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 9, 2015

The 115 Best Recordings of 2015
(Part 1 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-one, of our four-week special: The 115 Best Recordings of 2015. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of the year. We realize that these “Best of” lists can seem very subjective, however we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year of music.

In 2015 we’ve played over 1000 songs on the show, and from over 300 New & MidCoastal Releases. Over 40 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have actually joined us live and/or performed in our 90.1 FM studios. We’ve interviewed over 200 local and national guests. 70 of the representative recordings on our “Best of” list were produced by artists based here in the area. It’s all good!

Tune into 90.1 FM, Wednesdays in December, on the 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. We’ll be packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 115 of Best Recordings of 2015!

This Wednesday, we’ll count down #115 through #87 of our list.

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

(115.) Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens – “You’ve Got To Move”
from: Daptone Gold II / Daptone Records / September 18, 2015 (previously unreleased)
[Daptone Gold II, is the soul label’s second greatest hits compilation featuring Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, the Budos Band, Antibalas and more. The follow-up to the label’s acclaimed Daptone Gold collection in 2009, the double-LP set features many of Daptone’s favorite tracks alongside rarities and unreleased cuts. In addition to 16 of Daptone’s greatest hits from throughout the label’s 13-year history, the compilation also includes three non-LP tracks that were only released as 45-rpm singles – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ “Little Boys With Shiny Toys,” Charles Bradley and LaRose Jackson’s “Luv Jones” and the Como Mamas’ “Out Of The Wilderness” – plus two unreleased cuts: The Dap-Kings’ “Thunderclap” and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens’ “You Got To Move.” 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, released by Daptone Records in 2014.]

(114.) Girlpool – “Before The World Was Big”
from: Before The World Was Big / Wichita Recordings / June 2, 2015
[Debut album from the Los Angelous, California Punk Rock duo of Cleo Tucker on guitar, vocals; and Harmony Tividad on bass, vocals. Cleo and Harmony are 18 and 19 years old. The band does not have a drummer.]

(113.) Purity Ring – “Bodyache”
from: Another Eternity / 4AD / February 27, 2015
[Canadian indie electronic band based out of Montreal who formed in 2010. The band consists of two members: Megan James (vocals) and Corin Roddick (instrumentals).]

(112.) Tall Tales – “Checkers”
from: It’s Just A Game [EP] / Independent / May 19, 2015
[Kansas City band formed in 2014 with Jack Ingram on vocals, Andrew Hosler on drums, Rylan Fisher on guitar, and Tommy O’Halloran on bass.

[Tall Tales play The Art Factory in Overland Park, KS, on January 2, 2016]

10:15

(111.) Sydney Lucas & Beth Malone – “Ring of Keys”
from: Fun Home (A New Broadway Musical) / PS Classics / May 19, 2015
[Fun Home is a musical adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori from Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. As in the book, the story concerns the father-daughter relationship between Alison Bechdel and her father Bruce Bechdel. It has been called “the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian.” Writer/artist Alison Bechdel’s book Fun Home, a memoir in comics format, was published in 2006 to critical acclaim. Its subject is Alison Bechdel’s coming of age, with particular emphasis on her relationship to her father, Bruce Bechdel. Alison’s coming out as a lesbian is complicated by the revelation that Bruce had also had homosexual relationships, including encounters with males below the age of consent. Four months after Alison comes out to her parents, Bruce is killed by an oncoming truck; although the evidence is equivocal, Alison concludes that he committed suicide.]

(110.) THEESatisfaction – “Recognition”
from: EarthEE / Sub Pop / February 24, 2015
[2nd album from Seattle, Washington based R&B and hip hop duo formed by rapper Stasia “Stas” Irons and singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White. Irons was born and raised in Tacoma, while Harris-White was born and raised in Hawaii and Seattle. The duo met in 2008 while attending the University of Washington. Irons, the rapper of the duo, frequented Harris-White’s open mic performances. Irons recalls, “I was attracted to Cat’s voice, I would go to the open mic and close my eyes and zone out whenever she sang. I finally had the courage to speak to her… it took a while.” In 2011, Sub Pop Records signed the duo after hearing their guest track on Shabazz Palaces’ 2011 album Black Up. The duo released their debut full length album, awE NaturalE, on Sub Pop Records March 27, 2012. THEESatifaction opened for Sleater-Kinney at The Uptown, on April 26, 2015]

(109.) Laurie Anderson – “The Release of Love”
from: Heart of a Dog / Nonesuch / October 23, 2015
[The complete soundtrack recording of Laurie Anderson’s newest film, Heart of a Dog. Anderson was recently commissioned by the European TV network Arte to create a feature film — her first in 30 years. Her response was a personal essay entitled Heart of a Dog, a work encompassing joy and heartbreak and remembering and forgetting, at the heart of which is a lament for her late beloved piano-playing and finger-painting dog Lolabelle. Scenes range from realistic footage from the animal’s life to imagined scenes of Lolabelle’s passage through the bardo. It also includes other reflections on life and death including Anderson’s experiences in life in downtown New York after 9/11. The Nonesuch album is the full audio recording of the film, including all music and spoken text. Heart of a Dog has been shown at the Telluride, Venice, and Toronto Film Festivals to critical praise, with the New York Times calling it a “philosophically astute, emotionally charged meditation on death, love, art and dogs.” The movie will be screened at the New York Film Festival on October 8, before opening theatrically at New York’s Film Forum October 21. It also will be shown on HBO in early 2016. ]

(108.) Erasers – “I Wont Give Up”
from: Ork Records: New York, New York / Numero Group / October 30, 2015
[Previously unreleased. The Erasers, was a band fronted by Susan Springfield. The Erasers, recorded a single for Ork Records that was recorded by Richard Lloyd, former guitarist for Television. The track was never released. The New York Times wrote that this track, “offers an early form of “no wave” that drew the attention of Brian Eno, who wanted them for his own compilation of New York bands at the time.” The New York Times also wrote that “Mr. Lloyd lived with Mr. Ork during Television’s early years. “He was a communist the way Christ was a communist,” Mr. Lloyd said. “He wanted everybody to have everything. The revolution he planned took place. Spread to England, then spread back over to America, to L.A., Minneapolis, Seattle.”” William Terry Ork was an American band manager and record producer for the new wave/punk music scene in New York City in the mid 1970s. Ork is associated with the success of the club CBGB as manager for punk band Television and musician Richard Hell. Ork arrived in New York City in 1968 to help Andy Warhol with Warhol’s movies. While working as the manager of a film bookstore called Cinemabilia, Ork met Billy Ficca, Tom Verlaine and Hell of the Neon Boys and introduced them to Richard Lloyd. Ork began managing the new band when they reformed as Television. In 1975, he founded Ork Records which released Television’s Little Johnny Jewel (1975), Richard Hell’s Blank Generation, The Marbles’ Red Light (1979) and Mick Farren’s Lost Johnny, among other recordings. Farren said, “Terry Ork was an idealist, as true to the punk ethic as you could be, which means that when it all started getting slick, and the bands were getting deals, Terry was left behind.” He died in San Diego on October 20, 2004. In the 2013 film CBGB, Ork was portrayed by Johnny Galecki.]

10:30

(107.) Jacco Gardner – “Find Yourself”
from: Hypnophobia / Polyvinyl / 2015
[2nd full-length album from Jacco Gardner, a baroque pop multi instrumentalist from the Netherlands town of Hoorn. He creates a unique sound by combining the sounds of harpsichord, strings, flutes and other classical instruments with raw psychedelic effects.]

(106.) Eleni Mandell – “What Love Can Do”
from: Dark Lights Up / Yep Roc / July 24, 2015
[10th studio album from L.A. based singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell. Since 2000, she has published albums through Zedtone Records in Toronto, Ontario, which in 2012 began licensing her releases to Yep Roc in the United States, and Make My Day in Europe. She is also a member of folk supergroup The Living Sisters with Inara George and Becky Stark. Mandell attended punk and underground rock shows while growing up in Los Angeles in the 1980s. She was inspired as a young songwriter by Tom Waits, X, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Randy Newman. Chuck E. Weiss, a socialite musician and associate of Tom Waits, was a mentor to Mandell. Eleni Mandell’s first album, Wishbone (1998), was produced by Jon Brion. Her second album, Thrill, was released in 2000, earning her comparisons to PJ Harvey and Tom Waits. ]

(105.) Kate Pierson– “Mister Sister”
from: Guitars and Microphones / Lazy Meadow Music / February 17, 2015
[Vocalist, lyricist, lead singer & founding members of The B-52’s w/ Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, Ricky Wilson, Keith Strickland. She played guitar, bass & keyboards. She has recorded songs with The Ramones, REM, Iggy Pop, David Byrne . In February 2015, Pierson released her 1st solo album, Guitars and Microphones, featuring material co-written by Sia Furler. She is the owner of Kate’s Lazy Desert in Landers, California and Kate’s Lazy Meadow in Mount Tremper, New York, a rustic modern lodge in New York’s Catskill Mountains. She operates the businesses with her partner, Monica Coleman. Pierson & Coleman have been together since 2003.]

(104.) Jill Scott – “Closure”
from: Woman / Blues Babe Records / July 24, 2015
[5th studio album by American singer, model and actress, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,April 4, 1972. Her 2000 debut, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, went platinum.]

10:45

(103.) Hot Chip – “White Wine and Fried Chicken”
from: Why Make Sense? / Domino Recording Company / May 15, 2015
[British electronic music band formed in London, in 2000. They have released six studio albums: Coming on Strong (2004), The Warning (2006), Made in the Dark (2008), One Life Stand (2010), In Our Heads (2012), and Why Make Sense? (2015). The group has also been nominated for the Mercury Prize.]

(102.) Monophonics – “Lying Eyes”
from: Sound of Sinning / Transistor Sounds / April 14, 2015
[Psychedelic Soul from San Francisco, CA from; Austin Bohlman on drums, Kelly Finnigan on vocals & keyboards, Ian McDonald on electric guitar & electric sitar & backing vocals, Myles O’Mahony on electric bass & backing vocals, Ryan Scott on trumpet and backing vocals.]

(101.) Duncan Burnett & The Ministry– “Addict (Live)[feat. Mandy B.]”
from: LIVE / Independent / July 4, 2015
[Duncan Burnett & The Ministry recorded Live At Riot Room In Kansas City, Mo. Duncan Burnett on vocals, Mandy Burnett on vocals, Justin Curry on MD/Keyboards/Programmer, Ryan J. Lee on bass, Greg Baker on guitar, Vincent Footz Williams on drums.]

[Duncan Burnett & The Ministry play Riot Rave at Prohibition Hall, 1118 McGee., Jan. 16, 8:00pm]

(100.) Jason Vivone & The Billy Bats – “His Honor, The Mayor”
from: The Avenue / Independent / November 6, 2015
[3rd Release from International Blues Competition Finalists: Jason Vivone (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harp, cigarbox guitar, diddley bow, piano) Matt Bustamante (vocals, drums) Paula Crawford (vocals, guitar) Rick MacIvor (keyboards)]

[Jason Vivone & The Billy Bats play The Westport Saloon, Saturday, December 12, at 8:00 pm.]

[Jason Vivone & The Billy Bats play The Phoenix, Friday, December 18, at 9:00 pm.]

11:00 – Station ID

(99.) Slow Motion Commotion – “Moonlit Roads”
from: The Day’s Not Over Until You Fall Asleep / Independent / November 1, 2015
[Kansas City based acoustic-folk-punk band, Slow Motion Commotion join us in the studio. on Octoer 14. Formed by Ian Johnson on vocals, banjo, & harmonica and Shane Deaver on vocals, guitar & mandolin. For their new, 15-track album, they’ve added drums, piano, violin, and Taylor Gwin on stand-up bass, making the band a trio now! Slow Motion Commotion joined us live on WMM on October 14.]

(98.) Sad American Night – “Bright Mornings”
from: One of These Bright Mornings / Independent / November 6, 2014
[Sad American Night is Andrew Langford on drums, Sam Avery on bass, Chris Martin on keyboards, Rachel Christia on vocals, Gavin Snider on vocals & guitar. For more information: sadamericannight.com.]

(97.) The Waspmen – “Again”
from: First Stings First / Independent / March 14, 2015
[Ian Griggs on vocals, Elan Portnoy on guitar, Jim McCormack on bass, and Dave Storms on drums. The Waspmen joined us live on WMM on March 11.]

[The Waspmen play CODA, 1744 Broadway, Saturday, December 12, at 8:00 pm, with Crystal Baller.]

96.) Julian Davis – “Secret Garden”
from: Who Walks In, When I Walk Out / Little Class Records / December 18, 2015
[16 year old Kansas State Youth Flatpicking Champion, from Pittsburg, Kansas.]

[Julian Davis has been added to the Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender, Thurs, May 12, 2016, at Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville, Tennessee.]

11:15

(95.) Ghastly Menace – “80s”
from: Songs of Ghastly Menace / The Record Machine / January 27, 2015
[6-piece band made up of: Andy Schroeder, Chris Geick, Pat Lawlor, Kody Nixon, Michael Heringhaus, and Clint Weber. Formed in Chicago, IL. in 2010, initially the group started as a recording project between two friends. Songs of Ghastly Menace, marks the group’s first full band effort. Recorded in collaboration with songwriter/producer Nigel Dennis.]

(94.) The Roseline – “Townie”
from: Townie / Independent / June 19, 2015
[4th album from Lawrence, Kansas, based alt-country/Americana rock band, formed by Colin Halliburton with friends in 2005. The Roseline has been through dozens of lineup changes. The current lineup has been together for about two months: Halliburton on guitar; Kris Losure on guitar, Aaron Pando on drums, Sam Goodellon keyboards, and Heidi Gluck on bass.]

[The Roseline play The Tank Rom, 1813 Grand, Saturday, December 12, at 8:00 pm for the My Oh My album release show, also with Bad Math.]

(93.) The Sluts – “Summer Song”
from: The Sluts / Independent / June 17, 2015
[Debut full-length from alternative rock / rock & roll / garage rock / grunge pop – Lawrence based band. All songs written and performed by The Sluts. The Sluts are Ryan Wise on guitar & vocals, and Kristoffer Dover on drums. Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios in Kansas City, MO. The band is the winner of the 2014 Pitch Music Award for Best Punk Band.]

(92.) Bummer – “Dude Baby”
from: Spank / High Dive Records / July 14, 2015
[Neanderthal music from Olathe Kansas. Bummer is Matt Perrin, vocals and guitar, Mike Gustafson bass and Sam Hutchinson, drums. Recorded at Westend Recording Studios by Justin Mantooth, who also mixed and co-produced the recordings with the band. Bummer joined us live on WMM on July 15.]]

[Bummer hits the road for their Appetite For Destruction 2016 Winter Tour, playing Davey’s Uptown rambler’s Club, Thursday, December 31st, and then on to Lincoln, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Columbia, Springfield, OKC, Denton, Austin, San Antonia, Ft. Worth, Wichita, and Lawrence.]

11:30

(91.) Arc Flash – “Blood”
from: Black Market Time Tech / Independent / March 10, 2015
[“The 3 members are very complex. Guitarist and vocalist James Thomblison, often clad in a vibrant sweater dress while playing, represents the neutral side of this equation. Drummer Mark Osman tends to speak more positively, while bassist Lewis Guillen is a tad touchy, moody, even pessimistic at times.” – Fally Afani, Lawrence Journal-World, May 13, 2015. Arc Flash members James Thomblison & Mark Osman joined us live us live on WMM on July 1, 2015.]

[Arc Flash play the HOLIDAZE SHOW at Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, in Lawrence, Ks, Friday, December 11, at 10:00 pm with Schwervon!, and Youngest Children.]

[Arc Flash play Josey Records KC, 1814 Oak St., Sat, Dec 12, at 2:00 pm, w/ The Fog, and Faultfinder]

(90.) Toughies – “Cheek”
from: Tough Enough EP / Independent / September 25, 2015
[4-piece, Lawrence, band formed in 2015 by, Brad Girard, Joe Gronniger, Caroline Lohrenz and Carl Smith.]

(89.) Lower Dens – “Ondine”
rom: Escape from Evil / Ribbon Music / March 31, 2015
[3rd album from Lower Dens, indie rock band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2010 by Jana Hunter, Geoff Graham, Abram Sanders and Will Adams. Lower Dens has released their debut on Gnomonsong and a follow up album on Ribbon Music.]

11:47

(88.) Sharon Van Etten – “I Don’t Want to Let You Down”
from: I Don’t Want to Let You Down – EP / Jagjaguar / June 9, 2015
[Brooklyn based singer–songwriter. She moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University and studied recording, but dropped out of college after a year. Van Etten ending up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro, for about five years. Van Etten said she was writing songs then, but did not perform publicly. Van Etten said her boyfriend at the time wasn’t very supportive of her and didn’t think highly of her musical abilities. After six years of what she now describes as an abusive relationship, she moved back to New Jersey to live with her parents.After moving back home to New Jersey and working at Perryville Wine and Spirits, Van Etten saved up enough money to move to Brooklyn in 2005,where she was encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music. Malone said she’d approached him at one of his shows and gave him a CD-R of her songs. Van Etten was friends with Malone’s brother, Colin, in high school. Malone normally doesn’t listen to fan submissions, but he enjoyed her work. “Really very arresting. She just sends me,” he said. Malone ended up playing Van Etten on his Guest DJ set for NPR’s All Songs Considered.Van Etten said that Jeffrey Davison, a deejay on WFMU who has a show called Shrunken Planet, was the first person to play one of her homemade CDs on his show. Van Etten has become close to Davison and his wife, who have her over for record listening evenings.]

(87.) Jose Gonzalez – “Leaf Off / The Cave”
from: Vestiges & Claws / Imperial Recordings – Mute / February 17, 2015
[Jose Gonzalez’s first self-production and his first to feature all original material. Sessions took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, in his home kitchen and at Svenska Grammofonstudion. Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden. González is also a member of the Swedish band Junip, along with Tobias Winterkorn.]

11:59:30

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


Next week, on Wednesday MidDay Medley, on December 16, we continue with part 2 of our 4 week series, The 115 Best Recordings of 2015, we’ll hear representative tracks from: Ernest James Zydeco, Chris Meck And The Guilty Birds, Campdogzz, HMPH!, Riala, Sara Morgan, The Depth And The Whisper, Rex Hobart and The Misery Boys, Rachel Mallin, The Thunderclaps, Yes You Are, Sie Lieben Maschinen, Mysterious Clouds, Stik Figa x D/WILL, Christian Hankel, Via Luna, Megan Slankard, Pieta Brown, Jamie xx, Ducktails, Speedy Ortiz, Wire, Darondo, Laura Marling, Death And Vanilla, of Montreal, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell and Deco Auto.

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

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:

www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM,
http://www.kkfi.org

Show #607