Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
WMM is Spinning Records With Marion Merritt + Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke of “Rennie”
We welcome back to the show, Marion Merritt as our special “Guest Producer!” Marion will share her sonic discoveries and information from her musically-encyclopedic-brain. Marion Merritt is an empath and has a special ability to know what music you’re seeking. She’s our most frequent contributor to WMM. Marion grew up in Los Angeles and St. Louis and went to college in Columbia, MO. She studied art & musical engineering, and is an avid lover of classic films. She saw Talking Heads on their 1st tour at One Block West in 1978. For 20 years she’s been sharing music form her musical journeys. Marion also writes about new releases as a contributor The Pitch. With partner Ann Stewart, Marion is the proprietor of Records With Merritt, a minority owned business at 1614 Westport Rd. in KC. More info at: http://www.recordswithmerritt.com.
Marion Merritt welcome back to Wednesday MidDay Medley
- “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
- Dimitri From Paris – “Prologue”
from: Sacrebleu / Yellow Productions – Atlantic / June 11, 1996
[Debut studio albumm from Dimitri from Paris was born Dimitrios Yerasimos, on October 27, 1963. He is a French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 1950s and 1960s movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, La Dolce Vita and The Party, which were sampled in his album Sacrebleu. Dimitri fused these sounds with electro and block party hip hop he discovered in the 1980s. // Contrary to his musical pseudonym, Dimitri was born not in Paris but born in Peckham, South London, to Rûm parents (Greeks of Turkey), Dimitri grew up in France where he discovered DJing at home, using whatever he could find to “cut and paste” samples from disco hits or in to montages heard on the radio, blending them together to make tapes. This early experimentation helped him launch his DJ career. // He started out by DJing at the French station Radio 7, before moving on to Skyrock and finally to Radio NRJ, Europe’s largest FM radio network, in 1986. There, he introduced the first ever house music show to be broadcast in France, while simultaneously producing under the direction of sound designer Michel Gaubert, runway soundtracks for fashion houses such as Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermès and Yves Saint-Laurent. He also released two solo EPs from 1993 to 1994 and contributed to the Yellow Productions compilation La Yellow 357. // In 1996, Dimitri gained worldwide recognition with the release of his first full album, Sacrebleu, released on Yellow Productions. A blend of diverse influences including jazz, original film soundtracks, samba, and organic house, Sacrebleu sold 300,000 copies worldwide and was named Album of the Year by UK’s Mixmag magazine. // In 2000, Dimitri followed Sacrebleu up with A Night at the Playboy Mansion (Virgin) and Disco Forever (BBE), followed by My Salsoul in 2001, After the Playboy Mansion in 2002. In 2003, Cruising Attitude was released, to be closely followed by his first outing on UK’s premier dance music label Defected: Dimitri from Paris In the House. // He has followed a somewhat glamorous musical path by recording soundtracks and advertising campaigns for fashion houses Chanel, Jean-Paul Gautier and Yves Saint Laurent and remixing hundreds of artists as diverse as Björk, The Cardigans, James Brown, Michael Jackson, New Order and Quincy Jones. He also did the music for the anime Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase and mixed the soundtrack for the French luxury dessin animé Jet Groove produced by Method Films. // 2005 saw Dimitri go back to his Funk and Disco roots, with Japanese hip hop producer and über collector DJ Muro for Super Disco Friends a double CD mixdown. In 2006 he offered his House of Love outing to Valentine’s Day’s lovers. Later on Dimitri produced Los Amigos Invisibles “Super Pop Venezuela” album which grabbed a nomination for a Grammy Award. // 2007 saw the release of the Cocktail Disco project with longtime partner BBE, a handful of disco classics remixes and other surprises down the line. // 2009 saw the release of the Night Dubbin’, a post-disco R&B compilation remix album.]
- King Fela – “Yehla Moya (feat. Omagugu) [Da Capo & Nduduzo Makhathini Remix]”
from: Da Capo – Genesys / Genesys / May 29, 2020
[Nicodimas Sekheta Mogashoa (born June 9, 1992), professionally known as Da Capo, is a South African DJ and record producer. Born and raised in Seshego, Da Capo rose to prominence after remixing the single “Pretty Disaster” by Moneoa. He then signed a recording deal with Soulstic Music and his studio debut album Indigo Child (2017), which was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA). // Nicodimas Sekheta Mogashoa was born on August 14, 1992, Seshego township Zone 3, Polokwane, South Africa. After completed his matric, he studied for media and communication at University of Limpopo but dropped out. His musical career began as a rapper and later developed interest on house music. // After he signed a record deal with Soulstic Music, Indigo Child was released on December 8, 2017, in South Africa. It features GoodLuck, Berita, Wanda Baloyi, Jackie Queens, Renee Thompson, Soulsta, Miss Dippy, Tshepo King, and Darian Crouse. The album was certified double platinum[7] and garnered over 36.5 million streams on digitally streaming platforms. // He established independent record label Genesys Entity and released his EP Genesys in May 2020. “Moyo Wanagu” featuring BATUND was released as EP’s lead single. // “Light House” was released on September 3, 2021, by TRESOR featuring Da Capo and Sun-El Musician. // In the fourth quarter of 2021, he collaborated with Gallo to remix “Imbizo”, which appeared on compilation album Music is Forever, released on December 17, 2021. // “Molili” featuring Batundi, Nana Atta and Lokua Kanza released on June 23, 2023, as lead single of his Bakone EP released on July 14. “Molili” reached No 29 at Phalaphala FM Top 30 Chart. // Bakone was released on July 14, 2023. The EP is an afro-house record fused with afro-tech and deep house elements. Capo calloborated with Batundi, Nana Atta and Lokua Kanza, Da Africa Deep. Same day, Capo was announced as Sghubhu cover star by Apple Music. // In February 2024, Capo announced two upcoming albums Indigo Child II, and Aquatone Cotton Fabric. // In an interview with The Playground, Da Capo said: his musical career was inspired by Jimpster, Nick Holder, Quinton Harris. // Nduduzo Makhathini is a pianist, composer, teacher and music philosopher. He started singing gospel music in the Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa in his teenage years in Umgungundlovu, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. // After matriculating from high school, Nduduzo studied Jazz Piano at the University of Kwazulu Natal where he attained a Diploma in 2005. // Nduduzo continued his journey in music education working as a lecturer in Wits University, University Of Kwazulu Natal and as a Head of music department at University of Fort Hare. // He came from a musical family with his father being a guitarist and his mother a keyboardist and singer who also was his first piano teacher. // Nduduzo has claimed John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme as an album that made him first fall in love with jazz. He first encountered the album at the University of Kwazulu Natal music library as a student. Although Nduduzo’s sound and musical effect is unique, he is influenced by Jazz greats like McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane, Bheki Mseleku etc. // Nduduzo himself explained Bheki Mseleku’s influence on his music during the recording of his third studio album, Listening To The Ground: …if people believe I have a voice; I think they are just hearing the echoes of bab’ Mseleku. // He was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist award for Jazz in 2015. Makhathini is the first South African artist to release music under the legendary Blue Note Records.]
- SUUNS – “Road Signs and Meanings”
from: The Breaks / Joyful Noise / September 6, 2024
[Produced by Liam O’Neill and SUUNS. Engineered by Adrian Popovich at Mountain City and Breakglass-Montreal 2022-2023. Mixed by Adrian Popovich. Mastered by Heba Kadry, NYC. Jacket photographs by Joseph Yarmush. Insert by Alexander Ortiz. Layout by Ryan Hover and Joseph Yarmush. All Songs by SUUNS Ben Shemie, Liam O’Neill, Joseph Yarmush. // Suuns (/suːns/) is a Canadian rock band from Montreal. It was formed in mid-2007 when vocalist and guitarist Ben Shemie and guitarist and bassist Joe Yarmush got together to make some beats which quickly evolved into a few songs. The duo was soon joined by drummer Liam O’Neill and bassist and keyboardist Max Henry to complete the original line-up. The band signed to Secretly Canadian in 2010. Since 2018, Suuns saw the departure of Henry as an official member[2] (he continues to record in the studio) to pursue a scholastic path, and in 2020 they officially signed with Joyful Noise Recordings with their 2020 output of Fiction, followed by their 2021 LP The Witness.]
- Alan Sparhawk – “Can U Hear”
from: White Roses, My God / Sub Pop Records / September 27, 2024
[White Roses, My God is the upcoming second solo album by former Low guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk, set for release on September 27, 2024, by Sub Pop. It is Sparhawk’s first album since the death of his wife and bandmate, Mimi Parker, and the subsequent end of their band. Sparhawk began recording for the album in late 2023. // White Roses, My God is Sparhawk’s first album since his wife and Low bandmate Mimi Parker died of ovarian cancer in 2022, and the subsequent retirement of the band. Encouraged by his friend, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, Sparhawk returned to live performances. He played shows with his and Parker’s daughter Hollis, opened for Lambchop and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and played a solo set at Utrecht music festival Le Guess Who? 2023. Low had cancelled their headling set at the 2022 edition of Le Guess Who? due to Parker’s health, and she died a week before the festival. // Sparhawk also started recording around the same time, and started two new groups: punk funk band Derecho Rhythm Section, and funky electronic duo Damien with his and Parker’s son Cyrus. A second solo album, a collaborative project with Duluth, Minnesota, folk band Trampled by Turtles, began during that time. // Sparhawk first mentioned White Roses, My God in an interview with The New Yorker’s Justin Taylor, published April 11, 2024. At the time, he said the album would be released in late 2024. Sparhawk later shared on Low’s Twitter account that the album would be released by Sub Pop in “late September”, and that its first song would be released in July. // The album was officially announced on July 16, with a release date set for September 27 by Sub Pop. The lead single, “Can U Hear”, was released the same day, accompanied by a music video directed by Rick Alverson. The song is electronic and “near-industrial”. // The second single, “Get Still”, was released on August 20, accompanied by a music video directed by Ingrid Weise. Like “Can U Hear”, “Get Still” consists of electronic instrumentation, with Sparhawk’s “voice so heavily Auto-Tuned that it no longer sounds recognizably human.” // When asked on Twitter about the album name’s significance, Sparhawk said “Mim loved roses, and sometimes I think she is God.” // The album was recorded at 20 Below Studios in Duluth, Minnesota. Sparhawk produced and recorded along with Nat Harvie, who also mixed the album, and Heba Kadry mastered it. On these recordings, Sparhawk said he “was messing with this rigid stuff. There were moments where it would quickly become very visceral, very spontaneous. You’ve created the structure for it to happen and come through you, but you’re trusting the universe about what is going to come in.” Those recordings included him experimenting with improvising guitar and pitch-shifted vocals over a preset synthesizer clocked to a drum machine. // Stylistically, White Roses, My God follows Low’s last two albums, 2018’s Double Negative and 2021’s Hey What, in applying layers of distortion over otherwise-straightforward songwriting. Going further down that route, Sparhawk included synthesizers, drum machines, dance beats, and pitch-shifted vocals. All of the album’s vocals were recorded with a vocoder. Influences included Prince’s alter ego Camille and Neil Young’s album Trans. // All tracks are written by Alan Sparhawk.]
10:24 – Underwriting
- PJ Morton – “All The Dreamers (feat. Aṣa & Ndabo Zulu)”
from: Cape Town to Cairo / Morton Records / June 14, 2024
[P.J. Morton (born Paul Sylvester Morton Jr.; March 29, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been the keyboardist for the pop band Maroon 5. Morton originally joined the band as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on a short hiatus (he returned to the lineup playing guitar in 2014). // Morton released his debut solo EP, Following My First Mind, in March 2012, through the record label Young Money. Adam Levine and James Valentine were featured on the lead single, “Heavy”. In May 2013, Morton released his first major-label debut album, New Orleans. In 2016, he released his mixtape Bounce & Soul Vol. 1 in March and the Sticking to My Guns EP in July. On April 14, 2017, Morton released his first self-released studio album Gumbo, earning Morton two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. // In April 2019, Morton said he would begin a project to restore the New Orleans home of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden and create a museum and community space at the site. Bolden’s former home has been owned by Morton’s father’s church for more than a decade, and had been cited for demolition by neglect. // Morton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father is Canadian-born American gospel singer and Founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, Bishop Paul S. Morton. His mother is Dr. Debra Brown Morton, pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. // Morton graduated St. Augustine High School and majored in marketing at Morehouse College, graduating in 2003. // In 2010, Morton’s friend and Maroon 5’s musical director Adam Blackstone asked him to audition for a position in the band as a touring keyboardist and backing vocalist. Morton was the first to audition and left an indelible mark on the group.[6] Since then, he has played with Maroon 5 in concerts and other live performances. From 2012 to 2014 Morton filled-in for the band’s keyboardist, Jesse Carmichael, who was on an indefinite hiatus from performing with the group, as stated on their official website in March 2012. In 2012, he joined the band as a full-time member, contributing his vocal and keyboard parts on Maroon 5’s fourth studio album, Overexposed, and continuing to do so during the processes of recording the band’s albums, V (2014), Red Pill Blues (2017), and Jordi (2021). // Morton’s solo work won the attention of Mack Maine, who signed him to his production company, Soothe Your Soul, and Young Money Entertainment in 2011. The Following My First Mind (EP) was released on March 27, 2012. // On May 14, 2013, Morton released his major-label debut studio album with Young Money Records, titled New Orleans. The album’s lead single, “Only One”, which features Stevie Wonder, was nominated for the Best R&B Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. // In 2016, Morton moved to New Orleans and opened a record label called Morton Records which he envisioned as “the New Orleans Motown”. Same year, Morton started working on Gumbo. About the album’s title he said “I named it Gumbo because the actual dish is a bunch of things mixed in together to make [something] beautiful. I wanted to grow as a songwriter and talk about more things … about where we are in the world today, the tension, how divided we are as a country. It kind of felt like I was dumping a bunch of subject matter together and I made it in New Orleans so that sounded like gumbo to me.” As a first step, on March 25, 2016, Morton released Bounce & Soul Vol. 1, a mixtape which includes re-imagined versions of his best songs in New Orleans’ bounce style.On July 1, 2016, Morton released the Sticking to My Guns EP, featuring the single of the same name. The EP, besides including alternative versions of “First Began” and “Sticking to My Guns”, also contains “Say So”, a song that was later cut from the final tracklist of the album. On November 15, 2016, Morton released “You Should Be Ashamed”, a Stevie Wonder-esque socially conscious song that was later replaced by “Religion”. On March 13, 2017, Morton announced on his Instagram page April 14, 2017 as the release date of Gumbo. // Gumbo did not manage to enter on the US Billboard 200 chart but received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Morton’s style and praised him for his singing and songwriting. The album earned Morton two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. On February 14, 2019, Morton collaborated with singer JoJo on the song “Say So”, which served as the lead single for his sixth album Paul. // In 2020, Morton recorded his live album, The Piano Album. It features songs from Gumbo and Paul. On August 28, 2020, Morton released his long awaited gospel album Gospel According To PJ: From The Songbook of PJ Morton. The album features The Clark Sisters, Comissioned, Zacardi Cortez, Darrel Walls, and others. It also features remade versions of So In Love by Amber Bullock, Over and Over by Trinitee 5:7, and Let Go by Dwayne Woods. A documentary was released talking about how he was pressured to make Gospel music, the process of each song, and his father. Don’t Let Go from his previous album Paul was included featuring Kim Burrell. Do You Believe feat. Yolanda Adams was included from “Christmas With PJ Morton.” // Watch the Sun was released in mid 2022. The album blends elements of R&B, soul, and gospel, featuring collaborations with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Nas, JoJo , and Alex Isley. Known for its themes of hope and personal resilience, the album was praised for its emotional depth and musicality. // In 2023, Morton released Watch the Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions, a live album featuring stripped-down, intimate performances of songs from the original album, showcasing Morton’s vocal and instrumental prowess in a more acoustic setting. // Cape Town to Cairo is the seventh studio album by American musician PJ Morton, released in 2024 via Morton Records and EMPIRE. The album was conceived and recorded during a 30-day journey across Africa, with stops in cities such as Cape Town, Lagos, Accra, Cairo, and Johannesburg. Morton undertook the project without any pre-written material, seeking to capture the essence of his experiences in real-time. The album draws on various genres, including R&B, soul, gospel, jazz, and pop, all influenced by African musical traditions and rhythms, which Morton encountered throughout his travels. // The album features collaborations with several notable African artists, including Fireboy DML, Made Kuti, Aṣa, Ndabo Zulu, and the Soweto Spiritual Singers. Songs like “Simunye (We Are One)” emphasize African unity, while tracks like “Count On Me,” featuring Fireboy DML, explore themes of friendship and global togetherness. The project has been compared to Paul Simon’s Graceland (album) in its ambition and scope, but Morton’s direct immersion in African culture during the album’s creation sets it apart. // Morton has described Cape Town to Cairo as an exploration of the African diaspora through music, combining influences from the continent with his roots in New Orleans soul and gospel. The album was recorded with local musicians and producers such as P.Priime and The Cavemen (band), and its themes range from personal lineage and gratitude to broader messages of unity and identity. // After winning Grammy Awards for his songwriting and production on India.Arie’s Interested, Morton won Dove and Stellar Awards in 2008. // Morton was also noticed by AR Rahman, composer for Slumdog Millionaire, who asked Morton to contribute “Sajna” to the soundtrack and movie for the Vince Vaughn comedy Couples Retreat. Morton has also produced and written for musicians such as Jermaine Dupri, LL Cool J, Jagged Edge, Monica, India.Arie, gospel musicians Fred Hammond, Men of Standard, Brian Courtney Wilson, and Heather Headley. In 2009, he published a book entitled ‘ Why Can’t I Sing About Love? // Morton who wrote a song called “Battle Field” by Chinese singer Jane Zhang from the 2016 film The Great Wall. // in October 2023, Morton was featured in Portuguese singer Barbara Bandeira’s debut studio album Finda on the track Ego. // Morton wrote the song “Special Spice” for the theme park attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is inspired by Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. // He married his wife Kortni Morton on December 25, 2008. They grew up attending the same church and began dating as adults. They have three children;Jakai (aged 19), Paul III “P3” (aged 13) and Peyton (aged 11).]
- Yannis & The Yaw – “Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)”
from: Lagos Paris London (feat. Tony Allen) – EP / Transgressive Records / August 30, 2024
[In 2016, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis was offered the opportunity of alifetime: a two-day session working with the great drummer Tony Allen, who he admired intensely for his influential, multi-genre work with the likes of Fela Kuti, Sébastien Tellier and Jeff Mills. The result is the five-track EP, ‘Lagos Paris London’, out 30th August 2024 via Transgressive. More information at: http://www.yannisandtheyaw.com.]
- Lettuce – “4 on 6 (Live)”
from: Live in Tokyo / Lettuce Records / January 4, 2004/2005 / Reissued 2024
[Lettuce is a funk band originating from Boston, Massachusetts in 1992. Its members include guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, Nigel Hall (keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, vocals), Adam Deitch (drums/percussion), Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bass), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) and Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet). // Lettuce began in the summer of 1992, when all of its members attended a music program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts as teenagers. Brought together by the influence of various funk bands including Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Tower of Power, the band jammed throughout that summer before going their separate ways. // In the fall of 1994, the band reconvened as undergrads at Berklee and attempted to play at various Boston jazz clubs, walking in and asking the club owners and other musicians if they would “let us play”, giving birth to the name Lettuce. Michael Butler played keyboards with the band early on and then Jeff Bhasker took on the role. When he left, Neal Evans joined. // Mainly from word of mouth, Lettuce developed strong followings in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Tokyo. They released their first CD, Outta Here, in 2002, followed by their Live in Tokyo album recorded at the Blue Note in 2003. // In 2008, Lettuce released their second album, entitled Rage!. Drawing heavily from many of the leaders of the 1970s funk movement, Rage! features covers of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up” and Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band’s “Express Yourself”. // In 2011, Lettuce played on the Royal Family Ball tour with their brother band, Soulive, and was accompanied at select shows by Rashawn Ross of the Dave Matthews Band. During this tour, they began playing new songs that would be featured on the band’s next album, Fly!, in 2012. // Many of Lettuce’s members have had success in other areas of the music industry. Krasno and Evans are members of the jazz/organ trio Soulive. Zoidis is a former and founding member of the Rustic Overtones. Coomes is a session bass player and has toured with Britney Spears and The Game. Deitch is a producer who also plays with Break Science, and he has worked with John Scofield and Wyclef Jean. Smirnoff has toured with Lady Gaga and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. In addition to playing with Lettuce, Ross has been a full-time member of the Dave Matthews Band since 2010. // Lettuce played with the Soul Rebels Brass Band on Jam Cruise 2013. The band’s album Crush was released in November 2015 and reached number one on the U.S. Jazz Albums chart. // In 2020, Lettuce’s album Elevate was nominated for a Grammy for Instrumental Album of the Year.]
- Floating Points – “Del Oro”
from: Cascade / Ninja Tunes / September 13, 2024
[Samuel Shepherd, known professionally as Floating Points, is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and musician. He is the founder of Pluto Records, co-founder of Eglo Records and leader of a 16-piece group called Floating Points Ensemble. He took over the 6 Music Artist in Residence radio slot on July 15, 2024. // Raised in Manchester, England, Shepherd studied piano at Chetham’s School of Music before receiving a PhD in neuroscience and epigenetics at University College London. He also worked as a DJ at Plastic People, a London club, in the late 2000s. // In late 2008, Shepherd and Alexander Nut launched the Eglo record label. Eglo Records had released music by Floating Points, Fatima, Funkineven, Steve Spacek, Dego & Kaidi, Shafiq Husayn, K15, Mizz Beats, Natalie Slade, Destiny71z, Shy One, Henry Wu, Chunky and others. // In 2010, Shepherd performed with a 16-piece live incarnation of Floating Points, entitled the Floating Points Ensemble. The group won an award for “Best BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale Session”. // In 2015, Shepherd founded Pluto records. He released projects such as Eleania, Kuiper, Crush, and Reflections: Mojave Desert from the label. // Shepherd’s musical influences include Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, and Bill Evans. He began releasing work under the Floating Points moniker in 2008, and in 2017 toured with The xx. // He has also remixed musicians such as Thundercat, Caribou, Basement Jaxx, Skepta & Headie One. // Shepherd’s first release was the Vacuum EP in 2008 on Eglo Records. Over the next few years, he would continuously release EPs and singles on Eglo, but also other labels such as Planet Mu. Notable releases included 2011’s Shadows EP and 2014’s “King Bromeliad” / “Montparnasse”. // On November 6, 2015, Shepherd released the first Floating Points album – Elaenia. Around its release, Shepherd launched an 11-piece live show and immediately sold-out a string of global live dates including headline shows at Islington Assembly Hall and two dates at Electric Brixton in London. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Elaenia received an average score of 85, based on 20 reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Hamill Industries and Floating Points created the exhibition ‘Future Shocks’ at 180, The Strand in London in collaboration with FACT. The exhibition featured an installation by Hamill called “Vortex”. // In 2017, Shepherd released Reflections: Mojave Desert. The album recording was accompanied by a short film produced by long-time collaborator Anna Diaz Ortuño of Hamill Industries. The album was recorded in August 2016 in the Mojave Desert when Shepherd and his band were rehearsing for their upcoming US tour. Floating Points explained: “Whilst we were out playing and exploring the area around us—the sound reflecting from the rocks, the sound of the wind between them, complete stillness at night and packs of roaming coyotes in the distance—it became apparent that we could use this as its own unique recording environment.” // On 29 March 2019, Shepherd contributed a DJ mix to the Late Night Tales series. // On October 18, 2019, Shepherd released the album Crush. It received positive reception upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music publications, the album received an average score of 81 based on 16 reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. Shepherd embarked on a tour following the album’s release, selling out shows at Printworks, Elysee Montmartre, and Funkhaus. // During lockdown, Shepherd collaborated with KDV Dance Ensemble and Boiler Room to host an interactive live stream on Zoom. He was Interviewed by New York Times. // On March 26, 2021, Shepherd released a collaborative album with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra, entitled Promises. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2021 and reached #6 in the Official UK Albums Chart and #1 in the Official UK Vinyl Albums Chart. The album was released on New York label Luaka Bop. Sanders was impressed by Elaenia and befriended Shepherd, who was 40 years younger than him. Sanders proposed that they produce a collaborative album. Shepherd composed the music and played both electronic and non-electronic instruments. // After Sanders’ death in 2022, Shepherd put together a one-time live performance of the album at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson with an ensemble cast including Sam Shepherd, Kieran Hebden, Dan Snaith, Shabaka Hutchings, Kara Lis Coverdale, Hinako Omori. The Independent reviewed the performance, calling it “A near perfect body of music paired with a beautiful tribute” and gave it 4/5 stars. // In 2022, Shepherd released the singles Vocoder, Grammar, Promises, Birth4000, and Someone Close. In 2023, Shepherd released Birth4000. // He collaborated as a producer for Japanese American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada album Bad Mode, working on the songs Bad Mode, Kibunja Naino (Not In The Mood) and Somewhere Near Marseilles. // Shepherd composed an original score for Mere Mortals for the San Francisco Ballet which premiered on January 26, 2024. The ballet, featuring choreography from Aszure Barton, contextualised the ancient parable of Pandora’s Box in AI. Shepherd worked with long-time creative collaborators Hamill Industries. The initial run of shows sold out. A second run is planned for April 2024.]
Floating Points Discography:
Elaenia (2015)
Reflections – Mojave Desert (2017)
Crush (2019)
Promises (with Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra) (2021)
Cascade (2024)
- Molchat Doma – “Сон / Son”
from: Belaya Polosa / Sacred Bones / September 6, 2024
[Molchat Doma (Russian: Молчат Дома, lit. ’Houses Are Silent’, pronounced [mɐlˈt͡ɕat dɐˈma]) is a Belarusian post-punk band from Minsk, formed in 2017. Their current lineup consists of Egor Shkutko (vocals), Roman Komogortsev (guitar, synthesizer, drum machine), and Pavel Kozlov (bass guitar, synthesizer). Their style has been described as post-punk, new wave, synth-pop, and cold wave. // They self-released their first album, S krysh nashikh domov (С крыш наших домов, ‘From The Roofs of Our Houses’) in 2017 and later released their second album, Etazhi (Этажи, ‘Floors’) in 2018, through German independent label Detriti Records. After gaining popularity worldwide, they signed to American independent label Sacred Bones Records in 2020, who reissued their albums, marking their first releases in North America. Their third studio album, Monument (Монумент), was released on November 13, 2020 and their fourth studio album, Belaya Polosa (белая полоса) was released on September 6, 2024. // Molchat Doma formed in Minsk, Belarus, and began releasing music in 2017. They self-released their debut studio album, S krysh nashikh domov (Russian: С крыш наших домов, ‘From The Roofs of Our Houses’), on April 24, 2017. In July 2017, they released the song Kommersanty (Коммерсанты, ‘Businessmen’) as a single. Later that year, S krysh nashikh domov received a re-release through German independent label Detriti Records. The following year, the band released their second album, Etazhi (Этажи, ‘Floors’), which included Kommersanty, on 7 September 2018, also through Detriti. The label released the album both digitally and on vinyl. // Over time, the band’s first two albums gained popularity through YouTube and Bandcamp. Their music was uploaded to YouTube unofficially by a user named “Harakiri Diat”, who also uploaded music by other bands with similar sounds. By the end of 2019, Etazhi had gained roughly two million listeners through their upload of the album.[8] The band were not initially as popular in their home country of Belarus as they were in the rest of Europe; they had played sold-out shows across the continent but never in Belarus. They have stated, however, that they have no interest in performing a sold-out show at Minsk-Arena. Later that year in September, the band released two singles. The first was called Zvezdy (Звезды, ‘Stars’) and the second was a collaboration with Russian post-punk band Ploho, called Po krayu ostrova (По краю острова, ‘Along the Edge of the Island’). // In January 2020, Molchat Doma signed with American independent label Sacred Bones Records, who later reissued their first two albums on vinyl in North America. During the first half of 2020, the band gained popularity through the online video platform TikTok, specifically their song Sudno (Boris Ryzhy) (Russian: Судно (Борис Рыжий), ‘Bedpan (Boris Ryzhy)’), from Etazhi; the song had been used as the soundtrack to numerous videos created on the platform. Some notable videos that used the song include one made by a user based in San Francisco, California, who compiled several clips of his native country of Russia, adding that he misses being there, as well as a “challenge” that involves a fast photo compilation of the video creator trying on as many clothes in their wardrobe as possible within a time limit. The song’s popularity during this time resulted in it reaching No. 2 on the Spotify worldwide Viral 50 chart. // Molchat Doma had planned to tour in North America for the first time, alongside American singer-songwriter Chrysta Bell, but the original tour dates were canceled once the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the continent. The band contributed to a Black Sabbath tribute album, along with other signees of Sacred Bones, titled What Is This That Stands Before Me?. They covered their song “Heaven and Hell” (Russian: Небеса и ад), with a dark wave sound and Russian lyrics, for the album. The album was released in May 2020, and their “Heaven and Hell” cover was released as a standalone single on digital platforms later that month. // On September 15, 2020, Molchat Doma announced their first album through Sacred Bones, titled Monument, and its release date of 13 November. Alongside the announcement was the release of the album’s lead single, “Ne smeshno” (Не смешно, ‘Not Funny’). // The first Russian-speaking artist at the Coachella festival in Indio, California in April 16 and 23, 2022. // In May 20, 2023, the band performed at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California. // In November 18, 2023, the band performed at the Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach, California with Tears for Fears, New Order, The Human League, Echo & the Bunnymen and others. // In June 11, 2024, the band announced their second album through Sacred Bones, titled Belaya Polosa (White Stripe) they also premiered the first single, Son (Dream), with an accompanying music video directed by Bryan M. Ferguson. On 16th July, 2024, the second single from the album was released – Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya (You Don’t Know Who I Am), followed by the third single Belaya Polosa on 7th August. // Members: Egor Shkutko (Belarusian: Yahor Shkutko) – vocals; Roman Komogortsev (Raman Kamahortsau) – guitar, synthesizer, drum machine; Pavel Kozlov (Pavel Kazlou) – bass guitar, synthesizer.]
11:00 – Station ID
- Hermanos Gutiérrez – “Low Sun”
from: Sonido Cósmico / Easy Eye Sound / June 16, 2024
[6th album from Latin instrumental band formed in 2015 in Zürich by Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro Gutiérrez (guitar and lap steel) and Estevan Gutiérrez (guitar and percussion). In 2022, the US label Easy Eye Sound released the band’s fifth album, El Bueno y el Malo. // Alejandro& Estevan Gutiérrez, two of four siblings, were raised by an Ecuadorian mother and a Swiss father in Switzerland, and often visited family in Playas, Ecuador. Around age nine, Estevan learned to play classical guitar in Latin styles such as milonga and salsa, and as a surfer was later inspired by surf rocker Jack Johnson. Alejandro, who is eight years younger, taught himself guitar by watching tutorial videos on YouTube. The Hermanos Gutiérrez band traces its origins to a jam session in Alejandro’s apartment in Zürich during a visit from Estevan in 2015. // The band’s first three albums (8 Años, El Camino de mi Alma, and Hoy Como Ayer) drew broadly from the world of Latin music. A visit to Mexico and the Southwest US in February 2020 inspired their fourth album, Hijos del Sol, which incorporated more Western sounds. An eight-minute music video for the title track came out in advance of the album’s release on September 25, 2020. // El Bueno y el Malo, the band’s first non-indie project, was recorded in Nashville in collaboration with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and released by his label Easy Eye Sound on October 28, 2022. The album (and its title) were inspired by Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad & the Ugly soundtrack. The album was critically acclaimed and has been described as mentally transporting listeners to Spaghetti Western landscapes. Songs from El Bueno y el Malo comprised Hermanos Gutiérrez’s set list in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in January 2023. That year, Auerbach was nominated for the Grammy Award for Non-Classical Producer of the Year in part for his work with Hermanos Gutiérrez.]
- Hermanos Gutiérrez – “Sonido Cósmico”
from: Sonido Cósmico / Easy Eye Sound / June 16, 2024
[Hermanos Gutiérrez is a two-piece band formed of the brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez. // More info at: http://www.hermanosgutierrez.ch.]
- Etran de L’AÏr – “Imouha”
from: 100% Sahara Guitar / Sahel Sounds / September 13, 2024
[Etran de L’Aïr is a Nigerien rock band from Agadez, Niger. The band is currently signed to Sahel Sounds. The group has released two albums, No. ] in 2018 and Agadez in 2022. The groups’ first album, No. 1, was named the number one album of the year by Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker. Both albums by the band have received positive reviews. Discography: No. 1 (2018, Sahel Sounds) // Agadez (2022, Sahel Sounds) ]
- The Lijadu Sisters – “Come On Home”
from: Horizon Unlimited – EP / Afrodisia / 1979 [Reissued on Numero 2023]
[Kehinde Lijadu (22 October 1948 – 9 November 2019) and Taiwo Lijadu (born 22 October 1948) were identical twin sisters from Nigeria who performed as the Lijadu Sisters from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. They achieved success in Nigeria, and also had a more modest success in the United States and Europe. Described as an influential dynamic who mixed Afrobeat sounds with jazz and disco, the sisters retired from the music scene in the late 1980s, reforming and performing sporadically during the 2010s up until Kehinde’s death in 2019. They were the cousins of the popular Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. B// The twins grew up in the Nigerian city of Ibadan, and were inspired musically by various artists including Aretha Franklin, Victor Olaiya and Miriam Makeba. They had guidance from music producer Lemmy Jackson who is credited with helping them with their early successes. Their music was a mix of Jazz, Afrobeat, Reggae and Waka. Sometimes they sang in English and other times in African languages[which?]. One of their first songs was arranged with assistance from jazz saxophone player Orlando Julius. They released their first album Iya Mi Jowo in 1969 after winning a record contract with Decca Records. They worked with the late Biddy Wright on their third album Danger (1976). American rapper Nas sampled “Life’s Gone Down Low”, a track in the Danger album, as “Life’s Gone Low” on his 2006 Mixtape without crediting the duo. The Lijadu Sisters recorded Sunshine in 1978 and Horizon Unlimited in 1979. // The sisters were top stars in Nigeria during the 1970s and 1980s. During these years, they branched out to America and Europe and found modest success. They performed with drummer Ginger Baker’s band Salt at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games in Munich at the World Music Festival. The New York Times reported that the sisters were “smiling free spirits” who mixed “sisterly banter and flirtatiousness” in their performances which featured positive messages such as the benefit of returning home. Their reggae number Reincarnation insisted that if reincarnation was a reality, then they would like to be reincarnated again into the home where they grew up. Some of their song lyrics were politically themed. Their harmonies were described as “ethereal”. // In 1984 Shanachie Records released Double Trouble in the US which was a compilation of their previously recorded material from their albums Horizon Unlimited and Danger. Their song “Orere Elejigbo” was included on a double CD entitled Nigeria 70, Africa 100, and was added to the Roots & Wings playlist in 1997. // During the 1980s, the sisters moved to Brooklyn, New York. They performed in various venues including the lower Manhattan club Wetlands and in Harlem with King Sunny Adé’s African Beats as their backing band. They performed with the Philadelphia-based band Philly Gumbo. They were featured in the music documentary Konkombé by English director Jeremy Marre, and their music was featured in the Nigerian installment of the 14-episode world music series entitled Beats of the Heart which aired on PBS during the late 1980s. // On 1 April 2014, they appeared live at an all-star tribute, the Atomic! Bomb Band, for reclusive Nigerian musician William Onyeabor at the Barbican Centre in London. They sang some of their own tracks including “Danger”, as well as providing backing and lead vocals on William Onyeabor material.They also performed with the Atomic! Bomb Band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and on tour dates in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles in May 2014. //
On 9 November 2019, Kehinde suffered a stroke and died on the same day, at the age of 71.]
- Joan As Police Woman – “Lemons, Limes and Orchids”
from: Lemons, Limes and Orchids / Play It Again Sam / September 20, 2024
[Lemons, Limes and Orchids is the 12th studio album by an unorthodox but consistently rewarding singer-songwriter. Its songs have a supple groove and probing feel as though circling an idea or scenario. Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, sings with nuanced changes in emphasis, one moment pressing, the next softly languorous. The combination of rhythmic depth and vocal sophistication recalls the vaunted spirit of one of her musical inspirations, Joni Mitchell. Wasser has been operating as Joan as Police Woman since 2004. Her curious stage name derives from one of the first television cop shows with a female lead. Police Woman was a 1970s procedural drama with Angie Dickinson as an officer who goes undercover to solve crimes, posing as a nurse, airline stewardess and so on. Wasser became Joan as Police Woman after a friend compared her look to Dickinson’s character. But there is a further affinity. Like the undercover TV crimebuster, she has appeared in many different guises during her career. Raised in Connecticut, she trained as a classical violinist but wanted to perform new music rather than repertoire. She played in punk and alt-rock bands, trying to make her violin as loud as possible, before joining Antony and the Johnsons in 1999. She has done session work for Elton John and the Scissor Sisters among others, toured in Lou Reed’s backing band and played keyboards for Iggy Pop. Her last album, 2021’s The Solution Is Restless, was a collaboration involving Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen (who died the year before its release). “I was ready to make an album that truly featured my voice,” she says of her new songs. Her vocals start up almost immediately in most of the 12 tracks. “Back Again” is a plea to an absent lover to return, done with subtly soulful intensity. “With Hope in My Breath” finds her switching to a breathier type of singing for an entrancing ode about infatuation. The basslines that give the music its swing are played by fellow singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello. Drums, piano, synths and guitars are the other main instruments. Love and pain are the lyrical poles. The songwriting quality is high throughout, but the title track stands out. It is an achingly drawn-out number with cryptic lyrics about trying to make one’s way in a dangerous world. Precise meaning is elusive, but the song’s power is unmistakable.]
- Julia Holter – “Something in the Room She Moves”
from: Something in the Room She Moves / Domino Records / March 22, 2024
[Julia Shammas Holter (born December 18, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, artist, and academic, based in Los Angeles. Her work has received critical acclaim and incorporates elements of Art pop, Chamber pop, baroque pop and Ambient music. Following three independent album productions, Holter released Tragedy as her first official studio album in 2011. Ekstasis followed in 2012. After signing with Domino Records in 2013, she released the albums Loud City Song (2013), Have You in My Wilderness (2015), the live-in-the-studio album In the Same Room (2017) and the double album Aviary (2018). // Holter composed the score for the 2020 film Never Rarely Sometimes Always and released Behind the Wallpaper (2023) in collaboration with Spektral Quartet and Alex Temple. Her most recent studio album is Something in the Room She Moves, released in 2024. // Holter has also collaborated with other musicians, including Nite Jewel, Laurel Halo, Ariel Pink, Ducktails, Linda Perhacs, Michael Pisaro, and Jean-Michel Jarre. // Holter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At age six her family moved to Los Angeles, where she later attended the Alexander Hamilton High School. She studied music at University of Michigan for four years, graduating with a degree in composition. After seeing Michael Pisaro perform an avant-garde composition in Michigan, she was inspired to study with him at CalArts, where she graduated from another composition program.Holter contributed songs to multiple compilation albums in 2008. In 2010, she began playing with Linda Perhacs’ band and released a CD-R titled Celebration and a collection of live recordings. // Following three independently produced albums – Phaedra Runs to Russia (2007), Cookbook (2008), and Celebration (2010), Holter’s official debut album, Tragedy, was released in August 2011 on Leaving Records. Inspired by Euripides’ Greek play Hippolytus, the album received generally favorable reviews and was named one of NPR’s “Best Outer Sound Albums of 2011”. // Holter released her second album, Ekstasis, in March 2012 on the RVNG Intl. label. The album drew comparisons to works by such artists as Laurie Anderson, Julianna Barwick, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, Grouper, and Stereolab, and received many positive reviews. Holter spent three years making the album, whose title comes from the Greek word meaning “outside of oneself.” The music video for album track “Moni Mon Amie”, directed by Yelena Zhelezov, was also released in March. // In addition to collaborating with other California-based musicians like Nite Jewel (Ramona Gonzalez), Holter released her third album, Loud City Song, in August 2013 on Domino Records. It was universally acclaimed by critics and Unlike her preceding albums, which were recorded mostly alone in her bedroom, Holter recorded Loud City Song with an ensemble of musicians. // In 2015, Holter released the album Have You in My Wilderness, which was acclaimed by critics and became her most successful charting release to date. She also contributed to Ducktails’ fifth studio album, St. Catherine, with her bandmates Chris Votek and Andrew Tholl. // Holter collaborated with Jean-Michel Jarre on a song for the second part of the Electronica double album, released on July 18, 2016. // In November 2016, she curated her own program during the tenth-anniversary edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht. This program included performances by Laurel Halo, Josephine Foster, Maya Dunietz, Jessica Moss and other artists. // In September 2017, she performed a world premier of her scoring of the 1928 silent French film The Passion of Joan of Arc on September 29 at the FIGat7th in downtown Los Angeles. // In September 2018, Holter announced her fifth commercially released album, Aviary, and released the lead single “I Shall Love 2”. She followed it with another single, “Words I Heard”, before the album’s release on October 26. The record was praised for its scope and ambition and appeared on multiple year end lists for the best albums of 2018. // In 2021, Holter was appointed the Johnston-Fix Professor of the Practice in Songwriting; Visiting Assistant Professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles. // On January 9, 2024, Holter announced her sixth studio album, Something in the Room She Moves, which was released to critical acclaim on March 22 by Domino.In June 2024, Holter appeared throughout her partner and longtime bandmate Tashi Wada’s studio album, What Is Not Strange?. // The Guardian wrote that “Holter’s vocal register […] faintly recalls Siouxsie Sioux or Nico”.[19] Under the Radar similarly compared her to other female artists saying; “Holter is Siouxsie Sioux meets Kate Bush, with a matchstick intensity, relighting her own wick by the conversation in her voice, her diaphragm shifting between instruments”. // Holter was previously in a relationship with former Real Estate guitarist and Ducktails frontman Matt Mondanile. In 2015, she contributed to his Ducktails album, St. Catherine. In the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Mondanile, Holter divulged that Mondanile was “emotionally abusive to the point where I had to have a lawyer intervene and was afraid for my life.” // Holter is married to musician Tashi Wada, son of the sound artist Yoshi Wada. They have been in a relationship since 2015, and they have a daughter together who was born during the COVID-19 pandemic Holter and Wada first met in 2007 when they both played in a harmonium ensemble organized by their friend James. Holter collaborated with Wada on his 2024 studio album, What Is Not Strange?.]
Marion Merritt thank you for being out Guest Producer on WMM
With partner Ann Stewart, Marion is the proprietor of Records With Merritt, a minority owned business at 1614 Westport Rd. in KC. More info at: http://www.recordswithmerritt.com.
11:34 – Underwriting
10:36 – Interview with Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke of “Rennie”
Jessica Dressler is a Kansas City native who has performed in countless theatrical productions over the last 25 years, and is best known for her groundbreaking work with Late Night Theatre, which she co-produces with Ron Megee. Most notably, she is known for her character, Dirty Dorothy, the drag show hostess extraordinaire. The concept Dressler portrays is that of Dorothy coming back to Oz with a new, redefined perspective, one that’s perhaps not so “small and meek.” Dressler’s fascination with Judy Garland has led her to create multiple shows and performances giving audiences her uncanny, and memorable vocal and acting interpretations of Judy. Jessica has also been involved in decades of charitable work and has been working in real estate.
Jen Frank Klenke is a wife, a mother of two, a published behavior analyst and comedy writer, and she has dabbled in the Kansas City theater and national stand-up comedy scenes. In 2021, she turned her attention to a writing partnership with Jessica Dressler. Together, they created Rennie and a number of other scripts and treatments. They are the co-writers, co-producers, and co-directors of this magnificent film, in which Jen earned a part on screen as The Nursemaid.
Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke join us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to share details about their new film “Rennie” making its world premiere at The Folly Theater, October 11 and 12th. This voyeuristic look into a small town’s Renaissance Festival delves into the lives of a motley crew of characters and what brings them back to their comfortless corsets, ballsack hugging codpiece tights, and sweltering animal pelts year after year. Through the twists and turns of personal exploration, our heroes and heroines use this time together to fulfill the most basic desire in life: to love, be loved, and belong as one’s true self. Our beloved Rennies reveal that in a place centered around pretending to be something that you are not, everyone discovers who they are. “Rennie” will have its World Premiere at The Folly Theater on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, 2024 at The Folly Theater 300 W 12th St. Kansas City, MO. More info at http://www.follytheater.org
Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke thanks for being with us on WMM
“Rennie”–Feature Film Premiere, Kansas City
October 11th and 12th, 2024 at The Folly Theatre 300 West 12th Street, KCMO
http://www.follytheater.org
Kansas City: it’s time for a Red Carpet Full Feature Film Premiere! This incredibly heartfelt comedy was filmed locally in 2023 by an all local film crew with all local talent–it is 100% homegrown KC proud!
A powerhouse of female creatives:
Written/Produced/Directed by Jessica Dressler and Jen Frank Klenke,
Supervising Producer Marie Gough,
Director of Photography Johanna Brooks,
and a nearly all female executive producers group.
The producers were so extremely happy to utilize the incredible talent within not only the acting community of Kansas City–MY GOD WE HAVE TALENT HERE–but also the tremendous talent KC has within the local Film Community–Kansas City is the next big film market about to break!
The event:
7:00pm red carpet arrivals begin.
7:15-7:45 The Jolly Rogers, local and widespread Renaissance Festival famed pirate band, will be gracing the stage and also be piped throughout the building. Photo ops set up throughout the lobby to immortalize the
evening.
8:00 pm KC Premiere screening of “Rennie”!
Dress Code: Black Tie, Renaissance Fest Costume, or fuse them in RenFest Couture!
“Rennie” is a feature film by Jessica Dressler and Jen Frank Klenke: This voyeuristic look into a small town’s Renaissance Festival delves into the lives of a motley crew of characters and what brings them back to their comfortless corsets, ballsack hugging codpiece tights, and sweltering animal pelts year after year. Through the twists and turns of personal exploration, our heroes and heroines use this time together to fulfill the most basic
desire in life: to love, be loved, and belong as one?s true self. Our beloved Rennies reveal that in a place centered around pretending to be something that you are not, everyone discovers who they are.
Quotes:
“We’re so appreciative of the choice to film Rennie in Kansas City. Independent films are the heartbeat of a dynamic film industry, and seeing “Rennie” come to fruition here in KC is a real testament to the talent and creativity that drives our growing film community. We can’t wait to see the product of all the hard work put forth by our impressive local talent, both in front of and behind the camera.”
- Rachel Kephart, KC Film Office Director, Office of Mayor Quinton Lucas
“Rennie” is a Kansas City film through and through (script, crew, cast) with themes that will engage audiences across the nation. Filmmakers Jen Frank Klenke and Jessica Dressler galvanized resources in Kansas City to put together a film that I believe can become an indie darling. They met with me when I was the Kansas City Film Commissioner and allowed me to bring Kansas City’s Mayor Pro Team Ryna Parks Shaw to set during production. We were impressed by the diverse crew, a female DP (Johanna Brooks) and the hilarious cast. I can’t wait to see it in full at the upcoming premiere.”
- Stephanie Shannon, Kansas City Film Commissioner 2014-2024:
Directed by Jessica Dressler and Jen Frank Klenke
Written by Jessica Dressler and Jen Frank Klenke
Cast
Brett Alexander … Guard I / Fred
Adalmer Omar Gonzalez Anavisca … Goth Dancer
Chioma Anyanwu … Katy Cathie
Alex Arthur … Knighting Child
Wesley Arthur … Knighting Child
Imran Bangash … Matthew Montegue
Nadine Beech … Zipline Rider
Damian Blake … Sir Froderick Foulfeather
Andrea Boswell Burns … Saffy
Lizzie Boyce … Parade Queen II
Elijah Brattin … Romeo
Emily Brattin … Aramis
Johanna Brooks … Camera Operator
Alec Calonge … Goth Dancer
Alex Chang … Piercer
Luis Omar Chavez … Goth Dancer
Annie Cherry … Sapphire
Marusa Clark … Preschool Child
John Cleary … Sir Lancelot
Arthur Phog Clifford … Pete / Suitor
Robert Coppage … Little Jon
Jeff Cox … Festival Dad
Rick Daniels … Jack
Vanessa A. Davis … Murderous Mary O’Malley
Rory Decker … Milkmaid Extra
Amber Dickinson … Missy Montegue
Jack Dolan … Mark Montague
Michael Donaldson … City Councilman
Ed Doris II … Mayor Dan Doris
Francis Doris … Knighting Child
Carryl Dressler … Leather Shop Patron
Jessica Dressler … Bonnie Rome
Greg Edson … Leatherworker
Zoe English … Goth Dancer
Mitch Etter … Potter
Sean Foree … Jolly Roger
Katie Gilchrist … Boom Mic Operator
Jake Gillespie … Robin Hood
Brianna Gray … Mistress Fonn
Wolfe Grossheim … Porthos
Russell Lee Gummelt … Jousting Team
Shelly Gunerson … Barbarian Mom with Camera
Luke Gygax … Luke Gygax
Kurt Hanover … Jolly Roger
McCandlys Harrison … Luke Montague
Dylan Hart … Kyle / Shakespeare
Dalton Homolka … Caliban
George Hunt … Jolly Roger
Maggie Hutchison … Juliet
Casey Jane … Carla Beech
Jack Kapple … Food Vendor Tom
Christina Keller … Jousting Team
Dean Kinsey … Clothing Shop Worker
James Klenke … ‘Sir’ James
Jen Frank Klenke … Nursemaid
Susan Klenke … Face Paint Mom
Tierney Klenke … Girl with Face Paint
Cliff Lawson … Jolly Roger
Josephine Lenati … Goth Dancer
Benjamin Leroy … Child with Mermaid
Olivia Lero … Child with Mermaid
Lana Luxx … Influencer
Valerie Mackey … Francesca the Milkmaid
Nellie Maple … Slurrmaid Cipriana
Medlock … Kid Wanting Treasure
Ron Megee … Martin Rome
Dean Mehling … Athos
Mary Jean Miller … Mistress Foxglove
Josh Moncure … Guard II
Midwest Mythicals … Maypole Faeries
Jacie Nagel … Knighting Child
Hunter Nelson … Food Vendor Jon
Equus Nobilis … Jousting Company
Mandy Ortiz … Maid Marian
Tristan Pomerance … Turkey Leg Gawker
Christopher Preyer … Jouster for the Danes
Victoria Renard … Mistress Vanadis
Anastasia Rendina … Faery
Raquel Rowenhorst … Mistress Vulpine
Cassandra Schimpf … Parade Queen I
Felix Shewmaker … Smiling child
Amberle Smith … Leather Shop Clerk
Sebastian Roldan Smith … Anus Girl Superfan
Mark Stahl … Jolly Roger
Anna Stephens … Jousting Team
Alyssa Stoeckel … Preschool Child
Riley Stoeckel … Preschool Child
Victoria Strafuss … Lisa / Madame Ambrosia
Lauren Taylor … Iris
Brittany Tilander … Slurrmaid Odeta
T’ger Togg … Shop owner
Karen Troeh … Harpist / Mary Queen of Scots
Jessi Troester … Jousting Team
Justin Volker … Bar Patron
Camryn Warner … Genevieve Minola / Queen Elizabeth I
Vivienne Watson … Preschool Child
Wynne Watson … Knighting Child
Christopher Wise … Milkmaid Extra
Cathy Yoakum Wise … Milkmaid Extra
Produced by
Suzanne Frye Doris … associate producer
Jessica Dressler … producer
Marie Gough … supervising producer
Eric Keith … executive producer
Jen Frank Klenke … producer
Jor-El Washington … line producer
Music by Jolly Rogers
Cinematography by Johanna Brooks
Editing by Isabella Vizetta
Costume Design by
Jon Fulton Adams
Chadwick Brooks
Robin Murphy
Angel Skorupan
Production Management by Sebastian Roldan Smith … unit production manager
Art Department Carryl Dressler … craft services supervisor
Sound Department
Isaiah Amos … sound
Zachary Terrell … sound
Jessie Evan Sakkie Van Der Vyver … sound
Larissa Van Der Vyver … sound
Jor-El Washington … sound
Camera and Electrical Department
Blake Betts … second assistant camera
Johanna Brooks … camera operator
DeVonte Brown … first assistant camera
Benjamin Burton … camera operator
Jeff Cox … DIT
Everett Farrow … grip
Wyatt Farrow … gaffer
Estelle Hansen … grip
Kaci Kimie … still photographer
Bryce Kuegler … second assistant camera
Collin Martin … camera operator
Joey Moreno … first assistant camera
Max Moynihan … camera operator
Craig Richard … second assistant camera
Eric J. Warren … second assistant camera
Molly Whiting … still photographer
Carter Wilch … second assistant camera
Casting Department by Johanna Brooks … casting
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bridgette Cook … costume supplier
Jay Coombes … costume supplier
Shawnasea Holst … costume supplier
David Levin … costume supplier
Jamie Levin … costume supplier
Kyr Levin … costume supplier
Robin Murphy … costume supplier
Courtney Cave Perry … costume supplier
Mark Swezey … costume supplier
T’ger Togg … costume supplier
Location Management Cammy Whalen … location manager
Script and Continuity Department
Jean-Jacques Corbier … script supervisor
Suzanne Frye Doris … script supervisor
Christy Ray Henry … script supervisor
Additional Crew
Nadine Beech … production assistant
Joel Brown … production assistant
John Cleary … Stunts and Fight Coordinator
Ryland Cummings … production assistant
Cris Grigs … production assistant
Susan Klenke … production assistant
Robin Murphy … Props
Betty Welch … production assistant
“Rennie” Thanks to: Anne Alexiou, Matt Alexiou, Misti Bernard, Shelley Binkley, Leann Brock, George Brunson, Peggy Darrow, Greg Edson, Diane Klenke, Kathleen Kunkler, Brenda Lowe, Tim Lowe, Teri Miller, Kelly Nagel, Holly Post, Bill Reisler, Vicki Reisler, Jack Rinkes , Jennifer Smith, E.K. Unruh, Hailee Bland Walsh, Lee Warren, Lori Warren
Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke thanks for being with us on WMM
“Rennie” will have its World Premiere at The Folly Theater on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, 2024 at The Folly Theater 300 W 12th St. Kansas City, MO. More info at http://www.follytheater.org
For Marion Merritt, Jessica Dressler & Jen Frank Klenke, WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!
11:53
- The Freedom Affair – “Ain’t Gonna Cry No More”
from: “Ain’t Gonna Cry No More” – Single / Sunflower Soul Records / September 18, 2024
[The follow up single to “Love is Love” released June 26, 2024. Before that they released, “If You Don’t Want Me” on May 15, 2024. The Freedom Affair is a 9 piece soul juggernaut from Kansas City, MO. The band formed in 2017 with a vision to write original soul music inspired by the traditions of the genre’s past with a universal message looking toward the future. Their new single “Iain’t Gonna Cry No More” features: Shon Ruffin on vocals, Seyko Groves on vocals, Paula Saunders on vocals, Cole Bales on guitar, Branden Moser on guitar, Chris Hazelton on bass, Dave Brick on drums, Pete Carroll on trumpet, Brett Jackson on tenor Sax. Recorded by Chris Hazelton. Mixed by Cole Bales. Mastered by JJ Golden // With their debut album FREEDOM IS LOVE, The Freedom Affair has received critical acclaim and have established themselves as a force in the soul music scene across the states and abroad. Keep your eyes and ears open for their songs and album art featured in the series Bel-Air, an Apple commercial, a Netflix series, etc… This band is just getting started. // The Freedom Affair’s live shows have proven to be soul-stirring, transformative events moving audiences both physically and emotionally to joy. // The Freedom Affair released their debut album Freedom Is Love on September 25, 2020. from The album explores themes of love, heartache, empower-ment, and togetherness through a varying landscape of hard-hitting funk, luscious soul, and everything in between. The album was recorded and produced by Chris Hazelton, utilizing the best of vintage and new recording techno-logies to create an authentic experience, befitting of a soul record that would have been relevant 50 years ago as much as it will be 50 years from now. For the debut record The Freedom Affair was: Misha Roberts on vocals; Paula Saunders on vocals; Seyko Groves on vocals; Cole Bales on guitar, sitar (Track 3); Branden Moser on guitar; Chris Hazelton on bass guitar, organ (Tracks 1, 2, 9, & 10), Tambourine (Track 1), Glockenspiel (Track 3), & Chimes (Track 4); Dave Brick on drums; Pete Carroll on trumpet; Brett Jackson on tenor sax, baritone sax (Tracks 1 & 5), & tambourine (Tracks 5, 6, & 8). Additional Musicians: Pat Conway on Congas (Tracks 1, 3, & 6), Alyssa Bell on viola (Tracks 3, 4, & 7), Elizabeth Codd on violin (Tracks 3 & 4), Matt Bennett on violin (Tracks 3 & 7), John Wickersham on timpani (Track 4), Pamela Baskin-Watson on piano (Track 10), Nick Howell on tambourine (Track 10), The Freedom Family Choir (Track 10): Misha Roberts, Erica Hazelton, Seyko Groves, Paula Saunders, Jordyn Saunders, Cole Bales, and Chris Hazelton. All Horn & String Arrangements by Chris Hazelton except: “Heartaches Don’t Come Easy” and “Give A Little Love” by Pete Carroll & Brett Jackson “Don’t Shoot” by Chris Hazelton & Allyssa Bell. Produced, Recorded, & Mixed by Chris Hazelton. Assistant Produced by Dave Brick. Rhythm Section on Track 10 recorded by Chad Meise. Mastered by JJ Golden. Cover Artwork by Matthew “Mo” Manley. Front cover photograph of civil rights protesters in Kansas City, MO (April 9th, 1968). The Freedom Affair and their track “Rise Up” were selected to be part of Colemine Records 3xLP box set, “Soul Slabs Vol. 2” a Record Store Day Exclusive, released April 13, 2019. Colemine writes: “The Freedom Affair is a freight train of KC soul! Dirty, funky drums, gritty horns, and the combined vocals of Misha Roberts, Seyko Groves, and Paula Saunders to put this band over the top. Politically charged soul music for the dancefloor!”]
- Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
Next week on October 2, we talk with special guest Adria Patterson who is a swimmer, a life guard, and a certified instructor teaching adults how to swim, helping people overcome their fear of water and end generational cycles of aquaphobia. (fear of water). More information at PCSwimming.com. // At 11:00am we’ll talk with Alex Kimball Williams a Lawrence, Kansas based musician, scientist, researcher, speaker, activist, teacher. Alex Kimball Williams identifies and celebrates her Native Alaskan / Black / Portuguese origins, with the motto: “Music is Medicine,” and released her album Red & Black on June 19, 2023. It was #5 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2023. // AND at 11:30 we welcome back to the show, our friend IVORY BLUE.
THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, KKFI Accounting & Administration – Shaina Littler
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the 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
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Show #1062
Wednesday MidDay Medley 