Wednesday MidDay Medley
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org
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Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

The 117 Best Recordings of 2017
(Part 4 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-four, of our four-week special: The 117 Best Recordings of 2017. 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 2017 we’ve played nearly 1000 different songs on the show, and from nearly 375 New & MidCoastal Releases. More than 200 of these releases were New MidCoastal Releases. Over 35 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios. This past year we’ve interviewed nearly 200 guests. 70 of the representative recordings in our “Best of” list were MidCoastal Releases, produced by artists from here. It’s all good!

Please note: We are celebrating the entire full length album or EP, the songs played are representative of the entire release.

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

2. (29.) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Hope the High Road”
from: The Nashville Sound / Southestern Records / June 16, 2017
[Michael Jason Isbell was born February 1, 1979 and is a singer-songwriter & guitarist from Green Hill, Alabama, two miles from the Alabama/Tennessee state line. He is best known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a former member of Drive-By Truckers, from 2001 to 2007. He has won two Grammy Awards. This is the 6th studio album by Jason Isbell, credited with the 400 Unit. It was produced by Dave Cobb, who also produced Isbell’s previous two records: 2013’s Southeastern and 2015’s Something More Than Free. The Nashville Sound was nominated for Best Americana Album in the 2018 Grammy Awards. The 400 Unit, is primarily made up of musicians from the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, area: Sadler Vaden on guitar, backup vocals; Jimbo Hart on bass, backup vocals; Derry DeBorja on keyboard, accordion, backup vocals; Chad Gamble on drums, backup vocals; Amanda Shires on fiddle, backup vocals. “The 400 Unit” is a colloquial name for the psychiatric ward of Florence, Alabama’s Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, which is now named the Behavioral Health Center, and is located on the hospital’s first floor. It was originally called the 400 unit because it was in a separate building from the main building’s 3-story hospital. After renovation in the 1980s, the name was changed. Isbell married singer-songwriter and violinist Amanda Shires, with whom he’d worked on and off for a decade, in February 2013, two days after they finished Southeastern. Musician Todd Snider married them. The couple had a baby girl, Mercy Rose, on September 1, 2015. Isbell has lived in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2011. He is an Atlanta Braves fan and a Democrat. In November of 2017 Isbell was asked on Twitter “Why do we have to inject politics in every aspect of our life can’t we just enjoy the music and the football games?” He responded “Until you are the one being treated unfairly, that’s easy to say.”]

3. (28.) The Magnetic Fields – “’69: Judy Garland”
from: 50 Song Memoir / Nonesuch Records / March 10, 2017
[50 Song Memoir is the eleventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. 50 Song Memoir is an autobiographical concept album that chronicles the first 50 years of songwriter Stephin Merritt’s life, with one song for each year that he has lived. Stephin Merritt began recording on his 50th birthday on February 9, 2015. The album was produced by Merritt with additional production by Thomas Bartlett and Charles Newman. Merritt sings on all fifty tracks and plays more than one hundred instruments throughout. 50 Song Memoir is available in five-LP and five-CD editions that include an interview by Daniel Handler and facsimile handwritten lyrics by Stephin Merritt, and as a bound book. The fully staged live shows in support of 50 Song Memoir are directed by José Zayas. The Magnetic Fields have been expanded to include an additional three musicians for the tour, with each of the seven playing seven different instruments. On the tour the band play the entirety of 50 Song Memoir in two halves across two nights at each venue.]

4. (27.) Broken Social Scene – “Protest Song”
from: Hug of Thunder / Arts & Crafts Productions / July 7, 2017
[Hug of Thunder is the 5th studio album by Toronto, Ontario based, indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene that was formed in 1999 and continues 15 members. Most of its members play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly in the city of Toronto. These associated acts include Metric, Feist, Stars, Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think, KC Accidental, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, Amy Millan, and Jason Collett. The group’s sound combines elements of all of its members’ respective musical projects, and is occasionally considered baroque pop. It includes grand orchestrations featuring guitars, horns, woodwinds, and violins, unusual song structures, and an experimental, and sometimes chaotic production style from David Newfeld, who produced the second and third albums.After declaring a hiatus in September 2011, Broken Social Scene performed at the Field Trip Arts & Crafts Music Festival in 2013 and a couple of festivals in 2015, the latter of which prompted band members Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Charles Spearin, Justin Peroff, and Andrew Whiteman to discuss recording new material. “When we’re working, we understand that there will be a lot more input, so we leave space in the music as we’re writing it,” Spearin said. “We would send out invitations for all the usual crew, and say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this again. Would you be interested in being part of this?'” In the end, 18 musicians were credited on Hug of Thunder. During sessions for the album, Leslie Feist conceived the idea for the title track, her first lead vocal on a Broken Social Scene song since 2006. Drew explained that the title represents “exactly who we are. That is our show. We’re trying to create that hug of thunder. That sound. That embrace amongst the chaos.”]

5. (26.) Betse & Clarke – “Seneca Square Dance”
from: Tunes We Like / Betse & Clarke / September 13, 2017
[Released only in analog on cassette featuring Betse Ellis on standard & cross-tuned fiddles, Clarke Wyatt on banjos & guitar, and some selections played by the Brushy Creek String Band, with Brett Hodges on guitar and Alex Mallett on bass. Seneca Square Dance is from Fiddlin’ Sam Long, recorded in 1926 for Gennett Records. Long is said to have been the first Ozark fiddler recorded. Many who play the tune today use a different chord progression than was originally recorded by Long. Betse & Clarke used Long’s beautifully simple progression. With Betse on standard fiddle, Clarke on standard G banjo, Brett Hodges on guitar, Alex Mallett on bass. “Tunes We Like” was produced as the first in a series of instrumental recordings. Released at the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas, Sept 2017, and represents a returning interest in analog processes. Betse & Clarke will continue this model, with plans to record next on analog reel-to-reel tape for the next release in the series. The music may see an online release and digital distribution, but the plan is that all physical copies will be in analog format. Recorded by Wyatt live with no overdubs at home in KCMO, the instrumental collection highlights traditional Ozark tunes, learned from early string band recordings of the 1920s and from later Ozark heroes such as Bob Holt and soon to be 101 year old Violet Hensley. Betse & Clarke are a traditional and future folk duo with Betse Ellis on fiddles, violins, viola & vocals and Clarke Wyatt on banjos, guitar, cello, multi-instruments. Betse & Clarke have played and toured around the world. Individually their musical roots go deep in the KC music scene. Clarke Wyatt is a founding member of Mr. Marco’s V7, and Betse Ellis is a founding member of The Wilders. Last year Betse & Clarke released ”River Still Rise,” originals and reworked traditional compositions presented “to be enjoyed as a musical adventure, much like the river exploration of the famous duo Lewis & Clark, an inspiration for the band’s name.”]

[Betse & Clarke play at: Oh Me, Oh My, How The Times Does Fly: An 80th Birthday Tribute to John Hartford, Sat., Dec. 30. at 8 PM, The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO]

[Betse Ellis is also part of The Band That Fell To Earth – A Tribute to David Bowie, The Third Annual, on Saturday, January 6, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Ave, KCMO]

6. (25.) The Country Duo – “Picking Up The Pieces”
from: Live At Sun Studio / The Country Duo / September 1, 2017
[Recorded live at Sun Studio, Memphis TN on August 14, 2016 for the Sun Studio Sessions television show as seen on PBS across the United States. All songs written by Kasey Rausch on vocals & acoustic guitar, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel & baritone guitars. Engineered by Curry Weber, assisted by Ples Hampton at Sun Studio. Mixed by Paul Malinowski, Mastered by Chad Meise at Massive Sound, KCMO. Kasey Rausch is one of the first musicians to play live on WMM. She is a 5th generation musician, songwriter and co-producer of River Trade Radio on KKFI 90.1FM. Her family and musical roots can be found in Parkville, Kansas City, the Missouri Ozarks, Winfield, Kansas, and deep Southeast Texas. Her third album, Guitar in Hand debuted at #3 on the Roots Music Reporting charts and was voted one of the top three albums of the year by readers of The Pitch. She was named 2013’s Female Performer of the Year by The Farmer’s Turnpike on KMXN 92.9 FM. Marco Pascolini grew up in a family of artists. His parents were both artists at Hallmark. For more than twenty years Marco Pascolini has built a musical reputation as one of the most well-respected musicians in Kansas City playing in the bands Scott Hrabko and the Rabbits, Folkicide, Dead Voices, Mr. Marco’s V7, Expassionates, the Brannock Device, Snakebite Orphans, the Fred Wickham band, with Kasey Rausch in The Naughty Pines. Marco is also a graphic artist and has desonged multiple album covers and sleve designs including the new Victor & Penny 7″ Single.] [The Country Duo joined us on WMM on November 15.]

7. (24.) Mess – “soak”
from: heartswithholes / Mess / August 12, 2017
[KC based band formed by: Allison Gliesman, Kevin Briody, Tanner Pinkerton & Evan Velasquez. Recorded in Edwardsville, Illinois at Bird Cloud Recording. Production & recording by Ryan Wasoba. Mastering by Joel Hatstat in Athens, GA.] [Mess played Crossroads Music Fest, Sept. 9 on KCPT Stage at The Living Room.]

10:27 – Underwriting

8. (23.) Julien Baker – “Turn Out The Lights”
from: Turn Out The Lights / Matador / October 27, 2017
[2nd solo release from Julien Rose Baker, born Sept 29, 1995. She is a singer & guitarist from Memphis, TN. She released her debut studio album, Sprained Ankle, in 2015. In 2010, Baker cofounded a band called The Star Killers, which renamed itself Forrister in 2015. During her freshman year at MTSU, Baker began writing songs on her own, often in the university practice rooms late at night. With a friend, Michael Hegner, she recorded an EP at Spacebomb Studios, self-released in the winter of 2014 on Bandcamp which became the studio album Sprained Ankle, in October 2015. Sprained Ankle topped many 2015 end-of-the-year lists and its success led to features in The New Yorker and The New York Times. On March 7, 2016 she performed on an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert where she referenced a new song called Sad Song #11, later released as “Funeral Pyre” with “Distant Solar Systems” as the b-side. Baker has opened for Death Cab for Cutie, Conor Oberst, The Decemberists, Belle & Sebastian, and Paramore. In 2017 she signed to Matador Records. Turn Out the Lights, was recorded at TN’s Ardent Studios with help from Sorority Noise’s Cameron Boucher.]

9. (22.) Valerie June – “Shakedown”
from: The Order of Time / June Time – Concord Music / March 10, 2017
[Valerie June Hockett (born January 10, 1982), known as Valerie June, is an Americana singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Her sound encompasses a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. June was the oldest of five children. As a child growing up in Humboldt, June was exposed to gospel music at her local church and R&B and soul music via her father. As a teenager, her first job was with her father – a promoter for gospel singers and Prince, K-Ci & JoJo, and Bobby Womack – helping him hang posters in town. June relocated to Memphis in 2000 and began recording and performing at the age of 19, initially with her then-husband Michael Joyner, in the duo Bella Sun. After her marriage ended she began working as a solo artist, combining blues, gospel and Appalachian folk, in a style that she describes as “organic moonshine roots music”, and learning guitar, banjo, and lap-steel guitar. She became associated with the Memphis-based Broken String Collective. After self-releasing three albums, her debut album as a signed artist, Pushin’ Against a Stone, was released in the UK and Europe through Sunday Best Recordings on May 6, 2013, and through Concord Music Group in August 2013. The album includes several songs co-written with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who co-produced it with Kevin Augunas. The album was so titled to commemorate the story of her life. June said “I feel I’ve spent my life pushing against a stone. And the jobs I’ve had have been fitting for getting a true feel for how the traditional artists I loved came home after a hard day to sit on the porch and play tunes until bedtime.” The record includes performances by Booker T. Jones, who co-wrote one of the songs contained on the album.]

10. (21.) Perfume Genius – “Slip Away”
from: No Shape / Matador / May 5, 2017
[1st single from 4th album . Perfume Genius, is the stage name for Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas who was born in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington. Hadreas studied painting in school and took piano lessons as a child. His mother was a special education teacher,and is now an assistant principal at a middle school. His parents divorced when he was a teenager. Growing up, Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats which were not addressed by the administration. He dropped out of high school during his senior year. Two years after dropping out, he was attacked by several young men in his neighborhood. He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village. In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music. In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, and thus began his music career. Hadreas’s music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn’s disease, domestic abuse, and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society. No Shape was produced by Blake Mills (Fiona Apple. John Legend, Alabama Shakes). The album was praised by critics. Pitchfork awarded it an 8.8 and named it “Best New Album”, deeming it “his most realized album yet, a tender and transcendental protest record of love and devotion.” The Guardian commented that “No Shape sounds like a unique talent coming into full bloom.”] [Perfume Genius played Starlight Theatre, October 10, opening for The xx]

11. (20.) Jay Som – “The Bus Song”
from: Everybody Works / Polyvinyl Records / March 10, 2017
[from http://www.jaysom.bandcamp.com: The proper album as Jay Som, Melina Duterte, 22. If last year’s aptly named, Turn Into Compilation showcased a fuzz-loving artist in flux, chronicling her mission to master bedroom recording, then the rising Oakland star’s latest, Everybody Works, is the LP equivalent of mission accomplished. Duterte is as DIY as ever, writing, recording, playing, & producing every sound beyond a few backing vocal, but she takes us places we never could have imagined, wedding lo-fi rock to hi-fi home orchestration, & weaving evocative autobiographical poetry into energetic punk, electrified folk, and dreamy alt-funk. And while Duterte’s early stuff found her bucking against life’s lows, Everybody Works is about turning that angst into fuel for forging ahead. “Last time I was angry at the world,” she says. “This is a note to myself: everybody’s trying their best on their own set of problems & goals. We’re all working for something.” Everybody Works was made in three furious, caffeinated weeks in October. She came home from the road, moved into a new apartment, set up her bedroom studio (with room for a bed this time) and dove in. Duterte even ditched most of her demos, writing half the LP on the spot and making lushly composed pieces like “Lipstick Stains” all the more impressive. While the guitar-grinding Jay Som we first fell in love with still reigns on shoegazey shredders like “1 Billion Dogs” and in the melodic distortions of “Take It,” we also get the sublimely spacious synth-pop beauty of “Remain,” and the luxe, proggy funk of “One More Time, Please.” Duterte’s production approach was inspired by the complexity of Tame Impala, the simplicity of Yo La Tengo, and the messiness of Pixies. “Also, I was listening to a lot of Carly Rae Jepsen to be quite honest,” she says. “Her E•MO•TION album actually inspired a lot of the sounds on Everybody Works.” There’s story in the sounds—even in the fact that Duterte’s voice is more present than before. As for the lyrics, our host leaves the meaning to us. So if we can interpret, there’s a bit about the aspirational and fleeting nature of love in the opener, and the oddity of turning your art into job on the titular track. There’s even one tune, “The Bus Song,” that seems to be written as a dialog between two kids, although it plays like vintage Broken Social Scene and likely has more to do with yearning for things out of reach. While there’s no obvious politics here, Duterte says witnessing the challenges facing women, people of color, and the queer community lit a fire. And when you reach the end of Everybody Works, “For Light,” you’ll find a mantra suitable for anyone trying, as Duterte says, “to find your peace even if it’s not perfect.” As her trusty trumpet blows, she sings: “I’ll be right on time, open blinds for light, won’t forget to climb.”]

12. (19.) Momma’s Boy – “Sleepin'”
from: Liquid Courage / Independent / February 25, 2017
[Momma’s Boy, an Indie Surf Pop 4-piece band from KCMO, formed December 2015, and made up of former members of Rev Gusto: Peter Beatty on guitar & vocals, Shaun Crowley on guitar & vocals, Quinn Hernandez on drums, and Jared Bajkowski on bass. Recorded at Element Recording Studios with Joel Nanos. First known for throwing house shows at The Shawnee Manor with local and national acts including Hinds and Glass Animals, Momma’s Boy is leaving the basement to spread their tunes across the Midwest.] [Momma’s Boy released their debut EP, February 25, at 7:00 PM at The Tank Room, with Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type, and Scruffy & the Janitors.] [Momma’s Boy joined us on WMM on February 22.]

13. (18.) The xx – “On Hold”
from: I See You / Young Turks Recordings / January 13, 2017
[3rd studio album by indie pop band The xx, formed in 2005 in Wandsworth, London. Members met whilst studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial, Four Tet, and Pierce Brosnan. Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft started the band as a duo when they were 15 with Jamie Smith joining in 2006. I See You is the follow-up to their sophomore album Coexist, and is their first release in more than four years. Produced by Rodaidh McDonald and Jamie xx, who released his solo debut In Colour, May 2015. The band has stated that the record has a more distinctive sound and a more positive, open and “expansive” concept than the previous two albums.][The xx played Starlight Theatre Oct 3, with Perfume Genius.]

14. (17.) Hermon Mehari– “Cold (Feat. Kevin Johnson”
from: Bleu / Unlabeled Publishing / March 17, 2017
[Debut solo release from Kansas City based jazz trumpeter. Hermon Mehari featuring
Logan Richardson on saxophone, Aaron Parks on piano, Peter Schlamb on vibraphone, Rick Rosato on bass, Ryan J. Lee on drums, and a guest appearance by Kevin M. Johnson on vocals. Hermon Mehari grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, home of Lincoln University. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Missouri – Kansas City Music Conservatory. In 2015 he finished first, at the prestigious Carmine Carusa International Jazz Trumpet Competition at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Texas. Hermon was a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. In 2014 he released the CD “Our Journey” with Diverse, which was recorded in Paris featuring Logan Richardson on alto saxophone. Hermon was also the winner of the 2008 National Trumpet Competiton and placed second in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. He splits his time between touring and playing all over the world and creative projects in Kansas City. Hermon has collaborated with Cat Mahari on BAM! the Workshop, he is also a founding member of Diverse Jazz, Diverse Trio, and The Buhs. He also plays with Peter Schlamb, Making Movies, John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons. Hermon was featured on the world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson’s 2013 release, “Check Cashing Day”. More information at: http://www.hermonmehari.com] [Hermon Mehari featuring Peter Schlamb played the 1900 Building, at 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, April 19.]

[Hermon Mehari plays CA VA, 4149 Pennsylvania Ave, KCMO at 9:00pm, Thursday, December 28.]

15. (16.) Moses Sumney – “Make Out In My Car”
from: Aromanticism / Jagjaguwar / September 22, 2017
[Debut studio full length album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. It is a concept album about “lovelessness as a sonic dreamscape” that “seeks to interrogate the idea that romance is normative and necessary.” The record was written and produced by Sumney, with assistance from numerous musicians. Moses Frimpong Sumney was born May 19, 1990 in San Bernardino, California to Ghanaian parents. He moved with his family back to Ghana at the age of 10. Sumney described his childhood as “Americanized” by this age and had difficulty adjusting to the culture of Ghana. He did not learn to play any instruments until he was older, writing a cappella music for years instead. Sumney did not perform his musical compositions publicly until he was 20.[1] He attended the University of California, Los Angeles. He is based in Los Angeles, California. His self recorded debut EP, Mid-City Island, was released in 2014 and self recorded onto a 4-track recorder given to him by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. The EP was described by Pitchfork as “primarily composed of first-takes and improvisation; the music is stirring but purposefully incomplete”. Sumney has performed as an opening act for Solange, Sufjan Stevens, and Erykah Badu. Sumney released another 5-song EP in 2016, titled Lamentations which featured a guest appearance from Thundercat.]

10:58 – Station ID

16. (15.) The Roseline – “How To Be Kind”
from: Blood / King Forward Revords / September 29, 2017
[From the 5th album of the 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 includes: Colin Halliburton on guitar & vocals; Heidi Gluck on bass & vocals, Ehren Starks on keyboards, Kris Losure on guitar, Jeff Jackson on pedal steel & guitar, and Jim Piller on drums. Roseline released their last album, Townie, on June 19, 2015. More info at: http://www.roselinemusic.com] [The Roseline played an Album Release Show, October 5, at The Brick, with Chase the Horseman, and Justin Klaas.]

17. (14.) Emmaline Twist – “Desperate Measures”
from: Dissimulation 1 EP / Emmaline Twist / October 23, 2017
[Emmaline Twist, Kansas City’s Darkwave / Post-Punk / Shoegaze project have released “Dissimulation 1” : four songs in digital format, their first since last year’s release of “Vega” b/w “Moon Eyes”. Meredith McGrade on vocals & guitar, Kristin Conkright on bass, Jonathan Knecht on drums, and Krysztof Nemeth on baritone Guitar. Recorded, Mixed, and Produced at Massive Sound by Paul Malinowski, and Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering, these four songs showcase the dark and driving nature of the Emmaline Twist sound, complete with all the mood and texture that the band has crafted through their live performances. Matched with compelling cover-art created by Amy Abshier, “Dissimulation 1” is perfect for nighttime drives, cloudy skies, and battle cries. More info at: https://emmalinetwist.bandcamp.com/%5D

[Members of Emmaline Twist, and Black Water join together as FAC 816 to play the Sonic Spectrum TributeSeries to New Order, Thursday, December 28, at recordbar 1520 Grand, with Calvin Arsenia, Mysterious Clouds, Pageant Boys, Sinple, and Vacay Vay.]

18. (13.) LCD Soundsystem – “change yr mind”
from: american dream / DFA – Columbia / September 1, 2017
[4th studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem, released on September 1, 2017 through DFA and Columbia. It was first announced on January 5, 2016, the day after it was revealed that the band was reuniting after a disbandment lasting nearly five years. It is the band’s first album in seven years, following This Is Happening (2010). Prior to release, LCD Soundsystem performed at large music festivals as well as smaller shows to promote their reunion. “Call the Police” and “American Dream” were released together as the album’s lead single on May 5, 2017, and “Tonite” was released as the second single on August 16, 2017. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics. The album performed well commercially and became the band’s first number-one album in the United States.]

19. (12.) Truckstop Honeymoon – “L.P.”
from: Big Things and Little Things / S. West & M. West / January 6, 2017
[Katie West & Mike West are based in Lawrence, KS, and were relocated here after Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of their home. Hollering with all their hearts over a five string banjo and a doghouse bass, Truckstop Honeymoon live the life they sing about. Touring across three continents with four kids and a truck load of songs, Katie and Mike West tell stories about the strangeness of everyday life. Their music combines elements of bluegrass, music hall jazz and straight up rock’n’roll. Vaudevillian wit and showmanship spike their energetic live shows, while the fearless honesty of their songs touches the hearts of listners around the world. In eleven years Truckstop Honeymoon have released eight CDs and a full length documentary film on Baton Rouge label, Squirrel Records. They perform at International folk festivals, rock clubs, neighborhood bars, house concerts and hay barns from Nebraska to Tasmania. Truckstop Honeymoon’s story begins in New Orleans, where Katie played wash-tub bass and blues piano in the streets of the French Quarter. There she met Mike, who slung a banjo and sold his CDs to tourists as a curative for hangovers and small mindedness. After a court house wedding, they hit the road together. They spent their wedding night in a truckstop somewhere between Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Swamp, where Truckstop Honeymoon was born. More info at: http://www.truckstophoneymoon.com.]

20. (11.) Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “Matter of Time”
from: Soul of a Woman / Daptone Records / November 17, 2017
[6th and last studio album. In November 2016, Sharon Jones suffered a stroke while watching the 2016 United States presidential election results and another the following day. Jones remained alert and lucid during the initial period of her hospital stay, jokingly claiming that the news of Donald Trump’s victory was responsible for her stroke. She died on November 18, 2016, in Cooperstown, New York, aged 60. Sharon Lafaye Jones was born May 4, 1956 and died this year on November 18, 2016. She was an American soul and funk singer. Although she collaborated with Lou Reed, David Byrne and others, she is best known as lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success relatively late in life, releasing her first record when she was 40 years old. In 2014, Jones was nominated for her first Grammy, in the category Best R&B Album, for Give the People What They Want. Jones was born in Augusta, Georgia, the daughter of Ella Mae Price Jones and Charlie Jones, living in adjacent North Augusta, South Carolina. Jones was the youngest of six children; her siblings are Dora, Charles, Ike, Willa and Henry. Jones’s mother raised her deceased sister’s four children as well as her own. She moved the family to New York City when Sharon was a young child. As children, she and her brothers would often imitate the singing and dancing of James Brown. Her mother happened to know Brown, who was also from Augusta.Jones grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. In 1975, she graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn. She attended Brooklyn College. A regular gospel singer in church, Jones often entered talent shows backed by local funk bands in the early 1970s. Session work then continued with backing vocals, often credited to Lafaye Jones, but in the absence of any recording contract as a solo singer, she spent many years working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo, until receiving a mid-life career break in 1996 after she appeared on a session backing the soul and deep funk legend Lee Fields. Sharon Jones was part of the very beginning of Daptone Records Daptone Records’ first release was a full-length album by Sharon Jones. A new band, the Dap-Kings, was formed from the former members of the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials. Some of the musicians went on to record for Lehman’s Soul Fire label, while some formed the Budos Band, an Afro-beat band. From the original Soul Providers, Roth (also known as Bosco Mann) on bass, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpet player Anda Szilagyi and organist Earl Maxton were joined by original Mighty Imperials saxophonist Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss, plus Neal Sugarman from Sugarman 3, to form The Dap-Kings. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, then released the album Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in May of 2002, for which they received immediate attention and acclaim from enthusiasts, DJs and collectors. Next they released, Naturally (2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007), I Learned the Hard Way (2010), and Give the People What They Want (2014). They are seen by many as the spearhead of a revival of soul and funk.]

21. (10.) Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits – “A Thrill of My Own”
from: Summer / Scott Hrabko / June 23, 2017
[3rd full length album release and follow up to his 2015 release Biscuits and Gravity. Scott Hrabko on vocals & guitar; Marco Pascolini on pedal steel, lap steel, and baritone guitar; Fred Wickham on lead guitar; Josh Arnold on bass & vocals; and Tim Higgins on drums, with guest artists: Brett Hodges on fiddle, Havilah Bruders on vocals, Dan Bliss on guitar, Mikal Shapiro on vocals, Chad Brothers on guitar & vocals, Bart Colliver on piano and accordian, and Kevin Dolan on mandolin. Recorded in part and mixed in full by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound. Singer-songwriter Scott Hrabko has played with Kansas City’s oldest garage band, The Original Sinners, as well as various incarnations of the 1980s bands: The Splinters, and The Andersons. In the 1990s he performed as a solo artist in coffee houses with Iris Dement and Howard Eisberg. Scott Hrabko’s 2014 critically acclaimed solo release, “Gone Places” was said to be 30 years in the making.]
[Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits played a CD Release Show, Friday, June 23 at 7:00 PM at The Brick.] [Scott Hrabko joined us on WMM on June 14.]

22. (9.) Samantha Fish – “Belle of The West”
from: Belle of The West / Ruf Records / November 3, 2017
[Samantha Fish’s second full-length release within eight months, and her sixth since debuting in 2009. Produced by Luther Dickinson. Growing up in Kansas City, Samantha Fish switched from drums to guitar at the tender age of 15. She spent much of her time in local watering holes listening to visiting blues bands. Samantha caught the attention of Ruf Records who released her album, Girls with Guitars, which found her co-billed with Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde. That led to her forming her own trio and recording three more albums, Runaway (2011), Black Wind Howlin’ (2013) and Wild Heart (2015). She was awarded, Best Artist Debut at the 2012 Blues Music Awards in Memphis. In March of 2017 Fish released: Chills & Fever, where she traveled to Detroit to collaborate with members of the Detroit Cobras, a band popular in the Midwest punk/blues scene. The collaboration included Joe Mazzola on guitar, Steve Nawara on bass, Kenny Tudrick with Bob Mervak on keys, and Mark Levron and Travis Blotsky on trumpet and saxophone. The band covers songs from Jackie DeShannon, Jerry Ragavoy, Bert Berns and Allen Toussaint while also revisiting some earlier demos she cut along with producer Bobby Harlow.]

[Samantha Fish plays Knuckleheads Saloon, Sunday, December 31, at 9:00 PM]

11:27 – Underwriting

23. (8.) Berwanger – “The Star Invaders”
from: Berwanger and The Star Invaders / Berwanger / October 28, 2017
[Recorded in Norman, OK at Blackwatch Studios. This record features musicians from The Anniversary, Pink, Cher, Limbeck, the Flaming Lips, & Broncho. Josh wrote the songs for this record after witnessing UFO’s on family vacation 2 years ago. The songs for this record can almost make a trilogy collection including his 2 previous records, and bridge the gap nicely between his earlier bands, The Anniversary and The Only Children. Josh Berwanger on guitar & vocals, Ricky Salthouse on guitar & vocals, Eva Gardner on bass, Jonny Phillip on drums & cymbals & percussion, Matt Duckworth on percussion, and Penny Pitchlynn on backing vocals. Josh Berwanger was in The Anniversary, a Kansas band that released, 2000’s Designing a Nervous Breakdown & 2002’s Your Majesty and sold over 100,000 records before breaking up on tour in Japan. The band recently reunited for new shows and a tour this year. Berwanger was also in the band, The Only Children, and released, 2004’s Change of Living & 2007’s Keeper of Youth. When Keeper of Touth ended Josh Berwanger took a break and became a high school basketball coach. In the 2012 Josh formed the Josh Berwanger band. Berwanger released the EP Demonios November 11, 2016.]

24. (7.) Andrew Foshee – “Thunderstorm”
from: Strange Relations / Andrew Foshee / October 31, 2017
[Andrew Foshee on acoustic guitar, vocals, sampling, keys; Jon Estes on classical guitar, electric guitar, standup bass, piano, keys, percussion, string arrangements; Jeremy Fetzer on electric guitar, acoustic guitar; Jack Lawrence on bass guitar; Dave Racine on drums, percussion; Alexis Saski on backing vocals; Jem Cohen on backing vocals; Molly Parden on backing vocals; Liz Estes on viola, violin; Amy Helman on viola, violin; Eduardo DuQuesne on words of encouragement. Produced, engineered and mixed by Andrija Tokic
At The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. Mastered by John Baldwin At John Baldwin Mastering in Nashville, TN. Additional production and sequencing done by Andrew At Ye Ol’ Basement Studio in Kansas City, MO. Cover art by Mariano Peccinetti. Andrew Foshee is a songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. His knack for cinematic home recordings has lead to several song placements in tv and new media. Earlier this year he teamed up with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker) and a high clergy of guest musicians at Tokic’s Nashville studio, The Bomb Shelter, to fully realize his latest project. More info at: http://www.andrewfoshee.com] [Andrew Foshee joined us on WMM on November 1.]

25. (6.) Kemet the Phantom – “Suite Life (Master Clean)”
from: The Invisible Man / Center of Attention / March 9, 2017
[Kemet Coleman is Kemet the Phantom, a Kansas City based musicians who calls himself a rap Artist, actor, and Urbanist. Kemet is a member of the Hip-Hop duo COA (Center of Attention) and is the lead singer of the 8-member Funk/Rap/Soul band The Phantastics. Kemet, shines as a complete showman embracing a James Brown-esque persona via syncopated vocals, rhythmic dance moves and dapper costume style. Kemet the Phantom is a two time Pitch Music Award nominee for “Best Hip-Hop Act.” Kemet created the first ever Kansas City mayoral candidate rap song for the Sly James for Mayor campaign in 2010. A University of Missouri – Kansas City alumnus, Kemet, created “Gold and Blue” for UMKC’s sports teams, which has garnered thousands of plays on YouTube and has been featured on prime-time television commercials for the university. More information at: http://www.kemetthephantom.com.] [Kemet The Phantom played Brass & Boujee, October 6, at Ruins Pub, with Marcus Lewis presenting, big band arrangements of Kemet and Kadesh’s original material for his 18-piece jazz ensemble] [Kemet joined us on WMM on October 4.]

26. (5.) Mysterious Clouds – “Schrif moves slowly at 8”
from: Panic on the Non Meridian / Haymaker Records / May 26, 2017
[For this release the band writes: “Crazy times call for crazy music. Panic is a reflection of the turmoil in our hearts, minds, and country. Sometimes you have to embrace the wild times to get a clear mental picture of how to make thing better.” Mysterious Clouds is one of the musical projects of Kansas City, Kansas based post-punk psychedelic musical artists, Dedric Moore and Delaney Moore and special guests. The brothers are also founders of the critically acclaimed band Monta At Odds. Mysterious Clouds also released the EP, Clear Reflection, February 3, 2017. Their song “Clear Reflection” was also include ion the Haymakers records compilation, Fairgounds Vol. 2 Released March 24, 2017.] [Mysterious Clouds played Outer Reaches Fest, Friday Sept. 29, at recordBar.] [Dedric Moore joined us on WMM on September 27.]

[Mysterious Clouds play the Sonic Spectrum Tribute Series to New Order, Thursday, December 28, at recordBar 1520 Grand, with Calvin Arsenia, Pageant Boys, Sinple, and Vacay Vay, and FAC 816 featuring members of Emmaline Twist, and Black Water.]

27. (4.) Katy Guillen and The Girls – “Humbucker”
from: Remember What You Knew Before / KG & The Girls / November 11, 2017
[For this new album the band worked with producer Lennon Bone. The band reworked songs from the 2012 album Katy & Go-Go, the 2014 Katy & The Girls eponymous debut album, and from 2016’s “Heavy Days” with one new song. Katy Guillen and The Girls, were formed in September of 2012 in Kansas City. The blues influenced roots rock trio is made up of Katy Guillen on guitar & vocals, Claire Adams on bass & vocals, & Stephanie Williams on drums.] [Katy Guillen & The Girls joined us on WMM on November 8.]

[Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams are part of The Band That Fell To Earth – A Tribute to David Bowie, The Third Annual, on Saturday, January 6, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, Ave, KCMO]

28. (3.) Calvin Arsenia – “Experience”
from: Catastrophe / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017
[Calvin Arsenia premiered these songs in a live show at recordBar in November 2016 in a stage show that involved a cpmpany of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers, special lighting, back up singers, guest artists. 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. Standing at 6 foot 6 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. Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Calvin recently returned home from a three month US/European Outlyre Tour where he has played San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerlnd, Lyon and Paris. in over 40 shows, with musician and friend Simon Huntley who plays with Quixotic. Calvin is working to release new music from Calvin’s June 11th, Live Recording at Kansas City’s newly restored Greenwood Social Hall, at 1750 Bellevue Ave. in KC. ] [Calvin Arsenia played 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 Cedarquis-Brewington, BJ McBride, Michael McQuary, Janet Henry, Ryan Wilks, and Nico Gray.] [Calvin Arsenia was on WMM on Feb. 15, April 12, Sept. 20, and Oct. 25 and we’ve played his music on 17 shows this year.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays the Sonic Spectrum Tribute Series to New Order, Thursday, December 28, at recordbar 1520 Grand, with Mysterious Clouds, Pageant Boys, Sinple, and Vacay Vay, and FAC 816 featuring members of Emmaline Twist, and Black Water.]

29. (2.) Making Movies – “Spinning Out”
from: I Am Another You / Making Movies / May 26, 2017
[3rd full length release: from Kansas City based 4-piece band and made up of two sets of brothers: Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and Andres Chaurand on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and Kansas City, Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Making Movies is kicking off their 22-date Immigrants Are Beautiful Tour, a celebration of solidarity in the face of fear-mongering and hate. Frontman Enrique Chi shared, “It’s time to realize we are all part of this continuum, this beautifully flawed human race that has migrated from every continent to bring us all the beauty we enjoy today.” The band’s social statement is straightforward enough that they can express it in four words: “We Are All Immigrants.” In supporting that cause, a portion of all proceeds from the album and tour go to the National Immigration Law Center. Enrique Chi, singer-songwriter in Making Movies describes, “since making the album, the tides have shifted and the underbelly of systematic racism has reared its ugly head. It is no longer time to be silent is time for us to raise our voices.” The quartet has toured with Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation, Cold War Kids, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Tennis, Sergio Mendoza of Calexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Hurray for the Riff Raff.] [Making Movies played I Am Another You Experience at Knuckleheads, Saturday, December 2, at 8 PM at Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester St, KCMO, with: Making Movies, The Elders, Jim Suptic (of the Get Up Kids), Bob Walkenhorst (of The Rainmakers), The Nace Brothers, Anthony Ladesich (The Hardship Letters), Hi-Lux, Wick (of Wick and the Tricks), Rory Cameron (of the Whiffs), and Quixotic.]

30.(1.) Krystle Warren – “Get A Load”
from: Three The Hard Way / Parlour Door Music / August 18, 2017
[Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane (D’Angelo, Emily King, PJ Morton). Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. In 2016 Krystle Warren premiered this song and her other new songs from this album at the Middle of the Map Fest in a packed room at Californos in Westport and later at The Polsky Theatre for the Performing Arts Series of Johnson County Community College. For this record Krystle decided to play every instrument and perform all vocals & back up vocals, “playing bass, drums, lap steel, piano, guitar, and vocals directly to analog tape. She and Ben Kane recorded in Villetaneuse, France, a small town on the outskirts of Paris in a vintage ’70s era studio that offered just the right, rich sound to suggest the musical foundation for the record, and to do justice to the duo’s carefully balanced arrangements.” On the radio show last year Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones. Originally from KC, Krystle learned to play the guitar by listening to Rubber Soul & Revolver from The Beatles. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career in collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After living in San Francisco and NYC, Krystle was signed to a French label, Because Music, and moved to Paris to release “Circles” in 2009. Krystle played French and British television programs, including Later with Jools Holland, garnering critical acclaim and traveling all over the world with Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Norah Jones, and Joan As Police Woman. Krystle created, Parlour Door Music, to release “Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace” a recording from a 13-day session in Brooklyn, where she recorded 24 songs live with 28 musicians including her band, The Faculty, alongside choirs, horn and string sections.] [Krystle Warren was on WMM on September 20. We played her music on 12 different shows this year.]

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

Next week, on January 3, Wednesday MidDay Medley celebrates Iris DeMent, born January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, Arkansas. She was the youngest of 14 children. We’ll feature music from all six of Iris DeMent’s full length recordings, plus her additional work with artists such as her husband, Greg Brown, and also: John Prine, John Emmylou Harris, and others.

Also next week, in our second hour, we celebrate David Bowie with special guest Michelle Bacon producer of The Band That Fell To Earth: A Tribute to David Bowie, Saturday, January 6, at the recordBar

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

Show #714