WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far (Part 1) + Oh Dear Oh My

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

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far
+ Oh Dear Oh My

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

Pedaljets

2. Pedaljets – “Disassociation Blues”
from: Twist The Lens / Electric Moth Records / February 14, 2020
[Twist The Lens was recorded in three main sessions, produced by the Pedaljets alongside their former lead guitarist Paul Malinowski (Shiner, Season To Risk). Though the Pedaljets core trio of Mike Allmayer, bassist Matt Kesler, and drummer Rob Morrow has remained a constant throughout their tenure as a band, they’ve worked with multiple lead guitarists throughout the years, with Twist The Lens being the first record to showcase their newest addition, Cody Wyoming. Bringing in Wyoming, and working alongside Malinowski, allowed the new songs to benefit from a fresh and outside perspective, while still keeping the album within the Pedaljets family. It also lent itself to a more utilitarian process where, as Allmayer describes, “We would constantly listen back and ask ourselves, ‘Are you hearing something this song needs?’ We were really focused on pushing ourselves to make the best music we can and being extra critical.” To round out the team, the band brought in veteran producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) to mix the record and reunited with Archer Prewitt (The Sea and Cake) whose artwork has adorned the last three Pedaljets album covers.]

Katy Guillen

3. Katy Guillen & The Drive – “No Control”
from: Dream Girl [EP] / Katy Guillen / March 20, 2020
[New 7 song EP from Katy Guillen & The Drive, the latest project dedicated to Guillen’s songwriting that is founded on the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen & Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar & vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls. In 2012, Guillen & Williams formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums: Katy Guillen & the Girls, Heavy Days, and Remember What You Knew Before. Between 2012 and 2018, they traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards. In these 6 years playing together, Guillen & Williams created a dynamic, sound informed by Guillen’s mesmerizing, emotive guitar style and poignant arrangements, and an equally captivating live show that showcased Williams’ technical, melodic style, resulting in a powerful on-stage chemistry. In addition to the compelling synergy formed by years of playing together, the two developed a method of working together on Guillen’s songs that only deepened their artistic connection, propelling them to forge a path to a new plateau in their music. KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of the artist’s rock ‘n’ roll and blues roots. Guillen calls their genre-bending style “indie soul-rock.”]

Ebony Tusks

4. Ebony Tusks – “HDF”
from: HDF – Single / High Dive Records / February 7, 2020
[Ebony Tusks is Daniel Smith on DJ & Production, Geese Giesecke on vocals & Production, and Marty Hillard on vocals & Production. A rattling subwoofer is a sonic aberration, a byproduct of high volume that often results in a speaker system’s long-term damage. It takes the listening experience from exclusively aural to physical, evoking a range of reactions from listeners. This experience is bonded inextricably with rap music for both its fans and dissenters, a familiar beacon for some and an unwelcome nuisance for others. Marty was a cashier at Burger King while in high school, spending every Saturday morning working the drive-thru window. One of his best friends pulled up to the menu and filled the speaker with sounds from his 1972 Volkswagen Beetle’s cassette adapter. Marty’s headset was filled with hot, white noise. He knew it was a rap song but it was mutated to scorched earth. It also happened to come through the main speaker right inside the drive-thru window. His manager was not at all pleased, rushing quickly to turn it off. Marty and his friend laughed it off at the time. EBONY TUSKS is a compilation of moments like these. Daniel, Geese, & Marty are 3 people from the Midwest who take pleasure in the mutations of sound available in the least expected places.]

Una Walkenhorst

5. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[2nd single. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. 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. In 2018 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, with beautiful harmonies.]

Radkey

6. Radkey – “Ain’t No Sunshine”
from: “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Single / Radkey / April 7, 2020
[Written by Bill Withers. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]

Ivory Blue

7. Ivory Blue – “Elite Dreamland”
from: “Elite Dreamland” – Single / Devin Robert Kesler / February 17, 2020
[KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, Ivory Blue is currently in the studio putting together a new full length 10-song album called “Compound Love” for release in 2020. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivøry Blue has played Crossroads Music festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library. Born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, and given up for adoption at the age of four, it was difficult to find trust in people after living with eight different foster families. Running away at 15, Ivøry moved from Indiana to Oklahoma and eventually ended up in Seattle. In 2011 Ivory moved to Kansas City, and has became a part of new family.]

Blackstarkids

8. BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun”
from: SURF / Bedroom Records / February 28, 2020
[Second album from, BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019. Blackstarkids,recently caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and now they’re signed to The 1975’s management company, Dirty Hit Records and they were just featured in Clash Magazine,]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. Fullbloods – “Soft and Virtual Touch”
from: Soft and Virtual Touch / High Dive Records / April 3, 2020
[3rd full-length album from, Fullbloods, a Kansas City based band with: Ross Brown; Jared Tomasino; David Seume; & Bill Pollock. Follow up to their February 26, 2016 release, Mild West. All songs written, performed, recorded, and mixed by Ross Brown (℗© 2019 Bargain Hunt Music / ASCAP) in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Artwork created by Nika Winn. Kyle Rausch played drums on 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9, sang on 9. Bill Pollock played drums on 3 and 5. David Seume played bass on 5. Jerad Tomasino played synth on 9 and 10, sang on 9. Jenni Kornfeld played cello on 4. Leslie Butsch played sax on 10. More information at: http://www.fullbloods.com.]

10. Saint Sé – “In/Out (feat. Allison Gliesman)”
from: In/Out (feat. Allison Gliesman) – Single / Benjiman Lucas Music / May 22, 2020
[Debut Single from Saint Sé. Written by: Lucas Carpenter & Allison Gliesman. Vocals by: Allison Gliesman. Music Produced by: Lucas Carpenter. Additional Production by: Zach Thomas. Mixed/Mastered by: Mark Francis Buergler. Visualizer created by Andy Thies.]

Miss Boating

11. Miss Boating – “Junk Food”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charles Colborne and Bill Belzer faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s own beloved mother, their friend and bassist Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing and wrote that they “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil is part of the bands Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

Quiet Takes

12. Quiet Takes – “Wanted (The Dirty Windshield Version)”
from: “Wanted (Dirty Windshield Version)” – Single / Sarah Magill / May 1, 2020
[“Wanted” lives in the ellipses between acknowledging you want something you can’t have…and letting that desire go. The plan was to put this stripped-down version out in the fall after releasing its more produced twin on an EP this summer, but then everything changed. Beyond the pandemic’s catastrophic casualties, we are all grappling with lesser losses: plans, jobs, dreams, relationships, routines, shows, savings, physical touch. It seemed right to put this version out now. Sometimes we only realize what we want when it’s absent. That’s the gift in the grief, but it stings, doesn’t it? Music & Lyrics by Sarah Magill. Produced by David Bennett. Vocals & keyboards by Sarah Magill, guitars, & bass by David Bennett. Additional key by Ian Thompson. Engineered & mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Mastered by Zach Hanson Quiet Takes (formerly MYRY) is an on-going collaborative music project by Sarah Magill a writer and musician based in Kansas City, Missouri. She performs with a rotating cast of friends—although these stay-at-home days, she is playing solo. In Kansas City, she is known for hosting house shows and co-founding Rubix, a performance art collective. The first EP, MYRY’s AHEM. Was release in 2018.. Quiet Takes has new music coming in 2020.] [Sarah Magill was on WMM on May 13.]

Hermon Mehari

13. Hermon Mehari – “A Conversation With My Uncle”
from: A Change For The Dreamlike / Hermon Mehari / June 5, 2020
[Hermon writes: “I spent “le confinement” creating this album in a barn in the French countryside. Like many people during this period, I wasn’t able to think much about the future, only the present and the past. These songs are therefore personal journal entries, versions and visions of my wishes, fantasies and memories. Together they create a kind of modern mixtape of dreams, in every sense of the word, in which my trumpet, all alone in that barn, is a vulnerable presence, virtually and masterly supported by some of my closest musical collaborators around the world.” Follow up to his debut solo release Bleu, from 2017. Hermon Mehari grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, home of Lincoln University. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Missouri – Kansas City Music Conservatory. In 2015 he finished first, at the prestigious Carmine Carusa International Jazz Trumpet Competition at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Texas. Hermon was a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. In 2014 he released the CD “Our Journey” with Diverse, which was recorded in Paris featuring Logan Richardson on alto saxophone. Hermon was also the winner of the 2008 National Trumpet Competiton and placed second in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. He splits his time between touring and playing all over the world and creative projects in Kansas City. Hermon has collaborated with Cat Mahari on BAM! the Workshop, he is also a founding member of Diverse Jazz, Diverse Trio, and The Buhs. He has played with Peter Schlamb, Making Movies, John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons, Mikal Shapiro, Krystle Warren. Hermon was featured on the world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson’s 2013 release, “Check Cashing Day”. More information at: http://www.hermonmehari.com ]

14. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “I”
from: I – Single / Miki P / February 13, 2020
[Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com .]

Fritz Hutchison

15. Fritz Hutchison – “Stationary”
from: Wide Wild Acres / Center Cut Records / March 27, 2020
[Debut album of Fritz Hutchison. Wild Wild Acres was written & performed by Fritz Hutchison. Produced by Fritz Hutchison and Joel Nanos. Recorded and mixed in Kansas City by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studio. Mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago. Multi-instrumentalist Fritz Hutchison was born May 27, 1991. A life long resident of Kansas City. Since 2008 he’s been part of multiple bands playing drums with: She’s a Keeper, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, and Grand Marquis. As a guitarist he has played along side J Ashley Miller, Lauren Krum, Miki P and Calvin Arsenia. A decade of lending an ear and a hand to the likes of fellow shredders has left Fritz poised to launch his own solo career as a singer-songwriter.]

16. Lava Dreams – “Good Energy”
from: “Good Energy + Focus / Lava Dreams / June 13, 2020
[Written by Lava Dreams and produced by Duncan Burnett. Solo artist Lava Dreams aka Julia Hamilton writes songs influenced by pop, soul, RnB, jazz, trap, house, funk, reggae, rock, and world music. Hailing from Kansas City, MO, her guitar-based music is both dreamy & electric. Lava Dreams began writing lyrics and melodies as a young child. Growing up, she learned to play her first guitar chords from her father – who played around the house and in local bars. After playing guitar and singing in several Kansas City bands as a teenager, she set out to become a solo artist in 2018. Julia Hamilton is also a film maker who received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Film from Avila University. You can listen to Lava Dreams on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer, Google Play, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or at LavaDreamsMusic.com ]

11:00 – Station ID

17. Oh Dear Oh My – “Marching”
from: ELECTRONERVES / Oh Dear Oh My / May 6, 2020
[Third release from Kansas City based dance rock duo made up of Rani & Curt. This is their follow up to ASHDLA’ released July 11, 2018. They’ve been playing locally for 5 years. Their album Ashdla’ was named for the Navajo word for Five. The EP had 5 tracks. Curt is himself Navajo. Oh Dear Oh My tend to lean towards the dark & dancy.]

OH DEAR OH MY

11:03 – Interview with Rani & Curt of Oh Dear Oh My

Oh Dear Oh My released their third EP – ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020. The Kansas City based dance-rock-duo is made up of Rani and Curt. They’ve been playing locally for over five years. This new release is the follow-up to their 2018 release, ASHDLA’ named for the Navajo word for five. The EP had 5 tracks and band member Curt is himself Navajo. Fueled by anxiety and excess energy, dynamic duo Oh Dear Oh My rocks! Curt pounds spicy, far-out beats on his drums, while Rani keeps pace with sweet 80’s synthesizer sounds. The end result is a little dark, a little dancey, and a little funny.

From Oh Dear Oh My were have Rani, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Curt and Rani met in Lawrence. Both had played on previous bands. A friend thought they had a lot in common, so he invited them to meet up.

The band was originally called Cupcake, but when the duo discovered that a band in St. Joe had this name Curt suggested they become Oh Dear Oh My.

Curt grew up in the Navajo community in Arizona. He came to Lawrence, Kansas originally to go to Haskell University.

Rani works at a hospital in health care and research.

Curt and Rani have been playing in Kansas City for five years,

Oh Dear Oh My released their third EP – ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020.

More information at http://www.OhDearOhMy.Bandcamp.com

11:15

18. Oh Dear Oh My – “Soak Your Head”
from: ELECTRONERVES / Oh Dear Oh My / May 6, 2020
[Third release from Kansas City based dance rock duo made up of Rani & Curt. This is their follow up to ASHDLA’ released July 11, 2018. They’ve been playing locally for 5 years. Their album Ashdla’ was named for the Navajo word for Five. The EP had 5 tracks. Curt is himself Navajo. Oh Dear Oh My tend to lean towards the dark & dancy.]

19. Sterling Witt – “Hag-Ridden”
from: Something’s Awry / Grand River Records Records / April 10, 2020
[All songs written by Sterling Witt. Copyright 2020 Disheartened Music (ASCAP). Produced by Sterling Witt. Recorded by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios, Kansas City Missouri. Sterling Witt on vocals & guitar, Kitten A. Boggs on bass & vocals, Evan Verploegh on drums. http://www.SterlingWitt.com ]

Nan Turner on the June 3, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

20. Nan & the One Nite Stands – “Desert Nites”
from: “Desert Nites” – Single / Nan Turner / May 22, 2020
[Written by Nan Turner. Recorded by Mark “Dragon” Ospovat @ SpeakerSonic Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Additional recording and mixing and production by Chase Horseman @ Winky World Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Ian Dobyns. Nan Turner on Vocals and beats – Nan Turner; Mark Ospovat ongGuitar; percussion; Chase Horseman on Wurlitzer, bass, & synthesizers; Dawn Yoder and Tracy Flowers on back up vocals. Nan writes: “I learned about existentialism at a young age. My Dad was a Philosophy Professor. Waiting for Godot and Archibald MacLeish’s J.B. were in my Ballet Bag for years. My mother + stepfather are libertarian folk that went to church, shot guns, and sold Amway. I’m not saying this song is about any of that. But it’s also NOT NOT about that. I started recording this song in 2017 with my good friend and collaborator Mark Ospovat in Brooklyn, NY. We laid down the foundation tracks of beat, guitar and vocals. Then I let the song lie…..because I didn’t know how to finish it or where it fit in my oeuvre. I almost wrote ovaries. That too. (You do know that songs are like babies, right?) Cut to March 2020, Kansas City. Chase Horseman and I unearthed the tracks right before the quarantine. He sat down at the Wurlitzer and played some notes and suddenly the song made sense to me. Of course it needed Wurlitzer! Through Chase’s arrangements of keys and other instrumentation, and Dawn and Tracy’s backup vocals (shoutout to KC one nite stand dancers extraordinaire)…I knew the song was finally there and it was time to release it into the world.Thanks so much to both Mark Ospovat and Chase Horseman for helping me realize the song’s potential and also for adding your own inventive arrangements. It was a One Nite Stands Magical Collaboration from NYC to Kansas City. BOOM. Nan Turner is one half of the critically acclaimed band Schwervon! Nan has been called the “Lucy Ricardo of Indie Rock. This is aa follow up to Nan’s solo EP Champs and Losers, Version 2 released July 12, 2019 Recorded, Mixed, and Co-Produced at Winky World in Kansas City, by Chase Horseman. Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, New Windsor, NY. Ian Dobyns plays drums and Chase Horseman plays bass. More Info at: http://www.nanturner.bandcamp.com]

21. Oxford Remedy – “Again”
from: For Those Who Know, Tell Me What I’m Supposed To Do / Oxford Remedy / May 1, 2020
[Debut EP from Kansas City based band. Written and performed by: Kate Mckown on guitar, Grace Mckown on guitar, Sydney Aldridge on bass, and Brody Washam on drums. Mixed and mastered by Braxton Matlock. Cover art by Jesse Solomon.]

22. Brandon Phillips & The Condition – “Contrition”
from: “Contrition” – Single / Brandon Phillips & The Condition / June 16, 2020
[The first release of the band’s Summer Singles 2020 Series. Brandon Phillips , Adam Phillips , Brent Kastler , Mike Alexander , Julie Berndsen , Julia Haile , and Nathan Showalter. Recorded and Mastered at Element Recording and Mastering with Joel Nanos. Mixed by Brandon Phillips. Art by Jud Kite. Follow up to their April 13, 2019 Too Much Rock release, “Angel Say No” / “People Talk” 7” single release. The group is inspired by Elvis Costello and the “girl groups” of Motown Records. This is a project of Brandon Phillips (The Architects, The Gadjits, Other Americans) and features an ensemble cast along with other musicians from other bands.]

11:29 – Underwriting

Betse & Clarke

23. Betse & Clarke – “We Can Get Across”
from: Winter / Betse & Clarke / June 4, 2020
[A collection of songs and tunes, including original compositions, traditional songs and fiddle tunes, and modern songs re-envisioned. This recording was compiled during winter 2020, with a feeling of introspection. Songs under copyright were properly licensed for this digital release. Regular folks, exceptional music: This duo from the heartland (Kansas City, Missouri) has its roots in Ozark old time music, honoring traditional songs and tunes that resonate with human experience. New compositions add compelling elements to their musical tapestry. Follow up to the duo’s 2017 release, Tunes We Like released only in analog on cassette. Betse & Clarke are a traditional and future folk duo with Betse Ellis on fiddles, violins, viola & vocals and Clarke Wyatt on banjos, guitar, cello, multi-instruments. Betse & Clarke have played and toured around the world. Individually their musical roots go deep in the KC music scene. Clarke Wyatt is a founding member of Mr. Marco’s V7, and Betse Ellis is a founding member of The Wilders. Last year Betse & Clarke released ”River Still Rise,” originals and reworked traditional compositions presented “to be enjoyed as a musical adventure, much like the river exploration of the famous duo Lewis & Clark, an inspiration for the band’s name.” http://www.betseandclarke.com]

24. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “Bottle of Rye” [Betse Ellis on lead vocals]
from: Kansas City Songs Vol. 3 / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / June 10, 2020
[More songs certified to have been written, performed, and recorded in Kansas City.-Howard Iceberg. All words and music by Howard Iceberg. Recorded and mixed by Brendan Moreland at Temple Sounds Studio; except “Natalie,” recorded and mixed by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios. Players: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals (except as noted), guitar; Chad Brothers on lead vocal (By Your Side), harmony vocal, guitar; Betse Ellis on lead vocal (Bottle of Rye), fiddle, harmony vox ; Clarke Wyatt on banjo, guitar, keyboards; Andrew Mojo Morris on lead vocal (Promises To Keep), harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo; Julie Bates-Motel on fiddle, harmony vocals; Chris DeVictor on bass; Phil Wade on dobro; Brendan Moreland on electric guitar; Brett Hodges on lead vocal and guitar (Natalie); Roger Eilts on guitar and harmony vocal (Natalie); Leo Eilts – bass and harmony vocal (Natalie); Erin Corriveau on harmony vocals. Follow up to Howard’s 2017/2018 release Netherland’s his Jazz infused album recorded with Rich Hill, Bryan Hicks , Doug Auwarter and others. Legendary Kansas City Singer Songwriter – Howard Eisberg records and performs under the name Howard iceberg. Heis one of the most prolific and poetic songwriters of the Kansas City music scene. He has written hundreds, possibly thousands of songs. Howard has done all of this while also leading a distinguished career as an immigration attorney, and he has donated much of his time and music to valuable projects that serve our community. Howard Iceberg began performing in coffeehouses in the late 1980s with fellow area independent songwriters Scott Hrabko and Iris DeMent. Over the past three decades he has released countless CDs, and recorded multiple collections of songs. In 2011, Howard Iceberg & The Titanics released a seven CD, box set, of 106 new songs, all instant classics. In 2014 he released a collection called Spring 2014, on his birthday May 9, 2015 he released, Smooth Sailing which included 13 new songs. In September 2016 Howard released a 2 CD set of 26 new tracks called, “Kansas City Songs.”]

25. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “A Jukebox in a Bar”
from: Kansas City Songs Vol. 3 / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / June 10, 2020
[More songs certified to have been written, performed, and recorded in Kansas City.-Howard Iceberg. All words and music by Howard Iceberg. Recorded and mixed by Brendan Moreland at Temple Sounds Studio; except “Natalie,” recorded and mixed by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios. Players: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals (except as noted), guitar; Chad Brothers on lead vocal (By Your Side), harmony vocal, guitar; Betse Ellis on lead vocal (Bottle of Rye), fiddle, harmony vox ; Clarke Wyatt on banjo, guitar, keyboards; Andrew Mojo Morris on lead vocal (Promises To Keep), harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo; Julie Bates-Motel on fiddle, harmony vocals; Chris DeVictor on bass; Phil Wade on dobro; Brendan Moreland on electric guitar; Brett Hodges on lead vocal and guitar (Natalie); Roger Eilts on guitar and harmony vocal (Natalie); Leo Eilts – bass and harmony vocal (Natalie); Erin Corriveau on harmony vocals.]

Sam Wells

26. Sam Wells – “Sugar”
from: “Sugar” – Single / Sam Wells / April 21, 2020
[Produced at the Lawrence Kansas Public Library recording studio. It was only a decade ago, Sam Wells sat in her bedroom learning the Corrine Bailey Ray classic “Put Your Records On”. This was all it took to ignite a lifetime love affair with music. Now based in Lawrence KS, the singer-songwriter brings her Folk-Americana sound to the greater Kansas City area. With her smooth and sultry voice and the warm tones of a baritone ukulele, she shares stories of love, loss and everything in between. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Sam Wells is now based in Lawrence, Kansas where she is bringing her music to the greater Kansas City area, in many venues, and now in live stream shows. Folk Americana singer and songwriter Sam Wells joins us to talk about her first two singles, “Lesson Learned” (her debut) and “Sugar” (her latest) that is “full of energy and funk.” These two tracks are leading up to the release of Sam’s first EP, “Not Too Broken,” be released in August, 2020. More info at: http://www.whoissamwells.com]

The Republic Tigers

27. The Republic Tigers – “Trust Fall”
from: Mind Over Matter / The Record Machine / June 5, 2020
[Hailing from Kansas City, MO, The Republic Tigers spike their lushly orchestrated indie rock with organic and synthetic elements. Founder Kenn Jankowski originally moved to Kansas City in 1999 and began playing guitar for The People, a band that later changed its name to The Golden Republic (Astralwerks Records). He also made fast friends with local musicians Ryan Pinkston and Adam McGill; and when The Golden Republic disbanded seven years later, he opted to launch his pop-based project with the other two multi-instrumentalists. Taking their name from Jankowski’s high school mascot, The Republic Tigers expanded their lineup with bassist Marc Pepperman and drummer Justin Tricomi. Electronic structures remained to play an important role in their music (via convenience/sensible creation-farming/forming), and the band issued a self-titled EP in late 2007 before putting the finishing touches on Keep Color, which arrived in 2008. Then there was a cool EP in 2011 titled “No Land’s Man” which featured the emo smash hit “The Infidel” and the extremely fun “Merrymake It With Me”. And then a second concept LP was concocted, “Mind Over Matter” – written from the year 2008 to the year 2011. Mixed and mastered in the year 2012. But then it was sadly shelved by the original labels. Which leads us to now, the year is 2020. Something new is going to happen. “Mind Over Matter” will be released on hometown indie label The Record Machine.]

28. The Freedom Affair – “Imagine”
from: “Imagine” – Single / Sunflower Soul Records / March 20, 2020
[Music & Lyrics by John Lennon. The Freedom Affair is a project of Chris Hazelton of Sunflower Soul Records and Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7. The Freedom Affair is: Misha Roberts on vocals, Seyko Groves on vocals, Paula Saunders on vocals, Cole Bales on guitar, Branden Moser on guitar, Chris Hazelton on bass, Dave Brick on drums, Pete Carroll on trumpet, and Brett Jackson on saxophone. Additional musicians include: Matt Bennett on violin, and Alyssa Bell in viola. Arranged, Produced, Recorded, & Mixed by Chris Hazelton. Mastered by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio. The Freedom Affair and their track “Rise Up” were selected to be part of Colemine Records 3xLP box set, “Soul Slabs Vol. 2” a Record Store Day Exclusive, released April 13, 2019. Colemine Records writes: “The Freedom Affair is a freight train of Kansas City soul! Dirty, funky drums, gritty horns, and the combined vocals of Misha Roberts, Seyko Groves, and Paula Saunders to put this band over the top. Politically charged soul music for the dancefloor!”]

29. The MGDs – “Tomorrow Comes Soon”
from: Midtown / The MGDs / March 26, 2020
[Midtown is the MGDs fourth full length release following, Somos Como Somos, from November 4, 2017. The band includes: 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 Matt, Greg and Damon 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, “Wake Up” their 2nd full length studio album.]

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

11:58 – Arts Calendar

Next week on Wednesday, June 24 we present (part two) of WMM’s Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far. We’ll hear from The Sluts, Misha Roberts, City Pets, Ingrid Ingram, Broken Hearts Syndrome, Hi-Lux, Adam Scott York, Ivy Roots, The Roseline, Amy Marcus, Jake Wells, They Call Me Sauce featuring Mae C, Monta At Odds, R.I. Peter, Belle And The Vertigo Waves, Koney, The Guillotine Choir, Jo Mackenzie, Soultru, jordana, DeMaur, Stacy Busch, Nick Siegel, and Kadesh Flow. Plus we will talk with musician, composer, activist Stacy Busch.

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 #842

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far

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

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far
+ Oh Dear Oh My

Mark plays (Part 1) of WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far. This week we’ll spin tracks from: Una Walkenhorst, Blackstarkids, Fullbloods, Hermon Mehari, Pedaljets, Ebony Tusks, Ivory Blue, Radkey, Saint Sé, Sam Wells, The Republic Tigers, The Freedom Affair, Nan & the One Nite Stands, Oh Dear Oh My, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Fritz Hutchison, Quiet Takes, Miss Boating, Miki P & The Swallowtails, Brandon Phillips & The Condition, Betse & Clarke, Sterling Witt, Lava Dreams, MGDs, and Howard Iceberg & The Titanics.

OH DEAR OH MY

At 11:00 we will talk with members of the band, Oh Dear Oh My who released their third EP ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020. The Kansas City based dance-rock-duo is made up of Rani and Curt. They’ve been playing locally for over five years. This new release is the follow up to their 2018 release, ASHDLA’ named for the Navajo word for five. The EP had 5 tracks and band member Curt is himself Navajo. Fueled by anxiety and excess energy, dynamic duo Oh Dear Oh My rocks! Curt pounds spicy, far-out beats on his drums, while Rani keeps pace with sweet 80’s synthesizer sounds. The end result is a little dark, a little dancey, and a little funny.

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #842

WMM Playlist from April 1, 2020

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

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

“The He Touched Me Gospel Hour”
+ Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer of Miss Boating

10:00 – “The He Touched Me Gospel Hour”
A Pre-Easter Family Reunion

Written by: Jim “The Blind Guy” Hoschek and Mark Manning
Original Music by: Bj McArthur & Tod Davis – Two Headed Cow
(This was an April Fool’s Day Rebroadcast from April 1, 2015)

The Cast of The He Touched Me Gospel Hour (April 1, 2015)

Our Cast:
Brother James White Sr. (Church leader) – Jim “The Blind Guy” Hoschek
Brother Wendell Larry Straight Bachmann (Assistant in Ministry) – Mark Manning
Edith Maxine (Mrs. James White Sr.) – Philip Hooser
Mother Blanche (Edith’s Mom) – Sherry Diggs
Bertha and Beulah (Edith’s twin sisters) – Fran Stanton
Ms. Kiki Jackson, (the Bail-Bonds Woman from Raytown) – Bj McArthur
Bess (White) Blanc (James & Edith’s long lost daughter) – Bess Wallerstein
Prudence Chastity (Director of MO/KAN Exodus) – Maria Vasquez Boyd
Billy Ricky Martin (recent graduate of MO/KAN Exodus) – Ryan Wilks
Jimmy Bobby Jr. (James & Edith’s youngest son) – Tod Davis

1. DJ Spooky – “Interlude: Journey Into Sound”
from: Adbusters Live Witout Dead Time / Adbuster / 2004

2. Tomita – “Snowflakes Are Dancing”
from: Snoflakes Are Dancing / BMG RCA / 2000 [orig. 1974]

3. Dave Boyer – “He Touched Me”
from: It’s A New World / Reverence / 1968 [Vinyl]

4. Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton – “Satan’s River”
from: We Found It / RCA / February 12, 1972 [Vinyl]

5. The Girls of The Golden West – “Will There Be Any Yodelers in Heaven”
from: American Yodeling / Goldenlane / 2009

6. Roberta Crane – “Everyday With Jesus” [Vinyl]
from: And His Word Became a Song / Global Outreach Publishers / Date unknown (1972?)

7. Holly Day Singers – “He Touched Me”
from: Switched on Gospel 30 Non-Stop Favorites / K-tel / February 14, 2008

8. Jim Nabors – “My Cup Runneth Over”
from: A Big Voice! A Big Heart! / Sony / 1991 [orig. 1972]

9. Jimmy Bobby & Kiki – “Eden Alley” (LIVE)
(Bj McArthur & Tod Davis are Two Headed Cow)

10. Jimmy Bobby & Kiki & Cast – “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” (LIVE)

We’re all just April Fools!

11:00 – WMM with Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer

Transition Music:

11. The Phenomenal Handclap Band – “I’ve Been Born Again”
from: The Phenomenal Handclap Band / Tummy Touch Records / June 23, 2009
[from the debut album of The Phenomenal Handclap Band a psychedelic soul band from New York City. Their first full-length record, Phenomenal Handclap Band, was released in 2009 on Friendly Fire Recordings in the US and in 2010 on Tummy Touch Records. The album was also released world wide by KSR in Japan, Inertia in Australia, GOMMA in Germany, and Universal Records in the Philippines. The band was started by Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand. Both Collás and Marquand were DJs and production partners working around the New York City area producing records for other artists. The two soon starting writing and producing their own music. While recording original material, Collás and Marquand had help from various local artists to help record their music such as Aurelio Valle, Carol C, Jaleel Bunton, Jon Spencer, and Lady Tigra. In 2011, Phenomenal Handclap Band toured the US and UK with Bryan Ferry. Their second full-length album, Form and Control, was released February 13th, 2012.]

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

13. Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit”
from: Surrealistic Pillow / RCA – Victor / February, 1967
[Marty Balin – vocals, guitar, album design, Jack Casady – bass guitar, fuzz bass, rhythm guitar, Spencer Dryden – drums, percussion, Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals, Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, vocals, Grace Slick – vocals, piano, organ, recorder. Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1965. A pioneer of counterculture-era psychedelic rock, the group was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success. They performed at the three most famous American rock festivals of the 1960s—Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969) and Altamont (1969) —as well as headlining the first Isle of Wight Festival (1968). Their 1967 record Surrealistic Pillow is regarded as one of the key recordings of the “Summer of Love”. Two hits from that album, “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit”, are listed in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.]

White Rabbit!

14. Psychic TV – “Godstar”
from: Godstar – Single / Temple Records / 1985
[Godstar feature the band The Angels of Light. The song was about the life of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, with whom Genesis P-Orridge had a peculiar fascination. The song was covered by Television Personalities on their album Don’t Cry Baby, It’s Only A Movie. Psychic TV (also referred to as PTV, Psychick TV, as well as several other aliases) were an English experimental video art and music group, formed by performance artist Genesis P-Orridge and Scottish musician Alex Fergusson in 1981 after the break-up of Throbbing Gristle. Contributors to Psychic TV have included artists such as Coil, Current 93, Monte Cazazza, Larry Thrasher, Soft Cell, The Cult, Master Musicians of Jajouka, William Breeze, Derek Jarman, John Gosling, Timothy Leary, Rose McDowall, Andrew Weatherall, and Z’EV. Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth formed as an organisation at the inception of the band, who conceived it as a magical order and the philosophical wing of Psychic TV. T.O.P.Y. also functions as a cult-like fan-club for the group. Psychic TV have released over one hundred full-length albums to date, and earned an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for most records released in one year (1986). This occurred after the band attempted to release 23 live albums on the 23rd day of 23 consecutive months. Psychic TV was influential in pioneering the acid house genre, releasing several fake compilations in an effort to popularize the sound, such as Jack the Tab and Tekno Acid Beat. According to some, acid house was actually given its name by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge. After breaking up in 1999, Psychic TV reformed as PTV3 with a completely new line-up in 2003, and continued to perform and release music.] [Genesis Breyer P-Orridge was born February 22, 1950 and died this year on March 14, 2020. Genesis P-Orridge was an English singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, and occultist. They rose to notability as the founder of the COUM Transmissions artistic collective and lead vocalist of seminal industrial band Throbbing Gristle. P-Orridge was also a founding member of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth occult group, and fronted the experimental band Psychic TV. P-Orridge preferred gender-neutral pronouns when being described. Born in Manchester as Neil Andrew Megson, P-Orridge developed an early interest in art, occultism, and the avant-garde while at Solihull School. After dropping out of studies at the University of Hull, P-Orridge moved into a counter-cultural commune in London and adopted Genesis P-Orridge as a nom-de-guerre. On returning to Hull, P-Orridge founded COUM Transmissions with Cosey Fanni Tutti, and in 1973 P-Orridge relocated to London. COUM’s confrontational performance work, dealing with such subjects as sex work, pornography, serial killers, and occultism, represented a concerted attempt to challenge societal norms and attracted the attention of the national press. COUM’s 1976 Prostitution show at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts was particularly vilified by tabloids, gaining them the moniker of the “wreckers of civilisation.” P-Orridge’s band, Throbbing Gristle, grew out of COUM, and were active from 1975 to 1981 as pioneers in the industrial music genre. In 1981, P-Orridge co-founded Psychic TV, an experimental band that from 1988 onward came under the increasing influence of acid house. A controversial figure with an anti-establishment stance, P-Orridge was heavily criticised by the British press and politicians. P-Orridge was cited as an icon within the avant-garde art scene, accrued a cult following, and has been given the moniker of the “Godparent of Industrial Music”. When Genesis was 45 years old, they met their second wife-to-be, Lady Jaye (née Jacqueline Breyer) in a BDSM dungeon in New York City. Lady Jaye, 26 years old at the time, worked as a nurse during the daytime, providing care for children with terminal illnesses and disabilities. In the evenings, Lady Jaye working as a dominatrix at the dungeon, and Genesis was a visiting customer. As Genesis explained, ..this girl walked by with a beautiful Brian Jones blonde bob and all ’60s clothes. And she was walking backwards and forwards with a cigarette in her hand, talking to somebody. And as she carried on walking back and forth, she gradually started to throw off those clothes and change into a really amazing leather fetish outfit. My goodness, who is that? She’s so beautiful. We found ourselves saying out loud, dear universe, if we can be with that person for the rest of our life, that’s all we want. In January 1993, Genesis and Lady Jaye moved to Ridgewood, Queens, in New York City. Here, they embarked on the “Pandrogeny Project”; influenced by the cut-up technique, the duo underwent body modification to resemble one another, thus coming to identify themselves as a single pandrogynous being named “Breyer P-Orridge”. In doing so, the pair spent $200,000 on surgical alteration, receiving breast implants, cheek and chin implants, lip plumping, eye and nose jobs, tattooing, and hormone therapy, while also adopting gender neutral and alternating pronouns. With this project, P-Orridge’s intent was to express a belief that the self is pure consciousness trapped within the DNA-governed body. The couple adopted the term “pandrogyne” because, in their words, “we wanted a word without any history or any connections with things, a word with its own story and its own information”. They also stated that: We started out, because we were so crazy in love, just wanting to eat each other up, to become each other and become one. And as we did that, we started to see that it was affecting us in ways that we didn’t expect. Really, we were just two parts of one whole; the pandrogyne was the whole and we were each other’s other half. During this era, a book was published of Breyer P-Orridge’s writings, poems, and observations, called Ooh, You Are Awful … But I Like You!. In June 1998, Breyer P-Orridge won a $1.5 million lawsuit against producer Rick Rubin and his American Recordings label for injuries sustained while trying to escape a fire at Rubin’s home in April 1995. According to Breyer P-Orridge’s attorney, David D. Stein, Breyer P-Orridge was staying at Rubin’s home, as a guest of Love and Rockets, when the fire broke out. Breyer P-Orridge tried to escape the house by crawling through a second-storey window and fell onto concrete stairs. Between them, Breyer P-Orridge suffered a broken wrist, broken ribs, and a pulmonary embolism, as well as a shattered left elbow that, according to Stein, prevented P-Orridge from playing bass or keyboards. They remained in hospital for 10 days. The jury found that the liability for the fire rested with Rubin and American Recordings, and awarded Breyer P-Orridge $1,572,000 in compensation. Breyer P-Orridge appeared in the 1998 film and 2000 book versions of Modulations. As well as appearing in the 1999 film, Better Living Through Circuitry, in the 2004 film DiG!, Bruce LaBruce’s 2004 film The Raspberry Reich, the 2006 documentary Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback, in Nik Sheehan’s 2007 feature documentary on the Dreamachine entitled ‘FLicKeR’, and the 2010 documentary “William S. Burroughs: A Man Within”. On October 9, 2007, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge died. The cause of death was heart arrhythmia, a heart condition that was possibly related to stomach cancer. Psychic TV cancelled its North American tour dates in the aftermath of Lady Jaye’s death. A memorial was held at the Participant Inc. Gallery in New York City on March 8, 2008. As of January 2013, P-Orridge’s official website said: Since that time Genesis continues to represent the amalgam Breyer P-Orridge in the material ‘world’ and Lady Jaye represents the amalgam Breyer P-Orridge in the immaterial ‘world’ creating an ongoing interdimensional collaboration. Thus, P-Orridge continued the Pandrogyne Project, having further surgical operations to alter their body and using “we” when in reference to themselves. In June 2010, P-Orridge sold the Ridgewood property, holding a garage sale in the basement of a local art gallery to sell off a range of personal items, in addition to an array of dildos. This accomplished, P-Orridge moved to a one-bedroom apartment in New York’s Lower East Side, and continued producing art in this home. P-Orridge returned to touring with Psychic TV in 2016 with the release of their album Alienist. The tour lasted from mid-September to early December, with concerts in Greece, Israel, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the U.S. In mid-2016, P-Orridge’s artwork was the subject of an exhibition, “Try to Altar Everything”, at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. The exhibition contained paintings, sculptures, and installations inspired by the Hindu mythology that P-Orridge had encountered in Kathmandu. In June 2016, P-Orridge featured as a model in a campaign by the designer Marc Jacobs, who described P-Orridge as “a sort of come-to-life definition of realness and authenticity”. P-Orridge was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia in October 2017, and died in NYC on March 14, 2020, aged 70. More info at: http://www.genesisporridge.com]

15. Miss Boating – “Junk Food”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charles Colborne and Bill Belzer faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s own beloved mother, their friend and bassist Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing and wrote that they “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil is part of the bands Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

Charlie Colborne of Miss Boating

Bill Belzer of Miss Boating

11:15 – Interview with Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer

Charlie Colborne is Senior Editor & Editorial Manager for Greeting Cards at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Prior to this position Charlie worked as an Attorney for many years as a Public Defender. Charlie Colborne is from KC, and literally lives 3 blocks from where he was born. As he writes, “…basically, he’s gone nowhere.’ Charlie came from a musical family, his mother Kathleen passed down to him her love of playing the piano. Charlie has been playing in bands since the late 1980s including The Larvae, The Post-Executives, Crackpot Idealists, Borax Babies, Faun, The Sympathetic Fringe, The Escapegoats, The Sleazebeats and Miss Boating. Charlie also has collaborated with theatre performances.

Charlie Colborne, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Bill Belzer was born on the day Nixon was elected to his only full term (November 5, 1968 ) at the now demolished St. Mary’s Hospital, in a room over-looking the Liberty Memorial. He played bass guitar and drums in high school, first at Catholic Savior of the World High School Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas and then Rockhurst High School, in Kansas City, Missouri, from which he graduated in 1987. While at Rockhurst High School he joined the band Mongol Beach Party as drummer. The band’s breakup coincided with Bill leaving to join Uncle Tupelo as drummer for a stint on their European-American Tour with Michelle Shocked, The Band and Taj Mahal in the early 1990s. Like Charlie he has stuck close to home. His beloved boyfriend Aaron plays trombone in Miss Boating and they are both very much looking forward to having band practice again. Bill has been a part of the bands: Mongol Beach Party, Grumpy, Uncle Tupelo, The Grant Hart Band, The Sleazebeats, The Patio Set, The Terrible Twos, Ghosty, Lazy, The New Amsterdams, and Miss Boating.

Bill Belzer Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer join us to talk about their new band, Miss Boating and their EP, The Vhargon Sidestep released January 1, 2020.

Congratulations on the new band Miss Boating, and the new EP The Vhargon Sidestep.

Miss Boating rose from the ashes of your former band The Sleazebeats, who played live in various incarnations for 20 years, always with Bill and Charlie. Releasing a full length album with Jeff Harshbarger on bass on January 1, 2012

Charlie and Bill faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of their friend and Sleazebeats bassist, Evan Jolly who took his own life on November 8, 2018, Charlie’s mother passed away on March 1, 2019.

You band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.”

Through the difficult times Bill and Charlie kept playing music together as friends. The bad wrote “we were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us…”

Phil Dickey is part of the bands: Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

“…the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.”

A midtown staple, Charlie has been in a bunch of bands, as he humbly writes, “most of which seldom ventured out of the basement.” Here’s the list: The Larvae, The Post-Executives, Crackpot Idealists, Borax Babies, Faun, Sympathetic Fringe, The Sleazebeats, The Escapegoats, Miss Boating

“Jewel In The Trash” was the first single from the new EP

11:24

16. Miss Boating – “Jewel In The Trash”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

11:27 – More Interview with Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer

Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer join us to talk about their new band, Miss Boating and their EP, The Vhargon Sidestep released January 1, 2020.

Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer, thanks or being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

How the band took on the name “Miss Boating,” is inspired by, Charlie’s mom, Kathleen Rita Colborne, who in January 1956, was crowned “Miss Boating” at the Kansas City Sports Show. A photo of Kathleen as Miss Boating went up at the bar in the Twin Oaks apartment complex where she lived. The photo caught the eye of John H. (Jack) Colborne, from Wausau, Wisconsin. They met, and after a brief courtship they married in August 1956.

Miss Boating:
Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals;
Bill Belzer: drums, vocals;
Phil Dickey on bass;
Aaron Jones on trombone;
Tim Gillespie on saxophone.

Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer, thanks or being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Miss Boating released the debut EP, The Vhargon Sidestep on January 1, 2020.

11:36

17. Miss Boating – “Old Sad Darling”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

11:39 – Other bands with Phil Dickey

18. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – “Harrison Ford”
from: Fly By Wire / Polyvinyl Records / September 17, 2013
[Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has been playing music in Springfield, Missouri since 1999, when Will Knauer and Philip Dickey met at a Super Bowl party. Where pop perfectionism meets studio experimentation, SSLYBY’s endearing music composes quirky chord changes amid massive hooks and addictive melodies. SSLYBY have become experts in crafting indie pop through a string of 7″s, full-length albums and a rarities collection. SPIN once declared that the Missouri band “could succeed The Shins as the band that will change your life.” Met at a Super Bowl party in 1999. Broncos vs. Falcons. Came up with the band name in 2000. Dorm roommates in 2001. Not really sure about 2002. Recorded a short EP in 2003. Three or four people started going to our shows in 2004.First album. Broom. 2005. First tour. Signed to Polyvinyl Records in 2006. Our song “Oregon Girl” is on The OC. The OC gets canceled a few weeks later. Boris Yeltsin dies 2007. We played in Moscow a couple months later. Also in 2007: First Europe tour. Toured with Mute Math. Second Album. Pershing. 2008. Jonathan briefly quits the band. 2009. Most of our songs are used in an episode of 16 and Pregnant. Start recording LP3 with Chris Walla. Third album. Let It Sway. August 17, 2010. Toured with Tokyo Police Club and Two Door Cinema Club in 2011. SSLYBY in Shark Night 3D September 2011. B-sides/Rarities album. It’s called Tape Club. September 2011. First Japanese tour. Summer 2012. Named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors. Return to Mother Russia January 2013. Made our fourth album back in Will’s attic. It’s called Fly By Wire. Released in August 2013. Realized we’ve played over 600 shows. Recorded a new album at Chris Walla’s Hall of Justice studio in Seattle. Produced by Beau Sorenson. 2015 New album “The High Country” out now on Polyvinyl (US/Europe) and Moorworks (Japan).]

19. Dragon Inn 3 – “Club Sauce”
from: Double Line / American Laundromat Records / August 17, 2018
[Kansas City based band formed in 2012 with Grace Bentley, Sharon Bowie, Philip K. Dickey, E.P. Marcus. Dragon Inn 3’s debut LP clocks in at 28 minutes, but the band spent six years whittling away on the songs that would eventually become Double Line. Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Dragon Inn 3’s playful take on 80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner). The cinematic origins of Dragon Inn 3 can be traced back to 2012, when Philip Dickey (leader of the indie-pop group Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) wrote a theme song for the award-winning short film Ghoul School. “If you watch the trailer you can tell it’s the same premise and look as Stranger Things–we just accidentally made it three years before them,” Dickey says. “I had so much fun making the soundtrack with the director (E.P. Marcus) that we decided to start a band.” Dickey recruited his sister, Sharon Bowie, an occupational therapist, and his wife, children’s librarian Grace Bentley, to help with songwriting and vocal duties. The group self-released the Ghoul School Soundtrack EP in late 2012, receiving high praise from Consequence of Sound, Philadelphia’s WXPN, and The Riverfront Times, before climbing to #1 on Bandcamp’s cassette charts. Then it was back to the studio (i.e. the bedrooms, kitchens, garages, and hotel rooms that doubled as makeshift recording studios). In between full-time jobs, parenthood, graduate school classes, and cross country moves, the members of Dragon Inn 3 put Double Line to tape. “I’m a stay-at-home dad now, so I would work on song arrangements and rough mixes when our toddler was taking his naps,” explains Dickey. “Grace would come home from work and record all her parts after his bedtime. We recorded all the breathy vocals in the living room and all the yelly parts in the garage so we wouldn’t wake him up.” The result is a highly addictive album that creates “a soundtrack for the more introspective moments on and off the dance floor,” according to critic David Greenwald. Opening track “What Kind Of World Are You Living In” plays like Blondie if the band hired Hall and Oates to record guitars. The album takes an intimate turn with “Bad Boy,” Bowie’s dreamy “Rocket Launcher,” and Bentley’s introspective cover of Robin Gibb’s “Juliet.” “3 Minute Mile” swoons with arpeggios and a hypnotic MOOG bass, while Bentley softly repeats the phrase “desperation/bad desire.” Then there are Italo-disco tinged tracks “Backstabber” and “Club Sauce,” with sing-songy pop hooks that harken back to Madonna and Whitney Houston’s greatest hits. “Double Line Theme” and “Murder In The Third” show off DI3’s soundtrack aspirations, and sound like lost Tangerine Dream and Giorgio Moroder B-sides. “Up In The Business” provides indelible synth hooks and a triumphant ending to Double Line. With members spread out over the country (KC, LA, and Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in early 2018. A demo of “Bad Boy” (co-written with Free Energy’s Paul Sprangers) landed in a commercial for Ryan Adams’ Beats 1 Radio show before the song was even completed.]

11:46 – Underwriting

20. Calvin Arsenia – “Experience”
from: Catastrophe / Calvin Arsenia / February 14, 2017
[Calvin Arsenia premiered these songs in a live show at recordBar in November 2016 in a stage show that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers, special lighting, back up singers, guest artists. Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey really began when he moved to the KC suburb of Olathe, teaching himself the guitar, and eventually the harp. He learned his signature instrument at the age of 20 after he couldn’t find a harpist as determined as him to meld folk, rock, classical, rap and R&B into the irresistible fusion which has become his calling card in the Kansas City music scene and beyond. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to Kansas City reborn as a humanistic songwriter/performer whose impassioned and conceptual stage shows (regularly sold-out in Kansas City, currently catching fire on the West Coast with a diverse following across Europe), are collaborative, costumed-culture-bridging spectacles which In KC Magazine has hailed as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-6-inch harpist with a natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’
Since Calvin Arsenia came home to KC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, he has released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. His full length album Catastrophe on February 14, 2017, His EP Caviar in November 2017. Calvin’s 2018 national debut, Cantaloupe, was released on September 15, 2018 on Center Cut Records. On June 28, 2019 Calvin released Honeydew, an EP including a remix of three songs from Cantaloupe. On September 20, 2019 Calvin released LA Sessions. On December 13, 2019 Calvin released his full length Christmas album “all is calm.” Calvin is also a graduate of Artist INC. Since 2014 we have been celebrating the music of Calvin Arsenia. He has played Folk Alliance International, Kansas City Fringe Fest, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, The Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre.]

21. Waxahatchee – “Lilacs”
from: Saint Cloud / Merge Records / March 27, 2020
[All songs written by Katie Crutchfield. Recorded & mixed at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, TX & Long Pond in Stuyvesant, NY. Produced by Brad Cook. Engineered by Jerry Ordonez. Additional engineering by Jon Low. Mixed by Jon Low. Mastered by Brent Lambert at The Kitchen. KATIE CRUTCHFIELD on vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keys; BRAD COOK on bass, acoustic guitar, piano, keys, synth; BOBBY COLOMBO on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys; BILL LENNOX on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys, percussion; NICK KINSEY on drums, percussion; JOSH KAUFMAN on electric guitars, piano, organ, percussion. Katie Crutchfield’s southern roots are undeniable. The name of her solo musical project Waxahatchee comes from a creek not far from her childhood home in Alabama and seems to represent both where she came from and where she’s going. More info at: http://www.waxahatchee.com.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, April 8 we will present more New & Midcoastal Releases. We will talk with members of L A Jones. We ALSO talk with Brenton Cook of Haymaker Records and Brodie Rush of Be/Non about a new Be/Non release. AND, we also talk with members of Rosé Perez.

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 #831

WMM presents: Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer of Miss Boating

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

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer of Miss Boating
+ New & MidCoastal Release
s

Mark plays New & MidCostal Releases from: Miss Boating, Dragon Inn 3, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Calvin Arsenia, Waxahatchee, Psychic TV, Jefferson Airplane, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Two Headed Cow, Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner, Roberta Crane, and more.

Charlie Colborne of Miss Boating

Bill Belzer of Miss Boating

At 11:15 Mark talks with Charlie Colborne & Bill Belzer about their new band, Miss Boating and their EP, The Vhargon Sidestep released January 1, 2020. From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charlie and Bill faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s mother, their friend and Sleazebeats bassist, Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing music and “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil Dickey is part of the bands: Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone.

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #831

WMM Playlist from Feb. 26, 2020

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

Wednesday, February 26, 2019

Nico Gray – Guest Producer
+ Doby Watson

Nico Gray Portrait by: Jan McNiel

Today, we welcome back to the show, Nico Gray, as “Guest Producer.” Nico is a writer, performance artist, and has worked as an actor with KC Rep, Gorilla Theatre, 8th St. Cafe Theatre, Actor’s Craft, and Big Bang Buffet. Nico has worked for Theatre League, The Midland Theatre and is currently a marketing & advertising consultant with Union Station, KC Fringe, and KC Creates. Nico grew up in KC but has lived in Chicago, New York & Marseille. For WMM Nico Gray has co-hosted several of fund drive shows, Glam Rock show, Bowie Tribute Shows, and our 700th show. Today is his 8th appearance as Guest Producer.

Nico Gray, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980
[WMM’s theme song]

2. Reitzell/Beggs — “Intro Versailles”
from: Marie Antoinette (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Verve Forecast / 2006

3. Kyson – “After The Rain”
from: Kyson / B3SCI Records / January 17, 2020
[Jian Kellett Liew, known professionally as Kyson, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and producer. Liew was born in Adelaide, Australia. He later moved to Sydney, Australia where he went on to study a degree in audio engineering. After graduating, he spent the next several years in Berlin working as a musician and sound artist under the name Kyson and various other monikers. In 2012, Kyson gained attention for his remix of Bon Iver’s “Holocene” on 4AD Records. On 29 October 2012 Liew released his “Blackstone EP” on Moodgadget Recordings. He was signed by Friends of Friends Records and released his first studio album The Water’s Way. In 2018 Kyson released a series of AA singles, “Every High / Clear Air” and “Have My Back / Forest Green”, in collaboration with B3SCI Records and Majestic Casual Records. The two releases were also part of a limited edition white vinyl record, with artwork by B.D. Graft. Pitchfork has described Liew’s style as, “combin[ing] soft touches of electronic keys and rickety, pinprick rhythms, with his half-whispered lyrics and drifting melodies wrapped in sheets of textural field recordings.” Liew has also been described as having an, “enigmatic sound, a blend of indie, acoustic and electronic music.”]

10:09 – Yoko Ono B-Day Celebration

4. Yoko Ono —“Imagine”
from: Warzone / Yoko Ono / October 28, 2018
[WARZONE is an album by Yoko Ono released on October 24, 2018, her 50th year anniversary as a musician. It consists of 13 songs she picked up and reconstructed from her past albums released from 1970 to 2009. It also includes the newest version of Imagine by John Lennon. Since Take Me to the Land of Hell in 2013, this is the Ono’s first in 5 years and 20th original album in total (including collaborations with John Lennon). Yoko Ono Lennon was born February 18, 1933. She is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art, which she performs in both English and Japanese, and filmmaking. She was married to English singer-songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles from 1969 until his murder in 1980. Ono grew up in Tokyo and also spent several years in New York City. She studied at Gakushuin University, but withdrew from her course after two years and moved to New York in 1953 to live with her family. She spent some time at Sarah Lawrence College and then became involved in New York City’s downtown artists scene, which included the Fluxus group. She first met Lennon in 1966 at her own art exhibition in London, and they became a couple in 1968 and wed the following year. With their performance Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal in 1969, Ono and Lennon used their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War. The feminist themes of her music have influenced musicians as diverse as the B-52s and Meredith Monk. She achieved commercial and critical acclaim in 1980 with the chart-topping album Double Fantasy, a collaboration with Lennon that was released three weeks before his murder. Public appreciation of Ono’s work has shifted over time and was helped by a retrospective at a Whitney Museum branch in 1989 and the 1992 release of the six-disc box set Onobox. Retrospectives of her artwork have also been presented at the Japan Society in New York City in 2001, in Bielefeld, Germany, and the UK in 2008, Frankfurt, and Bilbao, Spain, in 2013 and The Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2015. She has a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, from her marriage to Anthony Cox and a son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, from her marriage to Lennon. She collaborates musically with Sean.]

5. Radio Clips from The Night John Lennon Died

6. Yoko Ono – “What A Bastard The World Is”
from: Approximately Infinite Universe / Secretly Canadian-Chimera / January 8, 1973 [2017]
[Double album by Yoko Ono, originally released on Apple Records. It was a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in feminist rock. It peaked at number 193 in the U.S. The 1997 CD reissue on Rykodisc added two acoustic demos of songs from this era, that were later released on 1981’s Season of Glass. It was released again by Rykodisc in 2007. The album was recorded at The Record Plant in NYC, except for the basic tracks for “Catman” and “Winter Song”, which were taped at Butterfly Studios. Ono produced the album with John Lennon, whose participation marked a rare music-related activity for him after the failure of the couple’s politically themed “Some Time in New York City.” Lennon also sang the final verse of the song, “I Want My Love to Rest Tonight.” As on the latter album, Ono used the NYC band Elephant’s Memory as her backing musicians. Mick Jagger dropped in for some of the sessions. He recalled playing guitar very loudly with Lennon. Jagger said Ono “was really trying to sing properly. She’s not screaming, she’s really trying to sing.”]

7. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe – “Exercises In Free Love (New Orchestrated Version)”
from: Never Boring (Deluxe Editon) / Hollywood Records / October 10, 2019
[Never Boring is a box set compilation of solo work by English musician Freddie Mercury, released on 11 October 2019. The box set contains three CDs and a collection of promotional videos on both Blu-ray and DVD, as well as a 120-page hardbound book. All three discs were also issued individually on CD, vinyl, digital and streaming services.Barcelona” is a single released by Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. A part of their collaborative album Barcelona released October 10, 1988, it also appeared on Queen’s Greatest Hits III. The song reflects Mercury’s love of opera with his high notes and Caballé’s operatic vocals, backed by a full orchestra. Originally released in 1987, it was one of the biggest hits of Mercury’s solo career, reaching number eight in the UK Singles Chart. After Mercury’s death in 1991, it was featured at the 1992 Summer Olympics, after which the track climbed even higher, peaking at number two in the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Mercury had been a long-time fan of opera, especially favouring Montserrat Caballé. In 1986, he mentioned on Spanish television that he would be glad to see her in person. They had a friendly initial meeting in Barcelona in February 1987. Later, when the city had been chosen for the 1992 Summer Olympics, Caballé, a native of the city, was asked to help with producing a song for the games. She summoned Mercury for the task. Caballé became enthusiastic about the project and instead of recording a single, she proposed to make an album, on which Mercury agreed. The song “Barcelona” had to be its opening song, to be completed by 1988, and to be submitted as a candidate for the 1992 Olympic theme (the selection was scheduled for 1988, four years before the Games). The recording was complicated by Caballé’s tight schedule. Thus to spare her time, Mercury recorded the song, singing Caballé’s part in falsetto. He would then send a tape to Caballé to prepare her for the joint studio sessions. The song was co-written by Mercury with Mike Moran, who also appeared in its video and played piano and all keyboards for the studio recording. The song starts with an orchestral introduction, which fades and is followed by Mercury and Caballé singing alternately their solo lines, sometimes merging into a duet. When singing the chorus “Barcelona” and a few other parts for the studio version, Mercury dubs over his voice in his usual multi-tracking style. Mercury leads the song whereas Caballé provides a powerful background soprano. Since Caballé covers the soprano part, Mercury sings in his natural baritone voice rather than the forced tenor that was common in his other recordings. The song has been described as a rare textbook example of a combination of pop and opera singing which accentuated their differences. Whereas Mercury articulates his every word, Caballé focuses on the tone; her lines are much harder to comprehend, and further, she uses both English and Spanish languages. Consequently, she keeps her part melodic throughout all the song at the expense of the text, whereas Mercury has to resort from singing to nearly shouting at the crescendo part in order to deliver his words.]

8. Passengers – “Miss Sarajevo”
from: Original Soundtracks 1 / Island Records / November 6, 1995
[Original Soundtracks 1 is a studio album recorded by rock band U2 and Brian Eno under the pseudonym Passengers as a side project. Released on 6 November 1995, the album is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary films (the exceptions being songs for Ghost in the Shell, Miss Sarajevo, and Beyond the Clouds). Due to Eno’s involvement as a full songwriting partner and the album’s experimental nature, the moniker “Passengers” was chosen to distinguish it from U2’s conventional albums. It was commercially unnoticed by the band’s standards and received generally mixed reviews. Guest musicians on the record included Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti (on “Miss Sarajevo”) and producer Howie B, who would co-produce U2’s following album, Pop (1997).]

9. Aretha Franklin – “Nessun Dorma”
from: Jewels in the Crown: All Star Duets with the Queen / Arista / November 13, 2007
from: Here We Go Again, In The Morning, Nessun Dorma – CD Single / Arista / June 16, 1998
[In 1988 Franklin received global praise after her 1998 Grammy Awards performance. She had initially been asked to come and perform in honor of the 1980 The Blues Brothers film in which she appeared with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. That evening after the show had already begun, Luciano Pavarotti himself contacted show producers and said he was too ill to perform the opera aria “Nessun dorma” as planned. The show’s producers were desperate to fill the time slot, and approached Franklin with their dilemma. She was a friend of Pavarotti, and had sung the selection two nights prior at the annual MusiCares event. She asked to hear Pavarotti’s rehearsal recording, and after listening, agreed that she could sing it in the tenor range that the orchestra was prepared to play in. Over one billion people worldwide saw the performance, and she received an immediate standing ovation. She would go on to record the selection, and perform it live several more times in the years to come; the last time being in Philadelphia for Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Families in September 2015. A small boy was so touched by her performance that he came onto the stage and embraced her while Franklin was still singing.])

10:35 – Underwriting

10. Jah Wobble’s Invaders Of The Heart – “I Love Everybody”
from: Take Me To God / Island Records / June 21, 1994
[John Joseph Wardle was born August 11, 1958, and is known by the stage name Jah Wobble. He is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums. Following his departure from PiL, he developed a successful solo career, which has continued to the present time. In 2012, he reunited with fellow PiL guitarist Keith Levene for Metal Box In Dub and the album Yin & Yang. Since 2013, he has been one of the featured pundits on Sunday morning’s The Virtual Jukebox segment of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Up All Night with Dotun Adebayo. His autobiography, Memoirs of a Geezer was published in 2009. Wardle was born in Stepney, East London, His father, Harry Eugene Wardle, worked as a postman, while his mother, Kathleen Bridget (née Fitzgibbon), was a school and County Hall secretary. Wobble grew up with his family in Whitechapel’s Clichy Estate in London’s East End. He is a long-time friend of John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) whom he had met in the 1970s at London’s Kingsway College. The two formed half of the group of friends known as “The Four Johns”, along with John Grey and John Simon Ritchie (later known as Sid Vicious). Jah Wobble acquired his stage name through the drunken, mumbled version of Wardle’s name by Sid Vicious, which Wobble kept because “people would never forget it”.]

11. Dimitri From Paris – “Monsier Dimitri Joue Du Stylophone”
from: Sacrebleu / Yellow – Atlantic / June 11, 1998
[Dimitri from Paris was born Dimitrios Yerasimos, on October 27, 1963. He is a Turkish-born French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 1950s and 1960s movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, La Dolce Vita and The Party, which were sampled in his album Sacrebleu. Dimitri fused these sounds with electro and block party hip hop he discovered in the 1980s. Contrary to his musical pseudonym, Dimitri was born not in Paris but born in Peckham, South London, to Rûm parents (Turks of Greek origin), Dimitri grew up in France where he discovered DJ-ing at home, using whatever he could find to “cut and paste” samples from disco hits or in to montages heard on the radio, blending them together to make tapes. This early experimentation helped him launch his DJ career. He started out by DJ-ing at the French station Radio 7, before moving on to Skyrock and finally to Radio NRJ, Europe’s largest FM radio network, in 1986. There, he introduced the first ever house music show to be broadcast in France, while simultaneously producing under the direction of sound designer Michel Gaubert, runway soundtracks for fashion houses such as Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermès and Yves Saint-Laurent. He also released two solo EPs from 1993 to 1994 and contributed to the Yellow Productions compilation La Yellow 357. In 1996, Dimitri gained worldwide recognition with the release of his first full album, Sacrebleu, released on Yellow Productions. A blend of diverse influences including jazz, original film soundtracks, samba, and organic house, Sacrebleu sold 300,000 copies worldwide and was named Album of the Year by UK’s Mixmag magazine. In 2000, Dimitri followed Sacrebleu up with A Night at the Playboy Mansion (Virgin) and Disco Forever (BBE), followed by My Salsoul in 2001, After the Playboy Mansion in 2002. In 2003, Cruising Attitude was released, to be closely followed by his first outing on UK’s premier dance music label Defected: Dimitri from Paris In the House. He has followed a somewhat glamorous musical path by recording soundtracks and advertising campaigns for fashion houses Chanel, Jean-Paul Gautier and Yves Saint Laurent and remixing hundreds of artists as diverse as Björk, The Cardigans, James Brown, Michael Jackson, New Order and Quincy Jones. He also did the music for the anime Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase and mixed the soundtrack for the French luxury dessin animé Jet Groove produced by Method Films. 2005 saw Dimitri go back to his Funk and Disco roots, with Japanese hip hop producer and über collector DJ Muro for Super Disco Friends a double CD mixdown. In 2006 he offered his House of Love outing to Valentine’s Day’s lovers. Later on Dimitri produced Los Amigos Invisibles “Super Pop Venezuela” album which grabbed a nomination for a Grammy Award.2007 saw the release of the Cocktail Disco project with longtime partner BBE, a handful of disco classics remixes and other surprises down the line. 2009 Night Dubbin’, a post-disco R&B comp. remix album was released.]

12. Barry Adamson – “Vibes Ain’t Nothin’ But The Vibes”
from: Oedipus Schmoedipus / Mute / August 6, 1996
[Barry Adamson was born June 11, 1958, is a Mercury-nominated English pop and rock musician, composer, writer, photographer and filmmaker. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as a member of the post-punk band Magazine and went on to work with Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electro musicians Pan Sonic. In addition to prolific solo work, Adamson has also remixed Grinderman, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Recoil and Depeche Mode. He created the seven-minute opus Useless (Escape From Wherever: Pts. 1 & 2) remix for the latter band in 1997. He also worked on the soundtrack for David Lynch’s surrealistic crime film Lost Highway. Adamson was born at Moss Side, Manchester, England.He read comic books from an early age. At school he immersed himself in art, music and film and produced his first song – “Brain Pain” – at the age of 10. His diverse musical tastes range from Alice Cooper to Motown to David Bowie. After leaving school, Adamson drifted into graphic design whilst attending Stockport Art College but quit shortly after, preferring to venture into the exploding punk rock scene of the late 1970s. He joined ex-Buzzcocks singer Howard Devoto’s band Magazine to play the bass guitar, with whom he scored one chart single, “Shot by Both Sides”; in late 1977, he also joined the Buzzcocks, as a temporary replacement for Garth Smith. He played on all of Magazine’s albums and contributed to Devoto’s solo album and his next band, Luxuria. He also contributed to the studio-based band Visage, playing on the ensemble’s first two albums, Visage and The Anvil. After Magazine broke up, Adamson worked with another ex-Buzzcock, Pete Shelley, before joining Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, featuring on four of their albums: From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks and Your Funeral, My Trial. After his stint with the band and a European tour with Iggy Pop in 1987, he went solo, releasing an EP, The Man with the Golden Arm in 1988, and his first solo album, Moss Side Story, the following year, the “soundtrack” to a non-existent film noir. The album incorporated newscasts and sampled sound effects and featured guest musicians Marcia Schofield (of The Fall), Diamanda Galas, and former colleagues from the Bad Seeds. Adamson’s second solo album was the soundtrack to a real film this time – Carl Colpaert’s Delusion, and he would go on to provide soundtracks for several other films. Adamson’s third album, Soul Murder, was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 1992. His solo work has mostly been influenced by John Barry, Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone, whilst his later works include jazz, electronica, soul, funk, and dub-styles. In 1996, Adamson contributed to the AIDS-Benefit Album, Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, produced by the Red Hot Organization. His own album that year, Oedipus Schmoedipus, reached #51 in the UK Albums Chart. It would later be included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list, along with Moss Side Story. In 2002, Adamson left his long-term label, Mute Records, and started his own production home, Central Control International. In 2006, he released Stranger on the Sofa, first for his Central Control International imprint, to critical acclaim. Back To The Cat, his second album for the label, was released in March 2008. In 2007 it was announced that Magazine would re-form for concerts in 2008. Adamson took part in the same band line-up that recorded Secondhand Daylight, with the exception of the late John McGeoch, who was replaced by Apollo 440 member Noko. However, Adamson has since withdrawn from the reunion and new recordings. On 27 August 2010, Adamson released “Rag and Bone”, as a digital download and as a 12-inch vinyl record. He then released a studio album, I Will Set You Free, on 30 January 2012. Adamson rejoined the Bad Seeds for the release of their 2013 album, Push the Sky Away. He played bass on several songs and also toured with the band on drums and keyboards to fill in for an ailing Thomas Wydler. Adamson’s “Refugee Song” was included in Derek Jarman’s The Last of England. Adamson also contributed soundtrack material to Gas Food Lodging, David Lynch’s Lost Highway and Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. Back to the Cat’s opening track, “The Beaten Side of Town”, was featured in the hit video game, Alan Wake. He also contributed substantial material to the Delusion soundtrack, which has also been released.]

13. Air – “Dead Bodies”
from: The Virgin Suicides / Source-Virgin / February 23, 2000
[The Virgin Suicides is a score composed by French electronic music duo Air for the 1999 film of the same name by Sofia Coppola. It was released on 23 February 2000 by Virgin Records. The album was nominated for Best Soundtrack at the 2001 Brit Awards. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine placed The Virgin Suicides at number 49 on their list of the 100 essential French rock albums. In 2014, NME placed the album at number 11 on their “61 of the Greatest Film Soundtracks Ever” list. In 2019, Pitchfork placed the album at number 4 on their “Top 50 Best Movie Scores of All Time” list. Air are a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Air’s critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track “Sexy Boy,” was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola’s first movie of the same name. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum. Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles, and Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics, before forming a band in 1995.[2] Before founding Air (erroneously considered as an acronym of Amour, Imagination, Rêve, which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream),[3] Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange[1] with others such as Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Jean de Reydellet. The former two subsequently contributed to remixes of tracks recorded by Air. Initially, Godin worked alone, recording a demo with members of Funkadelic as his backing band before releasing his first entirely solo effort, “Modular Mix”, which featured production by Étienne de Crécy.]

14.CHOCOLAT – “Fou Fou Fou Mon Minou”
from: Jazz Engagé / Dare To Care Records / November 1, 2019
[Montreal, Quebec based 5-piece Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Indie Rock band.

10:58 – Station ID

15. Choir / Orchestra / Ricky Edwards -“A Loud Bit Of Ludwig’s 9th”
from: Shine – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Phillips- Decca / November 5, 1996
[Richard Edwards is a London-based classical and jazz trombone player as well as composer/arranger. Shine is a 1996 Australian biographical drama film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris Haywood and Alex Rafalowicz. The screenplay was written by Jan Sardi, and directed by Scott Hicks. The film made its US premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1997, Geoffrey Rush was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 69th Academy Awards for his performance in the lead role.]

16. Art d’Ecco —”Mary”
from: Trespasser / Paper Bag / October 12, 2018
[Based in British Columbia, “There’s more than a little David Bowie in both the sonic and fashion leanings of Art d’Ecco, a performer who fluidly crosses musical and gender lines, creating highly memorable tracks — and sporting an unforgettable look. Often labelled “neo glam,” the music boasts hints of everything from ’50s pop to psychedelics, from Velvet Underground-era art rock to Grimes-inspired electronics.” – CBC Music When d’Ecco moved into his grandmother’s cottage on one of the islands, he hadn’t planned on creating a new project. But, as it often does, circumstance charted his course. His grandmother, living with Alzheimer’s, suffered a related phenomenon called ‘sundowning,’ which triggers increased agitation and anxiety around sunset. “The only way to calm this lady down was to sit down at the piano,” says d’Ecco. He would play “Bohemian Rhapsody,” passing it off as Beethoven. After she was relocated, d’Ecco remained in the empty house where he had played as a child. Draped in memory, he gravitated toward the piano, spending the long, lonesome, quiet nights on the bench before the instrument. This is where Art d’Ecco was created. He relocated to a new cottage, built a studio and barricaded himself with copies of Deerhunter’s Cryptograms, Bowie’s Low, and choice krautrock records. In this solitude, d’Ecco would chase tones for hours. The result is a richly-realized confluence of the ferocious spark of those trailblazers and a distinct sadness, with d’Ecco as mad scientist, stitching together these delicious fragments and animating them.]

17. Deep —”Moment Of Silence (feat. Elizabeth Fraser)”
from: Moment Of Silence (feat. Elizabeth Fraser) – Single / Deep / July 24, 2015
[DEEP aka Deep Cold, Deep Da 1, was a Punjabi-American Southern rap artist from Houston, Texas. Raised in Houston, Deep Cold attended the same high school as Paul Wall and Chamillionaire. His first interest in music came at a young age when a tight family house hold income made him seek other avenues/interests. After a rough year in 2000, Deep Cold was forced to re-evaluate his position and decided to co-create Da 1 Records with his cousin. Deep Cold released his debut album In Trunks Now in 2005 on his independent label. It featured big Southern Rap names such as Slim Thug, David Banner, Big Moe, Big Pokey as well as Too Short. Since then he has personally signed new artists Lenny Lenn and Kamla Punjabi to the label and has played a major role in the financing of their album. He has said, “I don’t have a specific style of music that can be categorized. I make music that transcends hate, barriers and race. That’s what music is intended to He co-hosted a MTV Desi Show with Kamala Punjabi. In 2009 Deep Cold and Kamla Punjabi released a collaboration album ‘Nach Nach’ which was produced by DJ Sanj/J-Nas. Deep released ‘Dekhlo Punjabi Munde’ in 2007. The song quickly moved up the BBC charts and spread worldwide. In 2010 ‘Dekhlo Punjabi Munde’ was refixed by replacing Deep Cold and Kamla Punjabi’s verses with the vocals of Diljit Dosanjh and featured in the Punjabi movie Mel Karade Rabba. The chorus for the song remained the same. Deep Cold has worked with David Banner, Too Short, Slim Thug, Big Moe, Lil KeKe, Billy Cook, C-Note (Botany Boyz), S.U.C. – Screwed Up Click, Master Saleem, Sonu Niggam, The Teflon Don, Sonny Brown, DJ Sanj/J-Nas, Diljit Singh, Jas Rai, Kamla Punjabi, Haji Springer and more. Deep Cold & Kamla Punjabi released two songs with Universal on their compilation ‘Desi Hustle’ – Siti Maar and Duniya. Deep Cold has also teamed up with Sonny Brown and The Teflon Don to form the group 3 SINGHS. Deep Cold died on March 5, 2014 while visiting India for his upcoming projects with big names in the Punjabi and Bollywood industry.]

18. Rich Aucoin — “The Base”
from: Release / Haven Sounds, Inc. / May 17, 2019
[3rd full length studio album from the Canadian indie rock musician, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the younger brother of Paul Aucoin of Hylozoists. He performs and records both as a solo artist and as a collaborator and guest musician in Hylozoists.]

19. Linda Ronstadt —”Por Un Amor”
from: Canciones De Mi Padre / Normal Music / November 24, 1987
[Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired popular music American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, and Latin. She has earned 10 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award, and many of her albums have been certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum in the United States and internationally. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award. She was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Latin Recording Academy in 2011 and also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Recording Academy in 2016. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28, 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. In 2019, she received a star jointly with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work as the group Trio. Linda Ronstadt was among the five Honorees who received the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements, at the annual event on Dec. 8, 2019, in Washington, D.C., at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The awards were broadcast Sunday, December 22, 2019, on CBS. Ronstadt has released over 30 studio albums and 15 compilation or greatest hits albums. She charted 38 US Billboard Hot 100 singles. Twenty-one of those singles reached the top 40, ten reached the top 10, and one reached number one, “You’re No Good”. Her success did not translate to the UK, with only the single “Blue Bayou” reaching the UK Top 40. Ronstadt’s duet with Aaron Neville, “Don’t Know Much”, peaked at number 2 in December 1989. She has charted 36 albums, ten top-10 albums, and three number 1 albums on the US Billboard Pop Album Chart.

20. Pretenders — “One More Time”
from: ¡Viva El Amor! / Warner / June 22, 1999
[¡Viva El Amor! (Spanish for Long Live Love) is the 7th studio album by The Pretenders.The band’s lineup is: Chrissie Hynde on vocals & guitar, Martin Chambers on drums, Andy Hobson on bass, and Adam Seymour on guitar. Hobson is replaced on bass by session musicians on a few cuts. The Pretenders are an English-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the drug-related deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon, the band experienced numerous subsequent personnel changes. Hynde has been the band’s only consistent member. The Pretenders’ hit songs include “Brass in Pocket” (1979), “Talk of the Town” (1980), “Message of Love” (1981), “Back on the Chain Gang” (1982), “Middle of the Road” (1983), “2000 Miles” (1983), “Don’t Get Me Wrong” (1986), “My Baby” (1986), and “I’ll Stand by You” (1994). The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.]

21. Art d’Ecco —“The Hunted”
rom: Trespasser / Paper Bag / October 12, 2018
[Based in British Columbia, “There’s more than a little David Bowie in both the sonic and fashion leanings of Art d’Ecco, a performer who fluidly crosses musical and gender lines, creating highly memorable tracks — and sporting an unforgettable look. Often labelled “neo glam,” the music boasts hints of everything from ’50s pop to psychedelics, from Velvet Underground-era art rock to Grimes-inspired electronics.” – CBC Music When d’Ecco moved into his grandmother’s cottage on one of the islands, he hadn’t planned on creating a new project. But, as it often does, circumstance charted his course. His grandmother, living with Alzheimer’s, suffered a related phenomenon called ‘sundowning,’ which triggers increased agitation and anxiety around sunset. “The only way to calm this lady down was to sit down at the piano,” says d’Ecco. He would play “Bohemian Rhapsody,” passing it off as Beethoven. After she was relocated, d’Ecco remained in the empty house where he had played as a child. Draped in memory, he gravitated toward the piano, spending the long, lonesome, quiet nights on the bench before the instrument. This is where Art d’Ecco was created. He relocated to a new cottage, built a studio and barricaded himself with copies of Deerhunter’s Cryptograms, Bowie’s Low, and choice krautrock records. In this solitude, d’Ecco would chase tones for hours. The result is a richly-realized confluence of the ferocious spark of those trailblazers and a distinct sadness, with d’Ecco as mad scientist, stitching together these delicious fragments and animating them.]

Nico Gray thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

11:29 – Underwriting

22. Doby Watson – “Natural Ice (Early Morning Edition)”
from: Family Mattress Deluxe / Error Records / February 23, 2018
[Written by Doby Watson and co-produced with Zack Hames. Featuring Ada Brumback, Hanna Maria Albina, Austin Swearengin and AKADUNGEONMASTER. With artwork by Ada Brumback and Nathan Landolt. More info at: http://www.dobywatson.bandcamp.com.]

[Doby Watson will be opening for Saintseneca on Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO.]

Doby Watson

11:34 – Interview with Doby Watson

Midwestern DIY folk veteran, Kansas City based singer-songwriter, Doby Watson joins us LIVE in our 90.1 FM. For nearly 15 years Doby traveled all over the country playing shows. When in KC helped he put together shows for fellow traveling musician friends he met on the road. Since 2009 Doby has released several solo and collaborative albums and EPs. Doby Watson will be opening for Saintseneca on Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri.

Doby Watson, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

Doby Watson Discography:

In 2009 Doby released “Twenty Two”

In 2013 Doby released “Watson & May” an EP in collaboration with Margo May that was produced & engineered by Lennon Bone.

In 2014 Double Shift Music released Doby’s album “Live-In Son”
[“Live-In Son” was released on Double Shift Music on October 17, 2014. The album features Watson performing the songs live, while being recorded, in Ross Brown’s basement in KCMO. The next day, also in Brown’s basement, Grant Buell (Rhodes), Jerad Tomasino (vocals) and Hannah Jensen (viola), having never practiced with each other or Watson, improvised their parts over the live recordings of Watson. Richard Gintowt added additional vocals at his home in San Francisco, CA. The songs sat for some time until they were picked up by Ryan Brewer, who added electric guitar, field recordings & auxiliary percussion while he mixed the songs in Champaign, IL. Mastered by Cory Schulz in Milwaukee, WI.]

In 2016 Double Shift Music released the EP collaborative: “Swearengin, Watson & May”

In 2018 Doby released the EP “Family Mattress Deluxe” Error Records
[Family Matters Side A: Miami Vomit II, Starve, Family Mattress III. Side B (bonus tracks)
Natural Ice (Early Morning version), Family Mattress (AKADUNGEONMASTER remix), Beer For Dinner II (with Austin Swearengin)[a moody collaboration with New York based sculptor / songwriter Austin Swearengin. The warbly, lo-fi duet finds itself evolving into a slow burning, industrial-tinged jam that fizzles into feedback.]

More info at: http://www.dobywatson.bandcamp.com

Doby Watson was born in 1986. Instead of attending college, as Richard Gintowt wrote for The Pitch in 2009, “Watson spent his young-adult years touring the country with a guitar and a box of Cliff Bars, one for breakfast, one for lunch, then a real meal for dinner, and a bunch of sad and beautiful homespun songs that are as sparse and haunting as those of Leonard Cohen or Jason Molina.”

Doby is playing electric guitar with a full band; longtime tour-mate Ada Brumback and new drummer Nick Robertson (from the Creepy Jingles).

11:42

23. Doby Watson – “Starve”
from: Family Mattress Deluxe / Error Records / February 23, 2018
[Written by Doby Watson and co-produced with Zack Hames. Featuring Ada Brumback, Hanna Maria Albina, Austin Swearengin and AKADUNGEONMASTER. With artwork by Ada Brumback and Nathan Landolt. More info at: http://www.dobywatson.bandcamp.com.]

11:46 – More Interview with Doby Watson

We are talking with Singer-Songwriter Doby Watson who will be opening for Saintseneca on Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO.

Doby Watson, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

From Doby’s own words: “When I was a kid I played guitar in some hardcore bands. When I found myself without a band, at the end of high school, I started trying to sing and write songs. Falling on the moniker “Boo Hiss” (something a class mate of mine said in place of swear words). I put some songs online and got asked to be on a small DIY label from Ohio called Tract Records. Around that time, I befriended touring DIY artists’ such as Viking Moses, Real Live Tigers, Manipulator Alligator and a young man named Joseph Murphy (who was in tons of bands), as well. Through these connections I was encouraged to tour and became involved in the Midwest’s various DIY communities, making countless friends.”

“Rather than go to college, I chose to focus solely on DIY touring and releasing music (for much of it taking my good friend, then KC native, and amazing songwriter, Austin Swearengin with me for most of these tours). ”

“Around that same time, I made an attempt to be taken more “seriously”, dropped my moniker and unsuccessfully released a mini-album under my own name. After some rather chaotic and unorganized tours for the album, I became depressed and disillusioned with music. I set music aside as a priority, moved to Lawrence, KS and tried to assimilate to what I thought was a ‘normal’ life. ”

“I went to college, got a day job, and wound up generally hating life. This new ‘normal’ path inevitably didn’t work out for me – I moved back in with my parents and held various dead end jobs and sank deeper into a depression, completely ceasing to make any music.”

“I performed the songs live, while being recorded, in Ross Brown’s basement in Kansas City, MO. The next day, also in Brown’s basement, Grant Buell (Rhodes), Jerad Tomasino (vocals) and Hannah Jensen (viola), having never practiced with each other or Watson, improvised their parts over the live recordings of Watson. Richard Gintowt added additional vocals at his home in San Francisco, CA. The songs sat for some time until they were picked up by Ryan Brewer, who added electric guitar, field recordings and auxiliary percussion while he mixed the songs in Champaign, IL. The results were mastered by Cory Schulz in MIlwaukee, WI.”

Doby Watson, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

Doby Watson will be opening for Saintseneca on Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO. More info at: http://www.dobywatson.bandcamp.com

11:56:27

24. Miss Boating – “Junk Food”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charles Colborne and Bill Belzer faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s own beloved mother, their friend and bassist Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing and wrote that they “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil is part of the bands Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

[Miss Boating play The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO, on Thursday, February 27, at 7:00 PM, for the Support Local Music Showcase with StylesbyStyles, Scotty Wu, Miss Boating, and Tiki Brawlers.]

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

Next week, Wednesday, March 4 we talk with Stephanie Carey, Owner and Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City. We also welcome KC based singer-songwriter, Amy Marcus who is currently releasing new music. AND, musician and radio show producer and host, Jeff Harshbarger joins us to share new music and information about the Purna Loka Ensemble that he plays with, and their new release, “Metaraga” that came out on January 11, 2020.

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 #826

WMM presents Nico Gray + Doby Watson

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

Wednesday, February 26, 2019

Nico Gray – Guest Producer
+ Doby Watson

Nico Gray Portrait by: Jan McNiel

Mark welcomes back Nico Gray, for his 8th time as “Guest Producer.” Nico is a writer, performance artist, and actor who has performed with KC Rep, Gorilla Theatre, 8th St. Cafe Theatre, Actor’s Craft, and Big Bang Buffet. Nico has worked for Theatre League, The Midland Theatre, and is currently a marketing & advertising consultant with Union Station, KC Fringe, and KC Creates. Nico grew up in KC but has lived in Chicago, New York, and Marseille.

Nico will feature tracks from: Dyson, Art d’Ecco, Yoko Ono, CHOCOLAT, Deep, Passengers, Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, Pretenders, Air, Dimitri From Paris, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, Barry Adamson, Jah Wobble’s Invaders Of The Heart, and Rich Aucoin.

Doby Watson

At 11:30 Mark talks with KC based singer-songwriter, Doby Watson who joins us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios. Doby Watson will be opening for Saintseneca on Sun, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO.

Mark will also play music from Miss Boating, who play The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO, on Thursday, February 27, at 7:00 PM, for the Support Local Music Showcase with StylesbyStyle, Scotty Wu, Miss Boating, and Tiki Brawlers.

Nico Gray Portrait by: Jan McNiel

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #826

WMM Playlist from Jan. 22, 2020

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Hadiza. & Les Izmore
+ Scott Hobart of Giants Chair
+ 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. David Bowie – “Everyone Says “Hi” (Edit)”
from: Nothing Has Changed / dBpm Records / October 4, 2019
[“Everyone Says ‘Hi'” is a song recorded by English singer David Bowie for his twenty-second studio album Heathen (2002). It was written by Bowie, and produced by British duo Brian Rawling and Gary Miller, with vocals produced by the singer himself with Tony Visconti. The song was released on September 16, 2002, by ISO and Columbia Records. “Everyone Says ‘Hi'” peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and also reached number 83 in the German Singles Chart. Reeves Gabrels, Bowie’s guitarist throughout the 1990s and close creative partner up until a few years before Heathen’s released, said that “Everyone Says ‘Hi'” was the only song Bowie made after his departure that he heard “because someone told me that David wrote that for me. That made me cry. An edited version of this song was included in the 2014 compilation “Nothing has Changed” the first album to showcase Bowie’s entire career and includes a new composition, “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)”, which was later re-recorded for his final album Blackstar go 2016. Nothing Has Changed is notable for including songs from Bowie’s unreleased 2001 album Toy: “Your Turn to Drive”, previously an internet-only single, and a previously unreleased re-recorded version of “Let Me Sleep Beside You”, both of which are found on the triple CD version of the album.]

[The Band That Fell To Earth: A Tribute to David Bowie, is 2 nights: Friday, Jan. 24 & Saturday, Jan. 25. Doors at 8:PM, show at 9:PM, recordBar, 1520 Grand. A portion of sales benefit KC Anti-Violence Project. ]

3. Emily King – “Radio (Acoustic)”
from: Sides (Acoustic) / ATO Records / January 17, 2020
[Emily King has been nominated for two 2020 Grammy Awards: for best R&B song “Look at Me Now” and for best engineered album Scenery. Sides is a new collection of 11 acoustic versions of previously released from her 2011 EP The Seven, 2016 album The Switch and 2019 album Scenery. Sides was produced by Jeremy Most and features string arrangements by Rob Moose. We fIrst played Emily King on June 29, 2016 when our friend Krystle Warren was Guest Producer and played the song “Georgia” from King’s 2011 EP Seven. She is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her debut album East Side Story was released three years later in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album. Born July 10, 1985, in NYC in 1985, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly bringing her and her older brother along with them. At age 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career. She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City including CBGB and The Bitter End. King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and was featured on Nas’ 2004 album Street’s Disciple credited as simply “Emily”. Her debut album East Side Story was released 3 years later in August 2007. It went on to earn a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year.” During that time King toured with John Legend & Floetry. She opened for various artists such as Nas, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan & Erykah Badu. After parting ways with her label in 2008, King continued independently. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released July 2011. In October 2011, she accepted an invite from Maroon 5 to open on their European/Scandinavian tour. In 2012, King was awarded the Holly Prize (a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly) from The Songwriters Hall of Fame for recognition of the “all-in songwriter” whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original. King was invited by Emeli Sande to open for her UK tour playing sold out shows in 5 cities including The Royal Albert Hall in London. King collaborated with José James on his album No Beginning No End in 2013 and can be heard on tracks Heaven on the Ground and the acoustic version of Come to My Door. In 2014, King was performing as an opening act for Sara Bareilles’ Little Black Dress tour. The year 2015 marked the release of King’s 2nd studio album, The Switch, Emily self-released on her label Making Music Records on June 26. The Wall Street Journal remarked that the album is “a tasteful collection of 11 songs that showcase King’s distinctive voice.” After signing with the ATO Records in 2017, King became label mates with Brittany Howard, Benjamin Booker & Brandi Carlile. More info at: http://www.emilykingmusic.com]

4. Adam Scott York – “What I Need”
from: The Twin Rivers EP / Adam Scott York / December 20, 2019
[Adam Scott York is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Kansas City, who specializes in bass guitar. His versatile range of influences vary from hip-hop to folk to classic rock. Adam first took up the piano at age 4 at the behest of his parents and thus began the endless curiosity that led him to learn any instrument he could get his hands on, be it guitar, banjo, drums, or bass. Adam previously played bass for The Creepy Jingles.]

5. Una Walkenhorst – “People in the Paper”
from: People in the Paper – Single / Una Walkenhorst / December 7, 2019
[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. In 2018 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.]

6. Miss Boating – “Junk Food”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charles Colborne and Bill Belzer faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s own beloved mother, their friend and bassist Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing and wrote that they “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil is part of the bands Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

10:25 – Underwriting

7. Jametatone – “I Can Tell”
from: A Bird In The Hand / Jametatone / December 8, 2019
[Jametatone, is the solo project of J. Ashley Miller who has recorded with his band as Metatone. Jametatone collaborates with an esemble of musicians under the moniker Blastocyst. The recording of A Bird In The Hand was Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Jametatone at The Infoaming Vertex Studio. Assistant Engineering by Simon Huntley. Dedicated to Love. bLASTOCYST is: Jon Kizilarmut on drums & percussion; Jeff Harshbarger on bass; Eddie Moore on Rhodes, Wurlitzer & Piano; Fritz Hutchison on guitar, percussion, & piano; Billy Winston on saxophone; Simon Huntley on drums & percussion; Allison Hawkins on piano; and Jametatone on vocals & guitar. J. Ashley Miller is the 2016 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award Fellow. He is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. His genre-bending trans-modern work has been performed everywhere from YJ’s to the Kauffman Performing Arts Center, to the MoMa PS1 in NYC. Ashley utilizes a diverse range of technologies, techniques, and collaborators to access obscure facets of the human emotional landscape. You can view more of Ashley’s work at http://www.jametatone.com]

[Jametatone plays Hadiza’s band Collidescope play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM with ARQuesta Del SolSoul.]

8. Hadiza. – “Reactions”
from: Shadow Weight / Hadiza. / November 22, 2019
[Hadiza. released her Ep “Gone” on December 29, 2018 with Madi Mclaughlin on bass & guitar, JL Bolinger on drums, and Hadiza Sa-Aadu on keyboards & vocals. Recording & Engineering: JL Bolinger & Madi Mclaughlin. Mixing & Mastering: Madi Mclaughlin. Hadiza. is a singer-songwriter who wants you to know SHE IS NOW BASED IN KANSAS CITY. Previously based in her hometown of Iowa City, she has spent the past year slowly but surely carving out her place in the Kansas City scene both as a solo performer (as Hadiza.) and as lead vocalist and songwriter of experimental electronic group Collidescope. Blessed to have had parents who are very much NOT students of music, but recognized the importance of music education, Hadiza spent her childhood and adolescence in part as a student of piano. Vocally, Hadiza takes her cues from American artists including Fiona Apple, Tracey Chapman, and Billie Holiday and African artists including Angelique Kidjo,. Her sound/genre is best described as an eclectic blend of blues, soul, folk, jazz and classical. Her songwriting is a process of release and acceptance of life events navigating an often brutal bleak and harsh world and is a form of therapy. If you don’t relate to the content, you just don’t relate. Oh well. The most amazing experience however is when a stranger in the audience connects with a song in their own way and is courageous enough to share that with her. Aside from the therapeutic aspect of creating music, this is why she continues to write and perform.]

[Hadiza. plays Hadiza’s Shadow Weight Release Ritual at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Sat, January 25, at 9:00 PM with Hadiza., Babydoll, The Black Creatures, and Les Izmore and the GOATs.]

[Hadiza’s band Collidescope play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM with Jametatone and ARQuesta Del SolSoul.]

Hadiza. and Les Izmore on the January 22, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

10:34 – Interview with Hadiza. and Les Izmore

On December 29, 2018, Hadiza. released her EP Gone, and on Novenber 22, 2019 Hadiza. released her new 10 song, full-length album called, Shadow Weight, which continues to showcase her deeply moving voice and piano. Born in Iowa City, Iowa, she has lived in Bushwick, and Atlanta, and worked in corporate America in the New York Finance District. For many years she studied the piano, while keeping her singing voice private. Eventually she made the jump into her new life of composing, singing, writing, collaborating and presenting what she calls a blend of soul, classical, blues and folk. Since relocating to Kansas City, Hadiza. has been slowly carving out her place as a solo artist and also as lead vocalist and lyricist for the experimental electronic duo Collidescope.

Hadiza., thanks for being with us on WMM.

Les Izmore is a veteran of the Kansas City Music Community fusing American Funk and Soul, Afrobeat, Kansas City Big Band, Rock, and Hip Hop as frontman for the critically acclaimed multi-genre Kansas City ensemble, Hearts of Darkness. Les has also collaborated with D/Will for the Hip Hop album release of Heartfelt Anarchy. Les has also collaborated with Julia Haile, Herman Mehari, Lee Langston, Anthony Saunders, Brad Williams and Reach to perform and release music as The Buhs. Most recently Les has been involved in exploring the indigenous sounds of the Caribbean, Latin America, West, Central, and Southern Africa with the Kansas City based collective Arquesta Del SolsSoul with Jessica Ayala, Brad Williams, Jade Green, Chalis O’Neal, Irving Graham, Ernest Melton, Andres Ramirez, Fabian Prado.

Les Izmore, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Hadiza. and Les are here to share informaton about their new music and upcoming shows:

Hadiza’s Shadow Weight Release Ritual at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Saturday, January 25, at 9:00 PM with Hadiza., Babydoll, Les Izmore and the GOATS, and The Black Creatures.

Hadiza’s band Collidescope with Jametatone and ARQuesta Del SolSoul play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM.

More info is at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com

Hadiza. released her Ep “Gone” on December 29, 2018 with Madi Mclaughlin on bass & guitar, JL Bolinger on drums, and Hadiza Sa-Aadu on keyboards & vocals. Recording & Engineering: JL Bolinger & Madi Mclaughlin. Mixing & Mastering: Madi Mclaughlin.

Hadiza. and Les Izmore on the January 22, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

Vocally, Hadiza takes her cues from American artists including Fiona Apple, Tracey Chapman, and Billie Holiday and African artists including Angelique Kidjo,. Her sound/genre is best described as an eclectic blend of blues, soul, folk, jazz and classical. Her songwriting is a process of release and acceptance of life events navigating an often brutal bleak and harsh world and is a form of therapy.

Les Izmore is a veteran of the Kansas City Music Community as frontman for the critically acclaimed multi-genre Kansas City ensemble, Hearts of Darkness.

Les has also collaborated with D/Will for the Hip Hop band Heartfelt Anarchy.

Les has also collaborated with Julia Haile, Herman Mehari, Lee Langston, Anthony Saunders, Brad Williams and Reach to perform and release music as The Buhs.

Les has been involved in exploring the indigenous sounds of the Caribbean, Latin America, West, Central, and Southern Africa with the Kansas City based collective Arquesta Del SolsSoul with Jessica Ayala, Brad Williams, Jade Green, Chalis O’Neal, Irving Graham, Ernest Melton, Andres Ramirez, Fabian Prado.

Hadiza. and Les Izmore on the January 22, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

One of the first recordings from Arquesta Del SolSoul was a track titled “SOL SOL SIX” recorded by Ted Rieder for Never Records during Open Spaces Kansas City. Featuring Les Izmore, Jessica Ayala on vocals. Recorded October 27, 2017 by Ted Rieder for Never Records during Open Spaces Kansas City. Featuring Les Izmore, Jessica Ayala on vocals. ”

Arquesta Del SolSoul is a Kansas City-based music collective featuring 3 musicians who worked together in Hearts of Darkness. They call themselves “African Futurist Genre Killerz from the Middle of the Map bringing an innovative multidimensional sound inspired by our founding musical ancestors to decolonize and time bend indigenous sounds of the Caribbean, Latin America, West, Central, and Southern Africa.”

10:55

9. Arquesta Del SolSoul – “GROW SOMETHING (Fela Minded KC)
from: GROW SOMETHING (Fela Minded KC) – Single / unreleased

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – More Interview with Hadiza. and Les Izmore

Hadiza. and Les Izmore on the January 22, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

We are talking to Kansas City musicians Hadiza. and Les Izmore who join us to share informaton about their new music and upcoming shows:

Hadiza. and Les Izmore, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Hadiza’s Shadow Weight Release Ritual at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Saturday, January 25, at 9:00 PM with Hadiza., Babydoll, Les Izmore and the GOATS, and The Black Creatures.

Hadiza’s band Collidescope with Jametatone and ARQuesta Del SolSoul play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM.

More info is at: http://www.hadizaisnothere.bandcamp.com

11:10

10. The Black Creatures – “wretched (it goes)”
from: “Wild Echoes / The Black Creatures / September 30, 2019
[Darkpop hip-hop musical pulling elements from sci-fi to tell an inter-dimensional story. Xavier Martin and Jade Green have made an impression of the KC music community with their videos and songs, live shows in clubs, art galleries, record stores, area music festivals and shows in surrounding areas. They’ve released an EP, an album, several singles.]

[The Black Creatures play Hadiza’s Shadow Weight Release Ritual at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Sat, January 25, at 9:00 PM with Hadiza., Babydoll,, and Les Izmore and the Goats.]

[Arquesta Del SolSoul play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM with Collidescope, and Jametatone.]

11. Ebony Tusks – “HDF”
from: HDF – Single / High Dive Records / January 17, 2020
[Ebony Tusks is Daniel Smith on DJ & Production, Geese Giesecke on vocals & Production, and Marty Hillard on vocals & Production. A rattling subwoofer is a sonic aberration, a byproduct of high volume that often results in a speaker system’s long-term damage. It takes the listening experience from exclusively aural to physical, evoking a range of reactions from listeners. This experience is bonded inextricably with rap music for both its fans and dissenters, a familiar beacon for some and an unwelcome nuisance for others. Marty was a cashier at Burger King while in high school, spending every Saturday morning working the drive-thru window. One of his best friends pulled up to the menu and filled the speaker with sounds from his 1972 Volkswagen Beetle’s cassette adapter. Marty’s headset was filled with hot, white noise. He knew it was a rap song but it was mutated to scorched earth. It also happened to come through the main speaker right inside the drive-thru window. His manager was not at all pleased, rushing quickly to turn it off. Marty and his friend laughed it off at the time. EBONY TUSKS is a compilation of moments like these. Daniel, Geese, and Marty are three people from the Midwest who take pleasure in the mutations of sound available in the least expected places.]

11:17 – Where are all the protest songs?

12. Kate Bush – “Army Dreamers”
from: Never for Ever / EMI America / September 7, 1980
[“Army Dreamers” is a 1980 song, the third and final single to be released from the album Never for Ever, by Kate Bush. It was a UK top 20 hit in October 1980. Norwegian songwriter Pål Knutsen, released his fourth studio album Unsongs on September 16, 2016 on Propeller Recordings. A collection of covers of protest songs which included Kate Bush’s “Army Dreamers” which was banned by the BBC for anti-war sentiments during the Falklands conflict. “Army Dreamers” is an example of a song which only grows more powerful and relevant through the establishment trying to silence it. Of the track, Moddi says “while most of the songs on the album are explicitly political in form, it was difficult for me to see how ‘Army Dreamers’ would pose a threat to anyone at first glance. Initially, I thought it was ridiculous to ban it. However, when I tried singing the song, I began taking in the message. The words are so simple, describing nothing but pure and bottomless motherly sorrow, a sorrow against which I could not defend myself. Then I understood why the song was dangerous: because it calls forth compassion. Inescapably. Kate Bush was never imprisoned like Pussy Riot or killed like Víctor Jara but the message she was trying to spread was nonetheless silenced. This song made me realise that censorship is so much more than violent suppression. It happens quietly, in our homes and on our radios, every day. And usually we don’t talk too much about it.”]

13. Anti-Flag – “Christian Nationalist”
from: 20/20 Vision / Spinefarm Records / January 17, 2020
[Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The band is well known for its politically charged lyrics and activism, focusing on human rights and various left-wing causes. The line-up includes singer/guitarist Justin Sane and drummer Pat Thetic, who founded the band together; later members are guitarist Chris Head, and singer/bassist Chris Barker who replaced Jamie “Cock” Towns, who had replaced original bassist Andy Flag in 1997 following his departure one year prior. Anti-Flag is known also for their advocacy of progressive political action groups such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International. Most recently, the band has declared solidarity with the global Occupy Together movement. On October 7, 2019, the band released their song “Christian Nationalists”, alongside the announcement of a European tour the following year. On the band’s website, the song’s meaning was explained by a quote from Justin: “History is full of wealthy and powerful people using religion and cultism to justify policies of oppression and inequality. Invariably, these policies target the most vulnerable in society so that elites can maintain their dominance. Today we see this same strategy employed by right wing politicians all over the world. Just as the anti-fascists of the 1930s and 1940s rejected the fascist ideologies of their era, we reject the neo-fascists of this era. Theocracy is dangerous and inherently anti-democratic because it restricts individual choice and provides an avenue by which politicians can claim a moral superiority over “the other”. It gives political cover and justification for policies and actions which might otherwise be deemed morally objectionable, inhuman, or adverse to the best interest of the country.” The website also provided a list of Republican politicians, along with sources indicating that said politicians had accepted large amounts of donations from the NRA and gun lobbyists for their support of many of the concepts that are explained in the quote, along with a list of mass shooting incidents. Later that month, the band announced their twelfth studio album, 20/20 Vision, alongside the release of the song “Hate Conquers All” and the song’s music video. More info at: http://www.anti-flag.com]

11:24 – Underwriting

14. Pedaljets – “Dissassociation Blues”
from: Twist The Lens / Electric Moth Records / February 14, 2020
[Twist The Lens was recorded in three main sessions, produced by the Pedaljets alongside their former lead guitarist Paul Malinowski (Shiner, Season To Risk). Though the Pedaljets core trio of lead vocalist Mike Allmayer, bassist Matt Kesler, and drummer Rob Morrow has remained a constant throughout their tenure as a band, they’ve worked with multiple lead guitarists throughout the years, with Twist The Lens being the first record to showcase their newest addition, Cody Wyoming. Bringing in Wyoming, and working alongside Malinowski, allowed the new songs to benefit from a fresh and outside perspective, while still keeping the album within the Pedaljets family. It also lent itself to a more utilitarian process where, as Allmayer describes, “We would constantly listen back and ask ourselves, ‘Are you hearing something this song needs?’ We were really focused on pushing ourselves to make the best music we can and being extra critical.” To round out the team, the band brought in veteran producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) to mix the record and reunited with Archer Prewitt (The Sea and Cake) whose artwork has adorned the last three Pedaljets album covers. Once hailed as “Kansas City’s answer to the Replacements,” the Pedaljets formed in the mid-80s and immediately began touring the United States nonstop, gaining critical acclaim and support slots with some of the decade’s biggest acts, but never becoming a household name on their own. After releasing two LPs, 1988’s Today Today and 1989’s Pedaljets, the band split up. After laying low for a few years, Allmayer and Morrow formed the band Grither and signed with MCA before Morrow decided to go back to school and relocate to Scotland. Kesler owned and operated the Kansas City vintage music shop Midwestern Musical Company, selling gear to artists including St. Vincent, The Arcade Fire, Jason Isbell and more. The Pedaljets couldn’t stay apart forever, though, and returned in 2008 with a re-recorded version of their self-titled album and a rekindled hunger to perform.]

[The Pedaljets play miniBar, 3810 Broadway Rd, KCMO, on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 8 PM with Dan Jones & the Squids.]

15. Giants Chair – “Kids Running”
from: Prefabylon / Spartan Records / December 6, 2019
[Third album from Giants Chair who are: Scott Hobart on lead vocals & guitar, Byron Collum on bass, and Paul Ackerman on drums. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, KCMO. Scott and Byron met at the KC Art Institute in 1989. After college they moved to Collum’s hometown of Green Bay, and formed Giant’s Chair in 1993. The band moved back to Kansas City became part of the burgeoning, mid-90’s KC rock scene, sharing bills with Germbox, Season To Risk, Molly McGuire and Shiner. Shiner even named one of their songs after the band. After being signed to Caulfield Records out of Lincoln NE. on the strength of their debut 7″ single, Giant’s Chair recorded two full-length albums and toured the U.S. twice. Giant’s Chair ended in 1997 but have recently been working on new music. In 2017 they releases the singles “The Streets” and “Featureless Horizon”.]

Scott Hobart on the January 22, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio

11:33 – Interview with Scott Hobart

Originally from St. James, Missouri Scott Hobart is a multi-talented artist, singer-songwriter, guitarist. Known for his acclaimed honky-tonk country band, Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys that were signed to Bloodshot Records, and their newest incarnation, Scott Hobart & The Honky Tonk Standards (who have a regular monthly slot at The Ship in the West Bottoms). Along with being a husband and a dad, Scott Hobart also works as the Coterie Theatre’s Resident Technical Director. He has also composed music and performed on stage in the Coterie’s Latenight series. Scott is also the co-founder of the mid 1990s ‘post-hardcore power trio” Giants Chair formed with friend Byron Collum who he mat at the Kansas City Art Institute in 1989, and with drummer Paul Ackerman who Byron had gone to high school with. Giants Chair recorded two critically-acclaimed full-length albums and oured the U.S. twice, before ending in 1997. After several reunion shows, on December 6, 2019, Giants Chair released their third album on Spartan Records.

Scott Hobart thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

After being signed to Caulfield Records out of Lincoln NE. on the strength of their debut 7″ single, Giants Chair recorded 2 acclaimed full-length albums and toured the U.S. twice.

Giants Chair sorted ended things in 1997 but have gotten back together here and there. In 2017 the band released 2 new songs and are working on material.

Scott Hobart in Giants Chair in the mid 1990s.

Giants Chair started in fall of 1993 when the bassist, Byron Collum and I, Scott Hobart, moved from KC to Green Bay, WI to play with drummer Paul Ackerman who Byron had gone to high school with. As this trio, we started writing and made a 7” that winter that was picked up by now-legendary mid-west indie label, Caulfield Records.

Giants Chair toured the U.S. twice, once with fellow KC indie band, BOYS LIFE, before going on “unofficial hiatus” in 1997 when members pursued other projects, including Scott’s interest in straight-forward, country, honky-Tonk with Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys (Bloodshot Records).

In the last 20-plus years, Giants Chair have done a handful of reunion shows and were then approached by Duane Trower with whom we had recorded the second album with back in 1996. Duane offered to remake that record start-to-finish now as a more-seasoned engineer with his own studio. We thought about it, and decided we’d rather try to write a new album than re-learn an old one – so we got to work in November of 2016 and finally had 10 new songs by November 2018.

Giants Chair recorded the album during the Winter of 2018-2019, with Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Sound Lab, in Duane’s new studio. It’s currently available everywhere digitally and it is also available on vinyl.

Scott wrote that about why the band put this album now? “At first it was kind of a ‘Why not? We’re still all here.’ And ‘Can we make up some new songs that we like?’ – and I feel like the music actually came pretty naturally – we’ve never talked too much about the music. We just get together and get loud. I bring some guitar parts and scratch vocal things and we see how it all falls. But I will say that, as a lyricist, it was an interesting ‘journey’ to write and sing this kind of stuff after having now spent the last couple of decades writing very straightforward country story-songs. We can talk about that and how, ultimately, I think I found this side of me again – possibly by trying to come to terms with the uncertainty of so many things in the world and America right now.

11:13

Scott Hobart thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

11:45

16. Giants Chair – “Ghost Love”
from: Prefabylon / Spartan Records / December 6, 2019
[Third album from Giants Chair who are: Scott Hobart on lead vocals & guitar, Byron Collum on bass, and Paul Ackerman on drums. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, KCMO. Scott and Byron met at the KC Art Institute in 1989. After college they moved to Collum’s hometown of Green Bay, and formed Giant’s Chair in 1993. The band moved back to Kansas City became part of the burgeoning, mid-90’s KC rock scene, sharing bills with Germbox, Season To Risk, Molly McGuire and Shiner. Shiner even named one of their songs after the band. After being signed to Caulfield Records out of Lincoln NE. on the strength of their debut 7″ single, Giant’s Chair recorded two full-length albums and toured the U.S. twice. Giant’s Chair ended in 1997 but have recently been working on new music. In 2017 they releases the singles “The Streets” and “Featureless Horizon”.]

17. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “Not Mine”
from: Not Mine – Single / Miki P/ November 21, 2019
[Meeting in the vast network of Kansas City’s rich music scene, in October of 2018 Miki P and the Swallowtails was created, and by the fall of 2019 they released their first EP Swallowtail independently. With half of the band’s members having Classical music degrees, and the other half with Jazz degrees, Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other. The group includes Miki P on guitar & vocals, Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Robert Castillo on bass, and Cade Pool on drums. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including tAmerican Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fel to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest.]

11:55

18. David Byrne – “Road To Nowhere”
from: American Utopia on Broadway: Original Cast Recording / Nonesuch / Oct. 18, 2019
[We saw this show from the front row at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on June 7, 2018. Following a sold-out world tour, the acclaimed theatrical concert is now in performances at Broadway’s intimate Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement. DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA delivers “an experience unlike anything else” (Billboard) and marks a major cultural milestone in the worlds of music and theater. Pitchfork reviewed American Utopia on Broadway, writing that Bryne, “… remains an artist to be grateful for—same as he ever was.” Innovative pop/rock icon David Byrne (Talking Heads, Here Lies Love) shares the spotlight with a diverse ensemble of 11 musical artists from around the globe. Together with production consultant Alex Timbers and choreographer Annie-B Parson (his collaborators on Here Lies Love), Byrne and ensemble deliver “a marvel of staging and motion” (Chicago Tribune) that’s as surprisingly poignant as it is supremely funky. Don’t miss this “thought-provoking example of the power of live music” (Forbes). “The boisterous ensemble surrounding Byrne is able to capture and amplify already-iconic moments in his catalog. Their Afropop drum grooves nod to My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Byrne’s landmark 1981 collaboration with Brian Eno, while their guileless twitches of choreography and playful melodrama point back, once more, to Stop Making Sense. When they stomp in methodical marching band moves—including that rotating spiral that high school music nerds know all too well—they evoke the live show for Love This Giant, Byrne’s 2012 joint record with St. Vincent, only far more euphoric. Their greatest moment may well be their gauzy inversion of Remain in Light opener “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)”: Nimble in the melodies and forceful in the percussion, their version is even more thrilling than the original.” (Pitchfork).]


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

Next week, on January 29 We talk and play new music from Jairy. We also welcome company members of Spinning Tree Theatre’s KC premiere of “Girlfriend” based on Matthew Sweet’s 1991 rock album of the same name. The show runs January 24 through February 9 at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf, Overland Park, Kansas. “Girlfriend is set in 1993 small-town Nebraska during the summer between high school and whatever comes next. College-bound jock Mike and self-assured but aimless Will find themselves drawn to each other. Their rush of first-time love, full of excitement, confusion and passion, is captured by the power-pop precision and frayed guitar emotion of Sweet’s alternative rock album.

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 #821

WMM presents Hadiza. + Les Izmore + Scott Hobart

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Hadiza. & Les Izmore
+ Scott Hobart of Giants Chair
+ New & MidCoastal Releases

Mark plays more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Pedaljets, Una Walkenhorst, Miss Boating, Jametatone and Blastocyst, Ebony Tusks, Adam Scott York, Miki P & The Swallowtails, Hadiza., Arquesta Del SolSoul, The Black Creatures, Giants Chair, Emily King, Anti-Flag, and David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway. We’ll also play Kate Bush and David Bowie.

Les Izmore

At 10:30 we talk with KC Hip Hop Superstar Les Izmore and singer, songwriter & pianist Hadiza. We’ll play music from Hadiza’s new album, “Shadow Weight,” and from Les Izmore’s Kansas City based collective Arquesta Del SolSoul. Hadiza. plays Hadiza’s Shadow Weight Release Ritual at miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO on Sat, January 25, at 9:00 PM with Hadiza., Babydoll, The Black Creatures, and Les Izmore and the GOATs. Hadiza’s band Collidescope play recordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, KCMO, Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 PM with Jametatone and ARQuesta Del SolSoul.

At 11:30 we talk with Scott Hobart of the midwestern post hardcore/emo trio, Giants Chair who joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Giants Chair were part of the mid-90’s KC rock scene, sharing bills with Germbox, Season To Risk, Molly McGuire and Shiner. Giant’s Chair recorded two full-length albums and toured the U.S. twice before ending in 1997. On December 6, 2019, Giants Chair released their third album on Spartan Records.

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #821