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, October 3, 2018

Of Tree + Sterling Witt + Aaron Rhodes

1. “It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s theme song]

2. The National – “Fake Empire (Live in Brussels)”
from: Boxer (Live in Brussels) / 4AD / July 13, 2018
[Recorded in Brussels on November 9, 2017, the recording of the band’s show – which saw them perform their 2007 album The Boxer in its entirety.‘Boxer (Live In Brussels)’ came out as an exclusive vinyl LP as part of Record Store Day 2018. The National were formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Founded by Berninger, Aaron Dessner, and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, The National released their self-titled debut album, The National (2001), on Brassland Records, an independent record label founded by Dessner and his twin brother, Bryce Dessner. Bryce, who had assisted in recording the album, soon joined the band, participating as a full member in the recording of its follow-up, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003). Leaving behind their day jobs, the National signed with Beggars Banquet Records and released their third studio album, Alligator (2005), to widespread critical acclaim. The band’s fourth and fifth studio albums, Boxer (2007) and High Violet (2010), increased their exposure significantly. In 2013, the band released its sixth studio album, Trouble Will Find Me, which was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2017 the band released the album Sleep Well Beast, which won the Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Four of the band’s albums were included on NME’s 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.]

[The National play Starlight Theatre, Sunday, October 7, at 6:00 PM, with Alvvays.]

3. Bob & Una Walkenhorst – “For Tomorrow”
from: For Tomorrow / BAT Records / October 12, 2018
[25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. Following the release of her debut album “Scars” in 2014, Una immediately had “new fans. . . coming out of the proverbial woodwork” (AXS). Paired with refreshingly raw vocals, Una’s heartfelt lyrics “will stop you in your tracks (at once beautiful and chilling),” wrote Gilded Palace Radio, as she weaves stories of genuine human experience. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. This year the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, in clear beautiful harmonies, with that extra special shared musical DNA, that can be heard in the harmonies of The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, or Shy Boys.]

[Bob & Una Walkenhorst play recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO, Friday October 12, at 7:00 with Of Tree for a DUAL ALBUM RELEASE SUPER SHOW! Both acts will be releasing debut albums. Special guest Storm Circus will open the evening.]

4. Janelle Monáe — “Americans”
from: Dirty Computer / Wondaland Arts Sociaety – Bad Boy – Epic / April 27, 2018
[Janelle Monáe moved from Kansas City, Kansas to New York to study theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Her original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but she soon changed her mind and returned to music. After moving to Atlanta, GA, where she met OutKast’s Big Boi, Monáe founded the Wondaland Arts Society with like-minded young artists and made appearances on Outcast’s Idlewild, where Janelle is featured on the songs “Call The Law” and “In Your Dreams”. In 2007, Monáe released her first solo work, titled Metropolis. A few months later she was signed to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ label, Bad Boy Records. Dirty Computer is the third studio album by Janelle Monáe. In October 2016, Monáe made her big screen acting debut in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight. Monáe also starred in the film Hidden Figures. While filming her two movie roles, Monáe remained active in music with features on Grimes’ “Venus Fly” from her Art Angels album and also the soundtrack for the Netflix series The Get Down with a song titled, “Hum Along and Dance (Gotta Get Down)”. She was also on the tracks “Isn’t This the World” and “Jalapeño” for the Hidden Figures soundtrack. In an interview with People, Monáe revealed that she was already working on her third studio album when she received the scripts for her two first acting roles; therefore, she put the album on hold. It was confirmed by Monae after “Make Me Feel” was released that Prince, with whom she collaborated on her preceding album, The Electric Lady, had worked on the single, as well as the entire album, before he passed away. This was confirmed after listeners noticed similarities between the single’s sound and the late musician’s work. Monae stated in an interview with BBC Radio 1: “Prince was actually working on the album with me before he passed on to another frequency, and helped me come up with some sounds. And I really miss him, you know, it’s hard for me to talk about him. But I do miss him, and his spirit will never leave me.”

[Janelle Monáe plays Starlight Theatre, Saturday, October 13 as part of Open Spaces KC, with Sankofa Danzafro at 4:30. The McFadden Brothers at 6:00 pm, the Marcus Lewis Big Band with Kemet The Phantom and Kadesh Flow at 7:30, and Janelle Monae at 9:15 pm.]

5. Cat Power – “Woman feat. Lana Del Rey (Single Version)”
from: Woman – Single / Domino Recording Co / August 16, 2018
[From Wanderer the tenth studio album by Cat Power, released on October 5, 2018, through Domino. The album was produced entirely by Marshall herself and was written and recorded in Miami and Los Angeles over the past few years, she stated: “The course my life has taken in this journey—going from town to town, with my guitar, telling my tale; with reverence to the people who did this generations before me. Folk singers, blues singers, and everything in between. They were all wanderers, and I am lucky to be among them.” The album includes a collaboration with Lana Del Rey, whom Marshall opened for on the European leg of her LA to the Moon Tour. It is her first album to not be released on Matador since 1996. In support of the release, Marshall has embarked a world tour, that began in September. Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall was born January 21, 1972, She is better known by her stage name Cat Power. She is a singer-songwriter, musician, occasional actress, and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall’s first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in Atlanta, Marshall was raised throughout the southern United States, and began performing in local bands in Atlanta in the early 1990s. She was discovered opening for Liz Phair in 1994 by Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, with whom she recorded her first two albums, Dear Sir (1995) and Myra Lee (1996), on the same day in 1994. In 1996 she signed with Matador Records, and released a third album of new material with Shelley and Foljahn, What Would the Community Think. Following this she released the critically acclaimed Moon Pix (1998), recorded with members of Dirty Three, and The Covers Record (2000), a collection of sparsely-arranged cover songs. After a brief hiatus she released You Are Free (2003), featuring guest musicians Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder, followed by the soul-influenced The Greatest (2006), recorded with numerous Memphis studio musicians. A second album of cover tracks, Jukebox, was released in 2008. In 2012 she released the self-produced Sun, which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200, the highest charting album of her career to date. Critics have noted the constant evolution of Cat Power’s sound, with a “mix of punk, folk and blues” on her earliest albums, and elements of soul and other genres more prevalent in her later material. Her 2012 album Sun incorporated electronica, in a self-proclaimed move from the “slower” guitar-based songs she initially wrote for the album.]

6. Emmaline Twist – “Starcrossed”
from: Dissimulation / Black Site / Expected August 24, 2018
[Debut LP from Emmaline Twist, Kansas City’s Darkwave / Post-Punk / Shoegaze project. In 2017 the band released “Dissimulation 1,” four songs in digital format, their first since 2016’s single release of “Vega” b/w “Moon Eyes.” The band is Meredith McGrade on vocals & guitar, Kristin Conkright on bass, Jonathan Knecht on drums, and Krysztof Nemeth on baritone guitar. Recorded, Mixed, and Produced at Massive Sound by Paul Malinowski, and Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Matched with compelling cover-art created by Amy Abshier. Alex Alexander recently joined the band on synthesizers & guitar.]

[Emmaline Twist play Mercy Seat, 210 East 16th, Friday, October 5 at 8:00 pm, with Electric Lungs, and Strawbilly for First Friday, in the alleyway at Mercy Seat Tattoo..]

[Emmaline Twist play a Benefit for Sharice Davids, Oct. 25, at recordBar w/ Amy Farrand & The Like.]

7. Jon Batiste – “Don’t Stop”
from: Hollywood Africans / Naht Jona – Verve / September 28, 2018
[First single from the debut solo album pof Jon Batiste who has released most of his albus as part of his band Stay Human. Jon Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American musician, bandleader and TV personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, and Mavis Staples), released recordings consistently since 2005 and performed in more than 40 countries. Batiste regularly tours with his band Stay Human,[3] and appears with them nightly as Bandleader and Musical Director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[4] Batiste also serves as the Music Director of The Atlantic and the Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Jon Batiste was born in Kenner, Louisiana, into a long line of musicians, including Lionel Batiste and Harold Battiste. At the age of 8, he played percussion and drums with his family’s band, the Batiste Brothers Band. At his mother’s suggestion, he switched to piano at the age of 11. Jon developed his piano skills by taking classical music lessons and transcribing songs from video games such as Street Fighter Alpha, Final Fantasy VII and Sonic the Hedgehog. At 17, Batiste released Times in New Orleans. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Trombone Shorty and graduated in 2004 before going on to receive a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, he released his second album Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art, and by the end of 2006, had been a featured performer in South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris and the United States. In 2007, Batiste made his debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam at the age of 20, both producing and performing his own show. He conducted music clinics, classes and workshops throughout Netherlands in inner city schools and underprivileged neighborhoods. He was invited back to Carnegie Hall to produce and perform in his own show including six young musicians from the Netherlands. The performance concluded with a finale he composed for choir, jazz combo and orchestral instruments. In the year following, Batiste released a number of music projects including Social Music (2013) which spent over a month at the top of the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts, “The Late Show EP” (2016) with Stay Human and a holiday album “Christmas with Jon Batiste” (2016). In 2017, he released the singles “Ohio” with Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. as well as “Battle Hymn of the Republic” for The Atlantic. Leading up to the Hollywood Africans release, Batiste completed a Summer Festival tour across the U.S. with The Dap-Kings.Batiste’s notable career performances include a tribute to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino during the 60th annual Grammy Awards (performing alongside Gary Clark Jr.), the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Carmen De Lavallade, the Concert for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama as well as the National Anthem at the 2017 NBA All Star Game and Opening Night of the 2017 US Open. He has curated the Global Citizen Advocacy Concert with Tom Morello and the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, N.Y.]

10:30 – Underwriting

8. Of Tree – “How Does It Feel”
from: How Does It Feel / Of Tree / October 12, 2018
[Of Tree is Benjamin Parks on guitar & vocals, Laurel Morgan Parks on violin & fiddle & vocals and John Bersuch on percussion & sub-bass. The band explains “we like to build layers, loop strings, bow guitars and mix sampled beats with real ones as a backdrop for melodies on voice and traditional instruments. Emotional and expressive, our music draws inspiration from loss and triumph, failure and hope.” Of Tree began in 2009 and has taken many forms as it has evolved over time, including a full 5 piece folk band and, at one time, a classical trio backing Parks’ voice and guitar. Of Tree launched a Kickstarter Campaign to help record their new album and release their music on vinyl. Of Tree have been actively writing music for this project since the summer of 2016. Laurel writes “As a married couple its been quite a road for us to be able work through music together without taking things too personally (as people in relationships tend to do), but the magic happened last summer when music started pouring out of us and we were able just allow it to happen. Both of us come from fairly strict religious backgrounds and a lot of our lyrics have to do with healing from those experiences. We also deal with themes of finding new footing in life, moving beyond the past and letting go. Really this album is all about healing on a very personal level.” Laurel writes that she is, “very interested in pushing the boundaries of what instrumentation I can marry to my classical violin training. I have been cross pollinating between electronic music I write on the computer using midi inputs with melodies I write on my violin. I enjoy putting a techno beat behind a folk instrument such as the Kalimba or chime and then morphing that into a journey of layered strings and melodic hooks. I am always interested in melody over lyrics. A lot of the music I wrote for this album is inspired from studying folk traditions such as Celtic fiddling, thematic movie music and Peruvian icaros. ” John Bersuch, has been playing with Of Tree since November of 2016. He adds tasteful beats and enjoys thinking outside the box. He once brought a tree to an “Of Tree” show and played it as a percussive instrument. Ben Parks is a visual artist who also plays in the band Slights with Matthew Dunehoo. Laurel Parks also plays in The Wires, John Bersuch is in Bacon Shoe, RLT, and many others.]

[Of Tree plays recordBar, 1520 Grand, Friday October 12, at 7:00 with Bob & Una Walkenhorst for a Dual AlbumRelease Show. Storm Circus will open the evening.]

10:36 – Interview with Benjamin and Laurel Parks.

Of Tree is a KC based alt-folk band created by husband and wife duo, Benjamin and Laurel Parks. Benjamin as a widely celebrated painter; Laurel as a classically trained violinist turned fiddler – they fuse together musically as Of Tree. Their music draws from each of their individual life experiences having to do with themes of loss, wandering, and spirituality. Following their 2017 EP “Sorry, We’re Chosen,” Of Tree is releasing their first full length album, “How Does It Feel?” recorded at Shadow Scape Records in Kansas City. Of Tree with Bob & Una Walkenhorst play a DUAL ALBUM RELEASE SUPER SHOW! Friday, October 12, at 7:00 at recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO, with special guest, Storm Circus. More info at: http://www.oftreemusic.com

Benjamin and Laurel Parks, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

Your EP, Sorry We’re Chosen, was one of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017, and while we were in love with those songs and your sound from that EP, those songs are like a bud that has broken open and blossomed into a giant flower that is the new album, How Does it Feel.

On the new record Ben is sharing the vocals with Laurel is singing lead on several tracks

“How Does It Feel” was recorded at the new Shadow Scape Records in Kansas City.

Of Tree — a minimalist electronic folk group from Kansas City, Missouri made up of Benjamin Parks on guitar & vocals; Laurel Morgan Parks on violin, fiddle, & vocals; and John Bersuch on percussion; and Scott Freeman on bass.

The band writes that the music we write is dynamic –we like to build layers, loop strings, bow guitars and mix sampled beats with real ones as a backdrop for melodies on voice and traditional instruments. Emotional and expressive, our music draws inspiration from loss and triumph, failure and hope.

Of Tree has been actively writing music for this project since the summer of 2016. Both Ben and Laurel write the songs together. As a married couple its been quite a road for them to be able work through music together without taking things too personally, but the magic happened when music started pouring out of us and we were able just allow it to happen.

Both Benjamin and Laurel come from fairly strict religious backgrounds and a lot of our lyrics have to do with healing from those experiences. They also deal with themes of finding new footing in life, moving beyond the past and letting go. They write that this album is all about healing on a very personal level.

The songs Ben writes express life experience beyond the limits of vocabulary to open the lid to feelings of loss, redemption and deranged hope. The timbre of his voice is low, soft and uniquely intimate. His lyrics are haunting and searching.

Laurel writes: Musically, I (Laurel), am very interested in pushing the boundaries of what instrumentation I can marry to my classical violin training. I have been cross pollinating between electronic music I write on the computer using midi inputs with melodies I write on my violin. I enjoy putting a techno beat behind a folk instrument such as the Kalimba or chime and then morphing that into a journey of layered strings and melodic hooks. I am always interested in melody over lyrics. A lot of the music I wrote for this album is inspired from studying folk traditions such as Celtic fiddling, thematic movie music and Peruvian icaros.

John Bersuch, our drummer, has been playing with us since November of 2016. He adds tasteful beats to our music and also enjoys thinking outside the box. He once brought a tree to an “Of Tree” show and played it as a percussive instrument. Lately he’s been our dedicated one handed drummer as he recently broke his wrist. We couldn’t be happier being able to play with such a good friend of ours!

We would like for the recording of our first full album to take place at Shadowscape Records here in Kansas City. We are excited to work with the sound engineers and producers there who have a beautiful studio with the latest technology and recording equipment (and a nice piano!) Both the producers there have their thumbs on the pulse of the music industry as it is now which is very important to us for the launching and marketing of our music once the album is completed. Also, the strings sound really great in their studio. (Sold!)

10:44

9. Of Tree – “What You’ve Got”
from: How Does It Feel / Of Tree / October 12, 2018
[Of Tree is Benjamin Parks on guitar & vocals, Laurel Morgan Parks on violin & fiddle & vocals and John Bersuch on percussion & sub-bass. The band explains “we like to build layers, loop strings, bow guitars and mix sampled beats with real ones as a backdrop for melodies on voice and traditional instruments. Emotional and expressive, our music draws inspiration from loss and triumph, failure and hope.” Of Tree began in 2009 and has taken many forms as it has evolved over time, including a full 5 piece folk band and, at one time, a classical trio backing Parks’ voice and guitar. Ben Parks is a visual artist who also plays in the band Slights with Matthew Dunehoo. Laurel Parks also plays in The Wires, John Bersuch is in Bacon Shoe, RLT.]

[Of Tree plays recordBar, 1520 Grand, Friday October 12, at 7:00 with Bob & Una Walkenhorst for a Dual Album Release Show. Storm Circus will open the evening.]

10:48 – Interview with Benjamin and Laurel Parks.

We are talking with Benjamin and Laurel Parks about their band Of Tree and their first full length album, “How Does It Feel” recorded at Shadow Scape Records in Kansas City. Of Tree with Bob & Una Walkenhorst play a DUAL ALBUM RELEASE SUPER SHOW! Friday, October 12, at 7:00 at recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO, with special guest, Storm Circus. More info at: http://www.oftreemusic.com

Benjamin and Laurel Parks, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

Ben Parks is a visual artist who also plays in the band Slights with Matthew Dunehoo.

Laurel Parks also plays in The Wires, and In The Pines

John Bersuch is in Bacon Shoe, RLT, and many others.

For their upcoming recordbar show they will be projecting images from film maker Lisa Marie Evans.

Benjamin and Laurel Parks, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

More info at: http://www.oftreemusic.com

10:56

10. Of Tree – “Oakheart”
from: How Does It Feel / Of Tree / October 12, 2018
[Of Tree is Benjamin Parks on guitar & vocals, Laurel Morgan Parks on violin & fiddle & vocals and John Bersuch on percussion & sub-bass. The band explains “we like to build layers, loop strings, bow guitars and mix sampled beats with real ones as a backdrop for melodies on voice and traditional instruments. Emotional and expressive, our music draws inspiration from loss and triumph, failure and hope.” Of Tree began in 2009 and has taken many forms as it has evolved over time, including a full 5 piece folk band and, at one time, a classical trio backing Parks’ voice and guitar. Ben Parks is a visual artist who also plays in the band Slights with Matthew Dunehoo. Laurel Parks also plays in The Wires, John Bersuch is in Bacon Shoe, RLT.]

[Of Tree plays recordBar, 1520 Grand, Friday October 12, at 7:00 with Bob & Una Walkenhorst for a Dual AlbumRelease Show. Storm Circus will open the evening.]

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – Interview with Sterling Witt

Kansas City based artist and musician – Sterling Witt who’ll play live in our 90.1 FM studios. For nearly 10 years Sterling has hosted Art Farm Festivals at his studios and home galleries in Freeman, Missouri. Since 2004 Sterling Witt has released five full-length albums and one 8-song EP, along with several singles. Witt’s latest album, “Satyagraha” was produced by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Sterling is currently preparing for his first museum show at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri. Recently with his wife, Karla Deel, Sterling opened the Squeezebox Theatre, in the East Crossroads of KC. Sterling Witt plays live at the SqueezeBox Theatre, 1519 Oak Street, on Saturday, October 6, at 7:30 PM. More info at: http://www.sterlingwitt.com

Sterling Witt, thanks for being with us today on WMM.

Sterling Witt is an artist and musician. He lives in Missouri. He splits his time between the East Crossroads of KC and the Art Farm near Freeman, MO (about 45 min south of KC).

More information at: http://www.sterlingwitt.com http://www.sterlingwittmuseum.com

The Art Farm is an isolated oasis in the country designed for making art and music. We do not have Internet or TV.

Recently with his wife, Karla Deel, Sterling opened the Squeezebox Theatre, in the East Crossroads of KC. SqueezeBox Theatre – Fouded January 1, 2018. 1519 Oak St., KCMO

Call (816) 872-2948. A new mixed-use theatre designed with producers and performers in mind. We feature raw cedar walls, wooden bar serving the best of regional spirits, mosaic installations in the bathrooms, raised stage, green room, new audio and sound equipment.

Sterling has recently written a scary stories book for children, titled: Something’s Awry Ting Tong and Other Terrifying Tales.

The book is not published yet, Sterling is still working out the details of how it will be released. However he came prepared to play two songs live that are adapted from stories in the book.

11:07

11. Sterling Witt – “Werewolf” (LIVE)
from: Something’s Awry Ting Tong and Other Terrifying Tales / Sterling Witt

11:15

12. Sterling Witt – “Yara-Ma-Yha-Who” (LIVE)
from: Something’s Awry Ting Tong and Other Terrifying Tales / Sterling Witt

11:18 – Interview with Sterling Witt

Sterling Witt plays live at the SqueezeBox Theatre, 1519 Oak Street, on Saturday, October 6, at 7:30 PM. More info at: http://www.sterlingwitt.com

Since 2004 Sterling Witt has released five full-length albums and one 8-song EP, along with several singles. Witt’s latest album, “Satyagraha” was produced by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois

Witt’s last album, “Satyagraha” was produced by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Sterling is currently preparing for his first museum show at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri

Rebel Rebelling is the new song Sterling and his bandmates recorded with Never Records directly to vinyl on September 26, part of Open Spaces KC.

The musicians who play on Rebel Rebelling are: Christopher Oppenhuis on Drums & Kitten Adventure Boggs on Bass.

NYC artist & musician Ted Riederer of Never Records was on our September 19 show.

Never Records is a collaborative project exploring the potential of a record store and record label to unite, educate, and uplift a community through recorded sound. Never Records began in January 2010, in an abandoned Tower Records near Union Square in New York City. Soon the project expanded to become a mobile record-making lab with Riederer traveling from city to city, opening a vinyl record shop with recording equipment and a vinyl record lathe to cut two, four-minute records on the spot for people who visit the store. Never Records has traveled to: Liverpool, Derry, Ireland, London, Lisbon, New Orleans, Victoria Texas, Amman Jordan, and now Kansas City. Never Records opened in KC on August 25, as part of Open Spaces Kansas City, and runs through October 28, in the Crossroads, at 1611 Oak, KCMO, Wed thru Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. More info at: http://www.neverrecords.net.

Sterling Witt Thanks for being with us on WMM

11:25

11. Sterling Witt – “Rebel Rebelling”
from: Redel Rebelling – Single / Never Records / September 26, 2018
[Since 2004 Sterling Witt has released 5 full length albums and on 8-song EP. Witt’s latest album, Satyagraha as produced by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Sterling is currently preparing for his first Museum show at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum, in Saint Joseph Missouri.]

[Sterling Witt plays live at the SqueezeBox Theatre, 1519 Oak Street, Saturday, October 6, at 7:30 PM. More information at http://www.sterlingwitt.com]

11:28 – Underwriting

11:30 – Interview with Aaron Rhodes

21 year old Aaron Rhodes is a Kansas City music journalist and the owner/editor-in-chief of Shuttlecock Music Magazine. In addition to writing about concerts and local releases, Rhodes also hosts the blog’s flagship podcast. Rhodes is also a frequent contributor to The Pitch. Aaron Rhodes joins us to share music from Memphis gangster rap icon Tommy Wright III who is coming to KC for the first time. Aaron also shares tracks from KC’s Warm Bodies and Omaha’s Bib. Shuttlecock presents: Tommy Wright III, and Warm Bodies, and more, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, October 28, 7:00 PM.

Aaron Rhodes thanks for being with us on WMM.

Shuttlecock Music Magazine was launched in 2015 and is dedicated to featuring in-depth coverage of new and exciting music emerging from Kansas City and the surrounding areas. In their three years online, they’ve conducted several artists’ first interviews, hosted multiple shows, and posted concert reviews, photo galleries, videos, and new music write-ups. They’ve also co-hosted a Middle Of The Map Fest showcase, and printed two year-in-review photo zines. The blog is where punk rock, hip-hop, and everything in-between lives in Kansas City.

Shuttlecock presents: Tommy Wright III, and Warm Bodies, and more, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, October 28, 7:00 PM. This is an 18+ show where minors are allowed with a parent or legal guardian. More info at: http://www.therecordbar.com

Memphis gangster rap icon Tommy Wright III who is coming to KC for the first time. Best known for his ’90s mixtapes, “Runnin-N-Gunnin” and “Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust” the One Man Gang is back in action on his new “Back from the Dead Tour.” Tommy Wright III has collaborated with 2Chainz, Lil Jon & Gansta Boo, and Three 6 Mafia.

11:35

12. Tommy Wright III – “Meet Yo Maker”
from: Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust / Street Smart Records / 1994
[Memphis based indie gnsta rapper.]

[Tommy Wright III plays recordBar, 1520 Grand, Ave. Oct. 28, 7:00 PM with Warm Bodies and others]

11:41 – Interview with Aaron Rhodes

We are talking with Aaron Rhodes a Kansas City music journalist and the owner/editor-in-chief of Shuttlecock Music Magazine.

Aaron Rhodes thanks for being with us on WMM.

Shuttlecock presents: Tommy Wright III, and Warm Bodies, and more, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, October 28, 7:00 PM. This is an 18+ show where minors are allowed with a parent or legal guardian. More info at: http://www.therecordbar.com

Warm Bodies will be opening for Tommy Wright III

11:45

13. Warm Bodies – “Something Weird is Eating Me”
from: Warm Bodies / Lumpy Records / February 27, 2018

Pitchfork’s April 8, 2018 7.7 review:

Olivia Gibb’s messy, experimental garage rock sounds unhinged and strangely human on Warm Bodies’ debut. Come for the unnerving body horror, stay for the fiery guitar solos.

While some wonder who’s going to make rock’n’roll wild again, Warm Bodies’ Olivia Gibb is barking like a dog out here. The Kansas City, Missouri artist is effortlessly wild. When she sings, she jumps in and out of cartoonish shrieks. Her bug-eyed and immensely expressive live performances would make John Waters proud. If you visit her website, you can buy some ceramic clown nightmares. Punk’s underground has always been flush with fringe characters—Warm Bodies share a label with noxious weirdos Lumpy and the Dumpers, for example—but Gibb stands out from the heap. On Warm Bodies’ messy and muscular debut album, you can find her screaming about her eyes which have fallen out of their sockets.

“My Face Fell Off” is a minute-long blast of surrealist speed punk, so while Gibb screams for help in locating her face, her bandmates come in frenzied. Drummer Gabe Coppage crashes forward at a turbulent clip while Ian Teeple keeps pace, rattling out power chords and guitar solos. This exact sort of noisy punk maelstrom has been the band’s calling card for a couple years now. The song originally appeared on Warm Bodies’ 2016 demo, and while the two versions are similar, you can hear just how much they’ve leveled up. On Warm Bodies, they’re faster, the recording quality is less scuzzy, and most pressingly, Gibb sounds far more unhinged than she did on her relatively more reserved early recordings.

Take “Something Weird Is Eating Me,” a song that addresses the more uncomfortable truths of the human body. After alluding broadly to a “mess” under her clothes, she gets extremely specific: “A burning lump full of yellow gunk/And I’m itchy itchy itchy itchy,” her voice oozing the discomfort that the song’s lyrics so directly imply. Later, when Gibb shouts about her sexual encounter with real-life plane hijacker D.B. Cooper, Teeple sets the stage with a clattering, rapid-fire hook. This is the band’s secret formula: Gibb whips up fever dreams with her singular voice and Teeple grounds everything with earworms and sick guitar solos.

Across its 20 minutes, Warm Bodies isn’t strictly a wall-to-wall shredfest. It’s an album bookended by electronics, opening with the tense swell of warped synths and finishing with the pulse of crackling, ethereal noise. Then there’s “Stinky dUMBOMix,” a song that’s all synthesizers, drum machines, whistles, and handclaps. It’s only a minute long, but it’s a crucial moment that places the music beyond garage punk and into the context of low-key experimentation.

With that handful of left-field sonic tics, Warm Bodies lean fully into the psychedelia that powers Gibb’s lyrics: melted faces, gnarly rashes, dog cosplay, and fucking a never-been-caught skydiving thief. Chaos is an intrinsic part of their DNA, which means more relatable, day-to-day subjects adopt a funhouse-mirror approach. “Psychic Connection” is a love song that’s both surreal and knowable—Gibb breaks down the unspoken “mind control” shorthand you have with the person you love. Then there’s “I Need a Doctor,” where Teeple’s woozy guitar and the call-and-response of “I need a doctor! (She needs a doctor!)” invoke sick-day queasiness. On an album of hysterical vocals and high-speed guitar work, Warm Bodies is riveting because of how human it is—its joy, rage, infatuations, and yes, literal boils..]

[Warm Bodies open for Tommy Wright III at recordBar, 1520 Grand,, Ave. Oct. 28, 7:00 PM and Bib]

11:47 – Interview with Aaron Rhodes

We are talking with Aaron Rhodes a Kansas City music journalist and the owner/editor-in-chief of Shuttlecock Music Magazine. Shuttlecock presents: Tommy Wright III, and Warm Bodies, and more, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, October 28, 7:00 PM.

Aaron Rhodes thanks for being with us on WMM.

One of Aaron’s current favorite punk bands is Bib from Omaha, Nebraska. Bib has played several shows in Kansas City over the last year. Bib was just signed to play in the Tommy Wright II show at recordBar.

Aaron Rhodes thanks for being with us on WMM

11:50

14. Bib – “Pressure II”
from: Moshpit – EP / Pop Wig Records / December 1, 2017
[Four-piece hardcore group from Omaha, Nebraska, and their sludgy but rapid style has me hooked. The band recently released an excellent EP, called MOSHPIT, on Maryland punk label Pop Wig. Physical copies available @ http://www.popwigrecords.com Engineered and mixed by Matt Castore at A Harder Commune Studio in Saint Paul, Minnesota – July 2017. Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios in Western Mass – July 2017.]

[Bib opens for Tommy Wright III at recordBar, 1520 Grand,, Ave. Oct. 28, 7:00 PM with Warm Bodies]

15. Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros – “Johnny Appleseed”
from: Joe Strummer 001 / Casbah Productions – Ignition Records / September 28, 2018
[Originally released on Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros 2nd album, Global A Go-Go / Hellcat Records / July 24, 2001, displaying trademark genre-melding folk-rock and Strummer’s unique lyrical style.]

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

Next week on Wednesday October 10, Marion Merritt returns as our Special Guest Producer playing selections from: Adrianne Lenker, Cat Power, Femi Kuti, Blood Orange, Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood, Bosley, Tash Sultana, Spiritualize, Still Corners and more. Plus Mark talks with legendary singer songwriter Holly Near who plays All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Sunday, October 14, at 7:00 PM with Jan Martinelli and Tammy Hall.

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 #754