WMM presents Nico Gray + Doby Watson

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, February 26, 2019

Nico Gray – Guest Producer
+ Doby Watson

Nico Gray Portrait by: Jan McNiel

Mark welcomes back Nico Gray, for his 8th time as “Guest Producer.” Nico is a writer, performance artist, and actor who has performed with KC Rep, Gorilla Theatre, 8th St. Cafe Theatre, Actor’s Craft, and Big Bang Buffet. Nico has worked for Theatre League, The Midland Theatre, and is currently a marketing & advertising consultant with Union Station, KC Fringe, and KC Creates. Nico grew up in KC but has lived in Chicago, New York, and Marseille.

Nico will feature tracks from: Dyson, Art d’Ecco, Yoko Ono, CHOCOLAT, Deep, Passengers, Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, Pretenders, Air, Dimitri From Paris, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, Barry Adamson, Jah Wobble’s Invaders Of The Heart, and Rich Aucoin.

Doby Watson

At 11:30 Mark talks with KC based singer-songwriter, Doby Watson who joins us LIVE in our 90.1 FM Studios. Doby Watson will be opening for Saintseneca on Sun, March 1, at 7:30 PM, at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO.

Mark will also play music from Miss Boating, who play The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO, on Thursday, February 27, at 7:00 PM, for the Support Local Music Showcase with StylesbyStyle, Scotty Wu, Miss Boating, and Tiki Brawlers.

Nico Gray Portrait by: Jan McNiel

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

Show #826

WMM Playlist from Feb. 19, 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, February 19, 2019

Spinning Records With Marion Merritt
+ EBONY TUSK
S

Today, we welcome back to the show, Marion Merritt as our special “Guest Producer.” For nearly 16 years Marion has been sharing her sonic discoveries and information from her musically encyclopedic brain. With her partner Ann Stewart, Marion is the creator of Records With Merritt, a small, independent, minority owned business, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri.

Marion Merritt

Marion Merritt, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

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

2. Dimitri From Paris – “Prologue”
from: Sacrebleu / Atlantic / 2001

3. Antibalas – “Fist of Flowers”
from: Fu Chronicles / Daptone Records / February 7, 2020
[7th album from Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri’s Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Antibalas is Spanish for “bulletproof”. Although their music generally follows the musical architecture and language of afrobeat, it incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa. Members include: Martín Perna, Amayo, Marcos García, Jordan McLean, Marcus Farrar, Reinalde Dejesus, Will Rast, Justin Kimmel, Timothy J Allen, Kevin Raczka, Raymond James Mason, Raja Kassi, Morgan Price, Eric Biondo, Jackie Coleman. More info at http://www.antibalas.com]

4. Sharon Van Etten – “Beaten Down”
from: Beaten Down – Single / Jagjaguwar / February 5, 2020
[New single from Sharon Van Etten who was born February 26, 1981, in Belleville, New Jersey and lived in Nutley, NJ before moving to Clinton as a pre-teen. Later, she moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University and studied recording, but dropped out of college after a year. Van Etten ended up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro, for about five years. In 2004, she moved back to New Jersey, where she worked at Perryville Wine and Spirits. Van Etten moved to New York City in 2005. Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released. Before her studio debut, she worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist at Ba Da Bing Records. Van Etten’s debut, Because I Was in Love, was released on May 26, 2009, on Language of Stone, and was put out by by Drag City. This is a follow-up to her 5th album “Remind Me Tomorrow.” on Jagjaguar Records.]

5. Isobel Campbell – “Vultures”
from: There is No Other / Cooking Vinyl / February 7, 2020
[Isobel Campbell was born April 27, 1976. She is a Scottish singer-songwriter, cellist and composer. Campbell rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Waves, and later under her own name. She later collaborated with singer Mark Lanegan on three albums. Campbell’s music has been described as either indie pop, chamber pop or singer-songwriter. Regardless of genre, Campbell makes gentle and sombre music, often using classical instruments and her bright, slightly nasal voice with bittersweet and ironic songwriting. This is her 5th solo full-length album.]

6. Holy Fuck – “Deleters (feat. Angus Andrew)”
from: Deleter / Ef Records / January 17, 2020
[Holy Fuck is an electronica band from Toronto. They were a part of Dependent Music, a music label & artist collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2004 until its closing. They were then a part of the Young Turks label. In 2016 they signed with Innovative Leisure. The band uses live instrumentation & miscellaneous instruments and non-instruments, including a 35 mm film synchronizer, toy keyboards & toy phaser guns, to achieve electronic-sounding effects without the use of laptops or programmed backing tracks. According to Pitchfork Media, “The band formed with the intent of creating the equivalent of modern electronic music without actually using the techniques, looping, splicing, programming and the like, of that music.]

7. Caribou – “Never Come Back”
from: Suddenly / Merge / February 28, 2020
[Daniel Victor Snaith was born in 1978. He is a Canadian composer, musician, and recording artist who has performed under the stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Snaith originally recorded under the stage name Manitoba, but after being threatened with a lawsuit by Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba (real name Richard Blum), formerly of punk band The Dictators, Snaith changed his performance name to Caribou. Snaith’s previous full-length albums were then re-released under the new moniker, and The Milk of Human Kindness was released in 2005 by Domino. In June that year the album topped the !earshot Campus and Community Radio Top 200 chart. “Suddenly” is his 5th full-length album as Caribou]

10:33 – Underwriting

8. Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – “Texas Sun”
from: Texas Sun EP / Dead Oceans / February 7, 2020
[4th EP and 5th single from Khruangbin a trio from Houston, Texas, with Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Ray “DJ” Johnson Jr. on drums. The band has also released 3 albums. The band is known for blending global music influences, classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Their debut studio album, The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015), draws from the history of Thai music in the 1960s, while their 2nd album, Con Todo El Mundo (2018), has influences from Spain and the Middle East. Todd Michael “Leon” Bridges was born July 13, 1989. He is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. He is best known for his song “Coming Home”, which received regular airplay and was also a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify. Bridges’ debut album, also titled Coming Home, was released on June 23, 2015, on Columbia Records and subsequently nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Texas Sun is her 2nd EP. He has also released 2 full length records.]

9. Monophonics – “It’s Only Us”
from: It’s Only Us / Colemine Records / March 13, 2020
[Psychedelic Soul from San Francisco, CA from; Austin Bohlman on drums, Kelly Finnigan on vocals & keyboards, Ian McDonald on electric guitar & electric sitar & backing vocals, Myles O’Mahony on electric bass & backing vocals, Ryan Scott on trumpet and backing vocals. “One of the best live soul bands I have ever seen!” – Al Bell (Record producer, songwriter, executive, and co-owner of legendary Stax Records)]

10. Brazzos & O.K. Jazz – “Cha Cha Cha Del Zombo”
from: Soul Jazz Records Presents Congo Revolution: Revolutionary and Evolutionary Sounds From the Two Congos 1955-62 / Soul Jazz Records / October 25, 2019
[This new release looks at the explosion of music that came out of the Congo in the years leading up to independence in 1960. Congolese rumba, a wild combination of African, Jazz and Latin influences, created future stars of its now legendary creators – Franco, Grand Kalle, Tabu Ley, Dr. Nico, Papa Wemba – and all feature here in their ground-breaking early groups such as O.K.Jazz, Brazzos, Rock-A-Mambo, African Jazz and The Beguen Band. The Congo is in fact two countries – The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo. Soul Jazz Records is a London based label run by Stuart Baker, which specialises in re-releasing music from around the world on compilations with high quality remastered sound. They also release a large amount of material on vinyl, including new recordings, oftentimes as 12″ singles. The printed record label name on these vinyl releases often varies greatly. For example Soul And Jazz Musical Industries, ENT., Soul Jazz Records Co., Soul Jazz Record Corp., or sometimes the record label which originally released the recording is displayed.]

11. Mukhtar Ramadan Idii – “Check Up Your Head”
from: Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972 – 1991) / Analog Africa / Dec. 13, 2019
[Analog Africa is a label based in Frankfurt, Germany, owned by Samy Ben Redjeb, releasing compilations with African and South American music mainly of the 70s and 80s. After being blown away by a few tunes, Samy Ben Redjeb travelled to the infamous capital city of Somalia in November of 2016, making Analog Africa the first music label to set foot in Mogadishu. Mogadisco was not Analog Africa’s easiest project. Tracking down the musicians to interview them and gather anecdotes of golden-era Mogadishu has been an undertaking that took three years. Tales of Dur-Dur Band’s kidnapping, movie soundtracks recorded in the basements of hotels, musicians getting electrocuted on stage, others jumping from one band to another under dramatic circumstances, and soul singers competing against each other, are all stories included in the massive booklet. CD, comes with a full color 36-pages booklet containing 50 pictures & full digital album as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.]

11:00 – Station ID

12. of Montreal & Locate S,1 – “Gypsy That Remains”
from: UR FUN / Polyvinyl / January 17, 2020
[16th studio album from of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman “of Montreal.” The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collective. Throughout its existence, of Montreal’s musical style has evolved considerably and drawn inspiration from 1960s psychedelic pop acts.]

13. Field Music – “Money Is a Memory”
from: Making a New World / Memphis Industries / January 10, 2020
[Field Music are an English rock band from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, that formed in 2004, particularly active in the Wearside region. The band’s core consists of brothers David Brewis & Peter Brewis, with Andrew Moore occasionally featured as keyboardist. Their line-up has at times featured members of both Maxïmo Park and The Futureheads. Field Music have been called one of the few bands to outlast the indie guitar band explosion of the mid-2000s. Describing the band as “a truly artful proposition in the pseudo-filled landscape of contemporary Brit art-rock,” music blog The Fantastic Hope puts this down in part to their “un-self-conscious anti-fashion stance,” arguing that Field Music’s “wayward pop from the fringes of academia is one of the most worthwhile ways in which rock//indie/guitar music/white pop/whatever might evolve”. Critics have compared their music to acts as diverse as Steely Dan, XTC, Prefab Sprout, Peter Gabriel, Scritti Politti, Talking Heads and Todd Rundgren. They have also been nominated for the Mercury Prize. The songs on Making a New World were inspired by research David and Peter Brewis conducted about stories, events, and technological advances that occurred during and after World War I as part their project for the Imperial War Museum. The songs from Making a New World will cover a wide variety of topics, including gender reassignment and air traffic control. One of the songs was inspired by Harold Gillies, a New Zealand-born surgeon who pioneered facial cosmetic surgery and skin grafts for injured servicemen and who later conducted one of the first gender realignment operations. The song “Only in a Man’s World” is about the development of sanitary napkins and the fact that advertising for the products, created by men, often treat the concept of menstruation like something shameful that should be kept secret. The song was inspired by a Wisconsin-based company called Kimberly-Clark that developed a material for dressing war wounds and was later adapted for the first modern sanitary product, which was called Kotex. David Brewis said he felt some embarrassment writing a song about the topic, particularly when he first shared it with his wife, but he believed “confronting my own embarrassment is a pretty fundamental part of what the song is about”. He further said of the song: “I found myself researching the development of sanitary pads – not a statement I’ve ever imagined myself making – and was surprised at how little the advertising material has changed in a hundred years. It’s still, Hey Ladies! Let’s not mention it too loudly but here is the perfect product to keep you feeling normal WHILE THE DISGUSTING, DIRTY THING HAPPENS. And you realise that it’s a kind of madness that a monthly occurrence for billions of women – something absolutely necessary for the survival of humanity – is seen as shameful or dirty – and is taxed MORE than razor blades?! ”The song “Money Is a Memory” concerns the final payment by Germany in 2010 of the economically ruinous reparations it owed under the Treaty of Versailles, and is written from the perspective of a functionary in the Treasury. In social media postings leading up to the release, David Brewis mentioned the famous image of a man carrying a wheelbarrow full of marks made worthless by the hyper-inflationary policies of the Weimar Republic as an inspiration for the track. Brewis: “The whole album is really about consequences, and how the consequences of that war are still with us. “Money Is A Memory” is probably the most explicit example of that — decisions that were made a hundred years ago still casting a shadow. The initial premise is a bit comical — the admin assistant going through their bureaucratic duties — but buried away inside those papers you can imagine the echoes of millions of lives being turned upside down.]

14. Les Amazones d’Afrique – “Love (feat. Mamani Keita)”
from: Amazones Power / Real World Records / January 24, 2020
[2nd album from Les Amazones d’Afrique, a contemporary world music supergroup formed in Mali in 2015 featuring Kandia Kouyaté, Angélique Kidjo, Mamani Keita, Rokia Koné, Mariam Doumbia (of Amadou & Mariam), Nneka, Mariam Koné, Massan Coulibaly, Madina N’Diaye, Madiaré Dramé, Mouneissa Tandina and Pamela Badjogo. The name of the refers to the Dahomey Amazons, which was a female elephant hunting group and a military regiment from the 17th century thru 19th century in what is now Benin. Les Amazones d’Afrique performed their first concert at Fiesta des Suds in Marseilles in October 2015. The 1st track they released was “I Play The Kora,” a track that goes well beyond the often-reductive term of “world music”. Its message is to encourage women coming together to sing about why they should “rise up and fight injustice because we’re all equal,” and profits from the sale of the track are be donated to The Panzi Foundation, led by Doctor Mukwege in Bukavu (DRC), which has provided healing support to more than 80,000 women, nearly 50,000 of whom are victims of sexualized violence and female genital mutilation. The kora, a harp-like instrument native to West Africa, works as a metaphor: playing the kora was denied to women for years; only men were allowed the prestige. Following their first UK performance at WOMAD Charlton Park in July 2016, Les Amazones d’Afrique were signed to Real World Records for the release of their 1st album, Republique Amazone (2017). Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. In 1999, the label had sold over 3 million records worldwide & released 90 albums. In 2015, it had reached the mark of over 200 albums.]

15. Hailu Mergia & The Walias – “Tche Belew”
from: Tche Belew / Awesome Tapes From Africa / October 10, 2014
[Awesome Tapes From Africa is a record label & web site operated by Brian Shimkovitz based in Los Angeles, CA. Founded in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York, the site was created as a way for Shimkovitz to share music he had come across while on a Fulbright scholarship in Ghana. He was interested in the variety of genres and artists he found, distributed largely on cassette tapes at markets, but that he had not come across outside West Africa. In 2011, Shimkovitz transitioned the site from just a blog with posted recordings of collected tapes posted without the artists’ permission to a commercial record label. The goal of the company is to seed and expand an audience for the artists presented as well as provide opportunities to sell albums and tour. Artists are paid every six months and receive 50% of the profits from an album. Tapes presented on Awesome Tapes come from a variety of sources: gathered in Ghanaian street markets, purchased in stores in the US, or sent by others over the internet.[5] In addition to the website, Shimkovitz DJ’s concerts, clubs and at festivals as Awesome Tapes From Africa, as well as hosts a show on Dublab.Most Awesome Tapes From Africa releases are official rereleases of out-of-print cassettes from African musicians and bands. SK Kakraba’s Songs of Paapieye is the first album to consist of a new release. Although music is distributed in Africa via MP3 on mobile phones, Shimkovitz says the widest variety of music in West Africa is still available on cassette tape. In the journal Public Culture, Awesome Tapes From Africa, along with record labels Sublime Frequencies and Parallel World, is discussed as being emblematic of “World Music 2.0” for combining the “open source ethics of online networks with long-standing countercultural networks of circulation” within cassette culture and music distribution in developing nations. Walias Band were an Ethiopian jazz and funk band active from the early 1970s until the early 1990s. Formed by members of the Venus Band, Walias backed up many prominent singers with a hard polyrhythmic funk sound influenced by western artists like King Curtis, Junior Walker and Maceo Parker. In 1977 they recorded one of the few albums of Ethiopian instrumental music in collaboration with vibraphonist Mulatu Astatke, whose role as a bandleader and composer was also a major influence on Ethiopian popular music. Walias formed in the early 1970s in Addis Ababa where they were the house band for the upscale Hilton Hotel. A civilian curfew made it dangerous for clientele visiting the hotel lounge to leave after 11:00 PM, and Walias would end up playing two or three sets until 6:00 AM the next day. In 1981 Walias became the first modern Ethiopian band to travel to the United States, playing on a tour with singer Mahmoud Ahmed primarily to audiences of Ethiopian refugees. Rather than returning to Ethiopia under its dictatorship, four members of Walias—Girma Bèyènè, Mogès Habté, Mèlakè Gèbrè and Hailu Mergia—stayed in the U.S. and formed a new group called Zula Band. Mergia took work in Washington DC driving a taxi cab, often practicing in his cab while waiting for fares at the airport, and released solo cassette tapes of traditional Ethiopian music played on analog synthesizer, electric piano and accordion. Meanwhile the members of Walias who returned to Ethiopia—Yohannes Tèkola and Tèmarè Harègou—continued to play together under the Derg dictatorship for another decade. In the late 1990s Walias Band found a wider audience in the West when the French label Buda Records reissued much of the group’s music on the Ethiopiques series of compact discs. Their instrumental track, “Musicawi Silt,” became a popular dance number and has been covered by a number of artists. Not much else of Walias’ music was known until African music cassette collector Brian Shimkovitz found a Walias Band tape while traveling in Ethiopia. After hearing it, Shimkovitz found keyboardist Hailu Mergia’s phone number on the Internet, called him up, and arranged an official re-release of Walias Band’s music.]

16. The Heliocentrics – “Burning Wooden Ship”
from: Infinity of Now / Madlib Medicine Show / February 14, 2020
[The Heliocentrics are a London-based musical collective, combining funk, jazz, psych and library influences based around drummer and producer Malcolm Catto, Bassist Jake Ferguson, Guitarist Adrian Owusu and multi-instrumentalist Jack Yglesias. They released their debut album, Out There in 2007 on Now-Again Records, followed by collaborations with Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke on the album Inspiration Information (2009) which was awarded that years Gilles Peterson Worldwide Winner Album of the Year award, Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics (OST)(2010), and Orlando Julius. The Heliocentrics appeared on the track “Skullfuckery” on the UK release of the DJ Shadow album The Outsider, which was released in 2006. In 2013, they released their second full album, 13 Degrees of Reality also on Stones Throw. The album with Astatke was included in a list of ‘Five Essential Jazz Albums’ chosen by pianist Jamie Cullum in 2013. In 2017, they released A World of Masks with vocals by Barbora Patkova, as well as The Sunshine Makers OST, the score they wrote for the 2015 British documentary The Sunshine Makers, directed by Cosmo Feilding-Mellen. Both records were released on Soundway Records.]

Marion Merritt thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

With her partner Ann Stewart, Marion is the creator of Records With Merritt, a small, independent, minority owned business, at 1614 Westport Rd. in KCMO. More info at: http://www.recordswithmerritt.com

The Talking Trees with special guest Tyler Gosnell play Records with Merritt, 1614 Westport Rd, KCMO, Friday, February 21, at 8:00 PM

11:30 – Underwriting

17. Ebony Tusks – “HDF”
from: HDF – Single / High Dive Records / January 17, 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.]

EBONY TUSKS

11:35 – Interview with EBONY TUSKS

EBONY TUSKS are Daniel Smith – DJ & production, Nathan “Geese” Giesecke – vocals & production, and Martinez Hillard – vocals & production. EBONY TUSKS join us live in our 90.1 FM studios to share details about their new single HDF which we just heard, and news about their upcoming album, Heal Thyself, to be released on High Dive Records and Intelligent Sound. EBONY TUSKS are playing in series of “All Ages” shows to celebrate the release of “HDF.”

EBONY TUSKS’s play ArtsConnect Topeka, 909 N. Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS., Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 PM with special guests VOLSTICE and Tione Jackson.

Ebony Tusks play White Schoolhouse, 1510 N 3rd St, Lawrence, KS., Fri, March 6, at 7:00 PM with special guests V.I.S.I.T.O.R. and RAW SPACE.

Ebony Tusks play Mills Record Company, 4045 Broadway Blvd, KCMO Saturday, March 7, at 7:00 PM, with special guests: Domineko.

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

Daniel Smith, Nathan “Geese” Giesecke, Martinez Hillard thanks for being with us on WMM.

Their upcoming album, Heal Thyself will be released soon on High Dive Records on vinyl and Intelligent Sound on cassette.

From Live From The Underground / Vivid Seats recently wrote in a piece published February 7, 2020, saying: “EBONY TUSKS is dynamic underground hip-hop trio focused on the conscious, lyric-heavy side of the genre, EBONY TUSKS appeared with dozens of leading underground acts throughout the 2010s. Now, they’re ready to take the next step.”

Martinez Hillard told Vivid Seats: “I began EBONY TUSKS in 2009 after a difficult period that summer. I was living in the student ghetto near the University of Kansas in Lawrence. It was an eerily calm Friday night and I didn’t have any plans after work so I crashed. I woke up shortly after 9:00 pm because my door was being kicked in. I was beaten and robbed at gunpoint. Thankfully, two of my neighbors were close friends and called the police immediately. I had nightmares for years afterward that included many symbols I’ve come to associate with various religious practices. I also began writing raps for the first time in over a decade. I was working with a couple producers and we had our first show at a house venue called Pizza Power in October 2010. Both Daniel and Geese came into the fold within a couple years of that show.”

Martinez Hillard, Daniel Miller, and Nathan “Geese” Giesecke of EBONY TUSKS on the February 19, 2020 edition of Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI 90.1 FM.

Daniel Smith lives in Lawrence, Kansas. He was born in Berkeley California. He moved to Lawrence when he was a child. Hs father is a Professor at The University of Kansas. Daniel is a DJ and producer. He makes beats. Daniel works for the United Way of Douglass County. Daniel helps to provide after school job-training programs for under-served youth.

Nathan “Geese” Giesecke grew up in Olathe but now lives and works in Kansas City, MO. He was friends with Calvin Arsenia in High School. Geese works as a producer as GEESACE. He makes beats and you can find his music at http://soundcloud.com/geesace Nathan is also a lighting designer who jumped on stage to do back up vocals for Marty and ended up being in the band.

Martinez Hillard is the main vocalist and lyricist for EBONY TUSKS. He raps under the moniker Bodye, (pronounced “body”). He also produces beats. Martinez lives in the Old Town neighborhood in downtown Topeka with wife and 5 year old daughter. Martinez was part of the super group Cowboy Indian Bear. Martinez was recently elected to serve as a board member for Friends of the Library for Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

At Marty told Johnson County Library, in a piece published April 27, 2016: “ It was a project I started with other producers back in 2010. I asked Daniel to DJ for me sometime in 2011-2012 and Geese joined not too far behind him. Daniel and I had become fast friends when I lived in Lawrence and he was the nicest, most easygoing DJ of the handful I knew. He made our shows a lot less stressful. Geese was and is a lighting technician for a number of our friends’ projects and that was how I made acquaintance with him, seeing him work for a band and asking if he’d do lights for an EBONY TUSKS concert. He eventually asked if he could be hypeman for us and he brought an intensity that we didn’t have prior.”

EBONY TUSKS have been a band for over 11 years making hip hop in the Lawrence scene that includes Approach, Stik Figa, Heartfelt Anarchy, and Archetype.

Since the three members of EBONY TUSKS live in three separate cities: Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka early on, they created a Dropbox folder to share demos with one another. And as they told Vivid Seat: “It also gave us a bit of language to use in building sounds independent of one another.”

EBONY TUSKS Shows:

EBONY TUSKS play ArtsConnect Topeka, 909 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS., Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 7:00 PM with special guests VOLSTICE and Tione Jackson

The latest EBONY TUSKS single, HDF. It is now available on both 7” and cassette courtesy of High Dive Records and Intelligent Sound. Here is an official music video courtesy of Ulasien Media: https://bit.ly/2E221Gm

All ages, show at 7:00 pm sharp, free entry.

Live art will be provided by Beth King and Robert Tapley Bustamante. We are accepting donations and there will be a raffle drawing for their work at the conclusion of the event. 100% of live art proceeds will go to Beacon Youth Group. Beacon is a welcoming environment for queer youth ages 12-20 to engage in socialization, education, exploration, and activism.
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Ebony Tusks play White Schoolhouse, 1510 N 3rd St, Lawrence, KS., Friday, March 6, at 7:00 PM with special guests V.I.S.I.T.O.R. and RAW SPACE

Please join us in celebration of the latest EBONY TUSKS single, HDF. It is now available on both 7” and cassette courtesy of High Dive Records and Intelligent Sound. Here is an official music video courtesy of Ulasien Media: https://bit.ly/2E221Gm

All ages, show at 7:00 pm sharp. There is a suggested $10 donation. It supports White Schoolhouse, its wonderful volunteers, and their ability to continue hosting safe, accessible, and amazing shows. If you are unable to, please come anyway. We want you in attendance.

Live art will be provided by Matthew Asbury. We are accepting donations and there will be a raffle drawing for Matt’s work at the conclusion of the event. 100% of live art proceeds will go to Girls Rock Lawrence. Girls Rock is an intersectional feminist movement associated with the international Girls Rock Camp Alliance. They create a safe space for adolescent girls and trans youth to participate in music education and mutual empowerment through music. SMASH THE PATRIARCHY!
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Ebony Tusks play Mills Record Company, 4045 Broadway Blvd, KCMO Saturday, March 7, at 7:00 PM, with special guests: Domineko

Please join us in celebration of the latest EBONY TUSKS single, HDF. It is now available on both 7” and cassette courtesy of High Dive Records and Intelligent Sound. Here is an official music video courtesy of Ulasien Media: https://bit.ly/2E221Gm

Live art will be provided by Nick Lewis. We are accepting donations and there will be a raffle drawing for their work at the conclusion of the event. 100% of live art proceeds will go to BANDWAGGN KC. BANDWAGGN’s mission is to empower girls and trans youth to build community thru authentic relationships and lead a movement toward collective liberation. Music is their chosen tool for teaching, learning & building into our future.
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Ebony Tusks play recordBar 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO, on Sunday, March 8, at 6:00 PM with Elevator Division, Jaenki, Various Blonde, Bodye (Marty from Ebony Tusks) All Proceeds go to Eschleman Family.

11:56:33

18. Ebony Tusks – “Chuck Ds”
from: Heal Thyself / High Dive Records / to be released later this Spring
[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, and Marty are three people from the Midwest who take pleasure in the mutations of sound available in the least expected places.]

Daniel Smith, Nathan “Geese” Giesecke, Martinez Hillard thanks for being with us on WMM.

EBONY TUSKS photo by Ailecia Ruscin of OH! Snap! Photography

Next week, February 26 – Nico Gray joins us as Guest Producer. Plus, Doby Watson joins us to play 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 #825

WMM presents Marion Merritt + EBONY TUSKS

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, February 19, 2019

Spinning Records With Marion Merritt
+ EBONY TUSKS

Marion Merritt

Mark welcomes Marion Merritt, of Records With Merritt, who joins us as “Guest Producer” to share sonic discoveries and information from her musically-encyclopedic-brain. Records With Merritt is located at 1614 Westport Road, KCMO. More info at: http://www.recordswithmerritt.com.

Marion will play tracks from: Antibalas, Sharon Van Etten, Isobel Campbell, Holy Fuck, Caribou, Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, Monophonics, Brazzos & O.K., Mukhtar Ramadan Idii, of Montreal, Field Music, Les Amazones d’Afrique, Hailu Mergia & The Walias, Sestetto Basso-Valdambrini, and The Heliocentrics.

EBONY TUSKS

At 11:30 Mark talks with members of the Lawrence, KS. based hip hop trio, EBONY TUSKS who join us live in our 90.1 FM studios to share details about their new single HDF and their upcoming album, Heal Thyself on High Dive Records. Ebony Tusks are playing a series of “All Ages” shows to celebrate the release of their new single “HDF.” EBONY TUSKS’s play ArtsConnect Topeka, 909 N Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS., Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 PM with special guests VOLSTICE and Tione Jackson. EBONY TUSKS play White Schoolhouse, 1510 N 3rd St, Lawrence, KS., Friday, March 6, at 7:00 PM with special guests V.I.S.I.T.O.R. and RAW SPACE. EBONY TUSKS play Mills Record Company, 4045 Broadway Blvd, KCMO Saturday, March 7, at 7:00 PM, with special guests: Domineko. And EBONY TUSKS play recordBar 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO, on Sun, March 8, at 6:00 PM with Elevator Division, Jaenki, Various Blonde, Bodye. All Proceeds go to Eschleman Family.

EBONY TUSKS photo by OH! Snap! Photography

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

Show #825

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents The Pedaljets + Betse Ellis + Marion Merritt

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, February 12, 2020

The Pedaljets!!!
+ New & MidCoastal Releases
+ Betse Ellis & Marion Merrit
t

Mark plays more New & MidCoastal Releases from: Katy Guillen & The Drive, The Pedaljets, The Roseline, The Black Creatures, Thighmaster, Broken Heart Syndrome, The Black Mariah Theatre, Kian Byrne, Krystle Warren, Millage Gilbert, and Nan Turner. We’ll also play Gang of Four.

The Pedaljets
Photo by Paul Andrews

At 11:00 Mike Allmayer, Matt Kesler, Rob Morrow, & Cody Wyoming of The Pedaljets share their new album, “Twist The Lens,” to be released Feb. 14, on Electric Moth Records. Formed in 1984, The Pedaljets made their name playing alongside Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and Flaming Lips. In 1989 the band broke up just after the release of their second album, “The Pedaljets.” 20 years later, the band came back together in 2008, to give that album a proper, remastered release. Working with producer Paul Malinowski playing lead guitar, the band’s reunion led to “What’s In Between” in 2013, the band’s first album of new material in 23 years. Now six years later, “Twist The Lens” their fourth full-length, is the first to feature new guitarist Cody Wyoming (The Philistines), while previous guitarist Paul Malinowski served as producer. Studio legend John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Kurt Vile) mixed the album, and Archer Prewitt (The Sea And Cake and The Cocktails) provided the artwork.

The Pedaljets, play an Album Release Party, Saturday, February 15, at 8:00 PM at miniBar, 3810 Broadway Rd, KCMO with Dan Jones and The Squids. More info at wwwthepedaljets.com.

Marion Merritt
Betse Ellis

Mark also welcomes Betse Ellis, critically acclaimed fiddler, singer, and songwriter, and one half of Betse & Clarke who joins us for the entire show as our special guest co-host. We also welcome Marion Merritt, longtime contributor to Wednesday MidDay Medley, and proprietor of Records With Merritt, who also joins us as co-host. Betse & Marion will help to encourage our diverse and loyal listeners to call 888-931-0901, to support 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio during our Winter Fund Drive Show.

The Pedaljets photo by Paul Andrews

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

Show #824

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents The 119 Best Recordings of 2019

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, December 25, 2019

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 4 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-four, of our four-week special: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we have broadcast nearly 800 musical recordings through our 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves, powered by our 100,000 watt transmitter. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

All throughout December on the 4th, 11th, 18th, and on the 25th, Wednesday MidDay Medley is presenting our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019. We’ve worked like holiday elves packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

On December 25th we unwrap our final show of the year, as we count down #30 to #1 with representative tracks from: Hembree, Mess, The Black Creatures, Making Movies, Calvin Arsenia, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Hipshot Killer, GAV7D, The Sluts, The Creepy Jingles, Julia Othmer, Kelly Hunt, Kevin Morby, Dead Voices, The Get Up Kids, Samantha Fish, Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits, Short Round Stringband, Mike McCoy’s Trompe-l’œil, Mavis Staples, FKA twigs, Bon Iver, Solange, Lomelda, J.S. Ondara, Deerhunter, Helado Negro, The Highwomen, Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Cate Le Bon.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #817

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents The 119 Best Recordings of 2019 (Part 3 of 4)

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, December 18, 2019

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 3 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-three, of our four-week special: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we have broadcast nearly 800 musical recordings through our 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves, powered by our 100,000 watt transmitter. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

This Wednesday, we’ll count down #60 through #31 on our list with representative tracks from: The Sextet, Violet and the Undercurrents, Other Americans, Yes You Are, Fathers, Akkilles, Volker Brothers, Ensemble Iberica, Simon Fink & The Wires, The Greeting Committee, The UK’s, Radar State, Headlight Rivals, OLIVIA FOX, Berwanger, Radkey, Hipshot Killer, Nan Turner, LK Ultra!, Florist, Hadiza., Shiny Jets, Our Native Daughters (feat. Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah & Allison Russell), Brittany Howard, Durand Jones & The Indications, Big Thief, Hand Habits, Cass McCombs, Michael Kiwanuka, and Yola.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. We are packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent the 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #816

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents The 119 Best Recordings of 2019 (Part 2 of 4)

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, December 11, 2019

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 2 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-two, of our four-week special: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we have broadcast nearly 800 musical recordings through our 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves, powered by our 100,000 watt transmitter. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

This Wednesday, we’ll count down #90 through #61 on our list with representative tracks from: Kemet The Phantom, Calvin Arsenia, The Nicole Springer Band, The Depth and The Whisper, The Wires, Approach, True Lions, The Butter Band, Sky Smeed, Miki P, Y god Y, Cuee, Chase The Horseman, Deco Auto, Lovergurl, Digital Leather, Blue False Indigo, Wonderfuzz, Billie Eilish, Rina Mushonga, Bill Callahan, Black Pumas, Better Oblivion Community Center, Ibibio Sound Machine, The National, Lambchop, Lee Fields and The Expressions, Amyl and The Sniffers, Lana Del Rey, and Jamila Woods.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. We are packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent the 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #815

WMM Playlist from Dec. 4, 2019

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, December 4, 2019

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 1 of 4)

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019 are based on playlists of Wednesday MidDay Medley. We’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019 (and a few that came out late in 2018). We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, so we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we have broadcast nearly 800 musical recordings through our 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves, powered by our 100,000 watt transmitter. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. We’ll be packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

We count down #119 through #91 of our list, with representative tracks of albums or EPs released by: Vedettes, Ivy Roots, Dan Jones and The Squids, Lincoln Marshall, Giants Chair, Jo MacKenzie, Kadesh Flow, Chloe Jacobson, Drugs and Attics, anothermaxwell, VidCo Kult, HelKat, HMPH!, Keaton Conrad, The Bad Ideas, Quixotic, Shawn Stewart, Dylan Pyles, Weyes Blood, Moon Duo, Sharon Van Etten, Lionel Limiñana & The Limiñanas, Purple Mountains, Bedouine, Angel Olsen, Sinkane, Nilüfer Yanya, and Y La Bamba.

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

2. (119.) Tituss Burgess – “45 (feat. Daniel J. Watts)”
from: Saint Tituss – EP / Tituss Ink / July 26, 2019
[Tituss Burgess was born February 21, 1979. He is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019), for which he has received four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations. Born and raised in Athens, Georgia, he attended Cedar Shoals High School where he was active in the theatre program. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in music. He is openly gay. Burgess made his Broadway debut in the musical Good Vibrations as Eddie in 2005, and then appeared in Jersey Boys in 2005 as Hal Miller. He originated the role of “Sebastian the Crab” in the musical The Little Mermaid in 2007 and went on to the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson, traditionally played by a white actor, in the revival of Guys and Dolls in 2009. He has also performed in several regional theater productions, including The Wiz and Jesus Christ Superstar. Burgess performed at the “Broadway for Obama” benefit concert held at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton, Pennsylvania on October 20, 2008. He appeared in Season 5 of 30 Rock as D’Fwan, a member of Tracy Jordan’s wife’s entourage. He reprised the role in Season 6. “45” is the first track off Burgess’ first album in seven years, Saint Tituss. Described by the artist as his “deepest and most soul-searching” work to date. He told them.us “… given the political climate, I think it’s time to speak out. I fear for our country. I fear for how our country treats its citizens and I fear for how our citizens treat each other. It’s a larger problem than just legislation. I didn’t know how to respond, so I just started with art.”]

3. (118.) Y La Bamba – “Mujeres (Album Version)”
from: Mujeres / Tender Loving Empire / February 8, 2019
[Mujeres is “Woman Island” in the Gulf of Mexico. Y La Bamba has been many things, but at the heart of it is singer-songwriter Luz Elena Mendoza’s inquisitive sense of self. Their fifth record, Mujeres, carries on the Portland-based band’s affinity for spiritual contemplation, but goes a step further in telling a story with a full emotional spectrum. Coming off Ojos Del Sol, one of NPR’s Top 50 Albums of 2016, Mujeres exhibits the scope of Mendoza’s artistic voice like never before. “Soy como soy,” Mendoza says, and that declaration is the bold— even political— statement that positions Mujeres to be Y La Bamba’s most unbridled offering yet.]

4. (117.) Sinkane – “Ya Sudan”
from: Dépaysé / City Slang / May 31, 2019
[7th Album from Sinkane (born Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab in London, England in 1983. He is a Sudanese-American musician who blends krautrock, prog rock, electronica, free jazz and funk rock with Sudanese pop. Born to college professors in London, he lived in Sudan, then moved to the US when he was five, and lived for some time in Ohio. Prior to embarking on his solo career, he worked with Eleanor Friedberger, Caribou, of Montreal, Born Ruffians, and Yeasayer as a session musician. Ahmed Gallab is the vocalist and music director of the Atomic Bomb! Band which plays the music of Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor. The group includes David Byrne (of Talking Heads), Money Mark (of the Beastie Boys), Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange and Lightspeed Champion), Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip), Charles Lloyd, Amadou and Mariam, Jamie Lidell, Pharoah Sanders, Joshua Redman, among many many others.]

5. (116.) The Bad Ideas – “Nightmare”
from: Happiness / The Bad Ideas / March 30, 2019
[The Bad Ideas are: Britt Adair on guitar, Breaka Dawn on vocals, Matt Roberts on bass, and Way Jillis on drums. The Bad Ideas is an American punk band from Kansas City, Missouri formed in August 2011. They’ve written all original songs and are influenced by post-hardcore, punk, and early 80’s punk. Their EP, Worse Thoughts, was recorded on January 22, 2012 and released March, 2012. Their first self-produced full length, Lesson #1 was released March 8, 2013. The Bad Ideas also released a 7″ split with Red Kate on March 31, 2014. Their most recent release is a full length cassette, “Leave Me Alone.” Released in June 6, 2015.]

6. (115.) Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”
from: Remind Me Tomorrow / Jagjaguar / January 18, 2019
[5th studio album from Sharon Van Etten (born February 26, 1981 in Belleville, New Jersey and lived in Nutley, NJ before moving to Clinton as a pre-teen. Later, she moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University and studied recording, but dropped out of college after a year. Van Etten ended up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro, for about five years. In 2004, she moved back to New Jersey, where she worked at Perryville Wine and Spirits. Van Etten moved to New York City in 2005. Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released. Before her studio debut, she worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist at Ba Da Bing Records. Van Etten’s debut, Because I Was in Love, was released on May 26, 2009, on Language of Stone, and was manufactured and distributed by Drag City. This is her third album from Jagjaguar.]

7. (114.) Shawn Stewart – “Better Than Me (feat. Ro Myra)”
from: Radio / Shawn Stewart / October 23, 2019
[Radio was recorded by Pat Tomek, Mike Moreland, and Rob Nold, with mixing, mastering, and engineering performed by Pat Tomek. Drums and most percussion- was by Pat Tomek. All songs, 2019, “Hear You” Music. Shawn Stewart started playing music in Kansas City after he moved here from Chicago in 1991. His band, “Tin Roof Echo” played venues around town through 1993 when he retired to the suburbs to raise a family as a “stay at home dad.” In 2014, after his kids were grown, he moved midtown to pick up where he left off. He released four albums under the moniker, “JohnnySuperColossal”. In September he’s taking his trailer to Nashville for three months then to Los Angeles for three months to pursue music publishers and radio.]

8. (113.) Nilüfer Yanya – “In Your Head”
from: Miss Universe / ATO Records / March 22, 2019
[Debut album from British musical artist, Nilüfer Yanya who was born in 1996, the daughter of two visual artists. Yanya grew up in Chelsea, London. Growing up with her father’s Turkish music and her mother’s classical music playing at home, she soon gravitated to guitar rock and learned how to play the instrument at age 12. Informally starting her musical career with demos uploaded to SoundCloud in 2014, she turned down an offer to join a girl group produced by Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and focused on developing her own music instead. Her first EP, “Small Crimes/Keep on Calling”, was released in 2016. Her second EP, “Plant Feed”, was released in 2017, followed by “Do You Like Pain?” in 2018. Miss Universe has received wide critical acclaim, with critics noting her ability to bounce back and forth between musical and lyrical styles, shifting between “gimlet-eyed composure and cataclysmic panic”. Yanya’s music has been described as nervous and restless, combining influences from indie rock to soul, jazz, and trip hop. A Stereogum review called her voice “malleable and endlessly expressive.]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. (112.) anothermaxwell – “Where I Stand”
from: Being – EP / anothermaxwell / June 30, 2019
[Written & Performed, Produced, Engineered, Mixed, and Cover art created by by anothermaxwell. anothermaxwell, is Shenita Hughley who studied music at Avila Collegei and graduated from Raytown South High School in 2012. anothermaxwell is a versatile singer-songwriter & producer, who reinvents new sounds by bending R&B, Pop, Funk and Electronica, genres to form a unique sound not easily categorized.]

10. (111.) Dylan Pyles – “Always Missing the Point”
from: Popular Songs for the Heart / Manor Records / September 20, 2019
[Kansas City based musician, singer, songwriter, music scholar, record buyer at Mills Record Company, Dylan Pyles joined us on September 25, 2019, to share music and details on his new 20 track album, Popular Songs for the Heart, released September 20, 2019 digitally and on cassette through Manor Records. 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.]

[Dylan Pyles plays Replay Lounge in Lawrence, KS, Sat., Dec. 7, with The Cavves, and Vanity Plates.]

11.(110.) Weyes Blood – “Something To Believe”
from: Titanic Rising / Sub Pop Records / April 5, 2019
[Weyes Blood is Natalie Mering, born June 11, 1988, in Santa Monica, CA and grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has released 4 albums and an EP. Both her siblings and parents are musicians and music played an important part in her upbringing. Her older brother, Zak Mering, is also a noteworthy recording artist, producer and songwriter under the “Raw Thrills” alias. At the age of 15 Mering began using the moniker Wise Blood to write songs. She changed to Weyes Bluhd on several self released records before changing the spelling to Weyes Blood. She took the name from the Flannery O’Connor novel Wise Blood. At the same time, while working on her own material, she toured the underground music scene with bands Jackie-O Motherfucker and Nautical Almanac. In 2011 she released the album The Outside Room as Weyes Blood And The Dark Juices on Not Not Fun Records. Uncut magazine described the album as “the vibe is devotional and ethereal, but with an edge”, while Beatbots found it “an impressive and ambitious album”. Natalie released her second record in October 2014 called The Innocents, which was released through Mexican Summer. In 2016 she released the album Front Row Seat to Earth on Mexican Summer to great acclaim throughout the music industry, and has spent the past few years touring throughout Europe and the states.]

12. (109.) Quixotic & Calvin Arsenia – “Experience”
from: Goddess – EP / Quixotic / May 17, 2019
[An innovative performance art collective that fuses imagination with technology, dance, projection, mapping and live music to create fully-immersive, multi-sensory experiences. Quixotic harnesses light, rhythm and expressive emotion. Quixotic was given Silicon Valley’s unofficial stamp of genius when they were invited to perform at the global TED Conference in 2012. A unique blend of performance art, technology and emotion. Quixotic fuses all these elements in to what the New York Times branded an “innovative circus performance,” and Men’s Journal declared “one of the best contemporary [cirque] acts.” They have performed for audiences worldwide and have helped launch brand products for companies such as BVLGARI, Faena Hotels, Garmin, HP, Smithsonian and Toyota. Quixotic harnesses light, rhythm and expressive emotion.]

[Quixotic presents Sensatia, Cirque Cabaret, through Dec. 28 at 2450 Grand Blvd, 301 Kansas City]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Home for the Holidays with Calvin Arsenia & Friends Friday, December 13, at 7:00 PM, at Second Presbyterian, 318 E 55th St]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Center Cut Records Holiday Party, Wednesday, December 18, at 7:00 recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd, KCMO with Fritz Hutchison, The Black Creatures and Calvin Arsenia.]

13. (108.) Lionel Limiñana & The Limiñanas – “Ocean Kids”
from: Le Bel Été / Because Music / Nov. 15, 2019
[The Limiñanas are Lionel & Marie Limiñana . They are based in Cabestany, deep south of France. They record garage, psych and pop music. Getting their start in October of 2009, The Limiñanas are the brainchild of Lio and Marie Limiñana.]

14. (107.) Moon Duo – “Stars Are The Light”
from: Stars Are the Light / Sacred Bones / September 27, 2019
[Moon Duo is a psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, California formed in 2009 by Wooden Shjips guitarist Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada. Their debut album Mazes was released on Sacred Bones Records in 2011. The band’s style is inspired by psychedelic rock, combining repetitive rhythms and saturated guitars. Their influences include Alan Vega of Suicide, Spacemen 3 and Silver Apples. The band’s seventh full-length album, Stars Are the Light, was released on September 27, 2019.]

15. (106.) HMPH! – “The Upside”
from: HMPH! / Haymaker Records / November 15, 2019
[Ryan Lee Toms on guitar, Jonathan Thatch on drums, Kitten Adventure Boggs on bass. HMPH!’s second album, the self-titled “HMPH!” features their signature math-rock sound with a progressive rock and avant-jazz twist. The songs on HMPH! are more sprawling than on 2015’s Headrush, with lots of detours and left turns along the way. Recorded by the band in their home recording studio, the album had time to evolve, and the complicated arrangements materialized through this process. This album also features heavy basslines provided by Kitten Boggs, a significant addition since their first record. This album is a choose your own adventure of abrupt rhythm changes, dissident chords, or even about-face genre-hops into funk, punk, or samba. “HMPH!” is a different kind of album from a different kind of band.]

16. (105.) VidCo Kult – “Tim Allen’s Demolition Kitchen”
from:Enrollment Opportunities : Tangential Life Trajectories Ensuring Physical and Spiritual Greatness Through the Power of Devotional Subjugation / Double Double Whammy / March 1, 2019
[VidCo Kult is a musical trio involving Bob Lyons, Tripp Kirby and Keith. They are based in KCMO. Aside from live performances of original material, they mostly argue about comic books and science fiction.]

17. (104.) Drugs & Attics – “So Tuff”
from: Clean Their Room / High Dive Records / April 19, 2019
[High Dive Records debut from Kansas City based 3-piece premiere party drug rock band.]

[Drugs & Attics play Revolution Records, Fri., Dec. 6 with JC & The Nuns, and Mild Cats.]

11:01 – Station ID

18. (103.) Purple Mountains – “My Happiness is Gone”
from: Purple Mountains / Drag City Records / July 12, 2019
[Purple Mountains was an American indie rock project formed by musician and poet David Berman. The project debuted in May 2019, over a decade after the dissolution of Berman’s previous group Silver Jews. An eponymous album was released in July 2019. The album was recorded primarily in Chicago and produced by Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl of the band Woods. The project’s name is a mondegreen of the lyric “Purple mountain majesties” from “America the Beautiful”. The project was presumably dissolved upon Berman’s death on August 7, 2019. Berman returned to music in 2018, co-producing Yonatan Gat’s critically acclaimed album Universalists. On December 12, 2018, former Pavement and Silver Jews member Bob Nastanovich revealed on his podcast Three Songs that David Berman would release new music in 2019 under the name Purple Mountains, which was also the name of Berman’s blog. Although, his blog was also titled Menthol Mountains at times. On May 10, 2019, Berman released his first music in over a decade, a single entitled “All My Happiness Is Gone” on vinyl by Drag City, using the moniker Purple Mountains. The single included two remixes of the song, “All My Happiness Is Wrong” by Noah Count and “All My Happiness Is Long” by Mark Nevers featuring clipped recordings of Dave Cloud, and also indicated that a full-length album was a “couple months away.” It also credited Berman, Jeremy Earl and Jarvis Taveniere of Woods, Aaron Neveu and songwriter Anna St. Louis. The single was released digitally on May 17, 2019 with the announcement of a full-length album. The eponymous debut album, accompanied by a US tour, was released on July 12, 2019. “Darkness and Cold” was released as the album’s second single on June 11, 2019. “Margaritas at the Mall” was released as the album’s third and final single on June 28, 2019. A remix of “All My Happiness Is Gone” by Australian electronic music group The Avalanches, who Berman has collaborated with in the past, was commissioned by him, but a licensing issue prevented their version from being released. A few reviews: David Berman is back from his post-Silver Jews void and moving Purple Mountains onto our fruited cultural plain. His iconic literary lyrics sit astride immaculate country-rock tunes, evoking jukebox-ready disaffection with twists of pathos, comedy and tragedy – an indie poet laureate at false dusk! Stop the world! Purple Mountains’ inaugural voyage launches with a five-alarm weep-rocker – and total self-destruction never sounded so good. Amid sumptuous mellotron strings n’ galloping tom-toms, David Berman’s stone-cold account of middle age’s wild unkindnesses takes on a positively heroic glow.]

19. (102.) Kadesh Flow – “Party Thoughts (feat. Jessica Paige)”
from: Otaku Moods EP / Ryan Davis / January 25, 2019
[Kadesh Flow is Ryan Davis is a rapper with an MBA. At age 11, he began rapping and playing trombone within two weeks of one another. His music has been featured on network television in multiple countries and territories across Southeast Asia. Locally, Kadesh can be found rocking solo hip hop sets, laying down bone bars with KC funk juggernaut The Phantastics, or jamming with Marcus Lewis Big Band.]

20. (101.) Chloe Jacobson – “Midas”
from: Frozen Fruit / Chloe Jacobson / November 14, 2018
[It has been written that Chloe Jacobson’s “soulful, bluesy vocals are colored with the pop cadence of aughts-era emo.”]

21. (100.) Jo MacKenzie – “Coming back to you”
from: Proud – EP / Jo Mackenzie / November 17, 2018
[Debut EP from Kansas City based 16 year old singer songwriter Jo MacKenzie.]

22. (99.) Helkat – “I Want You”
from: HelKat / Helkat / December 8, 2019
[1st single form debut 5-song EP from Kansas City based Post apocalyptic lounge punk who play “twangy queer cuddly rock,” with Helen Proctor on lead vocals & guitar, Rozz Petrozz on drums, Olive Cook on guitar and Dylan C.H. on bass. Recording engieered nd matred by Pat Tomek.]

[Helkat play an EP Release Show, Sunday, December 8, at 8:00 PM at The Ship, 1217 Union Ave, KCMO with HANNAH (releasing double album) , and Jametatone+Blastocyst (releasing a new album called “Bird in the Hand”).]

23. (98.) Bedouine – “Echo Park”
from: Bird Songs of a Killjoy / Spacebomb / June 21, 2019
[2nd full-length album from Bedouine, aka Azniv Korkejian, a Syrian-American musician. She has lived in a number of cities and countries, including Saudi Arabia, Houston, Syria, and Boston. Bedouine released her first self-titled full-length album in 2017. The record includes sounds from her memories of her grandmother’s home in Syria, specifically on “Summer Cold” and a song written in Armenian “Louise” (which translates to “light and is written as Լոյս in Armenian). In an interview with Sound of Boston, Korkejian discussed writing the song in Western Armenian, the dialect her family speaks: “I was pretty shy about it because, like I said, my Armenian is kind of broken. But, I ran it by my cousin and kind of had his green light, and I got to a point where I just thought, even if it’s not perfect it’s okay because it’s still my experience.”]

24. (97.) Giants Chair – “Kids Running”
from: Prefabylon / Spartan Records / December 6, 2019
[Third album from Giants Chair who are: Scott Hobart on lead vocals & guitar, Byron Collum on bass, and Paul Ackerman on drums. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, KCMO. Scott and Byron met at the KC Art Institute in 1989. After college they moved to Collum’s hometown of Green Bay, and formed Giant’s Chair in 1993. The band moved back to Kansas City became part of the burgeoning, mid-90’s KC rock scene, sharing bills with Germbox, Season To Risk, Molly McGuire and Shiner. Shiner even named one of their songs after the band. After being signed to Caulfield Records out of Lincoln NE. on the strength of their debut 7″ single, Giant’s Chair recorded two full-length albums and toured the U.S. twice. Giant’s Chair ended in 1997 but have recently been working on new music. In 2017 they releases the singles “The Streets” and “Featureless Horizon”.]

11:30 – Underwriting

25. (96.) Lincoln Marshall – “Falling Up”
from: Wisdom / Datura Records / October 18, 2017
[Written By: Milkdrop & Approach. Produced, Sequenced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered By: Aikido Bray. Additional keyboards & atmosphere by Asterales, guitar by Ross Williams, horns by Miles Bonny, live drums & percussion by Aikido Bray. Artwork, Photography & Layout Design By: The Art My Life Imitates

26. (95.) Dan Jones and The Squids – “I’ve Got Time For You”
from: We Live In A World That Is Out Of This World / DJ&tS / December 6, 2019
[Recorded at Temple Sounds in KCMO, 2018-2019. Engineered. by JB Moreland. Produced by Dan Jones and The Squids and JB Moreland. Mastered by Tom Nunes at Atomic Disc. With Dan Jones on acoustic & electric guitars, keyboard, lead vocals + drums/bass on “Love/Life”; Matt Ronan on drums, percussion, vocals; Alex Alexander on electric guitar, vocals; Steve Tulipana on bass, vocals; Joey Slab on poem and spiel on “Beach, Please”; Scot Sperry on electric slide guitar on “Love/Life”; Donna Jones on lyrics to “The Violet Man.”]

[Dan Jones and The Squids play an album release show Sat, Dec. 7, at The Brick with Men of Men]

27. (94.) Keaton Conrad – “I Think I Fell in Love with You”
from: Nova / Keaton Conrad / February 1, 2019
[Keaton Conrad is a recording artist from Kansas City. He has been regarded as “exceptionally promising” (The Kansas City Star) and “making things happen on stages …with an engaging voice and passion for creating good music” (Ink Magazine). In 2015, Keaton Conrad released his debut EP, Panic & Blame, which contained five original songs that were heavily inspired by the pop rock sound he grew up on. His first full-length album, Waves, followed in January 2017 which ranged in style from pop rock to hip-hop to ambient. Conrad spent 2 years as the lead singer & keyboardist in the cover band ChangeUp, performing around KC.]

28. (93.) Angel Olsen – “All Mirrors”
from: All Mirrors / Jagjaguwar / October 4, 2019
[4th album from Angel Olsen who was born January 22, 1987. She is an American singer-songwriter and musician from St. Louis, Missouri who currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina. At age three, Olsen was adopted by a foster family that had cared for her since shortly after her birth. The difference in years between her and her parents left an impression. “Because there are so many decades of difference between us, I became more interested in what their childhood was like,” she says of her parents, both of whom still live in St. Louis. “I fantasized about what it was like to be young in the ’30s and ’50s, more so than other kids my age.” Olsen explained that “my mother just has this capacity for children.” Despite early adolescent aspirations to be a “pop star”, her interests later shifted in high school. Olsen became more introverted, regularly attending punk rock and noise music shows at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and the Creepy Crawl as well as Christian rock shows throughout the city. She began learning the piano and guitar and writing her own music. Two years after graduating from Tower Grove Christian High School, Olsen moved to Chicago.After releasing her first EP, Strange Cacti, and a debut album, Half Way Home, on Bathetic Records, Olsen signed with Jagjaguwar, ahead of her first full-band record, Burn Your Fire for No Witness, which was released on February 17, 2014. Olsen’s third full-length album, My Woman, was released on September 2, 2016. In addition to her work with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and The Cairo Gang, Olsen has collaborated with a number of other notable figures of American indie rock, including Tim Kinsella of Cap’n Jazz, LeRoy Bach of Wilco and Cass McCombs. Her collaboration with Kinsella and Bach, as well as with Chicago poet Marvin Tate, resulted in the album Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen which the group released on Indianapolis label Joyful Noise Recordings on December 3, 2013. Her song “Windows” was featured in the final episode of the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why.]

29. (92.) Ivy Roots – “Appreciate (feat. Eddie Moore)”
from: Love Art Growth – EP / Ivy Roots Music / June 5, 2019
[New EP release from natie KC singer songwriter, who plays piano & guitar, and produces beats. This is a follow up to her 2016 full-length debut “Bad Intuition” released April 14, 2016. Ivy Roots has a style that ranges from R & B, Neo Soul, Hip Hop, Acoustic, & Pop. She has performed at Lincoln Center in NYC, Crossroads Music Fest, and with film & performance. Written & produced by Ivy. Info: http://www.itsjustivy.com]

30. (91.) Vedettes – “Sick Of”
from: EPHEMERAL / Vedettes / March 1, 2019
[Five studio-recorded and mastered tunes, recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski from May to December 2018 at Massive Sound in Shawnee, Kansas.This Lawrence, Kansas based 4-piece band was formed in 2015 with Heather Lofflin on lead vocals & guitar; Lizz Weiler on bass, & backup vocals; Ben White on lead guitar & backup vocals. More informatin at: http://www.vedettes.com]

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

Next week on December 11, we bring you part 2 of our 4-week special, the 119 Best Recordings of 2019. We will count down #90 to #61 with representative tracks from: Kemet The Phantom, Calvin Arsenia, The Nicole Springer Band, The Depth and The Whisper, The Wires, Approach, True Lions, The Butter Band, Sky Smeed, Miki P, Y god Y, Cuee, Chase The Horseman, Deco Auto, Lovergurl, Digital Leather, Blue False Indigo, Wonderfuzz, Billie Eilish, Rina Mushonga, Bill Callahan, LSD (Sia, Diplo & Labrinth), Better Living Community Center, Ibibio Sound Machine, The National, Lambchop, Lee Fields and The Expressions, Amyl and The Sniffers, Lana Del Rey, amd Jamila Woods.

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

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

Show #814

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents 119 Best Recordings of 2019 (Part 1 of 4)

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, December 4, 2019

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 1 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-one, of our four-week special: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we’ve broadcast over 800 tracks over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. We’ll be packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

This Wednesday, we’ll count down #119 through #91 of our list, with music from: Vedettes, Ivy Roots, Dan Jones and The Squids, Lincoln Marshall, Giants Chair, Jo MacKenzie, Kadesh Flow, Chloe Jacobson, Drugs and Attics, anothermaxwell, VidCo Kult, HelKat, HMPH!, Keaton Conrad, The Bad Ideas, Quixotic, Shawn Stewart, Dylan Pyles, Weyes Blood, Moon Duo, Sharon Van Etten, Lionel Limiñana & The Limiñanas, Purple Mountains, Bedouine, Angel Olsen, Sinkane, Nilüfer Yanya, Tituss Burgess, and Y La Bamba.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #814

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents Michelle Bacon + WMM’s Favorite Singles of 2019

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

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Michelle Bacon’s Favorite Releases of 2019 +
Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Favorite Singles of 2019

We’ll play MidCoastal Releases from: Mess, Kemet the Phantom (feat. Kadesh Flow), Kat King, Brandon Phillips & The Condition, Black Stacey, Making Movies, Nan Turner, The Philistines, Claire Adams, Violet and The Undercurrents, No Such Beast, Hembree, Broken Heart Syndrome, Wonderfuzz, The Freedom Affair, NuBlvckCity, Shy Boys, Serene Fiend, The Moose, Yes You Are, and Lovergurl. We’ll also play Emily King, Band of Skulls, and Yola.

At 10:00 AM we’ll play 13 of
Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Favorite Singles of 2019. These tracks represent the diverse talent in our MidCoastal Music community. On November 27, check our Wednesday MidDay Medley Facebook Page and http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org for the complete list of WMM’s 39 Favorite Singles of 2019.

At 11:00 AM we welcome Michelle Bacon, Content Writer and Database Manager at 90.9 The Bridge, where she helps to shine a light on area musicians and events. Michelle has written for The Kansas City Star, The Deli Magazine KC, and Folk Alliance International. Michelle plays bass with Other Americans, Nathan Corsi Band, and Katy Guillen & The Drive. Michelle Bacon joins us to share her Favorite Musical Recordings of 2019.

Michelle Bacon is organizer of The Band That Fell To Earth: A Tribute to David Bowie, Friday & Saturday, January 24 & 25, 2020, at 8:00 PM, at recordBar. This is the 5th year of this annual concert performed by KC musicians: Michelle Bacon on bass, Alex Alexander on guitar, Nathan Corsi on vocals & guitar, Kyle Dahlquist on keyboards, Katy Guillen on guitar, Steve Tulipana on vocals, Stephanie Williams on drums, Havilah Bruders and Camry Ivory on backing vocals, Matt Ronan on percussion, Christine Broxterman on cello, Betse Ellis on violin, Rich Wheeler on saxophone, and special guests to be announced soon.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. This is our celebration of the year in music based on the playlists of this little ole radio show. In 2019 we’ve played from over 400 New & MidCoastal Releases. 145 were National Releases, 255 were MidCoastal Releases, 183 were from MidCoastal full-length or EP Releases, and over 70 were MidCoastal Single Releases. We conducted over 127 interviews with 209 special guests in 2019.

Tune in on 90.1 FM KKFI
or streaming live at kkfi.org

Show #813

Michelle Bacon photo by Todd Zimmerman