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, March 7, 2018
More New & MidCoastal Releases
+ Guest Producer – DJ Timmy
10:00 – New & MidCoastal Releases
1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980
[WMM’s theme song]
2. The Breeders – “Wait in the Car”
from: All Nerve / 4AD / March 2, 2018
[1st single from the band’s 5th full-length studio album, released 10 years after their previous album Mountain Battles (2008). The album also marks the band’s first in 25 years with their “Last Splash” lineup. Kim Deal on lead vocals, guitar, moog, casiotone; Kelley Deal on guitar, Kenmore 12-stitch, vocals; Jim MacPherson on drums, Josephine Wiggs on bass guitar, double bass, vocals, cello; (Tanya Donelly on vocals and guitar was also on Last Splash, but left the band to form Belly.) The Breeders were last in Kansas Ciyy on September 3, 2014, at recordBar, with a reunion tour of The Last Slash line-up.]
[The Breeders play The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, KCMO, Friday, May 11, at 8:00 pm]
3. Soccer Mommy – “Last Girl”
from: Clean / Fat Possum Records / March 2, 2018
[Soccer Mommy is the stage name of bedroom pop and indie rock musician Sophie Allison. Allison was born in Switzerland and grew up in Nashville, TN. She attended Nashville School of the Arts, a speciality high school where she studied guitar and played in the swing band. She first picked up a guitar at age 6, which prompted her to start making music. She began posting home-recorded songs to Bandcamp as Soccer Mommy in 2015, during the summer when she was about to leave for college at New York University, where she studied music business. While in college, she played her first show as Soccer Mommy at the community art space Silent Barn in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and shortly after landed a record deal with Fat Possum.She dropped out after a year in 2017 to return to Nashville and pursue her music career. Since beginning her career as Soccer Mommy, Allison has released two full-length albums. Her first, For Young Hearts, was released in 2016 on Orchid Tapes. Her second album, Collection, was released in 2017 on Fat Possum Records. Her debut album proper, titled Clean, was released on March 2, 2018. She has toured with Mitski, Jay Som, Slowdive, Frankie Cosmos, Phoebe Bridgers and others]
4. Tracey Thorn – “Queen”
from: Record / Merge Records / March 2, 2018
[Debut single from the 5th solo studio album from Tracey Thorn. The album was produced by Ewan Pearson, and features contributions from Corinne Bailey Rae, Shura, Jona Ma and Stella and Jenny from Warpaint. Tracey Thorn was born September 26, 1962, and is an English singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl. The youngest of three children, Thorn was born in Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. She grew up in Hatfield and studied English at the University of Hull, where she graduated in 1984 with First Class Honours. She later took an MA degree at Birkbeck College, University of London. After 27 years as a couple, Thorn and the other half of Everything But The Girl, Ben Watt, married in 2008 at Chelsea Register Office. They live in Hampstead, North London. The couple have twin girls, Jean and Alfie, born in 1998, and a son, Blake, born in 2001.]
5. Shapiro Brothers – “Mockingbird”
from: Shapiro Brothers [EP] / Shapiro Brothers / November 3, 2016
[Kansas City based Americana duo, formed by Mikal Shapiro and Chad Brothers who interpret classic country and folk music alongside critically acclaimed originals. Strengthened by Shapiro’s lyrical prowess and Brothers world-class flat picking, the couple showcases their harmonies, stellar guitar interplay and a magnetic onstage chemistry. Written by Mikal Shapiro.]
[Shapiro Brothers play Davey’s Uptown Rambler’s Club, Monday, March 12 with Jack Topht, Major Matt Mason, Nan + The One Nite Stands]
6. Scuffy & the Janitors – “The Spins”
from: Modeling Is Hard / This Tall Records / March 2, 2018
[Saint Joseph, MO based trio formed by Steven Foster on vocals & bass, Teriq Newton on guitar & vocals, and Trevin Newton on drums. Scruffy & The Janitors have been described as creating working-class punk and catchy alt-rock. Scruffy & The Janitors have played at: SXSW, Middle Of the Map Fest, NXNE, and Lawrence Field Day Fest. They have also opened for:KONGOS, Kitten, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Brick + Mortar, Radkey, Cheap Girls, Skaters, Bass Drum Of Death, Your Friend, Rev Gusto, and Dreamgirl. ]
[Scruffy & the Janitors play a KC release show at Riot Room, Sat, April 6 with Momma’s Boy, Toughies.]
7. Witch Jail – “Saucer Season Revisited”
from: Music For Magic Moments / Witch Jail / April 13, 2017
[Kansas City based Post-exotic American death-pop band formed in 2013. The band explains that they are, “Too weird for the punks, too punk for the weirdos.” Current band members include: Guy Slimey on vocals, Eddie Morphine on guitar, Jack Suede on drums, and A. Ghost. The band has recorded with Woody Records, Too Much Rock, and This Ain’t Heaven]
[Witch Jail play an Album Release Show, Thursday, April 12, at 9:00 pm, at The Brick, 1727 McGee St., KCMO with Jorge Arana Trio, and Bad Girls.]
8. Of Tree – “Feel It”
from: Sorry We’re Chosen [EP] / Of Tree / June 1, 2017
[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 play The Brick, 1727 McGee, Sat, Mar 10, at 9:00 pm with The Blessed Broke, & Aaron James.]
10:29 – Underwriting
9. Salty – “Perfect Angels”
from: Dry Rub / Independent / to be released late Summer or Fall, 2018
[Salty is formerly know as Lil Toughies. Formed in early 2016. The current lineup includes: Salty is Jonathan Brokaw (JB) on guitar and vocals, Zach Turner on synthesizers, Ethan Eckert on drums, and Jesslay Huh on bass. More info at http://www.saltykcmo.bandcamp.com or http://www.saltyisthebest.com]
10. La Guerre – “Lake Ontario”
from: The Three [EP] / The Record Machine / May 7, 2013
[Katlyn Conroy is a singer songwriter who is based in Lawrence, KS and is a member of, Cowboy Indian Bear. La Guerre is the French for “war.” In 2013 La Guerre also relased: Violent (7-song EP) on The Record Machine on Aug. 20, 2013. On Feb. 2, 2018 La Guerre released, Discord: recordings from the House of Leaves a 4-song EP.]
[La Guerre plays The Rino, 314 Armour Road, North Kansas City, on Saturday, March 24, at 7:00 pm with Fathers, and Pageant Boys.]
11. Digital Leather – “Same Time Tomorrow”
from: Headache Heaven / Digital Leather / January 23, 2018
[14th album and 21 song digital release from Omaha, Nebraska based Synth punk, New Wave, pop, lo-fi, and psychedelic musical project led by multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Foree began calling his project Digital Leather when he moved to Tucson, where he studied American Literature at University of Arizona. He used student loan money to buy equipment. He managed to release his first three albums after recording them in his bedroom on labels such as Tic Tac Totally, Jay Reatard’s Shattered Records imprint, and FDH Records. He supported this “bedroom project” with several nationwide and European tours. Sorcerer, released on Goner Records in 2008, is a half-live, half-studio record. In 2009, Foree began working on a collection of songs in a fully operational studio. Released in September 2009 by Fat Possum Records, Warm Brother garnered positive reviews. After relocating to Omaha, Nebraska, a 5-piece band formed. They toured around and as a band with synth-leads courtesy of The Faint’s Todd Fink.]
12. Mysterious Clouds – “Circles (Inner Party) featuring Your Friend”
from: My Head is Going Round EP / Haymaker Records / Spring 2018
[Mysterious Clouds is one of the musical projects of Kansas City, Kansas based post-punk psychedelic musical artists, Dedric Moore and Delaney Moore and special guests. For this track and one other on the new EP the band collaborated with Taryn Blake Miller a Lawrence Kansas based musician and songwriter who records as Your Friend. The Delaney brothers are also founders of the critically acclaimed band Monta At Odds. The Mysterious Clouds “Clear Reflection” was also included on the Haymakers Records compilation, Fairgounds Vol. 2 Released March 24, 2017.]
[Mysterious Clouds play a benefit show for MAPS at The Rino, 314 Armour Road, North Kansas City, on Friday, March 9, at 7:00 pm with Myco, and FRB. This show is a benefit concert for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) All proceeds will be donated to MAPS. Founded in 1986, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and cannabis. https://www.maps.org/%5D
13. They Might Be Giants – “Photosynthesis”
from: Here Comes Science / Walt Disney Records / January 1, 2009
[4th children’s album (and 14th studio album overall) from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, packaged as a CD/DVD set. The album is (as the title suggests) science-themed, and is the third in their line of educational albums, following 2005’s Here Come the ABCs and 2008’s Here Come the 123s. It was nominated for the “Best Musical Album For Children” Grammy.This year the band released their 20th studio album I Like Fun on Idlewild Recordings on January 19, 2018 from band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh & John Linnell. During TMBG’s early years, Flansburgh & Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo’s current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. The group is best known for an unconventional and experimental style of alternative music. Over their career, they have found success on the modern rock and CMJ charts. More recently they have also found success in children’s music, and in theme music for several television programs and films. TMBG have released 19 studio albums. Flood has been certified platinum and their children’s music albums Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s, and Here Comes Science have all been certified gold. The band has won two Grammy Awards, one in 2002 for their song “Boss of Me”, which is most known as the theme song of the television series Malcolm in the Middle. They won their second in 2009 for Here Come the 123s. The band has sold over 4 million records. Linnell and Flansburgh first met as teenagers growing up in Lincoln, Massachusetts. They began writing songs together while attending Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School but did not form a band at that time. The two attended separate colleges after high school and Linnell joined The Mundanes, a new wave group from Rhode Island. The two reunited in 1981 after moving to Brooklyn (to the same apartment building on the same day) to continue their career.]
[They Might Be Giants play The Truman, 601 E. Truman Rd, KC, on Tues, Mar 13, at 8:00 PM.]
14. Hello BiPlane – “Hide and Go Seek”
from: Hello BiPlane [EP] / Independent / Dec. 17, 2010
[Originally formed in Lawrence, Kansas by Braden Young and Spencer Goertz-Giffen who write songs and play them with their friends, and record infrequently, and play shows for fun. Jordan Geiger and Jeff Jackson joined the duo for this EP. Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young now both live in Oakland, California.]
[Hello BiPlane play Replay Lounge in Lawrence Friday, March 9, at 6;00 PM for the matinee, with Suzannah Johannes.]
15. The Project H – “NaCl”
from: Everyday, Forever/ The Project H / March 23, 2018
[This is the fourth album from the collective that includes: Clint Ashlock – trumpet, Ryan Heinlein – trombone, Brett Jackson – woodwinds, Matt Leifer – drums, Andrew Ouellette – keys, Dominique Sanders – bass, Jeff Stocks- guitars. The Project H were winners of the 2014 Pitch Music Award for Best Jazz Ensemble.]
[The Project H play The Black Dolphin, Saturday, March 10.]
[The Project H play am Album Release show will be Wednesday, April 4th at the Westport Coffee House Theater with special guests, the Mark Lettieri Trio from Dallas, Texas.]
11:00 – Station ID – Guest Producer DJ Timmy
For our second hour we welcomes Guest Producer DJ Timmy, who won the Wednesday MidDay prize package at the Silent Auction for last November’s Apocalypse Meow 10, a fundraiser for Abby’s Fund of the Midwest Music Foundation.
DJ Timmy grew up in Kansas City and graduated from Southwest High School. He hates winter so he moved to California, and then to Austin, Texas where had many opportunities to see and hear great music. DJ Timmy moved back to KC last year to be closer to family. His first concert was The Moody Blues with Trapeze at Municipal Auditorium. DJ Timmy has spent many hours behind the board at student radio station, KCOU, in Columbia, MO.
11:03 – Texas Oriented Music
16. Cornell Hurd Band – “I Cry, Then I Drink, Then I Cry”
from: Honky Tonk Mayhem / Behemoth Records / 1991
[In 1968 guitarist Hurd and bass player Frank Roeber formed a four-piece band to play for fellow high school students in Cupertino, California. After one public performance, the band folded but reappeared a little later, now named the Ragg Brothers, with Hurd, Roeber, Cornell’s brother Drew Hurd (harmonica), Joel Crawford (vocals), and Kim Muscatel (lead guitar). The group worked sporadically, playing some original material amid covers of western swing music. By 1971 Hurd and Roeber had moved to Berkeley, California, where they formed the El Rancho Cowboys. With them in this band were Gary Dulleck (piano), Lyle Pratt (lead guitar), and Kim Winn (drums). With some personnel additions and changes, the band played on into 1973, working all manner of one-night stands, including opening shows for big name artists. For a short while, Hurd worked at an electronics plant but was inspired by music he heard in Texas to form a new band, again with Roeber and Crawford, which he named the Original Mondo Hotpants Orchestra. This band survived long enough to make a couple of EPs, the eight tracks being mainly original songs. There followed in swift succession personnel changes and name changes as the band played club and concert dates on tours mainly in the Midwest and in Texas. By the end of 1976 Hurd had a band that was approaching his ideal and shortly thereafter dropped the Mondo Hotpants title to become the Cornell Hurd Band, a name that was taken much more seriously. Over the next few years there were constant changes in personnel although Hurd and his brother, Roeber, Patrick Hennessey and Dave Clemes were consistent members into the early 80s, while guitarist Paul Skelton was in and out all the time. Their tours took them steadily further afield and their recording sessions became more frequent. Still active in the early 00s, the band played in France in mid-summer 2005, at which time the personnel included Skelton (guitar), Howard Kalish (fiddle), Blackie White (guitar), Scott Walls (steel guitar), Del Puschert (tenor saxophone), T. Jarrod Bonta (piano), Randy ‘The Badger’ Glines (bass), Lisa Pankratz (drums), and Danny Roy Young (rub board).]
17. Bob Wills – “So Let’s Rock”
from: Country Music Hall of Fame Series / MCA / 1992
[James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western swing, he was universally known as the King of Western Swing (although Spade Cooley self-promoted the moniker “King Of Western Swing” from 1942 to 1969). Wills formed several bands and played radio stations around the South and West until he formed the Texas Playboys in 1934 with Wills on fiddle, Tommy Duncan on piano and vocals, rhythm guitarist June Whalin, tenor banjoist Johnnie Lee Wills, and Kermit Whalin, who played steel guitar and bass. The band played regularly on a Tulsa, Oklahoma radio station and added Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar, pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus, and a horn section that expanded the band’s sound. Wills favored jazz-like arrangements and the band found national popularity into the 1940s with such hits as “Steel Guitar Rag”, “New San Antonio Rose”, “Smoke On The Water”, “Stars And Stripes On Iwo Jima”, and “New Spanish Two Step”. Wills and the Texas Playboys recorded with several publishers and companies, including Vocalion, Okeh, Columbia, and MGM, frequently moving. In 1950, he had two Top 10 hits, “Ida Red Likes The Boogie” and “Faded Love”, which were his last hits for a decade. Throughout the 1950s, he struggled with poor health and tenuous finances, but continued to perform frequently despite the decline in popularity of his earlier music as rock and roll took over. Wills had a heart attack in 1962 and a second one the next year, which forced him to disband the Playboys although Wills continued to perform solo.The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted Wills in 1968 and the Texas State Legislature honored him for his contribution to American music. In 1972, Wills accepted a citation from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in Nashville. He was recording an album with fan Merle Haggard in 1973 when a stroke left him comatose until his death in 1975. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1999.]
18. Roger Miller – “Squares Make the World Go Around” (Vinyl LP)
from: Dang Me / Smash Records / 1964
[Roger Dean Miller, Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, best known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs. His most recognized tunes included the chart-topping country and pop hits “King of the Road”, “Dang Me”, and “England Swings”, all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era. After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, writing such hits as “Billy Bayou” and “Home” for Jim Reeves and “Invitation to the Blues” for Ray Price. He later began a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the mid-1960s, continuing to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit “Old Friends” with Willie Nelson in 1982. He also wrote and performed several of the songs for the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he acted. Miller died from lung cancer in 1992 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by other singers, with covers of “Tall, Tall Trees” by Alan Jackson and “Husbands and Wives” by Brooks & Dunn; both reached the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum in his home town of Erick, Oklahoma, was a tribute to Miller.]
19. John Prine – “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore”
from: The Singing Mailman Delivers / Oh Boy Records / 2011
[John Prine (born October 10, 1946) is an American country folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a composer, recording artist, and live performer since the early 1970s, and is known for an often humorous style of country music that has elements of protest and social commentary. Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. armed forces, he moved to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs as a hobby. Becoming a part of the city’s folk revival, he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, resulting in the production of Prine’s self-titled debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. After receiving critical acclaim, Prine focused on his musical career, recording three more albums for Atlantic. He then signed to Asylum Records, where he recorded an additional three albums. In 1984 he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent record label with which he would release most of his subsequent albums. After his battle with squamous cell cancer in 1998, Prine’s vocals deepened into a gravelly voice, resulting in the award-winning album Fair & Square (2005). Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine is known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary, or which recollect melancholy tales from his life. His 24th album, The Tree of Forgiveness, is coming out April 13.]
20. Jaye P. Morgan – “Pagan Love Song” (Vinyl 45)
from: DJ promotional 45 / RCA Victor / 1955
[Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan; December 3, 1931) is a retired popular music American singer, actress and game show panelist. Morgan was born in Mancos[1][2] in Montezuma County in far southwestern Colorado. Her family moved to California by the time she was in high school. Morgan had six siblings; five brothers and one sister.[1] In the late 1940s, at Verdugo Hills High School in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles, she served as class treasurer (and got the nickname “Jaye P.” after the banker J. Pierpont Morgan) and sang at school assemblies, accompanied by her brother on guitar. Morgan was not the only vocalist in her family. Three of her brothers were also singers. From top: Dick, Duke and Charlie with Jaye P., for a 1959 appearance on The Jimmy Dean Show. In 1950, a year after her graduation from high school, Morgan made a recording of “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries” issued by Derby Records, which made it to #26 in the U.S. Billboard record chart . Soon after, she received an RCA Victor recording contract, and she had five hits in one year, including “That’s All I Want from You,” her biggest hit, which reached #3 on the chart. Other notable hits included “The Longest Walk” and “Pepper Hot Baby”. In 1954, she married Michael Baiano. She joined MGM Records in 1959 after spending the previous six years with RCA Victor. From 1954 to 1955, Morgan was a vocalist on the ABC television series show Stop the Music. In November 1955, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Morgan was the top female vocalist in the U.S. Cash Box poll.In 1956, she had her own show, The Jaye P. Morgan Show, and made guest appearances on a number of other variety shows. She was a charter member of the Robert Q. Lewis “gang” on Lewis’s weekday program on CBS, and was featured on a special episode of The Jackie Gleason Show in which Lewis’s entire company substituted for the vacationing Gleason. In 1958, Morgan appeared on ABC’s The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. On October 6, 1960, she guest starred on NBC’s The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1961, Morgan was cast as Sally Dwight in the episode “Money and the Minister” of the CBS anthology series, General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan. In 1962, she played Patty Maxwell in “Patti’s Tune” of the CBS military sitcom/drama Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper. That same year, she was cast as Kitty Flanders in “That’s Showbiz” on NBC’s The Joey Bishop Show. In 1964, Morgan was cast as Ruth Evans in the episode “Sunday Father” of the NBC medical drama, The Eleventh Hour. She spent considerable time in the 1960s making nightclub appearances. In 1966, she guest starred on CBS’s My Three Sons as fading singer Claudia Farrell in the episode entitled “A Falling Star”. In 1973, Morgan played herself in the episode “The Songwriter” of the sitcom, The Odd Couple. She appeared as Magda Valentine in the film The All-American Boy, and continued to play small roles in films such as Loose Shoes (1980), Night Patrol (1984) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Morgan guest starred on The Muppet Show (episode 2.18)[7] in which she and Dr. Teeth sang “That Old Black Magic.” From 1976 to 1978, Morgan was a regular panelist on the popular game/variety show The Gong Show, from which she was fired for flashing her breasts. She also appeared on Rhyme and Reason and Match Game and in the 1980 “behind-the-scenes” movie version of The Gong Show. She also appeared on the Playboy Channel game show Everything Goes, and with her former Gong partner Jamie Farr on Hollywood Squares Game Show Week II in 2004. Morgan appeared in the 2002 George Clooney–directed film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, a fictionalized version of the life of Chuck Barris, creator of TV game shows The Gong Show, The Dating Game, and The Newlywed Game.]
21. Louis Prima – “Oh Marie”
from: Capitol Collector Series / Capitol / May 13, 1991
[Louis Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, and trumpeter. He rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his 7-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the 1950s, and a pop-rock band in the 1960s. Keely Smith was 17 when Louis Prima met her. Her hometown was Norfolk, Virginia. In August 1948, she made a point to stop by the Surf Club in Virginia Beach to visit one of her favorite artists, Louis Prima. To her surprise, he was looking for a new female vocalist to replace Lily Ann Carol. Keely had a bathing suit on and was not allowed into the club until she had proper attire on. Luckily, someone was able to lend her some acceptable clothing and she auditioned. She landed the part and travelled with the band. Louis signed with Columbia records in the fall of 1951 to keep up with the rapid changes in the marketing industry.Throughout the sixteen-month contract his top hits consisted of “Chop Suey, Chow Mein,” “Ooh-Dahdily-Dah,” and “Chili Sauce”. To manage his expenses, he had to drop his big band and play in low-grade clubs to support his horses. On top of it all, he divorced his third wife Tracelene on June 18, 1953. Less than a month later he married Keely, who was half his age. She was open to criticism and he wanted to make her a star. He had to find the style that fit her correctly, especially since rock and roll was emerging. Prima was not against rock’n’roll like some other artists, such as Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason. He accepted that the kids had “an instinct for the kind of music that’s fun to listen to and dance to.”
22. Xavier Cugat – “Sibony” (Vinyl LP)
from: Viva Cugat / Mercury / 1961
[Xavier Cugat was born January 1, 1900 and died on October 27, 1990. He was a Spanish-American bandleader and native of Spain who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. In New York, he was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria before and after World War II. He was also a cartoonist and a restaurateur. The personal papers of Xavier Cugat are preserved in the Biblioteca de Catalunya. Cugat was born as Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. His family immigrated to Cuba when Xavier was five. He was trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana. On 6 July 1915, he and his family arrived in New York City as immigrant passengers on board the SS Havana. Cugat appeared in recitals with Enrico Caruso, playing violin solos. Cugat was married five times. His first marriage was to Rita Montaner (1918–1920); his second was to Carmen Castillo (1929–1944); his third to Lorraine Allen (1947–52); his fourth to singer Abbe Lane (1952–64); and his fifth to Spanish guitarist and comic actress Charo Baeza (1966–78). Entering the world of show business, he played with a band called The Gigolos during the tango craze. Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist. Cugat’s caricatures were later nationally syndicated. His older brother, Francis, was an artist of some note, having painted the famous cover art for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. In the late 1920s, as sound began to be used in films, Cugat put together another tango band that had some success in early short musical films. And by the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. His first notable appearance occurred in 1942, in the Columbia production You Were Never Lovelier with Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, and Adolphe Menjou. Most of his subsequent movies were made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, including Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1948), A Date with Judy (1948), Luxury Liner (1948), and the Esther Williams musicals Bathing Beauty (1944), This Time for Keeps (1947), On an Island with You (1948), and Neptune’s Daughter (1949). In 1931, Cugat had taken his band to New York for the 1931 opening of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and he eventually replaced Jack Denny as the leader of the hotel’s resident band. For 16 years, Cugat helmed the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel’s orchestra ( the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra), shuttling between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next 30 years. One of his trademark gestures was to hold a chihuahua while he waved his baton with the other arm.]
11:24 – Underwriting
23. Spook School – “I Only Dance When I Want To”
from: Could it be Different? / Alcopop – Slumberland Records / (2017) January 26, 2018
[The Spook School are a four-piece indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland.[3] The name is a reference to the Glasgow School. The band’s lyrics explore “gender, sexuality and queer issues” with themes such as “fluidity and the lack of a binary in gender”. Their music often gets compared to bands off the C86 compilation, such as The Shop Assistants, as well as The Buzzcocks; the band also lists David Bowie as an influence. They met and formed in 2012 whilst attending the University of Edinburgh. Brothers Nye and Adam Todd met AC Cory and Niall McCamley through the university’s comedy society. Most of the band have previously been involved in live comedy shows, some of which were performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Fortuna Pop! label owner Sean Price signed the band after seeing them play at Indietracks Festival in 2012. They released music on the label until its dissolution in 2017, shortly after which they signed to Alcopop! Records. Their debut album, released in 2013, is entitled Dress Up because it “relates to the idea of gender being a social construction, something that can be artificially appropriated”. The record received positive reviews from Loud and Quiet, Under the Radar, and The Skinny. Their second album, Try To Be Hopeful, released in 2015, has also received favourable coverage from music journalists. Often with emphasis that their world-view encompasses the fluidity of both gender and sexuality and that this gives their output “urgency and cheering freshness”. The band’s third album, Could It Be Different? was released January 2018 – just before embarking on a US tour supporting New York state pop-punk duo Diet Cig. It has been described as a “defining statement”, and a “a life-affirming return” which finds them “on the cusp of greatness”]
24. David Bowie – “Hang on to Yourself”
from: Bowie At the Beeb / Virgin / September 26, 2000
[Bowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three-CD set, the third, bonus CD being a live recording made on 27 June 2000 at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre. Later editions contain only the first two CDs. The first pressing mistakenly included the second (disc 2, track 12) version of the song “Ziggy Stardust” twice on disc two, missing the first (disc 2, track 4) version. EMI declined to issue corrected replacement discs to customers, instead mailing out one-song CDRs of the first version. This compilation also features a previously unreleased song, “Looking for a Friend” (disc 1, track 15), which John Peel said would be released as a single by Arnold Corns as a follow-up to the Arnold Corns versions of “Moonage Daydream” and “Hang On to Yourself”, but it was never released, thus making this the only performance of “Looking for a Friend”.]
25. Sweet Spirit – “Let Me Be on Top” (Vinyl 10” EP)
from: Sweet Spirit (eponymous debut Ep) / Nine Mile Records / May 11, 2015
[Formed in 2014 the Austin Texas nine-piece band Sweet Spirit started as a solo project. Austin singer Sabrina Ellis was going through some distressing times: the band that she fronted for several years, Bobby Jealousy, with her then husband was disintegrating along with their relationship. Everything Ellis was working toward was suddenly in free-fall. She started Sweet Spirit to hone her ability to write and perform on her own. “It was supposed to be focused on me writing solo, and performing with the guitar,” she says. But it didn’t stay that way for long. When Ellis started Sweet Spirit, she was still writing and performing with her longstanding garage punk band A Giant Dog. AGD Co-founder Andrew Cashen was intrigued by Ellis’ new emphasis on soul and country and pop music as touchstones for Sweet Spirit and quickly climbed on board the project. “I’m very comfortable doing loud and fast,” Cashen says, “so this is uncharted territory for me.” Together Ellis and Cashen began turning out songs at a breakneck pace. They assembled a core band of four more members, rehearsed religiously, and started playing gigs around town. Immediately they began turning heads and packing clubs. Within six months they had gotten noticed by one of Austin’s most famous musical residents, Britt Daniel of Spoon. In October of 2014, Daniel asked the band to perform at Spoon’s “secret” tour kick off show at the cramped rock club Hotel Vegas for their latest record They Want My Soul, and Sweet Spirit was quickly thrown into the local buzzmill. Ex-Spoon producer and friend Mike McCarthy was also an early devotee. He met with the band and invited them to record demos at his studio to shop around. Those early demos were so strong, that with minimal mixing, they became the band’s eponymous 10″ EP. Meanwhile, the band released their full-length debut Cokomo, as well as a two song collaboration with Daniel, receiving praise from Stereogum, Consequence Of Sound, SPIN, and other outlets, and leading to two more national tours. In between shows, the band found time to work with producer Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, Deer Tick) on their sophomore full-length St. Mojo. The new record comes out on April 7, 2017 on Austin label Nine Mile Records and features a bigger, more dynamic set of songs. Lead single “The Power” has already become a fan favorite at live shows, while the Queen-esque track “The Mighty” and Prince dance funk of “I Wanna Have You” take the band is exciting, unexpected new directions. Guest contributions from members of Grupo Fantasma, Mother Falcon and A Giant Dog.]
26. Nic Armstrong & The Thieves – “I Can’t Stand It”
from: The Greatest White Liar / New West / March 8, 2005
[Nic Armstrong & The Thieves are an English rock band founded by Nic Armstrong, and perceived to be inspired by the blues and the rock music of the 1960s, particularly bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. Nic Armstrong’s The Greatest White Liar was released in April 2004 by One Little Indian Records and subsequently re-released in 2005 under the moniker Nic Armstrong & The Thieves to illustrate that his live show featured a full band. The US version was released on March 8, 2005 by New West Records and included a cover of “I Want to Be Your Driver,” originally by Chuck Berry. The album was produced at Toe Rag Studios by Grammy Award-winning British record producer Liam Watson, who has also worked on albums for the White Stripes, the Zutons, and the Kills. All tracks on The Greatest White Liar were written and composed by Nic Armstrong, with the exception of “Down Home Girl” and “I Want to Be Your Driver”. Armstrong played the majority of the instruments and all vocals found on the recordings, with the exception of one backing vocal overdub. Jonny Aitken performed on drums. “She Changes Like The Weather” & “Back In That Room” was selected by THQ and (the now defunct Pandemic Studios) to feature in the soundtrack of Destroy All Humans! The song was also featured in the film, Moving McAllister. “Down Home Girl” was featured in a Honda Ridgeline commercial during Super Bowl XL. The music video for “Broken Mouth Blues” was directed by Duncan Jones. In 2004, Paul Weller invited Armstrong to open solo for him on his European tour, shortly after this Nic Armstrong & The Thieves joined Weller on a full UK tour. The band made its US debut at SXSW and US network television debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in 2005, followed by performances at the Coachella Festival and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Oasis invited the band on a North American tour during the summer of 2005, which led Noel Gallagher to comment on the band’s live show, “if they get their hair cut, they’ll be one of the biggest bands in Britain. They’re pretty special, man…” In 2006, under the band name, IV Thieves, New West Records released the album, If We Can’t Escape My Pretty (titled after a limited edition Nic Armstrong song that was featured on a limited edition Dazen and Confused flexi-disk). Armstrong is currently working on new material for both projects; Nic Armstrong and Nic Armstrong & The Thieves. There are no plans for any further IV Thieves release. he six-track Pocketless Shirt EP was released in November 2013. The six-track album was recorded at Cacophony Recorders in Austin, TX with Grammy Award winner, Erik Wofford. Negative Slant EP was released in November 2015.]
27. Wreckless Eric – “Take The Cash (K.A.S.H.)” (Vinyl LP)
from: The Whole Wide World / Stiff / 1979
[Eric Goulden was born May 18, 1954, in Newhaven, East Sussex. He is known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single “Whole Wide World” on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in Mojo magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time. It was also acclaimed as one of the “top 40 singles of the alternative era 1975–2000”. In 1973 he began attending Art School in Hull, where he joined bands such as Dirty Henry that played local clubs. On a break after his first year at school he saw Kilburn and the High Roads in Oldham. Struck by their honest approach to music, Eric decided to employ the same to his composing and performing. His next band, Addis and the Flip Tops, were the first incarnation of what would later be known as the DIY style. He first became known as one of the original members of the late 1970s Stiff Records artist roster, along with Ian Dury, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Eric’s first appearance on record was “Whole Wide World” on the Stiff label sampler A Bunch of Stiff Records in April 1977. The single version of that song was finally released in August. The song was produced by, and featured bass and guitar by Nick Lowe, with Steve Goulding on drums. The following month, the song was one of five tracks broadcast for the first of two sessions Eric recorded for DJ John Peel at BBC Radio 1. The song went on to make number 47 in John Peel’s ‘Festive Fifty’, the so-called ‘lost list’ of 1977; it was number 8 in the Sounds critics’ singles of the year; and it received an ‘honourable mention’ in the NME critics’ chart. The song’s reputation has grown over the years and numerous bands have covered “Whole Wide World”, such as the Lightning Seeds, Mental As Anything, The Monkees (who covered the song on their Pool It! album in 1987), The Proclaimers (who covered it on their 2007 album Life With You), Paul Westerberg, and Cage The Elephant (who covered it in their 2017 album Unpeeled). His debut album Wreckless Eric was a Top 50 hit in the UK Albums Chart. His 2nd album with Stiff Records was The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric.]
28. Amy Rigby – “The Trouble With Jeanie”
from: Little Fugitive / Signature Sounds Records / 2005
[Amy Rigby (born Amelia McMahon, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter.[1] After playing with several New York bands she began a solo career, recording several albums which had only modest sales despite enthusiastic reviews. She settled into a career of touring while raising a daughter, then formed a duo with Wreckless Eric whom she also married. As of November 2011 they continue to tour from a base in upstate New York. Rigby was born in Pittsburgh and moved to New York City in 1976. She married dB’s drummer Will Rigby in the 1980s, and during the late 1980s and early 1990s recorded with New York bands such as The Shams and Last Roundup. Her solo career began in 1996. In 1999 Rigby moved to Nashville to pursue a publishing deal, and continued to record and tour. She later relocated to Cleveland, and in late 2006 moved to France with her second husband, Wreckless Eric. In the fall of 2011 they relocated to the USA, moving to a town in upstate New York. Rigby released her first full-length recording under her own name, Diary of a Mod Housewife, in 1996. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau praised the album, calling it “concept album of the year”.[2] Spin voted Rigby “Songwriter of the Year” for 1996. Middlescence and The Sugar Tree (like Mod Housewife, recorded for Koch Records), also were well received by critics and listeners. Koch also released Rigby’s compilation album, 18 Again. After leaving Koch, she recorded for the Signature Sounds label, and also sold live CD and DVD material through her website. Til The Wheels Fall Off, with its opening track, “Why Do I,” produced by Richard Barone, was released on Signature in 2003, and Little Fugitive in 2005. The weekly newspaper The Nashville Scene said that Little Fugitive “finds Rigby as sharp as ever, even as many of the songs evince the fuzz of dislocation…or the exasperation of a survivor who hasn’t lost her sense of humor but knows that jokes have their limits.” She writes lyrics about the trials of a cash-strapped single mother in an uncaring world. “The Good Girls” is a song about consumerism and under-employment, for example. Asked by her manager if she would not be able to write the same kind of songs after starting a happy relationship, she responded “No problem. I’m still poor”, before cranking out a lyric about her beau’s ex-wife. Another trademark is outrageous sexual humor, as in the songs “I Hate Every Bone in Her Body” and “Are We Ever Going to Have Sex Again?” Rigby uses basic chord structures derived from ’60s rock and pop music. Her records are as notable for their musical sophistication as for their lyrical directness. Her influences also include New York City punk rock, especially as played at the famous CBGB club, as well as the Beatles and other mid-1960s pop. One of her recent songs is entitled “Dancing With Joey Ramone.” Ronnie Spector, Sara Hickman, and Laura Cantrell have recorded compositions by Rigby. In 2008 Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby was released. The album is described as combining various influences.]
29. Wussy – “Acetylene” (Vinyl LP)
from: Attica / Shake It Records / 2014
[Fifth studio album from Cincinnati, Ohio, indie rock band formed in 2001. The 11 songs on Attica! were recorded at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati, which is owned by former Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley. The album also saw the return of a member of one of Wussy frontman Chuck Cleaver’s former bands–Ass Ponys guitarist John Erhardt performed on Attica! as Wussy’s fifth member. Attica!’s opening track, “Teenage Wasteland”, describes singer Lisa Walker’s memories of listening to the Who, especially the song “Baba O’Riley”, and includes shoutouts to several of its members. The song also contains a guitar part that closely resembles that on Baba O’Riley. The album’s title track also references Dog Day Afternoon, portraying it as a tale of romantic desperation.]
30. Flamin’ Groovies – “Shake Some Action”
from: Groovies Greatest Grooves / Sire / 1989
[Flamin’ Groovies is an American rock music band whose peak was in the 1960s and 1970s. The band began as a “throwback”-influenced group in San Francisco in 1965, led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums on major labels without much success, Loney left the band in 1971. He was replaced as co-leader by Chris Wilson, and the band’s emphasis shifted more toward British Invasion power pop. The reconstituted band signed to United Artists Records in 1972 but only released three more singles until 1976. The Groovies then signed to Sire Records and released three albums between 1976-79, also with limited success, before Wilson left the band in 1981. After that, Jordan and original bassist George Alexander continued on as the Groovies until the group finally disbanded in 1991. After a couple of limited reunions with different lineups, the 1970s nucleus of Jordan, Wilson, and Alexander reformed the group in 2013, and the band’s first post-reunion album was released in 2017. In addition to the band’s role in the advancement of power pop, the Flamin’ Groovies have also been called one of the forerunners of punk rock.]
31. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
[WMM Closing Theme]
Next week on March 14, professional actor and teacher Richard Alan Nichols joins us to talk about his new book, TO ACT IS TO DO. Also next week, the multi-talented actor-singer-comedian Spencer Brown aka Daisy Buckët joins us to talk about Daisy’s full length solo album debut, Pansy
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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Show #724
Wednesday MidDay Medley 