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, December 24, 2014

The 114 Best Recordings of 2014
(Part 3 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley’s part three of our four week special: The 114 Best Recordings of 2014. Based on our own playlists, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite recordings of the year. In 2014 we’ve played over 1000 songs, and hundreds of New & Local Releases. Over 40 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us live on the show or performed in-studio. We’ve interviewed over 200 local and national guests. 2/3rds of the recordings on our “Best of” list were locally produced. It’s all good!

Tune into 90.1 FM, Wednesdays in December. We’re packing 8-hours of radio shows with music that represents: The 114 of Best Recordings of 2014!

For a complete list of The 114 Best Recordings of 2014 with notes visit: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org

1. (57.) Regina Carter – “Trampin’”
from: Southern Comfort / Sony Music Masterworks / February 28, 2014
[9th solo release from acclaimed American Jazz Violinist, born in Detroit, Michigan. She received a MacArthur Fellows Program “genius grant,” in September 2006. On her new release she explores the folk tunes her paternal grandfather, a coalminer, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama – and the project expanded to include other folk tunes of the region. “Southern Comfort” (Sony Masterworks) was inspired by her exploration of the folk tunes her paternal grandfather, a coal miner, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama. Though her work draws upon a wide range of musical influences–including Motown, Afro-Cuban, Swing, Bebop, Folk, and World–she has crafted a signature voice and style….Carter’s performances highlight the often overlooked potential of the jazz violin for its lyric, melodic, and percussive potential. Her early training as a classical musician is reflected in the fluidity, grace, and balance of her performance. Carter’s repertoire retains a firm connection with the familiar while venturing in new, unexpected directions… Through artistry with an instrument that has been defined predominantly by the classical tradition, Carter is pioneering new possibilities for the violin and for jazz.” Regina Carter played The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Sunday, March 23, in Helzberg Hall. Regina Carter was our guest on the March 19.]

2. (56.) Dum Dum Girls – “Rimbaud Eyes”
from: Too True / Sub Pop Records / January 28, 2014
[3rd full-length recorded in late-2012 and early-2013 by producers Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, Go-Gos) and Sune Rose Wagner (of the Raveonettes), with Alonzo Vargas engineering at East West Studios in Hollywood.]

3. (55.) Various Blonde – “Scripted Future”
from: Summer High / Independent / July 29, 2014
[Produced By: Isaiah ” Ikey” Owens. Joshua Allen- Guitar/Vocals, Evanjohn Mcintosh- Bass, Mark Lomas- Drums/Percussioon, Eddie Moore- Keyboards/Rhodes. Conceived in 2008 by mutual friends and now the brainchild of Kansas City native Joshua Allen. The band presents a bombastic, dark alternative progressive style. Joshua Allen draws from a wide array of influences such as, Radiohead, Blonde Redhead, Mike Patton, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Yes, King Crimson, Can, Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Mars Volta Miles Davis, Mogwai, and Jimi Hendrix. Since 2009 Various Blonde hasopened for national acts, Russian Circles, Free Moral Agents, Zechs Marquise, Dead Meadow, Imaad Wasif, Jucifer,The Memorials, Thursday, Matt Pryor, Murder by Death, Fang Island, Bang Camaro, Electric Sixx. They have been described in words such as “sonic devastation” and deliver a show all their own.]

[Various Blonde play The Riot Room, Friday, December 26, 7:00 pm with Moaning Lisa, and Go Kart.]

10:13

4. (54.) TV On The Radio – “Happy Idiot”
from: Seeds / Harvest Records / November 17, 2014
[Formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York. The core lineup has been Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/bass/loops), Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops/guitars) and Gerard Smith (bass/keyboards) as official members. Seeds is the 5th studio album. It is the band’s first album since the 2011 death of their bassist, Gerard Smith. Seeds was recorded in LA, at guitarist Dave Sitek’s Federal Prism home studio. Sitek also produced the record. Lead singer Tunde Adebimpe explained, “It was nice to be somewhere where you’re not exactly on the clock and worried about how much everything is costing you. It was pretty much the same situation as when we started making music.]

5. (53.) Lucinda Williams – “East Side Of Town”
from: Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone / Highway 20 Records / September 30, 2014
[Lucinda Williams brought her “Burning Bridges Tour” to Liberty Hall in Lawrence on November 7.]

6. (52.) The Blessed Broke – “Late in April”
from: Ladders Out of Purgatory / Independent / April 19, 2014
[2nd full length from KC band: Brian Frame – Guitar/Vocals; Andrew Luker – Electric Guitar; Josh Mobley – Keys; Betse Ellis – Bass, and Matt Richey – Drums. Brian Frame joined us live on the show on April 9.]

10:26 – Underwriting
10:28

7. (51.) Cowboy Indian Bear – “Push”
from: Vandeventer / The Record Machine / May 20, 2014
[7-song release from Cowboy Indian Bear: Beau Bruns, CJ Calhoun, Danny Bowersox, Katlyn Conroy, and Martinez Hillard. Recording note from the band: “Back in the fall, on our way east for a run of shows, our faithful van finally kicked the bucket in Saint Louis. We were there in STL for a few days and figured we would use the time to make something positive out of a less than ideal situation. Those are the songs that make up this EP, named after a street a couple blocks from where our van decided it had done all it could. This is a fun set of songs that we hope you’ll enjoy!”]

8. (50.) Kangaroo Knife Fight – “Lose My Head”
from: Firebrand / Independent / December 6, 2014
[Debut [EP] from Kansas City based 4-piece that includes: Native Australian, Anthony Avis, lead vocalist, with Brandon Skeens on guitar, Gus Rechtien on bass, and Ian on drums. Kangaroo Knife Fight played live on the show on Nov. 12.]

[Kangaroo Knife Fight play CODA, 1744 Broadway, Saturday, January 3, at 3:00 om with Old Sound.]

9. (49.) The Sexy Accident -“It’s Just Real”
from: Lavendar 3 / Independent / October 4, 2014
[The Kansas City based band, The Sexy Accident, led by guitarist and singer/songwriter Jesse Kates, decided to release their fifth LP, Lavender 3, as a 48-page, 9-inch square silver cloth-covered hardback book featuring fourteen works of visual art, complete lyrics, interviews with the band, and exclusive photographs. The record was produced, engineered and mixed by Steve Fisk. Recorded at Westend, Kansas City. Mixed at Steve’s house in Seattle. All songs written by Jesse Kates and arranged by Jesse Kates, Daniel Torrence, Camry Ivory, Mark Hamblin and Kristin Smith. Guest starring Laurel Parks, Sascha Groschang, Sean Nelson, Ashley Porter, Jim Daniels, Amy Laemmli and Tobias Kates. Josh Williams recorded pianos and organ at BRC, Kansas City. Riccardo Schulz recorded Jim Daniels at Johnny Costa Jazz Studio, Pittsburgh. Alex Austyn recorded some guitars, singing and a glock at Digital Pulse, Kansas City. Mastering by Ed Brooks at RFI, Seattle. The Sexy Accident joined us live on the show on September 24.]

[The Sexy Accident play Prospero’s Books, at 39th & Bell, Sat. Dec. 27, at 8:00 PM]

10:40

10. (48.) Courtney Barnett – “History Eraser”
from: The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas / Mom+Pop / February 2, 2014
[Singer-songwriter and guitarist from Melbourne, Australia. In 2012 Barnett started her own label, Milk! Records, and released her first EP I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris to glowing reviews around Australia. From 2011 – 2013 Barnett was a member of Australian psych/country band Immigrant Union, a musical project founded by Brent DeBoer of The Dandy Warhols and Bob Harrow. Along with sharing vocal duties Barnett predominantly played slide guitar and features on their second studio album ‘Anyway’. DeBoer also played drums on her first EP ‘I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris’. Barnett received international critical acclaim in 2013 with her second EP How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose. Barnett combined these two releases into one and called it The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas.] [Courtney Barnett played Riot Room, Oct. 28.]

11. (47.) Rosanne Cash – “A Feather’s Not a Bird”
from: The River & the Thread (Deluxe) / Blue Note Records / January 14, 2014
[13th studio album from the eldest daughter of country music icon Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin.] [Rosanne Cash played The Folly Theatre, Friday, November 14]

10:49

12. (46.) My Oh My! – “Your Heart Not Mine”
from: Your Heart Not Mine / Independent / March 14, 2014
[Stephen Berry on lead guitar, piano; Grant Buell on piano. bass; Sarah Dolt on vocals; Jacob Horpinjuk on drums; Christin Kuchem-Logan on vocals; Corbin Logan on bass, lap steel; A.M. Merker on vocals, guitar. Drawing on their Americana inspired, rock n’ roll influences of the early 70’s, mixed with their bluegrass roots, KC band, My Oh My!, make a modern, alt-country take on classic rock n’ roll. The seven-piece features the three loveliest backing vocalists in Kansas City and include former members of Kansas City bluegrass band Free State Revival, along with members who have played with such KC staples as The Kansas City Bear Fighters, Margo May & the Interstate Astronauts. My Oh My! played live on the show on Oct. 15.]

13. (45) Leo Welch – “Praise His Name”
from: Sabougla Voices / Big Legal Mess Records – Fat Possum / January 7, 2014
[Leo Welch, at the age of 81, to put out his very first album. Welch has been playing gospel and blues around the tiny town of Bruce, Miss., for decades. He was a local standout unknown to the outside world — until he called up an Oxford-based record label, went in for an audition, and signed a record deal on the spot.]

11:00

14. (44.) Forrester – “I Was With You at the End”
from: Antitheses / Independent / March 27, 2014
[Instrumental/Shoegaze/Post-Rock from Lawrence based band formed in the fall of 2011. Members include: Brian Rogers, Joe Newman, Connor Creighton, Will Chertoff, Steven LaCour. Forrester played The Crossroads Summer Block Party, First Friday, June 6, at 19th & Wyandotte, in Kansas City’s Crossroads with Rev. Gusto, The ACB’s, La Guerre, Metatone, Mat Shoare, Loose Park, and Jorge Arana Trio]

15. (43.) Allah-Las – “Ferus Gallery”
from: Worships The Sun / Innovative Leisure / September 16, 2014
[LA Rock band formed in 2008. The band consists of Matthew Correia (percussion), Spencer Dunham (bass), Miles Michaud (vocals, guitar), and Pedrum Siadatian (lead guitar). When the band got together, three of them – Correia, Dunham and Siadatian – were working at Amoeba Music.]

16. (42.) La Guerre – “Worst/Best”
from: Rare and Collectible Spirits / The Record Machine / March 25, 2014
[Katlyn Conroy is a singer songwriter who is based in Lawrence, KS and is a member of, Cowboy Indian Bear. La Guerre is the French for “war.”]

17. (41.) Your Friend – “Jekyll / Hyde”
from: Jekyll / Hyde – EP / Domino Records / February 20, 2014
[Lawrence based Taryn Blake Miller is originally from Winfield Kansas. She was signed to Domino Records. Jekyll/Hyde is available on cassette tape from the Whatever Forever T.M. Miller opened for Coutney Barnett.]

11:17

18. (40.) Hidden Pictures – “Ottomans”
from: Ottomans / Independent / December 2, 2014
[Richard Gintowt is singer/songwriter/producer. Claire Adams sang harmonies and played ukulele. Lennon Bone and Cameron Joel Hawk played drums. Chad Toney played bass on 1-5, 9 & 11. The rest were from Kyle Akers. Nate Holt played keyboards. Jeff Freling played guitar. Doby Watson sang on “Your An Adult.” Paul Malinowski tracked drums & bass. Joel Nanos tracked guitars. Recorded by Jacob Winik at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco.]

19. (39.) Cadillac Flambé – “Shakin’ Baby”
from: Old American Law / Little Class Records / June 14, 2014
[Third release from Kansas City’s delta darlings, Cadillac Flambé, have been breathing new life into the Americana scene with their rejuvenating tumble boogie. Rooted in the solitary country blues of Leadbelly and the urban grit of John Lee Hooker, they till in the harmony of Johnny & June Cater and combine the funk punk blues brandish of The Black Keys, conjuring up their own explicit type of roots music they like to call “Blue-Eyed Americana Psychedelic Soul.” Their 2013 release Movin’ On was a collection of recordings memorializing the loss of their harmonica player, James “Pappy” Garrett, a follow up to their 2011 release, Eli’s Porch. From their humble farmhouse beginnings, husband/wife duo Kris & Havilah Bruders, drummer Mike Payne and bassist Dr. Dave Duly are bound and determined to open the sonic flood gates.]

20. (38.) Phil Neal & The Wornalls – “Fear of The Man”
from: Lifeline / Delaware Street Records / May 24, 2014
[Veteran singer songwriter, and rock and roller, Phil Neal’s early eighties band, The Artists, had a video in rotation on MTV, critical acclaim, and national management. When the band fell apart, Phil continued on, writing songs, and playing for over three decades, with several different bands, all while raising a family, and making a home, here in Kansas City. The songwriter has written dozens, of what he calls “Midwestern Rock” numbers. The Wornalls are the band Phil wanted, to bring his songs to life. Doug Gunn on drums, Danko Loftus on bass, Gary Paredes on guitar, Ben Eisiminger on keyboard, and Bruce Sidener on guitar, they are more than a band to Phil, they’re old friends. Phil Neal joined us live on the show on June 11.]

21. (37.) Kirsten Paludan & The Key Party – “Up All Night”
from: Up All Night / Independent / December 21, 2013 [Recorded at Element Studios, KCMO, February – November 2012. Produced by Kirsten Paludan and David Gaume. Engineered and mixed by David Gaume. Additional tracking on ‘Siberia’ by Joel Nanos. Cover artwork: ‘Moon’ by Jeremy Rockwell. Design: Studio Ike. Photo: Jeffrey McKee. Kirsten Paludan joined us live on the show February 26. ]

10:32 – Underwriting
10:34

22. (36.) Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens – “It’s a Cold, Cold World”
from: Cold World / Daptone Records / July 29, 2014
[From Pitchfork.com: Born in the early 1940s, Naomi began performing with her sisters at their small church in Midway, Alabama. After graduating high school and discovering soul music, she moved first to Florida and then to New York City, where she continued singing in church but also held court in Brooklyn nightclubs under the name Naomi Davis. Like many African American singers at the time, her repertoire balanced the secular and the spiritual, the worldly and the heavenly. Even though her singing career spans half a century, her recording career has been much shorter. In 1999, she and an old friend/collaborator named Cliff Driver formed a gospel group that attracted the ear of Gabriel Roth. At the time he was running a label called Desco, for which Shelton recorded two sides; when it folded, she signed with his new venture, Daptone Records. She’s been a major presence on that label’s roster, touring the world with the Daptone Super-Soul Revue and singing with the Sugarman 3. Never quite as popular or as prolific as Sharon Jones (who is Daptone’s flagship act), Shelton has proved a powerful vocalist and performer even into her 70s. In 2009, she finally released her debut full-length for the label, What Have You Done, My Brother?, which closed with a soul-stirring cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”. Five years later, she finally followed it up with Cold World.]

23. (35.) Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings -“Making Up and Breaking Up”
from: Give The People What They Want / Daptone Records / Jan 14, 2014
[Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings played Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas, Saturday March 8]

10:42

24. (34.) The Black Angels – “The Flop”
from: Clear Lake Forest / Blue Horizons Venture / July 22, 2014
[The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 2004. Along with this new 7-song EP, they have released four studio albums and one compilation album. Their name is derived from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song”.]

25. (33.) The Dead Girls – “Better Wait”
from: Noisemaker / Money Wolf Music / November 22, 2014
[Formerly Dead Girls Ruin Everything. Formed in 2004 from the ashes of two bands that were staples of the Lawrence / KC power-pop sound. Guitarists / singers JoJo Longbottom and Cameron Hawk, of Podstar, combine their dual-guitar attack and vocal harmonies with the rhythmic assault of drummer Eric Melin and bassist Nick Colby, of Ultimate Fakebook. Noisemaker is the fourth and final album from The Dead Girls, capping off an amazingly consistent 10-years as a band. Recorded by Steve Squire (Major Games, Danny Pound) and mixed by Austin, TX’s own Jim Vollentine (Spoon, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.]

26. (32.) The Sluts – “Loser”
from: The Loser EP / Independent / July 8, 2014
[All songs written by The Sluts. The Sluts are Kristoffer Dover and Ryan Wise. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Kansas City, MO. The band is the winner of the 2014 Pitch Music Award for Best Punk Band]

27. (31.) Diverse – “Full Circle”
from: Our Journey / buh music / May 9, 2014
[Hermon Mehari, on trumpet, Ryan J. Lee on drums, and Ben Leifer on bass recorded the tracks in Paris, France with Tony Tixier on piano and special guest Logan Richardson on alto saxophone. Mentored by the great Bobby Watson at the UMKC, Hermon Mehari, Ben Leifer, and Ryan Lee, with saxophonist William Sanders, and pianist John Brewer, were the winners of the 2008 Origin Records / Gene Harris Jazz Festival Competition, beating out 10 other very original groups from across the country, the quintet opened for Roy Haynes’ ‘Birds of a Feather’ band at the Gene Harris Jazz Festival and were awarded a deal to record their debut album of original music. As the DIVERSE Trio, Hermon Mehari, Ryan Lee and Ben Leifer plays a mix of original & standards. More at: diversejazz.com.]

28. (30.) Outsides -“See Saw”
from: Million [EP] / Independent / June 6, 2014
[Debut] [Outsides is Tim Ellis. The Chicago Tribune called his performance at Lollapalooza: “transcendent” motivating Ellis to dedicate himself to his new project, Outsides. Having relocated from Chicago to his boyhood home of Kansas City, Tim found himself recording in his bedroom, writing guitar parts that were sampled and woven together with synthesizers. When Outsides plays live the band includes: Tim Ellis (guitar, vox); Bronson Kistler (keys, bgv); Ryan Shank (drums); Ian Shea (bass, bgv).]

11:59:30

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

Sources for notes on tracks:
artist’s websites, wikipedia.org, and where noted.

Next week on December 31 – we’ll present the finale… part four… of The 114 Best Recordings of 2014. We’ll count down #29 to #1, with music from: Shy Boys, Loose Park, MY BROTHERS & SISTERS, John Velghe & The Prodigal Sons, Katy Guillen & The Girls, Voices of Unbound, Jorge Arana Trio, Monta At Odds, Calvin Arsenia, Schwervon!, Kasey Rausch, The War on Drugs, Sturgill Simpson, Sara Swenson, Kristie Stremel & Friends, Old Sound, St. Vincent, The Quivers, Curtis Harding, The Architects, The Lucky, The Big Iron, Caribou, Foxygen, Sun Kil Moon, Meshell Ndegeocello, Sylvan Esso, Angel Olsen, and Real Estate.

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

Show #557