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, May 27, 2026

WMM presents: Margaret Cho + FlareThaRebel + Brodie Rush & Cody Calhoun of An Evening of Pink Floyd

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

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

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

3. Sweeping Promises – “Shooting Shadows”
   from: You Say I Romanticize / Feel It Records – Sub Pop / August 14, 2026
   [From bandcamp page: Sweeping Promises’ introduction to the global punk underground was their debut album, Hunger for a Way Out, one of the breakout successes in music during 2020’s pandemic lockdown. In 2023, they followed up with the acclaimed Good Living Is Coming for You, which made Album of the Year lists for Pitchfork, NPR, Paste, and BBC, just to name a few. The album found guitarist/producer Caufield Schnug and bassist/vocalist Lira Mondal testing the limits of their home-recording resourcefulness as freshly minted Kansans – new place, new space. Now, the band is back with a frenetic new offering: You Say I Romanticize. // Recorded over an 18-month period, largely prepared and periodically interrupted by Schnug’s non-SP production work, You Say I Romanticize is a tribute to the chaos of creation and collaboration under shifting circumstances. For years now, Schnug and Mondal have embedded themselves in their combination tour house and recording studio in Kansas, annually working on dozens of albums from other bands, hosting tour stops, planning shows, and the like. After an immersive process of tracking and whittling down YSIR demos and carving out an idiosyncratic chamber recording method for the album’s intentional wall-of-sound, the duo brought in touring drummer Spenser Gralla to play the songs like the band would on stage. // The album’s frenzied execution, akin to the group’s renowned live show, prevails most of all in Mondal’s vocals. Whereas previously, you might have heard a growl here and there on certain Sweeping Promises tracks, the band’s formidable singer shouts, roars, hits all sorts of tricky notes, and shreds her throat all over the record, notably on the pummeling opener “Shooting Shadows” and the smoldering “Cocoon.” // A shadow side exists along with Sweeping Promises’ love of their artistic community—borne of weirdos channeling their misfit status into vibrant art and punk rock music, often passing through the revolving door that is their home studio. You Say I Romanticize takes the art-by-any-means-necessary ethos Mondal and Schnug have developed over the years and turns the prompt upside-down, landing on a personality epidemic manifesting across all ten tracks. // A big theme of You Say I Romanticize is hinted at in its title. Taken from a lyric sung on driving album closer “Write Lightly”—a narrative about the importance of self-expression in writing being scrubbed away by “professional” concerns—many of the characters Mondal fleshed out here are outcasts, marginalized by society and morphed into longing fanatics. The personalities depicted on You Say I Romanticize are often writerly types; as writing is, by and large, an art of obsession. To wit, “Last Man,” by equal turns musically nervous and cathartic, loosely takes after Mary Shelley’s literary work of the same name, The Last Man—a dystopian 19th Century novel written in wake of a cholera outbreak. Similarly, “My Anchoress” resonantes in its portrayal of 15th Century author Julian of Norwich—centered around her enduring Revelations of Divine Love (one of the earliest English-written works by a woman), which details her eccentric, sensuous religious visions. // Sweeping Promises have long been progenitors of concept-forward art-punk music that is remarkably immediate and irresistible. For being largely about personalities boxed in by isolation, You Say I Romanticize is carried by an outright soaring energy. —Martin Douglas ]

[On September 9 through November 18 Sweeping Promises go on a 32 City U.S. Tour that include: St. Paul, Denver, and even Omaha, but not KC. Local promoters passed, because it’s not a tribute show.]

4. Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy – “Come Up High”
   from: Art, Luck and Architecture – EP / Til Willis / May 8, 2026
   [Til Willis on vocals & guitar; Bradley McKellip on guitar; Eric Binkley on bass; and Austin Sinkler on drums. With Randy Wills on Organ on December’s Clover and East Bijou. Recorded and Mixed by Randy Wills at Exceptions Studios (Topeka, KS). All songs written by Til Willis. (c) 2026 Lemon Zephyr Music BMI. // Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy released Glass Cactus on March 27, 2025 with Til Willis on vocals, guitar, percussion, mixing, & production; Bradley McKellip om guitars & lap steel; Eric Binkley on bass, and Austin Sinkler on grums with Nate Holt on keyboards for: Ten Miles of Days, Horizon, Smells Like Honey, Recovering Sunday; Chance Dibben on Sonic Manipulations on Homecoming, Recovering Sunday, Natural Law; and Steve Faceman on backup vocals on Lost. Recorded in The Barn in Tecumseh, Kansas. Mixed in The Cabin in Ouray, Colorado, and at 1509 Recording Service in Lawrence, Kansas. // Til Willis, born in the heat of 1980, has been making music for a long time. Currently, when not performing solo, he makes noise with Erratic Cowboy. The style of music is lyric driven rock, that draws influence from many sources. Some have described it as Tin-Roof-Rain-Water-Bop. Til has had the pleasure to have performed with Pete Seeger.]

5. youbet – “Ground Kiss”
   from: youbet / Hardly Art / May 1, 2026
   [From Bandcamp page: The best teachers never stop learning. They listen closely, stay curious, and let what they discover shape how they guide others. On their new self-titled album as youbet (due May 1st 2026, via Hardly Art), longtime music educators Nick Llobet (he/they) and Micah Prussack (she/her) proudly act as both explorer and guide, sharing three-dimensional musical sculptures so confidently and esoterically their own that they couldn’t have been released under any other name but youbet. Created in motion and shaped between long stretches of touring, the album reflects a moment of ecstatic possibility and grit. Both sharpened and expansive, youbet grows from the confines of home recording and “bedroom pop” into something sturdier, louder, and unmistakably their own. // “I myself am a constant student of life, of creating,” Llobet says. “I see people’s creative anxieties because I have lived them. It’s very therapeutic because I can tell that I’m giving people strong advice based on all my failures.” Llobet relocated to New York from Denver in 2013 and forged initial connections in the local scene, while creating youbet and writing two albums, but it wasn’t until meeting Prussack in 2022 that they discovered a different level of musical connection. When the duo started playing together, they quickly realized their uniquely shared musical language and eagerness to learn from everything, connecting over a vast array of musical influence and their own practice of teaching. “Early in our friendship, Nick and I were playing guitar in the park and we decided that the Beatles were so good because they learned how to play hundreds of songs together,” Prussack says. “So we began our quest to learn 1,000 songs. Nick started compiling a massive playlist called ‘Learn Me’ filled with music that we habitually study and generate new ideas from.”  // The duo began experimenting musically, and their subsequent year of touring led to a new, more refined sound. “We had a huge opportunity for reinvention,” Prussack says. “Nick will never play the chord that you expect, and is always pushing me outside of my creative box. Their compositions are so exciting to explore, and on tour we began to reconsider and transform the kernel of each song to match our new environment.” // That depth of surprise and expansive warmth radiates from album opener “Ground Kiss”, a late-night existential query written when Llobet found themselves adjusting to living alone after the end of an 11-year relationship. “The song represents an endless search for that something and the rebuilding that goes along with trial and failure,” they say. The song unites the spectrum between clouds of plucked Big Thief-esque glow and bursts of distorted frustration. To that end, youbet demonstrates Llobet and Prussack’s ability to weave beguiling musical and lyrical expression, pushing and pulling at the resulting mesh. // Developing their finely tuned fusion between complex musicality and deeply felt emotion required more than hoping inspiration would strike. Instead, the process of creating youbet involved countless hours of precise engineering, meticulous craft, and gritty dedication. The duo were consistently listening, learning, and writing. But that hard work boils down into every facet of their work, including bringing a set of dumbbells on tour so they could keep active and stay disciplined. For their part, Llobet sees the resulting album as a statement of that hard work and the opening of a new chapter. “It’s the beginning of a new era for youbet,” they say. “The band started as a sort of bedroom project for myself, but it has transformed into something expansive since working with Micah. It’s like we’re running a family business.” // The broiling “Undefined” draws from that personal soul-searching, a musical mosaic of life before and after a complicated breakup. Llobet first worked out the verses while waiting for a guitar student, a fitting backdrop for the song’s balance of wizardly art pop experimentalism and diligent power pop hookiness. Co-producers Katie Von Schleicher and Julian Fader help round out the mix, the former adding synth glisten and the latter a drum backbone hammered into place by Prussack’s bass. // The concussive “See Thru” rushes headlong through heavy alt rock chop, moments of gentler curve, and even bubbly electronics—a track Llobet notes began when they were toying with a Debussy piano part on guitar and then stamped in the harmonics and energy of Japanese hard rock band Boris. Elsewhere, “Receive” finds Llobet carving away at generational conflict, tethering propulsive bursts of guitar reverie with raw emotional vigor in the vein of Pile. “On the verse, the bass is playing variations on the vocal melody,” Prussack says. “Throughout the album, there’s unique interplay and variation that you can only get from a lot of hard work together.”// Echoing their strengths as educators, the ability to voraciously learn from a breadth of influences informs youbet—from the dizzying score to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to dazzling flamenco—but their ability to recognize meaning beyond signposts and find connections to emotional experience pushes everything into a topographical realism. “Having respect for the canon doesn’t mean we’re ever limited by revivalism. There’s a whole universe of musical vocabulary that we can borrow from and translate into our language,” Prussack says. // That willingness to learn from the past while building the future is something tied deeply to the band’s New York City roots, with so many visionary artists having previously built new worlds within the city’s confines. “For years, I was too intimidated to step into the scene. It’s been such a breath of fresh air to build this new craft, this new philosophy of songwriting in a scene I respect and feel in community with,” says Llobet. / Compelling art requires an unimaginable burst of new life, a shift from two-dimensional ideas to viscous, sinewy reality. As much as the hard work bolsters the music, it’s truly the resounding spirit of Llobet and Prussack’s relationship at the core of youbet. “Micah has brought a lot of order to my chaotic neurodivergence,” Llobet reflects. “I consider her my musical confidant. She can be cleverly critical and extremely encouraging. She’s probably the most opinionated person I know. Together we build this musical balance.” What emerges is an album that doesn’t just break free of its former constraints, but reconfigures them into something sturdier: a collaborative language capable of holding contradiction, growth, and connection all at once.]

6. Yaya Bey – “Blue”
   from: Fidelty / drink sum wtr / April 17, 2026
   [When Queens-born Yaya Bey released her 3rd album, do it afraid, in 2025, she yearned to move past the topic of grief after feeling her work was increasingly viewed through the narrow lens of loss. That said, there was plenty to mourn, from the death of her father, the acclaimed Juice Crew MC, Grand Daddy I.U. as well as a creeping sense that a particular Black American experience, the one she grew up in, was disappearing. The week the album dropped, despite the critical acclaim, she found herself on the road in a Miami hotel room, crying uncontrollably. She wasn’t just tired, but also coming to the realization “there was no place for that grief to exist that would not become a spectacle. I had been holding it in. Maybe, to protect myself. Maybe to prove the onlookers wrong. Whatever the case, it was spilling over now.” // What Bey was pondering was “what part of that ache is specifically Black?” and clarity followed. Yaya quickly returned to the studio after last summer and crafted a new body of work, an album that works as an accomp-anying piece to do it afraid, called Fidelity, the result of that breaking point. It is a record born from a summer of reflection on what it means to be a Black artist when your grief becomes a commodity, another sob story for onlookers to feast upon. Fidelity is a bold step forward, and in this new act, Bey moves past the surface-level labels to examine what she calls the “Three Deaths”: the personal, the communal, and the loss of innocence. // The album confronts Personal Death through the passing of her father in 2022. Bey questions why the life expectancy of Black musicians is so short as we continue to lose consequential artists, only to receive their flowers too late, too far after the fact. “Why are we more interesting as ghosts?” she asks, looking at the mid-career mark where so many artists are left to die by a system that prioritizes the “shiny & new.” // On Fidelity, the social and the personal are inseparable. Bey explores the Death of Home & community, charting the displacement of native New Yorkers and the fracture of the Black diaspora. She critiques the rise of Black capitalism, or the “individualism and tribalism” that have replaced community solidarity. From the gentrifi-cation of her native Queens or Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy to the “diaspora wars” online, Bey navigates the ways we’ve been pulled apart, weaponizing our differences instead of addressing the collective ache of being “made new” in a world that demands our constant adaptation. // Finally, the record addresses the Death of Innocence—the crash back to reality for a generation raised on the empty promises of the 90s and Y2K eras. Bey reflects on the transition from the “Golden Era” of Black media to a landscape of global pandemics, state violence, and an industry that exploits and disposes of Black artists that were once held in high esteem. // The songs show-case Bey’s range as a performer from lead-off single “Blue” which opens like a breath of fresh air to the project. Yaya says: “Blue” is the first song I wrote for the album. I wrote it when I was rock bottom coming off the heels of do it afraid. When I realized I had to make a big shift mentally and emotionally or I was gonna drown. The production is really reminiscent of early 2000’s Pop/R&B like something red-haired Kelly Rowland would sing over on one of her solo projects. The nostalgia drew me to it. Almost like I’m coaching my young-er self through something. Which I guess ultimately I am.” // Equally bright & effusive, “Forty Days” glim-mers with clarity, a song with a heavy theme about a phase transfer that is unexpectedly buoyed with a Disco-Funk confidence. “There’s a belief that after a loved one dies you give them 40 days to pass over into the ancestral realm and that got me thinking about what is the time frame for the grieving to transition into a new life that is absent of the lost one’s physical presence. How do both accli-mate to new conditions of the relation-ship?” // Fellow Queens native NESTA drops in for “Egyptian Musk”, a surprise chance moment turning into a key moment in the album. “I ran into NESTA at an event the night before and invited him to a session. We had this really dreamy reggae track that sounds like something old with a fresh spin. I named it Egyptian Musk ‘cause it reminds me of the scent. Rich, sweet and comforting.” // The core of the album is indeed found in its title. For Bey, Fidelity is the ultimate Black skill. It is the ability to fall down and get back up, to be “religious-ly joyful” even while the world is on fire. It is a grand pivot away from a yearning for mainstream accessibi-lity, and toward a radical faithfulness to self and community. Fidelity is not just a foil to do it afraid; it’s a re-clamation. She puts it, the veil is lifting, the work is being done, she’s still here. Cheers to hers, & our fidelity.]

7. Lee Walter Redding – “It Should Be Ours” (CD #7) (4:02)
   from: “It Should Be Ours” – Single / Lee Walter Redding / February 4, 2025
   [Lee Walter Redding released the EP Student Loan Forgiveness Program – EP on July 18, 2025. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025. // Lee Walter Redding released the single “All My Text Messages Are Verification Codes” on July 11, 2025. Lee Walter Redding released the single “It Should Be Ours” on February 24, 2025. // On July 15, 2022 Lee Walter Redding released the EP live From The Argyle Wallpaper. Lee Walter Redding on vocals, guitar; Justin Rogers on bass; Andy Kirk on guitar/synth and Justin Skinner on drums. // Lee Walter Redding released “Elephant Man (feat. Stephonne)” on April 9, 2021. Lee told us that he learned about Stephonne Singleton from listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley and hearing Stephonne for the first time. WMM bringing musical collaborations together since 2004. // Kansas City based Lee Walter Redding was raised on 60s rock, steeped in 90s Britpop ennui, and guided by contemporary neo-soul, Lee Walter Redding weaves dry humor into vibrant sonic textures that sway from wistful to chaotic. Think 2010s Nick Lowe fronting The Velvet Underground. On warped vinyl. More info at: http://www.leewalterredding.bandcamp.com] [Lee Walter Redding was our guest on WMM on July 13, 2022]

10:24 – Underwriting

8. Black Light Animals – “sleeptalking”
   from: LAST CALL FOR LOVE SONGS / The Record Machine / March 28, 2025
   [Black Light Animals are: Cole Bales on lead vocals, background vocals, guitar, keyboards; Cody Calhoun on lead guitar & percussion; Branden Moser on bass, guitar, keyboards, drums & percussion; and Alex Hartmann on drums & percussion. All songs written and produced by Black Light Animals. Lyrics by Cole Bales, Cody Calhoun, Branden Moser. Mixed and engineered by Cole Bales. Mastered by Adam Boose. Featuring Nate Hubert on keyboards & background vocals; spoken word intro and outro by Jass. Seyko Groves & Paula Saunders on additional background vocals and vocal arrangements. Brett Jackson on saxophone. Recorded at Groove King Studios in KCMO. // Formed from the ashes of their last band, Instant Karma the new record contains lush pop vocals crooned over spaghetti western riffs, psychedelic synth, and hip hop drums. Playboys of the Western World is a sprawling, decadent examination of what it means to be a human being through the lens of horror movie organs, spaghetti western guitars, hip hop grooves, psychedelic sojourns, and ballads crooned to lovers in the night. More info at: http://www.blacklightanimalsband.bandcamp.com]

9. Be/Non – “Over The Moon”
   rom: A Valley of No: The Alternative A Mountain of Yeses / Haymaker Records / Apr. 8, 2020
   [Originally released May 12, 2009, A Mountain of Yeses was made by: Brodie Rush on vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards; Ben Ruth on bass guitar; Ryan Shank on drums & percussion, and Jeremiah James on guitar, Moog & Vocals. Brodie writes: “This album is a journey into the sculpting process of creating “A Mountain of Yeses”. In contrast to the original release, this compilation contains alternate mixes, isolated tracks and demo versions. Be/Non presents a bizarro-like version of the AMOY album, showing an alternate universe what could have been if the creation of the album went on a divergent path. Behold the paradoxical serendipity of Be/Non’s unique take on constructing a space-themed story/album.]

10. Pink Floyd – “The Great Gig In The Sky”
    from: The Dark Side of the Moon / Capitol / March 1, 1973
    [Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals), with David Gilmour (guitar, vocals). The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released March 1, 1973 by Capitol Records in the US, and March 16, 1973 by Harvest Records in the UK. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. // The group employed multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers, including experimentation. The engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many aspects of the recording, and for the recruitment of the session singer Clare Torry, who appears on “The Great Gig in the Sky”. // The Dark Side of the Moon explores themes such as conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness. Snippets from interviews with the band’s road crew and others are featured alongside philosophical quotations. The sleeve, which depicts a prismatic spectrum, was designed by Storm Thorgerson in response to the keyboardist Richard Wright’s request for a “simple and bold” design which would represent the band’s lighting and the album’s themes. // The Dark Side of the Moon has received widespread critical acclaim and is often featured in publication listings of the greatest albums of all time. It brought international fame and wealth to all four band members. As a blockbuster release of the album era, it also propelled record sales throughout the music industry during the 1970s. The Dark Side of the Moon is certified 14× platinum in the United Kingdom, and topped the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, where it has charted for 996 weeks. By 2013, The Dark Side of the Moon had sold over 45 million copies worldwide, making it the band’s best-selling release, the best-selling album of the 1970s, and the fourth-best-selling album in history. In 2012, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. // Waters conceived an album that dealt with things that “make people mad”, focusing on the pressures associated with the band’s arduous lifestyle, and dealing with the mental health problems suffered by the former band member Syd Barrett. // The band approved of Waters’ concept for an album unified by a single theme. Waters created demo tracks in a small studio in a garden shed at his home in Islington. Parts of the album were taken from previously unused material; the opening line of “Breathe” came from an earlier work by Waters and Ron Geesin, written for the soundtrack of The Body, and the basic structure of “Us and Them” was borrowed from an original composition, “The Violent Sequence”, by the keyboardist, Richard Wright, for Zabriskie Point. The band rehearsed at a warehouse in London owned by the Rolling Stones and at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London. They also purchased extra equipment, which included new speakers, a PA system, a 28-track mixing desk with a four channel quadraphonic output, and a custom-built lighting rig. Nine tonnes of kit was transported in three lorries. This would be the first time the band had taken an entire album on tour. // The album had been given the provisional title of Dark Side of the Moon (an allusion to lunacy, rather than astronomy). // Pink Floyd’s lengthy tour through Europe and North America gave them the opportunity to make improvements to the scale and quality of their performances. After more concerts in Europe and North America, the band returned to London on January 9, 1973 to complete the album. // Each side of the vinyl album is a continuous piece of music. The five tracks on each side reflect various stages of human life, beginning and ending with a heartbeat, exploring the nature of the human experience and, according to Waters, “empathy”. “Speak to Me” and “Breathe” together highlight the mundane and futile elements of life that accompany the ever-present threat of madness, and the importance of living one’s own life – “Don’t be afraid to care”. By shifting the scene to an airport, the synthesiser-driven instrumental “On the Run” evokes the stress and anxiety of modern travel, in particular Wright’s fear of flying. “Time” examines the manner in which its passage can control one’s life and offers a stark warning to those who remain focused on mundane pursuits; it is concluded with a retreat into solitude and withdrawal in the reprise of “Breathe”. The first side of the album ends with Wright and Clare Torry’s soulful metaphor for death, “The Great Gig in the Sky”. // “Money”, the first track on side two, opens with the sound of cash registers and rhythmically jingling coins. The song mocks greed and consumerism with sarcastic lyrics and cash-related sound effects. “Money” became the band’s most commercially successful track and was covered by other artists. “Us and Them” addresses the senseless nature of war, the ignorance of modern-day humans who have been taken over by materialism, and the isolation of the depressed with the use of simple dichotomies to describe personal relationships. “Any Colour You Like” tackles the illusion of choice one has in society. “Brain Damage” looks at mental illness resulting from the elevation of fame and success above the needs of the self; in particular, the line “and if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes” reflects the mental breakdown of Syd Barrett. The album ends with “Eclipse”, which espouses the concepts of otherness and unity while encouraging the listener to recognise the common traits shared by humanity. // The Dark Side of the Moon was recorded at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in approximately 60 days between May 31, 1972 and February 9, 1973. Pink Floyd were assigned staff engineer Alan Parsons, who had worked as the assistant tape operator on their fifth album, Atom Heart Mother (1970), and had gained experience as a recording engineer on the Beatles albums Abbey Road and Let It Be. // The Dark Side of the Moon sessions made use of advanced studio techniques, especially the Studer A80 16-track recorders, an appreciable advantage over the eight- or four-track recordings they’d previously made, although the band often used so many tracks that second-generation copies were still needed to make more space available on the tape. The mix supervisor Chris Thomas recalled later, “There were only two or three tracks of drums when we came to mixing it. Depending on the song, there would be one or two tracks of guitar, and these would include the solo and the rhythm guitar parts. One track for keyboard, one track for bass, and one or two sound effects tracks. They had been very, very efficient in the way they’d worked.” // “The Great Gig in the Sky” features Richard Wright’s piano composition accompanied by improvised vocals from Clare Torry, a session singer and songwriter and a regular at Abbey Road. Parsons liked her voice, and when the band decided to use a female vocalist he suggested that she could sing on the track. The band explained the album concept to her, but they were unable to tell her exactly what she should do, and Gilmour, who was in charge of the session, asked her to try to express emotions rather than sing words. In a few takes on a Sunday night, Torry improvised a wordless melody to accompany Wright’s emotive piano solo. She was initially embarrassed by her exuberance in the recording booth and wanted to apologize to the band, who were impressed with her performance but did not tell her so. Her takes were edited to produce the version used on the track. She left the studio under the impression that her vocals would not make the final cut, and she only became aware that she had been included in the final mix when she picked up the album at a local record store and saw her name in the credits. For her contribution she was paid her standard session fee of £30, equivalent to about £360 in 2025. // In 2004, Torry sued EMI and Pink Floyd for 50% of the songwriting royalties, arguing that her contribution to “The Great Gig in the Sky” was substantial enough to be considered co-authorship. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, with all post-2005 pressings crediting Wright and Torry jointly. // The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the best-selling albums of all time and is in the top 25 of a list of best-selling albums in the United States. Although it held the number one spot in the US for only a week, on the week of May 5, 2006 The Dark Side of the Moon achieved a combined total of 1,716 weeks on the Billboard 200 and Pop Catalog charts. // In 2007, one in every 14 people in the US under the age of 50 was estimated to have owned a copy.]

10:36 – Interview with Brodie Rush, Cody Calhoun, Liam Sumnich, Nate Hubert, and Tim Jenkins

Brodie Rush is a musician, songwriter, band leader, graphic artist, actor, father and survivor. He has served as the Director of Animation & Motion Graphics at Crush Media. He is the creative genius behind Be/Non, a Kansas City band that has been making music for over 25 years. In October 2019, Brodie Rush survived having an Aortic Dissection, and after being in a coma, and after months of therapy, recovery, and healing through two dangerous years of Covid-19, Brodie returned to the studio to create new music and bring Be/Non back to life on stage, after a six year hiatus. Brodie Rush is considered a musical genius from his musical peers, including Haymaker Records Founder – Brenton Cook and many area music radio DJs. Be/Non has continued to move the boundaries of music and performance with special live shows at the Scottish Rite Temple, creating film and video to be presented wit h lie concerts, opening for Thomas Dolby. In the summer of 2008 Brodie was part of a Kansas City Theatre production of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, produced at at the former La Esquina Gallery, where Brodie played the “psychologically disintegrating” character of Pink, the role Bob Geldof played in the 1982 Alan Parker film version

We came to know Cody Calhoun as lead guitarist for the Kansas City based band Instant Karma. Cody immediately charmed our radio listeners with his clever sense of humor, and impecable musical taste. When Instant Karma went through their identity shift and became Black Light Animals we all followed awith Cole Bales, Branden Moser. And now Nate Hubert and Liam Sumnicht . The band members have recorded and performed lives with fantastic collaborations with Jass, Seyko Groves, Paula Saunders and others. Through their own Groove King Studios in KCMO. // Black Light Animals debut album, Playboys of the Western World was their own sprawling, decadent examination of what it means to be a human being through the lens of horror movie, organs, spaghetti western guitars, hip hop grooves, psychedelic sojourns, and ballads crooned to lovers in the night. Last year Black Light Animals released LAST CALL FOR LOVE SONGS on The Record Machine on March 28, 2025. It was in the Top Ten of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025.

Also with us are: Liam Sumnicht (Black Light Animals, Not A Planet), Nate Hubert (Black Light Animals), and Tim Jenkins (Ramona Clay).

These guys join us to share details about An Evening of Pink Floyd, Friday, May 29, doors at 7:00pm, show at 8:00pm, at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway, KCMO. The night will feature, The Dark Side of the Moon, performed in its entirety along with many more of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits and deep cuts. The band features some of Kansas City’s finest Rock, Soul, and Psychedelic musicians: Brodie Rush (Be/Non), Cody Calhoun (Black Light Animals), Liam Sumnicht (Black Light Animals, Not A Planet), Nate Hubert (Black Light Animals), SEYKO (The Freedom Affair and SUNU), and Tim Jenkins (Ramona Clay). With special guest performances by Aryana Nemanti and Michael Tipton (Found A Job, Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels) among others! For more information you can visit: https://warehouseonbroadway.com/

Brodie Rush, Cody Calhoun, Liam Sumnich, Nate Hubert, and Tim Jenkins thank you for being with us on WMM. An Evening of Pink Floyd, Friday, May 29, doors at 7:00pm, show at 8:00pm, at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway, KCMO.

The night will feature, The Dark Side of the Moon, performed in its entirety along with many more of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits and deep cuts.

Pink Floyd:
Nick Mason (drums)
Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals)
Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals),
David Gilmour (guitar, vocals).

The band features some of Kansas City’s finest Rock, Soul, and Psychedelic musicians:
Brodie Rush (Be/Non) – bass & Vocals
Cody Calhoun (Black Light Animals) – Guitar
Liam Sumnicht (Black Light Animals, Not A Planet) – Drums & vocals
Nate Hubert (Black Light Animals) – Keyboards & Vocals
SEYKO (The Freedom Affair and SUNU) – Vocals
Tim Jenkins (Ramona Clay) – Guitar

With special guest performances by Aryana Nemanti and Michael Tipton (Found A Job, Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels) among others!

For more information you can visit: https://warehouseonbroadway.com/

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released March 1, 1973 by Capitol Records in the US, and March 16, 1973 by Harvest Records in the UK.

Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The group employed multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesizers, including experimentation.

The engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many aspects of the recording, and for the recruitment of the session singer Clare Torry, who appears on “The Great Gig in the Sky”.

The Dark Side of the Moon explores themes such as conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness. Snippets from interviews with the band’s road crew and others are featured alongside philosophical quotations.

10:46

11. Pink Floyd – “Breathe (In the Air)”
    from: The Dark Side of the Moon / Capitol / March 1, 1973
    [Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals), with David Gilmour (guitar, vocals). The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released March 1, 1973 by Capitol Records in the US, and March 16, 1973 by Harvest Records in the UK. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road) in London.]

10:49 – More Interview with Brodie Rush, Cody Calhoun, Liam Sumnich, Nate Hubert, Tim Jenkins

Brodie Rush & Cody Calhoun & Company join us to share details about An Evening of Pink Floyd, Friday, May 29, doors at 7:00pm, show at 8:00pm, at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway, KCMO. The night will feature, The Dark Side of the Moon, performed in its entirety along with many more of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits and deep cuts. The band features some of Kansas City’s finest Rock, Soul, and Psychedelic musicians: Brodie Rush (Be/Non), Cody Calhoun (Black Light Animals), Liam Sumnicht (Black Light Animals, Not A Planet), Nate Hubert (Black Light Animals), SEYKO (The Freedom Affair and SUNU), and Tim Jenkins (Ramona Clay). With special guest performances by Aryana Nemanti and Michael Tipton (Found A Job, Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels) among others! For more information you can visit: https://warehouseonbroadway.com/

Brodie Rush & Cody Calhoun, thank you for being with us on WMM

The sleeve, which depicts a prismatic spectrum, was designed by Storm Thorgerson in response to the keyboardist Richard Wright’s request for a “simple and bold” design which would represent the band’s lighting and the album’s themes.

The Dark Side of the Moon has received widespread critical acclaim and is often featured in publication listings of the greatest albums of all time. It brought international fame and wealth to all four band members. As a blockbuster release of the album era, it also propelled record sales throughout the music industry during the 1970s.

The Dark Side of the Moon is certified 14× platinum in the United Kingdom, and topped the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, where it has charted for 996 weeks.

By 2013, The Dark Side of the Moon had sold over 45 million copies worldwide, making it the band’s best-selling release, the best-selling album of the 1970s, and the fourth-best-selling album in history.

In 2012, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

An Evening of Pink Floyd, Friday, May 29, doors at 8:00pm, at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway, KCMO. The night will feature, The Dark Side of the Moon, performed in its entirety along with many more of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits and deep cuts. The band features some of Kansas City’s finest Rock, Soul, and Psychedelic musicians: Brodie Rush (Be/Non), Cody Calhoun (Black Light Animals), Liam Sumnicht (Black Light Animals, Not A Planet), Nate Hubert (Black Light Animals), SEYKO (The Freedom Affair and SUNU), and Tim Jenkins (Ramona Clay). With special guest performances by Aryana Nemanti and Michael Tipton (Found A Job, Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels) among others! For more information you can visit: https://warehouseonbroadway.com/

Brodie Rush, Cody Calhoun, Liam Sumnich, Nate Hubert, Tim Jenkins thank you for being with us on WMM – An Evening of Pink Floyd, Friday, May 29, doors at 7:00pm, show at 8:00pm, at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway, KCMO. For info you can visit: https://warehouseonbroadway.com/

10:58

12. Pink Floyd – “Eclipse”
    rom: The Dark Side of the Moon / Capitol / March 1, 1973
    [Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals), with David Gilmour (guitar, vocals). The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released March 1, 1973 by Capitol Records in the US, and March 16, 1973 by Harvest Records in the UK. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road) in London.

13. Be/Non – “Journey”
    from: A Valley of No: The Alternative A Mountain of Yeses / Haymaker Records / Apr. 8, 2020
    [Originally released May 12, 2009, A Mountain of Yeses was made by: Brodie Rush on vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards; Ben Ruth on bass guitar; Ryan Shank on drums & percussion, and Jeremiah James on guitar, Moog & Vocals. Brodie writes: “This album is a journey into the sculpting process of creating “A Mountain of Yeses”. In contrast to the original release, this compilation contains alternate mixes, isolated tracks and demo versions. Be/Non presents a bizarro-like version of the AMOY album, showing an alternate universe what could have been if the creation of the album went on a divergent path. Behold the paradoxical serendipity of Be/Non’s unique take on constructing a space-themed story/album.]

11:00 – Station ID

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

[FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO with\Kadesh Flow and True Lions.]

11:02:30 – Interview with FlareThaRebel

FlareThaRebel returns to Wednesday MidDay Medley to share details about his new, epic full length album, DEAR CITY that was released May 1, 2026. Dear City is an incredible testimony of life as an artist in Kansas City making Hip Hop music. Dear City features 12 tracks with guest appearances from Jazlyn, Kemet Coleman, Ryan Marquez, Edie Moore, Kadesh Flow, The Epitome, The Royal Chief, Shay Lyriq, Joey Cool, and Paula Sunders, Shon Ruffin and SEYKO of The Freedom Affair. FlareThaRebel has just returned from special performance in Ireland with Kemet Coleman and Kadesh Flow. FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8, on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd, KCMO, with Kadesh Flow and True Lions. FlareThaRebel is also known as Jeff Shafer who serves as Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC. More info at: http://www.cityyear.org

FlareThaRebel, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

FlareThaRebel has just returned from special performance in Ireland with Kemet Coleman and Kadesh Flow.

FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8, on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd, KCMO, with Kadesh Flow and True Lions.

DEAR CITY that was released May 1, 2026. Dear City is an incredible testimony of life as an artist in Kansas City making Hip Hop music. Dear City features 12 tracks with guest appearances from Jazlyn, Kemet Coleman, Ryan Marquez, Edie Moore, Kadesh Flow, The Epitome, The Royal Chief, Shay Lyriq, Joey Cool, and Paula Sunders, Shon Ruffin and SEYKO of The Freedom Affai

Career and love brought hip-hop MC FlareThaRebel back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, FlareThaRebel made quite an impact on the KC hip-hop scene.

After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”.

FlareThaRebel last joined us on WMM on February 11, 20926 to talk about Music Maker Mondays presented by Manor Records Foundation, & Brewery Emperial on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO, to provide local music makers of all types – any genre, a laid-back, non-gig environment to connect, organize, and build community through a new monthly happy hour occurring on the first Monday of each month.

Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This job brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director.

11:11

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

[FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO with\Kadesh Flow and True Lions.]

11:14 – More Interview with FlareThaRebel

FlareThaRebel returns to Wednesday MidDay Medley to share details about his new, epic full length album, DEAR CITY that was released May 1, 2026. Dear City is an incredible testimony of life as an artist in Kansas City making Hip Hop music. Dear City features 12 tracks with guest appearances from Jazlyn, Kemet Coleman, Ryan Marquez, Edie Moore, Kadesh Flow, The Epitome, The Royal Chief, Shay Lyriq, Joey Cool, and Paula Sunders, Shon Ruffin and SEYKO of The Freedom Affair. FlareThaRebel has just returned from special performance in Ireland with Kemet Coleman and Kadesh Flow. FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8, on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd, KCMO, with Kadesh Flow and True Lions. FlareThaRebel is also known as Jeff Shafer who serves as Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC. More info at: http://www.cityyear.org

FlareThaRebel, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. FlareThaRebel is also known as Jeff Shafer who serves as Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC. More info at: http://www.cityyear.org

The DEAR CITY album was connected to DEAR CITY Reels – filmed by Lava Dreams, Directed by FlareThaRebel. Each Reel showcases verses and chorus of songs from DEAR CITY album.

Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate.

FlareTheRebel wants to encourage Kansas City to form a music office of MUSIC OFFICE AND MEETING IN OCTOBER WITH DALLAS MUSIC OFFICE

Flare’s brother Sike is known for his pristine community murals’s located all over Kansas City. Sike’s time at Recycled Sounds was memorable for Jeff as a young kid and as he developed into a DJ and graphic designer and got heavily into the scene with The Guild, CES Cru, Sounds Good, Brother of Moses, etc. This influenced Jeff and Anti-Crew to start releasing music and performing as well.

Many of Flare’s songs are connected to his Art to Empower initiative, raising awareness and funds for a variety of social justice causes and nonprofits, such as his Royalty EP poster designed by muralists JT Daniels, which raises funds for the Equal Justice Initiative. Flare’s Art to Empower initiative, and about merchandise that was designed by your brother muralist Sike Style to raise funds and awareness for BLOC (Brothers Liberating our Communities).

As Flare explains, in our country Black men are being mistreated, demonized, killed, and not given the same structures that they need to be successful.

Flare writes: “We have to pull together ourselves as a community,… that’s something that I’m very passionate about. I can’t just talk about it. I got to walk the walk and, if I can use art to promote and raise funds for nonprofits and social justice causes that are making difference on the front lines, then that’s what I want to do.”

“You can’t do this without being empathetic, in my opinion,” Flare concurs. “I might be bringing up topics that are hard for people to swallow, but I hope I do so in a way that’s still motivating. Music is supposed to make you feel an emotion and hopefully, the emotion that people feel from this music is motivation to make a change, to make a stand, or–at the very least–to educate themselves about the realities of our country.”

“I’m motivated by my ancestors,” states Flare emphatically. “I’m motivated by the revolutionaries and civil rights activists that have come before me and I’m motivated by the ones that exist today. I’m learning from them and when I’m creating art, I’m interweaving what I’ve learned from them into what I’m addressing. It was a way to create a lyrical pro-Black narrative that I felt was very relevant.”

Flare Tha Rebel & Bob Pulliam joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on August 11, 2021. the year his EP, THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE HASHTAGGED, was released (on July 9, 2021). This was the 50th anniversary of Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”

FlareThaRebel thanks for being with us on WMM

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

11:22

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

[FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO with\Kadesh Flow and True Lions.]

11:28 – Underwriting

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

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

11:33 – Interview with Margaret Cho

Comedian. Actor. Musician. Advocate. Entrepreneur. Artist. Margaret Cho is smart, she’s funny, she’s courageous, she’s outrageous, she’s charming, she’s provocative, she’s fearless, she’s raw, she’s honest, she roots for the underdog. She is the underdog. Margaret Cho the five-time Grammy and Emmy nominated comedian-actress was recently included in VOGUE Magazine’s “9 best female comedians of all-time’ alongside Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wanda Sykes. Margaret Cho is the author of two memoirs, has done 12 national comedy tours including “True Colors” with Cyndi Lauper. Margaret has been in 48 films, including Fire Island, a portrayal of the LGBTQ Asian American experience on Fire Island. She has been in 72 television shows, including 19 episodes of All American Girl, 72 episodes of Drop Dead Diva, 21 episodes of Fashion Police with Joan Rivers, and 3 episodes of 30 Rock, where her portrayal of Kim Jong II was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Margaret Cho has also created 8 television comedy specials, recorded 9 comedy albums, 3 full length musical albums, 11 musical singles and 23 music videos. Margaret Cho was the recipient of the Victory Fund’s Leadership Award, the first-ever Best Comedy Performance Award at the Asian Excellence Awards, the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). She has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force(NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), PFLAG, She Rocks Awards and LA Pride.

Margaret Cho brings her new “blistering and brutally honest” show, “Choligarchy” to The Folly Theater, 300 West 12th, KCMO, on Saturday, June 16, at 7:30pm. For more information you can visit: http://www.follytheater.org

Margaret Cho Thanks for being with us on WMM

First off – We LOVE Margaret Cho! Her stand up shows have made me laugh so hard we’ve cried. Mark writes, “as a queer person living I the United States her performance work has made her a hero to me and the queer people everywhere.”

We just played “Lucky Gift,” the title track for Margaret’s last music full length release. She worked with Garrison Starr in writing and producing. This is Margaret’s power pop anthem and the first song she wrote on her mandotar (a double neck mandolin-guitar).She writes, “It is giving gay pop in the best way and it’s my favorite song I’ve ever written.”

Margaret will be participating in the Jillith Fair Tribute concerts for Jill Sobule.

David Bowie is a big influence to Margaret.

Margaret was born and raised in San Francisco, an experience that helped to shape her worldview. She knew she was funny enough to try stand-up at age 14. Soon after, Margaret won a contest to open for Jerry Seinfeld, prompting a move to Los Angeles and work on the college comedy circuit. She performed over 300 concerts within two years. Arsenio Hall introduced her to late night audiences, Bob Hope put her on a prime time special and justlikethat, Margaret Cho became a household name

Cho was born on December 5, 1968, to a family of Korean descent. Her paternal grandfather Myung-sook Cho, a Christian minister, worked for the Japanese as a station master during their occupation of Korea. When Japan withdrew from Korea at the end of World War II, he was denounced as a chinilpa, a traitor, by North Korea and forced to move with his family, including his son, Margaret’s father Seung-hoon Cho, to South Korea. During the Korean War, Myung-sook ran an orphanage in Seoul.

According to Margaret, she was raised in “a very Christian family.” Cho grew up in a racially diverse neighborhood near the Ocean Beach section of San Francisco, which she described as “old hippies, ex-druggies, burn-outs from the 1960s, drag queens, Chinese people and Koreans. To say it was a melting pot – that’s the least of it. It was a really confusing, enlightening, wonderful time.” Cho’s parents, Young-Hie and Seung-Hoon Cho, ran Paperback Traffic, a bookstore on Polk Street at California Street in San Francisco. Her father writes joke books and a newspaper column published in Seoul, South Korea.

At school, Cho was bullied, saying that “I was hurt because I was different and so sharing my experience of being beaten and hated and called fat and queer and foreign and perverse and gluttonous and lazy and filthy and dishonest and yet all the while remaining invisible heals me, and heals others when they hear it – those who are suffering right now.”

Choligarchy continues Margaret’s mission of speaking truth to power. We are living in such crazy times, when reality is seemling so absurd already, is it harder to find the jokes?

“My new show Choligarchy is bringing me back to my roots as a political comedian. I’m so frustrated with the state of the union and I know the only weapon I have is humor. We are being taken over by the richest people in the world but the one thing they cannot afford is jokes at their expense. I want to fight fascism with everything I have. This will be my most blistering and brutally honest show yet! Let’s tear down racism, homophobia and sexism with all that we have. We have to fight for what we have now, because if we wait any longer, it might be too late to save ourselves” says Margaret.

Cho goes on to share –“Not only do we need more than impeachment. We need a full cabinet removal. Gavin Newsom has to go in with California Closets and redo the whole thing.”

“I will fight Kristi Noem at the med spa of her choosing. We would both have to dissolve our filler beforehand to ensure a fair fight.”

Margaret Cho writes a joke everyday.

Margaret started doing television when she was 24

Margaret is in Gregg Araki’s next film, “I Want Your Sex” w/ Olivia Wilde & Charli XCX

Margaret is featured alongside Sandra Bernhard & Kristen Schaal in Disney’s season 2 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”

Like other comedians of the time, she was soon offered a network show. Her groundbreaking ABC sitcom, All-American Girl premiered in 1994, and while producers said they wanted to work with her because she was a non-conformist Korean American woman with liberal views, they also wanted her to tone it down for television. “For fear of being too “ethnic,” the show got so watered down that by the end, it was completely lacking in the essence of what I wanted to accomplish.”

In 1999, her groundbreaking Off-Broadway one-woman show, I’m The One That I Want, toured to national acclaim and was turned into both a best-selling book and feature film of the same name. After her experience with All-American Girl, Margaret made sure she would only have to answer to herself, staying in charge of the distribution and sales of her film, an unusual move at the time. In 2001, Margaret launched Notorious C.H.O., a smash-hit 37-city national tour that culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. 

In 2003, Margaret began her 3rd sold-out national tour, Revolution, heralded as “Her strongest show yet” by Chicago Sun Times and earning her a Grammy nomination for Comedy Album of the Year. In 2005, she released the live comedy film Assassin, which premiered in select theatres and on the LGBT premium channel, Here! TV.

Margaret returned to television in 2008 with the VH1 series, The Cho Show. Describing it as a ‘reality sitcom,’ Margaret said at the time, “It’s the closest I’ve been able to come to what I do as a comic on TV.” The aptly titled Beautiful tour followed, exploring the good, bad and ugly in the world of beauty and the marketers who try to shape our world-view. 

In 2009, Margaret nabbed a co-starring role in the dramedy series Drop Dead Diva, which aired for six seasons on Lifetime. Margaret memorably participated in 2010’s Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars, performing a dance number in a gay-pride-supporting rainbow dress during a time when there was a rise in suicides among gay youth due to bullying. 

2010 culminated in another high, a second Comedy Album of the Year Grammy Award nomination for Cho Dependent, her incredibly funny music album. Featuring collaborations with Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird, Grant Lee Phillips, Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee and more, the album received critical acclaim, not only for the topics tackled, but also for Margaret’s musicianship. In 2011, Margaret released the live concert film of Cho Dependent, shot at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA.

Margaret spent whatever free time she had crafting a new stand-up show, MOTHER, which she took across America and Europe in 2012. According to Margaret, “MOTHER offered an untraditional look at motherhood and how we view maternal figures and strong women in queer culture.”

Margaret’s creative side moved full speed ahead with an Outstanding Guest Actress Emmy nomination for playing Kim Jong II on 30 Rock. 2015 also brought Margaret back to the stand-up stage, where she filmed PSYCHO at the historic Gramercy Theatre in NYC

Margaret put out her second studio album, American Myth, in 2016 on her Clownery label, earning her a third Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine named her one of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics, calling her “the sort of funny, sex-positive feminist and LGBT activist younger comics continue to look up to.” 

Her 2018 Fresh off the Bloat tour was shuttered by Covid, but as soon as she was able to get back out on stage, she did. Margaret kicked off 2019 as the Poodle on the first season of The Masked Singer on FOX, appeared in an episode Law & Order: SVU and was in an episode of HBO’s critically acclaimed series High Maintenance. In 2020, Margaret appeared in three films –Faith Based, also starring Seinfeldalum Jason Alexander, Friendsgiving, with Kat Dennings and Malin Akerman, and in Netflix’s first major animated film, the acclaimed Over the Moon.

In June of 2021, Netflix released the hit rom-com Good on Paper, starring Iliza Shlesinger with Margaret co-starring as her best friend. Her 2022 appearances included guest starring roles on Season 2 of The Flight Attendant (HBO Max), Season 2 of Hacks (HBO Max) and two Netflix is a Joke comedy specials: Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration and Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin: Ladies Night Live. Probably the biggest splash of that year was her role as “Erin” in HULU’s smash Fire Island with Bowen Yang & Joel Kim Booster.

2023/24 has found Margaret, well, everywhere. She guested on Amy Schumer’s Life with Beth as well as the Ryan Murphy hit Doctor Odyssey and was part of the ensemble cast of the Netflix doc Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution. A who’s who of incredible comedians, the documentary shares the history of LGBTQ+ stand-up and its importance as an instrument for social change over the past five decades.

Margaret’s latest film, All That We Love, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, with Margaret earning rave reviews. The Hollywood Reporter called the film “poignant and lovely.”  Margaret was also named the Vanguard Artist-in-Residence for Manhattan’s famed Joe’s Pub. This prestigious recognition singles out “an iconic artist who has significantly influenced the artistic community of Joeʼs Pub & American culture at large.”

Remarkably, she also managed to film a series and another movie. Margaret stars as “Wasp,” one of the “Gray Sisters” (alongside Sandra Bernhard and Kristen Schaal) in Season 2 of Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians as well as in Gregg Araki’s thriller I Want Your Sex, also starring Olivia Wilde and Charli XCX.

Margaret has also developed a new solo show, Mommy, A One Woman Cho, which is noted for being her first work of fiction. “My new show, Mommy, is a completely fictional autobiography of my mother I have written for the stage. You can lie in plays but not standup comedy, so I’m super excited for my Mommy fan fiction era.” The play debuted in July 2024 to a sold-out audience at Marist College.

If that wasn’t enough, the end of 2024 brings new music from Margaret. The first single, Lucky Gift – also the album’s title – gives a taste of things to come before the February 14, 2025, release on her Clownery Records label.

Margaret continues to staunchly support the causes that are important to her: anti-racism, anti-bullying and gay rights. She was the recipient of the Victory Fund’s Leadership Award, the first-ever Best Comedy Performance Award at the Asian Excellence Awards, the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Margaret has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force(NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), PFLAG, She Rocks Awards and LA Pride.

“Margaret Cho is my soul sister, we see the world through the same lens trying our damndest to make things just a little groovier, mellower & a lot more fun. I admire her deeply. You’ve got to experience her live to get the whole picture so get up & make it happen! She is one of a kind” – Sandra Bernhard

Margaret was also part of Netflix’s “Stand Out Comedy Special” and “Over The Moon” film with Ken Jeong & Sandra Oh which was nominated for an Academy Award & Golden Globe Award.

Margaret has been working on a 10 year project – a new one-woman show about her mother and two sisters, where Margaret plays all of the characters – hoping to eventually take the show to Broadway.

A pioneer amongst women in comedy, Margaret doesn’t take anything for granted as she continues to tackle difficult subjects with sensitivity and her razor sharp insight with her takes on addiction, abuse, activism and Asianness. It’s all about the politics of disgust and what is disgusting about politics. Margaret has received many rave reviews for her live shows with the Chicago Tribune saying “Be it on-screen (“30 Rock,” “Drop Dead Diva”) or on stage, Margaret Cho has been one of the most exciting, unpredictable stand-up comics working for some time, and that hasn’t changed. If anything, the Asian-American female comedian’s voice has become more valuable than ever, given today’s social climate, and Cho’s material remains just as compelling, thanks in part to—and sometimes in spite of—her unapologetic delivery.”

“Margaret Cho inspired me since I was a kid. She was someone who was queer, Asian and doing something that you did not immediately associate with an Asian person. There’s a dearth of representation when it comes to queer people or Asian people, but I have to give credit to the people who have been out here doing it, and that’s definitely Margaret.” – Bowen Yang

“The Notoroius C.H.O.! Margaret is a jack of all trades and master of many. Whether conjuring the spirits of George Carlin, Joan Rivers or Lenny Bruce, she is committed to navigating the world of comedy and uniquely making it her own. Completely unapologetic about the life experiences that have shaped her path and journey to where she is today. These are just some of the reasons I love Margaret.” – Wanda Sykes

“Margaret Cho is a pioneering, trailblazing, genre-busting badass. She also happens to be extremely amusing.” – Shirley Manson of Garbage

“Margaret doesn’t just kick the door down. She lights it on fire.” – Atsuko Okatsuka

“I’ve said it before but it bares repeating: I would not be doing what I do without Margaret Cho. Her comedy was daring and bawdy and incisive when I first discovered her early work and seeing her now it’s remarkable how she’s been able to evolve, stay relevant and remain one of the funniest comics working today.” – Joel Kim Booster

Margaret Cho Thanks for being with us on WMM

Margaret Cho brings her new “blistering and brutally honest” show, “Choligarchy” to The Folly Theater, 300 West 12th, KCMO, on Saturday, June 16, at 7:30pm. For more information you can visit: http://www.follytheater.org

11:50

18. Margaret Cho – “Wheels of Gold”
    from: Lucky Gift / Clownery Records / February 14, 2025
    [Margaret Cho’s 3rd music album. She released In Transistion in 2013, and American Myth in 2016. // Produced and co-written with Garrison Starr and Roger Rocha. Acoustic Guitar Garrison Starr and Margaret Cho. Backround Vocals Kate Willett. ]

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

19. Mitski – “I’ll Change For You”
    from: Nothings About to Happen to Me / Dead Oceans / February 27, 2026
    [Nothing’s About to Happen to Me is the eighth studio album by Mitski. Continuing the musical through line established with The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, the album features live instrumentation by The Land touring band and ensemble arrangements. The album finds Mitski immersing herself in a rich narrative whose main character is a reclusive woman in an unkempt house. Outside of her home, she is a deviant; inside of her home, she is free.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, June 3 we talk with David Brighton of David Brighton’s SPACE ODDITY, The Quintessential David Bowie Tribute Experience, presented by The Folly Theater, Friday, June 5, at 7:30. We also welcome back to the show Stephonne, AND Jocelyn Olivia Nixon of The Creepy Jingles joins us to talk about her band’s new album WASHED UP.

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

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

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

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

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #1149

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, May 13, 2026

Shaun Crowley & Music of Manor Fest 8

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

2. Ernest Melton – “Waves”
   from: “Waves” – Single / Music By Melton / April 21, 2025
   [Ernest Melton is a saxophonist, composer, and band leader currently residing in Kansas City, MO by way of Goldsboro, North Carolina. He relocated to his mother’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri at the age of ten where he picked up his first saxophone at Longfellow Academy of the Arts. Bored with the classical curriculum of the music department, Ernest studied more contemporary genres of music and the guitar until the age of fourteen when he joined his first jazz program through the American Jazz Museum of KC. Playing mostly tenor sax by the age of fourteen, Ernest joined Lincoln High School jazz band and many other musical programs. Melton left school at the age of sixteen to study music on his own. With kind neighbors and a supportive mother, Ernest was free to practice the saxophone, study albums, and write compositions at any hour of the day. It was during this time he found his first major influences in jazz like Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, and Pharoah Sanders. Pharoah’s polyphony were like echoes of Melton’s father, a Primitive Baptist preacher, and became a large influence of his playing. An avid composer as well, Ernest studied with tutors in classical orchestration, big band arranging, and Afro-Cuban drumming. He cites Charles Mingus, Igor Stravinsky, and Wayne Shorter as his favorite all around composers and still tries to implement their techniques in his music today. After being accepted into Berklee College of Music he decided not to attend and began his career playing music in bands of every genre around the Greater Kansas City area. In 2018 Ernest release his first full length album entitled, “The Time Of The Slave Is Over”, which received raved reviews at home and abroad by media such as Plastic Sax, Quest TV, and JAZIZZ to name a few. Ernest Melton has played all over the country and plans to continue to travel abroad. // Melton released the singles “Waves” on April 21, 2025, “Sonnet for Sanity”on December 18, 2020 and, “Chronicles of Conception” on April 21, 2020, and “Narrative for Natives” on March 9, 2020. Ernest Melton released the album “The Standard Imperfections” on September 1, 2019. Ernest Melton is also featured on the BodaciousThang singles, “Drank!” on August 7, 2019 and “Say Hi” released Sept. 2, 2020 on Juicy Burrito Records.]

[Ernest Melton plays Night One of Manor Fest 8 Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm at Greenwood Social Hall 1750 Belleview Ave, KCMO, with Kapten and Lauren Lovell & The Midnight Spliffs.]

3. Dalima Kapten – “Feel the Beat, Bud”
   from: “Feel the Beat, Bud’ – Single / Dalima Kapten / September 27, 2024
   [Dalima Kapten released the single “Scrappy Rose” Sept. 27, 2024. // She is currently working on her debut album. She is a second-generation Kenyan-American pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Technology at the University of Central Missouri. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies, Theater Minor, and a specialization in Architectural Acoustics from the University of Kansas. // As a theater performer & artist, Dalima is deeply moved by a passion for storytelling and worked at Music Theater Heritage as the Manager of Artistic Operations. Additionally, she presented her self-published chapbook “Native Anomaly” for Columbia University’s HOME: Symposium.]

[Dalima Kapten plays Night One of Manor Fest 8 Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm at Greenwood Social Hall 1750 Belleview Ave, KCMO, with Ernest Melton and Lauren Lovell & The Midnight Spliffs.]

10:06 – Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Today we spin music from 22 artists & bands playing Manor Fest 8 including: The Greeting Committee, Calvin Arsenia, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, The Babe Gabe, The Matchsellers, Field Daze, Spy World, Alber, Malek Azrael, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Tidal.wav, Dalia Kapten, Maddie Lai, and Jack Summer.

We welcome Shaun Crowley the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization that functions as a record label to support KC musicians. Shaun shares details about Manor Fest 8, featuring 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a KC Street Car. May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28 29, & 30. This festival directly supports local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians.

We also welcome Valorie Mersman who does Press and Public Relations for Manor Records

Manor Fest 8 includes: The Greeting Committee, Bobby Watson, Calvin Arsenia, Fritz & Sons, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Sass-A-Brass, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, Eddie Moore, True Lions, The Royal Chief, Brian Gerald Bulger, Kissin, The Babe Gabe, Scabb, The Matchsellers, Kadesh Flow, Miki P, Aigerue + Mikey, Teri Quinn, Field Daze, Spy World, FK Menace, Apricot Glow, Alber & I Maledetti, Malek Azrael & The Vibes, Dom Chronicles, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, Rebel Song Academy Ft. Base Academy of Music, Pure XTC, Nina Cherry, Henry Scamurra, Charmaine, Mosaic, Toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Jolson & The Fear of Snakes, Silvee, Freia, Natalie Prauser, Jazlyn Epps, Gracie Caggiano, Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust, Tidal.wav, Kapten, Sammy Sheets, Maddie Lai, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Jack Summers, Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs, Isaiah Petrie, Ronnie Ze’Bo, Jacob E Chord Grüp, and The Soul Agenda. For more info: http://www.manorrecords.com

Shaun Crowley is a classically trained guitarist, and studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Shaun is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a music label that grew out of Manor Fest, the first festival sized “house show” Shaun and friends produced in their basement featuring 12 bands. We first met Shaun as part of the band Rev Gusto, originally formed in high school with friends at Saint James Academy.

Shaun Crowley thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Crowley started playing in the KC when he was 17 in band Rev Gusto and Momma’s Boy. Shaun Crowley started Manor Records in 2017. The organization was born from the special concerts produced in the basement of the Rev. Gusto / Momma’s Boy band house, where Shaun and his band mates were living at the time. Named “The Manor” this house was located in the suburbs of Shawnee, Kansas. An almost anonymous venue, where the band invited other up and coming area bands to play a musical festival held in a basement. Even national artists joined in the show. From Glass Animals to Shy Boys, the underground venue hosted numerous local acts, and some national touring acts. Founder Shaun Crowley created the first Manor Fest with 10 bands in one night, then grew to a two night event featuring 20 local bands.

Eventually band members moved out of The Manor, and went into different directions, some starting solo projects, through Manor Records, some getting married, some moving away from Kansas City. Shaun carried on, collaborating with actual public venues in Strawberry Hill to create a record store, creating monthly and weekly music events, and creating a non-for profit, called Manor Records.

Shaun was working full time, while also teaching himself how to run a non-for profit. When spaces in Strawberry Hill became unavailable Manor Records moved to the West Bottoms, and then later moved again to a Troost storefront retail space, continuing the Record Store-Record Label-Music Venue idea, and also providing music classes. Moving over state lines meant reapplying as a non-profit now under Missouri guidance.

Retail space, and rental cost challenges pushed Manor Records out of their Troost physical space, but gave Manor Records a geographical history of relationships with multiple neighborhoods, neighborhood small businesses, and the people and artists who inhabit these neighborhoods. This geographical history and identity is the spirit behind Manor Fest – a Music Fest unlike any other. A progressive Fest, featuring 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a Kansas City Street Car, held May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28 29, & 30.

Manor Fest is a multi-day music festival in Kansas City that goes back to the group’s early days in that Shawnee basement. The foundation’s mission is to provide resources and support to local musicians, and Manor Fest is now a cornerstone of their fundraising efforts. More information at: http://www.manorrecords.com

Manor Records Board
Khrystal Johnson – President
Danielle Krakenberg – Secretary
Tyler Fowler – Board Treasurer
Talon Ice – Board Member
Droo Long – Board Member

Record Label Operations Team
Our record label team is a mix of our core operations staff and dedicated volunteers who work hands-on with the artists on our roster each year. Beyond supporting our musicians, we’re committed to developing the next generation of music industry professionals—giving them real experience in booking, press, and other key roles. Our long-term goal is to grow Kansas City’s music industry by turning these positions into paid, part-time roles and creating sustainable career pathways right here at home.
Also with us today is Valorie Mersman – who does Press a& Public Relations for Manor

Shaun Crowley – Founder & Executive Director
Skylar Rochelle – Record Label Lead
Kayla Jarrett – Physical & Digital Distribution
Betsie Yeomans – Booking
Abigail Elwart – Social Media
Kate Whitefield – Press / PR
Valorie Mersman – Press / PR
Enrique Guiterrez – Graphic Design
Randee Wisdom – Blog Editor

Manor Records Event Volunteers & Manor Fest 8 Team
Dorian Allen – Manor Fest Sound Lead
Sarai Vega – Manor Fest Photo Lead
James Miller -Events Volunteer
Evan Herd – Manor Fest Lead Volunteer

From Manor Records Website:

Mission – Manor Records Foundation’s mission is to strengthen Kansas City’s music community by providing equitable funding and artist development to uplift and advance emerging independent artists.

Manor Records Story – Manor Records Foundation’s mission is to provide equitable funding and artist development to uplift and advance emerging independent artists in Kansas City. Manor Records Foundation is a Kansas City based nonprofit record label dedicated to sustaining and developing our local music community through direct artist funding, development programs, and community events. Our roots trace back to The Shawnee Manor, a basement venue that became a launching pad for local and touring talent, featuring early shows from bands like Glass Animals and Hinds. From these grassroots beginnings and much learning along the way – we have grown into a fully operational nonprofit label supporting local artists.

Today, Manor Records Foundation has supported more than 60 digital releases and over 30 physical albums from emerging Kansas City musicians — helping artists fund projects, build sustainable careers, and reach wider audiences. Through initiatives like our annual Manor Fest, showcasing over 60 local acts, and year-round programs like Songbird Sessions, we provide platforms that celebrate and reinvest in the creative heartbeat of our city. By combining the spirit of community with structured artist development, Manor Records Foundation ensures that KC’s vibrant music scene continues to thrive and grow.

Manor Records Record Label Program – Each year, Manor Records raises $2,000 in direct project funding for 10 local artists, helping them bring their work to life through physical releases, music videos, touring support, and whatever resources they need as they grow.

Manor Records 2026 Roster of Artists:
ALBER
CHLOE JACOBSON
FRANKIE SHOREZ & MERCY FIRE
FRITZ HUTCHISON
JAMOGI
JASS
KIRSTIE LYNN
MC RUE
PARIS WILLIAMS
TRUE LIONS

Artists Manor Records have worked with in the past:
BLANKY
CATTY CLINE
CHARLOTTE BUMGARNER
DANIEL GUM
DYLAN PYLES
FLOODING
FOREST PORRIDGE
JAIRY
KAT KING
KHRYSTAL.
MINT FATIGUES
MOMMA’S BOY
PALE TONGUE
R.I.PETER
SCABB
SUPERMOTO
THE WILD TYPE

Manor Fest 8, 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a KC Street Car

WEEKEND ONE – May 20, 21, 22, & 23

Night One : Wednesday, May 20 – Westside

Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave, KCMO, (7-10 PM)

1. Ernest Melton
2. Kapten
3. Lauren Lovell & The Midnight Spliffs

Night Two: Thursday May 21 – Strawberry Hill

Venue One: Flagship Books, 600 Ohio Ave., KCK (5:00pm -7 PM) all ages

1. Nina Cherry
2. Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust & Co.
3. The Matchsellers

Venue Two: Hillsiders, 403 N. 5th, KCK (7:00pm -10 PM) *21+

1. Silvee
2. Scabb
3. Tidal.wav

10:11

4. The Matchsellers – “What Am I Gonna Do Now? [ft. Kelly Hunt]”
   from: Psychobiography / Streichholz Records / August 2, 2025
   [Julie Bates is a classically trained violinist from Kansas City. Andrew Morris is a Chicago blues guitarist from Warsaw, Indiana. They met in Leipzig, Germany, during their year of living in the former East Germany, the pair began reanalyzing the songs of their homeland, and developed a tight yet gritty bluegrass style. In the summer of 2013 they left their jobs to hit the road and haven’t looked back. // In the band’s most recent iteration, mandolinist Brian McCarty brings an invaluable lifetime of experience in the Bluegrass tradition, while Brandon Day thrills audiences with his intricate bass solos. // On Feb 14, 2025, the band released “I Can’t Believe We’re Still In Love.” // On May 3, 2024 The Matchsellers released LIVE AT THE WAREHOUSE. // On Oct. 28, 2022 The Matchsellers released the album, SONGS WE MADE UP, one of WMM’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016.. In late 2014 they released their debut full length recording, “Kosciusko County,” one of WMM’s 115 Best Recordings of 2015. The Matchsellers have toured 3 European countries and 25 US States, performing 180 shows a year, including last year for the KC Fringe Festival, Bluegrass Bazaar in Flint, Michigan, Norman Music Festival in Norman, OK, and a 1st place win at the Eddie Owen Presents songwriting competition in Atlanta, GA.]

[The Matchsellers plays Night Two of Manor Fest 8 on Thursday, May 21 at 5:00pm at Flagship Books, 600 Ohio Ave., KCK with Nina Cherry, and Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust & Co. All ages.]

5. Tidal.wav – “Whiplash”
   from: Whiplash – EP / Landlocked Recordings / October 11, 2024
   [Alex Smith on vocals & rhythm guitar; Alex Lewis on guitar & producer/beatmaker; Josh Gomez on bass & guitar & producer/engineer; Aj Ruiz Dechavez on drums & producer/beat maker/engineer. In summer of 2022 Alex Smith moved to Kansas City from Georgia. Alex met Aj and Josh working at a local music store. After several months Aj brought in lead guitarist Alex Lewis to make the band an official 4 piece. // Tidal.wav started playing shows through the support of local independent record label, Manor Records as well as networking with other artists and bands. / The band says they specialize in a more unique brand of indie rock, being more rhythm & harmony focused stemming from influences like jazz, rock, hip hop.]

[Tidal.wav play Night Two of Manor Fest 8 on Thurs, May 21 at 7:00pm at Hillsiders, 403 N. 5th, KCK with Silvee and Scaab.]

10:17 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Today we spin music from 22 artists & bands playing Manor Fest 8 including: The Greeting Committee, Calvin Arsenia, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, The Babe Gabe, The Matchsellers, Field Daze, Spy World, Alber, Malek Azrael, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Tidal.wav, Dalia Kapten, Maddie Lai, and Jack Summer

We welcome Shaun Crowley the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization that functions as a record label to support KC musicians. Shaun shares details about Manor Fest 8, featuring 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a KC Street Car. May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28 29, & 30. This festival directly supports local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians.

WEEKEND ONE – May 20, 21, 22, & 23

Night Three : Friday May 22 – West Bottoms

Venue One: Blip Roasters 1301 Woodswether Rd.. KCMO (5:00pm -7 PM) all ages

1. Danielle Ate The Sandwich
2. Toaster Bath
3. Mosaic

Venue Two: Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, KCMO (7:00pm -10 PM)

1. The Soul Agenda
2. The Babe Gabe
3. Hailes

Venue Three: The Ship, 1221 Union Ave. KCMO (10:00pm – 12 AM) *21+

1. MC Rue + Mikey
2. Freia
3. Dom Chronicles

10:22

6. toasterbath – “East 46th Street (edit)”
   from: Past, Present, Future Readings / toasterbath / July 21, 2025
   [Debut release from Kansas City 5-piece band. Recording, Mixing, Mastering by Eric Hargis.
   Graphic Design by Grace Westbrook. Featuring vocals by Bella Parker.]

[toasterbath plays Night Three of Manor Fest 8 on Fri, May 22 at 5:00pm at Blip Roasters 1301 Woodswether Rd.. KCMO with Danielle Ate The Sandwich, and Mosaic]

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

[The Babe Gabe plays Night Three of Manor Fest 8 on Fri, May 22 at 7:00pm at Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, KCMO with The Soul Agenda, and Hailes.]

8. HAILES – “Time” (CD #8) (2:12)
   from: FIVE (EP) / Magic Mango Music / September 29, 2025
   [Debut EP from KC based R&B artist HAILES. After graduating from Blue Valley West High School and briefly attending college, Hailes spent two years in the U.S. tour of The Wizard of Oz before moving to New York in 2017 to continue her acting career. COVID-19 shut down theatre and HAILES turned her energies toward writing music. When Broadway came back to life, HAILES returned to theatre and joined the Hadestown Broadway Tour for three years. While on tour Hailes continued writing music. // The music on her debut EP FIVE came from her time attending a writing camp in Austin, Texas. // HAILES told Cameron Castaldi of KJHK “On the road, I always had my recording equipment, so in every hotel that we got to, I would set up my little studio and write sporadically throughout the week.” // After living in New York City for the last seven years, R&B artist, songwriter, and actress Hailes is back home in Kansas City. She had her first concert in Kansas City on August 5, 2025 at The Blue Room. / More info at:www.hailes.komi.io/.]

[Hailes plays Night Three of Manor Fest 8 on Fri, May 22 at 7:00pm at Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, KCMO with The Soul Agenda, and The Babe Gabe.]

10:30 – Underwriting

10:32 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Manor Fest 8, features 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a KC Street Car. The official dates are May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

West Side / Strawberry Hill / West Bottoms / Crossroads / East Stadium Drive / Historic Northeast / East KC / 18th & Vine Jazz District / Midtown / Downtown / River Park

Manor Fest is a fundraiser curated and ran by Manor Records. This festival is not just about the music — it’s about building community and directly supporting local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians at no cost to them. More information at; http://www.manorrecords.com

WEEKEND ONE – May 20, 21, 22, & 23.

Night Four: Saturday May 23 – Crossroads

Venue One: Pitchside Coffee, 1819 Grand Blvd., KCMO (3-5 PM)

1. Pure XTC
2. Gracie Caggiano
3. Field Daze

Venue Two: Brewery Emperial 1829 Oak St. KCMO (5-7 PM) *21+

1. Jack Summers
2. Natalie Prauser
3. Teri Quinn

Venue Three: recordBar, 1527 Grand Blvd. KCMO (7:00pm -10 PM)

1. Miki P
2. The Royal Chief
3. Nightosphere

Venue Four: Lifted Spirits. 1734 Cherry St., KCMO (10:00pm – 12 AM) *21+

1. Sammy Sheets
2. Charmaine
3. FK Menace

10:37

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

[Field Daze play Night Four of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 23 at 3:00pm Pitchside Coffee, 1819 Grand Blvd., KCMO with Pure XTC and Gracie Caggiano.]

[Field Daze play The Ship at 1221 Union Ave., KCMO in Historic West Bottoms, Friday, June 5, 2025]

10. Jack Summers – “Lost Dog”
    from: Konza Prairie Hymnal / Psychic Sousa Records / April 10, 2026
    [Jack Summers is an award-winning songwriter from Weston, Missouri. He found his musical roots in trips to the Walnut Valley Music Festival and Bob Dylan lyrics repurposed as bedtime stories. Jack embraces these influences and is motivated by the challenge of making them resonate with a modern audience. // In 2021, Jack released his debut album, ‘No Longer and Not Yet’ // In 2023, Jack won the Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Contest. Since then, he’s played everywhere from a honkey tonk in Austin, to the backwoods of Awendaw, SC, to Iowa’s oldest barn. In 2026, Jack released his second album, Konza Prairie Hymnal. // 2022: Walnut Valley Songs for a Better World Contest Winner // 2023: Kerrville Folk Festival Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters Winner // 2024: Walnut Valley ‘Sweet Memories’ Contest Winner 2025. Walnut Valley ‘Love Songs’ Contest Winner // 2025: Ozark Folk Festival Songwriting Contest Finalist ]

[Jack Summers plays Night Four of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 23 at 5:00pm at Brewery Emperial 1829 Oak St. KCMO with Natalie Prauser and Teri Quinn.]

11. Nightosphere– “Poverty Policy”
    from: “Poverty Policy” – single / Nightosphere / February 21, 2025]
    [Brittany Sawtelle on guitar; Claire Hannah on bass & vocals, Dekota Trogdon on drums. Recorded at BRC Audio Productions by Zack Hames. Mixed + mastered by Mario Quintero. Nick Spacek in The Pitch writes, “their new single sees the band leaning into pure Goth territory, courtesy of a bassline that feels like the most ominous thing ever, plodding along in the best possible way before the song explodes in its final minute as though they can’t possibly hold it in any longer, and then returning to the slow march of what was a eulogy, now becoming the funeral.”//Nightosphere released their own 6-minute version of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” on Jan. 31, 2025 // After early single releases and an excellent 3-way split with Abandoncy and Flooding, Nightosphere developed their heavy slowcore sound into a fully realized, extremely imposing full length. On April 14, 2023 Nightosphere released their 7-track album Katabasis. Katabasis was recorded & mixed by Morgan Reed Greenwood & mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service.]

[Nightosphere play Night Four of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 23 at 7:00pm at recordBar, 1527 Grand Blvd. KCMO with Miki P., and The Royal Chief.]

10:47 Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Today we spin music from 22 artists & bands playing Manor Fest 8 including: The Greeting Committee, Calvin Arsenia, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, The Babe Gabe, The Matchsellers, Field Daze, Spy World, Alber, Malek Azrael, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Tidal.wav, Dalia Kapten, Maddie Lai, and Jack Summer

Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman of Manor Records joins us to talk about Manor Fest 8,

Manor Fest 8, features 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues, and a KC Street Car. The official dates are May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

West Side / Strawberry Hill / West Bottoms / Crossroads / East Stadium Drive / Historic Northeast / East KC / 18th & Vine Jazz District / Midtown / Downtown / River Park

WEEKEND TWO – May 27, 28, 29, & 30

Night One (five) : Wednesday May 27 – Stadium Drive

Venue One: Farewell, 6523 Stadium Drive, KCMO with (7-10 PM)

1. Spyworld
2. Kissin
3. Apricot Glow

Night Two : Thursday May 29 – Historic Northeast

Venue One: PH Coffee, 2200 Lexington Ave,, KCMO (5:00pm -7 PM) all ages

1. Maddie Lai
2. Henry Scamurra
3. Jacob E. Chord Grüp

Venue Two : J. Rieger & Co. 2700 Guinotte Ave, KCMO (7:00pm -10 PM)

1. Brian Gerald Bulger
2. Eddie Moore
3. Paris Williams

10:53

12. Spy World – “Follow Me (Ft. KONEY)”
    rom: World Music Vol. 1 / Enigmatic Brunch / February 1, 2026
    [11-track debut album from Spy World, the new music project of Kyle Little who played keyboards and vocals as a member of Shy Boys. Konner Ervin (also of Shy Boys and ACBs and KONEY) joins in on three tracks with lyrics and vocals. Ross Brown (also of Shy Boys and Fullbloods) offers production assistance.]

[Spy World plays Night Five of Manor Fest 8 on Wednesday, May 27 at 7:00pm at Farewell, 6523 Stadium Drive, KCMO with Kissin’ and Apricot Glow]

Shy Boys / The ACBs / Ghosty / The I’ms / Fullbloods / Koney – Discography

The ACB’s / The ACB’s / July 10, 2007
[Debut from KC based 4-piece with Konnor Ervin on lead vocals, Bryan McGuire on bass, Matt Saladino on guitar, Corey Egan on drums & vocals. Written by, and arranged by Konnor Ervin. Produced by Tim Suttle. Recorded & mixed at Underdog Studio in Desoto, KS. Mastered at Euphonic Masters in Memphis, TN.]

The Abracadabras – Be Still, Be Cool / The Abracadabras / January 1, 2008
[5-piece KC band formed in the spring of 2007, with Jocelyn Olivia (John) Nixon on keyboards & vocals, Travis Mckenzie on lead guitar, Bobby (Wayne Hutcherson) Topaz on guitar & vocals, Collin Rausch on bass & vocals, and Kyle Rausch on drums & vocals.]

The ACBs – Stona Rosa / The ACBs / January 1, 2011
[After half of the band left to move to LA, Konnor Ervin and Bryan McGuire got help from: Andrew Connor of Ghosty, and Beau Bruns of Cowboy Indian Bear. All songs written by, and arranged, lead vocals & guitar by Konnor Ervin. Mike Nolte on bass, Bryan McGuire on bass & vocals, Andrew Connor on guitar & vocals, Beau Brus on drums. Kyle Rausch on vocals. Produced by Mike Nolte. Mastered by Roger Seibel Recorded at More Famouser Studios. Mixed at More Famouser Studios. Mastered at SAE Mastering.]

The I’ms – Second MIXES / Independent / 2011
[Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch. Kyle Rausch also plays with The ACB’s. In 2011 on WMM we started playing songs from The I’ms, a duo made of up Collin and Kyle, who posted 6 of their self recorded songs on their facebook page. We included this informal release in our Top Ten of The 111 Best Recordings of 2011. 3 of the songs from The I’ms ended up being rerecorded for Shy Boys.]

Ghosty – GHOSTY / More Famouser Records – High Dive Records / April 17, 2012
[3rd full length release from Lawrence and KC area band. Ghosty is Andrew Connor, Mike Nolte an Bill Belzer who recorded their new album themselves over the last couple of years with help from David Wetzel, Josh Adams, Jake Blanton, Konnor Ervin, Ryan Connor, Kirsten Paludan, and Dan Talmadge. The new release was pressed on vinyl and available on LP and digital download. More info at ghostysounds.com.]

The ACBs – Little Leaves / High Dive Records / March 5, 2013.
[Konnor Ervin on lead vocals, & guitar; Bryan McGuire on bass, Andrew Connor on guitar; Kyle Rausch on drums. Their songs have been featured on MTV’s The Inbetweeners, and Daytrotter. The title “Little Leaves” is a nod to Konnor Ervin’s landscaping day job. The lead single, “Ocean” was released as a free download in late 2012, prompting Popmatters to declare the ACBs as one of its “Best Hopes to Break Out in 2013.”]

Shy Boys – Shy Boys / High Dive Records / January 17, 2014
[Debut release. Brothers Collin Rausch, Kyle Rausch, and friend and roommate Konnor Ervin, are members of this KC based trio. Collin and Kyle’s father was a High School band director and music teacher. Konnor Ervin is the lead singer and songwriter of The ACBs, where Kyle also plays drums. The 10 song release had two singles premiered by Stereogum. “Keeps Me On My Toes” was a song Collin wrote in 15 minutes while his girlfriend was in the shower. The album was recorded at West End Studio, over two-weekends.]

Shy Boys – “Life is Peachy” – Single Release / High Dive Records / July 15, 2014
[Stereogum has premiered the band’s new song, “Life Is Peachy”, the A-side to their new 45 rpm, 7″ single coming from High Dive Records. Brothers Collin Rausch, Kyle Rausch, and roommate Konnor Ervin, are members of the Kansas City based band, Shy Boys. ]

Fullbloods – Mild West / High Dive Records / February 26, 2016
[Second full length release from Fullbloods: Ross Brown; Jared Tomasino; David Seume; and Bill Pollock. Recorded at Westend Studios in Kansas City, Kansas by Mike Nolte. Mixed by Fullbloods. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. (Starfucker, Of Montreal).]

Shy Boys – Bell House / Polyvinyl Record Co. / August 3, 2018
[Shy Boys line-up consists of brothers Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch, Konnor Ervin, Kyle Little and Ross Brown. The group formed shortly after the trio became roommates in 2012. Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin were already band mates in the indie-pop band The ACBs and Collin had been playing for years in the Kansas City area in various bands. The three shared a love for 1960s era pop rock and soon started writing their own music. In 2014 they released the self-titled Shy Boys on High Dive Records. The album received generally positive reviews and the single “Bully Fight” was featured on Spin.com

Shy Boys – Dim The Light / Brick By Brick – Singles / Polyvinyl Record Co. / Feb. 15, 2019
[Single release follow up to band’s 2nd album and Polyvinyl debut, Bell House. Shy Boys line-up consists of brothers Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch, Konnor Ervin, Kyle Little and Ross Brown. Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin were already band mates in the indie-pop band The ACBs and Collin had been playing for years in the Kansas City area in various bands. The three shared a love for 1960s era pop rock and soon started writing their own music. In 2014 they released the self-titled Shy Boys on High Dive Records. The album received generally positive reviews and the single “Bully Fight” was featured on Spin.com. In June 2014 the band recorded and released two more singles and one of them, “Life Is Peachy,” was featured on Stereogum. On April 4th, 2018, it was announced that the band had signed to Polyvinyl Record Co.]

Fullbloods – Soft and Virtual Touch / High Dive Records / April 3, 2020
[3rd full-length. All songs written, performed, recorded, mixed by Ross Brown in KCMO. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Artwork by Nika Winn. Kyle Rausch played drums on 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 9, sang on 9. Bill Pollock Played drums on 3 & 5. David Seume played bass on 5. Jerad Tomasino played synth on 9 & 10, sang on 9. Jenni Kornfeld played cello on 4. Leslie Butsch played sax on 10. More info at: http://www.fullbloods.com.]

Shy Boys – Talk Loud / Polyvinyl Record Co. / September 25, 2020
[3rd album from the KC band Shy Boys. New music follow up to the Dim The Light / Brick By Brick, singles released February 15, 2019. Shy Boys released their 2nd album and Polyvinyl debut, Bell House on August 3, 2018. Shy Boys line-up consists of brothers Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch, Konnor Ervin, Kyle Little and Ross Brown. Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin were already band mates in the indie-pop band The ACBs and Collin had been playing for years in the Kansas City area in various bands including The Abracadabras, and The I’ms with brother Kyle. The three shared a love for 1960s era pop rock and soon started writing their own music. In 2014 they released the self-titled Shy Boys on High Dive Records.]

Koney – Koney / High Dive Records / October 9, 2020

[from Lucas Wetzel’s Pitch Feature: “To bring the songs to life, Konnor enlisted brothers Collin and Kyle Rausch, his roommates in their ramshackle West Plaza house/practice space and his bandmates in chamber pop group Shy Boys. Ross Brown (of Fullbloods) played synthesizer and helped run sound, and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Little contributed on guitar. Fritz Hutchison and Andrew Connor also contributed on several tracks. Recording engineer Mike Nolte flew in from Portland to run the controls at Westend Recordings, and the group set up camp in the studio over a long snowy weekend in 2015.” ]

Shy Boys – Upperclassmen – Single / Polyvinyl Record Co. / September 16, 2025
[New single surprise!]

Fullbloods – Magic Machine – Single / Fullbloods / January 9, 2026
[New single surprise!]

13. Maddie Lai – “Target”
    from: “Target” – Demo Single / Maddie Lai / May 13, 2026
    [Maddie Lai – Vocals & Guitar, Written and Recorded by Maddie Lai for thjs radio show!]

[Maddie Lai plays Night Six of Manor Fest 8 on Thursday, May 28 at 5:00 at PH Coffee, 2200 Lexington Ave,, KCMO with Henry Scamurra & Jacob E. Chord Grüp]

11:00 – Station ID

14. Paris Williams & Bloom Allen – “Truthfully” (radio edit)
    from: Give Em Hell, Truthfully – Single / BitterSweet Sound / August 12, 2025
    [Paris Williams is a 26-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the EP COCOA on December 10, 2020 . // He released the single , “Austin”on February 18, 2021. // Paris Williams released the single, “Sweeter” on July 9, 2021. // He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. // He released the single ,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. // He released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. // Paris Williams released the EP REBEL HEART on January 31, 2023. This release was part of WMM ‘s 120 Best Recordings of 2023. // Paris Williams released the single, “Pack Light” on July 25, 2023. // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “C’est La Vie” on September 14, 2024, // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “Ayo (Feat TyFaison)” on September 18, 2024. // Paris Williams & The Human released the 10-track album, A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024. This release was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Paris Williams & TheBabeGabe released the single “Me Again” on April 28, 2025, // More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

[Paris Williams play Night Six of Manor Fest 8 on Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 at J. Rieger & Co. 2700 Guinotte Ave, KCMO with Brian Gerald Bulger, and Eddie Moore.]

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11:03 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Today we spin music from 22 artists & bands playing Manor Fest 8 including: The Greeting Committee, Calvin Arsenia, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, The Babe Gabe, The Matchsellers, Field Daze, Spy World, Alber, Malek Azrael, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Tidal.wav, Dalia Kapten, Maddie Lai, and Jack Summer

Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman of Manor Records joins us to talk about Manor Fest 8,

Manor Fest 8, features 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues & KC Street Car. The official dates are May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

West Side / Strawberry Hill / West Bottoms / Crossroads / East Stadium Drive / Historic Northeast / East KC / 18th & Vine Jazz District / Midtown / Downtown / River Park

WEEKEND TWO – May 37 28, 29, & 30

Night Seven: Friday May 29 – East KC / 18th & Vine

Venue One: Ruby Jean’s Juicery 3000 Troost KCMO. (5:00pm -7 PM) all ages

1. Ronnie Ze’bo
2. Jolson & The Fear of Snakes
3. Kemet Coleman

Venue Two: Zhou B. Arts Center, 18901 E. 18th St. KCMO (7:00pm-10 PM) all ages

1. BAM & Rebel Song Academy Students
2. Malek Azrael & The Vibe
3. Bobby Watson

Venue Three: Vine Street Brewing, 2010 Vine, KCMO (10-12 AM) *21+

1. Jazlyn Epps
2. Isaiah Petrie
3. Alber & I Maledetti

11:11

15. Kemet Coleman – “What You Want From Me”
    from: Two Ships in the Night – EP / Kemet Creative (Vine Street Brewing) / March 6, 2026
    [Kemet Coleman is a KC based musicians and is a member of the Hip-Hop duo COA (Center of Attention) and is the lead singer of the Funk/Rap/Soul band The Phantastics. Kemet is also a core element of The Marcus Lewis Big Band for Brass & Boujee. Kemet is a two time Pitch Music Award nominee for “Best Hip-Hop Act.” Kemet is known for his unprecedented collaborations with UMKC, KC Streetcar and The Kansas City Royals. He is also highly regarded for his impresario role within the Sly James for Mayor Campaign in the 2010-2011 where he created the first ever KC mayoral candidate rap song. A UMKC alumnus, Kemet, created “Gold and Blue” for UMKC’s sports teams, which has garnered thousands of plays on YouTube and has been featured on prime-time television commercials for the university. In 2020 Coleman contributed his song, “The Virus” to the compilation, Kansas City Syzygy, music created by over 25 KC-based musicians in the middle of the map of a pandemic. All proceeds donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone has a safe, accessible, affordable home. Kemet Coleman released, BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL on Aug. 1, 2020. Kenet Coleman released the single “Eyes On The Street” on May 21, 2021.] [The Phantastics released their single “All That Fine”on May 6, 2022. The Phantastics are an 8 member band from KC formed in December of 2010. Kemet the Phantom on lead vocals; Kimology on lead vocals; JJ Cantrell on lead guitar & vocals; Danny Florez on electric bass; Ashley Thompson on drums, DJ Mitchell on saxophone; Ryan Jamaal Davis on Trombone and rap vocals; Austin Quick on keyboards. The Phantastics specialize in genre-blending dance floor activators. In 2015, the music group was crowned “Kansas City’s best party band” by the KC Star. Musicianship and diversity are at the core of their success. Rock, Rap, Dance, Funk, Jazz & Soul are all incorporated into their music. “The band that can do it all”, according to I Heart Local Music, has shared the stage with some of music’s most legendary acts including George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. ]

[Kemet Coleman plays Night Seven of Manor Fest 8 on Friday, May 29 at 5:00pm at Ruby Jean’s Juicery 3000 Troost Ave, KCMO, with Ronnie Ze’bo and Jolson & The Fear of Snakes.(All ages)]

16. Malek Azrael – “You”
    from: “You” – Single / Malek Azrael / February 27, 2026
    [Malek recently wrote to me about this new single, saying,”This record means a lot to me. “YOU” lives in that pop/indie pop space with smooth R&B vocals and textures, blending traditional pop sensibility with the singer songwriter honesty I always try to bring. It’s about that unexpected moment of falling in love and choosing to be fully open — even when it feels a little scary. Very warm, very intentional.” // On March 1, 2025 Malek Azrael released the EP, FEELS LIKE. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2025. On February 28, 2025, Malek Azrael released the single “Room 4U”. // On March 1, 2024 Malek Azrael released his single, “in ur mind.” On October 15, 2021 Malek Azrael released his 10-track album “Waves” which first featured members of his live band “The Vibez”. Since then, they have grown their fanbase in KC and surrounding areas through live concerts land appearances at Boulevardia Festival, Ameri’Kana, and the 18th and Vine Gumbo Fest, and shows at RecordBar, The Truman, Grinders, and Knuckleheads and collaborated with larger acts such as Making Movies, The Greeting Committee, and D Smoke debut. Male Azrael lives in KCMO. He has worked for Boys Grow, and Art As Mentorship (Making Movies non-profit organization). He sometimes plays with Making Movies and played the Ameri-Kana Fest. Malek Azrael played KKFI’s 18th Annual Crossroads Music Fest, on Aug. 27, at The Black Box, in West Bottoms. Malek & The Vibez played Boulevardia Festival at Crown Center, on June 16, 2024.]

[Malek Azrael play Night Seven of Manor Fest 8 on Friday, May 29 at 7:00 Zhou B. Arts Center, 18901 E. 18th St. KCMO with BAM & Rebel Song Academy Students, & Bobby Watson.]

17. ALBER – “Caldo”
    from: Lento / Locale Records / April 12, 2024
    [Alberto Racanati is a genre-bending musician originally from Bari, Italy, now established in Kansas City. His musical journey started at age 11 when he learned to play his first notes on the trumpet. At age 14 Alberto enrolled in the Bari Conservatory to pursue his performance degree in the academy, while living a parallel musical existence in the rich musical underground in Southern Italy, playing drums and trumpet in a plethora of bands across all genres. His musical studies then took him to the National Music Academy in Gdansk, Poland, where he lived from 2011 to 2014, discovering the multicultural nature of the arts. In 2014 Alberto moved to the United States to work as a Graduate Assistant at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. In 2016 Alberto continued on to Kansas City to pursue a Doctoral Degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he became enamored with the local music scene. 2018 saw the start of Alberto’s journey with electronic music, writing material for trumpet and electronics. This is where the project Alber starts, especially using social media as an interactive, open sketchbook for his sonic excursions. Alberto’s first self-titled album was released in 2020, followed by significant live performing presence in 2021 in Kansas and Missouri. His second album Journey, was then released in 2021. At the same time, Alberto ramped up his touring of the Midwest region and collaboration with a variety of other artists. Most recently in 2023 Alberto was awarded the ArtsKC Inspiration Grant for his multimedia installation “Born at Sea”, a project centered on the idyllic sea scenery of his hometown, debuting in 2024. Additionally he became one of the Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Residents, a program that features some of the most brilliant up and coming artists in the Kansas City region. Still in 2023, Alberto toured the East Coast of the US and his native Italy, in a much welcome reconnection with his musical roots. Currently, Alberto is about to release his third full length album Lento and finalizing his upcoming 2024 tours to the East Coast and Southern Italy.]

[ALBER plays Night Seven: of Manor Fest 8, Friday May 29, at Vne Street Brewing, 2010 Vine, KCMO with Jazlyn Epps, Isaiah Petrie, and Alber & I Maledetti.]

11:21 – Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Today we spin music from 22 artists & bands playing Manor Fest 8 including: The Greeting Committee, Calvin Arsenia, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, The Babe Gabe, The Matchsellers, Field Daze, Spy World, Alber, Malek Azrael, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, Kemet Coleman, toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Tidal.wav, Dalia Kapten, Maddie Lai, and Jack Summer.

West Side / Strawberry Hill / West Bottoms / Crossroads / East Stadium Drive / Historic Northeast / East KC / 18th & Vine Jazz District / Midtown / Downtown / River Park

Manor Fest is a fundraiser curated and ran by Manor Records. This festival is not just about the music — it’s about building community and directly supporting local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians at no cost to them. More information at; http://www.manorrecords.com

Manor Fest 8, features 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues & KC Street Car.

WEEKEND TWO – May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

Night Eight: Saturday May 30 – Street Car

Venue One: Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO (1:00pm) all ages

1. Kadesh Flow
2. True Lions
3. Flare Tha Rebel

3:00pm – KC Street Car
Sass-a-Brass Band

Venue Two: Kansas City Publc Library 14 W, 10th St., KCMO – 3:30pm

1. Kirstie Lynn
2. Fritz & Sons
3. Calvin Arsenia

6:00pm – KC Street Car
Sass-a-Brass Band

Venue Three: KC Current Landing, 1460 E. Front St.,KCMO – 6:30pm

1. Jamogi & The Jammers
2. Jass
3. The Greeting Committee

11:28 – Underwriting

18. FlareThaRebel – “Mixology”
    from: “Mixology” – Single / Shafer / May 1, 2026
    [“Mixology” from his upcoming full length album DEAR CITY. // Flare Tha Rebel’s lead single “Mixology” is a confidently smooth record that uses the art of the cocktail as a metaphor for ambition, drive, and balance. The song is produced by longtime collaborator, Bob Pulliam (“Happy Clouds (Bob Ross Flow)”, “Rose’ All Day”, “Royalty Pt.1/2”). The single precedes the release of Flare’s upcoming album, Dear City, which drops Friday, May 1st. // Amplifying the tension between having love for one’s city while not dismissing its inequities, Dear City is a lyrical reflection of truth-telling and hometown pride. The album highlights commonalities experienced by many urbanites regardless of where they call home.  // In the weeks leading up to the album release concert, Flare has been releasing music video reels on social media featuring snippets of the new songs from Dear City. Filmed by Flaming Heart Productions, each reel features only the first verse or at most the first verse and chorus of each song, giving fans a taste of what’s to come and building hype for the album’s release. // Elevating the concoction further, Flare collaborated with bar owner, Bryan Ari, to film the music video reel of “Mixology” at Fern Bar. Flare turned the filming into a “fishbowl experience” inviting guests to watch him create the reel live while sipping cocktails of their own. Flare landed the scene, which involved rapping while mixing a cocktail and flaming an orange rind a precise moment within the song’s verse. The outcome? Confidently smooth – after about six takes and some hands-on coaching from Bryan Ari.// Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel™ back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which sparked a creative renaissance. As The Pitch noted, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ’00s, he’s now back…” His homecoming has proved fruitful – his track “Playground” was voted the Number 1 Song of 2022 by listeners of 90.9 FM The Bridge. Throughout his career, Flare has shared stages with heavyweights including Chance The Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. His most recent release is the locally acclaimed EP, “Summer You, Summer Me”, followed by his feature on the Kemet Coleman song “Android”. // Flare Tha Rebel aka Jeff Shafer is Executive Director for City Year Kansas City, an educational-equity nonprofit that places mentors/tutors in schools to keep kids on track to graduate. This was the job that brought Jeff back to KC, where he became Executive Director. ]

[FlareThaRebel plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00pm at The Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO with\Kadesh Flow and True Lions.]

19. Kirstie Lynn & Galen Clark – “Soft Landing”
    from: Kirstie Lynn & Galen Clark / Lost River Sound / August 9, 2024
    [Kirstie Lynn & Galen Clark released Cindergarden (A Sides) on May 22, 2022. They released Cindergarden (B Sidesd) on June 21, 2023. Kirstie Lynn is a classically trained soprano with a passion for songwriting, always looking to marry poetry and melody. Though Kirstie’s voice has been compared to that of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, her sound is uniquely her own. Kirstie Lynn is a folk singer-songwriter originally from the fingerlakes region of upstate, NY. She began her professional music studies at the age of 15, and has since received both a Bachelor’s degree from Shenandoah University and a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in voice and opera performance. Her vocal training lends her the freedom to paint her nature inspired lyrics with a wide range and a beautiful and effortless sound. Kirstie Lynn is one half of the duo Kirstie Lynn and Galen Clark. // Galen Clark introduces an alternative perspective and approach to music that contains multitudes. Migratory melodies, multi-instrumental fluency, and mysterious texture all outline the stylings of the newly transplanted Cuyahoga Valley songwriter, producer, and musician. // Born into an Air Force family, Clark grew up in many places with family anchors in Vermont and Colorado. At the age of 9 following many failed piano lessons, Clark’s grandparents gifted him a Harmony parlor guitar from a Shelburne flea market, starting a journey that would span almost 2 decades of stylistic development, a plethora of ephemeral bands, a degree in music production and recording technology, and a refined take on songwriting. .. Sharing songs spanning the stoic mountains of Idaho’s lost river range to the ancient hum of the Shenandoah Valley, Galen draws upon energy strewn between varied time and place, a broader quest for belonging, and rejuvenation beyond the front door. Clark’s previous records, Providence (2018) and The Well (2020) offer a contemplative portrait of moods in natural ambiguity, collective consciousness, and introspection. His most recent collaboration with Kansas City – based artist, Kirstie Lynn is a reckoning that is to be heard live and will transport you elsewhere if not in mind than in spirit.][Kirstie Lynn & Galen Clark joined us live on WMM on June 21. // Kirstie Lynn played IN THE ROUND with Calvin Arsenia, Julia Othmer, and Christena Graves at The Bauer, 115 West 18th St., in KCMO’s West Crossroads, Oct. 17, 2025.]

[Kirstie Lynn plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 3:30pm at Kansas City Publc Library 14 W, 10th St., KCMO with Fritz & Sons and Calvin Arsenia]

20. Calvin Arsenia – “Rose Petals”
    from: Paradise / Calvin Arsenia / June 23, 2023
    [Paradise is Calvin Arsenia’s 14 track album. Available through http://www.calvinarsenia.com // A new turning point as a songwriter. His most biographical album yet, with songs about Black Lives Matter, Racism, The Police, being on probation, gay love. The album contains collaborations with Cheery, Kadesh Flow and Jametatone. Calvin Arsenia one of our most frequent guests, who first appeared on WMM on July 25, 2012. KC Magazine has hailed Calvin as ‘equal parts opera, symphony, musical theatre, rock show, all built around its creator: a charismatic 6-foot-7-inch harpist with a 3 and ½ octave range, natural stage command and knack for gilding gold and painting lilies.’ Born in Orlando, Florida, Calvin’s creative journey began when he moved to Olathe, Kansas, teaching himself the guitar, piano, banjo. He learned his signature instrument, the harp, at the age of 20. His passion for stretching the boundaries of musical expression saw him transform a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Fringe Festival early in his career into a life-changing music mission, with an Edinburgh church offering him a role as musical liaison between the church and the city that would change his life. Two years and 300 shows later, Calvin returned to KC reborn as a humanistic songwriter / performer where at 24 he released his EP, Moments, in 2014, and his EP Prose in 2015, and his Folk Alliance exclusive EP Catastrophe in 2016. On February 14, 2017 Calvin released his critically acclaimed full length debut, Catastrophe, with a live show at recordBar in November 2016 that involved a company of 50 people, dancers, stilt walkers. After signing to Center Cut Records, Calvin released the albums: Cantaloupe in 2018, with a sold out gigantic spectical at The Gem Theatre on Saturday, September 15, 2018. He then released, L.A. Sessions in 2019, and the EP HONEY DEW, and the EP Goddess with Quixotic, the Holiday album, ALL IS CALM. In 2020 Calvin collaborated with Mike Dillon on the Soundtrack to “Summer in Hindsight,” a feature-length film created by The West 18th Street Fashion Show that starred Calvin as an actor. Calvin is also the co-creator of the podcast “We Were Christian Kids” created with childhood friend Justin Randall who is a stand up comedian working in New York City and now Los Angeles. Calvin is also the published author of VERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE, a collection of Poetry & Prose published on October 5, 2021, by Andrews McMeel Universal. Calvin was voted KC’s Best Musician in The Pitch 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been featured in Billboard, NPR.org. Charlotte Street Foundation announced that the recipients of the 2022 Generative Performing Artist Awards are The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia Scott.] [Calvin Arsenia played a PARADISE Album Release Party, Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, at 7:00 PM at The Emerald, 1715 West 9th Street, KCMO, WEST BOTTOMS. More info at http://www.calvinarsenia.com][Calvin Arsenia was our guest on WMM on Jan. 18, 2023, June 21, 2023, and our 1000th Show on June 28, 2923.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 3:30pm at Kansas City Public Library 14 W, 10th St., KCMO with Fritz & Sons and Kirstie Lynn]

11:40 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Manor Fest 8, features 60 Bands, 8 Nights, 11 Neighborhoods, 20 venues & KC Street Car. The official dates are May 20, 21, 22, & 23 and May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

West Side / Strawberry Hill / West Bottoms / Crossroads / East Stadium Drive / Historic Northeast / East KC / 18th & Vine Jazz District / Midtown / Downtown / River Park

Manor Fest is a fundraiser curated and ran by Manor Records. This festival is not just about the music — it’s about building community and directly supporting local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians at no cost to them. More information at; http://www.manorrecords.com

Today, Manor Records Foundation has supported more than 60 digital releases and over 30 physical albums from emerging Kansas City musicians — helping artists fund projects, build sustainable careers, and reach wider audiences. Through initiatives like our annual Manor Fest, showcasing over 60 local acts, and year-round programs like Songbird Sessions, we provide platforms that celebrate and reinvest in the creative heartbeat of our city. By combining the spirit of community with structured artist development, Manor Records Foundation ensures that KC’s vibrant music scene continues to thrive and grow.

Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

WEEKEND TWO – May 27, 28, 29, & 30.

Night Eight: Saturday May 30 – Street Car

Venue One: Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO (1:00pm) all ages

1. Kadesh Flow
2. True Lions
3. Flare Tha Rebel

3:00pm – KC Street Car
Sass-a-Brass Band

Venue Two: Kansas City Publc Library 14 W, 10th St., KCMO – 3:30pm

1. Kirstie Lynn
2. Fritz & Sons
3. Calvin Arsenia

6:00pm – KC Street Car
Sass-a-Brass Band

Venue Three: KC Current Landing, 1460 E. Front St.,KCMO – 6:30pm

1. Jamogi & The Jammers
2. Jass
3. The Greeting Committee

11:45

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

[Jamogi plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 6:30pm at KC Current Landing, 1460 E. Front St., KCMO with Jass and The Greeting Committee]

22. Jass – “Where You Are”
    from: APRIL SHOWERS – EP / Jass / April 27, 2025.
    [Jass is Jasmine “Jass” Couch. Jass is currently working with her band Jass and the ConrtraBand.. Jass recently released the single, Autumn in The City” on September 22, 2025 This release captures Jass’s dynamic sound in a live band recording, tracked and recorded by bandmate Clarence Copridge. The smooth vocals from Jass and instrumentals of vibes and upright bass in this track are the perfect end of summer/welcome to fall track. // Jass writes, “My new single ‘Autumn in the City” s close to my heart—paying homage to my hometown and the fall season that inspires so much love and reflection. Huge thanks to everyone who came out and supported us.” // Jass released the EP APRIL SHOWERS on April 27, 2025. // Jass released the single “Hope.wav” on February 29, 2024. // Jass and The Boys released the single, “Daydream Girl” on August 25, 2023. // Jass and The Boys released the single “Gvn2u” on July 14, 2023. // Jass released the single, “Time&Space” on July 14, 2023. n// Jass released the single, “Eye Contact.” // Jass released the single, “Lifetime” on January 6, 2023 // Jass and The Boys released the single “Love U Like I Love U” on December 2, 2022. Jass released the single “grow” on November 26, 2022. Jass released the EP, OFF KEY: TOO HIGH on September 23, 2022. Jass released the single “Higher Ground” on August 16, 2022. It was #1 on WMM’s 50 Favorite Singles of 2022. Jass released her single, “Him” on February 23, 2022. Jass released At the Close of a Decade on November 26, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 121 Best Recordings of 2021. She wrote, “After years of writing and recording in voice memos .. I decided to grab my iPad and began recording something that I am very proud of. I named it, At the Close of A Decade, and released it in November 2019. With my iPhone/iPad, some apple headphones, I created this project. The amazing people around me told me it was worth it, even when I didn’t believe it myself. I convinced myself I would be the only one that liked my songs. If you decide to listen you’ll hear sound clips of shows and movies that made a difference in the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself, and the way I overcame my experiences. I remember asking my grandma and my son if I should release what I’ve been writing and they both said very simply to do it, so I’ve done it. I want to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been my soundboards during this process, all of the people that have asked me when it’s coming, the people that have kept me accountable, and believed that this time it was for real. My story is so very triumphant and beautiful because I have overcome experiences and shunned the fear I had to do what I love. It’s crazy how you can talk your way out of some amazing things and also how you can talk yourself into making some amazing things happen. If you partake, I hope you enjoy.” // Jass has opened for Thundercat sat GRINDERS, headlined a show at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, and she opened up for The New Respects at The Uptown, and sang the Negro National Anthem at BLAQUE to School Night at the KC Monarchs game. Info: http://www.jassrcouch.com]

[Jass plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 6:30pm at KC Current Landing, 1460 E. Front St., KCMO with Jamogi & The Jammers and The Greeting Committee]

11:51 – More interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Manor Fest is a fundraiser curated and ran by Manor Records. This festival is not just about the music — it’s about building community and directly supporting local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians at no cost to them. More information at; http://www.manorrecords.com

Thank you Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

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

11:53

11:51 – More interview with Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

Manor Fest is a fundraiser curated and ran by Manor Records. This festival is not just about the music — it’s about building community and directly supporting local artists. Money raised from the festival supports the non profit mission of releasing music from local artists on physical platforms and other resources for musicians at no cost to them. More information at; http://www.manorrecords.com

Thank you Shaun Crowley & Valorie Mersman

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

11:53

23. The Greeting Committee – “What I Wouldn’t Give?”
    from: “What I Wouldn’t Give?” / Harvest Records / October 10, 2025
    [Formed in KC in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, & Pierce Turcotte. This EP waOn September 24, 2021 The Greeting Committee released their album Dandelion, ,which was part of WMM’s 120 Best recordins of 2021. hat release was a follow up to their Oct. 17, 2019 EP, I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry, and their October 26, 2018, full length vinyl release “This Is It.” The band has previously released the EP “Meeting People is Easy” in 2017, and “It’s Not All That Bad” in 2015.The Greeting Committee released their single “Ada” on August 27, 2021, through Harvest Records / UMG Recordings. Addie wrote about her song “Ada” explaining it was a queer narrative inspired by lived experience of a dear friend. i knew this wasn’t my story to tell, but instead the story of someone i fiercely admire. to our garden, you are loved. you are loved.]

[The Greeting Committee plays Day Eight of Manor Fest 8 on Saturday, May 30 at 6:30pm at KC Current Landing, 1460 E. Front St.,KCMO with Jamogi & The Jammers and Jass]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, May 20 – Rachel Christia & Vi Tran share info about the Kansas City Folk Fest, Saturday, May 30, 11:00am to 7:00pm at Washington Square Park with The Freedom Affair, Kaia Kater, Flutienastieness & The Soul Patrol, Julia Haile, Reach, Trevor Turla, Sisterbot, Bad Alaskan, and more! // Also Next Week Artist Madeline Marek joins us to talk about a special show at Kansas City Artists Coalition. AND KKFI radio host and producer Darin Challacombe talks about his late night radio show, All That Class and Jazz, heard late Friday Nights – Saturday Mornings 2:00am to 5:00am om 90.1 FM KKFI.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!
Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

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

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

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #1147

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, April 22, 2026

Scott Moreau plays Johnny Cash + BCR celebrates 50 Years! + Rosie O’Brien leads Sass-a-Brass

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

10:00 – Three Musical Artists inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026

We start the show with three legendary musical entities: Fela Kuti and Arika 70, Joy Division, and Celia Cruz. These artists were recently announced to be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 2026 inductees include: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to the performer inductees, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons will be honored with the Early Influence Award. Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will receive the Musical Excellence Award. The annual Ahmet Ertegun Award will remember Ed Sullivan.

2. Fela Kuti, Afrika 70 & Ginger Baker – “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)”
   from: “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)” – Single from LIVE! / EMI London / August 30, 1971
   [In 2026, Kuti was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence after two previous nominations. // “Let’s Start” is a single edited version of opening track from Live! – a live in-studio album by Fela Kuti’s band Africa ’70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released on August 30, 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978. LIVE! was one of five albums Fele released in 1971 including FELA’S LONDON SCENE, WHY BLACK MEN DEY SUFFER, NA POI, and OPEN & CLOSE. // The album was recorded on July 25, 1971, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The British-American rock band Wings was recording their album Wild Life at the same time in the adjacent studio. // Baker travelled with Kuti into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent’s rhythms, as documented in Tony Palmer’s film Ginger Baker in Africa (1971). The bonus track on the Barclay CD reissue features a 16-minute drum duet between Baker and Africa ’70’s drummer Tony Allen recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. The album is on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 greatest live albums of all time. The album is also included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. // Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938 – died 2 August 2, 1997. He was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa’s most “challenging and charismatic music performers”. AllMusic described him as “a musical and sociopolitical voice” of international significance. // Kuti was the son of Nigerian women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa ’70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which Kuti was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria’s military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1977 army raid that injured Kuti and his mother, the latter fatally. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. Kuti continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti. // Kuti was born into the Ransome-Kuti family, an upper-middle-class family, on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Colonial Nigeria. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an anti-colonial feminist, and his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was an Anglican minister, school principal, and the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Kuti’s parents both played active roles in the anti-colonial movement in Nigeria, most notably the Abeokuta Women’s Riots which were led by his mother in 1946. His brothers Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, were well known nationally. Kuti is a cousin to the writer and fellow activist Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize for Literature winner. They are both descendants of Josiah Ransome-Kuti, an Anglican clergyman and musical pioneer, who is Kuti’s paternal grandfather and Soyinka’s maternal great-grandfather. // Kuti attended Abeokuta Grammar School. In 1958, he was invited to London by his younger brother Beko (a medical student at the time), to study music at the Trinity College of Music, with the trumpet being his preferred instrument. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos and played a fusion of jazz and highlife. The ensemble would include as members Bayo Martins on drums and Wole Bucknor on piano. In 1960, Kuti married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor with whom he had three children (Yeni, Femi, and Sola). In 1963, Kuti moved back to the newly independent Federation of Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos, and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All-Stars. // He called his style Afrobeat, a combination of Apala, funk, jazz, highlife, salsa, calypso and traditional Yoruba music. In 1969, Kuti took the band to the United States and spent ten months in Los Angeles. While there, he discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now known as Sandra Izsadore or Sandra Akanke Isidore), a partisan of the Black Panther Party. This experience heavily influenced his music and political views. He renamed the band Nigeria 70. Soon after, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Kuti and his band were in the US without work permits. The band performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions.]

[Afrobeats To The World – Friday, April 24, at 9:00pm at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway Blvd KCMO, An immersive experience, with dancers and DJs, where pulsating African rhythms and music collide, creating a transformative celebration and vibrant showcase of African culture.]

3. Joy Division – “Transmission”
   from: “Transmission” – 7” single / Factory / October 7, 1979
   [In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. // “Transmission” is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band’s aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band’s debut single. // “Transmission” was released on 7″ vinyl on October 7, 1979 by record label Factory. It was re-released as a 12″ single with a different sleeve on February 20, 1981. The single charted twice in New Zealand, debuting at number 2 in September 1981 and re-appearing again at number 24 in July 1984. // The song was performed once by the band on television, for the BBC Something Else programme. Twenty seconds of the song is shown in the movie Control (2007), directed by Anton Corbijn, a film based on the biography of Ian’s wife, Deborah Curtis’s Touching from a Distance. // Greil Marcus has a chapter on this song in his book The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs. According to Marcus, “‘Transmission’ is not an argument. It’s a dramatization of the realization that the act of listening to the radio is a suicidal gesture. It will kill your mind. It will rob your soul.” Marcus also quotes the band’s bassist Peter Hook about the importance of this song: “We were doing a soundcheck at the Mayflower, in May, and we played ‘Transmission’: people had been moving around, and they all stopped to listen. I realized that was our first great song.” // In May 2007, NME magazine placed “Transmission” at number 20 in its list of the 50 “Greatest Indie Anthems Ever”, one place below “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. In 2016, Pitchfork placed “Transmission” at number 10 in its list of “The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s”. // Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. // Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a June 1976 Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk rock, they soon developed a sparse sound and style that made them one of the pioneering groups of the post-punk genre. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979. // Curtis struggled with personal problems, including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s health condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He died by suicide on the eve of what would have been the band’s first North American tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division’s second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became their highest-charting releases. // Between July and October 1980, the remaining members, with the addition of keyboardist and guitarist Gillian Gilbert, regrouped under the name New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Joy Division would remain a prominent influence on subsequent generations of alternative acts, particularly within the gothic rock genre. In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.]

4. Celia Cruz – “Yemayá”
   from: Homenaje a los Santos / Seeco Records / 1964
   [Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso, born, October 21, 1925 – died, July 16, 2003. Known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname La Guarachera de Cuba. In the following decades, she became known internationally as the “Queen of Salsa” due to her contributions to Latin music. She had sold over 30 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. // The artist began her career in her home country Cuba, earning recognition as a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 years (1950–1965). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son and bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles for Seeco Records. // In 1960, after the Cuban Revolution caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of the symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community in exile. Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the country that she took as her definitive residence. In the 1960s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, recording her signature tune “Bemba colorá”. In the 1970s, she signed for Fania Records and became strongly associated with the salsa genre, releasing hits such as “Quimbara”. She often appeared live with Fania All-Stars and collaborated with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón. During the last years of her career, Cruz continued to release successful songs such as “La vida es un carnaval” and “La negra tiene tumbao”. // Her musical legacy is made up of a total of 37 studio albums, as well as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout her career, she was awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. In addition to her prolific career in music, Cruz also made several appearances as an actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!”) has become one of the most recognizable symbols of salsa music. // In 2026, Cruz was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence. She is the first artist who performed in Spanish to be inducted. // Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October 1925, at 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Her father, Simón Cruz, was a railway stoker, and her mother, Catalina Alfonso Ramos, a housewife who took care of an extended family. Celia was one of the eldest among fourteen children living in the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro, and she used to sing cradle songs to put them to sleep. According to her mother, she began singing as a child at 9 or 10 months of age, often in the middle of the night. She also sang in school during the Fridays’ actos cívicos and in her neighborhood ensemble, Botón de oro. // While growing up in Cuba’s diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians who influenced her adult career, including Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Antonio Arcaño and Arsenio Rodríguez. Despite her father’s opposition and the fact that she was Catholic, as a child Cruz learned Santería songs from her neighbor who practiced Santería. Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Merceditas Valdés (an akpwon, a Santería singer) from Cuba and later made various recordings of this religious genre, even singing backup for other akpwons like Candita Batista. // As a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged her to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana with the intent of becoming a literature teacher. At the time being a singer was not viewed as an entirely respectable career. However, one of her teachers told her that, as an entertainer, she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. From 1947, Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano at Havana’s National Conservatory of Music. // One day, her cousin took her to Havana’s radio station Radio García-Serra, where she became a contestant in the Hora del té (“Tea Time”) amateur radio program. It was her first time using a microphone and she sang the tango “Nostalgia” (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez), winning a cake as the first prize for her performance. On other occasions she won silver chains, as well as opportunities to participate in more contests. She also sang in other amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning first prize. The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each. // In 2004, the Miami Herald revealed from partially declassified US State Department papers that Cruz had been linked to Cuba’s pre-Revolution communist party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as early as the 1940s] The article was written by Herald journalist Carol Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests. It made several revelations, among them that the US Embassy in Havana denied Cruz a US visa in 1952 and 1955 because of suspected communist affiliations. The article also states that Cruz had joined the youth wing of the PSP at age 20 and had used a concert to arrange a secret meeting with communists in South America on behalf of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who had also founded the party in 1925. Cruz had also signed a public letter in support of one of the Party’s front groups, the Pro-Peace Congress. The article states that Cruz’s surviving husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, and is quoted he knew nothing about it. “She never told me about that. She never talked about politics,” the article quotes Knight.]

5. St. George & The Dragons – “Waiting For The World To End”
   from: “Waiting For The World To End” – Single / Grand Central Bell Records / April 21, 2026
   [The new single features vocals by Skeet Hanks, written by David George and Skeet Hanks. Giving 80’s Elvis Costello vibes, the song makes a statement about how we all seem to be waiting for something to happen in our current political environment. If you haven’t seen the band recently, Scott Mize from the band She Said, and formerly of the Pedal Jets is playing guitar. Also joining the band on keys is the legend Chris Hazelton of The Freedom Affair. // On August 30, 2024, St. George and The Dragons released their debut album, KING OF KANSAS CITY with David George on vocals/guitar, Mike Greene on guitar, Skeet Hanks on vocals & guitar, Matt Kesler on vocals & bass, and Pat Tomek on drums. With Guest Players: Lin Buck on piano & organ, and Ken Lovern on organ. // Produced by David George. Recorded and Engineered by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios – KCMO. Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlabs – KCMO. Artwork by Jud Kite – Killer Kite Productions // King Of Kansas City is a ten-song album of pure rock and roll influenced by late 70s rock like the Stones and Tom Petty. // The album’s theme comes from a time when Rock ‘n’ Roll ruled the airwaves. It’s about letting go and raising your hand high into the air with your middle finger out to the world as you move on to the next big thing in your life. // Lead singer David George (Moaning Lisa, John Fogerty band) has been working with drummer/engineer Pat Tomek (The Rainmakers) since 2018 when they recorded three solo EPs for George. They found it easy to work together and had similar tastes which led them to produced and engineer an album for Kansas City artist David Luther. In the studio with Luther, they enlisted the help of Matt Kesler (The Pedaljets, She Said, The Doo Dads) on bass with Tomek on drums and George on guitars and keys. // George, Tomek, and Kesler hit it off and started working on material of their own, eventually bringing in guitarist Mike Greene (The Front/Bakers Pink) and vocalist/guitarist Skeet Hanks (Beatin’ Path) to round out the sound. Greene was the lead guitarist in the Front, a band known for their searing guitar and power rock sound. Hanks, from New Orleans fronted the band Beatin’ Path, tearing up the Bayou country with their progressive rock sound and soaring melodies. // Influenced by the works of The Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, and many other classic rock bands from the 70s and the 80s, St. George & The Dragons came together during the Global Pandemic, giving them time to develop their sound. George, Greene, Hanks, Kesler, and Tomek have all had their share of greatness, from the collective albums they’ve released on major and indie labels to sharing the stage with legends like Paul McCartney, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Doobie Brothers, The Black Crowes, Derek Trucks Band, Lumineers, Aerosmith, Smithereens, Mother Love Bone, and a list that could fill up a book! // More information at: http://www.stgeorgeandthedragonsband.com

[St. George & The Dragons play recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 8:00pm with Kamera9.]

6. The Soul Agenda – “Hot Honey”
   from: “Hot Honey” – Single / The Soul Agenda / February 15, 2026
   [The Soul Agenda are Olivet on vocals, Zahara Ness on back-up vocals Charles on trumpet, Noah on guitar. The Soul Agenda were the winners of the 32nd annual 2026 KJHK Farmers Ball, a two week competition held at Liberty Hall in Lawrence Kansas]

[The Soul Agenda play Manor Fest 8 on Friday, May 22.]

[The Soul Agenda play MOD Gallery, 1809 McGee St. KCMO, on Friday June 5, 2026.]

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

[Field Daze play Manor Fest 8]

[Field Daze play The Ship at 1221 Union Ave., KCMO in Historic West Bottoms, Friday, June 5, 2025[

8. TV Star – “Reality Cheque (Album version)”
   from: Music For Heads / Father/ Daughter Records / April24, 2026
   [On Thursday, March 19, 2026, TV Star released their single, “Reality Cheque” along with the official music video starring bassist and Supercrush vocalist/guitarist, Mark Palm. // Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. // “Reality Cheque” distills TV Star at their sharpest – punchy, clear-eyed, and effortlessly catchy. The song captures the moment you realize love has tipped into imbalance: all projection and performance. Rather than over-explaining, the band lets the hook do the work, locking into a crisp pop pocket where jangling guitars and buoyant rhythm carry the emotional weight. It’s a deceptively bright track with a hard truth at its center, proof of TV Star’s knack for turning quiet realizations into something that lingers. Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. “Reality Cheque” follows “Out Of My Bag,” the bands’ homage to 80’s Madchester, and “Texas Relation” which saw support from Stereogum, Post-Trash and Under The Radar.

10:28 – Underwriting

9. Scott Moreau – “I Walk The Line”
   from: Home of the Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash at Sun Studio – EP / July 2, 2013
   [Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash]

[Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Foe Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:32 – Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We just heard, I Walk The Line, Scott Moreau’s Johnny Cash tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood.

Scott was born in Bath, ME and raised in the small town of Litchfield, ME. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001, he began honing his craft in theatre around the country in various regional theatres. He is most known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Johnny Cash on the 1st National Tour of the Tony Award winning musical Million Dollar Quartet, and for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (Eldorado, series finale). Scott currently resides in New York City.

From the Portland Press Herald (August 1, 2021)

Singing the songs of Johnny Cash the way Johnny Cash sang them requires practice and repetition. For Scott Moreau, whose natural voice is a lyrical baritone with a sweet, bright quality, finding the rugged bottom end that’s required to effectively sing the songs of Johnny Cash does not come naturally or without effort.

“I am sure people assume I open my mouth and it just comes out, but a lot of trial and error – and a lot of time – goes into it,” said Moreau, 41, who grew up in Litchfield and whose uncanny ability to sing like Johnny Cash has taken him from Maine to stages across the country and around the world.

“It is still a work in progress, and something I have to work at all the time. To do a lot of the lower stuff, it’s not necessarily in my voice’s nature. I think about it exactly the way I look at working out – you have work up to it. If I haven’t sung Johnny Cash music in six weeks and I try to sing an entire show, my voice does not understand what I am trying to do.”

Moreau grew up listening to Cash. He talks about how when he was little, his parents would play their favorite records and dance in the living room. He would do his best to sing along with such artists as Cash, the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys.

WALKIN’ THE LINE – A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Starring Scott Moreau April 23 – 26

Filled with anecdotes, stories, and history pulled from Johnny’s many biographies, concerts, and live interviews, you will truly feel as though you are the watching The Man In Black in his heyday. Featuring songs from Johnny’s nearly 50 years in the music business including “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and many more!

10:43

10. Scott Moreau – “Rock Island line” (LIVE)
    [Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:46 – More Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

Scott was born in Bath, ME and raised in the small town of Litchfield, ME. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001, he began honing his craft in theatre around the country in various regional theatres.

From Phoenix.org By Bridgette M. Redman | January 22, 2021

In his early 20s, he was introduced to the music Cash was making toward the end of his life, and it transformed his career.

“That’s when I started to get obsessed, buying everything and reading everything, and wouldn’t let him go,” Moreau says. “It has just kind of continued. Luckily it wasn’t just fandom; it was a large part of my career. Johnny’s music and his message and life have had an immeasurable impact on my life.”

Moreau says performing as Cash has taken him all over the country and to Japan. He’s met members of the Cash family, been able to wear his clothes and play Cash’s guitars.

Moreau spent years on tour playing Cash in “The Million Dollar Quartet,” a musical about the December 4, 1956, afternoon Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins got together for an impromptu jam session. Moreau says he has met some of the best people from his life while doing that musical. “I can’t be more thankful for his life and legacy,”

Exploring Cash’s life – In “Walkin’ the Line,” Moreau speaks as Cash the entire time. While he sings many of Cash’s greatest hits, he also tries to give insight into Cash’s life, his friendships, and why and how he wrote certain songs.

“One thing I try to capture a good amount that the average fan doesn’t know about or understand — he had an extremely good sense of humor,” Moreau says. “He was large and imposing and sometimes a dark person. He had an extremely outgoing personality and was a cutup. I really try to bring that into a lot of my stage banter.”

In prep for creating the musical, Moreau spends a lot of time watching and analyzing his concerts so he can replicate who Cash was as a performer. He says he tries to be as close to Cash as humanly possible, leaving any semblance of his own personality behind.

“The performances of his songs and his songwriting is a major part of his performances, but so is his sense of humor and his authenticity,” Moreau says. “The people who come to these shows want to remember what it was like to see him on television or live.”

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

10:56

10:56

11. Just Angel – “Selfish”
    from: Just Angel: Pt. 2 / Distro Kid Records / December 25, 2021
    [Just Angel is a Kansas City based, singer, musician, songwriter, dancer. and creative artist. She released the single “Dumb” through T.A.P. OUT MUSIC on August 9, 2024. Just Angle contributed vocals to the Sisterbot debut record. // Just Angel: Pt. 2 is a followup to Just Angel Pt.1 – EP released on December 24, 2020 Just Angel is a musician, songwriter, dancer, and creative artist. Just Angel, has been seen on stages of The Barn Players Community Theatre, at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in BEAUTIFUL, The Carole King Musical,, The Music Theater Heritage: Ruby Room performance of “Piece of My Heart” in 2023, The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City “After Midnight” in 2022, and playing Osceola Mays in “Texas in Paris” in 2021. Her band, The Wades, can be found playing eclectic takes on pop music, and Just Angel‘s originals, from Part 1 & 2. Her single “Dumb”, was released August 9, 2024. More at https://linktr.ee/JustAngel%5D

[Just Angel & The Wades play The Phoenix, 302 West 8th St., KCMO, Wed, April 29, 7pm to 11:00pm.]

10:59 – Station ID

12. BCR – “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis”
    from: Which Earth Are We On? / Fifth Street Records / 1987
    [Thomas Aber on Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet [Contra-alto]; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Performer [Duck Call]; Vocals; Bill Dyeon Guitar, Steel Guitar, Bouzouki; Bird Ellington Fleming on Congas, Shekere, Drums [Talking Drum], Berimbau, Tambourine, Agogô, Percussion; Dean Allaudin Ottinger on Drums, Berimbau, Bells [Tibetan Bell], Vocals, Percussion; Jeff Rendlen on Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals; Randy Weinstein on Harmonica [Chromatic And Diatonic], Keyboards, Vocals; Ed Herrmann on Synthesizer [Serge]; Stan Kessler on Trumpet. // BCR – Producer; Dave Brock – Co-producer, Engineer; Denis McFarling – Art Direction, Layout; Archer Prewitt – Artwork [Front Cover Woodcut]; Sandra Summers – Artwork [Back Cover Illustrations]; Jay Mandeville – Liner Notes; Mary Bodine – Typography]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Which Earth Are We On?
Track List:
Mokele Mbembe Special
Robot Lips
Teenie Boppers In Atlantis
Which Earth Are We On?
Horror Story
Breakfast Atiphonal
Olmec Heads
Krankenhaus Juju
The World Is A Monkey
The Uncertainty Principle
Saints In The Trees
The Final Frontier

11:02 – Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album Black Crack And The Sole Survivors – BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The limited edition 200 LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982. Since then the Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

We just heard BCR’s studio version of “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis” from 1986- Ken Beck co-composed it in 1983 will be a special guest from Chicago with BCR on April 25–and there’s a wild story about it’s origin.

The beginnings of BCR – Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976

Beyond the Black Crack is one of the most unique listening experiences in modern experimental music. It was recorded 1974-1976 in locations as diverse as factories, the pyramid opposite Harry Truman’s grave site as well as more conventional concert settings. It is a dark, dizzying and exhilarating journey through free jazz, electronics and environmental sound, all shattered by Frizzell’s radical tape editing. It was originally released in an edition of 200 LPs by Cavern Custom to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18 1976.

—Clive Graham

The Performance
The original Beyond the Black Crack Sole Survivors recordings were made at the Kansas City Art Institute in the Foundation studio in 1975 and the Epperson Auditorium in 1976. I was in Foundation studying with Tommy Gomersal, Carl Kurtz and Shirley Schnell. Black Crack was entirely extra-curricular, and the administration provided the auditorium space and other support to make the 24-hour ritual possible.

A metronome set the event in motion, along with several analog reel-to-reel tape recorders with double-feedback loops, and longer tape loops between multiple machines—spread out across the stage, with audience and performers mixing in the auditorium. Nearly everyone who came interacted with the enfolding rhythms and tones.

Thirty-nine years later, we have readied our time-shifting devices for activation in the very same auditorium—the metronome, multiple delay units, electric dischargers, and group of young (and young-at-heart) artists dedicated to the same goal–to diffuse time-space boundaries and initiate eroto-cosmic passage to out alter-destiny where, as Sun Ra put it, “There’s no limit to the things you can be. There’s no limit to the things you can do. Your thoughts are free, and life is worthwhile.”

–Dwight Frizzell

How to Avoid Simultaneity was on Black Crack & the Sole Survivors- Beyond the Black Crack LP (1976), This was a 1997 remix–sonifying the time-shifting effects of black holes.

11:16

13. Black Crack & the Sole Survivors – “How to Avoid Simultaneity”
    from: Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) / Cavern Custom Recordings / 1976
    [Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation // Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration]; Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing]; Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration]; Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar; Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo; Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine]; Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]. // Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12). // Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18th, 1976. // Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18th, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4th through December 5th, 1975. ]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976
Beyond The Black Crack (LP, #ed, Sp. Ed, Comm. Ed.) Cavern Custom Records US 1990
Beyond The Black Crack (CD, LP, Album, Ltd. Ed., #ed, Reissue) Paradigm UK 1998

Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation

1. Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (12:36)
   Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration];
   Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing];
   Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration];
   Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar;
   Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo;
   Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine];
   Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone;
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]

Fredrik’s Cosmic Spaced Out Blues Band And Orchestra

2. Hot Fudge (1:11)
3. Get It Out Of Your System (6:18)
4. Chili Supper Polka (2:20)

Turtle Music

5. Journey Of Turtles (6:31)
   Percussion – Bill Scanlan; Percussion, Clarinet [Reduced Speed] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
6. Pre-Transformation Of Turtle To Bird (5:27)
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Percussion, Flute
7. Nocturnal (2:04)
8. Fly By Night (7:50)
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Electronics;
   John Scanlan on Electric Guitar; Bill Scanlan – Engineer
9. O What Joy It Is To Know You Have A Turtle Heart (4:11)
   Bill Scanlan – Engineer; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on enor Saxophone

Scenes From The Wandering Madness Of Basilea, The Great Mother

10. Embryonic Music (3:34)
11. Copulation Of Basilea And Hyperion (4:50)
12. Family, Birth Of Helio And Selene (6:47)
    Performer [Musicians]: Arnie Young*, Jack Blackett, Jim Miller, John Crain, John Thies, Mike Temple, Rob Beckner, Tommy Gomersall
13. Destruction – Slaying Of Hyperion, Drowning Of Helio, Suicide Of Selene And The Wandering Madness Of Basilea (2:24)

Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (1997 Remix)

14. “How To Avoid Simultaneity” (2:54)
    Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Producer, Remix.

Pressed By PMDC, UK – Mike Davies – Co-producer
Larry Schuermann, Sharon – Design [Assisted With Original Cover Design]
Kurt Eckhardt – Design [Poster & Cover Design],
Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Photography By [Cover Photos];
Engineer [Digital Transfer] – Scott Middleton
Engineer [Remix] – Bill Scanlan, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Photography By [Black Crack Courtesy] – Robyn Nichols
Photography By [Original Poster Photos] – Beth Van Cleave, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Recorded By, Mixed By, Remix – Rev. Dwight Frizzell (tracks: 10 to 13)
Tape [Source Tapes] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Technician [Reassembly Of The Lp], Producer, Artwork By Clive Graham
Comes with 12 page booklet.

Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12).

Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18, 1976.

Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4 through December 5, 1975.
Tracks 2 to 4 recorded live at the 2nd RLDS Church chili supper March 24, 1974 in Independence, Missouri.

11:14 – More Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982.

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

Allan Winkler is a nationally acclaimed artist from the Kansas City area. Boasting a multi-disciplinary career creating various ceramic sculptures, paintings, paper cutouts, metal cutouts, and fabrics. Allan Winkler creates intricate paper cuts and metal cuts. Winkler also renovated three old houses in Kansas City’s West Side neighborhood and lives in one of them. A Chicago native, while in high school a teacher noticed his talent and found him his first studio. That led to a scholarship at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he studied ceramics with Ken Ferguson and then spent a year at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana. Winkler earned a B.F.A. degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, in 1980. In 1976, Allan was a visual artist for BCR creating their T shirts and their performance visual stuff About 15 yeas ago he joined the band as a percussionist

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

The Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

Dwight’s boyhood neighbor in Independence, Missouri was Harry S. Truman, who appears in Dwight’s work as a pianist, Atlantean King and time-traveler. Dwight released the “Beyond the Black Crack” LP in 1976, studied video art with Douglas Davis (1977), clarinet with Raymond Luedeke (1979) and metaphysics with Sun Ra (1980-1990). His work was exhibited at Biennale de Paris, World-Wide Video Festival (Amsterdam), and broadcast on NPR.

Dwight’s collaborative third-mind creations with writer Jay Mandeville includes plays, essays, and Ark scripts. Their work was published in “Semiotext(e) Radiotext(e)” and “Experimental Sound and Radio” (MIT Press). They edited The Pitch in the early ‘80s.

Dwight’s music is available on Paradigm discs (England). He plays Buffet clarinets and Yamaha saxophones and wind controllers. His collaborations with Michael Henry include “Sonic Force,” where AFR A10 Warthog Attack Planes were used as musical instruments. Frizzell is a founding member of the Black Crack Revue, the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and the National Audio Theatre Festivals. He performed recently with David Ossman and Phil Proctor of the Firesign Theatre.

Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

The last time Rev. Dwight Frizzell was on our show was January 28, 2026 to talk about: SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Thursday January 29, at 7:00pm. SOUND IN RADIO ART features new sound pieces created by young audio-visual artists working in radio space for the first time.

Dwight was on our show was June 12, 2019 to share details about details about Heliophonie (Sun Sound) a midday Solstice concert, Friday, June 21, 2019 11:00 AM to Noon at KC Art Institute’s Vanderslice Reception Patio (behind historically restored Vanderslice Hall) performed in-sync to the sun’s harmonic tones. The solar sphere oscillates like a bell ringing every 4 minutes 48 seconds (as heard on a large gong). Overtones pulse in quadra-pole rotation (realized by the instruments & electronics). Solar storms moving vigorously through the resonating convection-zone are performed by instrumental duets.

Dwight Frizzell is an internationally recognized artist whose interdisciplinary work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art and writing. He has been producing the “From Ark to Microchip” series with Jay Mandeville since 1984. “Ark 2 Microchip” radio can be heard currently on KKFI (www.kkfi.org) 90.1FM, and on KOPN, KCUR, KGNU, RESONANCE FM (London), RADIO NOVA (Paris), and WKCR (NYC).

The Turtle Music themes in from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK are continued in a new piece Dwight recorded with Folk Music Icon, Marideth Scisco and the Wellspring Song– it’s part of Dwight’s April 30, 2026 From Ark to Microchip broadcast called Journey of Turtles, and will be performed at Pringle Fest for the National Audio Theater this summer.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

11:21

14. Marideth Sisco & Dwight Frizzell – “Wellspring Song”
    from: From Ark to Microchip / April 30, 2026 Episode / To Be Broadcast on KKFI April 30, 2026
    [Marideth Ann Sisco (born June 15, 1943) is an American storyteller, folklorist, singer-songwriter, author and retired journalist. Her work largely focuses on folklore related to her native Ozark Mountains. Sisco and her music were featured in the Oscar-nominated film Winter’s Bone. In 2023 she was a featured artist at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where she performed both in song and as a storyteller. // Sisco was born in Missouri to Marguerite Elenor (Gentry) Sisco (1920–1966) and Paul Holtz Sisco (1923–1966). Her interest in music started when she was three and a great uncle taught and encouraged her to sing. Her family moved frequently when she was young, including time spent in Kansas, Washington state, Montana and California. As she grew older she became tired of moving around and returned to live with her grandmother in Butterfield, graduating from high school in Cassville, Missouri in 1961. //After high school, Sisco attended Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State College) in Springfield, MO, where she studied performance & orchestration. But she left before finishing a degree after being told that as a woman she would not be successful in the field and was instead encouraged to switch to music education. // In 1965, Sisco left the Ozarks and moved to California, where she hoped to break into the music business as a singer, but lack of success and a hand injury that left her unable to play guitar derailed that goal. In 1976 she left California, helping her aunt and ailing uncle return to Missouri, but with the intention of moving back west, which she never did. // After returning to Missouri, Sisco received a BFA from Missouri State University and later an MA from Antioch University. She also began a 20-year career as a journalist at the West Plains Quill in West Plains, Missouri, where she worked as an investigative and environmental writer. She also authored the “Crosspatch” gardening column. // Upon her retirement from journalism in 2005, she returned to song-writing. // Currently, Sisco hosts “These Ozark Hills,” a local culture and folklore radio program on Ozarks Public Radio at KSMU-FM, which is based out of Missouri State University. As a singer, she performs both solo and with The Blackberry Winter Band. // Through a chance encounter at a singing party, Sisco was involved in the Oscar-nominated 2010 film Winter’s Bone, based on the book by Daniel Woodrell. In the film’s production she served as a musical consultant and singer, as well as appearing in the film as a singer. Her scene in the film was written specifically to feature her singing. // She also contributed to the movie by singing “The Missouri Waltz” for its opening scenes, though she reworked it to remove racist language from the song.Following the release of the film she toured with the Blackberry Winter Band to promote the soundtrack, referring to it as Amazing Geriatric Hillbilly tour. They played in 27 cities in the U.S.A. and Canada. // In 2018, Sisco received the Quill Award for lifetime achievement from the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame and Missouri Folk Arts Program has also designated her a Missouri Master Storyteller. //Sisco is lesbian & active in LGBTQ+ causes.]

11:28 – Underwriting

11:30 – Interview with Rosie O’Brien of Sass-a-Brass

Rosie O’Brien is a musician and organizer originally from Lawrence, KS. She studied Political Science, Studio Art, and Mandarin Chinese at Grinnell College in Iowa and pursued a career in political and environmental activism before transitioning into music full-time. Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional drumming with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to Kansas City in 2021 to expand the project, which has received grants from both the Charlotte Street Foundation and ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians. Sass-a-Brass Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Since its inception Sass-a-Brass has involved a wide variety of instrumentalists, encompassing many genders and sexualities. More info at: http://www.sassabrassband.com

Rosie O’Brien thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Taylor Babb plays drums and percussion with Sass-a-Brass band, but today he’s going to play guitar for a couple of live songs Rosie has in planned for us today.

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer & nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

During her undergraduate studies, Rosie sang and toured annually with the Grinnell Singers, where she debuted and recorded the original compositions of her mentor and director, Dr. John Rommereim, in both Iowa and Taiwan.

Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional djembe & dunun with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to KC in 2021 to expand the project, eceiving grants from Charlotte Street Foundation & ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians.

Rosie joined the KC Ballet School as an accompanist in 2023 and plays traditional djembe for modern dance classes and the ROAD program. In 2025, Rosie will enter her second season as a soprano with professional choral ensemble Te Deum; she is in her third season as a Choral Associate with Country Club Christian Church, and enjoys performing locally as a vocalist and percussionist with her 8-piece free-improvisation band Apricot Glow.

Sass-a-Brass is KC’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of HONK-style activist street band energy and borrowing from the New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Our mission is to bring queer musical joy to the public, and provide a welcoming space where underrepresented groups experience a sense of belonging and sustained growth as musicians. As a community-minded band, we intentionally recruit amateur, multi-generational and non-traditional players to join. Since its inception in 2018, Sass-a-Brass has involved a variety of instrumentalists, of many genders and sexualities.

11:37 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

15. Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Babb – “The Hammer Song” (LIVE)
    “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” is a protest song written by Pete Seeger & Lee Hays, in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, & Fred Hellerman. It was a No. 10 hit for Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 and then went No. 3 in 1963 when recorded by Trini Lopez. A May 1963 interview on Folk Music World-wide, Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary characterized the song as “a young national anthem for the United States”.
    The Weavers released the song under the title “The Hammer Song” as a 78 rpm single in March 1950 on Hootenanny Records, 101-A, backed with “Banks of Marble”.]

11:40 – More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer and nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

Over the years, Sass-A-Brass has benefited from the participation of many incredible musicians from the Lawrence and KC area; has involved wide-ranging instrumentation including keytar, amplified flute, and washboard; and has led musical celebrations for a diverse range of events (most notably an underground cave party and a Solstice parade ending in a public fountain).

11:48 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

16. Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Babb – “All Those Fascists Are Bound To Lose” (LIVE)
    [Words by Woody Guthrie (1943). Music by Billy Bragg (1997) for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, a 2000 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and American band Wilco. It continues the project originally conceived by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie which resulted in the release of Mermaid Avenue in 1998. Both volumes were collected in a 2012 box set along with volume three as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.]

11:52– More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb

Rosie O’Brien of the Sass-a-Brass Queer Marching Band – Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Rosie returns to play a fews songs live, discuss queer street activism, and share details on Sass-a-Brass shows: Saturday, May 9, 11:00am to 3:00pm for the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – Block Party; Friday, May 15, at 5:00pm for Open Studios at the Livestock Exchange, 1600 Genessee St., KCMO in the historic West Bottoms; Saturday, May 30 for ManorFest 8; Saturday & Sunday June 27 & 28 for PEOPLE’s PRIDE.

Sass-a-Brass Shows:

Saturday, May 9, at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4200 Warwick Blvd., KCMO

Friday, May 15, at Stockyards Brewing Company, 1600 Genessee, St. Ste 100, KCMO, Historic West Bottoms, as part of the Open Studios Show.

Saturday, May 30, – ManorFest 8 (final night) – Leading two parades

Saturday, June 6 – Lawrence Pride

Sunday, June 28, The People’s Pride – organized by Sass-a-Brass (Summer Solstice)

Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb, thanks for being with us on WMM

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

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

11:54

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

[Jamogi plays KKFI’s Band Auction Sat, April 25, at 12:20pm You can bid on Jamogi for your party]

[Jamogi plays Manor Fest 8]

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

NEXT WEEK on April 29 we’ll talk with Julie Bennet Hume about the Women of Rebellion Showcase presented by Heartland Song Network, KKFI, Folk Alliance & Missouri Arts Council, Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 6:30pm at recordBar 1520 Grand Ave., KCMO featuring Seyko & Carolina Mendoza, with Julie Bennett Hume, Gracie Caggiano, and Emma Jo. A benefit for Heartland Song Network.; ALSO Amelia Rose Korte share details about a UMKC Civil Rights History Project she is working on, AND, Janice Wasserman and Alan Wasserman join us to talk about moving to Kansas City form M]NYC, Alan serving on the KKFI Board of Directors, and disco dancing., AND Lava Dreams shares new music.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!

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

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

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

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #1144

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, April 8, 2026

Jennifer Owen, Brad Cox & Krystle Warren + Michael B. Tipton + Shaun Crowley

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

2. Ziggy Marley – “Racism Is A Killa (Radio edit)”
   from: Brightside / Tuff Gong Records / April 18, 2026 Vinyl & CD – RSD / May 1, 2026 Digital
   [Nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning icon Ziggy Marley has released his newest song “Racism Is A Killa,” off his recently announced upcoming album Brightside. A timely call to action, “Racism Is A Killa” likens the injustice of inequality to a deadly disease in need of eradication. Responding with hope and resiliency, Marley offers the antidote of love in his lyrical messaging. “Racism we gon beat ya/Racism we’ll defeat ya,” he affirms. // Marley also recently announced his upcoming summer tour across North America. Kicking off on June 19th at Fox Tucson Theatre in Tucson, AZ, the 20-date tour will make stops in major markets all around the country before concluding on July 22nd in Nantucket, MA. J Boog is set to appear as Special Guest on select dates throughout the tour. // The upcoming shows include a night at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA on June 21st, as well as a performance at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre as part of Stephen Marley’s Kaya Fest. The special festival will include a joint set between the brothers, performing both their own songs and collaborating on selections from their father, Bob Marley’s, discography. Kaya Fest will feature support from Buju Banton, Karl Denson’s Tribute to Jimmy Cliff, J Boo and Mike Love. // Earlier this year, Marley also released a brand-new track, “Many Mourn For Bob,” a powerful tribute to the legacy of his father, the legendary Bob Marley. The new song came alongside the announcement of Ziggy’s Brightside studio album. Brightside will be released exclusively on vinyl on April 18th at independent record stores as part of the celebration of Record Store Day, and digitally wide on May 1st. // Marley crafted Brightside, his 9th solo studio album, via a creative process entirely different than anything he’s done to date, from both a songwriting and technical standpoint. The album’s eight songs were co-produced by Ziggy and his brother Stephen and recorded at his newly built Rebel Lion Studio in Los Angeles alongside a myriad of longtime collaborators, including vocalist Nikka Costa, Trombone Shorty, Sheila E. and Jake Shimaburkuro. Most uniquely, the project was recorded using 432Hz, a soothing sonic frequency regularly employed for meditation and other mindful practices. With songs that delve into wellness and mental health, Marley shares “You see what’s happening in the world, what’s happening to people, and it really brings me down sometimes. I realized the album was going to have an introspective side to it. [The music] became my therapy.” Brightside not only embodies messages of resilience and strength but was also intentionally crafted to include healing elements that drive a therapeutic listening experience.]

3. Anjimile – “Afarin”
   from: You’re Free To Go / 4AD / March 13, 2026
   [Anjimile also released the singles “Waits For Me on March 13, 2026 and “Like You Really Mean It” earlier this year. Today North Carolina based singer-songwriter Anjimile announces plans to release the full-length album You’re Free to Go, due out March 13, 2026 on 4AD. The announcement comes with the luminous lead single “Like You Really Mean It” which overflows with tenderness and vulnerability, accompanied by a beautiful video directed by Caity Arthur. // Anjimile shares: “I wrote this to make my girlfriend want to give me a kiss. We live about an hour apart, and I was just by myself thinking about her. Thinking about wanting a kiss. What could I do to get a kiss from my sweetheart? Write a song about it! Anyway, it worked.” // “Like You Really Mean It” comes after the November single “Auld Lang Syne II,” a tender note-to-self on resilience and hard-fought freedom, characterized by delicate finger-plucked strings, charming horn passages, and intimate vocal delivery, which Stereogum called “stunning” upon its release; a song Anjimile says was: “originally intended as something of a wedding present for my best friend, who got married a few years back.” // Contrasting the intricacy and complexity of The King, You’re Free to Go unfolds organically under the intuitive direction of producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples). The album’s songs bloom naturally, grounded in warm acoustic guitars, subtle synth textures, lush string arrangements, and delicate rhythmic layers. Collaborative efforts with musicians Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), and guest vocalist Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) – a personal hero of Anjimile whose music deeply influenced the album even before his involvement – cultivate an exploratory yet intimate atmosphere, perfectly aligned with Anjimile’s nuanced storytelling. // Anjimile (ann-JIM-uh-lee) Chithambo has forged a distinctive musical path characterised by unflinching introspection and deep honesty. Emerging from Boston’s vibrant indie scene while studying at Northeastern University, Anjimile captivated audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that felt like prayer and celebration. // Critical acclaim quickly followed; 2020’s Giver Taker, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the year’s best albums, positioned him as a compelling voice exploring enduring themes of spirituality, identity, and liberation. With The King(2023), Anjimile intensified his examination of Black and trans existence amid personal and societal turbulence, reaffirming his courageous commitment to navigating discomfort as a means of liberation. // You’re Free to Go picks up where The King left off, but with its hands open wide – a central question being: what happens when you let go and let love in? // Crafted over years marked by transformation, the album traces vividly the profound complexities of change – from breakups to new love; deep grief and loss to renewal and rediscovery. “The past two years have been a deeply transitional point in my life,” Anjimile explains. On You’re Free to Go, he learns to trust life again. The album’s title symbolises Anjimile’s expansive perspective on love and personal freedom, influenced profoundly by his relationship with his partner and their joyful embrace of non-monogamy. He describes this dynamic playfully: “I view non-monogamy as setting out milk every night on your porch for the cats; they can come if they want,” – a reminder that connection thrives when it’s truly chosen and not confined and restricted by normatively. This same playfulness runs through “Rust & Wire” which captures the exhilaration of falling in love again and again (“ripen in the heat like wine”). // Elsewhere, You’re Free to Go explores heavier, darker truths; ‘Exquisite Skeleton’ hauntingly portrays the ache of familial estrangement and ‘Ready or Not’ the exhaustion of facing transphobia. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be free… When I was a little boy, I wanted to be real.”, he disarmingly reflects on “Waits For Me,” a powerful reckoning on childhood identity. But even in its most searching moments, the record radiates light. // Each song holds space for healing – for turning pain into something tender, communal, and free. // Spirituality remains the heartbeat of Anjmile’s work. “Songwriting feels like a prayer, a plea, or a question,” he says. Across You’re Free to Go, sacredness feels alive and imperfect — a practice of breathing, wondering, forgiving. The album hums with that same sacred energy: messy and full of grace. // Throughout You’re Free to Go, Anjimile skillfully integrates a variety of musical inspirations to heighten the album’s emotional impact. Tracks such as “Turning Away” and “The Store” channel the raw and unadorned authenticity reminiscent of early Modest Mouse. The collaboration with Sam Beam on “Destroying You” adds a gentle warmth that beautifully complements Anjimile’s refined vocal expression. Melodically, the album evokes a subtle nostalgia for late-’90s alternative pop, seamlessly blending folk sensibilities into inviting, memorable hooks. Anjimile has notably evolved, adopting a more relaxed and expressive approach to his singing, partly due to his ongoing hormonal therapy – a transformative journey he embraces gladly. This newfound vocal depth amplifies the album’s emotional resonance, allowing him to express himself with greater authenticity. // As Anjimile prepares to share You’re Free to Go live, he envisions intimate performances that reinterpret rather than replicate the album’s recordings. He aims for the authenticity and vulnerability embedded in these songs to resonate deeply, emphasizing, “This record feels very authentic to my life experiences. It’s about as close to getting to know me as you could ever get with a record.” // You’re Free to Go is a portrait of transformation — not as a wound, but as an opening. Richly textured, this collection of songs is an honest reflection of life’s fluctuations. It holds space for contradiction and finds liberation in tenderness. As Anjimile beautifully articulates, the album embodies “breathing into the question,” acknowledging that life’s most profound moments often come without clear answers, but rather exist in the gentle tension of uncertainty and discovery. In every note, Anjimile provides space for each listener to reflect and uncover their own truths, while gently reminding us that freedom isn’t the absence of pain, but the courage to love, to ask, to keep beginning again.]

4. Sara Swenson – “Your Town” [Video released April 7, 2026]
   from: TALLER / Sara Swenson / February, 28, 2026
   [Sara Swenson and more than 20 beloved KC singer-songwriters, instrumentalists, radio DJs and promoters sing “Your Town”. Includes live footage from Swenson’s performances at KC music venues – the Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads, recordBar and Crossroads Music Fest at Stockyards Brewing Co. Sara Swenson has released some of our most played and favorite recordings of the last 7 years. Her self titled debut ended up at the top of our list of The 100 Best Recordings of 2009. In 2010 Sara Swenson released her second full length recording, “All Things Big and Small” again working with Don Chaffer in Nashville who added new layers to Sara’s great songs and voice. In November of 2011, Sara released her 5 song EP called “Never Left My Mind,” featuring her band at the time, The Pearl Snaps. In that time frame, she also had picked up two KC Singer-Songwriter of the Year awards, performed with Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, and placed a song on the season finale of ABC’s “Private Practice.” Then after the school year ended in 2012, Sara Swenson left her job as a High School English & Journalism Teacher in Platte County High School, and left KC, and she flew off to the United Kingdom, where she got married. In the spring of 2014, Sara returned and performed for the Folk Alliance International Conference. On July 18, 2014 she released her 4th album, RUNWAY LIGHTS that captures snapshots of her 18-month experience of living abroad, moving from dating to marriage and sorting through the accompanying transitions. Produced by Don Chaffer in Nashville. On March 26, 2021 Sara Swenson released, “I Wont Let You Feel Alone”a song from husband Michael Price’s film “The Hidden Pandemic” that premiered on KCPBS that also features Mark Lowrey’s piano. Info: saraswenson.com.]

5. Warren Burns – “High As Lightning”
   from: Burn Again / Warren Burns / April 10, 2026
   [Warren Burns on vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica; Brad Highnam on bass, backing vocals, piano; Marco Pascolini on pedal steel; Jon Kraft on drums, w/ Mark Cohick on pipes, Marvin Gruenbaum & Tony DeMarco & Kent Brauninger on violin; Steve Molloy & Danny Fischer on trumpet; Kari Agosti & Suzanne Hogan & on backing vocals. Recorded by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab. Mastered by Carl Saff]

[Warren Burns plays a Vinyl release show will be at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave. KCMO in Historic West Bottoms on Sunday April 12, at 6:00pm, with Lodestones.]

Warren Burns Tour
04.23.2026-fayetteville ar-@ artemis w/ noah richmond
04.24.2026-Little rock ar-@ white water tavern w/ numb chunks, william blackart
04.25.2026-memphis-@ dkdc w/ Aquarian blood
04.26.2026-new orleans-@ The Okay bar w/ cry baby’s, dirty rotten snake in the grass
04.28.202-austin tx-@ crow bar w/ Cooper moon
04.29.2025-oklahoma city-@ flora bodega
05.19.2026-st louis mo-@ The hi dive w ace of spit
05.20.2026-berea ky-@rebel rebel
05.21.2026-detroit mi-@the painted lady w/ old fashioned aces
05.22.2026-kalamozoo mi-@glow hall
05.23.2026-green bay wi-@ the razz
05.24.2026-minniapolis mn-@eagles club
05.25.2026-iowa city-@tbd

10:21- New TV Theme Songs

6. Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt – “I Played the Fool (Main Title Theme from “Rooster”)”
   from: I Played the Fool (Main Title Theme from “Rooster”) – Single / Watertower Music – Warner Bros. Entertainment / March 8, 2026
   [“I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme)”, the official main title theme from the brand-new HBO Original series Rooster created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. The song is performed by Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt and is available now on all major digital streaming platforms. “I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme)” brings together two Grammy Award-winning artists for the first time, pairing one of the most sought-after producers and collaborators in modern music, Andrew Watt, with Michael Stipe, the legendary former frontman of the iconic band R.E.M. // “I Played The Fool” marks Stipe’s first new song in three years, making the track a highly anticipated return for the acclaimed artist. The track showcases Stipe’s unmistakable voice paired with Watt’s bold contemporary production, creating a striking and memorable introduction to the series. // Produced and co-performed by Watt, the song also features Travis Barker (Blink-182) on drums and Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and piano. Anchored by Barker’s driving percussion and Klinghoffer’s atmospheric instrumentation, the track delivers a striking and cinematic opening to Rooster, establishing the tone for the HBO series with a blend of raw emotion, modern rock energy and timeless songwriting. // Michael Stipe shares: “I’m thrilled to lend my voice to Rooster – as a giant fan of everyone involved, it’s a real honor to be included with ‘I Played The Fool’. // Andrew Watt adds: “Michael Stipe is a hero of mine. A chance to write a song with him was that of a dream…He is one of the true great songwriters of this lifetime and he did what only he could do on this song. He sets “Rooster” off to the moon by making you laugh and cry at the same time with the best clapping tv theme song since Friends.” // Bill Lawrence Shares: Recently I’ve watched Andrew join some of the most accomplished artists from my era (The Stones, Pearl Jam, etc, etc) and make music that somehow feels nostalgic and simultaneously of the moment. The fact that he was able to partner with one of my favorite songwriter/singers of all time, Michael Stipe, turned this into a career highlight for me. And it’s flat out a great song.” // On having the song created, Matt Tarses added: “Our plan had always been to use music from our own time in college in the 80s. No band was more important to me then than REM. When Andrew Watt told us he thought he could get Michael Stipe to write and record a new song for us, we said, “Cool, good luck with that.” We knew this would never happen. But a few months later, Andrew sent an early demo of “I Played the Fool.” And when I listened to it on my phone, I cried. I really did. Saying we are excited to have this great song and this iconic voice on our main title is a huge understatement. // ABOUT ROOSTER – A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author’s (Steve Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive). From co-show runners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, is executive produced by Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer for Doozer, Matt Tarses, Jonathan Krisel, Barbie Adler, Annie Mebane, David Stassen, Anthony King, David Hyman, and Steve Carell. The series stars Steve Carell, Charly Clive, Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai. // The HBO Original comedy series ROOSTER debuted Sunday, March 8 on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes of the 10-episode season, from Warner Bros. Television, will debut weekly through Sunday, May 10. // ABOUT MICHAEL STIPE – Michael Stipe is an artist, producer and singer/songwriter. He fronted the band R.E.M. for 31 years, selling over 100 million records and touring the world. For the past decade, his personal focus has been cross-medium visual art, incorporating video, soundscape, sculpture, and photographic and digital imagery. He has released four recent photography books through Damiani out of Bologna, Italy. His first institution show was at ICA Milan in December 2023. He is currently completing his first solo album. Michael lives in New York City and Berlin. // ABOUT ANDREW WATT – Multi-GRAMMY-winning producer Andrew Watt has become synonymous with one undeniable truth: he is the music industry’s not-so-secret weapon. Known for his genre-spanning versatility, Watt has collaborated with some of the most groundbreaking artists of the past decade, crafting chart-topping hits and award-winning albums across pop and rock. In 2021, he earned his first GRAMMY for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, recognized for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, Dua Lipa, Post Malone, and Miley Cyrus. He followed with a Best Rock Album win for producing Osbourne’s Patient Number 9, and in 2023 earned another Best Rock Album GRAMMY for Hackney Diamonds by The Rolling Stones. Among his recent high-profile projects, Watt co-produced the global smash “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. The single became a worldwide phenomenon, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, amassing over a billion global streams, topping charts internationally, and emerging as one of the fastest-rising pop collaborations of the decade. He also co-produced Gaga’s No. 1, critically acclaimed album Mayhem, including its hit “Abracadabra.” His work on the album earned a GRAMMY for Best Dance Pop Recording, while Mayhem also won Best Pop Vocal Album. He additionally received nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for his contributions to the project. Recent credits include work with Brandi Carlile and Elton John on their collaborative album Who Believes in Angels?, KATSEYE’s “Gabriela,” nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Carlile’s Returning to Myself, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Watt also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2025 for “Never Too Late,” written for the 2024 documentary Elton John: Never Too Late directed by RJ Cutler.]

7. Benjamin Gibbard & Tom Howe – “Frightening Fishes (Main Title Theme from “Shrinking”)”
   from: Shrinking: Season 1 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) / Watertower Music – Warner Bros Entertainment / March 24, 2023
   [The track is written by Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Benjamin Gibbard & the show’s composer Tom Howe (Ted Lasso, Early Man, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Shrinking is created by Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Bill Lawrence & Brett Goldstein (both Ted Lasso) and stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford about a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tells his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives…including his own. Emmy® winners Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein and Segel co-write and serve as executive producers. The show also stars: Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Christa Miller, Luke Tennie and Lukita Maxwell. The comedy is on Apple TV+ // Benjamin Gibbard and Tom Howe are Winners of Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series in 2023 for Apple TV+ show Shrinking. Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a member of the indie pop supergroup The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives (2012), and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I’m Gone (2009), with Jay Farrar.]

8. The Creepy Jingles – “Vow Down”
   from: “Vow Down” – Single / Supe Brill Records / April 3, 2026
   [Earlier this year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon shared with us the unreleased single “fight for your say” for our March 4, 2026 radio show. // Last year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon released the single, “YOU AIN’T RIGHT! YOU MUST BE WRONG!” on May 2, 2025. Jocelyn Olivia Nixon is lead singer of the band The Creepy Jungles. The Creepy Jingles are getting ready to release a new alum called WASHED UP coming this spring. Jocelyn told Nick Spacek of The Pitch, “that the songs she presents to her bandmates in The Jingles’ songs are poppier stuff, typically, while solo songs are more folky, mellow, weird, and lyrical. Solo work also gives her the opportunity to work with others outside the group. As Nixon explains, “It’s basically a tongue-in-cheek song making fun of hard right conservatives and social cliques who think only their way is ‘right.’” She said, “I felt like I needed something where I can be a bit more vulnerable and naked, I suppose,” the musician says. “I think because Jingles do rock n roll pop songs well, I think I’m kinda boxed in as an artist and singer. This is my way of saying I have many sides to myself as an individual and as an artist, and I can forge my own path and defy expectations.” Jocelyn Nixon’s next single, “Real Deal,” is due later this summer . // The Creepy Jingles released a series of 4 new singles in 2024 including “When Things Go Wrong” on February 23, 2024. // The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer / song-writer Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. The Creepy Jingles released their album, TAKE ME AT MY WORDPLAY on March 25, 2022 through High Dive Records. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. The release was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. ]

[The Creepy Jingles open for Hello Biplane for their KC Album Release show at The Brick, 1727 McGee St., KCMO, on Friday, April 10 with The Kansas City Bear Fighters.]

10:30 – Underwriting

9. Michael B. Tipton – “Hot Headed Lover”
   from: “Hot Headed Lover” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / April , 2025
   [One of 5+ new singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

10:35 – Interview with Michael B. Tipton

Michael B. Tipton joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to share his new single, “Hot Headed Lover.” Michael released multiple five new singles in 2025 and in addition he teamed up with Seyko of The Freedom Affair to release a Christmas collaboration that they co-wrote together called “Better To Believe.” Michael was last on our show was on August 9, 2023 to talk about his single “Scoundrel” from his debut solo album, Out of the Woods, released on October 13, 2023. Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests ever interviewed on Wednesday MidDay Medley when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything Michael’s bands Molly Picture Club and Kodascope ever recorded. Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singling along. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne. Info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com

Michael B.Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

We just heard your new single: “Hot Headed Lover”

Michael B. Tipton who was one of our very first guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley back in 2004 the year this show first went on the air, and when Michale was 20 years old, he joined us to talk about his band Tabla Rasa. Michael has been a part of some of our most played Kansas City area bands including Molly Picture Club and Kodascope.

Michael B Tipton is a seasoned singer-songwriter who has performed for audiences nationwide for over 26 years. With a remarkable versatility across genres like folk, country, electronic, indie rock, and hard rock, his compositions are written to be adapted to various musical styles. Michael made his mark as a member of acclaimed bands: Tabla Rasa (1999-2005), 5 Defy (2006-2008), Molly Picture Club with Aniko Adany, and Kodascope (2013-2016).

He is also the driving force behind Found A Job, a popular 8-piece tribute to Talking Heads since 2012, where he embodies David Byrne’s essence.

In addition to his live performances, Michael’s songwriting prowess has earned him placements on notable TV shows like “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and various Discovery Channel segments. With an extraordinary ability to connect through heartfelt lyrics, captivating melodies, and a solid beat, Michael B Tipton continues to enchant audiences with his music. Stay tuned as this artist ventures into new musical horizons.

After enduring a prolonged songwriting drought, Tipton found solace in the music of his upbringing—Asleep At The Wheel, Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Jones. This rediscovery sparked a creative surge, resulting in a collection of heartfelt songs. Released in the fall of 2023, “Out of The Woods” captures Tipton’s revival and showcases his storytelling. As Tipton explains, it’s the most personal and coherent set of songs he’s written to date.

“The title ‘Out of the Woods,’ has a double meaning for me. It’s both a recurring theme for the lyrics and it speaks to an acoustic-heavy instrumentation, which is the literal meaning because the music is coming out of the woods.” Tipton pulled in long-time collaborators and newfound friends from the KC music scene to help him bring his album to life. This was Tipton’s first album under his name, even though he had released 7 albums and 6 EPs over the years.

Recorded & Produced by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, KC, MO

Musicians: Michael B Tipton- vocals, guitars, percussion |
Aaron”Big Al”Lewis-Bass | Justin Danner – Drums | Matt Smithmier – Mandolin | JaceHughes – Electric Guitar | Brad King – Slide Guitar | Mallory Edson- Fiddle
Devon Teran – Pedal Steel Guitar | Nate Holt – Organ, Piano
Kate Valliere – Backing Vocals.

Michael B.Tipton Shows:

APR. 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
Found A Job @ Boulevard Beer Hall

APR. 24, 2026 – Excelsior Springs, MO
Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels At Warbird Whiskey

APR. 25, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
Knuckleheads Presents Found A Job

APR. 29, 2026 – Lawrence, KS
Western Wednesday At Northside Social Presents Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels

MAY 29, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
An Evening Of Pink Floyd at The Warehouse on Broadway

10:44

10. Michael B. Tipton – “Walking The Wire”
    from: “Walking The Wire” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / August 19, 2025
    [One of 5 singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

10:47 – More Interview with Michael B. Tipton

Michael B. Tipton joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to share his new single, “Hot Headed Lover.” Michael released multiple five new singles in 2025 and in addition he teamed up with Seyko of The Freedom Affair to release a Christmas collaboration that they co-wrote together called “Better To Believe.” Michael was last on our show was on August 9, 2023 to talk about his single “Scoundrel” from his debut solo album, Out of the Woods, released on October 13, 2023. Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests ever interviewed on Wednesday MidDay Medley when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything Michael’s bands Molly Picture Club and Kodascope ever recorded. Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singing along. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne. Info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com

Michael B. Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singing along.

Found A Job play Boulevard Beer Hall on Wednesday April 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO

Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne.

On May 29, with Be Non, Back Light Animals, and Seyko you are putting on a Pink Floyd tribute at The Warehouse on Broadway. Seyko from The Freedom Affair and Sunu will be performing background vocals & lead vocal duties on various songs throughout the set.

Michael B Tipton is a seasoned singer-songwriter who has performed for audiences nationwide for over 26 years. With a remarkable versatility across genres like folk, country, electronic, indie rock, and hard rock, his compositions are written to be adapted to various musical styles.

Michael made his mark as a member of acclaimed bands:
Tabla Rasa (1999-2005),
5 Defy (2006-2008),
Molly Picture Club (2009-2013),
Kodascope (2013-2016).

Michael B Tipton is a dad. He has four kids.

Michael Tipton just launched his own branding consultancy called True Yarn Branding and would love your help in anyway to help him make some connections to small businesses in the Kansas City region. His focus is on helping growing companies develop their brand story for better market positioning and relationship building with their customers. https://www.tybranding.com/

Michael B.Tipton Shows:

APR. 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Found A Job @ Boulevard Beer Hall

APR. 24, 2026-Excelsior Springs, MO-Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels Warbird Whiskey

APR. 25, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Presents Found A Job

APR. 29, 2026 – Lawrence, KS – Western Wednesday At Northside Social Presents Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels

MAY 29, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – An Evening Of Pink Floyd – Warehouse on Broadway

Michael B.Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

10:56

11. Michael B. Tipton – “Back to the Farm”
    from: “Back to The Farm” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / October 21, 2025
    [One of 5+ new singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

11:00 – Station ID

12. The Greeting Committee – “What I Wouldn’t Give?” (CD #12) (3:41)
    from: “What I Wouldn’t Give?” / Harvest Records / October 10, 2025
    [Formed in KC in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, & Pierce Turcotte. This EP waOn September 24, 2021 The Greeting Committee released their album Dandelion, ,which was part of WMM’s 120 Best recordins of 2021. hat release was a follow up to their Oct. 17, 2019 EP, I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry, and their October 26, 2018, full length vinyl release “This Is It.” The band has previously released the EP “Meeting People is Easy” in 2017, and “It’s Not All That Bad” in 2015.The Greeting Committee released their single “Ada” on August 27, 2021, through Harvest Records / UMG Recordings. Addie wrote about her song “Ada” explaining it was a queer narrative inspired by lived experience of a dear friend. i knew this wasn’t my story to tell, but instead the story of someone i fiercely admire. to our garden, you are loved. you are loved.]

[The Greeting Committee play Manor Fest 8]

11:05 – Interview with Shaun Crowley

Shaun Crowley is a classically trained guitarist, and has studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Crowley started playing in the Kansas City music community when he was 17 in band Rev Gusto who released their debut album on High Dive Records. Rev. Gusto then transformed into the band Momma’s Boy.

Shaun Crowley is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization that functions as a record store and record label to support Kansas City musicians. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017. Manor Records has expanded the idea of what a music label can be, by creating multiple record store locations, hosting Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC, Music Maker Mondays on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO

One of Manor Records biggest events is: Manor Fest an eight day, music festival held progressively in eight different neighborhoods in Kansas City in May. From a basement in Shawnee, Kansas, to neighborhoods like the Crossroads to the Northeast, and now a KC Streetcar Day – Manor Fest has become a citywide celebration of the music community that makes this place special. Shaun Crowley joins us to discuss MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: May 20-23 and May 27-30.

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30.

The Greeting Committee, Bobby Watson, Calvin Arsenia, Fritz & Sons, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Sass-A-Brass, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, Eddie Moore, True Lions, The Royal Chief, Brian Gerald Bulger, Kissin, The Babe Gabe, Scabb, The Matchsellers, Kadesh Flow, Miki P, Aigerue + Mikey, Teri Quinn, Field Daze, Spy World, FK Menace, Apricot Glow, 2w33dy, Alber & I Maledetti, Malek Azrael & The Vibes, Dom Chronicles, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, LyMerrick, Kemet Coleman, Rebel Song Academy Ft. Base Academy of Music, Pure XTC, Nina Cherry, Henry Scamurra, Charmaine, Mosaic, Toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Jolson & The Fear of Snakes, Silvee, Freia, Natalie Prauser, Jazlyn Epps, Gracie Caggiano, Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust, Tidal.wav, Kapten, Sammy Sheets, Maddie Lai, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Jack Summers, Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs, Isaiah Petrie, The Soul Agenda Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

11:14

13. The Yadda Yadda – “30 Minutes (feat.TyFaison, Paris Williams, and Monogram)” (Radio Edit)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / Seven Rings Media / September 26, 2025
    [TyFaison released his solo album Until The War Is Won through Seven Rings Media on September 25, 2025. Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human. TyFaizon is a multi faceted musical artist, writer, producer, composer, TyFaison is also known as Mango Marai. TyFaison is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. TyFaison rose to international acclaim with BLACKSTARKIDS. // Mark: When we first heard BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun!” from their album: SURF on Bedroom Records, released Feb. 28, 2020, we lost our minds. It was one of our most played song on the radio show that year and landed at #2 in WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. Blackstarkids were a phenomenon who came out of Raytown Missouri and SURF became the soundtrack for the summer of 2020. // Blackstarkids were a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio that include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school meeting at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on Aug. 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. // Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020. // Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album on October 22, 2020, followed by Puppies Forever on Oct. 15, 2021, and Cyberkiss on Sept. 23, 2022. Blackstarkids released their last two albums Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024, and Heaven on Urf on Oct. 25, 2024. // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Ty gained experience, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. // In Sept. 20, 2024. After the break-up of BlackStarKids last year, TyFaison with Medici formed the production company “The Human” and then produced Paris Williams 2024 album A PARIS WILLIAMS JOINT (released Nov. 19, 2024) and then the full length album MANGO MARAI & SATURN STAR, (released in Dec. 2024). Ty then lent his talent to collaborating with BlackStarKids bandmate and close friend TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Her debut mixtape HONEY POP, was released on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED was released on Aug. 8, 2025. Both albums were produced by The Human.] [Paris Williams rleased A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024 // Paris Williams is a 26-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the EP COCOA on December 10, 2020 . // He released the single , “Austin”on February 18, 2021. // Paris Williams released the single, “Sweeter” on July 9, 2021. // He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. // He released the single ,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. // He released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. // Paris Williams released the EP REBEL HEART on January 31, 2023. This release was part of WMM ‘s 120 Best Recordings of 2023. // Paris Williams released the single, “Pack Light” on July 25, 2023. // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “C.est La Vie” on September 14, 2024, // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “Ayo (Feat TyFaison)” on September 18, 2024. // Paris Williams & The Human released the 10-track album, A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024. This release was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Paris Williams & TheBabeGabe released the single “Me Again” on April 28, 2025. // Paris Williams & Bloom Allen released the single “Truthfully” (radio edit) through BitterSweet Sound on August 12, 2025. // allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

[Paris Williams and TyFaison both play Manor Fest 8]

11:17 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley

Shaun Crowley is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization created to support Kansas City musicians. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017.

Manor Records has expanded the idea of what a music label can be, by creating multiple record store locations, hosting Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC, Music Maker Mondays on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO

One of Manor Records biggest events is: Manor Fest an eight day, music festival held progressively in eight different neighborhoods in Kansas City in May. From a basement in Shawnee, Kansas, to neighborhoods like the Crossroads to the Northeast, and now a KC Streetcar Day – Manor Fest has become a citywide celebration of the music community that makes this place special.

Shaun Crowley joins us to discuss MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: May 20-23 and May 27-30.

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30.

The Greeting Committee, Bobby Watson, Calvin Arsenia, Fritz & Sons, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Sass-A-Brass, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, Eddie Moore, True Lions, The Royal Chief, Brian Gerald Bulger, Kissin, The Babe Gabe, Scabb, The Matchsellers, Kadesh Flow, Miki P, Aigerue + Mikey, Teri Quinn, Field Daze, Spy World, FK Menace, Apricot Glow, 2w33dy, Alber & I Maledetti, Malek Azrael & The Vibes, Dom Chronicles, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, LyMerrick, Kemet Coleman, Rebel Song Academy Ft. Base Academy of Music, Pure XTC, Nina Cherry, Henry Scamurra, Charmaine, Mosaic, Toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Jolson & The Fear of Snakes, Silvee, Freia, Natalie Prauser, Jazlyn Epps, Gracie Caggiano, Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust, Tidal.wav, Kapten, Sammy Sheets, Maddie Lai, Danielle Ate Ghe Sandwich, Jack Summers, Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs, Isaiah Petrie, The Soul Agenda Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

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

Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30. Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

11:25

14. HAILES – “Not Perfect”
    from: FIVE (EP) / Magic Mango Music / September 29, 2025
    [Debut EP from KC based R&B artist HAILES. After graduating from Blue Valley West High School and briefly attending college, Hailes spent two years in the U.S. tour of The Wizard of Oz before moving to New York in 2017 to continue her acting career. COVID-19 shut down theatre and HAILES turned her energies toward writing music. When Broadway came back to life, HAILES returned to theatre and joined the Hadestown Broadway Tour for three years. While on tour Hailes continued writing music. // The music on her debut EP FIVE came from her time attending a writing camp in Austin, Texas. // HAILES told Cameron Castaldi of KJHK “On the road, I always had my recording equipment, so in every hotel that we got to, I would set up my little studio and write sporadically throughout the week.” // After living in New York City for the last seven years, R&B artist, songwriter, and actress Hailes is back home in Kansas City. She had her first concert in Kansas City on August 5, 2025 at The Blue Room. / More info at:www.hailes.komi.io/.]

[Hailes plays Manor Fest 8]

11:27 – Underwriting

15. Krystle Warren & The Faculty – “I’ve Seen Days”
    from: Diary [Remastered] – EP / Parlour Door Music 2025 / March 10, 2005
    [Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s first official release, ‘Diary’, has been remastered by chief-inspector, Ben Kane, who not only recorded those clandestine sessions at Electric Lady Studios; he also co-produced and mixed their conclusion with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. With KW and The Faculty at the time ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-three, ‘Diary’ is a snapshot of youth and discovery; a “baby-band” finding their sound, and pushing their creativity into uncharted territory. // On November 1, 2024 Krystle Warren & The Faculty released EXTENDED PLAY which was #1 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Krystle Warren & The Faculty are: Krystle Warren, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Mike Riddleberger, and Jonathan Anderson. Following their double album LOVE SONGS (2012) Krystle Warren & The Faculty were involved in many musical projects. Krystle Warren & The Faculty, released the single “Macca” on May 22, 2023. They released and their single “Rising” released May 31, 2019, and written especially for Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television mini series WHEN THEY SEE US. When Covid delayed the upcoming release of Extended Play, Krystle and members of The Faculty along with some of their frequent collaborators formed The Crew to release the 4-song CREW EP on September 15, 2020. Through isolation came unity. The Crew was made up of: Lakecia Benjamin, Matthew Silberman, Jacob Snider, Joe Blaxx, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Cassorla, Krystle Warren, and Ben Kane. They recorded unique versions of classic songs with the hope of encouraging the rallying cries of The Moment: the movement of the people. // In the lockdown of their homes, they sewed together their interpretations of “Bein’ Green” (based upon Ray Charles’ rendition); “Gimme Some Truth” (a mighty John Lennon composition); “Dear Landlord” (a scathing indictment from the blistering pen of Bob Dylan); and “Rhythm of Life”, (a timeless statement originally performed by Oleta Adams). // A portion of the proceeds from The Crew. EP were donated to the various causes and organizations //// The Faculty was formed with Krystle Warren, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Mike Riddleberger, and Dave Moore. While the four boys had classes and gigs, Krystle floated around New York and made a lot of friends. She busked and wrote songs, and, with the help of her band members and Ben Kane, who had an internship at Electric Lady Studios and was sneaking them in at odd hours, Krystle turned those songs into an e.p. called Diary. // Diary led to Circles, which Ben Kane co-produced with Voodoo engineer Russell “The Dragon” Elevado. Circles was bought by Because Music in France, but Krystle still recorded Love Songs in New York, a double album that invokes a Blakean duality with its two subtitles, ‘A Time to Refrain from Embracing’ and ‘A Time You May Embrace’. // Love Songs​ was produced with most of the Faculty (Zach was on tour with Amos Lee) and a slew of guest musicians in Brian Bender’s Brooklyn studio, The Motherbrain. Bender’s assistant, Jonathan Anderson, would later go on to replace Dave Moore on keys. // The Faculty has always been a tenuous project for everyone involved because of the distance and the schedules. While everyone remains close friends, the band members are spread across the globe. Krystle in France. Riddleberger in New York and Zach in Woodstock. Jonathan in Los Angeles. And then they are all working musicians, touring, recording, and collaborating with an impressive list of artists. Musicians like, in no particular order: D’Angelo, Hercules and Love Affair, Donald Fagen and the Nightfliers, Joan As Police Woman, Jonathan Wilson, Emily King, Janet Jackson, Ron Sexsmith, Amy Helm, Taylor Swift, Rufus Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, The Knights, Bleachers, Emmylou Harris, Amos Lee, Mayra Andrade, Lana Del Rey, Broken Social Scene, Teddy Thompson, Lakecia Benjamin, and honestly that’s less than the half of it. // So they have been busy, and they have gained a lot of experience since the days of sneaking into ElectricLady late night or playing for meager pay and free wine at an East Village Italian resto. And while Diary, Circles, and Love Songs​ were recorded with everyone in the same room (​Three the Hard Way, Krystle’s solo album, was pared down to her and Kane collectively), Extended Play​ was recorded disparately and assembled together by the steady hands and ears of Kane and Krystle. There is distance between the musicians in the recording process, but there is still a close emotional connection that can be heard in these songs. // The songs that make up ​Extended Play​ are songs of experience—the lyrics reflect on a crush from high school, a departed musical hero, and others who live in memory. There is nostalgia in Extended Play, and a forlornness. // Krystle describes “When I Look Back,” the last song of the album, as “an apology to my teenage self.” Twenty years ago she was writing songs about what happened day-of because being young is about immediacy and living in the present tense. Now the songs are about years past because life slows down, and we are allowed the time to “look back.”// But as Krystle sings in “Rising,” “Future lingers while past is present.” She’s writing about the past because we are all our collected histories—or as she puts it in “When I Look Back”: “there’s still something of her that stays.” The future, of course, still lingers, always there waiting for us, for the next move. The album ends with a recording of Audre Lorde’s gravelly voice. She says, // I’m going on to something else, the shape of which, I have no idea. ‘Only thing I know is, it’s going to be quite different. What I leave behind has a life of its own – I’ve said this about poetry … Well in a sense, I’m saying it about the very artifact of who I have been. // Krystle Warren & The Faculty still have more to come. They have built twenty years of memories, experiences, recordings, and shows, and with the release of Extended Play,​ they continue to show a commitment to growing as musicians together, even if apart. The Extended Play bio written by Phil Anderson]

[Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren for AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Fri & Sat, April 10 & 11 at 8:00pm and Sun, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO.]

11:33 – Interview with Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen, & Brad Cox

Jennifer Owen and Brad Cox of Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren to share details of AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO. This world premiere will feature songs selected from Warren’s expansive catalog, including previously unreleased material, in an evening of intimate and powerful music and dance. Krystle Warren will be joined by a stellar ensemble of musicians and dancers for this unforgettable performance. Info at: http://www.owencoxdance.or

Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen & Brad Cox thanks for being with us on WMM

And we are so excited to welcome back to the show, KC born and internationally known singer songwriter Krystle Warren who is back in KC from her home in France. Krystle is one of our most played artists of all time on the radio show. Krystle is also one of our most frequent guests. Krystle Warren began performing in her native KC at the age of 16. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy and in 2001 began her musical career collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After moving to New York City, she started busking on the streets and later formed her regular band, The Faculty.

Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s first official release, ‘Diary’, has been remastered by chief-inspector, Ben Kane, who not only recorded those clandestine sessions at Electric Lady Studios; he also co-produced and mixed their conclusion with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. With KW and The Faculty at the time ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-three, ‘Diary’ is a snapshot of youth and discovery; a “baby-band” finding their sound, and pushing their creativity into uncharted territory.

After DIARY was released Krystle was signed to Paris based music label Because Music who sent her a one-way ticket. Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the album CIRCLES in 2009. Their epic sophomore release, LOVE SONGS… followed in 2011, and contained twenty-four songs about love and was recorded in New York City over the span of two weeks, with close to thirty musicians. Around this time, Krystle joined forces with one of her musical idols, Rufus Wainwright, on his world tour as opener and bandmate. Krystle Warren then released her solo album THREE THE HARD WAY, in 2017 where Krystle played every instrument. On May 31, 2019 Krystle Warren & The Faculty released heir single “Rising” written especially for Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television mini series WHEN THEY SEE US. When her band’s full length album was put on hold, Krystle released the 4-song EP THE CREW on September 15, 2020. Krustle released the single “Macca” on May 22, 2023, and the single “La Dolce Vita” on March 1, 2024. // On November 1, 2024 Krystle Warren & The Faculty release EXTENDED PLAY which was #1 on WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2024. // Krystle Warren played the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest, Sat, September 6, at 9:30pm at Lemonade Park, West Bottoms

Composer and arranger Brad Cox is co-founder of Owen/Cox Dance Group and founder and director of The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, a musicians’ collective dedicated to the performance of new large ensemble jazz music. Cox’s musical influences range from liturgical chant and traditional folkloric music to popular music and free jazz, with a particular interest in the communal aspects of music making. A composer in the uniquely American Ellington tradition, he has dedicated his work to forming creative collaborative relationships with musicians and to writing music for those musicians. Cox studied composition at UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance under James Mobberley and Gerald Kemner and is a recipient of the 2010 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Performing Artist Award and the 2009 Tanne Foundation Award.

Jennifer Owen is Artistic Director of Owen/Cox Dance Group, an ensemble she co-founded with composer Brad Cox in 2007. She has choreographed over fifty new works for Owen/Cox Dance Group, including two commissions by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and works commissioned by Island Moving Co. of Newport, RI, Kansas City Dance Festival, Kansas City Baroque Consortium, and Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She has also created nine new works for Kansas City Ballet’s In the Wings choreographic workshop, and a winning entry for the 2006 Columbus Choreography Project. Owen is the recipient of a 2000 Princess Grace Honorarium. Prior to founding Owen/Cox Dance Group, Owen enjoyed a 13-year international ballet career. After training with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she went on to dance with the Russian State Ballet, Moscow Renaissance Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, BalletMet, and was a guest artist with the National Ballet of Turkmenistan. She has performed principal roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Donizetti Variations, and the central pas de deux in Todd Bolender’s Arena.

Owen/Cox Dance Group is a 501 (c) 3 not for profit corporation with a mission is to create new music and dance collaborations, to present high-quality contemporary dance performances with live music, and to engage as wide an audience as possible through affordable live performance, education and outreach programs

And Wonder is a powerful new collaboration with internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren. // Blending Warren’s deeply expressive songwriting with dynamic choreography, And Wonder explores the essential relationship between music and movement. The performance features selections from Warren’s expansive catalog—including previously unreleased material—performed live alongside an ensemble of musicians and dancers. // Born and raised in Kansas City and now based in France, Warren returns to her hometown for this special premiere. Known for her genre-defying sound that blends jazz, folk, blues, and country influences, Warren has performed internationally and collaborated with celebrated artists including Rufus Wainwright, Joan As Police Woman, Hercules and Love Affair, and Robyn Hitchcock. // For And Wonder, Warren will be joined by an exceptional group of musicians: Brad Cox, Mike Stover, Jonathan Anderson, David Dawda, and Jaylen Ward. The performance also features dancers Winston Dynamite Brown, Emara Neymour Jackson, Jeremy Hanson, Sam McReynolds, Quentin Sledge, and Laura Wallner with choreography by Jennifer Owen.

And Wonder highlights the company’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and the unique immediacy of live performance. Through music and movement, And Wonder invites audiences into a shared artistic experience where sound and motion unfold together in real time.

Performances are April 10-12, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 2

We started this segment with a song from The Faculty’s first 2005 official EP release, DIARY, just recently re-released and remastered by Ben Kane, who originally recorded those sessions at Electric Lady Studios, where he also co-produced and mixed the tracks with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. Krystle Warren is one of our most played artists and most frequent guests. Krystle Warren began performing in her native Kansas City at the age of 16. She graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the full length album CIRCLES in 2009. Their epic sophomore release, LOVE SONGS followed in 2011, and contained 24 songs about love, recorded in New York City over the span of two weeks, with close to thirty musicians. Around this time, Krystle also joined forces with one of her musical idols, Rufus Wainwright, on his world tour as opener and bandmate. Krystle Warren released her solo album THREE THE HARD WAY, co-produced with Ben Kane in 2017. Krystle will also be sharing details of , Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s released EXTENDED PLAY in November of 2024. EXTENDED PLAY was #1 on WMM’s 120 Beast Recordings of 2024. Info at: http://www.krystlewarren.com

Seven Years ago Krystle Warren, Jen Owens (& Brad Cox) join us to talk about the world premiere dance work by the Owen/Cox Dance Group set to a live performance of singer/songwriter Krystle Warren’s acclaimed double album, “Love Songs” Saturday, October 19, at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 PM, at The Polsky Theatre at Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd, OPKS.

The world premiere dance work by the Owen/Cox Dance Group set to a live performance of singer/songwriter Krystle Warren’s acclaimed double album, “Love Songs” on Saturday, October 19, at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 PM, at Polsky Theatre at Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd, OPKS.
For more info you can contact: http://www.owencoxdance.org

Krystle Warren & The Faculty Discography

Krystle Warren & The Faculty has released the EP “Diary” on May 1, 2007 ccccc

Krystle Warren released “The Up Series – EP” on November 10, 2008

Krystle Warren releases the 13-song Album CIRCLES on March 13, 2009

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released “A Time To Keep – Love Songs EP”, Aug. 12, 2011

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the double album 24-song “Love Songs” released on vinyl in Europe on April 9, 2012 as “Love Songs: A Time to Embrace,” and “Love Songs: A Time to Refrain from Embracing. ” And released on separate digital and CD albums in the United States as: “Love Songs: A Time to Embrace,” on March 13, 2012 and “Love Songs: A Time to Refrain from Embracing” on February 27, 2015

Krystle Warren released the album THREE THE HARDWAY on August 18, 2017

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “Rising” on May 31, 2019

Krystle Warren & The Crew released the 4-song EP, THE CREW on September 15, 2020

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “Macca”on May 22, 2023
Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “LA DOLCE VITA” on March 1, 2024

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released EXTENDED PLAY on November 1, 2024

Krystle Warren and 90.1 FM KKFI

Mark first interviewed Krystle Warren for The Tenth Voice, back 2002. Mark first interviewed Krystle Warren for The Tenth Voice, back 2002. Mark waited several hours, during a winter snow storm, at a huge party, where Krystle played with her band including her longtime friend Solomon Dorsey on bass, in a packed, smoke filled apartment near Community Christian Church across the hall from where Solomon lived, to be given a 2 song demo CD, that contained Krystle’s first recorded music, including a song called “Chanel #5.” Krystle has since gone on to be known all over the world, but still maintains contact with her hometown of Kansas City.

Krystle was on WMM on June 29, 2016 as “Guest Producer” to share inspirations for her new record, THREE THE HARDWAY playing early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from: Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones. Krystle’s critically acclaimed album, Three The Hard Way was #1 on WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017. Wednesday MidDay Medley was the first to play tracks from Krystle’s album, before it was released. Krystle came on the show months before the release, to share music that was the inspiration for the recording. Released on Parlour Door Music, on August 18, 2017 and Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. In 2015 in Krystle Warren premiered new songs from this album at the Middle of the Map Fest in a packed room at Californos in Westport and later at The Polsky Theatre for the Performing Arts Series of Johnsons County Community College. For this record Krystle decided to play every instrument and vocals & back up vocals, “playing bass, drums, lap steel, piano, guitar, and vocals directly to analog tape. She and Ben Kane recorded in Villetaneuse, France, a small town on the outskirts of Paris in a vintage 70s era studio that offered just the right, rich sound to suggest the musical foundation for the record, and to do justice to the duo’s carefully balanced arrangements.” On the Wednesday MidDay Medley radio show in 2016 Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from: Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones.

Krystle was on the show on Oct. 16, 2019 with Brad Cox when she was in KC to present LoveSongs with Owen/Cox Dance Group at Oct 19 & 20, 2019 at Polsky Theatre at JCCC.

We talked with Krystle on September 23, 2020 about The Crew EP where Krystle and friends recorded unique versions of four classic songs with the hope of encouraging the rallying cries of the moment: the movement of the people. Warren embarked on the project after her newest album, with her band The Faculty, was stalled due to COVID-19

Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen & Brad Cox thanks for being with us on WMM

Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren to share details of AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO. This world premiere will feature songs selected from Warren’s expansive catalog, including previously unreleased material, in an evening of intimate and powerful music and dance. Krystle Warren will be joined by a stellar ensemble of musicians and dancers for this unforgettable performance. Info at: http://www.owencoxdance.org

16. Krystle Warren – “Current Events”
    from: Circles / Because Music / March 13, 2009
    [krystle Warren was on June 13, 1981 in Kansas City. A 2000 graduate Paseo Academy of Fine and Perfoming Arts. Krystle learned to play the guitar by listening to Rubber Soul & Revolver from The Beatles. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career in collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After living in San Francisco and NYC, Krystle was signed to a French label, Because Music, and moved to Paris to release “Circles” in 2009. Krystle played French and British television programs, including Later with Jools Holland, garnering critical acclaim and traveling all over the world with Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Norah Jones, and Joan As Police Woman.]

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

NEXT WEEK on April 15 – Kasey Rausch joins us to share new music from The Country Duo her musical project with Marco Pascolini. Also… percussionist and musician Marcus Rattler joins us to talk about his music and band Legerdemain, AND acclaimed vocalist and Broadway actress Hailes joins us to talk about her new original music and touring in big Broadways shows like Hadestown.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!

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

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

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #1142