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, March 6, 2013

Guest Producer & Co-Host: Bill Belzer

Bill Belzer has been playing music in Kansas City since the late 1980s. Early bands include: Mongol Beach Party and Grumpy. Bill toured with Uncle Tupelo, Michelle Shocked, and many others. Bill has played drums with many of Matt Pryor’s projects including, The New Amsterdams. Bill also performs as a solo singer songwriter and recently released a solo EP of his own songs. Bill currently records and performs with the bands: LAZY, The Sleazebeats, and Ghosty.

1. Woods – “Pushing Onlys”
from: Sun and Shade / Woodsist / May 17, 2011
[American folk rock band from Brooklyn, which formed in 2005. The band’s membership now includes singer-guitarist Jeremy Earl, tape-effects technician G. Lucas Crane, bassist Kevin Morby, and multi-instrumentalist Jarvis Taveniere. Woods have released five albums, the latest being Bend Beyond.Pitchfork Media reviewed one of their previous albums, Songs of Shame, giving the band its “Best New Music” designation and described the sound as “a distinctive blend of spooky campfire folk, lo-fi rock, homemade tape collages, and other noisy interludes, all anchored by deceptively sturdy melodies.”Singer-guitarist and founder Jeremy Earl also runs the rising Brooklyn label Woodsist, for whom the band releases their work.]

2. Parquet Courts – “Borrowed Time”
from: Light Up Gold / What’s Your Rupture? / Jan. 14, 2013
[American punk rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, that formed in late 2010. The band consists of Andrew Savage (lead vocals, guitar), Austin Brown (guitar), Sean Yeaton (bass), and Andrew’s brother Max Savage (drums). The band released their debut album, American Specialties, on a limited cassette release (later released on LP by Play Pinball! Records). This was followed by the full length album, Light Up Gold, which was initially released on Savage’s Dull Tools label and later reissued on What’s Your Rupture? in 2013. Light Up Gold received acclaim in both the DIY underground and mainstream rock press.]

3. AM & Shawn Lee – “City Boy”
from: Celestial Electric / ESL Music / September 6, 2011
[Shawn Lee is an musician and multi-instrumentalist from Wichita, KS. AM is a songwriter, musician, composer and producer born in Tulsa, OK, raised in New Orleans, and currently residing in the LA’s Echo Park neighborhood in California. AM has had over 100 songs featured in TV shows and movies. AM & Shawn Lee’s debut album Celestial Electric was released to the world in 2012. Their 2nd album La Musique Numerique will be released in 2013.]

10:15

4. Ify Jerry Crusade – “Everybody Like Something Good”
from: Nigeria 70 – Lagos Jump / Strut / May 13, 2008
[Originally released riding a wave of global interest in Afrobeat at the turn of the decade, Strut’s original Nigeria 70 set broke the mould for African compilations when it first surfaced in September 2001. Digging deep into Nigeria’s archives, the collection showcased for the first time on CD the stunning variety of fusions recorded across the country during the ‘70s, from national icons like Fela Kuti and Sunny Ade to lesser known young bands like Monomono and Ofo The Black Company. Across 2CDs, the compilation touches on the many subtle regional variations of the time – from the East, the Igbo groove of The Funkees, from the Hausa North, the Arabic flow of Bala Miller and, from Lagos, the hard-hitting Yoruba soul of Segun Bucknor. The set also made available many rare cuts on CD for the first time including obscure soundtrack ‘The Quest’ by Afro Cult Foundation and one of the most requested DJ tracks on the album, Shina Williams’ hypnotic Afro disco classic, ‘Agboju Logun’.]

5. Graham Central Station – “Happ-E-2-C-U-A-Ginn”
from: Now Do U Wanta Dance / Warner Bros. – Rhino / 1977

6. Graham Central Station – “Now Do U Wanta Dance”
from: Now Do U Wanta Dance / Warner Bros. – Rhino / 1977
[5th album by Graham Central Station, a funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly & the Family Stone). The band’s origins date from when Santana guitarist Neal Schon formed the band Azteca along with Larry Graham (bass guitar) and Gregg Errico (drums), both from Sly & the Family Stone, and Pete Sears (keyboards), from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Santana bass guitar player Tom Rutley would move into the bass spot with Azteca. That band, like Santana with heavy Latin influences, would eventually morph into Graham Central Station, while Schon would form Journey. The invention of electric slap bass is attributed by many (including Victor Wooten) to Graham, which influenced many musical genres, such as funk, R&B and disco. GCS’s biggest hit was “Your Love”, which charted at number 9 in 1975. The group also integrated gospel music into their repertoire, and played with the dichotomy between the funk/rock star image and the “sanctified” gospel group image. Some of their recordings feature the Tower of Power horn section. In 2011, Graham Central Station opened for Prince on Prince’s “Welcome 2 America” tour.]

10:23 – Underwriting

10:24

7. Chris Cohen – “Moned”
from: Overgrown Path / Captured Tracks / Sept. 25, 2012
[Originally from LA he is the child of a former music business executive and a former Broadway actress. In 1991, he appeared in the Sonic Youth video “Cinderella’s Big Score” by Dave Markey. Cohen has been a contributing member of The Curtains, Cryptacize, Deerhoof, Natural Dreamers, and Park Detail’s Band. He has also toured as a member of White Magic, Cass McCombs, Haunted Graffiti and Danielson.]

8. The New Amsterdams – “Without a Second (Eleanor)”
from: At The Foot of My Rival / Jagjaguar / January 18, 2013
[Lawrence based musician Matt Pryor is the singer songwriter for The Get Up Kids, formed in 1995, and The New Amsterdams formed in 2000. The band’s current lineup, includes: Bill Belzer on drums, Eric McCann on upright bass, and Dustin Kinsey on guitar. Matt’s “alter-ego” band The Terrible Twos, released the children’s album “If You Ever See an Owl” in 2006. Matt also releases music as a solo artist. His second solo full-length, “May Day” was released January 2012. Matt is also the host of the popular podcast program: Nothing To Write Home About, where Matt interviews his musician friends from around the world. More information at: ntwha.com.]

9. The Mills Brothers – “How’m I Doin? Hey, Hey!”
from: The Very Best of The Mills Brothers / Xelon / Oct. 31, 1997
[American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. The group was originally composed of four brothers born in Piqua, Ohio, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dayton: John Jr. (October 19, 1910[1] – January 23, 1936) bass vocalist and guitarist, Herbert (April 2, 1912 – April 12, 1989) tenor, Harry (August 9, 1913 – June 28, 1982) baritone, and Donald (April 29, 1915 – November 13, 1999) lead tenor. Their parents were John Hutchinson (February 11, 1882 – December 8, 1967) and Eathel Mills.]

10. METZ – “Knife in the Water”
from: METZ / SubPop / Oct. 9, 2012
[Toronto based punk band made up of: Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies and Chris Slorach, currently on tour in Sweden, They’ll be at the SXSW MUsic Festival next week, St. Louis on March 30th, with 53 more dates between now and September on a never ending tour taking them everywhere, and back again.]

10:40

11. Laura Nyro – “Sweet Blindness”
from: Eli And The Thirteen Confessions / Columbia / 1968
[Follow up to her 1967 debut More Than a New Discovery. Three Dog Night took “Eli’s Comin'” to No. 10, while The 5th Dimension went to No. 3 with “Stoned Soul Picnic” and No. 13 with “Sweet Blindness”. Six songs from Eli and the Thirteenth Confession are included in the ballet Quintet performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Laura Nyro was born Oct. 18, 1947 – and died April 8, 1997. A songwriter, singer, and pianist, her style was a hybrid of Brill Building-style NYC pop, jazz, gospel, R&B, show tunes, rock and soul. In 2012, Laura Nyro was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.]

12. Michael Jackson – “Workin’ Day and Night (Original Demo)”
from: Off The Wall (Special Edition) / MJJ Productions / 2001 [orig. August 10, 1979 – Epic]
[5th studio album, released on Epic Records, after Jackson’s critically well-received film performance in The Wiz Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to work with Jackson on his next studio album. Jackson collaborated with a number of other writers and performers such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Rod Temperton. Five singles were released from the album. Three of the singles had music videos released. Jackson wrote three of the songs himself, including the Platinum-certified lead single, “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough”. It was his first solo release under Epic Records, the label he would record on until his death in 2009. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from funk, disco-pop, soft rock, jazz and pop ballads. The record won the singer his first Grammy Award since the early 1970s. With Off the Wall, Jackson became the first solo artist to have four singles from the same album peak inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was a commercial success; to date it is certified for 8× Multi-Platinum in the US and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling albums of all time.]

13. Bobby Charles – “Grow Too Old”
from: Bobby Charles (Bonus Track Version) / Bearsville / 1972
[Born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music. At the age of 15, he heard Fats Domino, and that “changed (his) life forever.” Charles helped to pioneer the south Louisiana musical genre known as swamp pop. His compositions include the hits “See You Later, Alligator”, which he initially recorded himself as “Later Alligator”, and “Walking to New Orleans”, written for Fats Domino. Because of his south Louisiana-influenced R&B vocal style, Charles has often been thought to be black, when in fact he is white. On November 26, 1976, Charles was invited to play with The Band at their farewell concert, The Last Waltz. Charles played “Down South in New Orleans”, with the help of Dr. John and The Band. He co-wrote the song “Small Town Talk” with Rick Danko of The Band. “Promises, Promises (The Truth Will Set You Free)” was co-written with Willie Nelson. Charles died on January 14, 2010.]

11:00 – Station I.D.

14. China Crisis – “King in a Catholic Style”
from: Flaunt the Imperfection / Virgin / 1985
[English pop/rock band, formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, with a core of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. Their output was pop music similar in style to that of New Wave but with strong similarities to the post-punk movement of the early 1980s, namely inclusion of a broader range of musical influences and occasional flirtation with political commentary. Throughout their career, China Crisis had ten hit singles between August 1982 and January 1987 and six albums, as well as commercial success in Western Europe, Australia and the Americas.]

15. The Berg Sans Nipple – “Convert The Measurement”
from: Build With Erosion / Team Love / March 14, 2011
[The franco-american duo The BERG SANS NIPPLE consists of (but is not limited to) Lori Sean Berg and Shane Aspegren. The former is a suave Frenchman from the dirty rues of gay Parieee and the latter is a lanky Scandinavian-looking fellow who actually hails from the dusty plains of Nebraska. Once rumored to have been Siamese twins separated at birth, the reality is two kids (both best known as drummers) trapped in a tangled mess of cables, keyboards, samplers, horns, bells, machines and drums.]

16. The Sahara All Stars – “Take Your Soul”
from: Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound of the Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-1979 / Soundway Records / Dec. 5, 2008
[Nigeria Disco Funk Special is an amazing collection of heavy dancefloor grooves from urban Lagos in the ‘70s – hot and driving slices of Funk, Disco and Boogie that show just how vibrant the music scene was in one of West Africa’s most populous and culturally diverse cities. In the ‘70s, it wasn’t just James Brown who influenced the musicians playing in the nightspots of Lagos – the loose-structured and elongated jams that he was pioneering in America had been a part of Nigerian music much longer than that. This album is the sound of Cuban-heeled and Micro-minied Lagos youth soaking up the sound of the American discotheque and putting their own inimitable twist on the proceedings.]

11:19 – Underwriting

11:20 – Interview with Philip Hooser & Gail Bronfman Bunch

Kansas City based Actor, Playwright, Director, Philip Hooser joined us to discuss his new show, THE OWL KNOWS — A spoken word performance by PHILIP blue owl HOOSER, Saturday, March 9, at 7:00 PM, Prospero’s Uptown Books, 3600 Broadway, with special guests Gail Bronfman Bunch & Dr. Felicia Hardison Londré.

11:35

17. Roger Miller – “Do Wacka Do (Single Version)”
from: King of The Road – The Genius of Roger Miller / Mercury Records / Aug. 22, 1995

18. Melody’s Echo Chamber – “I Follow You”
from: Melody’s Echo Chamber / Fat Possum / 2012
[In 2012, Kevin Parker, lead singer of Tame Impala. teamed up with French singer Melody Prochet for her dream pop project, Melody’s Echo Chamber. The two met after Prochet gave Parker a CD with songs from her other band, My Bee’s Garden. This led to a support slot for My Bee’s Garden, opening for Tame Impala. Their collaborative self-titled album was released on October 2, 2012. Allmusic’s Tim Sendra called it “a rather stunning debut”. Parker played guitar, featuring his distinctive spacey, phased guitar sound with Prochet’s dreamy vocals, and also produced the album.]

19. Rhye – “Last Dance”
from: Woman / Polydor Records / March 5, 2013
[Debut release from Rhye, a musical duo based in Los Angeles, California, made up of: Mike Milosh, from Canada, and Robin Hannibal, from Denmark. Milosh had previously released albums as Milosh, and Hannibal had previously recorded as Quadron. Recorded in Copenhagen and Los Angeles, their sound brings together elements of their modern cultural aesthetics mixed with an homage to classic sensibilities; lush strings and melodies intertwined with simple electronic production and soft and sultry vocals – a marriage between refined decadence and modern elegance.

20. Hauschka – “TaxiTaxi”
from: Salon des Amateurs / Hauschka / April 12, 2011
[7th release from German musician Hauschka (born 1966) the alias of Düsseldorf-based pianist/composer Volker Bertelmann, known for his “prepared” piano arrangements; this time incorporating avant-classical, electronic manipulation, jazz & post-techno elements. These are deep, but happy, experiments in the art of exploratory rhythmic composition that are simultaneously busy and ultimately calming. Includes contributions from members of Mum & Calexico. Reminiscent of Phillip Glass, Max Richter, Harry Partch, Steve Reich, Bibio, Brad Mehldau, Aphex Twin.]

21. Vic Chesnutt – “Flirted With You All My Life”
from: At The Cut / Constellation / Sept. 21, 2009
[James Victor “Vic” Chesnutt (Nov. 12, 1964 – Dec. 25, 2009) a singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success didn’t come until 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a tribute album of mainstream artists covering his songs. Chesnutt released 17 albums during his career, including two produced by Michael Stipe, and a 1996 release on Capitol Records, About to Choke. His musical style has been described as a “skewed, refracted version of Americana that is haunting, funny, poignant, and occasionally mystical, usually all at once”. Injuries from a 1983 car accident left him partially paralyzed; he used a wheelchair and had limited use of his hands.]

11:59:30

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

sources for notes: artists websites and wikipedia.org

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Show #463