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 5, 2017

More New & MidCoastal Releases
+ Red Kate & Stiff Middle Fingers Split Single
+ Guest Producer Nico Gray

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

2. Cloud Nothings – “Modern Act”
from: Life Without Sound / Car Park Records / January 27, 2017
[1st single from the 4th studio album by the indie rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, founded by singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi. It currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, bassist TJ Duke, and guitarist Chris Brown, who had joined the band earlier in the year as a touring member and is now a part of the band full-time. Beginning in 2009, the band originally started as a solo project, with Baldi recording both vocals and instrumentals in his parents’ basement, although he performed live with a full band. The band is signed to Washington, D.C.-based Carpark Records.]

[Cloud Nothings play Kansas City at recordBar, 1520 Grand, for Tito’s Sound Machine KC, on Friday, April 7, at 9:00 PM with False Brother, and Mess, presented by The Record Machine.]

3. Jametatone – “Flip The Hourglass”
from: Empty Bliss / J. Ashley Miller / March 21, 2017
[New EP from Jametatone, the solo project of J. Ashley Miller who also records with his band as Metatone. J. Ashley Miller is the The 2016 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award Fellow. J. Ashley Miller is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. His genre-bending trans-modern work has been performed everywhere from YJ’s to the Kauffman Performing Arts Center to the MoMa PS1 in NYC. Ashley utilizes a diverse range of technologies, techniques, and collaborators to access obscure facets of the human emotional landscape. You can view more of Ashley’s work at http://www.jametatone.com.]

[Jametatone opened all four shows last Friday and Saturday night at The Outburst KC, where Calvin Arsenia performed his 2017 Release Catastrophe Unplugged with guest musicians Beau Bledsoe, Fritz Hutchinson, Mark Southerland, and artist & vocalist Seth M. Jones.]

4. The Sleazebeats – “Not My Life”
from: The Sleazebeats – The Sleazebeats / Independent / Jan. 1, 2012
[Charlie Colborne – keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer – drums; Jeff Harshbarger – bass; Recorded at More Famouser Studios w/ Mike Nolte engineer, mixing, mastering the recordings. The Sleazebeats have played Live on the show on several occasions.]

[The Sleazebeats play Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, Kristie Stremel, Calvin Arsenia, Jen Harris, Linda Barnhouse, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jen Appell, Bil Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquist-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information.]

5. Calvin Arsenia – “Safe”
from: Catastrophe / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017
[Calvin Arsenia premiered these songs in a live show at recordBar last November. Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts. Standing at 6 foot 5 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, while playing piano, banjo, guitar and harp Calvin teaches music to elementary students. Calvin is also a graduate of Artist INC.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Kristie Stremel, Jen Harris, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jen Appell, Bill Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquist-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information.]

6. Kristie Stremel – “Friendville”
from: Songwriter / Stremeltone / April 1, 2014
[Described as “Joan Jett & Tom Petty’s love child,” and armed with her guitar, fueled by coffee, and over 80 published songs, singer, songwriter, producer, rock & roll mom. In October, 2013 Kristie and her partner, Lori Isabell, welcomed their adopted baby son, Charlie, into their family. In April 2014 Kristie released her 6th solo record, Songwriter, and the 9th full-length release of her musical career of over 20 years. Released on her own label, Stremeltone, it was Kristie’s first self-produced album. Stremeltone Records, was created in her home in Lawrence. The last track, “It’s Enough” was released early, as a video, featuring photos of couples in partnerships, relationships, marriages, unions, families. The video was Kristie’s response the the Kansas House of Representatives passing HD 2453 allowing business the right to refuse service to LGBT customers. The bill eventually died in the Kansas Senate. Songwriter, is Kristie’s self produced record that was mixed by famed musician and producer Lou Whitney, who in 2001 produced Kristie’s first solo full-length, “All I Really Want,” for Slewfoot Records. In 2014 we lost Lou who was 72 and was battling cancer, but still playing in his band Outland through 2013. Kristie has said that Lou Whitney was… “my mentor, a father figure,” Lou told Tim Finn in the KC Star: “I thought she had all the ingredients,” he said. “The songs were poppy efforts to write songs that might actually do something. She was writing personal stuff but couching it in this rock-pop way.” Chris Meck, played on the 2001, release, “All I Really Want.” He joined in on Songwriter and helped with “Wildflowers” a full length CD compilation of 14 original songs and 5 poems for and about children, with a book containing all of the lyrics with illustrations created by artist and friend Blue Haas. “Wildflowers,” is a hardcover, 9 x 6 landscape, full color 46 page book. Chris and Kristie hadn’t played together in over 10 years. Kristie also released a single “Love Makes A Family” with a read-along book for the song she wrote for her son Charlie, in an effort to explain the importance of family and to help celebrate the diversity in families today. In 2016 Kristie released her sing “Orlando (Keep Dancing)” in response to the Orlando massacre at the Gay Bar Pulse where 49 people were killed.]

[Kristie Stremel plays Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Calvin Arsenia, Jen Harris, Linda Barnhouse, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jen Appell, Bil Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquist-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information.]

7. Slights – “Lily Jane Gray”
from: Rough Mixes For Demo / Independent / February 7, 2017
[Slights is a collaboration band between Ben Parks and Matthew Dunehoo. In late January, 2017 the band recorded an album in San Francisco with Ryan Kleeman and their friend Andrew Skikne on bass. Their new music was recorded at Ghost Cat Studios in San Francisco.]

[Slights, play The Tank Room, Fri, April 7 at 9:30 PM, with Spellbook, opening for Kids & Chemicals.]

10:28 – Underwriting

8. Red Kate – “Urban Church” (Vinyl)
from: Red Kate – Stiff Middle Fingers split 7″ / Black Site Records / April 8, 2017
[Bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, Andrew Whelan – Drums/Vocals, Brad Huhmann – Guitar, Desmond Poirier – guitar/vocals]

[Red Kate and Stiff Middle Fingers play a split-single record release at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, Friday, April 7, at 9:00 pm, with Emmaline Twist, and Wick & The Tricks.]

10:32 – Interview with L. Ron Drunkard (Shawn Saving) & Shaun Hamontree of Red Kate
and Travis Arey of Stiff Middle Fingers

The KC based Punk Rock and Roll band, Red Kate has been rocking venues since 2007. In the review of their debut EP, The Pitch wrote, “Bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, (aka Shawn Saving) is a socialist activist by day, bellows like an Appalachian Roger Daltrey.”The band’s first full-length album, “When the Troubles Come” was released on Replay Records in 2013. Last year the band released their follow up full – length record, unamerican activities, on Kansas City’s coop record label, Black Site. Both releases were recorded and engineered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab. Red Kate includes bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, Andrew Whelan on drums, & vocals, Desmond Poirier on guitar & vocals, and most recently added Shaun Hamontree to the band on rhythm guitar.

Stiff Middle Fingers were formed in 2010 as a classic punk cover band playing songs by Black Flag, Minutemen, Ramones, Sex Pistols, and more. The band started writing their own songs and have shared the stage with Bomb the Music Industry!, Joyce Manor, Agent Orange, Peelander-Z, Radkey, and have earned a reputation as one of the midwest’s must-see punk bands. Lead vocalist TurdKing (aka Travis Arey) fronts the band with “the passion for achieving unity through the common self-loathing and anxiety of all people.” Travis is known for climbing all over the venue, working the entire room, and sometimes street, with his 75-foot mic cord. Stiff Middle Fingers include guitarist Aaron “Barry” Swenson (Podstar, Many Moods of Dad), drummer George Valyer (The Primetime Heroes), and bassist Doug Griffin (The Dead Sevens, Chris Aytes & the Good Ambition).

Red Kate and Stiff Middle Fingers are releasing a new split single containing 4 new songs. L. Ron Drunkard & Shaun Hamontree of Red Kate and Travis Arey of Stiff Middle Fingers are here to talk about their split-single record release at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, Fri, April 7, at 9:00 pm, with Emmaline Twist, and Wick & The Tricks.

L. Ron Drunkard (Shawn Saving) and Shaun Hamontree , and Travis Arey Thank you for being with us on WMM

The new 4-song 7″ record is the 2nd release on KC’s coop record label, Black Site after the release of Red Kate’s critically acclaimed sophomore LP, unamerican activities.

Cover art, once again, was designed by Shaun Hamontree, who is also Red Kate’s new rhythm guitarist. American Catastrophe

Red Kate recorded their new music at Weights & Measures Soundlab, with engineer Duane Trower who with front man L. Ron Drunkard have honed the Red Kate sound over the past five years.

Stiff Middle Fingers recorded their cow-punk burners at Rundown Studios in Topeka, KS, which is owned and operated by their drummer, George the Valiant.

This record marks the debut of Stiff Middle Fingers on vinyl.

10:39

9. Stiff Middle Fingers – “3 Minutes to Midnight (radio edit)”
from: Red Kate – Stiff Middle Fingers split 7″ / Black Site Records / April 8, 2017
[Lead vocals from TurdKing (aka Travis Arey) , guitarist Aaron “Barry” Swenson, drummer George Valyer, and bassist Doug Griffin.]

[Red Kate and Stiff Middle Fingers play a split-single record release at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, Friday, April 7, at 9:00 pm, with Emmaline Twist, and Wick & The Tricks.]

“Stiff Middle Fingers harness the angst and energy of early punk and the irreverent intelligence of early aughts Saddle Creek. The combination of these two elements makes their songs part-snarl and part-snark. Perfect for summertime skanking in the daytime or shaking the walls of any dive bar at night, Stiff Middle Fingers take all the frenetic energy of being dissatisfied with life after a few pots of coffee and directs at a single goal: making music that burns through the veins of their listeners.”

Red Kate and the Stiff Middle Fingers have joined forces to release a new Split 7″ Single.

Engineered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab in Kansas City.

The split 7″ is a follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed sophomore LP, unamerican activities, released in 2016 on their coop label, Black Site.

With the election of an authoritarian narcissist to the White House and white supremacy again on the rise, this hard, fast and angry polemic on the current state of affairs has turned out to be unfortunately prescient.

10:46

10. Red Kate – “Hole” (Vinyl)
from: Red Kate – Stiff Middle Fingers split 7″ / Black Site Records / April 8, 2017
[ Andrew Whelan – Drums/Vocals, Brad Huhmann – Guitar, Desmond Poirier – guitar/vocals]

[Red Kate and Stiff Middle Fingers play a split-single record release at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club, Friday, April 7, at 9:00 pm, with Emmaline Twist, and Wick & The Tricks.]

RED KATE released its first LP, When the Troubles Come, on Replay Records in 2013 and a 7″ split on Mills Record Company with fellow KC punks, The Bad Ideas, in 2014.

BLACK SITE is a record label cooperative created by Kansas City musicians interested in supporting regional punk and rock bands release their recordings on a physical medium. With the world around us becoming a deluge of digital 1’s and 0’s, transient as a trust fund crust punk on a cross country excursion, tangible art is critical to maintaining connections to our past, our sense of place, and who we are as a people. Only WE can create the world we want to live in. Reciprocity and solidarity are the cornerstones of building long lasting, self-sustaining community power that pushes back against the commodification of culture. Music is not a business; Punk is not a brand, and DIY is not a lifestyle to be consumed. This is a way of life, and if we don’t hang together, we’ll surely hang alone.

Red Kate has been rocking venues since 2007. The band is bassist and lead vocalist L. Ron Drunkard, Andrew Whelan on drums, vocals; Desmond Poirier on guitar, vocals, and Shaun Hamontree on rhythm guitar.

Stiff Miffle Fingers feature lead vocalist TurdKing (Travis Arey), guitarist Aaron “Barry” Swenson (Podstar, Many Moods of Dad), drummer George Valyer (The Primetime Heroes), and bassist Doug Griffin (The Dead Sevens, Chris Aytes & the Good Ambition),

Brian Clifton, of Mills Record Company.com writes, “SMF as a live band is bristling and precise, while still maintaining an off-the-cuff quality, often marathoning through 15-song sets in under 30 minutes. ”

10:55

11. Jen Appell – “You Woke Me”
from: You Woke Me – Single / Independent / unreleased track
[Written by Jen Appell who sings vocals and plays piano. She calls this her love song to Thom Yorke]

[Jen Appell plays Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Calvin Arsenia, Jen Harris, Linda Barnhouse, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Kristie Stremel, Bil Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquis-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information.]

11:00 – Station ID
11:00 – Guest Producer Nico Gray

12. Radiohead — “House of Cards”
from: In Rainbows / XL Recordings / October 10, 2007
[English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments), Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass), and Phil Selway (drums, percussion, backing vocals). They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. After signing to EMI in 1991, Radiohead released their debut single “Creep” in 1992. It became a worldwide hit after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). Their popularity and critical standing rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer (1997), propelled them to international fame; noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation, it is often acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s and one of the best albums in popular music. The group’s next albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), recorded simultaneously, marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating influences from experimental electronic music, 20th-century classical music, krautrock, and jazz. Despite initially dividing listeners, Kid A was later named the best album of the decade by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and the Times. Radiohead’s sixth album, Hail to the Thief (2003), mixed rock and electronic music with lyrics inspired by the War on Terror, and was the band’s final album for EMI. Their subsequent releases have pioneered alternative release platforms such as pay-what-you-want and BitTorrent. Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a download for which customers could set their own price, to critical and chart success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), an exploration of rhythm, was developed using extensive looping and sampling. Their ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool (2016), prominently featured Jonny Greenwood’s orchestral arrangements.]

[Radiohead play Kansas City TONIGHT at the Sprint Center in a SOLD OUT SHOW!]

We welcome back to the show, our friend Nico Gray, who joins us as “Guest Producer” for our second hour. Nico is a former theatre actor, performance artist, writer, and is currently a marketing and advertising consultant. Rooted in KC, Nico grew up with radio. Nico writes that, “Music has always served as the ‘passport’ through spiritual journeys that have transplanted him to the brownstones of Chicago, the rooftops of Paris, the sea-side of Marseille and the balconies of NYC. ”

Nico Gray will also be featured in Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Calvin Arsenia, Jen Harris, Linda Barnhouse, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Kristie Stremel, Jen Appell, Bill Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquist-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information

Nico Gray welcome to Wednesday MidDay Medley.

13. Roxy Music – “Grey Lagoons”
from: For Your Pleaure / Atco – Reprise / May 23, 1980
[the 2nd album by the English rock band Roxy Music, released by Island Records in 1973. It was their last to feature synthesiser and sound specialist Brian Eno, who would later gain acclaim as a solo artist and producer. The group was able to spend more studio time on this album than on their debut, combining strong song material by Bryan Ferry with more elaborate production treatments. For example, the song “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” (Ferry’s sinister ode to a blow-up doll) fades out in its closing section, only to fade back in again with all the instruments subjected to a pronounced phasing treatment. The title track fades out in an elaborate blend of tape loop effects. Brian Eno remarked that the eerie “The Bogus Man”, with lyrics about a sexual stalker, displayed similarities with contemporary material by the krautrock group Can. Of the more upbeat numbers on the album, “Do the Strand” and “Editions of You” were both based around insistent rhythms in the tradition of the band’s first single “Virginia Plain”. “Do the Strand” has been called the archetypal Roxy Music anthem, whilst “Editions of You” was notable for a series of ear-catching solos by Andy Mackay (sax), Eno (VCS3), and Phil Manzanera (guitar). Eno is very present in the final song from the album, “For Your Pleasure” making it unlike any other song on the album. The song ends with the voice of Judi Dench saying “You don’t ask. You don’t ask why” amid tapes of the opening vocals (‘Well, how are you?’) from “Chance Meeting” from the first Roxy Music album. A live recording of the song has been used in 1975 as a B-side to “Both Ends Burning”..]

[Bryan Ferry played The Uptown Theatre, Friday, March 24, at 8:00 PM]

14. Bryan Ferry — “Let’s Stick Together”
from: Let’s Stick Together/ Polydor / 1976

15. Line Renaud—“Casino de Paris”
from: Line Renaud au Casino de Paris/ Pathé / 1959

16. Kid Francescoli — “Blow Up (Single Edit)”
from: Blow Up- Single/ Microphone Recordings / 2014

17. Heart — “Strange Euphoria”
from: Greatest Hits/Live / Epic Records / 1980

18. Elton Motello — “Jet Boy Jet Girl”
from: 7” Single / Vogue / 1977

11:31 – Underwriting

19. The Plugz — “Reel Ten”
from: Repo Man Soundtrack / San Andreas Records / 1984

20. Time Zone — “World Destruction (feat. John Lydon) {Mix A}”
from: World Destruction Single / Celluloid / 1984

21. Aloe Blacc – “Ticking Bomb”
from: Lift Your Spirit / Interscope Records / 2013

22. Amanda Shires — “A Song for Leonard Cohen”
from: Down Fell the Doves / Lightning Rod Records / 2013

23. Quincy Jones — “Maybe God Is Tryin’ To Tell You Something”
from: The Color Purple/ Qwest Records /1985

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

Next week, on April 12, we welcome the cast of Big Bang Buffet Black Sheep Rising for a special Live radio version of the upcoming show.

Big Bang Buffet’s “Black Sheep Rising,” Tuesday, April 11, at 8:00 at The Buffalo Room. A benefit for 90.1 FM KKFI featuring Ron Megee, Lisa Cordes, Jon “Piggy” Cupit, The Sleazebeats, Calvin Arsenia, Jen Harris, Linda Barnhouse, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Kristie Stremel, Jen AppellBill Belzer, Charlie Colborne, Mark Manning, Susan Cedarquis-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray. go to: http://www.kkfi.org for more information

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.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMed…,
http://www.kkfi.org

Show #676