#1132 – January 28, 2026 Playlist

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

Wednesday, January 28, 2025

WMM presents: New & MidCoastal Releases + Chris Hudson + Dwight Frizzell & Sound in Radio Art

  1. “It’s Showtime Folks”
    from: Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Universal / Dec. 20, 1979
    [WMM’s theme]
  1. Hello Biplane – “Spotlight”
    from: “Spotlight” – Single / Hello Biplane / January 16, 2026
    [Spencer Goertz-Giffen – vocals, guitar, charango; Braden Young – vocals, electric, acoustic, baritone guitar; Jeff Jackson – bass; Austin Sinkler – drums; Hugh Naughtin – cello, synth; Nate Holt – piano, accordion, organ. // Engineered by Jim Piller and Braden Young. Produced by Braden Young, Spencer Goertz-Giffen, and Jim Piller. Mastered by Winston Goertz-Giffen at Pulp Arts Studio. All songs written by Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young. // Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young of Hello Biplane also have the band, Alien Hellbop who released the EP, After The Quake on October 25, 2021. // Alien Hellbop is a maximalist rock duo from Lawrence, KS combining guitar, drums, sample pad bass and vocal harmonies to create a sonic duo larger than the sum of its parts. Attendees of shows past have been hypnotized and dumbfounded by how the sound is pulled off. Originally formed in Chico, CA members Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young set out to create a full band sound with only two members. After a flurry of positive feedback from shows played in northern California, Alien Hellbop managed to drive cross country with their two small children to Gainesville, FL and record a five song EP at PULP studios with the help of engineer and producer Winston Goertz-Giffen. Alien Hellbop is now based out of Lawrence, KS. Spencer and Braden have been involved in many other bands over the years including: Hospital Ships, The Kinetiks, The Willnots, Accursed Wound, The Magentlemen, Saything, and Old and Gray. The duo also fronts another group called Hello Biplane, a six-piece dream-folk-pop band with focus on songwriting and male/female harmonies.]

[Hello Biplane play Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, KS. on Mar. 28, 2026 w/ The Roseline.]

  1. Various Blonde – “Poverty Line” – Single
    from: “Poverty Line” – Single / Various Blonde / January 9, 2026
    [One of several new singles released in the last few months from Various Blonde. “Silent Partner” was released on April 11, 2025. “Couldn’t Love Me” was released March 7, 2025, “RAW”was released January 10, 2025. // Various Blonde released the 10-track album, Love Is How We Will Survive on September 1, 2023. That album contained 4 singles released over two years from 2022 to 2023. Various Blonde is a Kansas City based experimental, rock, pop, and funk band originally formed in 2008 and currently served by founder Joshua Allen on guitar, synthesizers, and vocals; and Mark Lomas on drums. The band has been described by Mills Record Company as, “Having all the sex appeal of The Weeknd and all the grit of Rage Against the Machine–the combination makes for a performance that is explosive.” On September 24, 2022 Various Blonde released the single, “Love is How We Survive.” On August 19, 2022 Various Blonde released the single, “Obtuse”. On June 9, 2022 Various Blonde released the single, “Too Many Secrets.” On March 13, 2020 Various Blonde released a three song EP called 3s through The Record Machine. On January 2020 Various Blonde released a three song EP called 3s 1 through The Record Machine. On September 16, 2016 Various Blonde released the 10-track album ALL BASES COVERED through The Record Machine. On January 13, 2015 Various Blonde release the 10-track album, SUMMER HIGH. “More info at: http://www.variousblonde.com]
  1. Calvin Arsenia – “Help! The Flying Monkeys are Coming!”
    from: Paradise / Calvin Arsenia / June 23, 2023
    [Paradise is Calvin Arsenia’s 14 track album. Available through http://www.calvinarsenia.com // A new turning point as a songwriter. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, Racism, The Police, being on probation, gay love. The album contains collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow and Jametatone. Calvin Arsenia one of our most frequent guests, who first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. KC Magazine has hailed Calvin as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself the guitar, piano, banjo. He learned his signature instrument, the harp, at the age of 20. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016 that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: Cantaloupe in 2018, with a sold out gigantic spectacle at The Gem Theatre on Saturday, September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. Sessions in 2019, and the EP HONEY DEW, and the EP Goddess with Quixotic, the Holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “Summer in Hindsight,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and now Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. 2024, and 2025. He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.] [Calvin Arsenia played a PARADISE Album Release Party, June 23, and 24, at The Emerald, 1715 West 9th Street, KCMO. More info at http://www.calvinarsenia.com][Calvin Arsenia was on WMM Jan. 18, 2023, June 21, 2023, and our 1000th Show on June 28, 2923.]

[Calvin Arsenia joins us LIVE on WMM on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester Ave., KCMO, Sat, Feb. 14, 2026 at 8:00pm]

  1. Ramy Essam – “Ra7 Nelte2i”
    from: “Ra7 Nelte2i” – Single / Rev House Productions / January 25, 2025
    [Ramy Essam was born 1987 in Mansoura. He is an Egyptian musician, best known for his appearances in Tahrir Square in Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and has been called the voice of the Egyptian revolution. // Essam stands for gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, freedom, social justice, equity, health care, minority rights, education and peace as it can be found in his music. His songs feature the themes of corruption, censorship, women’s and workers’ rights, political prisoners, economic exploitation and torture. // The second of four children, Ramy Essam’s father died when he was 11. He completed three and a half years of a five-year architecture degree in Mansoura, before the advent of the Egyptian revolution. // When the Egyptian revolution began, Essam travelled to Cairo with his guitar and began performing in Tahrir square, turning the crowd’s chants into songs. He began performing in front of millions of people, and the song “Irhal”, in which then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was urged to resign, gained popularity among the demonstrators. It became widely-known through YouTube, and is referred to as the anthem of the revolution. In 2011, it was selected by Time Out as the third-most world-changing song of all time. // When Tahrir Square was cleared by soldiers on 9 March 2011, Essam was arrested, taken to the nearby Egyptian Museum, and tortured. // In 2013, Essam’s songs were banned in Egypt and he was forbidden from performing. His fans were harassed by police if his music was found on their phones. // After the 2014 Egyptian presidential election, Essam was detained and interrogated for his history of anti-police songs. He left to live in Finland & Sweden later that year, receiving a fellowship with International Cities of Refuge Network which gave him the chance to create and perform freely to spread his message as an ambassador of the Egyptian revolution. // During 2016 to 2017, Essam toured throughout Finland with the theatre monologue RAMY – In the Frontline, which also received 5 stars reviews at the Fringe Festival Edinburgh. // In 2021, Essam performed at Access Now’s 10th anniversary edition of RightsCon. // His 2018 song “Balaha”, a satirical criticism of Egypt’s military rulers, led to six individuals being arrested in Egypt that were, either correctly or incorrectly, assumed to be connected to Essam and the song. Among them were the writer of the song’s lyrics, poet Galal El-Behairy, and a former band member that had not worked on the record. Essam’s passport was revoked by the Egyptian government, leaving him paperless and unable to travel. // In May 2020, one of the detainees, filmmaker Shady Habash, died after being incarcerated for more than two years in pretrial detention. Egypt’s public prosecutor claimed that Habash mistakenly drank hand sanitiser in his cell, thinking it was water. // Awards, nominations & honors: #3 on the list “100 Songs That Changed History”, Timeout Magazine // “Freedom To Create” prize winner, 2011 // Music Rights Champion, 2016, Int. Music Council // Spirit of Folk Award, 2017, Folk Alliance Festival, US // GrupYorum Award, 2020, “Tenco 2020 Award” – Sanremo – Italy.]

Discography
Albums
Manshourat (2011)
El Masala (2012)
Mamnoua’ (2014)
Resala Ela Magles El Amn (“A Letter To The UN Security Council”) (2017)
In 2017, Essam released his album on Universal Music MENA. The album is a mix of re-recorded older tracks and new compositions. The lyrical topics range from depictions of daily hardships of normal people, the struggle for social justice and women’s rights, environmental issues and criticism of the regime.

Singles
Segn Bel Alwan (2016) (featuring Lebanese rapper Malikah) was released in 2016. The song highlighting women’s situation and the issue of gender equality in his home country, became a big hit and one of the most streamed videos in Egypt in the weeks after its release.The
Camp (2017) Essam collaborated with UK artist PJ Harvey, released in June 2017 to benefit displaced children in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley fleeing the Syrian Civil War.
Balaha (2018) on February 26, 2018, Essam released a song and music video called Balaha which mocked Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. Balaha led to eight arrests back in Egypt; two remain in detention as of April 2020, and a third, music video director Shady Habash, died in prison in 2020, allegedly from “health issues not yet specified”, at the age of twenty-four after living over two years in pre-trial detention. The video has received over five million YouTube views.

Muqawma (Resistance) (2021) A song based on a poem by Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma from the revolutionaries of Egypt to the revolutionaries of Palestine]

[Ramy Essam plays Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview KCMO, on Wed, Jan. 28, 2026 at 7:00pm]

  1. Jesus Christ Taxi Driver – “Too Cold To Golf”
    from: Too Cold To Golf / Midtopia / January 23, 2026
    [Is it about the President? Yes of course it is. The bands first release in three years. Somewhere between the violent rock and roll of Jon Spencer, the sophisticated rhythms of Ali Farka Toure, and the religious disorientation of Jean Meslier, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver makes joyfully irreverent noise. Taking aim at daily banal agonies, and existential uncertainty, the moods shift from meditative to unhinged. The music takes risks. // Formed in 2022 on Colorado’s front range, they’ve been bringing their wildly disruptive live shows to venues across the mountain west at an incredible pace. Keep an eye on their schedule to see where they are playing near you, and for their debut LP “Lick My Soul” released on July 7, 2023. // Jesus Christ Taxi Driver played the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest, September 6, 2025.]
  1. Suzannah Johannes – “Whisper (feat. Syd Straw)”
    from: Los Angeles: The Missing Album / Hobbie Songs and Music / January 2, 2026
    [About the Album: In 2013, Suzannah Johannes flew out to Los Angeles to record an album with her longtime friend Josh Adams and Gus Seyffert, who has produced for Beck, Jenny Lewis, and Dr. Dog. Over two and a half days at Seyffert’s house, the three recorded 11 sparkling tracks that somehow got lost in the shuffle of time. Los Angeles — aka “The Missing Album” — was recorded for a potential record deal, but then Johannes broke her wrist, changed jobs, got married, had a child, and even Johannes herself is not sure what happened to the music. Seyffert paid to have the tracks mastered, and now, finally, this album of beauty and longing will appear in the world. These songs are bright, rich, lively, sometimes spontaneous — Seyffert’s neighbor, Syd Straw, popped by to visit and ended up singing harmony on the first track. The songs — sometimes paradoxical: as Johannes sings, “don’t take my hand / don’t walk away” — benefit from the accompanyment of Josh Adams (drums, percussion), Tyler Cash (keyboard), and Gabe Noel (bass). Los Angeles is a gift from the time capsule, a wondrous amalgamation of Johannes’ searching voice and Seyffert’s masterly production. – (Daniel Hoyt) // On August 29, 2025 Suzannah Johannes released Kansas City: Hanz Bronze Boulevard /also through Hobbie Songs and Music. // Raised on a farm outside of Powhattan, Kansas, Suzannah was surrounded by music from an early age but didn’t begin teaching herself guitar and singing until after college, thanks to her friend, Hanz Bronze. In 2007, she won the KJHK Farmers Ball and used the prize money to record at Black Lodge Studio Four tracks from those sessions became a debut EP, released by Range Life Records in 2008. After becoming a mother in 2014 and balancing full-time work, music took a back seat—but with new self-released material on the way, she’s finding balance and momentum creating and playing music in Lawrence and Kansas City. Over the past 19 years, she has performed solo and with a rotating group of collaborators. Kansas City, features contributions from Jimmy Fitzner, John Nichols, and Mike Stover of The Grisly Hand, Bill Dolan from 5ive Style, and Brooke and Mike Tuley of Brooke Tuley and the Moontravelers and Ad Astra Per Aspera. // Limited-edition of 500 black vinyl records that are hand numbered. Purchase through this website to receive the vinyl album before the release date and receive link to download digitally, as well as to choose to have your album signed. More info at: http://www.suzannahjohannes.com.]

10:29 – Underwriting

  1. Courtney Barnett feat. Waxahatchee – “Site Unseen”
    from: Creature of Habit / Mom+Pop / To be released on: March 27, 2026
    [By Mark Redfern for Under the Radar: Courtney Barnett has announced a new album, Creature of Habit, and shared a new song from it, “Site Unseen,” which features Waxahatchee. // In 2023 Barnett released a new instrumental album, End of the Day. Barnett’s last album of regular songs, Things Take Time, Take Time, came out in 2021 via Mom + Pop Music/Marathon Artists. // Creature of Habit was written after Barnett relocated from her native Australia to Los Angeles and also closed down her label, Milk! Records. // Of “Site Unseen” and working with Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield), Barnett says in a press release: “I tried three separate times over two years to track this song, and each time it either wasn’t finished or didn’t sound right and each time we had to start again. I kept hearing this really high harmony in my head, so for the fourth and final version, I asked Katie if she’d be into singing it with me. I’m a big Waxahatchee fan. I really love Katie’s songwriting and her voice, so it was an honor to have her sing on ‘Site Unseen.’”

Courtney Barnett Tour Dates:
May 1 – Austin, TX – RADIO/EAST
May 2 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
May 3 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
May 5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
May 6 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
May 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
May 10 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
May 12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
May 13 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
May 15 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
May 16 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
May 19 – St. Louis, MO – The Hawthorn
May 20 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
May 21 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
May 22 – Toronto, ON – History
August 11 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
August 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
August 14 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion
August 15 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
August 18 – Seattle, WA – TBA
August 19 – Portland, OR – TBA
August 21 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
August 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
August 24 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
August 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
August 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

  1. Natalie Prauser – “Dice”
    from: Everything Is Fine / Midtopia Records / January 16, 2026
    [Natalie Prauser: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Keys; Joseph Patrick Gaughan: Electric Guitar, Baritone; Nate Hofer: Pedal Steel; Chad Hasty: Bass; Sam Cronenberg: Drums. // All songs written by Natalie Prauser. Produced and mastered by Duane Trower. Recorded at Weights & Measures Studio. Cover photograph by Patricia Fouts © Natalie Prauser 2025. // Natalie Prauser blends the introspection of the 60s Laurel Canyon folk scene with the attitude of 70s outlaw country. Through tales of loving, leaving, and honky-tonk debauchery, her honest voice and razor-sharp lyricism give Prauser a cutting edge take on a timeless sound. // More info at:www.natalieprauser.com]

[Natalie Prauser plays The Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS, Saturday, January 31, 2026 with Lorna Kay, and Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs.]

  1. Lauren Lovelle – “Anxiously Attached (radio edit)”
    from: Other Dreams – EP / Lauren Lovelle / September 9, 2025
    [From OnetoWatch.com: Lauren Lovelle has country music coursing through her veins. Hailing from Harvey County, Kansas it may not come as a surprise that Lovelle is a country music aficionado. But not every Harvey County four-year-old is getting on stage with their dad’s honky tonk band to sing Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” By the time Lovelle was 10, she spent full sets up on stage with the band. While Lovelle’s journey to music seems like an obvious one, it wasn’t as straightforward as it could’ve been. Moving to a new high school in Wichita left her ashamed of her rural upbringing, leading her to abandon country music, and a college sexual assault brought years of grief and trauma. In the end, however, it was music, specifically a Linda Ronstadt song, that brought Lovelle back to herself. Having fronted a country band for the past two years, Lovelle is now introducing herself with her debut EP Other Dreams. // The EP is a masterful weaving of classic country and bluegrass sounds with straightforward, honest lyrics. On the opening track, “Anxiously Attached,” Lovelle dives into her struggles with love and attachment. Set to a classic country instrumentation full of guitar, fiddle, and drums, Lovelle sings “Don’t you know I’m attached anxiously / I’m the match / Hastily wasting this flame / On a lover who walked away.” Despite her anxious attachment, Lovelle sings with an air of nonchalance and acceptance. // “Won’t Tell You Goodbye” immediately contrasts the energy of “Anxiously Attached.” Lovelle’s vocals on the lovelorn ballad lay out every emotion she is feeling. Her pain and frustration are palpable as she sings “Couldn’t be more in love / Than the day we said we’re through.” A mournful pedal steel adds an air of melancholy as it wails above the guitars and drums. Lovelle’s heartbreak only pushes her towards her music, as she realizes that heartbreak from music is worth so much more than heartbreak from a man. Speaking on “Won’t Tell You Goodbye,” Lovelle shared, “It’s about how I’m going to give music a chance to break my heart first. If music destroys me and disappoints me, that’s still more of a victory than not taking the chance and totally letting my heart be broken by some dude back home. The failure of music, after I tried and gave it my all, would still be a victory on its own.” The song’s final lyrics drive home Lovelle’s point as she croons “If rock and roll don’t break my heart / I can surely depend on you.” // While Lovelle’s heart has been broken, she doesn’t dwell on it, as “Very Last Time” brings back the classic upbeat country twang heard in the EP’s opening track. Lovelle reflects on all the shortcomings of her ex-lover as she sings “You’ve been busy / Busy tryna waste my time again / Even though you know you leave me cryin’.” While there may be moments where Lovelle misses her ex, she knows that she’s better off without them as she sings “Well the day will come / When you’re ready to apologize again / Standing at my door with bloodshot eyes / But then don’t expect to get invited inside.” Lovelle shows off her vocal chops, easily floating up into her higher register before effortlessly sliding back down into her chest voice. A chorus of background vocals join Lovelle, and it’s easy to picture her in front of a crowd, conducting them to sing along with her. // In the EP’s final song, “In My Jeans,” Lovelle reflects on her history, the country music coursing through her veins, and everything else that happened along the way, that ultimately brought her here to her own work of country music. The chorus ties together her heritage and her trauma as she sings “I know you want to talk about it / But I can’t stand to look down at this / Hollow aching wound I’ll never clean / You can dive into my blood / And climb my family tree / I was cursed before the cradle / It’s in my jeans.” Lovelle continues to honor her country music roots, as the instrumentation is once again full of strings and guitars. // Other Dreams perfectly introduces Lauren Lovelle to the world. Classic country instrumentations combined with Lovelle’s modern outlook on life, result in four tracks that lay out Lovelle’s story so far. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings.]

[Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs play The Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS, Saturday, January 31, 2026 with Lorna Kay, and Natalie Prauser.]

  1. Lorna Kay – “What Ever Happened”
    from: Lorna Kay – EP / Town & Country / September 19, 2025
    [Lauren Krum solo project with Mike Stover. Lauren Krum is known for her work as lead singer of The Grisly Hand who had their last show on May 11, 2024 at The Ship. The band first started playing live in 2009. When The Grisly Hand released their debut album Safe House, the entire band (at that time: Lauren Krum, Jimmy Fitzner, Johnny Nichols, Chas Snyder, Mike Tuley. Ben Summers & Kian Byrne) climbed into our studios and performed live on our Nov. 10, 2010 show. // Jimmy Fitzner, Johnny Nichols, Chas Snyder were in a band called Left Behind. Lauren had played with them at The Brick, before laving Kansas City to go to Columbia College in Chicago. N Chicago Lauren created the group The Strumpettes a soul-inspired group featuring four female singers and a four-piece band. When the Strumpettes dismantled in 2008 and her life in Chicago started to fall apart, Krum decided to move back to Kansas City. She immediately began singing with From Before. // Within a few months, Krum, Fitzner, Nichols and Snyder were performing as a new group. They had brought on Andy Davis to play mandolin. Krum had found the name “the Grisly Hand” iafter coming across it in the poem “Webster Ford” from Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. The most Current grouping of The Grisly Hand was Jimmy Fitzner, Lauren Krum, Ben Summers, Mike Stover, Johnny Nichols and Kian Byrne. / A super group of sorts several members have also been involved in other projects. Lauren has played and recorded with Ruddy Swain (w/ David Regnier), Lorna Kay, and Lorna Kay’s Country Club, as well as being a DJ.]

[Lorna Kay plays The Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS, Saturday, January 31, 2026 with Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs and Natalie Prauser.]

  1. Joy Oladokun – “Nothing Comes Easy”
    from: “Nothing Comes Easy” / Feed The Family – Concord / January 16, 2026
    [From Stereogum January 16, 2026: On her new single “Nothing Comes Easy,” folk artist Joy Oladokun is here to remind us that we are human and getting hurt is a integral part of that. It’s normal. It will pass. We have time, and time heals all. “Don’t take it on you/ It’s just the cold truth,” she sings, embodying a loved one’s words of wisdom. “Nothing comes easy except for pain.” It’s a song that validates pain, but doesn’t relish in misery. We are all stronger than we think. We carry on. // Oladokun has released a handful of singles since 2024’s great album Observations From A Crowded Room, but “Nothing Comes Easy” is her first new music of 2026. She shared some insight about the new song: // I wrote “Nothing Comes Easy” about how getting hurt can happen quickly but healing takes time. This past year, I dealt with a lot of change in my personal life and career and for a moment it felt like nothing good would ever come again. In my backyard, there is a planter filled with the most resilient sunflowers I’ve ever seen. I wrote this song about watching them find life over and over again and how they taught me to celebrate good things because oftentimes they have fought hard to be good. // The song also comes with a Ademola Ogunnaike-directed video in which Oladokun gets tattooed while singing. In a Substack post from earlier this month, she offered her struggles from the past year, the small rituals she took towards self-healing, and how that all led up to this new song and video. You should read the whole thing, but here’s the passage that explains the significant meaning behind the track’s visual: The chief purpose of my music is to make songs that heal me and release them with the hope that they will help heal someone else too. That lack of commercial vision can be frustrating for business partners but the conviction that it comes with is rare. I believe in the songs I write and the messages they send so deeply. // When it came time for a music video, I decided that this particular lesson was important enough for me to keep around. // Tattoos, to me, are like talismans. Each one that I have is tied to a life lesson I’ve learned and want to remember. I realized that I want to hold on the idea that good things push through the soil of the minutiae of our days and bloom into soul sustaining joys. // I found a tattoo artist and a director and the video for the song was filmed a few nights before Christmas. // My leg now has a bouquet of flowers on it and my heart has a reminder for when the bottom falls out of another false world built on my pride. // Joy Oladokun released Observations From A Crowded Room on Oct. 18, 2024. // Joy Iladokun released Proof of Life her 4th studio album on April 28, 2023. The album was supported by five singles released throughout 2022 & 2023. The album features guest appearances from Mt. Joy, Manchester Orchestra, Chris Stapleton, Maxo Kream, and Noah Kahan. In a press release about the album, Oladokun said that she intended for the songs on Proof of Life to be “helpful anthems” and to resonate with “anybody who feels normal and needs a little musical boost to get through the day”. The first single, “Keeping the Light On”, was released on January 21, 2022. The second single, “Sweet Symphony” (featuring Chris Stapleton), was released on September 23, 2022. Of the song, Oladokun said that the song was about “the vulnerability, the fear, and the ups and downs that come from loving someone.” The third single, “Changes”, was released on February 17, 2023, simultaneously with the album announcement. The fourth single, “We’re All Gonna Die” (with Noah Kahan), was released March 17, 2023. The 5th and final single, “Taking Things for Granted”, was released on April 21, 2023. // Joy Oladokun was born April 6, 1992, she is an American singer-songwriter. Oladokun’s music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color. Oladokun grew up in Casa Grande, Arizona, listening to country and folk music, as well as Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill. Both of her parents are Nigerian immigrants to the United States. Her family regularly attended a Christian church, where Oladokun was chosen to lead worship. Later, Oladokun left the church because it limited her creativity. // When Oladokun was 10, a video of Tracy Chapman inspired her to learn guitar.// After college, at a friend’s suggestion, Oladokun moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career. She later moved to East Nashville, where she signed with Prescription Songs. She has released three studio albums. In 2015, Joy Oladokun self-released her debut EP Cathedrals. Her debut studio album, Carry Me was funded by Kickstarter and released on April 29, 2016 through Well Records. // Oladokun released the single “Sunday” in 2019, saying “‘Sunday’ is the song that 12-year-old Joy, seated in the back of church youth group, needed to hear. She needed to hear that you can be queer and happy. Queer and healthy. Queer and holy. She needed to see married women kissing and playing with their kids.” The music video highlights people in LGBTQ relation-ships and has a predominantly queer cast. // Oladokun’s song “Mercy” follows in the same theme, describing her experience as a Black person in the United States, while the single “I See America” criticizes systemic racism. NPR listed “I See America” on its 100 Best Songs of 2020. // On July 17, 2020, Oladokun released her 2nd studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness (Vol. 1). Billboard described the album as a “stunningly emotional collection.” Mitch Mosk, editor-in-chief of Atwood Mag., called it a “a sweeping, soaring, and stunning sophomore record oozing heart and soul.” // In 2021, Oladokun received a grant from YouTube’s “#YouTubeBlack Voices Fund”. The same year she signed with Amigo Records, Verve Forecast Records, & Republics. http://www.joyoladokun.com Oladokun played The Truman on Sept. 12, 2024]
  1. Run With It – “Do It Anyway”
    from: “Do It Anyway” – Single / 5AM Publishing / January 1, 2026
    [Miguel Antonio on lead vocals & guitar. Daniel Cole on drums, Paul Seiz on keyboards. Cody Ryan Stapleton on lead guitar, and Matt Muckenthaler on bass guitar // Run With It is on a new path dropping one new song a month and are fully self-producing as well. On November 12, 2025 they released the single “X2myY”. in October 2025 they released the single, “Darkest Days.” // In 2024 Run With It released their the singles: “Ghost Like You” on September 13, 2024; “Nightwatch” on August 21, 2024; and “It’s Not Over (feat. The Royal Chief) on April 10, 2024. // The band has always been known for their energetic live shows, leaving it all on the stage, and working their musical assets to make their audiences happy. The band has toured extensively. Run With It are influenced by The Black Keys, Maroon 5, Bill Withers, and more. With backgrounds in gritty rock, groovy soul, stylish R&B. // Miguel Carabello was born June 11, 1980 originally from Junction City, Kansas, Married. Daniel Cole was born April 8, 1991 and graduated from Lee’s Summit West HS in 2009. Paul Seiz Paul graduated from Millikin University with a degree in Commercial Music and began his professional career as the Resident Music Director of Playhouse On The Square, a professional theater in Memphis, TN. Paul has been the regional entertainment director for Howl At The Moon for nearly eight years. And also plays with Songwheels and works as a DJ. Paul lives in Overland Park KS and has three kids. Cody Ryan Stapleton lives in KCK he has played with several bands including The Dear Misses. Matt Muckenthaler studied at Missouri Western State University and has played in several bands. // Run With it were last on WMM on February 12, 2025 and October 23, 2024, before that is was nearly eight years ago on March 22, 2017 when the band was aa three-piece with Miguel Caraballo on lead vocals & guitar, Daniel Cole on Drums, and Ben Byard on bass & vocals. promoting their EP How To Start A Fire release March 24, 201, recorded with producer Josh Gleave. // http://www.runwithitband.com]
  1. Britanny Davis – “Girl (Don’t You Know)”
    from: Black Thunder / Loosegroove Records / June 13, 2025
    [“As a blind person, I’ve never had an actual visual experience,” says artist Brittany Davis. “Sound is the way I’ve always seen my world.” // Brittany brings that world to cinematic life with Images Issues, their full-length debut as a solo artist, released March 1, 2024 on Loosegroove Records. Arriving on the heels of 2022’s I Choose to Live — an introductory EP that was championed by outlets like NPR (who hosted Davis for a Tiny Desk Concert) and SPIN Magazine (who praised Davis’ “intuitive virtuosity across deeply-felt rock, funk, and R&B”) — it’s a wildly creative project that obliterates the traditional borders between genre and job. Brittany isn’t just the album’s vocalist; they’re also the songwriter, engineer, co-producer, and multi-instrumentalist responsible for nearly every sound on the album. Those sounds are just as diverse as the person who created them, with Image Issues making room for gospel piano, hip-hop grooves, house beats, jazz chords, self-made samples, and everything in between. It’s a wide mix — and it’s all Brit. // From Written by Jonathan Cohen’s April 13, 2023 article in DSPIN Magazine: Blind since birth, the talented musician leads their own quartet while also playing in Stone Gossard’s Painted Shield. // Davis, who uses they/them pronouns, has been dazzling people in this fashion more or less since the beginning, while overcoming enormous personal challenges along the way. They were born blind in 1994 in Kansas City, Mo., and were just three years old when their mother was sent to prison for a decade for murder, leaving them to be raised by their maternal grandmother. Davis has a form of synesthesia, where they can experience multiple senses at once. Although for some this might seem like a kind of blessing or superpower, for Davis, it only magnified the struggle to translate the sounds in their young head into something people could actually hear for themselves. // “When I was little, I heard music in everything,” Davis tells SPIN over Zoom after apologizing for the constant loud noises coming from their cell phone (“Forgive me – everything in my life talks,” they say with a huge smile, in a voice as naturally harmonious as their songs). “Music was like a language. There was no quintessential moment where I knew it was magic — it just was. It always was. It’s like breathing. But I didn’t really have anybody to share it with, or the means to share it with people the way that I wanted to. I definitely played in churches sometimes, or maybe if a friend came to the house, they’d be like, ‘OK Brittany, play us a song.’ I felt like a one-trick pony, and I didn’t know how to express my desire and pain through my music. It was almost like a second skin.” // An early breakthrough came through the assistance of a teacher at a Kansas City piano academy, where at the behest of their grandmother, Davis spent four years as a student between the ages of seven and 11. Even though they “can’t stand to practice,” Davis was encouraged to play loops or fragments of their fledgling ideas, which the instructor then helped turn into actual songs. “Bless his soul – he gave me my first recording experience,” Davis says of this material, which is now sadly lost to the ages. // Shortly thereafter, Davis’ life was plunged back into tragedy when, at age 12, their father was murdered. “My mother was still incarcerated at the time, so imagine the impact of what that meant for 12-year-old me,” they say. “My father was my lucky star. I believed he was really God’s conduit for my gift – I’m the vessel, but he was the conduit to show me what was possible.” // Davis’ mother was eventually released from prison, and in search of a fresh start, moved Davis and one of their three brothers from Kansas City to Seattle, where their late father’s sister resided. Although a leading light from the city’s celebrated music scene would eventually figure prominently in Davis’ life, initially, they didn’t even think about what their new hometown might have to offer from a cultural standpoint: “I was just on this adventure, like, ‘Seattle! Let’s go!’ It was as if I found a golden ticket but didn’t know about the contest.” // Davis continued working on music with the help of a basic synthesizer with a built-in sequencer, in spite of ongoing difficulties with their day-to-day well-being. “Definitely I experienced a lot of displacement,” they admit. “I say ‘homelessness’ very loosely, because we didn’t live on the street. But we lived in hotels sometimes. I’d take taxis to school because we didn’t have transportation. I had clothes and food, but just not a steady residence. I moved almost 60 times during the term of my high school career.” // Stability may have proven elusive for a while, but Davis was also beginning to make inroads in the Seattle music community. They played regular gigs at an African restaurant called Rumba Notes and made appearances at local festivals such as Sundiata, Juneteenth, and Folklife, but the big break came just before the pandemic in 2019. // That year, Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard heard from longtime Seattle friend Om Johari that there was a young musician in town who he positively had to meet. Before long, Davis was at Gossard’s Studio Litho recording new ideas of their own and was quickly invited to Pearl Jam’s warehouse to contribute to material from Gossard’s nascent side project, Painted Shield. Gossard also signed Davis to his revived imprint Loosegroove, for which they’ve released the 2022 EP I Choose To Live and are working on a debut full-length that should be out before the end of the year. // “It has been such an amazing experience to be involved with Brittany,” Gossard tells SPIN. “Their capabilities as a musician, improviser, storyteller, producer, and straight-up keyboard hero are as profound as any that I’ve ever experienced. It is beyond an honor to be connected to their blossoming career.” // Davis now finds themself with the good fortune of being in two different bands at once, a situation made even more fruitful now that Painted Shield finally played live for the first time during three March shows at Seattle’s Clock-Out Lounge. Among Davis’ upcoming gigs are solo performances on April 30 and May 28 at Seattle’s Rabbit Box, an appearance to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Seattle Sounders soccer game on May 17, and two June shows with the Quartet (bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, drummer D’vonne Lewis, and guitarist Jason Cameron) as part of the city’s annual Pride celebration. // “When it comes to sitting in front of a keyboard, I will always come through expressively,” Davis says. “If I’m in a rock band, I’ll rock just as hard as any other rocker. If I’m rapping, I’ll rap just as well. I always acknowledge the language being spoken sonically, and that’s one of the gifts I have. To be honest, with Painted Shield, I don’t know how people see me in that band. They probably think, ‘Whoa! That’s a wild card (laughs)! Whoa, Stone! Who is that?’” // While it’s true that a non-binary, sightless, millennial African-American musician may seem like an odd match with four veteran rockers in their 40s and 50s, Gossard can’t say enough about what Davis has brought to songs such as “Til God Turns the Lights on” and “Fallin’ Out the Sky” for Painted Shield, which also features vocalist Mason Jennings, drummer Matt Chamberlain, and bassist Jeff Fielder. // “Britt’s work with Painted Shield is just scratching the surface of what they are capable of, but if I were to list the two biggest aspects of how they’ve impacted the band, it would be their incredible vocal harmonies and their wicked ear, which allows them to layer color and other musical ideas to existing tracks,” Gossard says. “It’s a high priority for me to have more songwriting from Britt on our next album, and to give them more freedom to create outside the lines. I can’t wait to hear it.” // And while Davis is confidently looking forward, enough time has now passed from their tumultuous early years to allow them to trace the evolution of music’s role in their life. They’re now even more committed to what they believe is their God-given purpose: to ignite the spirits, souls, and hearts of people through sonic translation. // “Music has definitely evolved, in the way that I express it and how it expresses me,” Davis says. “That language has broadened. It’s one thing to say, ‘I’m sad,’ but it’s another to say, ‘I’m grieved.’ It’s being able to digest the amalgamation of the emotion that can form through being in contact with music. I’m entrenched in Seattle music now, and I’m working with historical figures who have been a part of historical movements. All of that changes how you walk. It’s not the same as wishing and hoping. No, it’s happening, and the people I’m touching are real. The lives I’m impacting are real. The love being given is real. The journey is no longer in my head, and that’s humbling because you realize that even if it’s all gone tomorrow, the music will always be there.”]
  1. Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo – “Threads and Branches”
    from: Inverted Shadows / Mitzi McKee and The Precious Cargo / November 21, 2025
    [Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, call themselves a “spacey KC rock & roll trio” w/ Mitzi on guitar, piano, & vocals; Brendan Bennett on bass, & Caleb Robertson on drums Mitzi has lived in KC since 2011 where she began singing in the jazz fusion band Valency. // Mitzi has also played drums, keyboards, and sang backup in the KC proto-punk Iggy & The Stooges cover band, No Fun, and the New York Dolls cover band, Trashed with Britt Adair. Mitzi played her first solo show in 2022 at the Pairing, where she also worked the front-of-house. Mitzi and on first Saturdays, at Chartreuse Saloon in the Crossroads.][Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming Street, West Bottoms, KCMO on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, Stephonne, Supermassive Black Holes with Les Izmore.][Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play an Inverted Shadows Album Release Show at Gigantic Records 1614 Westport Road, KCMO, on Friday, November 21 at 7:00pm.]

[Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo play The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Gullywasher, and Mikal Shapiro & The Musical.]

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

[Mikal Shapiro & The Musical play The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Gullywasher, and Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo.]

11:00 – Station ID

  1. Hudson Electric – “MAELSTROM”
    from: “Maelstrom” – Single / Chris Hudson / January 20, 2026
    [Recorded at Northern Sky Recording in November 2025 by Danny McGaw
    Featuring Alexis Barclay on bass, Matt Davis drums and Danny McGaw on keys/backing vocals. // Chris Hudson a Kansas City Native, Classical Guitarist, Guitarist, Musician, Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist ,SingerSongwriter, Teacher and Visual Artist… he’s a Member of three bands: Gullywasher, Hudson Electric, the Cruelest Months and The Bard Owls. More info at: http://www.gullywasherkc.com]

[Gullywasher with Chris Hudson plays The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical, and Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo.]

11:04 – Interview with Chris Hudson

KC based musician Chris Hudson is a classically trained guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is also a teacher and visual artist. Chris is a Member of the bands: Gullywasher, Hudson Electric, the Cruelest Months and The Bard Owls. Chris received his Bachelor of Music in 1996 from the UMKC Conservatory of Music. He has given solo performances in various concert series through the KC Guitar Society. He recently performed at the 38th annual Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans. In 2007, Chris received the Lighton Prize for Excellence as a Music Teaching Artist for his work with children, inspiring their love of guitar and musical collaboration when forming Garage Bands at KCYA. Chris has released multiple full length recordings and continues to collaborate with many artists and experiment with new forms, instruments, electronic synth and music genres, including experimental video soundscapes. Recently Chris has been recording with Danny McGaw at Northern Sky Recording creating new music as Hudson Electric.

With his band Gullywasher Chris Hudson plays The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, Mikal Shapiro & The Musical.

Chris Hudson thanks for being with us on WMM.

We just heard “Maelstrom” your newest single, released as Hudson Electric a new moniker for your work, recorded with Danny McGaw at Northern Sky Recording. Was it Danny McGaw who influenced your new sounds?

Chris recently performed at the 38th annual Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans.

Mark talked about seeing Chris running sound for one of the stages at the Kansas City Folk Festival. Along with all of his musical work \Chris talked about running sound in the Kansas City Room at Folk Alliance International.

Mark talked about seeing Jade Green that day, formerly of The Black Creatures, debuting many new songs from their solo work, lyrics and words over electric bass, with historic sound clips dropped into intros of songs.

Chris Hudson has been playing and creating songs for decades in the KC – Lawrence area.

We last talked with Chris Hudson on October 19, 2022 to talk about Gullywasher’s album COME TOMORROW YOU’LL FALL. Gullywasher that includes: Matt Cathlina on upright bass & vocals, Chris Hudson on guitar & vocals, and Sam Wright on banjo & vocals.

Before that Chris joined us on September 22, 2021 upon the released of Chris Hudson and The Bard Owls album THE ERASING released on September 29, 2021.

Chris joined us on March 31, 2021 to share news about HOLDING THE DAWNING released on March 15, 2021. HOLDING THE DAWNING was recorded between September and November 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, at Weights and Measures Soundlab in KCMO with Duane Trower. Gullywasher brought in special guest perfomers for several tracks local Chad Brothers of the band Old Sound on guitar, Devan Teran of The Timbers Devon Teran on pedal steel, and Mark Hamblin on Trumpet. More info at: http://www.gullywasherkc.com

Gullywashwr was formed in 2018 the band started recording demos, rehearsing and performing these songs at multiple venues, including a trip to SXSW in Austin in early March 2020 just before the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down and quarantine. In the early months of the pandemic they continued to rehearse and write more songs and do live streaming shows. Chris Hudson wrote the majority of the songs. Sam Wright wrote the song “Eastward Facing Road.” The band writes that their songs are” a mix of Americana, Folk, ProgRock, Emo and Jazz.”

Prior to that we talked with Chris Hudson on Nov. 4, 2020, when he and Julie Bennett Hume joined us to share details about their release SONGS FOR LATTER DAYS. Chris Hudson and Julie Bennett Hume have been playing and creating songs for decades in the KC – Lawrence area. Their musical project The Multiverse, released the album, Songs Of Latter Days, on Nov. 1, 2020. They played on all songs with help from the KC acclaimed alternative string duo The Wires with Laurel Morgan Parks on violin & Sascha Groschang on cello. Also contributing to the recording was Jason Beers. http://www.themultiverse.com

Chris Hudson Discography

Maelstrom (Single) – Hudson Electric

Evidence (Single) – Hudson Electric

Motheater Mixtape – Motheater–Chris Hudson and Jason Beers

Sink Or Swim (Single) – Chris Hudson & The Cruelest Months

On St. Nicholas (Single) – Chris Hudson and The Cruelest Months

Crumbled Bridges (Single)-Chris Hudson & The Cruelest Months

All Burdens Be Gone (Single) -Chris Hudson & the Cruelest Months

Isolation Tracks Side 5: The Cruelest Months (January 2023) with Jason Beers & Chris Hudson

Isolation Tracks Side 4: “Last Years Ghost & Rust Belt Vortex” Home Demos (December 2021-November 2022) – Chris Hudson

Gullywasher “Come Tomorrow You’ll Fall” – Gullywasher

“Through the Glass” (single) from Prejudice & Pride – The Bard Owls

The Easing – Chris Hudson and The Bard Owls

Holding the Dawning – Gullywasher

Patagonia (20th Anniversary Edition) – Chris Hudson

Isolation Tracks Pandemic Home Demos Side One March – May 2020 – Chris Hudson

Isolation Tracks Pandemic Home Demos Side Two June-July 2020 -Chris Hudson

Isolation Tracks Pandemic Home Demos Side Three August-November 2020 – Chris Hudson

A Missed Of A Morning Space Special Edition – Chris Hudson

Premonition Scenes – Chris Hudson and Chad Brothers

Nocturnal Trios – Chris Hudson and The Bard Owls: Alexis Barclay, Chad Brothers, Bryan Hicks and Sam Wright

11:15

  1. Chris Hudson – “Boots On The Ground” (LIVE PERFORMANCE)
    A new Gullywasher song written in response to ICE invasions of U.S. cities like Minneapolis

Chris Hudson thanks for being with us on WMM.

Gullywasher with Chris Hudson plays The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical , and Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo.

More information at http://www.chrishudson.bandcamp.com http://www.gullywasherkc.com

11:24

  1. Hudson Electric – “Evidence”
    from: “Evidence” – Single / Chris Hudson / December 23, 2025
    [Recorded at Northern Sky Recording in November 2025 by Danny McGaw
    Featuring Alexis Barclay on bass, Matt Davis drums and Danny McGaw on keys/backing vocals. // Chris Hudson a Kansas City Native, Classical Guitarist, Guitarist, Musician, Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist ,SingerSongwriter, Teacher and Visual Artist… he’s a Member of three bands: Gullywasher, Hudson Electric, the Cruelest Months and The Bard Owls. More info at: http://www.gullywasherkc.com]

[Gullywasher with Chris Hudson plays The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO on Thurs. Jan. 29, 2026, at 7:00pm with Mikal Shapiro & The Musical , and Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo.]

11:28 – Underwriting

  1. BCR – “In The Night”
    from: Speck of Dust / Sparkling Beatnik Records / December 31, 2004
    [“In The Night” with lyrics by – Jay Mandeville and Dwight Frizzell and music by – Randy Weinstein. Recorded live at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Missouri. // Black Crack Revue is self described “Afro Nuclear Wave Funk Swing Reggae Tang Band” founded in 1983 in Kansas City, Missouri. // Members: Allaudin Ottinger, Bill Dye, Cliff Baldwin, Julia Thro, Mark Thies, Monique Danielle, P. Alonzo Conway, Rev. Dwight Frizzell, Stan Kessler, Thomas Aber.// Speck of Dust was Recorded and Produced at Markosa Studios. Producer, Mixed By, Recorded By – Mark Thies // Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Rev. Dwight Frizzell // Accordion – Jeffrey Ruckma (tracks: 4); Acoustic Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar – Bill Dye (tracks: 1, 6); Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bassoon, Congas, Timbales, Vocals – Alonzo Conway*\; Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone, Sopilka – Thomas Aber; Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Vocals – Rev. Dwight Frizzell; Design – Rhondda Francis; Djembe – Eric George (tracks: 9);; Drums – Arnold Young (tracks: 3); Electric Bass – Jeffrey Ruckma (tracks: 3); Electric Bass, Vocals – Mark Thies; Electric Guitar – Jim Cottingham (tracks: 3, 9); Electric Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer – Julia Thro; Flute – Paula Van Regenmorter (tracks: 6); Harmonica [Chromatic] – Randy Weinstein (tracks: 2, 8); Liner Notes – Jay Mandeville; Recorded By – Willie Mackie (tracks: 3); Shakuhachi, Executive-Producer – Synthesizer [Serge] – Ed Herrmann; Tar (Drum), Shaker, Drums, Vocals – Allaudin Ottinger; Viola da Gamba – Gerald Trimble (tracks: 8); vocals – Joey Skidmore (tracks: 7, 8); Vocals, Djembe, Claves, Bells, Tamborim – Monique Danielle.]

[BCR plays a Valentine’s Day Celebration for All at 1519 Oak Street, KCMO on Saturday, February 14, at 6:30pm to 9:00pm.]

11:34 – Interview with Rev Dwight Frizzell

Rev Dwight Frizzell is a Professor & Sound Head, at Kansas City Art Institute, – Photography & Filmmaking Dept. with a Terminal Degree in Sound Design. Dwight is an internationally recognized artist whose work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art, and writing. Frizzell’s work about his boyhood neighbor, Harry S. Truman, was featured in the Peabody-awarded “Lost and Found Sound” series broadcast on National Public Radio. Frizzell has produced an opera based on the life of Charles Darwin. In addition to his B.F.A. degree from KCAI, he holds a terminal fine arts degree in Sound Design from the UMKC. Dwight Frizzell, is a founder of the “groovy polyphonic jazz/dance” band, Black Crack Revue, now in their 43rd year. Dwight Frizzell is also an Arif, with Moorish Orthodox Church, and served at First Editor, The Pitch, he is a founding member of the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and is host & producer of “From Arc To Microchip” heard on the fifth Thursday of each month on KKFI’s hursday Night Special at 7:00pm on 90.1 FM.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell joins WMM to share details about SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Thursday January 29, at 7:00pm. SOUND IN RADIO ART features new sound pieces created by young audio-visual artists working in radio space for the first time. This special broadcast was created through Kansas City Art Institute’s Sound Minor program.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Thursday January 29, at 7:00pm. SOUND IN RADIO ART features new sound pieces created by young audio-visual artists working in radio space for the first time.

The listener will hear natural wireless transmissions from the same electromagnetic spectrum that carries radio waves, but from a less familiar sources— transmissions from distant stars to body electricity, and from the electrical grid we live in to the enfolding surfaces of the brain. Hear voices speaking in a twilight art-zone between sound and noise, poetry and music.
This special broadcast was created through Kansas City Art Institute’s Sound Minor program with instructor Dwight Frizzell, and features:

Alastair Koch– Sound from the Regulus Nebula
Noah Pagan– Electromagnetic Snapshots
Tyrisse Simmons– Galvanic Skin Response and the Aurora Borealis
Hunter Hancock– Klein Bagel in Your Brain
Crow Schneider– In the Kiln
Kate Sutton– The Life Ceramic
Abby Bober– Metals in My Room
Nicole Gilliford– Father Forgive Me
Tyrisse Simmons– My Soul and Yours
Eden Demaree– Sorrowful Passion
Sam Miller– Whiskers

Hear selections from the program—

11:45

  1. Alastair Koch – “In The Night”
    from: SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Jan. 29, at 7:00pm.

11:50

  1. Noah Pagan– “Electromagnetic Snapshots”
    from: SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Jan. 29, at 7:00pm.

11:52

Also airing on 90.1 FM KKFI on Thursday night, January 29, 2026 at 7:30pm is: MADE IN KANSAS CITY: NUCLEAR BOMBS FOR THE WORLD – The Kansas City National Security Campus features a new nuclear weapons plant at Botts Road and Missouri Highway 150 in southern Kansas City. Their nearly 2 billion dollar annual budget supports the “life-extensions” of the B61 thermonuclear devices deployed at Whiteman AFB and other nuclear bases around the world. These updates keep the bombs fresh and deployable. They include Boeing tail-kits that make them maneuverable “smart” bombs. The newly re-orchestrated music features data sonifications of a detonation event as performed by the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble. Composers Michael Henry and Dwight Frizzell mapped data to the score using graphs showing the bombs’ short and long term effects including shock waves, atmospheric impacts, electromagnetic pulse readings and biological aberrations.

Contacts: Dwight Frizzell, KCAI artist
 dfrizzell@kcai.edu

Dwight Frizzell is an internationally recognized artist whose interdisciplinary work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art and writing. He has been producing the “From Ark to Microchip” series with Jay Mandeville since 1984. Ark radio has been heard on KOPN, KCUR, KGNU, RESONANCE FM (London), RADIO NOVA (Paris), and WKCR (New York).

Dwight’s boyhood neighbor in Independence, Missouri was Harry S. Truman, who appears in Dwight’s work as a pianist, Atlantean King and time-traveler. Dwight released the “Beyond the Black Crack” LP in 1976, studied video art with Douglas Davis (1977), clarinet with Raymond Luedeke (1979) and metaphysics with Sun Ra (1980-1990). His work was exhibited at Biennale de Paris, World-Wide Video Festival (Amsterdam), and broadcast on NPR.

Dwight’s collaborative third-mind creations with writer Jay Mandeville includes plays, essays, and Ark scripts. Their work was published in “Semiotext(e) Radiotext(e)” and “Experimental Sound and Radio” (MIT Press). They edited The Pitch newspaper in the early ‘80s.

Dwight’s music is available on Paradigm discs (England). He plays Buffet clarinets and Yamaha saxophones and wind controllers. His collaborations with Michael Henry include “Sonic Force,” where AFR A10 Warthog Attack Planes were used as musical instruments. Frizzell is a founding member of the Black Crack Revue, the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and the National Audio Theatre Festivals. He performed recently with David Ossman and Phil Proctor of the Firesign Theatre.

The last time Dwight was on our show was June 12, 2019 to share details about details about Heliophonie (Sun Sound) a midday Solstice concert, Friday, June 21, 2019 11:00 AM to Noon at KC Art Institute’s Vanderslice Reception Patio (behind historically restored Vanderslice Hall) performed in-sync to the sun’s harmonic tones. The solar sphere oscillates like a bell ringing every 4 minutes 48 seconds (as heard on a large gong). Overtones pulse in quadra-pole rotation (realized by the instruments & electronics). Solar storms moving vigorously through the resonating convection-zone are performed by instrumental duets.

BCR plays a Valentine’s Day Celebration for All at 1519 Oak Street, KCMO on Saturday, February 14, at 6:30pm to 9:00pm.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

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

11:54

  1. Verbose – “Somber Summer”
    from: “Somber Summer” – Single / Dog Cop Records / December 26, 2025
    [Produced by Tim Cote & Verbose. Verbose is a three piece band from Pittsburg, KS. The band is made up of Logan Glasgow (Vox/Drums), Cody Morris (Guitar) and Tim Cote (Bass/Vox)
    Discography:
    Somber Summer – Single – December 26, 2025
    Flash Bang Johnny – Single – October 23, 2020
    Idle Hour at Barto’s – 4 track EP – November 8, 2019
    Irony – Single – January 15, 2019
    Underwater – Single – May 4, 2016
    Ignorant Bliss – Single – November 12, 2016
    Walking&Falling – Single – February 14, 2017]
  1. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

NEXT WEEK on February 4 we bring you more new & MidCoastal Releases.

Stay tuned at 12:00 Noon for Learning To Wiggle with Steve Stemmerman, at 2:00pm it’s Jazz

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

Thank you 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.

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

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

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