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

The 117 Best Recordings of 2017
(Part 2 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-two, of our four-week special: The 117 Best Recordings of 2017. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of the year. We realize that these “Best of” lists can seem very subjective, however we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year of music.

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

Tune into 90.1 FM, Wednesdays in December, on the 13th, 20th, and 27th. We’ll be packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 117 of Best Recordings of 2017!

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

2. (87.) The Souljazz Orchestra – “Lufunki”
from: Under Burning Skies / Strut Records / September 22, 2017
[8th album from Canadian six member band based in Ottawa. Their music is a fusion of soul, jazz, funk, Afrobeat and Latin styles. Members include: Pierre Chrétien on electric piano, clavinet, organ, guitar, bass, percussion, vocals; Marielle Rivard on percussion, vocals; Steve Patterson on tenor sax, percussion, vocals; Ray Murray on baritone sax, percussion, vocals; Zakari Frantz on alto sax, flute, percussion, vocals; Philippe Lafrenière on drums, percussion, vocals. The band signed to London-based Strut Records, a UK record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. Other musicians signed to Strut include “Ethio-Jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey and Ghanaian highlife singer Ebo Taylor.”]

3. (86.) This Is the Kit – “Moonshine Freeze”
from: Moonshine Freeze / Rough Trade / July 7, 2017
[4th album from This Is the Kit, the alias of British musician Kate Stables, who is based in Bristol and Paris. This is The Kit formed in 2003. This Is the Kit perform regularly in various configurations from duo to quintet. The core members are Stables on vocals, guitar and banjo, and Jesse D Vernon on violin, guitar, bass and percussion. However, Stables is the only constant, and they are often joined onstage by The Liftmen, Rozi Plain, and other musicians of their acquaintance throughout the UK and Europe.]

4. (85.) Salar Rajabnik – “A to Z”
from: Black & White World / Salar Rajabnik / June 9, 2017
[Produced By: Salar Rajabnik. Engineered By: David Wright at Cherrybox Studios & RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. Mixed By: David Wright. Mastered By: Joshua Stuebe . Art Direction & Design: Kristøpher Martin of Arcane Path. Photography: Samon Rajabnik. Vocals, Electric, Acoustic, Baritone & 12 String Guitars, Piano, Drums & Percussion: Salar Rajabnik. Bass Guitar: Ben Garner. Keyboards, Organ, Piano & Percussion: Johnny Gentile. Fender Rhodes on “I Don’t Want To Wake Up”: Warren Pash. Additional Background Vocals: Leah Korbin. Special thanks to Noam Chomsky for graciously allowing use of his words in “Black & White World.” Black & White World is dedicated to those with the courage to speak truth to power. All Songs Written & Arranged By: Salar Rajabnik / BMI / 2017. Salar Rajabnik is a product of time spent in lots of seemingly contrasting places. Born in the Atlanta area, he was immersed in the world of southern American roots music. The strong Persian cultural influence of his father, an Iranian immigrant, was just as evident at a young age. This was strengthened by time ispent living in Iran. From the beginning this unexpected amalgamation of cultures began to create the foundation that would define him as a musician and person. A move to Kansas City at the age of 12 prompted Salar to pick up his first instrument, the bass guitar. Between the clubs, streets, festivals, churches, basements, bars, arenas, schools, & studios, playing bass, drums, or guitar, he took every opportunity to play that he could. While his influences seem conflicting on the surface level the underlying and unifying principles and themes are strong. Whether he was dancing to Persian music with his family in Iran, learning Motown basslines in his room while his friends listened to boy bands, or jamming in the historic 18th & Vine district with jazz veterans till sunrise, for Salar it’s always been about playing with heart, soul, and honesty. Salar has set out to venerate those who have and continue to respect the gift of music and it’s important role in life, regardless of any classification or style. After years of playing in bands and as a live & studio musician Salar relocated to Nashville, Tennessee & formed a backing band in 2014 & released a debut EP, both dubbed “Moon Age”. Leaving Nashville as a homebase & the Moon Age moniker behind, Salar recently relocated back to Kansas City to release his full length album.]

5. (84.) Truck Stop Love – “Tommy”
from: Can’t Hear It: 1991-1994 / Black Site Records / November 18, 2017
[Rich Yarges on vocals & guitar, Eric Melin on drums, Matt Mozier on vocals & guitar, Brad Huhmann on bass & vocals, Jim Crego on vocals & guitar. 25 years ago Truck Stop Love made their first recordings. These are previously unreleased demo tracks and never-before-heard recordings. To give these old recordings a new life on vinyl, audio archivist & sound engineer Kliph Scurlock remastered the songs from the original analog & digital audio tapes, and Chris Muth at Taloowa Corp cut the master lacquers.] [Truck Stop Love played an Album Release & Reunion, (their first in 13 years), Nov. 17 at recordBar with Pedaljets, Red Kate and Chris Tolle.]

6. (83.) Wick & The Tricks – “Drama Queen (Radio Edit)”
from: Not Enough 7″ Vinyl EP / Black Site / October 14, 2017
[4-piece band with Wick Trick on vocals & sleaze, Chris Stallion on guitar, Jane Asylum on bass & vocals, and JoJo Tornado on drums. The new EP was recorded and mixed by Justin Mantooth at Westend Recording Studios.] [Wick & the Tricks played a Record Release Show, Saturday, October 14, at 8:00 pm at Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, 3402 Main Street, KCMO, with Red Kate, The Quivers, and The Midnight Devils.]

[Wick & The Tricks play Prohibition Hall, Sat, Dec 30, w/Alice Sweet Alice, Heart of Flesh, & Oh Dear Oh My.]

7. (82.) The Weather Station – “Thirty (Edited)”
from: The Weather Station / Paradise of Bachelors / October 6, 2017
[4th full length release from The Weather Station, a Canadian band, based in Toronto, fronted by Tamara Lindeman, formed in 2006. Band members have changed over the years, but now includes Lindeman, with Ben Whiteley on bass, Adrian Cook on pedal steel, and Ian Kehoe on drums.]

8. (81.) Keaton Conrad – “Cinnamon”
from: Waves / Keaton Conrad / January 27, 2017
[Debut full length from 18 year old Kansas native, Keaton Conrad mixes indie rock, house, jazz, and hip-hop. Conrad spent 2 years as the lead singer & keyboardist in the cover band ChangeUp, performing around KC. In 2015 he released a 5-song EP, Panic & Blame. ] [Keaton Conrad played the 4th annual PorchFest KC.]

[Keaton Conrad plays The Rino, 314 Amour Rd, North Kansas City, Fri, Dec. 22, at 7:00 PM with Late Nite Cavalry, and MikiP.]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. (80.) Mount Eerie– “Real Death”
from: A Crow Looked At Me / P.W. Elverum & Sun / March 24, 2017
[8th studio album from Mount Eerie, the musical project of Anacortes, Washington-based songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum (formerly of The Microphones) is the principal member of the band, but has collaborated with many other musicians on his records and in live performances. Most of Mount Eerie’s releases have been issued on Elverum’s label P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd., and feature inventive and highly detailed packaging with his own artwork. Elverum married Canadian artist and musician Geneviève Gosselin in 2003 shortly after meeting her. The two dated long-distance briefly before Geneviève moved to Washington to live with Phil. She recorded under the names Woelv and Ô Paon. Besides occasionally singing on each other’s records and playing in one another’s backing bands live, the couple did not collaborate artistically. The two did not want either of their artistic outputs to interfere with the other’s so they kept relatively quiet about their marriage. Occasionally one would mention that he or she was married, but not say who they were married to. In 2015, Geneviève was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer following the birth of the couple’s first child. After running out of funds to pay for Geneviève’s cancer treatments the two turned to the world and asked for their support through way of a GoFundMe page; an unexpected decision from the usually reclusive couple. On July 10, 2016, Geneviève died in the company of her husband and parents. The album’s release comes in wake of the passing of Elverum’s wife, Geneviève Castrée. On January 5, 2017, Elverum announced that he will “re-enter the world,” go on tour, and release a new album. The first single from A Crow Looked at Me, “Real Death”, was released on P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.’s SoundCloud page on January 18, 2017, to widespread acclaim, netting the “Best New Track” distinction from Pitchfork. Paste wrote that in “Real Death”, “[t]he music gives Elverum all the room he needs to not so much sing, but document.”]

10. (79.) Dirty Projectors – “Little Bubble (Edit)”
from: Dirty Projectors / Domino Recording Co. / February 21, 2017
[2nd single from the 8th album, of the band and the follow up to Swing Lo Magellan, from 2012. Dirty Projectors are an American musical group, consisting of David Longstreth on vocals & guitar, Amber Coffman on vocals & guitar, Haley Dekle on vocals, Nat Baldwin on bass, Olga Bell on vocals & keyboards, and Michael Johnson on drums.]

11. (78.) The Como Mamas – “Move Upstairs”
from: Move Upstairs / Daptone Records / May 19, 2017
[2nd full length album from one of the The newer addition to the Daptone Family. tThe Como Mamas are three lifelong Gospel singers from the small town of Como Mississippi. On their debut album, the critically acclaimed album ‘Get an Understanding’ from 2013, there are only three instruments – The powerful, raspy voice of Ester Mae Smith, the deep soothing voice of Angela Taylor, and the energetic, spirited vocals of Della Daniels. The harmonies they create are so powerful, musical accompaniment is not missed. In December of 2015, The Como Mamas took their first trip from their home in Como, Mississippi up to Harlem, New York to crush the Apollo Theater as part of the Daptone Super Soul Revue. Taking full advantage of their presence in town, the Daptone crew brought Ester Mae Wilbourn, Della Daniels and Angelia Taylor into the House of Soul the week after the show to join forces for the first time with the musicians and studio that has defined their label’s sound. Jimmy Hill, Thomas Brenneck, Homer Steinweiss, and Bosco Mann, all stalwarts of the Daptone stable, came together as “The Glorifiers Band,” to put down a churning musical foundation for these amazing singers. The results are some of the heaviest tracks that Daptone has cut to date.]

12. (77.) Nick Siegel – “Slum By The Sea”
from: Awake from The Golden State / Nick Siegel / August 25, 2017
[2nd single from the debut EP from Nick Siegel who writes: “I write aggressive piano rock music. I strike the 88 keys because one of them must be the key to your heart (oh the charm!). I grew up playing music in Chicago and moved to Kansas City in 2010 when I joined The Casket Lottery. Now venturing on my own, I’m excited to release a new record that will knock your clothes off. Book me, like me, come out and see me and I’ll introduce you to a fine mix of fast fingers, great hair and awkward banter. I’m Nick Siegel. I’m the piano rock you need in your life.”]

[Nick Siegel plays The Riot Room, Fri, Dec. 22, at 8:00, with Search and Seizure, Y U M, The Hillary Watts Riot, Brave the Spirit.]

13. (76.) Adult Mom – “Tenderness”
from: Soft Spots / Tiny Engines / May 19, 2017
[Adult Mom began as the solo project of Stephanie Knipe in a Purchase College dorm room in 2012. Honesty and intimacy form as Knipe writes clever pop songs that offer a glimpse into the journey of a gender-weird queer navigating through heartache, trauma and subsequent growth. Soft Spots, the project’s sophomore LP, is an exploration into the physical and emotional acts of opening up, the vulnerability that produces love, and then ache. Knipe shares with us their process of learning how to cradle and understand their own softness without finality, a story without an end.]

14. (75.) Sky Smeed – “Lunker Bass”
from: Lunker Bass / Sky Smeed / February 1, 2017
[Sky Smeed was born and raised outside of Chanute, Kansas, in an old, one-room schoolhouse his parents bought and turned into a home in the early 1970s. Last year, he sold the country home he built by hand and migrated to Lawrence, Kansas, a place that has provided a non-stop supply of creativity, community and culture, and began settling in to an old fixer-upper on the north side of the Kaw River. To date, Smeed has self-released five full-length albums: Flying High (2002), The Front Steps (2004), Mill River (2006), Sky Smeed (2012) and Drive All Night (2015). His sixth album, Lunker Bass (released February 1, 2017), was recorded and produced at The Ninth Ward Pickin’ Parlor in Lawrence by none other than award-winning folk duo Truckstop Honeymoon (Mike & Katie West).]

[Sky Smeed plays The Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester St. Saturday, Dec. 23]

15. (74.) Mavis Staples – “If All I Was Was Black”
from: If All I Was Was Black / Anti / November 17, 2017
[16th studio solo album from gospel R&B singer, actress and civil rights activist, born in Chicago, Illinois on July 10, 1939. She has recorded and performed with her family’s band The Staple Singers. She began her career with her family group in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches, appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a hit in 1956 with “Uncloudy Day” for the Vee-Jay label. When Mavis graduated from what is now Paul Robeson High School in 1957, The Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar and including the voices of Mavis and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Purvis, the Staples were called “God’s Greatest Hitmakers.” With Mavis’ voice and Pops’ songs, singing, and guitar playing, the Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers (with recordings on United and Riverside as well as Vee-Jay) to become the most spectacular and influential spirituality-based group in America. By the mid-1960s The Staple Singers, inspired by Pops’ close friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement. They covered contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” and a version of Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth”. Livin’ on a High Note was produced by M. Ward the album features songs written specifically for Staples by Nick Cave, Justin Vernon, tUnE-yArds, Neko Case, Aloe Blacc, and others. Mavis!, the first feature documentary about Staples and the Staple Singers, directed by Jessica Edwards, had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2015. Mavis! was screened in theaters and on HBO in February 2016. Staples was briefly married to Spencer Leak in 1964; they divorced when Staples would not end her music career to stay home. She has no children. In the 2015 documentary Mavis! she reveals that Bob Dylan once proposed to her, and she turned him down. The album was written and produced by Jeff Tweedy. Staples said the album “brings us all together as a people. That’s what I hope to do. You can’t stop me. You can’t break me. I’m too loving. These songs are going to change the world.” Tweedy described the message of the album: “I’ve always thought of art as a political statement in and of itself-that it was enough to be on the side of creation and not destruction. But there is something that feels complicit at this moment in time about not facing what is happening in this country head on.]

16. (73.) Joon Moon – “Tiger (Radio Edit)”
from: Moonshine Corner / Kwaiden Records / September 29, 2017
[First full length album from band formed in 2014 in Montmartre area of Paris. This follows the June 2017 release of their EP Tiger, their April 2016 EP, Call Me, and their October 2015 EP Chess. Joon Moon is the meeting of House producer Julien Decoret, drummer Raphael Chassin and American expat and singer/song writer extraordinaire Krystle Warren. After ten years of touring the world playing double bass with Marc Collin’s Nouvelle Vague ensemble, alongside excursions into house music on the Yellow Productions Art of Disco compilations, not to mention co-producing Florent Marchet’s Bamby Galaxy album, it was time for songwriter/producer/renaissance man Julien Decoret to dedicate his heart and soul to a new challenge. With Raphaël Chassin, (Hugh Coltman, Vanessa Paradis, Pauline Croze) on drums, helping out with the production and arrangements, and Sébastien Trouvé as sound engineer, Decoret set out on his retromodern Joon Moon mission, laying out the contours of a world where trip-hop, jazz, soul and electronic music live side by side, sharing their joys and sorrows. The only missing element was that one last bit of magic, a voice that could take the project to ever-loftier heights. Enter Krystle Warren. She had worked with Rufus Wainwright, and Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside, and had made forays into house music herself by providing vocals to two cuts off Hercules and Love Affair’s, The Feast of the Broken Heart. That’s not even mentioning her own band, Krystle Warren and The Faculty – and its three albums – which display her impressive grasp of soul music, folk, blues…With Tiger, the band’s social concerns are brought to the forefront. A timely piece from a Franco-American band about the need to question authority and the power structure of society. Tiger sees its tension build up like an onimous populist, and turns into defiance. Art and love in a movement towards emancipation.]

11:00 – Station ID

17. (72.) The Safes – “Hometown”
from: Tasty Waves / Hidden Volume Records / September 8, 2017
[The Safes are Frankie O’Malley on vocals, guitars, drums, piano, Wurlitzer, vibes, bells; Patrick O’Malley on vocals, guitars; Dex Fontaine on drums; Curt Schmelz on bass. The record includes special guest musicians:
Siobhan Hunter on violins, Dominique DiValerio on french horn, and Ben Levin-O’Leary on trumpet. Produced, Recorded, Mixed by Patrick O’Malley. Recorded, Mixed by Brian Deck. Mixed by Frankie O’Malley. Recorded at IV Lab and StudiO’Malley. Mixed at StudiO’Malley and at Brian Deck’s home studio. Mastered by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering. Assistant Engineer at IV Lab – Shane Hendrickson. Photograph: Andrew Ballantyne. All songs written by Frankie O’Malley, except “Streets and Sanitation”: lyrics written by Frankie and music written by Patrick & Frankie. http://www.thesafes.com.] [The Safes play Crossroads Music Festival, September 9 at 10:00 at The Brick on the Do816 Stage.]

18. (71.) The Good Hearts – “Sinking Boat”
from: A Beginner’s Guide to The Good Hearts / The Good Hearts / May 21, 2017
[The Good Hearts are a 4-piece soulful folk-pop group with an emphasis on strings and warming hearts. Their unique brand of folk music is led by singer songwriter, Nicole Cain with powerful vocals & acoustic guitar, Shannon O’Shea on violin & background vocals, Anna Cook on cello & background vocals, and Aaron Derington on percussion. This Kansas City based group are described as “folk pop with touches of old country and soul thrown in.” The Good Hearts have played the Plaza Art Fair, The Folk Music Festival, and Boulevardia. More info at: http://www.thegoodheartsmusic.bandcamp.com] [The Good Hearts played the Wednesday MidDay Medley 90.1 KKFI Day Party at Middle of The Map Fest, Saturday, May 6, ]

[The Good Hearts are currently working on their new debut album full length with Kristie Stremel serving as producer.]

19. (70.) Pieta Brown – “Street Tracker”
from: Postcards / Lustre Records / March 10, 2017
[Postcards features a number of Brown’s musical friends, including Calexico, Bon Iver, Mark Knopfler and the Pines. She compiled the album by writing simple acoustic demos of what would become the album’s songs, sending them to the musicians that make up Postcards‘ roster of guests, and having those artists finish the tracks. Brown and her collaborators never worked in the same room, which lent the album its distance-implying title. Released on Brown’s new, in her words, “underground label” Lustre Records. Pieta Brown was born in 1973 in Iowa City, Iowa. Her early upbringing was in Iowa. There, Brown was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, singer songwriter Greg Brown. Brown spent her childhood living in 17 different residences between Iowa and Alabama. While living with her mother in Alabama, Brown began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano. As a musician and singer-songwriter she has released five albums and four EPs. Collaborator Bo Ramsey produced her 2002 debut record, Pieta Brown and co-produced her 2005 album In the Cool, which was named one of the year’s best by Amazon. Her next album Remember The Sun was released in 2007 and was cited as one of the year’s best in a The Wall Street Journal article. After the release of her next album, One and All, Brown joined Mark Knopfler’s North American tour, had a string of performance dates with John Prine, participated in a full orchestral show with Brandi Carlile, and embarked on her own performance tour in Australia. Brown’s 2009 EP, Shimmer was produced by Don Was after hearing her on his car radio in a live solo performance. In addition to Mark Knopfler, John Prine and Brandi Carlile, Brown has shared stages with JJ Cale, Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani DiFranco, Calexico, Neko Case, Mason Jennings, Shawn Mullins, Carrie Rodriguez and Jim Lauderdale. She has performed at festivals throughout North America including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Edmonton Folk Music Festival and more. Her national radio credits include performances on eTown and Mountain Stage. Brown is married to guitarist and producer, Bo Ramsey.]

20. (69.) Big Thief – “Black Diamonds”
from: Capacity / Saddle Creek Records / June 9, 2017
[Debut album from Brooklyn, NYC, based Big Thief is lead vocalist and songwriter Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek on guitar, Max Oleartchik on bass, and James Krivchenia on drums.] [Big Thief played The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, Thur, Oct. 12 at 8:00 PM w/ Mega Bog.]

21. (68.) Las Cafeteras – “If I Was President”
from: Tastes Like L.A. / Las Cafeteas / April 14, 2017
[Chicano band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music fuses spoken word, folk music, with traditional Son Jarocho, Afro-Mexican music and zapateado dancing. The band started out as students of the Eastside Café, a community space in El Sereno, LA, where they took Son Jarocho classes. Influenced by music from Veracruz, Mexico and eager to teach others about it, they started formally playing in 2005. Since forming, they have shared the stage with artists such as, Caifanes, Lila Downs, Juanes, Ozomatli, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Their namesake derives from the organization where they took classes. To honor women, they feminized their group name by naming themselves Las Cafeteras, rather than Los Cafeteros. Las Cafeteras’ songs have themes and references that range from the Civil Rights Movement, United Farm Workers, DREAM Act, immigration reform to female homicides in Ciudad Juárez. Their song, “La Bamba Rebelde”, a remake of The traditional Mexican song from the state of Veracruz “La Bamba”, denotes their Chicano pride. They say that they construct their music as a tool for creating positive change and inspiring others to do so. Band Members include: Daniel French on vocals, jarana, MC; David Flores on requinto jarocho; Denise Carlos on vocals, jarana, zapateado, glockenspiel; Jose Cano on cajón, Native American flute, harmonica; Hector Flores on vocals, zapateado; Leah Gallegos on vocals, quijada, zapateado.] [Las Cafeteras played Folk Alliance International 2017 Conference.]

22. (67.) Pageant Boys – “Last Rites”
from: Shadowboxing EP / The Record Machine / May 19, 2017
[On what was originally slated to be a short trip to Istanbul, Alex Sheppard started recording music with his girlfriend’s laptop and a bluetooth headphone mic. None of Sheppard’s previous musical efforts incorporated electronics in a major way; “It was born of necessity,” says Sheppard. The songs on his new EP, Shadowboxing, came out of those original sessions. The songs are a sensual and almost effervescent approach that combine R&B elements with electronic and processed instrumentation. While in Istanbul, Sheppard established a routine in collaborating with a close friend and poet. He said they developed a fairly specific daily routine for working on music, with the intent of finishing songs, regardless of their quality. “I would wake up at 8 in the morning and start the song and get the chord structure. And then at 10, he would wake up and I would show him what I had. I’d make breakfast, and then I’d show him the melody I wanted for the vocal line. He’d go down and start writing the lyrics, we’d eat breakfast, and he’d have the lyrics written after we got done with breakfast. At 1, I’d start recording the vocals. It was a good schedule.” Sheppard has been writing and recording for the last decade even though he is just in 20’s. Before Sheppard started performing and recording as Pageant Boys he released several albums as Alexandre. Shadowboxing is the maturation of Sheppard’s artistic vision and introduction to a larger audience.] [Pageant Boys played Crossroads Music Fest, Sat, Sept. 9 .]

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

23. (66.) Laura Marling – “Next Time”
from: Semper Femina / More Alarming Records / March 10, 2017
[6th studio album from Laura Beatrice Marling was born February 1, 1990, from Eversley, Hampshire. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim, her second album I Speak Because I Can, and her fourth album Once I Was An Eagle were all nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, 2010, and 2013, respectively. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards, and was nominated for the same award at the 2012 and 2014 Brit Awards. The youngest of three daughters, Marling learned guitar at an early age. Her father, Sir Charles William Somerset Marling, the 5th Marling Baronet, ran a recording studio, introduced her to folk music and shaped her musical taste, an experience that Marling later described as, “a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse….[because] I couldn’t slot myself into the age-appropriate genre”. Marling received a scholarship to attend Leighton Park School, a private Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire. During her secondary school years she felt uneasy around other people and was afraid of death. Marling dated Noah and the Whale singer/guitarist Charlie Fink briefly before the pair separated in 2008. She also dated Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons until late 2010. She moved to Silver Lake in Los Angeles, California in 2013, before relocating back to London in December 2014. In September 2013, Marling explained: “I am a solitary person but I love people, I’m not a misanthrope. I like the idea of speaking only when it’s strictly necessary. The closest I ever feel to people is in shared experience. I’m still exploring that, I don’t know where it’s going to lead me.]

11:29 – Underwriting

24. (65.) Via Luna – “Upstairs Neighbor”
from: Wilt / Via Luna / April 28, 2017
[3rd EP release in 3 years form the KC based Instrumental Post Rock / Math Rock band, with Gregory Baker on guitar, Christopher Gordon on guitar, Mike McDonough on drums, and Blain Bridges on bass.] [Via Luna played an EP Release Show for Wilt, April 28, at Californos, with Le Grand, Riala, and Parents.]

25. (64.) The MGDs – “Snakebite”
from: Somos Como Somos / The MGDs / November 4, 2017
[From the band’s new EP, their 3rd studio release. Matt Davis on drums, percussion & vocals, Greg Bush on bass, Damon Parker on keyboards & vocals, Scott “Snoof” Middleton on guitar, Rudy Vasquez on saxophones, and Eric Martens on trumpet. This Kansas City based 6-piece band that mixes piano and brass with a dynamic rhythm section that adds a unique flavor to the iconic Kansas City music culture, blending of funk and blues with soulful stylings. In what started as a 3-piece between longtime friends in 2008, the MGDs have evolved into a potent powerhouse, high-energy ensemble with regular monthly appearances at the Phoenix, and appearances at the Sunset Music Fest, the City Market Crawfish Fest, the 6th annual Phoenix Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Middle of The Map Fest, Boulevardia, The Plaza Art Fair, Kauffman Stadium before two Kansas City Royals games. In 2016 the band released their 2nd studio LP, “Wake Up”.] [The MGDs played an EP Release show, Saturday, November 4, at 9:00 pm, at The Black Dolphin.]

[The MGDs play The Riot Room, Sat, Dec. 30, at 8:00 PM with Pink Royal, Dylan James Guthrie, and Sara Nicole Glass.]

26. (63.) Claire Adams – “Boom”
from: Waiting for The Winds to Change / KG&G Records / October 22, 2017
[1st single from 5-song EP, featuring new recordings of original songs by Claire Adams on vocals, guitar, & bass; Katy Guillen on guitar & harmony vocals; Lennon Bone on drums. Recorded, mixed & mastered by Duane Trower at Weights + Measures Soundlab, Kansas City, MO. More info at: http://www.claireadamsmusic.com]

[Katy Guillen & The Girls play B.B.’s Lawnside BarB-Q, 1205 E. 85th Street, on Friday, Dec. 15]

27. (62.) Black Stacey – “Electric Woman”
from: Electric Chariot / Sharaden Staten / June 2 2017
[Black Stacey is Sharaden Staten, a Missouri native, whose music brings the spirit of “Electric Church” to the Midwest. Sharaden, a 25-year-old, having grown up in the back woods of central Missouri, and couch surfed his way into the KC metro, pairs subtle notes of R&B, funk, soul, and rock; dramatically blending it into a raw eclectic mix. In 2015 Sharaden began writing, recording and producing Black Stacey’s debut, “Electric Chariot”. A project that has given him a solid foundation in the KC music scene, gaining him spots on local radio and the opportunity to work with producer Joel Nanos (Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear, Radkey, Sly/Robbie & the Taxi Gang). More infor at http://www.blackstacey.com.]

[Black Stacey plays Davey’s Uptown Friday, January 12, with Gypsy Rose Frequency, and Oxykitten.]

28. (61.) Hembree – “Had It All”
from: Had It All – EP / Ribbon Music / Expected November 3. 2017
[Formed in November of 2015, band members include: Isaac Flynn, Garrett Childers, and Eric Davis. “Had It All” the single was released July 26, 2017. Engineered by: Isaac Flynn and Hembree. Produced by: Eric Hillman and Hembree. Mixed by: Joe Visciano. Mastered by: TW Walsh. Hemmer are currently on a multiple city North American tour opening for JR JR, the band formally known as Dale Earnhart Jr. JR JR is Detroit-area natives: Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott.]

29. (60.) Soul Revival – “Comeback”
from: Back to Love – EP / Soul Revival / June 2, 2017 [Debut EP from R & B – Soul duo, Soul Revival, KCK based producer, and musician and keyboard player, Desmond Mason is originally from Los Angeles. He went to Southeast High school and studied History and Higher Education at UMKC. Desmond has worked at Park University, and the American Jazz Museum. Desmond is a versatile performer and composer, who desribes his music as “firmly rooted in KC Kazz, R & B, gospel, and hip-hop music and strives to be something that the audience can feel in their spirit.” Derick Cunigan is a singer, songwriter who is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He studied broadcasting at Northwest Missouri State University. He has worked for KMBC, Steel City Media and KBEQ, KFKF, KCTV5. More info at http://www.soulrevivalmusic.com]

30. (59.) Pink Royal – “Bring It On Back”
from: Do You Mind EP / Pink Royal / September 12, 2017
[Experimental groove pop, 5-piece band based in Lawrence, Kansas with Steven LaCour on guitar & vocals, Josh Dorrell on guitar & vocals, Alex Hartmann on drums, Nick Carswell on bass & vocals, Vik Govindarajan on Keyboards & vocals. Music and Lyrics by Pink Royal (except Tracks 3 & 6 by Pink Royal and Dylan Guthrie.) Recorded and produced by Jim Barnes. Mastered by Dalton Brand at WaveBurner Recording.]

[Pink Royal play The Riot Room, Sat, Dec. 30, at 8:00 PM with The MGDs, Dylan James Guthrie, and Sara Nicole Glass.]

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

Please tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December as we present our 4-week special: The 117 Best Recordings of 2017 on December 20th, and 27th.

Next week, December 20, 10-Noon, we continue with part 3 of our 4 week series, The 117 Best Recordings of 2017, we’ll count down #58 through #30, and we’ll hear representative tracks from: The Whiffs, Instant Karma!, Eems, Jametatone, Lovergurl, Run With It, Mad Libby, The Sluts, KD Kuro, Erica Joy, Of Tree, Khrystal, Erin Keller, Nature Boys, David George, Broken Arrows, Kevin Morby, Sheer Mag, Curtis Harding, Japanese Breakfast, Sampha, Beck, Diet Cig, Jackie Shane, Phoebe Bridgers, The New Pornographers, Hurray For The Riff Raff, The National, and St. Vincent

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 #712