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, July 29, 2020
Una Walkenhorst & Greenline Grows KC
+ New & MidCoastal Releases
The production of “Kansas City Syzygy” was directed by Robert Castillo with J Ashley Miller mastering the raw audio files. JC Franco created the album design, utilizing a painting by KC native Madeline Gallucci.
BLM cover art by Chicago-based Nigerian American illustrator, Unimuke Agada / Courtesy French Exit Records
We continue to feature tracks from: Kansas City Syzygy, 19 songs created during the quarantine of 2020 with proceeds donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, & truly affordable home. And… from French Exit Records – Black Lives Matter Compilation of 22 acts from the area, with proceeds donated to One Struggle KC‘s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally. http://www.frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com
1. “It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / Dec. 20, 1979
[WMM’s theme]
2. Joy Division – “Transmission”
from: Permanent / London / June 1995
[Originally released on Factory Records in November 1979 on 7″ and re-released as a 12″ single with a different sleeve in December 1980. Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. 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 suffered from personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He killed himself on the eve of the band’s first US/Canada 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. The remaining members regrouped as New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Peter Hook & The Light tour and perform both Joy Division albums and their singles in lice concerts. On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Peter Hook & The Light played Middle of The Map Fest.]
3. Supreme Jubilees – “It’ll All Be Over”
from: It’ll All Be Over / Light in the Attic / Feb. 12, 2015 Reissue / Originally released in 1980
[If God had a disco, the DJ would be playing California gospel-soul group The Supreme Jubilees. “We won’t have to cry no more,” the tuxedo-clad group would sing, in high, angelic vocals over smooth grooves. “It’ll all be over.” Prepare to dance and contemplate death all at the same time. A band of brothers and cousins, the group was founded from two families: brothers Joe and Dave Kingsby plus Dave’s son David Kingsby Jr., and keyboardist Leonard Sanders plus his brothers Phillips (drummer), Tim (bassist), and Melvin (tenor). The Sanders clan grew up singing together in the Witness of Jesus Christ church in Fresno CA, where dad Marion was pastor. Guitarist Larry Price–who belonged to neither family–completed the line-up that recorded the group’s first–and, prophetically, only–album, It’ll All Be Over. Released in 1980 on the group’s own S&K (Sanders & Kingsby) label, It’ll All Be Over pinpoints a fatalistic mood exemplified by the title. Its lyrics drawn from the Old Testament, its sound from the church by way of the disco, and it’s a feel captured by the album cover–a low, orange sun setting over the Pacific ocean. It is, as Jessica Hundley observes in the brand new liner notes, “both apocalyptic and seductive.” Making the album was not easy. Sessions began in Trac Record Co, a country and western studio in Fresno, CA, where the engineer was so put out by the group’s requests for heavier bass in the mix, he stopped the session and kicked them out. They left with four songs–one side of the album–and the record was completed at Sierra Recording Studio in Visalia, CA. Leonard Sanders reported having a spiritual encounter in his sleep while in Visalia; the next day he recorded his part of the album’s title track in a single take. After the LP was pressed, the group took their music on tour, first in California, where they played with acts including the Gospel Keynotes, The Jackson Southernaires, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and then on an ill-fated trip to Texas. A follow-up album was planned for 1981, but it never materialized; having slept sometimes a dozen to a room in Texas, the men in the band were reluctant to leave jobs, wives, and kids for the hardship of the road. The group simply fizzled out, even if the friendships never did. A copy of the album sold to a fan on that Texan tour made its way to a San Antonio record store, where it was discovered nearly three decades later by collector David Haffner (Friends of Sound). He managed to track down the Kingsby-Sanders clan at a Fourth Of July barbecue in Fresno in 2004. And he eventually introduced the group to Light In The Attic Records, which now presents the album, restored, remastered, and available to the public for the first time.]
4. Shy Boys – “Trash”
from: Trash – Single / Polyvinyl Record Co. / August 3, 2018
[Follow up to last year’s single, Dim The Light / Brick By Brick, 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. The album received generally positive reviews and the single “Bully Fight” (originally released by The I’ms) 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 Company.]
5. Trevor Turla – “Busted” [Featuring: Reginald Chapman]
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Trevor Turla is now lives in Kansas City. Trevor defines himself as a musician. He started playing his first instrument, the bagpipes, at the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped the pursuit of music since. He received his Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies for trombone from the UMKC Conservatory of Music. Trevor now creates music full time by playing, recording, and holding clinics around the United States. Trevor plays and sings in numerous bands, including Jake Wells, Grand Marquis, Miki P, Fritz Hutchison, and LA Jones. He is the founder, lead singer and trombonist for the band Sulu Moon. More info at http://www.trevorturla.com // COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, but one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. “Syzygy” is a term most commonly used in astronomy and is defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Album designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.” The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]
6. Lianne La Havas – “Paper Thin”
from: Lianne La Havas / Warner Records UK / July 17, 2020
[Third studio album from Lianne La Hava born Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 23, 1989). Lianne La Havas is a British singer and songwriter. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for whom she sang backing vocals. In 2010, La Havas signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting, before releasing any music. La Havas’ debut studio album, Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012), was released to positive reviews from critics and earned her a nomination for the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll and awards for the iTunes Album of The Year 2012. La Havas was born and raised in London, England, to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She was raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending the majority of her time with her grandparents after her parents separated. La Havas began singing at seven, and cites her parents’ diverse musical tastes as having the biggest influence on her music. Her father, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11, but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. Lianne sang in her school choir. She attended Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Thornton Heath where she studied art A-level, and had planned to take an art foundation course before she decided to leave college to pursue a career in music full-time. Her birth name is Lianne Barnes, and her stage name is an adaptation of her Greek father Henry Vlahavas’ surname. She lives in London.]
Blackstarkids
7. BLACKSTARKIDS – “Urf Day”
from: Black Lives Matter Compilation / French Exit Records / July 6, 2020
[Blackstarkids released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroon Records on Februart 28, 2020. BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019. Blackstarkids,recently caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and now they’re signed to The 1975’s management company, Dirty Hit Records and they were just featured in Clash Magazine,][French Exit Records launched two years ago as an independent music label in KCMO, founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond,. The BLM Comp is on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: https://frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-lives-matter-compilation. BLM Compilation is 22 acts from the area, with all proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.]
10:29 – Underwriting
8. Durand Jones & The Indications – “Never Heard ‘Em Say”
from: Never Hear ‘Em Say – Single / Dead Oceans / July 24, 2020
[Durand Jones & The Indications released their debut self titled album on May 16, 2018. The band released their second album, American Love Call, on March 7, 2019. Bayou-born soul sensation, Durand Jones got his start in the church, after being forced to sing in the choir of his rural hometown Hillaryville, Louisiana because his Grandmother thought he sang too much at home. When his music career took him to Bloomington, Indiana, he was selected to join the legendary Indiana University Soul Revue, and it was through his involvement that he met writer/producer duo Aaron Frazer and Blake Rhein. The three began writing original soul music, recording themselves straight to tape in the basements of Bloomington – and their debut album is now available on Colemine Records. The Indications conjure the dynamism of Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, AND the Impressions. This young band of twenty-somethings are students of soul, including guitarist Blake Rhein, who moonlights doing research for The Numero Group.]
9. Patti Smith Group – “Ask The Angels”
[Dedicated to Tim Miller & Alistair McCartney on their Anniversary]
from: Radio Ethiopia / Arista / October, 1976
[“Ask the Angels” was written by Patti Smith and Ivan Král, and released as a third single from Patti Smith Group 1976 album Radio Ethiopia, the band’s second album. Radio Ethiopia was the follow-up record to Smith’s widely acclaimed debut Horses. In interviews surrounding the album’s release, Smith explained that she chose producer Jack Douglas in hopes of making the album a commercial success. The album was negatively received when it was released and Smith was attacked by critics for what they perceived to be laziness, self-indulgence and selling out. The title track of the album is one of Smith’s most notorious songs, almost legendary for appearing to be “10 minutes of noise”. Critics often described live renditions of the song as negative moments of Smith’s concerts. Patti herself spoke highly of the track and of how the lyrics refer to Arthur Rimbaud’s dying wishes. Arguments both for and against the song have been advanced by critics, fans and music listeners over whether the song truly is an example of the Patti Smith Group’s boundary-pushing or merely self-indulgence. Critics in negative reviews cited that Douglas’ production placed more emphasis on creating a heavy sound through numerous guitar parts which smothered Smith’s vocals and, at times, lamented that all of the album’s songs were originals of the group (Smith co-wrote much of the album with bassist Ivan Kral, the band member keenest for commercial success). “Ain’t It Strange” and “Distant Fingers”, the latter co-written with Smith’s long-time boyfriend Allen Lanier, had both been staples of the Group’s concerts long before the recording of Horses. The album’s cover photograph is by Judy Linn, the back of the album features a photo by Lynn Goldsmith. The album was dedicated to Arthur Rimbaud and Constantin Brâncuși. The back cover of the album bears the legend: “Free Wayne Kramer”, who at the time was incarcerated in Kentucky following his conviction for dealing cocaine. “Pissing in a River” was released as a single the same year. It was also featured in the 1980 movie Times Square. // Patricia Lee Smith was born December 30, 1946 at Grant Hospital of Chicago in Chicago to Beverly Smith, a jazz singer turned waitress, and Grant Smith, who worked as a machinist at a Honeywell plant. The family was of part Irish ancestry and Patti was the eldest of four children, with siblings Linda, Kimberly, and Todd. At the age of 4, Smith’s family moved from Chicago to Germantown, Philadelphia, before heading to Pitman, New Jersey and later to The Woodbury Gardens section of Deptford Township, New Jersey. At this early age Smith was exposed to her first records, including Shrimp Boats by Harry Belafonte, Patience and Prudence’s The Money Tree, and Another Side of Bob Dylan, which her mother gave to her. Smith graduated from Deptford Township High School in 1964 and went to work in a factory. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on April 26, 1967, and chose to place her for adoption. She is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses. By 1974, Patti Smith was performing rock music, initially with guitarist, bassist and rock archivist Lenny Kaye, and later with a full band comprising Kaye, Ivan Kral on guitar and bass, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and Richard Sohl on piano. Kral was a refugee from Czechoslovakia who had moved to the United States in 1966 with his parents, who were diplomats. After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, he decided not to return. Financed by Sam Wagstaff, the band recorded a first single, “Hey Joe / Piss Factory”, in 1974. The A-side was a version of the rock standard with the addition of a spoken word piece about fugitive heiress Patty Hearst (“Patty Hearst, you’re standing there in front of the Symbionese Liberation Army flag with your legs spread, I was wondering were you gettin’ it every night from a black revolutionary man and his women …”). A court later heard that Hearst had been confined against her will, and had been repeatedly threatened with execution and raped. The B-side describes the helpless anger Smith had felt while working on a factory assembly line and the salvation she discovered in the form of a shoplifted book, the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s Illuminations. In a 1996 interview which discusses artistic influences during her younger years, Smith said, “I had devoted so much of my girlish daydreams to Rimbaud. Rimbaud was like my boyfriend.” The Patti Smith Group was signed by Clive Davis of Arista Records, and in 1975 recorded their first album, Horses, produced by John Cale amid some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, and Smith’s opening words: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine” (an excerpt from “Oath”, one of her early poems). The austere cover photograph by Mapplethorpe has become one of rock’s classic images. As the popularity of punk rock grew, Patti Smith Group toured the United States and Europe. The rawer sound of the group’s second album, Radio Ethiopia, reflected this. Considerably less accessible than Horses, Radio Ethiopia initially received poor reviews. However, several of its songs have stood the test of time, and Smith still performs them regularly in concert. She has said that Radio Ethiopia was influenced by the band MC5. On January 23, 1977, while touring in support of Radio Ethiopia, Smith accidentally danced off a high stage in Tampa, Florida, and fell 15 feet into a concrete orchestra pit, breaking several neck vertebrae.The injury required a period of rest and an intensive round of physical therapy, during which time she was able to reassess, re-energize and reorganize her life. Patti Smith Group produced two further albums before the end of the 1970s. Easter (1978) was her most commercially successful record, containing the single “Because the Night” co-written with Bruce Springsteen. Wave (1979) was less successful, although the songs “Frederick” and “Dancing Barefoot” both received commercial airplay. Called the “punk poet laureate”, Smith fused rock and poetry in her work. Her most widely known song is “Because the Night”, which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978 and number five in the U.K. In 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On November 17, 2010, Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids. The book fulfilled a promise she had made to her former long-time roommate and partner, Robert Mapplethorpe. She placed 47th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Artists published in December 2010 and was also a recipient of the 2011 Polar Music Prize.]
10. Like A Tiger – “Firmament”
from: Music For Plants & Animals / Like A Tiger / May 15, 2020
[All songs written by Like A Tiger. Pete Marten on guitar & loops, Nik Douglas. on drums, John O’Keefe on bass. Recording Engineer: Ross Brown. Mastered by Mike Nolte.Like A Tiger released their debut Home Movies on January 18, 2019, with Pete Marten on guitar & loops, KR Azad on drums, John O’Keefe on bass. Recording Engineer: Ross Brown. Mastered by Mike Nolte. Like A Tiger began playing together in early 2018 and draws on influences of rock, jazz, and electronic music. The band presents a refreshing take on instrumental rock, using live looping and exploring effects, textures, and timbres.]
10:44 – Artists for Greenline Grows KC
11. Making Movies – “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”
from: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”-Single/ 3/2 Recordings/ Mar. 20, 2020
[New Single from KC based 4-piece band and made up of : Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and KC Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico.
[Radkey plays Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, at 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]
12. The Greeting Committee – “What If Tomorrow Never Comes?”
from: I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry – EP / Harvest Records / October 17, 2019
[Formed in Kansas City in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, and Pierce Turcotte. This new EP is a follow up to 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 play Greenline Grows KC-Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Fri, Aug. 28, 7:00 PM, streams LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies w/ Las Hermanas Altoro.]
13. Khrystal. – “You Again”
from: You Again – Single / Khrystal. / February 21, 2020
[Manor Records has announced a new single from newly signed KCK musical artist Khrystal. Her new single “Magic” will be available on August 8, 2020 and will be released on limited edition cassette singles. On September 1m 2017 Khrystal. Released The Glow Up EP, Produced & Written by Khrystal Coppage and Duncan Burnett. This was follow up to Khrystal’s Debut EP, Quarter Century Living. Executive Produced By Duncan Burnett. Written By Khrystal Coppage & Duncan Burnett. Kansas City based Khrystal Coppage served as Editor-in-Chief of Khorage Magazine. She served as Production Manager at UMKC University News from 2015 to 2016. She graduated from UMKC in 2016 where she studied Family Studies. She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2013. She is a graduate of Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, in KCK. Khrystal. Will be our guest on WMM on August 5!!!
[Khrystal. plays Greenline Grows KC-Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Fri, Aug. 28, 7:00 PM, streams LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies w/ Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]
14. Remy Styrk – “A Green World”
from: Of My Own Design / Remy Sryrk / May 2, 2020
[21-year old musician and film composer Remy Styrk joined us on WMM on May 27, 2020. On the radio Mark talked about when he first heard of Remy Styrk when he was 13 years old and was part of a songwriting workshop / contest with Money Wolf Music (Kansas City record label) and Christian Hankel. Remy Styrk’s musical songs and compositions speak to his life, his birth, his adoption, a national tragedy that moved his family to the Kansas City area, and the loss of his mother. Remy Styrk talked with us about being born in Newark, New Jersey. His birth mother was a homeless heroin addict. He spent three weeks in the hospital as a new born baby fighting to stay alive. Remy was adopted by Tom and Deborah Styrkowicz in a semi-closed adoption. With his adopted family Remy lived outside New York City in Newark. When Remy was a toddler 9/11 happened and the Styrkowicz family moved away from the New York City area and Remy’s adopted father Tom got a job at Hallmark in Kansas City, Missouri. Tragedy struck again, after Remy’s family moved to the area and settled in Leawood, Kansas, Remy’s adopted mom Deborah suffered a sudden brain aneurysm and died. Tom Styrkowicz was forced to leave his job at Hallmark to take care of Remy and his older brother, and comfort them in this difficult time for their family. Tom Styrkowicz began to go back to one of his earlier passions of photography and found work as a photographer. Remy told Brock Wilbur at The Pitch Kansas City that Tom’s endeavors “set the tone for his kids. Push through everything. Never give up. Dedicate yourself to what you love and work towards it each and every day.” When Remy was six, he shared with his parents his desire to play music. His family supported him entirely. Remy talked about “being spoiled” by parents that gave him the equipment and instruments he needed to make his original music. Remy talked with us about his discovery of folk music and the ability to tell stories with music. Remy talked about music allowed him to express his feelings and write about his mother Deborah, and how much of his music deals with her and the loss of her in his life. Remy told Brock Wilbur of The Pitch Kansas City, “I grew up black in a predominately white school system,” Styrk says. “I felt like an outcast but it didn’t make me want to give up on who I was. It pushed me to work harder on being who I want to be. I won’t change for anyone.” Remy Styrk has played in a variety of genres of music learning about Kansas City Blues, playing in indie and rock groups, and composing for film. “Of My Own Design” is Remy Stork’s 9-minute interactive album structured like an “Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Remy wants to create pieces of music that all fit together to tell a story both musically and visually. He is asking listeners, to imagine and create the visual story. Scene descriptions can be between 2 sentences and 2 paragraphs. All will be posted on his website: http://www.remystyrk.com/interactive.
Remy Styrk Discography
“Of My Own Design” 9-Minute Interactive Album – May 2, 2020
CHIOU – Opening & Closing Tracks from documentary film – March 15, 2020
Particle Evolutions GTRS – 40 ONE SHOT custom royalty free sound samples – March 24, 2020
Pads and Drones – 40 ONE-SHOTS custom royalty free sound samples – January 3, 2020
“Over It” – Single – April 17, 2020
“Winter/Summer” – Single – February 27, 2019
“In Too Deep” – Single – June 13, 2018
Sunday – 5-song EP – January 25, 2018
“Feel So Old” – Single – November 10, 2017
“October” – Single – October 17, 2017
“17” – Single – September 1, 2017
Telling Stories Through The Basement Door – 11- song Album – August 12, 2015
(All music is available at http://www.remystyrk.bandcamp.com)
11:00 – Station ID
15. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[2nd single from the Woman of The Year EP. 26 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Recorded at Shadow Scape Records. All songs written & sung by Una Walkenhorst, who also played acoustic guitar. Production/piano/album photography/environmental sounds by Corey Martin. Engineering, mixing, and electric guitar by, Sean Lea, Mixing by Bob Walkenhorst. Mastering by Greg Beery at Merx Mastering. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging, “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to KC from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]
11:04 – Interview with Una Walkenhorst
Una Walkenhorst shares details about, Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro. We will also talk with Una about her 2020 EP release Woman of The Year.
Una Walkenhorst thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
GREENLINE GROWS KC: A LIVESTREAM BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE GREENLINE INITIATIVE on FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH, 7:00 PM CST – STREAMING ON FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE
Info link: bit.ly/greenlinegrowskc
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/803423657131263/
Greenline website: https://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com/
On August 28th – a date of significance throughout Black history
On August 28th, local artists and leaders will partner with 90.9 The Bridge, Midwest Music Foundation, Records with Merritt, Manor Records, Folk Alliance International, KKFI 90.1 FM, Butler C&D & Center Cut Records to help bring you a live-stream event, benefitting The Greenline Initiative.
The Greenline Initiative is a Black family-owned organization in Kansas City that uses crowdsourced funding to help historically marginalized and low income populations in our city buy and renovate the houses they rent. Operating out of Kansas City’s 3rd District, the initiative works to build permanent community and generational wealth in formerly redlined neighborhoods
The evening will be centered around Black stories & voices, and will highlight Black excellence throughout Kansas City. It will also include non-Black performers and local leaders who will speak on privilege, solidarity, and the importance of consistently lifting up our black community members.
Performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Cuee, Danny Cox + Bob Walkenhorst, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies + Las Hermanas Altoro
Appearances by: Ajia Morris + Chris Morris of The Greenline Initiative
Deanna Munoz of Latino Foundation for the Arts/Midwest Chicana
11:12
16. Radkey – “Ain’t No Sunshine”
from: “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Single / Radkey / April 7, 2020
[Written by Bill Withers. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]
[Radkey plays Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, at 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]
Una Walkenhorst on the July 29, 2020 edition pf Wednesday MidDay on KKFI 90.1 FM
11:14 – Interview with Una Walkenhorst
Una Walkenhorst is with us sharing details about, Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro. We will also talk with Una about her 2020 EP release Woman of The Year.
Una Walkenhorst thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley
The evening will be centered around Black stories & voices, highlighting Black excellence in KC, and will also include non-Black performers & leaders who will speak on privilege, solidarity, and the importance of our black community members. The Greenline Initiative is a Black family-owned organization that uses crowdsourcing to help historically marginalized and low income populations buy and renovate the houses they rent. Based in KC’s 3rd District, the initiative builds permanent community and generational wealth in formerly redlined neighborhoods. More info at: http://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com
Performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Cuee, Danny Cox + Bob Walkenhorst, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies + Las Hermanas Altoro
Appearances by: Ajia Morris + Chris Morris of The Greenline Initiative
Deanna Munoz of Latino Foundation for the Arts/Midwest Chicana
Following the release of her debut album “Scars” in 2014, Una Walkenhorst loaded up her 97 Honda Civic and spent a year traveling across North America playing bars and open mics, and booking her own gigs. Una Walkenhorst has lived in New Orleans, and Brooklyn, New York. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. In the last 2 and a half years, 26 year old, Una has played played The Folly Theatre for 90.1 FM KKFI’s 30th Anniversary, Boulevardia, Crossroads Music Fest, Middle of The Map Fest, opened for Soccer Mommy, The Wild Reeds, Bela Fleck; played NPR’s “Best of Kansas City” concert for her 2018 Tiny Desk Contest, and produced benefits for The Innocence Project, and MOCSA. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In 2018 Una released the album “For Tomorrow” with her father Bob Walkenhorst, taking turns as songwriters with 5 from Una, interwoven with 5 from Bob, written individually, and recorded together, in shared DNA harmonies, that heard in family bands like The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Shy Boys. Una toured Norway promoting her critically acclaimed album with Bob & Una Walkenhorst “For Tomorrow.” More info at: http://www.unawalkenhorst.bandcamp.com
Una Walkenhorst, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.
Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro.
Info link: bit.ly/greenlinegrowskc
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/803423657131263/
Greenline website: https://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com/
Una Walkenhorst: she/her // http://www.unawalkenhorst.com // http://www.patreon.com/unawalkenhorst
11:24
17. Una Walkenhorst – “The Woman Who Owned Herself”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[3rd single from the Woman of The Year EP. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Recorded at Shadow Scape Records. All songs written & sung by Una Walkenhorst, who also played acoustic guitar. Production/piano/album photography/environmental sounds by Corey Martin. Engineering, mixing, and electric guitar by, Sean Lea, Mixing by Bob Walkenhorst. Mastering by Greg Beery at Merx Mastering. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging, “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to KC from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]
11:29 – Underwriting
18. Krystle Warren – “Circles” [dedicated to Necia Gamby on her Birthday]
from: Circles / Because Music / March 13, 2009
[Originally from KC, 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. Krystle created, Parlour Door Music, to release “Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace” a recording from a 13-day session in Brooklyn, where she recorded 24 songs live with 28 musicians including her band, The Faculty, alongside choirs, horn and string sections. Krystle followed up Love Songs with her 2017 album Three The Hard Way, Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane (D’Angelo, Emily King, PJ Morton). Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. Last year in Krystle Warren premiered this song and her other 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 radio show last year Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones.]
19. Joan As Policewoman – “Out Of Time”
from: Cover Two / PIAS / May 1, 2020
[“Out of Time” is a song by Blur and was released as the lead single from their seventh album Think Tank in 2003 (see 2003 in British music). The song is a bass-driven track with minimal drums and acoustic guitar accompanied by eastern and orchestral flourishes. The faint gargling noises in the intro is part of a scene from Doctor Who. It reached number five in the UK Singles Chart. “Out of Time” was Blur’s first release in three years and also the band’s first release without guitarist Graham Coxon. Covers Two is a studio album of cover versions by American musician Joan As Police Woman. It was released on May 1, 2020 under PIAS Recordings. The album is the second cover version, with her release of “Cover” in 2009 being the first. Joan As Police Woman, is Joan Wasser, born July 26, 1970), she is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, and Those Bastard Souls. Since 2004 she has released her solo material as Joan As Police Woman. She has released five regular studio albums, one EP, a number of singles and a collection of covers. Throughout her career, she has regularly collaborated with other artists as a writer, performer and arranger. Joan’s last akbum, Damed Devotion, released Feb. 9, 2018, was part of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018.]
20. Skullcrusher – “Places/Plans”
from: Skullcrusher / Secretly Canadian / July 24, 2020
[Skullcrusher is the stage name of American musician Helen Ballentine. Ballentine was born and raised in upstate New York. Ballentine attended the Hackley School, graduating in 2013. Ballantine moved to Los Angeles to attend college, graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in graphic design in 2017. Having played piano for most of her life, Ballentine decided to quit her job working at a gallery to pursue music full time. Upon the release of the single, Ballentine announced her debut self-titled EP, to be released on June 26. In 2019, Ballentine wrote her first song, Places/Plans, which was later released on April 21, 2020. Ballentine’s second song from the EP was released on May 27, 2020. Mark Beaumont in The Guardian described Skullcrusher’s sound as “Gorgeously gauzy alt-folk paeans haunted by the pale ghosts of pianos and acoustic guitars that drowned many years ago in a Laurel Canyon lagoon”, commenting that the band’s name suggests something altogether more violent.]
21. Pip Millett – “June”
from: Lost In June – EP / FOURS / April 10, 2020
[Manchester, England based musical artist. Calmness is the key to Pip’s music; a blissful fusion of R&B and soul that’s always full of feeling. Pip is determined to make music she insists will always be “chilled but emotional.” Whatever comes next, a generation caught in its feelings might just have a new soundtrack.]
22. Nico – “These Days”
from: Chelsea Girl / Verve / October 1967
[“These Days” is a song written by Jackson Browne and recorded by numerous artists. Browne wrote the song at age 16; its lyrics deal with loss and regret. It was first recorded by Nico in 1967 for her album Chelsea Girl and in 1970 by Tom Rush. Gregg Allman recorded a new arrangement of the song in 1973 on Laid Back, and Browne recorded the Allman arrangement on For Everyman the same year. “These Days” has also been recorded by Paul Westerberg, St. Vincent, Fountains of Wayne, Mates of State, David Allan Coe, Glen Campbell, and Drake. Chelsea Girl is the debut solo album and second studio album by Nico. It was released in October 1967 by Verve Records and was recorded following Nico’s collaboration with the Velvet Underground on their 1967 debut. It was produced by Tom Wilson, who added string and flute arrangements against the wishes of Nico. The title is a reference to Andy Warhol’s 1966 film Chelsea Girls, in which Nico starred. Much of the album features instrumental work and songwriting credits from Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, and John Cale. The song “I’ll Keep It with Mine” was written by Bob Dylan, while three songs are by Jackson Browne, who contributes guitar. After collaborating as a singer with the Velvet Underground on their debut The Velvet Underground & Nico (recorded during 1966, released in March 1967), Warhol superstar Nico toured with the band in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable (EPI) multimedia roadshow. Before the EPI came to an end in 1967, Nico took up residence in a New York City coffeehouse as a solo folk chanteuse; accompanied in turn by guitarists, such as Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne, and also her Velvet Underground bandmates Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison and John Cale. Christa Päffgen was born October 16, 1938 and died July 18, 1988, known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, musician, model, and actress. She had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls (1966). At the insistence of Warhol, she sang on three songs of the Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). At the same time, she started a solo career and released Chelsea Girl. Nico’s friend Jim Morrison suggested that she start writing her own material. She then composed songs on a harmonium, not traditionally a rock instrument; John Cale became her musical arranger and produced The Marble Index, Desertshore, The End… and other subsequent albums. In the 1980s, she toured extensively in Europe, United States, Australia and Japan. After a concert in Berlin in June 1988, she went on holiday in Ibiza to rest and died as the result of a cycling accident.]
23. Kemet Coleman – “The Virus” (Radio Edit)
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Kemet Coleman is Kemet the Phantom, a Kansas City based musicians who calls himself a rap Artist, actor, and Urbanist. Hemet is a member of the Hip-Hop duo COA (Center of Attention) and is the lead singer of the 8-member Funk/Rap/Soul band The Phantastics. Kemet is also a core element of The Marcus Lewis Big Band for Brass & Boujee. Kemet the Phantom is a two time Pitch Music Award nominee for “Best Hip-Hop Act.” Kemet the Phantom is a Kansas City enthusiast and urbanist often known for his unprecedented collaborations with KC entities and organizations such as 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 University of Missouri – Kansas City 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. More information at: http://www.kemetthephantom.com // COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, but one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. “Syzygy” is a term most commonly used in astronomy and is defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Album designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.” The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]
24. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
from: Permanent / London / June 1995
[“Love Will Tear Us Apart” is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis’ marriage problems and frame of mind before his suicide in May 1980.. Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. 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 suffered from personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He killed himself on the eve of the band’s first US/Canada 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. The remaining members regrouped as New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Peter Hook & The Light tour and perform both Joy Division albums and their singles in lice concerts. On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Peter Hook & The Light played Middle of The Map Fest.]
25. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
11:58 – Community Voices
Next week on Wednesday, August 5, singer songwriter actress activist Khrystal. joins us to talk about her new single, “Magic” to be released August 7, 2020 through Manor Records.
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:
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http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
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Black Lives Matter
Show #848
Wednesday MidDay Medley 