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

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Scott Moreau plays Johnny Cash + BCR celebrates 50 Years! + Rosie O’Brien leads Sass-a-Brass

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

10:00 – Three Musical Artists inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026

We start the show with three legendary musical entities: Fela Kuti and Arika 70, Joy Division, and Celia Cruz. These artists were recently announced to be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 2026 inductees include: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to the performer inductees, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons will be honored with the Early Influence Award. Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will receive the Musical Excellence Award. The annual Ahmet Ertegun Award will remember Ed Sullivan.

2. Fela Kuti, Afrika 70 & Ginger Baker – “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)”
   from: “Let’s Start (Edit with Intro)” – Single from LIVE! / EMI London / August 30, 1971
   [In 2026, Kuti was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence after two previous nominations. // “Let’s Start” is a single edited version of opening track from Live! – a live in-studio album by Fela Kuti’s band Africa ’70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released on August 30, 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978. LIVE! was one of five albums Fele released in 1971 including FELA’S LONDON SCENE, WHY BLACK MEN DEY SUFFER, NA POI, and OPEN & CLOSE. // The album was recorded on July 25, 1971, at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London. The British-American rock band Wings was recording their album Wild Life at the same time in the adjacent studio. // Baker travelled with Kuti into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent’s rhythms, as documented in Tony Palmer’s film Ginger Baker in Africa (1971). The bonus track on the Barclay CD reissue features a 16-minute drum duet between Baker and Africa ’70’s drummer Tony Allen recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. The album is on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 greatest live albums of all time. The album is also included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. // Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938 – died 2 August 2, 1997. He was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa’s most “challenging and charismatic music performers”. AllMusic described him as “a musical and sociopolitical voice” of international significance. // Kuti was the son of Nigerian women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa ’70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which Kuti was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria’s military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1977 army raid that injured Kuti and his mother, the latter fatally. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. Kuti continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti. // Kuti was born into the Ransome-Kuti family, an upper-middle-class family, on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Colonial Nigeria. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an anti-colonial feminist, and his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was an Anglican minister, school principal, and the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Kuti’s parents both played active roles in the anti-colonial movement in Nigeria, most notably the Abeokuta Women’s Riots which were led by his mother in 1946. His brothers Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, were well known nationally. Kuti is a cousin to the writer and fellow activist Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize for Literature winner. They are both descendants of Josiah Ransome-Kuti, an Anglican clergyman and musical pioneer, who is Kuti’s paternal grandfather and Soyinka’s maternal great-grandfather. // Kuti attended Abeokuta Grammar School. In 1958, he was invited to London by his younger brother Beko (a medical student at the time), to study music at the Trinity College of Music, with the trumpet being his preferred instrument. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos and played a fusion of jazz and highlife. The ensemble would include as members Bayo Martins on drums and Wole Bucknor on piano. In 1960, Kuti married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor with whom he had three children (Yeni, Femi, and Sola). In 1963, Kuti moved back to the newly independent Federation of Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos, and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All-Stars. // He called his style Afrobeat, a combination of Apala, funk, jazz, highlife, salsa, calypso and traditional Yoruba music. In 1969, Kuti took the band to the United States and spent ten months in Los Angeles. While there, he discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now known as Sandra Izsadore or Sandra Akanke Isidore), a partisan of the Black Panther Party. This experience heavily influenced his music and political views. He renamed the band Nigeria 70. Soon after, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Kuti and his band were in the US without work permits. The band performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions.]

[Afrobeats To The World – Friday, April 24, at 9:00pm at Warehouse On Broadway, 3951 Broadway Blvd KCMO, An immersive experience, with dancers and DJs, where pulsating African rhythms and music collide, creating a transformative celebration and vibrant showcase of African culture.]

3. Joy Division – “Transmission”
   from: “Transmission” – 7” single / Factory / October 7, 1979
   [In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. // “Transmission” is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band’s aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band’s debut single. // “Transmission” was released on 7″ vinyl on October 7, 1979 by record label Factory. It was re-released as a 12″ single with a different sleeve on February 20, 1981. The single charted twice in New Zealand, debuting at number 2 in September 1981 and re-appearing again at number 24 in July 1984. // The song was performed once by the band on television, for the BBC Something Else programme. Twenty seconds of the song is shown in the movie Control (2007), directed by Anton Corbijn, a film based on the biography of Ian’s wife, Deborah Curtis’s Touching from a Distance. // Greil Marcus has a chapter on this song in his book The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs. According to Marcus, “‘Transmission’ is not an argument. It’s a dramatization of the realization that the act of listening to the radio is a suicidal gesture. It will kill your mind. It will rob your soul.” Marcus also quotes the band’s bassist Peter Hook about the importance of this song: “We were doing a soundcheck at the Mayflower, in May, and we played ‘Transmission’: people had been moving around, and they all stopped to listen. I realized that was our first great song.” // In May 2007, NME magazine placed “Transmission” at number 20 in its list of the 50 “Greatest Indie Anthems Ever”, one place below “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. In 2016, Pitchfork placed “Transmission” at number 10 in its list of “The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s”. // Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. // Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a June 1976 Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division’s first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk rock, they soon developed a sparse sound and style that made them one of the pioneering groups of the post-punk genre. 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 struggled with personal problems, including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band’s popularity grew, Curtis’s health condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He died by suicide on the eve of what would have been the band’s first North American 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. // Between July and October 1980, the remaining members, with the addition of keyboardist and guitarist Gillian Gilbert, regrouped under the name New Order. They were successful throughout the next decade, blending post-punk with electronic and dance music influences. Joy Division would remain a prominent influence on subsequent generations of alternative acts, particularly within the gothic rock genre. In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.]

4. Celia Cruz – “Yemayá”
   from: Homenaje a los Santos / Seeco Records / 1964
   [Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso, born, October 21, 1925 – died, July 16, 2003. Known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname La Guarachera de Cuba. In the following decades, she became known internationally as the “Queen of Salsa” due to her contributions to Latin music. She had sold over 30 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. // The artist began her career in her home country Cuba, earning recognition as a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 years (1950–1965). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son and bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles for Seeco Records. // In 1960, after the Cuban Revolution caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of the symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community in exile. Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the country that she took as her definitive residence. In the 1960s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, recording her signature tune “Bemba colorá”. In the 1970s, she signed for Fania Records and became strongly associated with the salsa genre, releasing hits such as “Quimbara”. She often appeared live with Fania All-Stars and collaborated with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón. During the last years of her career, Cruz continued to release successful songs such as “La vida es un carnaval” and “La negra tiene tumbao”. // Her musical legacy is made up of a total of 37 studio albums, as well as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout her career, she was awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. In addition to her prolific career in music, Cruz also made several appearances as an actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!”) has become one of the most recognizable symbols of salsa music. // In 2026, Cruz was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early/musical influence. She is the first artist who performed in Spanish to be inducted. // Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October 1925, at 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Her father, Simón Cruz, was a railway stoker, and her mother, Catalina Alfonso Ramos, a housewife who took care of an extended family. Celia was one of the eldest among fourteen children living in the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro, and she used to sing cradle songs to put them to sleep. According to her mother, she began singing as a child at 9 or 10 months of age, often in the middle of the night. She also sang in school during the Fridays’ actos cívicos and in her neighborhood ensemble, Botón de oro. // While growing up in Cuba’s diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians who influenced her adult career, including Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Antonio Arcaño and Arsenio Rodríguez. Despite her father’s opposition and the fact that she was Catholic, as a child Cruz learned Santería songs from her neighbor who practiced Santería. Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Merceditas Valdés (an akpwon, a Santería singer) from Cuba and later made various recordings of this religious genre, even singing backup for other akpwons like Candita Batista. // As a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged her to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana with the intent of becoming a literature teacher. At the time being a singer was not viewed as an entirely respectable career. However, one of her teachers told her that, as an entertainer, she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. From 1947, Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano at Havana’s National Conservatory of Music. // One day, her cousin took her to Havana’s radio station Radio García-Serra, where she became a contestant in the Hora del té (“Tea Time”) amateur radio program. It was her first time using a microphone and she sang the tango “Nostalgia” (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez), winning a cake as the first prize for her performance. On other occasions she won silver chains, as well as opportunities to participate in more contests. She also sang in other amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning first prize. The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each. // In 2004, the Miami Herald revealed from partially declassified US State Department papers that Cruz had been linked to Cuba’s pre-Revolution communist party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as early as the 1940s] The article was written by Herald journalist Carol Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests. It made several revelations, among them that the US Embassy in Havana denied Cruz a US visa in 1952 and 1955 because of suspected communist affiliations. The article also states that Cruz had joined the youth wing of the PSP at age 20 and had used a concert to arrange a secret meeting with communists in South America on behalf of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who had also founded the party in 1925. Cruz had also signed a public letter in support of one of the Party’s front groups, the Pro-Peace Congress. The article states that Cruz’s surviving husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, and is quoted he knew nothing about it. “She never told me about that. She never talked about politics,” the article quotes Knight.]

5. St. George & The Dragons – “Waiting For The World To End”
   from: “Waiting For The World To End” – Single / Grand Central Bell Records / April 21, 2026
   [The new single features vocals by Skeet Hanks, written by David George and Skeet Hanks. Giving 80’s Elvis Costello vibes, the song makes a statement about how we all seem to be waiting for something to happen in our current political environment. If you haven’t seen the band recently, Scott Mize from the band She Said, and formerly of the Pedal Jets is playing guitar. Also joining the band on keys is the legend Chris Hazelton of The Freedom Affair. // On August 30, 2024, St. George and The Dragons released their debut album, KING OF KANSAS CITY with David George on vocals/guitar, Mike Greene on guitar, Skeet Hanks on vocals & guitar, Matt Kesler on vocals & bass, and Pat Tomek on drums. With Guest Players: Lin Buck on piano & organ, and Ken Lovern on organ. // Produced by David George. Recorded and Engineered by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios – KCMO. Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlabs – KCMO. Artwork by Jud Kite – Killer Kite Productions // King Of Kansas City is a ten-song album of pure rock and roll influenced by late 70s rock like the Stones and Tom Petty. // The album’s theme comes from a time when Rock ‘n’ Roll ruled the airwaves. It’s about letting go and raising your hand high into the air with your middle finger out to the world as you move on to the next big thing in your life. // Lead singer David George (Moaning Lisa, John Fogerty band) has been working with drummer/engineer Pat Tomek (The Rainmakers) since 2018 when they recorded three solo EPs for George. They found it easy to work together and had similar tastes which led them to produced and engineer an album for Kansas City artist David Luther. In the studio with Luther, they enlisted the help of Matt Kesler (The Pedaljets, She Said, The Doo Dads) on bass with Tomek on drums and George on guitars and keys. // George, Tomek, and Kesler hit it off and started working on material of their own, eventually bringing in guitarist Mike Greene (The Front/Bakers Pink) and vocalist/guitarist Skeet Hanks (Beatin’ Path) to round out the sound. Greene was the lead guitarist in the Front, a band known for their searing guitar and power rock sound. Hanks, from New Orleans fronted the band Beatin’ Path, tearing up the Bayou country with their progressive rock sound and soaring melodies. // Influenced by the works of The Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, and many other classic rock bands from the 70s and the 80s, St. George & The Dragons came together during the Global Pandemic, giving them time to develop their sound. George, Greene, Hanks, Kesler, and Tomek have all had their share of greatness, from the collective albums they’ve released on major and indie labels to sharing the stage with legends like Paul McCartney, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Doobie Brothers, The Black Crowes, Derek Trucks Band, Lumineers, Aerosmith, Smithereens, Mother Love Bone, and a list that could fill up a book! // More information at: http://www.stgeorgeandthedragonsband.com

[St. George & The Dragons play recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., KCMO on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 8:00pm with Kamera9.]

6. The Soul Agenda – “Hot Honey”
   from: “Hot Honey” – Single / The Soul Agenda / February 15, 2026
   [The Soul Agenda are Olivet on vocals, Zahara Ness on back-up vocals Charles on trumpet, Noah on guitar. The Soul Agenda were the winners of the 32nd annual 2026 KJHK Farmers Ball, a two week competition held at Liberty Hall in Lawrence Kansas]

[The Soul Agenda play Manor Fest 8 on Friday, May 22.]

[The Soul Agenda play MOD Gallery, 1809 McGee St. KCMO, on Friday June 5, 2026.]

7. Field Daze – “Shade of Blue”
   from: “Shade Blue – Single / Field Daze / April 3, 2026
   [Produced, mixed, and mastered by Ian Dobyns at Element Recording Studios. Earlier this year Field Daze released the singles: “Hula Girl” on March 3, 2026, “Hate Me” on March 9, 2026, “Melona 99” on March 8, 2026. // Field Daze, is an Indie Rock/Dreampop band, originated in KCMO when Rodd Fenton & Dan Camino responded to a Facebook call to start a Dreampop band. Their collaboration led to the creation of early demos. Shortly after, they were joined by Tracer Cauy, Kyer Lasswell, & Beau Harris, solidifying the band’s lineup. // Their magnetic sound quickly found a home in the KC music community, playing The Rino, The Ship, and The Bottleneck. Field Daze’s live performances became synonymous with an immersive musical experience, drawing in crowds with their captivating melodies. // Currently, the band channels their creativity by recording homegrown tracks within Rodd Fenton’s personal studio, honing their craft and evolving their unique sound. More Info at: http://www.fielddazekc.com

[Field Daze play Manor Fest 8]

[Field Daze play The Ship at 1221 Union Ave., KCMO in Historic West Bottoms, Friday, June 5, 2025[

8. TV Star – “Reality Cheque (Album version)”
   from: Music For Heads / Father/ Daughter Records / April24, 2026
   [On Thursday, March 19, 2026, TV Star released their single, “Reality Cheque” along with the official music video starring bassist and Supercrush vocalist/guitarist, Mark Palm. // Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. // “Reality Cheque” distills TV Star at their sharpest – punchy, clear-eyed, and effortlessly catchy. The song captures the moment you realize love has tipped into imbalance: all projection and performance. Rather than over-explaining, the band lets the hook do the work, locking into a crisp pop pocket where jangling guitars and buoyant rhythm carry the emotional weight. It’s a deceptively bright track with a hard truth at its center, proof of TV Star’s knack for turning quiet realizations into something that lingers. Music For Heads, is the debut album from the Seattle/Tacoma, WA band, out April 24, 2026. Ash Nagelon on lead vocals, Che Hise-Gattone on guitar. “This is also the song that everyone was crying in the studio when Ash was recording vocals. “Reality Cheque” follows “Out Of My Bag,” the bands’ homage to 80’s Madchester, and “Texas Relation” which saw support from Stereogum, Post-Trash and Under The Radar.

10:28 – Underwriting

9. Scott Moreau – “I Walk The Line”
   from: Home of the Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash at Sun Studio – EP / July 2, 2013
   [Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash]

[Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Foe Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:32 – Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

We just heard, I Walk The Line, Scott Moreau’s Johnny Cash tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood.

Scott was born in Bath, ME and raised in the small town of Litchfield, ME. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001, he began honing his craft in theatre around the country in various regional theatres. He is most known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Johnny Cash on the 1st National Tour of the Tony Award winning musical Million Dollar Quartet, and for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (Eldorado, series finale). Scott currently resides in New York City.

From the Portland Press Herald (August 1, 2021)

Singing the songs of Johnny Cash the way Johnny Cash sang them requires practice and repetition. For Scott Moreau, whose natural voice is a lyrical baritone with a sweet, bright quality, finding the rugged bottom end that’s required to effectively sing the songs of Johnny Cash does not come naturally or without effort.

“I am sure people assume I open my mouth and it just comes out, but a lot of trial and error – and a lot of time – goes into it,” said Moreau, 41, who grew up in Litchfield and whose uncanny ability to sing like Johnny Cash has taken him from Maine to stages across the country and around the world.

“It is still a work in progress, and something I have to work at all the time. To do a lot of the lower stuff, it’s not necessarily in my voice’s nature. I think about it exactly the way I look at working out – you have work up to it. If I haven’t sung Johnny Cash music in six weeks and I try to sing an entire show, my voice does not understand what I am trying to do.”

Moreau grew up listening to Cash. He talks about how when he was little, his parents would play their favorite records and dance in the living room. He would do his best to sing along with such artists as Cash, the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys.

WALKIN’ THE LINE – A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Starring Scott Moreau April 23 – 26

Filled with anecdotes, stories, and history pulled from Johnny’s many biographies, concerts, and live interviews, you will truly feel as though you are the watching The Man In Black in his heyday. Featuring songs from Johnny’s nearly 50 years in the music business including “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and many more!

10:43

10. Scott Moreau – “Rock Island line” (LIVE)
    [Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.]

10:46 – More Interview with Scott Moreau

Scott Moreau has been performing as Johnny Cash worldwide for nearly two decades. He was on the 1st National Broadway Tour of Million Dollar Quartet, playing 310 American cities as well as Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. He has reprised his role in countless regional theatres throughout the country over 1,200 times. In 2012 he created his first tribute to Johnny, Walkin’ The Line, which he has performed throughout the Americas from Celine Dion’s Les Mirage in Montreal, Les Imperial Belle in Quebec City and the M Casino in Las Vegas. His tribute to Johnny and June Carter, Darlin’ Companion has played to crowds all over the Phoenix Valley, his home state of Maine and enjoyed a 2 month sold-out run in Kansas City. His true solo show, Late And Alone made its World Premiere New York City’s famed Feinstein’s/54 Below and has sold out at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis and countless venues in New England and the Midwest. His tribute album Home Of The Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash at Sun Studio was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, in the very place Johnny once stood. It is available for purchase on CD and to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Scott is a native of Maine and currently lives in New York City. http://www.ultimatejohnnycash.com @ultimatejohnnycash

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

Scott was born in Bath, ME and raised in the small town of Litchfield, ME. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001, he began honing his craft in theatre around the country in various regional theatres.

From Phoenix.org By Bridgette M. Redman | January 22, 2021

In his early 20s, he was introduced to the music Cash was making toward the end of his life, and it transformed his career.

“That’s when I started to get obsessed, buying everything and reading everything, and wouldn’t let him go,” Moreau says. “It has just kind of continued. Luckily it wasn’t just fandom; it was a large part of my career. Johnny’s music and his message and life have had an immeasurable impact on my life.”

Moreau says performing as Cash has taken him all over the country and to Japan. He’s met members of the Cash family, been able to wear his clothes and play Cash’s guitars.

Moreau spent years on tour playing Cash in “The Million Dollar Quartet,” a musical about the December 4, 1956, afternoon Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins got together for an impromptu jam session. Moreau says he has met some of the best people from his life while doing that musical. “I can’t be more thankful for his life and legacy,”

Exploring Cash’s life – In “Walkin’ the Line,” Moreau speaks as Cash the entire time. While he sings many of Cash’s greatest hits, he also tries to give insight into Cash’s life, his friendships, and why and how he wrote certain songs.

“One thing I try to capture a good amount that the average fan doesn’t know about or understand — he had an extremely good sense of humor,” Moreau says. “He was large and imposing and sometimes a dark person. He had an extremely outgoing personality and was a cutup. I really try to bring that into a lot of my stage banter.”

In prep for creating the musical, Moreau spends a lot of time watching and analyzing his concerts so he can replicate who Cash was as a performer. He says he tries to be as close to Cash as humanly possible, leaving any semblance of his own personality behind.

“The performances of his songs and his songwriting is a major part of his performances, but so is his sense of humor and his authenticity,” Moreau says. “The people who come to these shows want to remember what it was like to see him on television or live.”

Scott Moreau thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Scott Moreau brings Walkin The Line A Tribute to Johnny Cash to Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 West 10th St. KCMO, for four performances only: Thursday, April 23 through Sunday April 26. Ticket info: 816-421-1700 and http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com.

10:56

10:56

11. Just Angel – “Selfish”
    from: Just Angel: Pt. 2 / Distro Kid Records / December 25, 2021
    [Just Angel is a Kansas City based, singer, musician, songwriter, dancer. and creative artist. She released the single “Dumb” through T.A.P. OUT MUSIC on August 9, 2024. Just Angle contributed vocals to the Sisterbot debut record. // Just Angel: Pt. 2 is a followup to Just Angel Pt.1 – EP released on December 24, 2020 Just Angel is a musician, songwriter, dancer, and creative artist. Just Angel, has been seen on stages of The Barn Players Community Theatre, at Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in BEAUTIFUL, The Carole King Musical,, The Music Theater Heritage: Ruby Room performance of “Piece of My Heart” in 2023, The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City “After Midnight” in 2022, and playing Osceola Mays in “Texas in Paris” in 2021. Her band, The Wades, can be found playing eclectic takes on pop music, and Just Angel‘s originals, from Part 1 & 2. Her single “Dumb”, was released August 9, 2024. More at https://linktr.ee/JustAngel%5D

[Just Angel & The Wades play The Phoenix, 302 West 8th St., KCMO, Wed, April 29, 7pm to 11:00pm.]

10:59 – Station ID

12. BCR – “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis”
    from: Which Earth Are We On? / Fifth Street Records / 1987
    [Thomas Aber on Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet [Contra-alto]; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Performer [Duck Call]; Vocals; Bill Dyeon Guitar, Steel Guitar, Bouzouki; Bird Ellington Fleming on Congas, Shekere, Drums [Talking Drum], Berimbau, Tambourine, Agogô, Percussion; Dean Allaudin Ottinger on Drums, Berimbau, Bells [Tibetan Bell], Vocals, Percussion; Jeff Rendlen on Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals; Randy Weinstein on Harmonica [Chromatic And Diatonic], Keyboards, Vocals; Ed Herrmann on Synthesizer [Serge]; Stan Kessler on Trumpet. // BCR – Producer; Dave Brock – Co-producer, Engineer; Denis McFarling – Art Direction, Layout; Archer Prewitt – Artwork [Front Cover Woodcut]; Sandra Summers – Artwork [Back Cover Illustrations]; Jay Mandeville – Liner Notes; Mary Bodine – Typography]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Which Earth Are We On?
Track List:
Mokele Mbembe Special
Robot Lips
Teenie Boppers In Atlantis
Which Earth Are We On?
Horror Story
Breakfast Atiphonal
Olmec Heads
Krankenhaus Juju
The World Is A Monkey
The Uncertainty Principle
Saints In The Trees
The Final Frontier

11:02 – Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album Black Crack And The Sole Survivors – BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The limited edition 200 LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982. Since then the Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM.

We just heard BCR’s studio version of “Teenie Boppers in Atlantis” from 1986- Ken Beck co-composed it in 1983 will be a special guest from Chicago with BCR on April 25–and there’s a wild story about it’s origin.

The beginnings of BCR – Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976

Beyond the Black Crack is one of the most unique listening experiences in modern experimental music. It was recorded 1974-1976 in locations as diverse as factories, the pyramid opposite Harry Truman’s grave site as well as more conventional concert settings. It is a dark, dizzying and exhilarating journey through free jazz, electronics and environmental sound, all shattered by Frizzell’s radical tape editing. It was originally released in an edition of 200 LPs by Cavern Custom to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18 1976.

—Clive Graham

The Performance
The original Beyond the Black Crack Sole Survivors recordings were made at the Kansas City Art Institute in the Foundation studio in 1975 and the Epperson Auditorium in 1976. I was in Foundation studying with Tommy Gomersal, Carl Kurtz and Shirley Schnell. Black Crack was entirely extra-curricular, and the administration provided the auditorium space and other support to make the 24-hour ritual possible.

A metronome set the event in motion, along with several analog reel-to-reel tape recorders with double-feedback loops, and longer tape loops between multiple machines—spread out across the stage, with audience and performers mixing in the auditorium. Nearly everyone who came interacted with the enfolding rhythms and tones.

Thirty-nine years later, we have readied our time-shifting devices for activation in the very same auditorium—the metronome, multiple delay units, electric dischargers, and group of young (and young-at-heart) artists dedicated to the same goal–to diffuse time-space boundaries and initiate eroto-cosmic passage to out alter-destiny where, as Sun Ra put it, “There’s no limit to the things you can be. There’s no limit to the things you can do. Your thoughts are free, and life is worthwhile.”

–Dwight Frizzell

How to Avoid Simultaneity was on Black Crack & the Sole Survivors- Beyond the Black Crack LP (1976), This was a 1997 remix–sonifying the time-shifting effects of black holes.

11:16

13. Black Crack & the Sole Survivors – “How to Avoid Simultaneity”
    from: Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) / Cavern Custom Recordings / 1976
    [Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation // Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration]; Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing]; Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration]; Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar; Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo; Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine]; Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]. // Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12). // Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18th, 1976. // Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18th, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4th through December 5th, 1975. ]

[BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms.]

Beyond The Black Crack

Beyond The Black Crack (LP, Limited Ed.) Cavern Custom Recordings US 1976
Beyond The Black Crack (LP, #ed, Sp. Ed, Comm. Ed.) Cavern Custom Records US 1990
Beyond The Black Crack (CD, LP, Album, Ltd. Ed., #ed, Reissue) Paradigm UK 1998

Electronic, Jazz, Experimental, Free Improvisation

1. Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (12:36)
   Rush Rankin on Clarinet, Other [Imagistic Inspiration];
   Mike Roach on Clarinet, Vocals [With Laughs], Tenor Saxophone, Other [Dancing];
   Kurt Eckhardt on Flute [Mouth], Percussion, Performer [Pins, Soy, Alteration];
   Radio Rich Dalton on Guitar;
   Sylvia Thomas on Harmonica; Rev. Jim Rogers on Kazoo;
   Rich on Other [Lights], Percussion; Bill Scanlan on Percussion, Tape [Tape Machine];
   Rev. Tommy Gomersall on Performer [Tin Cans], Piano, Vocals; Bill Jones on Sousaphone;
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Electronics [Audio Oscillator], Performer [Chair, Trash Can, Pins, Soybeans]

Fredrik’s Cosmic Spaced Out Blues Band And Orchestra

2. Hot Fudge (1:11)
3. Get It Out Of Your System (6:18)
4. Chili Supper Polka (2:20)

Turtle Music

5. Journey Of Turtles (6:31)
   Percussion – Bill Scanlan; Percussion, Clarinet [Reduced Speed] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
6. Pre-Transformation Of Turtle To Bird (5:27)
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Percussion, Flute
7. Nocturnal (2:04)
8. Fly By Night (7:50)
   Rev. Dwight Frizzell on Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Electronics;
   John Scanlan on Electric Guitar; Bill Scanlan – Engineer
9. O What Joy It Is To Know You Have A Turtle Heart (4:11)
   Bill Scanlan – Engineer; Rev. Dwight Frizzell on enor Saxophone

Scenes From The Wandering Madness Of Basilea, The Great Mother

10. Embryonic Music (3:34)
11. Copulation Of Basilea And Hyperion (4:50)
12. Family, Birth Of Helio And Selene (6:47)
    Performer [Musicians]: Arnie Young*, Jack Blackett, Jim Miller, John Crain, John Thies, Mike Temple, Rob Beckner, Tommy Gomersall
13. Destruction – Slaying Of Hyperion, Drowning Of Helio, Suicide Of Selene And The Wandering Madness Of Basilea (2:24)

Black Crack And The Sole Survivors (1997 Remix)

14. “How To Avoid Simultaneity” (2:54)
    Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Producer, Remix.

Pressed By PMDC, UK – Mike Davies – Co-producer
Larry Schuermann, Sharon – Design [Assisted With Original Cover Design]
Kurt Eckhardt – Design [Poster & Cover Design],
Rev. Dwight Frizzell – Photography By [Cover Photos];
Engineer [Digital Transfer] – Scott Middleton
Engineer [Remix] – Bill Scanlan, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Photography By [Black Crack Courtesy] – Robyn Nichols
Photography By [Original Poster Photos] – Beth Van Cleave, Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Recorded By, Mixed By, Remix – Rev. Dwight Frizzell (tracks: 10 to 13)
Tape [Source Tapes] – Rev. Dwight Frizzell
Technician [Reassembly Of The Lp], Producer, Artwork By Clive Graham
Comes with 12 page booklet.

Beyond The Black Crack was originally released in mono in an edition of 200 copies by Cavern Custom in 1976 (cat.no. 6104-12).

Tracks 1-9 were originally released to commemorate the First Annual End of the World Celebration, November 18, 1976.

Track 1 recorded live in concert at the Kansas City Art Institute Foundation Studio, November 18, 1975, and in the KCAI Epperson Auditorium, December 4 through December 5, 1975.
Tracks 2 to 4 recorded live at the 2nd RLDS Church chili supper March 24, 1974 in Independence, Missouri.

11:14 – More Interview with Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s first album from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK, released in 1976. The LP release inspired the formation of BCR in 1982.

Rev Dwight Frizzell is a Professor & Sound Head, at Kansas City Art Institute, – Photography & Filmmaking Dept. with a Terminal Degree in Sound Design. Dwight is an internationally recognized artist whose work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art, and writing. Frizzell’s work about his boyhood neighbor, Harry S. Truman, was featured in the Peabody-awarded “Lost and Found Sound” series broadcast on National Public Radio. Frizzell has produced an opera based on the life of Charles Darwin. In addition to his B.F.A. degree from KCAI, he holds a terminal fine arts degree in Sound Design from the UMKC. Dwight Frizzell, is a founder of the “groovy polyphonic jazz/dance” band, Black Crack Revue, now in their 43rd year. Dwight Frizzell is also an Arif, with Moorish Orthodox Church, and served at First Editor, The Pitch, he is a founding member of the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and is host & producer of “From Arc To Microchip” heard on the fifth Thursday of each month on KKFI’s Thursday Night Special at 7:00pm on 90.1 FM.

Allan Winkler is a nationally acclaimed artist from the Kansas City area. Boasting a multi-disciplinary career creating various ceramic sculptures, paintings, paper cutouts, metal cutouts, and fabrics. Allan Winkler creates intricate paper cuts and metal cuts. Winkler also renovated three old houses in Kansas City’s West Side neighborhood and lives in one of them. A Chicago native, while in high school a teacher noticed his talent and found him his first studio. That led to a scholarship at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he studied ceramics with Ken Ferguson and then spent a year at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana. Winkler earned a B.F.A. degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, in 1980. In 1976, Allan was a visual artist for BCR creating their T shirts and their performance visual stuff About 15 yeas ago he joined the band as a percussionist

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

The Afro-Nuclear Wavabilly Funk Swing Reggae Turska band has shared the stage with media-Medusoids like Sun Ra, played live concerts with the Kronos Quartet, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Wavy Gravy, and Ziggy Marley’s band. BCR has held satellite uplinks with Don Cherry and Alvin Curran, and delighted the ears of Dementians tuning in to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. BCR has remained true to their roots in swirling black holes, time-travel of the Outer World, and the endless dance of cosmo-love. The Columbia Daily Tribune called them, “Duke Ellington meets Sun Ra.” Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

Dwight’s boyhood neighbor in Independence, Missouri was Harry S. Truman, who appears in Dwight’s work as a pianist, Atlantean King and time-traveler. Dwight released the “Beyond the Black Crack” LP in 1976, studied video art with Douglas Davis (1977), clarinet with Raymond Luedeke (1979) and metaphysics with Sun Ra (1980-1990). His work was exhibited at Biennale de Paris, World-Wide Video Festival (Amsterdam), and broadcast on NPR.

Dwight’s collaborative third-mind creations with writer Jay Mandeville includes plays, essays, and Ark scripts. Their work was published in “Semiotext(e) Radiotext(e)” and “Experimental Sound and Radio” (MIT Press). They edited The Pitch in the early ‘80s.

Dwight’s music is available on Paradigm discs (England). He plays Buffet clarinets and Yamaha saxophones and wind controllers. His collaborations with Michael Henry include “Sonic Force,” where AFR A10 Warthog Attack Planes were used as musical instruments. Frizzell is a founding member of the Black Crack Revue, the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble, and the National Audio Theatre Festivals. He performed recently with David Ossman and Phil Proctor of the Firesign Theatre.

Current BCR players include: Thomas Aber, Dwight Frizzell, Patrick Alonzo Conway, Kat Nechlebová, Allaudin Ottinger, Mark Thies, Julia Thro, and Allan Winkler. Special Guests include: Ken Beck, Samantha Weber, and Greg Mackender, when BCR presents Teenie Boppers in Atlantis, on Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm, (doors at 6:00pm) at The Ship 1221 Union Ave, KCMO, in the historic West Bottoms. More info at http://www.myth-scienc.com and http://www.theship.com

The last time Rev. Dwight Frizzell was on our show was January 28, 2026 to talk about: SOUND IN RADIO ART to be broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM on Thursday January 29, at 7:00pm. SOUND IN RADIO ART features new sound pieces created by young audio-visual artists working in radio space for the first time.

Dwight was on our show was June 12, 2019 to share details about details about Heliophonie (Sun Sound) a midday Solstice concert, Friday, June 21, 2019 11:00 AM to Noon at KC Art Institute’s Vanderslice Reception Patio (behind historically restored Vanderslice Hall) performed in-sync to the sun’s harmonic tones. The solar sphere oscillates like a bell ringing every 4 minutes 48 seconds (as heard on a large gong). Overtones pulse in quadra-pole rotation (realized by the instruments & electronics). Solar storms moving vigorously through the resonating convection-zone are performed by instrumental duets.

Dwight Frizzell is an internationally recognized artist whose interdisciplinary work combines video, performance, installation, music, audio art and writing. He has been producing the “From Ark to Microchip” series with Jay Mandeville since 1984. “Ark 2 Microchip” radio can be heard currently on KKFI (www.kkfi.org) 90.1FM, and on KOPN, KCUR, KGNU, RESONANCE FM (London), RADIO NOVA (Paris), and WKCR (NYC).

The Turtle Music themes in from BEYOND THE BLACK CRACK are continued in a new piece Dwight recorded with Folk Music Icon, Marideth Scisco and the Wellspring Song– it’s part of Dwight’s April 30, 2026 From Ark to Microchip broadcast called Journey of Turtles, and will be performed at Pringle Fest for the National Audio Theater this summer.

Rev. Dwight Frizzell and Allan Winkler, Thanks for being with us on WMM

11:21

14. Marideth Sisco & Dwight Frizzell – “Wellspring Song”
    from: From Ark to Microchip / April 30, 2026 Episode / To Be Broadcast on KKFI April 30, 2026
    [Marideth Ann Sisco (born June 15, 1943) is an American storyteller, folklorist, singer-songwriter, author and retired journalist. Her work largely focuses on folklore related to her native Ozark Mountains. Sisco and her music were featured in the Oscar-nominated film Winter’s Bone. In 2023 she was a featured artist at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where she performed both in song and as a storyteller. // Sisco was born in Missouri to Marguerite Elenor (Gentry) Sisco (1920–1966) and Paul Holtz Sisco (1923–1966). Her interest in music started when she was three and a great uncle taught and encouraged her to sing. Her family moved frequently when she was young, including time spent in Kansas, Washington state, Montana and California. As she grew older she became tired of moving around and returned to live with her grandmother in Butterfield, graduating from high school in Cassville, Missouri in 1961. //After high school, Sisco attended Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State College) in Springfield, MO, where she studied performance & orchestration. But she left before finishing a degree after being told that as a woman she would not be successful in the field and was instead encouraged to switch to music education. // In 1965, Sisco left the Ozarks and moved to California, where she hoped to break into the music business as a singer, but lack of success and a hand injury that left her unable to play guitar derailed that goal. In 1976 she left California, helping her aunt and ailing uncle return to Missouri, but with the intention of moving back west, which she never did. // After returning to Missouri, Sisco received a BFA from Missouri State University and later an MA from Antioch University. She also began a 20-year career as a journalist at the West Plains Quill in West Plains, Missouri, where she worked as an investigative and environmental writer. She also authored the “Crosspatch” gardening column. // Upon her retirement from journalism in 2005, she returned to song-writing. // Currently, Sisco hosts “These Ozark Hills,” a local culture and folklore radio program on Ozarks Public Radio at KSMU-FM, which is based out of Missouri State University. As a singer, she performs both solo and with The Blackberry Winter Band. // Through a chance encounter at a singing party, Sisco was involved in the Oscar-nominated 2010 film Winter’s Bone, based on the book by Daniel Woodrell. In the film’s production she served as a musical consultant and singer, as well as appearing in the film as a singer. Her scene in the film was written specifically to feature her singing. // She also contributed to the movie by singing “The Missouri Waltz” for its opening scenes, though she reworked it to remove racist language from the song.Following the release of the film she toured with the Blackberry Winter Band to promote the soundtrack, referring to it as Amazing Geriatric Hillbilly tour. They played in 27 cities in the U.S.A. and Canada. // In 2018, Sisco received the Quill Award for lifetime achievement from the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame and Missouri Folk Arts Program has also designated her a Missouri Master Storyteller. //Sisco is lesbian & active in LGBTQ+ causes.]

11:28 – Underwriting

11:30 – Interview with Rosie O’Brien of Sass-a-Brass

Rosie O’Brien is a musician and organizer originally from Lawrence, KS. She studied Political Science, Studio Art, and Mandarin Chinese at Grinnell College in Iowa and pursued a career in political and environmental activism before transitioning into music full-time. Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional drumming with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to Kansas City in 2021 to expand the project, which has received grants from both the Charlotte Street Foundation and ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians. Sass-a-Brass Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Since its inception Sass-a-Brass has involved a wide variety of instrumentalists, encompassing many genders and sexualities. More info at: http://www.sassabrassband.com

Rosie O’Brien thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Taylor Babb plays drums and percussion with Sass-a-Brass band, but today he’s going to play guitar for a couple of live songs Rosie has in planned for us today.

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer & nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

During her undergraduate studies, Rosie sang and toured annually with the Grinnell Singers, where she debuted and recorded the original compositions of her mentor and director, Dr. John Rommereim, in both Iowa and Taiwan.

Rosie returned to Kansas in 2017, where she studied traditional djembe & dunun with Prof. Dylan Bassett via the KU West African Drumming Ensemble; she also joined Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade community as a trombonist, simultaneously founding her own Mardi Gras-style street parade brass ensemble, Sass-a-Brass. Rosie moved to KC in 2021 to expand the project, eceiving grants from Charlotte Street Foundation & ArtsKC to increase accessibility within community brass bands for women and queer musicians.

Rosie joined the KC Ballet School as an accompanist in 2023 and plays traditional djembe for modern dance classes and the ROAD program. In 2025, Rosie will enter her second season as a soprano with professional choral ensemble Te Deum; she is in her third season as a Choral Associate with Country Club Christian Church, and enjoys performing locally as a vocalist and percussionist with her 8-piece free-improvisation band Apricot Glow.

Sass-a-Brass is KC’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of HONK-style activist street band energy and borrowing from the New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Our mission is to bring queer musical joy to the public, and provide a welcoming space where underrepresented groups experience a sense of belonging and sustained growth as musicians. As a community-minded band, we intentionally recruit amateur, multi-generational and non-traditional players to join. Since its inception in 2018, Sass-a-Brass has involved a variety of instrumentalists, of many genders and sexualities.

11:37 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

15. Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Babb – “The Hammer Song” (LIVE)
    “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” is a protest song written by Pete Seeger & Lee Hays, in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, & Fred Hellerman. It was a No. 10 hit for Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 and then went No. 3 in 1963 when recorded by Trini Lopez. A May 1963 interview on Folk Music World-wide, Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary characterized the song as “a young national anthem for the United States”.
    The Weavers released the song under the title “The Hammer Song” as a 78 rpm single in March 1950 on Hootenanny Records, 101-A, backed with “Banks of Marble”.]

11:40 – More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb

Sass-A-Brass came together in 2018 to lead the first-ever Pride parade in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Co-leaders Kimberly (snare) and Rosie (trombone & Sousaphone) first connected at Lawrence’s annual Mardi Gras parade and were called upon by Lawrence journalist and organizer Fally Afani to form a femme-fronted, queer and nonbinary-inclusive band to play second-line and funk tunes for the community.

Over the years, Sass-A-Brass has benefited from the participation of many incredible musicians from the Lawrence and KC area; has involved wide-ranging instrumentation including keytar, amplified flute, and washboard; and has led musical celebrations for a diverse range of events (most notably an underground cave party and a Solstice parade ending in a public fountain).

11:48 – Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb Sing Acoustic Antifascist Tunes for Earth Day!

16. Rosie O’Brien with Taylor Babb – “All Those Fascists Are Bound To Lose” (LIVE)
    [Words by Woody Guthrie (1943). Music by Billy Bragg (1997) for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, a 2000 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and American band Wilco. It continues the project originally conceived by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie which resulted in the release of Mermaid Avenue in 1998. Both volumes were collected in a 2012 box set along with volume three as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.]

11:52– More Interview with Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb

Rosie O’Brien of the Sass-a-Brass Queer Marching Band – Kansas City’s only queer street parade brass band, bringing the party with a mix of street activism, street band energy, and New Orleans Mardi Gras and second-line tradition. Rosie returns to play a fews songs live, discuss queer street activism, and share details on Sass-a-Brass shows: Saturday, May 9, 11:00am to 3:00pm for the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – Block Party; Friday, May 15, at 5:00pm for Open Studios at the Livestock Exchange, 1600 Genessee St., KCMO in the historic West Bottoms; Saturday, May 30 for ManorFest 8; Saturday & Sunday June 27 & 28 for PEOPLE’s PRIDE.

Sass-a-Brass Shows:

Saturday, May 9, at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4200 Warwick Blvd., KCMO

Friday, May 15, at Stockyards Brewing Company, 1600 Genessee, St. Ste 100, KCMO, Historic West Bottoms, as part of the Open Studios Show.

Saturday, May 30, – ManorFest 8 (final night) – Leading two parades

Saturday, June 6 – Lawrence Pride

Sunday, June 28, The People’s Pride – organized by Sass-a-Brass (Summer Solstice)

Rosie O’Brien & Taylor Babb, thanks for being with us on WMM

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

For WMM, I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

11:54

17. Jamogi – “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)”
    from: “Georgia Peach (feat. Burgandy)” / Jam Tunes / September 5, 2025.
    [ Jamogi is also know as Byron Hyde a Kanas City based singer, songwriter, MC, producer, originally from Los Angeles, California.// Jamogi & The Jammers: Live at Flew The Coop Sessions (Flew The Coop Live) through Jam Tunes on April 11, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Do It To Me” on March 28, 2025. // Jamogi released the single “Go Big or Go Home” on August 30, 2024, Jamogi released the single “Hot Block” on May 30, 2024. Jamogi released the EP, Star-Crossed Lover on March 3, 2023. Jamogi then released a “Star-Crossed Lover GALACTIC REMIX (feat. Watchman)” single on June 9, 2023.Jamogi previously released the AGE OF AQUARIUS EP on March 3, 2023, and the single “Celebration” on Dec. 9, 2022, and the single “Anymore” on May 6, 2022. // Jamogi played the ROCK IS BLACK—a celebration of Black artists in rock music, happening February 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Zhou B Art Center, 1801 E 18th Street, KCMO. Rock is Black features: Malek Azrael & The Vibez, Jamogi and The Jammers, Stephonne, and Frankie Shorez & Mercy Fire. Kamogi and the Jammers played Boulevardia 2025]

[Jamogi plays KKFI’s Band Auction Sat, April 25, at 12:20pm You can bid on Jamogi for your party]

[Jamogi plays Manor Fest 8]

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

NEXT WEEK on April 29 we’ll talk with Julie Bennet Hume about the Women of Rebellion Showcase presented by Heartland Song Network, KKFI, Folk Alliance & Missouri Arts Council, Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 6:30pm at recordBar 1520 Grand Ave., KCMO featuring Seyko & Carolina Mendoza, with Julie Bennett Hume, Gracie Caggiano, and Emma Jo. A benefit for Heartland Song Network.; ALSO Amelia Rose Korte share details about a UMKC Civil Rights History Project she is working on, AND, Janice Wasserman and Alan Wasserman join us to talk about moving to Kansas City form M]NYC, Alan serving on the KKFI Board of Directors, and disco dancing., AND Lava Dreams shares new music.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

You can find our playlists at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org & http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

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

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

Show #1144

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

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Jennifer Owen, Brad Cox & Krystle Warren + Michael B. Tipton + Shaun Crowley

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

2. Ziggy Marley – “Racism Is A Killa (Radio edit)”
   from: Brightside / Tuff Gong Records / April 18, 2026 Vinyl & CD – RSD / May 1, 2026 Digital
   [Nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning icon Ziggy Marley has released his newest song “Racism Is A Killa,” off his recently announced upcoming album Brightside. A timely call to action, “Racism Is A Killa” likens the injustice of inequality to a deadly disease in need of eradication. Responding with hope and resiliency, Marley offers the antidote of love in his lyrical messaging. “Racism we gon beat ya/Racism we’ll defeat ya,” he affirms. // Marley also recently announced his upcoming summer tour across North America. Kicking off on June 19th at Fox Tucson Theatre in Tucson, AZ, the 20-date tour will make stops in major markets all around the country before concluding on July 22nd in Nantucket, MA. J Boog is set to appear as Special Guest on select dates throughout the tour. // The upcoming shows include a night at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA on June 21st, as well as a performance at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre as part of Stephen Marley’s Kaya Fest. The special festival will include a joint set between the brothers, performing both their own songs and collaborating on selections from their father, Bob Marley’s, discography. Kaya Fest will feature support from Buju Banton, Karl Denson’s Tribute to Jimmy Cliff, J Boo and Mike Love. // Earlier this year, Marley also released a brand-new track, “Many Mourn For Bob,” a powerful tribute to the legacy of his father, the legendary Bob Marley. The new song came alongside the announcement of Ziggy’s Brightside studio album. Brightside will be released exclusively on vinyl on April 18th at independent record stores as part of the celebration of Record Store Day, and digitally wide on May 1st. // Marley crafted Brightside, his 9th solo studio album, via a creative process entirely different than anything he’s done to date, from both a songwriting and technical standpoint. The album’s eight songs were co-produced by Ziggy and his brother Stephen and recorded at his newly built Rebel Lion Studio in Los Angeles alongside a myriad of longtime collaborators, including vocalist Nikka Costa, Trombone Shorty, Sheila E. and Jake Shimaburkuro. Most uniquely, the project was recorded using 432Hz, a soothing sonic frequency regularly employed for meditation and other mindful practices. With songs that delve into wellness and mental health, Marley shares “You see what’s happening in the world, what’s happening to people, and it really brings me down sometimes. I realized the album was going to have an introspective side to it. [The music] became my therapy.” Brightside not only embodies messages of resilience and strength but was also intentionally crafted to include healing elements that drive a therapeutic listening experience.]

3. Anjimile – “Afarin”
   from: You’re Free To Go / 4AD / March 13, 2026
   [Anjimile also released the singles “Waits For Me on March 13, 2026 and “Like You Really Mean It” earlier this year. Today North Carolina based singer-songwriter Anjimile announces plans to release the full-length album You’re Free to Go, due out March 13, 2026 on 4AD. The announcement comes with the luminous lead single “Like You Really Mean It” which overflows with tenderness and vulnerability, accompanied by a beautiful video directed by Caity Arthur. // Anjimile shares: “I wrote this to make my girlfriend want to give me a kiss. We live about an hour apart, and I was just by myself thinking about her. Thinking about wanting a kiss. What could I do to get a kiss from my sweetheart? Write a song about it! Anyway, it worked.” // “Like You Really Mean It” comes after the November single “Auld Lang Syne II,” a tender note-to-self on resilience and hard-fought freedom, characterized by delicate finger-plucked strings, charming horn passages, and intimate vocal delivery, which Stereogum called “stunning” upon its release; a song Anjimile says was: “originally intended as something of a wedding present for my best friend, who got married a few years back.” // Contrasting the intricacy and complexity of The King, You’re Free to Go unfolds organically under the intuitive direction of producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples). The album’s songs bloom naturally, grounded in warm acoustic guitars, subtle synth textures, lush string arrangements, and delicate rhythmic layers. Collaborative efforts with musicians Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), and guest vocalist Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) – a personal hero of Anjimile whose music deeply influenced the album even before his involvement – cultivate an exploratory yet intimate atmosphere, perfectly aligned with Anjimile’s nuanced storytelling. // Anjimile (ann-JIM-uh-lee) Chithambo has forged a distinctive musical path characterised by unflinching introspection and deep honesty. Emerging from Boston’s vibrant indie scene while studying at Northeastern University, Anjimile captivated audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that felt like prayer and celebration. // Critical acclaim quickly followed; 2020’s Giver Taker, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the year’s best albums, positioned him as a compelling voice exploring enduring themes of spirituality, identity, and liberation. With The King(2023), Anjimile intensified his examination of Black and trans existence amid personal and societal turbulence, reaffirming his courageous commitment to navigating discomfort as a means of liberation. // You’re Free to Go picks up where The King left off, but with its hands open wide – a central question being: what happens when you let go and let love in? // Crafted over years marked by transformation, the album traces vividly the profound complexities of change – from breakups to new love; deep grief and loss to renewal and rediscovery. “The past two years have been a deeply transitional point in my life,” Anjimile explains. On You’re Free to Go, he learns to trust life again. The album’s title symbolises Anjimile’s expansive perspective on love and personal freedom, influenced profoundly by his relationship with his partner and their joyful embrace of non-monogamy. He describes this dynamic playfully: “I view non-monogamy as setting out milk every night on your porch for the cats; they can come if they want,” – a reminder that connection thrives when it’s truly chosen and not confined and restricted by normatively. This same playfulness runs through “Rust & Wire” which captures the exhilaration of falling in love again and again (“ripen in the heat like wine”). // Elsewhere, You’re Free to Go explores heavier, darker truths; ‘Exquisite Skeleton’ hauntingly portrays the ache of familial estrangement and ‘Ready or Not’ the exhaustion of facing transphobia. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be free… When I was a little boy, I wanted to be real.”, he disarmingly reflects on “Waits For Me,” a powerful reckoning on childhood identity. But even in its most searching moments, the record radiates light. // Each song holds space for healing – for turning pain into something tender, communal, and free. // Spirituality remains the heartbeat of Anjmile’s work. “Songwriting feels like a prayer, a plea, or a question,” he says. Across You’re Free to Go, sacredness feels alive and imperfect — a practice of breathing, wondering, forgiving. The album hums with that same sacred energy: messy and full of grace. // Throughout You’re Free to Go, Anjimile skillfully integrates a variety of musical inspirations to heighten the album’s emotional impact. Tracks such as “Turning Away” and “The Store” channel the raw and unadorned authenticity reminiscent of early Modest Mouse. The collaboration with Sam Beam on “Destroying You” adds a gentle warmth that beautifully complements Anjimile’s refined vocal expression. Melodically, the album evokes a subtle nostalgia for late-’90s alternative pop, seamlessly blending folk sensibilities into inviting, memorable hooks. Anjimile has notably evolved, adopting a more relaxed and expressive approach to his singing, partly due to his ongoing hormonal therapy – a transformative journey he embraces gladly. This newfound vocal depth amplifies the album’s emotional resonance, allowing him to express himself with greater authenticity. // As Anjimile prepares to share You’re Free to Go live, he envisions intimate performances that reinterpret rather than replicate the album’s recordings. He aims for the authenticity and vulnerability embedded in these songs to resonate deeply, emphasizing, “This record feels very authentic to my life experiences. It’s about as close to getting to know me as you could ever get with a record.” // You’re Free to Go is a portrait of transformation — not as a wound, but as an opening. Richly textured, this collection of songs is an honest reflection of life’s fluctuations. It holds space for contradiction and finds liberation in tenderness. As Anjimile beautifully articulates, the album embodies “breathing into the question,” acknowledging that life’s most profound moments often come without clear answers, but rather exist in the gentle tension of uncertainty and discovery. In every note, Anjimile provides space for each listener to reflect and uncover their own truths, while gently reminding us that freedom isn’t the absence of pain, but the courage to love, to ask, to keep beginning again.]

4. Sara Swenson – “Your Town” [Video released April 7, 2026]
   from: TALLER / Sara Swenson / February, 28, 2026
   [Sara Swenson and more than 20 beloved KC singer-songwriters, instrumentalists, radio DJs and promoters sing “Your Town”. Includes live footage from Swenson’s performances at KC music venues – the Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads, recordBar and Crossroads Music Fest at Stockyards Brewing Co. Sara Swenson has released some of our most played and favorite recordings of the last 7 years. Her self titled debut ended up at the top of our list of The 100 Best Recordings of 2009. In 2010 Sara Swenson released her second full length recording, “All Things Big and Small” again working with Don Chaffer in Nashville who added new layers to Sara’s great songs and voice. In November of 2011, Sara released her 5 song EP called “Never Left My Mind,” featuring her band at the time, The Pearl Snaps. In that time frame, she also had picked up two KC Singer-Songwriter of the Year awards, performed with Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, and placed a song on the season finale of ABC’s “Private Practice.” Then after the school year ended in 2012, Sara Swenson left her job as a High School English & Journalism Teacher in Platte County High School, and left KC, and she flew off to the United Kingdom, where she got married. In the spring of 2014, Sara returned and performed for the Folk Alliance International Conference. On July 18, 2014 she released her 4th album, RUNWAY LIGHTS that captures snapshots of her 18-month experience of living abroad, moving from dating to marriage and sorting through the accompanying transitions. Produced by Don Chaffer in Nashville. On March 26, 2021 Sara Swenson released, “I Wont Let You Feel Alone”a song from husband Michael Price’s film “The Hidden Pandemic” that premiered on KCPBS that also features Mark Lowrey’s piano. Info: saraswenson.com.]

5. Warren Burns – “High As Lightning”
   from: Burn Again / Warren Burns / April 10, 2026
   [Warren Burns on vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica; Brad Highnam on bass, backing vocals, piano; Marco Pascolini on pedal steel; Jon Kraft on drums, w/ Mark Cohick on pipes, Marvin Gruenbaum & Tony DeMarco & Kent Brauninger on violin; Steve Molloy & Danny Fischer on trumpet; Kari Agosti & Suzanne Hogan & on backing vocals. Recorded by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab. Mastered by Carl Saff]

[Warren Burns plays a Vinyl release show will be at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave. KCMO in Historic West Bottoms on Sunday April 12, at 6:00pm, with Lodestones.]

Warren Burns Tour
04.23.2026-fayetteville ar-@ artemis w/ noah richmond
04.24.2026-Little rock ar-@ white water tavern w/ numb chunks, william blackart
04.25.2026-memphis-@ dkdc w/ Aquarian blood
04.26.2026-new orleans-@ The Okay bar w/ cry baby’s, dirty rotten snake in the grass
04.28.202-austin tx-@ crow bar w/ Cooper moon
04.29.2025-oklahoma city-@ flora bodega
05.19.2026-st louis mo-@ The hi dive w ace of spit
05.20.2026-berea ky-@rebel rebel
05.21.2026-detroit mi-@the painted lady w/ old fashioned aces
05.22.2026-kalamozoo mi-@glow hall
05.23.2026-green bay wi-@ the razz
05.24.2026-minniapolis mn-@eagles club
05.25.2026-iowa city-@tbd

10:21- New TV Theme Songs

6. Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt – “I Played the Fool (Main Title Theme from “Rooster”)”
   from: I Played the Fool (Main Title Theme from “Rooster”) – Single / Watertower Music – Warner Bros. Entertainment / March 8, 2026
   [“I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme)”, the official main title theme from the brand-new HBO Original series Rooster created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. The song is performed by Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt and is available now on all major digital streaming platforms. “I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme)” brings together two Grammy Award-winning artists for the first time, pairing one of the most sought-after producers and collaborators in modern music, Andrew Watt, with Michael Stipe, the legendary former frontman of the iconic band R.E.M. // “I Played The Fool” marks Stipe’s first new song in three years, making the track a highly anticipated return for the acclaimed artist. The track showcases Stipe’s unmistakable voice paired with Watt’s bold contemporary production, creating a striking and memorable introduction to the series. // Produced and co-performed by Watt, the song also features Travis Barker (Blink-182) on drums and Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and piano. Anchored by Barker’s driving percussion and Klinghoffer’s atmospheric instrumentation, the track delivers a striking and cinematic opening to Rooster, establishing the tone for the HBO series with a blend of raw emotion, modern rock energy and timeless songwriting. // Michael Stipe shares: “I’m thrilled to lend my voice to Rooster – as a giant fan of everyone involved, it’s a real honor to be included with ‘I Played The Fool’. // Andrew Watt adds: “Michael Stipe is a hero of mine. A chance to write a song with him was that of a dream…He is one of the true great songwriters of this lifetime and he did what only he could do on this song. He sets “Rooster” off to the moon by making you laugh and cry at the same time with the best clapping tv theme song since Friends.” // Bill Lawrence Shares: Recently I’ve watched Andrew join some of the most accomplished artists from my era (The Stones, Pearl Jam, etc, etc) and make music that somehow feels nostalgic and simultaneously of the moment. The fact that he was able to partner with one of my favorite songwriter/singers of all time, Michael Stipe, turned this into a career highlight for me. And it’s flat out a great song.” // On having the song created, Matt Tarses added: “Our plan had always been to use music from our own time in college in the 80s. No band was more important to me then than REM. When Andrew Watt told us he thought he could get Michael Stipe to write and record a new song for us, we said, “Cool, good luck with that.” We knew this would never happen. But a few months later, Andrew sent an early demo of “I Played the Fool.” And when I listened to it on my phone, I cried. I really did. Saying we are excited to have this great song and this iconic voice on our main title is a huge understatement. // ABOUT ROOSTER – A comedy set on a college campus centering on an author’s (Steve Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive). From co-show runners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, is executive produced by Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer for Doozer, Matt Tarses, Jonathan Krisel, Barbie Adler, Annie Mebane, David Stassen, Anthony King, David Hyman, and Steve Carell. The series stars Steve Carell, Charly Clive, Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai. // The HBO Original comedy series ROOSTER debuted Sunday, March 8 on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes of the 10-episode season, from Warner Bros. Television, will debut weekly through Sunday, May 10. // ABOUT MICHAEL STIPE – Michael Stipe is an artist, producer and singer/songwriter. He fronted the band R.E.M. for 31 years, selling over 100 million records and touring the world. For the past decade, his personal focus has been cross-medium visual art, incorporating video, soundscape, sculpture, and photographic and digital imagery. He has released four recent photography books through Damiani out of Bologna, Italy. His first institution show was at ICA Milan in December 2023. He is currently completing his first solo album. Michael lives in New York City and Berlin. // ABOUT ANDREW WATT – Multi-GRAMMY-winning producer Andrew Watt has become synonymous with one undeniable truth: he is the music industry’s not-so-secret weapon. Known for his genre-spanning versatility, Watt has collaborated with some of the most groundbreaking artists of the past decade, crafting chart-topping hits and award-winning albums across pop and rock. In 2021, he earned his first GRAMMY for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, recognized for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, Dua Lipa, Post Malone, and Miley Cyrus. He followed with a Best Rock Album win for producing Osbourne’s Patient Number 9, and in 2023 earned another Best Rock Album GRAMMY for Hackney Diamonds by The Rolling Stones. Among his recent high-profile projects, Watt co-produced the global smash “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. The single became a worldwide phenomenon, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, amassing over a billion global streams, topping charts internationally, and emerging as one of the fastest-rising pop collaborations of the decade. He also co-produced Gaga’s No. 1, critically acclaimed album Mayhem, including its hit “Abracadabra.” His work on the album earned a GRAMMY for Best Dance Pop Recording, while Mayhem also won Best Pop Vocal Album. He additionally received nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for his contributions to the project. Recent credits include work with Brandi Carlile and Elton John on their collaborative album Who Believes in Angels?, KATSEYE’s “Gabriela,” nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Carlile’s Returning to Myself, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Watt also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2025 for “Never Too Late,” written for the 2024 documentary Elton John: Never Too Late directed by RJ Cutler.]

7. Benjamin Gibbard & Tom Howe – “Frightening Fishes (Main Title Theme from “Shrinking”)”
   from: Shrinking: Season 1 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) / Watertower Music – Warner Bros Entertainment / March 24, 2023
   [The track is written by Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Benjamin Gibbard & the show’s composer Tom Howe (Ted Lasso, Early Man, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Shrinking is created by Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Bill Lawrence & Brett Goldstein (both Ted Lasso) and stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford about a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tells his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives…including his own. Emmy® winners Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein and Segel co-write and serve as executive producers. The show also stars: Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Christa Miller, Luke Tennie and Lukita Maxwell. The comedy is on Apple TV+ // Benjamin Gibbard and Tom Howe are Winners of Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series in 2023 for Apple TV+ show Shrinking. Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a member of the indie pop supergroup The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives (2012), and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I’m Gone (2009), with Jay Farrar.]

8. The Creepy Jingles – “Vow Down”
   from: “Vow Down” – Single / Supe Brill Records / April 3, 2026
   [Earlier this year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon shared with us the unreleased single “fight for your say” for our March 4, 2026 radio show. // Last year Jocelyn Olivia Nixon released the single, “YOU AIN’T RIGHT! YOU MUST BE WRONG!” on May 2, 2025. Jocelyn Olivia Nixon is lead singer of the band The Creepy Jungles. The Creepy Jingles are getting ready to release a new alum called WASHED UP coming this spring. Jocelyn told Nick Spacek of The Pitch, “that the songs she presents to her bandmates in The Jingles’ songs are poppier stuff, typically, while solo songs are more folky, mellow, weird, and lyrical. Solo work also gives her the opportunity to work with others outside the group. As Nixon explains, “It’s basically a tongue-in-cheek song making fun of hard right conservatives and social cliques who think only their way is ‘right.’” She said, “I felt like I needed something where I can be a bit more vulnerable and naked, I suppose,” the musician says. “I think because Jingles do rock n roll pop songs well, I think I’m kinda boxed in as an artist and singer. This is my way of saying I have many sides to myself as an individual and as an artist, and I can forge my own path and defy expectations.” Jocelyn Nixon’s next single, “Real Deal,” is due later this summer . // The Creepy Jingles released a series of 4 new singles in 2024 including “When Things Go Wrong” on February 23, 2024. // The Creepy Jingles are a Kansas City based, rock and roll band that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer / song-writer Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics. The Creepy Jingles released their album, TAKE ME AT MY WORDPLAY on March 25, 2022 through High Dive Records. Paired up with lyrics centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies and barking up the wrong tree. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned. The Creepy Jingles released their Debut EP on High Dive Records on May 3, 2019. The release was in the top ten of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. ]

[The Creepy Jingles open for Hello Biplane for their KC Album Release show at The Brick, 1727 McGee St., KCMO, on Friday, April 10 with The Kansas City Bear Fighters.]

10:30 – Underwriting

9. Michael B. Tipton – “Hot Headed Lover”
   from: “Hot Headed Lover” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / April , 2025
   [One of 5+ new singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

10:35 – Interview with Michael B. Tipton

Michael B. Tipton joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to share his new single, “Hot Headed Lover.” Michael released multiple five new singles in 2025 and in addition he teamed up with Seyko of The Freedom Affair to release a Christmas collaboration that they co-wrote together called “Better To Believe.” Michael was last on our show was on August 9, 2023 to talk about his single “Scoundrel” from his debut solo album, Out of the Woods, released on October 13, 2023. Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests ever interviewed on Wednesday MidDay Medley when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything Michael’s bands Molly Picture Club and Kodascope ever recorded. Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singling along. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne. Info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com

Michael B.Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

We just heard your new single: “Hot Headed Lover”

Michael B. Tipton who was one of our very first guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley back in 2004 the year this show first went on the air, and when Michale was 20 years old, he joined us to talk about his band Tabla Rasa. Michael has been a part of some of our most played Kansas City area bands including Molly Picture Club and Kodascope.

Michael B Tipton is a seasoned singer-songwriter who has performed for audiences nationwide for over 26 years. With a remarkable versatility across genres like folk, country, electronic, indie rock, and hard rock, his compositions are written to be adapted to various musical styles. Michael made his mark as a member of acclaimed bands: Tabla Rasa (1999-2005), 5 Defy (2006-2008), Molly Picture Club with Aniko Adany, and Kodascope (2013-2016).

He is also the driving force behind Found A Job, a popular 8-piece tribute to Talking Heads since 2012, where he embodies David Byrne’s essence.

In addition to his live performances, Michael’s songwriting prowess has earned him placements on notable TV shows like “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and various Discovery Channel segments. With an extraordinary ability to connect through heartfelt lyrics, captivating melodies, and a solid beat, Michael B Tipton continues to enchant audiences with his music. Stay tuned as this artist ventures into new musical horizons.

After enduring a prolonged songwriting drought, Tipton found solace in the music of his upbringing—Asleep At The Wheel, Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Jones. This rediscovery sparked a creative surge, resulting in a collection of heartfelt songs. Released in the fall of 2023, “Out of The Woods” captures Tipton’s revival and showcases his storytelling. As Tipton explains, it’s the most personal and coherent set of songs he’s written to date.

“The title ‘Out of the Woods,’ has a double meaning for me. It’s both a recurring theme for the lyrics and it speaks to an acoustic-heavy instrumentation, which is the literal meaning because the music is coming out of the woods.” Tipton pulled in long-time collaborators and newfound friends from the KC music scene to help him bring his album to life. This was Tipton’s first album under his name, even though he had released 7 albums and 6 EPs over the years.

Recorded & Produced by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, KC, MO

Musicians: Michael B Tipton- vocals, guitars, percussion |
Aaron”Big Al”Lewis-Bass | Justin Danner – Drums | Matt Smithmier – Mandolin | JaceHughes – Electric Guitar | Brad King – Slide Guitar | Mallory Edson- Fiddle
Devon Teran – Pedal Steel Guitar | Nate Holt – Organ, Piano
Kate Valliere – Backing Vocals.

Michael B.Tipton Shows:

APR. 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
Found A Job @ Boulevard Beer Hall

APR. 24, 2026 – Excelsior Springs, MO
Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels At Warbird Whiskey

APR. 25, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
Knuckleheads Presents Found A Job

APR. 29, 2026 – Lawrence, KS
Western Wednesday At Northside Social Presents Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels

MAY 29, 2026 – Kansas City, MO
An Evening Of Pink Floyd at The Warehouse on Broadway

10:44

10. Michael B. Tipton – “Walking The Wire”
    from: “Walking The Wire” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / August 19, 2025
    [One of 5 singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

10:47 – More Interview with Michael B. Tipton

Michael B. Tipton joins us live in our 90.1 FM Studios to share his new single, “Hot Headed Lover.” Michael released multiple five new singles in 2025 and in addition he teamed up with Seyko of The Freedom Affair to release a Christmas collaboration that they co-wrote together called “Better To Believe.” Michael was last on our show was on August 9, 2023 to talk about his single “Scoundrel” from his debut solo album, Out of the Woods, released on October 13, 2023. Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests ever interviewed on Wednesday MidDay Medley when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything Michael’s bands Molly Picture Club and Kodascope ever recorded. Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singing along. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne. Info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com

Michael B. Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

Michael’s band, Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for nearly 15 years playing Talking Heads tracks to full houses of audiences dancing and singing along.

Found A Job play Boulevard Beer Hall on Wednesday April 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO

Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth KC proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Bowie as well as David Byrne.

On May 29, with Be Non, Back Light Animals, and Seyko you are putting on a Pink Floyd tribute at The Warehouse on Broadway. Seyko from The Freedom Affair and Sunu will be performing background vocals & lead vocal duties on various songs throughout the set.

Michael B Tipton is a seasoned singer-songwriter who has performed for audiences nationwide for over 26 years. With a remarkable versatility across genres like folk, country, electronic, indie rock, and hard rock, his compositions are written to be adapted to various musical styles.

Michael made his mark as a member of acclaimed bands:
Tabla Rasa (1999-2005),
5 Defy (2006-2008),
Molly Picture Club (2009-2013),
Kodascope (2013-2016).

Michael B Tipton is a dad. He has four kids.

Michael Tipton just launched his own branding consultancy called True Yarn Branding and would love your help in anyway to help him make some connections to small businesses in the Kansas City region. His focus is on helping growing companies develop their brand story for better market positioning and relationship building with their customers. https://www.tybranding.com/

Michael B.Tipton Shows:

APR. 15, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Found A Job @ Boulevard Beer Hall

APR. 24, 2026-Excelsior Springs, MO-Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels Warbird Whiskey

APR. 25, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Presents Found A Job

APR. 29, 2026 – Lawrence, KS – Western Wednesday At Northside Social Presents Michael Tipton & The Scoundrels

MAY 29, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – An Evening Of Pink Floyd – Warehouse on Broadway

Michael B.Tipton thanks for being with us on WMM

10:56

11. Michael B. Tipton – “Back to the Farm”
    from: “Back to The Farm” – Single / Micheal B. Tipton / October 21, 2025
    [One of 5+ new singles Michael B. Tipton released in 2025. This single was recorded at Weights & Measures Soundlab here in KC. Performers on the track are Nate Holt- organ, Aaron Lewis- bass, Jace Hughes- electric guitar, Sam Shoemaker-pedal steel guitar, Justin Danner-drums, Ashleigh Guthrie-backing vocals, and myself on acoustic and vocals. Written by Michael B. Tipton. // Along with the country singles Michael recently teamed up with vocalist Seyko of The Freedom Affair member Seyko to release a Christmas collab they co-wrote called “Better To Believe” in early December. This song features performances by The Freedom Affair, members of Found A Job and Michael’s country band The Scoundrels, and Seyko’s daughter Reiko. // Michael B. Tipton has been working with Nashville songwriters and studios this past year and recently recorded an original song “Favorite Place in Town” (written about Strawberry Hill’s Hillsiders), at County Q Studios in Nashville. This song will be released TBA in 2026 and distributed to FM and AM Country stations across the country. Michael B. Tipton was signed to Stone Bridge Entertainment in July 2025. His debut solo album, Out of the Woods, was released on October 13, 2023. With his band The Scoundrels, Michael has shared stages with Bronwyn Keith Hynes and Jason Isbell. // Michael Tipton was one of the first musical guests we ever interviewed on WMM when he was in the band Tabla Rasa. We also played almost everything they recorded when Michael was part of the band, Molly Picture Club. Michael’s band Found a Job has been rocking venues in Kansas City for over 10 years playing Talking Heads tracks. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to The Band That Fell to Earth proving he can serve and deliver with the lyrics of David Byrne and David Bowie. // More info at: http://www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com/shows.%5D

11:00 – Station ID

12. The Greeting Committee – “What I Wouldn’t Give?” (CD #12) (3:41)
    from: “What I Wouldn’t Give?” / Harvest Records / October 10, 2025
    [Formed in KC in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, & Pierce Turcotte. This EP waOn September 24, 2021 The Greeting Committee released their album Dandelion, ,which was part of WMM’s 120 Best recordins of 2021. hat release was a follow up to their Oct. 17, 2019 EP, I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry, and 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 released their single “Ada” on August 27, 2021, through Harvest Records / UMG Recordings. Addie wrote about her song “Ada” explaining it was a queer narrative inspired by lived experience of a dear friend. i knew this wasn’t my story to tell, but instead the story of someone i fiercely admire. to our garden, you are loved. you are loved.]

[The Greeting Committee play Manor Fest 8]

11:05 – Interview with Shaun Crowley

Shaun Crowley is a classically trained guitarist, and has studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Crowley started playing in the Kansas City music community when he was 17 in band Rev Gusto who released their debut album on High Dive Records. Rev. Gusto then transformed into the band Momma’s Boy.

Shaun Crowley is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization that functions as a record store and record label to support Kansas City musicians. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017. Manor Records has expanded the idea of what a music label can be, by creating multiple record store locations, hosting Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC, Music Maker Mondays on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO

One of Manor Records biggest events is: Manor Fest an eight day, music festival held progressively in eight different neighborhoods in Kansas City in May. From a basement in Shawnee, Kansas, to neighborhoods like the Crossroads to the Northeast, and now a KC Streetcar Day – Manor Fest has become a citywide celebration of the music community that makes this place special. Shaun Crowley joins us to discuss MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: May 20-23 and May 27-30.

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30.

The Greeting Committee, Bobby Watson, Calvin Arsenia, Fritz & Sons, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Sass-A-Brass, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, Eddie Moore, True Lions, The Royal Chief, Brian Gerald Bulger, Kissin, The Babe Gabe, Scabb, The Matchsellers, Kadesh Flow, Miki P, Aigerue + Mikey, Teri Quinn, Field Daze, Spy World, FK Menace, Apricot Glow, 2w33dy, Alber & I Maledetti, Malek Azrael & The Vibes, Dom Chronicles, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, LyMerrick, Kemet Coleman, Rebel Song Academy Ft. Base Academy of Music, Pure XTC, Nina Cherry, Henry Scamurra, Charmaine, Mosaic, Toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Jolson & The Fear of Snakes, Silvee, Freia, Natalie Prauser, Jazlyn Epps, Gracie Caggiano, Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust, Tidal.wav, Kapten, Sammy Sheets, Maddie Lai, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Jack Summers, Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs, Isaiah Petrie, The Soul Agenda Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

11:14

13. The Yadda Yadda – “30 Minutes (feat.TyFaison, Paris Williams, and Monogram)” (Radio Edit)”
    from: UNTIL THE WAR IS WON / Seven Rings Media / September 26, 2025
    [TyFaison released his solo album Until The War Is Won through Seven Rings Media on September 25, 2025. Every song produced by Medici & TyFaizon as The Human. // Every song mixed & mastered by Medici. // Executive produced by Alex Guapo & Medici. // Album art by Trey Hyde & Daniel Ruiz. // TyFaizon aka Mango Marai is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. He is now 1/2 of production duo The Human. TyFaizon is a multi faceted musical artist, writer, producer, composer, TyFaison is also known as Mango Marai. TyFaison is a rapper previously in the groups Drop Dead XX & Blackstarkids. TyFaison rose to international acclaim with BLACKSTARKIDS. // Mark: When we first heard BLACKSTARKIDS – “Sounds Like Fun!” from their album: SURF on Bedroom Records, released Feb. 28, 2020, we lost our minds. It was one of our most played song on the radio show that year and landed at #2 in WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. Blackstarkids were a phenomenon who came out of Raytown Missouri and SURF became the soundtrack for the summer of 2020. // Blackstarkids were a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio that include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school meeting at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on Aug. 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. // Blackstarkids caught the attention of The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and were then signed to The 1975’s management company and UK-based label Dirty Hit Records. They were featured in Clash Magazine. Blackstarkids then released, Surf Basement Demos on Dirty Hit Records on March 5, 2020. On Oct. 29, 2020. // Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their 3rd album on October 22, 2020, followed by Puppies Forever on Oct. 15, 2021, and Cyberkiss on Sept. 23, 2022. Blackstarkids released their last two albums Saturn Dayz on Sept. 20, 2024, and Heaven on Urf on Oct. 25, 2024. // With BLACKSTARKIDS, Ty gained experience, opening on tour with The 1975, beabadoobee, and Glass Animals. // In Sept. 20, 2024. After the break-up of BlackStarKids last year, TyFaison with Medici formed the production company “The Human” and then produced Paris Williams 2024 album A PARIS WILLIAMS JOINT (released Nov. 19, 2024) and then the full length album MANGO MARAI & SATURN STAR, (released in Dec. 2024). Ty then lent his talent to collaborating with BlackStarKids bandmate and close friend TheBabeGabe in launching her solo career. Her debut mixtape HONEY POP, was released on March 5, 2025 and five months later, HONEYPOP: RELOADED was released on Aug. 8, 2025. Both albums were produced by The Human.] [Paris Williams rleased A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024 // Paris Williams is a 26-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the EP COCOA on December 10, 2020 . // He released the single , “Austin”on February 18, 2021. // Paris Williams released the single, “Sweeter” on July 9, 2021. // He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. // He released the single ,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. // He released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. // Paris Williams released the EP REBEL HEART on January 31, 2023. This release was part of WMM ‘s 120 Best Recordings of 2023. // Paris Williams released the single, “Pack Light” on July 25, 2023. // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “C.est La Vie” on September 14, 2024, // Paris Williams with Globetrotters & Kaleab Samuel released the single, “Ayo (Feat TyFaison)” on September 18, 2024. // Paris Williams & The Human released the 10-track album, A Paris Williams Joint through Bitter Sweet Sound on November 19, 2024. This release was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. // Paris Williams & TheBabeGabe released the single “Me Again” on April 28, 2025. // Paris Williams & Bloom Allen released the single “Truthfully” (radio edit) through BitterSweet Sound on August 12, 2025. // allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

[Paris Williams and TyFaison both play Manor Fest 8]

11:17 – More Interview with Shaun Crowley

Shaun Crowley is the Founder & Executive Director of Manor Records, a non-profit organization created to support Kansas City musicians. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017.

Manor Records has expanded the idea of what a music label can be, by creating multiple record store locations, hosting Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC, Music Maker Mondays on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO

One of Manor Records biggest events is: Manor Fest an eight day, music festival held progressively in eight different neighborhoods in Kansas City in May. From a basement in Shawnee, Kansas, to neighborhoods like the Crossroads to the Northeast, and now a KC Streetcar Day – Manor Fest has become a citywide celebration of the music community that makes this place special.

Shaun Crowley joins us to discuss MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: May 20-23 and May 27-30.

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30.

The Greeting Committee, Bobby Watson, Calvin Arsenia, Fritz & Sons, Jass, Nightosphere, Paris Williams, Sass-A-Brass, Hailes, Jamogi & The Jammers, Eddie Moore, True Lions, The Royal Chief, Brian Gerald Bulger, Kissin, The Babe Gabe, Scabb, The Matchsellers, Kadesh Flow, Miki P, Aigerue + Mikey, Teri Quinn, Field Daze, Spy World, FK Menace, Apricot Glow, 2w33dy, Alber & I Maledetti, Malek Azrael & The Vibes, Dom Chronicles, Kirstie Lynn, Flare The Rebel, LyMerrick, Kemet Coleman, Rebel Song Academy Ft. Base Academy of Music, Pure XTC, Nina Cherry, Henry Scamurra, Charmaine, Mosaic, Toasterbath, Ernest Melton, Jolson & The Fear of Snakes, Silvee, Freia, Natalie Prauser, Jazlyn Epps, Gracie Caggiano, Dandelion Lakewood’s Bowl of Dust, Tidal.wav, Kapten, Sammy Sheets, Maddie Lai, Danielle Ate Ghe Sandwich, Jack Summers, Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs, Isaiah Petrie, The Soul Agenda Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

Music Maker Mondays at Brewery Emperial on the First Monday of every month, 5:00pm-7:00pm (through August) at Brewery Emperial, 1829 Oak St. KCMO, to provide local music makers of all types – any genre, a laid-back, non-gig environment to connect, organize, and build community through a new monthly happy hour occurring on the first Monday of each month.

Songbird Sessions every Sunday at ARTSKC

Shaun Crowley Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

MANOR FEST 8, happening on two weekends: Wednesday May 20 through Saturday May 23 and Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30. Info: http://www.manorrecords.com

11:25

14. HAILES – “Not Perfect”
    from: FIVE (EP) / Magic Mango Music / September 29, 2025
    [Debut EP from KC based R&B artist HAILES. After graduating from Blue Valley West High School and briefly attending college, Hailes spent two years in the U.S. tour of The Wizard of Oz before moving to New York in 2017 to continue her acting career. COVID-19 shut down theatre and HAILES turned her energies toward writing music. When Broadway came back to life, HAILES returned to theatre and joined the Hadestown Broadway Tour for three years. While on tour Hailes continued writing music. // The music on her debut EP FIVE came from her time attending a writing camp in Austin, Texas. // HAILES told Cameron Castaldi of KJHK “On the road, I always had my recording equipment, so in every hotel that we got to, I would set up my little studio and write sporadically throughout the week.” // After living in New York City for the last seven years, R&B artist, songwriter, and actress Hailes is back home in Kansas City. She had her first concert in Kansas City on August 5, 2025 at The Blue Room. / More info at:www.hailes.komi.io/.]

[Hailes plays Manor Fest 8]

11:27 – Underwriting

15. Krystle Warren & The Faculty – “I’ve Seen Days”
    from: Diary [Remastered] – EP / Parlour Door Music 2025 / March 10, 2005
    [Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s first official release, ‘Diary’, has been remastered by chief-inspector, Ben Kane, who not only recorded those clandestine sessions at Electric Lady Studios; he also co-produced and mixed their conclusion with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. With KW and The Faculty at the time ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-three, ‘Diary’ is a snapshot of youth and discovery; a “baby-band” finding their sound, and pushing their creativity into uncharted territory. // On November 1, 2024 Krystle Warren & The Faculty released EXTENDED PLAY which was #1 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Krystle Warren & The Faculty are: Krystle Warren, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Mike Riddleberger, and Jonathan Anderson. Following their double album LOVE SONGS (2012) Krystle Warren & The Faculty were involved in many musical projects. Krystle Warren & The Faculty, released the single “Macca” on May 22, 2023. They released and their single “Rising” released May 31, 2019, and written especially for Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television mini series WHEN THEY SEE US. When Covid delayed the upcoming release of Extended Play, Krystle and members of The Faculty along with some of their frequent collaborators formed The Crew to release the 4-song CREW EP on September 15, 2020. Through isolation came unity. The Crew was made up of: Lakecia Benjamin, Matthew Silberman, Jacob Snider, Joe Blaxx, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Cassorla, Krystle Warren, and Ben Kane. They recorded unique versions of classic songs with the hope of encouraging the rallying cries of The Moment: the movement of the people. // In the lockdown of their homes, they sewed together their interpretations of “Bein’ Green” (based upon Ray Charles’ rendition); “Gimme Some Truth” (a mighty John Lennon composition); “Dear Landlord” (a scathing indictment from the blistering pen of Bob Dylan); and “Rhythm of Life”, (a timeless statement originally performed by Oleta Adams). // A portion of the proceeds from The Crew. EP were donated to the various causes and organizations //// The Faculty was formed with Krystle Warren, Solomon Dorsey, Zach Djanikian, Mike Riddleberger, and Dave Moore. While the four boys had classes and gigs, Krystle floated around New York and made a lot of friends. She busked and wrote songs, and, with the help of her band members and Ben Kane, who had an internship at Electric Lady Studios and was sneaking them in at odd hours, Krystle turned those songs into an e.p. called Diary. // Diary led to Circles, which Ben Kane co-produced with Voodoo engineer Russell “The Dragon” Elevado. Circles was bought by Because Music in France, but Krystle still recorded Love Songs in New York, a double album that invokes a Blakean duality with its two subtitles, ‘A Time to Refrain from Embracing’ and ‘A Time You May Embrace’. // Love Songs​ was produced with most of the Faculty (Zach was on tour with Amos Lee) and a slew of guest musicians in Brian Bender’s Brooklyn studio, The Motherbrain. Bender’s assistant, Jonathan Anderson, would later go on to replace Dave Moore on keys. // The Faculty has always been a tenuous project for everyone involved because of the distance and the schedules. While everyone remains close friends, the band members are spread across the globe. Krystle in France. Riddleberger in New York and Zach in Woodstock. Jonathan in Los Angeles. And then they are all working musicians, touring, recording, and collaborating with an impressive list of artists. Musicians like, in no particular order: D’Angelo, Hercules and Love Affair, Donald Fagen and the Nightfliers, Joan As Police Woman, Jonathan Wilson, Emily King, Janet Jackson, Ron Sexsmith, Amy Helm, Taylor Swift, Rufus Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, The Knights, Bleachers, Emmylou Harris, Amos Lee, Mayra Andrade, Lana Del Rey, Broken Social Scene, Teddy Thompson, Lakecia Benjamin, and honestly that’s less than the half of it. // So they have been busy, and they have gained a lot of experience since the days of sneaking into ElectricLady late night or playing for meager pay and free wine at an East Village Italian resto. And while Diary, Circles, and Love Songs​ were recorded with everyone in the same room (​Three the Hard Way, Krystle’s solo album, was pared down to her and Kane collectively), Extended Play​ was recorded disparately and assembled together by the steady hands and ears of Kane and Krystle. There is distance between the musicians in the recording process, but there is still a close emotional connection that can be heard in these songs. // The songs that make up ​Extended Play​ are songs of experience—the lyrics reflect on a crush from high school, a departed musical hero, and others who live in memory. There is nostalgia in Extended Play, and a forlornness. // Krystle describes “When I Look Back,” the last song of the album, as “an apology to my teenage self.” Twenty years ago she was writing songs about what happened day-of because being young is about immediacy and living in the present tense. Now the songs are about years past because life slows down, and we are allowed the time to “look back.”// But as Krystle sings in “Rising,” “Future lingers while past is present.” She’s writing about the past because we are all our collected histories—or as she puts it in “When I Look Back”: “there’s still something of her that stays.” The future, of course, still lingers, always there waiting for us, for the next move. The album ends with a recording of Audre Lorde’s gravelly voice. She says, // I’m going on to something else, the shape of which, I have no idea. ‘Only thing I know is, it’s going to be quite different. What I leave behind has a life of its own – I’ve said this about poetry … Well in a sense, I’m saying it about the very artifact of who I have been. // Krystle Warren & The Faculty still have more to come. They have built twenty years of memories, experiences, recordings, and shows, and with the release of Extended Play,​ they continue to show a commitment to growing as musicians together, even if apart. The Extended Play bio written by Phil Anderson]

[Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren for AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Fri & Sat, April 10 & 11 at 8:00pm and Sun, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO.]

11:33 – Interview with Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen, & Brad Cox

Jennifer Owen and Brad Cox of Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren to share details of AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO. This world premiere will feature songs selected from Warren’s expansive catalog, including previously unreleased material, in an evening of intimate and powerful music and dance. Krystle Warren will be joined by a stellar ensemble of musicians and dancers for this unforgettable performance. Info at: http://www.owencoxdance.or

Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen & Brad Cox thanks for being with us on WMM

And we are so excited to welcome back to the show, KC born and internationally known singer songwriter Krystle Warren who is back in KC from her home in France. Krystle is one of our most played artists of all time on the radio show. Krystle is also one of our most frequent guests. Krystle Warren began performing in her native KC at the age of 16. Krystle graduated from Paseo Arts Academy and in 2001 began her musical career collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. After moving to New York City, she started busking on the streets and later formed her regular band, The Faculty.

Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s first official release, ‘Diary’, has been remastered by chief-inspector, Ben Kane, who not only recorded those clandestine sessions at Electric Lady Studios; he also co-produced and mixed their conclusion with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. With KW and The Faculty at the time ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-three, ‘Diary’ is a snapshot of youth and discovery; a “baby-band” finding their sound, and pushing their creativity into uncharted territory.

After DIARY was released Krystle was signed to Paris based music label Because Music who sent her a one-way ticket. Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the album CIRCLES in 2009. Their epic sophomore release, LOVE SONGS… followed in 2011, and contained twenty-four songs about love and was recorded in New York City over the span of two weeks, with close to thirty musicians. Around this time, Krystle joined forces with one of her musical idols, Rufus Wainwright, on his world tour as opener and bandmate. Krystle Warren then released her solo album THREE THE HARD WAY, in 2017 where Krystle played every instrument. On May 31, 2019 Krystle Warren & The Faculty released heir single “Rising” written especially for Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television mini series WHEN THEY SEE US. When her band’s full length album was put on hold, Krystle released the 4-song EP THE CREW on September 15, 2020. Krustle released the single “Macca” on May 22, 2023, and the single “La Dolce Vita” on March 1, 2024. // On November 1, 2024 Krystle Warren & The Faculty release EXTENDED PLAY which was #1 on WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2024. // Krystle Warren played the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest, Sat, September 6, at 9:30pm at Lemonade Park, West Bottoms

Composer and arranger Brad Cox is co-founder of Owen/Cox Dance Group and founder and director of The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, a musicians’ collective dedicated to the performance of new large ensemble jazz music. Cox’s musical influences range from liturgical chant and traditional folkloric music to popular music and free jazz, with a particular interest in the communal aspects of music making. A composer in the uniquely American Ellington tradition, he has dedicated his work to forming creative collaborative relationships with musicians and to writing music for those musicians. Cox studied composition at UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance under James Mobberley and Gerald Kemner and is a recipient of the 2010 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Performing Artist Award and the 2009 Tanne Foundation Award.

Jennifer Owen is Artistic Director of Owen/Cox Dance Group, an ensemble she co-founded with composer Brad Cox in 2007. She has choreographed over fifty new works for Owen/Cox Dance Group, including two commissions by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and works commissioned by Island Moving Co. of Newport, RI, Kansas City Dance Festival, Kansas City Baroque Consortium, and Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She has also created nine new works for Kansas City Ballet’s In the Wings choreographic workshop, and a winning entry for the 2006 Columbus Choreography Project. Owen is the recipient of a 2000 Princess Grace Honorarium. Prior to founding Owen/Cox Dance Group, Owen enjoyed a 13-year international ballet career. After training with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she went on to dance with the Russian State Ballet, Moscow Renaissance Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, BalletMet, and was a guest artist with the National Ballet of Turkmenistan. She has performed principal roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Donizetti Variations, and the central pas de deux in Todd Bolender’s Arena.

Owen/Cox Dance Group is a 501 (c) 3 not for profit corporation with a mission is to create new music and dance collaborations, to present high-quality contemporary dance performances with live music, and to engage as wide an audience as possible through affordable live performance, education and outreach programs

And Wonder is a powerful new collaboration with internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren. // Blending Warren’s deeply expressive songwriting with dynamic choreography, And Wonder explores the essential relationship between music and movement. The performance features selections from Warren’s expansive catalog—including previously unreleased material—performed live alongside an ensemble of musicians and dancers. // Born and raised in Kansas City and now based in France, Warren returns to her hometown for this special premiere. Known for her genre-defying sound that blends jazz, folk, blues, and country influences, Warren has performed internationally and collaborated with celebrated artists including Rufus Wainwright, Joan As Police Woman, Hercules and Love Affair, and Robyn Hitchcock. // For And Wonder, Warren will be joined by an exceptional group of musicians: Brad Cox, Mike Stover, Jonathan Anderson, David Dawda, and Jaylen Ward. The performance also features dancers Winston Dynamite Brown, Emara Neymour Jackson, Jeremy Hanson, Sam McReynolds, Quentin Sledge, and Laura Wallner with choreography by Jennifer Owen.

And Wonder highlights the company’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and the unique immediacy of live performance. Through music and movement, And Wonder invites audiences into a shared artistic experience where sound and motion unfold together in real time.

Performances are April 10-12, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 2

We started this segment with a song from The Faculty’s first 2005 official EP release, DIARY, just recently re-released and remastered by Ben Kane, who originally recorded those sessions at Electric Lady Studios, where he also co-produced and mixed the tracks with his then mentor, the legendary Russell Elevado. Krystle Warren is one of our most played artists and most frequent guests. Krystle Warren began performing in her native Kansas City at the age of 16. She graduated from Paseo Arts Academy in 2001 and began her musical career collaborating with area jazz and pop musicians. Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the full length album CIRCLES in 2009. Their epic sophomore release, LOVE SONGS followed in 2011, and contained 24 songs about love, recorded in New York City over the span of two weeks, with close to thirty musicians. Around this time, Krystle also joined forces with one of her musical idols, Rufus Wainwright, on his world tour as opener and bandmate. Krystle Warren released her solo album THREE THE HARD WAY, co-produced with Ben Kane in 2017. Krystle will also be sharing details of , Krystle Warren & The Faculty’s released EXTENDED PLAY in November of 2024. EXTENDED PLAY was #1 on WMM’s 120 Beast Recordings of 2024. Info at: http://www.krystlewarren.com

Seven Years ago Krystle Warren, Jen Owens (& Brad Cox) join us to talk about the world premiere dance work by the Owen/Cox Dance Group set to a live performance of singer/songwriter Krystle Warren’s acclaimed double album, “Love Songs” Saturday, October 19, at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 PM, at The Polsky Theatre at Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd, OPKS.

The world premiere dance work by the Owen/Cox Dance Group set to a live performance of singer/songwriter Krystle Warren’s acclaimed double album, “Love Songs” on Saturday, October 19, at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 PM, at Polsky Theatre at Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd, OPKS.
For more info you can contact: http://www.owencoxdance.org

Krystle Warren & The Faculty Discography

Krystle Warren & The Faculty has released the EP “Diary” on May 1, 2007 ccccc

Krystle Warren released “The Up Series – EP” on November 10, 2008

Krystle Warren releases the 13-song Album CIRCLES on March 13, 2009

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released “A Time To Keep – Love Songs EP”, Aug. 12, 2011

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the double album 24-song “Love Songs” released on vinyl in Europe on April 9, 2012 as “Love Songs: A Time to Embrace,” and “Love Songs: A Time to Refrain from Embracing. ” And released on separate digital and CD albums in the United States as: “Love Songs: A Time to Embrace,” on March 13, 2012 and “Love Songs: A Time to Refrain from Embracing” on February 27, 2015

Krystle Warren released the album THREE THE HARDWAY on August 18, 2017

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “Rising” on May 31, 2019

Krystle Warren & The Crew released the 4-song EP, THE CREW on September 15, 2020

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “Macca”on May 22, 2023
Krystle Warren & The Faculty released the single “LA DOLCE VITA” on March 1, 2024

Krystle Warren & The Faculty released EXTENDED PLAY on November 1, 2024

Krystle Warren and 90.1 FM KKFI

Mark first interviewed Krystle Warren for The Tenth Voice, back 2002. Mark first interviewed Krystle Warren for The Tenth Voice, back 2002. Mark waited several hours, during a winter snow storm, at a huge party, where Krystle played with her band including her longtime friend Solomon Dorsey on bass, in a packed, smoke filled apartment near Community Christian Church across the hall from where Solomon lived, to be given a 2 song demo CD, that contained Krystle’s first recorded music, including a song called “Chanel #5.” Krystle has since gone on to be known all over the world, but still maintains contact with her hometown of Kansas City.

Krystle was on WMM on June 29, 2016 as “Guest Producer” to share inspirations for her new record, THREE THE HARDWAY playing early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from: Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones. Krystle’s critically acclaimed album, Three The Hard Way was #1 on WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017. Wednesday MidDay Medley was the first to play tracks from Krystle’s album, before it was released. Krystle came on the show months before the release, to share music that was the inspiration for the recording. Released on Parlour Door Music, on August 18, 2017 and Produced by Krystle Warren and Ben Kane. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ben Kane. Written & performed by Krystle Warren. Mixed at The Garden, Brooklyn. Mastered & cut by Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk. In 2015 in Krystle Warren premiered 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 Wednesday MidDay Medley radio show in 2016 Krystle shared inspirations for this record, early gospel recordings, that crossed over into Jazz from: Pharoah Sanders, Edwin Hawkins, and The Swan Silvertones.

Krystle was on the show on Oct. 16, 2019 with Brad Cox when she was in KC to present LoveSongs with Owen/Cox Dance Group at Oct 19 & 20, 2019 at Polsky Theatre at JCCC.

We talked with Krystle on September 23, 2020 about The Crew EP where Krystle and friends recorded unique versions of four classic songs with the hope of encouraging the rallying cries of the moment: the movement of the people. Warren embarked on the project after her newest album, with her band The Faculty, was stalled due to COVID-19

Krystle Warren, Jennifer Owen & Brad Cox thanks for being with us on WMM

Owen/Cox Dance Group join internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Krystle Warren to share details of AND WONDER their exciting new collaboration with performances: Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 12, at 2:00pm, at the City Stage Theatre at Union Station. 30 West Pershing Road, KCMO. This world premiere will feature songs selected from Warren’s expansive catalog, including previously unreleased material, in an evening of intimate and powerful music and dance. Krystle Warren will be joined by a stellar ensemble of musicians and dancers for this unforgettable performance. Info at: http://www.owencoxdance.org

16. Krystle Warren – “Current Events”
    from: Circles / Because Music / March 13, 2009
    [krystle Warren was on June 13, 1981 in Kansas City. A 2000 graduate Paseo Academy of Fine and Perfoming Arts. 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.]

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

NEXT WEEK on April 15 – Kasey Rausch joins us to share new music from The Country Duo her musical project with Marco Pascolini. Also… percussionist and musician Marcus Rattler joins us to talk about his music and band Legerdemain, AND acclaimed vocalist and Broadway actress Hailes joins us to talk about her new original music and touring in big Broadways shows like Hadestown.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to KKFI’a Winter Fund Drive during Wedneday MidDay Medley we had a total of 49 individuals doante $3924.00 ngoing way over our show goal!

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

You can find our playlists at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org & http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

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

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

Show #1142

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 10, 2025

The 120 Best Recordings of 2025
(Part 1 of 4)

Today we present part-one, of our four-week special: WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025. In 2025 there were over 1675 MidCoastal (KC area) releases in Albums, EPs, & Singles…(that we know of). We’ve culled these releases for WMM’s mix of New & MidCoastal releases. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length albums and EPs of 2025.

In 2025 we’ve broadcast nearly 900 different tracks on WMM over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 500 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. 70 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2025 we’ve conducted over 175 interviews with 159 special guests. Nearly 50 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: WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2025, on December 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st. 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, and more music discovery for your ears. Our “Best of Lists” can be found at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org

This Wednesday, we’ll count down from #120 through #91 of our list, with music from: Land Lion, Lorna Kay, Flora From Kansas, The Royal Chief, Rude Cousin, T.A. RELL, Lee Walter Redding, honeybee, Talia Keys, Chalis O’Neal, Mister Water Wet, HuDost, Julie Bennett Hume, Kai McGarry, Keelon Vann, Paul Jesse, Lonnie Fisher, Neko Case, Water From Your Eyes, Annahstasia, Hotline TNT, Yuno, Yukimi, Gigi Perez, Brad Mehldau, S.G. Goodman, Deerhoof, Cymande, Oddisee, and Jenny Hval.

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]

2. (#120.) Jenny Hval – “Lay Down”
   from: Iris Silver Mist / 4AD / May 2, 2025
   [Jenny Hval was born July 11, 1980, in Oslo, Norway. She is a Norwegian musician, singer, songwriter, lyricist and writer. // Iris Silver Mist is the ninth solo studio album by Jenny. Musically, Iris Silver Mist is as an experimental and art pop recording. Iris Silver Mist is named after a fragrance created by perfumer Maurice Roucel for the French brand Serge Lutens. // During the early months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Norwegian musician Jenny Hval revisited a teenage fascination with perfume. This sensory interest gradually evolved into a new creative framework, as scent became a substitute for the intimacy and immediacy of live music. Central to this shift was the fragrance Iris Silver Mist by Maurice Roucel for the French perfume house Serge Lutens. Hval described the scent as evoking the sensation of being “close to ghosts”, and its themes of transformation and ephemeral presence would later inform the album that took its name. Hval announced their ninth album, Iris Silver Mist. Many of the tracks on Iris Silver Mist were initially introduced during Hval’s 2024 live performance series I Want To Be a Machine. // Jenny Hval has released nine albums under her own name – two under the moniker Rockettothesky. In 2015, Hval released her fifth studio album, Apocalypse, girl, to widespread critical acclaim. The following year, she released Blood Bitch (which was part of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017), a concept album influenced by vampires, menstruation and 1970s horror films. Blood Bitch has been described as “an investigation of blood,” Blood Bitch is a concept album which draws parallels between a fictional time-travelling vampire, named Orlando, and Hval’s own experiences touring her previous studio album, Apocalypse, girl. The album’s lyrical content is also influenced by 1970s horror and exploitation films and Virginia Woolf.]

3. (#119.) Hotline TNT – “Break Right”
   from: Raspberry Moon / Third Man Records / June 20, 2025
   [Hotline TNT is an American rock band from New York City. The band is fronted by singer and guitarist Will Anderson, who writes and records all of their music and performs live with a rotating lineup of musicians. Their style is characterized by Anderson’s wall-of-sound layering of distorted guitars and is often described as shoegaze. Hotline TNT have released three full-length albums, Nineteen in Love (2021), Cartwheel (2023) and Raspberry Moon (2025). // Prior to the formation of Hotline TNT, Will Anderson was previously a member of a number of small indie rock bands, such as Happy Diving and Crazy Bugs. He most notably moved on to the Vancouver-based duo “Weed”, where he released three studio albums between 2011 and 2017. Upon spending most of his twenties in local rock bands, he began to feel burned out, wondering if he should quit and focus on other aspects of his life. Additionally, his parents divorce and his pursuit of his Master’s Degree in education took away from his focus on music. However, every time he began to seriously consider the change, he still found himself tinkering around with guitar riffs in his free time, unable to step away from music. In 2018, he decided to form his a new musical group, Hotline TNT. He established Hotline TNT as a band; he would be the sole constant member, while working with a rotating collection of other band members. Anderson refuses to disclose the meaning of the band’s name; he states that he and the original band members he worked with made a vow not to publicly disclose it. // A series of EPs were recorded and released by Anderson between 2018 and 2019: Cool If I Crash, Fireman’s Carry, and Go Around Me. Moving into 2020, Anderson had secured a tour as the opener for indie musician Snail Mail, but the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the plans. Instead, Anderson would work on recording a song called “Stampede” for a local COVID charity compilation release, and with all of the downtime that came with the pandemic, proceeded to record the band’s debut studio album, Nineteen in Love. The album was recorded entirely in GarageBand, without using any guitar amps or drum sets. The album was released in late 2021; initially exclusively on YouTube as one long video, where individual tracks could not be chosen. This was done both as a statement on how music streaming services were hurting the industry, and as a way to force listeners to play the entire album rather than just single songs. Anderson conceded it led to mixed results; it helped create a dedicated fanbase, but generally did not help with finding new listeners, and was eventually made more widely available. The band toured extensively in support of the album the following year, alongside self-releasing another EP, When You Find Out. // While touring in 2022 with Island of Love, the band became in contact with reps with their record label, Jack White’s Third Man Records, who expressed interest. Upon the conclusion of the tour, and another one with Snail Mail, the band started getting approached by other record labels as well. Anderson was initially apprehensive to signing to a record label; he was used to more of a do it yourself work ethic, and was sensitive to accusations of “selling out” that often come with it. However, he was eventually persuaded, largely upon learning that Sheer Mag, a band he was both friends with and respected musically, was also signing with Third Man. Anderson met with the label, who responded favorably to the demos he was working on. Upon learning that they would also offer him the most creative freedom in his music, and a path that would allow him to focus his efforts entirely towards his music, he eventually signed to the label. // Prior to signing the label, Anderson had already completed some amount of work on a second studio album. Some songs, such as “Protocol” and “History Channel”, were complete enough to enter regular rotation on the band’s live setlists. Others were written entirely in the studio. Leading up to their second album, the band released another EP in April 2023, Spring Disco, which included a song left off the second album, “If We Keep Hanging Out”. In November 2023, the band released their second full-length album Cartwheel. Cartwheel was named “Best of the Week” from Paste magazine, and also received “Best New Music” distinction from Pitchfork. The band plans on spending much of 2024 touring in support of Cartwheel, including shows in North America, Europe, and Japan. Anderson states that he has also has already started early work on a third studio album, which will be the first to feature a live drummer rather than a drum machine. He aims to record it in between the band’s busy touring schedule. // In July 2024, the band released a remix EP titled Somersault. The five song release featured electronic-leaning remixes from five separate artists – They Are Gutting a Body of Water, DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ, Poisonfrog, Downstairs J, and Car Culture. In November 2024, the band released an expanded version of their compilation album Trilogy, which collected many of the songs off of their earlier EP releases, bundled with 2 previously unreleased songs from the era. // In April 2025, the band announced the name of their third studio album, Raspberry Moon, and its release date, June 20, 2025. // Hotline TNT’s music has commonly been described as shoegaze, alternative rock and noise pop. Much of the band’s music involves a dense wall of sound of distorted guitar. Anderson records and layers the guitar himself in the studio, and then recreates the sound live with a three guitar approach done by himself and two touring guitarists. Anderson writes all the lyrics, which generally are themed about interpersonal relationships of his, both romantic and platonic. He commonly drops names in songs, something he believe help make song more memorable and relatable, though he concedes he generally changes names to protect the anonymity of the song’s subjects. // Despite commonly being labeled as shoegaze by critics, Anderson noted that many music fans dispute whether the band falls into the genre, something he feels indifferent about. Anderson said of the shoegaze label: “I think ‘shoegaze’ is now kind of similar to what the word ‘indie’ became like 10, 20 years ago. It doesn’t describe a genre anymore. It’s more of a large umbrella for guitar-based music, or music with distorted guitars. Sometimes they’re kind of bendy or going in and out of tune a little bit. Sometimes the vocals have a little more reverb, but that doesn’t describe Hotline necessarily…It’s just the way language works and trends work. To go back to the beginning, I had a pretty typical journey myself of hearing Loveless by My Bloody Valentine when I was in 10th grade. It had a pretty big effect on me, as it did with many other people. A couple of years after that, I started making my own music and that was one of the big influences on it.” // Contrary to many shoegaze and guitar-based bands, Anderson places little emphasis on his guitar set up and gear. He describes the band as “anti-gear” – they don’t use guitar pedals, and place no emphasis on what guitar amps used.” // Band members: Will Anderson on vocals, guitars (2018–present); Lucky Hunter on guitars (2024–present); Haylen Trammel on bass (2024–present); and Mike Ralston on drums (2023–present)]

4. (#118.) Keelon Vann – “Poison”
   from: T H I R D (•) / Keelon Vann / May 23, 2025
   [Keelon Vann, a 26-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist who doesn’t believe in genre. Keelon Vann is a KC native who has been deeply moved by music since childhood. His earliest influences stem from R&B, Soul, and Funk—artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, James Brown, and Prince. Vann taught himself to play guitar, evolving his sound and adding new icons to his growing list of influences—Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz, Buddy Guy, and B.B. King. A former NCAA Division II College Footbal Athlete at William Jewell College, where Vann also served as a Choral Music Scholar in both the Concert Choir and Schola Cantorum balancing athletics, academics, and music. Vann has remained steadfast in his artistic path. Keelon just released his 3rd album, T H I R D (•), pronounced “Third Eye.”]

5. (#117.) Yuno – “Blest”
   from: Blest / Sub Pop Records / May 16, 2025
   [Debut album from Yuno. All songs on Blest were written & performed by Yuno, co-produced by Yuno and Frank Corr, who also contributed keyboards, drums, & guitar throughout the record, with additional production and instrumentation by Patrick Wimberly (“True,” “Massive”) at The CRC in Brooklyn, and Nick Sanborn at Betty’s in Durham, NC (“True”). Blest was mixed by Steve Vealey and mastered by Joe La Porta. // Yuno was born in New York to Jamaican parents from the U.K., and grew up in the coastal Southern city of Jacksonville, Florida. Raised on a sonic diet of reggae and hip-hop records — his father’s copy of 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was on regular rotation in the family car throughout the 2000s — Yuno’s musical tastes began to diverge after his grandfather gifted him a skateboard that he found in a garbage can. Eventually, and unexpectedly, Yuno’s new hobby would dovetail with a future career in music. // “The first time I ever got on a skateboard, I broke my foot,” he recalls. It was while he was on the mend that he fully immersed himself in video games like Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, famous gateways for many young punks of the millennial generation. As he studied skate videos to build on his athletic technique, he also cultivated a sixth sense as a composer and overall curator of vibes. “I’m always visualizing things when I’m making music and that helps me complete the full picture,” says Yuno. “To this day I’m like, ‘What does it need to make it fit in a skate video?'” // Having taught himself the bass and guitar at home, his early material began as impressions of harder bands like HIM, Rancid, and AFI; later, he would embrace anti-folk heroes like the Moldy Peaches and Daniel Johnston. With the advent of the social media predecessor Myspace, Yuno began discovering more eclectic local Jacksonville acts, like indie-pop darlings Black Kids — who offered a more diverse look and eclectic sound for the Bold City, which had then been defined by white radio rockers like Limp Bizkit, Yellowcard, and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. “Seeing Black Kids’ success showed me more of what I could do,” says Yuno. // In time, Yuno taught himself to produce on his laptop, and filled his childhood bedroom with instruments to cultivate a more full-bodied sound, in which he married crunching pop-punk riffs with glimmers of synth strings Yuno uploaded his ballads of teenage longing to Soundcloud, where they began to catch fire within the indie blogosphere — and by 2014, caught the attention of Shabazz Palaces emcee and Sub Pop A&R representative Ishmael Butler. At that time, Yuno had never performed a live show, and could count the number of concerts he’d been to on one hand. // “He DMed me for new music, but I didn’t have anything to bring him,” recalls Yuno. “A year or so later, he came back and asked, ”Do you mind if I share your music with Sub Pop?’ Apparently, they liked it, and I flew out to Seattle to meet everybody.” // That visit resulted in a record deal with Sub Pop and eventually, his 2018 debut EP, Moodie. The record’s evocative, yearning hooks and cinematic ambience made a suitable soundtrack for film and TV. His surfy pop track “Sunlight,” a summer sketch he revitalized from 2012, was featured in an episode of the Netflix series Atypical; and the gossamer melancholy of “Fall in Love” made for a haunting needle drop in comedian Ramy Youssef’s HBO special, Feelings. // By this time, Yuno had moved back to his birthplace of New York City and settled in Bushwick — just before the Covid-19 pandemic had threatened to stall his music career, along with the world. Sequestered at home once more, like the monastic days of his youth, Yuno began piecing together his foundation for Blest. “For the first time in my life, I was social, going to shows, and meeting new people,” says Yuno. “Then I had to kind of go back and revert to just being in my bedroom all day. It was strange, but I was used to it!” // As the pandemic eased, Yuno welcomed collaborators like Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso and Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, the latter who lends his sparkle to the fuzz-rock saunter of Blest track, “Massive” — “The bane of staying young is gettin’ older,” sings Yuno, speaking to the all-too precious resource that is time. Co-producer Frank Corr, the NYC artist who performs as Morning Silk, introduced an array of vintage synthesizers to the musician. //Yuno’s superpower lies in the way he mines a multitude of genres for their pop potential and surfaces with a tapestry that feels novel and fresh. Take, for instance, “Blest,” the immediate, blissful, and bright title track, which is inspired by Rich Harrison-breakbeats and Neptunes-esque jangle. Or the breezy single, “True,” which he began writing at producer Sanborn’s Betty’s in Durham, NC, Yuno moderates a lover’s quarrel with slick, trap percussions. Amid the breakbeated dream-rock of “Gimme Ocean,” he introduces his guitar solo with a searing emo scream, run through an EarthQuaker Devices pedal. Don’t let his sanguine aura or his sherbet pink wardrobe fool you; he can shred as hard as he wants to when he wants to.

6.(#116.) Yukimi – “Peace Reign (Radio Edit)”
from: For You / Ninja Tune / March 28, 2025
[Debut Solo Album from Yukimi, the celebrated vocalist and co-founder of Grammy-nominated band Little Dragon, shares her new single “Peace Reign.” A hopeful song about believing and striving for a peaceful world, the song starts with a sweet message from Yukimi’s son, “you have to believe it for it to come true, it’s right in front of you.” This is the latest offering from her debut album For You due March 28th via Ninja Tune. “Peace Reign is about not giving up on the dream that this world can be a peaceful place. Believing in hope and a brighter future for the generations to come,” says Yukimi. Her debut solo album sees her step away from a band formation to create some of her most beautiful and intimate work to date: both intensely personal and brilliantly relatable. On For You, Yukimi elegantly entwines musical styles from jazz, soul and electronic pop to hip hop, roots and psychedelia, but the themes of her solo songs dig deeper than ever, across love, loss, feminine energy and innate resilience. // For You will include previously released singles “Stream of Consciousness” featuring British singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas. The collaboration marks Yukimi’s first time writing and creating music with another woman, which allowed her to fully delve into her feminine energy; “Sad Makeup,” which was written “about those days when you try to push down and control a sad feeling” says Yukimi; “Winter Is Not Dead,” inspired by those long, dark winters in Scandinavia; and the self-empowering debut single “Break Me Down” which was also in collaboration with Lianne La Havas and Little Dragon bandmate and long-time friend Erik Bodin. Reflecting on For You, Yukimi shares: “I want this music to really be a force to connect people to each other, and step away from the madness of everything on the planet right now. And I’m excited about embarking on that journey on my own – the expression really feels pure.” // To celebrate the album’s release, Yukimi will embark on a full North American tour beginning in April, making stops in major cities including New York, Toronto, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Full tour details and ticket information can be found at https://yukimi-music.com/. // Renowned for her distinct and graceful voice, Yukimi has captivated audiences since co-founding Little Dragon in 1996. With the band, she has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, from Coachella and Glastonbury to NPR’s Tiny Desk—while collaborating with an impressive roster of artists, including Mac Miller, Kali Uchis, Gorillaz, JID, KAYTRANADA, Flume, and De La Soul. Her ability to transcend genres and craft deeply moving music has cemented her status as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary music.]

7. (#115.) T.A. Rell – “4oreign (Radio Edit)”
   from: Love Pages: Pt. 1 – EP / T.A.P. OUT Music / March 27, 2025
   [Arick “TA. Rell” Ridgell is a 23 year old producer/writer/artist who recently has began emerging by way of the internet. The Kansas City,Missouri native was born August 29,1990. He’s an alumni of Center High School (Kansas City,MO, 64131), and a current student at Longview Community College (Lee’s Summit,MO), where he’s currently looking to obtain a degree in Audio Engineering. He’s what you’d call a mixing pot of R&B, country, gospel, pop, rock and roll, etc… TA’s “style influenced by a variety of artists such as Ray Charles, James Brown, Smokie Robinson, The Temptations, Jamie Foxx, Tank, Tyrese, Musiq Soulchild, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, amongst others]

8. (#114.) Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
   from: At the Beach, in Every Life / Outahere / April 25, 2025
   [Gigi Perez has announced her debut full-length album. The record is called At the Beach, In Every Life and is due out April 25. It includes Perez’s breakout single, “Sailor Song.” // “This is the album I needed to listen to when I was twenty years old following the passing of my older sister, Celene,” Perez says. “It’s taken years to process, and seeing how it’s colored everything in my life, it feels like a flag down in the sand at a checkpoint rather than a destination. And there was water everywhere for miles, and a girl met me there every time. I have been loved through my grief.” // Perez will launch a U.S. headlining tour April 23 in New York City. Her 2025 schedule also includes dates opening for Hozier and Mumford & Sons.Gianna Brielle Perez was born February 4, 2000, known professionally as Gigi Perez or simply Gigi, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, she went viral on TikTok for her songs “Celene” and “Sometimes (Backwood)” and spent a period signed to Interscope Records, on which she released the 2023 EP How to Catch a Falling Knife. After leaving the label, she released “Sailor Song”, which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sailor Song” topped the charts in Ireland, Latvia, and the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in various countries, including New Zealand and Norway. She has also supported Coldplay on their Music of the Spheres World Tour, Noah Cyrus on her The Hardest Part Tour, girl in red on her Doing It Again Tour and D4vd on his The Root of It All Tour. // Gianna Brielle Perez was born on February 4, 2000, in Hackensack, New Jersey, and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida.: 0:49  She spent a year at a comprehensive before moving to a Christian school.: 8:39  Perez is a lesbian and has credited “Girls Like Girls” by Hayley Kiyoko with helping her accept her sexuality. She began writing songs aged fifteen and began releasing music in 2018 while in high school as part of the band Wendy Lane. Perez attended Berklee College of Music but left due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. She had an older sister, Celene, who died in July 2020, shortly after which Perez’s partner broke up with her.: 29:34  To cope with her grief, she began uploading videos to TikTok to kill time. She went viral in early 2021 after releasing “Celene” and then “Sometimes (Backwood)”, both of which went viral on TikTok, prompting Interscope Records to sign her. // Perez released a further single, “The Man”, in June 2022, a track about expectations faced by men She supported Coldplay on their Music of the Spheres World Tour later that month at their Florida stadium show. She has stated in interviews to have received the offer to do so on her 22nd birthday and in February 2022. She then released “When She Smiles”, a song about a toxic relationship inspired by Ariana Grande, Imogen Heap, and “When Jamie Smiles” from the Ryan Reynolds film Just Friends, and “Glue”, a track written in late 2020 about clinging to a relationship after bereavement. In October 2022, she supported Noah Cyrus on her The Hardest Part Tour and released “Figurines”. In February 2023, she supported D4vd on his The Root of It All Tour. In March, by which time she was based in Brooklyn, she released “Sally” and announced an EP, How to Catch a Falling Knife, which comprised eight songs composed three years earlier. The EP took its title from the stock market term “never try to catch a falling knife”, as she felt it represented what she had put into the project, and was released in April 2023 alongside a music video for focus track “Kill for You”. // In March 2024, after being released from Interscope Records, she released “Normalcy”, a queer love song she had first promoted in December 2022 on TikTok; she followed this a month later with “Please Be Rude”. // In July 2024, she released the single “Sailor Song”, an acoustic queer ballad about a woman who looked like Anne Hathaway. The track went viral on TikTok, and peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Some conservative Christian communities complained about the line “I don’t believe in God, but I believe that you’re my saviour”, prompting Perez to remind her followers that her songwriting was “not a democracy”.]

10:29 – Underwriting

9.(#113.) Deerhoof – “Sparrow Sparrow”
from: Noble and God Like in Ruin / Joyful Noise Recordings / April 25, 2025
[For a band that seems to thrive on collapse, it’s simply amazing that this US/Japanese quartet is now celebrating their 31st year. Though Deerhoof long ago established itself as one of the greatest rock groups ever to stride the earth—and if you think that’s hyperbole, you haven’t spent enough time listening to Deerhoof —the furiously inventive quartet releases new albums on the schedule of a young band still hungry for its first break. As Noble and Godlike in Ruin reaffirms, each one discovers some previously unknown combination of candy-coated hard-rock riffs and free-jazz percussive freakouts, sideways J-pop hooks and fearsome dissonance, trenchant social commentary and surrealist humor. This music is joyful and foreboding, cybernetic and deeply human, carrying an implicit note of defiant optimism in their refusal to bow to convention or received wisdom. Fronting it all is Satomi Matsuzaki’s inimitable alto, whose plainspoken calm can seem strangely outside of the band’s maelstrom. Deerhoof is defined by such paradoxes. // Written, played, recorded and mixed by: Satomi Matsuzaki, Ed Rodriguez, John Dieterich, and Greg Saunier, Except “Under Rats” by: Deerhoof and Saul Williams. Band and face photos by: Satoru Eguchi. Face collage by: Satomi. // Deerhoof are an American independent music group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They currently consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through self-produced albums that combine “noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into utterly distinctive music” (AllMusic). // They have released eighteen studio albums since 1997. Their most recent album, Actually, You Can, was released on October 22, 2021. // Deerhoof were formed in San Francisco in 1994 as Rob Fisk’s improvisational bass/harmonica solo project. Greg Saunier joined on drums a week later. They were quickly signed to record a single for Kill Rock Stars after owner Slim Moon witnessed their performance at the 1994 Yoyo A Go Go festival. Satomi Matsuzaki joined Deerhoof within a week of moving to the United States from Japan in May 1995, with no prior experience playing in a band, and went on tour as Deerhoof’s singer only a week later, opening for Caroliner. Their 1997 debut album The Man, the King, the Girl was recorded on 4-track tape. // Deerhoof’s style has been described as indie rock, noise pop, punk rock, and “experimental pop mired in a pure punk sense of adventure”. AllMusic characterizes them as “highly revered indie rockers … who play fractured, whimsical noise pop with an avant-garde edge”, while MaineToday describes them as “the beloved punk band whose erratic style veers between pop, noise, and classic rock and roll”. // According to Noisey, Deerhoof formed as a “minimal noise improv” act before shifting to “pop-infused noise-punk”. According to AllMusic, their early releases “had a more traditionally harsh, no wave-inspired sound, though they also included the quirky tendencies that dominated their later efforts … [which] mix noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into utterly distinctive music that made them one of the most acclaimed acts of the 2000s and 2010s.” Impose writes that since “their beginnings as a noise punk band … [Deerhoof have] taken leaps and bounds artistically and stylistically, experimenting with pop and punk in ways we could’ve never imagined … [and] ultimately [proving] that punk can fit into an artistic world.” According to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, they made “some of the most difficult and unclassifiable noise of the mid-’90s [before] unexpectedly [rising] to international prominence as one of indie rock’s most renowned and influential groups … too ‘pop’ for ‘noise,’ and too ‘noise’ for ‘pop.'” For The Guardian, their breakthrough after many albums of “elliptical art-pop” came with Friend Opportunity, which showcased “a band playing a constantly shifting mixture of psychedelia, post-punk, jazz and pop, which should have been difficult and forbidding, but was given an accessible focus by the sweet vocals and expressionist lyrics of bassist/chanteuse Satomi Matsuzaki. … [The followup] Offend Maggie is head-spinning bliss from beginning to end, and proves that the quartet are the best prog-rock post-punk Afro-Oriental art-pop folk-jazz band in the world. Deerhoof also experiment with contemporary classical music. // The band has been appreciated by and/or influential to other artists, notably David Bowie, Radiohead, Questlove, St. Vincent, Foo Fighters, Dirty Projectors, Tune-Yards, Stereolab, Henry Rollins, Sleigh Bells, and of Montreal. Deerhoof’s songs are covered often by other artists (notably Phil Lesh, Los Campesinos!, Marco Benevento, David Bazan, and classical composer Marcos Balter).][Deerhoof played the Play Loud Fest celebrating 20 years of recordBar, on Sept. 27 at 9:00pm on the Lemonade Park Stage, with Frogpond, and Paris Williams.]

10. (#112.) Rude Cousin – “Break 4 U”
    from: Rude Cousin / Rude Cousin / September 25, 2025
    [Rude Cousin is comprised of real life cousins from Kansas City, MO. Front women Anna Redmond and Rita Hanch had been making music together way before forming Rude Cousin in 2024. As fate would have it Rita’s sister Elle Hanch plays bass, so they invited her and other cousin and guitarist Brock Johnson to join. The band was completed by local drumming sensation, Dustin Mott. Inspired by the Riot grrrl movement, rude cousin’s songs are a lil rowdy, witty and even melodic. For Rude Cousin Elle Hanch plays bass; Brock Johnson plays lead guitar; Rita Hanch is lead vocalist & guitarist; and Anna Redmond is also lead vocalist & keyboardist & guitarist; and Dustin Mott on drums.][Rude Cousin played an Album Release Show, Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 7:00pm with special guest Nan & The One Nite Stands at 3807 Troost Ave.]

11. (#111.) Chalis O’Neal – “Giant Steps”
    from: The Influence / Chalis O’Neal / May 30, 2025
    [Cvhalis O’Neal on sax with collaborators. Saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Desmond Mason, bassist Nsikoh Bébé Làlà and drummer Jaylen Ward. Musician and performer Chalis O’Neal released his debut album, FLIRTING on Nove,ber 15, 2021. Chalis picked up the trumpet at the age of eleven and began studying music at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. Chalis majored in Jazz Studies with a minor in Classical Trumpet under the direction of Jazz legend Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri Kansas City. O’Neal’s eclectic style ranges from jazz venues to theatre work with the New Theatre Restaurant performing and acting in the The Buddy Holly Story. O’Neal also has burlesque experience with Quixotic Cirque Nouveau. Chalis is also the lead trumpeter for the Afro futuristic band, Arquesta Del SolSoul. O’Neal has performed with Bobby Watson, Harold O’Neal, Tivon Pennicott, Marcus Strickland, Lisa Henry, and David Basse. // Chalis O’Neal is the youngest brother of Harold Mujahid O’Neal who was born March 27, 1981, and is an American pianist, composer, record producer, public speaker, dancer, and storyteller. He has recorded and performed with artists in a variety of musical genres (U2, Lupe Fiasco, Busta Rhymes, Damien Rice, Aloe Blacc, and Jay Z). O’Neal has been profiled and featured in numerous publications and programs including Forbes, NPR’s All Things Considered, Fortune, Studio 360, and the 92Y, with The New York Times comparing him to Duke Ellington, Kenny Kirkland, and Maurice Ravel. He is considered to be of this generation’s greatest pianists and composers. O’Neal has been awarded fellowship to the Royal Society of the Arts, with the Patron being Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and recently played a role as a creative expert for the Academy Award winning Pixar film, Soul. // Harold O’Neal was born in Arusha, Tanzania, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. His great-grandfather, Ollie Harold Pennington, was a jazz pianist and composer for silent film in Kansas City, where his grandmother walked to school with Charlie Parker. O’Neal began playing the piano by ear at age four on his father’s miniature keyboard. He found his earliest inspirations in the music of Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Disney. While growing up, he spent a considerable amount of time with his grandmother exploring various creative outlets, before eventually becoming a pianist. Having spent much of his youth living in the projects (Public Housing) and surviving near-death experiences, he credits music with saving his life. O’Neal attended the Paseo Academy Of Fine And Performing Arts, with classmates Logan Richardson, Lil’ Ronnie, and Brian Kennedy, where he began his jazz piano studies while being mentored by Ahmad Alaadeen. He studied classical piano and composition with Margie Cameron-Jarrett, whose musical lineage can be traced back to Franz Liszt. // O’Neal began working with musical luminaries from a young age – touring with Bobby Watson when he was 19 after studying composition at the Berklee College of Music. He then went on to the Manhattan School of Music, to study with Kenny Barron. It was there where he met the great American jazz pianist and composer, Andrew Hill, with whom he soon became the apprentice of. Mr. Hill was an apprentice of prolific composer Paul Hindemith. Following Andrew Hill’s advice, O’Neal left the Manhattan School of Music to replace pianist Jason Moran in the influential band, the Greg Osby 4, making his major-label debut recording for Blue Note Records at the age of 21. In 2004, O’Neal premiered a jazz quartet featuring Greg Osby, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Matt Brewer. // In the following years, O’Neal released a number of critically acclaimed albums including — “Charlie’s Suite” (2006), which was a compilation of his family’s legacy, “Whirling Mantis” (2010) with a jazz quartet, and a solo piano album “Marvelous Fantasy” (2011) on Smalls Records. He then partnered with Ski Beats and Damon Dash, after being signed to Universal Music Group as a songwriter and producer, to release the albums 24 Hour Karate School 2 (2011), Twilight (2012), and Cam’Ron And Vado’s Blu Tops (2012). In 2012, O’Neal formed a partnership with producers Lil Ronnie and Jerry Wonda working with many Pop and R&B artists (Miguel, Akon, Melissa Ethridge, Raphael Saadiq, French Montana). In 2013, he released the album “Man on the Street” featuring a jazz quartet as well as solo piano for BluRoc, an at the time incarnation of Rocafella Records distributed by Def Jam Records. // O’Neal worked as a composer for a featurette and the documentaries of the 2015 Disney film Tomorrowland produced by Academy Award winning filmmaker Anthony Giacchino, which starred George Clooney and Britt Robertson. The film was directed by Brad Bird with the film-score being composed by Michael Giacchino. His solo piano album “Piano Cinema” was released in May 2018, with “Sam and Sam” serving as the lead single. Following the album release, O’Neal completed a spring tour across the U.S. with The Blk Shp with Pixar as a partner. Recently, at the suggestion of Ed Catmull, O’Neal played a role with the filmmakers (Pete Docter, Dana Murray, Kemp Powers) as a creative expert in the development of Pixar’s Soul. // As a keynote speaker and storyteller, O’Neal has been featured at Google, The World Economic Forum, TEDX, Hatch Experience, C2 Montréal, Blk Shp Power Shift, and many other leading platforms.// In 2019, O’Neal was among the 100 international individuals selected to be a Gates Foundation Goalkeeper. Goalkeepers (Gates Foundation) is an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its aim is to bring together leaders from around the world to accelerate progress toward achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Invitations are issued to global leaders and aspiring personalities who have been personally selected by the board. Previous attendees include Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Amina J. Mohammed, Erna Solberg, Malala Yousafzai, and Trevor Noah.// In 2019, O’Neal was awarded fellowship to the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas Festival, a week-long event held in Aspen, Colorado in the United States. The Aspen Ideas Festival program of events includes discussions, seminars, panels, and tutorials from journalists, designers, innovators, politicians, diplomats, presidents, judges, musicians, artists, and writers. Topics covered during the festival include global politics and economics, U.S. Policy, the environment, technology, science, health, education, the arts, and economic issues. // In 2019, O’Neal was awarded fellowship to the Royal Society of the Arts. Founded in 1754 by William Shipley, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1847, and the right to use the term “Royal” in its name by King Edward VII in 1908. Notable past fellows include Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, Nelson Mandela, David Attenborough, William Hogarth, John Diefenbaker, and Tim Berners-Lee. Today, the RSA has fellows elected from 80 countries worldwide.// NPR All Things Considered: The Yule Log (TV program), Pianist Harold O’Neal and Bill Cosby’s Christmas story On December 25, 2011, O’Neal was featured along with Bill Cosby for the Christmas Day edition of NPR’s All Things Considered, with O’Neal being hosted and interviewed by Guy Raz. // Electric Burma On June 18, 2012, O’Neal performed with U2, Lupe Fiasco, Bob Geldof, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo and many other major artists for the presentation of Amnesty International’s prestigious ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ Award to Aung San Suu Kyi. The award was originally announced from the stage when U2 played Croke Park in July 2009 – while the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient was still under house arrest in Burma. // Global Citizen: World on Stage On 22 September 2016, O’Neal performed with Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter for The Global Citizen Festival’s The World on Stage, a night curated by Tom Morello and Jon Batiste. The evening was dedicated to several prominent speakers who addressed various causes—such as education, the refugee crisis, gender equality, poverty, hunger, and much more—and the presentation of the inaugural George Harrison Global Citizen award, presented by Paul Simon to Olivia and Dhani Harrison (George’s widow and son). // On December 4, 2018, Herbie Hancock received the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal (Royal Society of Arts) from the Royal Society for the Arts at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—being recognized for his long lifetime of creative achievements and humanitarian efforts. The 264-year-old Royal Society for the Arts, based in London, includes Franklin as a founding fellow and initiated the Benjamin Franklin medal in 1956 to honor people who transcend their vocation to generally benefit mankind. The ceremony featured bassist Christian McBride and pianist O’Neal as guest star performers, each musically representing the electric and acoustic side of Hancock’s legacy. // In 2009, O’Neal appeared as an actor in Jay Z’s music video for the hit record Young Forever, from his multi-platinum album The Blueprint 3. In 2010, he was cast in the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, portraying James P. Johnson. He was also featured in MTV’s Sucker Free. // Chalis O’Neal is the nephew of Felix Lindsey “Pete” O’Neal, Jr. (born 1940), was the chairman of the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. He led implementation of many free programs, such as providing free breakfast to children around the city. // O’Neal had trouble with authority figures in high school and dropped out. Soon afterwards, he joined the military, following the steps of his father. Once done with service, he moved to Stockton, California, where in 1959 he was sentenced to 9 months in jail for theft. He escaped from jail after 3 months, traveling back to Kansas City, MO. In 1961, law enforcement caught him and he was sent back to California to serve his remaining sentence. // After completing his sentence, the felony should have been cleared as indicated by Californian law, but it was not. This significantly hindered his chances for employment. // On October 30, 1969, he was arrested again for the transporting of a gun across state lines (under a law that went into effect just two weeks prior to his arrest). A year later a court convicted him and in October 1970, he was sentenced to four years in prison. O’Neal jumped his bail and fled to Algeria, where a number of other Black Panther Party members had also absconded to in the face of imprisonment in the United States. This group became known as the “International Section” of the Black Panther Party, and was centered around Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver. A year later O’Neal moved on to Tanzania, motivated to immigrate there as the then President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, was both a Pan-Africanist and Socialist. O’Neal has remained in Tanzania ever since. // Together with his wife, Charlotte Hill O’Neal, he is the co-founder of the United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC) in the village of Imbaseni, near the northern city of Arusha, Tanzania. The UAACC is a center focusing on healing the community by providing a diverse array of free art, music, film and other classes to members of the community. The UAACC also serves as a hostel for people travelling through the area—offering several “huts” with bunk beds. The center has been frequented by several celebrities, American politicians, study abroad programs, students, documentary film makers, and artists. Pete and Charlotte provide numerous jobs to locals of the community and the center is entirely run by local Tanzanians. // O’Neal’s family still resides in the Kansas City area. He is a third cousin to US Representative Emmanuel Cleaver. Since 1991, Cleaver and others have unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a pardon for O’Neal, and took the issue to both President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. Both declined to pardon O’Neal. // His life and exile in Tanzania is the subject of the PBS documentary ‘A Panther in Africa’, by Aaron Matthews, and a book ‘Black Panther in Exile: The Pete O’Neal Story’ by Pete’s attorney, Paul J. Magnarella. Chalis O’Neal joined us LIVE on WMM on October 20, 2021.]

12. (#110.) Brad Mehldau – “Tomorrow Tomorrow (feat. Daniel Rossen)”
    from: Ride Into The Sun / Nonesuch Records / August 29, 2025
    [Brad Mehldau’s Ride into the Sun, Featuring the Music of Elliott Smith, out August 29 on Nonesuch Records, features performances by Daniel Rossen (of Grizzly Bear), Matt Chamberlain, Chris Thile, John Davis, andFelix Moseholm plus a chamber orchestra conducted by Dan Coleman // “Brad Mehldau is one of the most influential and acclaimed jazz pianists alive today. His many recordings feature a wide range of jazz and American popular song standards, but he is also known to interpret music that lies outside the typical jazz catalogue.” —NPR, Fresh Air // “Mehldau has forged a singular style that has not only enhanced jazz’s musical vocabulary but modernised it too.” —Mojo // “Brad Mehldau is arguably the greatest working jazz pianist. Top five, for sure.” —New Yorker // Nonesuch Records announces pianist and composer Brad Mehldau’s Ride into the Sun—a songbook record of music by the late singer, songwriter, and guitarist Elliott Smith—to be released on August 29, 2025. // Featured musicians include singer/guitarist Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear); singer/mandolinist Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek); bassists Felix Moseholm (Brad Mehldau Trio, Samara Joy) and John Davis (who also engineered and mixed the album); drummer Matt Chamberlain (Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Randy Newman); and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman, who also conducted on Mehldau’s 2010 album Highway Rider. // Ride into the Sun’s ten Elliott Smith songs are complemented by four Mehldau compositions that he says are “inspired by, and reflect, Smith’s oeuvre.” Also included are interpretations of Big Star’s “Thirteen,” which Smith also covered, and “Sunday” by Nick Drake, who Mehldau says, “I look at in some ways as sort of Smith’s visionary godfather.” // Recalling how he first got to know Smith and his music, which has been a regular part of his repertoire for years, Mehldau said that after years living in New York, he moved to Los Angeles “and there was this wonderful scene of singer-songwriters that was congregating at a club called Largo. That included Elliott but it also included artists like Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple. And then other musicians who had been around for a while would come down every Friday night to sit in on a gig that was led by Jon Brion. I played behind Elliott on his own tunes with Jon. It felt to me like a kind of renaissance in songwriting that flourished for a number of years.” // “Elliott Smith masterfully rendered the dark/light admix not in the least through his distinct harmony,” Mehldau continues. “Specifically, he had a way of combining major and minor modes that was all his own. You hear that on the unique, captivating chord progression that he introduced on ‘Tomorrow Tomorrow’ for just a moment before the last verse of the song. I use it, extending it for my piano solo here. This kind of minor-major gambit has a long pedigree, and my own associations as a listener include the music of Schubert and Brahms, among others. // “‘Ride into the sun’ is a beautiful point in the lyric of one of the songs that we play, ‘Colorbars,’” Mehldau says. “Elliott Smith says in the original song, ‘Everyone wants me to ride into the sun.’ When I listen to music, I have a feeling that I can be in communion with somebody who is no longer in this earthly realm, like he is here. And as far as ‘riding into the sun,’ it’s maybe more of a perpetual riding into the sun with him. I don’t know… There’s something mystical there.” // Brad Mehldau’s Nonesuch debut was the 2004 solo disc Live in Tokyo. His subsequent 21 releases on the label include six records with his trio as well as collaborative and solo albums. His most recent releases were After Bach II and Après Fauré, both released in May 2024. The albums both feature compositions by their namesake composers as well as music Mehldau wrote that was inspired by them. // Other recent recordings for the label include a solo album Mehldau recorded during COVID-19 lockdown, Suite: April 2020; Jacob’s Ladder (2022), which featured music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music and was inspired by the prog rock Mehldau loved as a young adolescent; and Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles (2023), a live solo album featuring the his interpretations of 9 songs by John Lennon & Paul McCartney and one by George Harrison.Mehldau’s memoir, Formation: Building a Personal Canon, Part I, was published in 2023.] [Brad Mehldau played the Kauffman Center for The Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd. KCMO on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:30pm with Christian McBride.]

13. (#109.) Mister Water Wet – “Make Sure You Get (feat. Don & Haydn Douet Lukies”
    from: Things Gone and Things Still Here / Soda Gong / October 31, 2025
    [from misterwaterwet.bandcamp.com: Mister Water Wet returns to Soda Gong with “Things Gone and Things Here Still,” an album that radically expands the project’s purview while preserving the homespun warmth and oblique tactility that have long defined Iggy Romeu’s work. Where earlier records tilted toward the dusty swing of sample-based beatcraft or spectral minimalist jazz, here Romeu opens the frame to a more ensemble-minded approach, inviting a stellar cast of supporting musicians, including SG alumni Memotone and K. Freund, into the fold. // The result is an album that feels both broader and more intimate, with live instrumentation such as piano, strings, and reeds woven into MWW’s signature lattice of hand percussion, production sleights, and slippery time signatures. Acoustic and electronic textures bend toward each other like plants angling for the same light: bowed strings blur into vaporous pads, brushed drums scatter under riffing guitars, a horn phrase lingers in the same space as a cracked cassette loop. // A tension between decay and presence – the “things gone” and the “things here still” – runs throughout the record. At times, the music evokes a chamber session refracted through waterlogged tape; at others, it recalls the afterimage of a hip-hop instrumental slowed into an oneiric haze. In the world of MWW, memory functions less as nostalgia and more as a living fabric – mutable and resonant. “Things Gone and Things Here Still” finds Iggy Romeu at his most expansive, offering up a generous record of open spaces and porous boundaries. ?/ Arranged and produced by Iggy Romeu. Mastered by Kassian Troyer. Art/design by Alex McCullough and Felix Luke]

14. (#108.) Lee Walter Redding – “It Should Be Ours”
    from: Student Loan Forgiveness Program – EP / Lee Walter Redding / July 18, 2025
    [Lee Walter Redding released the single “All My Text Messages Are Verification Codes” on July 11, 2025. Lee Walter Redding released the single “It Should Be Ours” on February 24, 2025. // On July 15, 2022 Lee Walter Redding released the EP live From The Argyle Wallpaper. Lee Walter Redding on vocals, guitar; Justin Rogers on bass; Andy Kirk on guitar/synth and Justin Skinner on drums. // Lee Walter Redding released “Elephant Man (feat. Stephonne)” on April 9, 2021. Lee told us that he learned about Stephonne Singleton from listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley and hearing Stephonne for the first time. WMM bringing musical collaborations together since 2004. // Kansas City based Lee Walter Redding was raised on 60s rock, steeped in 90s Britpop ennui, and guided by contemporary neo-soul, Lee Walter Redding weaves dry humor into vibrant sonic textures that sway from wistful to chaotic. Think 2010s Nick Lowe fronting The Velvet Underground. On warped vinyl. More info at: http://www.leewalterredding.bandcamp.com] [Lee Walter Redding was our guest on WMM on July 13, 2022]

15. (#107.) Julie Bennett Hume – “I Feel A Chill”
    from: The Lorelei / Julie Bennett Hume / February 9, 2025
    [4 years in the making, “The Lorelei” was produced by Chad Brothers and includes musicians: Chad Brothers, Marco Pascolini, Brandon Day, Scotch Hollow, Mark Montgomery, and Ernest James. // Julie Bennett Hume has been playing and writing music for over 35 years in the Lawrence/KC area. She has played and sung in various ensembles including a blues trio, an Afro-Cuban ensemble, various string bands, a Cajun ensemble and folk/Americana duos and ensembles. Her music shows a strong Cajun, Old-time and Blues influence with a nod to some of her favorite songwriters such as Stephen Stills, Maggie Roche and Gillian Welch. Julie has released four CD’s of original music including “Late Bloomer” in 2017, “Vinegar” in 2019, “Songs of Latter Days” in 2021 with the Multiverse and “The Lorelei” coming in February of 2025. The title track of “The Lorelei” is based on the poem of the same name by the German poet Heinrich Heine and revisits the theme of the dangerous siren. Songs deal with politics, family dynamics, love and loss. Julie is also a High School teacher who teaches German in public schools. Julie also works in radio, recently serving as producer and host of the KKFI program “River City Chautauqua“. She is currently serves as host and Producer of She Talklk Wha? a women’s focused Public Affairs on 90.1 FM KKFI Saturdays at 3:00pm.www.juliebennetthume.com]

16. (#106.) S.G. Goodman – “Fire Sign”
    from: Planting By The Signs / Slough Water Records / June 20, 2025
    [S.G. Goodman is an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Hickman, Kentucky. She has released three studio albums, Old Time Feeling in 2020, Teeth Marks in 2022, and Planting by the Signs in 2025, and received the 2023 Emerging Artist of the Year award at the Americana Music Association Awards. // Goodman was raised in Hickman, Kentucky. The Southern Baptist church played a central role in her childhood in Kentucky saying she went to church 3 times a week with her family. Goodman began performing by singing in church. Her father was a farmer. She has played rhythm guitar since she was 15 and been driving since she was 7 which is illegal under Kentucky state law. Her favourite guitar to use are Guild Starfires due to their humbuckers. // Goodman moved to Murray, Kentucky in 2007 to attend Murray State University, where she studied philosophy. // Prior to her solo career, Goodman started the music project The Savage Radley with drummer Stephen Montgomery, releasing their first and only album Kudzu with Slough Water Records. // Her debut solo album, Old Time Feeling, was co-produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket. The album has been described as Americana, folk, country, and rock. She is signed to Verve Forecast Records. Tyler Childers covered “Space and Time” from Old Time Feeling on his album Rustin’ in the Rain. “Space and Time” was also covered by Devonté Hynes and Mereba for the soundtrack to the 2022 film, Master Gardener. // In 2021, as a solo artist, she was among other things part of the Newport Folk Festival in July. // In June 2022, Goodman released her second album, Teeth Marks, on Verve Forecast. She usually plays with her guitar tuned down a whole step, though some songs on the record were played in this tuning with a capo. The fifth track on the album, “If You Were Someone I Loved” deals with the opioid crisis. Because her debut album was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodman did not headline a tour for the album. As such, her tour for Teeth Marks was her first solo tour. // Goodman released her third studio album, Planting by the Signs, on June 20, 2025, via Slough Water Records and Thirty Tigers in LP, CD and digital formats. // Goodman lives in Murray, Kentucky. Studio albums: Old Time Feeling (2020), Teeth Marks (2022), and Planting by the Signs.]

11:59 – Station ID

17. (#105.) Kai McGarry – “Loose Change”
    from: Scarlett / Kai McGarry / August 1, 2024
    [This album came from a lot of research, a lot of people, and a lot of life that I’ve lived in a short period of time. I remember every situation that i wrote about, and they’re all there in the music. Everyone who shaped this album, good and bad, I am forever in your debt. This bleeding desire that I’ve had since a kid is slowly fading from dream to reality, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Scarlet is about whatever you’ve lost, gained, and most importantly, what you’ve done to achieve something in your life. // For SCARLET, Kai McGarry wrote, produced, recorded, and arranged the vintage pop, jazz-inflected record in his basement, and Duane Trower mixed it at Weights and Measures Soundlab. On this record, McGarry performed all of the instruments, except for bass guitar (recorded by Nick May), trombone (recorded by Zander Wolf), and saxophone (recorded by Brayden Evans). The album is a reflection of a very short snapshot of time, one that included a shift in the people in his life as well as his priorities.]

[Kai McGarry & Gabe Rivera will be in concert on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at Kansas City Oasis, 1717 West 41st Street, KCMO as past of Undergrounds Production and Christopher Ruiz.]

18. (#104.) Paul Jesse – “Cycles”
    from: Cycles / Fowl Mouth / August 14, 2025
    [Cycles is the sophomore album from Lawrence, KS-based singer Paul Jesse. The album was written and produced by Paul Jesse. Cycles was engineered and co-produced by Deegan Poores, with additional production from Zach Craig, Justin Roach & Hannah Davis. The album is full of cascading synths, soulful vocals, and emotionally transformative subjects. The 9-track Pop record releases on August 15th, with a hometown release show the night before on August 14, at The Bottleneck. The day of the album release, Paul and his team leave for their very first tour, hitting Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis & St Louis, spreading the word across the midwest. To top it all off, Paul secured a feature from NYC-based artist Deem Spencer on the track “Open the Door”, very much a full circle moment for Paul and his second album, “Cycles”. More info at http://www.pauljessemusic.com]

19. (#103.) Cymande – “Chasing An Empty Dream (Radio Edit)”
    from: Renascence / BMG / January 31, 2025
    [Legendary British band Cymande release their highly anticipated new album, Renascence, via BMG. // Cymande (pronounced /sɪˈmɑːndeɪ/ sih-MAHN-day) are a British funk group that was originally active in the early 1970s. The band name derives from a calypso word for “dove”, which symbolises peace and love;[2] “Dove” is also the title of one of their best-known songs. With a membership deriving from several Caribbean nations, Cymande were noted for an eclectic mix of funk, soul, reggae, rock, African music, calypso, and jazz that they called “nyah-rock”.[3][4][5] The band formed in 1971 and released three albums before disbanding in 1974. After gaining newfound popularity when their music was sampled by many notable rap artists, Cymande reformed in the 2010s. Their most recent album Renascence was released in January 2025. // A true return to form and jewel in the crown of their iconic discography, Renascence picks up where their 1974 album Promised Heights left off – a spiritual and sonic follow-up, bringing a fresh modern edge to their iconic sound, which remains foundational to early hip-hop and funk scenes in the United States and UK. Renascence tells the story of a band that never fully got its due back in the day; but are back to take the crown by remaining true to themselves – politically aware, and spiritually positive with infectious grooves. // “Chasing An Empty Dream,” the first track on Renascence, beckons you back into the world of Cymande with an unforgettable grizzly bassline hook – as is their way – addictive percussion, global rhythms inspired by their diasporic origins, layered horns and a powerful message for the world. // Their new album, Renascence is a true return to form and jewel in the crown of their iconic discography and picks up where their 1974 album Promised Heights left off – a spiritual and sonic follow-up, bringing a fresh modern edge to their iconic sound, which remains foundational to early hip-hop and funk scenes in the United States and UK. Renascence tells the story of a band that never fully got its due back in the day, but are back to take the crown by remaining true to themselves – politically aware, and spiritually positive with infectious grooves. // Last year, Cymande’s unique story was told on the on big screen for the first time in the UK (via BFI) and in cinemas around the world (via Abramorama) with Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande (Directed by award winning director Tim Mackenzie-Smith). This empowering and thought-provoking documentary shows the band’s depth of influence across decades and features interviews with Mark Ronson, Laura Lee and Mark Speer (Khruangbin), DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Cut Chemist, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Louie Vega, Kool DJ Red Alert, and so many others. Directed by Tim Mackenzie-Smith, the film debuted at SXSW in 2022 and has now traveled the world twice over. // As Total Film said in their review of the documentary ‘Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s joyous doc offers some Searching for Sugar Man-style reappraisal // Cymande (pronounced /sɪˈmɑːndeɪ/ sih-MAHN-day) are a British funk group that was originally active in the early 1970s. The band name derives from a calypso word for “dove”, which symbolises peace and love; “Dove” is also the title of one of their best-known songs. With a membership deriving from several Caribbean nations, Cymande were noted for an eclectic mix of funk, soul, reggae, rock, African music, calypso, and jazz that they called “nyah-rock”. The band formed in 1971 and released three albums before disbanding in 1974. After gaining newfound popularity when their music was sampled by many notable rap artists, Cymande reformed in the 2010s] Their most recent album Renascence was released in January 2025.

20. (#102.) HuDost – “Take It Back”
    from: The Monkey in the Crown / Open Sesame Music / June 6, 2025
    [HuDost’s new album, features a collection of songs that have already begun to captivate listeners, including the fiery Fire of Eden, the introspective Sol Searcher (Light Upon the Water), and the call for change in Acting Out the Outrage. These songs set the tone for the full album, which explores themes of societal breakdown, personal transformation, and collective healing. Tracks like Broken Down in America, Take It Back, and Nothing Left grapple with disillusionment, while Shine On (Knick of Time) and Mercy offer hope and reconciliation. Each song is a testament to HuDost’s unique sound—raw, authentic, and deeply connected to the human experience. // HuDost were delighted to be joined by a slew of amazing musicians on this album including drummer Chris Powell as well as SistaStrings, who both play with Brandi Carlile. They are also joined by the Jars of Clay guys; Charlie Lowell on keys, Matthew Odmark doing various magical things and two new songs written with Dan Haseltine. Singer Rachael Davis joins on a few songs with her beautiful distinctive harmonies and Kai Welch (Abigail Washburn/Kacey Musgraves/The Fray) plays on accordion & horns. Long time HuDost alumni Anit Ghosh adds his gypsy world touch on a couple of tracks. Matt Nelson contributes astonishing string arrangements. Last but not least, HuDost’s ‘5th Member’ Dan Walters, the only other person besides Moksha and JW that has played on every single record over the past 20 years, on bass! // THE MONKEY IN THE CROWN is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a journey into the complexities of identity, transformation, and choice. From the hopeful Shine On (Knick of Time) to the paradoxical Child of Children, the album invites listeners to explore the tension between illusion and truth, the sacred and the profane, the personal and the collective. It’s a call to action, to change, and to embrace our shared humanity, no matter the form it takes. // This album also marks a significant milestone for HuDost—celebrating 20 years as a band, a couple, and a family. For two decades, the partnership of Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines has produced music that is deeply rooted in their experiences as activists, parents, and musicians. Their journey has been one of artistic evolution and social engagement, building a devoted global fanbase through their powerful lyrics and genre-blurring sound. HuDost’s live performances continue to inspire, proving that music can not only entertain but also catalyze change.] [HuDost played Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave, 2nd Floor, KCMO on Thursday May 29 at 7:00pm with Calvin Arsenia. Info at: http://www.hudost.com]

21. (#101.) Oddisee – “Tomorrow Can’t Be Borrowed”
    from: En Route – EP / Mello Music Group / May 30, 2025
    [Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born on February 24, 1985), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is a rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of the hip hop trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is based in Brooklyn, New York. // Oddisee was born to an African-American mother and a Sudanese father, at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was raised by his stepmother (who was also Sudanese) and father. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, as well as Prince George’s County, Maryland. He moved back to Washington, D.C. after high school. // In 2010, Oddisee released Traveling Man on Mello Music Group. His Odd Spring mixtape was listed on the Washington Post’s Best Local Hip-Hop mixtapes of 2010. In 2011, Oddisee released Rock Creek Park, which was ranked as a Mixtape of the Week by Stereogum. Odd Seasons, a collection of EPs released throughout the previous 12 months, was also released that year. // In 2012, he released a studio album, People Hear What They See. The Beauty in All, his first instrumental release since Rock Creek Park, was released in 2013. In that year, he also released Tangible Dream. In 2015, he released The Good Fight. In 2016, he released an EP, Alwasta, and a mixtape, The Odd Tape. In 2017, he released a studio album, The Iceberg, as well as a live album, Beneath the Surface. // Oddisee was originally influenced by Black American jazz traditions and the Golden Age of hip-hop from his older American cousins. Oddisee was primarily influenced by Black American musical traditions. Growing up next door to Parliament Funkadelic’s bass player Gary Shider in P.G. County, Maryland left a deep musical impact on the young Oddisee. He is also influenced by gospel music and the vocal harmonizing traditions of his Black American heritage. In an interview with NPR, he explained why he was influenced by early East Coast emcees such as Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. He stated that these rappers don’t talk about drugs or murder, and he could relate more to their lyrics.] [Oddisee played recordBar 1520 Grand Blvd, KCMO, on October 3, at 8:00pm with Approach and Negro Scoe]

Oddisee Discography

Studio albums
101 (2008)
Mental Liberation (2009)
New Money (2009) (with Trek Life)
In the Ruff (2009) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
Traveling Man (2010)
People Hear What They See (2012)
The Beauty in All (2013)
Tangible Dream (2013)
March on Washington (2014) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
The Good Fight (2015)
The Iceberg (2017)
To What End (2023)

Live albums
Beneath the Surface (2017)
Compilation albums
Odd Seasons (2011)

Mixtapes
Instrumental Mixtape Volume One (2005)
The Remixture Vol. 1 (2006)
Foot in the Door (2006)
Instrumental Mixtape Vol. 2 (2006)
Odd Summer (2009)
Odd Autumn (2009)
Odd Winter (2010)
Odd Spring (2010)
Rock Creek Park (2011)
The Odd Tape (2016)

EPs
Good Tree (2008)
Hear My Dear (2008)
Odd Renditions Vol. 001 (2012)
Alwasta (2016)
Odd Cure (2020)
And Yet Still (2024)
En Route (2025)

Singles
“Show You” / “Part of the World” (2006) (with Heralds of Change)
“Once Again” (2006)
“101” (2008)
“Slow It Down” (2012)
“Ain’t That Peculiar (Remix)” (2013)
“Lost Cause” (2014) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
“That’s Love” (2015)

22. (#100.) Talia Keyes – “Find Your Own”
    from: From The Ashes / Midtopia / May 30, 2025
    [She/They // An electrifying, genre-defying firebrand, Salt Lake City sensation Talia Keys blasts back with the seven-song From The Ashes, releasing May 2025 via Wichita, Kansas-based label Midtopia. Another courageous chapter in a career full of defiant documents, Talia’s latest ambitious solo offering deals potent doses of her patented searing songcraft. // Backed by members of The Love, the veteran singer/songwriter confidently explores fresh characters and fertile topography – while still digging into knowledge of self, paying tribute to heroes, and addressing our increasingly-fractured society. Styled in syrupy neo-soul, first single “Matchstick” is an intensely personal homage to dearly-departed activist/artist Psarah Johnson; second drop “Glowin’ Golden” a buoyantly-countrified bop. From the Ashes reveals a liberating batch, unveiling untapped wells of urgency, diversity, sensuality, and consciousness from the ever-evolving Keys’ canon. // With an assertive maturity, the alluring “Matchstick” seduces upon first listen, energetically landing squarely between the existential bedroom pop of Anna Moss and Say She She’s sultry nocturnal soul. Reverberating Wurlitzer, jazzy guitar phrasings, minimalist rimshot-snares, the vintage vibe is enhanced by scintillating background harmonies and an intoxicating earworm chorus. The stirring track was inspired by Johnson’s impactful social justice work; “Let your matchstick burn” resonates far deeper than merely a poetic turn-of-phrase. // “Psarah Johnson was a visionary artist, activist and bad ass singer.” recalls Keys. “She created a one-woman play – “Matchstick Theory” – about being a disabled woman in this unforgiving world. How she burns her energy, and sometimes it doesn’t come back. But when you burn bright like Psarah did, it lights the way for so many of us.” // In 2023, Talia Keys was drafted as direct tour support for Grammy-winning Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, a fortuitous opportunity and budding professional relationship that would facilitate her performing to enthusiastic new audiences all over the U.S. Appropriately, From The Ashes second single “Glowin’ Golden” mines a similar slice of salt-of-the-earth Americana. Atop proper guitar pickin’ and warm Hammond organ swells, this rootsy, Gospelized joint shuffles on the snare and struts with subtle swagger. A profound vocalist who blends verve, angst and attitude, on “Glowin’ Golden” Ms. Keys cribs a page from both Beyonce and the late Ray Charles, taking the R&B lane en route to more traditional country roads. // The contemplative 90’s alt-rock of “Sky Is Falling” flirts with shoegaze psychedelia, hip-hop syncopation and lyrical alliteration. A spirited, bluesy number that cycles through melancholic resignation, suffocating fears, hopeful dreams, and reverting to regret, Keys’ earnest purge is boosted by stunning strings courtesy of Sav Madigan and Katie Larson (The Accidentals). From the Ashes’ narrative arc is complimented by an effective production aesthetic that nods toward the groundbreaking Lilith Fair-era. Like so many heroines who paved the way, Keys sings of navigating struggles that plague our cultural climate, embodying allyship and resistance, song after rebel song. // Talia Keys laid a loyal local foundation in Salt Lake City clubs for over fifteen years, and later made her bones on national tours and festivals. Keys’ ethos and convictions, as well as a trademark fire n’ brimstone stage presence, are an amalgam of her journey, identity, influences; a new twist on the rock n’ roll troubadour singing songs of life’s complexities, struggles, and ultimately, the triumphs. // In 2024, Keys released an emotional standalone single “Need You To Care”, which followed a series of dynamite covers including “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes), “I Put A Spell On You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins), and “Sweet Dreams” (The Eurythmics). Resonant and raw, 2022’s LP Lessons saw Keys emerge from the pandemic chaos recharged and reborn, leaning into intestinal strength and resilience with more clarity and focus in her compositions. With typically-provocative lyrics dotting the kaleidoscopic album, the biting barbs addressed her own space and place as a queer woman in today’s divided America. In 2018, Talia teamed up with stellar backing ensemble The Love to deliver the demonstrative We’re Here, an iridescent and impactful collection that put Talia’s style and substance on the national radar. // A nascent artist with wide ears and big dreams, Talia Keys released a smattering of solo efforts early in her career; 2015’s Fool’s Gold EP, the live-looping adventures of Gemini Mind (2014), and debut Soak Your Meat In This (2012). Before breaking out on her own musical trip, Keys assumed numerous roles in the seminal funk-jam syndicate Marinade, with whom she logged six years of shenanigans from 2009-2015. -B. Getz March 2025] [Talia Keyes played the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest, Sept. 6, at 5:30pm, on the Midtopia Stage with Linea Frontera, Osezua, The Whips , Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, and Rudy Love & The Encore.]

23. (#99.) Lonnie Fisher – ” Zero One Zero”
    from: The Onion’s Tale / Lonnie Fisher / October 3, 2025
    [Zero One Zero (it is not officially released on any platform though). Recorded and played last year with Ed Rose, of the famed Black Lodge Studios, at the cool recording studio in Lawrence Public Library. Lonnie Fisher studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher released the EP SEEDS on July 27, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released the 8 track album BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released his 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower. On October 22, 2021 with his band Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released HAUNTED More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]

24. (#98.) Neko Case – “Wreck (Radio Edit)”
    from: Neon Grey Midnight Green / Anti / September 26, 2025
    [Neon Grey Midnight Green is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Neko Case, released by record label Anti- on September 26, 2025. Her first entirely self-produced album, it marks her follow-up to Hell-On. She has described it as being “for and about musicians, a love letter and a testimony.” // From October 2025 to January 2026, Case will be touring North America with John Grant and Des Demonas in support of the album. // Neko Richelle Case (/ˈniːkoʊ ˈkeɪs/ NEE-koh KAYSS; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case’s singing voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a “flamethrower”, “a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings,” “a 120-mph fastball,” and a “vocal tornado”. Critics also note her idiosyncratic, “cryptic,”[8] “imagistic” lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar. Case’s body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification. // Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Case is the only child of James Bamford Case. Case’s maternal family surname was originally Shevchenko; her great-aunt was the professional wrestler Ella Waldek. Her father, a Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Air Force, was based in Virginia at the time of her birth. Case’s parents, who were teenagers when they had her, are of Ukrainian ancestry. Her parents divorced when Case began school. In her memoir, Case indicated that she was told that her mother died of cancer when she was in the second grade, but only two years later, she was told that this was not correct. After that, her mother flitted in and out of her life, and eventually Case cut ties with her mother for good. As she writes in the book, she had a revelation: “Perhaps her mother had never been sick at all.” // Case’s family relocated several times during her childhood due to her stepfather’s work as an archaeologist. She lived in Western Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon and Washington. She considers Tacoma, Washington to be her hometown. // Case left home and was legally emancipated at age 15. By the age of 18 she was performing as a drummer for the Del Logs and the Propanes, playing in venues including a punk club called the Community World Theater. // In 1994, Case moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to attend the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, completing her studies 1998. While in Vancouver, she played drums in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasels, Cub, and Maow. These bands were, for the most part, local punk groups. Case said of the vibrant Vancouver punk rock scene at that time, “A lot of women wanted to play music because they were inspired, because it was an incredibly good time for music in the Northwest. There was a lot of clubs, a lot of bands, a lot of people coming through, a lot of all-ages stuff—it was a very exciting time to live there.” // In 1998, she left Canada for Seattle, Washington. Before going, Case recorded vocals for a few songs that ended up on Mass Romantic, the New Pornographers’ first album. Her lead vocals on songs like “Letter from an Occupant” are straightforward, full-volume power-pop performances, shedding any country elements. Released on November 28, 2000, Mass Romantic became a surprise success. Although the band was originally conceived as a side project for its members, the New Pornographers remain a prominent presence in the indie rock world, having released their ninth album in 2023. // In addition to recording with the New Pornographers, Case collaborates with other Canadian musicians, including the Sadies and Carolyn Mark, and has recorded material by several noted Canadian songwriters, in particular on her 2001 EP Canadian Amp. As a result, she is also considered a significant figure in Canadian music—both CBC Radio 3 and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada have referred to Case as an “honourary Canadian”. In 2018 Case performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. // Case embraced country music on her 1997 album, The Virginian. The album contained original compositions as well as covers of songs by Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn and the 1974 Queen song “Misfire”. When the album was released, critics compared Case to honky-tonk singers like Lynn and Patsy Cline, and to rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson, particularly in her vocal timbre. // On February 22, 2000, Case released her second solo album, Furnace Room Lullaby. The album introduced the country noir elements that have defined Case’s subsequent solo career. That tone was evident even from the cover photo, featuring Case sprawled out corpse-like on a concrete floor. // Case sometimes tours with Canadian singer and songwriter Carolyn Mark as the Corn Sisters. One of their performances, at Seattle’s Hattie’s Hat restaurant in Ballard, was recorded and released as an album, The Other Women, on November 28, 2000. // In October 1999, around the time Furnace Room Lullaby was released, Case left Seattle for Chicago because she felt that Seattle was no longer hospitable to its local artists.// Case’s first work in Chicago was an eight-song EP that she recorded in her kitchen. Canadian Amp, her first recording without Her Boyfriends, was released on her own Lady Pilot label in 2001. She wrote two of the tracks, with the remaining six being covers, including Neil Young’s “Dreaming Man” and Hank Williams’ “Alone and Forsaken”. Four of the covers were written by Canadian artists. The EP was initially available only at Case’s live shows and directly from Mint Records’ website, but it eventually saw wider release. // Case also recorded her third full-length album, Blacklisted, while living in Chicago. // In April 2003, Case was voted the “Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock” in a Playboy.com internet poll, receiving 32% of the vote. Playboy asked her to pose nude for the magazine, but she declined their offer. She told Entertainment Weekly that…”I didn’t want to be the girl who posed in Playboy and then—by the way—made some music. I would be really fucking irritated if after a show somebody came up to me and handed me some naked picture of myself and wanted me to sign it instead of my CD.” // Case recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before performing solely under her name. Albums released as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends include The Virginian (1997) and Furnace Room Lullaby (2000). She primarily performed her own material, but also performed and recorded cover versions of songs by artists such as My Morning Jacket, Harry Nilsson, Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits, Nick Lowe, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Scott Walker, Randy Newman, Queen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Sparks and Hank Williams. // The 2010 New Pornographers album Together features Case as lead vocalist on “Crash Years” and “My Shepherd.” The 2014 album Brill Bruisers features Case as lead vocalist on “Champions of Red Wine” and “Marching Orders.” The 2017 album Whiteout Conditions features Case as lead vocalist on “Play Money” and “This is the World of the Theater.” // In 2016, Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs announced the case/lang/veirs project, with an album released in June 2016. // Case recorded her third full-length album, Blacklisted, in Tucson, Arizona. It was the first full-length album credited to Case alone, without Her Boyfriends, and was released on Bloodshot Records on August 20, 2002. Some believe the title Blacklisted alludes to Case being banned for life from the Grand Ole Opry because she took her shirt off during a performance on August 4, 2001, at one of their outdoors “Opry Plaza” concerts, though Case herself has denied this. Asked about the incident in 2004, Case said “I had heatstroke. People would love it to be a ‘fuck you’ punk thing. But it was actually a physical ailment thing.” // Case’s face in 2009 Most of the album’s fourteen songs are originals; the exceptions being covers of “Running Out of Fools”, previously a hit for Aretha Franklin, and “Look for Me (I’ll Be Around)” previously performed by Sarah Vaughan. Blacklisted finds Case even deeper in a “country noir” mood, and was described by critics as lush, bleak, and atmospheric. Case cited filmmaker David Lynch, composer Angelo Badalamenti, and Neil Young’s soundtrack to the film Dead Man as influences. “I hope I can comfort people a bit—maybe show people that making music is fun and accessible to them as well. I’m not out to become Faith Hill, I never want to play an arena, and I never want to be on the MTV Video Music Awards, much less make a video with me in it. I would like to reach a larger audience and see the state of music change in favor of musicians and music fans in my lifetime. I care very much about that.” // In April 2004, Case played several shows with longtime collaborators the Sadies in Chicago and Toronto. These shows were recorded and released as a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, by Anti Records in October 2004. // Fox Confessor Brings the Flood was released on March 7, 2006. The album was recorded primarily in Tucson, over the course of two years as Case worked on the live The Tigers Have Spoken and continued to play with the New Pornographers. Critics hailed the record not only for Case’s trademark vocals but also her use of stark imagery and non-standard song structures. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood wound up on many “Best of 2006” lists, such as No.1 on the Amazon.com music editors’ picks and No. 2 on NPR’s All Songs Considered. The album debuted at No. 54 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It contains Case’s most autobiographical song, “Hold On, Hold On”. Case said: “the song is actually about me. It’s not metaphorical about other people. It’s not little pieces of my life made into a story about someone else or someone fictitious.” // “Hold On, Hold On” has since been covered by Marianne Faithfull on her 2009 album Easy Come, Easy Go. It was used over an episode of The Killing (Season 1 Episode 6) before the final credits, and in the 2015 film One More Time. “John Saw That Number” was used in the snowboarding movie “City. Park City”. // Case’s next album, Middle Cyclone, was released on March 3, 2009. In advance of a U.S. and European tour, Case appeared as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Later in 2009 she also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Amazon.com rated Middle Cyclone the number one album of 2009.[49] Middle Cyclone debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts in its first week of release, making it Case’s first album ever to reach the top ten in the United States. // At the time of its release, no other record from an independent record company had debuted at a higher position in 2009. She toured extensively to promote Middle Cyclone with dates in North America, Europe, and Australia, as well as a performance at Lollapalooza 2009 in Grant Park, Chicago. // The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You. // In June 2013, Case announced a new album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, which was released on September 3. // In early March, 2018, Case released a teaser for an album titled Hell-On, her first solo work in almost five years. The teaser featured Case lying down singing a song of the same name while snakes move around her. The album was released on June 1, 2018. // On November 13, 2015, Case released a compilation vinyl box set containing eight of her solo albums. The set contains her first six studio albums, including the first vinyl pressing of The Virginian, as well as a live album. // On April 19, 2022, Case released Wild Creatures, described as “digital-only, career retrospective”. The album was released on CD, double vinyl, and MP3. It contains 22 tracks from Case’s discography, plus one new song, “Oh, Shadowless”.]
    .
    [Neko Case is in the middle of a 56-city tour that started on October 1, 2025 in Woodstock New York and lasts until January 31, 2026 On her 51st city stop Neko Case plays The Uptown Theatre, 3700 Broadway Blvd., KCMO, on Saturday, January 24, 2026 with Des Demonas].

11:30 – Underwriting

25. (#97.) Lorna Kay – “What Ever Happened”
    from: Lorna Kay – EP / Town & Country / September 19, 2025
    [Lauren Krum solo project with Mike Stover. Lauren Krum is known for her work as lead singer of The Grisly Hand who had their last show on May 11, 2024 at The Ship. The band first started playing live in 2009. When The Grisly Hand released their debut album Safe House, the entire band (at that time: Lauren Krum, Jimmy Fitzner, Johnny Nichols, Chas Snyder, Mike Tuley. Ben Summers & Kian Byrne) climbed into our studios and performed live on our Nov. 10, 2010 show. // Jimmy Fitzner, Johnny Nichols, Chas Snyder were in a band called Left Behind. Lauren had played with them at The Brick, before laving Kansas City to go to Columbia College in Chicago. N Chicago Lauren created the group The Strumpettes a soul-inspired group featuring four female singers and a four-piece band. When the Strumpettes dismantled in 2008 and her life in Chicago started to fall apart, Krum decided to move back to Kansas City. She immediately began singing with From Before. // Within a few months, Krum, Fitzner, Nichols and Snyder were performing as a new group. They had brought on Andy Davis to play mandolin. Krum had found the name “the Grisly Hand” iafter coming across it in the poem “Webster Ford” from Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. The most Current grouping of The Grisly Hand was Jimmy Fitzner, Lauren Krum, Ben Summers, Mike Stover, Johnny Nichols and Kian Byrne. / A super group of sorts several members have also been involved in other projects. Lauren has played and recorded with Ruddy Swain (w/ David Regnier), Lorna Kay, and Lorna Kay’s Country Club, as well as being a DJ.] [Lorna K plays Honky Tonk Tuesdays at The Ship]

26. (#96.) honeybee – “i wish i knew you then”
    from: midtown girl – EP / good luck / June 6, 2025
    [The track was written by the songwriter and lead singer, Makayla Scott, who wrote to us, “i wish i knew you then is inspired by all the stories Al (honeybee bass player and Mak’s partner) has told me about their life prior to us getting to know each other. Sometimes when we are reminiscing and giggling about the past, I get hit with a big wave of fomo – sad i’ve missed out on so much. but they always say that the timing of our relationship is perfect and that they’re glad we met when we did. Still, I would have LOVED to hang with kid AL and play horses or dogs or any of the 2000s era Madden games!” // Honeybee released their EP Saturn Return on March 29, 2024 part of WMM’s 120 Best recordings of 2024. // Honeybee started as the solo project of Singer/Songwriter Makayla Scott and now include 3 or 4 of her friends umping in… Honeybee released the songle “I Know What Love is” on January 27, 2023. Makayla Scott also played with the band Blue False Indigo Makayla Scott studied music at Drury University graduating in 2017. Honeybee played Manor Fest 6 with The Highwater, and Jass.][Honeybee played Arts on Broadway, 3550 Broadway Blvd, KCMO, July 25, with Virgo, & 24 Hour Video]

27. (#95.) Annahstasia – “Overflow”
    from: Tether / drink sum wtr / June 13, 2025
    [Annahstasia Enuke, known monomously as Annahstasia, is an American soul musician from Los Angeles. Annahstasia released her debut EP Revival in 2023. Annahstasia released her second EP, Surface Tension, in 2024. Annahstasia released her debut album, Tether, in 2025 to critical acclaim, including the “Best New Music” designation from Pitchfork. // Annahstasia was also featured in the music video for Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s song “Luther”, portraying the love interest. / From Bandcamp: “My career has been a lesson in patience,” says Annahstasia, having cultivated her musical language between blazes of intimacy and independence across different lives, locations, and iterations, loves lost and gained, expectations evaded and recreated. The rising troubadour’s proximity to love — for and from others, in society at large, and deeply within herself — guides the spirit of her soulful, poetic folk songcraft. Love is the elemental constant, alongside her distinctly resonant voice, shading the singer-songwriter’s music since her earliest self-taught recordings, back when a 17-year-old Annahstasia Enuke was discovered and propelled into the pressures of an industry that nearly stifled her greatest strengths. Artistic resilience, gratitude, and dedication to process have yielded Tether, Annahstasia’s full-length debut on art-forward indie label drink sum wtr, a collection of beaming torch songs, orchestral hymns, and astral anthems that feel lived-in, drawn from the human experience and the spectrum of love. // Annahstasia assembled the pieces of Tether slowly and with deep intention; she’s carried these songs with her on the road, sang them for friends and strangers, and evolved them over time alongside her personal revelations. “The song is written, and then I have to live with it and see if I really believe what I’m saying,” she explains. She brought material to sessions at the storied Valentine Studios in Los Angeles, joined by producers Jason Lader (ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey), Andrew Lappin (Cassandra Jenkins, L’Rain, Luna Li), Aaron Liao (Liv.e, Moses Sumney, Raveena) and a range of accomplished musicians, including featured guests aja monet and Obongjayar. The recording became instinctual, done only in live takes to capture the feeling of the room, the community of the music. The sequencing was just as essential; she arrived at a flow with shifting energies and poignant arcs. The instrumentation swells, at times understated and others supremely lush, and through each arrangement, Annahstasia’s voice rings true, open-hearted, and free. “I’ve come into the power of my voice as a medium,” she says. “As a tool of expression, I am able to shape the emotional space around me.” // Lyrically, Annahstasia embraces the nuance of poetry, inviting listeners to engage in words laced with meaning, whether ruminations on romance or social constructs. She sees the opener “Be Kind” more as a poem than a song, “a reflection upon the beauty of the mundane and the grandeur of everyday life…a reminder to myself and others to be kind to each other.” The track’s minimalist atmosphere picks up where 2024’s Surface Tension EP left off, with her vocals left bare and up-front, exploring the capacity of her gift with newfound latitude as strums, strings, and keys enter the frame. // The palette expands for “Villian,” welcoming drums, brass, and horns into a sweeping nod to healing. “We are all made of both shadow and light. From some angle, we have all been the villain of the story,” she adds, suggesting that often, the only way to move on is through understanding that “we are all trying our best, negotiating survival.” At its triumphant peak, above gospel-like shouts, she delivers the reprise with a smile: “Take it / Take it back / This dull knife of memory / I still hear your voice inside my head / Says that I’m the villain of the story.” // Album centerpiece “Slow” emerges from a chance connection with London-based Nigerian musician Steven Umoh, aka Obongjayar. After exchanging DMs, Obongjayar came to one of her shows, and the two artists talked for hours afterward; “he was like a lost brother,” she says. Later, they wrote and demoed the track in the living room of her Airbnb in London, where they huddled around a single ribbon microphone. “I’m just playing the guitar, and our eyes are locked; it was very sensual and intense.” Emboldened by one another, their voices orbit and coalesce, trading verses on the signals the universe sends us (“I heard it on the wind / To go slow”), harmonizing the last stanzas (“What’s the worst that can happen / If we just let it happen”). Without proper album plans at the time, the song sat for a while; then, in another cosmic chance, Obongjayar happened to be in town during the Tether sessions. Annahstasia reflects, “It was a beautiful experience to have us all in the room. The artistry, the moment, a real acceptance of African art where these two Nigerian musicians are coming together and making something very tender and pretty outside genre expectations.” // Later, Annahstasia finds a kindred spirit in aja monet, the NY-based surrealist blues poet and her new labelmate, who lends stunning prose and voice to “All is. Will Be. As it Was.” Given only the prompt of “open air,” monet wrote the lines on the ride to the studio. Together with Annahstasia on guitar and Ashley Fulton on piano, they captured the piece in its purest form as if bottling a breeze. // Annahstasia described the EP prelude to this culminating set as a “romantic war,” and the artist truly thrives amidst and after drama. She taps into a punk sensibility for “Silk and Velvet” — “I’d say it’s punk in the sense that it is really dry, really stark and selectively dissonant.” A clashing of cello and piano mirror pointed lyrics about “living with the hypocrisy of having revolutionary ideologies but consumerist tendencies.” The tension comes full circle on “Believer,” a song she’s been trying to get right for years, now finally recorded in the right place with the right people. Nearly every instrument on Tether returns in full force; towering percussion, jagged guitar lines, and howling singers encircle Annahstasia at the mic as she enters a fantasy of rock stardom. “I love how in making a record, you get to make a film and pick which direction to take it. Now I have this version that I blast in my headphones, play air guitar, and pretend I’m performing it for 100,000 people.”]

28. (#94) The Royal Chief – “Hi-Def (Radio Mix)”
    from: Fire – EP / Sovereign Sound / July 10, 2025
    [New 5-track EP from The Royal Chief / Born in Kansas City, Missouri as Jamel Thompson to a single mother, The Chief is the youngest of six – two brother’s on his mother’s side and another brother and twin sisters from his father. Growing up, his mother fostered his mind; she encouraged The Royal Chief to read relentlessly and to experiment with his talents. This promoted a period where The Royal Chief began expressing himself by writing stories. Chief spent most of his early life in the urban areas of Kansas City. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas briefly before returning to Kansas City – to the suburbs – which provided an interesting contrast to his life before. // At the age of 13, after attending a concert in which Kanye West performed, Chief knew his path was in music and began rapping. Courtesy of his mother, he drew inspiration from R&B and Soul while getting his introduction to Hip Hop from his father and brothers. Hip Hop became a love and an outlet for him – a way to vent and document how he perceived the world. It was also an instrument for The Royal Chief to cope with the pain of losing his older brother and godmother who had a hand in raising him. // The Royal Chief moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. He spent his first year there living out of his Honda Civic and obtained membership to a local gym to have access in order to take showers. He established a relationship with the manager at Tree Sound Studios through a mutual friend and was soon allowed to live in the studio’s building. He made the most of this opportunity by observing and learning many of the aspects of the music industry, audio/video recording, marketing, and most importantly building relationships and networking. Soon, he began to nurture a relationship with “Cyhi The Prynce” who took him under his wing allowing Chief to create and write for other G.O.O.D. Music artist. During this time, Chief was able to go on tour and learn just to write raps and incorporate rhythm and flow into his pieces to make them sound appealing. // In 2015, under his original moniker “J-Dub,” The Royal Chief began to meticulously focus on his own projects and released his first mixtape entitled Trial and Error. Later that same year, after a trip back to his hometown of KC, he made a conscious decision to change his stage name to something that reflected his passion for his two favorite home-town sports teams and one that represented his city. And in combining the names of those teams, he thus became “The Royal Chief”. Feeling the need to release some music to commemorate the name change, in September of 2016 he released his second project, an EP entitled Dawn – representing the beginning or “dawn of” something new. // In 2017, after seeing a Kareem “Biggs” Burke’s interview in which he said “if you don’t have your city you don’t have anybody,” Chief decided it was time for him to return home and build his name and his following up in his own city. That same year, after a house fire in which he lost everything but his life, he released his third project – an EP titled Homecoming. While building traction in the city, Chief worked diligently to network and perform live all around the Kansas City Metroplex and surrounding areas. In 2018, he released a three-track EP titled 3 Pack. Chief spent the next year working towards expanding existing relationships and building new ones. Chief’s objective was to spend time building a backing band for his live performances as well as collaborate with local artists and producers. And with this feat accomplished, in 2020, Chief released his fourth project titled Groundwork. Groundwork represents “laying the foundation” – it’s the cumulative efforts of networking, touring, and building a following. More info at: http://www.theroyalchief.com] [The Royal Chief will played the 21st Annual Crossroads Music Fest, Sept. 6, at 8:30pm at The Campground, 1531 Genessee St. with Timbers, Dym N D (Diamond D), Friendly Thieves , The Royal Chief, Jelly Rose, and Stranded in The City.]

29. (#93.) Flora From Kansas – “The Ghost is Me”
    from: Homesick – EP / Melodic / March 14, 2025
    [17 year old Flora Kay A.K.A. Flora From Kansas has already been writing music for 5 years, picking up the guitar in lockdown. “My dad and I often took long walks to a nearby gas station, where we had conversations about how life was going. It was then that we started discussing the idea of creating music together just for the fun of it.”, Flora describes. On a rich diet of Girl In Red, Faye Webster & Alex G, Flora began learning on Garageband before upgrading to Logic for her self-productions. ] [Flora From Kansas played Boulevardia, Saturday, June 14.]

30. (#92.) Water From Your Eyes – “Nights in Armor”
    from: It’s A Beautiful Place / Matador / August 22, 2025
    [Songwriter Nate Amos, and front person Rachel Brown are Water from Your Eyes. It’s a Beautiful Place is the duo’s dizzying, chrome-tinted masterpiece, which Rolling Stone has christened “their most joyously out there achievement yet.” The band – now a four-piece on stage with Al Nardo (guitar) and Bailey Wollowitz (drums) – will support It’s A Beautiful Place with an extensive North American headline tour. The tour launches September 22 in Philadelphia and runs through November 2 in Denver, including stops at Bowery Ballroom in New York, Lodge Room in Los Angeles, and Sleeping Village in Chicago. // In the time since 2023’s “Everyone’s Crushed”, their Matador debut and critical breakout – which appeared in end of year lists by The New York Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork, NME, Vogue, Wired and Rolling Stone – Rachel Brown and Nate Amos have become a pillar of the city’s alternative music scene and one of its most revered underground exports. They played huge stages supporting Interpol on tour, including in front of 160,000 fans in Mexico City. Back home, the band established a DIY boat show franchise on the East River, hosting friends at the heart of the city’s musical vanguard including YHWH Nailgun, Model/Actriz, Frost Children, and Kassie Krut. Rachel released a new EP under their thanks for coming moniker, while Nate released an acclaimed full length under his This Is Lorelei solo project. The duo finished “It’s a Beautiful Place” last summer, just as they have every other WFYE release: in Amos’s bedroom. // Throughout “It’s A Beautiful Place” is a clear sense of a band who have honed their curveballs into home runs. Looming and melancholy, wide-eyed and petrified, it’s Blade Runner with a touch of WALL-E, it’s Kubrick and Asimov with a hint of Jay and Silent Bob. These are songs that look outward, conscious of our smallness and questioning our place in the universe while admiring the surrounding beauty.The album is the duo’s dizzying, chrome-tinted masterpiece, which Rolling Stone has christened “their most joyously out there achievement yet.” The band – now a four-piece on stage with Al Nardo (guitar) and Bailey Wollowitz (drums) – will support It’s A Beautiful Place with an extensive North American headline tour. The tour launches September 22 in Philadelphia and runs through November 2 in Denver, including stops at Bowery Ballroom in New York, Lodge Room in Los Angeles, and Sleeping Village in Chicago. // In the time since 2023’s “Everyone’s Crushed”, their Matador debut and critical breakout – which appeared in end of year lists by The New York Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork, NME, Vogue, Wired and Rolling Stone – Rachel Brown and Nate Amos have become a pillar of the city’s alternative music scene and one of its most revered underground exports. They played huge stages supporting Interpol on tour, including in front of 160,000 fans in Mexico City. Back home, the band established a DIY boat show franchise on the East River, hosting friends at the heart of the city’s musical vanguard including YHWH Nailgun, Model/Actriz, Frost Children, and Kassie Krut. Rachel released a new EP under their thanks for coming moniker, while Nate released an acclaimed full length under his This Is Lorelei solo project. The duo finished “It’s a Beautiful Place” last summer, just as they have every other WFYE release: in Amos’s bedroom. // Throughout “It’s A Beautiful Place” is a clear sense of a band who have honed their curveballs into home runs. Looming and melancholy, wide-eyed and petrified, it’s Blade Runner with a touch of WALL-E, it’s Kubrick and Asimov with a hint of Jay and Silent Bob. These are songs that look outward, conscious of our smallness and questioning our place in the universe while admiring the surrounding beauty.]

31. (#91) Land Lion – “Motion Smoothing”
    from: Hymns For End Times / Land Lion / November 5, 2025
    [Land Lion band make happy songs about sad things. This KC-based indie rock collective led by Ben Wendt and backed by a revolving all-star supporting cast of musicians draws inspiration from Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, and Bruce Springsteen. Music For End Times is the band’s debut album release. Land Lion is: Ben Wendt on lead vocals & guitar; Matt Jack on drums, Iggy Chamon on bass; Carlos Chamon on keyboards; Grant Baker on lead guitar; Parker Mason on rhythm guitar & backing vocals; Kirsten Krier on trombone; Caitlyn Jacobs on saxophone, Michael Cervantes on trumpet; and Schuyler Minor on vocals. Fronted by primary songwriter and lead vocalist Ben Wendt, Land Lion crafts songs that evoke both introspection and celebration, inviting listeners into a world of personal storytelling and wide-reaching soundscapes. For fans of Bruce Springsteen, Bleachers, and The Muppets, Land Lion is a dynamic project blending indie rock, arena rock, folk, and Americana, known for its heartfelt lyrics, vibrant instrumentation, and powerful rhythms accompanied by an amazing horn section. Last year Land Lion released three singles: “Ribs” on Jan. 26, “Honey Do” on June 9, and “Townie Song” on July 25, 2024. Land Lion played Boulevardia June 14, 2025.]

[Land Lion play a double album release show on Saturday, December 13, at 8:00pm at The RINO, 314 Armour Rd, North Kansas City with Jack Summers, and with special guest Jeremy Nathan.]

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

NEXT WEEK, on December 17, we will bring you part 2 of our 4-week special: The 120 Best Recordings of 2025. We’ll count down#90 through #61 with tracks from: Radkey, Jass, Hailes, Hot Club KC, Claire Adams, Lauren Louvelle, Jamogi, Making Movies, Corners of the Sky, THIMASTR, VCMN, Brody Lowe, The Matchsellers, Beth Watts Nelson, Rudy Love & The Encore, Til Willis and Erratic Cowboy, Mitzi McKee & The Precious Cargo, James Grauerholz, Horsegirl, Curtis Harding, Florist, Folk Bitch Trio, Jon Batiste, Lucy Dacus, Hannah Jadagu, Billie Marten, Oklou, Cass McCombs, Benjamin Booker, and PinkPantheress.

The text in this playlist is a collage and “cut & paste” of information from artist’s websites, press releases, event info, wikipedia, social media pages, BandCamp, liner notes, and where noted.

You can find our playlists at: http://www.wednesdaymiddaymedley.org & http://www.kkfi.org
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM
http://www.instagram.wednesday_midday_medley
http://www.bandcamp.com/wednesdaymiddaymedley

Thank you to KKFI Staff: Executive Director – Bess Wallerstein Huff, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, and Shaina Littler – Office Manager Book Keeper

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. It is a collective spirit of hundreds of people, setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the goal of keeping our airwaves, non-commercial, and open! Thank you to programmers who create content for over 85 locally produced radio shows & volunteers who made extra effort to keep our station alive.

Thanks for listening

Show #1125