WMM Playlist from July 18, 2018

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

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Tim Finn + Howard Iceberg & Pranav Nanda & Mom’s Demand Action
+ Cheryl Kimmi & Kansas City Fringe Festival 2018

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

2. Courtney Barnett – “Nameless, Faceless”
from: Tell Me How You Really Feel / Mom+Pop / May 18, 2018
[Lead single from Tell Me How You Really Feel is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. It was released on 18 May 2018 by Barnett’s Milk! Records, Mom + Pop Music, and Marathon Artists. The album was recorded in Melbourne with producer Burke Reid, who also worked on Barnett’s previous solo album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. Barnett was joined on the album by her live rhythm section of Bones Sloane (bass, backing vocals) and Dave Mudie (drums, backing vocals), as well as guitarist Dan Luscombe of The Drones. The album also features guest appearances from the Deal sisters, Kim and Kelley. In 2012 Barnett started her own label, Milk! Records, and released her first EP I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris to glowing reviews around Australia. From 2011 – 2013 Barnett was a member of Australian psych/country band Immigrant Union, a musical project founded by Brent DeBoer of The Dandy Warhols and Bob Harrow. Along with sharing vocal duties Barnett predominantly played slide guitar and features on their second studio album ‘Anyway’. DeBoer also played drums on her first EP ‘I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris’. Barnett received international critical acclaim in 2013 with her second EP How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose. Barnett combined the 2 releases into The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas.]

[Courtney Barnett plays The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, KCMO, TONIGHT, July 18, at 8:00 pm.]

3. Vacationer – “Being Here”
from: Mindset / Downtown Records / June 22, 2018
[The third full-length from Vacationer, Mindset is built on delicate melodies and crystalline rhythms that seem to alter the very texture of the world around you. Ornately composed but breezy in energy, Vacationer’s warm-hearted dream-pop perfectly mirrors frontman Ken Vasoli’s intentions in making the album. “The objective was to write songs that remind me how my brain needs to operate for my own wellbeing and happiness,” Vasoli says. “That’s where the title comes from—the record’s filled with all these reminders that put me in a good mindset for the day.” Despite its often-euphoric effect, Mindset began in frustration for Vasoli. After countless false starts on the follow-up to 2014’s Relief, the Philadelphia-based musician decided to completely upend his creative approach. While Vacationer’s previous albums came to life in close collaboration with fellow members Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler, Vasoli shifted his focus from songwriting to production and worked entirely on his own for months on end. During that time, he immersed himself in exploring the nuances of Ableton and analyzing the construction of beloved albums by artists like the Beach Boys, Barry White, and Curtis Mayfield.]

[Vacationer plays recordbar, 1520 Grand, KCMO, Sunday, July 22, at 7:00 pm with guests Sego.]

4. Payge Turner – “But For Now”
from: Acoustic Vibes – Single / Middleman / February 25, 2018
[3rd Single from KC based singer songwriter originally born in the Caribbean. Payge moved to Colby, Kansas when she was in the 6th grade. She writes, “Ever since I was able to talk, all I ever wanted to do was sing!”]

[Payge Turner plays The Rino’s 1st Anniversary, Saturday, July 21, at 8:00 pm, with The UKs, Late Nite Cavalry. The Rino is located at 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City.]

[Payge Turner plays Voltaire, Tuesday, July 24, at 9:00 pm, with Rhe Black Creatures.]

5. Miles Bonny – “It’s Your World”
from: It’s Your World / INnatesounds / April 21, 2018
[“It’s Your World” with lyrics & music by Brian Jackson is the title track of the double album by soul artist Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, released in November 1976 on Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in studio and live in July 1976 at St. Paul’s Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and American Star Studios in Merrifield, Virginia. Scott-Heron and Jackson recorded the album with the former’s backing ensemble, The Midnight Band. It’s Your World was originally released on vinyl. Already a fan of Gil Scott and Brian Jackson, Miles was asked to learn “It’s your world” so he may cover it live at a Gil Scott-Heron tribute party in Cologne, Germany. The party never happened, but the song’s lyrics deeply impacted Miles. Upon moving to New Mexico shortly after, Miles recorded the lead vocal live alongside the cajon played by fellow explorer and off-grider Trance Conductor. The additional vocals, horns, percussion, and piano were recorded elsewhere in the neighborhood at Miles’ Mud Cabin Studio. Bass was layed by friend and fellow INnatesounds representative Dominique Sanders in Kansas City. Mixed and mastered by Miles Bonny in Northern New Mexico. Miles Bonny on vocals, horns, piano, claps; Sam Burke-Favaro (inductions.bandcamp.com) on cajon, triangle, claps; Dominique Sanders (dominiquesanders.bandcamp.com) on bass. Mixing and Mastering – Miles Bonny. Everything recorded off grid with solar power in Northern New Mexico with the exception of bass recorded in KCMO. Miles writes “I want this to be out and make you feel good. It’s been in my vault for a lil while. I love the vibes, hope you do too. peace.” http://www.milesbonny.com]

[Miles Bonny plays 2nd Annual CMH Art Therapy Fundraiser w/ Joc Max, & Brandon Draper on Fri, July 20 at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee St, Suite 100, KCMO]

[Miles Bonny plays Melovated with the Innate Sounds Crew featuring: Eddie Moore, Dominique Sanders, Miles Bonny, Leonard Dstroy, Abnorm, Kemet The Phantom, Kadesh Flow, Saturday, July 21, at 9:00pm, at The 10 spot, 1000 Broadway Blvd.. Kansas City, MO, US]

6. Brandon Draper – “Calm Inward Drive”
from: Meditation Music Vol. 1 / Brandon Draper / April 20, 2018
[Brandon Draper on tabla, metal tongue drums, Cooperman frame drums. Produced by Looking Up Productions Inc. Recorded Live at Tone Dimension Studio. Engineered by Bryan Nicholas. Mixed and Mastered Bryan Nicholas.]

[Brandon Draper plays 2nd Annual CMH Art Therapy Fundraiser w/ Joc Max, Miles Bonny on Friday, July 20 at 7:00 PM, at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee St, Suite 100, KCMO]

7. Benjamin Clementine – “Jupiter”
from: I Tell A Fly / Virgin Records / October 2, 2017
[English artist, poet, vocalist, composer, and musician, Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine was born December 7, 1988, n London, England,. Clementine later moved to Paris, France becoming homeless as a teenager. There, his performances helped him to become a cult figure in the music and art scene. Moving back to London, he made his TV debut on the BBC programme Later With Jools Holland in 2013. A number of critics described him as becoming one of the great singer-songwriters of his generation and the future sound of London, whilst struggling to place his music in any one genre. Considered by The New York Times as one of the 28 geniuses who defined culture in 2016, Clementine’s compositions are musically incisive and attuned to the issues of life but also poetic, mixing revolt with love and melancholy, sophisticated lyricism with slang and shouts, and rhyming verse with prose monologues. He moved to popular art music, breaking free from traditional song structure, inventing his own dramatic and innovative musical territory. He is noticeably seen topless and barefoot onstage, dressed entirely in black or dark grey, with a long, wool trench coat. Clementine debut album At Least for Now won the 2015 Mercury Prize but fared better across mainland Europe. At the end of 2015, Clementine was included in The Guardian’s New Year’s honours list to celebrate heroes of 2015. Debrett’s and the London Evening Standard named him one of the most influential people in Britain. ]

[Benjamin Clementine opened for David Byrne at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, June 7.]

Playing Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 on vinyl on the KKFI 90.1 FM Studios on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

8. Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 – “Turnin’ Up the Burner” (Vinyl)
from: The Basement Beat / Sunflower Soul / July 20, 2018
[Hammond organist Chris Hazelton and his large-group Boogaloo 7 pay homage to greats such as Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Grant Green, and Lou Donaldson with their groove-centered brand of jazz, all the while pushing the genre forward with exciting new and original music. More information at: http://www.chrishazelton.com. Chris Hazelton on Hammond B-3 organ; Nick Howell on trumpet & tamborine; Nick Rowland on alto & tenor sax (tracks 1, 2, & 4); Zak Pischnotte on alto & tenor sax (tracks 3, 5, & 6); Brett Jackson on baritone sax; Matt Hopper on guitar; Danny Rojas on drums; and Pat Conway on congas (tracks 1-4, 6), bongos & cowbell (Track 5); Juan-Carlos Chaurand on congas (Track 5); John Kizilarmut on timbales & güiro (Track 5). Recorded live to 8-track analog tape, mixed, and produced by Chris Hazelton at the FORTRESS OF SOULITUDE. Mastered by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio. Pressed by Gotta Groove Records. Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 will be releasing a single 7″ called “100 Days, 100 Nights” also on July 20, but released on Lugnut Records as part of a tribute to Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.]

[Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 play a Record Release Show for The Basement Beat, Sunday, July 22, at 8:00 pm, at Black Dolphin, 1813 Grand Boulevard.]

10:30 – Interview with Cheryl Kimmi

Nico Gray and Cheryl Kimmi on the July 18, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

Cheryl Kimmi, is Executive Producer of KC Creates, and the founder of the Kansas City Fringe Festival. She joins us on WMM to share details about the 14 Annual KC Fringe Festival, starting tomorrow, July 19 running through July 29, featuring work from over 100 local, regional, and international performing artists, across 14 venues throughout a 5-mile footprint of Kansas City’s cultural corridors. The 14 Annual KC Fringe Fest features 76 different producers, over 650 participating artists, galleries showcasing 35 visual artists, with more than 400 opportunities to find Fringe this year. For info: http://www.KCFringe.org

Cheryl Kimmi, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Congratulations on 14 years.

Fringe Festival KC is committed to accepting artists without jury or censorship. We accept artists on a first come, first serve basis. Our five mile footprint spans through the cultural corridors of KC from River North to Old Westport. We feature visual, film, and performing artists in venues ranging in size from small to large.

KC Fringe festival opens with a large Opening Night Party where artists preview their shows in rapid-fire succession and our fringe loyalists mark their programs for the can’t-miss shows. Throughout the festival, you can count on Late Night on the Fringe events to meet, connect, and engage with participating artists and excited audiences. We culminate the festival with a celebratory Closing Night Party. We eat, we dance, we celebrate the wonderful success of our Fringe participants.

All audience members must have a button to access shows and galleries. The button is a one time, five-dollar purchase that allows Fringe Festival KC to adequately pay our artists and venue owners from ticket revenue.

Over 100 Local, Regional, and International Performing Artists throughout a 5-mile footprint of Kansas Cit’s cultural cooridors. Music-dance-theatre- music-dance- visual arts – Touth & Teen Fringe – There’s is something for everyone! THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! SUPPORT THE ARTS AND BUY TICKETS AT KCFRINGE.ORG

Showcases local, national and international artists in a diverse melting pot of performing and visual arts. All are welcome; whether you’re a first-timer or a veteran Fringer!

The KC Fringe stage is for the diversity, innovation & creativity that can be found through out our community. An example of how the arts bring people from all walks of life together, inspiring participants & attendees to embrace creativity and dare to be different.

The KC Fringe has something for everyone.
The youngest members of your family can find their Fringe during our opening weekend.

Youth Fringe program takes place at The Plaza Library, and teens will produce and perform with KC Fringe at Kansas City Young Audiences and access workshops at The Nelson Atkins Museum.

KC Fringe Staff:

Cheryl Kimmi – Executive Producer
Tiffany Chappell – Director of Operations
Skip Gordon – Technical Director
Ashley Dover – Assistant Technical Director
Barbara Dooley Editor-Review Team
Sandy Woodson – Teen Coordinator
Sheri Hall – Youth Coordinator
Sarah Slaughter – Visual Arts Coordinator
Bryan Colley – Program Design and Technology Guru
Trenna Keltner – 411 Manager
Natalie Leslie – Fringe Intern
Katie Sheiferecke – Fringe Intern

The 14 Annual KC Fringe Festival, starts tomorrow, July 19 and runs through July 29, featuring work from over 100 local, regional, and international performing artists, across 14 venues throughout a 5-mile footprint of Kansas City’s cultural corridors. For more information you can visit: http://www.KCFringe.org

10:44 – Underwriting

9. The Fey – “Contender” (Radio Edit)
from: Strawberry Lemonade EP / The Record Machine / July 13, 2018
[The Fey is a Rock/Soul sextet based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The band has created 3 EP’s under the alias “AZP”, but have recently made a name change to, The Fey. Charles Hull, Founder and Managing Director, Silver Street Records writes, “Don’t let The Fey’s new EP title Strawberry Lemonade fool you; this record is no light beach drink. Rather, it’s a cocktail of the molotov variety, the kind you’ll want to toss into the middle of your ‘songs that rock’ summer playlist. From the opening salvos of ‘Contender’, to the slow burn of ‘Bones Underwater’, to the final soothing swells of ‘The Cool’, Strawberry Lemonade is a masterclass in modern songwriting, arrangement, instrumentation, and production.” Music arranged and composed by Zach Watkins. Lyrics written by Zach Watkins and Ishma Valenti. The Fey is: Zach Watkins on lead/backup vocals, keys, percussion; Ishma Valenti on rap vocals; Trey Shotkoske on drums; Michael Rogers on guitars; John Fucinaro on bass, and Ludwing Siebenhor. Additional Backup vocals by Jasmin Ondap and Aly Millanes. Engineered and mixed by James Fleege at Silver Street. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Produced by Zach Watkins and James Fleege at Silver Street. Album art by Zach Watkins]

[The Fey play The Record Machine’s – What’s Next KC, Friday, July 27, at 7:00 pm, at recordBar, 1520 Grand, with Y God Y, Instant Karma, and Pageant Boy.]

Playing Emmaline Twist on vinyl on Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

10. Emmaline Twist – “Vega” (Vinyl)
from: “Vega” – Single b/w “Moon Eyes” / Eat.Hear.Records / July 16, 2018
[New 7″ vinyl release, and 2nd in a series from Eat.Hear.Records, a project of the folks at recordBar and Steve Tulipana. Emmaline Twist is KCs Darkwave / Post-Punk / Shoegaze project. In 2017 the band released “Dissimulation 1,” four songs in digital format, their first since 2016’s digital single release of “Vega” b/w “Moon Eyes.” The band is Meredith McGrade on vocals & guitar, Kristin Conkright on bass, Jonathan Knecht on drums, and Krysztof Nemeth on baritone guitar. Recorded & Mixed by Lin Buck at Temple Sound, KCMO. Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights + Measures, KCMO. The band’s debut LP Dissimulation will be released on vinyl, August 24, 2018 on Black Site Records.]

[Emmaline Twist play Lawrence Field Day Fest, for the Black Site Records Showcase, Saturday, July 21, at 7:00 pm, at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, Kansas.]

[Emmaline Twist play a KC Album Release Show for “Dissimulation” on Black Site Records, Friday, August 24, at 9:00 pm, at recordBar, 1520 Grand with Ghost Bones and Sona]

[Emmaline Twist joins us on WMM on Aug. 22.]

11. Belle & The Vertigo Waves – “What You Wanted”
from: What You Wanted – Single / Drop Out Records / August 19, 2017
[Belle & The Vertigo Waves is the sonic brainchild of Belle Loux. She resides in Kansas City, MO, and is slowly attempting world domination. The band’s debut album “Aligned” was released October 6, 2017 and is available on iTunes and all streaming services. The band recently played Middle of the Map Fest.]

[Belle and The Vertigo Waves play recordbar, 1520 Grand Ave, Thursday, July 19, at 7:00 pm, with Tandem, and Faintheart.]

11:00 – Station ID

12. Patsy Cline – “Sweet Dreams”
from: The Patsy Cline Story / Decca / June 10, 1963
[Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932. She died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. She was an American country music singer and part of the Nashville sound during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She successfully “crossed over” to pop music and was one of the most influential, successful, and acclaimed vocalists of the 20th century. She died at age 30 in the crash of a private airplane. Cline was known for her rich tone, emotionally expressive and bold contralto voice, and her role as a country music pioneer. She helped to pave the way for women as headline performers in the genre, along with Kitty Wells. She overcame poverty, a devastating automobile accident, and significant professional obstacles, and she has been cited as an inspiration by Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and other singers in diverse styles. Books, movies, documentaries, and stage plays document her life and career. Her hits began in 1957 with Donn Hecht’s and Alan Block’s “Walkin’ After Midnight,” Hank Cochran’s and Harlan Howard’s “I Fall to Pieces,” Hank Cochran’s “She’s Got You,” and Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” and ended in 1963 with Don Gibson’s “Sweet Dreams.” Millions of her records have sold since her death. She won awards and accolades, causing many to view her as an icon at the level of Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. She became the first female solo artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973, ten years after her death. In 1999, she was voted number 11 on VH1’s special The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll. In 2002, she was voted Number One on Country Music Television’s The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music, and she was ranked 46th in the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Her 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame plaque reads: “Her heritage of timeless recordings is testimony to her artistic capacity.”]

[In early 1963, Patsy Cline was recording songs for her next album, Faded Love, which was set for release in late March, 1963. She recorded “Sweet Dreams” for the album on February 5. However, on March 5, Cline died in a plane crash on the way home from a benefit in Kansas City, Kansas for the family of Cactus Jack Call, a disc jockey who was killed in an automobile accident so, therefore, the album was never released. The songs were later compiled for the release Patsy Cline the Last Sessions in 1988. Instead, Decca Records issued a double album, entitled The Patsy Cline Story, in the summer of 1963.]

[In 1963, “Sweet Dreams” was released to the public and became a big Crossover hit, making it to #5 on the Country charts and to #44 on the pop music charts. It also peaked on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts at #15. This song was followed by two other songs that were planned for release on Cline’s upcoming album: “Leavin’ on Your Mind” and “Faded Love”, which both became hits. It was said that Cline did not like the use of the violins that producer Owen Bradley was bringing into the song, because she feared she was becoming too “pop” for her Country audience (All references in this section are either from Patsy by Margaret Jones or Honky Tonk Angel by Ellis Nassour). But upon hearing the song after the playbacks the night she recorded it, she supposedly held a record up of her first record and “Sweet Dreams” and proclaimed “Well, here it is: The first and the last.” (Source: Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter (1976) This quote came from the video called Remembering Patsy, and was quoted by Jan Howard whose husband at the time was Harlan Howard. In 1985, the song became the title tune of a Patsy Cline biopic starring Jessica Lange as Cline. Cline’s hit version of “Sweet Dreams” was included on the film’s soundtrack, along with “Crazy,” “She’s Got You,” and many of her other songs.]

11:03 – Interview with Tim Finn

Timothy Finn

Local music writer Tim Finn is originally from Youngstown, New York. He studied at University of Missouri in Columbia and received his Masters of Arts, in Journalism from the University of Kansas. Tim served as Music Writer of the KC Star, where he worked for 29 years. You can hear Tim Finn Thursday afternoons between 4 and 6 on 90.9 The Bridge with Jon Hart.

Tim joins us to share details about, A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, Thursday, July 19, 2018, at 6:30 pm, at the Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO, as part of the 2018 Adult Summer Reading Program Rock & Read. Tim Finn discusses some of KC’s best and most significant music moments. From national touring acts to homegrown musicians. Tim Finn highlights concerts, shows, and encounters from our city’s music scene. From Patsy Cline’s final performance and the Beatles’ one and only local appearance to the three-day world premiere of The Jacksons Victory Tour. To RSVP visit: http://www.kclibrary.org

Tim Finn, thank you for being with us in Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Since we last talked with Tim on the radio he has gone through several big life events.

Timothy Finn recently sold his house in Liberty, where he lived for 25 years.

Timothy Finn recently ended his time at The Kansas City Star, after 29 years.

Timothy Finn recently got married to Michelle Gaumé Finn.

Tomorrow night at at the Kansas City Library The Plaza Branch Tim will present: A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, as part of the 2018 Adult Summer Reading Program Rock & Read. One of the concerts he will discuss is patsy Cline’s last performance of her career in Kansas City, Kansas.

Patsy Cline at Memorial Hall – March 3, 1963

We just heard Patsy Cline singing a song she record on February 5, 1963. Nearly one month later, on March 3, 1963, Cline performed a benefit at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, for the family of disc jockey “Cactus” Jack Call. He had died in an automobile crash a little over a month earlier. Call was a longtime DJ for KCKN, but had switched to KCMK a week before his death on January 25, 1963, at the age of 39. Also performing in the show were George Jones, George Riddle and The Jones Boys, Billy Walker, Dottie West, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, George McCormick, the Clinch Mountain Boys as well as Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins.

Cline, ill with the flu, gave three performances, at 2 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., with an 8 p.m. show added due to popular demand. All the shows were standing-room only. For the 2 p.m. show, she wore a sky-blue tulle-laden dress; for the 5:15 show a red shocker; and for the closing show at 8 p.m., Cline wore white chiffon, closing the evening to a thunderous ovation. Her final song was the last she had recorded the previous month, “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone.”

Cline, who had spent the night at the Town House Motor Hotel, was unable to fly out the day after the concert because Fairfax Airport was fogged in. West asked Patsy to ride in the car with her and husband, Bill, back to Nashville, a 16-hour drive, but Cline refused, saying, “Don’t worry about me, Hoss. When it’s my time to go, it’s my time.” On March 5, she called her mother from the motel and checked out at 12:30 p.m., going the short distance to the airport and boarding a Piper PA-24 Comanche plane, aircraft registration number N-7000P. The plane stopped once in Missouri to refuel and subsequently landed at Dyersburg Municipal Airport in Dyersburg, Tennessee at 5 p.m.

Hughes was the pilot, but was not trained in instrument flying. Hawkins had accepted Billy Walker’s place after Walker left on a commercial flight to take care of a stricken family member. The Dyersburg, Tennessee, airfield manager suggested that they stay the night because of high winds and inclement weather, offering them free rooms and meals. But Hughes responded, “I’ve already come this far. We’ll be there before you know it.” The plane took off at 6:07 p.m. Hughes’ flight instructor, Elmo Merriwether, had also trained Jim Reeves, whose plane crashed the following year. Neither pilot was instrument-rated, and both attempted to navigate by visual flight rules (VFR), which proved impossible in the driving rain faced by both flights.

Cline’s flight crashed in heavy weather on the evening of March 5, 1963. Her recovered wristwatch had stopped at 6:20 p.m. The plane was found some 90 miles from its Nashville destination, in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee. Forensic examination concluded that everyone aboard had been killed instantly. Until the wreckage was discovered the following dawn and reported on the radio, friends and family had not given up hope. Endless calls tied up the local telephone exchanges to such a degree that other emergency calls had trouble getting through. The lights at the destination Cornelia Fort Airpark were kept on throughout the night, as reports of the missing plane were broadcast on radio and TV.

Early in the morning, Roger Miller and a friend went searching for survivors: “As fast as I could, I ran through the woods screaming their names–through the brush and the trees–and I came up over this little rise, oh, my God, there they were. It was ghastly. The plane had crashed nose down.” Shortly after the bodies were removed, looters scavenged the area. Some of the items which were recovered were eventually donated to The Country Music Hall of Fame. Among them were Cline’s wristwatch, Confederate flag cigarette lighter, studded belt and three pairs of gold lamé slippers. Cline’s fee and her attire from the last performance were never recovered.

Per her wishes, Cline’s body was brought home for her memorial service, which thousands attended. She was buried at Shenandoah Memorial Park in her hometown of Winchester, Virginia. Her grave is marked with a bronze plaque, which reads: “Virginia H. Dick (Patsy Cline) is noted under her name. ‘Death Cannot Kill What Never Dies: Love’.” With the help of Loretta Lynn and Dottie West, a bell tower was erected at the cemetery in her memory, which plays hymns daily at 6:00 p.m., the hour of her death. Another memorial marks the exact place off Fire Tower Road in Fatty Bottom, Tennessee, where the plane crashed in the still-remote forest.
____________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow night at at the Kansas City Library The Plaza Branch Tim will present: A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, Thursday, July 19, at 6:30 pm, at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City.

Tim will have some tales to tell about Elvis, and James Brown, and Garth Brooks.

Tim mentioned that his favorite concerts were seeing Prince live. He mentioned the Musicology tour.

Tim talked about the numerous interviews with artists prior to their concerts. He talked about his interview with David Bowie before the 2004 show at Starlight Theatre.

11:11

13. Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”
from: Thriller / Epic/ November 30, 1982
[6th studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982, in the United States by Epic Records and internationally by CBS Records. It explores genres similar to Jackson’s previous album, Off the Wall, including pop, post-disco, rock and funk. Recording sessions took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with a production budget of $750,000. Quincy Jones produced the album and Jackson wrote four of its nine songs. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the world’s best-selling album, with estimated sales of 66 million copies. It is the best-selling album in the United States and as of 2017 is the only album to reach 30x multi-platinum, with U.S. shipments of 33 million album-equivalent units certified. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year. It produced seven singles—”The Girl Is Mine”, “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”, “Human Nature”, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”, and “Thriller”—all of which reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Thriller broke racial barriers in pop music, enabling Jackson’s appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, and the videos for the songs “Thriller”, “Billie Jean”, and “Beat It” all received regular rotation on MTV. In 2001, a special edition reissue was released, which contains additional audio interviews, demo recordings and the song “Someone in the Dark”, a Grammy-winning track from the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. In 2008, Thriller was reissued again as Thriller 25, containing remixes with contemporary artists, previously unreleased songs, and a DVD with three music videos and Jackson’s performance of “Billie Jean” from the 1983 television special Motown 25. In the same year, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame along with Off the Wall. In 2012, Slant Magazine named Thriller the best album of the 1980s”. In 2003, Rolling Stone placed the album at number 20 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. The album was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three on its “Definitive 200” album list. Thriller was also included in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry of culturally significant recordings, and the Thriller music video was included in the National Film Preservation Board’s National Film Registry of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films”.]

Tim Finn former music writer for KC Star, Tim joins us to share details about, A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, at the Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch. Tim Finn highlights concerts, including the three-day world premiere of The Jacksons Victory Tour.

The Jacksons at Arrowhead Stadium – July 6, 7, and 8, 1984

The Victory Tour traveled the United States and Canada with Michael Jackson and The Jacksons between July and December 1984. It was the only tour with all six Jackson brothers (even though Jackie was injured for most of the tour). The group performed 55 concerts to an audience of approximately 2 million. Most came to see Michael, whose album Thriller had been dominating the popular music world at the time. Many consider it to be his Thriller tour, with most of the songs on the set list coming off of his Off the Wall album and from the Thriller album. The tour reportedly grossed approximately $75 million (US $181,608,277.19 in 2018 dollars) and set a new record for the highest grossing tour. It showcased Michael’s single glove, black sequined jacket and moonwalk.

Despite its focus on Michael, it was named after the newly released Jacksons’ album Victory although none of the album’s songs were performed. Marlon confirmed[citation needed] this was because Michael refused to rehearse or perform them; in fact, he had only reluctantly joined his brothers, who needed the income while he himself did not. On the tour, tensions between Michael and his brothers increased to the point that he announced at the final show that it would be the last time they would perform together, ending plans for a European and Australian leg of the tour in the spring and summer of 1985.

The Jacksons did make money from the tour, along with promoter Don King. Michael donated his share to several charities as he had promised before it, but the rancor between Michael and his brothers had a deep and lasting effect on the Jacksons as a family, alienating him from them for most of his later life and it effectively ended the Jacksons as a performing group. They made one more album (2300 Jackson Street which was released in 1989) but aside from the concert celebrating Michael’s 30 years as a solo artist in 2001, they never toured again during Michael’s lifetime.

The tour was a financial disaster for promoter Chuck Sullivan, who along with his father Billy was eventually forced to sell the New England Patriots football team they owned, along with Foxboro Stadium, the team’s home field, as a result of the losses he incurred.

A bowl-shaped concrete structure. In the middle is an oval sign with “Arrowhead” written on it in red letters. Arrowhead Stadium, where the tour opened, as it appeared at the time
The tour sold what was then a record number of tickets despite the high price. The opening shows were widely covered in the national media and sold out. “Anybody who sees this show will be a better person for years to come”, King told the media before the first date in Kansas City. “Michael Jackson has transcended all earthly bounds. Every race, color and creed is waiting for this tour.”

The Jacksons and Don King had made money even though Sullivan had not, and near the end of the tour they began making plans for a European leg. When word reached Michael, he let them know through his representatives that he would not be taking part. At the rain-soaked tour finale in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, after six sold-out shows, Michael announced at the end of the show, to his brothers’ shocked expressions, that this would be the last time they all performed together. The plans to go to Europe were ended.

The set list included songs from the Jackson’s albums Destiny and Triumph. Despite the name of the tour, the Victory album was not represented. There were also songs on the list from Jermaine’s and Michael’s solo careers. Songs from Michael’s albums Off the Wall and Thriller were both represented. The set list did not include “Thriller” itself because Michael did not like the way the song sounded live (it was later performed regularly during Michael’s solo tours).
________________________________________________________________________

Tim Finn former music writer for KC Star, Tim joined us to share details about, A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, Thursday, July 19, 2018, at 6:30 pm, at the Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch. Tim Finn discusses some of KC’s best and most significant music moments including the Beatles’ one and only local appearance.

The Beatles at Kansas City Municipal Stadium – September 17, 1964

The Beatles played for 31 minutes in Kansas City. The 20,280 tickets sold here tied Vancouver, British Columbia, for the second highest attendance for a single performance on the tour.

Charles O. Finley, owner of the Kansas City Athletics baseball team convinced The Beatles to add Kansas City to their tour, flying here on what was suppose to be their day off.

The Beatles spoke at a pre-concert news conference at the Hotel Muehlebach.

There were two Beatles visits to the U.S. in 1964. The first began with their famous Feb. 9 – “Ed Sullivan Show” appearance, watched by 73 million. They also played concerts in Washington, D.C., and New York, then did another Sullivan show from Miami Beach, Fla. By the time the third Sullivan bit, this one taped, ran Feb. 23, Thea Beatles were back in England. When The Beatles came back to the U.S. on Aug. 19 that year, their film “A Hard Day’s Night” had just been released theaters, and the title song went gold.

The 2nd tour was 33 days in 24 U.S. & Canadian cities.

The Kansas City Star reported that The Beatles “had not even left its first venue, San Francisco, before Charlie O. Finley contacted band manager Brian Epstein to see if a KC stop could be carved out of one of the eight off days. He offered $50,000. To put that in perspective, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland were drawing $10,000 to $15,000 for a show, and a ’64 Beatles concert was running from $20,000 to $40,000.”

The band wasn’t excited about it. In “The Beatles Anthology, ” McCartney recalled: “Our days off were sacred. If you look at our 1964 timetable you can see why. I didn’t realise until recently that we used to have a whole year of work, and then get something like 23rd November off – and then have to judge a beauty competition that day. So, by the time we got to Kansas City, we probably needed a day off. I can’t actually remember falling out with Brian about him wanting us to work on a day off, we’d talk to each other rather than fall out.”

Then Finley wired Los Angeles, where the group played at the Hollywood Bowl, to double his bid. No, thanks, he was told again.

Charles O. Finley made a third offer: $150,000, at the time it was the all-time record cost for a single performance. In today’s dollars it would be $1.1 million.

The large photo in the Kansas City Times captured girls and boys excitedly waving their arms on the field, under a headline that continued the sense of a natural disaster averted: Police Hold Tide of Beatlemania.

The opening number was added as a concession to Finley: The Beatles’ version of “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey.” It was included the next month when they cut their next album, “Beatles for Sale.” The Beatles played “Twist and Shout.”

The set list included: “You Can’t Do That”; “All My Loving”; “She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah! Yeah!”; “Things We Said Today”; “Roll Over Beethoven”; “Can’t Buy Me Love”; “If I Fell”; “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”; “Boys”; “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Long Tall Sally.”
_____________________________________________________________________________

Tim Finn former music writer for KC Star, will soon be writing for a new Kansas City monthly periodical called “In Kansas City.” Tim Finn presents: A Look Back at Rockville: Great Moments in Kansas City Concerts, Thursday, July 19, 2018, at 6:30 pm, at the Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO, as part of the 2018 Adult Summer Reading Program Rock & Read. Tim Finn discusses some of KC’s best and most significant music moments. From national touring acts to homegrown musicians. To RSVP visit: http://www.kclibrary.org

You can hear Tim Finn Thursday afternoons between 4:00 and 6:00 pm on 90.9 The Bridge with Jon Hart.

Tim Finn, thank you for being with us in Wednesday MidDay Medley.

11:27

14. The Beatles – “You Can’t Do That”
from: A Hard Days Night / Parlophone / July 10, 1964
[A Hard Day’s Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing. In contrast to their first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day’s Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney showcasing the development of their songwriting talents. The album includes the title track, with its distinct opening chord, and the previously released “Can’t Buy Me Love”, both transatlantic number-one singles for the band. The title of the album was the accidental creation of drummer Ringo Starr. According to Lennon in a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine: “I was going home in the car and Dick Lester [director of the movie] suggested the title, ‘Hard Day’s Night’ from something Ringo had said. I had used it in In His Own Write, but it was an off-the-cuff remark by Ringo. You know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny … just said it. So Dick Lester said, ‘We are going to use that title.’]

11:30 – Underwriting

15. The Hermanos Brothers – “All My Loving (The Beatles)”
from: The Hermanos Brothers – Covers / Howard Iceberg / March 20, 2018
[The Hermanos Brothers are Howard Iceberg on vocals, rhythm guitar, & harp; and Chad Brothers on lead guitar & harmony vocals. These songs, all covers, were recorded in one day, between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The songs were recorded and mixed and mastered by Phil Wade who added dobro, mandolin and guitar.]

11:33 – Interview with Howard Iceberg and Pranav Nanda.

Tim Finn, Howard iceberg, and Pranav Nanda on the July 18, 2018 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

Legendary Kansas City Singer Songwriter – Howard Eisberg records and performs under the name Howard Iceberg. He is one of the most prolific and poetic songwriters of the Kansas City music scene. He has written hundreds, possibly thousands of songs. Howard has done all of this while also leading a distinguished career as an immigration attorney, and he has donated much of his time and music to valuable projects that serve our community. Howard Iceberg began performing in coffeehouses in the late 1980s with fellow area independent songwriters Scott Hrabko and Iris DeMent. Over the past three decades he has released countless CDs, and recorded multiple collections of songs. In 2011, Howard Iceberg & The Titanics released a seven CD, box set, of 106 new songs, all instant classics. In 2014 he released a collection called Spring 2014, on his birthday May 9, 2015 he released, Smooth Sailing which included 13 new songs. In September 2016 Howard released a 2 CD set of 26 new tracks called, “Kansas City Songs. Ear;lier this year Howard released Netherlands his collaboration with Rich Hill and other area Jazz musicians.

Howard Iceberg, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Pranav Nanda is a 2017 Teach for America Corps Member, serving as a teacher and leader in Kansas City. In his first year at Teach For America, he taught Humanities at DeLaSalle Charter School, an alternative high school serving the Kansas City Urban Corps. This summer, Pranav has had the opportunity to work in the Kansas City’s Mayor’s office through the Urban Leaders Fellowship. Pranav is currently pursuing his Master’s in Education at the University of Missouri in St. Louis & plans on going to Law School after his Teach For America service. Prior to joining Teach For America, Pranav attending George Washington University in Washington DC, receiving a Bachelor’s in Art in International Affairs and minored in Sociocultural Anthropology. While attending GW, Pranav had the opportunity to intern in the White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence, at the Department of Education in the Office of Post-Secondary Education, and in many leadership positions on campus.

Pranav Nanda thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Howard Iceberg and Pranav Nanda are here to share information about the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Benefit, Wednesday, July 25, at 7:00 pm, at Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway, KCMO, featuring the music of Howard Iceberg and Shapiro Brothers. The event is designed to benefit Moms Demand Action. For more info: http://www.momsdemandaction.org,

Moms Demand Action have chapters in many cities.

About Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America / media@momsdemandaction.org
Press Contact: Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America; E-mail:

ABOUT US

Like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, created to reduce drunk driving, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created to demand action from legislators, state & federal; companies; & educational institutions to establish common-sense gun reforms.

WHO WE ARE

Moms Demand Action was founded by stay-at-home mom Shannon Watts on December 15, 2012, in response to the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The organization quickly flourished into a leading force for gun violence prevention, with chapters in all 50 states and a powerful grassroots network of moms that has successfully effected change at the local, state and national level. In December 2013, Moms Demand Action partnered with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to unite a nationwide movement of millions of Americans working together to change the game and end the epidemic of gun violence that affects every community.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

Moms Demand Action supports the 2nd Amendment, but we believe common-sense solutions can help decrease the escalating epidemic of gun violence that kills too many of our children and loved ones every day. Whether the gun violence happens in urban Chicago, suburban Virginia, or rural Texas, we must act now on new and stronger gun laws and policies to protect our children.

Moms Demand Action envisions a country where all children and families are safe from gun violence. Our nonpartisan grassroots movement has grown to include a chapter in every state across the country. We are educating, motivating, and mobilizing supporters to take action that will result in stronger laws and policies to save lives.

We are facing a public health crisis: seven American children or teens are shot and killed every day.

For too long, the gun lobby has dominated the conversation about gun violence. American families are being destroyed and we have had enough; we will no longer stand by and let elected officials, corporate leaders and other influential voices turn their back on sensible gun laws and policies. We are organizing to apply pressure that will result in stronger, sensible gun laws and policies that will protect our children and families. The momentum is with us, and we are winning.

Shapiro Brothers

Chad Brothers is a Kansas City based singer-songwriter and guitarist who has played music for over 25 years. His dynamic approach to guitar sets him among the best this town has to offer. He’s actively involved in several projects around town including Old Sound, Shapiro Brothers, Supermassive Black Holes, The Butter Band, and he is Mikal Shapiro’s lead guitarist in her band The Musical. In addition, he and Howard Iceberg have now formed a duo called The Hermanos Brothers. Chad was born and raised in Winfield, KS, home of the Walnut Valley Festival and National Flatpicking Championships, and finds himself comfortably at home among a wide range of musical genres including bluegrass, folk, blues, country and rock.

Mikal Shapiro is a Kansas City songwriter whose musical influences span popular songs, psych rock, lounge, classic country and old time spirituals. She has toured extensively across the United States and has recorded five critically acclaimed albums. Kansas City Star critic Tim Finn declared her album “The Musical” to be one of his top five releases of 2015. A third generation storyteller, she draws inspiration from her travels, love life, and the state of the Union. Mikal Shapiro released her latest solo album, The Musical II, on May 26.

11:41

16. Shapiro Brothers – “The Other Night”
from: Shapiro Brothers [EP] / Shapiro Brothers / November 3, 2016
[Kansas City based Americana duo, formed by Mikal Shapiro and Chad Brothers who interpret classic country and folk music alongside critically acclaimed originals. Strengthened by Shapiro’s lyrical prowess and Brothers world-class flat picking, the couple showcases their harmonies, stellar guitar interplay and a magnetic onstage chemistry. All songs written by Mikal Shapiro, except “Almost Ready” was written by Mikal Shapiro and Chad Brothers. Shapiro Brothers played a special EP Release show, November 3, at The Brick, with Grady Keller from Old Sound and Spectator from St. Louis.]

[Shapiro Brothers play Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Benefit, Wednesday, July 25, at 7:00 pm, at Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway, KCMO, with Howard Iceberg.]

11:44 – More Interview with Howard Iceberg and Pranav Nanda

Uptown Arts Bar and Greg Patterson hosts a night of action, awareness and stellar music as we raise funds to benefit Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, featuring the music of Howard Iceberg and Shapiro Brothers!

More information at: http://www.howardicebergandthetitanics.bandcamp.com and
http://www.shapirobrothersmusic.com

The benefit is Wednesday, July 25. The 25th of every month is “Orange Day” declared by the UN: “The 25th of every month has been designated “Orange Day” by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, to raise awareness and take action to end violence against women and girls. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from violence against women and girls. Orange Day calls upon civil society, governments, and UN partners to mobilize people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), but every month.”

More information at: http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/orangeday.shtml

Howard Iceberg has been writing songs, recording and performing in the K.C. area for more than 40 years. His songs have been performed by many other local musicians through the years. He is looking forward to playing the Uptown Arts Bar in support of Mothers Demand Action for Gun Sense, and wishes to state that he is pro-mother and anti-gun.

More information at: http://www.oldsoundmusic.com and http://www.shapirobrothersmusic.com and http://www.facebook.com/thesupermassiveblackholes

Howard Iceberg, and Pranav Nanda, thanks for being with us on WMM

The Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Benefit, Wednesday, July 25, at 7:00 pm, at Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway, KCMO, featuring the music of Howard Iceberg and Shapiro Brothers. The event is designed to benefit Moms Demand Action. For more information: http://www.momsdemandaction.org,

11:57

17. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “The Times of Our Lives”
from: Netherlands / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / December 20, 2017
[On this track: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals, Bryan Hicks on electric bass, Doug Auwarter on drums, Marco Pascolini on baritone guitar , Chad Rex on guitar. Words and music by Howard Iceberg © 2017 Howard Iceberg. All rights reserved. Produced by Howard Iceberg and Rich Hill. Recorded by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios and Rich Hill at The Hilltop. Mixed by Howard Iceberg and Pat Tomek.]

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

Next week, on July 25 Shy Boys join us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios to talk about their new release Bell House on Polyvinyl Record Co. to be released August 3, 2018. Also next week we welcome Keaton Conrad, and Heidi Lynne Gluck and Sid Sowder of Too Much Rock premieres the newest Too Much Rock 7″ single release right here on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

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

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

Show #743

Wednesday MidDay Medley

WMM Playlist from May 15, 2013

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

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I’ll Take You There – Conversations with Mike Webber
+ Patrick Alonzo Conway & Gamelan Genta Kasturi
+ Spinning Tree Theatre’s “Hello Again”

1. Bloodbirds – “What Goes On”
from: Covers / Independent / July 30, 2012
[Originally recorded by Velvet Underground brought back to life by: KC based Psychedelic post-punk trio Mike Tuley, Brooke Tuley and Anna St. Louis. The band writes on their Bandcamp page that these are: “Various covers recorded at various times when we became frustrated with our own music during recording.”]

[Bloodbirds plays this year’s KC Psychfest, May 17 and 18, at FOKL, 556 Central Ave, Kansas City, Kansas, and Monta HQ in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. More info at: KCPSYCHFEST.COM.]

2. Monta At Odds – “in Six Measured Steps”
from: Midwestern Audio Vol. 1 / Midwest Music Foundation / September 23, 2012
[Monta At Odds’ main men, brothers Dedric & Delaney Moore, work with ambient textures, vintage keyboards in states of disrepair, guitars, melodic bass, and a variety of other found instruments that create their “technicolor sound.” Constructed to include diverse elements of detailed beats, quiet sparseness, Bollywood funk, Italian ‘60s cinema and outthere jazz. Now recording with Upstairs Recordings.]

[“Midwestern Audio Vol. 1” is a compilation assembled for Midwest Music Foundation by Brenton Cook and co-sponsored by Ink Magazine featuring over 40 bands. More information at MidwestMusicFound.org Brenton Cook will be at KC Psychfest with this new compilation.]

[Monta At Odds plays this year’s KC Psychfest, May 17 and18, at FOKL, 556 Central Ave, Kansas City, Kansas, and Monta HQ in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. More info at: KCPSYCHFEST.COM.]

3. Gamelan Genta Kasturi – “Angels and Demons At Play”
from: Angels and Demons At Play / Independent / February 27,2011
[“Angels & Demons at Play” was originally produced, Feb. 25, 26 and 27, 2011, at La Esquina (an Urban Culture Project venue) 1000 West 25th Street, KCMO. The work included original compositions written by Patrick Alonzo Conway for the Gamelan Orchestra, performed by Gamelan Genta Kasturi. The performance included Dwight Frizzell (clarinet & altoclarinet), & Shawn Hansen (piano, toy piano.) It also featured shadow puppets by Allan Winkler, original choreography, electronic visual media, original lighting design]

10:15– Interview with Patrick Alonzo Conway

KC’s community Balinese gamelan orchestra, Gamelan Genta Kasturi, is celebrating 10 Years, with a special concert, Sat May 18, 4:00 pm, in the Truman Forum of the Plaza Branch of the KC Public Library, 4801 Main St, showcasing material from 10 years.

Director Patrick Alonso Conway joined us to share information on this special concert from Gamelan Genta Kasturi.

“Angels and Demons at Play” was composed by Patrick Alonso Conway for Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project, in partnership with ArtSounds (a collaboration between the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance and the Kansas City Art Institute.)

Gamelan Genta Kasturi, is celebrating 10 Years, in a special Concert, Saturday May 18, 4:00 pm, in the Truman Forum of the Plaza Branch of the KC Public Library, 4801 Main St, KCMO, showcasing material from 10 years, including traditional Balinese and original compositions by founder I Ketút Gedé Asnawa and current director Patrick Alonzo Conway, with visual images by artist Jennifer Lynn Williams and shadow imagery by artist Nihan Yesil.

A gamelan is a traditional musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Java and Bali, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, kendang (drums) & gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed & plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included. For most Indonesians, gamelan music is an integral part of Indonesian culture.

The term refers more to the set of instruments than to the players of those instruments. A gamelan is a set of instruments, as a distinctentity, built and tuned to stay together – instruments from different gamelan are generally not interchangeable.

Bali is a province of Indonesia. The province covers a few small neighboring islands as well as the isle of Bali. The main island is located in the western most end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Javato the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country’s 34 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the S. of the island.

Patrick Alonzo Conway went to Bali.

With a population recorded as 3,891,428 in the 2010 census, and currently 4.22 million, the island is home to most of Indonesia’s Hindu minority. In the 2000 census about 92.29% of Bali’s population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder, follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metal working, and music. A tourist haven for decades, Bali has seen a further surge in tourist numbers in recent years.

Kansas City’s community Balinese gamelan orchestra, Gamelan Genta Kasturi, is celebrating 10 Years, with a special concert, Saturday May 18, 4:00 pm, in the Truman Forum of the Plaza Branch of the KC Public Library, 4801 Main St, KCMO, showcasing material from 10 years, including traditional Balinese and original compositions by founder I Ketút Gedé Asnawa and current director Patrick Alonzo Conway, with visual images by artist Jennifer Lynn Williams and shadow imagery by artist Nihan Yesil. Info:gamelangentakasturi.org.

10:29 – Underwriting

4. David Evans, John Cameron Mitchell – “Listen to The Music”
from: Hello Again (Original Cast Recording) / BMG / June 28,1994

10:30 – Interview with Andy Parkhurst and Charles Fugate of Spinning Tree Theatre

Spinning Tree Theatre‘s is presenting the Kansas City premiere of “Hello Again,” an Obie-winning musical that first premiered off Broadway in 1993. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s play “La Ronde,” written in 1903, which depicts a chain of relationships. The musical open last friday and show runs through May 26 at the Off Center Theatre on the third level of Crown Center. For more information: Call 816-842-9999 or go to spinningtreetheatre.com.

“Hello Again” Co-Director and Spinning Tree Theatre Managing Director, Andy Parkhurst and Kansas City based professional actor, Charles Fugate who plays the role of The Senator in Hello Again, joinedus on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

“Hello Again” is the 6th show of Spinning Tree Theatre. Andy founded this new professional theatre company with partner Michael Grayson and have produced several shows and musicals that have made their Kansas City debuts. Andy talked about what moved the company to produce “Hello Again” here in Kansas City.

Produced 20 years ago, this show featured John Cameron Mitchell who later went on to create a little show called “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Short Bus,” along with Broadway queen, Donna Murphey, and Malcolm Gets.

“Hello Again” is billed as an “Adult Musical”

Charles most recently performed in Spinning Tree Theatre’s Kansas City Premiere of “Shipwrecked! last February. Charles has worked at almost every theatre in Kansas City. Charles talked about his experience with Spinning Tree Threatre.

Charles Fugate plays the role of The Senator. The characters in the show all have names like: the Young Thing, the soldier, the whore

The Spinning Tree production features: Lena Andrews, Jerry Jay Cranford, Jacob Aaron Cullum, Tyler Eisenreich, Steven Eubank, Shelby Floyd, Charles Fugate, Seth Jones, Julie Shaw and Stefanie Wienecke.

Playwright Michael John LaChiusa is coming to Kansas City, May 24

Spinning Tree Theatre’s “Hello Again,” runs through May 26at the Off Center Theatre on the third level of Crown Center. For info: Call 816-842-9999 or go to spinningtreetheatre.com

10:45 – “I’ll Take You There – Conversations with Mike Webber”

5. The Staple Singers – “I’ll Take You There”
from: The Best of The Staple Singers / Stax / 1972
[featuring: The Memphis Horns]

10:50

Mike Webber is an encyclopedic musical jukebox, a music lover, you met at that record store, that helped you find that special song, that you could only hum a few bars for him to hear. His faith in music and truth guided him as he grew up in KC, spent childhood Summers in the Mississippi Delta, “came of age” working in area record stores, of the 70s and 80s, including: Caper’s Corner Records & Tapes at 47th & Mission, PennyLane, and Music Exchange. Mike went to college at KU and TulaneUniversity. He has chronicled and sometimes photographed many musical greats. Mike got married, raised a family, served time in Iraq, and has continued lifelong friendships with many local and national musicians. Mike and his wife Marta are moving to Austin, Texas in June.

Mike Webber grew up in KC but talked about his summer childhood experiences in the Mississippi Delta (Cleveland) as part of the Memphis media market listening to WHBQ in Memphis. In the late 1960’s to early 1970’s, the radio informed his musical tastes, but also influenced social/political outlook. Mixed in with some great childhood memories were many moments that made us wince even then.

Mike returned to live in Mississippi (Jackson) again in the early 90’s and had the chance to see BB King, the Staple Singers & others perform hometown gigs.

Mike Webber told us the story about photographing Pops Staples in Drew, MS and giving the photograph to Mavis Staples at the Kaufman Center last year.

10:55

“P.S. I Love You” – The Beatles – The Big Bang!

Mike Webber was born in March 1964, one month after the Beatles arrived in America. He discovered that the first albums in the house that weren’t children’s records were his brother’s copies of “Meet The Beatles” and “The Early Beatles.” The first record he ever asked for was the 45″ of “Hey Jude” when he was 4. Mike started asking for nothing but Beatles records for every birthday and Christmas. He had a check-list provided by Capitol Records, which is how he learned of things like non-LP B-sides. While he thought he had all of the Beatles records “inexistence,” he discovered bootlegs at a flea market in Memphis and then imports at Capers Corner! He realized that he’ll never have EVERYTHING. Everybody who knew Mike, his family, teachers & classmates – identified him with his fanaticism for The Beatles. All these years later, they still do.

10:58

6. The Beatles –”P.S. I Love You”
from: Please, Please, Me / Parlaphone – Capitol / March 22, 1963
[In February 1963, the Beatles recorded 10 songs during asingle marathon studio session for their debut LP, Please Please Me. The album was supplemented by the 4 tracks already released on their first 2 singles. Parlophone rush-released the album in the United Kingdom to capitalize on thesuccess of singles “Please, Please, Me” and “Love Me Do.” Of the album’s 14 songs, 8 were written by Lennon–McCartney.]

11:00 – Station Identification

“I’ll Take You There – Conversations with Mike Webber”

Mike talked about a story specific to “PS I Love You”, related to a skating rink in Mission, where a 10-year old Mike Webber decided to himself that if the skate parlor deejay played a good song, he would ask a girl to skate with him. The Deejay then played the Beatles,”P.S. I Love You,” Mike took the sign and headed toward the young lady to propose, but he slipped and took a header on the concrete bench.

Capers Corner provided a spontaneous meeting place for grieving Elvis & John Lennon fans who needed some kind of communal feeling and didn’t know where to go but knew they wouldn’t be judged in a place like that.

11:03

“Go Now” from Wings, but sung by Denny Laine, formerly of the Moody Blues, on Wings Over America, the live recording of Wings 1976 concert. This concert is still Mike’s all-time favorite live music event and certainly among the most memorable in Kansas City concert history. McCartney & Wings played the Kemper Arena in 1976. Mike’s first and third concerts were Elvis Presley at Kemper Arena. He was so glad to have seen the King, but he was always first and foremost a Beatles fan, so seeing McCartney – the first Beatle in KC in 12 years at that point – was earth shaking. McCartney was riding a wave of success with “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In” both in the charts and in those pre-internet days, we didn’t need “spoiler alerts”. McCartney hadn’t toured America as a solo act before, and in his earlier European tours he hadn’t played any of his Beatles era compositions, so when he played that familiar piano intro to “Lady Madonna”, Kemper shook. In a long set-list full of solo and Wings hits, he only played four Beatles songs total but that was enough. Former Moody Blue Denny Laine was a member of Wings, so it was a huge bonus to also get to hear “Go Now” one of Mike’s favorite songs – live as well.

11:06

7. Wings – “Go Now”
from: Wings Over America / MPL Communications – Capitol / December 1976
[A song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It was first recorded in 1964 by Bessie Banks, and then most successfully by The Moody Blues. Wings over America is a live album by the band Wings, in its initial release, it was a triple album and included a poster of the band, which peaked at number 1 in the US. The album was a collection of recordings gathered from Wings’ Wings Over America part of their world tour. A re-mastered recording, is set to be released, in May 2013. Denny Laine sang this song with The Moody Blues and also on tour as a member of Wings.]

11:10

That Wings show was atypical in that instead of the usual ticket outlets, the initial ticket sales were entirely at Kemper Arena. Mike’s brother & his friend Keith Copaken’s father, Paul Copaken, went to wait for tickets but the show sold out. They were crushed. Later, the Copakens were able to get “limited view” tickets behind the stage. Mike was already a customer at Capers Corner, barely 12 years old, but he used to spend all of his lunch money there, and they knew how badly he wanted to see Wings. A couple of weeks before the show, the guy who always helped Mike buy import EPs there (locked in an under bin) called Mike’s home to say he’d found a couple of great lower level tickets at face value. So Mike and his friend Keith wound up in Section 120, Lower Level and Corky Carrel became a lifelong friend with whom Mike is still in weekly contact.

Mike’s other memorable Kansas City concerts of the period:

1) Rolling Stones’ “Tattoo You” shows, in 1981, with the Mick Taylor appearance, which Mike and his friends had been told, might happen by Mick Taylor, himself, whose autograph they sought, at an Alvin Lee concert at the Uptown.

2) Elton John’s “Jump Up” show at Starlight Theater that was broadcast worldwide on Westwood One Radio Network.

3) The Kinks’ “Low Budget” shows at Memorial Hall- twice on the same tour’s beginning and end.

4) The Jacksons’ “Victory Tour” – which was really more memorable as Michael Jackson’s Thriller tour.

11:13

“Cynical Girl” – Marshall Crenshaw – While Mike was working at Capers, Marshall Crenshaw released what many still consider one of the best debut albums that anyone ever made in any genre. That song – and the album on which it appeared – still puts Mike’s head back in high school. Mike took some photos of Crenshaw playing the old Parody Hall a few years laterand last year when he played a solo show at Knuckleheads, Mike gave him copies. Crenshaw was genuinely moved by the images and appreciative of the set Mike gave him. Mike also had one that he’d taken with Crenshaw when he did an in-store at Capers Corner that had been so poorly attended that Mike had tocall his high school classmates and tell them to come in and act like fans.

11:14

8. Marshall Crenshaw – “Cynical Girl”
from: Marshall Crenshaw / Warner Brothers / April 28,1982
[Born in Detroit, November 11, 1953, singer, songwriter andguitarist best known for his song “Someday, Someway.” Crenshaw’s music has roots in classic soul music, British Invasion song craft, Burt Bacharach and Buddy Holly — the latter to whom Crenshaw was often compared inthe early days of his career, and whom he portrayed in the 1987 film La Bamba. Crenshaw is also a noted guitarist who uses off beat chord progressions (almost verging towards jazz) and concise solos.]

11:17

Capers Corner was the best job any kid could have had during that period in this town. Mike would go hang out at his job on his off-days. Reliable access to concert tickets improved his high school dating average. Bars would let them in without ID, albeit you could drink at 18 then, so Mike was only cheating by two years. Mike got jobs for a couple of his best friends from high school and was hanging out with the older guys who worked at Capers. Being over in Wyandotte County, you met a different group of people than over in Shawnee Mission East, so it just had everything going for it. When Mike gets nostalgic for those years, it’s really less about high school than about working at this really great record store where he got to hang out with his friends, meet touring artists, had the best possible influences for budding tastes in any genre of music, and then all the intangibles.

Mike Webber shared a few stories about the Kansas Bureau of Investigation undercover agents trying to bust the head shop inside Capers. Mike also talked about his high school counselor wanting Kenny Rogers tickets.

We didn’t have time to hear Mike’s stories of partying with the Grateful Dead and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

11:19 – Underwriting

11:20 – “So Blue About You” – True Believers

Mike stopped working at Capers when he started college at KU and he wanted a job where he could work in Lawrence during the school year and in KC during the summers, so he started working at PennyLane. Mike worked for and with a lot of great characters: LeRoi, Saul Tucker, April Fletcher, and Mike Soden who now lives in Austin. Capers always held a unique place in Mike’s heart, but PennyLane was great and had so many different locations. It was never boring. Working in downtown Lawrence wasn’t much like working at the Broadway store. They had in-store appearances by bands like Camper VanBeethoven, but then Mike also learned that the first time David George ever played an in-store, it was our Broadway location.

While Mike was working at PennyLane on Broadway, He heard about this great band that was playing around the corner at the Lone Star. He had actually met one of the guys – Alejandro Escovedo – when he was in Rank & File but hell, he had barely been old enough to drive at that time. So by now, Mike was in college and after that poorly-attended show at the Lone Star, what seemed like all of the coolest people he knew from here, and the guys in True Believers, started this friendship that continues through to today. They’d come through town pretty regularly until about 1987 and Mike would get together with them every time. They had some incredibly memorable moments – not least being an occasion when they hung out with Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations – who happened to be staying at the same hotel. Like Marshall Crenshaw, True Believers seemed like a “can’t miss” act that somehow just couldn’t get over the hump at the time. Now, they’re playing together again in Austin and Mike is still in touch with them, so the last page on all this hasn’t been written yet.

11:27

9. True Believers – “So Blue About You”
from: Hard Road / Warner Bros /
[1980s Texas band led by Alejandro Escovedo & Jon DeeGraham.]

11:31

After PennyLane (and KU), Mike worked at Music Exchange for a year while not planning his next move. On a whim, Mike took the GMAT and did well enough that Tulane University in New Orleans offered him a full academic scholarship, so Mike moved to New Orleans and never again drew a paycheck from the music business, but remained an ardent music fan.

“Message to Michael” – Dionne Warwick – was co-written by Kansas City-born Burt Bacharach. Mike’s habit of championing all things Kansas City really was pronounced whenever he lived away from KC. At Tulane, Mike had a fellow student ask, “what in the hell is wrong with you?” that he was such a partisan of his hometown. Mike was born and mostly raised in KC and although he had left before and is now leaving again, Mike has never regretted having grown up here. Unfortunately, Kansas City happens to straddle two dysfunctional states, but the impression left by when and where Mike grew up is what caused his wife & he to move back to KC about 9 years ago to finish raising their kids. Oh yeah, the wife and kids …Tying back to that Dionne Warwick recording, the first line of that song is “spread your wings for New Orleans” and that’s really what Mike did.

11:33

10. Dionne Warwick – “Message to Michael”
from: The Dionne Warwick Collection: Her All-Time GreatestHits / Warner / 2005
[1966 “Top Ten” hit by Dionne Warwick, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The song’s lyrics, are addressed to a bluebird, by a woman, in Kentucky, whose sweetheart is vainly pursuing musical stardom in New Orleans. The woman asks the blue bird to take a message to Michael, asking him to return to her.]

11:36

Coincidentally, the two gender-specific versions of that song are “Message to Michael” and “Message to Martha” and New Orleans is where Mike would meet his wife, Marta, and where their first-born arrived. Their second child was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Both finished high school at Shawnee Mission East where Mike had graduated in 1982. New Orleans was transformative. Mike really went down there still a kid in very many ways, but he left with a wife and daughter. That city and the woman he married there, turned the boy into a man.

“Rosalie” – Alejandro Escovedo – Mike’s wife is Mexican and this song is one of Marta’s favorites, written by Austin, Texaslocal legend Alejandro Escovedo – previously discussed as a True Believer – whore mains a friend of theirs. Austin is the city where Mike most wanted to live but hadn’t until now.

Austin is also near where Marta was raised in San Antonio, so they’ll be near some of her family. They’ll be straight down I-35 and will still see a lot of their KC friends when they play in Austin – many during the MidCoast takeover at SXSW. That means a lot to Mike because particularly during this last 9-year stint in KC, they’ve made so many very dear friends, including a lot of KC’s music scene. Mike has been watching the KC music scene for over 30 years and it is his considered opinion that KC has not had a comparable level of local talent, like it currently possesses, since he’s been aware. Itis the one thing that he feels is so much better than when he was working in the record stores here. Mike is comforted by the knowledge that their couches and spare rooms will be a destination for many touring KC acts in years to come.

11:42

11. Alejandro Escovedo – “Rosalie”
from: A Man Under the influence / Bloodshot Records /April 21, 2001
[San Antonio, Texas native, singer/songwriter. Alejandro Escovedo enlisted the help of John Velghe and the Prodigal Sons for a few showsin Austin, Texas, during the SXSW Music Festival.]

11:39 – I’ll Take You There – Conversations with Mike Webber

We’ve been playing songs to help move the conversation along but while all of them are favorites, several songs that automatically feature in any list Mike makes have not been played, so perhaps we could wind up with three that usually go 1-2-3 in my all-time list of favorites (which bars Beatles songs as part of my own personal Fairness Doctrine).

All three of these songs have always had a hold on Mike, even before he was experienced to know what they really meant. A couple of notes from any of them and he is back in his dad’s car in the 60’s, hearing music on a single speaker in the dashboard and probably waiting for burgers and onion rings at Sydney’s on the Plaza. Mike loved these songs as a toddler but only when he got a little older and your heart gets broken, a parent dies, other loved ones die, you talk to a doctor about a tumor … those are the experiences that will cause you to get in a car, happen to catch one of these songs on the radio and just melt in a way that is crushing yet reminds you that you’re alive as well.

11:50

12. The Left Banke – “Walk Away Renee”
from: There’s Gonna Be a Storm – The Complete Recordings 1966-1969 / Island Def Jam / 1992
[Formed in NYC in 1965, disbanded in 1969, and reformed in 2011. The band often utilized “baroque” string arrangements, which led to their music beingvariously termed as “Bach-rock”, “baroque rock” or “baroque ‘n’ roll”. The band’s vocal harmonies borrowed from: The Beatles, The Zombies and British Invasion groups.]

13. The Walker Brothers – “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
from: Scott Walker & the Walker Brothers – 1965-1970 / Island Def Jam / Feb 17, 2009
[Originally released in US in 1966. The Walker Brothers were an American pop group of the 1960s and 1970s, comprising Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker), John Walker (born John Maus, but using the name Walker since his teens), and Gary Leeds (eventually known as Gary Walker). Formed in 1964, the three unrelated musicians adopted the ‘Walker Brothers’ name as a show business touch—”simply because we liked it.” They provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion in that they were a group from the United States that achieved much more success in the United Kingdom than in their home country, during the period when the popularity of British bands such as The Beatles dominated the US.]

14. The Faces – “Ooh La la”
from: Rushmore / Island Def Jam / September 20, 2011

Personal notes about Mike Webber’s life experiences were taken directly from Mike Webber’s show notes.

Sources for notes on tracks: artist’s websites and wikipedia.org

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

Show #473