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

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Wednesday MidDay Medley is Transmitting PEACE, LOVE & KKFI

WMM Plays More New & MidCoastal Releases + Say That Again

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

2. Eggs On Mars – “Good Morning (I Love You)”
   from: Good Morning (I Love You) / Enigmatic Brunch Records / March 3, 2026
   [Eggs on Mars, a 4-piece soft psych pop band from KCMO. Brad Smith – lead vocals, guitars & piano; Doug Bybee – bass, keys, vocals on “Shooting Stars” & “Takes Time”; Joel Stratton – lead guitars & keyboards; Mason Potter – drums, percussion, & field recordings. All songs by Eggs on Mars. Words for “Takes Time” by Justin Longmeyer. Recorded by Joel Stratton in fall 2024/winter 2025 at Soundstructure Studios. Mixed by Doug Bybee & Joel Stratton. Mastered by Doug Bybee & Josh Johnson. Art Direction by Brad Smith. Graphic design, photography, CD layout, cassette layout by Doug Bybee. Info at: http://www.eggsonmars.bandcamp.com]

3. Kevin Morby – “Junebug”
   from: Little Wide Open / Dead Oceans / May 15, 2026
   [Kevin Morby’s 8th studio album. // From Kevin’s Bandcamp page: For Kevin Morby, the “little wide open” is the big sky, the small lives, it’s his origins in the Midwest, and every duty and modesty and familiarity and isolation: the land, the people, and the parts of that inside him. “There’s something unintentionally musical about the Midwest; cicadas chirping in the trees, a train passing, a tornado siren going off,” explains Morby. “If you listen, there are these almost ominous sounds taking place beneath the wide-open sky—its ugliness and its beauty and how the two are often working together simultaneously. And while the Midwest isn’t technically the badlands, it’s my badlands.” // Little Wide Open is the title of Kevin Morby’s eighth studio album, produced by Aaron Dessner. In the summer of 2024, Dessner had asked Morby to support The National at their London show in Crystal Palace Park. Shortly after, Dessner—who was on a hot streak, having produced albums for Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Gracie Abrams—reached out to Morby to say he’d love to produce his next album. They began recording at Aaron’s Long Pond Studio in Stuyvesant, NY, early in 2025 and finished in September of that year. // The album, which features a host of contributors such as Dessner—who plays multiple instruments across it—Amelia Meath, Andrew Barr, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Meg Duffy, and more, has been described by Morby as the third in a trilogy of releases, following 2020’s Sundowner and 2022’s This Is a Photograph, which catalogued his time in the Midwest after moving back to Kansas City. This time out, Dessner’s production elevates Morby’s recordings while never losing focus of the songs themselves. There’s a newfound confidence and clarity in both Morby’s writing and Dessner’s production that recalls Tom Petty’s 1994 classic Wildflowers. // Now primarily living in LA, the atmosphere that runs through Little Wide Open has changed somewhat from its predecessors. As Rachel Kushner writes of Morby in the album’s accompanying essay: “It’s about time, about feeling like he has shifted from nostalgia and the losing game, losing but beautiful, of holding onto the past. He has accepted that time is ceaselessly flowing, and you can’t stop it. Instead, he feels like he’s riding it. He’s riding passenger with time.” // Kevin Morby’s single “Beautiful Strangers’ was recently recorded by Mavis Staples for her 2025 album SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD. Mavis Staples won a Grammy at the 68th Annual Grammys for Best American Roots Performance for her interpretation of Kevin’s song. Kevin released this song only as a single in 2016 in tribute to the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting. Kevin Morby is pretty bowled over by the existence of this cover. Morby says. “It isn’t easy to put into words what it feels like having one of the best, most important vocalists and cultural figures of both the 20th and 21st century sing one of my songs.” // Kevin Robert Morby was born April 2, 1988. Kevin learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens. 17-year-old Morby dropped out of Blue Valley Northwest High School, got his GED, and moved from his native KC to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, supporting himself by working bike delivery and café jobs. He later joined the noise-folk group Woods on bass. While living in Brooklyn, he became close friends and roommates with Cassie Ramone of the punk trio Vivian Girls, and the two formed a side project together called The Babies, who released albums in 2011 and 2012. Kevin Morby began a solo career in 2013 releasing his debut album HARLEM RIVER on November 26, 2013. STILL LIFE, his 2nd album, was released in October 14, 2014. SINGING SAW his 3rd album was released April 15, 2016 and was in WMM’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016. His 4th album CITY MUSIC was released June 16, 2017 and was in WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Kevin Morby released his 5th album OH MY GOD on April 26, 2019. On October 16, 2020 Kevin Morby released SUNDOWNER, his 6th release, #20 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. On October 8, 2021 Kevin Morby released A NIGHT AT the LITTLE LOS ANGELES (Sundowner 4-Track Demos) on Dead Oceans Records. On May 13, 2022 Kevin Morby released THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH his 7th album as a solo artist, on Dead Oceans. It was #7 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. From http://www.rollingstone.com: “In January 2020, songwriter Kevin Morby witnessed his father collapse from a medical event while visiting his childhood home in Kansas. In a state of shock, the singer spent the evening looking at old family photos and fixated on an image of his father as a young man, looking, as Morby states, ‘full of confidence.’ The experience forced Morby to confront both the idea of mortality and the passage of time — and, after an extended sojourn in Tennessee, these reflections came together in the form of, This Is a Photograph. Produced by frequent Morby collaborator Sam Cohen, This Is a Photograph was primarily written in Memphis’ historic Peabody Hotel, where the singer-songwriter holed up in search of inspiration and self-realization amongst the city’s dark past.” On January 25, 2023 Kevin Morby released MUSIC FROM MONTANA STORY a 13 track film soundtrack. On May 26, 2023 Kevin Morby released MORE PHOTO-GRAPHS (A Continuum) on Dead Oceans Records. Throughout his 10 album releases Kevin has also released 25 singles. Kevin Morby played The Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway,May 29, at 7:00 with Liam Kazar.]

4. SEYKO – “So Wonderful”
   from: “So Wonderful” – Single / Groove King Records – Fat Beats / June 5, 2026
   [“So Wonderful” wass written by Seyko. She told Michelle Bacon at The Bridge, that itstarted out as a possible Freedom Affair song (Seyko is one of the band’s three lead vocalists), but ultimately didn’t fit their second album thematically. So, she brought the song to a few bandmates Cole Bales for recording and production, Dave Brick on drums and Branden Moser on bass to release this as a solo single. // Seyko released the single “Anybody High: on Cecember 2, 2023 also through Groove King Re cords. And also Produced by Colby Bales of the band Black Light Animals and also a bandmate of SEYKO’s in The Freedom Affair. // Seyko released the single “What I Want” on June 23, 2023. //From http://www.seykomusic.com: Seyko has always found music to be a reflection of her innermost thoughts and feelings, a way of self-expression but even deeper than that. Music was always a life-giving, constant companion from the happiest moments to the darkest days. Music continues to be Seyko’s way of communicating with the world around her. // Seyko developed her musical talent during her formative years through church and school choirs, friendships that evolved into singing groups, and professional training through voice lessons and songwriting. Opportunities presented themselves, but Seyko also created opportunities for herself as she chased her dream to create and perform her own music. // The Freedom Affair and SUNU, two Kansas City bands Seyko performs and writes with, have solidified her place in the music scene and provide a solid foundation for beginning her solo career. Seyko’s singing and songwriting career has spanned twenty years, and it shows! Her creative growth has led to her being a well-respected artist in Kansas City, allowing her to participate in recording projects for fellow musicians and even singing background vocals for Michael Bublé at a live concert in 2022.]

[Seyko will be performing with SUNU for a free block party in downtown Lawrence, KS, on June 16 at 8 p.m., and with The Freedom Affair for FIFA Fan Fest KC on July 9.]

10:10 – Fund Drive Break #1 


We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for just a few minutes to let our listeners know that we are currently in day 6 of our On Air Summer Fund Drive. This is where YOU can be involved! We are breaking into our prepared programming, to encourage YOU to please call us at 888-931-0901 or http://www.kkfi.org to make a donation in support 90.1 FM KKFI.

Joining me in the studio, we have some very special co-hosts:

Mará Rose Williams is The Star’s Senior Opinion Columnist. She previously was assistant managing editor for race & equity issues, a member of the Star’s Editorial Board and an award-winning columnist. She has written on all things education for The Star since 1998, including issues of inequity in education, teen suicide, universal pre-K, college costs and racism on university campuses. She was a writer on The Star’s 2020 “Truth in Black and White” project and the recipient of the 2021 Eleanor McClatchy Award for exemplary leadership skills and transformative journalism. Mará Rose Williams was the creator and host and producer of Voices of Kansas City an award winning special series created by the KC Star with KKFI.

Mara Rose Williams thanks for being our guest on WMM

D. Rashaan Gilmore is host of “Unbossed and Unbothered with D. Rashaan Gilmore,” on KKFI Saturday nights at 5:00pm. D. Rashaan Gilmore is a two-time Emmy Award winning host and producer of Flatland In Focus on Kansas City PBS. Rashaan Gilmore is the founder and CEO of BlaqOut, which was established in 2017 as a grassroots movement to organize and mobilize Kansas City’s Black LGBTQ+ community and develop a leadership core. Gilmore has previously managed multiple significant HIV/ AIDS awareness and prevention grants for the Kansas City CARE Clinic. D Rashaan has also served as the Senior Field Organizer for PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT equality and advocacy organization. Rashaan’s stellar and innovative work led to his being the distinguished recipient of the 2020 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award. D. Rashaan spent 4 years as part of the team of host & Producers on KKFI’s program The Tenth Voice.

D. Rashaan Gilmore thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Also with us is Rev Dwight Frizzell is a Professor & Sound Head, at Kansas City Art Institute, in the Photography & Filmmaking Department with a Terminal Degree in Sound Design. Dwight is an internationally recognized artist whose work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art, and writing. Frizzell’s work about his boyhood neighbor, Harry S. Truman, was featured in the Peabody-awarded “Lost and Found Sound” series broadcast on National Public Radio. Frizzell has produced an opera based on the life of Charles Darwin. In addition to his B.F.A. degree from KCAI, he holds a terminal fine arts degree in Sound Design from the UMKC. Dwight Frizzell, is a founder of the “groovy polyphonic jazz/dance” band, Black Crack Revue, now in their 43rd year. Dwight Frizzell is also served at First Editor, The Pitch, he is a founding member of the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and is host & producer of “From Arc To Microchip” heard on the fifth Thursday of each month on KKFI’s Thursday Night Special at 7:00pm on 90.1 FM.

BCR’s Celestial Mammals Solstice Show, at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, Saturday, June 20, at 6:00 to 9:00 PM – Celebrate the Solstice with BCR on the 50th Anniversary of the Black Crack Revue!

Dwight Frizzell, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

90.1 FM KKFI’s non-profit organization and governing body is the MidCoast Radio Project. MidCoastal is where we are, on the coasts of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers with a music community that spans the Kansas City Metro region and west to Lawrence and Topeka and south to Olathe and east to Columbia and North to St Joseph. Not necessarily the reach of our 100,000 watt signal but definitely the reach of our community.

WMM & KKFI are committed to featuring artists under-represented in other media, and that includes KC & Lawrence Arts & Music Community, where for 22 years we’ve shined a light on artists, music labels, recording studios, & venues.

Wednesday MidDay Medley was the first radio show to ever play the recordings of: Calvin Arsenia, Stephonne, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Krystle Warren, The Black Creatures, The Shy Boys, The ACB’s, Miss Boating, Rev Gusto, Mommas Boy, The Salvation Choir, The Creepy Jingles, Ivory Blue, Miki P., Kai McGarry, Rude Cousin. We were the first to interview these artists live on the radio and bring their music to a wider audience.

10:18 – WMM Plays More New & MidCoastal Releases

5. TheBabeGabe – “Love Language”
   from: HONEYPOP RELOADED / Seven Rings Media /Aug. 8, 2025
   [New 4-track EP and follow up the HONEYPOP RELOADED released August 8, 2025 through Seven Rings Media. Honeypop Reloaded was one of two full length albums released in 2025 by TheBabeGabe, the other being HONEYPOP on Seven Rings Media released March 5, 2025, both with production by The Human. // After years of being the girl in the band, TheBabeGabe is stepping out, and standing ten toes down. As she dives into her solo career, Gabe brings the same sugary raps and addicting energy that she did as 1/3 of the alt-rap trio BLACKSTARKIDS. This time though, she’s telling her story, and forging a fresh start. The debut mixtape HONEY POP introduces the world to a young black girl from Kansas City that’s hungry for better things for herself and everyone who looks like her. Her energy is infectious, and you won’t want to be the one standing in her way, which becomes clear from the rowdy hook of the project’s lead single PSA. “It’s in my DNA, killing shit like every day, take this as a PSA, don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say.” // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Gabe gained experience crushing a stage, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, Glass Animals, & more. That confidence shines through on braggadocios tracks like Only See Me, Pulse, and Pep Rally where she raps, “hoe shut the fuck up when I’m talking, got a pretty face but this mouth repulsive.” Pulling inspiration from future peers like Doja Cat & Tyler, The Creator, Gabe is quick to prove she isn’t restricted to one sound. There’s no shortage of variety with sticky hooks, soulful ballads, Janelle Monáe -esque pop hits, somber reflective cuts, and boomy west-coast kickbacks. // No song boasts this genre-bending ability better than the double track RIOT GRRL//DRAMA QUEEN. Starting with an inspirational pop-punk banger that could make any Olivia Rodrigo fan nod in approval, it soon turns to the emotional DRAMA QUEEN, seeing Gabe grapple with difficult changes and struggle to find the best way forward. Listening to Gabe can often feel like hanging with your bestie in that you’re getting both the yap sessions about the everyday as well as the venting about life’s drama and all its uncertainties. // These confessions, boasts, hooks, croons, screams, beats, and sounds all come together to create an extraordinary portrait of a young artist figuring it out. It’s an unfiltered showcase that sees Gabe pull back the curtain and step forward so you can meet her where she’s at. So when you listen, you’re seeing her for who she really is. And for many, that’s someone you can see yourself in. That’s TheBabeGabe. // TheBabeGabe was one-third of the Kansas City based BLACKSTARKIDZ Gen-Z upstarts BLACKSTARKIDS have released their sixth studio album Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024 through Dirty Hit Records and immediately followed with an 8-track 7th studio album HEAVEN ON URF, on Oct. 25, 2024 on Dirty Hit Records. Music writer Bill Brownlee talked with us about how the band created a double album, but the record company decided to release as two separate albums. The music from both albums relate to each other. Before the release of Saturn Dayz the band released their single and video “SOULMATEZ!” on August 30, 2024. “SOULMATEZ!,” is a magnetic, blissed-out bop that brings together pop, indie, and alt-rap, reminiscent of Dev Hynes-era Solange mixed with De La Soul. // The follow up to BLACKSTARKIDS’ acclaimed 2022 album CYBERKISS* which featured standout singles “CYBERKISS 2 U* ft. beabadoobee” and “SEX APPEAL,” SATURN DAYZ is an otherworldly, genre-crossing testament to their unrelenting artistry and is their most impressive work to date. PRESS HERE to pre-save SATURN DAYZ. // Putting out music at a prolific rate and making waves for their formidable songwriting and producing talents, as well as their endless energy and truly limitless sound, BLACKSTARKIDS have received critical acclaim from New York Times, MTV, UPROXX, Billboard, Alternative Press, SPIN, Ones To Watch, Rolling Stone France, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Coup De Main, and more. Blending garage rock with synth-punk and hip-hop to usher in a new surge of indie, such as on their beloved album Puppies Forever which features anthemic singles “ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS,” “JUNO,” and “FIGHT CLUB,” BLACKSTARKIDS are well on their way to indie stardom and have previously toured with the likes of The 1975, COIN, Glass Animals, beabadoobee, Christian Leave, GroupLove. // Incorporating each member’s wide-ranging influences into their blissful DIY sound, such as Toro Y Moi, NERD*, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Outkast, Odd Future, and A Tribe Called Quest, BLACKSTARKIDS first captivated the internet with their “black coming of age trilogy” of projects Let’s Play Sports, Surf, and Whatever, Man that feature critically acclaimed singles including “BRITNEY BITCH” and “FRANKIE MUNIZ.” // Blackstarkids are phenomenon who came out of KC in 2020 became the soundtrack for the summer. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020, Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their third album release of 2020. Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. KC is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.”]

6. FlareThaRebel – “Dear City”
   from: Dear City / Shafer Publishing / May 1, 2026
   [Amplifying the tension between having love for one’s city while not dismissing its inequities, Dear City is a lyrical reflection of truth-telling and hometown pride. The album highlights commonalities experienced by many urbanites regardless of where they call home.  // In the weeks leading up to the album release concert, Flare has been releasing music video reels on social media featuring snippets of the new songs from Dear City. Filmed by Flaming Heart Productions, each reel features only the first verse or at most the first verse and chorus of each song, giving fans a taste of what’s to come and building hype for the album’s release. // Elevating the concoction further, Flare collaborated with bar owner, Bryan Ari, to film the music video reel of “Mixology” at Fern Bar. Flare turned the filming into a “fishbowl experience” inviting guests to watch him create the reel live while sipping cocktails of their own. Flare landed the scene, which involved rapping while mixing a cocktail and flaming an orange rind a precise moment within the song’s verse. The outcome? Confidently smooth – after about six takes and some hands-on coaching from Bryan Ari.// Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel™ back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. // Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director. ]

[FlareThaRebel hosts Music Maker Mondays presented by Manor Records Foundation, & Brewery Emperial on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO, to provide local music makers of all types – any genre, a laid-back, non-gig environment to connect, organize, and build community through a new monthly happy hour occurring on the first Monday of each month.]

7. Jamogi – “HOLLABACK (feat. Les Izmore)”
   from: “HOLLABACK (feat. Les Izmore)” / Jam Tunes / May 15, 2026
   [Jamogi is also know as Byron Hyde a Kanas City based singer, songwriter, MC, producer, originally from Los Angeles, California.// Jamogi released the single “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)” on September 5, 2025. Jamogi released Jamogi & The Jammers: Live at Flew The Coop Sessions (Flew The Coop Live) through Jam Tunes on April 11, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Do It To Me” on March 28, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Go Big or Go Home” on August 30, 2024, Jamogi released the single “Hot Block” on May 30, 2024. Jamogi released the EP, Star-Crossed Lover on March 3, 2023. Jamogi then released a “Star-Crossed Lover GALACTIC REMIX (feat. Watchman)” single on June 9, 2023.Jamogi previously released the AGE OF AQUARIUS EP on March 3, 2023, and the single “Celebration” on Dec. 9, 2022, and the single “Anymore” on May 6, 2022. // Jamogi played the ROCK IS BLACK—a celebration of Black artists in rock music, happening February 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Zhou B Art Center, 1801 E 18th Street, KCMO. Rock is Black features: Malek Azrael & The Vibez, Jamogi and The Jammers, Stephonne, and Frankie Shorez & Mercy Fire. Kamogi and the Jammers played Boulevardia 2025]

8. The Creepy Jingles – “Go Tell The Others”
   from: Washed Up / Enigmatic Brunch Records / June 6, 2026
   [New 11-track album was written by Jocelyn Nixon, and recorded, engineered, and mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sounds Studios in Shawnee, Kansas, with Jocelyn Olivia Nixon on lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar; Andrew Woody on bass; Nick Robertson on drums; and Wills Van Doorn on lead guitars. // Jocelyn Olivia Nixon is lead singer of the band The Creepy Jungles. Jocelyn told Nick Spacek of The Pitch, “that the songs she presents to her bandmates in The Jingles’ songs are poppier stuff, typically, while solo songs are more folky, mellow, weird, and lyrical. Solo work also gives her the opportunity to work with others outside the group. As Nixon explains, “It’s basically a tongue-in-cheek song making fun of hard right conservatives and social cliques who think only their way is ‘right.’” She said, “I felt like I needed something where I can be a bit more vulnerable and naked, I suppose,” the musician says. “I think because Jingles do rock n roll pop songs well, I think I’m kinda boxed in as an artist and singer. This is my way of saying I have many sides to myself as an individual and as an artist, and I can forge my own path and defy expectations.” Jocelyn Nixon’s next single, “Real Deal,” is due later this summer . // The Creepy Jingles released a series of 4 new singles in 2024 including “When Things Go Wrong” on February 23, 2024. // The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer / song-writer Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. The Creepy Jingles released their album, TAKE ME AT MY WORDPLAY on March 25, 2022 through High Dive Records. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. It was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. ]

[The Creepy Jingles played a WASHED UP Album Release Show, Saturday, June 6, 2026, at The Greenwood Social Hall, with Heidi Gluck, and Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs.]

10:29 – Underwriting

10:30 – Pledge Break #2

WMM Summer Fund Drive Team: Mara Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Dwight Frizzell

So far this year in 2025 Mark conducted 42 Interview Segments with 72 special guests: Margaret Cho, David Brighton, Michelle Bacon, Chris Hudson, Dwight Frizzell, David Basse, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Calvin Arsenia, Sera Impala, FlareThaRebel, Shaun Crowley, Sara Swenson, Nathan Reusch, Charlie Burt, Mike Bland, Brad Smith, Mará Rose Williams, Sandra Draper, Jennie Ferguson, Scott Mize, Doug Hitchcock, Matt Kesler, Joelle St. Pierre, Diane Scott, Jade Osborne, Christena Graves, IVORY BLUE, Dandelion Lakewood, Rosie O’Brien, Sam Wright, Spencer Goertz-Giffen, Braden Young, Brent Kinder, Ed Wallerstein, Ian Byrne, Kian Byrne, Norm Dahlor, A.M. Merker, Jennifer Owen, Brad Cox, Krystle Warren, Michael B. Tipton, Kasey Rausch, Marcus Rattler, Hailes, Scott Moreau, Becky Barta, Allan Winkler, Taylor Bapp, Lava Dreams, Julie Bennett Hume, Amelia Rose, Alan & Janice Wasserman, Dedric Moore, Krysztof Nemeth, Ned Stacie, Francois, Peter Pain, Jesse Bartmess, Rachel Christia, Vi Tran, Darin Challacombe, Madeline Marak, Lori Buntin, Brodie Rush, Cody Calhoun, Liam Sumnich, Nate Hubert, Tim Jenkins, Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, Stephonne

Last year In 2025 Mark conducted over 175 interviews with 159 special guests:

Krystle Warren, elska, Michelle Bacon, Mike Dillon, Peregrine Honig, Malek Azrael, Joshua Luke, Izzy Vivas, Julie Bennet Hume, Doug Hitchcock, Diana Watts, Kevin King, Daniel Gum, Chris Garibaldi, Mark Henning, Ross Brown, Miquel Antonio, Daniel Cole, Paul Seiz, Cody Ryan Stapleton, Matt Muckenthaler, Nathan Reusch, Zach Lamun, Les Izmore, Charlie Colborne, Billy Belzer, T.A. Rell, Just Angel, Dylan Pease, Andy Wooden, Betse Ellis, Rachel Christia, Mikal Shapiro, Seth Davis, Evan Verploegh, Shanté Clair, Benjamin Baker, SEYKO, Cole Bales, Cody Calhoun, Noah Cassity, Kole Waters, Alex May, Stephonne, Danielle Anderson, Zach Hodson, Valerie Schurman, Joe Frogge, Fally Afani, Til Willis, Heather Pontonio, Jose Faus, Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman, Chico Sierra, Zo E., Jaclyn Danger, Simon Huntley, J. Ashley Miller, Grace Broadhead, Jason Turk, Sandra Draper, Enrique Chi, Julia Othmer, James T. Lundie, Alber, Jennie Ferguson, Scott Mize, Matt Kesler, Shaun Crowley, Paul Jesse, Alex Wong, Jen Kiper, David Luther, Sergio Anthony Gonzalez, Jeremiah James Gonzalez, Katlyn Conroy, Chris Catterall, Cheyenne Jackson, Kate McCandless, Moksha Sommer, Jemal Wade Hines, Chris Haghirian, James McGee, Meighan Peifer, Michael McQuary, Joey Arias, Lonnie Fisher, Tara Fisher, Adee Dancy aka Sisterbot, Hadiza., Suzannah Johannes, Keelon Van, Alyssa Murray, Ernest Melton, Mará Williams, J.M. Banks, Beth Watts Nelson, Spencer Thompson, Amanda Davis, Derek Trautwein, Dedric Moore, Rachel Lovelace, Kai McGarry, Alicia McGarry, Sandra Draper, Steve Tulipana, Day Shepherd, Tirzah DeMeire, Keyon Monté, Lee Sampson, Joel Stratton, Jim Hubbell, TheBabeGabe, TyFaison, Mitzi McKee, Don Simon, Morgan Holcomb, Bill Sundahl, Rick Truman, Nick Carswell, Brody Lowe, Fritz Hutchison, Mark Ronning, Iona DeWalt, Nan Turner, Amy Steinberg, Pete Kuhn, Brandon Day, Flare Tha Rebel, Margo May, Jared Bond, Tim York, Rita Hanch, Brock Johnson, Howard Iceberg, Chad Brothers, Julie Bates, Andrew Morris, Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Christopher Ruiz, Wills Nan Doorn, Sondra Freeman, Steddy P, David George, Scotty Sharp, Ben Wendt, Brock Wilbur, Nick Spacek, Gabe Rivera, Sara Swenson, Tommy Capps, Dirk Liebert, Graham Stone, Barry Lee, Chuck Haddix, Judy Mills, and Bill Brownlee.

10:37 – WMM Plays More New & MidCoastal Releases

9. Betse Ellis – “The Traveler”
   from: High Moon Order / Free Dirt / June 14, 2013
   [Betse Ellis with: Jason Beers, Jonathan Kraft, Josh Mobley, Mark Smeltzer, Michael Stover, Mike West. Recorded at 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor, Lawrence, KS. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mike West. Produced by Mike West and Betse Ellis. 2nd solo release from renowned fiddler, Betse Ellis. Betse Ellis is originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Betse received her Bachelors of Arts in Music and a Bachelors of Arts in English, from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. For nearly 40 years Betse has been playing the violin and fiddle professionally and also working as a teacher of music. Betse was a founding member of the acclaimed internationally known band, The Wilders who released 10 albums. Betse is adept at the difficult technique of singing while playing the fiddle. Betse performs material, drawn from traditional American fiddle tunes, spirituals, original tunes, and her “personal old-time music”, influenced by avant-garde artists like Talking Heads, punk pioneers The Clash, and 19th century art music composer Gabriel-Mari. Betse has released two acclaimed solo records, and records & performs with the bands Little Miss Dynamite, and The Starhaven Rounders and with her husband, multi-instrumentalist Clarke Wyatt, as tBetse & Clarke.]

[Betse Ellis has making special appearances with The Poor Choices on Honky Tonk Tuesdays. at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, KCMO in the Historic West Bottoms.]

10. Amber Gray, Ben Perowsky, Brian Drye, Chris Sullivan, Damon Daunno, Jenny Scheinman, Jessie Shelton, Liam Robinson, Lulu Fall, Marika Hugues, Michael Chorney, Nabiyah Be, Patrick Page & Shaina Taub – “All I’ve Ever Known (Live)”
    from: Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Original Cast Recording) [Live] / Parlophone / October 5, 2017
    [Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) is the cast album of the 2016 Off-Broadway production at New York Theatre Workshop. It was released digitally and on CD on October 6, 2017, through Ghostlight Records and Parlophone Records. A four-track EP containing live recordings of “Way Down Hadestown,” “All I’ve Ever Known,” “Wait For Me,” and “Why We Build the Wall” entitled Why We Build The Wall (Selections from Hadestown. The Myth. The Musical. Live Original Cast Recording) was released for digital retailers on October 13, 2016, in promotion of the album. The live album was recorded from the June 28 and 29, 2016 performances.[3] The recording does not contain every song from the production. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart. // The musical Hadestown, written by American singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and based on her 2010 studio album of the same name, has had two official cast recordings. In addition, various songs from Hadestown were re-recorded by Mitchell for her 2014 studio album Xoa, including the musical’s opening number “Anyway the Wind Blows” which had not appeared on the original concept album. The song “Why We Build the Wall” has been covered by a variety of artists, including English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg for his 2017 EP Bridges Not Walls, Ben Fisher, Ben Dunham, Lilli Lewis, and Robert Neustadt. // Hadestown is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It blends versions of two ancient Greek myths, Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, to explore enduring and contemporary themes such as poverty. // The original sung-through version of the musical was performed in Barre and Vergennes, Vermont, in 2006, followed by a tour in Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007. Mitchell, unsure about the future of the musical, turned it into a concept album, released in 2010. // In 2012, Mitchell met Rachel Chavkin, and the two reworked the stage version, with additional songs and dialogue. The new version of the musical, directed by Chavkin, premiered off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) on May 6, 2016, and ran through July 31. Following productions in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and London, England, the show premiered on Broadway in 2019. The Broadway production received critical acclaim, and at the 73rd Tony Awards it received 14 nominations (the most that year) and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.]

11. Allison Russell – “Rainbows”
    from: In The Hour of Chaos / Black Wonder LLC – Fantasy Records – Concord / July 10, 2026
    [4x GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist Allison Russell has announced her third studio album, In The Hour of Chaos, produced by Russell and Dim Star and arriving on July 10th via Fantasy Records. To mark the occasion she has shared her single “Cold April” featuring her tourmate Kara Jackson, Denitia and the Explore! Pop Choir. // Allison Russell just completed her second run on Broadway as Persephone in the 8x Tony Award winning musical Hadestown. She took over the role in November 2024 initially, after spending much of that year opening for Hozier on his Unreal Unearth Tour supporting his arena run on all US dates and throughout Europe. She made her Billboard Hot 100 debut thanks to their duet “Wildflower & Barley.” // Russell recently took the stage at the JUNO Awards to pay tribute to fellow Canadian, Joni Mitchell. The performance was a duet between her and Sarah McLachan who she will tour with throughout the summer. Dates kick off on July 1st in Franklin, TN. A full list of tour dates is below. // The accolades for Russell have been immense. Last year she was nominated for the Polaris Prize and named Billboard Women In Music Canada’s “Breakthrough Artist of the Year.” She has had 8 GRAMMY nominations and one win, earned three 2022 Americana Award nominations and a win for Album of the Year with subsequent nominations in 2023 and 2024, two International Folk Music Award wins, a 2022 Juno nomination for ‘Songwriter of the Year,’ and her first-ever Juno Award win for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Russell won three Canadian Folk Music Awards, two UK Americana Music Awards, and more. // Allison Russell on “Cold April” – Things are rough. Things have been rough before. “Cold April” is not laying out the grim facts of the moment. “Cold April” asks if we can let the music itself restore and recharge us. The act of singing with my sisters, Kara Jackson and Denitia, is a balm for my soul, and a wind at my back to keep on. And my daughter Ida’s Explore! Pop Choir?! Let them tell it: “Calling all birds from across the nation yeah we got a brand new murmuration we don’t have to fly in that old formation, no” Youth – and Love – will be served! // Kara Jackson recently collaborated with Gorillaz and was previously the US National, Youth Poet Laureate Denitia part of CMT Next Women Of Country series, member of Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country program, and featured in Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony concert. // // Allison Russell released The Returner, on September 8, 2023. The album was written and co-produced by Allison along with dim star (her partner JT Nero and Drew Lindsay) and was recorded over Solstice week in December 2022 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA. It features Russell’s “Rainbow Coalition” band of all female musicians along with special guest appearances from the legendary Wendy & Lisa, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, and Hozier. Allison Russell on The Returner: “My goal with The Returner – sonically, poetically, and spiritually – is a radical reclamation of the present tense, a real time union of body, mind, and soul. This album is a much deeper articulation of rhythm, groove, and syncopation. Groove as it heralds the self back into the body, groove as it celebrates sensual and sexual agency and flowering, groove as an urgent call to action and political activism. // In just a word, it’s funkier. But as is the history of anything funky, it’s never just a party. It is a multiverse of energies that merges the celebration and the battle cry. For while an embrace of the present tense is a celebration, it is equally an unquestioning leap into battle – cultural, political, environmental.” // Since the release of her debut solo LP two years ago Outside Child, Russell’s often devastating, deeply moving, cathartic celebration of survivor’s joy has become one of the most acclaimed albums of the past 10 years. Now comes the second chapter in her story, The Returner, a body-shaking, mind-expanding, soulful expression of liberation, love, and self-respect that serves as a fierce declaration of joy for all survivors that have made it to the other side. Allison, JT, and Drew built The Returner from the bottom up with a rhythm-first, genre-fluid approach. The improvisational energy of great female artists sparked the album’s fierce joy, and provided a wider canvas for Allison’s immense, unlimited talent. In all, the new album doesn’t just deliver on the promise of the last two years, it exceeds all reasonable (and unreasonable) expectations and affirms Allison Russell’s place among music’s most vital artists and The Returner, as one of 2023’s most essential recordings. // Allison Russell has spent her career in multiple bands, including Po’ Girl, Our Native Daughters, and Birds of Chicago. After a career spent as a gifted multi-instrumentalist, backing numerous other artists, she finally dared to release her solo project in 2021. “It’s an album of strength and affirmation, not victimization,” said The New York Times in their profile on Russell and Outside Child. Following the album’s release, Russell performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ellen, Late Night With Stephen Colbert, CBS Saturday Morning, Austin City Limits, The Kelly Clarkson Show made her Opry debut and appeared at the Country Music Hall of Fame and performed at the 2022 GRAMMY’s Premiere Ceremony. // The accolades for Russell have been immense. In addition to her four GRAMMY nominations, she has earned three 2022 Americana Award nominations and a win for Album of the Year, two International Folk Music Award wins, a 2022 Juno nomination for ‘Songwriter of the Year,’ and her first-ever Juno Award win for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Russell received two 2021 Americana Awards nominations, won three Canadian Folk Music Awards, two UK Americana Music Awards, and more. She was recently nominated for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year for the 2023 Americana Awards. In addition, Russell has consistently used her newfound platform to elevate, educate and inspire; curating the history making Once And Future Sounds: Roots and Revolution set for the Newport Folk Festival in 2021 and mobilizing this year’s triumphant Love Rising All-Star benefit concert in support of LGBTQIA+ causes in Nashville – raising over $550,000 and calling national attention to Tennessee’s dangerous anti/trans and anti/drag laws. Russell has also announced a book deal with Flatiron/MacMillan for her debut novel, a memoir based on her life and the material that inspired Outside Child and The Returner. // All songs written by Allison Russell, JT Nero, and Drew Lindsay // Co-Producers: Dim Star and Allison Russell // Recorded by Brandon Bell at Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA) Assistant Engineer: Kelsey Porter. Mixed by Brandon Bell at The Cabin Studio (Nashville, TN). Mastered by Kim Rosen at Knack Mastering (Ringwood, NJ) // Allison Russell (vocals, banjo, clarinet), Elenna Canlas (keyboards/synth, backing vocals), Elizabeth Pupo-Walker (percussion), Chauntee Ross (violin, backing vocals) & Monique Ross (cello, backing vocals) aka SistaStrings, Ganessa James (bass, backing vocals), Joy Clark (guitar), Kerenza Peacock (violin), Larissa Maestro (cello, backing vocals), Lisa Coleman (piano), Mandy Fer (guitar, backing vocals), Meg Coleman (drums), Meg McCormick (guitar), Wendy Melvoin (guitar, bass), and Wiktoria Bialic (drums). Special guests Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, and Hozier provide backing vocals on “Requiem”. //We first saw Allison Russell as part of the band/duo with her partner JT Nero as, The Birds of Chicago at the 2014 International Folk Alliance Conference, where they were an Official Showcase Artist . More info at http://www.folk.org. Russell was born in Montreal to a Grenadian student and a Scottish-Canadian teenage single mother. Her mother struggled with postpartum depression and schizophrenia, and Russell was initially placed in foster care. Her mother regained custody of her after marrying a white-supremacist American expatriate. From the ages of 5 to 15, she was physically and sexually abused by her adoptive father. At the age of 15, Russell ran away from home, eventually moving to Vancouver in 1998. She attended Dawson College. // Russell was initially a member of the Vancouver-based Celtic folk band Fear of Drinking. // In 2003, Russell formed the band Po’ Girl with The Be Good Tanyas member Trish Klein. She recorded seven albums with the band: Po’ Girl (2003), Vagabond Lullabies (2004), B-side Recordings (2006), Home to You (2007), Deer in the Night (2008), Live (2009), and Follow Your Bliss (2010). Russell formed the music group Birds of Chicago with JT Nero in 2012. As part of Birds of Chicago, Russell released three studio albums, Birds of Chicago (2012), Real Midnight (2016) and Love in Wartime (2018). With the group, she also released a live album, Live from Space, and an EP titled American Flowers in 2018. In 2018, Russell joined the musical collective Our Native Daughters alongside fellow musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kiah In 2019, the group released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters under the Smithsonian Folkways label. Russell was also featured alongside the rest of the group in a Smithsonian Channel documentary titled Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters. Info: http://www.allisonrussellmusic.com]

12. Ivory Blue – “History”
    from: Echo / IVORY BLUE / May 22, 2026
    [New 10-song full length album from IVORY BLUE. Her third full length album. IVORY BLUE released the singles: “History” on April 3, 2026.,“afterglow” on February 20, 2026; “Forevermore” on November 28, 2025; and “Echo” on September 5, 2025. // Kansas City based artist, IVORY BLUE has a tendency of breaking through barriers that keeps her from saying what needs to be said, regardless of style. Bringing us hard hitting rock inspired ear candy like “Starlit Love Child” and “Control”, the idea of genre is only a tool IVORY uses to express her ability to communicate through music. // IVORY BLUE released the singles “Mirrors” on August 1, 2025; “Heartbeat” on March 28, 2025; “Rhythm of the Radio” on January 31, 2025 // “Exiled” on November 29, 2024; “Olé!” on October 4, 2024, Breathing Underwater” on August 9, 2024, “Bad Dreams”on June 7, 2024, “Batter Up” on April 22, 2024, “Flashback” on March 15, 2024, “Howl” on Feb. 16, 2024. // IVORY BLUE released their 2nd full length album, STARLIT LOVE CHILD, on Nov. 17, 2023. The 10-track album was in the top five of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2023, and in the “Best of” lists at 90.9 The Bridge and stations around the world. // On Oct. 27, 2023 IVORY BLUE released the single “Ghost of Life.” This single followed IVORY’s previous releases,”In A World Like This” from Sept. 22, 2023, ”The Best of Life” from Aug. 4, 2023 and “Control” from May 26, 2023. IVORY released the single “All Outta Love” on Feb. 24, 2023. // IVORY BLUE released the single “Starlit Love Child” on Oct. 28, 2022, “Red Light” on July 29, 2022. // IVORY BLUE released their full length debut album COMPOUND LOVE on Feb. 25, 2022. COMPOUND LOVE was in the Top 10 of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. For COMPOUND LOVE, IVORY BLUE 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. // 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’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015. While the EP helped spread the word and give IVORY BLUE attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break would come in 2017 when Ivory was among 1800 artists/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 with The Band That Fell to Earth, Boulevardia, Crossroads Music Festival, Middle of the Map Fest, Westport Roots Festival, KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at KC 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 Ivory to Kansas City, and adopting Ivory into the Van Lue family. In 2011, Ivory settled in the Kansas City, MO area. During the past 10 years Ivory came out as “Non-Binary Transgender”, and then later as Trans-Female. // 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. Info at: http://www.ivorybluemusic.com]

10:49 – Fund Drive Break #3

WMM Summer Fund Drive Team: Mara Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Dwight Frizzell

We need KKFI Now More Than Ever. Where do listeners go to learn more about: Environmental issues, Immigration, Labor rights, Renters Rights, LGBTQIA issue, Urban Issues, Women’s Issues, Native American Issues, Understanding Isreal Palestine, Educational Issues, School Boards and Local Politics, our area Prison Population, Economic Issues, The Kansas City Visual & Literary Arts , The Performing Arts, Stadium Campaigns, National Headlines? Where do listeners go to hear: Jazz, Blues, Reggae, Classical, Hip Hop, Folk, Women’s Music, Indie Rock, Pop, Electronica, Punk…the answer is KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio. KKFI host 88 locally produce radio shows each creating weekly content to serve multiple communities of diversity across our listening audience.

10:57 – Station ID

10:57 – Say That Again

16. Say That Again – “I’m Alright”
    from: “I’m Alright”- Single / Say That Again / March 6, 2026
    [Say That Again were formed in early 2020 with Will Kuenne on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Trecen Peeler on bass, Vinnie Cascone on drums, and Carlos Nunez on lead guitar. Their music is a fun blend of Alternative/Indie Rock and Bedroom Pop that’ll get your toes tappinc g. Say That Again released their last album Get Over it on Feb. 23, 2024. Say That Again released their debut EP “Flying Cars” in Dec.cc of 2021 and just released their first full-length album, “Get Over It” on Feb. 23, 2024. Info: linktr.ee/SayThatAgainKC]

[Say That Again play The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., NKC, on Saturday, June 13, at 8:00pm with LYXE, and The Working Class Zeros.]

11:00 – Interview with Say That Again

Will Kuenne, Vinnie Cascone and Carlos Nunez are three fourths of the KC based band, Say That Again and they join us live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Say That Again were formed in early 2020 with Will Kuenne on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Trecen Peeler on bass, Vinnie Cascone on drums, and Carlos Nunez on lead guitar. Their music is a fun blend of Alternative/Indie Rock and Bedroom Pop that’ll get your toes tapping. Say That Again released their debut EP, FLYING CARS on December 13, 2021 and their full-length album, GET OVER IT on February 23, 2024. Recently Say That Again have released a string of new singles including “New Strokes” on May 30, 2025, “I’m Alright” on March 6, 2026, and “In Conversation” on May 15, 2026. Say That Again play The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., NKC, on Saturday, June 13, at 8:00pm with LYXE, and The Working Class Zeros. More info at: linktr.ee/SayThatAgainKC

Will Kuenne, Vinnie Cascone and Carlos Nunez thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We just heard Say That Again’s song, “I’m Alright” one of several new singles the band has been releasing over the last year.

Say That Again were formed in early 2020 with

Will Kuenne on lead vocals & rhythm guitar,
Trecen Peeler on bass,
Vinnie Cascone on drums,
Carlos Nunez on lead guitar.

Say That Again play The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., NKC, on Saturday, June 13, at 8:00pm with LYXE, and The Working Class Zeros.

Trecen Peeler and Carlos Nunez thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

More info at: linktr.ee/SayThatAgainKC

11:09 – Say That Again

14. Say That Again – “In Conversation”
    from: “In Conversation”- Single / Say That Again / May 15, 2026
    [Say That Again were formed in early 2020 with Will Kuenne on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Trecen Peeler on bass, Vinnie Cascone on drums, and Carlos Nunez on lead guitar. Their music is a fun blend of Alternative/Indie Rock and Bedroom Pop that’ll get your toes tappinc g. Say That Again released their last album Get Over it on Feb. 23, 2024. Say That Again released their debut EP “Flying Cars” in Dec.cc of 2021 and just released their first full-length album, “Get Over It” on Feb. 23, 2024. Info: linktr.ee/SayThatAgainKC]

[Say That Again play The Rino, 314 Armour Rd., NKC, on Saturday, June 13, at 8:00pm with LYXE, and The Working Class Zeros.]

11:12 – Fund Drive Break #4

WMM Summer Fund Drive Team: Mara Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Dwight Frizzell

On May 13, 2026 – WMM recently celebrated 22 years on the radio.

As of this week WMM has done 1151 weeks, equal to 2302 hours of radio, over 18,000 hours of preparation, 3000 interviews, over 3000 guests, and nearly 25,000 songs, from thousands of musical artists. We have made it our mission to mix musical genres, playing with themes, diversity, equality, free speech, connecting artists and venues and listeners and communities. Wednesday MidDay Medley has proudly endeavored to help tell the story of our growing Kansas City area music community, “The Midcoast Sound,” as we like to call it. We have dedicated our WMM programming to New & MidCoastal Releases.

WMM has presented new formats in radio, with our “A Story In A Song” series, our shows featuring: Apocalypse Meow, Juneteenth, Power to The People Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Folk Alliance International, Manor Fest, The Outer Reaches Festival, Boulevardia. KC Fringe Festival, Waldo Folk Series, Shuttlecock Music, The Folly Theatre, Owen Cox Dance Group, Bach Aria Soloists, KC Pride, our annual tribute shows to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., David Bowie, Iris Dement, Pioneers of Punk, LGBTQIA Themes, Black Lives Matter and interviews with Lily Tomlin, Laurie Anderson, Tommy Ramone, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Joey Arias, Cheyenne Jackson, Iris Dement, Flamy Grant, Members of Fanny, Regina Spektor, Regina Carter, Tom Miller, Nick Cave, Holly Near, Sam Harris, our annual 4-week special: WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of the Year.

KKFI’s Mission Statement: KKFI is the Kansas City area’s independent, noncommercial community radio station. We seek to stimulate, educate and entertain our audience, to reflect the diversity of the local and world community, and to provide a channel for individuals and groups, issues and music that have been overlooked, suppressed or under-represented by other media.

KKFI’s Philosophy Statement: KKFI is committed to diversity in programming and discourse and seeks to create a climate of mutual respect and collaboration among volunteers and staff.

11:20 – Sound Mandala opens tonight, 7:30pm at Unicorn Theatre on the Jerome Stage

Sound Mandala, a 100-channel system, constructed in the Jerome Stage at Unicorn Theatre 3828 Main St. Shows start today June 10 – August 1. Wed – Sundays at 7:30pm.

15. Dwight Frizzell – “Before The Big Band (Radio Edit) (feat. Brad Cox)”
    from: Sound Mandala / Dwight Frizzell / June 10, 2026
    [This music was created by Dwight Frizzell with piano solo by Brad Cox, piano longtones/overtones by Ben Choate and recording engineer Jacob Souders. Frizzell was among the first composers to publish music based on the physics of black holes on his Beyond the Black Crack LP (1976). Fifty years later, he is creating music inspired by the physics of the quantum void that created space-time in the nano-seconds before the Big Bang. Dedicated to Baikei Uehira, Sun Ra and Francois Bayle. // Notes by Dwight Frizzell: If there is a most mysterious mystery, the void of nothingness from which we came would be a contender—how we, along with everything else in this sprawling reality, was created from nothing. // Astro-physics is closing the gap in our understanding of nothingness by locating a void in the nano-seconds before the hot radiation we call the Big Bang. This Quantum Void of nothingness is a state of the lowest possible energy. Everything is slowed down to absolute zero.Yet this void is brimming with potential energy. Through an entirely spontaneous process due to quantum uncertainty, particles and anti-particles spontaneously pop into and out of existence. // The Quantum Void’s ground state is called a “quantum harmonic oscillator” where “non-vanishing vacuum expectation values” are created by spontaneous symmetry breaking. Our universe didn’t begin with a bang, but with a harmonic foundation of music from which sounding particles and anti-particles emerged by chance. // The piano was chosen for its one dimension strings that resonant with sympathetic overtones. In keeping with string theory and elemental energy states, a one-dimensional line can resonate into higher timbral dimensions and be temporally enfolded onto itself by creating time-pods composed of forward and backward moving timeframes. // Musique concrete techniques were also used on the piano recordings to realize the Void’s symmetry breaking process where particles and anti-particles spontaneously appear (and disappear) against the Quantum Void’s harmonic grounding. GRM’s Fusion, Grinder and Evolution software, and IRCAM’s TS was used. All sounds heard here were created from the piano. // Astro-quantum physics has developed a striking affinity with Kashmiri Tantra’s Doctrine of Vibration (Spanda). The Quantum Void, being outside our space-time, is very much like the Absolute or Universal Consciousness in Tantra, and it operates at the foundation of Reality in the same way the Quantum Void actively creates space-time. // The Doctrine of Vibration proposes that the Void is in a constant state of transformation and is full of vibration, yet from another point of view no change or movement occurs in this Absolute. Reality springs from stillness like the particles and anti-particles coming in and out of existence in the Quantum Void. Movement and rest in the Absolute presuppose one another. // The additional insight that Tantra offers to Cosmic Inflation theory has to do with consciousness being imminent in the universe. The freedom of consciousness to do what is impossible (according to reason) demonstrates, through our own experience, how the Absolute can at once be motionless yet full of activity, an astonishing realization at the fabric of reality both in quantum physics (as applied to the quantum void) and Kashmiri Tantra (as applied to the absolute and the movement of consciousness).// Stillness in consciousness is akin to the ground state of the Void– they may be one and the same. Tantra maintains the source of thought, including our understanding of past, present and future, stands outside of time. Consciousness is in an ever developing process in perpetual expansion. Our tiny part of the All, where we observe the flow of events around us and the feelings within us, is entangled with the All in the same way that the Quantum Void is entangled with the Universe. In Cosmic Inflation Theory, the Quantum Void is perpetually creating an infinity of parallel worlds. // To grasp reality in its completeness, we must go beyond thought and language which are only partial representations of reality. To experience this primordial source we pierce through the periphery of thought and plunge into the flash of thinking itself, and with it the emergence of the diversity we perceive in all the things in the world. The close contact between our senses and the Universal Consciousness revitalizes and animates our perceptions. // Unfettered awareness, free of rational thought and language, drifts from one mental object to the next. The transition between them involves a movement through a state of pure awareness outside of thought-forms and perceptions that is like the ground state of the Quantum Void. Music ©2026 Dwight Frizzell & Brad Cox]

[Sound Mandala plays The Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main Street, KCMO opening Wednesday, June 10 and running into the KC Fringe Festival 2026, through August 1. Wednesday thru Sundays at 7:30pm]

11:24:30 – Interview with Dwight Frizzell

Rev Dwight Frizzell is a Professor & Sound Head, at Kansas City Art Institute, in the Photography & Filmmaking Department with a Terminal Degree in Sound Design. Dwight Frizzell, is a founder of the “groovy polyphonic jazz/dance” band, Black Crack Revue, now in their 43rd year. Dwight Frizzell is also host & producer of “From Arc To Microchip” heard on the 5th Thursday of each month on KKFI’s Thursday Night Special at 7:00pm.

Sound Mandala – For the summer of 2026, a 100-channel system has been constructed in the Jerome Stage at the Unicorn Theatre. New programs are being created. Shows will take place during the FIFA World Cup, starting today June 10.

Signal & Soul is the Sound Mandala at its most adventurous — a single evening that moves from hip-hop to the cosmos, from Beatles psychedelia to the quantum void, from beatboxing to Anton Chekhov. Buckle up. ~50 Minutes

Indie Spotlight From Challenger Artists – a new kind of show: five fantastic young bands from Challenger Artists, live in our 100-loudspeaker immersive theatre — where sound moves, swirls, surrounds and envelops you in ways never before experienced. Featuring: Mini Trees, the indie-alt pop project of LA-based songwriter Lexi Vega; Brooklyn duo TOLEDO; Valley Boy, whose collaborators include Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, and Troye Sivan; Midwest four-piece Post Sex Nachos, whose track “SOS” climbed to the SiriusXM Alt Nation Top 6; and Chicago indie act Capital Soiree. The musical groups providing songs for our INDIE SPOTLIGHT are managed by Challenger Artists, the artist management division of Mammoth Live (promoter for venues in Kansas City including Uptown Theater, Grinder’s, Record Bar and more). ~60 Minutes

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari – One of cinema’s most haunting masterpieces gets the sonic treatment it has always deserved. The nightmarish 1920 German Expressionist landmark returns with a brand-new live score by Kansas City composer Thomas Newby and psychedelic chamber pop innovators The Green Zoo. Approximately 62 minutes. Presented through all 100 loudspeakers. The line between screen and sensation dissolves completely. – 62 Minutes

Sound Mandala is a one-of-a-kind immersive audio experience where 100 independent loudspeakers surround you—sound moving around you, above you, and through you. This isn’t surround sound. It’s something altogether different, carefully crafted by sound designers who spend hours mixing each piece moving the sound around you, above you, and beneath you.

BCR’s Celestial Mammals Solstice Show, at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave., KCMO, Saturday, June 20, at 6:00 to 9:00 PM – Celebrate the Solstice with BCR on the 50th Anniversary of the Black Crack Revue!

11:27 – Underwriting

11:29 – WMM Celebrates New & MicCoastal Release

16. The Forcefields – “Border”
    from: Symphony Of All Things / Frickin’ Awesome Records / June 6, 2026
    [Debut 9-track album from The Forcefields is a cosmosonic collaboration between Julia Othmer and James T Lundie AKA Aayama & Max Forcefield. The Forcefields made their first debut with the presentation TRANSMISSION for the Charlotte Street Foundation series, In(SITE), highlighting local, regional, and national acts at pivotal points in their practices. In a multidisciplinary collaboration with artists Simon Huntley, Sarah Hearn, and Mikal Shapiro, Transmission was an exploration of cosmic vibrations and soundscapes in a stunning one-night-only production. // Julia Othmer grew up in Kansas City and studied at Columbia University in New York City. The child of European refugees, she draws from a broad and richly cultured palette of experience to create her intensely human yet otherworldly songs. Her piano-driven performances are a mesmerizing and superconscious fusion of raw power, vocal artistry and joy. She played many local KC clubs including Jardine’s and Bar Natasha. Julia moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st album, OASIS MOTEL. When Julia started planning to record her second album she traveled all the way to England to work with producer James Lundie. On a dark night in North London, singer-songwriter Julia Othmer landed on the front steps of producer-composer James T Lundie. She had been introduced to his music production and fell so deeply in love with his sonic architecture, she transported herself across the proverbial pond from LA to the UK, and refused to leave until he listened to her songs. This began a deeply creative and inspired partnership both in music and in life. Together they have released (under Julia’s name) studio recordings, live recordings, short films to accompany their work, a multi-media performance experience, and multiple social and environmental justice initiatives. James T. Lundie married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. The album “Sound,” was released on April 12, 2019. Leading up to the 2020 presidential election Julia & James released Seeds (Vol. 1) in 2020, and SEEDS (Vol. 2) in 2022. In the midst of these releases Julia and James relocated to Kansas City. Last year in April of 2024 Julia and James unveiled their newest creation, THE FORCEFIELDS featuring, reimagined vintage synthesizers, video projections, one of a kind instruments. // In 2021 Julia and James relocated to KC, and they recently unveiled their newest creation, a new expanding sonic & visual aesthetic called THE FORCEFIELDS. Their sound is evolving into what is described as Annie Lennox hosting a full moon party with The Beach Boys and Portishead gathered round the fire. Their studio recordings feature James’ unique sonic tools, reimagined vintage synthesizers, audireting and distilling the essence of two of Julia’s previous songs.]

11:33 – Fund Drive Break #5

WMM Fund Drive Team: Mara Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, & Dwight Frizzell

We make radio shows that cover: The Folly Theater, Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society, Lotus Pool Records, KC Rep, Outer Reaches Fest, Owen/Cox Dance Group, No Divide KC, recordBar, Lawrence Arts Center, Manor Records, The Rino, KC Blues Society, KC Star, Lawrence Music Alliance, MixMaster Music Conference, Kosmic City Records, Midwest Music Foundation, Artists Thrive!, KC Gift, Juneteenth, Power to The People Fest, The Record Machine, Whim Theater, Lemonade Park, Crossroads Music Festival, The Ship, The Black Box Theatre, Amplify Lawrence, Quindaro Ruins, Queer Narratives Fest, Art in the Loop, The film: “I’m So Glad” documenting the KC Gospel Music, KC Fringe Festival, Make Music Day, Boulevardia, Arts in The Park, UMKC Conservatory of Music, The Crossroads Hotel, High Dive Records, Greenwood Social Hall, KC Folk Fest, Manor Fest, Center Cut Records, KKFI Band Auction, Charlotte Street Foundation, Women’s History Month!, University of Missouri at Columbia, Lawrence Public Library, I Heart Local Music, Black History Month, Bach Aria Soloists, Folk Alliance International, Martin Luther King Jr., Tribute to David Bowie, Tribute to Iris DeMent, the music of Palestine and Gaza

11:41 – WMM Celebrates New & MicCoastal Release

17. Margaret Cho – “You Can Be You (feat, Garrison Starr)”
    from: Lucky Gift / Clownery Records / February 14, 2025
    [Margaret Cho’s 3rd music album. She released In Transition in 2013, and American Myth in 2016. // Produced and co-written with Garrison Starr and Roger Rocha. Acoustic Guitar Garrison Starr and Margaret Cho. Background Vocals Kate Willett. // Stef Rubino, Feb 18, 2025, http://www.autostraddle.com – In her over 30-year queer career, Margaret Cho has managed to leave her mark on just about every mainstream creative endeavor we have available to us as artists. Since beginning her career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1990s, Cho has grown to be one of our most prolific multi-hyphenate artists, constantly working across genres and willing to share her creative pursuits with her fans and the general public. Over the last 30 years, she’s gone on several comedy tours and recorded many comedy specials and albums; she’s been in films and on TV; she’s co-produced podcasts, written books, and recorded and written her own music. She has also collaborated with other musicians like Fiona Apple, Grant Lee Phillips, Ben Lee, Andrew Bird, Ani DiFranco, Tegan and Sara, and Patty Griffin. // Her first two albums of original songs, Cho Dependent and American Myth, were released to critical acclaim in 2010 and 2016 with the former earning her a Grammy nomination in 2011 for Best Comedy Album. Both of those albums featured Cho’s signature style of finding ways to laugh at the more traumatizing aspects of her life while also finding new phenomena to poke fun at and lambast a little, hence being labelled as musical comedy albums. After a nearly nine year hiatus from music production, she released her newest album Lucky Gift last week on Valentine’s Day. // Cho, a self-proclaimed music lover, collaborated with musicians Roger Rocha and Garrison Starr to both write most of the tracks and produce and compose the album, which is less comedic than the previous two albums and more of an interesting examination of the last few years of Cho’s life, her personal losses, the political atmosphere in the U.S., and the kinds of music that move her the most. // The album’s opening title track, “Lucky Gift,” is undoubtedly the biggest song on the record in terms of composition and the places Cho has to take her voice in order to match the power-pop energy of the fast-paced drums, stomping electric acoustic guitar and double-neck mandolin, and celebratory background harmonies. Although the song is brand new, its structure, rises and falls, and ever-present tambourine feel especially reminiscent of late-1990s and early-2000s pop hits. In it, Cho sings to her lover, “Thought I’d lose you but I haven’t  / The worst thing I been through never happened / I could look at you and live / You are such a lucky gift.” // Then, in what feels like one of the hallmark qualities of Cho’s sense of humor, just a few songs later, we get this one’s companion in “90s Sisyphus,” a song about breaking up with the lover in “Lucky Gift.” The composition of “90s Sisyphus” feels equally nostalgic, only its led by the fuzzy power chords of an electric guitar and punchy drums with a jangly, gleaming synthesizer just above it, all rounding out the late-1990s rom-com feel of the song. Whereas “Lucky Gift” was an ode to new love, “90s Sisyphus” gives us her feelings after the fall: “You got me so unbound / And I hate you now / Love’s most bitter refrain / Spit it up and taste it again.” / Two tracks on the album, “Funny Man” and “Baked Bread,” serve as informal eulogies for two of Cho’s friends who passed away since the recording and release of her last album. The first, “Funny Man,” is a crisp, percussive piano- and horn-section-driven track about the late, great Robin Williams and the difficulty of being the kind of comedian who uses humor as a coping mechanism for the trauma they’ve experienced, Cho singing at the chorus, “Weren’t we lonely / Weren’t we sad / Weren’t we beautiful / Weren’t we bad.” “Baked Bread” was written to honor Cho’s friend Gerri Lawlor, and its composition plays with the conventions of both pop-rock and country through its thumping bassline and twangy guitar hooks. This song is not quite as straightforward as “Funny Man” is. Instead, it is imbued in metaphor and what seems like very personal recollections of Cho’s life with Lawlor. That doesn’t make it difficult to listen to by any means, but it does feel a little less accessible than many of the other tracks on the album. // Another pair of tracks, “Wheels of Gold” and “Melinda,” address Cho’s 10-year struggle to finally get sober from opiate addiction, though the positionalities of the speaker on both of the tracks are completely different, with “Wheels of Gold” focusing on the feelings of being “in love” with drugs while “Melinda” sets its sights on the experience of recovery. The compositions of each track also help set the tone for their speakers: “Wheels of Gold” rivals that of “Lucky Gift” with the soaring orchestral swell of the electric organ leading the track whereas “Melinda” is much more lowkey, instead featuring slow, glassy acoustic guitars and some subtlety emotive violin. // Being that the long-out Cho has always fearlessly and publicly stood up for queer and trans people, it’s no surprise there’s a track on the album written specifically for queer and trans youth and dedicated to Nex Benedict. Through brightly composed acoustic guitars and glittering keyboards, Cho delivers an uncomplicated anthem for queer and trans youth reminding them that they’re free to be who they are even if the world tells them they’re wrong. Cho sings, “All I know is I’ve had enough / So I’m sending this message up / And you can be you / You can be you / You can be you / And that’s what’s true.” In a recent interview about the album, Cho said “You Can Be You” is one of her favorite tracks on the album explaining that “it’s an opportunity to establish a ‘queer elder’ understanding and a relationship to the younger community.” // While her first two music albums take the opportunity to incorporate more of Cho’s humor, Lucky Gift is an album of serious writing and musical composition that occasionally has some glimmers of Cho’s humor poking through. Although it is starkly different from a lot of the work she’s done, the album serves as yet another example of Cho’s talent. Where many artists this far into their careers might feel comfortable resting on the signatures and routines they’ve built, Cho proves once again that she’s consistently and successfully evolving, not just to keep up with the times but to show how vital it is to keep uncovering new parts of yourself as time goes on. In that way, Lucky Gift is just helping us get to know Cho in a completely different way than we’re used to and is a fun, welcome addition to Cho’s incredible repertoire.

[Margaret Cho brings her new show, “Choligarchy” to The Folly Theater, 300 West 12th, KCMO, on Saturday, June 16, at 7:30pm. ]

8. Radkey – “Ready To Burn”
   from: “Ready To Burn” – Single / Little Man Records / May 22, 2026
   [To single from upcoming New Album Bedroom Sand to be released on July 14, 2026Radkey released the EP Victory on July 30, 2025. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025. // single “Falling Out of Grace” on October 24, 2025. Radkey released the single “Victory” on March 28, 2025. On September 23, 2022 Radkey released the single “Better Than This.” The band released “Games (Tonight)”: on January 28, 2022 on Little Man Records. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released multiple full-length recordings. In 2021 Radkey was featured in Dave Grohl’s van-touring documentary film, WHAT DRIVES US. Radkey released GREEN ROOM on Little Man Records on November 27, 2020. On Green Room the band serve as their own producers. Radkey released DARK BLACK MAKE UP in 2015 and DELICIOUS ROCK NOISE in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]

[Radkey plays Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., Lawrence, KS. Friday, June 12, w/Godzillionaire.]

11:47 – Pledge Break #6

WMM Summer Fund Drive Team: Mara Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Dwight Frizzell

On February 28, 1988 folks from the Kansas City Community launched onto our airwaves KKFI 90.1 FM with hopes that through community radio we could help build our community, make it a better place, for our future, for those that follow and take our place. Today 37 years later 90.1 FM offers 100 radio programs, and 85 of these programs are locally produced, locally sourced, locally researched, locally presented by passionate and dedicated members of our Kansas City Community. Bucking all trends of commercially owned media, at KKFI, Diversity and Inclusion are part of our mission. Telling the stories of people who are under-represented is our mission. In a world where national corporations have purchased almost all local TV & Radio stations, KKFI has fought hard to remain free, locally loyal, a voice for those not repented in the corporately owned & cloned stations, or the rightwing talk, church owned christian stations, that proliferate the frequencies, through all of this, KKFI has worked hard to keep a little slice of the public airwaves alive for all of the people in our collective communities.

With shows locally produced about Native People, LGBTQIA People, Women, Working People, Black People, Ecological People, People in Prison, Stories of Middle Eastern and Latinx, KC Tenants, Understanding Israel Palestine, Economics For The People, Local elected leaders, Creatives, Artists, Poets, Musicians, Teachers, Theatre People, Dancers, Writers, Environmentalists, Historians, Activists, Survivors, KKFI’s News, Public Affairs, Arts & Culture programs go the distance with every show to represent and report of what is going on in our world here in Kansas City and the surrounding metro in our 80 mile radius of signal, and even farther on line digitally.

KKFI offers music shows produced by steadfast representatives from the diverse Music Community of Kansas City: Jazz shows 7 days a week hosted by professional Jazz Musicians; Reggae Shows throughout the week hosted by Reggae Royalty, Folk and Americana shows all week long hosted by folk musicians with decades of performances; Blues shows hosted by women & men who dearly love and live in KC’s enduring and nationally recognized blues community. Music shows that celebrate Independent, Local, Alternative, Soul and R&B, Punk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Vinyl Only, Glam Rock, New Wave, Rockabilly, Tejano, Classical, K-Pop, LIVE!, Gospel, New!, World, Experimental, Old-Timey, House, Country, Heavy Metal, and so much more. Every show is produced, engineered and hosted by a real live person on the other end of the telephone.

90.1 FM is a miracle in broadcasting because hundreds of volunteers and active members keep it alive with their passion for the possibilities of radio, our most accessible media, available online, but also over the airwaves from our 100,000 watt tower that we own as a station and non-profit membership based organization.

Please help us survive. Reports show that 1 to 10 percent of listeners actually give back and donate in support of community radio. With your donation, YOU are the funder of something 100 other people will enjoy (for free) because of your donation. You are helping to build our community. – Please donate. Thank you!

For Mará Williams, D. Rashaan Gilmore, Dwight Frizzell, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening! Thank you to everyone for donating!

11:54 – WMM Plays More New & MidCoastal Releases

19. Field Daze – “Circles”
    from: “Circles” – Single / Field Daze / June 5 2026
    [Produced, mixed, and mastered by Ian Dobyns at Element Recording Studios. Field Daze released the singles: “Shade of Blue” on April 3, 2026, “Hula Girl” on March 3, 2026, “Hate Me” on March 9, 2026, “Melona 99” on March 8, 2026. // Field Daze, is an Indie Rock/Dreampop band, originated in KCMO when Rodd Fenton & Dan Camino responded to a Facebook call to start a Dreampop band. Their collaboration led to the creation of early demos. Shortly after, they were joined by Tracer Cauy, Kyer Lasswell, & Beau Harris, solidifying the band’s lineup. // Their magnetic sound quickly found a home in the KC music community, playing The Rino, The Ship, and The Bottleneck. Field Daze’s live performances became synonymous with an immersive musical experience, drawing in crowds with their captivating melodies. // Currently, the band channels their creativity by recording homegrown tracks within Rodd Fenton’s personal studio, honing their craft and evolving their unique sound. More Info at: http://www.fielddazekc.com

[Field Daze play Wednesday Wave on the Grinder’s Patio, tonight, June 10, 6 – 9:00pm, hosted by Joshua James & The First Aid Kit, w/ Maddie Lai & comedy from Reagan Rose, & Mitchell Harmon.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, June 17 We welcome Sara Bellum and the Brainwaves and feaure their new single, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. And we talk with Warren Williams host and producer of 90.1 FM’s Dub’s Groove who will be doing his last show on June 24.

You can find our playlists at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org & http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Office Manager Book Keeper – Shaina Littler.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during WMM we had a total of 49 individuals donated $3924.00 going way over our show goal!

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

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 #1151

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

Wednesday, January 7, 2025

WMM Celebrates Iris DeMent and David Bowie

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

2. Greg Brown – “Let The Mystery Be”
   from: Freak Flag / Yep Roc / May 10, 2011
   [Iris DeMent’s song “Let The Mystery Be” from her debut album, Infamous Angel, from 1992. This song was covered by David Bryne, 10,000 Maniacs, Bun E. Carlos, and many others, it also became the theme song for the 2nd season of The Leftovers.While Greg Brown was recording this album, lighting hit the studio where he was recording songs for his 24th album: Freak Flag, the title track was all that remained of the lost original album. Greg wrote ten new songs, recording them at Memphis, Tennessee’s legendary Ardent Studios. Produced by Bo Ramsey, the album also includes a cover of Pieta Brown’s song, ”Remember the Sun.”]

Thanks for tuning into WMM, here on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio, 
I’m Mark Manning. Today on WMM we give you a double header. In our 2nd hour, in honor of what would have been his 79th birthday – TOMORROW – January 8, we celebrate David Bowie, with a sonic tribute to the musical chameleon who was such an important influence on so many of us especially us queer kids, trapped in small towns.

But first…In our 1st hour, we celebrate the birthday of Iris DeMent, born on, January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, Arkansas. She was the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 3, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music. Within her own family there were many incredible vocalists, including her mother During her teenage years, Iris was exposed to country, folk, & R&B.

In the mid 1980s Iris moved to the Midwest, and after a series of jobs as a waitress and typist, she wrote her first song at the age of 25. She moved to Kansas City and played Harling’s Upstairs and open-mic nights along side Scott Hrabko and Howard Iceberg. Iris met producer Jim Rooney from Nashville, in 1988, who helped her land a record contract. Iris Dement made her national recording debut in 1992, with her independently produced album, “Infamous Angel.” The record won critical acclaim and John Prine mentioned Iris in his list of favorite recordings of the year, published in Rolling Stone. Despite a complete lack of support from country radio, the word of mouth praise for Iris DeMent’s INFAMOUS ANGEL earned her a deal with Warner Bros Records, which reissued INFAMOUS ANGEL in 1993. The album also included the song, “Let The Mystery Be” a composition also covered by David Bryne, 10,000 Maniacs, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, Greg Brown, and it was the theme song for the second season of HBO’s The Leftovers.

Today we feature music from some of Iris DeMent’s 7 full length albums, her collaborative work with Greg Brown, John Prine, and classic songs from her inspirations: Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Merle Haggard. Please stay with us.

10:08 – The Influences of Iris DeMent

Iris DeMent represents that place in the road, where Country and Folk music merge, with honest stories of working class people, not afraid to tell the truth about the times they are living through. Iris DeMent grew up singing gospel music, but in her teenage years, she discovered other music through the radio: country, folk, and R&B, and the music of Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell.

3. Loretta Lynn – “You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man”
   rom: Legends of Country Music / Columbia – Legacy / 1997
   [Live performance for Austin City Limits taped in 1983. Loretta Webb was the second of 8 children; grew up in Butcher Holler, a section of Van Lear, a mining community in Kentucky. Growing up with such humble roots had a huge effect on Lynn’s life and heavily influenced her music as an adult. Her autobiography describes how, during her childhood, the community had no motor vehicles, paved roads, or flush toilets. She married Oliver Vanetta Lynn, known as “Doo,” on Jan. 10, 1948, at age 13. In an effort to break free of the coal mining industry, at 14, Lynn moved to the logging community Custer, Washington, with her husband. The Lynns had 4 children – Betty Sue, Jack Benny, Cissy and Ernest Ray – by the time Loretta was 18, and in her early 20s she then had twin girls, Peggy & Patsy. Loretta Lynn possibly had more banned songs than any other country music artist, prior to The Dixie Chicks, including “Rated X,” about the double standards divorced women face, “Wings Upon Your Horns,” about the loss of teenage virginity, and “The Pill,” lyrics by T. D. Bayless, about a wife and mother becoming liberated via the birth control pill. Her song “Dear Uncle Sam,” released in 1966 during the Vietnam War, describes a wife’s anguish at the loss of a husband to war.]

4. Merle Haggard – “Workin’ Man Blues”
   from: Oh Boy Classic Presents Merle Haggard / Oh Boy Records / 2000
   [Originally released in 1969, a tribute to a core group of his fans: The American blue-collared working man. Backed by an electric guitar that typified Haggard’s signature Bakersfield Sound, he fills the role of one of those workers expressing pride in values of hard work & sacrifice, despite the resulting fatigue & the stress of raising a large family. On Haggard’s 1969 “A Portrait of Merle Haggard,” and John Prine’s Oh Boy Records.]

5. Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire”
   from: 16 Biggest Hits / Columbia Legacy / 2007
   [Co-written by June Carter (wife of Johnny Cash) and Merle Kilgore. The song was recorded on March 25, 1963 and became the biggest hit of his career, staying at #1 on the charts for 7 weeks. “Ring of Fire” refers to falling in love – which is what June Carter was experiencing with Johnny Cash at the time. Some sources claim that June had seen the phrase, “Love is like a burning ring of fire,” underlined in one of her uncle A. P. Carter’s Elizabethan books of poetry. She worked with Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this phrase as she had seen her uncle do in the past. In the 2005 film, Walk the Line June is depicted as writing the song while agonizing over her feelings for Cash despite his drug addiction and alcoholism as she was driving home one evening. She had written: “There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns”. Cash claims he had a dream where he heard the song accompanied by “Mexican horns”. Four years after the song was released, Carter and Cash were married which Cash states helped to stop his alcohol and drug addictions. Cash’s daughter, Rosanne has stated, “The song is about the transformative power of love and that’s what it has always meant to me and that’s what it will always mean to the Cash children.]

6. Bob Dylan – “I Shall Be Released”
   rom: The Essential Bob Dylan / Columbia – Sony / 2000
   [Originally recorded October, 1971 for Greatest Hits Vol. 2. Originally written for The Basement Tapes. Originally recorded by The Band. Later recorded by Nina Simone in 1973.]

7. Joni Mitchell – “For The Roses”
   from: For The Roses / Asylum / 1972
   [Released between her 2 biggest commercial and critical successes, “Blue” and “Court & Spark.” In 2007 it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. “For the Roses” was Mitchell’s farewell to the business; she took an extended break for a year after. The album was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying, “Each of Mitchell’s songs on For the Roses is a gem glistening with her elegant way with language, her pointed splashes of irony & her perfect shaping of images. Never does Mitchell voice a thought or feeling commonly. She’s a songwriter and singer of genius who can’t help but make us feel we are not alone.” A nude photograph of Joni Mitchell was included on the inside cover of the original LP and is included in the CD booklet. The photograph shows the singer from the rear & was taken from a considerable distance; she is shown standing on a rock and staring out at the ocean. This created some controversy at the time.]

10:22

Iris DeMent‘s first three releases, all on Warner Brothers records, were critically acclaimed. She received two Grammy nominations during this time, in the “Folk Music” category. Meanwhile country radio completely overlooked her original songs, and her amazing voice, that has been compared to Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. For Iris’ 1992 debut album, Infamous Angel, John Prine wrote the liner notes:

“One night after receiving a copy of “Let the Mystery Be,” I was listening to the tape while frying a dozen or so pork chops in a skillet. Well Iris DeMent starts singing about “Mama’s Opry,” and being the sentimental fellow I am, I got a lump in my throat and a tear fell from my eyes into the hot oil. Well the oil popped out and burnt my arm as if the pork chops were trying to say, “Shut up, or I’ll really give you something to cry about.” Of course, pork chops can’t talk. But Iris DeMent’s songs can. They talk about isolated memories of life, love and living. And Iris has a voice I like a whole lot, like one you’ve heard before— but not really. So listen to this music, this Iris DeMent. It’s good for you. And if pork chops could talk, they’d probably learn how to sing one of her songs. Then we’d all have something to cry about.” – John Prine, Songwriter, musician & president Oh Boy! Records

11:24

8. Iris DeMent – “Infamous Angel”
   from: Infamous Angel / Warner Brothers / 1992 / 1993
   [Debut studio album of singer-songwriter Iris DeMent. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1992. In 1995, her song “Our Town” was played in the closing moments of the last episode for the CBS TV series Northern Exposure.. “Let the Mystery Be” became the theme song for the 2nd season of The Leftovers.]

9. John Prine w/ Iris Dement – “We’re Not The Jet Set”
   from: In Spite Of Ourselves / Oh Boy / 1999
   [In 1968 country superstar George Jones witnessed a fight between Tammy Wynette and her husband Don Chapel. At Jones’s urging, Wynette and her daughters drove away with him. Wynette and Jones married Feb. 16, 1969, and Wynette’s 4th daughter, Georgette, was born in 1970. Jones and Wynette, were nicknamed the “President and First Lady” of country music, and they recorded a string of hit duets that seemed drawn directly from their volatile relationship, which resulted in their divorcing in 1975. Their classic recordings included “Two Story House,” “Golden Ring,” and the humorous “(We’re Not) The Jet Set.” ]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – Greg Brown

Welcome back to WMM, and our Annual Birthday Celebration of Iris DeMent. Iris followed up her debut album INFAMOUS ANGEL with the autobiographical, MY LIFE, released in 1994. Iris followed with her third Warner Brother’s release, THE WAY I SHOULD, released in 1996, which contains some of Iris DeMent’s most political songs.

In the 2002 Iris DeMent did a benefit concert for The Friends of Community Radio atUnity Temple on The Plaza. I remember when Iris asked us if it was okay that she have a musician friend open the concert for her, we agreed because Iris was donating her talent to the cause of community radio. And then she told us that this musician friend was Greg Brown, who is known all over the country, but had never before played KC.

Later that year, on November 21, 2002 Greg married Iris DeMent in a private ceremony in the office of Rev. Sam Mann of St. Mark Church in East KC. Iris had originally learned about Rev. Sam Mann from listening to his radio show “East of Troost” on 90.1 FM KKFI. Iris started attending his church, and eventually Rev. Mann realized he had a Grammy nominated musical artist in his parish.

Grammy Nominated Greg Brown is one of the most respected singer songwriters working in music. He started singing professionally at the age of 18 organizing early folk concerts in New York City, Portland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. In the 1980s, he worked and toured extensively as musical director for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio program. He also founded his own record label, named Red House Records after a home in which he lived in Iowa.

Greg Brown has released over 30 recordings and has allowed much of his music to be used to raise funds and awareness for environmental and social causes. His songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris DeMent and Joan Baez.

10:35

10. Greg Brown – “Bucket”
    from: Evening Call / Red House / 2006
    [The Washington Post writes, “The singer-songwriter from Iowa has a baritone as rough and chunky as Thanksgiving gravy with the turkey bits still in, and that’s just how his words drip out on his album, “The Evening Call.” on “Whippoorwill” he sing as sweetly as his lover down in KC. That’s his wife, Iris DeMent, and on “Joy Tears,” he tells her, “When you start your singing, honey, the heavens open up with grace.”]

Iris released her 5th album, SING THE DELTA in 2012, to glowing reviews from,The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and was #1 on WMM’s 112 Best Recordings of 2012. Iris DeMent released her 6th album, THE TRACKLESS WOODS in 2015 with even more national acclaim, and a #5 spot on WMM’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. THE TRACKLESS WOODS sets 18 poems by acclaimed 20th century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova to life. Hailed as one of Russia’s finest poets, Akhmatova survived the Bolshevik Revolution, both World Wars and Stalin. When Iris randomly stumbled upon Akhmatova’s work in a book of poetry a friend sent as a gift, she was immediately taken by the sorrow and burden of the poems. Iris recorded the album with co-producer Richard Bennett in her living room over a five-day period. The project also fulfilled a long yearned for desire to connect with her adopted daughter’s culture and history. Iris and her husband Greg Brown has adopted their daughter from Siberia in 2005, when she was 6, and Iris says ”I’d never have made this record were it not for her.”

10:41

1. Iris DeMent – “Listening to Singing”
   from: The Trackless Woods / FlariElla / August 7, 2015 [6th album from Grammy nominated Iris DeMent who NPR said was ”one of the great voices in contemporary popular music.” The Trackless Woods sets 18 poems by acclaimed 20th century Russian poet Anna Akhmatova to life. Hailed as one of Russia’s finest poets, Akhmatova survived the Bolshevik Revolution, both World Wars and Stalin. She lost family, friends & fellow writers to political killings and labor in the gulags. When Iris randomly stumbled upon Akhmatova’s work in a book of poetry a friend sent as a gift, she was immediately taken by the sorrow and burden of the poems, juxtaposed with Akhmatova’s lightness and transcendence in the face of inhumanity. ”Anna’s gift of song is so strong, about alI I had to do was get really quiet and listen,” says Iris. After reading that first poem the melodies began pouring out of her, and before she even fully understood what was driving her, Iris was gathering musicians & friends, including co-producer Richard Bennett (Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, Steve Earle), to record ‘The Trackless Woods’ in her living room over a 5-days. The result is a pairing of piano and voice in Iris’ style with timeless melodies that are rooted in the American South.]

On September 3, 2020, Grammy nominated singer songwriter Iris DeMent released the single “How Long.” Then, in October of 2020 Iris DeMent sent me a new song she had just written and created a lyric video. I immediately wrote back to Iris and said, “This song is so beautiful and so needed right now. I cried several times listening to it.” She wrote back, “It’s a cry and dance at the same time song. Can’t say I’ve written one of those before. She ended her message with a smily face and the words, “Much love!”

Just as 90.1 FM KKFI was the first radio station to play Iris Dement’s music, we were also the first radio station to play her song, “Going Down To Texas.”

10:45

12. Iris DeMent – “Going Down To Sing In Texas”
    from: Workin’ On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine.]

Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKIN’ ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown, (Greg Brown’s daughter,) who gave the record its final push. Iris write, “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.”

In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”

I communicate with Iris every year, checking in with her, giving her news from Kansas City a place where she loved living, where she found herself as a singer-songwriter, and where she doesn’t mind if we say it’s her “chosen” hometown. Iris joined us live on the show on March 22, 2023 just before her SOLD OUT show at Knuckleheads on Thursday, March 23, 2023 with guest Ana Egge ” Happy Birthday Iris DeMent. We love you!

13. Iris DeMent – “Say A Good Word”
    from: Workin’ On A World / FlariElla / February 24, 2023
    [Iris DeMent’s 7th full length album, WORKING ON A WORLD was stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022. // DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see ‘ Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.” “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. // On October 6, 2020 iris DeMent released her single “Going Down To Sing In Texas.” Stereogum on October 13, 2020 wrote: Other than a handful of guest appearances, Americana legend Iris DeMent hasn’t released new music since her 2015 album The Trackless Woods, a collection of Anna Akhmatova poems set to original music. But DeMent is back today in a big way with “Going Down To Sing In Texas,” a lengthy rambler that’s a lot more serious than its casual, jazzy piano groove lets on. Over the course of nine minutes, DeMent addresses police brutality, George W. Bush (“What’s the deal with all these war criminals who get to walk around free?”), Islamophobia, progressive protesters (“I’m so proud of all of these young people for taking it to the streets”), gun control, Jeff Bezos (“Ain’t we all just a little bit tired of greedy people getting a free pass?”), the Chicks, the Squad, and Jesus Christ (“He spoke truth to power, he stood up for the poor/ The church today wouldn’t even let him through the door”) among other things.It’s a hell of a song, clear and direct yet artful in its conversational ease. Never forget that DeMent can go toe to toe with songwriting legends like her old duet partner John Prine. In his review for WHYY’s Fresh Air, Entertainment Weekly Music Editor – Ken Tucker wrote: “Iris DeMent possesses one of the great voices in contemporary popular music: powerfully, ringingly clear, capable of both heartbreaking fragility and blow-your-ears-back power. Had she been making country albums in the ’70s and ’80s and had more commercial ambition, she’d probably now be considered right up there with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Instead, she’s lived a contemporary life, a somewhat private life. As she recently told an interviewer, “There’s a lot that goes into life besides songwriting.” And she’s taken her time in composing songs that fit into no genre easily.”] [Iris DeMent played Knuckleheads 2715 Rochester Street, KCMO on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in a SOLD OUT SHOW with guest Ana Egge opening the show.] [Iris Dement was our guest LIVE on WMM on March 22, 2023]

11:00 – Station ID – Celebrating David Bowie

You are listening to 90.1 FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio. Please stayed tuned to the 2nd hour of WMM as we celebrate David Bowie born on this day January 8, 1947.

In school he studied art, music, and design before embarking on a music career in 1963. Over a span of 5 decades, he sold over 140 million records and released 27 studio albums, if you count Tin Machine, which you should. His career is notable for his reinvention, his pushing of the boundaries of gender, art and music. He was the first to create a concert tour that was a big as a broadway touring show. He help invent Glam Rock, New Wave, and electronica. He created stage personas to carry thematic concepts with costumes and lights and the very best guitarists and musicians of his time. David Bowie was an actor on stage and in many great independent films including: The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Hunger, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Basquiat, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Labyrinth, and 15 others. He played John Merrick in The Elephant Man on Broadway. He influenced multiple generations with his music, recordings, live concerts, films, music videos, and his ever changing, image.

Bowie was a gateway to other discoveries: The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, T-Rex, Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, Glam Rock, Electronica, Brian Eno, William S. Burroughs, Kraftwerk, Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti, Klaus Nomi, Bauhaus, Gender Expression, and much more.

Nine years ago on January 10, 2016, and two days after he released his 25th solo album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday, David Robert Jones passed away at home surrounded by his wife Iman, son Duncan Jones from his marriage to Angela Bowie, and daughter Alexandria from his marriage to Iman. David Bowie’s death sent shock waves of grief across the world, touching every one of us, that he made feel, less alone. He was a light, a shining star, that guided so many of us through the darkness.

We celebrate David Bowie with musical tracks from deeper inside Bowie’s studio albums, “Blackstar” performed by Chase Horseman, Calvin Arsenia with an original unreleased track called “Ashes”, the Steve Reich remix of “Love is Lost” from THE NEXT DAY (Extra), The Sea and Cake with “Sound and Vision” from LOW, electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk who name check Bowie and Iggy Pop in lyrics to their “Trans-Europe Express” from 1977; Bowie responding with “V-2 Schneider” from HEROES of the same year; Julia Othmer’s beautiful cover of “Heroes” followed by Ondara, with “I’m Afraid of Americans” from Bowie’s EARTHLING from 1997; “Under Pressure” from from Bowie’s Reality Tour Live with bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey, and ending with Oscar winning film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto who in his very first film acting role and first job as a composer of a film’s soundtrack, played opposite of David Bowie in the film “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” from 1983. WMM celebrates the life of David Bowie in music.

14. David Bowie – “Ian Fish U.K. Heir (Moonage Daydream Mix 1)”
    from: Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film / Parlophone / September 16, 2022
    [Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film is the soundtrack to the 2022 documentary film Moonage Daydream based on the life of English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released digitally on September 16, 2022 by Rhino Entertainment and Parlophone Records, preceded by a two-disc CD release on November 18, 2022 and a three-disc vinyl edition, set for later release in 2023. // The album was announced on August 25 2022, to accompany the film, that contained previously unreleased live singles, tracks cut from the album, film-specific remixes of Bowie’s tracks, orchestral performances and interview excerpts and monologues from Bowie himself. A single from the album – the remixed version of the song “Modern Love” – released on the same date. Bowie’s official website, stated it as “This version is a unique mix starting with the isolated piano motif from the track, building up into the chorus before ending on the a cappella backing vocals offering an insight into the individual elements that create the classic we all know and love”. The film-specific remix of the song “D.J.” was released as the second single on September 9, 2022 // Brett Morgan worked for nearly 18 months to design the accompanying soundtrack, with the sound design team — re-recording mixers Paul Massey and David Giammarco, sound and music editor John Warhurst, supervising sound editor Nina Hartstone — working with him. On designing the film’s music, Massey mashed up “a lot of music that wasn’t designed to go together into some amazing pieces of work. And the sound design is fully integrated into that. The soundtrack is like a huge dissolve, from the very beginning of the film until the end.” // At the Cannes Film Festival premiere on May 2022, Carey Matthew of Deadline Hollywood called it as “thundering soundtrack that literally shakes the seats”. Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine wrote “Though Bowie’s music dominates the soundtrack (with his songs remixed for maximum heart-thumping arena-rock impact), the documentary also includes music inspired by the man’s art, including snippets from the Philip Glass symphonies based on Bowie’s Low and Heroes albums.” Max Bell of Classic Rock wrote “If it’s axiomatic that great artistic careers build to a form of crescendo then this double CD, the official soundtrack to Brett Morgen’s anticipated documentary on the musical odyssey of David Bowie, meets that criterion. Morgen’s work on Crossfire Hurricane, for the Rolling Stones, and Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck, persuaded Bowie’s estate to give him carte blanche on over fifty years of material, utilising sonic enhancement, mixes that veer from the sublime to the ridiculously sublime, and a spoken word narrative of sorts that threads the meaning of time, death and faith.”]

15. David Bowie – ““You’re aware of a deeper existence…”
    from: Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film / Parlophone / September 16, 2022
    [Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film is the soundtrack to the 2022 documentary film Moonage Daydream based on the life of English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released digitally on September 16, 2022 by Rhino Entertainment and Parlophone Records, preceded by a two-disc CD release on November 18, 2022 and a three-disc vinyl edition, set for later release in 2023.]

16. Chase Horseman – “Blackstar”
    from: “Blackstar” – Single / Chase Horseman / To be released January 31, 2024
    [Produced, engineered, & mixed by Chase Horseman who also played everything, except for Ian Dobyns who played drums, and also mastered the track. // David Bowie’s 25th solo studio album BLACKSTAR was released eight years ago on his 69th birthday on January 8, 2016. Two days later David Robert Jones passed away at home surrounded by his wife Iman, son Duncan Jones from his marriage to Angela Bowie, and daughter Alexandria from his marriage to Iman. BLACKSTAR has received universal critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching the number one spot in a number of countries in the wake of Bowie’s death and becoming his first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 album chart in the U.S.]

17. David Bowie – “Let me tell you one thing…” (CD #17) ( :18)
    from: Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film / Parlophone / September 16, 2022
    [Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film is the soundtrack to the 2022 documentary film Moonage Daydream based on the life of English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released digitally on September 16, 2022 by Rhino Entertainment and Parlophone Records, preceded by a two-disc CD release on November 18, 2022 and a three-disc vinyl edition, set for later release in 2023.

18. Calvin Arsenia – “Ashes” (CD #18) (1:59)
    from: Live at Greenwood Social Hall / Calvin Arsenia / Unreleased, 2017
    [from Calvin’s June 11, 2017 live performance at Greenwood Social Hall, 1760 Bellevue. Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey really began when he moved to the KC suburb of Olathe, teaching himself the guitar, and eventually the harp. He learned his signature instrument at the age of 20 after he couldn’t find a harpist as determined as him to meld folk, rock, classical, rap and R&B into the irresistible fusion which has become his calling card in KC and beyond. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer whose impassioned and conceptual stage shows (regularly sold-out in Kansas City, currently catching fire on the West Coast with a diverse following across Europe), are collaborative, costumed-culture-bridging spectacles which In KC Magazine has hailed as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’]

19. David Bowie–”Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA)”
    rom: The Next Day Extra EP / ISO Columbia / November 4, 2013
    [The Next Day Extra was released Nov. 4, 2013. This 3-disc collector’s edition includes two CDs and a DVD. The first CD is the original 14-track album. The second is a 10-track CD comprising the deluxe edition bonus tracks “Plan”, “I’ll Take You There”, and “So She”, the Japanese exclusive track “God Bless the Girl”, two remixes, and four new songs (“Atomica”, “The Informer”, “Like a Rocket Man”, and “Born in a UFO”). The DVD includes the four promotional music videos (“Where Are We Now?”, “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”, “The Next Day”, and “Valentine’s Day”). // The Next Day is the 24th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on March 8, 2013 on his ISO Records label, under exclusive licence to Columbia Records. Co-produced by Bowie and longtime collaborator Tony Visconti, the album was recorded in secret at The Magic Shop and Human Worldwide Studios in New York City between 2011 and 2013. It is primarily a rock album, featuring elements of art rock. The cover art is an adapted version of his 1977 album “Heroes”, featuring a white square with the album’s title obscuring his face. It was announced on Bowie’s 66th birthday, 8 January 2013. Bowie’s website was updated with the video for the lead single, “Where Are We Now?”, and the single was immediately made available for purchase on the iTunes Store. // It was Bowie’s first album of new material in ten years, since 2003’s Reality, and surprised fans and media who had presumed that he had retired from the music business. The album was streamed in its entirety on iTunes days before its official release. The Next Day Extra, an additional disc featuring four more tracks, and remixes of songs from the original album, was released in November. The Next Day was met with critical acclaim, and earned Bowie his first number-one album in the United Kingdom since 1993’s Black Tie White Noise. It was ranked as the second best album of 2013 (in a tie with Blue October’s Sway) by German music magazine Kulturnews and was also nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize. The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards and for MasterCard British Album of the Year at the 2014 Brit Awards. // Recording of the album took place at The Magic Shop and Human Worldwide Studios in New York City. Bowie and producer Tony Visconti worked in secret alongside long-term engineer Mario J. McNulty, recording the album over a two-year period. The recording sessions were sporadic, and Visconti estimated that only three full months were spent demoing and recording material. Visconti recalled that the album began with a one-week recording session: Sterling Campbell was on drums, I was on bass, David was on keyboards, Gerry Leonard was on guitar. By the end of five days we had demoed up a dozen songs. Just structures. No lyrics, no melodies and all working titles. This is how everything begins with him. Then he took them home and we didn’t hear another thing from him for four months. // Bowie would disappear with the music “to make sure he was on the right track”, then bring the band back together to take the next step in recording when he was ready. Visconti described the recording sessions as “intense”, but they stuck to regular hours. “The last time we did all-nighters was Young Americans”. // During breaks from the studio, Visconti would walk the streets of New York listening to music from The Next Day on his earphones: “I was walking around New York with my headphones on, looking at all the people with Bowie T-shirts on—they are ubiquitous here—thinking, ‘Boy, if you only knew what I’m listening to at the moment.'”// Despite the statement that no guest artists were used to record the album, Bowie did use some of the musicians he’s worked with in the past, including Earl Slick, who recorded his parts for the album in July 2012. Gail Ann Dorsey (bass guitar) and Sterling Campbell (drums), who had both worked with Bowie since the 1990s, also contributed to the album. Dorsey also recorded vocals for the song “If You Can See Me”. Drummer Zachary Alford and guitarists Gerry Leonard and David Torn were hired for the sessions and Slick revealed that Visconti also contributed bass. Saxophonist Steve Elson, who had worked with Bowie since the 1980s, also plays on the album. A story that Robert Fripp, who previously has worked with Bowie in the studio, was invited to play on the album but could not due to other commitments was denied by Fripp, who said, “I haven’t spoken to David for a while and I wasn’t approached [to take part in the album]”, adding “I’m not angry at all. No one is hurt, I’m not upset, just keen for clarity.” // Bowie took great pains to keep the recording of the album secret, requiring people involved in the recording to sign NDAs. Bowie had to change recording studios after one day when someone at the studio disclosed that Bowie was recording there. He moved to the studio The Magic Shop, which ran the studio with a skeleton crew of only one or two employees on days when Bowie was there. Columbia Records’s UK PR firm learned of the project only a few days before the album was released. // Canadian band Metric almost uncovered the secret recording sessions when they arrived at Magic Shop recording studios unannounced in 2011, and Bowie saxophonist Steve Elson said he was tempted to reveal all. // The Next Day is a rock album, mainly featuring art rock. Tony Visconti told the NME that The Next Day “is quite a rock album” and Alexis Petridis of The Guardian considered the record “a straightforward rock album.” // The first single was the ballad “Where Are We Now?”, a track which Visconti described as “the only track on the album that goes this much inward for him”. Visconti suggested that Bowie chose “Where Are We Now?” as the opening single because “people had to deal with the shock that he was back [after a 10-year absence]” and that the introspective nature of the song made it an appropriate choice. The song reached No.6 in the UK charts. Opening lyrics for “Where Are We Now” reflectively recall the name of a train station (plaza) and a street in west Berlin, where Bowie once lived. A video accompanying the single includes props such as a dismantled photo frame lying discarded on the floor in the opening shot, a large ear in the background, and a two-headed soft doll with the torn faces of Bowie and a voiceless counterpart “pasted” onto it in. Lyrics also include the phrase “the moment you know you know, you know”. // “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” was released as the second single from the album on 26 February 2013. A music video in the form of a short film was premiered the previous day. The song received moderate airplay on BBC Radio 2 and 106.9FM WHCR, peaking at number 102 on the UK Singles Chart. // Visconti, who accepted an interviewer’s suggestion that he was Bowie’s “voice on earth”, commented on the album to the international press and provided insights into the individual tracks. The songs cover a wide spread of subjects and are largely observational: most probe the mind-sets of different individuals. “Valentine’s Day” is about a high school shooter. “I’d Rather Be High” related the story of a Second World War soldier. Visconti described the material as “extremely strong and beautiful”. He added “if people are looking for classic Bowie they’ll find it on this album, if they’re looking for innovative Bowie, new directions, they’re going to find that on this album too.” Visconti commented that 29 tracks were recorded for the album and suggested that some of the material left out of The Next Day could appear on a subsequent record. Visconti speculated that Bowie could return to the studio to produce a new album later in 2013, but this did not happen. // The cover art for the album is an adapted version of Bowie’s 1977 album, “Heroes”, with a white square with the album’s title obscuring Bowie’s face. Designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, who also designed packaging for Heathen and Reality and follow-up Blackstar, the obscuring of the photograph connotes “forgetting or obliterating the past”. The original cover image was shot by Masayoshi Sukita. Barnbrook explained the cover, saying: “If you are going to subvert an album by David Bowie there are many to choose from but this is one of his most revered, it had to be an image that would really jar if it were subverted in some way and we thought “Heroes” worked best on all counts.” A viral marketing campaign was launched to promote the album on 15 February 2013. The campaign grew out of the concept behind the album cover, taking seemingly ordinary images and subverting them through the addition of a white square. // The Next Day debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 94,048 copies in its first week. It was Bowie’s ninth number-one album in the United Kingdom, and his first in twenty years since Black Tie White Noise (1993). The album fell to number two the following week, selling 35,671 copies. In its third week, it slipped to number three on sales of 23,157 units. // In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number two with first-week sales of 85,000 copies, earning Bowie his largest sales week for an album in the Nielsen SoundScan era, and also his highest charting album on the Billboard 200. The album has sold 208,000 copies in the US as of December 2015. Elsewhere, The Next Day topped the charts in several countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland, while reaching number two in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Spain.] [Born February 4, 1970. James Murphy is a musician, producer, DJ, and co-founder of record label DFA Records. His most well-known musical project is LCD Soundsystem. James Murphy was influenced by Bowie and remixed songs for Bowie’s The Next Day Extras, and is credited as a percussionist on Bowie’s Backstar.]

20. The Sea and Cake – “Sound & Vision”
    from: One Bedroom / Thrill Jockey Records / January 21, 2003
    [6th album from American indie rock band with a jazz influence, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The group has released 11 albums. The group formed in the mid-1990s from members of The Coctails (Archer Prewitt), Shrimp Boat (Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge), and Tortoise (John McEntire). The group’s name came from a willful reinterpretation (as the result of an accidental miscomprehension) of “The C in Cake”, a song by Gastr del Sol. Starting with 1997’s The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic sound sources, such as drum machines and synthesizers, to color its music, but has retained its distinctive post-jazz combo style. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire almost exclusively plays drums in The Sea and Cake. Members Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, and John McEntire each have released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea And Cake’s releases are largely paintings by member Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design. In 1995, the band contributed the song “The Fontana” to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered produced by the Red Hot Organization. The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2007. Their most recent album Any Day was released in May 2018.] [“Sound and Vision” is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie which appeared on his 1977 album Low. The song is notable for juxtaposing an uplifting guitar and synthesizer-led instrumental track with Bowie’s withdrawn lyrics. In keeping with the minimalist approach of Low, Bowie and co-producer Tony Visconti originally recorded the track as an instrumental, bar the backing vocal (performed by Visconti’s wife, Mary Hopkin). Bowie then recorded his vocal after the rest of the band had left the studio, before trimming verses off the lyrics and leaving a relatively lengthy instrumental intro on the finished song. Selected as the first single from the album, “Sound and Vision” was used by the BBC on trailers at the time. This provided considerable exposure, much needed as Bowie opted to do nothing to promote the single himself, and helped the song to No. 3. The song was also a top ten hit in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. However, it stalled at No. 87 in Canada and only managed No. 69 in the United States, where it signaled the end of Bowie’s short commercial honeymoon until “Let’s Dance” in 1983. The first live performance of the song was at Earl’s Court during the Isolar II Tour on 1 July 1978. In 1990, it was a regular number for Bowie’s greatest hits Sound+Vision Tour. The name was also used for a Rykodisc boxed set anthology in 1989.]

11:31 – Underwriting

21. Kraftwerk – “Trans-Europe Express (Remastered)”
    from: Trans Europe Express (Remastered) / Parlophone – Warner Music / March 1, 1977 – 2009
    [Kraftwerk translates to: “power station”. They are a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered as innovators and pioneers of electronic music, they were among the first successful acts to popularize the genre. The group began as part of West Germany’s experimental Krautrock scene in the early 1970s before fully embracing electronic instrumentation, including synthesizers, drum machines, and vocoders. Trans-Europe Express is the sixth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. The song’s lyrics reference the album Station to Station and meeting with musicians Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Hütter and Schneider had previously met up with Bowie in Germany and were flattered with the attention they received from him. Ralf Hütter was interested in Bowie’s work as he had been working with Iggy Pop, who was the former lead singer of the Stooges; one of Hütter’s favorite groups. Recorded in mid-1976 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the album was released in March 1977 on Kling Klang Records. It saw the group refine their melodic electronic style, with a focus on sequenced rhythms, minimalism, and occasionally manipulated vocals. The themes include celebrations of the titular European railway service and Europe as a whole, and meditations on the disparities between reality and appearance. // Trans-Europe Express charted at 119 on the American charts and was ranked number 30 in The Village Voice’s 1977 Pazz & Jop critics’ poll. Two singles were released: “Trans-Europe Express” and “Showroom Dummies”. The album has been re-released in several formats and continues to receive acclaim. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times called it “the most important pop album of the last 40 years.” // After the release and tour for the album Radio-Activity, Kraftwerk continued to move further away from their earlier krautrock style of improvised instrumental music, refining their work more into the format of melodic electronic songs. During the tour for Radio-Activity, the band began to make performance rules such as not to be drunk on stage or at parties. Karl Bartos wrote about these rules, stating that “it’s not easy to turn knobs on a synthesizer if you are drunk or full of drugs… We always tried to keep very aware of what we were doing while acting in public.” During this tour, early melodies that would later evolve into the song “Showroom Dummies” were being performed. // In mid-1976, Kraftwerk began to work on the album which was then called Europe Endless. Paul Alessandrini suggested that Kraftwerk write a song about the Trans Europ Express to reflect their electronic music style. Hütter and Schneider met with musicians David Bowie and Iggy Pop prior to the recording, which influenced song lyrics. Maxime Schmitt encouraged the group to record a French language version of the song “Showroom Dummies”, which led the group to later record several songs in French. The album was recorded at Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf. Artistic control over the songs was strictly in the hands of members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, with Bartos and Wolfgang Flür contributing sequenced electronic percussion. Kraftwerk went to railway bridges to listen to the sounds the train would actually produce. The group found the sound the train made was not danceable and changed it slightly. // An important piece of new equipment used on the album was the Synthanorma Sequenzer, a customized 32-step 16-channel analog sequencer made for the band by Matten & Wiechers. This allowed the construction of more elaborate sequenced synthesizer lines, which are featured prominently in the tracks “Franz Schubert” and “Endless Endless”, and liberated the player from the chore of playing repetitive keyboard patterns. // Whereas Radio-Activity had featured a mixture of German and English lyrics throughout the album, Trans-Europe Express went further and was mixed as two entirely separate versions, one sung in English, the other in German. At the recommendation of Maxime Schmitt, a French version of the song “Showroom Dummies”, titled “Les Mannequins”, was also recorded. “Les Mannequins” was the group’s first song in French and would influence decisions to record songs in French on later albums. After recording the album in Düsseldorf, Hütter and Schneider visited Los Angeles to mix the tracks at the Record Plant Studio. Elements of the mixing sessions that were done in Los Angeles were dropped from the album, including the use of more upfront vocals in order to do more mixing in Düsseldorf and Hamburg later.// The artwork for the album cover of Trans-Europe Express was originally going to be a monochrome picture of the group reflected in a series of mirrors. This idea was dropped for a photo by New York-based celebrity photographer Maurice Seymour, with the group dressed in suits to resemble mannequins. J. Stara’s image of the group was taken in Paris and is a highly retouched photo-montage of Kraftwerk from their shoulders up again posed as mannequins which are shown on the cover of the English version of the album. On the inside sleeve, a color collage of the group sitting at a small cafe table designed by Emil Schult was used. The photo for this scene was from the session by Maurice Seymour, taken on the group’s American tour. Other photos were taken by Schult that show the group laughing and smiling. These were not used for the album’s release. // Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album’s influence as “unprecedented, reaching as wide as rock (Radiohead’s Kid A), hip-hop (Afrika Bambaataa’s classic ‘Planet Rock’, Jay Dee’s recent ‘Big Booty Express’) and pop (Madonna’s Drowned World Tour, which incorporated samples of ‘Metal on Metal’)”. // In the late 1970s, the album influenced post-punk band Joy Division; bassist Peter Hook related: “We were introduced to Kraftwerk by [singer] Ian Curtis, who insisted we play T.E.E. before we went on stage every time. The tape was played at the venue over the PA system, to be heard by everyone. The first time was Pips [a Manchester club well known for its ‘Bowie Room’]. Ian got thrown out for kicking glass around the dance floor in time to the track. It took us ages of pleading to get him back in.” Drummer Stephen Morris also confirmed that Joy Division “used to play Trans-Europe Express before we went on stage, to get us into the zone. It worked because it gets up a lot of momentum. Trans-Europe Express just seemed to express an optimism – even if people see it as machine music”. Morris also said: “It reminds me of Cabaret, the film, with all of the 1920s singing. … When you get that marriage between humans and machines, and you get it right, it’s fantastic. I have to say it’s my favourite Kraftwerk album.” In the mid-1980s, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ rendition of “The Hall of Mirrors”, on their album Through the Looking Glass, was one of the few cover versions that Ralf Hütter hailed in glowing terms as “extraordinary”

22. David Bowie – “V-2 Schneider”
    from: “Heroes” / Parlophone – Warner Music / October 14, 1977 (RCA)
    [“V-2 Schneider” is a largely instrumental song written by David Bowie in 1977 for the album “Heroes”. It was a tribute to Florian Schneider, co-founder of the band Kraftwerk, whom Bowie acknowledged as a significant influence at the time. The title also referenced the V-2 rocket, the first ballistic missile, which had been developed for the German Army during World War II, and whose design (and engineers) played a key role in the American space program. The only words sung are those in the title, initially distorted by phasing. Musically, the track is unusual for the off-beat saxophone work by Bowie, who kicked off his part on the wrong note, but continued regardless. “V-2 Schneider” achieved considerable circulation as the B-side of “‘Heroes'”, released prior to the album, but was not played on the subsequent 1978 concert tour, its first live rendition occurring 20 years after it was recorded (see Live versions). A live version recorded at Paradiso, Amsterdam in June 1997, was released as the B-side of the single “Pallas Athena” in August 1997, under the name Tao Jones Index. This version also appeared on the bonus disc for the Digibook Expanded Edition of Earthling. // “Heroes” is the 12th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on October 14, 1977 by RCA Records. After releasing Low earlier that year, Bowie toured as the keyboardist of his friend and singer Iggy Pop. At the conclusion of the tour, they recorded Pop’s second solo album Lust for Life at Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin before Bowie regrouped there with collaborator Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti to record “Heroes”. It was the second installment of his “Berlin Trilogy,” following Low and preceding Lodger (1979). Of the three albums, it was the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. Much of the same personnel from Low returned for the sessions, augmented by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. // The album was recorded sporadically from July to August 1977. The majority of the tracks were composed on the spot in the studio, the lyrics not being written until Bowie stood in front of the microphone. The music itself is based in art rock and experimental rock, and builds upon its predecessor’s electronic and ambient approaches, albeit with more positive tones, atmospheres and passionate performances. The album also follows the same structure as its predecessor, side one featuring more conventional tracks and side two featuring mostly instrumental tracks. // The cover photo, like Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, is a nod to the painting Roquairol by German artist Erich Heckel. Upon release, “Heroes” was a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 35 on the US Billboard 200. It was the best-received work of the “Berlin Trilogy” on release, NME and Melody Maker naming it Album of the Year. Bowie promoted the album extensively, appearing on several television programmes and interviews. He supported Low and “Heroes” on the Isolar II world tour throughout 1978, performances of which have appeared on the live albums Stage (1978) and Welcome to the Blackout (2018). // Retrospectively, “Heroes” has continued to receive positive reviews, many reviewers praising Bowie’s growth as an artist and Fripp’s contributions. Although opinion has tended to view Low as the more groundbreaking record, “Heroes” is regarded as one of Bowie’s best and most influential works. The title track, initially unsuccessful as a single, remains one of Bowie’s best-known and acclaimed songs. An altered and obscured version of the cover artwork later appeared as the artwork for Bowie’s 2013 album The Next Day. The album has been reissued several times and was remastered in 2017 as part of the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.]

23. Julia Othmer – “Heroes”
    from: Seeds (Volume 1) / Julia Othmer & James Lundie / November 13, 2020
    [“Seeds” is Julia Othmer’s 3rd full length album and contains 10 live songs selected from her 30-day Songs of September Project, where Julia performed a different live cover of her favorite songs and broadcast the performance throughout the streaming social media platforms to inspire people to register and vote on November 3. From those songs Julia’s fans democratically selected their favorite tracks to be released together on “Seeds.” Julia Othmer released “Sound,” on April 12, 2019, her second album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James Lundie, who also married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” In 2018 to 2019 Julia Othmer toured with and opened for The Alarm in US show and shows in the United Kingdom. When Julia Othmer is in Kansas City she plays with Johnny Hamil on bass, Chris Tady on guitar, John Floyd Whitaker on drums. Info: http://www.juliaothmer.com. Julia Othmer joined us onWMM on Nov. 11, 2020.] [“‘Heroes'” is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, and recorded in July and August 1977 at Hansa Studio by the Wall. It was released on 23 September 1977 as the lead single from his 12th studio album of the same name, backed with the song “V-2 Schneider”. A product of Bowie’s “Berlin” period, the track was not a huge hit in the United Kingdom or the United States after its release, but it has since become one of his signature songs. In January 2016, following Bowie’s death, the song reached a new peak of number 12 in the UK Singles Chart. “‘Heroes'” has been cited as Bowie’s second-most covered song after “Rebel Rebel”. Inspired by the sight of Bowie’s producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin. Bowie’s performance of “‘Heroes'” on 6 June 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin has been considered a catalyst to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. Following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for “helping to bring down the Wall”, adding “you are now among Heroes”. “‘Heroes'” has received numerous accolades since its release, as seen with its inclusion on lists ranking the “greatest songs” compiled by various music publications; Rolling Stone named the song the 46th greatest ever, NME named it the 15th greatest. Bowie scholar David Buckley has written that “‘Heroes'” “is perhaps pop’s definitive statement of the potential triumph of the human spirit over adversity”.]

24. Ondara —“I’m Afraid of Americans”
    from: Tales of America (The Second Coming) / Verve Forecast – UMG Recordings / Sept. 20, 2019
    [28 year old J.S. Ondara is a Kenyan singer-songwriter whose debut album, Tales of America, was released on February 15, 2019 via Verve Label Group. J.S. Ondara was born in August 1992 in Nairobi, Kenya. As a child, he wrote poems and stories as well as songs despite not having an instrument to play them on because his family couldn’t afford one. He was inspired by Radiohead, Nirvana, Death Cab For Cutie, Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses, and Bob Dylan. He grew up listening to rock songs on his older sisters’ battery-powered radio. Having discovered The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan following a dispute with a friend over whether Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was a Guns N’ Roses song, Ondara resolved to travel to the United States to pursue a career in music. In February 2013, after winning in the green card lottery, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota at the age of 20. He taught himself to play guitar and perform during open mic nights. Eventually, he decided to study music therapy in college, but dropped out of school to return to playing small shows at coffee houses after attending a concert. After moving to Minnesota, Ondara tried his hand at making music and performing in small venues. His big break came when Minneapolis radio station KCMP 89.3 The Current played one of his songs on air by pulling audio from his YouTube channel, where he had been uploading covers of his favorite songs. At the time, he was going by the name Jay Smart. Ondara’s debut album, Tales of America, was released in February 2019 by Verve Label Group. Despite only 11 tracks making the final tracklist, Ondara wrote more than 100 songs for the album, all based on an immigrant’s life in America. The album was produced by Mike Viola of the Candy Butchers. In support of the album, Ondara embarked on his first headlining tour in March 2019. After the release of the album, Ondara debuted on Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart at No. 37 in March 2019. The album also landed on the Billboard Heatseekers Album, Americana/Folk Album Sales, and Rock Album Sales charts. He was nominated for Best Emerging Act at the 2019 Americana Music Honors & Awards. Ondara cites Bob Dylan as his musical hero, which is why he chose to live in Minnesota and why he wears his signature fedora. He has toured with the Milk Carton Kids, Lindsey Buckingham and in 2019, he opened for select dates on tour with Neil Young.]

25. David Bowie – “Under Presssure” w/ Gail Ann Dorsey
    from: A Reality Tour (Bonus Track Version) [Live] / Sony Music Entertaiment / Jan. 22, 2010
    [“Under Pressure” is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen’s 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Queen’s second number-one hit in their home country (after 1975’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which topped the chart for nine weeks) and Bowie’s third (after the 1975 reissue of “Space Oddity” and “Ashes to Ashes” in 1980). The song charted in the top 10 in more than ten countries around the world, and peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1982. // A Reality Tour is a live album by David Bowie that was released on January 25, 2010. The album features November 22, and 23, 2003 performances in Dublin during his concert tour A Reality Tour. The 2004, live version features David Bowie – vocals, guitars, stylophone, harmonica; Earl Slick – guitar; Gerry Leonard – guitar; Gail Ann Dorsey – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Under Pressure”; Sterling Campbell – drums; Mike Garson – keyboards, piano; Catherine Russell – keyboards, percussion, acoustic guitar, backing vocals. A Reality Tour was a worldwide concert tour by David Bowie in support of the Reality album. The tour commenced on October 7, 2003 at the Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark continuing through Europe, North America, Asia, including a return to New Zealand and Australia for the first time since the 1987 Glass Spider Tour. The tour grossed $46,000,000, making it the ninth-highest grossing tour of 2004. At over 110 shows, the tour was the longest tour of Bowie’s career. Bowie played Kansas City, May 10, 2004, at Starlight Theatre. I was there, seven rows from the stage.]

26. Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence”
    from: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence / Milan Entertainment / 2015
    [Ryuichi Sakamoto was born Jan. 17, 1952. He is a Japanese composer, singer, songwriter, record producer, activist, & actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With bandmates Haruomi Hosono & Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres. Sakamoto began his career while at university in the 1970s as a session musician, producer, & arranger. His first major success came in 1978 as co-founder of YMO. He concurrently pursued a solo career, releasing the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives in 1978. Two years later, he released the album B-2 Unit. It included the track “Riot in Lagos”, which was significant in the development of electro and hip hop music. He produced more solo records, and collaborate with many international artists, David Sylvian, Carsten Nicolai, Youssou N’Dour, Fennesz among them. Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and his composition “Energy Flow” (1999) was the first instrumental #1 single in Japan’s Oricon charts history. As a film-score composer, Sakamoto has won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, 2 Golden Globe Awards. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) marked his debut as both an actor (playing Captain Yonoi the commander of a POW camp in Japanese-occupied Java and also serving as the conposer of the film’s score. Its main theme was adapted into the single “Forbidden Colours” which became an international hit. His most successful work as a film composer was The Last Emperor (1987), after which he continued earning accolades composing for films: The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), The Revenant (2015). Sakamoto has also worked as a composer & a scenario writer on anime & video games. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture of France for his contributions to music.]

27. David Bowie –“Well you know what, this has been an incredible pleasure”
    from: Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film / Parlophone / September 16, 2022
    [Moonage Daydream – A Brett Morgen Film is the soundtrack to the 2022 documentary film Moonage Daydream based on the life of English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released digitally on September 16, 2022 by Rhino Entertainment and Parlophone Records, preceded by a two-disc CD release on November 18, 2022 and a three-disc vinyl edition, set for later release in 2023.

You’ve been listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

We just heard and new recording of “Blackstar” performed by Chase Horseman, followed by Calvin Arsenia with an original unreleased track called “Ashes”, then the Steve Reich remix of “Love is Lost” from THE NEXT DAY (Extra), followed by The Sea and Cake with their version of “Sound and Vision” from Bowie’s LOW, and then electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk who name check Bowie and Iggy Pop in lyrics to their “Trans-Europe Express” from 1977; and Bowie responding with “V-2 Schneider” from HEROES of the same year; Julia Othmer‘s beautiful cover of “Heroes,” followed by Ondara, with his version of “I’m Afraid of Americans” from Bowie’s EARTHLING from 1997; followed by “Under Pressure” from Bowie’s Reality Tour Live with bandmate and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey singing the Freddy Mercury part. Bowie’s Reality Tour played Kansas City, the week I startd doing WMM, May 10, 2004, at Starlight Theatre. We ended with Oscar winning film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto who in his very first film acting role and first job as a composer of a film’s soundtrack, played opposite of David Bowie in the film“Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” from 1983.

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

Next week Jan. 14, we present “Remembering MLK,” our annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born Jan. 15, 1929. We’ll play: Bobby Watson & The I Have A Dream Project (featuring Glenn North), Krystle Warren, The Freedom Afair, Calvin Arsenia, The Black Creatures, H.E.R., Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Curtis Mayfield, Maceo & The Macks, Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, The Staple Singers, Pops Staples, Mavis Staples, The Swan Silvertones, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Aaron Neville, Tramaine Hawkins, Ella Mitchell, Billy Porter, Solomon Burke, Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Soweto Gospel Choir, The Intl. Noise Conspiracy, and Labelle.

In 2 weeks on Jan 21 we‘ll spin even more Bowie in honor of The Band That Fell To Earth who are presenting their annual Tribute to Bowie with 4 shows: Fri & Sat, Jan. 16 & 17, and Fri. & Sat., Jan. 23 and 24 at recordBar. Michelle Bacon joins us.

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

KKFI is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, open!

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

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 #1129