured bassist Christian McBride and pianist O’Neal as guest star performers, each musically representing the electric and acoustic side of Hancock’s legacy. // In 2009, O’Neal appeared as an actor in Jay Z’s music video for the hit record Young Forever, from his multi-platinum album The Blueprint 3. In 2010, he was cast in the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, portraying James P. Johnson. He was also featured in MTV’s Sucker Free. // Chalis O’Neal is the nephew of Felix Lindsey “Pete” O’Neal, Jr. (born 1940), was the chairman of the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. He led implementation of many free programs, such as providing free breakfast to children around the city. // O’Neal had trouble with authority figures in high school and dropped out. Soon afterwards, he joined the military, following the steps of his father. Once done with service, he moved to Stockton, California, where in 1959 he was sentenced to 9 months in jail for theft. He escaped from jail after 3 months, traveling back to Kansas City, MO. In 1961, law enforcement caught him and he was sent back to California to serve his remaining sentence. // After completing his sentence, the felony should have been cleared as indicated by Californian law, but it was not. This significantly hindered his chances for employment. // On October 30, 1969, he was arrested again for the transporting of a gun across state lines (under a law that went into effect just two weeks prior to his arrest). A year later a court convicted him and in October 1970, he was sentenced to four years in prison. O’Neal jumped his bail and fled to Algeria, where a number of other Black Panther Party members had also absconded to in the face of imprisonment in the United States. This group became known as the “International Section” of the Black Panther Party, and was centered around Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver. A year later O’Neal moved on to Tanzania, motivated to immigrate there as the then President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, was both a Pan-Africanist and Socialist. O’Neal has remained in Tanzania ever since. // Together with his wife, Charlotte Hill O’Neal, he is the co-founder of the United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC) in the village of Imbaseni, near the northern city of Arusha, Tanzania. The UAACC is a center focusing on healing the community by providing a diverse array of free art, music, film and other classes to members of the community. The UAACC also serves as a hostel for people travelling through the area—offering several “huts” with bunk beds. The center has been frequented by several celebrities, American politicians, study abroad programs, students, documentary film makers, and artists. Pete and Charlotte provide numerous jobs to locals of the community and the center is entirely run by local Tanzanians. // O’Neal’s family still resides in the Kansas City area. He is a third cousin to US Representative Emmanuel Cleaver. Since 1991, Cleaver and others have unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a pardon for O’Neal, and took the issue to both President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. Both declined to pardon O’Neal. // His life and exile in Tanzania is the subject of the PBS documentary ‘A Panther in Africa’, by Aaron Matthews, and a book ‘Black Panther in Exile: The Pete O’Neal Story’ by Pete’s attorney, Paul J. Magnarella. Chalis O’Neal joined us LIVE on WMM on October 20, 2021.]

[Chalis O’Neal plays Vine St. Brewing Co., 2020 Vine Street, KCMO, Friday, October 10 at 6:00pm]
[Chalis O’Neal plays The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, West Bottoms Sat, October 11 at 8:00pm ]

5. Marmoppes – “Lightbulb”
   from: “Lightbulb” – Single / Big Nip Records / October 1, 2025
   [“Lightbulb” is inspired by the band’s friend Samuel’s ability to eat a lightbulb. Since the Spring of 2024 Marmoppes have released six new singles. “Lightbulb” on October 1, 2025 / “4×10” = 75 – June 25, 2025 / “Nos” – March 23, 2025 (Big Nip Records) / “Gyatt Time” – Sept. 20, 2024 / “Yr Chemical” – April 28, 2024 / “Butterfly” – March 17, 2024 / “Cerulean Blue Truffle Pig” – September 5, 2023. Originally formed on Groundhog Day, the band includes: Simon Huntley on drums; J. Ashley Miller: on vocals, guitar & bass; Alyssa Murray on synths & keyboards; and Ernest Melton on saxophone. // Simon Huntley is a British-American musician, percussionist, producer, composer and visual artist combining classical sentiments with new world rebellion. Growing up in France then relocating in 2011, Simon now divides his time between the United States and France, investigating and collaborating with the world’s best talent including: QUIXOTIC, A$AP Rocky, Mireya Ramos, Tech9, Making Movies, Calvin Arsenia, Mike Dillon + Nikki Glaspie, Chipotle, Hilton Hotels, Qatar Airways, and many more. Preformed in venues such as: Red Rocks Amphitheater—Colorado / The MGM Grand—Las Vegas / Faena Hotel—Miami / T-Mobile Arena. // And events such as: Invision Festival—Costa Rica / Alaska World Arts Festival—Alaska / Fringe Festival—Edinburgh / Live At Heart—Sweden / Wanderlust—Canada + California // As well as festivals, PACs, Live TV and Radio. // J Ashley Miller is a recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Performing Artist Award. He’s a self-taught musician & composer. For nearly 20 years he has worked as Composer / Producer/ Recording Engineer / Founder of The Infoaming Vertex in Kansas City, Missouri, a recording studio which he built in 2006. For the last 12 years he has produced, engineered and mixed nearly 100 full length albums and countless smaller projects for both local and international artists including Calvin Arsenia and SSION // With SSION he co-wrote and produced 2 full length albums. The videos were always a central focus for the project, and he fine tuned his ability to work with a director and bring about a coherent final product. // He founded the musical entities Metatone and Jametatone with multiple released from 2013 through 2022. // He once told an art writer that his training was “tens of thousands of hours on computers and playing in bands”, as well as a conductor, music director, producer, performance artist, filmmaker, and recording engineer (among other interests). “I got into all of this by shooting live music films and really tailoring compositions to our filming locations,” Miller said, citing site-specific performances at La Esquina, Oppenstein Park, and Turkey Creek. Filmed and recorded onsite, in one take (multi-camera, multi-track), the final product of these shows was the resulting film or album. // Miller founded the performance group Quadrigarum for site-specific projects and to showcase the chariot instruments he designed, using wheel-mounted guitar picks and an amplified single-stringed guitar on a wooden frame. Chariots are a core element of the Atemporchestra, an ensemble of eclectic instrumentation (including pan flutes, vibraphone, drums, horns, computers, and keyboards, for starters) that he originally put together from the TEDxKC show. // Alyssa Murray recently released her album ‘SCROLLIN’ in 2023. that called “a sonic kaleidoscope of synth-tastic beats and experimental delight. Written, performed, and produced by Alyssa Murray and mixed and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab in Kansas City, MO. // Always feeling a strong pull towards songwriting, Alyssa studied piano, voice, and guitar in her teens deep diving into such influences as Fiona Apple and Stevie Wonder. Further pursuing her passion for jazz and improvisation, Alyssa moved to Kansas City to study jazz-piano at the UMKC Conservatory while immersing herself in the local music scene. Alyssa has a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and has studied under the direction of Bobby Watson and Dan Thomas; as well as classical repertoire with Karen Kushner and Diane Petrella. // In addition to her solo performances, Alyssa Murray plays with Marmoppes. Alyssa Murray also plays in the trio, Easy Match with Claire Adams and Steve Gardels. // Ernest Melton is a saxophonist, composer, and band leader currently residing in Kansas City, Missouri by way of Goldsboro, North Carolina. He relocated to his mother’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri at the age of ten where he picked up his first saxophone at Longfellow Academy of the Arts. Bored with the classical curriculum of the music department, Ernest studied more contemporary genres of music and the guitar until the age of fourteen when he joined his first jazz program through the American Jazz Museum of Kansas City. Playing mostly tenor sax by the age of fourteen, Ernest joined Lincoln High School jazz band and many other musical programs around the Greater Kansas City area. Naturally excelling, Melton left school at the age of sixteen to study music on his own. With kind neighbors and a supportive mother, Ernest was free to practice the saxophone, study albums, and write compositions at any hour of the day. It was during this time he found his first major influences in jazz like Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, and Pharoah Sanders. Pharoah’s polyphony were like echoes of Melton’s father, a Primitive Baptist preacher, and became a large influence of his playing. An avid composer as well, Ernest studied with tutors in classical orchestration, big band arranging, and Afro-Cuban drumming. He cites Charles Mingus, Igor Stravinsky, and Wayne Shorter as his favorite all around composers and still tries to implement their techniques in his music today. After being accepted into Berklee College of Music he decided not to attend and began his career playing music in bands of every genre around the Greater Kansas City area. In 2018 Ernest release his first full length album entitled, “The Time Of The Slave Is Over”, which received raved reviews at home and abroad by media such as Plastic Sax, Quest TV, and JAZIZZ to name a few. Ernest Melton has played all over the country and plans to continue to travel abroad. // Ernest Melton released the single “Waves” on April 21, 2025. He released the single, “Sonnet for Sanity”on December 18, 2020 and the single, “Chronicles of Conception” on April 21, 2020, and “Narrative for Natives” on March 9, 2020. Ernest Melton released the album “The Standard Imperfections” on September 1, 2019. Ernest Melton is also featured on the BodaciousThang singles, “Drank!” on August 7, 2019 and “Say Hi” released Sept. 2, 2020 on Juicy Burrito Records. //More info at: https://linktr.ee/marmoppes ]

[Marmoppes play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, West Bottoms, Saturday, October 11 at 9:00pm with True Lions and Little System]

6. Brad Mehldau – “Tomorrow Tomorrow (feat. Daniel Rossen)”
   rom: Ride Into The Sun / Nonesuch Records / August 29, 2025
   [Brad Mehldau’s Ride into the Sun, Featuring the Music of Elliott Smith, out August 29 on Nonesuch Records, features performances by Daniel Rossen (of Grizzly Bear), Matt Chamberlain, Chris Thile, John Davis, andFelix Moseholm plus a chamber orchestra conducted by Dan Coleman // “Brad Mehldau is one of the most influential and acclaimed jazz pianists alive today. His many recordings feature a wide range of jazz and American popular song standards, but he is also known to interpret music that lies outside the typical jazz catalogue.” —NPR, Fresh Air // “Mehldau has forged a singular style that has not only enhanced jazz’s musical vocabulary but modernised it too.” —Mojo // “Brad Mehldau is arguably the greatest working jazz pianist. Top five, for sure.” —New Yorker // Nonesuch Records announces pianist and composer Brad Mehldau’s Ride into the Sun—a songbook record of music by the late singer, songwriter, and guitarist Elliott Smith—to be released on August 29, 2025. // Featured musicians include singer/guitarist Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear); singer/mandolinist Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek); bassists Felix Moseholm (Brad Mehldau Trio, Samara Joy) and John Davis (who also engineered and mixed the album); drummer Matt Chamberlain (Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Randy Newman); and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman, who also conducted on Mehldau’s 2010 album Highway Rider. // Ride into the Sun’s ten Elliott Smith songs are complemented by four Mehldau compositions that he says are “inspired by, and reflect, Smith’s oeuvre.” Also included are interpretations of Big Star’s “Thirteen,” which Smith also covered, and “Sunday” by Nick Drake, who Mehldau says, “I look at in some ways as sort of Smith’s visionary godfather.” // Recalling how he first got to know Smith and his music, which has been a regular part of his repertoire for years, Mehldau said that after years living in New York, he moved to Los Angeles “and there was this wonderful scene of singer-songwriters that was congregating at a club called Largo. That included Elliott but it also included artists like Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple. And then other musicians who had been around for a while would come down every Friday night to sit in on a gig that was led by Jon Brion. I played behind Elliott on his own tunes with Jon. It felt to me like a kind of renaissance in songwriting that flourished for a number of years.”
   // “Elliott Smith masterfully rendered the dark/light admix not in the least through his distinct harmony,” Mehldau continues. “Specifically, he had a way of combining major and minor modes that was all his own. You hear that on the unique, captivating chord progression that he introduced on ‘Tomorrow Tomorrow’ for just a moment before the last verse of the song. I use it, extending it for my piano solo here. This kind of minor-major gambit has a long pedigree, and my own associations as a listener include the music of Schubert and Brahms, among others. // “‘Ride into the sun’ is a beautiful point in the lyric of one of the songs that we play, ‘Colorbars,’” Mehldau says. “Elliott Smith says in the original song, ‘Everyone wants me to ride into the sun.’ When I listen to music, I have a feeling that I can be in communion with somebody who is no longer in this earthly realm, like he is here. And as far as ‘riding into the sun,’ it’s maybe more of a perpetual riding into the sun with him. I don’t know… There’s something mystical there.” // Brad Mehldau’s Nonesuch debut was the 2004 solo disc Live in Tokyo. His subsequent twenty-one releases on the label include six records with his trio as well as collaborative and solo albums. His most recent releases were After Bach II and Après Fauré, both released in May 2024. The albums both feature compositions by their namesake composers as well as music Mehldau wrote that was inspired by them. // Other recent recordings for the label include a solo album Mehldau recorded during COVID-19 lockdown, Suite: April 2020; Jacob’s Ladder (2022), which featured music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music and was inspired by the prog rock Mehldau loved as a young adolescent; and Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles (2023), a live solo album featuring the his interpretations of nine songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and one by George Harrison.Mehldau’s memoir, Formation: Building a Personal Canon, Part I, was published in 2023, offering a rare look inside the mind of an artist at the top of his field, in his own words.]

[Brad Mehldau plays the Kauffman Center for The Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd. KCMO on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:30pm with Christian McBride.]

7. Circle Jerks – “I’m Gonna Live”
   from: “I’m Gonna Live” – Single / Circle Jerks / August 15, 2007
   [Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle Jerks have released six studio albums, one compilation, a live album and a live DVD. Their debut album, Group Sex (1980), is considered a landmark of the hardcore genre. // The band has broken up and re-formed several times, sometimes with different bassists and/or drummers. They disbanded for the first time after the release of their fifth album VI (1987), allowing Hetson to focus on Bad Religion (which he joined in 1984 and stayed with until 2013) full-time. The Circle Jerks first reunited in 1994 and released their sixth and last studio album to date, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, the following year before separating for the second time. The band reunited for the second time in 2001 and spent the next ten years performing live periodically; this reunion released only one new song, “I’m Gonna Live”, which was posted on their MySpace profile in 2007. Tensions among members and failed attempts to record the follow-up to Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities resulted in the Circle Jerks breaking up yet again in 2011. However, the band announced in November 2019 that they would reunite in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Group Sex with live shows. // Many groups and artists have cited Circle Jerks as an influence, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Anti-Flag, Dropkick Murphys, the Offspring, NOFX, and Pennywise. // Lead vocalist Keith Morris was an original member of Black Flag, co-founding the band with guitarist Greg Ginn and recording the Nervous Breakdown EP with them before suddenly departing the group in December 1979. Morris formed Circle Jerks as the Bedwetters along with guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Roger Rogerson (a classically-trained guitarist) and drummer Lucky Lehrer (a jazz-trained drummer). Lehrer did not like the name the Bedwetters, so Morris looked through a dictionary of slang words and renamed the band the Circle Jerks. // The band’s first recordings took place in spring 1980, including the original version of “Wild in the Streets”, which appeared on Posh Boy’s first Rodney on the ROQ compilation. In July of that year, the band recorded their debut studio album, Group Sex, which was released in October 1980 on the Frontier Records label; its 14 songs totaled just 15 minutes. The album featured several songs that Morris had written while in Black Flag. That same year, the group was one of several California punk bands to be immortalized in the Penelope Spheeris documentary The Decline of Western Civilization; live versions of five songs from Group Sex appeared on the movie’s soundtrack. // In late 1980, the group signed with IRS Records subsidiary Faulty Products and recorded their second album, Wild in the Streets, released in 1982. The title track was a cover version of a song by Garland Jeffreys. Faulty Products ceased operations several months after its release, forcing Circle Jerks to seek their third record deal in as many years. While they regained the copyright to Wild in the Streets, the original stereo master tape was lost, forcing the band to remix it from the multi-track tapes when they reissued the album in 1988. // Lehrer and the Circle Jerks mutually parted ways after Wild in the Streets so Lehrer could pursue a law degree. He was replaced by John Ingram. The band signed a management deal with War producer/manager Jerry Goldstein’s Far Out Productions, and recorded their third album, Golden Shower of Hits, in 1983. The album was released on Goldstein’s LAX Records label. The title track was a medley of six cover versions (of artists as diverse and unexpected as the Association, the Carpenters and Tammy Wynette) strung together to create a storyline of two people who fall in love, have an unplanned pregnancy, rush into marriage and end up divorced. Another song from the album, “Coup d’État”, was used in the soundtrack of Alex Cox’s 1984 film Repo Man, which the band appeared in, playing an acoustic lounge version of “When the Shit Hits the Fan”, featuring new members Chuck Biscuits (formerly of Black Flag and D.O.A.) on drums and Earl Liberty (formerly of Saccharine Trust) on bass. Just prior to joining Circle Jerks at the suggestion of Biscuits, Liberty worked 10 weeks as a roadie for the Misfits as he became increasingly disillusioned with Saccharine Trust’s lack of interest in developing new material, recalling in a 1983 interview that his former bandmates “were just getting too lazy.” // Biscuits and Liberty were eventually replaced by Keith Clark and Zander Schloss (who also appeared in Repo Man), respectively. The band also changed labels for the fourth time, signing a deal with Relativity Records’ metal imprint Combat Records, which had started a punk sub-label, Combat Core. The newly revamped group recorded Wonderful, released in 1985. Their newfound stability allowed the lineup to record a second album for Relativity, VI, issued in 1987. One track from VI, “Love Kills”, had been commissioned by Cox for the soundtrack of the 1986 movie Sid and Nancy, and was heard in the film. // Chris Poland played bass with Circle Jerks briefly circa 1989 after being fired as guitarist for Megadeth (Schloss had left the band by that point). // Circle Jerks dissolved in 1990 after Hetson left the band to continue recording with Bad Religion. Live recordings made during what would be their final tour at the time were immortalized in the live album Gig in 1992, their third and last release for Relativity. // During the hiatus, Hetson would continue playing in Bad Religion; Schloss played guitar and bass with various acts; Clark initially retired from music; Morris worked menial jobs and battled health problems (he had kicked a longtime dependence on drugs and alcohol in 1988). // A long period of inactivity for Circle Jerks ended in 1994, when the Wonderful-era lineup reunited and signed a major label deal with Mercury Records, a move that had a few business complications: Hetson was still with Bad Religion, who had signed a long-term contract with Atlantic Records, while Schloss had been part of a band contracted to Interscope Records. After ironing out these difficulties, the band recorded their final studio album to date, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, released June 20, 1995. One track on the album, a cover of the Soft Boys’ “I Wanna Destroy You”, featured backing vocals from pop singer/songwriter Debbie Gibson, who had just finished a solo album with the same producer that Circle Jerks were using. Gibson later made a surprise appearance at Circle Jerks’ performance at punk mecca CBGB to perform “I Wanna Destroy You” with the band. Despite such media attention, the group suddenly imploded three weeks into a tour behind the album. The breakup would not be totally permanent, with the Jerks playing sporadically throughout the late 1990s, but Clark left music for good afterward. Original bassist Rogerson died in 1996 of a drug overdose. He was 41 years old. // Further Circle Jerks activity was suddenly held up when Morris announced that he had been diagnosed with adult onset diabetes in 1999. A multitude of punk bands held benefits on his behalf. // The core of Morris, Hetson and Schloss, with drummer Kevin Fitzgerald, continued to tour until 2011, in between other commitments — Hetson was still a full-time member of Bad Religion, Schloss played bass for the reformed first-generation LA punk band the Weirdos, and Morris was an A&R director for V2 Records until the label was suddenly shuttered by its owners in 2007. // In 2004, the Circle Jerks shot a live concert DVD as part of Kung-Fu Records’ live DVD series The Show Must Go Off!, in which the band played songs from all six of their studio albums, plus – in nods to Schloss’ other current band and Morris’ first band, respectively – covers of the Weirdos’ “Solitary Confinement” and Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown”. In 2005, Hetson formed another band, Black President. // For several years, a rumored Circle Jerks album featuring new material was said to be imminent, although no further formal announcement was made. In late February 2007, the band released their first new song since 1995 on their Myspace page, titled “I’m Gonna Live”, adding more anticipation to the possibility of a new album emerging. However, in an April 2008 interview, guitarist Hetson admitted that Circle Jerks would not release any new studio material, saying that he does not know what will happen in the future, “but in the near future, no Circle Jerks stuff will come out”. // Circle Jerks were featured on a television commercial for XM Satellite Radio (they were the first band played in the commercial, which included “Operation” from the album Group Sex), and the band also posted a cover of Germs song “The Slave” on their Myspace page. // The Circle Jerks played their final show for nearly a decade at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on January 27, 2011. // From 2011 to 2019, the Circle Jerks were on hiatus due to a dispute between Morris and the rest of the band. The conflict was over songs that were written by Morris and Dimitri Coats. Coats (from Burning Brides), who was supposed to produce a new Circle Jerks album, decided that the songs Hetson had written were not up to par with Circle Jerks’ catalog. Morris agreed, and both he and Coats wrote multiple songs intended for the new album. The other members of Circle Jerks believed Coats to be “arrogant, overbearing, egotistical” and called for him to be fired from producing the new record. Morris disagreed, and he and Coats recruited Steven Shane McDonald (from Redd Kross) and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, 411, Clikatat Ikatowi, Earthless) to start a new band called Off!. // On November 22, 2019, the Circle Jerks announced that they were going to reunite in 2020 for a number of shows to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album Group Sex, including that year’s Punk Rock Bowling. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused performances to be postponed until 2021. Three-fourths of the final lineup — Keith Morris, guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Zander Schloss — were involved in the reunion. // On July 15, 2021 it was announced that former Queens of the Stone Age and Danzig drummer Joey Castillo would be joining the band on drums. // In April 2022, six dates on the anniversary tour were postponed after Morris tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The band continued touring with the Descendents throughout North & South America in 2023 and 2024 and Europe in 2025. // Current Band members: Keith Morris on vocals (1979–1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present); Greg Hetson on guitars (1979–1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present); Zander Schloss on bass (1984–1988, 1989–1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2011, 2019–present); Joey Castillo on drums (2021–present).]

[Circle Jerks plays The Madrid Theatre, 3810 Main Street KCMO, on Monday, October 13, at 8:00pm.]

8. Kat King – “Merry Go Rounds”
   from: “Merry Go Rounds”- Single / Kat King / September 12, 2025
   [Kat King released the single “It’s In a Dream” on July 11, 2025. // Kat King released the single “Somersaults”on May 2, 2025. // Kat King released the single “I Might Like It” through Manor Records on February 28, 2025 / / Kat King, on lead vocals, Derek Melies on guitar, John Kaul McCain on bass, Daniel Cole on drums, & Kara LePage on keyboards. Produced by Isaac Flynn of Hembree. // Kat King released the EP Domestic Bliss on April 5, 2024. Domestic Bliss was in the Top 25 of WMM’s 129 Best Recordings of 2024. // On October 6, 2023 Kat King released the single. “Bight-Eyed.” // On June 16, 2024 Kat King released the single “Baby Talk.” // On Jan. 13, 2023 Kat King released “Gone South” Produced by Joel Martin. Centering on themes of self-care, steadfast friendship, and revitalizing optimism. On September 20, 2022 Kat King released the single “With Nothing In My Way.” This followed their single “New Sun” released July 29, 2022. “New Sun” was a follow up to the June 9, 2021, SAY WHAT YOU MEAN 5-track EP, recorded with her band. Co-produced & mixed / mastered by Joel Martin. Lawrence KS based singer songwriter Kat King released her last single “Song of Spain” in 2019 and her single “2017” in, 2018. She released her 5-song EP “Falling Up” on Dec. 1, 2017. // Kat King’s career started as far back as 2nd grade in small town Kansas. As a solo singer-songwriter act, she produced one 13-song album and three EP’s. Now based in Kansas City, Kat King graduated into a 5-piece indie-pop rock group who are gearing up for the release of their second EP together. Their infectious energy has landed them on some of KC’s biggest stages.]

9. Pure xtc – “Drive”
   from: “Drive” – Single / Taylor Hughes / April 18, 2025
   [Pure XTC released the singles: “Hurt Me Bad” on November 15, 2024, “Mood Ring” on July 19, 2024. Fall Apart (Soft Faith Remix) on May 17, 2024, “Fall Apart” on March 1, 2024. Pure XTC released the Shed My Skin EP on November 18, 2022. Pure XTC released the single “Get Lost“ on September 9, 2022, and “Shadow” released June 1, 2022. Pure xtc released the EP Nobody’s Home on November 12, 2021. Pure xtc is the musical project of Kansas City based Taylor Hughes. Taylor is also the drummer for the band EXNATIONS. The idea of pure xtc was formed during an extremely isolating time for multi-instrumentalist, Hughes. Living truly on her own for the first time, she moved to the NYC metro in 2019. Time was spent crying on subways, climbing new rooftops, meeting new people, avoiding new people, feeling extremely fulfilled to feeling like a hollow empty shell.]

[pure xtc plays recordBar. 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 7:00pm with the Kilans]

10:30 – Underwriting

10. TyFaison – “Elenor and I (feat. TheBabeGabe)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / TyFaison / September 26, 2025
    [Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human.]

[TyFaison will play miniBar at 3818 Broadway Blvd., KCMO on Friday, November 28, 2026.]

10:35 – Interview with TyFaison

TyFaizon is a multi faceted musical artist, writer, producer, composer. TyFaison is also known as Mango Marai. TyFaison is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. TyFaison rose to international acclaim with BLACKSTARKIDS.

When we first heard BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun!” from their album: SURF on Bedroom Records, released February 28, 2020, we lost our minds. It was one of our most played song on the radio show that year and landed at #2 in WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. Blackstarkids were a phenomenon who came out of Raytown Missouri and SURF became the soundtrack for the summer of 2020. Blackstarkids were a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio that include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school meeting at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020.

Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On October 29, 2020,

Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album of 2020.
released on October 22, 2020, followed by Puppies Forever on October 15, 2021, and Cyberkiss on September 23, 2022. Blackstarkids released their last two albums Saturn Dayz on September 20, 2024, and Heaven on Urf on October 25, 2024.

With BLACKSTARKIDS, Ty gained experience, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals.

In September 20, 2024. After the break-up of BlackStarKids last year, TyFaison with Medici formed the productipm company “The Human” and then produced Paris Williams 2024 album A PARIS WILLIAMS JOINT (released November 19, 2024) and then the full length album MANGO MARAI & SATURN STAR, (released in December 2024). Ty then lent his talent to collaborating with BlackStarKids bandmate and close friend TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Her debut mixtape HONEY POP, was released on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED was released on August 8, 2025. Both albums were produced by The Human.

And now TyFaison is back with his newest release After The War is Won, released September 26, 2025.

TyFaison will play miniBar at 3818 Broadway Blvd., KCMO on Friday, November 28, 2026.

TyFaison Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

TyFaison is a musical prodigy, he made his first album when he was 10, You can fimd a 14-track recording he made at age 13 on Bandcamp. He released Space Cult on August 31, 2013, followed by the 12 track album, internet en casa, which was released September 26, 2015, and the 12 track album, scottie, which was released on October 8, 2016.

Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On October 29, 2020,

Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album of 2020.

Ty wrote, “The Kansas City scene is great, the community here is so supportive and genuine. This is a really prideful city here and I think they’re finally getting the musicians they deserve.”

10:45

11. TyFaison – “The Gospel (Radio Edit)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / / September 26, 2025
    [Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human.]

[TyFaison will play miniBar at 3818 Broadway Blvd., KCMO on Friday, November 28, 2026.]

10:48 – More Interview with TyFaison

TyFaizon is a multi faceted musical artist, writer, producer, composer, TyFaison is also known as Mango Marai. TyFaison is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. TyFaison rose to international acclaim with BLACKSTARKIDS.After the break-up of the band last year, TyFaison from a production duo called The Human with UK collaborator Medici a produced albums for Paris Williams, Mango Marai and Saturn Star, and TheBabeGabe. And now TyFaison is back with his newest release After The War is Won, released September 26, 2025.

TyFaison Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We just heard “The Gospel (Radio Edit)”

1. Soulja Muzik 02:51
   2.The Gospel 02:44
   3.Tyshawn Jones (Feat.A’sean) 04:22
   4.Watching Cartoons 03:51
   5.Faith 03:37
   6.New Duffle (Black Jake Kelly Flow) 02:15
   7.Burnt Bridges 02:20
   8.Jimmy Hopkins (Feat.Paris Williams) 02:24
   9.Until The War Is Won… 03:59
   10.Screwface (Feat.Monogram) 02:34
   11.Elenor & I (Feat.TheBabeGabe) 03:04
   12.The Grand Masquerade 03:01
   13.Overthought It (Feat.Grace Internet) 03:00
   14.I Still Love Her (Feat.Medici) 03:47
   15.All This Grief Was Once Love 05:55

Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz

HONEYPOP and HONEYPOP: RELOADED were both produced by “The Human” which is the production duo of KC based TyFaison and Medici from Manchester, UK.

BLACKSTARKIDS, met in high school, where they first planned to collaborate on a project together, but it was following the disbanding of BLACKSTARKIDS, including former member Deiondre, that the artist sat with herself to rediscover her musical perspective. As part of BLACKSTARKIDS, Ty rocked out as an opening act for well-known bands like The 1975 and Glass Animals.

TyFaison thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

10:58

12. TyFaison – “New Duffle (Radio Edit)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / / September 26, 2025
    [Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human.]

[TyFaison will play miniBar at 3818 Broadway Blvd., KCMO on Friday, November 28, 2026.]

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – Interview with Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York

Margo May is a singer-songwriter and producer originally from Kansas City, grew up singing 90s pop alternative, admiring Alanis Moirisette’s dynamic vocals and raw lyrics she then learned guitar and piano. She fell in love with the storytelling lyrical stylings of folk singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell. Margo was a contestant on season 9 of American Idol, making it in to the top 50, with Simon Cowell describing her as “an original talent, with a stand out indie voice.” Among other accomplishments Margo has played various venues across the country, including CMJ festival in New York City, and Austin’s SXSW. Her song “Wake” was featured in Season 4 of ‘Dance Moms,’ and her song “Blue Shoes,” was featured on season 2 of ‘Dead To Me.’ Margo now resides in Los Angeles and continues to write and produce her music.

Margo May Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Tim York is a singer-songwriter out of Kansas City, Mo and has been playing since the young age of 12. With ample local radio play and growing popularity, he continues to live out his dream of writing great songs and performing around at various venues. He has two full-length solo albums and a 6-song EP titled Only Human. Tim is also a cousin to KKFI’s Maria Vasquez Boyd who hosts Artspeak Radio wednesdays at 9:00am.

Tim York Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Jared Bond is known for his heartfelt lyrics and melodic compositions. He blends various genres, including folk, rock, and pop, in his music. Bond often draws inspiration from personal experiences and storytelling. Jared Bond has released several singles and albums, showcasing his evolving sound. Jared Bond has released five new singles so far this year including: “Sugar Rush” released on July 26, 2025 and “Gross” released on August 15, 2025. Jared has recorded several of his new singles with David Bennett and some of his new singles with Joel Nanos at Element recording Studios in Kansas City, Kansas.

Jared Bond Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York with all play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, KCMO West Bottoms in the Ship O.G. Room on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:00pm.

11:07

11:07

13. Tim York – “The Way We Walk Away” (LIVE)

[Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York with all play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, KCMO West Bottoms in the Ship O.G. Room, on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:00pm.]

Tim York recently moved back to Kansas City after living in California for several years.

11:14

14. Margo May – “Linger” (LIVE)
    [Cover of Cranberries track in honor of Dolores O’Riordan]

[Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York with all play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, KCMO West Bottoms in the Ship O.G. Room, on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:00pm.]

11:18

15. Jared Bond – “Love and Reasom” (LIVE)
    [For the show at The Ship Jared will be playing with a

Margo May, Jared Bond, and Tim York Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York with all play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Margo May, Jared Bond and Tim York play The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, KCMO West Bottoms in the Ship O.G. Room, on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:00pm.

11:28 – Underwriting

16. FlareThaRebel & Bob Pulliam – “The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged”
    from: The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged / Shafer / July 9, 2021
    [Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 single, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which created a second wind of new music. Noted by The Pitch, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ‘00s, he’s now back…” Known for a highly energetic live performance, Flare has shared the stage with artists such as Chance the Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. Although hip-hop at the core, Flare Tha Rebel’s versatility remains as he balances music with socially progressive themes that are still enjoyable enough to raise a glass to at a party. There’s also a duality to Flare’s approach. Many of his songs are connected to his Art to Empower initiative, raising awareness and funds for a variety of social justice causes and nonprofits. Info at: http://www.flaretharebel.com]

[Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sun, Oct. 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Blvd, KCMO.]

10:33 – Interview with Flare Tha Rebel

Flare Tha Rebel returns to WMM to share his latest single “Mixology” from his upcoming full length album DEAR CITY to be released in 2026. Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel™ back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”.

Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director.

Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sunday, October 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO.

Flare Tha Rebel thanks for being with us on WMM

Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel back to his hometown of KCMO. Flare left KC in the late 2000s.

Flare Tha Rebel & Bob Pulliam joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on August 11, 2021. the year his EP, THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE HASHTAGGED, was released (on July 9, 2021). this was the 50th anniversary of Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”

Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 single, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, Lyricist Flare Tha Rebel and beat producer Bob Pulliam took on a slew of social issues on their 4-track EP release: police brutality on “P.O.P. Off”, quotes from revolutionaries and civil right activities on “Different Ships,” and the United States tragic apathy towards gun violence for the track “Child’s Play” featuring Bob’s dad, KC Jazz musician and teacher Joe Miquelon. More Info at: http://www.flaretharebel.com

Flare Tha Rebel told Nick Spacek in a July 13, 2021 article for The Pitch Kansas City:

The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged EP carries through on that sense of empowering and motivating the listeners. “Different Ships,” especially, interweaves a series of quotes from people by whom the rapper has been motivated, drawing its title from a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” As Flare puts it, “That’s a call for unity amongst the Black community, but it’s also showcasing the struggles that we’ve had in our shared experience.”

“I’m motivated by my ancestors,” states Flare emphatically. “I’m motivated by the revolutionaries and civil rights activists that have come before me and I’m motivated by the ones that exist today. I’m learning from them and when I’m creating art, I’m interweaving what I’ve learned from them into what I’m addressing. It was a way to create a lyrical pro-Black narrative that I felt was very relevant.”

Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate.

Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sunday, October 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO.

Upcoming projects

Flare Tha Rebel is getting set to release a new full length album titled, DEAR CITY, set to be released in 2026.

Flare Tha Rebel is busy working on DEAR CITY Reels, which are one shot music video reels filmed by Lava Dreams, Directed by Flare Tha Rebel. Each reel will showcase the first verse or fit verse and chorus of songs from the DEAR CITY album. The majority of the reels will be released in the weeks leading up to the DEAR CITY Album Release Concert.

Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sunday, October 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO.

Flare Tha Rebel will be collaborating with ALBER for a Flew The Coop Session that will also feature other artists.

11:42

17. Flare Tha Rebel – “Mixology” (Radio Premiere)
    from: “Mixology” – Single / Shafer / October 8, 2025
    [“Mixology” from his upcoming full length album DEAR CITY to be released in 2026. Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel™ back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. // Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director. ]

[Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sun, Oct 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Blvd, KCMO.]

10:46 – More Interview with Flare Tha Rebel

Flare Tha Rebel plays a special acoustic performance for Manor Records Songbird Session with SEYKO, featuring Jeff Stocks on Sunday, October 19, at 6:00pm at ARTSKC, 106 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO.

Flare Tha Rebel thanks for being with us on WMM

Flare is often called up on stage to collaborate freestyle with other artists such as The Phantastics, Brass & Boujee, Black Light Animals, Seyko, Joe Mcquire, and Flutienastiness.

Flare performed a special performance of “THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE HASHTAGGED” with Alber and I Maledetti at The Lowest Ferns during a Jazz Only Series in May of this past year.

Flare’s brother is Phil Safer aka Sike who is an award winning muralist in Kansas City. Phil’s time at Recycled Sounds was memorable for Jeff as a young kid and as he developed into a DJ and graphic designer and got heavily into the scene with The Guild, CES Cru, Sounds Good, Brother of Moses, etc. it influenced me and Anti-Crew to start releasing music and performing as well.

Many of Flare’s songs are connected to his Art to Empower initiative, raising awareness and funds for a variety of social justice causes and nonprofits, such as his Royalty EP poster designed by muralists JT Daniels, which raises funds for the Equal Justice Initiative.

As Flare explains, in our country Black men are being mistreated, demonized, killed, and not given the same structures that they need to be successful.

“We have to pull together ourselves as a community, but something like the Bloc is very education-focused and that’s something that I’m very passionate about. I can’t just talk about it. I got to walk the walk and, if I can use art to promote and raise funds for nonprofits and social justice causes that are making difference on the front lines, then that’s what I want to do.”

“You can’t do this without being empathetic, in my opinion,” Flare concurs. “I might be bringing up topics that are hard for people to swallow, but I hope I do so in a way that’s still motivating. Music is supposed to make you feel an emotion and hopefully, the emotion that people feel from this music is motivation to make a change, to make a stand, or–at the very least–to educate themselves about the realities of our country.”

Flare Tha Rebel thanks for being with us on WMM

11:54

18. Flare Tha Rebel & Bob Pulliam – “P.O.P Off (Radio Edit)”
    from: The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged / Shafer / July 9, 2021
    [Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel™ back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. // Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director. Info at: http://www.flaretharebel.com]

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

Next week on Wednesday, October 15, we’ll talk with members of the band Rude Cousin who have new music. We also welcome Howard Iceberg, with Andrew Morris and Julie Bates of The Matchsellers and Chad Brothers will play live in our 90,1 FM Studios and also share new recordings.

Stay tuned at 12:00 Noon for “Learning to Wiggle” with Steve Stemmerman at 2:00pm it’s Jazz Afternoon with Jeff Harshbarger. At 4:00pm we bring you, Dub’s Groove with Warren, at 6:00pm it’s: ON AIR with Nikki Brooks. At 7:00pm it’s VOICES OF KANSAS CITY brought to you by The Kansas City Star and 90.1 FM KKFI.

You can find our playlists at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org & http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley http://www.bandcamp.com/wednesdaymiddaymedley

A really big THANK YOU to every one of you who donated during Wednesday MidDay Medley and our Summer Fund Drive for KKFI 90.1 FM. We had 47 individuals donate a total of $3529.00 in support of Community Radio. Special thanks go to my co-hosts and guests: Betse Ellis, Mikal Shapiro, Sandra Draper, Steve Tulipana and Lincoln Dreher!!!

Thanks to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver. And Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

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

Show #1116