#1144 – April 22, 2026, Playlist | Wednesday MidDay Medley

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, April 22, 2026

Scott Moreau plays Johnny Cash + BCR celebrates 50 Years! + Rosie O’Brien leads Sass-a-Brass

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

10:00 – Three Musical Artists inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026

We start the show with three legendary musical entities: Fela Kuti and Arika 70, Joy Division, and Celia Cruz. These artists were recently announced to be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 2026 inductees include: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to the performer inductees, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons will be honored with the Early Influence Award. Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will receive the Musical Excellence Award. The annual Ahmet Ertegun Award will remember Ed Sullivan.

Fela Kuti, Afrika 70 & Ginger Baker – “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)”
from: “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)” – Single from LIVE! / EMI London / August 30, 1971
[In 2026, Kuti was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence after two previous nominations. // “Let’s Start” is a single edited version of opening track from Live! – a live in-studio album by Fela Kuti’s band Africa ’70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released on August 30, 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978. LIVE! was one of five albums Fele released in 1971 including FELA’S LONDON SCENE, WHY BLACK MEN DEY SUFFER, NA POI, and OPEN & CLOSE. // The album was recorded on July 25, 1971, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The British-American rock band Wings was recording their album Wild Life at the same time in the adjacent studio. // Baker travelled with Kuti into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent’s rhythms, as documented in Tony Palmer’s film Ginger Baker in Africa (1971). The bonus track on the Barclay CD reissue features a 16-minute drum duet between Baker and Africa ’70’s drummer Tony Allen recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. The album is on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 greatest live albums of all time. The album is also included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. // Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938 – died 2 August 2, 1997. He was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa’s most “challenging and charismatic music performers”. AllMusic described him as “a musical and sociopolitical voice” of international significance. // Kuti was the son of Nigerian women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa ’70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which Kuti was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria’s military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1977 army raid that injured Kuti and his mother, the latter fatally. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. Kuti continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti. // Kuti was born into the Ransome-Kuti family, an upper-middle-class family, on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Colonial Nigeria. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an anti-colonial feminist, and his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was an Anglican minister, school principal, and the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Kuti’s parents both played active roles in the anti-colonial movement in Nigeria, most notably the Abeokuta Women’s Riots which were led by his mother in 1946. His brothers Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, were well known nationally. Kuti is a cousin to the writer and fellow activist Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize for Literature winner. They are both descendants of Josiah Ransome-Kuti, an Anglican clergyman and musical pioneer, who is Kuti’s paternal grandfather and Soyinka’s maternal great-grandfather. // Kuti attended Abeokuta Grammar School. In 1958, he was invited to London by his younger brother Beko (a medical student at the time), to study music at the Trinity College of Music, with the trumpet being his preferred instrument. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos and played a fusion of jazz and highlife. The ensemble would include as members Bayo Martins on drums and Wole Bucknor on piano. In 1960, Kuti married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor with whom he had three children (Yeni, Femi, and Sola). In 1963, Kuti moved back to the newly independent Federation of Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos, and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All-Stars. // He called his style Afrobeat, a combination of Apala, funk, jazz, highlife, salsa, calypso and traditional Yoruba music. In 1969, Kuti took the band to the United States and spent ten months in Los Angeles. While there, he discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now known as Sandra Izsadore or Sandra Akanke Isidore), a partisan of the Black Panther Party. This experience heavily influenced his music and political views. He renamed the band Nigeria 70. Soon after, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Kuti and his band were in the US without work permits. The band performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions.]

[Afrobeats To The World – Friday, April 24, at 9:00pm at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway Blvd KCMO, An immersive experience, with dancers and DJs, where pulsating African rhythms and music collide, creating a transformative celebration and vibrant showcase of African culture.]

Joy Division – “Transmission”
from: “Transmission” – 7” single / Factory / October 7, 1979
[In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. // “Transmission” is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band’s aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band’s debut single. // “Transmission” was released on 7″ vinyl on October 7, 1979 by record label Factory. It was re-released as a 12″ single with a different sleeve on February 20, 1981. The single charted twice in New Zealand, debuting at number 2 in September 1981 and re-appearing again at number 24 in July 1984. // The song was performed once by the band on television, for the BBC Something Else programme. Twenty seconds of the song is shown in the movie Control (2007), directed by Anton Corbijn, a film based on the biography of Ian’s wife, Deborah Curtis’s Touching from a Distance. // Greil Marcus has a chapter on this song in his book The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs. According to Marcus, “‘Transmission’ is not an argument. It’s a dramatization of the realization that the act of listening to the radio is a suicidal gesture. It will kill your mind. It will rob your soul.” Marcus also quotes the band’s bassist Peter Hook about the importance of this song: “We were doing a soundcheck at the Mayflower, in May, and we played ‘Transmission’: people had been moving around, and they all stopped to listen. I realized that was our first great song.” // In May 2007, NME magazine placed “Transmission” at number 20 in its list of the 50 “Greatest Indie Anthems Ever”, one place below “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. In 2016, Pitchfork placed “Transmission” at number 10 in its list of “The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s”. // Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. // Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a June 1976 Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk rock, they soon developed a sparse sound and style that made them one of the pioneering groups of the post-punk genre. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979. // Curtis struggled with personal problems, including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s health condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He died by suicide on the eve of what would have been the band’s first North American tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division’s second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became their highest-charting releases. // Between July and October 1980, the remaining members, with the addition of keyboardist and guitarist Gillian Gilbert, regrouped under the name New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Joy Division would remain a prominent influence on subsequent generations of alternative acts, particularly within the gothic rock genre. In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.]

Celia Cruz – “Yemayá”
from: Homenaje a los Santos / Seeco Records / 1964
[Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso, born, October 21, 1925 – died, July 16, 2003. Known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname La Guarachera de Cuba. In the following decades, she became known internationally as the “Queen of Salsa” due to her contributions to Latin music. She had sold over 30 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. // The artist began her career in her home country Cuba, earning recognition as a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 years (1950–1965). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son and bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles for Seeco Records. // In 1960, after the Cuban Revolution caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of the symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community in exile. Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the country that she took as her definitive residence. In the 1960s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, recording her signature tune “Bemba colorá”. In the 1970s, she signed for Fania Records and became strongly associated with the salsa genre, releasing hits such as “Quimbara”. She often appeared live with Fania All-Stars and collaborated with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón. During the last years of her career, Cruz continued to release successful songs such as “La vida es un carnaval” and “La negra tiene tumbao”. // Her musical legacy is made up of a total of 37 studio albums, as well as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout her career, she was awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. In addition to her prolific career in music, Cruz also made several appearances as an actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!”) has become one of the most recognizable symbols of salsa music. // In 2026, Cruz was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence. She is the first artist who performed in Spanish to be inducted. // Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October 1925, at 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Her father, Simón Cruz, was a railway stoker, and her mother, Catalina Alfonso Ramos, a housewife who took care of an extended family. Celia was one of the eldest among fourteen children living in the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro, and she used to sing cradle songs to put them to sleep. According to her mother, she began singing as a child at 9 or 10 months of age, often in the middle of the night. She also sang in school during the Fridays’ actos cívicos and in her neighborhood ensemble, Botón de oro. // While growing up in Cuba’s diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians who influenced her adult career, including Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Antonio Arcaño and Arsenio Rodríguez. Despite her father’s opposition and the fact that she was Catholic, as a child Cruz learned Santería songs from her neighbor who practiced Santería. Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Merceditas Valdés (an akpwon, a Santería singer) from Cuba and later made various recordings of this religious genre, even singing backup for other akpwons like Candita Batista. // As a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged her to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana with the intent of becoming a literature teacher. At the time being a singer was not viewed as an entirely respectable career. However, one of her teachers told her that, as an entertainer, she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. From 1947, Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano at Havana’s National Conservatory of Music. // One day, her cousin took her to Havana’s radio station Radio García-Serra, where she became a contestant in the Hora del té (“Tea Time”) amateur radio program. It was her first time using a microphone and she sang the tango “Nostalgia” (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez), winning a cake as the first prize for her performance. On other occasions she won silver chains, as well as opportunities to participate in more contests. She also sang in other amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning first prize. The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each. // In 2004, the Miami Herald revealed from partially declassified US State Department papers that Cruz had been linked to Cuba’s pre-Revolution communist party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as early as the 1940s] The article was written by Herald journalist Carol Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests. It made several revelations, among them that the US Embassy in Havana denied Cruz a US visa in 1952 and 1955 because of suspected communist affiliations. The article also states that Cruz had joined the youth wing of the PSP at age 20 and had used a concert to arrange a secret meeting with communists in South America on behalf of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who had also founded the party in 1925. Cruz had also signed a public letter in support of one of the Party’s front groups, the Pro-Peace Congress. The article states that Cruz’s surviving husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, and is quoted he knew nothing about it. “She never told me about that. She never talked about politics,” the article quotes Knight.]

St. George & The Dragons – “Waiting For The World To End”
from: “Waiting For The World To End” – Single / Grand Central Bell Records / April 21, 2026
[The new single features vocals by Skeet Hanks, written by David George and Skeet Hanks. Giving 80’s Elvis Costello vibes, the song makes a statement about how we all seem to be waiting for something to happen in our current political environment. If you haven’t seen the band recently, Scott Mize from the band She Said, and formerly of the Pedal Jets is playing guitar. Also joining the band on keys is the legend Chris Hazelton of The Freedom Affair. // On August 30, 2024, St. George and The Dragons released their debut album, KING OF KANSAS CITY with David George on vocals/guitar, Mike Greene on guitar, Skeet Hanks on vocals & guitar, Matt Kesler on vocals & bass, and Pat Tomek on drums. With Guest Players: Lin Buck on piano & organ, and Ken Lovern on organ. // Produced by David George. Recorded and Engineered by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios – KCMO. Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlabs – KCMO. Artwork by Jud Kite – Killer Kite Productions // King Of Kansas City is a ten-song album of pure rock and roll influenced by late 70s rock like the Stones and Tom Petty. // The album’s theme comes from a time when Rock ‘n’ Roll ruled the airwaves. It’s about letting go and raising your hand high into the air with your middle finger out to the world as you move on to the next big thing in your life. // Lead singer David George (Moaning Lisa, John Fogerty band) has been working with drummer/engineer Pat Tomek (The Rainmakers) since 2018 when they recorded three solo EPs for George. They found it easy to work together and had similar tastes which led them to produced and engineer an album for Kansas City artist David Luther. In the studio with Luther, they enlisted the help of Matt Kesler (The Pedaljets, She Said, The Doo Dads) on bass with Tomek on drums and George on guitars and keys. // George, Tomek, and Kesler hit it off and started working on material of their own, eventually bringing in guitarist Mike Greene (The Front/Bakers Pink) and vocalist/guitarist Skeet Hanks (Beatin’ Path) to round out the sound. Greene was the lead guitarist in the Front, a band known for their searing guitar and power rock sound. Hanks, from New Orleans fronted the band Beatin’ Path, tearing up the Bayou country with their progressive rock sound and soaring melodies. // Influenced by the works of The Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, and many other classic rock bands from the 70s and the 80s, St. George & The Dragons came together during the Global Pandemic, giving them time to develop their sound. George, Greene, Hanks, Kesler, and Tomek have all had their share of greatness, from the collective albums they’ve released on major and indie labels to sharing the stage with legends like Paul McCartney, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Doobie Brothers, The Black Crowes, Derek Trucks Band, Lumineers, Aerosmith, Smithereens, Mother Love Bone, and a list that could fill up a book! // More information at: http://www.stgeorgeandthedragonsband.com

[St. George & The Dragons play recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 8:00pm with Kamera9.]

The Soul Agenda – “Hot Honey”
from: “Hot Honey” – Single / The Soul Agenda / February 15, 2026
[The Soul Agenda are Olivet on vocals, Zahara Ness on back-up vocals Charles on trumpet, Noah on guitar. The Soul Agenda were the winners of the 32nd annual 2026 KJHK Farmers Ball, a two week competition held at Liberty Hall in Lawrence Kansas]

[The Soul Agenda play Manor Fest 8 on Friday, May 22.]

[The Soul Agenda play MOD Gallery, 1809 McGee St. KCMO, on Friday June 5, 2026.]

Field Daze – “Shade of Blue”
from: “Shade Blue – Single / Field Daze / April 3, 2026
[Produced, mixed, and mastered by Ian Dobyns at Element Recording Studios. Earlier this year Field Daze released the singles: “Hula Girl” on March 3, 2026, “Hate Me” on March 9, 2026, “Melona 99” on March 8, 2026. // Field Daze, is an Indie Rock/Dreampop band, originated in KCMO when Rodd Fenton & Dan Camino responded to a Facebook call to start a Dreampop band. Their collaboration led to the creation of early demos. Shortly after, they were joined by Tracer Cauy, Kyer Lasswell, & Beau Harris, solidifying the band’s lineup. // Their magnetic sound quickly found a home in the KC music community, playing The Rino, The Ship, and The Bottleneck. Field Daze’s live performances became synonymous with an immersive musical experience, drawing in crowds with their captivating melodies. // Currently, the band channels their creativity by recording homegrown tracks within Rodd Fenton’s personal studio, honing their craft and evolving their unique sound. More Info at: http://www.fielddazekc.com

[Field Daze play Manor Fest 8]

[Field Daze play The Ship at 1221 Union Ave., KCMO in Historic West Bottoms, Friday, June 5, 2025[

TV Star – “Reality Cheque (Album version)”
from: Music For Heads / Father/ Daughter Records / April24, 2026
[On Thursday, March 19, 2026, TV Star released their single, “Reality Cheque” along with the official music video starring bassist and Supercrush vocalist/guitarist, Mark Palm. // Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. // “Reality Cheque” distills TV Star at their sharpest – punchy, clear-eyed, and effortlessly catchy. The song captures the moment you realize love has tipped into imbalance: all projection and performance. Rather than over-explaining, the band lets the hook do the work, locking into a crisp pop pocket where jangling guitars and buoyant rhythm carry the emotional weight. It’s a deceptively bright track with a hard truth at its center, proof of TV Star’s knack for turning quiet realizations into something that lingers. Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. “Reality Cheque” follows “Out Of My Bag,” the bands’ homage to 80’s Madchester, and “Texas Relation” which saw support from Stereogum, Post-Trash and Under The Radar.

10:28 – Underwriting

Scott Moreau – “I Walk The Line”
from: Home of the Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash at Sun Studio – EP / July 2, 2013
[Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash]

[Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Foe Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:32 – Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We just heard, I Walk The Line, Scott Moreau’s Johnny Cash tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood.

Scott was born in Bath, ME and raised in the small town of Litchfield, ME. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001, he began honing his craft in theatre around the country in various regional theatres. He is most known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Johnny Cash on the 1st National Tour of the Tony Award winning musical Million Dollar Quartet, and for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (Eldorado, series finale). Scott currently resides in New York City.

From the Portland Press Herald (August 1, 2021)

Singing the songs of Johnny Cash the way Johnny Cash sang them requires practice and repetition. For Scott Moreau, whose natural voice is a lyrical baritone with a sweet, bright quality, finding the rugged bottom end that’s required to effectively sing the songs of Johnny Cash does not come naturally or without effort.

“I am sure people assume I open my mouth and it just comes out, but a lot of trial and error – and a lot of time – goes into it,” said Moreau, 41, who grew up in Litchfield and whose uncanny ability to sing like Johnny Cash has taken him from Maine to stages across the country and around the world.

“It is still a work in progress, and something I have to work at all the time. To do a lot of the lower stuff, it’s not necessarily in my voice’s nature. I think about it exactly the way I look at working out – you have work up to it. If I haven’t sung Johnny Cash music in six weeks and I try to sing an entire show, my voice does not understand what I am trying to do.”

Moreau grew up listening to Cash. He talks about how when he was little, his parents would play their favorite records and dance in the living room. He would do his best to sing along with such artists as Cash, the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys.

WALKIN’ THE LINE – A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Starring Scott Moreau April 23 – 26

Filled with anecdotes, stories, and history pulled from Johnny’s many biographies, concerts, and live interviews, you will truly feel as though you are the watching The Man In Black in his heyday. Featuring songs from Johnny’s nearly 50 years in the music business including “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and many more!

10:43

Scott Moreau – “Rock Island line” (LIVE)
[Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:46 – More Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

From Phoenix.org By Bridgette M. Redman | January 22, 2021

In his early 20s, he was introduced to the music Cash was making toward the end of his life, and it transformed his career.

“That’s when I started to get obsessed, buying everything and reading everything, and wouldn’t let him go,” Moreau says. “It has just kind of continued. Luckily it wasn’t just fandom; it was a large part of my career. Johnny’s music and his message and life have had an immeasurable impact on my life.”

Moreau says performing as Cash has taken him all over the country and to Japan. He’s met members of the Cash family, been able to wear his clothes and play Cash’s guitars.

Moreau spent years on tour playing Cash in “The Million Dollar Quartet,” a musical about the December 4, 1956, afternoon Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins got together for an impromptu jam session. Moreau says he has met some of the best people from his life while doing that musical. “I can’t be more thankful for his life and legacy,”

Exploring Cash’s life – In “Walkin’ the Line,” Moreau speaks as Cash the entire time. While he sings many of Cash’s greatest hits, he also tries to give insight into Cash’s life, his friendships, and why and how he wrote certain songs.

“One thing I try to capture a good amount that the average fan doesn’t know about or understand — he had an extremely good sense of humor,” Moreau says. “He was large and imposing and sometimes a dark person. He had an extremely outgoing personality and was a cutup. I really try to bring that into a lot of my stage banter.”

In prep for creating the musical, Moreau spends a lot of time watching and analyzing his concerts so he can replicate who Cash was as a performer. He says he tries to be as close to Cash as humanly possible, leaving any semblance of his own personality behind.

“The performances of his songs and his songwriting is a major part of his performances, but so is his sense of humor and his authenticity,” Moreau says. “The people who come to these shows want to remember what it was like to see him on television or live.”

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

10:56

10:56

Just Angel – “Selfish”
from: Just Angel: Pt. 2 / Distro Kid Records / December 25, 2021
[Just Angel is a Kansas City based, singer, musician, songwriter, dancer. and creative artist. She released the single “Dumb” through T.A.P. OUT MUSIC on August 9, 2024. Just Angle contributed vocals to the Sisterbot debut record. // Just Angel: Pt. 2 is a followup to Just Angel Pt.1 – EP released on December 24, 2020 Just Angel is a musician, songwriter, dancer, and creative artist. Just Angel, has been seen on stages of The Barn Players Community Theatre, at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in BEAUTIFUL, The Carole King Musical,, The Music Theater Heritage: Ruby Room performance of “Piece of My Heart” in 2023, The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City “After Midnight” in 2022, and playing Osceola Mays in “Texas in Paris” in 2021. Her band, The Wades, can be found playing eclectic takes on pop music, and Just Angel‘s originals, from Part 1 & 2. Her single “Dumb”, was released August 9, 2024. More at https://linktr.ee/JustAngel%5D

[Just Angel & The Wades play The Phoenix, 302 West 8th St., KCMO, Wed, April 29, 7pm to 11:00pm.]

10:59 – Station ID

BCR – “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis”
from: Which Earth Are We On? / Fifth Street Records / 1987
[Thomas Aber on Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet [Contra-alto]; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Performer [Duck Call]; Vocals; Bill Dyeon Guitar, Steel Guitar, Bouzouki; Bird Ellington Fleming on Congas, Shekere, Drums [Talking Drum], Berimbau, Tambourine, Agogô, Percussion; Dean Allaudin Ottinger on Drums, Berimbau, Bells [Tibetan Bell], Vocals, Percussion; Jeff Rendlen on Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals; Randy Weinstein on Harmonica [Chromatic And Diatonic], Keyboards, Vocals; Ed Herrmann on Synthesizer [Serge]; Stan Kessler on Trumpet. // BCR – Producer; Dave Brock – Co-producer, Engineer; Denis McFarling – Art Direction, Layout; Archer Prewitt – Artwork [Front Cover Woodcut]; Sandra Summers – Artwork [Back Cover Illustrations]; Jay Mandeville – Liner Notes; Mary Bodine – Typography]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Which Earth Are We On?
Track List:
Mokele Mbembe Special
Robot Lips
Teenie Boppers In Atlantis
Which Earth Are We On?
Horror Story
Breakfast Atiphonal
Olmec Heads
Krankenhaus Juju
The World Is A Monkey
The Uncertainty Principle
Saints In The Trees
The Final Frontier

11:02 – Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album Black Crack And The Sole Survivors – BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The limited edition 200 LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982. Since then the Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

We just heard BCR’s studio version of “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis” from 1986- Ken Beck co-composed it in 1983 will be a special guest from Chicago with BCR on April 25–and there’s a wild story about it’s origin.

The beginnings of BCR – Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976

Beyond the Black Crack is one of the most unique listening experiences in modern experimental music. It was recorded 1974-1976 in locations as diverse as factories, the pyramid opposite Harry Truman’s grave site as well as more conventional concert settings. It is a dark, dizzying and exhilarating journey through free jazz, electronics and environmental sound, all shattered by Frizzell’s radical tape editing. It was originally released in an edition of 200 LPs by Cavern Custom to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18 1976.

—Clive Graham

The Performance
The original Beyond the Black Crack Sole Survivors recordings were made at the Kansas City Art Institute in the Foundation studio in 1975 and the Epperson Auditorium in 1976. I was in Foundation studying with Tommy Gomersal, Carl Kurtz and Shirley Schnell. Black Crack was entirely extra-curricular, and the administration provided the auditorium space and other support to make the 24-hour ritual possible.

A metronome set the event in motion, along with several analog reel-to-reel tape recorders with double-feedback loops, and longer tape loops between multiple machines—spread out across the stage, with audience and performers mixing in the auditorium. Nearly everyone who came interacted with the enfolding rhythms and tones.

Thirty-nine years later, we have readied our time-shifting devices for activation in the very same auditorium—the metronome, multiple delay units, electric dischargers, and group of young (and young-at-heart) artists dedicated to the same goal–to diffuse time-space boundaries and initiate eroto-cosmic passage to out alter-destiny where, as Sun Ra put it, “There’s no limit to the things you can be. There’s no limit to the things you can do. Your thoughts are free, and life is worthwhile.”

–Dwight Frizzell

*From the Black Crack and the Sole Survivors First 5 Hour Recording Session – 1975*

How to Avoid Simultaneity was on Black Crack & the Sole Survivors- Beyond the Black Crack LP (1976), This was a 1997 remix–sonifying the time-shifting effects of black holes.

11:16

Black Crack & the Sole Survivors – “How to Avoid Simultaneity”
from: Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) / Cavern Custom Recordings / 1976
[Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation // Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration]; Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing]; Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration]; Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar; Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo; Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine]; Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]. // Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12). // Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18th, 1976. // Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18th, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4th through December 5th, 1975. ]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976
Beyond The Black Crack (LP, #ed, Sp. Ed, Comm. Ed.) Cavern Custom Records US 1990
Beyond The Black Crack (CD, LP, Album, Ltd. Ed., #ed, Reissue) Paradigm UK 1998

Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation

Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (12:36)
Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration];
Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing];
Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration];
Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar;
Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo;
Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine];
Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone;
Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]

Fredrik’s Cosmic Spaced Out Blues Band And Orchestra

Hot Fudge (1:11)
Get It Out Of Your System (6:18)
Chili Supper Polka (2:20)

Turtle Music

Journey Of Turtles (6:31)
Percussion – Bill Scanlan; Percussion, Clarinet [Reduced Speed] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Pre-Transformation Of Turtle To Bird (5:27)
Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Percussion, Flute
Nocturnal (2:04)
Fly By Night (7:50)
Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Electronics;
John Scanlan on Electric Guitar; Bill Scanlan – Engineer
O What Joy It Is To Know You Have A Turtle Heart (4:11)
Bill Scanlan – Engineer; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on enor Saxophone

Scenes From The Wandering Madness Of Basilea, The Great Mother

Embryonic Music (3:34)
Copulation Of Basilea And Hyperion (4:50)
Family, Birth Of Helio And Selene (6:47)
Performer [Musicians]: Arnie Young*, Jack Blackett, Jim Miller, John Crain, John Thies, Mike Temple, Rob Beckner, Tommy Gomersall
Destruction – Slaying Of Hyperion, Drowning Of Helio, Suicide Of Selene And The Wandering Madness Of Basilea (2:24)

Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (1997 Remix)

“How To Avoid Simultaneity” (2:54)
Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Producer, Remix.

Pressed By PMDC, UK – Mike Davies – Co-producer
Larry Schuermann, Sharon – Design [Assisted With Original Cover Design]
Kurt Eckhardt – Design [Poster & Cover Design],
Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Photography By [Cover Photos];
Engineer [Digital Transfer] – Scott Middleton
Engineer [Remix] – Bill Scanlan, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Photography By [Black Crack Courtesy] – Robyn Nichols
Photography By [Original Poster Photos] – Beth Van Cleave, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Recorded By, Mixed By, Remix – Rev. Dwight Frizzell (tracks: 10 to 13)
Tape [Source Tapes] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Technician [Reassembly Of The Lp], Producer, Artwork By Clive Graham
Comes with 12 page booklet.

Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12).

Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18, 1976.

Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4 through December 5, 1975.
Tracks 2 to 4 recorded live at the 2nd RLDS Church chili supper March 24, 1974 in Independence, Missouri.

11:14 – More Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982.

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 Thursday Night Special at 7:00pm on 90.1 FM.

Allan Winkler is a nationally acclaimed artist from the Kansas City area. Boasting a multi-disciplinary career creating various ceramic sculptures, paintings, paper cutouts, metal cutouts, and fabrics. Allan Winkler creates intricate paper cuts and metal cuts. Winkler also renovated three old houses in Kansas City’s West Side neighborhood and lives in one of them. A Chicago native, while in high school a teacher noticed his talent and found him his first studio. That led to a scholarship at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he studied ceramics with Ken Ferguson and then spent a year at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana. Winkler earned a B.F.A. degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, in 1980. In 1976, Allan was a visual artist for BCR creating their T shirts and their performance visual stuff About 15 yeas ago he joined the band as a percussionist

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

The Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

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 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.

Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

The last time Rev. Dwight Frizzell was on our show was January 28, 2026 to talk 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.

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.

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 2 Microchip” radio can be heard currently on KKFI (www.kkfi.org) 90.1FM, and on KOPN, KCUR, KGNU, RESONANCE FM (London), RADIO NOVA (Paris), and WKCR (NYC).

The Turtle Music themes in from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK are continued in a new piece Dwight recorded with Folk Music Icon, Marideth Scisco and the Wellspring Song– it’s part of Dwight’s April 30, 2026 From Ark to Microchip broadcast called Journey of Turtles, and will be performed at Pringle Fest for the National Audio Theater this summer.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

11:21

Marideth Sisco & Dwight Frizzell – “Wellspring Song”
from: From Ark to Microchip / April 30, 2026 Episode / To Be Broadcast on KKFI April 30, 2026
[Marideth Ann Sisco (born June 15, 1943) is an American storyteller, folklorist, singer-songwriter, author and retired journalist. Her work largely focuses on folklore related to her native Ozark Mountains. Sisco and her music were featured in the Oscar-nominated film Winter’s Bone. In 2023 she was a featured artist at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where she performed both in song and as a storyteller. // Sisco was born in Missouri to Marguerite Elenor (Gentry) Sisco (1920–1966) and Paul Holtz Sisco (1923–1966). Her interest in music started when she was three and a great uncle taught and encouraged her to sing. Her family moved frequently when she was young, including time spent in Kansas, Washington state, Montana and California. As she grew older she became tired of moving around and returned to live with her grandmother in Butterfield, graduating from high school in Cassville, Missouri in 1961. //After high school, Sisco attended Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State College) in Springfield, MO, where she studied performance & orchestration. But she left before finishing a degree after being told that as a woman she would not be successful in the field and was instead encouraged to switch to music education. // In 1965, Sisco left the Ozarks and moved to California, where she hoped to break into the music business as a singer, but lack of success and a hand injury that left her unable to play guitar derailed that goal. In 1976 she left California, helping her aunt and ailing uncle return to Missouri, but with the intention of moving back west, which she never did. // After returning to Missouri, Sisco received a BFA from Missouri State University and later an MA from Antioch University. She also began a 20-year career as a journalist at the West Plains Quill in West Plains, Missouri, where she worked as an investigative and environmental writer. She also authored the “Crosspatch” gardening column. // Upon her retirement from journalism in 2005, she returned to song-writing. // Currently, Sisco hosts “These Ozark Hills,” a local culture and folklore radio program on Ozarks Public Radio at KSMU-FM, which is based out of Missouri State University. As a singer, she performs both solo and with The Blackberry Winter Band. // Through a chance encounter at a singing party, Sisco was involved in the Oscar-nominated 2010 film Winter’s Bone, based on the book by Daniel Woodrell. In the film’s production she served as a musical consultant and singer, as well as appearing in the film as a singer. Her scene in the film was written specifically to feature her singing. // She also contributed to the movie by singing “The Missouri Waltz” for its opening scenes, though she reworked it to remove racist language from the song.Following the release of the film she toured with the Blackberry Winter Band to promote the soundtrack, referring to it as Amazing Geriatric Hillbilly tour. They played in 27 cities in the U.S.A. and Canada. // In 2018, Sisco received the Quill Award for lifetime achievement from the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame and Missouri Folk Arts Program has also designated her a Missouri Master Storyteller. //Sisco is lesbian & active in LGBTQ+ causes.]

11:28 – Underwriting

11:30 – Interview with Rosie O’Brien of Sass-a-Brass

Rosie O’Brien is a musician and organizer originally from Lawrence, KS. She studied Political Science, Studio Art, and Mandarin Chinese at Grinnell College in Iowa and pursued a career in political and environmental activism before transitioning into music full-time. Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional drumming with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to Kansas City in 2021 to expand the project, which has received grants from both the Charlotte Street Foundation and ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians. Sass-a-Brass Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Since its inception Sass-a-Brass has involved a wide variety of instrumentalists, encompassing many genders and sexualities. More info at: http://www.sassabrassband.com

Rosie O’Brien thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Taylor Bapp plays drums and percussion with Sass-a-Brass band, but today he’s going to play guitar for a couple of live songs Rosie has in planned for us today.

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer & nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

During her undergraduate studies, Rosie sang and toured annually with the Grinnell Singers, where she debuted and recorded the original compositions of her mentor and director, Dr. John Rommereim, in both Iowa and Taiwan.

Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional djembe & dunun with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to KC in 2021 to expand the project, eceiving grants from Charlotte Street Foundation & ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians.

Rosie joined the KC Ballet School as an accompanist in 2023 and plays traditional djembe for modern dance classes and the ROAD program. In 2025, Rosie will enter her second season as a soprano with professional choral ensemble Te Deum; she is in her third season as a Choral Associate with Country Club Christian Church, and enjoys performing locally as a vocalist and percussionist with her 8-piece free-improvisation band Apricot Glow.

Sass-a-Brass is KC’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of HONK-style activist street band energy and borrowing from the New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Our mission is to bring queer musical joy to the public, and provide a welcoming space where underrepresented groups experience a sense of belonging and sustained growth as musicians. As a community-minded band, we intentionally recruit amateur, multi-generational and non-traditional players to join. Since its inception in 2018, Sass-a-Brass has involved a variety of instrumentalists, of many genders and sexualities.

11:37 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Bapp Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Bapp – “The Hammer Song” (LIVE)
“If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” is a protest song written by Pete Seeger & Lee Hays, in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, & Fred Hellerman. It was a No. 10 hit for Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 and then went No. 3 in 1963 when recorded by Trini Lopez. A May 1963 interview on Folk Music World-wide, Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary characterized the song as “a young national anthem for the United States”.
The Weavers released the song under the title “The Hammer Song” as a 78 rpm single in March 1950 on Hootenanny Records, 101-A, backed with “Banks of Marble”.]

11:40 – More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Bapp

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer and nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

Over the years, Sass-A-Brass has benefited from the participation of many incredible musicians from the Lawrence and KC area; has involved wide-ranging instrumentation including keytar, amplified flute, and washboard; and has led musical celebrations for a diverse range of events (most notably an underground cave party and a Solstice parade ending in a public fountain).

11:48 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Bapp Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Bapp – “All Those Fascists Are Bound To Lose” (LIVE)
[Words by Woody Guthrie (1943). Music by Billy Bragg (1997) for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, a 2000 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and American band Wilco. It continues the project originally conceived by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie which resulted in the release of Mermaid Avenue in 1998. Both volumes were collected in a 2012 box set along with volume three as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.]

11:52– More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Bapp

Rosie O’Brien of the Sass-a-Brass Queer Marching Band – Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Rosie returns to play a fews songs live, discuss queer street activism, and share details on Sass-a-Brass shows: Saturday, May 9, 11:00am to 3:00pm for the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – Block Party; Friday, May 15, at 5:00pm for Open Studios at the Livestock Exchange, 1600 Genessee St., KCMO in the historic West Bottoms; Saturday, May 30 for ManorFest 8; Saturday & Sunday June 27 & 28 for PEOPLE’s PRIDE.

Sass-a-Brass Shows:

Saturday, May 9, at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4200 Warwick Blvd., KCMO

Friday, May 15, at Stockyards Brewing Company, 1600 Genessee, St. Ste 100, KCMO, Historic West Bottoms, as part of the Open Studios Show.

Saturday, May 30, – ManorFest 8 (final night) – Leading two parades

Saturday, June 6 – Lawrence Pride

Sunday, June 28, The People’s Pride – organized by Sass-a-Brass (Summer Solstice)

Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Bapp, thanks for being with us on WMM

More info at: http://www.sassabrassband.com

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

11:54

Jamogi – “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)”
from: “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)” / Jam Tunes / September 5, 2025.
[ Jamogi is also know as Byron Hyde a Kanas City based singer, songwriter, MC, producer, originally from Los Angeles, California.// Jamogi & The Jammers: Live at Flew The Coop Sessions (Flew The Coop Live) through Jam Tunes on April 11, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Do It To Me” on March 28, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Go Big or Go Home” on August 30, 2024, Jamogi released the single “Hot Block” on May 30, 2024. Jamogi released the EP, Star-Crossed Lover on March 3, 2023. Jamogi then released a “Star-Crossed Lover GALACTIC REMIX (feat. Watchman)” single on June 9, 2023.Jamogi previously released the AGE OF AQUARIUS EP on March 3, 2023, and the single “Celebration” on Dec. 9, 2022, and the single “Anymore” on May 6, 2022. // Jamogi played the ROCK IS BLACK—a celebration of Black artists in rock music, happening February 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Zhou B Art Center, 1801 E 18th Street, KCMO. Rock is Black features: Malek Azrael & The Vibez, Jamogi and The Jammers, Stephonne, and Frankie Shorez & Mercy Fire. Kamogi and the Jammers played Boulevardia 2025]

[Jamogi plays KKFI’s Band Auction Sat, April 25, at 12:20pm You can bid on Jamogi for your party]

[Jamogi plays Manor Fest 8]

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

NEXT WEEK on April 29 we’ll talk with Julie Bennet Hume about the Women of Rebellion Showcase presented by Heartland Song Network, KKFI, Folk Alliance & Missouri Arts Council, Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 6:30pm at recordBar 1520 Grand Ave., KCMO featuring Seyko & Carolina Mendoza, with Julie Bennett Hume, Gracie Caggiano, and Emma Jo. A benefit for Heartland Song Network.; ALSO Amelia Rose Korte share details about a UMKC Civil Rights History Project she is working on, AND, Janice Wasserman and Alan Wasserman join us to talk about moving to Kansas City form M]NYC, Alan serving on the KKFI Board of Directors, and disco dancing., AND Lava Dreams shares new music.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!

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

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

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

Show #1144