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, November 4, 2026
Sondra Freeman & Mark Vick on Apocalypse Meow 19 + John McCrite & “Still Here” + Seth Andrew Davis
- “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
[WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]
- Alabama Shakes – “I Feel Hope Coming”
from: I Must Be Dreaming / Alabama Shakes – ATO Records / August 28, 2026
[Formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009. The band currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner, and drummer Steve Johnson. The group rose to prominence from virtual obscurity in the early 2010s with their distinctive and soulful roots rock sound. The band began their career touring and performing at bars and clubs around the Southeast for two years while honing their sound and writing music. They recorded their debut album, Boys & Girls, themselves in Nashville while still unsigned. Online acclaim led ATO Records to sign the band, which released Boys & Girls in 2012 to acclaim. The album had a hit single, “Hold On,” and was nominated for three Grammy Awards. After a long touring cycle, the band recorded their sophomore record, Sound & Color, which was released in 2015 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Brittany Howard’s solo releases are fabulous.Alabama Shakes released Sound & Color on April 21, 2015 ]
- Margaret Glaspy – “Martin Luther King Jr.”
from: I Am Both / ATO Records / August 7, 2026
[The New York-based singer/songwriter discovered a clarity of mind and creative momentum as she recon-nected with her songwriting. Produced by 3-time GRAMMY-winner Joe Henry (Aimee Mann, Joan Baez), the album finds Glaspy embracing complexity, clarity and emotional directness in equal measure. // I Am Both ultimately stands as a striking new statement from one of the modern music canon’s most formidable song-writers.// Her 4th full-length album, I Am Both emerged from live sessions at NYC’s Reservoir Studios alongside drummer/percussionist Jay Bellerose (Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss), keyboardist Patrick Warren (Tracy Chapman, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen), and bassist Ross Gallagher (Paula Cole, Grails). Written largely in longhand and later refined on a typewriter, I Am Both Glaspy offers an ardent refusal of any outside pressure to compromise her multidimensionality. “I wrote the title track a while ago; the story is based on a female character that I look up to deeply—a woman who contains multitudes while seeing reality very clearly,” says Glaspy. “It can feel safer to try to fit myself into a category, but I find that embracing my own complexity is much healthier for me.” That embrace of complexity runs throughout the album’s eleven tracks. // “Speaking of transfixing voices: Margaret Glaspy’s passionate croak is haunted by the past” – The New York Times // “A thoughtful singer-songwriter record with adept, minimalist instrumental backing and a powerhouse vocalist… remarkably inventive” – Pitchfork // “Perfecting an expansive sort of minimal-ism: she writes sharp little songs that gesture at decades of influences, from coffee-shop folk to 78-r.p.m. jazz.” – The New Yorker // “No matter how specific Glaspy’s lyrics become, these songs speak for everyone.” – Consequence // “There’s a brutish honesty in the songs of Margaret Glaspy that at once seems cold and at the same time comes from the heart… That wit and wisdom packs a punch and conveys confidence, as does her guitar playing” – NPR // “Her language is essential, and listening to how she constructs a story is as much a journey as it is a reward.” – Paste]
[Margaret Glaspy plays The Bottleneck 737 New Hampshire St., Lawrence KS., on Thursday, November 5, doors at 7:00pm shoe at 8:00pm with Olive Klug.]
- Huascar Medina, Ezgi Karakus, José Faus, Nick Carswell – “New American”
from: “New American” – Single / Nick Carswell / October 30, 2026
[Words by Huascar Medina. Piano and electronics by Nick Carswell. Cello by Ezgi Karakus. Recorded live at Lawrence Arts Center, September 18th, 2026. // Sharing Home was a collaborative project offering an intimate, multidisciplinary exploration of the immigrant experience, addressing the complex emotional and cultural landscapes of living between origins and new places of belonging. The performance weaves together original musical compositions and evocative spoken word pieces created by Lawrence and Kansas City based artists. New American is a compelling new single from the Sharing Home project. New American was recorded live at the inaugural Sharing Home performance on September 18th at Lawrence Arts Center, as part of the Downtown Underground concert series. Huascar Medina delivers his stirring words against a backdrop of piano, cello and electronic music in the new track available on Bandcamp and YouTube. // The Sharing Home project features a collaborative ensemble including Irish-born musician Nick Carswell, Turkish cellist Ezgi Karakus, multidisciplinary artist and writer José Faus originally from Columbia, and former Poet Laureate of Kansas with Panamanian and Puerto Rican heritage, Huascar Medina. Together, the artists weave together evocative storytelling and acoustic arrangements to offer an intimate look into the complex emotional and cultural landscapes of the immigrant experience. // “This project is the culmination of many conversations and shared perspectives of being an immigrant,” says Carswell. “It’s a privilege to collaborate with these amazing artists on something so close to our hearts: the idea of belonging and ‘home’”. // “Home is not a place for me, it’s a people,” adds collaborating poet Huascar Medina. “I live in-between places—places where my parents left from, and places where I’m trying to belong”. // Huascar Medina (Poetry): Poet, author, and former Poet Laureate of Kansas. Nick Carswell (Music): Songwriter, musician, and arts organizer based in Lawrence, KS. Ezgi Karakus (Music): Acclaimed cellist and performer. José Faus (Poetry): Multidisciplinary visual artist, writer, and performer.]
- Joy Oladokun – “Easy Company”
from: Hope Is A Heavy Thing / Feed The Family – Concord / September 25, 2026
[Produced by Oladokun with additional contributions from Nigerian producer Spellz, the new 12-track project marks a bold new chapter, expanding Oladokun’s sound while continuing to prove her ability to not only bend genres but also to bridge cultures. Across the album, Oladokun explores identity, connection and self-discovery with the emotional honesty that has become a hallmark of her songwriting. In addition to “Kind” and the previously shared track “Zombie,” the album features a collaboration with Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold. // “‘To understand your future you have to confront your past.’ This is the driving theme behind Hope Is A Heavy Thing,” shares Oladokun. “It’s a collection of 12 songs that I wrote to help myself find my light again after burning out. Produced in Nashville, New York, and the back of a speeding tour bus, this album is sonically an homage to all of the music that inspires me. On this record you’ll find music that nods the brilliance of the Soulquarians, the rawness of Bob Dylan, the rhythms of afrobeats, and the sampling prowess of J Dilla. Not to mention a callback to the Ronettes and a few songs that find inspiration in rock and roll protest music of the 60’s and 70’s. You’ll also find me at the most authentic I’ve been able to be as an artist. It is a record I wrote for anyone who finds themselves wondering how to hope in these times. Sometimes it means looking back and digging through the muck to find what’s worth fighting for again.” // This fall, Oladokun will embark on her extensive “The Heavy Things Tour,” with newly confirmed stops at Austin’s Scoot Inn, Los Angeles’ The Bellwether, Seattle’s Moore Theatre, Denver’s Paramount Theatre, Chicago’s The Vic Theatre, Washington D.C.’s Howard Theatre and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, among many others. See below for complete tour itinerary. // Hope Is A Heavy Thing follows Oladokun’s critically acclaimed albums in defense of my own happiness (2021), Proof of Life (2023) and Observations From A Crowded Room (2024), which led NPR Music to call Oladokun “one of the great singer-songwriters pushing beyond roots or conventional singer-songwriter music today.” Additionally, The New York Times praised, “her songs are conversational and confessional, and her hooky but profound melodies turn her lyrics into mantras,” while Consequence declared, “One of the most refreshing voices coming out of Nashville…there’s a deeply honest quality to her music that makes her hard to shake.” // Oladokun is one of today’s most compelling genre-defying voices, using deeply vulnerable songwriting to seamlessly connect folk, soul, pop and rock with striking emotional clarity. A queer Black musician and daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Oladokun has become a vital cultural voice, writing songs that explore identity, faith, mental health, and social justice with honesty and restraint. She earned a nomination for Americana Artist of the Year and her protest anthem, “i see america,” was a finalist for the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change. Oladokun has performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning’s “Saturday Sessions,” TODAY, PBS’ Austin City Limits and NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert” series. Widely respected by her peers, Oladokun has collaborated with artists such as Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Maxo Kream, Jack Antonoff, Jason Isbell and Noah Kahan and has joined Isbell, Kahan, John Mayer, Hozier, My Morning Jacket, Tyler Childers, Pink Sweat$, Leon Bridges and Manchester Orchestra on the road. Joy Oladokun released Observations From A Crowded Room on Oct. 18, 2024. // Joy Iladokun released Proof of Life her 4th studio album on April 28, 2023. The album was supported by five singles released throughout 2022 & 2023. The album features guest appearances from Mt. Joy, Manchester Orchestra, Chris Stapleton, Maxo Kream, and Noah Kahan. In a press release about the album, Oladokun said that she intended for the songs on Proof of Life to be “helpful anthems” and to resonate with “anybody who feels normal and needs a little musical boost to get through the day”. The first single, “Keeping the Light On”, was released on January 21, 2022. The second single, “Sweet Symphony” (featuring Chris Stapleton), was released on September 23, 2022. Of the song, Oladokun said that the song was about “the vulnerability, the fear, and the ups and downs that come from loving someone.” The third single, “Changes”, was released on February 17, 2023, simultaneously with the album announcement. The fourth single, “We’re All Gonna Die” (with Noah Kahan), was released March 17, 2023. The 5th and final single, “Taking Things for Granted”, was released on April 21, 2023. // Joy Oladokun was born April 6, 1992, she is an American singer-songwriter. Oladokun’s music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color. Oladokun grew up in Casa Grande, Arizona, listening to country and folk music, as well as Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill. Both of her parents are Nigerian immigrants to the United States. Her family regularly attended a Christian church, where Oladokun was chosen to lead worship. Later, Oladokun left the church because it limited her creativity. // When Oladokun was 10, a video of Tracy Chapman inspired her to learn guitar.// After college, at a friend’s suggestion, Oladokun moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career. She later moved to East Nashville, where she signed with Prescription Songs. She has released three studio albums. In 2015, Joy Oladokun self-released her debut EP Cathedrals. Her debut studio album, Carry Me was funded by Kickstarter and released on April 29, 2016 through Well Records. // Oladokun released the single “Sunday” in 2019, saying “‘Sunday’ is the song that 12-year-old Joy, seated in the back of church youth group, needed to hear. She needed to hear that you can be queer and happy. Queer and healthy. Queer and holy. She needed to see married women kissing and playing with their kids.” The music video highlights people in LGBTQ relation-ships and has a predominantly queer cast. // Oladokun’s song “Mercy” follows in the same theme, describing her experience as a Black person in the United States, while the single “I See America” criticizes systemic racism. NPR listed “I See America” on its 100 Best Songs of 2020. // On July 17, 2020, Oladokun released her 2nd studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness (Vol. 1). Billboard described the album as a “stunningly emotional collection.” Mitch Mosk, editor-in-chief of Atwood Mag., called it a “a sweeping, soaring, and stunning sophomore record oozing heart and soul.” // In 2021, Oladokun received a grant from YouTube’s “#YouTubeBlack Voices Fund”. The same year she signed with Amigo Records, Verve Forecast Records, & Republics. http://www.joyoladokun.com Oladokun played The Truman on Sept. 12, 2024.]
[Joy Oladokun: Heavy Things Tour plays The Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS., Friday, November 6, at 8:00pm.]
- Pieta Brown – “Someday Someday”
from: Dreamin’ Of / Righteous Babe Records / August 21, 2026
[Pieta Brown was born in 1973. She is an American singer-songwriter, artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has released eight albums and five EPs. She is considered a folk/indie singer-songwriter, with Brown also naming country blues and jazz as strong influences on her musical style. // Brown was born in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Her early “bohemian” upbringing was in rural Iowa in a house with no running water, heat, or indoor bathroom. There, Brown was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, singer-songwriter Greg Brown. Brown’s parents separated when she was very young and at age 8 she moved to Birmingham, Alabama with her mother. Pieta spent her childhood living in 17 different residences between Iowa and Alabama with a short time in St. Paul, Minnesota. While living with her mother in Alabama, Brown began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano. // Pieta released her self-titled debut record in 2002, co-produced with Bo Ramsey, which NPR Music heralded as “a ghostly collection of largely melancholy songs rooted in the blues.” Her 2005 follow-up In The Cool was named one of the year’s best by Amazon Music who called it “calming, hypnotic, and seductive.” Her next album, Remember The Sun, was released in 2007 and was cited as one of the year’s best by The Wall Street Journal. In 2009, Brown released an EP called Shimmer, which was produced by Don Was after hearing her on his car radio in a live solo performance. // In 2010, Brown signed with Red House Records and released One and All. She joined Mark Knopfler’s North American tour later that year, had a string of performance dates with John Prine, participated in a full orchestral show with Brandi Carlile, and embarked on her own performance tour in Australia. It was followed by the 2011 release of Mercury which held the #1 position on the American Folk Radio Chart for 5 months, was included in iTunes’ Great Americana Albums of 2011, and landed at #26 in American Songwriter’s Top 50 Albums of 2011.[8] All Music Guide called it “terrific,” while Exclaim! named it “not just a beautiful album, but an essential one.” // Brown released her sixth studio album Paradise Outlaw in 2014. It was her most critically successful album to date, with praise from NPR’s Weekend Edition, Bust Magazine, Folk Alley, and American Songwriter. It was recorded and mixed by BJ Burton at April Base Studio and features guests Amos Lee, Mark Knopfler, and studio owner Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Vernon would later cite this as his “favorite album recorded at April Base.” // In 2017, Pieta went independent and self-released Postcards. The album explores the role of distance and isolation through collaboration as Brown enlisted special guest artists for each track through the mail. She described the process as “musical postcards,” consisting of her original stripped-down, acoustic shells of the song that each artist would then add their parts to and mail back. The list of collaborators included Mark Knopfler, Calexico, Mason Jennings, Mike Lewis, David Lindley, and Carrie Rodriguez. Postcards was praised by puiblications including Billboard, Chicago Tribune, Guitar World, and American Songwriter, who stated, “Brown sounds committed and melancholy throughout, a natural extension of the solitary circumstances that created this moving, emotional music.” // Pieta’s full-length album Freeway was released on September 20, 2019 through Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. It was co-produced with S. Carey of Bon Iver and recorded at Justin Vernon’s April Base Studios. In addition to Carey, who also plays on the album, it features bassist Mike Lewis (Bon Iver, Andrew Bird) and guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker (Andrew Bird, Alpha Consumer). Freeway was recorded mostly live over the course of just three days with Carey, Lewis, and Ylvisaker hearing the songs for the first time on the spot in the studio while recording. Of the experimental process, Pieta said “it allowed them to rely on their gut instincts and to react to the tunes (and each other) in real time.” Freeway was met with widespread critical acclaim from NPR Music, Stereogum, Paste, Billboard, Flood Magazine, and American Songwriter among others. Don Was also participated by writing the liner notes for the album. // In 2020, Pieta released the collaborative EP We Are Not Machines via the artist collective label 37d03d. The 3-track release centers around the single “We Are Not Machines” which features Ani DiFranco and S. Carey. It was originally recorded in November 2019 at Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s annual HIVER Festival in Eaux Claires, WI. The other two tracks on the EP expand on the single’s original theme, featuring contributions from William Brittelle, Holland Andrews, Jenn Wasner, The Metropolis Ensemble, knotahaiku, Limit Infrared, and Grammy-nominated visual artist Eric Timothy Carlson. // In 2017, Pieta performed in the leading role of the feminist/indie Swiss film (in French) Autour de Luisa (“Around Luisa”). Brown also co-wrote several original songs that were featured in the film with French pop singer-songwriter Bertrand Belin, who also appeared in the film. This debut led to an invitation to appear in the underground experimental zombie short film The Bride, directed by Vincent Parronaud featuring the music of Thomas De Pourquery and Supersonic.]
Discography
Studio albums
2002: Pieta Brown (Trailer Records)
2005: In the Cool (Valley Entertainment)[31]
2007: Remember the Sun (One Little Independent)
2010: One and All (Red House)
2011: Mercury (Red House)
2014: Paradise Outlaw (Red House)
2017: Postcards (Lustre)
2019: Freeway (Righteous Babe)
2026: Dreamin’ Of (Righteous Babe)
Singles and EPs
2003: I Never Told You (T Records)
2007: “This Land Is Your Land” featuring Calexico
2008: Flight Time (T Records)
2009: Shimmer (Red House)
2015: Drifters (Lustre)
2020: We Are Not Machines (37d03d)
Compilations and contributions
2002: Going Driftless: An Artist’s Tribute to Greg Brown (Red House Records) – “Ella Mae”
2006: A Case For Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case (Hungry For Music) – “Spell of Wheels”
2007: Just One More: A Tribute To Larry Brown (Bloodshot) – “Another Place in Time”
2008: Before The Goldrush: A Project to Benefit Teach For America – “Birds”
2010: Think Out Loud – “King Of My Heart”[32]
2011: A Nod to Bob 2 (Red House) – “Dirt Road Blues”
2013: Fall to Rise (Little Secret Records) – “Love Over Gold (with Lucie Thorne)”
Guest Artist
2004: Greg Brown – Honey in the Lion’s Head (Trailer)
2006: Bo Ramsey – Stranger Blues – co-producer
2008: Bo Ramsey – Fragile (Continental Song City) – co-producer
2008: Calexico – Carried to Dust (Quarterstick)
2008: The Wood Brothers – Loaded (Blue Note)
2009: Chad Elliot – Redemption Man
2011: Amos Lee – Mission Bell (Blue Note)
2012: Greg Brown – Hymns For What Is Left
2012: Calexico – Algiers (Anti-)
2013: Mason Jennings – Always Been
2015: Calexico – Edge of the Sun (Quarterstick)
2015: Iris DeMent – The Trackless Woods (Flariella)
2015: Lucie Thorne – Everything Sings Tonight
2016: The Pines – Above The Prairie (Red House)
2018: Jeffrey Foucalt – Blood Brothers
2021: The Colorist Orchestra & Howe Gelb ft. Pieta Brown – “Not On The Map”
2023: Iris DeMent – Workin’ on a World (Flariella)
[Pieta Brown plays Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Illinoise, Friday, Nov. 6 at 8:00pm.]
- The Creepy Jingles – “You Don’t Trend”
from: AGAINST ALL OPPS – EP / Enigmatic Brunch Records / August 28, 2026.
[Jocelyn Nixon on vocals, rhythm guitar, & songwriter; Andrew Woody on bass; Brian Hurtgen on drums, Joseph Peaks on lead guitar. For this EP Gailen Gillespie played synthesizers and was Master Engineer and Mixed the record. Josh Thomas was a Recording Engineer. This follows The Creepy Jingles album WASHED UP, released May 22, 2026, through Enigmatic Brunch Records. The Creepy Jingles are led by Jocelyn Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. Earlier this year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon shared with us the unreleased single “fight for your say” for our March 4, 2026 radio show. // Last year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon released the single, “YOU AIN’T RIGHT! YOU MUST BE WRONG!” on May 2, 2025. // The Creepy Jingles released a series of 4 new singles in 2024 including “When Things Go Wrong” on February 23, 2024. // The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. The Creepy Jingles released their album, TAKE ME AT MY WORDPLAY on March 25, 2022 through High Dive Records. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. The release was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. ]
[Jocelyn Olivia Nixon plays solo at Gigantic Records , 1614 Westport Road, KCMO, Friday, November 6 with closed quarters (solo), Eggs on mars (solo) and Foxlin(solo) – Holiday Food Drve bring non-perishable items]
11:30 – Underwriting
10:32 – Interview with John McCrite
Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley. A new documentary titled “Still Here” tells the story of Bruce Winter, better known as Melinda Ryder – Kansas City’s original redhead and a drag legend for 50 years. From an era when performing in drag could lead to arrest, through the AIDS crisis and the fight for marriage equality, Bruce witnessed a community and a country transform. Along the way, he survived cancer three times, raised over a million dollars for charity, and became a beloved Kansas City institution. Still Here is the story of the little boy who loved trying on dresses – and grew up to become a legend. There is a “Still Here” — Invited Sneak Preview on Sunday, November 8, at 3:30pm at Screenland Armour, 408 Armour Rd., North Kansas City.
The director of this new documentary is Kansas City native John McCrite, an award-winning filmmaker and theater director. He studied acting at Webster University, pursued graduate work in directing at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and studied film at UCLA Extension.
He made his theater directing debut with The Normal Heart at Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City and later adapted and directed Dorian Gray at Chicago’s Bailiwick Theatre. His first film, Little Boy Blues, starring Malcolm Gets, screened at Kansas City’s Out Here Now Festival and Outfest in Los Angeles and was released on Boys Briefs 3.
His documentary Pink Belt earned awards at 17 film festivals, including a Best Director honor at India’s Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival.
His latest documentary, Still Here, brings him home to Kansas City to tell the story of beloved drag performer Bruce Winter, known as Melinda Ryder, and his husband, Kirk Nelson. Filmed from March 2023 through June 2026, the documentary celebrates love, resilience, and Melinda’s extraordinary legacy of performance and kindness.
There is a “Still Here” — Invited Sneak Preview on Sunday, November 8, at 3:30pm at Screenland Armour, 408 Armour Rd., North Kansas City. www.screenland.com
John McCrite, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.
JOhn’s Friend Jesse was working at North Kansas City Hospital and had a picture of her favorite vragqueen on her refrigerator, john recognized Melinda Ryder and it sparked his interest to get to know Bruce Winter, known as Melinda Ryder.
Melinda Ryder was a drag legend for 50 years. Melinda lived through – from an era when performing in drag could lead to arrest, through the AIDS crisis and the fight for marriage equality, Bruce witnessed a community and a country transform. Along the way, he survived cancer three times, raised over a million dollars for charity, and became a beloved Kansas City institution.
Yesterday Americans voted in the midterm elections, throughout the last few election cycles one particular political party has decided to make LGBTQIA Americans, especially Trans Americans the scapegoat for their own lack of any political policies or achievements. Drag Queens and Drag Queen Story hours were also part of the political hate campaigns. John was thinking are we going backwards? Melinda having lived through all of this offered an opportunity to tell an important part of our history.
The film focuses on Bruce Winter, known as Melinda Ryder, and his husband, Kirk Nelson. Kirk was instrumental in the hair and make-up and dresses of Melinda Ryder.
Filmed from March 2023 through June 2026, the documentary celebrates love, resilience, and Melinda’s extraordinary legacy of performance and kindness.
John asked us to play Cheryl Lynn’s “Star Love” for this segment, because John remembers Melinda performing this song back in the late 1980s, and reminded us how much of a dancer Melinda was on stage.
John McCrite, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.
There is a “Still Here” — Invited Sneak Preview on Sunday, November 8, at 3:30pm at Screenland Armour, 408 Armour Rd., North Kansas City. www.screenland.com
10:48
- Cheryl Lynn – “Star Love”
from: Cheryl Lynn / Columbia Records / October 13, 1978
[Cheryl Lynn is the debut studio album by American singer Cheryl Lynn. It was released by Columbia Records on October 13, 1978, in the United States. The album reached number 23 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 23, 1979. The album includes Lynn’s first single and biggest hit “Got to Be Real” (1978). // Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song “Got to Be Real” from her album Cheryl Lynn. // Cheryl Lynn’s singing career began with her church choir when she was a young girl. She appeared on an episode of The Gong Show, a daytime entertainment TV show in June 1976, performing Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful”. Soon after, she was hired as a backing vocalist for the national touring company of the musical drama The Wiz. Eventually, she obtained the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West during the six-month national tour. // After her performance on The Gong Show, Ahmed Ertegun of Atlantic Records was unable to attend an initial meeting with Lynn, with the result that she was contracted with Columbia Records. She released her first and best-known song, “Got to Be Real”, which was composed by Lynn alongside keyboardist David Paich (of the band Toto) and David Foster. The song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Rhythm & Blues chart The success of the single prompted her debut album, Cheryl Lynn, which was produced by Paich and Marty Paich. It sold more than a million copies and hit No. 5 on Billboard magazine’s R&B albums chart and No. 23 on the Billboard 200. The next single from the album, written by Judy Wieder and John Footman, “Star Love”, also became a success. // Wieder and Footman joined songwriting forces with the artist for her second album, In Love. The first single, “I’ve Got Faith in You”, was a moderate hit on the R&B chart. The follow-up single, “Keep It Hot”, was a club hit. During this time, members of the rock music group Toto were producing their debut album Toto. During the production Lynn was asked to provide the female backing vocal for one of the album’s singles, “Georgy Porgy”. The single scored No. 48 on Billboard’s popular music chart. Although Toto would go on to chart more than a dozen pop and rock songs throughout the years, Lynn’s vocal was credited for the group’s charting their only R&B (No. 18) and dance (No. 80) hit on the Billboard chart. // In 1981, Ray Parker Jr. was called in to produce Lynn’s third album, In the Night. It featured the dance and R&B single, “Shake It Up Tonight”. The next year, Luther Vandross was asked to produce Lynn’s fourth album, Instant Love. The second single from the album, “If This World Were Mine”, a 1982 duet with Vandross that was a cover version of a previous Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell song. For her fifth album, Preppie, Lynn produced most of the tracks, with the exception of the single “Encore”, which was written and produced by the Minneapolis funk music duo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It became Lynn’s second No. 1 single on the R&B charts. // Lynn also recorded soundtracks for feature films, including a song written by Michael Bolton entitled “At Last You’re Mine” for the 1985 film Heavenly Bodies, and the track “Steppin’ Into the Night” for the 1986 feature film Armed and Dangerous. The song and the film’s soundtrack were produced by Maurice White. // In 1989, Lynn released the top 10 single “Every Time I Try to Say Goodbye”, from her eighth album, Whatever It Takes. // She began the 1990s without a record contract. She did mostly session work for Richard Marx albums, Rush Street (1991) and Paid Vacation (1994), as well as Luther Vandross’ 1996 Your Secret Love album. During 1995, after a six-year hiatus from recording her own material, Lynn teamed with producer/songwriter Teddy Riley (formerly of the new jack swing music group Guy), to record her ninth album, Good Time. It was released in Japan and the UK, and later in the United States as an imported CD. // In 1996, Sony Records/Legacy released Got to Be Real – The Best of Cheryl Lynn, which included Lynn’s most successful recordings from her years with Columbia Records. This was followed soon by another compilation CD, The Real Thing, which featured other recordings from Lynn’s first six albums. // Two years later, she performed on HBO’s Sinbad’s Summer Soul Jam 4 (1998), hosted by comedian Sinbad. // During the new millennium, Lynn toured Japan and did an occasional gig in the United States, performing at charity events in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2000, she worked with hip-hop musician Jay Supreme on his single “Your Love (Encore)”, which was an updated version of “Encore.” She performed on ABC’s The Disco Ball… A 30-Year Celebration, broadcast during January 2003. In 2004, she recorded the song “Sweet Kind of Life,” which was also written and produced by Jam & Lewis, for the soundtrack to the 2004 film Shark Tale. In 2005, Lynn’s song “Got to Be Real” was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. On May 23, 2006, Collectables Records re-released her 1981 album In the Night and 1982’s Instant Love, in a double CD package form. It was the first time ever that either album was released as a CD in the United States. // Lynn is considered an influence on some of today’s R&B female singers,[citation needed] including Mary J. Blige, who, alongside Will Smith, covered and remixed Lynn’s song “Got to Be Real”, also for Shark Tale. Japanese pop singer Kumi Koda covered the song for her 2010 single album Gossip Candy. // In April 2010, “Got to Be Real” charted for the first time in the UK, peaking at number 70 on the UK Singles Chart.]
- Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – “Googoo Gaga”
from: Mainland Madinina / DEEWEE – Because / February 5, 2027
[Pupul & Adigéry released their debut album Topical Dancer on March 4, 2022 under the label Deewee. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. // Pupul & Adigéry are both based in Belgium with shared heritage from Martinique, a French island. They first met while working for the soundtrack of Belgica, a 2016 Belgian drama, after being invited by Soulwax, who also co-written and produced this album. The album is influenced by experiences of racial discrimination and sexual abuse. In the album, Adigéry sings in English, Dutch, Creole, and French. The album features Charlotte Adigéry’s mother, Christiane Adigéry and was released under the label Deewee, which the duo previously released three EPs on. //.Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul played the Empty Bottle in Chicago on Sept. 19 at 8:00 PM.]
- Tank and the Bangas – “Move (feat. Lucky Daye)”
from: The Last Balloon / Verve Forecast / May 15, 2026
[Tank and the Bangas are Tarriona “Tank” Ball on lead vocal, Norman Spencer II on multi-
instrumentals, with new accompanying members: CJ Knowles Jr on drums, Matthew MSkillz on bass, Rob Kellner on keyboards, and Etienne Stoufflet on saxophone. // GRAMMY-Award winning band Tank and the Bangas confirm their new album, The Last Balloon, is set for release May 15 on Verve Forecast. The Last Balloon follows acclaimed albums Green Balloon (2019) and Red Balloon (2022), and marks both the closing chapter of the trilogy, and the beginning of a bold new era for Tank and the Bangas. // “I called the album The Last Balloon because I didn’t want anyone asking us, ‘When’s Purple Balloon coming?’” says Tarriona “Tank” Ball. “It’s the end of the balloons; we’re moving into a new space now.” // Executive-produced by frequent collaborator Austin Brown and recorded primarily at The Complex Studios in Los Angeles, the album features collaborations including the multi-faceted musician Iman Omari, pianist/producer Tane Runo and soul singers Ledisi and Jelly Joseph. The Last Balloon finds the band expanding their sound and exploring themes of frustration, resilience and self-realization. Balancing moments of raw vulnerability with bursts of joyful energy, the album moves between emotional catharsis and communal uplift, designed with the group’s dynamic live performances in mind. // “We’re working with new people and cultivating new sounds, and it feels like we’re more open than we’ve ever been,” Ball details on stepping into this new chapter. “What we’ve learned over the years is that even though people can’t always categorize our sound, they’re always able to describe how the music makes them feel. So, we’re gonna keep on changing and evolving, but we’re always gonna give you that same feeling of joy.” // Additionally, the band is expanding their summer and fall tour dates, including stops in New York, Asheville, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and more. See below for a complete list of dates. // In 2024, Tank and the Bangas released their three-part spoken word project, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, which won the band a GRAMMY Award for “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.” Each chapter of the album found Tank working with a different producer: The Soul with Robert Glasper as well as Austin Brown and Brian London, The Heart with James Poyser and The Mind with Iman Omari. // New Orleans-based Tank and the Bangas rose to prominence in 2017 following their unanimous NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest victory. Bringing their blend of poetry, R&B, gospel, and pop to a worldwide stage, Tank and the Bangas have been praised as one of the “best live bands in America” by NPR Music. In 2019, the band released their major label debut, Green Balloon, on Verve Forecast to widespread critical praise earning the band a Best New Artist nomination at that years, GRAMMY Awards. Their latest third studio album Red Balloon received a nomination for “Best Progressive R&B Album” at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards. Throughout their career the group has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Austin City Limits,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Today Show.” They have consistently sold-out venues both stateside and abroad, with festival appearances at Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival.]
[Tank and the Bangas play The Truman 601 East Truman Rd., KCMO, on Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 8:00pm with Zeus and Ariel J opening]
11:00 – Station ID
- Seth Andrew Davis / Weasel Walter – “There Are No New Gods Left, To Tear Our Home Asunder”
from: There Must Come A Time When The Old Gods Die / ugEXPLODE 98 / October 2, 2026
[Seth Andrew Davis – guitar, laptop/electronics. Weasel Walter – drums, percussion. Recorded by Ryan Wasoba at Bird Cloud Recording, Edwardsville, IL on March 15, 2026. Mixed and mastered by Weasel Walter. // Art and layout by Weasel Walter (full art on physical release only!). // Two epic tracks of dense interplay featuring Seth Andrew Davis and Weasel Walter. On the opening salvo, Davis is featured on live processed guitar, revealing complex layers of mutated activity against the hailstorm detail of Walter’s manic percussion onslaught. The second part is pure guitar/drums momentum and intensity harboring the ghost of Coltrane and Ali’s legendary “Interstellar Space” duo, a sustained explosion of ideas, speed and communication. Prepare for the deluge!]
[This group will tour the East Coast in March 2027.]
11:03 – Interview with Seth Andrew Davis
Seth Andrew Davis a music instrumentalist and co-founder of the Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society (EMAS) shares two new releases and details on the very last performance of EMAS. Seth Andrew Davis released, There Must Come A Time When The Old Gods Die, on October 2, 2026. Recorded in collaboration with Weasel Walter of Chicago as a duo album of electric guitar, electronics and drums free improvisation. This group will tour the East Coast in March 2027. On December 4, 2026, EMAS will release, The Center Is Not In Space featuring an EMAS collaboration with legendary drummer, composer, & improviser Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Recorded live at Charlotte Street with Ra Kalam Bob Moses on drums/percussion, Seth Andrew Davis on electric guitar, & laptop/electronics, Kevin Cheli on drums, percussion & vibraphone, Evan Verploegh on drums, Krista Kopper on upright bass, Aaron Osborne on electro-acoustic percussion, Drew Williams on tenor saxophone, and encore guest Music Research Strategies on drums. And…after 5 years, EMAS will be present their final show on December 2, 7:30 to 9:30pm, at Charlotte Street Stern Theater, 3333 Wyoming St., KCMO. www.charlottestreet.org
Seth Andrew Davis thanks for being with us on WMM.
Seth Andrew Davis is a performer, composer, improviser, technologist, scholar and educator from the Kansas City area. Davis graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City, Mo. in 2019 with a BM in Music Composition. Davis has studied with Jim Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Mara Gibson and Michael Miller. In 2023, Davis graduated with an MA in Music with an emphasis in Music Technology from the University of Central Missouri where he studied with Jeff Kaiser. // Davis is involved in the improvised music/free improvisation, experimental, and electronic music scenes in Kansas City. Davis’ music runs the gamut of compositions for orchestral and chamber ensembles, performances with free-jazz/free improvised music ensembles and large groups, solo performance, collaborations with dancers and video artists, and the design and collaboration of autonomous and interactive artificial life agents and 3D environments.
Seth Davis has performed and has had his music performed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico and Indonesia. Davis has had his work performed at various conferences and festivals including the New York City Electro-Acoustic Music Festival, KC Performing Media Festival, Kansas City Contemporary Music Festival, NASA Regional IV Conference, Electronic Music Midwest, Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers, the International Navy Saxophone Symposium, National Flute Association Convention, Making Moves Dance Festival, MoxSonic, Experiments in Electronic Sound at CalArts, Omaha NoiseFest, New Interfaces For Musical Expression (NIME), SPLICE Festival, & the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC).
Davis has had pieces performed by the Mnemosyne Quartet, Project C4, Dionysus, Second Nature Ensemble, Chi Him Chik, Sputter Box, Apply Triangle, loadbang, EMAS, No Treble Low String Trio, UCM New Technologies Ensemble, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, & the Symbiotique Nonet and has either performed, recorded and/or collaborated with Alexander Adams, Ishmael Ali, Ben Baker, Ben Baker Billington, T.J. Borden, Lucas Brode, Claire De Brunner, Bob Bucko Jr, Lisa Cameron, Kevin Cheli, Craig Chin, Dan Clucas, Brennan Connors, Brandon Cooper, Alex Cunningham, Tim Daisy, Alvaro Domene, Michael Eaton, Douglas R. Ewart, Sandy Ewen, Kelley Gant, Vinny Golia, Enrique Haneine, Lathan Hardy, Jakob Heinemann, Zachary Hickerson, Zoots Houston, Kyle Hutchins, Molly Jones, Max Johnson, Jeff Kaiser, Reid Karris, Krista Kopper, Max Kutner, Tom Law, Scott R. Looney, Thollem McDonas, Adam Minkoff, Federico Musso, Spencer Perkins, Kyle Quass, Alberto Racanati, Aoki Satoru, Adam Shead, Patrick Shiroishi, Damon Smith, Mike Stover, Scott Dean Taylor, Evan Verploegh, Eli Wallace, Weasel Walter, Alex Williams, Drew Williams, David James Witter, & Will Yager. Davis has performed with groups such as newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Mnemosyne Quartet, Project C4, & the UMKC IMP Ensemble. Davis’s music has been featured and released on labels such as EMAS Records, Lurker Bias, Neuma Records, Mother Brain Records, Personal Archives, Ramble Records, and Relay Recordings.
Davis’ composition & performance style has been described as “brutalist maximalism” , a “workmanlike Renaissance Soundman” (KC Studio Magazine). Davis’ playing has been described as “moving from bubbling liquid mercury and emotive string speculation to surgical-edged metallics and everything in between” (Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis) and has been called a “master of pedals/effects” (Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery). Davis’ music has been described as “confrontational” (Bill Brownlee, There Stands The Glass), “engaging…thoughtfully composed” (Aaron Grant, DiaKCritcal), “fascinating and foreboding, eerie music that challenges and rewards with repeated listens’ ‘ (Bryan Voell, Listen Local) & “futuristic bubbling soundscapes that teem with sonic life” (Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis). Davis was featured as an “Artist to Watch” by KC Studio in 2023 and along with Evan Verploegh as 2022’s “Plastic Sax” blog’s “People Of The Year.”
As an artist, Davis works closely with performers and collaborators to create pieces, installations, and works that are unique to that partnership. Davis is an avid collaborator, having worked with choreographers, video artists, animators, playwrights etc. Davis’s artistic influences run the gamut from popular music, free-jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, film, literature, visual art, contemporary culture and from this Davis wishes to blur the lines between genres, composer and performer, and various artistic mediums. Davis is also a co-founder of Second Nature, a free jazz/new music/math-rock ensemble, was the guitarist in the new music ensemble Project C4 (2018-2020), and is a founding member of EMAS: Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society. Davis is also an active concert organizer in the Kansas City music scene as the Vice President of KcEMA (KC Electronic Music Alliance) and as Production Coordinator of newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. In 2020, Davis co-founded Mother Brain Records with saxophonist & composer Michael Eaton. Mother Brain Records is a Midwest based label focused on releasing the works of artists in the experimental & improvised music scenes. From 2019-2022, Davis was an artist resident with Charlotte Street Foundation. In 2021, Davis co-founded EMAS with Evan Verploegh. EMAS is an improvised music & arts collective based in Kansas City that is dedicated to advancing creative work in Kansas City. Davis currently is an adjunct instructor at the University of Central Missouri teaching Applied Music Technology and the KC Art Institute teaching music technology courses.
11:13
- Seth Andrew Davis / Weasel Walter –”We Have Ships To Sail, No Gods No Masters
from: There Must Come A Time When The Old Gods Die / ugEXPLODE 98 / October 2, 2026
[Seth Andrew Davis – guitar, laptop/electronics. Weasel Walter – drums, percussion. Recorded by Ryan Wasoba at Bird Cloud Recording, Edwardsville, IL on March 15, 2026. Mixed and mastered by Weasel Walter. // Art and layout by Weasel Walter (full art on physical release only!). // Two epic tracks of dense interplay featuring Seth Andrew Davis and Weasel Walter. On the opening salvo, Davis is featured on live processed guitar, revealing complex layers of mutated activity against the hailstorm detail of Walter’s manic percussion onslaught. The second part is pure guitar/drums momentum and intensity harboring the ghost of Coltrane and Ali’s legendary “Interstellar Space” duo, a sustained explosion of ideas, speed and communication. Prepare for the deluge!]
[This group will tour the East Coast in March 2027.]
11:17 – More interview with Seth Andrew Davis
Seth Andrew Davis a music instrumentalist and co-founder of the Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society (EMAS) shares two new releases and details on the very last performance of EMAS. Seth Andrew Davis released, There Must Come A Time When The Old Gods Die, on October 2, 2026. Recorded in collaboration with Weasel Walter of Chicago as a duo album of electric guitar, electronics and drums free improvisation. This group will tour the East Coast in March 2027. On December 4, 2026, EMAS will release, The Center Is Not In Space featuring an EMAS collaboration with legendary drummer, composer, & improviser Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Recorded live at Charlotte Street with Ra Kalam Bob Moses on drums/percussion, Seth Andrew Davis on electric guitar, & laptop/electronics, Kevin Cheli on drums, percussion & vibraphone, Evan Verploegh on drums, Krista Kopper on upright bass, Aaron Osborne on electro-acoustic percussion, Drew Williams on tenor saxophone, and encore guest Music Research Strategies on drums. And…after 5 years, EMAS will be present their final show on December 2, 7:30 to 9:30pm, at Charlotte Street Stern Theater, 3333 Wyoming St., KCMO. www.charlottestreet.org
Seth Andrew Davis thanks for being with us on WMM.
Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society was founded in 2021 and is a free improvisation / contemporary music and arts collective & ensemble based in Kansas City. The mission of the group is to help grow and facilitate an improvised/experimental arts scene in Kansas City through performances, a record label, and multidisciplinary collaborations. EMAS presented a concert series at MiniBar, 3810 Broadway Boulevard, highlighting local and touring improvising and experimental music artists. This series serves as an opportunity to support artists who have committed to underground art and bold exploration in their craft. More info at www.emaskansascity.com
Members of Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society joined us on WMM on March 12, 2025. Seth Davis (founder), Evan Verploegh (co-founder), Shanté Clair, Benjamin Baker. // The Center Is Not In Space is an upcoming album featuring a collaboration between members of the Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society (EMAS) and legendary drummer, composer, and improviser Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Recorded live at Charlotte Street Foundation in Kansas City, MO in April 2024, this recording features Ra Kalam Bob Moses (drums/percussion), Seth Andrew Davis (electric guitar, laptop/electronics), Kevin Cheli (drums/percussion, vibraphone), Evan Verploegh (drums), Krista Kopper (upright bass), Aaron Osborne (electro-acoustic percussion), Drew Williams (tenor saxophone), and special encore guest Music Research Strategies (drums).
This concert was such a special evening for the Kansas City Jazz and Improvised music communities and we are excited to document this concert in this upcoming release.
releases December 4, 2026
Personnel:
Seth Andrew Davis (electric guitar, laptop/electronics)
Ra Kalam Bob Moses (drums/percussion)
Kevin Cheli (drums/percussion, vibraphone)
Evan Verploegh (drums)
Krista Kopper (upright bass)
Aaron Osborne (electro-acoustic percussion)
Drew Williams (tenor saxophone)
Music Research Strategies (drums)
Engineering, Mix, and Master by Chad Meise
Album artwork & design by Seth Andrew Davis
Layout by Kevin Cheli
Photography by Monty Davis & Lilah Powlas
Recorded live at Charlotte Street Foundation – April 17th, 2024
Seth Andrew Davis thanks for being with us on WMM.
EMAS will be present their final show on December 2, 7:30 to 9:30pm, at Charlotte Street Stern Theater, 3333 Wyoming St., KCMO. www.charlottestreet.org
11:25
- Davis/Moses/Cheli/Osborne/Kopper/Verploegh/Williams/MRS – “Not Entirely Alone”
from: The Center Is Not In Space / Mother Brain Records / December 4, 2026
[The Center Is Not In Space is an upcoming album featuring a collaboration between members of the Extemporaneous Music & Arts Society (EMAS) and legendary drummer, composer, and improviser Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Recorded live at Charlotte Street Foundation in Kansas City, MO in April 2024, this recording features Ra Kalam Bob Moses (drums/percussion), Seth Andrew Davis (electric guitar, laptop/electronics), Kevin Cheli (drums/percussion, vibraphone), Evan Verploegh (drums), Krista Kopper (upright bass), Aaron Osborne (electro-acoustic percussion), Drew Williams (tenor saxophone), and special encore guest Music Research Strategies (drums). // This concert was such a special evening for the Kansas City Jazz and Improvised music communities and we are excited to document this concert in this upcoming release. // Engineering, Mix, and Master by Chad Meise. Album artwork & design by Seth Andrew Davis. Layout by Kevin Cheli. Photography by Monty Davis & Lilah Powlas. Recorded live at Charlotte Street Foundation – April 17th, 2024.]
Personnel:
Seth Andrew Davis (electric guitar, laptop/electronics)
Ra Kalam Bob Moses (drums/percussion)
Kevin Cheli (drums/percussion, vibraphone)
Evan Verploegh (drums)
Krista Kopper (upright bass)
Aaron Osborne (electro-acoustic percussion)
Drew Williams (tenor saxophone)
Music Research Strategies (drums)]
[EMAS will be present their final show on December 2, 7:30 to 9:30pm, at Charlotte Street Stern Theater, 3333 Wyoming St., KCMO. www.charlottestreet.org]
11:28 – Underwriting
- Jamogi – “HollaBack (feat. Les Izmore)”
from: J’DAY / Jam Tunes / June 12, 2026
[J’Day is a celebration of growth, creativity, and self discovery. Three years in the making, the album represents the culmination of Jamogi’s journey through a wide range of genres, influences, and sonic landscapes. The result is a body of work that not only showcases his musical versatility but also reveals the many facets of his personality. // Produced alongside OceanLife Gianni, J’Day captures the energy, emotion, and moments that make life memorable. From the horn driven fanfare of “Go Big or Go Home” to the flirtatious blend of West Coast, Midwest, and Southern influences on “Back N’ Forth,” Jamogi demonstrates a clear understanding of both his sound and his audience. Tracks like “Do It to Me” transport listeners through different eras and musical inspirations, while songs such as “Storybook,” “Treasure,” and “Georgia Peach” reveal his romantic side through storytelling, heartfelt lyricism, and poetic imagery. // The album also features collaborations with a talented lineup of friends and fellow artists on tracks including “What’s It Gonna Be?” and “HOLLABACK,” adding even more personality and perspective to the project. // More than just a collection of songs, J’Day marks a defining moment in Jamogi’s artistic journey. It is a bold statement of who he is today and a testament to the creative vision he has spent years refining. Rich with personality, versatility, and heart, the project positions Jamogi for his next era and leaves listeners wondering where he’ll take them next. // Jamogi is also know as Byron Hyde a Kanas City based singer, songwriter, MC, producer, originally from Los Angeles, California.// Jamogi released the single “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)” on September 5, 2025. Jamogi released Jamogi & The Jammers: Live at Flew The Coop Sessions (Flew The Coop Live) through Jam Tunes on April 11, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Do It To Me” on March 28, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Go Big or Go Home” on August 30, 2024, Jamogi released the single “Hot Block” on May 30, 2024. Jamogi released the EP, Star-Crossed Lover on March 3, 2023. Jamogi then released a “Star-Crossed Lover GALACTIC REMIX (feat. Watchman)” single on June 9, 2023.Jamogi previously released the AGE OF AQUARIUS EP on March 3, 2023, and the single “Celebration” on Dec. 9, 2022, and the single “Anymore” on May 6, 2022. // Jamogi played the ROCK IS BLACK—a celebration of Black artists in rock music, happening February 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Zhou B Art Center, 1801 E 18th Street, KCMO. Rock is Black features: Malek Azrael & The Vibez, Jamogi and The Jammers, Stephonne, and Frankie Shorez & Mercy Fire. Kamogi and the Jammers played Boulevardia 2025]
[Jamogi & The Jammers play The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7th, Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm, at recordBar, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fundraiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, which provides local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources. In addition the RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots and COVID boosters provided by the KC Indian Center, as well as discuss screenings, wellness programs, health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups. We’ll also have live raffles that feature an assortment of items donated by local businesses at AM19, and an online auction running the month of November. ]
11:34 – Interview with Sondra Freeman and Mark Vick
Mark Vick is a guitarist and vocalist with the band Phaze II a Kansas City based band founded by their lead vocalist and drummer Harris Green. They have been “making it funky” with soul music and classic cuts for a little over two decades in Kansas City. Their covers and re-workings of songs from Motown to N.W.A make for a very dancer friendly environment. They perform original songs as well. Phaze II includes: Harris Green– Lead Vocals, Percussion; Rachel Christia – Vocals, Percussion; Adam Hale– Bass, Vocals; Cole Harvey– Drums, Vocals; Matt Davis– Percussion; John Johnson – Guitar, Vocals; and Mark Vick – Guitar, Vocals.
Mark Vick, thanks for being with us on WMM
Sondra Freeman is Director of Promotions & Artist Relations for Midwest Music Foundation, a nonprofit created to support music and musicians in Kansas City and the surrounding areas, founded in 2008 by a collective of musicians and music lovers. The Midwest Music Foundation (MMF) unites and empowers the greater KC music community by providing programs and resources to area musicians through outreach, support, education, and health care opportunities. After meeting Executive Director, Rhonda Lyne, while buying raffle tickets at an MMF function, Sondra was immediately interested in the organization’s mission and quickly became an active volunteer. Sondra’s extensive fundraising background and her lifelong love of music made her an immediate asset. Her duties have grown, and she functions as a band liaison by managing booking, promotions and many other aspects of event planning. Sondra has owned and operated Big Mac’s Fireworks South for over 15 years.
Sondra Freeman thanks for being with us again on WMM.
The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7, 7:00pm, at recordBar, 1510 Broadway Blvd. KCMO, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fund-raiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, providing local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources.
In addition to live music, the RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots and COVID boosters (provided by the Kansas City Indian Center), screenings, wellness programs, opportunities to discuss health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups. They will also have live raffles that feature an assortment of items donated by local businesses, and an online auction running throughout November: www.32auctions.com/AM18
Apocalypse Meow started in 2008, when Abigail Henderson faced daunting financial hurdles after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Abigail was in the band The Gaslights. Friends rallied to her side, holding the first Apocalypse Meow concert to cover her medical expenses. To pay this forward to her community, Abigail co-founded MMF. Since its inception, Apocalypse Meow has become the central fundraising event for Abby’s Fund for Musicians’ Health Care.
After she passed away in 2013, MMF established Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, which has given out over $770,000 in health care assistance grants and free health clinic opportunites to local musicians. Abigail Henderson Meck’s mission continues — MMF provides financial resources, educational programs, health clinics and events throughout the year. Abby’s Fund dispenses emergency health care grants to KC-area musicians. More information about Apocalypse Meow 19 and MMF can be found at midwestmusicfoundation.org.
The demand for grants continues to grow each year, MMF needs help to make Apocalypse Meow a huge success to replenish Abby’s Fund. WMMF has given out over $77,000 in Abby’s Fund grants so far this year!
RockDoc (Dr. Allen Greiner) will be available from 6:00 – 10:00 pm with FREE flu shots, COVID boosters. Thank you to the KC Indian Center for supplying the covid and flu vaccines available at our Apocalypse Meow on Nov. 4th at the recordBar.
MMF has given out over $70,000 in grants from Abby’s Fund for Musicians’ Health Care so far this year. Over $790,000 total since inception of the fund.
FREE flu shots and COVID boosters available from 6-10 pm. Thank you to Kansas City Indian Center for supplying the vaccines and the RockDocs/volunteers helping.
Major Sponsors (full list of sponsors on MMF website)
recordBar (hosting)-thank staff and tip those bartenders
NTDF grant (Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund)
Kissick Construction
Wagstaff & Cartmell
Tito’s
Seen Merch (merch for sale in back)
Bridge
KKFI
recordBurger (serving hamburgers from kitchen window)
Boulevard (donated beer for bands/volunteers)
Sarpino’s (donated food for bands/volunteers)
32.auctions.com/AM19
(Auction runs through November)
RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE THROUGH ABBY’S FUND
If you or a family member needs healthcare assistance, please apply for an Abby’s Fund grant. This resource is available to active KC area musicians and music personnel. LEARN MORE AND APPLY at: www.midwestmusicfoundation.org Please email Executive Director, Rhonda Lyne, for more information. rhonda@midwestmusicfound.org
Midwest Music Foundation offers the following services:
-Mental Health Grants to assist with counseling and treatment
-Free Dental Screenings at the UMKC School of Dentistry
-Free COVID-19 Tests
-Mammogram Grants
11:42
- Roman Numerals – “My Life After Death Pt. II”
from: Roman Numerals / Anodyne Records / September 5, 2006
[#1 on our list of The 60 Best Recordings of 2006. William Smith on vocals, guitar, stylophone; Steven Tulipana on vocals, bass, guitars, synth; Shawn Sherrill on synth, bass; Pete LaPorte on drums, electronics. Music by Roman Numerals. Lyrics by William Smith and Steve Tulipana. Produced by Paul Malinowski and Roman Numerals. Recorded and Mixed by Paul Malinowski. Recorded at Great Western Record Recorders. Mixed at Rax Trax Studios, Chicago, IL and Westend Studios. Mastered by Doug Henderson. “Deep Loft:” vocals by Matthew Dunehoo. Backing vocals on “Known” by Kenneth Earl Jankowski Jr.] [Bill Brownlee wrote about Roman Numerals on October 18, 2017 for KCUR Radio. // One of the region’s most notable indie-rock bands a decade ago, Roman Numerals were Shawn Sherrill on keyboards and bass, Billy Smith on guitars and vocals, and Steve Tulipana on bass, guitars and vocals, Ryan Shank who replaced Pete LaPorte on drums. // Tulipana and Sherrill went on to open the highly successful RecordBar in Westport. Their band’s last recent performance was the penultimate show at the venue’s original site on January 1, 2016. RecordBar has since re-opened at 1520 Grand Boulevard, which is where Roman Numerals reunited on Saturday, September 27, 2026 Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of recordBar. // Roman Numerals peaked at a time when like-minded bands including Interpol were also mining the new wave and post-punk sounds of the 1980s. The revivalist aesthetic was an appealing exercise in wistfulness when its self-titled album was released in 2006, a conceit that makes Saturday’s reunion a double-dip of nostalgia. // The band describes its approach as a “high-powered hybrid” that “forms a sturdy bridge between indie-rock’s angular approach and the underground club scene’s throbbing tempos.” A good example is “Rule of Five,” a gloom-laden blend of synth-pop and post-punk from that 2006 record: // “‘Rule of Five’ was recorded in Chicago the week we signed our lease on the original RecordBar via fax-machine,” Tulipana says. “We somehow managed to get the club open and do several U.S. tours that same year of 2005. We like to get together every year or so these days to revisit these old songs to help inspire us on the other newer projects we stay involved with.” // Roman Numerals, played the grand opening at RecordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City on Saturday, October 21, 2017 with Olympic Size, opening. // Bill Brownlee blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.]
[Roman Numerals celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their debut album at The Warehouse on Broadway, 3951 Broadway Blvd., KCMO, in a special show on Saturday, March 28, with Emmaline Twist, The Sluts, and Pimp Magic Guts.]
[Roman Numerals play The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7th, Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm, at recordBar, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fundraiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, which provides local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources. In addition the RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots and COVID boosters provided by the KC Indian Center, as well as discuss screenings, wellness programs, health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups. We’ll also have live raffles that feature an assortment of items donated by local businesses at AM19, and an online auction running the month of November.]
10:44 – More Interview with Sondra Freeman and Mark Vick
We are talking with Mark Vick and Sondra Freeman about The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7, 7:00pm, at recordBar, 1510 Broadway Blvd. KCMO, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fund-raiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, providing local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources.
Mark Vick and Sondra Freeman thanks for being with us again on WMM.
In addition to live music, the RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots and COVID boosters (provided by the Kansas City Indian Center), screenings, wellness programs, opportunities to discuss health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups. We’ll also have live raffles that feature an assortment of items donated by local businesses, and an online auction running through November: www.32auctions.com/AM18
More info at www.midwestmusicfoundation.org
The event features live performances by notable Kansas City-area bands as a donation of their time and talents to their community; local businesses and artisans donate products and services to the event for auction. All monies raised during Apocalypse Meow go directly to Abby’s Fund for Musician’s Health Care and the production costs of Apocalypse Meow. Performances, business donations, and services are purely voluntary.
“Abby believed that music can take you to where you need to be and that it’s important, and the people that do that need to be taken care of.” – Sondra Freeman
Abby’s Fund for Musicians’ Health Care was named for Abigail Henderson (1977-2013).
Death Notice from St. Louis Post Dispatch: Abigail Hope Henderson the Kansas City vocalist who started a nonprofit organization to help musicians pay health-care costs, died on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 of cancer at her home. She was 35. For more than a decade, Abigail was the lead singer of several area bands: Trouble Junction, The Gaslights, Atlantic Fadeout, and Tiny Horse. In 2008 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had health insurance, but the cost of the treatments prompted her and husband Christopher Meck, to start the Midwest Music Foundation which raised funds to help area musicians pay health care costs. “Medical bills can throw you into poverty in a week – in one day,” she said. “There’s nothing like standing in your kitchen opening a hospital bill for $63,000.00 in one day and $47,000.00 the next. After a while you don’t want to open them anymore. Who can pay that?”
Apocalypse Meow is the primary event for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care — providing area musicians and industry workers with essential health care grants.
Midwest Music Foundation Staff
Rhonda Lyne, Executive Director
Sondra Freeman, Director of Promotions and Artist Relations
Canyon McClung, Production Specialist
Danielle Anderson, Media Manager
Midwest Music Foundation Board
Chris Meck, Founder, Musician and CM2 Audio
Amber Hulet, President
Eric Barton, Treasurer, General Counsel
Julia Haile, Secretary, Education Chair, Musician
Dr. K. Allen Greiner, MD, MPH, Chair of Health + Wellness, University of KS Med Center
Dr. Erin Corriveau, MD, MPH, Public Health Officer, University of Kansas Med Center
Michelle Bacon, Co-Chair Mental Health for Musicians, Diversity Chair, Musician
Molly Gotobed, Insurance Program Research Chair, Kansas Assistance Network, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
Jerry Jones JD, Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Eddie Moore, Musician
Sonia Hall, President & CEO BioKansas
Skeet Hanks, Marketing Chair Web Administrator
Rhonda Lyne is Executive Director of Midwest Music Foundation. She is a scientist by day and avid supporter of the arts by night. Rhonda has had an active role with the MMF since the inaugural fundraiser, Apocalypse Meow, in 2008. Inspired by MMF founder, Abigail Henderson, Rhonda is dedicated to the mission of the MMF a nonprofit created to support music & musicians in KC and the surrounding areas, founded in 2008 by a collective of musicians & music lovers. Rhonda is instrumental in MMF’s fundraising, volunteer, event coordination, overseeing the health care fund, and day to day activities of the organization.
Sondra Freeman and Mark Vick thanks for being with us again on WMM.
The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7, 7:00pm, at recordBar, 1510 Broadway Blvd. KCMO, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fund-raiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, providing local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources. // RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots & COVID boosters (provided by KC Indian Center), screenings, wellness programs, opportunities to discuss health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups and live raffles that feature items donated by local businesses, and an online auction running through November: www.32auctions.com/AM18
More info: midwestmusicfoundation.org
For Sondra Freeman, Mark Vick, Seth Andrew Davis, and John McCrite I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!
11:54
- Roman Numerals – “Can We Trust Your Architect?”
from: Roman Numerals / Anodyne Records / September 5, 2006
[#1 on our list of The 60 Best Recordings of 2006. William Smith on vocals, guitar, stylophone; Steven Tulipana on vocals, bass, guitars, synth; Shawn Sherrill on synth, bass; Pete LaPorte on drums, electronics. Music by Roman Numerals. Lyrics by William Smith and Steve Tulipana. Produced by Paul Malinowski and Roman Numerals. Recorded and Mixed by Paul Malinowski. Recorded at Great Western Record Recorders. Mixed at Rax Trax Studios, Chicago, IL and Westend Studios. Mastered by Doug Henderson. “Deep Loft:” vocals by Matthew Dunehoo. Backing vocals on “Known” by Kenneth Earl Jankowski Jr.] [Bill Brownlee wrote about Roman Numerals on October 18, 2017 for KCUR Radio. // One of the region’s most notable indie-rock bands a decade ago, Roman Numerals were Shawn Sherrill on keyboards and bass, Billy Smith on guitars and vocals, and Steve Tulipana on bass, guitars and vocals, Ryan Shank who replaced Pete LaPorte on drums. // Tulipana and Sherrill went on to open the highly successful RecordBar in Westport. Their band’s last recent performance was the penultimate show at the venue’s original site on January 1, 2016. RecordBar has since re-opened at 1520 Grand Boulevard, which is where Roman Numerals reunited on Saturday, September 27, 2026 Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of recordBar. // Roman Numerals peaked at a time when like-minded bands including Interpol were also mining the new wave and post-punk sounds of the 1980s. The revivalist aesthetic was an appealing exercise in wistfulness when its self-titled album was released in 2006, a conceit that makes Saturday’s reunion a double-dip of nostalgia. // The band describes its approach as a “high-powered hybrid” that “forms a sturdy bridge between indie-rock’s angular approach and the underground club scene’s throbbing tempos.” A good example is “Rule of Five,” a gloom-laden blend of synth-pop and post-punk from that 2006 record: // “‘Rule of Five’ was recorded in Chicago the week we signed our lease on the original RecordBar via fax-machine,” Tulipana says. “We somehow managed to get the club open and do several U.S. tours that same year of 2005. We like to get together every year or so these days to revisit these old songs to help inspire us on the other newer projects we stay involved with.” // Roman Numerals, played the grand opening at RecordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City on Saturday, October 21, 2017 with Olympic Size, opening. // Bill Brownlee blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.]
[Roman Numerals celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their debut album at The Warehouse on Broadway, 3951 Broadway Blvd., KCMO, in a special show on Saturday, March 28, with Emmaline Twist, The Sluts, and Pimp Magic Guts.]
[Roman Numerals play The 19th annual Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 7th, Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm, at recordBar, featuring live music from: ROMAN NUMERALS, JAMOGI & THE JAMMERS, PHAZE II, and STUBBLEFIELD. Apocalypse Meow is MMF’s main fundraiser for Abby’s Fund For Musicians’ Health Care, which provides local musicians and music workers with essential health care resources. In addition the RockDocs will be on site to offer flu shots and COVID boosters provided by the KC Indian Center, as well as discuss screenings, wellness programs, health conditions and concerns, and arrange follow-ups. We’ll also have live raffles that feature an assortment of items donated by local businesses at AM19, and an online auction running the month of November.]
- Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
rom: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]
NEXT WEEK, on November 11 we welcome special guest musician ALBER who shares details about his second multimedia show “Maletas: an Immigrant Story” on November 14th, 2026, at Greenwood Social Hall, in Kansas City, Missouri. Maletas is the latest work by Alberto, a multimedia production featuring a live original soundtrack for four musicians, poetry, and live visuals. // we will also talk with Daniel Masada an instructor at the most iconic, famous clown school, located in France called Ecole Philippe Gaulier who is coming to Kansas City to do his solo show Be Good With Paulette, teach a Clowning workshop, and also make some appearances at NED’s Fright-Hole Live November 7, 12, and 13 at the Warwick Theatre. // We will also have a live performance in our studios from Maddie Lai and Ben Wendt, and we will talk with musician Brent Kinder about his musical project Angie Fights Crime.
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Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein-Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Office Manager Book Keeper – Shaina Littler.
THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’s Fall Fund Drive during WMM we had a total of 39 people donate a total of $4703.50!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.
Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org
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Show #1172
