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, October 14, 2015

Scott Easterday, Patrick Alonzo Conway & Nate Hofer
+ Slow Motion Commotion + Thunderclaps

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Universal / December 20, 1979 [WMM’s theme song]

2. Baio – “Sister Of Pearl”
from: The Names / Glassnote Entertainment Group / September 18, 2015
[Christopher Baio was born Oct. 29, 1984. He is the bassist for the NYC-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He also releases as a record producer under the stage name Baio, through Glassnote Records. He is a second cousin of actor Scott Baio, who played Chachi Arcola on Happy Days and Charles on the hit 80s television program Charles in Charge. In April 2013, Baio discovered that he is related to Steve Buscemi.]

[Baio plays The Riot Room 8:00 pm TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 14, with Yes You Are.]

3. Waxahatchee – “Under a Rock”
from: Ivy Tripp / Merge Records / April 7, 2015
[Ivy Tripp is the third studio album from singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield who formed the indie music project in 2010. The band is named after Waxahatchee Creek, in Alabama.]

[Waxahatchee plays The Jackpot in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sunday, October 18 with Weyes Blood.]

10:09 – Psychedelic Kansas

4. bloodbirds – “Big Feelings”
from: MMXlll / Independent / January 27, 2015
[bloodbirds 2nd full-length from KC based Psychedelic post-punk trio featuring ex-Ad Astra Per Aspera member Mike Tuley, his wife Brooke Tuley and Anna St. Louis.]

5. Psychic Heat – “Stargazer (live)”
from: Lighter and Brighter / Whatever Forever Tapes / March 13, 2015
[Cassette reissue of 2013 EP Lighter and Higher on side A with Live Performances of those songs on Side B. Steve/Evan Herd on guitar and vocals, Tanner Spreer on guitar, Sam Boatright on bass and vocals, and Ricky Barkosky on drums. You can learn about their music at: http://www.psychicheat.bandcamp.com]

[Psychic Heat play The Bottleneck, Tomorrow Night, October 15, with Broncho.]

10:18 – Music from the KKFI HOEDOWN

6. Betse & Clarke – “Give the Fiddler a Dram-Pig on a Stone”
from: Bird Notes / Independent / May 28, 2015 [Betse Ellis on fiddle, and Clarke Wyatt on banjo. Arrangements by Betse & Clarke. Betse & Clarke also released Two Forks Acrylic On Cardboard Recorded January 2, 2015. Engineered & produced by Clarke Wyatt.]

[Betse & Clarke play the KKFI HOEDOWN, Sat, Oct. 17, 7 to 12:45, at Knuckleheads, with Good Time Charley, Gary Kirkland, River Town, Kasey Rausch, Kansas City Bear Fighters, Sara Morgan & Carl Butler, Starhaven Rounders, and a big finale All Star Jam lead by Starhaven Rounders.]

7. Good Time Charley – “Madame Moustache”
from: Cautionary Tales / Good Time Charley/ March 3, 2015
[Debut album from KC based 6-piece with: Barb Corley on vocals & ukulele; Melissa Butler on vocals, guitar, & kazoo; Matt Cathlina on bass; Grant Buell on keyboard & accordion; Shawn Wright (Klaus) on drums.]

[Good Time Charley play the KKFI HOEDOWN, Sat, Oct. 17, 7 to 12:45, at Knuckleheads, with Betse & Clarke, Gary Kirkland, River Town, Kasey Rausch, Kansas City Bear Fighters, Sara Morgan & Carl Butler, Starhaven Rounders, and a big finale All Star Jam lead by Starhaven Rounders.]

8. The Kansas City Bear Fighters – “You’re in Kansas”
from: The Planet Where We Fell in Love / Kansas City Bear Fighters / August 8, 2014 [Lead singer & songwriter Quinn McCue, w/ brother Sean McCue on bass, Jeff Eaton on guitar & Grant Buell on accordion. Founded in the winter of 2007, The KC Bear Fighters took shape as one lonely man’s homage to music as a salve for the soul. Originally, the group performed as “The Denver Broncos” which many considered to be the product of one man’s struggling and genius search for a fire that could crack the deep cavernous walls of his soul.]

[Kansas City Bear Fighters play the KKFI HOEDOWN, Sat, Oct. 17, 7 to 12:45, at Knuckleheads, with Betse & Clarke, Gary Kirkland, River Town, Kasey Rausch, Good Time Charley, Sara Morgan & Carl Butler, Starhaven Rounders, and a big finale All Star Jam lead by Starhaven Rounders.]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Interview with Ian Johnson, Shane Deaver and Taylor Gwin

9. Slow Motion Commotion – “Old Man” (Live) 

[Ian Johnson on vocals & banjo Shane Deaver on guitar, and Taylor Gwin on stand-up bass.]

10:36

Slow Motion Commotion is an acoustic-folk-punk band, and was formed in 2011 by Ian Johnson who sings and plays banjo, and Shane Deaver who sings and plays guitar. For their follow up to their 2013 debut release, “Nice Thing Don’t Happen to Assholes Like Us,” they have recorded 15 new songs, and have added drums, piano, violin, and Taylor Gwin on stand-up bass, making the band a 3-piece. The band has just finished recording, mixing, and mastering their new album titled, “The Day’s Not Over Until You Fall Asleep.” The band is in the middle of an indiegogo.com campaign to print physical CD’s. You can go to http://www.slowmotioncommotion.com for more information.

Slow Motion Commotion has played shows a Records With Merritt, Czar Bar, Replay Lounge, Riot Room, First Fridays and Art Closet Studios.

Their 2013 debut release was titled: ”Nice Thing Don’t Happen to Assholes Like Us”

Ian Johnson and Taylor Gwin grew up in the Kansa City area, Shane Deaver moved to KC from California.

Both Ian Johnson and Shane Deaver are involved in songwriting. Their songs are lyrical and at times deal with darker themes, but with a sense of humor.

Taylor Gwin is classically trained. She originally studied bass with Johnny Hamil and is currently a student at the UMKC Conservatory of Music.

10. Slow Motion Commotion – “Temple of Self-Deprecation” (Live)
[Ian Johnson on vocals & banjo, Shane Deaver on guitar & vocals, Taylor Gwin on stand-up bass. Also to be available on: The Day’s Not Over Until You Fall Asleep / Independent / Nov. 1, 2015. This is the first single from new album. You can download their single, “Temple of Self-Deprecation” at: http://www.slowmotioncommotion.bandcamp.com.]

Slow Motion Commotion’s new album, “The Day’s Not Over Until You Fall Asleep” was produced by their friend Zack Alvey, and will be digitally released on November 1, 2015.

The band is in the middle of an indiegogo.com campaign to print physical CD’s. You can download their single, “Temple of Self-Deprecation” at: http://www.slowmotioncommotion.bandcamp.com.

Band members talked about the generosity of the KC scene and how they’ve played several shows at Records With Merritt.

11. Slow Motion Commotion – “Beelzebro” (Live)
[Shane Deaver on guitar & vocals, Ian Johnson on vocals & banjo, Taylor Gwin on stand-up bass. Also to be available on: The Day’s Not Over Until You Fall Asleep / Independent / Nov. 1, 2015.]

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – Interview with Scott Easterday, Patrick Alonzo Conway, & Nate Hofer

12. Expassionates – “Alright”
from: Verse, Chorus, Bridge / Scott Easterday / 1998
[Scott Easterday on vocals, guitar, keyboard; Bryan R. Hicks on acoustic bass; Ryan Bennett on drums, Marco Pascolini on Electric 7 acoustic guitar; Nate Hofer on pedal steel guitar; Richard Alwyn on harmonica; Mark Southerland on tenor saxophone; Jazzbo (Bill Hargrave) on trumpet. Produced by Scott Easterday. Engineered by Chad Meise. Recorded at El Torreon, aka The Cowtown Mallroon, 31st and Gillam, KCMO, July 1998, 102 degrees. Mixed at Nove Coast. Mastered by Lynn Allred at barry Music (KCMO) on Halloween Day.]

[Expassionates: “Verse, Chorus, Bridge” to be presented LIVE, on Saturday, October 17, at 7:00pm, at Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, 3402 Main St, Kansas City, MO with musicians: Troy Van Horn, Bryan Hicks, Matt Richey, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Scott Easterday, Nate Hofer.]

Scott Easterday is a musician, singer, and composer. He has been playing for nearly 25 as a musician in the Kansas City scene, playing bass in the Mongol Beach Party, playing guitar singing and songwriting for his mid 1990s band Easterday, performing for several years as a member of Howard Iceberg and The Titanics, and as the founder and lead singer for the Expassionates. Scott has written reviews and interviews about local performing artists for KC Metropolis, and volunteers of Board Member and treasurer of Midwest Music Foundation. Scott works as a Cataloging Assistant specializing in Western Languages at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art–Spencer Art Reference Library.

Patrick Alonzo Conway is a Kansas City based composer, performer, educator, and independent musician. He holds a Masters in Music Composition from the UMKC Conservatory of Music. He was a founding member of newEar, and he works with Terresrial Consort, Peoples Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, Own/Cox Dance Group, Mambo DeLeon, Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7, and BCR. He is a 2012 recipient of the Charlotte Stree Foundation Generative Performing Artist Fellow Award. Patrick Alonzo Conway is also the Director of Gamelan Genta Kasturi.

Nate Hofer, played on the original 1998 Expassionates record. He is a well respecteed KC musician who plays pedal steel with Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys and Phantoms of the Opry.

Scott Easterday, Patrick Alonzo Conway, and Nate Hofer joined us to talk about about, Expassionates: “Verse, Chorus, Bridge” to be presented LIVE, on Saturday, October 17, at 7:00pm, at Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, 3402 Main St, Kansas City, MO with musicians: Troy Van Horn, Bryan Hicks, Matt Richey, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Scott Easterday, Nate Hofer.

The original CD, the first release of Expassionates, was recorded at El Torreon Ballroom in 1998, by Chad Meise.

The Expassionates’ first release was “Verse, Chorus, Bridge,” a studio project conceived by Scott Easterday. In July 1998, he assembled 7 local musicians to record at the now-defunct El Torreon (formerly the famed Cowtown Ballroom during the 1970s) in midtown KC. Recording engineer Chad Meise worked with Scott to capture the country-rock-lounge jazz experiment that resulted in music unlike anything else in the local scene at the time.

Expassionates reassembled as a 4-man band led by Scott Easterday on guitar, vocals, Marco Pascolini on guitar, Richard Burgess on bass, and Sam Platt on drums

On Saturday, a new line-up of Expassionates will include musicians: Troy Van Horn, Bryan Hicks, Matt Richey, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Scott Easterday, Nate Hofer.

13. Expassionates – “Cheating At Hearts”
from: Verse, Chorus, Bridge / Scott Easterday / 1998
[Scott Easterday on vocals, guitar, keyboard; Bryan R. Hicks on acoustic bass; Ryan Bennett on drums, Marco Pascolini on Electric 7 acoustic guitar; Nate Hofer on pedal steel guitar; Richard Alwyn on harmonica; Mark Southerland on tenor saxophone; Jazzbo (Bill Hargrave) on trumpet. Produced by Scott Easterday. Engineered by Chad Meise. Recorded at El Torreon, aka The Cowtown Mallroon, 31st and Gillam, KCMO, July 1998, 102 degrees. Mixed at Nove Coast. MAstered by Lynn Allred at barry Music (KCMO) on Halloween Day.]

It was the first CD album written and produced by Scott Easterday and recorded by Expassionates in 1998.

Saturday Night’s Musical Line-Up:

Troy Van Horn, guitar, has worked with Federation of Horsepower, Great Vehicle and Gentleman Echo.

Bryan Hicks, bass, plays with numerous jazz combos in town and worked with Karrin Allyson, Ida McBeth, Tommy Ruskin, and Malachy Papers.

Matt Richey, drums, has played with Dead Voices, Grisly Hand, Mikal Shapiro, Tiny Horse, and Blessed Broke.

Scott Easterday, singer/songwriter, wrote and produced the original recording. He’s recently worked with a version of Expassionates with a different lineup, and performed with ‘easterday,’ his band from the 90s and sang duo shows with Elaine McMilian.

Patrick Alonzo Conway, saxophone and percussion, works with the projects Boogaloo 7 and BCR; composes for ensembles like newEar and The People’s Liberation Big Band and is the director of the community Balinese gamelan Genta Kasturi.

Nate Hofer, pedal steel, plays w/ Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys and Phantoms of the Opry.

Chad Meise will be mixing the live show and was recording engineer for the original recording. Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club is at 3402 Main Street, Kansas City and was one of the only two venues to feature live performances of the original recording in 1998.
Scott Easterday, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Nate Hofer thanks for being with us on WMM

Expassionates: “Verse, Chorus, Bridge” to be presented LIVE, on Saturday, October 17, at 7:00pm, at Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, 3402 Main St, Kansas City, MO with musicians: Troy Van Horn, Bryan Hicks, Matt Richey, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Scott Easterday, Nate Hofer. More info at: http://expassionates.com/

14. Expassionates – “The Day Room”
from: Verse, Chorus, Bridge / Scott Easterday / 1998
[Scott Easterday on vocals, guitar, keyboard; Bryan R. Hicks on acoustic bass; Ryan Bennett on drums, Marco Pascolini on Electric 7 acoustic guitar; Nate Hofer on pedal steel guitar; Richard Alwyn on harmonica; Mark Southerland on tenor saxophone; Jazzbo (Bill Hargrave) on trumpet. Produced by Scott Easterday. Engineered by Chad Meise. Recorded at El Torreon, aka The Cowtown Mallroon, 31st and Gillam, KCMO, July 1998, 102 degrees. Mixed at Nove Coast. Mstered by Lynn Allred at barry Music (KCMO) on Halloween Day.]

11:29 – Underwriting

11:31 – Interview with Thunderclaps

15. The Thunderclaps – “You Got a Hold on Me”
from: Cookin’ Up a Good Time EP / Independent / October 16, 2014
[Colin Blunt – Drums and Bryce Jones – vocals and Guitar. Bryce works as an English teacher in Salina, KS.]

[Thunderclaps play an EP Release Show, Fri, Oct 16, at miniBar w/ Small Waves & New Baboons.]

Thunderclaps is a band formed by two cousins, Bryce Jones who lives in Salina Kansas and is a high school english teacher, and Colin Blunt who lives in Kansas City and host a Late Saturday Night Music program called The Pipeline.

Bryce Jones & Colin Blunt shared information about how their loud rehearsals helped them get their first gig, and how actor, philanthropist, and race car driver, Paul Newman influenced their lives.

They also talked about the great support they’ve received from the KC Music Community including” Sondra Freeman, Chris Haghirian, Judy Mills, the guys at Harling’s Upstairs.

On Friday, Thunderclaps will release their new EP, “Cookin’ Up a Good Time,” produced and engineered by Lennon Bone at Element Recording and mastered by Joel Nanos. Thunderclaps will play a special EP Release show, Friday, October 16, at miniBar with Small Waves & New Baboons.

16. Thunderclaps Interview

17. Thunderclaps – “So Lonesome”
from: Cookin’ Up a Good Time EP / Independent / October 16, 2014
[Colin Blunt – Drums and Bryce Jones – vocals and Guitar. Bryce works as an English teacher in Salina, KS.]

[Thunderclaps play an EP Release Show, Fri, Oct 16, at miniBar w/ Small Waves & New Baboons.]

11:55 – Felabration KC

18. The Hearts of Darkness – “Come Forward”
from: Shelf Life / Shipshape Records / August 25, 2012
[Featuring: Shawn Hansen – Alto Saxophone
Composed & arranged by Alex Smith. Lyrics by Les Izmore. The 15 piece ensemble welcomed 6 additional musicians to record “Shelf Life,” their 2nd full-length release, 2 years in the making. Recorded live at the Cooler Studio in KCK, with Chad Meise, and mastered by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room in Chicago, using both vintage analog and modern digital technologies. The album was released on CD and as a limited edition collectible vinyl LP at local music stores, and also available on iTunes. Contributing musicians to “Shelf Life” include: Bob Asher – Trumpet, Sean Branagan – drums and percussion, Rachel Christia – Vocals , Andrew Ford – Trombone, Brandy Gordon – Vocals, Richard Gumbel – Rhythm and Lead Guitar, Sam Hughes – Baritone Saxophone, Les Izmore – Vocals, Pete Leibert – Bass Guitar, Jolan Smith – Tenor Saxophone and Vocals, Miko Spears – Congas, Erica Townsend – Vocals, Ken Walker – Valve Trombone, Brad Williams – drums and percussion, Hermon Mehari – Trumpet, Shawn Hansen – Alto Saxophon, Phil Keegan – Bass Guita, Chris Meck – Rhythm Guita, Josh Mobley – Keyboards, Guitar, Alex Smith – Tenor Saxophone, Mark Vick – Rhythm Guitar. Winner of the 2014 Pitch Music Award for Hardest Working Band.]

19. Heartfelt Anarchy – “Firecode”
from: Heartfelt Anarchy/ Independent / February 5, 2013
[Collaboration between two Kansas City hip hop artists: rapper Les Izmore, and producer D/Will. Les Izmore is known for his fronting of KC afrobeat collective, Hearts of Darkness. D/Will is a producer for Topeka rapper Stik Figa, and has produced for One Be Lo (of Binary Star fame), and Evidence of Dilated Peoples among many others in the KC area including this year’s release from Barrel Maker.]

[The Hearts of Darkness and Heartfelt Anarchy two bands collaborating together in a special set for the 2nd Annual FELABRATION KC, Saturday, October 17, at 9:00 pm at recordBar with Gee Watts.]

11:59:30

20. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”

from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]



Next week on October 21 we will talk with Jazz vocalist and musician Alyssa Murray, of the AM Trio, and Grammy Nominated country artist Ty Herndon, and in our first hour we welcome, Guest Producer Nico Gray.


Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org



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Show #599