WMM Playlist from July 29, 2020

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

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Una Walkenhorst & Greenline Grows KC
+ New & MidCoastal Releases

The production of “Kansas City Syzygy” was directed by Robert Castillo with J Ashley Miller mastering the raw audio files. JC Franco created the album design, utilizing a painting by KC native Madeline Gallucci.

BLM cover art by Chicago-based Nigerian American illustrator, Unimuke Agada / Courtesy French Exit Records

We continue to feature tracks from: Kansas City Syzygy, 19 songs created during the quarantine of 2020 with proceeds donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, & truly affordable home. And… from French Exit Records – Black Lives Matter Compilation of 22 acts from the area, with proceeds donated to One Struggle KC‘s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally. http://www.frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com

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

2. Joy Division – “Transmission”
from: Permanent / London / June 1995
[Originally released on Factory Records in November 1979 on 7″ and re-released as a 12″ single with a different sleeve in December 1980. Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979. Curtis suffered from personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He killed himself on the eve of the band’s first US/Canada tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division’s second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became their highest charting releases. The remaining members regrouped as New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Peter Hook & The Light tour and perform both Joy Division albums and their singles in lice concerts. On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Peter Hook & The Light played Middle of The Map Fest.]

3. Supreme Jubilees – “It’ll All Be Over”
from: It’ll All Be Over / Light in the Attic / Feb. 12, 2015 Reissue / Originally released in 1980
[If God had a disco, the DJ would be playing California gospel-soul group The Supreme Jubilees. “We won’t have to cry no more,” the tuxedo-clad group would sing, in high, angelic vocals over smooth grooves. “It’ll all be over.” Prepare to dance and contemplate death all at the same time. A band of brothers and cousins, the group was founded from two families: brothers Joe and Dave Kingsby plus Dave’s son David Kingsby Jr., and keyboardist Leonard Sanders plus his brothers Phillips (drummer), Tim (bassist), and Melvin (tenor). The Sanders clan grew up singing together in the Witness of Jesus Christ church in Fresno CA, where dad Marion was pastor. Guitarist Larry Price–who belonged to neither family–completed the line-up that recorded the group’s first–and, prophetically, only–album, It’ll All Be Over. Released in 1980 on the group’s own S&K (Sanders & Kingsby) label, It’ll All Be Over pinpoints a fatalistic mood exemplified by the title. Its lyrics drawn from the Old Testament, its sound from the church by way of the disco, and it’s a feel captured by the album cover–a low, orange sun setting over the Pacific ocean. It is, as Jessica Hundley observes in the brand new liner notes, “both apocalyptic and seductive.” Making the album was not easy. Sessions began in Trac Record Co, a country and western studio in Fresno, CA, where the engineer was so put out by the group’s requests for heavier bass in the mix, he stopped the session and kicked them out. They left with four songs–one side of the album–and the record was completed at Sierra Recording Studio in Visalia, CA. Leonard Sanders reported having a spiritual encounter in his sleep while in Visalia; the next day he recorded his part of the album’s title track in a single take. After the LP was pressed, the group took their music on tour, first in California, where they played with acts including the Gospel Keynotes, The Jackson Southernaires, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and then on an ill-fated trip to Texas. A follow-up album was planned for 1981, but it never materialized; having slept sometimes a dozen to a room in Texas, the men in the band were reluctant to leave jobs, wives, and kids for the hardship of the road. The group simply fizzled out, even if the friendships never did. A copy of the album sold to a fan on that Texan tour made its way to a San Antonio record store, where it was discovered nearly three decades later by collector David Haffner (Friends of Sound). He managed to track down the Kingsby-Sanders clan at a Fourth Of July barbecue in Fresno in 2004. And he eventually introduced the group to Light In The Attic Records, which now presents the album, restored, remastered, and available to the public for the first time.]

4. Shy Boys – “Trash”
from: Trash – Single / Polyvinyl Record Co. / August 3, 2018
[Follow up to last year’s single, Dim The Light / Brick By Brick, released February 15, 2019. Shy Boys released their 2nd album and Polyvinyl debut, Bell House on August 3, 2018. Shy Boys line-up consists of brothers Collin Rausch and Kyle Rausch, Konnor Ervin, Kyle Little and Ross Brown. Kyle Rausch and Konnor Ervin were already band mates in the indie-pop band The ACBs and Collin had been playing for years in the Kansas City area in various bands including The Abracadabras, and The I’ms with brother Kyle. The three shared a love for 1960s era pop rock and soon started writing their own music. In 2014 they released the self-titled Shy Boys on High Dive Records. The album received generally positive reviews and the single “Bully Fight” (originally released by The I’ms) was featured on Spin.com. In June 2014, the band recorded and released two more singles and one of them, “Life Is Peachy,” was featured on Stereogum. On April 4th, 2018, it was announced that the band had signed to Polyvinyl Record Company.]

5. Trevor Turla – “Busted” [Featuring: Reginald Chapman]
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Trevor Turla is now lives in Kansas City. Trevor defines himself as a musician. He started playing his first instrument, the bagpipes, at the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped the pursuit of music since. He received his Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies for trombone from the UMKC Conservatory of Music. Trevor now creates music full time by playing, recording, and holding clinics around the United States. Trevor plays and sings in numerous bands, including Jake Wells, Grand Marquis, Miki P, Fritz Hutchison, and LA Jones. He is the founder, lead singer and trombonist for the band Sulu Moon. More info at http://www.trevorturla.com // COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, but one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. “Syzygy” is a term most commonly used in astronomy and is defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Album designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.” The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]

6. Lianne La Havas – “Paper Thin”
from: Lianne La Havas / Warner Records UK / July 17, 2020
[Third studio album from Lianne La Hava born Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 23, 1989). Lianne La Havas is a British singer and songwriter. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for whom she sang backing vocals. In 2010, La Havas signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting, before releasing any music. La Havas’ debut studio album, Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012), was released to positive reviews from critics and earned her a nomination for the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll and awards for the iTunes Album of The Year 2012. La Havas was born and raised in London, England, to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She was raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending the majority of her time with her grandparents after her parents separated. La Havas began singing at seven, and cites her parents’ diverse musical tastes as having the biggest influence on her music. Her father, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11, but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. Lianne sang in her school choir. She attended Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Thornton Heath where she studied art A-level, and had planned to take an art foundation course before she decided to leave college to pursue a career in music full-time. Her birth name is Lianne Barnes, and her stage name is an adaptation of her Greek father Henry Vlahavas’ surname. She lives in London.]

Blackstarkids

7. BLACKSTARKIDS – “Urf Day”
from: Black Lives Matter Compilation / French Exit Records / July 6, 2020
[Blackstarkids released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroon Records on Februart 28, 2020. BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019. Blackstarkids,recently caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and now they’re signed to The 1975’s management company, Dirty Hit Records and they were just featured in Clash Magazine,][French Exit Records launched two years ago as an independent music label in KCMO, founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond,. The BLM Comp is on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: https://frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-lives-matter-compilation. BLM Compilation is 22 acts from the area, with all proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.]

10:29 – Underwriting

8. Durand Jones & The Indications – “Never Heard ‘Em Say”
from: Never Hear ‘Em Say – Single / Dead Oceans / July 24, 2020
[Durand Jones & The Indications released their debut self titled album on May 16, 2018. The band released their second album, American Love Call, on March 7, 2019. Bayou-born soul sensation, Durand Jones got his start in the church, after being forced to sing in the choir of his rural hometown Hillaryville, Louisiana because his Grandmother thought he sang too much at home. When his music career took him to Bloomington, Indiana, he was selected to join the legendary Indiana University Soul Revue, and it was through his involvement that he met writer/producer duo Aaron Frazer and Blake Rhein. The three began writing original soul music, recording themselves straight to tape in the basements of Bloomington – and their debut album is now available on Colemine Records. The Indications conjure the dynamism of Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, AND the Impressions. This young band of twenty-somethings are students of soul, including guitarist Blake Rhein, who moonlights doing research for The Numero Group.]

9. Patti Smith Group – “Ask The Angels”
[Dedicated to Tim Miller & Alistair McCartney on their Anniversary]
from: Radio Ethiopia / Arista / October, 1976
[“Ask the Angels” was written by Patti Smith and Ivan Král, and released as a third single from Patti Smith Group 1976 album Radio Ethiopia, the band’s second album. Radio Ethiopia was the follow-up record to Smith’s widely acclaimed debut Horses. In interviews surrounding the album’s release, Smith explained that she chose producer Jack Douglas in hopes of making the album a commercial success. The album was negatively received when it was released and Smith was attacked by critics for what they perceived to be laziness, self-indulgence and selling out. The title track of the album is one of Smith’s most notorious songs, almost legendary for appearing to be “10 minutes of noise”. Critics often described live renditions of the song as negative moments of Smith’s concerts. Patti herself spoke highly of the track and of how the lyrics refer to Arthur Rimbaud’s dying wishes. Arguments both for and against the song have been advanced by critics, fans and music listeners over whether the song truly is an example of the Patti Smith Group’s boundary-pushing or merely self-indulgence. Critics in negative reviews cited that Douglas’ production placed more emphasis on creating a heavy sound through numerous guitar parts which smothered Smith’s vocals and, at times, lamented that all of the album’s songs were originals of the group (Smith co-wrote much of the album with bassist Ivan Kral, the band member keenest for commercial success). “Ain’t It Strange” and “Distant Fingers”, the latter co-written with Smith’s long-time boyfriend Allen Lanier, had both been staples of the Group’s concerts long before the recording of Horses. The album’s cover photograph is by Judy Linn, the back of the album features a photo by Lynn Goldsmith. The album was dedicated to Arthur Rimbaud and Constantin Brâncuși. The back cover of the album bears the legend: “Free Wayne Kramer”, who at the time was incarcerated in Kentucky following his conviction for dealing cocaine. “Pissing in a River” was released as a single the same year. It was also featured in the 1980 movie Times Square. // Patricia Lee Smith was born December 30, 1946 at Grant Hospital of Chicago in Chicago to Beverly Smith, a jazz singer turned waitress, and Grant Smith, who worked as a machinist at a Honeywell plant. The family was of part Irish ancestry and Patti was the eldest of four children, with siblings Linda, Kimberly, and Todd. At the age of 4, Smith’s family moved from Chicago to Germantown, Philadelphia, before heading to Pitman, New Jersey and later to The Woodbury Gardens section of Deptford Township, New Jersey. At this early age Smith was exposed to her first records, including Shrimp Boats by Harry Belafonte, Patience and Prudence’s The Money Tree, and Another Side of Bob Dylan, which her mother gave to her. Smith graduated from Deptford Township High School in 1964 and went to work in a factory. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on April 26, 1967, and chose to place her for adoption. She is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses. By 1974, Patti Smith was performing rock music, initially with guitarist, bassist and rock archivist Lenny Kaye, and later with a full band comprising Kaye, Ivan Kral on guitar and bass, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and Richard Sohl on piano. Kral was a refugee from Czechoslovakia who had moved to the United States in 1966 with his parents, who were diplomats. After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, he decided not to return. Financed by Sam Wagstaff, the band recorded a first single, “Hey Joe / Piss Factory”, in 1974. The A-side was a version of the rock standard with the addition of a spoken word piece about fugitive heiress Patty Hearst (“Patty Hearst, you’re standing there in front of the Symbionese Liberation Army flag with your legs spread, I was wondering were you gettin’ it every night from a black revolutionary man and his women …”). A court later heard that Hearst had been confined against her will, and had been repeatedly threatened with execution and raped. The B-side describes the helpless anger Smith had felt while working on a factory assembly line and the salvation she discovered in the form of a shoplifted book, the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s Illuminations. In a 1996 interview which discusses artistic influences during her younger years, Smith said, “I had devoted so much of my girlish daydreams to Rimbaud. Rimbaud was like my boyfriend.” The Patti Smith Group was signed by Clive Davis of Arista Records, and in 1975 recorded their first album, Horses, produced by John Cale amid some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, and Smith’s opening words: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine” (an excerpt from “Oath”, one of her early poems). The austere cover photograph by Mapplethorpe has become one of rock’s classic images. As the popularity of punk rock grew, Patti Smith Group toured the United States and Europe. The rawer sound of the group’s second album, Radio Ethiopia, reflected this. Considerably less accessible than Horses, Radio Ethiopia initially received poor reviews. However, several of its songs have stood the test of time, and Smith still performs them regularly in concert. She has said that Radio Ethiopia was influenced by the band MC5. On January 23, 1977, while touring in support of Radio Ethiopia, Smith accidentally danced off a high stage in Tampa, Florida, and fell 15 feet into a concrete orchestra pit, breaking several neck vertebrae.The injury required a period of rest and an intensive round of physical therapy, during which time she was able to reassess, re-energize and reorganize her life. Patti Smith Group produced two further albums before the end of the 1970s. Easter (1978) was her most commercially successful record, containing the single “Because the Night” co-written with Bruce Springsteen. Wave (1979) was less successful, although the songs “Frederick” and “Dancing Barefoot” both received commercial airplay. Called the “punk poet laureate”, Smith fused rock and poetry in her work. Her most widely known song is “Because the Night”, which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978 and number five in the U.K. In 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On November 17, 2010, Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids. The book fulfilled a promise she had made to her former long-time roommate and partner, Robert Mapplethorpe. She placed 47th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Artists published in December 2010 and was also a recipient of the 2011 Polar Music Prize.]

10. Like A Tiger – “Firmament”
from: Music For Plants & Animals / Like A Tiger / May 15, 2020
[All songs written by Like A Tiger. Pete Marten on guitar & loops, Nik Douglas. on drums, John O’Keefe on bass. Recording Engineer: Ross Brown. Mastered by Mike Nolte.Like A Tiger released their debut Home Movies on January 18, 2019, with Pete Marten on guitar & loops, KR Azad on drums, John O’Keefe on bass. Recording Engineer: Ross Brown. Mastered by Mike Nolte. Like A Tiger began playing together in early 2018 and draws on influences of rock, jazz, and electronic music. The band presents a refreshing take on instrumental rock, using live looping and exploring effects, textures, and timbres.]

10:44 – Artists for Greenline Grows KC

11. Making Movies – “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”
from: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”-Single/ 3/2 Recordings/ Mar. 20, 2020
[New Single from KC based 4-piece band and made up of : Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and KC Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

[Radkey plays Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, at 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]

12. The Greeting Committee – “What If Tomorrow Never Comes?”
from: I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry – EP / Harvest Records / October 17, 2019
[Formed in Kansas City in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, and Pierce Turcotte. This new EP is a follow up to their October 26, 2018 full length vinyl release “This Is It.” The band has previously released the EP “Meeting People is Easy” in 2017, and “It’s Not All That Bad” in 2015.]

[The Greeting Committee play Greenline Grows KC-Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Fri, Aug. 28, 7:00 PM, streams LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies w/ Las Hermanas Altoro.]

13. Khrystal. – “You Again”
from: You Again – Single / Khrystal. / February 21, 2020
[Manor Records has announced a new single from newly signed KCK musical artist Khrystal. Her new single “Magic” will be available on August 8, 2020 and will be released on limited edition cassette singles. On September 1m 2017 Khrystal. Released The Glow Up EP, Produced & Written by Khrystal Coppage and Duncan Burnett. This was follow up to Khrystal’s Debut EP, Quarter Century Living. Executive Produced By Duncan Burnett. Written By Khrystal Coppage & Duncan Burnett. Kansas City based Khrystal Coppage served as Editor-in-Chief of Khorage Magazine. She served as Production Manager at UMKC University News from 2015 to 2016. She graduated from UMKC in 2016 where she studied Family Studies. She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2013. She is a graduate of Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, in KCK. Khrystal. Will be our guest on WMM on August 5!!!

[Khrystal. plays Greenline Grows KC-Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Fri, Aug. 28, 7:00 PM, streams LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies w/ Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]

14. Remy Styrk – “A Green World”
from: Of My Own Design / Remy Sryrk / May 2, 2020
[21-year old musician and film composer Remy Styrk joined us on WMM on May 27, 2020. On the radio Mark talked about when he first heard of Remy Styrk when he was 13 years old and was part of a songwriting workshop / contest with Money Wolf Music (Kansas City record label) and Christian Hankel. Remy Styrk’s musical songs and compositions speak to his life, his birth, his adoption, a national tragedy that moved his family to the Kansas City area, and the loss of his mother. Remy Styrk talked with us about being born in Newark, New Jersey. His birth mother was a homeless heroin addict. He spent three weeks in the hospital as a new born baby fighting to stay alive. Remy was adopted by Tom and Deborah Styrkowicz in a semi-closed adoption. With his adopted family Remy lived outside New York City in Newark. When Remy was a toddler 9/11 happened and the Styrkowicz family moved away from the New York City area and Remy’s adopted father Tom got a job at Hallmark in Kansas City, Missouri. Tragedy struck again, after Remy’s family moved to the area and settled in Leawood, Kansas, Remy’s adopted mom Deborah suffered a sudden brain aneurysm and died. Tom Styrkowicz was forced to leave his job at Hallmark to take care of Remy and his older brother, and comfort them in this difficult time for their family. Tom Styrkowicz began to go back to one of his earlier passions of photography and found work as a photographer. Remy told Brock Wilbur at The Pitch Kansas City that Tom’s endeavors “set the tone for his kids. Push through everything. Never give up. Dedicate yourself to what you love and work towards it each and every day.” When Remy was six, he shared with his parents his desire to play music. His family supported him entirely. Remy talked about “being spoiled” by parents that gave him the equipment and instruments he needed to make his original music. Remy talked with us about his discovery of folk music and the ability to tell stories with music. Remy talked about music allowed him to express his feelings and write about his mother Deborah, and how much of his music deals with her and the loss of her in his life. Remy told Brock Wilbur of The Pitch Kansas City, “I grew up black in a predominately white school system,” Styrk says. “I felt like an outcast but it didn’t make me want to give up on who I was. It pushed me to work harder on being who I want to be. I won’t change for anyone.” Remy Styrk has played in a variety of genres of music learning about Kansas City Blues, playing in indie and rock groups, and composing for film. “Of My Own Design” is Remy Stork’s 9-minute interactive album structured like an “Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Remy wants to create pieces of music that all fit together to tell a story both musically and visually. He is asking listeners, to imagine and create the visual story. Scene descriptions can be between 2 sentences and 2 paragraphs. All will be posted on his website: http://www.remystyrk.com/interactive.

Remy Styrk Discography
“Of My Own Design” 9-Minute Interactive Album – May 2, 2020
CHIOU – Opening & Closing Tracks from documentary film – March 15, 2020
Particle Evolutions GTRS – 40 ONE SHOT custom royalty free sound samples – March 24, 2020
Pads and Drones – 40 ONE-SHOTS custom royalty free sound samples – January 3, 2020
“Over It” – Single – April 17, 2020
“Winter/Summer” – Single – February 27, 2019
“In Too Deep” – Single – June 13, 2018
Sunday – 5-song EP – January 25, 2018
“Feel So Old” – Single – November 10, 2017
“October” – Single – October 17, 2017
“17” – Single – September 1, 2017
Telling Stories Through The Basement Door – 11- song Album – August 12, 2015
(All music is available at http://www.remystyrk.bandcamp.com)

11:00 – Station ID

15. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[2nd single from the Woman of The Year EP. 26 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Recorded at Shadow Scape Records. All songs written & sung by Una Walkenhorst, who also played acoustic guitar. Production/piano/album photography/environmental sounds by Corey Martin. Engineering, mixing, and electric guitar by, Sean Lea, Mixing by Bob Walkenhorst. Mastering by Greg Beery at Merx Mastering. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging, “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to KC from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]

11:04 – Interview with Una Walkenhorst

Una Walkenhorst shares details about, Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro. We will also talk with Una about her 2020 EP release Woman of The Year.

Una Walkenhorst thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

GREENLINE GROWS KC: A LIVESTREAM BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE GREENLINE INITIATIVE on FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH, 7:00 PM CST – STREAMING ON FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE

Info link: bit.ly/greenlinegrowskc
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/803423657131263/
Greenline website: https://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com/

On August 28th – a date of significance throughout Black history

On August 28th, local artists and leaders will partner with 90.9 The Bridge, Midwest Music Foundation, Records with Merritt, Manor Records, Folk Alliance International, KKFI 90.1 FM, Butler C&D & Center Cut Records to help bring you a live-stream event, benefitting The Greenline Initiative.

The Greenline Initiative is a Black family-owned organization in Kansas City that uses crowdsourced funding to help historically marginalized and low income populations in our city buy and renovate the houses they rent. Operating out of Kansas City’s 3rd District, the initiative works to build permanent community and generational wealth in formerly redlined neighborhoods

The evening will be centered around Black stories & voices, and will highlight Black excellence throughout Kansas City. It will also include non-Black performers and local leaders who will speak on privilege, solidarity, and the importance of consistently lifting up our black community members.

Performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Cuee, Danny Cox + Bob Walkenhorst, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies + Las Hermanas Altoro

Appearances by: Ajia Morris + Chris Morris of The Greenline Initiative
Deanna Munoz of Latino Foundation for the Arts/Midwest Chicana
11:12

16. Radkey – “Ain’t No Sunshine”
from: “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Single / Radkey / April 7, 2020
[Written by Bill Withers. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]

[Radkey plays Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, at 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro, and more!]

Una Walkenhorst on the July 29, 2020 edition pf Wednesday MidDay on KKFI 90.1 FM

11:14 – Interview with Una Walkenhorst

Una Walkenhorst is with us sharing details about, Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro. We will also talk with Una about her 2020 EP release Woman of The Year.

Una Walkenhorst thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

The evening will be centered around Black stories & voices, highlighting Black excellence in KC, and will also include non-Black performers & leaders who will speak on privilege, solidarity, and the importance of our black community members. The Greenline Initiative is a Black family-owned organization that uses crowdsourcing to help historically marginalized and low income populations buy and renovate the houses they rent. Based in KC’s 3rd District, the initiative builds permanent community and generational wealth in formerly redlined neighborhoods. More info at: http://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com

Performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Cuee, Danny Cox + Bob Walkenhorst, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies + Las Hermanas Altoro

Appearances by: Ajia Morris + Chris Morris of The Greenline Initiative
Deanna Munoz of Latino Foundation for the Arts/Midwest Chicana

Following the release of her debut album “Scars” in 2014, Una Walkenhorst loaded up her 97 Honda Civic and spent a year traveling across North America playing bars and open mics, and booking her own gigs. Una Walkenhorst has lived in New Orleans, and Brooklyn, New York. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. In the last 2 and a half years, 26 year old, Una has played played The Folly Theatre for 90.1 FM KKFI’s 30th Anniversary, Boulevardia, Crossroads Music Fest, Middle of The Map Fest, opened for Soccer Mommy, The Wild Reeds, Bela Fleck; played NPR’s “Best of Kansas City” concert for her 2018 Tiny Desk Contest, and produced benefits for The Innocence Project, and MOCSA. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In 2018 Una released the album “For Tomorrow” with her father Bob Walkenhorst, taking turns as songwriters with 5 from Una, interwoven with 5 from Bob, written individually, and recorded together, in shared DNA harmonies, that heard in family bands like The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Shy Boys. Una toured Norway promoting her critically acclaimed album with Bob & Una Walkenhorst “For Tomorrow.” More info at: http://www.unawalkenhorst.bandcamp.com

Una Walkenhorst, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Greenline Grows KC – Benefit for The Greenline Initiative, Friday, August 28, 7:00 PM, streaming LIVE on Facebook & YouTube with performances by: Radkey, The Greeting Committee, Khrystal., Danny Cox & Bob Walkenhorst, Cuee, Enrique Javier Chi of Making Movies with Las Hermanas Altoro.

Info link: bit.ly/greenlinegrowskc
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/803423657131263/
Greenline website: https://www.thegreenlineinitiative.com/

Una Walkenhorst: she/her // http://www.unawalkenhorst.com // http://www.patreon.com/unawalkenhorst

11:24

17. Una Walkenhorst – “The Woman Who Owned Herself”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[3rd single from the Woman of The Year EP. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Recorded at Shadow Scape Records. All songs written & sung by Una Walkenhorst, who also played acoustic guitar. Production/piano/album photography/environmental sounds by Corey Martin. Engineering, mixing, and electric guitar by, Sean Lea, Mixing by Bob Walkenhorst. Mastering by Greg Beery at Merx Mastering. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging, “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to KC from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]

11:29 – Underwriting

18. Krystle Warren – “Circles” [dedicated to Necia Gamby on her Birthday]
from: Circles / Because Music / March 13, 2009
[Originally from KC, Krystle learned to play the guitar by listening to Rubber Soul & Revolver from The Beatles. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career in collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After living in San Francisco and NYC, Krystle was signed to a French label, Because Music, and moved to Paris to release “Circles” in 2009. Krystle played French and British television programs, including Later with Jools Holland, garnering critical acclaim and traveling all over the world with Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Norah Jones, and Joan As Police Woman. Krystle created, Parlour Door Music, to release “Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace” a recording from a 13-day session in Brooklyn, where she recorded 24 songs live with 28 musicians including her band, The Faculty, alongside choirs, horn and string sections. Krystle followed up Love Songs with her 2017 album Three The Hard Way, Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane (D’Angelo, Emily King, PJ Morton). Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. Last year in Krystle Warren premiered this song and her other new songs from this album at the Middle of the Map Fest in a packed room at Californos in Westport and later at The Polsky Theatre for the Performing Arts Series of Johnsons County Community College. For this record Krystle decided to play every instrument and vocals & back up vocals, “playing bass, drums, lap steel, piano, guitar, and vocals directly to analog tape. She and Ben Kane recorded in Villetaneuse, France, a small town on the outskirts of Paris in a vintage 70s era studio that offered just the right, rich sound to suggest the musical foundation for the record, and to do justice to the duo’s carefully balanced arrangements.” On the radio show last year Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones.]

19. Joan As Policewoman – “Out Of Time”
from: Cover Two / PIAS / May 1, 2020
[“Out of Time” is a song by Blur and was released as the lead single from their seventh album Think Tank in 2003 (see 2003 in British music). The song is a bass-driven track with minimal drums and acoustic guitar accompanied by eastern and orchestral flourishes. The faint gargling noises in the intro is part of a scene from Doctor Who. It reached number five in the UK Singles Chart. “Out of Time” was Blur’s first release in three years and also the band’s first release without guitarist Graham Coxon. Covers Two is a studio album of cover versions by American musician Joan As Police Woman. It was released on May 1, 2020 under PIAS Recordings. The album is the second cover version, with her release of “Cover” in 2009 being the first. Joan As Police Woman, is Joan Wasser, born July 26, 1970), she is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, and Those Bastard Souls. Since 2004 she has released her solo material as Joan As Police Woman. She has released five regular studio albums, one EP, a number of singles and a collection of covers. Throughout her career, she has regularly collaborated with other artists as a writer, performer and arranger. Joan’s last akbum, Damed Devotion, released Feb. 9, 2018, was part of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018.]

20. Skullcrusher – “Places/Plans”
from: Skullcrusher / Secretly Canadian / July 24, 2020
[Skullcrusher is the stage name of American musician Helen Ballentine. Ballentine was born and raised in upstate New York. Ballentine attended the Hackley School, graduating in 2013. Ballantine moved to Los Angeles to attend college, graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in graphic design in 2017. Having played piano for most of her life, Ballentine decided to quit her job working at a gallery to pursue music full time. Upon the release of the single, Ballentine announced her debut self-titled EP, to be released on June 26. In 2019, Ballentine wrote her first song, Places/Plans, which was later released on April 21, 2020. Ballentine’s second song from the EP was released on May 27, 2020. Mark Beaumont in The Guardian described Skullcrusher’s sound as “Gorgeously gauzy alt-folk paeans haunted by the pale ghosts of pianos and acoustic guitars that drowned many years ago in a Laurel Canyon lagoon”, commenting that the band’s name suggests something altogether more violent.]

21. Pip Millett – “June”
from: Lost In June – EP / FOURS / April 10, 2020
[Manchester, England based musical artist. Calmness is the key to Pip’s music; a blissful fusion of R&B and soul that’s always full of feeling. Pip is determined to make music she insists will always be “chilled but emotional.” Whatever comes next, a generation caught in its feelings might just have a new soundtrack.]

22. Nico – “These Days”
from: Chelsea Girl / Verve / October 1967
[“These Days” is a song written by Jackson Browne and recorded by numerous artists. Browne wrote the song at age 16; its lyrics deal with loss and regret. It was first recorded by Nico in 1967 for her album Chelsea Girl and in 1970 by Tom Rush. Gregg Allman recorded a new arrangement of the song in 1973 on Laid Back, and Browne recorded the Allman arrangement on For Everyman the same year. “These Days” has also been recorded by Paul Westerberg, St. Vincent, Fountains of Wayne, Mates of State, David Allan Coe, Glen Campbell, and Drake. Chelsea Girl is the debut solo album and second studio album by Nico. It was released in October 1967 by Verve Records and was recorded following Nico’s collaboration with the Velvet Underground on their 1967 debut. It was produced by Tom Wilson, who added string and flute arrangements against the wishes of Nico. The title is a reference to Andy Warhol’s 1966 film Chelsea Girls, in which Nico starred. Much of the album features instrumental work and songwriting credits from Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, and John Cale. The song “I’ll Keep It with Mine” was written by Bob Dylan, while three songs are by Jackson Browne, who contributes guitar. After collaborating as a singer with the Velvet Underground on their debut The Velvet Underground & Nico (recorded during 1966, released in March 1967), Warhol superstar Nico toured with the band in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable (EPI) multimedia roadshow. Before the EPI came to an end in 1967, Nico took up residence in a New York City coffeehouse as a solo folk chanteuse; accompanied in turn by guitarists, such as Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne, and also her Velvet Underground bandmates Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison and John Cale. Christa Päffgen was born October 16, 1938 and died July 18, 1988, known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, musician, model, and actress. She had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls (1966). At the insistence of Warhol, she sang on three songs of the Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). At the same time, she started a solo career and released Chelsea Girl. Nico’s friend Jim Morrison suggested that she start writing her own material. She then composed songs on a harmonium, not traditionally a rock instrument; John Cale became her musical arranger and produced The Marble Index, Desertshore, The End… and other subsequent albums. In the 1980s, she toured extensively in Europe, United States, Australia and Japan. After a concert in Berlin in June 1988, she went on holiday in Ibiza to rest and died as the result of a cycling accident.]

23. Kemet Coleman – “The Virus” (Radio Edit)
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Kemet Coleman is Kemet the Phantom, a Kansas City based musicians who calls himself a rap Artist, actor, and Urbanist. Hemet is a member of the Hip-Hop duo COA (Center of Attention) and is the lead singer of the 8-member Funk/Rap/Soul band The Phantastics. Kemet is also a core element of The Marcus Lewis Big Band for Brass & Boujee. Kemet the Phantom is a two time Pitch Music Award nominee for “Best Hip-Hop Act.” Kemet the Phantom is a Kansas City enthusiast and urbanist often known for his unprecedented collaborations with KC entities and organizations such as UMKC, KC Streetcar and The Kansas City Royals. He is also highly regarded for his impresario role within the Sly James for Mayor Campaign in the 2010-2011 where he created the first ever KC mayoral candidate rap song. A University of Missouri – Kansas City alumnus, Kemet, created “Gold and Blue” for UMKC’s sports teams, which has garnered thousands of plays on YouTube and has been featured on prime-time television commercials for the university. More information at: http://www.kemetthephantom.com // COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, but one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. “Syzygy” is a term most commonly used in astronomy and is defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Album designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.” The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]

24. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
from: Permanent / London / June 1995
[“Love Will Tear Us Apart” is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis’ marriage problems and frame of mind before his suicide in May 1980.. Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979. Curtis suffered from personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He killed himself on the eve of the band’s first US/Canada tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division’s second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became their highest charting releases. The remaining members regrouped as New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Peter Hook & The Light tour and perform both Joy Division albums and their singles in lice concerts. On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Peter Hook & The Light played Middle of The Map Fest.]

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

11:58 – Community Voices

Next week on Wednesday, August 5, singer songwriter actress activist Khrystal. joins us to talk about her new single, “Magic” to be released August 7, 2020 through Manor Records.

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

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

Black Lives Matter

Show #848

WMM Playlist from July 22, 2020

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

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Kansas City Syzygy + New & MidCoastal Releases

BLM cover art by Chicago-based Nigerian American illustrator, Unimuke Agada / Courtesy French Exit Records

Today’s show features tracks from French Exit Records – Black Lives Matter Compilation, of 22 acts from the area, with proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.

And from: Kansas City Syzygy, a compilation of 19 songs created during the quarantine of 2020 with proceeds donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, & truly affordable home.

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

2. Palace Intrigue – “Recurring feat. Wennely Q”
from: Black Lives Matter Compilation / French Exit Records / July 6, 2020
[3-piece Kansas City based band, who write: “we believe in love, no race, no religion, no color, no hate…no genre. We make music for everyone.” Over the past two years the band has created and recorded 40 songs that are all posted on their SoundCloud page: https://soundcloud.com/user-870661143 . . French Exit Records launched two years ago and is an independent music label based out of Kansas City, Missouri founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond, and has organized live events. The Black Lives Matter Compilation is available on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: https://frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-lives-matter-compilation. Black Lives Matter Comp is 22 acts from the area, with proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.]

3. Julianna Barwick – “Healing Is A Miracle”
from: Healing Is A Miracle / Ninja Tune / July 10, 2020
[From her BandCamp page: “Healing Is A Miracle” is a record built on improvisation and a close affinity to a couple of trusted items of gear, from which she spins engrossing, expansive universes. Additionally, Barwick draws on the input of three collaborators with whom she has nurtured deep friendships with over the years: Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Nosaj Thing and Mary Lattimore; who each gently nudge out at the edges of her organically-evolved sound. // Recorded in the wake of a seismic shift in her life following a move from New York—where she had lived for 16 years—to L.A. where she is now based, the title of the record came to her after thinking about how the human body heals itself, of the miraculous processes we pay little attention to: “You cut your hand, it looks pretty bad, and two weeks later it looks like it never happened… That’s kind of amazing, you know?” It’s a sentiment that feels particularly apt for the moment. From there, she conceived of the record’s simple statement title, ran it past a couple of friends, and it was settled. Like with the record itself, and all of her work, it’s about following her gut, and seeing where it takes her. // “Healing Is A Miracle” began life in spring of last year, when Barwick sat down with her vocal looping set-up and began sketching out some ideas for new solo material. “It had been so long since I had done that,” she recalls, “making something for myself, just for the love of it… it was emotional, because I was recording music that was just from the heart, that wasn’t for an ‘assignment’ or project… it brought me to tears a little”. // Part of the joy also came from a small but significant switch up to her recording process: the addition of some studio monitors—a birthday gift from Jónsi and Alex (Somers)—having previously recorded all of her music on headphones. “The first song I remember making with those was the first song on the album, Inspirit.” she explains, “When I added the bass I really felt it in my body, you know, in a way you just wouldn’t with headphones… it was kind of euphoric and fun. I got really excited about making the record in that moment, and I think that really had an impact on the sounds I ended up making.” // Excitement too came from the chance to work with three dream collaborators. Her connection to Jónsi began via producer Alex Somers, when Barwick flew to Reykjavík to record some sessions with him for her 2013 record “Nepenthe”, a trip which would begin a long-standing affinity with Iceland and the people she connected with there. “I think he has the best voice in the world,” she says, “and hearing my voice with Jonsi’s is one of the joys of my life.” Nosaj Thing—the highly respected electronic producer and stalwart of the LA scene who has worked with the likes of Kendric Lamar—had gotten in touch to express his affection for her 2011 album “The Magic Place”, and they’d since been trying to find a way to work together. Barwick and Lattimore had struck up a friendship over many years performing live together, and had moved to LA around the same time. Finding herself in the same city as all three for the first time, it felt natural to include them in her process, and added to the feeling of newness, support and friendship she had while producing the record. // Beyond her records, Barwick’s impressive live shows have gained incredible praise over the years from the likes of The Guardian—who described her performance as “exquisite in its eloquence, reflection and compassion” —The New York Times, NPR, and more. She has also supported and performed with Bon Iver, Grouper, Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Perfume Genius, Mas Ysa, and Nat Baldwin. // Barwick has additionally been involved in some head-turning collaborations over the years. In 2015 she took part in The Flaming Lips’s Carnegie Hall show, performing music from their reimagining of “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, alongside Phillip Glass, Debbie Harry, Laurie Anderson and Patti Smith. That same year she was invited to play two shows with Yoko Ono, one at MoMA (“my favorite thing ever”) and one in Central Park. In 2012 she released a collaborative album with Helado Negro as OMBRE, and has also released a collaborative single with Rafael Anton Isarri, on the super-limited Thesis label, and most recently, the “Command Synthesis” EP, on RVNG Intl. sub-label Commend There, which employed AI to build five tracks that responded to the airborne environment outside a hotel room. In 2019 she teamed up with Doug Aitken on his nomadic art project, and created stunning performances in the Massachusett wilderness. // The album’s artwork was shot in Iceland by Joel Kazuo Knoernschild and is taken from a series of aerial films shot by drone above the country’s breathtaking coastline, which also make up the video for ‘Inspirit’.]

4. The Black Creatures – “wretched (it goes)”
from: “wretched (it goes)” / Center Cut Records / July 17, 2020 [remastered]
[“wretched (it goes)” was originally released on The Black Creatures 2019 album Wild Echoes. Recently released as a single in collaboration with Center Cut Records who remixed a few of the songs, and added some new vocals, and remastered the album. Although it is basically the same record, the sound quality is improved. Center Cut Records plan to release the full remastered album on August 28. The Black Creatures are Jade Green & Xavier Martin who will be our guests on the August 26 edition of WMM. “Wild Echoes” was #2 in WMM’s 119 Favorite Releases of 2019 (Albums & EPs). Since the release of ”Wild Echoes” the band has released seven entirely new songs, nearly one per month, all posted to their bandcamp page. The Black Creatures fuse dark-pop hip-hop, soul, jazz, and electronic music with elements from science fiction to tell inter-dimensional stories of love, community, life, culture, history. Xavier & Jade have made an impression in the KC music community with their live shows in clubs, galleries, record stores, and area music festivals. The Black Creatures released their debut single “Mouth 2 Mouth” June 5, 2016. They released the album, See No Evil, December 6, 2017. The duo released the singles, “Elements” February 14, 2018; “Silver Tears” June 19. 2018; “Dare” a Gorillaz cover August 8, 2019. They released the album “Wild Echoes” September 30, 2019. The Black Creatures released the singles “Turn” October 30, 2019; “Quartz (Twilight)” November 13, 2019; “SHINE” December 11, 2019; Ghost Bustin’ Dead Prezidentz” January 8, 2020; “To Whom It May Concern” January 22, 2020; “Arcade Love” February 5, 2020; and “Run Up” February 19, 2020.]

5. Betse & Clarke – “Farewell Trion”
from: Winter / Betse & Clarke / June 4, 2020
[A collection of songs and tunes, including original compositions, traditional songs and fiddle tunes, and modern songs re-envisioned. This recording was compiled during winter 2020, with a feeling of introspection. Songs under copyright were properly licensed for this digital release. Regular folks, exceptional music: This duo from the heartland (Kansas City, Missouri) has its roots in Ozark old time music, honoring traditional songs and tunes that resonate with human experience. New compositions add compelling elements to their musical tapestry. Follow up to the duo’s 2017 release, Tunes We Like released only in analog on cassette. Betse & Clarke are a traditional and future folk duo with Betse Ellis on fiddles, violins, viola & vocals and Clarke Wyatt on banjos, guitar, cello, multi-instruments. Betse & Clarke have played and toured around the world. Individually their musical roots go deep in the KC music scene. Clarke Wyatt is a founding member of Mr. Marco’s V7, and Betse Ellis is a founding member of The Wilders. Last year Betse & Clarke released ”River Still Rise,” originals and reworked traditional compositions presented “to be enjoyed as a musical adventure, much like the river exploration of the famous duo Lewis & Clark, an inspiration for the band’s name.” http://www.betseandclarke.com]

6. Funkadelic – “Can You Get To That”
from: Maggot Brain / Westbound Records / July 12, 1972
[Maggot Brain is the third studio album by the American funk band Funkadelic, released by Westbound Records in July 1971. It was produced by band leader George Clinton and recorded at United Sound Systems in Detroit during late 1970 and early 1971. It was the final album recorded by the original Funkadelic lineup; after its release, original members Tawl Ross, Billy Nelson, and Tiki Fulwood left the band for various reasons. The album charted in the R&B Top 20. Today, it is perhaps best known for its 10-minute title track, performed by guitarist Eddie Hazel. In 2003, Rolling Stone included Maggot Brain on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Pitchfork named it the 17th best album of the 1970s.Funkadelic was an American band formed in Detroit in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s. Relative to its sister act, Funkadelic pursued a heavier, psychedelic rock-oriented sound. They released acclaimed albums such as Maggot Brain (1971) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978). The group that would become Funkadelic was formed by George Clinton in 1964, as the unnamed backing section for his doo wop group The Parliaments[7] while on tour. The band originally consisted of musicians Frankie Boyce, Richard Boyce, and Langston Booth plus the five members of the Parliaments on vocals. Boyce, Boyce, and Booth enlisted in the Army in 1966, and Clinton recruited bassist Billy Bass Nelson and guitarist Eddie Hazel in 1967, then added guitarist Tawl Ross and drummer Tiki Fulwood. The name “Funkadelic” was coined by Nelson after the band relocated to Detroit. By 1968, because of a dispute with Revilot, the record company that owned “The Parliaments” name, the ensemble began playing under the name Funkadelic. // As Funkadelic, the group signed to Westbound in 1968. Around this time, the group’s music evolved from soul and doo wop into a harder guitar-driven mix of psychedelic rock, soul and funk, much influenced by the popular musical (and political) movements of the time. Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone were major inspirations.[9] This style later evolved into a tighter guitar and horns-based funk (circa 1971-75), which subsequently, during the height of Parliament-Funkadelic success (circa 1976-81), added elements of R&B and electronic music, with fewer psychedelic rock elements. The band made their first live television performance on Say Brother in October 7, 1969. They played a jam with songs “Into My Own Thing”, “What Is Soul?”, “(I Wanna) Testify”, “I Was Made to Love Her” (Stevie Wonder cover), “Friday Night, August 14th” and “Music for My Mother”. // The group’s self-titled debut album, Funkadelic, was released in 1970. The credits listed organist Mickey Atkins plus Clinton, Fulwood, Hazel, Nelson, and Ross. The recording also included the rest of the Parliaments singers (still uncredited due to contractual concerns), several uncredited session musicians then employed by Motown, as well as Ray Monette (of Rare Earth) and future P-Funk mainstay Bernie Worrell. // Bernie Worrell was officially credited starting with Funkadelic’s second album, 1970’s Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, thus beginning a long working relationship between Worrell and Clinton. The album Maggot Brain followed in 1971. The first three Funkadelic albums displayed strong psychedelic influences (not least in terms of production) and limited commercial potential, despite containing many songs that stayed in the band’s set list for several years and would influence many future funk, rock, and hip hop artists. // After the release of Maggot Brain, the Funkadelic lineup was expanded greatly. Tawl Ross was unavailable after experiencing either a bad LSD trip or a speed overdose, while Billy Bass Nelson and Eddie Hazel quit due to financial concerns. From this point, many more musicians and singers would be added during Funkadelic’s (and Parliament’s) history, including the recruitment of several members of James Brown’s backing band, The JB’s in 1972 – most notably Bootsy Collins and the Horny Horns. Bootsy and his brother Catfish Collins were recruited by Clinton to replace the departed Nelson and Hazel. Bootsy in particular became a major contributor to the P-Funk sound. In 1972, this new line-up released the politically charged double album America Eats Its Young. The lineup stabilized a bit with the album Cosmic Slop in 1973, featuring major contributions from recently added singer-guitarist Garry Shider. After first leaving the band, Eddie Hazel spent a year in jail after assaulting an airline stewardess and air marshal while under the influence of PCP, then he returned to make major contributions to the 1974 album Standing on the Verge of Getting It On. Hazel only contributed to P-Funk sporadically thereafter. // George Clinton revived Parliament in 1974 and signed that act to Casablanca Records. Parliament and Funkadelic featured mostly the same stable of personnel but operated concurrently under two names. At first, Parliament was designated as a more mainstream funk ensemble dominated by soulful vocals and horn arrangements, while Funkadelic was designated as a more experimental and freestyle guitar-based funk band. The ensemble usually toured under the combined name Parliament-Funkadelic or simply P-Funk (which also became the catch-all term for George Clinton’s rapidly growing stable of funk artists). // in 1975 Michael Hampton, a teen guitar prodigy, replaced Hazel as the premier lead guitarist in Parliament-Funkadelic, and was a major contributor to the next several Funkadelic albums. Funkadelic left Westbound in 1976 and moved to Warner Brothers. Their first album for Warner was Hardcore Jollies in 1976. Just before leaving Westbound, Clinton provided that label with a collection of recently recorded outtakes, which Westbound released as the album Tales of Kidd Funkadelic. That album did significantly better commercially than Hardcore Jollies and included “Undisco Kidd”, an R&B Top 30 single. In 1977, Westbound capitalized further by releasing the anthology The Best of the Early Years.// As Parliament began achieving significant mainstream success in the 1975-1978 period, Funkadelic recorded and released its most successful and influential album, One Nation Under a Groove in 1978, adding former Ohio Players keyboardist Walter “Junie” Morrison and reflecting a more melodic dance-based sound. The title track spent six weeks at #1 on the R&B charts, around the time that Parliament was enjoying the #1 R&B singles “Flash Light” and “Aqua Boogie”. Uncle Jam Wants You in 1979 continued Funkadelic’s new more electronic sound production. The album contains the fifteen-minute “(Not Just) Knee Deep” featuring former Spinners lead singer Philippé Wynne, an edited version of which topped the R&B charts. The final official Funkadelic album, The Electric Spanking of War Babies, was released in 1981. The release was originally a double-album project, but it was reduced to a single disc under pressure from Warner Brothers. Some of the deleted tracks would appear on future P-Funk releases, most notably the 1982 hit single “Atomic Dog” which appeared on the first George Clinton solo album. // Meanwhile, the album Connections & Disconnections (re-issued on CD as Who’s a Funkadelic) was released under the name Funkadelic in 1981. The album was recorded by former Funkadelic members and original Parliaments Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas, who had left P-Funk in 1977 after disagreements with George Clinton’s management practices. This LP, notable for its heavy use of Thomas “Pae-dog” McEvoy’s jazz horn, contains the track called “You’ll Like It Too”, which came a very popular breakbeat source for the Hip hop community in the 80s. Former band member, drummer Jerome Brailey, released the album Mutiny on the Mamaship, by his new band Mutiny. // In the early 1980s, with legal difficulties arising from the multiple names used by multiple groups, as well as a shakeup at Parliament’s record label, George Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as recording and touring entities. However, many of the musicians in later versions of the two groups remained employed by Clinton. Clinton continued to release new albums regularly, sometimes under his own name and sometimes under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars. In the mid-1980s, the last Funkadelic album By Way Of The Drum was recorded by Clinton with P-Funk personnel and many electronic devices. The album was rejected by its record label and did not see official release in America until it appeared as a reissue in 2007. It features a cover of “Sunshine Of Your Love” by Cream. The album did not receive any publicity, but still received favorable reviews. // Clinton continued his P-Funk collective in the 1990s and 2000s, with a revolving stable of musicians, some of whom remain from the classic lineups of Funkadelic and Parliament. The rock-oriented sound of Funkadelic has diminished, as Clinton has moved towards more of an R&B and hip hop sound. In 1997 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.]

7. LyMerrick – “Runaway”
from: Black Lives Matter Compilation / French Exit Records / July 6, 2020
[“Lay Me Down” was released February 8, 2019 and was part of WMM’s 39 Favorite Singles of 2019. In 2019 and 2018 LyMerrick released six singles and was a featured voice on two other single releases. LyMerrick also released a single in 2016. LyMerrick was born in North Carolina but grew up in KCMO since the age of 8. LyMerrick grew up listening to all types of music ranging from gospel, rap, r&b, to classic rock and metal. LyMerrick started singing in the church choir and continued singing in elementary, middle and high school choirs. After high school LyMerrick began to record remixes and eventually began to make originals which led me his collaborations with “nightSHIFT” the label that released his music.] [French Exit Records launched two years ago as an independent music label in KCMO, founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond,. The BLM Comp is on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: https://frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-lives-matter-compilation. BLM Compilation is 22 acts from the area, with all proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.]

8. Be/Non – “Over The Moon”
from: A Valley of No: The Alternative A Mountain of Yeses / Haymaker Records / Apr. 8, 2020
[Brodie Rush is a musician, songwriter, band leader, graphic artist, actor, father and survivor. He is the Director of Animation & Motion Graphics at Crush Media. He is also the creative genius behind Be/Non, a Kansas City band that has been making music for over 20 years and released their critically acclaimed 6th album, Mystic Sunrise / Sunset Magic, on Haymaker Records on February 29, 2016, followed by Freedom Palace in 2018 that had been stuck in the studio for 12 years due to disputes with the original record label and personnel changes in the band until Brodie rescued the tapes and remastered the album for Haymaker Records. Now Brodie is back with a new release containing alternate mixes, isolated tracks and demo versions of Be/Non’s A Mountain of Yeses, was originally released May 12, 2009, was made by: Brodie Rush on vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards; Ben Ruth on bass guitar; Ryan Shank on drums & percussion, and Jeremiah James on guitar, Moog & Vocals. Brodie writes: “This album is a journey into the sculpting process of creating “A Mountain of Yeses”. In contrast to the original release, this compilation contains alternate mixes, isolated tracks and demo versions. Be/Non presents a bizarro-like version of the AMOY album, showing an alternate universe what could have been if the creation of the album went on a divergent path. Behold the paradoxical serendipity of Be/Non’s unique take on constructing a space-themed story/album. A visual accompaniment to the album has been in production since 2008 and now has a 2021 release date.”]

10:29 – Underwriting

7. Lonnie Holley – “Like Hell Broke Away”
from: National Freedom / Jagjaguar / July 3, 2020
[4th release from Lonnie Bradley Holley, sometimes known as The Sand Man (born February 10, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama during the Jim Crow era), is an African-American artist, art educator, and musician. He is best known for his assemblages and immersive environments made of found materials. He was born the 7th of 27 children during the Jim Crow era and claims to have been traded for a bottle of whiskey when he was four. From the age of five, Holley worked various jobs: picking up trash at a drive-in movie theatre, washing dishes, and cooking. He lived in a whiskey house, on the state fairgrounds, and in several foster homes. His early life was chaotic and Holley was never afforded the pleasure of a real childhood. Born the 7th of 27 children, Holley claims to have been traded for a bottle of whiskey when he was four. Before beginning his career, he spent time digging graves and picking cotton. He claims to have been pronounced brain-dead after being hit by a car. He became a father at 15 and now has 15 children. Holley also worked as a short-order cook at Disney World. He also did time at a notorious juvenile facility, the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs. // Holley began his artistic life in 1979 by carving tombstones for his sister’s two children, who died in a house fire. He used blocks of a soft sandstone-like byproduct of metal casting which was discarded in piles by a foundry near his sister’s house. He believes that divine intervention led him to the material and inspired his artwork. Inspired to create, Holley made other carvings and assembled them in his yard along with various found objects. In 1981, he brought a few examples of his sandstone carvings to Birmingham Museum of Art director Richard Murray. The BMA displayed some of those pieces immediately and Murray introduced him to the organizers of the 1981 exhibition “More Than Land and Sky: Art from Appalachia” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Soon his work was being acquired by other institutions, such as the American Folk Art Museum in New York and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. His work has also been displayed at the White House. // Holley also became a popular guest at children’s art events, bringing blocks of the foundry stone for children to carve. He gets special pleasure from sharing his experience of learning to love oneself through creative activity. // By the mid-1980s his work had diversified to include paintings and recycled found-object sculptures. His yard and adjacent abandoned lots near his home became an immersive art environment that was celebrated by visitors from the art world, but threatened by scrap-metal scavengers and eventually, by the expansion of the Birmingham International Airport. In late 1996 Holley was notified that his hilltop property near the airport would be condemned.[3] He rejected the airport authority’s offer to buy the property at the market rate of $14,000, knowing that his site-specific installation had personal and artistic value he demanded $250,000. The dispute went to probate court and in 1997 a settlement was reached and the airport authority paid $165,700 to move Holley’s family and work to a larger property in Harpersville, Alabama. // Holley’s first major retrospective, Do We Think Too Much? I Don’t Think We Can Ever Stop: Lonnie Holley, A Twenty-Five Year Survey, was organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art and traveled in 2003 to the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, England. From May 2003 to May 2004, Holley created a “sprawling, sculptural environment” in the lower sculpture garden at the Birmingham Museum of Art as part of their “Perspectives” series of site-specific installations. The creation of the work was documented in the film “The Sandman’s Garden” by Arthur Crenshaw and in photographs by Alice Faye “Sister” Love. // Holley installed sculptural work for the exhibition Groundstory: Tales from the shade of the South, at Agnes Scott College of Decatur, Georgia, which ran at the Dalton Gallery from September 28 to November 17, 2012. That same year, he released his debut album Just Before Music, followed by Keeping a Record of It the following year. In September 2018, he released his third album MITH on Jagjaguwar.]

10. Various Blonde – “Dirty Martini”
from: 3s 1 / The Record Machine / January 10, 2020
[New 3-song release from Various Blonde. KC based experimental, rock, pop, & funk band originally formed in 2008 and currently served by founder Joshua Allen on guitar, synthesizers, & vocals; and Mark Lomas on drums. The band has been described by Mills Record Company as, “Having all the sex appeal of The Weeknd and all the grit of Rage Against the Machine–the combination makes for a performance that is explosive.”]

[Various Blonde play Lemonad(e) Park, 1628 Wyoming (NW corner of Wyoming & 17th St.), behind Voltaire, on Friday, August 7, at 7:00 PM Doors, w/ YUM and Redder Moon. – Voltaire and recordBar present a Summer Concert Series at the newly created outdoor space, LeMonad(e) Park. Only 100 tickets are available each night. VIP-Tickets allow for up to 6 guests with full table service, no waiting in bar. OPEN SEATING at eight foot tables, 4 person maximum. General Admission is Standing Room Only (you may bring your own chair). Tables & benches are distanced per KCMO Health Department regulations (actually, a little further). Food and beverage will be served by Voltaire utilizing their on-line ordering and packaged to-go by a Voltaire employee practicing Covid-19 safety procedures. If you are not at a VIP table you will pick up your order at the bar. Please distance 6 feet when queuing.]

11. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Manic Depression”
from: Are You Experienced? / Reprise / August 23, 1967 U.S. [May 12, 1967 U.K.]
[Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music. The album features Jimi Hendrix’s innovative approach to songwriting and electric guitar playing which soon established a new direction in psychedelic and hard rock music. // By mid-1966, Hendrix was struggling to earn a living playing the R&B circuit as a backing guitarist. After being referred to Chas Chandler, who was leaving the Animals and interested in managing and producing artists, Hendrix was signed to a management and production contract with Chandler and ex-Animals manager Michael Jeffery. Chandler brought Hendrix to London and began recruiting members for a band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, designed to showcase the guitarist’s talents. // In late October, after having been rejected by Decca Records, the Experience signed with Track, a new label formed by the Who’s managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. Are You Experienced and its preceding singles were recorded over a five-month period from late October 1966 through early April 1967. The album was completed in 16 recording sessions at three London locations, including De Lane Lea Studios, CBS Studios, and Olympic Studios. // Released in the UK on May 12, 1967, Are You Experienced spent 33 weeks on the charts, peaking at number two. The album was issued in the US on August 23 by Reprise Records, where it reached number five on the US Billboard Top LPs, remaining on the chart for 106 weeks, 27 of those in the Top 40. The album also spent 70 weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B LPs chart, where it peaked at number 10. The US version contained some of Hendrix’s best known songs, including the Experience’s first three singles, which, though omitted from the British edition of the LP, were top ten hits in the UK: “Purple Haze”, “Hey Joe”, and “The Wind Cries Mary”.]

12. The Guillotine Choir – “In The Daylight”
from: “In The Daylight” – Single / The Guillotine Choir / July 15, 2020
[Second single this year from The Guillotine Choir who released their debut, “What Tomorrow Brings” on April 29, 2020. We premiered that track on our April 29, 2020 edition of WMM. The Guillotine Choir is an electronic rock band and the musical side project of Kimmie Queen and Cody Wyoming of The Philistines, and Justin Muschinske of The Widows Ride. Invoking the imagery of a late night journey through a cold war Berlin, the synthesizers sizzle and crash and beat against the wall, as the music searches for signs of light and freedom across dark urban landscapes. Cody Wyoming is also a guitarist with The Pedaljets. Cody went to Park Hill High and lives in Kansas City, Missouri with Kimmie Queen who he has been in a relationship with for 15 years. Cody grew up in Enid, Oklahoma.]

13. Fritz Hutchison – “Stationary”
from: Wide Wild Acres / Center Cut Records / March 27, 2020
[Debut album of Fritz Hutchison. Wild Wild Acres was written & performed by Fritz Hutchison. Produced by Fritz Hutchison and Joel Nanos. Recorded and mixed in Kansas City by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studio. Mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago. Multi-instrumentalist Fritz Hutchison was born May 27, 1991. A life long resident of Kansas City. Since 2008 he’s been part of multiple bands playing drums with: She’s a Keeper, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, and Grand Marquis. As a guitarist he has played along side J Ashley Miller, Lauren Krum, Miki P and Calvin Arsenia. A decade of lending an ear and a hand to the likes of fellow shredders has left Fritz poised to launch his own solo career as a singer-songwriter.]

14. Hotel Leo – “Overflow”
from: Matters / ropedog records / May 29, 2020
[Hotel Leo is the musical project of Stephen Roper a Kansas City based engineer and musician. Prior to the release of the Matters album, Hotel Leo released the singles “Our Love” on April 24, 2020, and “Diamond” on April 20, 2020. The band released their debut 4-song self titled EP Hotel Leo on October 14, 2016 with songs written by Stephen Roper. Mastered by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound. Album photography by Scott Roper. Album art design by Taylor Dunn.]

15. Ben Gibbard – “Life in Quarantine”
from: Life in Quarantine – Single / Barsuk Records / March 27, 2020
[The Seattle-based Death Cab for Cutie front man unveiled the new song in a video as part of local alt-weekly The Stranger’s A Message to the City series, noting “I know this is a really f—ed up and scary time for everybody, including myself, and I know that we’re all trying to figure out what to do to make it better or alleviate the suffering of someone else.” Net proceeds from the digital release of the new home-studio recording will be donated to Seattle-area relief organizations, including homelessness-support services non-profit Aurora Commons, a welcoming space for unhoused Seattle residents to rest, prepare a meal, connect to resources, and collectively create a healthy and vibrant community. Benjamin Gibbard was born August 11, 1976. He is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with which he has recorded nine studio albums, and as one half of the electronica act the Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I’m Gone (2009), with Jay Farrar, known for his work with Son Volt and formerly Uncle Tupelo. // Gibbard was born to Allen and Margaret (Flach) Gibbard in Bremerton, Washington. His father was in the Navy and his family moved around the country, including spending time in Northern Virginia before returning back to Washington. Gibbard spent his early life there during the grunge music explosion of the early 1990s. He graduated from Olympic High School in Bremerton in 1994, and studied environmental chemistry at Western Washington University. He was raised Roman Catholic and referred to himself as an “indoctrinated Catholic even though I haven’t been to church of my own volition in 10 or 15 years now.” While performing guitar in the band Pinwheel in 1996, Gibbard recorded a demo cassette under the moniker Death Cab for Cutie, titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords (1997). After receiving a positive response to the material, Gibbard expanded the project into a full band, with the addition of guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer and drummer Nathan Good. The following year, the band released its debut album, Something About Airplanes (1998), on Barsuk Records, and released its follow-up, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, in 2000.]

11:00 – Station ID

16. Miki P – “Don’t Lose Your Hope”
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Mikala Petillo, who was born in Kansas City, KS, and performed ‘She Loves You’ at her 7th grade talent show. In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and released a full-length album, Irreplaceable, in 2017, played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018. That year, at 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, Dome of Swallows, released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019 The Swallowtails include: Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. The band’s members having classical music degrees, and jazz degrees. Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. “Syzygy” is a term most commonly used in astronomy and is defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Album designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.” The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months. The album can be purchased from Bandcamp. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]

11:03 – Interview with Robert Castillo

Musician & band leader Robert Castillo, joins us to share music and details about the KC Syzygy compilation of original tracks from over 25 KC based musicians who came together electronically to contribute musical recordings created during the shutdown of the world in the spring of 2020. The production was directed by Robert Castillo with J Ashley Miller mastering the raw audio files. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit. The album is available at http://www.kcsyzygy.bandcamp.com

The album is available at http://www.kcsyzygy.bandcamp.com

The production of “Kansas City Syzygy” was directed by Robert Castillo with J Ashley Miller mastering the raw audio files. JC Franco created the album design, utilizing a painting by KC native Madeline Gallucci.

“Kansas City Syzygy” a compilation of original tracks with over 25 KC based musicians who came together electronically to contribute. All of this music was created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020.

“Syzygy” is a term used in astronomy and defined as “connected or corresponding events.” Designer JC Franco states “like planets or stars aligning, so did our lives.”

The nineteen songs on the album span the entire spectrum of music. Calvin Arsenia’s “Painted Ladies” is a dreamscape sung form his voice and harp, while Seth Andrew Davis’ “No Place But Home” invokes scenes of an underground dance club. Some musicians are collaborating for the first time on this album, as demonstrated on “Abyss.” Local electronic musician Chris Crabtree and Robert Castillo, bandleader of the groove jazz ensemble The Sextet, worked together with vocalist Audrey Chopin to create an experimental piece of EDM-adjacent music. Songs like “The Virus” by KC hip-hop artist Kemet Coleman comments on the impact of the coronavirus, as well as the virus that is racial injustice in America that has received global attention during the past months.

The album can be purchased from Bandcamp. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.

Musicians Include: Miki P, Kemet Coleman, Trevor Turla, Calvin Arsenia, Johnny Hamil, Jeff Harshbarger, Larkin Sanders, Chris Crabtree, Audrey Chopin, Robert Castillo, J Ashley Miller, John Kizilermut, Nik Douglas, Mikal Shapiro, Kadesh Flow, Tim J Harte, We the People, Chico Sierra, Terri Quinn, Adee Dancy, Seth Andrew
Davis, Chad Brothers, Matt Richey, Rob Rice, and Coleen Dieker.

Though COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. Mastering by J Ashley Miller. Design by JC Franco. Direction by Robert Castillo

11:10

17. Rob Rice & the Devil’s Threesome – “Serial Lover”
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Lead singer songwriter Rob Rice told us that “’Serial Lover’ is based on a conversation he had with a dear friend around relationships, specifically monogamous vs. polyamorous, and opening our eyes to learn more about the others experience. This song is one of 6 that Rob is working to finish up this summer and release later this year under the album name ‘And The Devil’s Threesome’. This is a collection of six original songs Rob has composed and recorded that features a female and additional male accompaniment to showcase (hence the Devil’s Threesome…) Here is a sample of the first four tracks and the names of artists/musicians who have collaborated on this project 1. “Tiny Window” with Calvin Arsenia (Harp and Vocals) and Ezgi Karakus (Cello); 2. “There’s A Devil Inside Me” with Landon Hambright (Upright and Vocals) and Rachael Feeley (Vocals); 3. “Thinking of Another” with Teri Quinn (Clarinet and Vocals) and Stephen Roper (Drums, Electronics and Vocals); And 4. “Serial Lover” with Coleen Dieker (Violin and Vocals) and Robert Castillo (Upright Bass and Vocals). Rob Rice is finalizing the last two tracks and we are working to have rob on WMM when he is ready for the release. /// Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit. The album is available at http://www.kcsyzygy.bandcamp.com.]

13. GAV7D (Johnny Hamil & Jeff Harshbarger & Sylvain Rabbath) – “Eastwood Stayed Skinny Travolta Got Fat (Pt. II)”
from: Kansas City Syzygy / Kansas City Syzygy / July 17, 2020
[Johnny Hamil told us that this “was the last track he wrote and recorded while in Paris before the lockdown. Johnny has been going to Paris every year to study and to record. This year he was recording the GAV7D – Video game Solo Bass record with Sylvain Rabbath. This song is Johnny’s love of 1980s metal shred so he broke out some old school chops to compose the song….it is a solo bass record so why not? While recording the song Jeff Harshbarger called Johnny and said he wasn’t going to come to Paris as planned, due to the virus. Johnny told him everything was fine in Paris and he should come… something that Johnny now really regrets saying, however it was fine at the time. Johnny’s trip was wonderful as always and we were making this wonderful song. So Jeff did come and we were finishing the track so Johnny just put Jeff in the vocal booth to make sonic the hedgehog type sounds and sing the ending “Parisian scooter death ride” lyrics. Jeff sang five part harmonies in just a few tales! It was another example how amazing he is. Also the keyboards on this track are amazing as well. Sylvain Rabbath recently acquired a new analog keyboard, to add to his collection of hundreds of keyboards. This keyboard from the 1980s has a lot of a “Miami Vice” sound. In regard to the “Parisian scooter death ride” story, in order to get to and from the studio it is easier to ride on Sylvain’s scooter as taking his car takes too much time in a city like Paris. Since Sylvain was born and raised in Paris, he goes through cars, alleys, gutters, sidewalks, and it’s terrifying! Thus Johnny feels like you will never know the true Paris until you have had that experience. If you listen closely enough at the end fade out you will hear the shrieking vocals. Jeff Harshbarger had to stay with Johnny for a month due to mandatory quarantine for travelers. Johnny and Jeff did a few online shows during that time. They played a duet version of this tune. It was the first time Johnny was able to perform with another musician and it was such a blessing! Johnny felt this heavy weight be lifted off of himself. Both shows are still on Johnny’s Facebook pages and got shared quite a bit. As Johnny is finishing up the entire album this track stands out, so Johnny is glad it is the first song to formally get released. Johnny will be releasing the last two GAV7D albums this year as they are done. They both got delayed from the pandemic. The Exotica Freejazz Record is really just another amazing journey that includes musicians: Mark Southerland, Annie Elliot, Amado Espinoza, Chris Fugitt, Arny Young, Tina Billberry, Clarke Wyatt, Julia Othmer, and so many more. // /// Over 25 Kansas City-based musicians came together to create “Kansas City Syzygy,” a compilation of music created during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. The album can be purchased from Bandcamp beginning July 17, 2020. All proceeds will be donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home.]

19. Shay Estes & Trio All – “Under The Milky Way feat. Jeff Harshbarger”
From: Despite Your Destination / Independent / 2009
[Shay Estes and Trio ALL — ALL being an acronym for the last names of players Zack Albetta on drums, Mark Lowrey on piano, and Ben Leifer on bass. Lowrey told INK that they, “We’re trying to cross over into the realm of modern jazz by writing arrangements of songs that aren’t staples in jazz repertoire.” The album title comes from the lyrics of “Under the Milky Way,” originally by new wave band The Church. That track was the first arrangement Estes and Lowrey worked on together in 2004, and features guest vocals from Jeff Harshbarger.]

11:35 – Underwriting

20. Bijuu – “Body222”
from: WEEP NOT / Bijuu / April 17, 2020
[4-song EP from Kansas City based producer and vocalist who specializes in electronic maximalist pop music. Bijuu released the singles “Wet Blood” May 7, 2018, and “Mushygoo” April 20, 2018. There are a multitude of other tracks at Bijuu’s Soundcloud page.]

21. MARCOTTE – “History”
from: History / MARCOTTE / October 1, 2019
[For singer-songwriter duo Jordan and Sasha, soul is the term that most embodies the emotional transparency they commit to in the music they compose and perform together as MARCOTTE. The duo met in Kansas City, MO in 2013. They quickly discovered that collaboration came naturally and what they could do together surpassed any success they were able to achieve separately. Sasha and Jordan partnered together to create and perform original songs for their friends’ weddings –music that honestly and affectionately communicated the love story of the bride and groom. Soon finding their own love story in the midst, the pair has successfully translated that same honesty and affection to the art they create together. Though the stages and audience have grown in size and number as MARCOTTE continues to experience acclaim, the Pop-R&B duo has been able to keep the intimacy and clarity they’re known for while performing for live audiences.]

[Marcotte play ULAH Live Sessions Hosted by You Found Music on Thursday July 23, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at ULAH, 4707 Rainbow Blvd., Westwood, KS. Limited seating for 12. Doors at 7:00, show at 7:30. Social distancing measures will be in place. Masks will be required upon entry, and while moving about the store. Ticket information at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/ulaj-live-sessions-marcotte-tickets%5D

22. D’Angelo & The Vanguard – “1000 Deaths”
from: Black Messiah / RCA – Sony / December 15, 2014
[Black Messiah is the third studio album by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist D’Angelo, credited to D’Angelo and the Vanguard. It was released on December 15, 2014, by RCA Records, bringing an end to his 14-year hiatus that followed his 2000 album Voodoo. The album was produced and mostly written by D’Angelo, who collaborated with musicians such as percussionist Questlove, bassist Pino Palladino, guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, and horn player Roy Hargrove. He pursued a largely analog and murky funk sound for the record, lending it comparisons to the 1971 Sly & the Family Stone album There’s a Riot Goin’ On. Black Messiah was among 2014’s most highly anticipated albums and was released to widespread critical acclaim, later being ranked as one of the year’s best albums. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard charts and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling over 117,000 units in its first week. Black Messiah was promoted with the release of the single “Really Love” and a tour called The Second Coming. // D’Angelo’s subsequent solo work was extensively delayed.Production for a full-length follow-up to Voodoo was stagnant, as he was working on and off mostly by himself during 2002. D’Angelo attempted to play every instrument for the project, striving for complete creative control similar to that of Prince. Russell Elevado described the resulting material as “Parliament/Funkadelic meets the Beatles meets Prince, and the whole time there’s this Jimi Hendrix energy”. However, those who previewed its songs found it to be unfinished. In the years that followed, D’Angelo’s personal problems worsened, descending to drug and alcohol addiction. In January 2005 he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine. Various mugshots began circulating around the time, showing the singer looking overweight and unhealthy, in stark contrast to the muscular D’Angelo seen in promotion for Voodoo. In September 2005, a week after being sentenced on the drug charges, he was involved in a car accident, and was rumoured to be critically injured. However, a week after the crash a statement was issued by D’Angelo’s attorney stating that he was fine continuing to say “He is anxious to finish the recording of his soul masterpiece that the world has patiently awaited. // No more was revealed on the new album until 2007, when Questlove, D’Angelo’s drummer and producer, leaked an unfinished track on Triple J Radio in Australia. Entitled “Really Love”, the track was an acoustic flavored jam with a laid back swing feel. The leak apparently soured relations between the two. In 2009, D’Angelo’s then-new manager Lindsay Guion, revealed plans for a new album, including collaborations with artists including Prince, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, and John Mayer, and a summer tour, saying “He’s able to smile again and he’s ready to connect [with fans], he’s coming back. And he looks great, by the way.” As with the previous year, no tour or album materialized. In early February 2010, a new track called “1000 Deaths” appeared on the Internet, but was swiftly removed due to a copyright claim by Michael Archer, D’Angelo’s legal name. The song seemed unfinished, and it is unclear how recent the material actually is, as the same song was mentioned in the same interview (see above) with Russell Elevado, in 2007. Around the same time, an article began to circulate on the Internet, which seemed to be an apparent review of ‘James River’, with detailed descriptions of individual songs, track listing, and segments of lyrics. This caused much discussion regarding the authenticity of the article, or whether it was an elaborate hoax. // In January 2011, Russell Elevado updated the status of the album development on his website and stated that “Pino Palladino and James Gadson have joined D’Angelo […] in New York City to finish cutting tracks for the upcoming album (yes, “THE” upcoming album!). We are officially making our way to finishing this record! I don’t need to tell everyone that this will be an amazing album. D’Angelo fans will be extremely happy to know, the wait will be over soon and it will surely be a future classic” Russell Elevado updated the status of the album again on his own website. “Since my last post I have continued sessions with D’Angelo. We’ve just finished up 5 months of recording. D has been doing vocals and guitars and we’ve had Pino Palladino back in for some more bass tracks. Also ?uestlove came in to jam with D and Pino. They’ve finally reunited after 7 or 8 years (lost track how long really). We’re taking a few months break while I take care of some other projects that have been on the back burner.” // In December 2011 Questlove said the album was 97% done and that D’Angelo was “finishing his lyrics now.” He went on to compare the album to a “black version of Smile – at best, it will go down in the Smile/There’s a Riot Goin’ On/Miles Davis’ On the Corner category. That’s what I’m hoping for. There’s stuff on there I was amazed at, like new music patches I’ve never heard before. I’d ask him, “What kind of keyboard is that?” I thought it was some old vintage thing. But he builds his own patches. One song we worked on called “Charade” has this trombone patch that he re-EQ’d and then put through an envelope filter and then added a vibraphone noise on top and made a whole new patch out of it. He’s the only person I know that takes a Herbie Hancock approach, or Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff—the two musician/engineers who programmed all of Stevie Wonder’s genius-period stuff—approach. That’s the last time I ever heard of somebody building patches. We’ll see if history is kind to it.” In 2012, D’Angelo returned to performing live with his Occupy Music Tour and prepared his third studio album, whose recording had D’Angelo return to Electric Lady Studios. // Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D’Angelo (pronounced di-Angelo), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. D’Angelo is associated with the neo soul movement, along with artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and collaborator Angie Stone. // Born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a Pentecostal minister, D’Angelo taught himself piano as a child. At eighteen, he won the amateur talent competition at Harlem’s Apollo Theater three weeks in a row. After a brief affiliation with hip-hop group I.D.U., his first major success came in 1994 as the co-writer and co-producer of the song “U Will Know”. // His debut solo album, Brown Sugar (1995), received positive reviews and sold over two million copies. His next album, Voodoo (2000), debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, entered the R&B charts and won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal; likewise, Voodoo won Best R&B Album. D’Angelo was hailed as the next Marvin Gaye by GQ in 2014. // Following this period, D’Angelo became more than uncomfortable with his growing status as a sex symbol. This was followed by numerous personal struggles including alcoholism, and a fourteen-year long musical hiatus. D’Angelo released his third studio album, Black Messiah, in December 2014. The album was met with critical acclaim and fared well on music charts, peaking at number five on the US Billboard 200. D’Angelo also contributed to the soundtrack for the 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2, performing the song “Unshaken”.]

23. Daniel Gum – “Tired Saint”
from: Black Lives Matter Compilation / French Exit Records / July 6, 2020
[Daniel Gum is a 23 year old singer-songwriter from Kansas City. Since the age of 12, he has spent the majority of his time writing and recording songs by himself in his room. His most recent project, Moon, on the other hand was recorded by someone else in another room while Daniel was by himself in yet another room. The Moon EP was released December 7, 2019. It was engineered by Mike Crawford and Daniel Gum and mixed by Daniel Gum with piano and accordion by Cole Crawford. Daniel Gun released his EP i’m not dead October 25, 2017, and his 10-song album Reorient on July 31, 2015, with all songs written, recorded and mixed by Daniel Gum who also performed all vocals guitars, drums, piano, bass. harmonica, and programming.] [French Exit Records launched two years ago as an independent music label in KCMO, founded by Brad Girard. French Exit Records has released albums for No Magic and Raymond,. The BLM Comp is on French Exit Record’s Bandcamp page: https://frenchexitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-lives-matter-compilation. BLM Compilation is 22 acts from the area, with all proceeds donated to One Struggle KC’s Liberation Fund, a Black-led coalition of KC activists seeking to connect the struggles of oppressed communities, locally & globally.]

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

11:58 – Community Voices

Next week on Wednesday, July 29, singer songwriter activist Una Walkenhorst joins us to talk about her 2020 EP Woman Of The Year. We will also share more tracks from the new Kansas City Syzygy compilations, and even more from the French Exit Records compilation release Black Lives Matter.

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

Black Lives Matter

Show #847

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far (Part 1) + Oh Dear Oh My

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, June 17, 2020

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far
+ Oh Dear Oh My

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

Pedaljets

2. Pedaljets – “Disassociation Blues”
from: Twist The Lens / Electric Moth Records / February 14, 2020
[Twist The Lens was recorded in three main sessions, produced by the Pedaljets alongside their former lead guitarist Paul Malinowski (Shiner, Season To Risk). Though the Pedaljets core trio of Mike Allmayer, bassist Matt Kesler, and drummer Rob Morrow has remained a constant throughout their tenure as a band, they’ve worked with multiple lead guitarists throughout the years, with Twist The Lens being the first record to showcase their newest addition, Cody Wyoming. Bringing in Wyoming, and working alongside Malinowski, allowed the new songs to benefit from a fresh and outside perspective, while still keeping the album within the Pedaljets family. It also lent itself to a more utilitarian process where, as Allmayer describes, “We would constantly listen back and ask ourselves, ‘Are you hearing something this song needs?’ We were really focused on pushing ourselves to make the best music we can and being extra critical.” To round out the team, the band brought in veteran producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) to mix the record and reunited with Archer Prewitt (The Sea and Cake) whose artwork has adorned the last three Pedaljets album covers.]

Katy Guillen

3. Katy Guillen & The Drive – “No Control”
from: Dream Girl [EP] / Katy Guillen / March 20, 2020
[New 7 song EP from Katy Guillen & The Drive, the latest project dedicated to Guillen’s songwriting that is founded on the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen & Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar & vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls. In 2012, Guillen & Williams formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums: Katy Guillen & the Girls, Heavy Days, and Remember What You Knew Before. Between 2012 and 2018, they traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards. In these 6 years playing together, Guillen & Williams created a dynamic, sound informed by Guillen’s mesmerizing, emotive guitar style and poignant arrangements, and an equally captivating live show that showcased Williams’ technical, melodic style, resulting in a powerful on-stage chemistry. In addition to the compelling synergy formed by years of playing together, the two developed a method of working together on Guillen’s songs that only deepened their artistic connection, propelling them to forge a path to a new plateau in their music. KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of the artist’s rock ‘n’ roll and blues roots. Guillen calls their genre-bending style “indie soul-rock.”]

Ebony Tusks

4. Ebony Tusks – “HDF”
from: HDF – Single / High Dive Records / February 7, 2020
[Ebony Tusks is Daniel Smith on DJ & Production, Geese Giesecke on vocals & Production, and Marty Hillard on vocals & Production. A rattling subwoofer is a sonic aberration, a byproduct of high volume that often results in a speaker system’s long-term damage. It takes the listening experience from exclusively aural to physical, evoking a range of reactions from listeners. This experience is bonded inextricably with rap music for both its fans and dissenters, a familiar beacon for some and an unwelcome nuisance for others. Marty was a cashier at Burger King while in high school, spending every Saturday morning working the drive-thru window. One of his best friends pulled up to the menu and filled the speaker with sounds from his 1972 Volkswagen Beetle’s cassette adapter. Marty’s headset was filled with hot, white noise. He knew it was a rap song but it was mutated to scorched earth. It also happened to come through the main speaker right inside the drive-thru window. His manager was not at all pleased, rushing quickly to turn it off. Marty and his friend laughed it off at the time. EBONY TUSKS is a compilation of moments like these. Daniel, Geese, & Marty are 3 people from the Midwest who take pleasure in the mutations of sound available in the least expected places.]

Una Walkenhorst

5. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: Woman of The Year / Una Walkenhorst / April 16, 2020
[2nd single. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]

Radkey

6. Radkey – “Ain’t No Sunshine”
from: “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Single / Radkey / April 7, 2020
[Written by Bill Withers. Isaiah, Dee, and Solomon Radke of the critically acclaimed rock trio Radkey joined us live in our 90.1 FM studios on September 5, 2018. Radkey was formed in 2010 in St. Joseph, where the brothers were raised. The family moved to Kansas City. The band has released two full-length recordings — “Dark Black Makeup” in 2015 and “Delicious Rock Noise” in 2016 — plus multiple EPs and singles, and were part of a MasterCard advertising campaign on digital billboards in NYC along with a national television commercial that aired during the 2018 Grammy Awards that brought the band to the attention of Jack White who asked the band to tour with him. In 2018 the band went back on the road with The Damned throughout the United States. In December they went back into the studio to record with producer Bill Stevenson of the California punk rock group Descendents. In early 2019 they played shows in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In 2018 the band released “Basement,” “St. Elwood,” “Rock & Roll Homeschool,” as well as several other singles. On February 22, 2019, Radkey released “No Strange Cats…P.A.W.” a 7-song EP is essentially a collection of the band’s most recent singles. It comes after the January 11, 2019 release of No Strange cats…Spiders – EP a 6 song EP of several new songs mixed with several singles from late 2018.]

Ivory Blue

7. Ivory Blue – “Elite Dreamland”
from: “Elite Dreamland” – Single / Devin Robert Kesler / February 17, 2020
[KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, Ivory Blue is currently in the studio putting together a new full length 10-song album called “Compound Love” for release in 2020. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivøry Blue has played Crossroads Music festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library. Born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, and given up for adoption at the age of four, it was difficult to find trust in people after living with eight different foster families. Running away at 15, Ivøry moved from Indiana to Oklahoma and eventually ended up in Seattle. In 2011 Ivory moved to Kansas City, and has became a part of new family.]

Blackstarkids

8. BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun”
from: SURF / Bedroom Records / February 28, 2020
[Second album from, BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019. Blackstarkids,recently caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and now they’re signed to The 1975’s management company, Dirty Hit Records and they were just featured in Clash Magazine,]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. Fullbloods – “Soft and Virtual Touch”
from: Soft and Virtual Touch / High Dive Records / April 3, 2020
[3rd full-length album from, Fullbloods, a Kansas City based band with: Ross Brown; Jared Tomasino; David Seume; & Bill Pollock. Follow up to their February 26, 2016 release, Mild West. All songs written, performed, recorded, and mixed by Ross Brown (℗© 2019 Bargain Hunt Music / ASCAP) in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Artwork created by Nika Winn. Kyle Rausch played drums on 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9, sang on 9. Bill Pollock played drums on 3 and 5. David Seume played bass on 5. Jerad Tomasino played synth on 9 and 10, sang on 9. Jenni Kornfeld played cello on 4. Leslie Butsch played sax on 10. More information at: http://www.fullbloods.com.]

10. Saint Sé – “In/Out (feat. Allison Gliesman)”
from: In/Out (feat. Allison Gliesman) – Single / Benjiman Lucas Music / May 22, 2020
[Debut Single from Saint Sé. Written by: Lucas Carpenter & Allison Gliesman. Vocals by: Allison Gliesman. Music Produced by: Lucas Carpenter. Additional Production by: Zach Thomas. Mixed/Mastered by: Mark Francis Buergler. Visualizer created by Andy Thies.]

Miss Boating

11. Miss Boating – “Junk Food”
from: The Vhargon Sidestep / Miss Boating / January 1, 2020
[From the ashes of their former band The Sleazebeats, Charles Colborne and Bill Belzer faced a difficult 2019 when combined with the death of Charlie’s own beloved mother, their friend and bassist Evan Vhargon died. The band wrote that they “were lost when Evan passed.” Through the tough times Bill and Charlie kept playing and wrote that they “were blown away when Phil Dickey wanted to jam with us… the jamming turned into something more and we were going again. We couldn’t be more thankful and humbled.” Phil is part of the bands Dragon Inn 3, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Miss Boating is: Charlie Colborne on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Bill Belzer: drums, vocals; Phil Dickey on bass; Aaron Jones on trombone; Tim Gillespie on saxophone. Ross Brown served as engineering, did all of the mixing for The Vhargon Sidestep and Mike Nolte handled all of the mastering.]

Quiet Takes

12. Quiet Takes – “Wanted (The Dirty Windshield Version)”
from: “Wanted (Dirty Windshield Version)” – Single / Sarah Magill / May 1, 2020
[“Wanted” lives in the ellipses between acknowledging you want something you can’t have…and letting that desire go. The plan was to put this stripped-down version out in the fall after releasing its more produced twin on an EP this summer, but then everything changed. Beyond the pandemic’s catastrophic casualties, we are all grappling with lesser losses: plans, jobs, dreams, relationships, routines, shows, savings, physical touch. It seemed right to put this version out now. Sometimes we only realize what we want when it’s absent. That’s the gift in the grief, but it stings, doesn’t it? Music & Lyrics by Sarah Magill. Produced by David Bennett. Vocals & keyboards by Sarah Magill, guitars, & bass by David Bennett. Additional key by Ian Thompson. Engineered & mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Mastered by Zach Hanson Quiet Takes (formerly MYRY) is an on-going collaborative music project by Sarah Magill a writer and musician based in Kansas City, Missouri. She performs with a rotating cast of friends—although these stay-at-home days, she is playing solo. In Kansas City, she is known for hosting house shows and co-founding Rubix, a performance art collective. The first EP, MYRY’s AHEM. Was release in 2018.. Quiet Takes has new music coming in 2020.] [Sarah Magill was on WMM on May 13.]

Hermon Mehari

13. Hermon Mehari – “A Conversation With My Uncle”
from: A Change For The Dreamlike / Hermon Mehari / June 5, 2020
[Hermon writes: “I spent “le confinement” creating this album in a barn in the French countryside. Like many people during this period, I wasn’t able to think much about the future, only the present and the past. These songs are therefore personal journal entries, versions and visions of my wishes, fantasies and memories. Together they create a kind of modern mixtape of dreams, in every sense of the word, in which my trumpet, all alone in that barn, is a vulnerable presence, virtually and masterly supported by some of my closest musical collaborators around the world.” Follow up to his debut solo release Bleu, from 2017. Hermon Mehari grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, home of Lincoln University. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Missouri – Kansas City Music Conservatory. In 2015 he finished first, at the prestigious Carmine Carusa International Jazz Trumpet Competition at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Texas. Hermon was a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. In 2014 he released the CD “Our Journey” with Diverse, which was recorded in Paris featuring Logan Richardson on alto saxophone. Hermon was also the winner of the 2008 National Trumpet Competiton and placed second in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. He splits his time between touring and playing all over the world and creative projects in Kansas City. Hermon has collaborated with Cat Mahari on BAM! the Workshop, he is also a founding member of Diverse Jazz, Diverse Trio, and The Buhs. He has played with Peter Schlamb, Making Movies, John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons, Mikal Shapiro, Krystle Warren. Hermon was featured on the world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson’s 2013 release, “Check Cashing Day”. More information at: http://www.hermonmehari.com ]

14. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “I”
from: I – Single / Miki P / February 13, 2020
[Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com .]

Fritz Hutchison

15. Fritz Hutchison – “Stationary”
from: Wide Wild Acres / Center Cut Records / March 27, 2020
[Debut album of Fritz Hutchison. Wild Wild Acres was written & performed by Fritz Hutchison. Produced by Fritz Hutchison and Joel Nanos. Recorded and mixed in Kansas City by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studio. Mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago. Multi-instrumentalist Fritz Hutchison was born May 27, 1991. A life long resident of Kansas City. Since 2008 he’s been part of multiple bands playing drums with: She’s a Keeper, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, and Grand Marquis. As a guitarist he has played along side J Ashley Miller, Lauren Krum, Miki P and Calvin Arsenia. A decade of lending an ear and a hand to the likes of fellow shredders has left Fritz poised to launch his own solo career as a singer-songwriter.]

16. Lava Dreams – “Good Energy”
from: “Good Energy + Focus / Lava Dreams / June 13, 2020
[Written by Lava Dreams and produced by Duncan Burnett. Solo artist Lava Dreams aka Julia Hamilton writes songs influenced by pop, soul, RnB, jazz, trap, house, funk, reggae, rock, and world music. Hailing from Kansas City, MO, her guitar-based music is both dreamy & electric. Lava Dreams began writing lyrics and melodies as a young child. Growing up, she learned to play her first guitar chords from her father – who played around the house and in local bars. After playing guitar and singing in several Kansas City bands as a teenager, she set out to become a solo artist in 2018. Julia Hamilton is also a film maker who received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Film from Avila University. You can listen to Lava Dreams on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer, Google Play, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or at LavaDreamsMusic.com ]

11:00 – Station ID

17. Oh Dear Oh My – “Marching”
from: ELECTRONERVES / Oh Dear Oh My / May 6, 2020
[Third release from Kansas City based dance rock duo made up of Rani & Curt. This is their follow up to ASHDLA’ released July 11, 2018. They’ve been playing locally for 5 years. Their album Ashdla’ was named for the Navajo word for Five. The EP had 5 tracks. Curt is himself Navajo. Oh Dear Oh My tend to lean towards the dark & dancy.]

OH DEAR OH MY

11:03 – Interview with Rani & Curt of Oh Dear Oh My

Oh Dear Oh My released their third EP – ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020. The Kansas City based dance-rock-duo is made up of Rani and Curt. They’ve been playing locally for over five years. This new release is the follow-up to their 2018 release, ASHDLA’ named for the Navajo word for five. The EP had 5 tracks and band member Curt is himself Navajo. Fueled by anxiety and excess energy, dynamic duo Oh Dear Oh My rocks! Curt pounds spicy, far-out beats on his drums, while Rani keeps pace with sweet 80’s synthesizer sounds. The end result is a little dark, a little dancey, and a little funny.

From Oh Dear Oh My were have Rani, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Curt and Rani met in Lawrence. Both had played on previous bands. A friend thought they had a lot in common, so he invited them to meet up.

The band was originally called Cupcake, but when the duo discovered that a band in St. Joe had this name Curt suggested they become Oh Dear Oh My.

Curt grew up in the Navajo community in Arizona. He came to Lawrence, Kansas originally to go to Haskell University.

Rani works at a hospital in health care and research.

Curt and Rani have been playing in Kansas City for five years,

Oh Dear Oh My released their third EP – ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020.

More information at http://www.OhDearOhMy.Bandcamp.com

11:15

18. Oh Dear Oh My – “Soak Your Head”
from: ELECTRONERVES / Oh Dear Oh My / May 6, 2020
[Third release from Kansas City based dance rock duo made up of Rani & Curt. This is their follow up to ASHDLA’ released July 11, 2018. They’ve been playing locally for 5 years. Their album Ashdla’ was named for the Navajo word for Five. The EP had 5 tracks. Curt is himself Navajo. Oh Dear Oh My tend to lean towards the dark & dancy.]

19. Sterling Witt – “Hag-Ridden”
from: Something’s Awry / Grand River Records Records / April 10, 2020
[All songs written by Sterling Witt. Copyright 2020 Disheartened Music (ASCAP). Produced by Sterling Witt. Recorded by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios, Kansas City Missouri. Sterling Witt on vocals & guitar, Kitten A. Boggs on bass & vocals, Evan Verploegh on drums. http://www.SterlingWitt.com ]

Nan Turner on the June 3, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

20. Nan & the One Nite Stands – “Desert Nites”
from: “Desert Nites” – Single / Nan Turner / May 22, 2020
[Written by Nan Turner. Recorded by Mark “Dragon” Ospovat @ SpeakerSonic Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Additional recording and mixing and production by Chase Horseman @ Winky World Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Ian Dobyns. Nan Turner on Vocals and beats – Nan Turner; Mark Ospovat ongGuitar; percussion; Chase Horseman on Wurlitzer, bass, & synthesizers; Dawn Yoder and Tracy Flowers on back up vocals. Nan writes: “I learned about existentialism at a young age. My Dad was a Philosophy Professor. Waiting for Godot and Archibald MacLeish’s J.B. were in my Ballet Bag for years. My mother + stepfather are libertarian folk that went to church, shot guns, and sold Amway. I’m not saying this song is about any of that. But it’s also NOT NOT about that. I started recording this song in 2017 with my good friend and collaborator Mark Ospovat in Brooklyn, NY. We laid down the foundation tracks of beat, guitar and vocals. Then I let the song lie…..because I didn’t know how to finish it or where it fit in my oeuvre. I almost wrote ovaries. That too. (You do know that songs are like babies, right?) Cut to March 2020, Kansas City. Chase Horseman and I unearthed the tracks right before the quarantine. He sat down at the Wurlitzer and played some notes and suddenly the song made sense to me. Of course it needed Wurlitzer! Through Chase’s arrangements of keys and other instrumentation, and Dawn and Tracy’s backup vocals (shoutout to KC one nite stand dancers extraordinaire)…I knew the song was finally there and it was time to release it into the world.Thanks so much to both Mark Ospovat and Chase Horseman for helping me realize the song’s potential and also for adding your own inventive arrangements. It was a One Nite Stands Magical Collaboration from NYC to Kansas City. BOOM. Nan Turner is one half of the critically acclaimed band Schwervon! Nan has been called the “Lucy Ricardo of Indie Rock. This is aa follow up to Nan’s solo EP Champs and Losers, Version 2 released July 12, 2019 Recorded, Mixed, and Co-Produced at Winky World in Kansas City, by Chase Horseman. Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, New Windsor, NY. Ian Dobyns plays drums and Chase Horseman plays bass. More Info at: http://www.nanturner.bandcamp.com]

21. Oxford Remedy – “Again”
from: For Those Who Know, Tell Me What I’m Supposed To Do / Oxford Remedy / May 1, 2020
[Debut EP from Kansas City based band. Written and performed by: Kate Mckown on guitar, Grace Mckown on guitar, Sydney Aldridge on bass, and Brody Washam on drums. Mixed and mastered by Braxton Matlock. Cover art by Jesse Solomon.]

22. Brandon Phillips & The Condition – “Contrition”
from: “Contrition” – Single / Brandon Phillips & The Condition / June 16, 2020
[The first release of the band’s Summer Singles 2020 Series. Brandon Phillips , Adam Phillips , Brent Kastler , Mike Alexander , Julie Berndsen , Julia Haile , and Nathan Showalter. Recorded and Mastered at Element Recording and Mastering with Joel Nanos. Mixed by Brandon Phillips. Art by Jud Kite. Follow up to their April 13, 2019 Too Much Rock release, “Angel Say No” / “People Talk” 7” single release. The group is inspired by Elvis Costello and the “girl groups” of Motown Records. This is a project of Brandon Phillips (The Architects, The Gadjits, Other Americans) and features an ensemble cast along with other musicians from other bands.]

11:29 – Underwriting

Betse & Clarke

23. Betse & Clarke – “We Can Get Across”
from: Winter / Betse & Clarke / June 4, 2020
[A collection of songs and tunes, including original compositions, traditional songs and fiddle tunes, and modern songs re-envisioned. This recording was compiled during winter 2020, with a feeling of introspection. Songs under copyright were properly licensed for this digital release. Regular folks, exceptional music: This duo from the heartland (Kansas City, Missouri) has its roots in Ozark old time music, honoring traditional songs and tunes that resonate with human experience. New compositions add compelling elements to their musical tapestry. Follow up to the duo’s 2017 release, Tunes We Like released only in analog on cassette. Betse & Clarke are a traditional and future folk duo with Betse Ellis on fiddles, violins, viola & vocals and Clarke Wyatt on banjos, guitar, cello, multi-instruments. Betse & Clarke have played and toured around the world. Individually their musical roots go deep in the KC music scene. Clarke Wyatt is a founding member of Mr. Marco’s V7, and Betse Ellis is a founding member of The Wilders. Last year Betse & Clarke released ”River Still Rise,” originals and reworked traditional compositions presented “to be enjoyed as a musical adventure, much like the river exploration of the famous duo Lewis & Clark, an inspiration for the band’s name.” http://www.betseandclarke.com]

24. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “Bottle of Rye” [Betse Ellis on lead vocals]
from: Kansas City Songs Vol. 3 / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / June 10, 2020
[More songs certified to have been written, performed, and recorded in Kansas City.-Howard Iceberg. All words and music by Howard Iceberg. Recorded and mixed by Brendan Moreland at Temple Sounds Studio; except “Natalie,” recorded and mixed by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios. Players: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals (except as noted), guitar; Chad Brothers on lead vocal (By Your Side), harmony vocal, guitar; Betse Ellis on lead vocal (Bottle of Rye), fiddle, harmony vox ; Clarke Wyatt on banjo, guitar, keyboards; Andrew Mojo Morris on lead vocal (Promises To Keep), harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo; Julie Bates-Motel on fiddle, harmony vocals; Chris DeVictor on bass; Phil Wade on dobro; Brendan Moreland on electric guitar; Brett Hodges on lead vocal and guitar (Natalie); Roger Eilts on guitar and harmony vocal (Natalie); Leo Eilts – bass and harmony vocal (Natalie); Erin Corriveau on harmony vocals. Follow up to Howard’s 2017/2018 release Netherland’s his Jazz infused album recorded with Rich Hill, Bryan Hicks , Doug Auwarter and others. Legendary Kansas City Singer Songwriter – Howard Eisberg records and performs under the name Howard iceberg. Heis 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.”]

25. Howard Iceberg & The Titanics – “A Jukebox in a Bar”
from: Kansas City Songs Vol. 3 / Howard Iceberg & The Titanics / June 10, 2020
[More songs certified to have been written, performed, and recorded in Kansas City.-Howard Iceberg. All words and music by Howard Iceberg. Recorded and mixed by Brendan Moreland at Temple Sounds Studio; except “Natalie,” recorded and mixed by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios. Players: Howard Iceberg on lead vocals (except as noted), guitar; Chad Brothers on lead vocal (By Your Side), harmony vocal, guitar; Betse Ellis on lead vocal (Bottle of Rye), fiddle, harmony vox ; Clarke Wyatt on banjo, guitar, keyboards; Andrew Mojo Morris on lead vocal (Promises To Keep), harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo; Julie Bates-Motel on fiddle, harmony vocals; Chris DeVictor on bass; Phil Wade on dobro; Brendan Moreland on electric guitar; Brett Hodges on lead vocal and guitar (Natalie); Roger Eilts on guitar and harmony vocal (Natalie); Leo Eilts – bass and harmony vocal (Natalie); Erin Corriveau on harmony vocals.]

Sam Wells

26. Sam Wells – “Sugar”
from: “Sugar” – Single / Sam Wells / April 21, 2020
[Produced at the Lawrence Kansas Public Library recording studio. It was only a decade ago, Sam Wells sat in her bedroom learning the Corrine Bailey Ray classic “Put Your Records On”. This was all it took to ignite a lifetime love affair with music. Now based in Lawrence KS, the singer-songwriter brings her Folk-Americana sound to the greater Kansas City area. With her smooth and sultry voice and the warm tones of a baritone ukulele, she shares stories of love, loss and everything in between. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Sam Wells is now based in Lawrence, Kansas where she is bringing her music to the greater Kansas City area, in many venues, and now in live stream shows. Folk Americana singer and songwriter Sam Wells joins us to talk about her first two singles, “Lesson Learned” (her debut) and “Sugar” (her latest) that is “full of energy and funk.” These two tracks are leading up to the release of Sam’s first EP, “Not Too Broken,” be released in August, 2020. More info at: http://www.whoissamwells.com]

The Republic Tigers

27. The Republic Tigers – “Trust Fall”
from: Mind Over Matter / The Record Machine / June 5, 2020
[Hailing from Kansas City, MO, The Republic Tigers spike their lushly orchestrated indie rock with organic and synthetic elements. Founder Kenn Jankowski originally moved to Kansas City in 1999 and began playing guitar for The People, a band that later changed its name to The Golden Republic (Astralwerks Records). He also made fast friends with local musicians Ryan Pinkston and Adam McGill; and when The Golden Republic disbanded seven years later, he opted to launch his pop-based project with the other two multi-instrumentalists. Taking their name from Jankowski’s high school mascot, The Republic Tigers expanded their lineup with bassist Marc Pepperman and drummer Justin Tricomi. Electronic structures remained to play an important role in their music (via convenience/sensible creation-farming/forming), and the band issued a self-titled EP in late 2007 before putting the finishing touches on Keep Color, which arrived in 2008. Then there was a cool EP in 2011 titled “No Land’s Man” which featured the emo smash hit “The Infidel” and the extremely fun “Merrymake It With Me”. And then a second concept LP was concocted, “Mind Over Matter” – written from the year 2008 to the year 2011. Mixed and mastered in the year 2012. But then it was sadly shelved by the original labels. Which leads us to now, the year is 2020. Something new is going to happen. “Mind Over Matter” will be released on hometown indie label The Record Machine.]

28. The Freedom Affair – “Imagine”
from: “Imagine” – Single / Sunflower Soul Records / March 20, 2020
[Music & Lyrics by John Lennon. The Freedom Affair is a project of Chris Hazelton of Sunflower Soul Records and Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7. The Freedom Affair is: Misha Roberts on vocals, Seyko Groves on vocals, Paula Saunders on vocals, Cole Bales on guitar, Branden Moser on guitar, Chris Hazelton on bass, Dave Brick on drums, Pete Carroll on trumpet, and Brett Jackson on saxophone. Additional musicians include: Matt Bennett on violin, and Alyssa Bell in viola. Arranged, Produced, Recorded, & Mixed by Chris Hazelton. Mastered by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio. The Freedom Affair and their track “Rise Up” were selected to be part of Colemine Records 3xLP box set, “Soul Slabs Vol. 2” a Record Store Day Exclusive, released April 13, 2019. Colemine Records writes: “The Freedom Affair is a freight train of Kansas City soul! Dirty, funky drums, gritty horns, and the combined vocals of Misha Roberts, Seyko Groves, and Paula Saunders to put this band over the top. Politically charged soul music for the dancefloor!”]

29. The MGDs – “Tomorrow Comes Soon”
from: Midtown / The MGDs / March 26, 2020
[Midtown is the MGDs fourth full length release following, Somos Como Somos, from November 4, 2017. The band includes: Matt Davis on drums, percussion & vocals; Greg Bush on bass; Damon Parker on keyboards & vocals; Scott “Snoof” Middleton on guitar; Rudy Vasquez on saxophones; and Eric Martens on trumpet. This Kansas City based 6-piece band that mixes piano and brass with a dynamic rhythm section that adds a unique flavor to the iconic Kansas City music culture, blending of funk and blues with soulful stylings. In what started as a 3-piece between longtime friends Matt, Greg and Damon in 2008, the MGDs have evolved into a potent powerhouse, high-energy ensemble with regular monthly appearances at the Phoenix, and appearances at the Sunset Music Fest, the City Market Crawfish Fest, the 6th annual Phoenix Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Middle of The Map Fest, Boulevardia, The Plaza Art Fair, Kauffman Stadium before two Kansas City Royals games. In 2016 the band released, “Wake Up” their 2nd full length studio album.]

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

11:58 – Arts Calendar

Next week on Wednesday, June 24 we present (part two) of WMM’s Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far. We’ll hear from The Sluts, Misha Roberts, City Pets, Ingrid Ingram, Broken Hearts Syndrome, Hi-Lux, Adam Scott York, Ivy Roots, The Roseline, Amy Marcus, Jake Wells, They Call Me Sauce featuring Mae C, Monta At Odds, R.I. Peter, Belle And The Vertigo Waves, Koney, The Guillotine Choir, Jo Mackenzie, Soultru, jordana, DeMaur, Stacy Busch, Nick Siegel, and Kadesh Flow. Plus we will talk with musician, composer, activist Stacy Busch.

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 #842

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far

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, June 17, 2020

WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far
+ Oh Dear Oh My

Mark plays (Part 1) of WMM’s 50 Favorite MidCoastal Releases of 2020…So Far. This week we’ll spin tracks from: Una Walkenhorst, Blackstarkids, Fullbloods, Hermon Mehari, Pedaljets, Ebony Tusks, Ivory Blue, Radkey, Saint Sé, Sam Wells, The Republic Tigers, The Freedom Affair, Nan & the One Nite Stands, Oh Dear Oh My, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Fritz Hutchison, Quiet Takes, Miss Boating, Miki P & The Swallowtails, Brandon Phillips & The Condition, Betse & Clarke, Sterling Witt, Lava Dreams, MGDs, and Howard Iceberg & The Titanics.

OH DEAR OH MY

At 11:00 we will talk with members of the band, Oh Dear Oh My who released their third EP ELECTRONERVES on May 6, 2020. The Kansas City based dance-rock-duo is made up of Rani and Curt. They’ve been playing locally for over five years. This new release is the follow up to their 2018 release, ASHDLA’ named for the Navajo word for five. The EP had 5 tracks and band member Curt is himself Navajo. Fueled by anxiety and excess energy, dynamic duo Oh Dear Oh My rocks! Curt pounds spicy, far-out beats on his drums, while Rani keeps pace with sweet 80’s synthesizer sounds. The end result is a little dark, a little dancey, and a little funny.

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #842

WMM Playlist from April 15, 2020

Jesse Kates Sketch by Jamie Pratt
The Sexy Accident Photo by Forester Michael

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, April 15, 2020

New & MidCoastal Releases + Miki P
+ Jesse Kates of The Sexy Accident +
Jenna Rae of Lost Cowgirl Records

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

2. David Burchfield – “O Big City”
from: State To State / David Burchfield / June 5, 2020
[“O Big City” was released March 24, 2020. It is the first of 5 singles to be released from, State To State, followed by “Ain’t Gonna Be Easy” that was released on April 7. David Burchfield on acoustic guitars & vocals; Evan Coulumbe on guitars; Danica Cunningham on fiddle & vocals; Joshua James on keyboards, vocals, guitars, percussion & howls; Neil McCormick on bass; Michael John Mckee on drums; Austie Robison on trumpet; and Devon Teran on guitars & lap steel. Produced and engineered by all around nice guy Joshua James inside Willamette Mtn Studio and Farm in American Fork, Utah, USA with assistant engineering by Josh Snider. Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering in LA “I learned a lot from that time,” Burchfield says of his unplugged nights in the Rocky Mountain backcountry. “I developed a deep love of traditional country and folk music, and it also taught me about connecting with an audience in the simplest, most direct way—no lights, no PA, and with just a few feet between us. That’s still my favorite way to perform. It’s all about connection.” State to State, his newest release, finds Burchfield traveling across the American heartland in search of stability and inspiration. Brimming with coastlines, highways, rolling plains, old hometowns and new destinations, the record evokes a vivid picture of a songwriter’s wandering. Along the way, State to State also shines a light on the people, places and near-death experiences that have shaped Burchfield’s music and outlook on life. That brush with death is recounted on the pensive one-two hush of “Midnight on the Water” and “You’re OK, It’s Alright.” The former is a quick, solemn hit of traditional fiddle tune, while the latter is a poignant Burchfield original, inspired by a hair-raising crash, and the stark perspective that came in its wake—perspective that ultimately led him to rededicate his life to music. “I’d made two previous albums right out of college, and then more or less quit to move to Colorado and become an elementary-school teacher,” he says. “I was in my second year teaching when a truck hit me while driving my scooter home one night.” Rushed to the hospital, Burchfield awoke to find he’d escaped with only a broken nose and a concussion. Above all, he was left with a potent reminder of life’s brevity and a fresh sense of urgency. Once again, he picked up the guitar, and out poured “You’re OK, It’s Alright,” the first of the songs that now comprise State to State. His passion for making music was rekindled. Recorded in American Fork, Utah, with Burchfield’s road band and producer Joshua James, State to State is filled with layers of guitar, upright piano, shuffling percussion, stately fiddle and the detail-rich lyrics of a troubadour who’s seen his share of these United States. On the softly spun “Dishes in the Sink,” Burchfield struggles to settle into an unfamiliar home, pedal steel swooning in the background, while the slow-motion swagger of “Ain’t Gonna Be Easy” finds him reflecting on relationships with his hometown friends over some understated brass and the steady chug of an electric guitar. As this 11-track journey plays out, Burchfield meanders from tender acoustic moments to lushly amplified highlights like the soulful stomp of “Feelin’ Pretty Alright,” a track that would be right at home on The Band’s proto-Americana gem Music From Big Pink. State to State reads like an Americana travelogue stocked with songs borne of a restless spirit and adventurous heart. David Burchfield has never sounded more at home.]

[David Burchfield presents Jammy Jams Streaming Live on Facebook every Monday Night at 7:00 PM (CST) Live from David’s house in Denver. Drop a request and we’ll try our darndest to get to it that week, or if not, the next. Tips not necessary but very much appreciated as we try to survive these tour-less times. Venmo: @dburchfield ; Paypal: david.burchfield@gmail.com]

3. Lava Dreams – “The Heat”
from: Good Energy + Focus / Lava Dreams / April 11, 2020
[Written by Lava Dreams and produced by Duncan Burnett. Solo artist Lava Dreams aka Julia Hamilton writes songs influenced by pop, soul, RnB, jazz, trap, house, funk, reggae, rock, and world music. Hailing from Kansas City, MO, her guitar-based music is both dreamy & electric. Lava Dreams began writing lyrics and melodies as a young child. Growing up, she learned to play her first guitar chords from her father – who played around the house and in local bars. After playing guitar and singing in several Kansas City bands as a teenager, she set out to become a solo artist in 2018. Julia Hamilton is also a film maker who received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Film from Avila Unversity. You can listen to Lava Dreams on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer, Google Play, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or at LavaDreamsMusic.com ]

[Julia Hamilton aka Lava Dreams will be our guest on WMM on March 22, at 11:30]

4. Lyra Pramuk – “Tendril”
from: Fountain / Bedroom Community / March 20, 2020
[Lyra Pramuk’s debut explores a post-human, non-binary understanding of life. Lyra fuses classical training, pop sensibilities, performance practices and contemporary club culture in what may best be described as futurist folk music. The American opera-trained vocalist and electronic musician releases her album via Iceland’s Bedroom Community label. Created entirely from her own voice, although often shaped and structured by electronics, Fountain is an emotional, sensual, and devotional journey. The title is derived from her family name, Pramuk, which translates from Czech as ‘well spring’ or ‘fountain.’ Often wordless, these songs evoke a new wholeness sustained by the ritual force of drowning, immersion, cleansing, and bathing – also referred to in the album artwork by acclaimed visual artist Donna Huanca. Fountain plays with the perception of music, rhythms, speech, body, and the relation between technology and humanity, exploring a post-human, non-binary understanding of life and the fragile ecosystems it depends on. The work documents a healing that is still in process, and a full circle-moment that reunited Lyra with her sound engineer twin brother, Ben, for the final mix, which they completed in tandem. As a vocal activist and member of the queer community, Lyra moved to Berlin in 2013, following her degree at the Eastman School of Music in New York. Since then, she has also been awarded residencies at Elektronmusikstudion EMS Stockholm, Open Port Club Residency in Tokyo and Sapporo, and Future Music Lab of the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine. Her interests also encompass writing, poetry, and fashion, where she is sometimes called upon as a model. As a performance artist, she has collaborated extensively with Donna Huanca and at events such as Glasgow International and the Rochester Fringe Festival. Music composed and produced by Lyra Pramuk. Vocals recorded by Lyra Pramuk and Ben Pramuk in Berlin and at EMS Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm. Mixed by Ben Pramuk in Berlin. Mastered by Valgeir Sigurðsson and Francesco Fabris at Greenhouse Studios.]

6. Half Waif – “Clouds Rest”
from: The Caretaker / Anti / March 27, 2020
[2nd album from Half Waif aka Nandi Rose. Written and arranged by Nandi Rose. Produced by Nandi Rose and David Tolomei. Mixed by David Tolomei. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Nandi Rose on vocals, keyboards, & electronic percussion; Elena Moon Park on violin; Kyla Rose Smith on violin; Izaak Mills on flute and bass clarinet; Jay Wires on vintage synth programming; Spencer Zahn on electric and upright bass; Oli Hayhurst on bowed bass on “Generation”; Adan Carlo on guitar; Zack Levine on live drum samples and additional electronic percussion; Mauro Refosco on auxiliary percussion.]

7. Yazmin Lacey – “Morning Matters”
from: Morning Matters – EP / Own Your Own Records / March 27, 2020
[Written by Yazmin Lacey / C.Dodds / M.Mbemba / S.Tandy / I.Ogunjobi. Produced by Craigie Dodds. Engineered by Hugh Fothergill Mixed by Eric Lau. Yazmin Lacey on vocals, Sarah Tandy on keyboards, Marla Mbemba on bass, Femi Koleoso on drums, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet. Yazmin Lacey didn’t set out to be a singer. Born and raised in Manor Park, East London, she relocated to Nottingham whilst working for a children’s charity and initially only considered making music as a way of having fun with friends. However, a chance encounter lead to her earning a place on Future Bubblers – Gilles Peterson’s development programme devoted to discovering and nurturing fresh UK talent – and enthused by the experience, Lacey recorded some songs in her living room, then in 2017 self-released her debut EP, Black Moon. The more polished When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees EP followed in 2018 and includes standout single Something My Heart Trusts, which has clocked up over 4.3 million plays on Spotify. “As soon as I made that first EP I knew there would be three of them, and this is the third”, says Lacey of Morning Matters. “Black Moon was trauma, When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees was healing, and Morning Matters is moving forward.” Morning Matters is Lacey’s most accomplished offering yet and showcases her growing abilities and confidence. The singer pairs candid songwriting with a laidback, graceful delivery and – as the title suggests – Morning Matters is inspired by new dawns and fresh starts. “The EP is dedicated to anyone that’s ever struggled with getting up and out in the morning, for everyone doing work on themselves and trying to live better”, explains Lacey. Contributors include Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi of Ezra Collective on drums and trumpet respectively (Own Your Own, Morning Matters), celebrated pianist Sarah Tandy on keys (Morning Matters), and jazz protege Moses Boyd on drums and production (Lately, Morning Sunrise).]

8. They Call Me Sauce – “Make You Sing [feat. Love, Mae C]”
from: Make You Sing – Single / NuBlvckCity / March 27, 2020
[Featuring Love, Mae C. Produced by D. Professor. Recorded at I Got The Sauce Studios & Woodgrain Productions. Mixed & mastered by Tony at Woodgrain ProductionsRoyce “Sauce” Handy is a rapper, a songwriter, a beat maker, a designer, a teacher, an MC, a business owner, a social media manager, a husband, a father., a community organizer. He has worked with the AdHoc Group Against Crime, Teens in Transition, Storytellers Inc., Arts Tech, Mid-America Regional Council, UMKC, Representative Brandon Ellington, Mayor Sly James. He is co-owner of The Rap Asylum, We are RAP, and owner of Melanin Connoisseur. Sauce has collaborated with visual artists, and the hip hop community. In 2017 Sauce released his EP, Summer Sauce which was part of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017. In 2018 Sauce released his album Soul Food 4. In 2019 his collective NuBvckCitywith Kartez Marcel, Mae C, and VP3 released the single “All Night” / “Alive”.]

[They Call Me Sauce will be our guest on WMM on April 29 ay 10:30 AM]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. The Sexy Accident – “The Oh”
from: Rabarbaro / The Sexy Accident / April 14, 2020
[Third single, released February 13, 2020 from The Sexy Accident’s 7th full length, Rabarbaro, to be released during the band’s 15th year. Produced, engineered & mixed in Kansas City and Seattle, by longtime collaborator and pacific-northwest legend Steve Fisk (Car Seat Headrest, Low, Unwound, Nirvana, Pigeonhead), Rabarbaro includes 11 of songwriter Jesse Kates’ most dark, dynamic and sensual songs. Rabarbaro was performed by Jesse Kates on guitars, vocals, keyboards & percussion; Ramone Hall on drums; Jamie Pratt on vocals; Ryan Leip on guitars & keyboards; and Eric Knight on bass; with Steve Fisk on keyboards, and guest violinist Laurel Parks. More info at http://www.sexyaccident.com]

Jesse Kates Sketch by Jamie Pratt

10:35 – Interview with Jesse Kates

The Sexy Accident‘s 7th full length, Rabarbaro, to be released April 14, 2020 during the band’s 15th year. Produced, engineered & mixed in Kansas City and Seattle, by longtime collaborator and pacific-northwest legend Steve Fisk (Car Seat Headrest, Low, Unwound, Nirvana, Pigeonhead), Rabarbaro includes 11 of songwriter Jesse Kates’ most dark, dynamic and sensual songs. Rabarbaro was performed by Jesse Kates on guitars, vocals, keyboards & percussion; Ramone Hall on drums; Jamie Pratt on vocals; Ryan Leip on guitars & keyboards; and Eric Knight on bass; with Steve Fisk on keyboards, and guest violinist Laurel Parks. More info at http://www.sexyaccident.com

Jesse Kates, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

The Sexy Accident is a pop band from Kansas City. The Sexy Accident have released over 80 songs on seven albums and four EPs. The Sexy Accident doesn’t do normal, their 2014 album Lavendar 3 was released as a 9” x 9” square, 48-page, cloth-covered, foil-stamped hardback book. The band’s 2016 recording Champagne Babycakes, their 6th full length record, was released as a “card game.” The band’s last release, Chamcakes Babypagne was a selection of songs from The Sexy Accident’s , Champagne Babycakes, re-imagined and reconstructed by Steve Fisk, namelessnumberheadman, Akkilles and guest musicians.

“The Oh,” was the third single from Rabarbaro released February 13, 2020.

“The Land of Want” was the second single released November 2, 2019

“Unto a Sparkling Shore” was the first single released September 21, 2019

The Sexy Accident is celebrating on 15 years as a band.

The Sexy Accident Photo by Forester Michael

The current line up of The Sexy Accident includes:
Jesse Kates on guitars, vocals, keyboards & percussion;
Ramone Hall on drums;
Jamie Pratt on vocals;
Ryan Leip on guitars & keyboards;
Eric Knight on bass;

Rabarbaro also included Steve Fisk on keyboards, and guest violinist Laurel Parks.

On September 23, 2017 The Sexy Accident released, Live at Holy Cow EP – Performed by The Sexy Accident on September 23, 2016, with Jesse Kates on vocals & guitar, Ramone Hall on drums, Jamie Lin on vocals, Pete Marten on bass, and Ryan Leip on keyboards. Recorded by Josh Williams. Songs selected from Champagne Babycakes, Lavender 3 and Ninja Ninja Fight Darth Vader. Cover art curated by Carly Lewandowski of How Very Vintage from objects found at Holy Cow.

Jesse Kates of The Sexy Accident on the April 15, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM

The Sexy Accident’s 7th full length, Rabarbaro, to be released April 14, 2020 during the band’s 15th year. Produced, engineered & mixed in Kansas City and Seattle, by longtime collaborator and pacific-northwest legend Steve Fisk.

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

10:48

9. The Sexy Accident – “The Land of Want”
from: Rabarbaro / The Sexy Accident / April 14, 2020
[2nd single from The Sexy Accident’s 7th full length, Rabarbaro, to be released during the band’s 15th year. Produced, engineered & mixed in Kansas City and Seattle, by longtime collaborator and pacific-northwest legend Steve Fisk (Car Seat Headrest, Low, Unwound, Nirvana, Pigeonhead), Rabarbaro includes 11 of songwriter Jesse Kates’ most dark, dynamic and sensual songs. Rabarbaro was performed by Jesse Kates on guitars, vocals, keyboards & percussion; Ramone Hall on drums; Jamie Pratt on vocals; Ryan Leip on guitars & keyboards; and Eric Knight on bass; More info at http://www.sexyaccident.com

Belle & The Vertigo Waves

10. Belle & The Vertigo Waves – “Pulse”
from: “Pulse” – Single / Drop Out Records / April 17, 2020
[New single from Belle & The Vertigo Waves, the sonic brainchild of Belle Loux.. She resides in Kansas City, MO, and is slowly attempting world domination. Members include Belle Loux on lead vocals, John Loux on guitar. Belle & The Vertigo Waves are releasing a new single on April 17, with a new music video at the band’s instagram page @thevertigowaves. Belle & The Vertigo Waves joined us on WMM on February 5, 2020 and in 2019 in the summer. More info at: http://www.thevertigowaves.com The band’s debut full length album “Aligned” was released on October 6, 2017. About the album, Belle told Michelle Bacon at The Bridge that, “Many of the tunes had been written around five years prior, when I was just 15 or 16.” Belle had only played them as a solo artist with occasional accompaniment from her dad, guitarist John Loux, and keyboardist Charlie Hibberd. In 2017, she hired the two musicians and a couple other friends to track “Aligned,” dubbing the project Belle and the Vertigo Waves, in the hopes that she’d eventually assemble a live band. “Recording was a surreal and emotional experience. Playing the songs with a band was like seeing them come to life,” she said. “I knew there was no way I could be a solo artist anymore, because I fell in love with the full band sound so much.” The music of Belle & The Vertigo Waves have been described as having an “1980s pop-laden sound.” which drew local attention in 2018. Belle has said that in the past 4 years the band has grown to have more of a darker, glam rock sound, grittier and grungier. Their sound is influenced by three generations of musicians in the band, Belle’s growth as a songwriter and singer, and through the band’s work with engineer and producer Paul Malinowski. Belle & The Vertigo Waves are currently recording new music at Massive Sound Studios. Belle & The Vertigo Waves release a new EP, and new video later this year. ]

11. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: “Pretty Face” – Single / Una Walkenhorst / February 20, 2020
[2nd single from Una’s upcoming EP, “Woman of the Year,” to be released April 16. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies. Una will be on WMM on March 18]

[Una Walkenhorst plays a Virtual EP Release Show, Saturday, April 18 at 4:00 PM (CST) Live Streaming on Facebook and Instagram.]

11:00 – Station ID

12. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “Not Mine”
from: “Not Mine” – Single / Miki P / November 21, 2019
[Meeting in the vast network of Kansas City’s rich music scene, in October of 2018 Miki P and the Swallowtails was created, and by the fall of 2019 they released their first EP Swallowtail independently. With half of the band’s members having Classical music degrees, and the other half with Jazz degrees, Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other. The group includes Miki P on guitar & vocals, Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Robert Castillo on bass, and Cade Pool on drums. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including tAmerican Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest.]

Mikala Petillo

11:03 – Interview with Miki P

Mikala Petillo, who was born in Kansas City, KS, and performed ‘She Loves You’ at her 7th grade talent show. In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and released a full-length album, Irreplaceable, in 2017, played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018. That year, at 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, Dome of Swallows, released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019, with Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com

Miki P , thanks or being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

In October of 2018 Miki P and the Swallowtails was created, and by the fall of 2019 they released their first EP Swallowtail independently.

With half of the band’s members having Classical music degrees, and the other half with Jazz degrees, Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other.

Miki P & The Swallowtails

The group includes
Miki P on guitar & vocals,
Rachel Lovelace on bassoon,
Adee Dancy on cello & vocals,
Robert Castillo on bass,
Cade Pool on drums.

Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.”

Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018.

She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in.

Miki P was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music

11:12

4. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “I”
from: I – Single / Miki P / February 13, 2020
[Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com.]

Mikala Petillo on the April 15, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM

11:16 – More Interview with Miki P

Mikala Petillo, who was born in Kansas City, KS, and performed ‘She Loves You’ at her 7th grade talent show.

In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and released a full-length album, Irreplaceable, in 2017, played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018.

In 2018, at 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, Dome of Swallows, released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails.

Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019, with Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up full length album. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com

11:25

14. Miki P and The Swallowtails – “Sarah”
from: “Sarah” – Single / Miki P / December 30, 2019
[Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com]

11:29 – Underwriting

Jenna & Martin

15. Jenna & Martin – “Wild Side of Heaven”
from: Cosmic Western Duets / Lost Cowgirl Records / January 3, 2020
[Jenna Rae and Martin Farrell Jr. met in Winfield, Kansas at Walnut Valley Bluegrass Music Festival. Both were playing banjo in separate bands at the time and bonded through their love of classic country music. They started learning Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris duets and quickly realized their voices nested well together. Determined to recreate classic country sounding music in a new way they started collaborating on a genre they call “Cosmic Western”. This music incorporates bluegrass techniques, gospel harmonies, rock rhythms and experimental classic country sounds. The duo performs as “Jenna & Martin” wearing coordinated outfits and often times sharing the stage with their standard poodle, Roy Rogers. Martin makes his telecaster guitar and pedal steel guitar speak like a dog, kitten, truck, chicken or whatever the song requires. Creating a wall of rockin’ sound they take their listeners on a Cosmic Western journey through old-timey sounding music and nostalgic emotions.// Jenna likes to write songs that are “three chords and the truth” while Martin loves to add in unexpected chords, key changes, and complex arrangements. Jenna will often take a simple song she has written to Martin and he will add in a new bridge or chord that takes the song to a new level. Martin says Jenna has helped him truly appreciate the simplicity in songwriting and recognize it as a valuable tool to reach the listener. Most of Jenna’s songs are true stories and emotions about her or people she knows. Martin likes to create fictional stories and characters as well as retell historical stories in a new way. Together they come up with lyrics that can make you laugh and cry in the same breath. While the duo loves writing together, they also think it’s important to keep their separate songwriting identities. In 2018, they both released solo records: Jenna Rae “Workin’ Woman” and Martin Farrell Jr. “Tales From the Outer Country”. All of the music they have released has been recorded in their home studio and produced by Martin. // In 2017 with hopes and dreams of taking their music careers to the next level, Jenna & Martin started renovating a short school bus to live and tour out of. They sold a lot of what they owned and moved their bus “Bussalo Bill” out to Jenna’s Grandma’s farm in Peculiar, Missouri. They experienced “country living” for the first time and wrote a lot of music during this time. Many of these songs will be featured on their upcoming album “Cosmic Western Duets”. Jenna’s Grandma passed away in the summer of 2018 and the duo found themselves moving back to the city, out of the bus and into a house in Kansas City, Kansas. Here they set up their studio in their living room and began recording for other people as well. // In the winter 2018, the duo released their first EP together titled “Gingerbread” featuring three original holiday songs. They also wrote, directed, produced, and starred in an eleven minute short film to go along with the album with a surprising twist at the end. // In January, 2020 they released their first full length album of music titled “Cosmic Western Duets”. Most of the songs they co-wrote or they wrote specifically to sing together. They also included two love songs on the album, one written entirely by Jenna for Martin and another written entirely by Martin for Jenna. Since the moment they met, Jenna & Martin found themselves on an undeniable path of writing, creating, producing and performing music together. The duo believes in the power of music and that a good song can turn someone’s day around or even their life. At every show they aim to evoke cosmic and spiritual emotions from their audience that reminds them that each of us is more than our physical being. // Some of their influences include: Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, George Jones, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Nikki Lane, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Danny Barnes, John Hartford and coffee.]

Jenna Rae on the April 15, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM

11:36 – Interview with Jenna Rae

Jenna Rae is the cofounder of Lost Cowgirl Records. Jenna’s began playing tenor saxophone in the Pittsburg State University marching band. In between studying for nursing she started playing banjo and formed the folk band “Deadeye”. After four years of nursing, Jenna cut back on her hours to pursue music. In 2018 she founded Lost Cowgirl Records with partner Martin Farrell Jr., to provide a platform for female fronted Americana. With Lost Cowgirl she released her debut solo album “Workin’ Woman,” in 2018, and Julie Bennett Hume‘s album, “Vinegar,” and Elexa Dawson‘s album, “Music is Medicine.” In 2019, Jenna Rae on acoustic guitar, Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle, and Monica Greenwood on Mandolin formed the bluegrass group Unfit Wives. On January 3, 2020, Lost Cowgirl Records released “Cosmic Western Duets” from Jenna & Martin. More info at: http://www.thelostcowgirl.com

Jenna Rae, thanks for being with us on WMM.

We just heard music from the new Jenna & Martin release Cosmic Western Duets

Jenna Rae and Martin Farrell Jr. met in Winfield, Kansas at Walnut Valley Bluegrass Music Festival. Both were playing banjo in separate bands at the time and bonded through their love of classic country music.

They started learning Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris duets and quickly realized their voices nested well together. Determined to recreate classic country sounding music in a new way they started collaborating on a genre they call “Cosmic Western”. This music incorporates bluegrass techniques, gospel harmonies, rock rhythms and experimental classic country sounds.

The duo performs as “Jenna & Martin” wearing coordinated outfits and often times sharing the stage with their standard poodle, Roy Rogers.
Past plays:

We played Deadeye on WMM on August 2, 2017 and the song “Nothin’ At All” released on July 31, 2016. Produced by Deadeye. Live take studio sessions from Pittsburg, Kansas based band formed by: Meg McCoy on vocals, guitar & violin; Jenna McCarty on vocals & banjo; Jennifer Murphy on saxophone & vocals; and Taylor Rea on percussion, with A. Sheppard on bass. Recorded and mixed by Rob Nold of Rob Nold Audio in Raytown, MO. Deadeye crafts their love of folk, bluegrass, rock, and country into a homemade, heel-stomping musical blend. The group builds their songs with reverence to the Americana music that rings memories of times long-passed in the Midwest. More information at: http://www.deadeyeband.com. Deadeye play the KC Zine Con at Josey Records, Saturday, August 5, 2017 with The New Baboons, Black Market Translation, Gay Girl Cowboy, and Black Creatures.

On September 6, 2017 we played Jenna McCarty and the single, “Love Havin’ Company” an Unreleased track. Kansas City based singer-songwriter who is a guitarist and songwriter for Jenna & Martin with musician Martin Farrell Jr.. Jenna also plays banjo in the band Deadeye.. She is also a guitarist and songwriter for the 6-piece Lawrence based western band Playing For Horses. That year, Jenna & Martin play Crossroads Music Fest, Saturday, September 9, at 6:45 at The Living Room Theatre Downstairs, for the Lost Cowgirl Records Showcase.

Jenna’s began playing tenor saxophone in the Pittsburg State University marching band.

In between studying for nursing she started playing banjo and formed the folk band “Deadeye.”

After four years of nursing, Jenna cut back on her hours to pursue music.

In 2018 she founded Lost Cowgirl Records with partner Martin Farrell Jr., to provide a platform for female fronted Americana. With Lost Cowgirl she released her debut solo album “Workin’ Woman,” in 2018, and Julie Bennett Hume’s album, “Vinegar,” and Elexa Dawson’s album, “Music is Medicine.”

In 2019, Jenna Rae on acoustic guitar, Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle, and Monica Greenwood on Mandolin formed the bluegrass group Unfit Wives. On January 3, 2020, Lost Cowgirl Records released “Cosmic Western Duets” from Jenna & Martin. More info at: http://www.thelostcowgirl.com

Lost Cowgirl Records released “Cosmic Western Duets” from Jenna & Martin. More info at: http://www.thelostcowgirl.com

11:48

Jenna Rae

16. Jenna Rae – “Train Made Me Late”
from: Workin’ Woman / Lost Cowgirl Records / October 23, 2018
[Jenna’s began playing tenor saxophone in the Pittsburg State University marching band. In between studying for nursing she started playing banjo and formed the folk band “Deadeye”. After four years of nursing, Jenna cut back on her hours to pursue music. In 2018 she founded Lost Cowgirl Records with partner Martin Farrell Jr., to provide a platform for female fronted Americana. With Lost Cowgirl she released her debut solo album “Workin’ Woman,” in 2018, and Julie Bennett Hume’s album, “Vinegar,” and Elexa Dawson’s album, “Music is Medicine.” In 2019, Jenna Rae on acoustic guitar, Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle, and Monica Greenwood on Mandolin formed the bluegrass group Unfit Wives. On January 3, 2020, Lost Cowgirl Records released “Cosmic Western Duets” from Jenna & Martin. More info at: http://www.thelostcowgirl.com.]

17. Lillie Mae – “How?”
from: Other Girls / Lillie Mae / August 16, 2019
[Lillie Mae led a sequestered childhood touring in a motorhome with her musician parents, constricted by religious boundaries. In her adolescence she busked from RV parks to the Rio Grande, swept through Nashville clubs, and achieved Top 40 country status in her sibling group Jypsi, but on Other Girls, a new side of herself emerges with more to say than ever before. She embraces personal triumphs on “I Came For The Band (For Show),” breathes new perspective into “Terlingual Girl,” a song she wrote as a 19-year-old in the South-Texan desert, and professes brave truths as heard in “You’ve Got Other Girls for That.” After a vagabond past, crossing paths with hundreds of musicians, she limits the cast of Other Girls to just her brother, sister, and a few trusted collaborators. Produced by Dave Cobb]

18. Joy Camp – “Got My Love”
from: Got My Love – Single / Camp Joy / February 14, 2020
[Kansas City based Alternative Rock 4-piece band formed by Kurtis Blunt on Lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Andrew Carnes on lead guitar, Nate Ward on guitar, and Blase Pivovar on drums. Formed in 2016, when these four longtime friends decided to compete in the OPUS Battle of the Bands, a yearly event put on by the Union Program Council at Kansas State University. The band ended up winning the competition. The band defined the term “Joy Camp” as when a group of people gather with intentionality to share life together and for an increase of joy and happiness. The band has played in Manhattan, Lawrence and the Kansas City area. On August 3, 2018 Joy Camp released its first single “Eyes.”Since its release, the single has had over 100,000 listens on Spotify and many more on other platforms. The band released their self titled EP Camp Joy on July 26, 2019. Followed by the single “Summer Solstice (Sun Never Goes Down)” on December 27, 2019.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, April 22 we will be presenting more New & Midcoastal Releases. We will also talk with Peter Beatty aka R.I.Peter of Manor Records, Matt Kesler of The Pedaljets, and Julia Hamilton aka Lava Dreams.

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 #833

WMM presents Jesse Kates + Miki P + Jenna Rae

Jesse Kates Sketch by Jamie Pratt
The Sexy Accident Photo by Forester Michael

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, April 15, 2020

New & MidCoastal Releases + Miki P
+ Jesse Kates of The Sexy Accident +
Jenna Rae of Lost Cowgirl Records

Belle & The Vertigo Waves

Mark plays New & MidCostal Releases from: Belle & The Vertigo Waves, They Call Me Sauce with Love, Mae C., Una Walkenhorst, Jenna & Martin, The Sexy Accident, Lava Dreams, David Burchfield, Miki P & The Swallowtails, Jenna Rae, Joy Camp, Lillie Mae, Half Waif, Yazmin Lacey, and Lyra Pramuk.

Jesse Kates Sketch by Jamie Pratt

The Sexy Accident Photo by Forester Michael

At 10:30 Jesse Kates talks about his band, The Sexy Accident‘s 7th full length, Rabarbaro, to be released April 14, 2020 during the band’s 15th year. Produced, engineered & mixed in Kansas City and Seattle, by longtime collaborator and pacific-northwest legend Steve Fisk (Car Seat Headrest, Low, Unwound, Nirvana, Pigeonhead), Rabarbaro includes 11 of songwriter Jesse Kates’ most dark, dynamic and sensual songs. Rabarbaro was performed by Jesse Kates on guitars, vocals, keyboards & percussion; Ramone Hall on drums; Jamie Pratt on vocals; Ryan Leip on guitars & keyboards; and Eric Knight on bass; with Steve Fisk on keyboards, and guest violinist Laurel Parks. More info at http://www.sexyaccident.com

Mikala Petillo

Miki P & The Swallowtails

At 11:00 Mark talks with musician, Miki P, aka Mikala Petillo, who was born in Kansas City, KS, and performed ‘She Loves You’ at her 7th grade talent show. In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and released a full-length album, Irreplaceable, in 2017, played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018. That year, at 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, Dome of Swallows, released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019, with Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com

Jenna Rae

Jenna & Martin

At 11:30 Jenna Rae talks about Lost Cowgirl Records. Jenna’s began playing tenor saxophone in the Pittsburg State University marching band. In between studying for nursing she started playing banjo and formed the folk band “Deadeye”. After four years of nursing, Jenna cut back on her hours to pursue music. In 2018 she founded Lost Cowgirl Records with partner Martin Farrell Jr., to provide a platform for female fronted Americana. With Lost Cowgirl she released her debut solo album “Workin’ Woman,” in 2018, and Julie Bennett Hume‘s album, “Vinegar,” and Elexa Dawson‘s album, “Music is Medicine.” In 2019, Jenna Rae on acoustic guitar, Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle, and Monica Greenwood on Mandolin formed the bluegrass group Unfit Wives. On January 3, 2020, Lost Cowgirl Records released “Cosmic Western Duets” from Jenna & Martin. More info at: http://www.thelostcowgirl.com

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #833

WMM Playlist from March 18, 2020

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, March 18, 2020

New & MidCoastal Releases + Katy Guillen
+ Ingrid Ingram + Dylan Pyle
s

Dylan Pyles and Ingrid Ingram on the March 18, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980
[WMM’s theme song with thanks to the visionary Bob Fosse]

2. Hi-Lux – “Revolution”
from: Revolution / Get What You Give – Single / The Record Machine / Mar 6, 2020
[This KC based band is lead by singer Julia Haile, with Tim Braun on guitar, Nick Howell on keys, Dan Loftus on bass and Kian Bryne on drums. Hi-Lux is a Modern-Soul band that blends and bends the boundaries between soul, rock n roll, reggae, and funk. This group aims to create music that pays tribute to their myriad of influences (Amy Winehouse, The Meters, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings) but also claims a spotlight of its own in the musical world. After a string os single releases, including one on 7” vinyl through Sunflower Soul Records, followed by the release of their self-titled EP, Hi-Lux has introduced an eclectic and impressive collection of songs to give the world a small taste of what’s to come. Hi-Lux is on a journey of musical discovery, mixing old and new to create something unique.]

3 Fullbloods – “Worry Entertainment”
from: Soft and Virtual Touch / High Dive Records / April 3, 2020
[3rd full-length album from, Fullbloods, a Kansas City based band with: Ross Brown; Jared Tomasino; David Seume; & Bill Pollock. Follow up to their February 26, 2016 release, Mild West. All songs written, performed, recorded, and mixed by Ross Brown (℗© 2019 Bargain Hunt Music / ASCAP) in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Artwork created by Nika Winn. Kyle Rausch played drums on 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9, sang on 9. Bill Pollock played drums on 3 and 5. David Seume played bass on 5. Jerad Tomasino played synth on 9 and 10, sang on 9. Jenni Kornfeld played cello on 4. Leslie Butsch played sax on 10. More information at: http://www.fullbloods.com.]

4. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: “Pretty Face” – Single / Una Walkenhorst / February 20, 2020
[2nd single from Una’s upcoming EP, “Woman of the Year,” to be released on April 16. 2020. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies.]

5. Car Seat Headrest – “Can’t Cool Me Down”
from: Making A Door Less Open / Matador / May 1, 2020
[Originally started as a solo recording project by 28 year old, Will Toledo, in Leesburg, Virginia. Toledo chose the name “Car Seat Headrest” after recording the vocals of his first albums in the back seat of his car, for privacy. Car Seat Headrest released 12 albums on Bandcamp. Toledo’s production has gradually grown less lo-fi, but he still remains an effective example of the DIY ethic. Toledo saw a large influx of new fans with his 2011 release Twin Fantasy, which has become the most popular of his self-released albums. In September 2015, Car Seat Headrest announced on his Facebook page that he had signed an album deal with Matador Records. In October 2015, Car Seat Headrest released the compilation album, Teens of Style under the label. This was his first album that was not self-released via Bandcamp. Teens of Denial, followed in May of 2016 and was created with traditional studio processes. This new album, Making A Door Less Open, was made from January 2015 to December 2019, starting as a collection of vague ideas that eventually turned into songs. Each track is the result of an intense battle to bring out its natural colors and transform it into a complete work. The songs contain elements of EDM, hip hop, futurism, doo-wop, soul, and of course rock and roll.]

6. BLACKSTARKIDS – “SOUNDS LIKE FUN!”
from: SURF / Bedroom Records / February 28, 2020
[Second album from, BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019.]

7. Fritz Hutchison – “Stationary”
from: Wide Wild Acres / Center Cut Records / March 27, 2020
[1st single released February 21, 2020, from the debut album of Fritz Hutchison. Wide Wild Acres was written and performed by Fritz Hutchison. Produced by Fritz Hutchison and Joel Nanos. Recorded and mixed in Kansas City by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studio. “Currach Mòr” recorded by Ross Brown at Escape Pod Audio. Masteed ny Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago. Multi-instrumentalist Fritz Hutchison was born May 27, 1991. A life long resident of Kansas City. Since 2008 he’s been part of multiple bands playing drums with: She’s a Keeper, Freight Train Rabbit Killer, and Grand Marquis. As a guitarist he has played along side J Ashley Miller, Lauren Krum, Miki P and Calvin Arsenia. A decade of lending an ear and a hand to the likes of fellow shredders has left Fritz poised to launch his own solo career as a singer-songwriter.]

10:26 – Underwriting

8. The Creepy Jingles – “Microchip On Your Shoulder”
from: The Creepy Jingles EP / High Dive Records / May 3, 2019
[Debut EP Release from The Creepy Jingles: Jocelyn Olivia Nixon on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, & keyboards; Travis McKenzie on lead guitars, Nick Robertson on drums; and Adam York on bass. From High Dive Records website: “The brainchild of singer/ songwriter, Jocelyn Olivia Nixon acts to guide the listener thru a self-actualized Mono-myth of forging identity thru Bizarre arcane cosmic poetry coupled with the wordplay of a wry smile and eccentric wit. Drummer Nick Robertson charges the group forward with a fiery fueled obsidian backbeat. Fot this recording Adam York delivers pulsing bass lines that the compliment the songs and his partner in the rhythm section. Rounding out the band is Guitarist Travis McKenzie who generously spins a holographic spectrum of color that lift the catchy Brit pop melodies that effortlessly dance about the rapidly changing landscapes of New York Garage Rock and 60s/70s folk music. Beware The Creepy Jingles, their siren call is coming from inside the house.” After the release of the EP Adam York left the band to pursue a solo release and become o father. Ingrid Ingram replaced Adam on bass.]

9. Ingrid Ingram – “Dead Eyed Dog”
from: Worried / Ingrid Ingram / March 8, 2020

Ingrid Ingram

10:35 – Interview with Ingrid Ingram

Ingrid Ingram joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Ingrid Ingram is a trans-femme musician who uses samples and traditional instruments to create erratic and dreamy soundscapes. On March 8, 2020 Ingrid released her debut full length album, “Worried,” where she explores glam-punk, touching on themes of paranoia, addiction, narcissism and commodified identity in a capitalist society. Ingrid Ingram also plays bass in the KC based band The Creepy Jingles.

Ingrid Ingram, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Prior to “Worried,” 26 year old Ingrid Ingram released three singles from “Worried,” plus her EP “Inside Outside” from January 2017, and “Noises And People” from February 2016. Many of the sounds used in these earlier two releases were recorded on a phone during a two-year period of travel around the United States and stitched together on friends laptops.

Our first question to Ingrid was, are you worried? She immediately, and bravely identified herself as having BDP, Borderline Personality Disorder. About 1.6% of people have BPD in a given year, with some estimates as high as 6%. Women are diagnosed about three times as often as men. It appears to become less common among older people. Up to half of people improve over a ten-year period. There is an ongoing debate about the naming of the disorder, especially the suitability of the word borderline. The disorder is often stigmatized in both the media and the psychiatric field

10:43

10. Ingrid Ingram – “Just Joking”
from: Worried / Ingrid Ingram / March 8, 2020

Ingrid Ingram on the March 18, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

10:46 – More Interview with Ingrid Ingram

We are talking with Ingrid Ingram about her new full length album, “Worried.”

When we asked Ingrid Ingram about her musical influences and she told us about Micachu and the Shapes. The UK band was formed by Mica Levi, born February 2, 1987, also known by her stage name Micachu. She is an English singer, songwriter, composer and producer. Micachu and the Shapes includes Raisa Khan on keyboards and Marc Pell on drums. The band signed to Accidental Records. With the Shapes, Levi’s focus has been on experimental pop music. Most of this music prominently features an acoustic half-guitar with various non-standard tunings, extensive distortion, and use of noise and found-object elements, as well as occasionally unusual time signatures. Despite these experimental leanings, the artist categorizes her output with the Shapes as pop music.

Ingrid Ingram met Jocelyn Olivia Nixin of The Creepy Jingles when she was working at Succotash, Beth Barden’s restaurant at 2601 Holmes, in KCMO.

Ingrid told us about jumping into an already established band that have been playing together for several years and that is was especially fun because Ingrid was a big fan.

On Wednesday MidDay Medley, over the past 7 years, we’ve been watching the growing number of brave trans-artists opening us and coming out in the collective Kansas City music communities. Ivory Blue, Eve Sheldon, Ada Brumback, The Creepy Jingles, Mazzy Mann, Cuee, HellKat, True Lions, Chase The Horseman, are many of the artists we’ve had as guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley and have featured their recordings.

Ingrid said that she has found acceptance in the KC music community, especially in early DIY spaces, that we can’t mention on the radio.

Ingrid grew up in Raytown, Missouri and was home-schooled. She talked about the irony of being home-schooled in relationship to her current job, as the “lunch lady” at an elementary school in Gladstone.

Ingrid Ingram, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Ingrid Ingram debut full length album, “Worried,” was released March 8, 2020.

10:55

11. Ingrid Ingram – “Secret Agent #7”
from: Worried / Ingrid Ingram / March 8, 2020

12. City Pets – “All The Time”
from: All The Time – Single / City Pets Records / February 21, 2020
[A new collaborative project from Joe Stanziola aka Second Hand King]

11:02 – Station ID

13. Katy Guillen & The Drive – “No Control”
from: Dream Girl [EP] / Katy Guillen / March 20, 2020
[New 7 song EP from Katy Guillen & The Drive]

Katy Guillen Photo by Anna Selle

11:03 – Interview with Katy Guillen

Katy Guillen joins us to talk about the new 7-song EP “Dream Girl” from Katy Guillen & The Drive, featuring the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen on guitar & vocals, and Stephanie Williams on drums.

Katy Guillen, thanks or being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Katy Guillen & The Drive recently played Feb 14 in St Petersburg, FL; Frb. 14, Tampa, FL Feb. 15; Goodland, FL Feb. 16; Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea VI. February 18 – 22 .

Katy Guillen & The Drive’s Dream Girl showcases Guillen’s songwriting and is founded on the energetic creative spark and long time chemistry between Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams. With Guillen on guitar and vocals and Williams on drums, the two sculpt a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls.

In 2012, Guillen and Williams (with Claire Adams on bass) formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums and an EP:

Discography

Katy Guillen & The Girls – Four Walls [EP] (2018)
Katy Guillen & The Girls – Remember What You Knew Before (2018)
Katy Guillen & The Girls – Heavy Days (2016)
Katy Guillen & The Girls – Self-Titled (2014)
(Katy & Go-Go – When I Get Away) (2013)

Between 2012 and 2018, the band traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards.

In these 6 years playing together, Guillen and Williams created a dynamic, driving sound informed by Guillen’s mesmerizing, emotive guitar style and poignant arrangements, and an equally captivating live show that showcased Williams’ technical, melodic style, resulting in a powerful on-stage chemistry. In addition to the compelling synergy formed by years of playing together, the two developed a method of working together on Guillen’s songs that only deepened their artistic connection, propelling them to forge a path to a new plateau in their music.

Into the next decade KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of the artist’s rock ‘n’ roll and blue

Katy Guillen is known as one of Kansas City premiere musicians. On Wednesday MidDay Medley we first met her as part of the band The B’Dina’s.

Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams are also part of The Band That Fell To Earth.

Katy Guillen, thanks or being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

11:23

14. Katy Guillen & The Drive – “Willingly”
from: Dream Girl [EP] / Katy Guillen / to be released on: March 20, 2020
[New 7 song EP from Katy Guillen & The Drive]

11:27 – Underwriting

Dylan Pyles on the March 18, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

11:30 – Interview with Dylan Pyles

Kansas City based musician, singer, songwriter, Dylan Pyles joins us to play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Dylan Pyles is a music scholar, record buyer at Mills Record Company, and manager of Wise Blood KC a bookstore in Westport. Dylan Pyles just released his new 15-track album, “Evil Music for an Ugly World” on February 21, 2020.

Dylan Pyles, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Manor Records is releasing Dylan’s new album on cassette this weekend, in a live online show at 9:00 PM on Saturday, March 21, 2020. http://www.manorrecords.com

Discography

Dylan Pyles -“Evil Music for an Ugly World”- February 21, 2020.
Dylan Pyles -“Popular Songs for the Heart,” (20-tracks) – September 20, 2019.
Dylan Pyles -“Solo Acoustic Guitar Vol. 1” (6-song EP) – September 20, 2019.
Dylan Pyles -“You Have a Problem but You Are Not a Problem” (19-track) – Dec 2018

11:38

15. Dylan Pyles – “Let It Rot” (LIVE)
[this song is included on: from: Evil Music for an Ugly World / Feb 28, 2020]

Dylan Pyles

11:41 – More Interview with Dylan Pyles

Kansas City based musician, singer, songwriter, Dylan Pyles joins us to play live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Dylan Pyles is a music scholar, record buyer at Mills Record Company, and manager of Wise Blood KC a bookstore in Westport. Dylan Pyles just released his new 15-track album, “Evil Music for an Ugly World” on February 21, 2020.

11:46

Dylan Pyles on the March 18, 2020 edition Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

17. Dylan Pyles – “Teach Me How to Leave” (LIVE)
[this song is included on: from: Evil Music for an Ugly World / Feb 28, 2020]

Dylan Pyles, thanks for being with us on WMM.

Dylan Pyles just released his new 15 track album, Evil Music for an Ugly World through Manor Records on February 28, 2020 Manor Records (cassette release) March 21, 2020

More info at: http://www.dylanpyles.bandcamp.com

18. Dylan Pyles – “Please Be Quiet Please”
from: Evil Music for an Ugly World / Manor Records / February 28, 2020
[Kansas City based musician, singer, songwriter, music scholar, record buyer at Mills Record Company.]

18. Bill Fay – “Love Will Remain”
from: Countless Branches / Dead Oceans / January 17, 2020
[William Fay was born 1943. He is an English singer, pianist and songwriter whose early releases were made on the Deram label in 1967. Following the release of his second album in 1971, Fay was dropped by the label. His work enjoyed a growing cult status in the 1990s, and his older works were re-issued in 1998 and 2004/2005. Fay’s 2012 album, Life Is People, was his first album of all-new material since 1971. His most recent album, Countless Branches, was released on 17 January 2020.]

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

Next week, on Wednesday, March 25 we talk with Jen Owen of Owen Cox Dance Group; ALSO, Fritz Hutchison joins us to chat about his debut full length album release “Wide Wild Acres” on Center Cut Records; AND, Colin Halliburton joins us to talk about his new beautiful album release, GOOD / GRIEF from his band The Roseline.

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 #829

WMM presents: Katy Guillen + Ingrid Ingram + Dylan Pyles

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, March 18, 2020

New & MidCoastal Releases + Katy Guillen
+ Ingrid Ingram + Dylan Pyles

Mark plays New & MidCostal Releases from: Hi-Lux, Fullbloods, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Fritz Hutchinson, Una Walkenhorst, Ingrid Ingram, Blackstarkids, Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits, City Pets, Dylan Pyles, The Creepy Jingles, Car Seat Headrest, and Bill Fay.

Ingrid Ingram

At 10:30 Ingrid Ingram joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Ingrid Ingram is a trans-femme musician who uses samples and traditional instruments to create erratic and dreamy soundscapes. On March 8, 2020 Ingrid released her debut full length album, “Worried,” where she explores glam-punk, touching on themes of paranoia, addiction, narcissism and commodified identity in a capitalist society. Prior to this Ingrid has released three singles from “Worried,” plus her EP “Inside Outside” from January 2017, and “Noises And People” from February 2016. Many of the sounds used in these previous two releases were recorded on a phone during a two-year period of travel around the United States and stitched together on friends laptops. Ingrid Ingram also plays bass in the KC based band The Creepy Jingles.

Katy Guillen Photo by Anna Selle

At 11:00 KC’s very own, Katy Guillen joins us to talk about the new 7-song EP from Katy Guillen & The Drive, featuring the creative spark and chemistry between Katy Guillen on guitar & vocals, and Stephanie Williams on drums. The two have sculpted a sound that recalls bands like Led Zeppelin, The Bangles, and Band of Skulls. In 2012, Guillen & Williams formed Katy Guillen and The Girls, and began to build a foundation of touring and recording that carried them through six years and produced three full-length albums. Between 2012 and 2018, they traveled the United States extensively, performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, toured Sweden, and supported major acts like The Doobie Brothers, Robin Trower, and Heartless Bastards. KG & The Drive push ahead with a melodic, heavy, and soulful sound while maintaining the edge of Katy Guillen’s rock ‘n’ roll and blues roots. Guillen calls their genre-bending style “indie soul-rock.”

Dylan Pyles

At 11:30 Kansas City based musician, singer, songwriter, Dylan Pyles plays live in our 90.1 FM Studios. Dylan Pyles is a music scholar, record buyer at Mills Record Company, and manager of Wise Blood Books in Westport. Dylan Pyles just released his new 15-track album, “Evil Music for an Ugly World” on February 21, 2020. This is the follow up to his 20-track album, “Popular Songs for the Heart,” released September 20, 2019. Dylan also released the 6-song EP, “Solo Acoustic Guitar Vol. 1,” on September 20, 2019. In December 2018 Dylan Pyles released the 19-track, experimental release, “You Have a Problem but You Are Not a Problem.” More info at: http://www.dylanpyles.bandcamp.com.

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #829

WMM Playlist from March 4, 2020

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, March 4, 2019

New & MidCoastal Releases + Amy Marcus
+ Jeff Harshbarger & Purna Loka Ensemble +
Stephanie Carey of The Pitch KC

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980
[WMM’s theme song]

2. KNIFECRIME — “Falcon”
from: “Falcon” – Single / KNIFECRIME / January 8, 2020
[Produced by Knife Crime. Mastered by Dave Gaume at Element Recording Studios. Knife Ccrime is a 4-piece Kansas City based band formed on January 19, 2011. Knife Crime is Byron Huhmann on bass, Brad Huhmann on lead vocals, Jeremiah James Gonzalez on guitar, and Jake Cardwell on drums.]

3. Ivory Blue – “Elite Dreamland”
from: “Elite Dreamland” – Single / Devin Robert Kesler / February 17, 2020
[KC based singer songwriter and rock & roller, Ivory Blue is currently in the studio putting together a new full length 10-song album called “Compound Love” for release in 2020. Ivory Blue’s debut EP, Ready Get Set was released in June 2015 and had wide radio airplay on this show and multiple radio and television stations in Kansas City and across the country. In 2017 Ivory was among 1800 bands that competed in neXt2Rock. Ivory won local & regional challenges and advanced to nationals in Los Angeles to win the top prize. Ivory Blue has played Crossroads Music festival, The Middle of the Map Festival, The Westport Roots Festival, the KCPT Screening of “Real Boy” at The Kansas City Public Library. Born in 1986 in Peoria Illinois, and given up for adoption at the age of four, it was difficult to find trust in people after living with eight different foster families. Running away at 15, Ivory moved from Indiana to Oklahoma and eventually ended up in Seattle. In 2011 Ivory moved to Kansas City, and has became a part of new family. Ivory will be our guest on WMM on April 29.]

4. Rosé Perez – “Masculine”
from: Born in A Bag (Split EP with Period BOMB) / Rosé Perez / October 23, 2019
[Rosé Perez is Carrie Wallen on guitar & keyboards, 2007 Balquier on bass & drums, and Lina Žemaitė on drums & bass. Rosé Perez recently released a new video for their song “Placenta Agenda” from their EP split with the band Period BOMB. The Rosé Perez tracks for this split were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jametatone at The Infoaming Vortex. Rosé Perez will be with us on WMM on April 8.]

[Rosé Perez play Farewell Transmission, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO, on Wednesday, March 4, at 8:00 PM, with Diners (AZ), and Ranch Hands.]

[Rosé Perez play Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS, Saturday, March 7, at 10:00 PM, with La Guerre, Lava Dreams, and Sidehug.]

5. BLACKSTARKIDS – “REASONS TO EXIST”
from: SURF / Bedroom Records / February 28, 2020
[Second album from, BlackStarKids, a pop/R&B/hip-hop group based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, in 2019.]

[BLACKSTARKIDS play 1st Friday Benefit for Planned Parenthood, at Revolution Records, 1830 Locust St, KCMO, Friday, March 6, at 7:00 PM with The Creepy Jingles, Bad Ideas, Nan & The One Night Stands, and Videodisk. Revolution Records are also celebrating International Women’s Day all weekend long with their annual Wage Gap Event. Women/Femmes pay $.76 on the dollar to highlight the difference in average pay between women and men.]

6. Brotha Newz – “Americano (Rat Race) [feat. Jerad Tomasino]”
from: American Fiction: A Movie / Brotha Newz / July 28, 2019
[2nd album from David Muhammad, social studies teacher at Shawnee Mission East High and martial arts instructor who wanted to be a rapper since his own high school days at Shawnee Mission South. He released his debut album, “The Hanging Trees,” Dec. 9, 2016, and the EP “11:15,” Nov. 15, 2018, and 11 singles.]

7. GHOSTY – “Prodigal Son”
from: Prodigal Son – EP / More Famouser Records / February 28, 2020
[New EP from the Lawrence / Kansas City based band GHOSTY. The band was able to finally get back to finishing 3 tracks that were started in 2014. Andrew Connor on guitar & keyboards, & vocals, Bill Belzer on drums & percussion, Ross Brown on guitar & keyboards, and Mike Nolte – bass. Basic tracks were recorded in July 2014 at Westend, Kansas City, KS. Engineered by Mike Nolte. The songs were written by Andrew Connor. Mixed by Ross Brown and mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Cover artwork by Paul Browning. This follows the band’s critically acclaimed 2013 album GHOSTY on High Dive Records.]

10:25 – Underwriting

8. Una Walkenhorst – “Pretty Face”
from: “Pretty Face” – Single / Una Walkenhorst / February 20, 2020
[2nd single from Una’s upcoming EP, “Woman of the Year,” to be released April 16. 25 year old Una Walkenhorst is a singer/songwriter from Kansas City. Una told KCUR FM that her father was one of the people who made her love music. But having a famous father can be challenging: “I knew that if I started my music career here I would have a lot of opportunities, but not all of them would be because of my music. They would be because I am someone’s daughter,” Walkenhorst says. Loading up her 97 Honda Civic, Una then spent a year traveling across North America promoting her music and connecting with listeners one-on-one. She ended up living in New Orleans. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst, a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. In January of 2018 Una Walkenhorst returned home to Kansas City from New Orleans. Over the past several years, Una and Bob had performed together at selected events, including Folk Alliance International. In 2018 the father and daughter duo decided to record an album together, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, with beautiful harmonies. Una will be on WMM on March 18]

[Una Walkenhorst plays The 517, 517 East 18th Street, KCMO, on Friday, March 13, at 6:30 with Parade, Calicoco, and LK Ultra, in a benefit for Kansas City Anti Violence Project.]

[Una Walkenhorst plays Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester, KCMO on Sat., March 21, 8:PM w/ Alison Hawkins (True Lions) on keys & backing vocals, and Christine Broxterman on cello.]

[Una Walkenhorst plays Records with Merritt, 1614 Westport Rd, KCMO, on Sat., April 4, at 7:00 PM w/ Poly Action (Austin TX), and Vanity Plates (side project of Lacey Hopkins lead singer of Dreamgirl).]

[Una Walkenhorst plays EP Release at The Rino, 314 Armour Rd, NKC, on Sat., April 18, at 7:PM with: Michelle Bacon, Alisön Hawkins, & Adee Dancy. Openers: True Lions, and Chloe Jacobson.]

Stephanie Carey Owner and Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City on the March 4, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

10:31 – Interview with Stephanie Carey of The Pitch Kansas City

Stephanie Carey is Owner & Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City. She joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to talks with us about the alternative news publication’s monthly printed editions, digital content, and three decade history. Stephanie Carey’s career in journalism includes her work as a reporter for newspapers and radio, as well as serving as a sales manager for media software and consulting firm Second Street. Founded in 1980 in the basement of a Westport record shop, The Pitch is Kansas City’s source for progressive, independent, street-level coverage of news, arts, music, and culture. You can find issues at over 1,000 locations across the metro, and online at: http://www.thepitchkc.com

Stephanie Carey, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

The Pitch is a free alternative newspaper distributed in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, including Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas. While known for its investigative stories of the local government, it also covers local sports stories, restaurants, events, visual art, and concerts.

It was started in July 1980 as the “Penny Pitch” which was a monthly handout at Penny Lane Record Shop in the Westport area of Kansas City. The original editors were Dwight Frizzell and Jay Mandeville.

Village Voice Media bought The Pitch in 1999, and sold the paper in 2011 to SouthComm Communications. In 2017 The Pitch was sold to Stephanie Carey and Adam Carey.

The Pitch is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.

Stephanie Carey – Owner, Publisher
Brock Wilbur – Editor in Chief
Kelcie McKenney – Digital Editor
Jason Dockery – Marketing Director
Steven Suarez – Senior Multimedia Executive
Becky Losey – Account Executive
Rebecca Watson – Account Executive
Adam Carey – Owner, COO

The Pitch is a controlled-circulation magazine, printed the first week of each month. More than 35,000 copies are distributed in the Kansas City metro to more than 1,000 locations.

Emphasizing investigative reporting and long-form journalism, The Pitch covers every aspect of local life — government and politics, performing and visual arts, music, fashion, books, movies, food and drink — in print each month and online every day at pitch.com.

Call now to speak with a multimedia specialist and request a customized marketing plan to grow your business. Ask how you can be part of our full calendar of events.
Display-advertising inquiries: Call 816-218-6702 or email Publisher Stephanie Carey at stephanie@thepitchkc.com

Stephanie Carey, Owner & Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City

Stephanie Carey, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

You can find issues at over 1,000 locations across the metro, and online at: http://www.thepitchkc.com

10:49

9. The Black Creatures – “wretched (it goes)”
from: “Wild Echoes” / The Black Creatures / September 30, 2019
[Darkpop hip-hop musical pulling elements from sci-fi to tell an inter-dimensional story. Xavier Martin and Jade Green have made an impression of the KC music community with their videos and songs, live shows in clubs, art galleries, record stores, area music festivals and shows in surrounding areas. They’ve released an EP, an album, several singles.]

[Black Creatures play a RAISE for the ROOF: an Anti-Gentrification Benefit Show at Farewell Transmission, 6515 Stadium Drive, KCMO, on Saturday, March 7, at 6:00 PM with ARQuesta Del SolSoul, Black Tape, Mx.Mrs, Fall Boys, Doobie N.M., Hadiza, and Vice Grip..]

[Black Creatures play miniBar, 3810 Broadway BLVD, KCMO, on Monday, March 16, at 9:00 PM opening for Wyatt Waddell with Eddie Moore.]

[Black Creatures play MidCoast Takeover at The Shangri La in Austin Texas, on Wednesday, March 18 at 12:00 PM. Hosted by Midwest Music Foundation.]

10. Claire Adams – “Better Luck”
from: Better Luck – Single / Claire Adams / September 20, 2019
[Musically curious and multifaceted, Claire Adams has spent more than a decade touring, recording and songwriting to hone her melodic instincts and vision. A bassist, guitarist, singer and songwriter, Adams has lent a discerning ear and versatility to a number of projects. 2019 finds Adams collaborating with the KC based string quartet Rewound, jazz pianist Alyssa Murray & drummer Fritz Hutchinson. Recorded at The Blue House in Kansas City, MO. Additional tracking at MARZ Studios in Nederland, TX. Mixed & mastered at Weights + Measures Soundlab in KCMO. Written by Claire Adams, with Claire Adams on guitars, bass, and vocals; Alyssa Murray on keyboards & vocals; and Fritz Hutchison on drums & vocals.]

[Claire Adams Trio plays The Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester St, KCMO on Friday, March 6, at 6:00 PM her trio featuring Alyssa Murray on keyboards, and Steve Gardels on drums. Also on the bill is Dustin Arbuckle & The Damnations.]

11. DeMaur – “Love Is a Losing Game”rom: Love Is a Losing Game – Single / DeMaur / February 14, 2020
[DeMaur is Maurice Demetrius Roper. He is a singer/songwriter based in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. DeMaur is an R&B/Soul artist. He started singing at the age of 5 years old when he joined his Kindergarten choir and has enjoyed being an entertainer ever since. DeMaur got much of his musical influence and inspiration singing in his late uncle’s church in Kansas City, Missouri during his teenage years. During this time, he knew that singing would be a part of his everyday life. DeMaur performs with his band, The Movement, throughout the Kansas City, Missouri area.]

[DeMaur will be singing the National Anthem at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Friday, March 13 at 11:00 AM at Municipal Auditorium, 301 W 13th St, KCMO]

11:00 – Station ID

12. Amy Marcus – “Sweater”
from: Sweater – Single / Independent / January 28, 2019
[Singer songwriter Amy Marcus was born and raised in Kansas City. She has been writing song since she was a child and in May 2016 she released her debut 5-song EP Brave with Kansas City based Serve Productions. In January 2017 she released ” I Want More For My Daughters” that was produced by musician Zach Balch at his studios in Dallas. Amy writes music to bring her honest lyrics to life. Amy Marcus studied photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is a mother of three and works as a professional photographer and personal chef.]

Stephanie Carey and Amy Marcus on the March 4, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

11:04 – Interview with Amy Marcus

KC based singer-songwriter, Amy Marcus who in January released her new single, “Sweater” and will premiere another new single called “Heartsick” today. Amy Marcus was born and raised in Kansas City. She has been writing songs since she was a child. In 2016 she released her debut 5-song EP “Brave” and followed that up with the single, “I Want More For My Daughters” in 2017. Amy Marcus studied photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is a mother of three and works as a professional photographer and chef. Amy is currently working on a new EP set for release this year.

Amy Marcus, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Born and raised in KC, Amy Marcus has been writing songs since she was 4 years old, but only recently made the leap to begin recording and performing live. 26 years later, she got in 2016 she released her debut 5-song EP “Brave.” Amy followed that up with the single, “I Want More For My Daughters” in 2017.

Amy Marcus studied photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is a mother of three and works as a professional photographer and chef. Amy is currently working on a new EP set for release this year.

More information at: http://www.amymarcus.com

11:11

13. Amy Marcus – “Heartsick”
from: Heartsick Movement – Single / Amy Marcus / March 4, 2019

Amy Marcus

11:15 – Interview with Amy Marcus

We are talking with KC based singer-songwriter, Amy Marcus who in January released her new single, “Sweater.” We just premiered another new single, “Heartsick Movement.”

Amy wrote “Heartsick” a year into recovering from a relapse in an eating disorder she has dealt with since she was 11. She is passionate about speaking out about de-stigmatizing mental health issues, including eating disorders.

Amy also works for Sura Eats, a good friend’s Korean restaurant located in The Crossroads. Amy does all the photography and social media and marketing for Sura Eats.

Amy Marcus, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Amy is currently working on a new EP set for release this year.
More information at: http://www.amymarcus.com

11:22

14. Crystal Rose – “Not Leaving (Stripped)”
from: “Not Leaving (Stripped)” – Single / rosebud / January 30, 2020
[Crystal Rose released her debut single “Come Alive” on May 6, 2016. Crystal is a Kansas City based singer songwriter and UMKC journalism student who has played solo and also with Paige Turner on guitar, Peter Marten on guitar, and Robert Castillo on bass. Crystal Rose is a singer song-writer based in heart of Kansas City. At a young age she was Influenced by powerhouse vocals like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera. She has since drawn much inspiration from blusey and folk centered artist like James Bay, James Vincent Mcmorrow and Johnnyswim. To listen to more Crystal Rose please visit: http://www.crystalro.se]

15. Elevator Division – “Radio”
from: Years / Second Nature Recordings / September 7, 2004
[James Hoskins on guitar & vocals, Samuel Hoskins on drums, Chris Stuart on bass guitar, Jeremiah James Gonzales on guitar & vocals. Since their beginning in 1999, Elevator Division have received praise from critics and fans alike. They have been compared to U2, R.E.M., The Cure, Radiohead, and The Smashing Pumpkins. This is probably because, like the aformentioned bands, Elevator Division’s music has a classic, timeless quality to it and transcends mere entertainment. One critic noticed this and commented by saying, “Songs like this remind me why music matters.” Another critic even described Elevator Division’s music as having the ability to “change one’s entire outlook.” Whatever the response from critics and fans, Elevator Division have not let it affect their work ethic. Since their inception they’ve self-released two full-length albums and an EP and been booked with such bands and artists as Glen Philips (of Toad The Wet Sprocket), Pete Yorn, Elbow, The Faint, Pedro The Lion, Shiner, Cursive, The Secret Machines, and many others.]

[Elevator Division plays recordBar 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO, on Sun, March 8, at 6:00 PM with Jaenki, Various Blonde, Bodye. All Proceeds go to Eschleman Family.]

11:30 – Underwriting

16. Purna Loka Ensemble – “Triality – Movement II”
from: Metaraga / Purna Loka / January 17, 2020
[Indian classical violinist and mathematician Purnaprajna Bangere has created a new musical syntax based on a geometric framework that integrates Indian classical music and Western music, encompassing elements from classical, blues and jazz. The result opens new frontiers with exciting new sounds and structures that transcend known genres of music. Most of his current compositional work of Purna is with multi Grammy winning director of Turtle Island String Quartet David Balakrishnan. Joining Purna and David to complete the ensemble are bass virtuoso Jeff Harshbarger from Kansas City and the talented Amit Kavthekar from Boston on Tabla, with special guest Robert Walzel on clarinet (track 6). Produced by David Balakrishnan and Purnaprajna Bangere. Recorded on October 23-25, 2018 & April 10, 2019 at Swarthout Recital Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Engineered by Brock J. Babcock, Lawrence, KS. Mastered by Paul duGre, Los Angeles, CA. ]

Purna Loka Ensemble

11:36 – Interview with Jeff Harshbarger

Jeff Harshbarger joins us to share music and information about the debut recording of Purna Loka Ensemble‘s new album “Metaraga” released though Origin Records on January 17, 2020. Along with Purna Loka, Jeff Harshbarger has recorded and performed with: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Bobby Watson, Forever Tango, Milt Abel, Tango Lorca, Krystle Warren, Brad Cox, Ghosty, and The People’s Liberation Big Band. Jeff is a co-founder of Tzigane Music, an artist-run record label, and is the curator of Jeff Harshbarger Presents: An Alternative Jazz Series, promoting new improvised music in KC. Jeff has received The Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Fellowship, the Steans Institute Fellowship, and the 2015 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award. Jeff hosts “Jazz Afternoon” Wednesdays at 1:PM – 90.1 FM KKFI. Info at http://www.jeffharshbarger.com

Jeff Harshbarger, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

From Rick Hellman’s feature piece in KU News: “After decades of playing the violin and years as a math professor at the University of Kansas, Purnaprajna Bangere has achieved an artistic breakthrough that synthesizes his musical and mathematical skills, creating an entirely new approach to music he calls “metaraga.”

“…the title Bangere gave to the debut recording by his Purna Loka Ensemble, which is generating critical praise, radio airplay and even sales and chart action.

“In 2008, the Turtle Island String Quartet tplayed the Lied Center of Kansas and that led to Bangere’s crucial meeting with the two-time Grammy-winning leader of that group, David Balakrishnan. Balakrishnan has now become Bangere’s collaborator, co-writing four of the “Metaraga” album’s five original tracks and playing counterpart to Bangere’s lead violin lines throughout.”

11:43

17. Purna Loka Ensemble – “Triality – Movement III”
rom: Metaraga / Purna Loka / January 17, 2020
[Indian classical violinist and mathematician Purnaprajna Bangere has created a new musical syntax based on a geometric framework that integrates Indian classical music and Western music, encompassing elements from classical, blues and jazz. The result opens new frontiers with exciting new sounds and structures that transcend known genres of music. Most of his current compositional work of Purna is with multi Grammy winning director of Turtle Island String Quartet David Balakrishnan. Joining Purna and David to complete the ensemble are bass virtuoso Jeff Harshbarger from Kansas City and the talented Amit Kavthekar from Boston on Tabla, with special guest Robert Walzel on clarinet (track 6). Produced by David Balakrishnan and Purnaprajna Bangere. Recorded on October 23-25, 2018 & April 10, 2019 at Swarthout Recital Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Engineered by Brock J. Babcock, Lawrence, KS. Mastered by Paul duGre, Los Angeles, CA. ]

11:48 – More Interview with Jeff Harshbarger

Jeff Harshbarger joins us to share music information about the debut recording of Purna Loka Ensemble’s new album “Metaraga” released though Origin Records on January 17, 2020.

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

Jeff Harshbarger, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Purnaprajna Bangere: Violin I (and Solo Violin)
David Balakrishnan: Violin II
Jeff Harshbarger: Bass
Amit Kavthekar: Tabla
With Special Guest Robert Walzel on Clarinet (Track 6)

COMPOSITIONS BY:
(1,3,4,5) Purnaprajna Bangere/David Balakrishnan
(Purna Loka Music/Balapadam Music, BMI)
(2) Patnam Subramania Iyer (trad.);
(6) John Coltrane (JowcolMusic, BMI);
(7) Muthuswami Dikshitar (trad.);
(8) Purnaprajna Bangere (Purna Loka Music, BMI)

Along with Purna Loka, Jeff Harshbarger has recorded and performed with: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Bobby Watson, Forever Tango, Milt Abel, Tango Lorca, Krystle Warren, Brad Cox, Ghosty, and The People’s Liberation Big Band.

Jeff hosts “Jazz Afternoon” on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM on 90.1 FM KKFI.

Jeff Harshbarger, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

More info at http://www.purnaviolin.com or http://www.jeffharshbarger.com

11:56

18. Jake Wells – “Habit”
from: Sunday Morning – EP / Jake Wells Music / February 29, 2020
[Second EP from Kansas City based indie folk singer songwriter. Jake Wells was born in Florida grew up in Colorado. Jake studied Music Composition at University of Northern Colorado. “Jake’s sound evokes an emotionality and maturity much deeper than his age of 22 would imply.” He was named one of Spotify’s top 20. He has performed on stages since he was a teenager. His single releases are currently gaining radio play in the Midwest on several FM stations.]

[Jake Wells plays recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO, on Friday, March 13, at 7:30 PM.]

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

Next week, on March 11 we talk with Teri Quinn who shares new music. We welcome KC based band Dan Jones & The Squids. AND, Kadesh Flow joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios.

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 #827

WMM presents Stephanie Carey + Amy Marcus + Jeff Harshbarger

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, March 4, 2019

New & MidCoastal Releases + Amy Marcus
+ Jeff Harshbarger & Purna Loka Ensemble +
Stephanie Carey of The Pitch KC

Mark plays New & MidCostal Releases from: Una Walkenhorst, BlackStarKids, Jake Wells, Ivory Blue, Brotha Newz, Crystal Rose, Knife Crime, GHOSTY, Rosé Perez, Amy Marcus, DeMaur, Purna Loka Ensemble, The Black Creatures, Claire Adams, and Elevator Division.

Stephanie Carey, Owner & Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City

At 10:30 Stephanie Carey, Owner & Publisher of The Pitch Kansas City talks with us about the alternative news publication’s monthly printed editions, digital content, and three decade history. Stephanie Carey’s career in journalism includes her work as a reporter for newspapers and radio, as well as serving as a sales manager for media software and consulting firm Second Street. Founded in 1980 in the basement of a Westport record shop, The Pitch is Kansas City’s source for progressive, independent, street-level coverage of news, arts, music, and culture. You can find issues at over 1,000 locations across the metro, and online at: http://www.thepitchkc.com

Amy Marcus

At 11:00 Mark welcomes KC based singer-songwriter, Amy Marcus who in January released her new single, “Sweater” and will premiere another new single on the show. Amy Marcus was born and raised in Kansas City. She has been writing songs since she was a child. In 2016 she released her debut 5-song EP “Brave” and followed that up with the single, “I Want More For My Daughters” in 2017. Amy Marcus studied photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is a mother of three and works as a professional photographer and chef. Amy is currently working on a new EP set for release this year.

Purna Loka Ensemble

At 11:30 Jeff Harshbarger shares music from Purna Loka Ensemble‘s debut “Metaraga” released though Origin Records on January 17, 2020. Along with Purna Loka, Jeff Harshbarger has recorded and performed with: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Bobby Watson, Forever Tango, Milt Abel, Tango Lorca, Krystle Warren, Brad Cox, Ghosty, and The People’s Liberation Big Band. Jeff is a co-founder of Tzigane Music, an artist-run record label, and is the curator of Jeff Harshbarger Presents: An Alternative Jazz Series, promoting new improvised music in KC. Jeff has received The Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Fellowship, the Steans Institute Fellowship, and the 2015 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award. Jeff hosts “Jazz Afternoon” on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM on 90.1 FM KKFI. More info at http://www.jeffharshbarger.com

On your local radio dial 90.1 FM or
STREAMING LIVE at: kkfi.org

Show #827