#962 – October 5, 2022 Playlist | Wednesday MidDay Medley

Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

FANNY: The first, and all-time best, all-girl rock band + Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, & Lisa McKenzie of Cher U.K.

“Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]

Other Americans – “I Don’t Want To Be This”
from: Last Dance / Gran Calavera Records / October 10, 2022
[New album from Kansas City Super Group Other Americans released Paraniod Fiction on Gran Calavera Records on February 9, 2021. They released their 8-song EP OA2 on October 19, 2019. O.A. released their debut EP, Other Americans on June 29, 2018. Julie Berndsen on lead vocals, Adam Phillips on drums, Brandon Phillips on guitar, Michelle Bacon on bass. Produced by Brandon Philllips. Engineered by Joel Nanos. Recorded at Element Recording Studios in KC. . Hailing from KCMO and Lawrence, KS, the electro-alternative OTHER AMERICANS are comprised of members of The Architects, Latenight Callers, Frogpond, Radar State and Brandon Phillips and The Condition. The band first appeared on the scene in 2018 with a self-titled debut EP and a dynamic and explosive live show that combined 120 Minutes-inspired alterna-classicism with infectious, electro danceability. Other Americans is a virtual Midwestern supergroup. The cohorts first crossed paths in when a mutual friend and matchmaker introduced Brandon Phillips to vocalist Julie Berndsen “We were all looking for something new to do musically, recalls Brandon. “The way I remember it, a mutual friend (KC music producer Joel Nanos) told me that Julie was looking to start something new and I sent her a note about it. We had tacos to see if we liked each other.”]

Katy Guillen & The Drive – “Set In Stone”
from: ANOTHER ONE GAINED / Katy Guillen / August 19, 2022
[This was the first single from ANOTHER ONE GAINED the new album from Katy Guillen & The Drive produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles. This is brimming with vibrant textures, fuzzy electric guitars, and warm vocals. “Set In Stone” marked the beginning of a major life transition for Katy Guillen (pronounced Ghee-En). Written shortly after her longtime band announced their final show, she was struggling to find the next step in her career and personal life, while longing for a past sense of stability. “The song’s vigorous structure and deliberate rhythms convey that feeling of defeat and darkness, but with a sense of resolution and surrender through the guitar solo – a favorite moment on the record for me,” explains Katy. “While it started on shaky ground, coming out on the other side meant starting over and building something new.” ANOTHER ONE GAINED is a memoir of growth and reawakening by way of heart-wrenching transition and change – loss of her long-time band, end of a romantic relationship and finding herself amidst it all. “Set In Stone” premiered earlier on Guitar Girl Magazine. Katy Guillen & The Drive – Katy Gillen (drums) and Stephanie William (drums) – dropped their first EP, Dream Girl, right before the 2020 lockdown, leaving them without opportunities to perform live. In their basement rehearsal space, they spent the year learning home recording and pre-production techniques, gradually crafting a collection of songs from the ground up. The following April, they took the demos to producer/engineer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles. From their work with Ratterman emerged a batch of 15 songs. At the end of 2021, the band released the four-track Battles EP, offering listeners a darker, more simmering edge to their impelling indie-rock sound. Ten more would comprise Another One Gained, the full-length debut due August 19, 2022. Previously Katy Guillen & The Drive released BATTLES EP on December 17, 2021, Recorded at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles, CA. Engineered and mixed by Kevin Ratterman. Produced by Kevin Ratterman, Katy Guillen, and Stephanie Williams. Mastered by Shelley Anderson at Black Lab Mastering in Louisville, KY. All songs written by Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams. Katy Guillen on vocals, guitar, bass, & keyboarda. Stephanie Williams on drums & percussion. Additional keys and programming by Kevin Ratterman. Album design and photography by Morgan Jones. This is a follow up to Katy Guillen & The Drive’s 7-song EP, DREAM GIRL, released March 20, 2020. Katy Guillen & The Drive, is a project dedicated to Guillen’s songwriting that is founded on the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen & Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar & vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls. In 2012, Guillen & Williams formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums: Katy Guillen & the Girls, Heavy Days, and Remember What You Knew Before. Between 2012 and 2018, they traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards. In these 6 years playing together, Guillen & Williams created a dynamic, sound informed by Guillen’s mesmerizing, emotive guitar style and poignant arrangements, and an equally captivating live show that showcased Williams’ technical, melodic style, resulting in a powerful on-stage chemistry. In addition to the compelling synergy formed by years of playing together, the two developed a method of working together on Guillen’s songs that only deepened their artistic connection, propelling them to forge a path to a new plateau in their music. KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of the artist’s rock ‘n’ roll and blues roots. Katy Guillen joined us on WMM on March 18, 2020. More info at: http://www.katyguillenmusic.com]

[Katy Guillen & The Drive open for FANNY for their one-night-only reunion concert from Fanny+ (June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins) with at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Wednesday, October 5, Doors at 6:00 PM.]

Danger Mouse & Black Thought–”Aquamarine (feat. Michael Kiwanuka)
from: Cheat Codes / BMG / August 12, 2022
[‘Cheat Codes’, the collaborative debut album from Danger Mouse and Black Thought is out August 12 via BMG. In addition to Michael Kiwanuka, the record features Kid Sister, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Joey Bada$$, Russ, Conway the Machine and more. // Brian Joseph Burton was born July 29, 1977. He is known professionally as Danger Mouse is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z’s The Black Album with instrumentals from the Beatles’ The Beatles, also known as The White Album. In 2008, Esquire named him one of the “75 most influential people of the 21st century”. // He formed Gnarls Barkley with CeeLo Green and produced its albums St. Elsewhere and The Odd Couple. In 2009 he collaborated with James Mercer of the indie rock band The Shins to form the band Broken Bells. In addition, Burton worked with rapper MF Doom as Danger Doom and released the album The Mouse and the Mask. // As a producer Danger Mouse produced the second Gorillaz album, 2005’s Demon Days, as well as Beck’s 2008 record Modern Guilt and four albums with The Black Keys (Attack & Release, Brothers, El Camino and Turn Blue). In 2016, Danger Mouse produced, performed on and co-wrote songs for the eleventh studio album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers titled The Getaway. Danger Mouse has also produced and co-written albums by Norah Jones (Little Broken Hearts), Electric Guest (Mondo), Portugal. The Man (Evil Friends), Adele (25), and ASAP Rocky (At.Long.Last.ASAP). He has been nominated for 22 Grammy Awards and has won six. Danger Mouse has been nominated in the Producer of the Year category five times, and won the award in 2011. // Tarik Luqmaan Trotter was born October 3, 1973. He is better known as Black Thought, an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded as “one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time”, he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.]

Scruffy & the Janitors – “In The Witch’s House”
from: “In The Witch’s House” – Single / This Tall Records / October 1, 2022
[Formed in St Joseph, MO as a group of teenagers wanting to play Delta blues covers mixed with its own garage rock sound. A part of the rise of the local music scene in the 2010s, sharing bills with bands like Radkey, Dreamgirl and Eyelit, the band got a taste of fame with songs like “Shake It Off” and “Dirtleg” getting spins on Kansas City alt-rock radio. The band’s newest single “In The Witch’s House” is due to be released October 1, 2022. Band Member Teriq Newton told us that “The song is Volume 2 of our horror-themed, Grimm’s fairy tales inspired, single series which began in 2019 called Keepers of the Underdark, but you can just refer to the track as “In The Witch’s House”. The music was produced, mixed, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios.]

[Scruffy & the Janitors are playing this year’s Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, Oct. 15. More info at: http://www.kansascityzoo.org/brew-at-the-zoo%5D

Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul – “Haha”
from: Topical Dancer / Bounty & Banana – DEEWEE – Because Music / March 4, 2018
[Topical Dancer is a studio album by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul and co-written and produced by Soulwax. Released on 4 March 2022 under the label Deewee, Topical Dancer is Adigéry and Pupul’s debut album as a duo. // Pupul and Adigéry are both based in Belgium with shared heritage from Martinique, a French island. They first met while working for the soundtrack of Belgica, a 2016 Belgian drama, after being invited by Soulwax, who also co-written and produced this album. The album is influenced by experiences of racial discrimination and sexual abuse. In the album, Adigéry sings in English, Dutch, Creole, and French. The album features Charlotte Adigéry’s mother, Christiane Adigéry and was released under the label Deewee, which the duo previously released three EPs on. “Thank You” is the lead single of Topical Dancer and the second single is “Blenda”. “Blenda” was released on November 4, 2021 along with an announcement of the album and its release date. The first track of the album “Bel Deewee” is a field recording of Adigéry entering the Deewee recording complex, which is also where they recorded the album, and calling through the intercom. // On the review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, Topical Dancer received an average score of 85, based on six reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Emily Mackay of The Observer called the album “banging fusion of funk, house and techno”. Paul Simpson of AllMusic claimed the album was “catchiest and most danceable songs Adigéry and Pupul have written to date” and that the lyrics “offer a lot of food for thought”. Eric Torres of Pitchfork called the album “riveting” and reported that the album had a “roguish charm”. Jasper Willems wrote on Beats Per Minute that Topical Dancer is “spiritual palette cleanser as much as it is a physical one” and “a record for literally anyone”. In a review written for NME, reviewer Max Pilley claimed that the album “arrived bursting with positive energy”.]

[Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul played the Empty Bottle in Chicago on Sept. 19 at 8:00 PM]

Ivory Blue – “Starlit Love Child”
from: “Starlit Live Child’ – Single / Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing / October 28, 2022
[Ivory Blue signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing of Atlanta GA on August 18, 2021. This company is managing Ivory and handling all of their publishing. Ivory Blue released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on February 25, 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE Ivory served as songwriter, producer, vocalist and played all instruments with the exception of: Lester Estelle on drums, Klaartje Van Lue on piano, Craig Kew on bass, Lennon Bone on drums, and Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar. Nick Poortman served in mixing, with Kurt Festge who also served in mixing & Mastering. KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, Ivory Blue is currently in the studio putting together a new full length 10-song album called “Compound Love” for release in 2022. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music Festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library., and Kauffman Stadium. // Ivory Blue was born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, as Devin James Miclettet. Ivory’s birth mother put them up for adoption at the age of four. Ivory speaks about how it was difficult to find trust in people offering their home to someone denied it for so long, Ivory lived with eight different families. before running away at 15. // Ivory has talked with us about how in their life they have turned to music to express pain. Ivory spent most of their childhood looking for a family. In 2010 Klaartje Van Lue saw Ivory performing in a YouTube video and contacted them, flying them Ivory KC, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender. // As a multi-instrumentalist, Ivory began refining their performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving their solo shows the feel of a full band. In 2011, Ivory settled in Kansas City, MO and quickly began attracting an intense regional following for their strong vocals and incisive, deeply personal lyrics. // By 2013, IVORY BLUE was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’ was released. in 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017. Ivory entered NeXt2Rock, a nationwide talent search with over 1800 artists/bands who applied to find fresh and promising rock artists. The top 5 national bands battled it off for the win in Los Angeles CA at the legendary Viper Room, with judges Scott Borchetta (BMLG), John Varvatos (fashion designer), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox”), Desmond Child (Musician, producer), Chris Lord-Alge (producer), Ivory Blue won over the judges and became the grand prize winner! Ivory Ivory won the contest and a one-year record deal with BMLG who re-released the song Ready Get Set from the 2015 EP. Ivory’s 2018 re-release of ‘Ready Get Set’ undauntedly received National and International airplay within weeks. For their upcoming album, IVORY BLUE is producing all the tracks with the exception of Drums and Bass. Ivory is currently working with Lester Estelle (Drummer for Kelly Clarkson), Craig Kew (Bass) KC, Kurt Festge (Mastering | Citizen Kane & Vilent Femmes) NC. and Nick Poortman (LA based Los Angeles based Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Songwriter) Nick has worked alongside producers including Justin Gray, Gil Norton, Big Tank, and Greg Haver on sessions throughout the USA, UK, Europe, and New Zealand. // On August 18th 2021 Ivory Blue signed a publishing deal with Sound Ballistics Music & Publishing out of Atlanta GA. // Ivory released the singles: “Elite Dreamland,” on Feb. 17, 2021, “Half a Life” on Sept. 20, 2021. Ivory Blue released the video of “Family Table” directed by Mikal Shapiro, on August 21, 2021 and the audio track was released on September 7, 2021. Ivory Blue released the single “Good Changes” on Oct 26, 2021. Ivory Blue released the singles: “Heavy,” “Bad Weather,” “It Must Have Been Me,” “Compound Love,” and “The Start” on December 14, 2021. Ivory Blue joined us on WMM on November 10, September 15, and July 28, in 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic%5D

[Ivory Blue plays recordBar, recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Friday, October 7, at 7:00 PM with Steamboat Revival, and David Luther Band.]

10:29 – Underwriting

Cher U.K. – “College Song”
from: She’s A Weird Little Snack / Red Decibel Records / 1993
[ Mike McCoy on lead vocals and guitar, Heather Grehan on bass, Lisa McKenzie on drums. Recorded By Dave Pinsky and Jake Wisely. This is the Cher U.K. lineup that put out numerous singles, two Red Decibel albums and wreaked havoc on stages across the country. “We spent far too much time in a smelly van playing every show we could while getting paid far too little. But it was a great adventure filled with wild, fun times and a lot of laughs, and we met so many wonderful people along the way,” says bassist Heather Grehan. An early Red Decibel (Minneapolis record label) press kit described Cher U.K. as: “3-way pop punk with the better sex in the majority, and boy are they tight! Kansas City homies of Red Dec-mates Season To Risk, Cher U.K. got indie singles, two complete babes, and a writhing maniac that pleads for abuse while singing and bashing a Gibson like an 8-year-old conniption fit. And they added the “U.K.” ‘cuz apparently there’s another band called “Cher.”]

[Cher U.K. plays 2 very special Reunion Shows: Friday, October 7 at Liberty Hall 644 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS. and Saturday, October 8 at The Ship, 1221 Union in The West Bottoms, KCMO Both shows also feature the bands: Danger Bob, and The Bubble Boys.]

10:34 – Interview with Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, and Lisa McKenzie

Joining us live in our 90.1 FM Studios we welcome: guitarist & singer Mike McCoy, bassist Heather Grehan, and drummer Lisa McKenzie who play two special Cher U.K. Reunion Shows: Friday, October 7 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas, and Saturday, October 8 at The Ship, 1221 Union in The West Bottoms, KCMO with Danger Bob, and The Bubble Boys. Cher U.K. was signed to Red Decibel in 1993. Their first album, SHE’S A WIERD LITTLE SNACK, was released on October 12, 1993, followed by GO-GO FISH, released in November 1994.

Mike McCoy grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas. After graduating High school he moved to Kansas City. After his gap year ended he left KC to attend Texas Christian University. After college Mike returned to KC to work at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Mike has been making music for more than 30 years, playing country-roots to punk to performance art and power pop. Mike founded the KC band Cher UK in the mid 1990s and fronted the Black Rabbits of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Austin, bands: American People and The Service Industry. Mike is the founder of The North vs. South Music Festival. In 2019 Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil released “Eyein’ Lies” one of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Mike McCoy, lives in Austin Texas where he builds all kinds of cool things with his construction company.

Heather Grehan grew up in Kansas City. At 15 she started playing bass after buying her first bass from an ex-boyfriend for $100.00. In her early 20’s she played in the bands: Wizards of Kansas with John Paul Cofflin, and Andersons with Scott Hrabko. With Lisa McKenzie she formed two heavy metal bands called Force of Habit and Bitches Brew. In the early 1990s shoe moved to Los Angeles with her bast friend to work as a scenic artist for the film and television industy. After several earthquakes, the “LA Riots” and the Screen Writer’s Union strike that shut down film production, she was persuaded to move back to KC from Lisa McKenzie and soon found herself in the newly formed “trio version” of Cher U.K. that many refer to as the “classic line up” of the band. In 1996 she became a merchant marine sailor and worked herself from deckhand to Captain. For 18 years she worked on ships all over the world, making her way of life in a field work where women were out number by hundreds of men. Heather lives in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Lisa McKenzie went to Blue Springs Senior High and Studied Cultural Anthropology at UMKC. After her early heavy-metal bands with Heather, she became drummer for Cher UK and with the band was signed to Red Decibel Records, released numerous singles, two Red Decibel albums and wreaked havoc on stages across the country. After Cher UK ended, Lisa helped to form the Grand Marquis in 1998 where she played and recorded with the band for 18 years releasing multiple albums and eps and winning Best “Blues” band one year, and best “Jazz” band the next, from The Pitch Music Awards. Lisa plays drums for Damien Gunn and the Magnificent Bang Bangs. She has also played for the bands: Bantaba, Sycamore Grove, and Alex Abramovitz and His Swing’n Kansas City Jazz Band. Heather is a mom who also works at a Motessori School serving students from age 12 to 18, where teaches Humanities, and French, and runs the Equine Program at their school.

Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, and Lisa McKenzie, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

The Cher U.K. reunion has special significance, as this group lineup hasn’t played together since 1996.

Cher U.K. was signed to Red Decibel in 1993 after Brent Ashley, head of promotions at Red Decibel saw them in Kansas City. Their first album, She’s a Weird Little Snack, was released on October 12, 1993, followed by Go-Go Fish, released in November 1994. While the albums featured such classics as “College Song,” “Go-Go,” and “Kibbles’n’ Bitz,” it’s the live shows that always attracted the most attention. Angie Scharnhorst of the Kansas City Star probably described them best as a “neo-punk trio combining screaming, almost disembodied vocals with staccato rhythms, and a guitar that seems to throb with a life of its own.”

“We spent far too much time in a smelly van playing every show we could while getting paid far too little. But it was a great adventure filled with wild, fun times and a lot of laughs, and we met so many wonderful people along the way,” says Grehan.

10:46

Cher U.K. – “A Boner Request”
from: She’s A Weird Little Snack / Red Decibel Records / 1993
[ Mike McCoy on lead vocals and guitar, Heather Grehan on bass, Lisa McKenzie on drums. Recorded By Dave Pinsky and Jake Wisely. This is the Cher U.K. lineup that put out numerous singles, two Red Decibel albums and wreaked havoc on stages across the country. “We spent far too much time in a smelly van playing every show we could while getting paid far too little. But it was a great adventure filled with wild, fun times and a lot of laughs, and we met so many wonderful people along the way,” says bassist Heather Grehan. An early Red Decibel (Minneapolis record label) press kit described Cher U.K. as: “3-way pop punk with the better sex in the majority, and boy are they tight! Kansas City homies of Red Dec-mates Season To Risk, Cher U.K. got indie singles, two complete babes, and a writhing maniac that pleads for abuse while singing and bashing a Gibson like an 8-year-old conniption fit. And they added the “U.K.” ‘cuz apparently there’s another band called “Cher.”]

10:47 – More Interview with Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, and Lisa McKenzie

Joining us live in our 90.1 FM Studios we welcome: guitarist & singer Mike McCoy, bassist Heather Grehan, and drummer Lisa McKenzie who play two special Cher U.K. Reunion Shows: Friday, October 7 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas, and Saturday, October 8 at The Ship, 1221 Union in The West Bottoms, KCMO with Danger Bob, and The Bubble Boys. Cher U.K. was signed to Red Decibel in 1993. Their first album, SHE’S A WIERD LITTLE SNACK, was released on October 12, 1993, followed by GO-GO FISH, released in November 1994.

Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, and Lisa McKenzie, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil released the album Eyein’ Lies on July 19, 2019. Formed in Austin, Texas in August 2015, members include: Andrew Duplantis, Jacob Schulze, Travis Garaffa, David Garrett, and Mike McCoy.

From Press Release Materials:

Kansas native and Austin resident Mike McCoy is a man for all seasons. A gifted singer, composer, songwriter, social commentator and conceptual artist from the heartland, McCoy has been making music for more than 30 years, incorporating a whiplash array of styles and genres from country-roots to punk to performance art and power pop. All overlap in McCoy’s world. Mike founded the KC power-pop band Cher UK (Cargo/FistPuppet) & (Red Decibel/Columbia Records) in the mid 1990s and has fronted other quirky conceptual bands such as the Black Rabbits of Lawrence, Kansas, and two Austin critics’ darlings, the American People and the Service Industry.

Mike is also a prolific solo artist . A religion studies and art-history graduate of TCU, fund-raising researcher at Yale, a carpenter/designer in Austin, an online “word contortionist” and a former museum administrator in KC, McCoy’s truest calling is the crafting of songs. He’s a hayseed intellectual-philosopher whose compositions strike the right balance of plaintive and high-brow, sardonic and humble. McCoy brings a singular, poet’s sensibility to the music equation. He writes about a wonderful waitress in a rundown town who has the power to make or break your stay (“if you treat her well, you might get what you want…”), about an immigrant woman whose dreams of America lead her to a lonesome life as a domestic (“feather duster I believe her, no one sees the way I see her…”), about American apathy and how winter is a submarine (“winter is a submarine — I lay inside and I no longer dream…”).

In most of McCoy’s songs, there is something deeply wistful, despite the freighted narratives and their dizzying wordplay. He’s a serious guy and he writes about serious stuff. Yet in the lyrics and in the spaces between words and melody, you can almost hear that lone whistle blow in the dark of a heartlands night; you hear a style of writing that combines political commentary and snarky populism with an inextinguishable belief that somehow, with the right blend of gumption and fortitude, we humans might just pull off something good. He’s equal parts punk-rock-Americana — a strange brew of Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, John Mellencamp, Ramones and Burl Ives. But no matter in what incarnation you encounter Mike McCoy, you’ll find he’s driven by the same basic themes: ideas and ideals of humanity, principles and hopes, outrage and indignation, absurdism and dadaism, puns and poetry and parody, with a large dose of red-white-and-blue wishful thinking.

Mike has worked as a fund-raising researcher at Yale, and a carpenter and designer in Austin.

On May 6, 2020 we interviewed Mike McCoy with Producer Howie Beno
In 2004 Mike founded the North vs. South Music Festival, a bi-annual, bi-polar music festival designed to showcase independent rock along the I-35 corridor.

On October 17, 2012 Mike McCoy appeared on WMM to promote the Cher UK EP release of Boy Named Sue, released October 20, 2012 with the single. “Little Blue Soldier.” with Mike McCoy on Guitar & Vox, Mark Reynolds on Bass, and Bernie Dugan on Drums.

Mike McCoy, Heather Grehan, and Lisa McKenzie, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

Cher U.K. plays 2 very special Reunion Shows: Friday, October 7 at Liberty Hall 644 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS. and Saturday, October 8 at The Ship, 1221 Union in The West Bottoms, KCMO Both shows also feature the bands: Danger Bob, and The Bubble Boys.

10:59

Cher U.K. – “Disaster”
from: She’s A Weird Little Snack / Red Decibel Records / 1993
[ Mike McCoy on lead vocals and guitar, Heather Grehan on bass, Lisa McKenzie on drums. Recorded By Dave Pinsky and Jake Wisely. This is the Cher U.K. lineup that put out numerous singles, two Red Decibel albums and wreaked havoc on stages across the country. “We spent far too much time in a smelly van playing every show we could while getting paid far too little. But it was a great adventure filled with wild, fun times and a lot of laughs, and we met so many wonderful people along the way,” says bassist Heather Grehan. An early Red Decibel (Minneapolis record label) press kit described Cher U.K. as: “3-way pop punk with the better sex in the majority, and boy are they tight! Kansas City homies of Red Dec-mates Season To Risk, Cher U.K. got indie singles, two complete babes, and a writhing maniac that pleads for abuse while singing and bashing a Gibson like an 8-year-old conniption fit. And they added the “U.K.” ‘cuz apparently there’s another band called “Cher.”]

11:02 – Station ID

Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil – “The Hard Way”
from: Eyein’ Lies / Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil / July 19, 2019
[Formed in Austin, Texas in August 2015, members include: Andrew Duplantis, Jacob Schulze, Travis Garaffa, David Garrett, and Mike McCoy. Kansas native and Austin resident Mike McCoy is a man for all seasons. A gifted singer, composer, songwriter, social commentator and conceptual artist from the heartland, McCoy has been making music for more than 30 years, incorporating a whiplash array of styles and genres from country-roots to punk to performance art and power pop. All overlap in McCoy’s world. Mike founded the KC power-pop band Cher UK (Cargo/FistPuppet) & (Red Decibel/Columbia Records) in the mid 1990s and has fronted other quirky conceptual bands such as the Black Rabbits of Lawrence, Kansas, and two Austin critics’ darlings, the American People and the Service Industry. Mike is also a prolific solo artist . A religion studies and art-history graduate of TCU, fund-raising researcher at Yale, a carpenter/designer in Austin, an online “word contortionist” and a former museum administrator in KC, McCoy’s truest calling is the crafting of songs. He’s a hayseed intellectual-philosopher whose compositions strike the right balance of plaintive and high-brow, sardonic and humble. McCoy brings a singular, poet’s sensibility to the music equation. He writes about a wonderful waitress in a rundown town who has the power to make or break your stay (“if you treat her well, you might get what you want…”), about an immigrant woman whose dreams of America lead her to a lonesome life as a domestic (“feather duster I believe her, no one sees the way I see her…”), about American apathy and how winter is a submarine (“winter is a submarine — I lay inside and I no longer dream…”). In most of McCoy’s songs, there is something deeply wistful, despite the freighted narratives and their dizzying wordplay. He’s a serious guy and he writes about serious stuff. Yet in the lyrics and in the spaces between words and melody, you can almost hear that lone whistle blow in the dark of a heartlands night; you hear a style of writing that combines political commentary and snarky populism with an inextinguishable belief that somehow, with the right blend of gumption and fortitude, we humans might just pull off something good. He’s equal parts punk-rock-Americana — a strange brew of Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, John Mellencamp, Ramones and Burl Ives. But no matter in what incarnation you encounter Mike McCoy, you’ll find he’s driven by the same basic themes: ideas and ideals of humanity, principles and hopes, outrage and indignation, absurdism and dadaism, puns and poetry and parody, with a large dose of red-white-and-blue wishful thinking.]

11:07

Fanny – “Soul Child”
from: Charity Ball / Reprise / July 1971
[Charity Ball is the second studio album by the American rock group Fanny, released in July 1971 on Reprise. The album’s title track became the group’s first top 40 hit. // The album was, like the previous year’s debut Fanny, produced by Richard Perry. The songs were all written by the group, with the exception of a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “Special Care”. The group experimented with a wider range of musical styles than the first album, including ballads and funk in addition to straightforward rock ‘n’ roll. The photograph of the band used in the front cover artwork was taken by Candice Bergen. // Music critic Robert Christgau wrote, “This record exploits [drummer Alice de Buhr’s] chops and presence, sinking the pop harmonies in a harder, funkier frame. The title tune is a pure raver that oughtabeahit, but almost every song has something–or several somethings–to recommend it.” // In a retrospective review, AllMusic’s Mark Deming said that Charity Ball, in comparison with the groups first album, is a “stronger, more confident, and more enjoyable disc,” writing that “the push and pull between June Millington’s tough guitar figures and Nickey Barclay’s rollicking keyboards yield more exciting results here.” He felt that the band has better songs on Charity Ball, but that the production is “sometimes a bit more polished than this music needed.” // The album reached No. 150 on the Billboard 200. The title track was released as a single, reaching No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100]

[Fanny play a one-night-only reunion concert as Fanny+ (June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins) with Katy Guillen and the Drive opening the show, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Wednesday, October 5, Doors at 6:00 PM.]

Jackie Nugent, Brie Darling-Howard, Nita Norris, and Patti Quatro

11:11 – Interview with: Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, Mia Huggins, Nita Norris, and Jackie Nugent

In a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone, David Bowie revealed his great respect for the band Fanny writing: “They were extraordinary: they wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody’s ever mentioned them. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time.” He continued… “”One of the most important female bands in American rock has been buried without a trace. And that is Fanny… Revivify Fanny and I will feel that my work is done.”

FANNY was the first all-female rock act to record an entire album for a major record label, and in fact recorded and released five albums for major labels. FANNY was the first all-female rock act to rise to real prominence in the US and Europe. Acknowledged by both the press and their many fans as an awesome live act – in the words of Steve Peacock, a top UK music journalist of the era, “if you close your eyes, it’s like listening to the Stones” – FANNY toured tirelessly for up to nine months of every year. In a career that stretched from 1970 to 1975, they had a string of hit singles and also played on the studio recordings of some legendary artists. In addition to their many live gigs, they performed on top music and variety television shows of the time, including The Old Grey Whistle Test, the Sonny and Cher Show, American Bandstand and The Beat Club, Germany’s most famous band program.

The Film Society KC in partnership with Midwest Music Foundation and the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City presented a screening of their documentary, FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK at Screenland Armour, 408 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO LAST NIGHT on Oct 4, with Fanny band members, June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, and Patti Quattro in attendance! AND TONIGHT is a one-night-only reunion concert from Fanny+ (June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins) with Katy Guillen and the Drive opening the show, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Wednesday, October 5, Doors at 6:00 PM.

Joining us live in our 90.1 FM studios are members of Fanny: Brie Howard-Darling, and Patti Quatro, along with Mia Huggins who will be playing bass for the bad tonight at recordBar

Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Also with us are two of the women in Kansas City who helped make this event happen, Nita Norris, and Jackie Nugent, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Brie Howard-Darling (also known and credited as Brie Darling, Brie Howard, Brie Brandt, and Brie Berry) is an American drummer, singer, percussionist, songwriter, artist, cake designer, and actress of Filipino and European descent. She has recorded with such recording artists as Carole King, Ringo Starr, ELO, Keith Moon, The Temptations, Jimmy Buffett, Melissa Manchester, Janiva Magness, and Glen Campbell. She has toured extensively with Martin Mull, Kiki Dee, Jack Wagner, Bruce Willis, Robert Palmer, Carole King, Jimmy Buffett, Robbie Nevil, and Duran Duran. She has been a band member of Fanny, American Girls, Boxing Gandhis, Fanny Walked The Earth, and Cherie Currie & Brie Darling. // Howard-Darling was born (August 9, 1949) in Stockton, California and raised in Folsom, California, a suburb of Sacramento, California to parents Elmo Robert Berry and Angeles Calamaya. Darling is a sixth generation Californian. // She began performing professionally at fourteen years old with the band, The Kee-Notes, and became a member of the Sacramento Musician’s Union in 1964. In 1965 the band recorded three songs for Esar Records, making Darling one of the first female rock drummers to record rock music. She credits her younger and older brothers as her greatest early influences, as they were both musicians, and there was a drum kit in their living room where she could practice. In 1966, she joined the all-female Sacramento band The Svelts, which would later evolve into Fanny, becoming the first all-woman band to be signed to a major record label to record a full album. // In 1967, Howard-Darling married Mike Brandt. She gave birth to her daughter Brandi Brandt in 1968. // Howard-Darling joined former band members in Los Angeles in 1970, forming a short-lived lineup of the all-female band Fanny as the lead singer. A decision was made to change the number of band members from five members to four creating more of a Fab Four image. She left the band and pursued other musical ventures. // Howard-Darling rejoined Fanny in 1974, recording Rock and Roll Survivors released on Casablanca Records. The first single, “I’ve Had It” reached #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second single, Butter Boy, spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #29 on April 5, 1975. Fanny was the first all-woman rock band to release an album on a major label. After a U.S. tour promoting the album, Darling (Brie Howard) left the band. // In 2018, original band members Jean Millington (bass), June Millington (lead guitar), and Howard-Darling reunited as Fanny Walked the Earth, releasing an eponymous album, their first recording together in more than 40 years. It features several female musicians who have credited Fanny with helping open the door for them decades ago, among them the Runaways’ Cherie Currie, the Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine, the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, Vicki and Debbi Peterson, veteran rock singer and musician Genya Ravan and former Fanny member Patti Quatro, the sister of Suzi Quatro. // American Girls (band) were an American all-female band based in California, United States. The band consisted of Howard-Darling (vocals, drums, percussion), Hilary Shepard (vocals, percussion), DB Tressler (guitar), Miiko Watanabe (bass, backing vocals) and Teresa James (keyboards, backing vocals). Original members included Louise Goffin (rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals) and Daryl Hannah (keyboards). // American Girls released one album, in 1986 titled American Girls. The video for their single “American Girl” received some airplay on MTV. Their song “Androgynous” appeared in the 1986 film Tough Guys and the song “American Girl” appeared on the soundtrack for Out of Bounds. They also opened for The Lords of the New Church on 1986 tour dates. // Miles Copeland III (brother of the Police’s Stewart Copeland) was the band’s manager. // Aside from Howard-Darling’s own music projects and bands, she has toured extensively with other successful recording artists, most notably with Carole King, Jimmy Buffett and Robert Palmer. Starting in 1990, she toured with King as a percussionist and vocalist for five years in the U.S. and internationally. Darling performed with Jimmy Buffett on five tours over a span of five years and with Robert Palmer for two U.S. tours and one international tour. // Howard-Darling and her husband, Dave Darling are the founders of Boxing Gandhis which was signed to the record label, Mesa Blue Moon in 1993. The band has recorded three albums. They climbed the charts with a #5 hit on the Billboard Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) charts with the song, If You Love Me (Why Am I Dyin’) off their debut album after touring the US as opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.[9] The song’s music video also garnered a Billboard Music Award for “Video of the Year” which was directed by Brian Lockwood (director). If You Love Me (Why Am I Dyin’) was featured in Episode 3 of the 2011 season of the HBO Original Series True Blood. // In 2016, Howard-Darling joined a live performance by her former Fanny bandmates June and Jean Millington. This inspired the formation of a new band called Fanny Walked the Earth. An album of all-new songs with the same title was released in March 2018. The album marks the first time June, Jean, and Brie all recorded at the same time in over 40 years. // Currie and Howard-Darling (credited as Brie Darling) recorded The Motivator, a full-length album that was released on August 2, 2019 on Blue Elan Records.

When she was only 17 years old, Patti Quatro formed the all female band, The Pleasure Seekers who released their first single in 1964. The Pleasure Seekers were basically a Quatro family project: Bandmembers in their initial incarnation were Patti Quatro (guitar), Suzi Quatro (vocals and bass guitar), Nancy Ball (drums), Mary Lou Ball (guitar), and Diane Baker (piano). Baker’s father was in the jazz band led by Art Quatro, who was the father of the Quatro sisters. Diane Baker was later replaced on piano by another sister, Arlene Quatro; while Nan Ball left the band in late 1965 and was replaced on drums by Darline Arnone. // The first single by the Pleasure Seekers came out in 1964 on Hideout Records – which was associated with a popular Detroit nightclub called the Hideout – and is truly remarkable. At that time, Suzi Quatro was only 15. They were a band, not a vocal group, and this gives the song a completely different sound. // Patti Quatro went on to play with brother Michael’s MQ Jam Band, (classical rock keyboardist), touring, recording and co-producing the album “Look Deeply Into the Mirror” (1973). She then joined forces with Fanny, recording Rock And Roll Survivor, with two highly charted singles, “Butter Boy” and “I’ve Had It”, and touring through the U.S. and Europe (1974). Later, Patti did studio work with groups such as ELO, Keith Moon (Who), Harry Nillson, Bonnie and Delaney, Billy Cox, and Frances Gall, recording a live album in Europe. // Patti also did some modeling in Los Angeles, in between musical projects. She is presently in production with co-partner Nancy, in the Quatro sisters CD’s, and running Cradle Rocks Publishing, as well as future musical projects. She also runs with her husband, Starflight Travel, a rock agency that handles the travel arrangements for groups through the ages such as: Ozzy Osbourne /Black Sabbath, Yes, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart, Pfish, Police, ACDC, Ted Nugent, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, and more

Mia Huggins is a professional musician and bass player who is filling in for Jean Millington on Fanny + shows.

Nita Norris (Nenita Gumangan) is an organizer and performer. She is married to filmmaker Todd Norris. She studied Graphic design at The University of Kansas, where she graduated in 1997. Nita s the brainchild behind the film premiere in KC and fanny’s reunion concert at recordBar. Her organizational work and passion for this band made all of this happen!!!!

Jackie (Strnad) Nugent works for the Federal Reserve here in Kansas City. She is a member of the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City. Jackie was also part of the organizational work with Nita to make all of this happen.

Fanny was an American rock band, active in the early to mid 1970s. They were one of the first all-female rock groups to achieve critical and commercial success, including two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 singles.

The group was founded by guitarist June Millington and her sister, bassist Jean, who had been playing music together since they moved from the Philippines to California in the early 1960s. After playing through several variations of the band, they attracted the interest of producer Richard Perry who signed them to Reprise Records in 1969 as Fanny. The band recorded four albums together before June Millington quit the group, leading to the original line-up splitting. Following a final album, Fanny disbanded in 1975. The Millington sisters have continued to play music together since the split, and with a former drummer, Brie Howard-Darling, formed the spin-off group Fanny Walked the Earth in 2018.

The group has continued to attract critical acclaim for rejecting typical girl group styles and expectations of women in the rock industry generally, and emphasizing their musical skills. Later groups such as the Go-Go’s, the Bangles, and the Runaways cited Fanny as a key influence.

Brie can you tsalk about how you met June and Jean Millington and ended up playing with them in the band the Svelts?

Sisters June and Jean Millington moved with their family from the Philippines to Sacramento, California in 1961. They began to play music together on ukuleles, which helped them gain friends. In high school they formed an all-female band called the Svelts with June on guitar, Jean on bass, Addie Lee on guitar, and Brie Howard-Darling (Brandt) on drums. Brie Howard-Darling left to get married and was later replaced by Alice de Buhr. When the Svelts disbanded, de Buhr and Lee formed another all-female group called Wild Honey. The Millington sisters later joined this band, which played Motown covers, and eventually moved to Los Angeles.

Frustrated by a lack of success or respect in the male-dominated rock scene, Wild Honey decided to disband after one final open-mic appearance at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles in 1969. They were spotted at this gig by the secretary of producer Richard Perry, who had been searching for an all-female rock band to mentor. Perry convinced Warner Bros. Records to sign the band, still known as Wild Honey, to Reprise Records. The group won the contract without the label hearing them play, on the grounds of being a novelty act, despite their genuine musical talent. Prior to recording their first album, the band recruited keyboardist Nickey Barclay.

The band was then renamed Fanny, not with a sexual connotation but to denote a female spirit. The initial lineup consisted of June Millington on guitar, Jean Millington on bass, de Buhr on drums, Barclay on keyboards, and Brie Howard-Darling on lead vocals and percussion. Perry dismissed Brandt because he wanted the group to be a self-contained four-piece band like the Beatles. The Millingtons and Barclay all assumed lead vocal duties on alternating songs, while de Buhr sang lead occasionally on later albums.

Richard Perry produced the band’s first three albums, beginning with Fanny in 1970. Because of the connection to Perry and Reprise Records, Barclay was invited to tour with Joe Cocker as a backing singer, and consequently appeared on the album Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The group’s cover of Cream’s “Badge” from the first album had significant radio airplay. The follow-up album, Charity Ball was released the following year, and its title track reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The members of Fanny also worked as session musicians, and played on Barbra Streisand’s 1971 album Barbra Joan Streisand, after Streisand had wanted to record with a small band. The group continued to pick up well-known fans; David Bowie sent the group a letter admiring their work and invited the band to a post-show party where he showed them mime techniques. With young engineer Leslie Ann Jones as their road manager and live sound mixer, Fanny toured worldwide, opening for Slade, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie, gaining widespread popularity in the United Kingdom. A 1971 article in Sounds remarked that the group “seems that they are the support group to everyone these days”. The group made several live television appearances during tours, including The Sonny and Cher Show, American Bandstand, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Beat-Club.

The group’s third album, Fanny Hill (1972) featured the Beatles’ engineer Geoff Emerick in addition to Perry’s production. It included a cover of the Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar”. The latter featured regular Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys, and was released as a single, reaching #85 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fellow Stones sideman Jim Price also played brass on the album. Rolling Stone wrote a rave review of the album, praising the group’s musical skills and particularly June Millington’s ability to play both lead and rhythm guitar.

Fanny Hill was the band’s 3rd album, but it was also the name of a place in Los Angeles where the band lived in the early years after being signed by Reprise Records

11:22

Fanny – “Sound and the Fury”
from: Fanny Hill / Reprise / February 1972
[Written by June Millington. June Millington on lead vocals and guitar, Jean Millington on bass & vocals, Nicole Barclay on keyboards & vocals, Alice De Buhr on drums & vocals. The group’s third album, Fanny Hill (1972) featured the Beatles’ engineer Geoff Emerick in addition to Perry’s production. It included a cover of the Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar”. The latter featured regular Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys, and was released as a single, reaching #85 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fellow Stones sideman Jim Price also played brass on the album. Rolling Stone wrote a rave review of the album, praising the group’s musical skills and particularly June Millington’s ability to play both lead and rhythm guitar. ]

11:26

Joining us live in our 90.1 FM studios are members of Fanny: Brie Howard-Darling, and Patti Quatro, along with Mia Huggins who will be playing bass for the bad tonight at recordBar

Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Also with us are two of the women in Kansas City who helped make this event happen, Nita Norris, and Jackie Nugent, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Fanny play a one-night-only reunion concert as Fanny+ (June Millington, Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins) with Katy Guillen and the Drive opening the show, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Wednesday, October 5, Doors at 6:00 PM.

11:30 – Underwriting

Their fourth album, Mothers Pride (1973), was produced by Todd Rundgren. By the time Mothers Pride was released, June Millington was feeling constrained by the group format. The record label wanted her to wear certain designer clothes and adopt a hard rock image, which she resisted. She decided to quit the group, later saying “I needed to figure out who I was” and regularly clashed with Barclay, who had a different personality to her. June moved to Woodstock to study Buddhism, but insisted the group continue without her.

De Buhr also left the band, with a returning Brandt replacing her on drums. Patti Quatro (sister of Suzi Quatro) replaced June on guitar. This lineup signed with Casablanca Records and released the final Fanny album, Rock and Roll Survivors, in 1974. The first single, “I’ve Had It” reached #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Brie Howard-Darling left the band shortly after the album’s completion when she married composer James Newton Howard, and was briefly replaced by Cam Davis. Barclay quit the group at the end of 1974, thinking it was not working without June Millington. The second single, “Butter Boy” was written by Jean Millington about Bowie, and became their biggest hit, reaching #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1975. By the time that was released, the group had split.

11:37

Fanny – “Butter Boy”
from: Rock And Roll Survivors / Casablanca / July 1974
[Written by Jean Millington. Jean Millington on lead vocals and bass, Nicole Barclay on keyboards & vocals, Brie Howard-Darling on drums & vocals, Patti Quatro on guitar & vocals. Producer – Vini Poncia, Executive Producer Mark Hammerman, Engineer – Bob Schaper, Mastered by Douglas Sax, Synthesizer, & Clavinet – James Newton Howard. By the time Fanny’s 4th album, MOTHERS PRIDE was released, June Millington was feeling constrained by the group format. The record label wanted her to wear certain designer clothes and adopt a hard rock image, which she resisted. She decided to quit the group, later saying “I needed to figure out who I was” and regularly clashed with Barclay, who had a different personality to her. June moved to Woodstock to study Buddhism, but insisted the group continue without her. Drummer Alice De Buhr also left the band, with a returning Brie Howard-Darling replacing her on drums. Patti Quatro (sister of Suzi Quatro) replaced June on guitar. This lineup signed with Casablanca Records and released the final Fanny album, Rock and Roll Survivors, in 1974. The first single, “I’ve Had It” reached #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Brie Howard-Darling left the band shortly after the album’s completion when she married composer James Newton Howard, and was briefly replaced by Cam Davis. Barclay quit the group at the end of 1974, thinking it was not working without June Millington. The second single, “Butter Boy” was written by Jean Millington about Bowie, and became their biggest hit, reaching #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1975. By the time that was released, the group had split.]

11:41

Joining us live in our 90.1 FM studios are members of Fanny: Brie Howard-Darling, and Patti Quatro, along with Mia Huggins who will be playing bass for the bad tonight at recordBar

Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, and Mia Huggins, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Also with us are two of the women in Kansas City who helped make this event happen, Nita Norris, and Jackie Nugent, thanks for being with us on WMM.

After the breakup, in 1975 the Millington sisters put together a new line-up of Fanny for a short tour, though no older Fanny material was played. This group ultimately morphed into a new all-women band called the L.A. All-Stars, which generated some interest from record labels, but with the stipulation that the band tour as Fanny and play only old Fanny songs, which June Millington opposed.

June Millington subsequently released three solo albums in the 1980s and has had a career as a producer for artists including Holly Near, Cris Williamson and Bitch and Animal. She operates the Institute for Musical Arts, a non-profit organization supporting girls and women in music. Jean Millington was married to Bowie’s guitarist Earl Slick for a time and later became an herbalist. The Millingtons continued to record together after Fanny as well, most recently on the 2011 album Play Like a Girl on June’s label Fabulous Records. Nickey Barclay released a solo album titled Diamond in a Junkyard in 1976 then withdrew from the music industry. De Buhr later worked in marketing for several major record labels, and promoted the Go-Go’s, who cited Fanny as an influence. She collaborated with Real Gone Music in a reissue program of the group’s albums.

Patti Quatro continued to work as a session musician for her sister Suzi and was involved in the reissue of material by the Quatro sisters’ early band the Pleasure Seekers. Brie Howard-Darling, had an active post-Fanny career, fronting the bands American Girls, which released one album in 1986, and Boxing Gandhis, which has released four albums since the mid-1990s. She has also acted in films such as 1982’s Android and is the mother of Playboy Playmate Brandi Brandt. Patti Quatro and Brie Howard-Darling both toured with Electric Light Orchestra and appeared on the album A New World Record in 1976.

In 2002, Rhino Records released the limited edition 4-CD box set First Time in a Long Time, which collected Fanny’s first four studio albums along with live recordings, outtakes, and promotional items. A reunion concert featuring the Millington sisters and de Buhr (Barclay declined to appear for health reasons) was held at Berklee College of Music on April 20, 2007, where the band members received the Rockrgrl Women of Valor award for their achievements. The first four original Fanny albums are available on Real Gone records, with updated liner notes, pictures, and new mixes.

In 2016, Brie Howard joined a live performance by the Millington sisters. This inspired the formation of a new band called Fanny Walked the Earth. An album also titled Fanny Walked the Earth was released in March 2018. The album marks the first time June, Jean, and Brie all recorded at the same time in nearly 50 years. Fanny is the subject of the documentary film Fanny: The Right to Rock, released in 2021 and directed by Bobbi Jo Hart.

Though Fanny was not the first all-female band to sign with a major label (after Goldie & the Gingerbreads and the Pleasure Seekers), they were the first to release an album on a major label and one of the first to achieve top 40 success on the Billboard Hot 100. Fanny’s music was influenced by the Beatles and the Funk Brothers, the loose studio musician collective on Motown records.

The band resisted suggestions by the record company to dress in a typical girl group style, or emphasise any sex appeal, and rehearsed regularly, wanting to acquire a reputation based on their musical talent. Jean Millington later said that Fanny had to have a strong live presence in order to overcome audience’s perceptions that women could not play rock music well. June added, “We knew we had to prove we could play and deliver live. Otherwise, no one would believe it.” The group were more successful in the UK and Europe, where audiences appreciated their music and respected their work, as opposed to the US. De Buhr was disappointed to discover that some record company executives merely treated Fanny as a gimmick that should not be taken seriously. Promoter Bill Graham was reluctant to give the group a headlining slot at venues, for fear the group would split up as the members got married and had children, though the group have stressed this was due to business pragmatics and not chauvinism. During tours, female fans would ask the group how to form a band. Later all-female bands such as the Runaways and the Bangles have cited Fanny as a key influence.

A retrospective review of the group’s career in Rebeat stressed that Fanny were simply a good band, irrespective of gender. June Millington has been praised for her guitar skills, and was described by Guitar Player as the hottest female guitar player in the music industry. During her time in Fanny, she initially favored the Gibson ES-355 and Fender Twin Reverb amp, before acquiring a Gibson Les Paul Junior guitar and Traynor amplifiers. She used the Les Paul primarily for slide guitar playing. Jean Millington’s main instrument in Fanny was a 1963 Fender Precision Bass, which is still in her possession.

Little Feat bandleader Lowell George was a fan of Fanny and jammed with the group when they were in Los Angeles. In a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone, Bowie revealed his respect for the band:

They were extraordinary: they wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody’s ever mentioned them. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time. — David Bowie

Personnel
Original line-up
Jean Millington – bass, vocals (1969-1975)
June Millington – guitar, vocals (1969-1973)
Nickey Barclay – keyboards, vocals (1970-1974)
Alice de Buhr – drums, vocals (1969-1973)

Later members
Patti Quatro – guitar, vocals (1974-1975)
Brie Howard – drums, vocals (1973-1974)
Cam Davis – drums (1974-1975)

Discography
Studio albums
Fanny (1970)
Charity Ball (1971) (No. 150)
Fanny Hill (1972) (No. 135)
Mothers Pride (1973)
Rock and Roll Survivors (1974)

Live albums
Fanny Live (1998; recorded 1972) (reissued as Fanny: Live in 1972)

Compilation albums
First Time in a Long Time – The Reprise Recordings (4CD box set, 2002)

Fanny Walked the Earth
Fanny Walked the Earth (2018

11:52

For WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

Brie Howard-Darling, Patti Quatro, Mia Huggins, Nita Norris, and Jackie Nugent thanks for being on WMM.

11:54:00

Fanny Walked The Earth – “When We Need Her”
from: Fanny Walked The Earth / Blue Elan Records / March 2, 2018
[Jean Millington on bass and vocals, June Millington on guitar and vocals, and Brie Darling on drums and vocals. // Brie Darling remembers vividly the first time she met June and Jean Millington. It was 1966, and Darling had traveled from California to Nevada to audition for the Millington’s high school band, the Svelts, as their newest hot drummer during a performance at The Lemon Tree in the town of Sparks. Just 16 years old, Darling approached the sisters – whose music she already knew well – in the parking lot. // “I still see that picture,” says Darling now. “They were just like goddesses to me. They looked bigger than life. And we just immediately bonded.” // What eventually followed was the groundbreaking formation of Fanny, the California-based band that would pave the way for women musicians for decades to come. After formally coming together to form the group and relocating to Los Angeles, Fanny landed a deal in 1969 with Reprise Records, becoming the first-ever all-female rock band to sign a record deal for a full-length album. Now, nearly 50 years since that parking lot meeting, Fanny has reunited as Fanny Walked the Earth — a name that reflects all that they’ve accomplished in their lives; all they’ve seen, done and lived through — for their first album in decades. // “There is something about us playing together,” says June. “It’s incredibly special; it’s beyond words.” // Drawing influence from Motown bands to the Beach Boys to Jimi Hendrix, Fanny released their first five albums between 1970 and 1974 with various iterations of members. Working with producers including Richard Perry, Todd Rundgren and Vini Poncia, their sound was a mix of full-throttle, rockin’-funk vocals; unapologetically heavy rock guitars; and hard, punchy beats. // “We were exploding with our own creativity and musicality,” says June. “We were in sync.” // The band was also shattering expectations. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, to say that rock was male-dominated would be a gross understatement; rock was almost completely male. But the girls of Fanny never backed down from the challenge. “I just wanted to have fun, and I wanted to show off, and I wanted to do what I loved doing,” says Darling. “If anyone was ever a little snide, I thought, ‘You just wait.’” // Adds Jean, “We were just involved with our band and our mission. We weren’t focused on being women trying to make it in a man’s world; we were focused on the challenge of it and having a lot of fun.” // In 1975, the band had a breakout hit with “Butter Boy,” which hit number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, written by Jean, was about her then-lover, David Bowie. “It was tongue-in-cheek,” she says. “He was the inspiration.” // Over the years, Fanny became major influences for bands like The Runaways, The Bangles and the Go-Go’s, and have been recognized as the trailblazers for decades since. NPR described the band as “the most masterful all-female band of the classic rock era,” and Pitchfork recently labeled June a “rock n’ roll pioneer.” // “The women in Fanny are like queens to me,” says Cherie Currie of The Runaways. “They started all of it. They cracked that door and made it possible for us to believe that we could do it too.” // Fanny broke up soon after “Butter Boy” hit the charts, but stayed in touch as they went their separate ways, always keeping their music and their experiences close to their hearts. And so, when Laudable Productions and the Massachusetts-based Northampton Arts Council decided to host a tribute to June in February of 2016, Jean and Brie didn’t hesitate to participate. From the moment they played together at their first rehearsal, it was as if no time had gone by at all. // “It came right back,” says June. “The minute we hit the stage, it was right back to that thing that was fresh and exciting and an adventure.” // It didn’t take long before they decided to get back together in the studio, too. Their new self-titled album is an 11-track, all-original LP that’s shot through with the same raucous courage and fearlessness as their original works. “Lured Away” tells the story of rock n’ roll lives that are still going strong – “I’m coming to, time to fully wake up / I gotta burn, don’t wanna give it up” – while “Storm Crossed” is an homage to Jimi Hendrix. “When You Need Her” features appearances by rock legends Currie, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, and Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson of The Bangles. // “I feel like Fanny Walked the Earth has an encoding of what we’ve experienced over the years,” says June. “This is an important stand we’re taking. Who gets to be 69 and still playing? Back then, it was just proving that girls can play like guys. Now, it’s like, ‘Ha!’ Women can break another glass ceiling.”]

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

Next week on Wednesday, October 12 we welcome Dedric Moore, Brenton Cook and Steve Tulipana who share details about this year’s Outer Reaches Festival Friday October 14 and Saturday October 15 at recordBar. // Also next week we talk with Mark Ronning about his curated Electonic Music Event. // And Jade Green joinsus to share details about “Rite of Joy,” the first conference in the nation to focus exclusively on mental health for people of color from October 13 to October 15, 2022.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Find our playlists for the past 10 years at: http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley is all over social media and on the web at:
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley
http://www.soundcloud.com/wednesdaymiddaymedley
http://www.bandcamp.com/wednesdaymiddaymedley
http://www.twitter.com/MarkTManning
or http://www.kkfi.org

Show #962

Like this: