Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 120 Best Recordings of 2021

The 120 Best Recordings of 2021 are based on playlists of this little ole radio show, Wednesday MidDay Medley. In 2021 we’ve broadcast nearly 900 different tracks over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 500 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 216 National Releases, and 373 MidCoastal Releases. 90 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. We conducted over 138 interviews with 160 special guests. 59 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on Wednesday MidDay Medley.

Please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music, when we were able to survey over 600 area (aka “MidCoastal”) releases.

1. The Roseline – Constancy / RPH Records / November 5, 2021
   [The Roseline’s 7th album. Colin Halliburton on lead vox/acoustic guitar/aux percussion, Bradley McKellip on electric guitars, Colin Jones on bass, Jim Piller on drums, and Heidi Gluck on organ and background vox. It was recorded and produced by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. // The Roseline are a Lawrence, KS, based alt-country, Americana, rock band, formed by Colin Halliburton with friends in 2005. Initially, The Roseline was an acoustic folk trio, but evolved into a five-piece American rock band. Constancy, witnesses the evolution of The Roseline’s sound, adding synths and guitar effects, as well as a more collaborative approach to songwriting. // Halliburton explains, “There’s something to be said for stubborn perseverance. I think good things can come from the simple act of just showing up over and over again. It can be applied to your day job, your love life, your children, your side hustle, your hobbies, and beyond. That’s where the idea of “constancy” came from for me.” // The Roseline released their album GOOD / GRIEF on April 3, 2021. The Roseline released BLOOD on September 29, 2017; and TOWNIE on June 19, 2015. The band has toured the US and in 2021 toured Sweden. Before that Halliburton completed two European solo tours, taking him through Poland, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Colin Halliburton joined us on WMM on November 3, 2021. More info at: https://roselinemusic.com/%5D

2. Monta At Odds – Peak of Eternal Light / The Record Machine / July 23, 2021
   [ Monta At Odd’s seventh full-length album. Sonic prognosticators Monta At Odds is a Kansas City combo led by the brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore. 2021 finds the addition of acclaimed vocalists and songwriters Mikal Shapiro and Teri Quinn to the band’s lineup of Krystof Nemeth (Emmaline Twist) on baritone, Matthew Heinrich (Mysterious Clouds) on drums, Kenn Jankowski (The Republic Tigers) on synth, and Lucas Behrens on guitar and synth. With Mikal and Teri’s otherworldly vocal contributions, along with guest Your Friend, Peak of Eternal Light is a cosmic sonic journey stopping off in post-punk and dark synthpop galaxies. The brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore have played music together all their lives and have been exploring the Monta At Odds sound since the band’s debut in 2000. Dedric’s pulsing, melodic bass and Delaney’s artfully unhinged synthesizers frame the band’s central character, which is fleshed out by a talented cast of musicians and collaborators. The result is a heady sonic pool that has been inscrutably referred to as ‘Ummagumma meets Arthur Russell’s mutant disco at Vangelis’s house.’ // In 2020 the band added acclaimed vocalists, guitarists, and songwriters Mikal Shapiro and Teri Quinn to their lineup. With Mikal and Teri’s otherworldly vocal contributions, Monta At Odds continues to push their alternate reality into streamlined consciousness. Lucas Behrens on guitar and synth and Matthew Heinrich on drums both rounds out the stellar lineup. The group released Zen Diagram in May of 2020 as a more post-punk leaning follow-up to Argentum Dreams. Expect minimal rhythms set to maximum noise, shoegazed guitar signals, slo-mo psychedelic darkwave, endless dub echo, and extended-cut warped disco. Live musicians manipulating time and space via knob turning, cymbal cracking, and pedal pushing as they interlock into hypnotic moments of heavenly bliss that seem to hold forever, captivating the mind. // This single is a follow-up to the December 18, 2020 released A GREAT CONJUNCTION their 5-song EP released just in to coincide with the ‘double-planet’ convergence of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 which last occurred in 1226. These tunes form a soundtrack to the planetary event, five songs linked together by the vastness of space and as a meditation on our infinitesimal place in the universe. The EP featured Krystof Nemeth, Teri Quinn, Alexander Thomas, Dedric Moore and Matthew Heinrich. Monta At Odds released their 4-song EP Zen Diagram on May 1, 2020. In late 2020 Monta At Odds released the single “When Stars Grow Old.” Monta At Odds released their 6th full length album Argentum Dreams on Oct 19, 2018. Monta At Odds released “When I’m Gone (The Republic Tigers Remix)” through The Record Machine on May 14, 2021. Kenn Jankowski of The Republic Tigers wrote: My band The Republic Tigers released a new remix/reimagined song yesterday. It’s a Monta At Odds song featuring Teri Quinn. I got to sing on it with her.” Teri Quinn’s vocals soar, driven into the air by The Republic Tigers’ full sound explosion without betraying Monta At Odds’ cosmic vibe. The two bands are label mates on The Record Machine. Monta At Odds released their latest single, “When I’m Gone. (feat. Teri Quinn)” on March 5, 2021. Monta At Odds has traced its adventure from its inception to vocalist Teri Quinn’s addition to their sleek, indie-Tronic cascade of the band’s latest recording. An electric drum punch and layers of buzzing synths anchor Quinn’s pleading words, depositing the fact that “we both know you’ll feel better when I’m gone.” It’s the hard choice of ending a relationship and hanging on for dear life. Dedric Moore and Teri Quinn joined us on WMM on August 18, 2021. More info at: http://www.facebook.com/montaatodds%5D

3. KNIFE CRIME — Lovely Gary / Black-Site / April 13, 2021
   [After spending months at Massive Sounds studio with producer Paul Malinowski in 2019 and then waiting out the worst of the pandemic’s stranglehold, Knife Crime’s debut album, Lovely Gary, is ready. Finally. // Knife Crime is a band of four veterans of Kansas City’s music community. Going back to the early 1990s, founding brothers Byron Huhmann on guitars, piano & lead vocals; Brad Huhmann on bass & vocals, have played with a small legion of bands, including TV Fifty, Onward Crispin Glover, the Dark Circles, Truck Stop Love, Red Kate and Lushbox. Jake Cardwell on drums & percussion came aboard in 2012, and has played drums for Reflector, the Belles, the Caves and the Conquerors. In 2018, multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah James Gonzalez on guitar & vocals joined, bringing along a resume that includes Elevator Division, Monta at Odds, Be/Non, Umberto, Rhunes and Redder Moon. Songs by Knife Crime. Recorded & mixed by Paul Malinowski, at Massive Sound Studios, Shawnee, KS Mastering by Mike Nolte, Eureka Mastering, Portland, Oregon. Additional mastering & lacquer cutting: Chris Muth, Taloowa Corp., Yonkers, NY. Vinyl Manufacturing: Kindercore Vinyl, Athens, GA. // Follow up to their single release “Falcon” on January 8, 2020. Produced by Knife Crime. Mastered by Dave Gaume at Element Recording Studios. Knife Ccrime is a 4-piece Kansas City based band formed on January 19, 2011. Byron Huhmann was our guest on WMM on April 28, 2021. More info at: http://www.black-site.org]

4. Cuee – Gospel / Cuee / May 7, 2021
   [Lawrence based hip-hop artist Cuee is a rapper with a Master’s Degree. Cuee received his Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas. Cuee is also a graduate of Artist Inc. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Cuee has wowed audiences in Lawrence and KC with exciting live performances. And since 2017 Cue has released two critically acclaimed albums, an EP, and multiple singles. We last talked with Cuee on March 3, 2021 and on May 5, 2021 and before that, on August 12, 2020, when he released the single “Who’s Back.” and before that on May 29, 2019. Cuee released the single: “Gravity (Feat: Lindsey Alderman)” on April 29, 2021 as part of GOSPEL the album. In 2020 Cuee’ track, “Shook” landed on an official Spotify playlist dedicated to transgender, non-binary and gender-fluid musicians across the globe including Kim Petras and Lex Allen. Spotify sent out a note said, “Hey Cuee you hit a high note this month.” Cuee said he didn’t even know what that meant, and he looked up to discover he had over 24,000 listener during the month of June on Spotify. I was trying to figure out what happened. I did a little research, I logged onto my instagram account, I was starting to get a flood of followers. I was just tracing it back and I landed on a Spotify playlist, it was an editorial playlist so he couldn’t find out who put him on there. “Someone found me.” Cuee made three trips home to Chicago to record the record. For the new album GOSPEL Cuee explained that this term can have biblical connections but it also means ‘the truth.” The video for “Ain’t Going Back” takes place in a church, and is a declaration of freedom, and identity, while also paying respect. Cuee talked us about how the track was created in the studio and translating the song into a video that was shot in a church. Last time we talked with Cuee he shared his thoughts about ‘”Queerness in a church,” Cuee said, “you know, is very…different, I mean I wanted to bring that into that space, and freedom into that space, allow that space to be seen and heard by other people who traditionally wont take up that space.” Originally from Chicago, Illinois. 27 year old Lawrence based hip-hop artist emcee, and educator. Cuee has gained fans over the last six years in Lawrence and Kansas City for his critically acclaimed musical releases and live performances. Along with getting his Master’s Degree, Cuee has released around 30 different musical tracks, legally changed his name, and has transitioned physically and vocally. The song “Ain’t Going Back” features Cuee’s friend Joel Leoj who is originally from Florida, but after moving to Chicago, became friends with Cuee in school, and recently moved to Lawrence to make music and collaborate on recordings with Cuee. Cuee was our guest on WMM on March 3, 2021, and May 5, 2021. More info at: http://www.officialcuee.com]

5. Effie – Curve My Enthusiasm / DISTRKCT / August 13, 2021
   [Effie is Effie Altoro. Effie is a songwriter, singer, rapper, producer, one part of Kansas City’s own Jet Pack Productions originally from the Bronx, New York. Effie says that music saved her life and means everything to her. She puts herself in the category of a R&B/Hip Hop Artist. She claims Nina Simone as her biggest influence. Effie writes, “I have been writing for so many years but never shared any of my personal work until last year. So I’m working on pacing myself with releases, instead of just putting so many albums out back to back. My album, Curve My Enthusiasm, is so special to me that I’m going to release a deluxe version in January with 4 additional tracks and videos, including some exciting collaborations. I have also been writing for other artists, so you’ll be able to hear some of those releases soon, as well!” Effie is one third of Jet Pack Productions a Kansas City based music entertainment company created by Musicians Jo Blaq, Effie Altoro, and Tim Ogutu. Effie Joined us live on WMM on October 20, 2021. More info at: https://smarturl.it/37jrdz%5D

6. Frogpond – TimeThief / Black-Site Records / November 19, 2021
   [Newly reformed KC indie rock band, Frogpond, released TimeThief, its first album in over twenty years, on the KC record label cooperative Black Site. Frogpond is: singer/guitarist and founder Heidi Phillips, long-time bassist, Justine Volpe, with Kristin Conkright on rhythm guitar, and Michelle Bacon on drums. // Frogpond digitally reissued their 1996 vinyl and cassette release, COUNT TO TEN on March 12, 2021, 25 years after its original release on August 9, 1996 on Columbia Records. Frogpond was formed in Warrensburg, Missouri. The band existed from 1994-2000, primarily performing in Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas. COUNT TO TEN was the band’s 12-track national debut full length released with songs written by Heidi Phillips, with Heidi Phillips on vocals & guitar, Justine Volpe on bass, Megan Hamilton on drums, Kristie Stremel on guitar and backing vocals. Art Alexakis (of the band Everclear) served as producer and contributed backing vocals. // In 1999 Frogpond released the 13-track second album, SAFE RIDE HOME on C2 Records – Columbia, on CD and vinyl with songs written by Heidi Phillips, and with Heidi Phillips on vocals & guitar, Justine Volpe on bass & backing vocals, and Billy Johnson on drums. The album was recorded by Doug McBride at Gravity Studios in Chicago who also served as producer and contributed electric piano and piano. // In 1994 Frogpond self released their 8-song cassette release 2%that was produced, engineered, and mixed at Red House Recording, in Lawrence, Kansas, October 1994. Heidi Phillips joined us LIVE on WMM on November 10, 2021. More info at: http://black-site.org/frogpond%5D

7. Kadesh Flow – Room Service 2 / Ryan Jamaal Davis / July 19, 2021
   [Room Service 2 is the follow up to Kadesh Flow’s 2018 “Room Service” EP. Instead of a hotel room, this was written mostly from his ex-partner’s basement. Written, produced, performed, mixed and mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow is Ryan Davis is a rapper with an MBA. He is an emcee, producer, & trombonist. At age 11, he began rapping and playing trombone within two weeks of one another. His music has been featured on network television in multiple countries and territories across Southeast Asia. Kadesh performs as a solo hip hop artist. He also plays with The Phantastics, Marcus Lewis Big Band, The Deshtet, and Tiki Brawlers. Kadesh Flow played the 17th Annual Crossroads Music Fest, September 11, as part of Deshica Rage (with Kadesh Flow & Jessica Paige) on Community Lending of America Stage, at Lemonade Park. In addition to this 13-track album, Kadesh Flow also released 22 new singles in 2021. Kadesh Flow & The Enclave released, “Soft Side,” on Jan. 21, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow released, “Assumptions feat. Shubzilla,” on Jan. 29, 2021. Kadesh Flow released, “Frosty,” on February 12, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow & The Enclave released, “Cry For Me 2,” February 12, 2021. Kadesh Flow released, “Not on My Watch,” on February 19, 2021, Inspired by Lord Beerus (Dragonball Super). Kadesh Flow released, “Held Me Longer,” on March 5, 2021, Written, produced, performed, mixed and mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow released, “Your Dream Isn’t Always Yours,” on March 12, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow & The Enclave released, “Forgot About Me,” on March 14, 2021. Kadesh Flow released, “Take Backs (feat. Ryan Heinlein),” on March 26, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow & The Enclave released, “But Hope” on March 26, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow released the single, “I Don’t Care” on April 9, 2021, written, performed, mixed and mastered by Kadesh Flow. Produced by D. Professor. Kadesh Flow released the single, “That Way” on April 16, 2021, written, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow, and produced by Dominique “Bassman” Saunders. Kadesh Flow released the new single, “So Far” on April 23, 2021, written, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow and produced by Dominique “Bassman” Sanders. Kadesh Flow released the single, “On Target” on April 30, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed and mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow released the single ”Lighten Up”on May 7, 2021, written, produced, performed, mixed & mastered by Kadesh Flow. Kadesh Flow released the single “Elegant” on May 21, 2021. Written, Produced, Performed, Mixed & Mastered by Kadesh Flow. This is his 16th single the year, so far. Kadesh Flow released the 13-track album ROOM SERVICE 2, on July 19, 2021. Kadesh Flow released the single “Coming For Your Neck” on August 20, 2021. Written, Produced, Performed, Mixed & Mastered by Kadesh Flow. This is his 17th single the year. Kadesh Flow released the single “Easy” on August 27, 2021. Written, Produced, Performed, Mixed & Mastered by Kadesh Flow. This is his 18th single the year. Kadesh Flow released the single “Fiend” on Sept. 4, 2021. Written, Performed, Mixed & Mastered by Kadesh Flow. Produced by Dominique Sanders. This is his 19th single the year. Kadesh Flow released the single, “No Options (feat Jamar Rose)” on Nov.12, 2021. Kadesh Flow released the single, “Gardens Out The Gutter” on Dec. 3, 2021. This is one of 22 singles and a 13 track album that Kadesh Flow has released so far this year. Written, Performed, Mixed & Mastered: Kadesh Flow. Instrumental: Dominique Sanders. Kadesh Flow released the single, “CHOICE (The Cost)” on December 17, 2021. Written, Performed, Mixed & Mastered: Kadesh Flow. Instrumental: Dominique Sanders. Kadesh Flow was on WMM on Oct. 21, 2020. More info at: http://www.kadeshflow.com ]

8. True Lions – The Fempire Strikes Back / Manor Records / April 9, 2021
   [On THE FEMPIRE STRIKES BACK band leader, Alisön Hawkins on keytar & vocals is joined by Adee Rocket Dancy on cello & vocals; Claire Adams on guitar; Elizabeth Kosko on drums & percussion; Iona DeWalt on synthesizers; Miki P on guitar & vocals, and Teri Quinn on bass & vocals. Recorded at Deep Space Co-op. Tracking & engineering by Ross Brown at Escape Pod Audio. Mixing and mastering by Joel Nanos at Element Recording. // From True Lions & Manor Records: A Kansas City-based “flosspunk” alt-pop supergroup led by Alison Hawkins, True Lions meshes the band members’ backgrounds in classical, punk, jazz, folk, and blues, ultimately creating a well-rounded, unique sound. The band’s revolving lineup includes Elizabeth Kosko, Teri Quinn, Claire Adams, Adee Rocket Dancy, Aryana Nemati, KuJo, Iona DeWalt, and Miki P. While they’re a gender-diverse collective of women/nonbinary/trans/boi/vegan multi-instrumentalists and genre-flirts, the focus of this project is not their genders or dietary restrictions, but rather, their attitudes, imaginations, and the group’s inspiring ability to empower and celebrate one another through the refuge they create within their music. // They emphasize friendships with bandmates over conventional instrumentation, and prioritize character and integrity over perfectionist musicianship. Combining flossy harmonies, clever metaphors, and solid hooks, True Lions confronts serious subject matter with a light and often silly approach. They maintain an anti-patriarchal agenda while still having a fun party time, calling it “carbonated honesty.” // They’re known for reputable collaborations with artists such as Calvin Arsenia, Fritz Hutchison, and The Swallowtails, and cite influences like Cibo Matto, The Go-Go’s, Sleater-Kinney, The Raincoats, and Fanny. – From Anna Selle (Hear Queer) // “…though most of their lyrics tackle heavy topics, like misogyny in the music industry and inane copyright battles, their melodies are light and punchy, silly and danceable. Something about the band’s presence and authenticity allows their audience to dive in with them to a euphoric and affirming state of being…” // THE FEMPIRE STRIKES BACK also features: Calvin Arsenia, Rachel Lovelace, John O’Keefe, Claudia Sudekum, Fritz Hutchison, Coleen Dieker, Leslie Butsch, Ezgi Karakus, and Daniel Cox. // True Lions released Like A Lamb (Covers) April 20, 2020. We played “Origins (Tennis cover)” on WMM. Like A Lamb (Covers) is an EP collection of 4 songs: “Pressure To Party” (Julia Jacklin cover), “I’d Rather Dance With You” (Kings of Convenience cover), Archie, Marry Me” (Alvvays cover), and “Origins” (Tennis cover). Recorded in Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS., during mandatory self-quarantine. All songs performed by True Lions. Produced and recorded by Alison Hawkins and Fritz Hutchison. Mixing/Mastering by Fritz Hutchison. Album Artwork by Alison Hawkins. Alison Hawkins: piano, guitar, violin, synth, percussion, vocals. Fritz Hutchison: drums/percussion, guitar, bass, synth, vocals. Featuring “Falcon” the chicken. // True Lions released THERMAL IN JUNE (demos), February 29, 2020 also recorded in Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS. All songs written by True Lions. Tracking Engineering by Fritz Hutchison. Album Artwork by Alison Hawkins. Alison Hawkins on lead vocals, guitar, piano, synth, percussion. Fritz Hutchison on vocals, guitar, bass, synth, drums/percussion. Daniel Cox on vocals, saxophone, percussion. // True Lions released their 2nd EP, YOU’RE NOT INVITED, November 29, 2019 with: Alison Hawkins on guitar, synth, and vocals; Elizabeth Kosko on percussion, vocals; Mikala Petillo on bass, vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, vocals; Leslie Butsch on saxophone, Ezgi Karakus on cello; and Teri Quinn on vocals. All songs written by True Lions and produced by Claire Adams and Alison Hawkins. Tracking Engineering by Claire Adams. Mixing and Mastering by Ian Dobyns and Chase Horseman. Album Artwork by Genevieve Sloan. Special thanks to Calvin Arsenia and Fritz Hutchison. // True Lions released their debut EP “CUTE AT BEST February 5, 2019 with Alison Hawkins on guitar, piano, synth, vocals; Mikala Petillo on percussion, bass, guitar, vocals; and with Ross Brown serving as producer & engineer; and Nika Winn providing artwork. This EP began as an unrelated, musical dispute between lovers, but triumphantly became the spunky collaboration of two midwestern “woms” whose passion for playing music nearly exceeds their desire to create it. Alisön Hawkins was our guest on WMM on April 7, 2021. More info at: http://www.manorrecords.com.]

9. Flare Tha Rebel & Bob Pulliam – The Revolution Will Not Be Hashtagged / Shafer / July 9, 2021
   [Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 single, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Career and love brought hip-hop MC Flare Tha Rebel back to his hometown of Kansas City, MO, which created a second wind of new music. Noted by The Pitch, “As a member of hip-hop collective Anti-Crew, Flare Tha Rebel made quite an impact on the Kansas City hip-hop scene. After making the leap from KC to Chicago in the late ‘00s, he’s now back…” Known for a highly energetic live performance, Flare has shared the stage with artists such as Chance the Rapper, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Mac Lethal, Nappy Roots, and CES Cru. Although hip-hop at the core, Flare Tha Rebel’s versatility remains as he balances music with socially progressive themes that are still enjoyable enough to raise a glass to at a party. There’s also a duality to Flare’s approach. Many of his songs are connected to his Art to Empower initiative, raising awareness and funds for a variety of social justice causes and nonprofits. Flare Tha Rebel and Bob Pullian were our guests on WMM on August 11, 2021. Info at: http://www.flaretharebel.com]

10. Quiet Takes – Weekly, Weakly / Sarah Magill / November 5, 2021
    [Written by Sarah Magill. Produced by David Bennett. Vocals and keyboards by Sarah Magill. Guitars, bass and percussion by David Bennett. Drums by Jared Bond. Engineered and mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Zach. This record is the third collaboration between Magill and producer/multi-instrumentalist David Bennett. “Ghosty…” was inspired by pandemic-era panic attacks and social unease. This song was one way I tried to process the new, very anxious voice inhabiting my brain, which I nicknamed Ghosty. Sarah writes, “I made the WEEKLY, WEAKLY EP exactly as titled: During weekly Friday sessions at Aorist Studios with my producer, David Bennett, while feeling extremely weak. I was living alone during the pandemic and (like many of us) coping with isolation, depression and anxiety. Making this EP was my lifeboat. Both the process of making music — refining lyrics, experimenting with new textures, collaborating on harmonies — and the commitment to the weekly process kept me relatively grounded and connected. This project tethered me to human-ness when I was afraid I was going to float off into some kind of feral, disconnected netherworld of pandemic loneliness. I’ll forever be grateful to David and his wife, Kayla, for creating a safe space to continue working at Aorist during such a dangerous time.” WEEKLY, WEAKLY followed the release of Sarah Magill’s EP, SAN FIDEL under her moniker, Quiet Takes. Released March 5, 2021. Written by Sarah Magill. Produced by David Bennett and Sarah Magill. Vocals and keys by Sarah Magill on vocals & keyboards, David Bennett on guitars and bass, Ian Thompson on additional keyboards & synthesizers, Kyle Rausch on drums, and Bryan Koehler on percussion. Engineered and mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Zach Hanson. Cover image by Shawn Brackbill. Sarah Magill released her single “Wanted (The Dirty Windshield Version)” on May 1, 2020. . Sarah Magill released AHEM, a 4-song EP, on December 11, 2020. The songs were originally released under her old project name MYRY, in November 2018. Quiet Takes (formerly MYRY) is an on-going collaborative music project by Sarah Magill a writer & musician based in KC. She performs with a rotating cast of friends—although these stay-at-home days, she is playing solo. In KC, she is known for hosting house shows and co-founding Rubix, a performance art collective. MYRY’s first EP, AHEM, was released in 2018. Sarah released four of MYRY’s songs from that 2018 EP release as Quiet Takes singles in 2020. We interviewed Sarah Magill on WMM on March 10, 2021 and Nov. 2, 2021. Info at: https://quiettakes.com ]

11. Sisterbot – Truth House / Sisterbot / July 10, 2021
    [Sisterbot is a performing artist dedicated to breaking genre boundaries, creating cosmic musical and theatrical experiences. The 9-piece Sisterbot Band is a “punk pop chamber orchestra” complete with electric guitar, drums, piano, strings and horn. “Truth House (2021) is a concept album written over the span of three years, encapsulating a chapter of my life that I spent in a house alone, dealing with the aftermath of trauma and rebirth.”- Sisterbot (Adee Dancy). Written by Sisterbot. Produced by Jametatone and Sisterbot. Engineered, Mixed, Mastered by Jametatone, except “Approval” which was Produced, Engineered, & Mixed by Andrew Bonci Jr. at Magnolia Tree Studios, with AJ Bonci on guitar, Just Angel and Sisterbot on vocals. Cover Art by Mazzy Mann. Adee Rocket Dancy released the single “Hello Moon (feat. The Swallowtails)” on April 26, 2021. (This song is alon on the Sisterbot album.) Produced by Jametatone & Adee Rocket Dancy. Adee Rocket Dancy on piano & vocals & cello; Rachel Lovelace on bassoon; Mikala Petillo on guitar & background vocals, Mixing and Mastering by Jametatone, (J. Asley Miller). Adee Rocket Dancy writes, “This is a song about my life-long love for the moon, featuring The Swallowtails (Rachel Lovelace and Miki P). Adee chose the date April 26, 2021, as their release date, to honor the full moon called “The Pink Moon.” More info at: Sisterbot.bandcamp.com]

12. Liam Kazar – Due North / Woodsist – Mare / August 6, 2021
    [KC-based, Chicago-raised musician & acclaimed chef/founder of the Armenian pop-up restaurant Isfahan, describes the making of Due North as a revelation, where the more he wrote, the more his songs showed what kind of artist he’s always wanted to be. A bandmate performing with artists like Jeff Tweedy, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and more, making his own songs presented a chance to find his own voice. But figuring out how to step out was a rewarding challenge. “This record kind of all stemmed from a conversation I had with Jeff,” says Kazar. “I showed him some of my earliest songs I was working on and he told me, ‘It sounds like you’re writing for the people in your bands, you’re not writing for yourself.’ He was completely right. I was not writing songs for myself.” With that needed insight, Kazar decided to start from scratch and write songs that felt like himself. // Jeff Tweedy said, “I love everything about Liam. His voice, his songs, the way he plays instruments, his smile, his cooking…. Everything,” says Tweedy. ”Whenever I hear one of his songs for the first time I almost immediately start thinking to myself, ‘oh yeah! This song! I love this song.’ It’s a magic trick few people can pull off: making something brand new sound like a cherished memory.” “There were 2 words I had in my head during the making of this record, which was joyful & vulnerable,” says Kazar, citing Al Green’s 1978 The Belle Album as an LP that encapsulates such a feeling. “I was trying to talk about things that I’m scared about but acknowledging that I’m not that powerful and you can still be joyful in the face of your own insecurities.” Take album highlight “Frank Bacon,” where Kazar sings, “When you’re running uphill and swimming upstream / Nothing’s ever gonna be the way it seems.” Despite any lyrical uncertainty the track is bursting with life, especially in the monster groove from drummer Spencer Tweedy & bassist Lane Beckstrom. Elsewhere on “Nothing To You,” Kazar finds the sweet spot between indie rock jangle and subtle country twang as he sings, “I hope you don’t resent / The love between your hands.” Along with Tweedy and Beckstrom, Kazar enlists keyboardist Dave Curtin (Woongi), co-producer James Elkington on pedal steel, as well as Ohmme and Andrew Sa on backing vocals. Opener “So Long Tomorrow” showcases the band’s chemistry, a winding jam full of playful & soulful instrumental flourishes. One of the last songs written for the album, it was recorded remotely in quarantine but despite the distance the band’s tight bond is obvious. “These songs totally blew me away the first time I heard them: they sound like David Bowie meets the Band,” says Mare Records co-founder Kevin Morby. Due North was mixed by Sam Evian at his Flying Cloud Recordings Studio in upstate New York. “Sam knew exactly what I’m trying to do with this record,” says Kazar. “He put the whole track listing together and really had a vision for the record that I needed at that time.” // Like most musicians, the pandemic threw Kazar for a loop, knocking out both his touring revenue and his part-time gigs as a bartender. With more than enough time in his KC home, he decided to pursue his longtime love of cooking by creating the restaurant, Isfahan. With recipes that honor his Armenian heritage & family’s journey to USA from Iran, Syria, & Lebanon, Kazar’s cooking has received press from Time Out Chicago & Eater. “In COVID, my mantra was to not have my heart broken about the future and be present,” says Kazar, explaining that ethos is one of the reasons why he named the LP Due North. Though Due North is full of songs that act as a mirror to Kazar’s many talents, few sum it up as concisely as “No Time For Eternity.” On the track, he and Chicago country crooner Andrew Sa sing over wailing pedal steel, taking stock of the most important things in life: “Making time to live my life / Making time for you and me.” “The reality of my life is that when I come home, and I’m talking with my partner, maybe we had a bad day, but we still are laughing & having a good time with each other at the same time,” says Kazar. “I had to make music that expressed that part of me that’s a person who genuinely enjoys themselves.”]

13. The Greeting Committee – Dandelion / Harvest Records / September 24, 2021
    [Formed in KC in 2015 with Addie Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Austin Fraser, & Pierce Turcotte. This EP is 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. “Ada” is 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. You can listen to “Ada” at: thegcband.lnk.to/ada.]

14. Claire Adams – You Know I Know You / Claire Adams / April 24, 2020
    [Lost in the COVID 19 of 2020, Properly given a release show and put out on CD in 2021. 10 songs all written by Claire Adams. Recorded at The Blue House in Kansas City, MO. Additional tracking at MARZ Studios in Nederland, TX. Mixed & mastered at Weights + Measures Soundlab in KCMO. Written by Claire Adams, with Claire Adams on guitars, bass, and vocals; Alyssa Murray on keyboards & vocals; and Fritz Hutchison on drums & vocals. Claire also released: Words of Love on Feb. 5, 2021 – Recorded and Produced by Claire Adams at Casa 34 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Mixed and Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights + Measures in Kansas City, MO. Cover Photo by Hugo Parasol. ‘So This Is Love’ written by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ written by Ben Weisman, ‘Till There Was You’ written by Meredith Wilson. “Words of Love” written by Claire Adams. ‘Calico Skies’ written by Paul McCartney. Claire also released the EP Moras under the moniker, Mismo Sismo (same earthquake) on July 21, 2021. Claire Adams wrote and recorded this EP at home during the first months of the COVID-19 quarantine. The three songs are meant to be played all together but also stand alone. Mismo Sismo is a collaboration with photographer Hugo Parasol. Claire played guitar on True Lions album THE FEMPIRE STRIKES BACK. In 2020 Claire played with the band Ondist on songs from three full length albums, No Coincidence on June 12, and Electricity on Aug. 14, and Mise en Place on Nov. 13, 2020 with songs recorded at Weights & Measures with Duane Trower with Sam Platt on drums, Eddie Moore on keyboards, DeAndre Manning on bass, Jamie Anderson on guitar, Claire Adams on vocals, and Jillian Riscoe on vocals. Claire also participated in Katy Guillen and The Girls Reunion shows in summer of 2021. Claire Adams was our guest on WMM on April 7, 2021. More info at: https://claireadams.bandcamp.com%5D

15. Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams / Transgressive Records / January 29, 2021
    [Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho was on August 9, 2000. She is known professionally as Arlo Parks, is a British singer-songwriter and poet. Her debut studio album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released in 2021 to critical acclaim and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. // Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho was born on 9 August 2000 and raised in Hammersmith, West London. She is half Nigerian, quarter Chadian and quarter French. Her mother was born in Paris. Marinho learnt to speak French before she did English. // Parks chose her stage name in the manner of King Krule and Frank Ocean. In 2018, she began uploading demos to BBC Music Introducing which caught the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ Jess Iszatt who distributed these demos to Ali Raymond of Beatnik Creative, who soon began managing Parks. She made her solo debut when she released the song “Cola” through Beatnik Records in November 2018, and announced the release of her debut EP, Super Sad Generation. She told Line of Best Fit that the song is “a reminder that betrayal is inevitable when it comes to pretty people that think flowers fix everything.” Olivia Swash wrote that the vocals on the song “flourish thanks to [Parks’] creative writing background, with her delicate tone taking centre stage against the gently plodding guitars and soft crackle of vinyl.” By November 2019, the song had amassed over three million streams on Spotify. // Following the release of “Cola”, Parks signed to Transgressive Records. She released the title track of her upcoming EP, Super Sad Generation, in January 2019. Robin Murray told Clash that the song portrays an “astute, nuanced creative control that also utilises word-play that speaks of youthful emotions spinning out of control.” Her third single, “Romantic Garbage”, was released in March 2019, before the release of the full four-track EP, Super Sad Generation in early April 2019. The EP was recorded in her home in South West London and an Airbnb in the Angel district of London. // Parks performed her first-ever gig at The Great Escape in Brighton in May 2019, and has gone on to perform on the BBC Music Introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival in late June 2019, as well as at Latitude Festival in July 2019. She embarked on her first tour supporting Jordan Rakei on the UK leg of his tour in September 2019. Throughout the last half of 2019 Parks released the songs “George”, “Second Guessing”, “Sophie”, and “Angel’s Song” ahead of her second EP, Sophie Sean Kerwick told DIY that the five-track EP “oozes with the hang-ups of heartbreak and mortality; a topic that seems to overshadow many gen-Z musicians.” // Parks embarked on her first headlining tour of Europe in February/March 2020, but could not complete it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Parks released the singles “Eugene” and “Black Dog”, which were well received during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the latter of which became BBC Radio 1’s Tune of the Week. Parks made the front cover of NME in late July 2020. She won the AIM Independent Music Award for One to Watch in 2020 in August 2020, after losing the same award to Georgia a year before. Parks and Moses Boyd made the front cover of Music Week for the publication’s indie takeover special following the AIM Awards ceremony. Parks released her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, on 29 January 2021. // Parks is openly bisexual and is based in London. She was educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith and completed her A Levels in early 2019. In her auto-biographical blurb on her Spotify profile, Parks claimed that she spent most of secondary school “feeling like that black kid who couldn’t dance for shit, listening to too much emo music and crushing on some girl in her Spanish class.” // Parks has named Sylvia Plath and Joni Mitchell as among her influences. More info at: http://www.arloparksofficial.com]

16. Riley The Musician – Montana / Snafu Records / November 19, 2021
    [Riley The Musician is the musical project of Ana Kennedy Domville, a 22-year old Transgender musical artist from Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She released her singles: “99” and “Miss America” on February 15, and May 3, 2021. Snafu Records released her singles: “Ice Out (Reloaded)” on September 10, and “She Drives a Harley” on October 22, 2021. Riley released the 5-track EP, TEENAGE HEART- THROB on June 29, 2018. Riley released the 13-track album ART IS DEAD, on June 6, 2019. Riley released the 7-track EP, ANA KENNEDY, on July 10, 2020. Riley released the 7-track EP, ANA KENNEDY DEMOS, on Sept. 4, 2020. Riley released the 2-track Single, “Iced Out” b/w “Ice Out (Slowed)” on Sept. 16, 2020. Riley released the single “99” on February 15, 2021. Ana Kennedy was our guest on WMM on June 23, 2021 and on November 10, 2021. More info at: https://linktr.ee/rileythemusician%5D

17. Company No Company – Bright Fog / Company No Company / September 3, 2021
    [The first single off BRIGHT FOG. Music by Company No Company William Smith on vocals, guitar, synthesizers, RC-505, percussion; John Bersuch on drums and percussion, additional keyboards, synths; and Wade Allen Williamson on live support. Produced, Mixed, Programmed, Organized and Saxophone by David Gaume Los Angeles, CA. Recorded by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios Kansas City, MO. Kansas City musician Billy Smith is a veteran of the Kansas City Music Community. Billy grew up in Kansas City and studied at Missouri State University. He has been a principal member of the band: Season to Risk, Roman Numerals, Thee Water MoccaSins, Olympic Size, and was part of the bands Dirt/Nap and diels. Billy also contributes to the community as a DJ and for amny years he booked bands at recordbar, The Brick, The Hurricane and Czar Bar. Billy Smith has also worked with the World Wrestling Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Marcel Mobile Art, Moxie Catering, and the legendary Recycled Sounds record store owned by Anne Winter and Kurt von Schlemmer. Billy grew up in KC listening the Little Orphan Annie Anne Winter’s Punk show on 90.1 FM KKFI and the going to Recycled Sounds to find the music. // Earlier this year Billy’s band Olympic Size released the EP, Long Soak on May 11, 2021. ‘Long Soak’ was Four lost tracks from the band’s repertoire.. // Dave Gaumé (Engineer for Garbage, Local Natives, Failure) expertly mixed and mastered the songs back into existence, and even more, into modern climate relevance. Originally recorded in 2011 by Chris Cosgrove (KCPT, Thee Water MoccaSins, Zoom) ‘Sunshine,’ ‘Train to Mexico’ and ‘Push Away’ all feature the drumming of Chris Metcalf (Stella Link, The Life & Times). The final track, ‘I’d Rather Die,’ was engineered by Nick Day at the now defunct but ever legendary Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas. This song features Ryan Pope of The Get Up Kids on drums. Before the band could finish the essential tracking to these songs, they had fizzled out and began to focus on outside musical projects. // In 2016, Olympic Size rallied to join forces with David Moore of Merriam Shoal Studios (The Hearers, The Ants) to finalize and finish the guts of these previous recordings. Moore guided the band in capturing the essence and energy of each track. They quickly recorded vocal and instrument overdubs, but with band activity and no label outlet, these songs sat on the shelves … until now. // All proceeds of ‘Long Soak’ will go directly to Midwest Music Foundation to support KC musicians in their time of need. Info at: http://www.olympicsize1.bandcamp.com. // We first discovered the music of Olympic Size on the 2007 OxBlood First Blood Compilation that feature them with The Republic Tigers, Ghosty, In The Pines, Roman Numerals, The Pedaljets, Ssion, American Catastrophe, Architects, Lovers in Transet, Ne/Non, Namelessnumberheadman and Softee. That compilation was an early roadmap to the area music community for our early years on WMM. 2004 ear Olympic Size included: William Smith on guitar & vocals; Wade Allen Williamson on guitar & keyboard; Kirsten Paludan on vocals & keyboard; Christopher Tolle on bass, background vocals, 12 string guitar & percussion; Michael Walker on trombone, melodica, & percussion. // The last official Olympic Size release we’ve played on the radio show was, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone from 2008. Olympic Size provided the soundtrack to the independent film “We Will Make You Whole Again.” Their music was also played on MTV. Olympic Size: William Smith on guitar & vocals; Wade Allen Williamson on guitar & keyboard; Kirsten Paludan on vocals & keyboard; Christopher Tolle on bass, background vocals, 12 string guitar & percussion; Michael Walker on trombone, melodica, & percussion, with Chris Metcalf on drums for ‘Sunshine,’ ‘Train to Mexico’ and ‘Push Away’, Ryan Pope on drums for ‘I’d Rather Die’, Katie Benyo on violin & background vocals on ‘Train to Mexico’ and ‘Sunshine’ and Darren Welch on background vocals for ‘Train to Mexico’. Company No Company played recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO on September 3, 2021, with Lesser Pleasures and Redder Moon. William Smith was our guest on WMM on September 1, 2021]

18. BLACKSTARKIDS – Puppies Forever / Dirty Hit Records / October 15, 2021
    [“Puppies Forever” is the fourth album released by Kansas City band BLACKSTARKIDS, and their second album under indie record label Dirty Hit. “Juno” was the first single from the album. Blackstarkids are phenomenon who came out of Kansas City in 2020 became the soundtrack for the summer. Blackstarkids are a pop/R&B/hip-hop trio based in Kansas City, Missouri. Members include: TheBabeGabe, Deiondre, and TyFaizon (of the Drop Dead XX collective). The members have known each other since high school in Raytown, Missouri. Members met at Raytown South High School and formed the band in 2019. The group released its first album, Let’s Play Sports, on August 1, 2019. Blackstarkids then released their second album SURF through their own label Bedroom Records on February 28, 2020. SURF was #3 on WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2020. B;ackstarkids was one of the most played bands on WMM in 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 October 29, 2020, Blackstarkids released Whatever, Man on Dirty Hit Records, their third album release of 2020. Gabe, of Blackstarkids recently described the KC Music community to an interviewer, “The music scene here is really nice. There are a lot of bands who are super talented and do all types of genres. The jazz music here is really great as well. Kansas City is honestly a hidden gem when it comes to music. I feel like you can meet an artist anywhere and anyplace in this city.” Deiondre added, “The music scene here is getting cool now, there’s a lot of jazz musicians that go to school for music here too but you can find people from different scenes all over if around the city.” Ty wrote, “The Kansas City scene is great, the community here is so supportive and genuine. This is a really prideful city here and I think they’re finally getting the musicians they deserve.”]

19. Art d’Ecco – In Standard Definition / Paper Bag Records Records / April 23, 2016
    [Art d’Ecco is based in British Columbia, “There’s more than a little David Bowie in both the sonic and fashion leanings of Art d’Ecco, a performer who fluidly crosses musical and gender lines, creating highly memorable tracks — and sporting an unforgettable look. Often labelled “neo glam,” the music boasts hints of everything from ’50s pop to psychedelics, from Velvet Underground-era art rock to Grimes-inspired electronics.” – CBC Music Art d’Ecco released the album Trespasser on Paper Bag Records on October 12, 2018. When d’Ecco moved into his grandmother’s cottage on one of the islands, he hadn’t planned on creating a new project. But, as it often does, circumstance charted his course. His grandmother, living with Alzheimer’s, suffered a related phenomenon called ‘sundowning,’ which triggers increased agitation and anxiety around sunset. “The only way to calm this lady down was to sit down at the piano,” says d’Ecco. He would play “Bohemian Rhapsody,” passing it off as Beethoven. After she was relocated, d’Ecco remained in the empty house where he had played as a child. Draped in memory, he gravitated toward the piano, spending the long, lonesome, quiet nights on the bench before the instrument. This is where Art d’Ecco was created. He relocated to a new cottage, built a studio and barricaded himself with copies of Deerhunter’s Cryptograms, Bowie’s Low, and choice krautrock records. In this solitude, d’Ecco would chase tones for hours. The result is a richly-realized confluence of the ferocious spark of those trailblazers and a distinct sadness, with d’Ecco as mad scientist, stitching together these delicious fragments and animating them. Art d’Ecco was our guest on September 29, 2021.]

20. Approach – Merely, Minutes In A Day {Section 2: Antique Mall} / Datura Records / Dec. 4, 2020
    [Produced, Sequenced, Recorded, Photography, Mixed & Mastered By: Aikido Bray. Approach writes: “Antique Mall” is fitting title for a album that has sat in the vault over 5 years. When the recording of this album was finished, I realized it didn’t compliment the sonics of the season. I felt like waiting until the sonic coloring matched the vibration of the times would be the best move. 5 years later a time capsule of love is ready to be revealed. Please enjoy your tour around of my “Antique Mall.” More info at: http://www.daturarecords.bandcamp.com/album/merely-minutes-in-a-day-section-2-antique-mall // Joe Good is Jamal Gamby one half of the the critically acclaimed hip hop band Sounds Good with producer musician beat maker Miles Bonny. Both gentlemen retired their Sounds Good project after two albums and several singles, to start families and become fathers. // This new Approach release is a Follow up to Merely Minutes, In A Day from Datura Records released February 4, 2019. Produced, Sequenced, Recorded, Photography, Mixed & Mastered By: Aikido Bray. Artwork & Design By: The Art My Life Imitates. Legendary Kansas based emcee/producer Approach is Sean Hunt who’s been in the game for almost 20 years. He’s released almost a dozen records and traveled the world over the span of his career. He’s also the cofounder of Datura Records, a hip hop label started in 2000. Approach helps curate the roster.]

21. Wyndsrfr – Golden Years / Jacob Prestidge / June 11, 2021
    [First single from Golden Years was released May 14, 2021. In early 2017, husband and wife Jacob and Danielle Prestidge packed up everything they owned, sold their home in Kansas City and headed for the west coast. Behind them they left their families, a city they loved, a few library fines and their folk-rock band, (The Blackbird Revue) with whom they had performed over 200 concerts in the previous 2 years. // They both knew it was time for a change. // Upon arriving in Los Angeles, they set up a home studio, purchased some vintage synthesizers and set about the process of musical reconstruction – building a new sound that captured the neon glow of palm tree sunsets and the visionary spirit of this city of dreamers, while still carrying traces of the longing of midwestern winters. Wyndsrfr was born. // To date, Wyndsrfr’s music has been heard around the world with over 2 million digital streams, as well as features on NBC, ABC, Fox, ESPN, MTV, CNN, The Discovery Channel and more. // Now, with their new album, Golden Years they offer their most compelling and fully realized vision to date, deftly pulling elements of synthwave, post-rock, and ambient music together in their unique blend of vibrant, top down dream-rock, perfect for a nice set of headphones or a sunset drive up the coast. Jacob and Danielle Prestidge joined us LIVE on WMM on June 30, 2021. More info at: http://www.wyndsrfr.com]

22. Samantha Fish – Faster / Rounder Records – Concord Music / September 10, 2021
    [Samantha Fish, born January 30, 1989, is an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. Samantha Fish grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Fish started out playing drums, but when she was 15 she switched to the guitar. Fish frequently went to the Knuckleheads Saloon to hear touring Blues artists. After turning 18, she often joined in with the singers and bands who were performing at Knuckleheads. In 2009, Fish recorded and produced Live Bait. The live album attracted the attention of a talent company, who recommended her to Ruf Records. Ruf Records put together a record with Fish and two other female blues artists, Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde, titled Girls with Guitars. The three guitarists then toured on the Ruf Records 2011 Blues Caravan in the U.S. and Europe. Fish continued touring with the Samantha Fish Band, featuring “Go-Go Ray” Pollard on drums and Chris Alexander on bass, playing in Europe and the United States. In 2011, Fish recorded Runaway with the help of her mentor Mike Zito. The album won the 2012 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist. Fish appeared on Devon Allman’s 2013 album Turquoise in a duet covering the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks’ song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. During the summer of 2013, Fish was called up on stage to play with a skeptical Buddy Guy who was so impressed with her playing on the guitar, he declared with a beaming smile to his audience, “When this kind of shit happens, I’ll play all night!” In 2013, Fish released her second major studio album, Black Wind Howlin’, featuring Mike Zito on guitar, Yonrico Scott on drums, Johnny Sansome on harmonica, and Paul Thorn, vocal duet on one track. The album was recorded in Dockside Studios, in Maurice, Louisiana. Mike Zito’s bandmates from his group Royal Southern Brotherhood, Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton, were brought in to assist in the session recordings. Also in 2013, Fish appeared on The Healers Live at Knuckleheads Saloon, producing a CD/DVD collaboration with Jimmy Hall, Reese Wynans, Kate Moss, and Danielle and Kris Schnebelen (sister and brother, formerly of the band Trampled Under Foot). Proceeds benefit the Blue Star Connection. The Healers occasionally perform together as their schedule permits. Fish’s third studio album, Wild Heart was released on July 10, 2015. The new album is more roots rock than her earlier blues rock. Fish wrote five songs on the record. She co-wrote five other songs with Jim McCormick in Nashville, Tennessee. Luther Dickinson produced the album, as well as played various stringed instruments (guitar, bass, mandolin, lap steel) to flesh out the sound. The album was recorded in four studios, Royal Studios and Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, Zebra Ranch in Coldwater, Mississippi, and Blade Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. Other musicians on the record are Brady Blade (drums), Lightnin’ Malcolm (guitar), Shardé Thomas (drums), Dominic Davis (bass), Shontelle Norman-Beatty (background vocals), and Risse Norman (background vocals). Fish released her fourth solo album, Chills & Fever on March 17, 2017. The album was recorded in Detroit and was recorded with members of the band The Detroit Cobras. Bobby Harlow produced the album. Belle of the West followed in December 2017. Fish released her sixth solo album, Kill or Be Kind, on September 20, 2019, on her new label, Rounder Records.]

23. Bob Walkenhorst – A Thousand Words / BAT Records / June 1, 2021
    [Bob Walkenhorst’s new 12 song album came out on his 68th Birthday. Bob Walkenhorst is a Kansas City-based singer, songwriter, musician, and painter. After growing up in his hometown of Norborne, Missouri, he became a founding member of The Rainmakers, which had national and international hits in the 1980s and 90s, and continue to this day touring and recording new music. With The Rainmakers, Bob has released over 12 albums. Throughout his career as a musician, Walkenhorst has maintained a reputation for producing clever and provocative lyrics, which have garnered him wide critical acclaim. In discussing the self-titled debut of The Rainmakers, Billboard called them “a band with a rarity: a genuinely witty songwriter.” A 1987 review in the Washington Post cited the cleverness while also noting irreverent humor. On a very different note, a review from later that year in the Chicago Tribune observed, “Walkenhorst’s lyrics are preoccupied with morality, although he avoids a moralizing tone.” Over three decades later, in 2018, the Richmond (Missouri) News said, “His unique vocals and viewpoints have garnered him a dedicated following, through more than 30 years in the music scene.” Perhaps the best-known fan of The Rainmakers and Walkenhorst was Stephen King, who included lyrics from the songs “Downstream” and “Drinkin’ on the Job” in The Tommyknockers. In Gerald’s Game, King excerpted “One More Summer”—citing Walkenhorst by name—and adopted Walkenhorst’s character “The Lakeview Man” in service of the story. A THOUSAND WORDS is beautiful and shows the range of Bob Walkenhorst’s gifts as a master songwriter and poet. This is Bob’s second solo album, and his comes 18 years after his first solo album, THE BEGINNER, from 2003. The album is also evidence of the wide open vocal range of a rock and roller who can call upon his expressive voice, giving listeners lyrics with a growl and also rising to sing the high parts of the harmony, not in a falsetto, but actually singing like a angel in a duet with Una Walkenhorst his equally talented singer songwriter daughter. With Una, Bob recorded the critically acclaimed FOR TOMORROW that was released October 12, 2018, where they split the difference, taking turns as songwriters for the album’s songs, written individually, and recorded together, in clear beautiful harmonies, with that extra special shared musical DNA, that can be heard in the harmonies of The Carter Family, Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, or Shy Boys. FOR TOMORROW was #2 on WMM’s 118 Best recordings of 2018. Una Walkenhorst is the youngest daughter of Bob Walkenhorst.This album continues on in the spirit of FOR TOMORROW. Bob Walkenhorst was our guest on June 2, 2021 on WMM. More info at: http://www.bobwalkenhorst.com]

24. namelessnumberheadman – Plot The Points / Namelessnumberheadman / Sept. 24, 2021
    [Namelessnumberheadman is: Chuck Whittington, Jason Lewis, and Andrew Sallee. In 2019 Namelessnumberheadman released three instrumental records (The Ground, Current, and Meditations) which we were very proud of. But during the shutdown in 2020 we decided to dive back into our classic way of working: melding catchy rock/folk songs with sonic panoramas. “Namelessnumberheadman is a band that holds polar opposites together: Acoustic guitar with synthesizer. Human voices with sound glitches. The organic with the synthetic. The ground with the stars.” The guitar and vocal work is always perfection. The music crosses through genre like an an olympic ice skater, I’m hearing the production quality of an Air album, from a band presenting the,selve not unlike late 1980s DEVO, with folk, country, progressive guitar, and harmonic, clear vocals that remind me of my humanity, while tumble traveling through space and time in a cluttered world this music takes me into a different space. Originally from small-town Oklahoma, but now Kansas City-based with one member in Boston, the band crafts recordings and live performances that are part lab-experiment and part indie rock band. In 2009 the band’s song “Lesser Fates” was included in 72 Musicians the film and soundtrack. On Wednesday Midday Medley we first discovered the music of namelessnumberheadman on the 2007 OxBlood First Blood Compilation that featured the band’s song “Unchopping Our First Tree” with somgs from, Olympic Size, The Republic Tigers, Ghosty, In The Pines, Roman Numerals, The Pedaljets, Ssion, American Catastrophe, Architects, Lovers in Transet, Be/Non, and Softee. That compilation was an early roadmap to the area music community for the early years of WMM. Chuck Whittington also plays in the band Summer Breeze: a tribute to Yacht Rock and also plays in the “house band” for ThunderGong! both with Billy Brimblecom and Greg LaFollette and others. Chuck Whittington & Andrew Sallee joined us live on WMM on September 15, 2021.]

25. Making Movies – La Cuarentena EP / 3/2 Recordings / February 5, 2021
    [Making Movies is a Kansas City based 4-piece band and made up of : Enrique Chi on guitar and lead vocals; Diego Chi on bass & vocals; Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion & keyboards; and Duncan Burnett on drums. The band draws their influences from the origins of their families: Santiago, Panama, and KC Missouri, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Not long after Making Movies released their newest single “Could You” on January 12, 2021 the band released a sneak peek of the new music they’ve been working on. The 7-song, La Cuarentena EP included a brand new version of the first Making Movies song, “La Marcha” and the lullaby “Could You?” (both mixed by Jim Eno of Spoon and tracked at Memphis Magnetic studio), and the love ballad “Una Vida.” The EP also includes: covers of Talking Heads and Tears for Fears classics, plus bonus live acoustic tracks. This EP was made available on BandCamp for only three days on February 5 through February 7, 2021. Since then it has been made private, an is not available anywhere. In regard to the new song “Could You” Making Movies lead singer Enrique Javier Chi writes, “I was thinking about what to share for “Could You?” and I just go back to the fact that Memphis is a profound place… it is a place where you can feel what America truly is and where it comes from. I think you see and feel the reality that so much of this nation was built from exploiting people. You can see that our pop culture is driven by the Black community and yet that community is still the most oppressed in the nation. Things are still so messed up. // Memphis is the place where Elvis started singing black music with a country twang and where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. It’s a beautiful place, it’s a charming place, it feels at times downtrodden and it’s a place that reminds me of home (both Kansas City and Panamá in different ways. Our experiences going to Memphis gave us the context to create “Could You?” It was filmed originally for AMERI’KANA TV, but we feel like we needed to share it now. In its initial role, it served as a pacifier for me, something that would help me feel a little better when I felt super anxious, so hopefully, it will feel like that for you.” Making Movies also released the 6-track EP BORING BITS, on May 7, 2021, which includes their single “La Marcha.” Making Movies released their critically acclaimed album ameri’kana through 3/2 Recordings on May 24, 2019. This was #1 on WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Produced by Steve Berlin and Ben Yonas. The notes for this album read: “ameri’kana is a canary in a coal mine, the watchman at the tower. It is a desire to remember where we come from and assure that we better ourselves in every step along our journey. Every chapter is an example, a reason to not be silent and not accept corrupt leaders as something inevitable. ameri’kana is based on faith, faith that every person on this continent carries within themselves the ability to grow, to awaken their consciousness and merits of the same rights. We were accomplices to get ourselves to this point so we will have to be accomplices in the solutions.” This was the band’s follow up release to their critically acclaimed, I Am Another You, released May 26, 2017. The quartet has toured with Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation, Cold War Kids, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Tennis, Sergio Mendoza of Calexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Enrique Chi joined us on WMM on May 19, 2021.]

26. Low – Hey What / Sub Pop Records / September 10, 2021
    [Focusing on their craft, staying out of the fray, and holding fast their faith to find new ways to express the discord and delight of being alive, to turn the duality of existence into hymns we can share, Low present HEY WHAT. These ten pieces—each built around their own instantaneous, undeniable hook—are turbocharged by the vivid textures that surround them. The ineffable, familiar harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker break through the chaos like a life raft. Layers of distorted sound accrete with each new verse – building, breaking, colossal then restrained, a solemn vow only whispered. There will be time to unravel and attribute meaning to the music and art of these times, but the creative moment looks FORWARD, with teeth. HEY WHAT is Low’s thirteenth full-length release in twenty-seven years, and their third with producer BJ Burton.]

27. Vince Staples – Vince Staples / Blacksmith-Motown-UMG / July 9, 2021
    [Vincent Jamal Staples was born July 2, 1993. He is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of the hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz alongside fellow Californian rappers Aston Matthews and Joey Fatts. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, in particular Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt. He is currently signed to Motown Records and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to prominence with appearances on albums by Odd Future members and his collaborative mixtape titled Stolen Youth with Mac Miller, who produced the project. In Oct. 2014, he released his debut EP Hell Can Wait, which included the singles “Hands Up” and “Blue Suede”. His debut album, Summertime ’06, was released on June 30, 2015, to critical acclaim. He was also featured as a part of the XXL 2015 Freshman Class. His 2nd album Big Fish Theory, which contains the singles “BagBak”, “Big Fish”, and “Rain Come Down”, incorporates avant-garde, dance, and electronic influences. It was released on June 23, 2017, to further acclaim from critics. On November 2, 2018, Staples released his third studio album, FM!. On July 9, 2021, Vince released his self-titled 4th studio album.]

28. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg / 4AD / April 2, 2021
    [Dry Cleaning is an English post-punk band who formed in South London in 2018. Dry Cleaning is Florence Cleopatra Shaw on vocals, Thomas Paul Dowse on guitar, Nicholas Hugh Andrew Buxton on drums & percussion, and Lewis Maynard on bass. Produced and mixed by John Parish. Engineered by Joe Jones. Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouthshire, Wales. Mixed at Invada Studios, Bristol, England. Engineered by Stu Matthews. Mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud. All songs written and recorded by Dry Cleaning (Warp Publishing). The band is noted for their use of spoken word primarily in lieu of sung vocals, as well as their unconventional lyrics. Their musical stylings have been compared to Wire, Magazine and Joy Division. The band released their debut single, “Magic of Meghan” in 2019. Shaw wrote the song after going through a break-up and moving out of her former partner’s apartment the same day that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were engaged. This was followed by the release of two EPs that year: Sweet Princess in August and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks in October. The band were included as part of the NME 100 of 2020, as well as DIY magazine’s Class of 2020. The band signed to 4AD in late 2020. More info at: http://www.drycleaningband.com]

29. Tune-Yards – Sketchy / 4AD / March 26, 2021
    [Fifth studio album by indie pop band Tune-Yards. Writing for the album began in 2019, in the band’s own studio in Oakland, California. On September 22, 2020, Tune-Yards released “Nowhere, Man”, the first single in two years. The single is a reference to The Beatles’ 1965 song Nowhere Man. Lead vocalist Merrill Garbus said of the single: “The song and the video for “nowhere, man” were created under conditions of feeling squeezed and pushed to the brink – relatively, of course. I wanted to ask, “How loudly do I have to shout and sing before I’m heard?” And the video asks, too, “What am I not hearing?” We hope the music brings energy and a strong wind of encouragement to those who are shouting and singing loudly for justice right now.” The second single “Hold Yourself” was released on January 27, 2021. In a statement, the band said: “This song is about feeling really betrayed, by my parents’ generation, and at the same time, really seeing how we are betraying the future”. The band performed the single on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 22, 2021. On March 18, 2021, Tune-Yards performed the single “Hypnotized” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. A week later, on March 23, 2021, the band released the single. Tune-Yards is the Oakland, California–based music project of musician Merrill Garbus (born March 3, 1979), with long-time collaborator, bassist Nate Brenner. Garbus’s music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and utilizes elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion. Tune-Yards’ 2011 album Whokill was ranked the number one album of that year in The Village Voice’s annual Pazz and Jop critic’s poll. // The album Nikki Nack was released in 2014, with its first single, “Water Fountain”, being picked up by Google Pixel in 2016 for an advertising campaign. The album I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life was released in January 2018. At the same time, the Tune-Yards provided an atmospheric score for the sci fi film Sorry to Bother You. // Garbus was born in 1979 and was raised in New York City and in New Canaan, Connecticut. She attended Smith College. She was a puppeteer for the Sandglass Theater in Vermont and lived in Montreal where she played ukulele in the band Sister Suvi with guitarist Patrick Gregoire and drummer Nico Dann. Merrill’s sister Ruth Garbus is also a musician who has played solo and in the band Happy Birthday. After releasing her first Tune-Yards album in 2008, she moved to Oakland, California, where her partner in Tune-Yards, Nate Brenner, also lives. // The first Tune-Yards album, Bird-Brains (stylized as BiRd-BrAiNs) was originally self-released by Garbus on recycled cassette tape. It was recorded using only a handheld voice recorder. A limited edition vinyl was released in June 2009, via the Portland-based imprint Marriage Records. In July 2009, it was announced that Tune-Yards had signed to 4AD, and a limited edition pressing of Bird-Brains was released on August 17, 2009. A full worldwide release followed on November 17 in North America. The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: “Want Me To” and “Real Live Flesh.” // A second album, Whokill (stylized as w h o k i l l), was released on April 19, 2011. A single from it, “Bizness”, came out in February 2011. It was produced by Garbus and engineered by Eli Crews at New, Improved Studios in Oakland, California. Applying the live approach to Garbus’ studio work for the first time, Garbus works with bass player Nate Brenner, who co-wrote some of the album’s songs. Comparing the act to Sonic Youth, Frontier Psychiatrist said, “if Bird-Brains was Garbus’ Evol, a record bursting with musical ideas that attempted to subvert the notion of song, who kill is Garbus’ Sister, a record that embraces the traditional pop song as a vehicle to convey those ideas.” The album as well as singles “Bizness” and “Gangsta” received mention on many top 2011 album and song lists, including Time, Rolling Stone, Spin, and the New York Times. In early 2012, the Village Voice’s annual “Pazz and Jop” poll of critics named Whokill the No. 1 album of 2011. The song “Fiya” is featured on a 2010 commercial for the Blackberry Torch, while the song “Gangsta” has been used in the television shows Orange Is the New Black, Letterkenny, Weeds and The Good Wife and the song “Bizness” was used in Season 3 of Transparent. // Garbus started recording material for her third LP during the latter half of 2013, with a working title of Sink-o. A May 6, 2014 release date was later announced with the title Nikki Nack. The album spawned three singles, including “Water Fountain”, which was featured in the soundtrack for EA Sports video game FIFA 15 as well as in a 2016 commercial for the Google Pixel. // A 4th album was released on January 19, 2018, called I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. The album showed more of an electronic influence. The single “Look at Your Hands” was released earlier, in October 2017, followed by “Heart Attack” in January. // Tune-Yards scored the satiric sci fi film Sorry to Bother You (2018). The film was shown at Sundance, then began a theatrical run. Its soundtrack songs are performed by the Coup, fronted by the film’s director, Boots Riley. Riley said he started working with the Tune-Yards in “early 2015” to create the film’s score, with demo tracks already available before the script was complete, and before the start of principal photography. Riley said he was attracted to Garbus’s voice, and to the band’s “unorthodox use of percussion and vocal layering. Info at: http://www.tune-yards.com]

30. José Gonzaléz – Local Valley / City Slang – Mute / September 17, 2021
    [José Gabriel González (born July 31, 1978) is a Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg. González is also a member of the band Junip, along with Tobias Winterkorn. Local Valley is the 4th studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter José González. It succeeds González’s third studio album Vestiges and Claws, which was released in 2015, as well as the live album Live in Europe. Three singles have preceded Local Valley, including “El Invento”, “Visions” “Head On”, and “Swing”. Local Valley was recorded & produced by José González at Studio Koltrast in Hakefjorden and Studio Koltrast in Linné, Sweden. “Line of Fire” is a re-recording of the 2013 song of the same name by González’s band, Junip. In 1976, the González family – made up of González’s father, a National University of San Luis psychology student, González’s mother, a fellow student studying biochemistry, both of whom were politically active, and González’s older sister, then an infant – fled Argentina after a right-wing military coup (military junta) seized power in March 1976, the beginning of the “Dirty War”. José was born two years later, in 1978, in a suburb of Gothenburg, Sweden. He has a younger sibling. He commented, “It’s a very small town. It has about a half-million people living there. It’s a pretty good music city by the ocean. It rains a lot there, but it’s beautiful in the summertime.” González grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music and has named Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez as a favorite artist. He said the first concert he went to was The Wailers. “I got their autographs and everything,” he said in an interview. “I was about 12 or so. At the time, my favorite music was Bob Marley and Michael Jackson.” González was in a PhD program for biochemistry at the University of Gothenburg. In 2003, he stopped working on the PhD, as his musical career became a new focus. The first band he played in was Back Against the Wall, a Gothenburg hardcore punk band influenced by Black Flag, The Misfits and the Dead Kennedys. He later played bass guitar in another hardcore band, Renascence, between 1993 and 1998. Between 1997 and 1998 José played guitar with rock band Only if You Call Me Jonathan. In June 2003 González released his debut solo release, a two-track 7″ single. The single was discovered by Joakim Gävert, co-founder of the then fledgling label Imperial Records who then signed González as their first official artist. In Oct. he released his debut album, Veneer, in Europe. The album was subsequently released in the UK on April 25, 2005, and in the U.S. on Sept. 6,2005. The album was made while González was a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg. González’ trademark sound is solo classical guitar with soft vocal melody. His work, although mostly original, also includes acoustic covers of such hits as “Heartbeats” by his fellow Swedes The Knife, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division, “Born in the U.S.A.” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” by Bruce Springsteen, “Hand on Your Heart” by Kylie Minogue, “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat, “Teardrop” by Massive Attack and “Last Snowstorm of the Year” by Low. His second album, In Our Nature, was released internationally on Sept. 22, 2007. The album’s lyrical content was in part influenced by his reading of books like The God Delusion by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and Practical Ethics by ethicist Peter Singer. In 2007, González won a European Border Breakers Award Award. Every year the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) recognize the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year. In 2010, a documentary about González called The Extraordinary Ordinary Life Of Jose Gonzalez was released. In December 2014, González performed at the sustainable lifestyle festival, Wonderfruit in Thailand. José Gonzaléz played the Uptown Theatre on Sept. 20 with Rufus Wainwright.]

31. Other Americans – Paranoid Fiction / Gran Calavera Records / February 9, 2021
    [8-song EP follow up to the band’s Oct. 19, 2019 release OA2. O.A. released their debut EP, Other Americans on June 29, 2018. Julie Berndsen on lead vocals, Adam Phillips on drums, Brandon Phillips on guitar, Michelle Bacon on bass. Produced by Brandon Phillips. Engineered by Joel Nanos. Recorded at Element Recording Studios in KC. All remixes by Mensa Deathsquad. Hailing from KCMO and Lawrence, KS, the electro-alternative OTHER AMERICANS are comprised of members of The Architects, Latenight Callers, The Philistines, Radar State and Brandon Phillips & The Condition. Other Americans is a virtual Midwestern supergroup. The cohorts first crossed paths in when a mutual friend and matchmaker introduced Brandon Phillips to vocalist Julie Berndsen “We were all looking for something new to do musically, recalls Brandon. “The way I remember it, a mutual friend (KC music producer Joel Nanos) told me that Julie was looking to start something new and I sent her a note about it. We had tacos to see if we liked each other.” Other Americans played Lemonade Park on Saturday, May 22, 2021, with Approach.]

32. Sam Wells – For The Deflated EP / French Exit Records / December 31, 2020
    [Debut EP from Kansas City, based singer songwriter Sam Wells who has shared stages with Betsy Phillips, Kelly Hunt, Andrew Ryan, The Zack Pietrini Band, and The Phantastics. She was featured as a composer and performer in the Kansas City Repertory Theater production of “Ghost Light” performed on the lawn of The Nelson Atkin Museum of Art in October, 2020. Sam has also performed in Troostival (2020), Kansas City Porchfest (2019) and Jamdemic. In 2019, Wells released her debut single “Lesson Learned.” In early 2020 Wells released her second single “Sugar” producer and engineered by Riley Corbin at the Lawrence Kansas Public Library recording studio. It was only a decade ago, Sam Wells sat in her bedroom learning the Corrine Bailey Ray classic “Put Your Records On”. This was all it took to ignite a lifetime love affair with music. With her smooth and sultry voice and the warm tones of a baritone ukulele, she shares stories of love, loss and everything in between. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Sam Wells has lived in Lawrence, but now calls KC home. Info at: http://www.whoissamwells.com. Sam Wells was our guest on WMM on January 20, 2021.]

33. Rob Rice – and the Devil’s Threesome / Mongrel Manor Records / March 21, 2021
    [Another song from the debut EP of Rob Rice titled, and the Devil’s Threesome to be released March 21, 2021. Singer/songwriter Rob Rice is a Kansas City native with a spark of millennial magic, his dusty acoustic music transitions from barn-burning ballads to soothing serenades, all of which contain notes of love, loss, and lust whilst learning to live with oneself through it all. On his debut EP and the Devil’s Threesome, Rob humbly assumes the role of choirmaster to a caravan of iconic Kansas City artists and musicians (12 in total) to create unique trios for each song, meditating and musing on the woes and wins of yesteryear. With instrumentation ranging from harp (Calvin Arsenia) and cello (Ezgi Karakus) to piano (Mark Lowrey) and layered vocals (Miki P), the collection remains cohesive with Rob’s compelling vocal melodies, introspective lyrics, and folky guitar. // and the Devil’s Threesome is a collection of six original songs Rob has composed and recorded that features a female and additional male accompaniment to showcase (hence the Devil’s Threesome. We first played Rob Rice last year when his track “Serial Lover” was part of the KC Syzygy Compilation released July 17, 2020. Info at: http://www.robricemakesmusic.com Rob Rice was on WMM on April 14, 2021]

34. Miki P – Don’t Lose Your Hope – EP / Miki P / June 25, 2021
    [Singer, songwriter, dreamer. Miki P makes music sometimes by herself and she leads the band Miki P and the Swallowtails.We first heard a different version of this song on the July 17, 2000 release of Kansas City Syzygy a special compilation of over 25 Kansas City-based musicians who created music during the shutdown of the world in the Spring of 2020. Though COVID-19 may have shut down innumerable business and altered our lives forever, one thing it couldn’t stop is the creative drive and spirit in the world’s artists. Kansas City Syzygy is a glimpse into the music created in the middle of the map in the middle of a pandemic. All proceeds donated to KC Tenants, a local nonprofit organized to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home. // Miki P contributed an earlier version of this track, but had created even more songs. The result is her new EP release, DON”T LOSE HOPE, 6 songs created in covid isolation, in Miki P’s home office space. Sitting & working from Miki’s computer, she composed and recorded 80% of the EP, working through the music like a journal entry, creating each song from her internal hurricane of emotions. All songs written, recorded, played, & mixed by Miki P. Recorded & Mixed with Emma Klien and Jake Hilger. Mastered by Joel Nanos.// Mikala Petillo, who was born in Kansas City, KS, and performed ‘She Loves You’ at her 7th grade talent show. In 9th grade she joined a teen-band called American Slim as drummer & vocalist, and released a full-length album, Irreplaceable, in 2017, played Middle of the Map Fest, Crossroads Music Fest, Kauffman Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art before officially ending in 2018. That year, at 21, Miki P began work on her debut solo-record, Dome of Swallows, released August 2, 2018. She then formed Miki P and the Swallowtails who released their first EP, Swallowtail in 2019, with Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, Cade Pool on drums, Robert Castillo on bass, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. In June they’ll release a follow up. With half of the band’s members having Classical music degrees, and the other half with Jazz degrees, Miki P is a self-taught musician/multi-instrumentalist & songwriter driving the Swallowtails into a creative collaboration like any other. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. Miki P and The Swallowtails –released, Right Where We Are /on August 21, 2020 with Rachel Lovelace on bassoon, Adee Dancy on cello & vocals, and Miki P on guitar & lead Vocals. Each member is an integral part of the Kansas City music scene, writing, arranging, performing, and collaborating original music for their own groups and several other projects in the metro. “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments, using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fell to Earth Bowie Tribute. She’s played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest. More info at: http://www.mikipmusic.com.]

35. Jass – At the Close of a Decade / JASS / November 26, 2022,
    [Jass is Jasmine “Jass” Crouch. She wrote, “After years of writing and recording in voice memos .. I decided to grab my iPad and began recording something that I am very proud of. I named it, At the Close of A Decade, and released it in November 2019. With my iPhone/iPad, some apple headphones, I created this project. The amazing people around me told me it was worth it, even when I didn’t believe it myself. I convinced myself I would be the only one that liked my songs. If you decide to listen you’ll hear sound clips of shows and movies that made a difference in the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself, and the way I overcame my experiences .. I remember asking my grandma and my son if I should release what I’ve been writing and they both said very simply to do it, so I’ve done it. I want to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been my soundboards during this process, all of the people that have asked me when it’s coming, the people that have kept me accountable, and believed that this time it was for real. My story is so very triumphant and beautiful because I have overcome experiences and shunned the fear I had to do what I love. It’s crazy how you can talk your way out of some amazing things and also how you can talk yourself into making some amazing things happen. If you partake, I hope you enjoy.” More info at: http://www.jassrcouch.com. Jass played Apocalypse Meow 14, on Saturday, November 6, at 7:00 PM – A Virtual Livestream Concert & Online Auction Broadcast from recordBar, with Katy Guillen & The Drive, Sons of Great Dane, Nathan Corsi and The Perfect Strangers, and Julia Othmer. More info: midwestmusicfoundation.org]

36. Stik Figa – Stik Figa EP / Stik Figa / April 2, 2021
    [From Stik Figa’s bandcamp page: “Stik Figa returns with quick strike release for Bandcamp Friday! 3 unreleased tracks for my real supporters that you won’t find anywhere else! Thank you all for continuing following me on this music journey.” All songs written and performed by Stik Figa. Track 1. “Stik Figa: was produced and mixed by Calvin Valentine and recorded by Joshua Browning @ Lucky Seven Studios; Lawrence, KS. Track 2. “Felt Like It” was produced by Mike Hurst and recorded and mixed by Sean Patrick @ Twlvs Studio; Fort Worth, TX. Track 3. “JYLND Freestyle” was produced by Mike Hurst and recorded and mixed by Sean Patrick @ Twlvs Studios; Fort Worth, TX. photography and layout by Well Cultured. // Stik Figa is rapper from Topeka, KS who cut his teeth on the Kansas City rap scene for close to a decade. Making a name for himself as a charismatic performer and premier lyricist in the region, releasing 9 solo albums and multiple collaborations // Later partnering with notable independent hip-hop label Mello Music Group releasing collaboration with L’Orange, “The City Under the City” and straight forward hip-hop album Central Standard Time. Stik Figa also released the 7-track album, EAST OF MacVICAR AVE on September 17, 2021, and the singles: “Gold Laces” with DJ Sean P, on Sept. 10, 2021, “Thank You, Lord” on Sept. 3, 2021, and “Knowhere Pt. 3” on Aug. 17. Stik Figa & Conductor Williams released the 10-track release, JOYLAND on November 12, 2021. More info at: http://www.stikfiga785.bandcamp.com]

37. Redder Moon – Land of the Blind EP / Redder Moon / June 13, 2021
    [Jeremiah James Gonzales on guitar, bass, analog drums, producing, arranging and composing with new collaborators; Brody Lowe (from Portland, Oregon) on synths and Jill McKeever (For Strange Women) on vocals & lyrics. Music: Jeremiah James Gonzales and Brody Lowe. Vocals, lyrics: Jill McKeever (except Favors for Flavors: Vocals and lyrics by Jeremiah James Gonzales and Jill McKeever) GLM Records. Mixed/Mastered by David Gaumé © 2021. The band uses layered synths & production with live bass, drums, guitars, and vocals. Redder Moon tends to skirt the line between traditional electronic act and indie avant garde. With washed out guitars, thick bass grooves, and distant reverb soaked vocals, the songs beam with the almost tactile feel of a sound track to a lost movie but with enough dance-ability to pull you out of your seat. In the last few months of 2020, the band has written and recorded an album’s with of songs, over 20 actually, without playing together, and with each member individually recording their parts at home. This was a welcome channel of creation in a time of restraint. The result is a collection that explores everything from synth pop shoegaze, to dark wave indie sounds. On November 5, 2021 Redder Moon released the 8-track album, HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE on vinyl. More info at http://www.reddermoon.bandcamp.com. Members of Redder Moon were our guests on WMM on January 27, 2021 and July 14, 2021.]

38. Amythyst Kiah – Wary + Strange / Rounder Records / June 18, 2021
    [With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, the Tennessee-bred singer/ songwriter expands on the uncompromising artistry she most recently revealed as part of Our Native Daughters, an all-women-of-color supergroup whose Kiah-penned standout “Black Myself” earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the 2019 Folk Alliance International Awards. When met with the transcendent quality of her newly elevated sound, what emerges is an extraordinary vessel for Kiah’s songwriting: a raw yet nuanced examination of grief, alienation, and the hard-won triumph of total self-acceptance. // This new studio version of “Black Myself” is a glorious collision of two vastly different worlds: the iconoclastic alt-rock that first sparked her musical passion, and the roots/old-time-music scene. Produced by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Amos Lee, Andrew Bird) the track was recorded at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. More info at: http://www.amythystkiah.com]

39. Christena Graves – Finding My Footing / Christena Graves / February 11, 2021
    [Christena Graves writes songs in order to make sense of her world. Her lyrics are a mixture of a heartfelt acknowledgment of the pain and suffering in life, balanced by the steadying force of committed relationships. Growing up in a coastal area of western Michigan, Christena draws from her deep connection with the natural world to help frame the difficulty of the human emotional landscape. “Nature brings focus for me. I rely on it to color my lyrics.” She found her musical beginning learning to sing harmonies with her older brothers and sisters. Music was an important part of her family and they would often sing hymns together. She fondly remembers the day her oldest brother sat her on the kitchen counter and taught her to sing harmony to Jingle Bells. It was a moment that gave fuel to her love of singing. // After leaving Michigan to attend college in Missouri, she met her husband Brandon and joined the band Waterdeep as the keyboard player. After touring for several years, she stepped away from the band to raise their children. Songwriting became a release to help process the struggles of life. Eventually, she was writing songs for her church community and helping lead music on Sunday mornings. Once the kids were old enough, Christena and Brandon decided to form a new project and return to making music in a bigger way. // 2019 marked the beginning of the Christena Graves Band and the ground work being laid for her return to the music industry. In mid 2020 Greg Lafollette, a long time musical friend, moved back to KC from Nashville where he had built a successful career as an artist and producer. Greg offered his help to record a collections of songs that have become her new record. The album is titled, Finding My Footing. A nod to the difficulty of reengaging in a music business that has changed dramatically over the last 20 years but also a humble acceptance that life can be hard at times but it is important to keep moving forward. // The release of Finding My Footing marks her first full length solo album since 1996 and her first project ever as a band leader. The songs are stories of loss, fear, struggle, and joy. “This project ended up being much more than just making a good record. I spent a lot of time in self reflection—maybe I should call it a mid-life moment. I questioned my ability and worth as an artist, as a woman, and a human. It has been difficult to go through but I am learning so much about myself. I am happy with where I am and I am proud of what I’ve said with this album.” More info at: http://www.christenagravesmusic.com. Christena Graves was our guest on WMM on February 10, and on July 7, 2021.]

40. Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices – Bustin’ Broncs & Honky Tonks / New Madrid Records / December 19, 2020
    [Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices is: Slim Hanson on vocals & guitar – Originally from the Sandhills of Nebraska, Slim Hanson traded his spurs and saddle for a guitar and microphone at the age of 14. Slim has been performing nationally as a guitarist and singer/songwriter for over 25 years founding and leading such acclaimed projects as The Hellcat Trio and The Grand Marquis. Deeply rooted in country-western and delta blues he has shared the stage with the likes of Doyle “Butch” Primm, the late great Magic Slim and Joe Ely. Beau Bledsoe on electric guitar & vocals – Beau Bledsoe performs and records classical music, jazz and folkloric music from around the world as he seeks to integrate different musical cultures with diverse audiences. Through his many varied projects and ensembles, Beau has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia, South America and North America in addition to producing fifteen recordings under his recording label Tzigane. Beau is currently artistic director and founder of Ensemble Ibérica which explores the music of Spain, Portugal and the colonial Americas. His Southern roots have led him to pick up the telecaster and learn the songs he knew as a boy growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas. Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar – Marco Pascolini is the stuff of guitar legends. For more than twenty years he has forged his path as one of the most well-respected musicians in Kansas City. Recognized as one of the region’s most influential musicians, his talent across a multitude of instruments has been acknowledged in numerous music media including The Kansas City Star and The Pitch, among others. Be it an electric guitar or a pedal steel in his hands, you’ll find him touring with Kasey Rausch’s Country Duo or on stage in his home town with Mr. Marco’s V7, The Naughty Pines, or songwriter extraordinaire Scott Hrabko. John Currey on drums – Originally from Tyler, Texas, John Currey is a freelance percussionist with more than 20 years experience as an in-school presenter and clinician. John specializes in Modern dance accompaniment and has toured extensively throughout the US, Mexico, and Western Europe. Teaching credits include at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Graceland College, and Pittsburg State University. John currently directs the Mexican marimba quartet, Sol de Chiapas. Michael McClintock on electric bass – Michael McClintock graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City Music Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance in 2006 after relocating to Kansas City from Neosho, MO. At the conservatory, Michael studied under the classical guitar master Douglas Niedt. Since graduation Michael has taken his place squarely in the Kansas City music scene. His first professional musical project was with the Manos Rojas School of Flamenco and Dance in Kansas City where he played with, among others, Beau Bledsoe. Michael currently directs the Cuban ensemble Cubanisms and performs regularly with Ensemble Iberia. More info at: http://realhonkytonk.com%5D

41. Alyssa Murray – Half and Half / LYSSA / May 14, 2021
    [Alyssa Murray’s new EP, HALF & HALF, an indie, electronic album with equal parts vocal tunes & half beats. “Combining a keen songwriting sense with a playful display of sonic influences in a juxtaposition of synth and song.” Written, performed, & produced by Alyssa Murray. Recorded between July 2020 through January 2021 using Korg Minilogue XD and Sequential Prophet Rev2 with Adam Schlozman on bass (track 3) and John Kizilarmut on drums (track 3). Mixed & Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab KC. Info at: http://www.wmsoundlab.com or http://www.alyssamurraymusic.com. Alyssa Murray joined us LIVE on WMM on May 19, 2021.]

42. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime / Matador / May 21, 2021
    [From http://www.mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com: With “Afrique Victime” the prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter rips a new hole in the sky – boldly reforging contemporary Saharan music and “rock music” by melding guitar pyrotechnics, full-blast noise, and field recordings with poetic meditations on love, religion, women’s rights, inequality, and Western Africa’s exploitation at the hands of colonial powers. // If “Ilana” was a late ’60s early ’70s ZZ Top and Black Sabbath record – “Afrique Victime” is mid-’70s to early ’80s Van Halen meets Black Flag meets Black Uhuru. The ferocity of Moctar’s electric guitar and the band’s hypnotic rhythm section are on awe-inspiring display “Chismiten” and the mournful yet incandescent title track. Elsewhere, Moctar finds inspiration in highlighting lesser-known facets of the group: “While people have gotten to know Mdou Moctar as a rock band, there is a whole different set of music with this band done on acoustic guitars, which we wanted to incorporate into this album in order to go through a sonic journey,” he says. Mdou pays homage to one of his heroes Abdallah Ag Oumbadagou, the legendary Niger musician and political revolutionary, on songs “Ya Habibti” and “Layla”. “Abdallah was a contemporary of Tinariwen and helped to pioneer the sound of Tuareg guitar music blended with drum machines and electronic sounds”. // “Afrique Victime” sounds and feels like a Tuareg hand reaching down from the sky, and we are very lucky for this chance to get lifted.]

43. Silicone Prairie – My Life on the Silicone Prairie / Feel It Records / February 5, 2021
    [Direct from Kansas City and encased in a layer of four-track analog glory comes the debut album from Silicone Prairie. You may have enjoyed Ian Teeple in action with Warm Bodies or The Natural Man Band, though Silicone Prairie is where Teeple has been focusing his solo creative energies over the past couple years, culminating in these 13 tracks. A trebly & jittery, landlocked Midwestern punk sound comes into effect straight out of the gate, much in the lineage of Gulcher’s ‘Red Snerts’ comp or the Dow Jones side of ‘Hoosier Hysteria’ – with a dash of hardcore DEVO or even D.L.I.M.C. thrown in for contemporary spuds. But there’s far more to Silicone Prairie – with quantitatively great songwriting and instrumentation bursting any preconceived sub-subgenre bubbles and occupying a kindred creative plain that made just about any Mould, Kirkwood, or Sage composition of the mid-80’s oh so delightful & memorable. Heck, there’s even a synth-heavy instrumental dedicated to electronic pioneer Patrick Cowley. ‘My Life on the Silicone Prairie’ dances across the sonic spectrum, from bedroom jangle to basement devolution, carrying big guitars, sharp synthesizers, and a hopeful grin into 2021 and beyond. A carefully crafted debut alive with the kind of creative rock’n’roll energy that simply cannot be quarantined, now or ever. ‘My Life on the Silicone Prairie’ comes shrinkwrapped in a reverse board sleeve with risograph insert printed at Oddities Prints and download code. Australian vinyl pressing available from Computer Human Records.]

44. Mensa Deathsquad – Cyclist / Gran Cavalera / February 23, 2021
    [First single from the second album from Mensa Deathsquad. Brandon Phillips laid in a Kansas City hospital through the winter of 2019-2020 as his own album release (the unintentionally but appropriately named Patient Zero by his alt-synthwave band Mensa Deathsquad) passed by in the outside world. The first tracks from his debut album Patient Zero were premiering and, chained to a Luciferian merry-go-round of post-operative infections, Brandon strained through the pharmaceutical blur to do promotion for his record, emailing editors and scraping together the necessary pieces they needed. Since his surgery a month prior had gone sideways, and the time, energy, and planning for things like photos, videos and shows had been blown to smithereens, all he had left to look forward to beyond the IVs and the machines that go “ping” was this premiere and the street date. And then came COVID-19, like a rogue wave, to finish off the aimless Mensa Deathsquad sailboat. // But Brandon didn’t die and the boat didn’t sink. As the squall receded and the wanton eye of cruel gods passed over him, Brandon clung to the boat and swore revenge… // As the aphorism goes, “revenge is sweet” and thus Brandon and his Mensa Deathsquad will have the triumphant last laugh. Holed up in the spare bedroom of his apartment in Kansas City with an open wound in his abdomen, two surgical drains, and a severely compromised immune system, Brandon slipped back into his Mensa Deathsquad persona and began working on what would become his newest full length album, Cyclist. // The music that emerged from Brandon’s isolation and illness is a raw, nearly garage-rock take on darkwave and a perfect continuation of what he had begun on Patient Zero. Launching with the one-two punch of electro-punk noir in “Nothing Is Ever Enough” and “Therapist” before the pounding synth-rock of “The Disappointment Of The Christ,” Brandon fixes his furious eyes upon the provocative hypocrisy and violence that results from American Christianity. // A heady package of nudge nudges and intellectual ruminations (a trademark of Brandon’s past as a smartpunk upstart in such seminal bands as The Gadjits and Architects), Cyclist carries both a powerful music punch, a cultural rummaging through pop culture, and a run through his ever-evolving intellect. A knowing wink to fans of the seminal vampire flick The Lost Boy, “Join Us, Michael” is at once a seething appraisal of a world scorched and defiled by an older generation and a musical love letter to that pivotal ‘80s vampire movie soundtrack. “Leap Year (Chaos Reigns)” which began as a Siouxsie & the Banshees-inspired jam serves as Cyclist’s true north – the story of a drug-fueled wrinkle in time that brought the entire cyclical nature of existence into visibility one fateful night. “End Of The World” is dance-floor nihilist electro-rock blending angular post-punk guitar with the nostalgia of neon synths and electroclash drums, while “Takes One To Know One” slowly approaches the thunderstorm of toxic relationships, soulful vocals, tech house kick drums, and grimey-as-hell bass. // As a fitting conclusion to the tour de force through his psyche, Cyclist closes with yet another two-track charge, the swaggering post-electro sneer at celebrity social media, “Famous” followed by the throbbing Giorgio Moroder-via-Tech House cover of Iggy Pop’s classic “The Passenger.” “It was important to me that I cover ‘The Passenger’ as a letter of intent.” Says Brandon. “The electronic music that I daydream about, always has that Stooges layer of dirt and shop grease on it. That’s what I wanted for Cyclist.” The result is a triumph over the storm, as Mensa Deathsquad sails, unvanquished, into victory. More info at: https://mensadeathsquad.bandcamp.com or https://facebook.com/MensaDeathsquad.%5D

45. Alien Hellbop – After The Quake EP / Alien Hellbop / October 25, 2021
    [Two piece rock with a twist. Performed by Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young of Hello Biplane.Recorded in 2019 at PULP Arts Recording Studios in Gainesville, FL. Spencer Goertz-Giffen on guitar & vocals; Braden Young on drums, vocals & bass; Winston Goertz-Giffen on synthesizers, and Nate Mahan on synth thing. Recorded and mixed by Winston Goertz-Giffen. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. All songs written by Spencer and Braden. // Alien Hellbop is a maximalist rock duo from Lawrence, KS combining guitar, drums, sample pad bass and vocal harmonies to create a sonic duo larger than the sum of its parts. Attendees of shows past have been hypnotized and dumbfounded by how the sound is pulled off. Originally formed in Chico, CA members Spencer Goertz-Giffen and Braden Young set out to create a full band sound with only two members. After a flurry of positive feedback from shows played in northern California, Alien Hellbop managed to drive cross country with their two small children to Gainesville, FL and record a five song EP at PULP studios with the help of engineer and producer Winston Goertz-Giffen. Alien Hellbop is now based out of Lawrence, KS. Spencer and Braden have been involved in many other bands over the years including: Hospital Ships, The Kinetiks, The Willnots, Accursed Wound, The Magentlemen, Saything, and Old and Gray. The duo also fronts another group called Hello Biplane, a six-piece dream-folk-pop band with focus on songwriting and male/female harmonies. More info at: http://www.alienhellbop.bandcamp.com. Alien Hellbop played a Triple Album Release Show Friday, November 19 at 6:00 PM Matinee Show at Replay Lounge , 946 Massachusetts St. Lawrence, Kansas with Shebangs, and Lonnie Fisher and The Funeral.]

46. Hipshot Killer – Guns and Gas / Hipshot Killer / July 23, 2021
    [KC based 3-piece power punk band formed in the fall of 2008. The current line up consists of: Mike Alexander (Revolvers, Architects, John Velghe and The Prodigal Sons, The Starhaven Rounders), on guitar & vocals, Chris Wagner (100 Years War, Jackie Carrol, John Velge and The Prodigal Sons) on bass & vocals; and Adam Phillips on drums. The band released their debut record Hipshot Killer, April 29, 2011. The band released their second album They Will Try To Kill Us All on January 16, 2016. It was number 7 in Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016. Hipshot Killer also released a single on Too Much Rock on October 21, 2016. Hipshot Killer released the album , ALL THIS TIME IS OURS on March 20, 2019. #21 of WMM’s 119 Best Recordings of 2019. Mike Alexander joined us on WMM on August 11, 2021]

47. Dan Jones and The Squids – Serve Without Delay / Dan Jones / February 5, 2021
[Recorded Friday, Nov. 13, 2020 in a LIVE STREAMING SHOW at recordBAR, with Paul Malinowski: live sound & recording engineer. Mixed & edited by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound, Shawnee KS. Mastered by Tom Nunes at Atomic Disc. Dan Jones on guitar & vocals, Matt Ronan on drums & vocals; Steve Tulipana on bass & vocals. All songs by Daniel Sherman Jones (BMI), except “I Wanna Be You” by Ed Cole SERVE WITHOUT DELAY, is the new Dan Jones and The Squids live album of NEW songs, 14 live tracks and 7 home recordings. Their 2019/2020 release, We Live In A World That Is Out Of This World, is included. // In 2020 the band didn’t get to play out much, so they hunkered down and worked up a double album’s worth of new tunes. It was a weekly woodshed-workshop that culminated with a live-streamed live-album show on November 13, 2020 at recordBAR. //Jones is among the hardworking lifers with taste and talent, keeping the dream alive that music matters. This is the 7th LP over two decades from Dan Jones, starting in Eugene, OR before returning to his native, non-coastal home. He has supported Mike Watt (who plays Squids on his radio show), Dinosaur Jr., Steve Wynn, John Doe, Tav Falco, Pedaljets, Peter Case, and Minus 5c. // Dan Jones and The Squids released We Live In A World That Is Out Of This World, on December 6, 2019. It was Recorded at Temple Sounds in KCMO, 2018-2019. Engineered. by JB Moreland. Produced by Dan Jones and The Squids and JB Moreland. Mastered by Tom Nunes at Atomic Disc. With Dan Jones on acoustic & electric guitars, keyboard, lead vocals + drums/bass on “Love/Life”; Matt Ronan on drums, percussion, vocals; Alex Alexander on electric guitar, vocals; Steve Tulipana on bass, vocals; Joey Slab on poem and spiel on “Beach, Please”; Scot Sperry on electric slide guitar on “Love/Life”; Donna Jones on lyrics to “The Violet Man.” Dan Jones joined us LIVE on WMM on March 10, 2021. More info at: http://www.danjones1.bandcamp.com)]

48. Chalis O’Neal – Flirting / Chalis O’Neal / November 15, 2021
    [FLIRTING features contributions from Desmond Mason, Tim Ogutu, Brad Williams, Harold O’Neal, Jessica Ayala, les iz More, Amber Flutienastiness Underwood, and Joel Nanos. 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 25 December 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.]

49. Jon Batiste – We Are / Verve Records / March 19, 2021
    [The eighth studio album by American musician. The album was nominated for the Album of the Year category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.The album earned Batiste eight nominations in total. In November 2021, the album was nominated for the Album of the otal. Batiste began working on the album in late 2019, making it in his dressing room over six days in September and finishing it by mid-2020. While largely written and recorded prior to the events of 2020, the album’s lyrical and thematic content reflects such events as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and his involvement in 2020, leading Black Lives Matter protests in New York after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. On June 12, 2020, he released the single “We Are”, featuring the band from his New Orleans alma mater, the St. Augustine High School Marching 100. The album also features Mavis Staples, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, and Trombone Shorty. Speaking to Atwood Magazine, Batiste described We Are as “a representation of genre-less music that’s just about the story” and “a culmination of my life to this point.”Batiste released a deluxe edition of the album on October 15, 2021. // Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Roy Hargrove, and Mavis Staples), released his own recordings, and performed in more than 40 countries. Batiste regularly tours with his band Stay Human, and appears with them nightly as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since 2015. // Batiste also serves as the Music Director of The Atlantic and the Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In 2020, he co-composed the score for the Pixar animated film Soul, for which he received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Film Award (all shared with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). As of 2021, Batiste has garnered 14 Grammy Award nominations. // Jon Batiste was born in Metairie, Louisiana in a Catholic family. He grew up in Kenner, Louisiana. Batiste is a member of a New Orleans musical dynasty, the Batiste family, that includes Lionel Batiste of the Treme Brass Band, Milton Batiste of the Olympia Brass Band, and Russell Batiste Jr. At the age of 8, he played percussion and drums with his family’s band, the Batiste Brothers Band. At the age of 11, he switched to piano at his mother’s suggestion. Batiste developed his piano skills by taking classical music lessons and transcribing songs from video games such as Street Fighter Alpha, Final Fantasy VII and Sonic the Hedgehog. // At 17, Batiste released his debut album Times in New Orleans. He attended St. Augustine High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Trombone Shorty in New Orleans and graduated in 2004. He then went on to attend the Juilliard School, receiving a Bachelor of Music in 2011 and a Master of Music in 2013. While at Juilliard, he released his 2nd album, Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art. By the end of 2006, Batiste had been a featured performer in South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris and the US.]

50. Julia Othmer – SEEDS, Volume 2 (LIVE) / Frickin’ Awesome Records / March 20, 2021
    [This is Julia’s 4th full length and contains 10 live songs selected from her 30-day Songs of September Project, where Julia performed live covers of her favorite songs of protest and hope, broadcast through streaming social platforms to inspire people to vote on November 3. Julia’s fans democratically selected their favorite tracks to be included on SEEDS. Julia Othmer released “Sound,” on April 12, 2019, her second album, that took 3 years to complete, and was produced with James Lundie, who also married Julia in January of 2016, during the completion of the record. Julia Othmer, is a graduate of Park Hill High School. She moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to record her 1st full-length album, “Oasis Motel.” In 2018 to 2019 Julia Othmer toured with and opened for The Alarm in US show and shows in the United Kingdom. When Julia Othmer is in Kansas City she plays with Johnny Hamil on bass, Chris Tady on guitar, John Floyd Whitaker on drums. More info at http://www.juliaothmer.com. Julia Othmer was our guest on WMM on September 1, 2021]

51. Khrystal. – Life Be Life’ing / Khrystal. / September 22, 2021
    [Surprise 8-track album release. On December 31, 2020 Khrystal. Released the single “Never” which followed Khrystal.’s. single “Magic” released on August 8, 2020 on limited edition cassette singles with her most recent single “You Again” as a B-Side by Manor Records. On September 1, 2017 Khrystal. released The Glow Up EP, Produced & Written by Khrystal Coppage and Duncan Burnett. This was follow up to Khrystal’s Debut EP, Quarter Century Living. Executive Produced By Duncan Burnett. Written By Khrystal Coppage & Duncan Burnett. Kansas City based Khrystal Coppage served as Editor-in-Chief of Khorage Magazine. She served as Production Manager at UMKC University News from 2015 to 2016. She graduated from UMKC in 2016 where she studied Family Studies. She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2013. She is a graduate of Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, in KCK.]

52. Pure xtc – Nobody’s Home / Taylor Hughes / November 12, 2021
    [Pure xtc is the musical project of Kansas City based Taylor Hughes. Taylor is also the drummer for the band EXNATIONS who are on hiatus. The idea of pure xtc was formed during an extremely isolating time for multi-instrumentalist, Hughes. Living truly on her own for the first time, she moved to the NYC metro in 2019. Time was spent crying on subways, climbing new rooftops, meeting new people, avoiding new people, feeling extremely fulfilled to feeling like a hollow empty shell. “Ghost” was produced & mixed by Walter Kazmier of Silk City Grooves Studio and mastered by Mike Piacentini of Sony Entertainment’s Battery studios. http://www.purextcmusic.co. Pure XTC aka Taylor Hughes was our guest on WMM on July 14, 2021 and also on November 10, 2021.]

53. Deerhoof – Actually, You Can / Joyful Noise Recrdings / October 22, 2021
    [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).]

54. Kat King – Say What You Mean EP / Kat King / June 9, 2021
    [1st single from 5-track EP recorded with her band. Kat King on guitar, keyboards, & vocals; Derek Melies on guitar & back ground vocals; John McCain on bass; Daniel Cole on drums. Co-produced & mixed/mastered by Joel Martin. Lawrence Kansas based singer songwriter Kat King released her last single Song of Spain in 2019 and her single “2017” in, 2018. She released her 5-song EP “Falling Up” on December 1, 2017. Kat King has been creating music since the 2nd grade. She’s produced one 13-song album and three EP’s, the first one released at the age of 14. More info at: http://www.katbking.com] [Kat King played Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming on June 26, with Katy Guillen & The Drive].

55. Nan & the One Nite Stands – High – Caliber / Nan Turner / February 19. 2021
    [All songs by Nan Turner. Initial Engineering on 2 and 5 by Mark Ospovat @ Speakersonic Studios, Brooklyn and on 1,3,and 4 by Pat Tomek @ Largely Studios, KCMO. All songs co-engineered, mixed, and co-produced by Chase Horseman @Element Studios, Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Ian Dobyns. // “Yeah” is track 1, on this 5-song EP // The One Nite Stands who played on these songs! Lizz Weiler on bass on 1, 3, and 4; Pat Tomek on drums on 1, 3, and 4; Mark Ospovat on bass on 2 and 5; Don Dawn + Tracy Flowers on backing vocals on 2, 4, and 5; Chase Horseman on keyboards, guitar, and co-production on 1-5. // Thanks to Mark O, Pat, Chase, Ian, Lizz, Don Dawn, Tracy, Peter Gallagher, and Frida the Dog. Xtra BigThanks to: Chase Horseman for sonic textures + production magic. Kimya Dawson, Bertrand “BP” Perrot, MMM, and Sun Ra for Tour Dawg “Space is the Place” Inspiration. // Follow up to the single “Desert Nights” released May 22, 2020, written by Nan Turner, and recorded by Mark “Dragon” Ospovat @ SpeakerSonic Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Additional recording and mixing and production by Chase Horseman @ Winky World Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Ian Dobyns. On July 12, 2019, Nan Turner released her solo EP, Champs and Losers, Version 2. Recorded, Mixed, and Co-Produced at Winky World in Kansas City, by Chase Horseman. Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, New Windsor, NY. Ian Dobyns plays drums and Chase Horseman plays bass. Nan Turner is also one half of the critically acclaimed band Schwervon! Nan has been called the “Lucy Ricardo of Indie Rock. Her music has been described as “Tone Loc meets the Velvet Underground.” More Info at: http://www.nanturner.bandcamp.com. Nan Turner was our guest on WMM on March 31, 2021.]

56. Sons Of Kemet – Black To The Future / Impulse Records / May 14, 2021
    [Sons of Kemet are a British jazz group formed by Shabaka Hutchings, Oren Marshall, Seb Rochford, and Tom Skinner. The group uses saxophone and clarinet (Hutchings), tuba (Cross), and two drummers (Skinner, Hick) to make their music and plays a mixture of jazz, rock, Caribbean folk, and African music. Cross replaced Oren Marshall on tuba. // On September 9, 2013, Sons of Kemet released their debut album Burn, which received the Arts Desk Album of the Year 2013 and a nomination for Gilles Peterson’s Album of the Year. Their next album Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do received the same nomination for the year 2015. The group won Best Jazz Act at the 2013 MOBO Awards. // On March 30, 2018, Impulse! released the band’s third album, Your Queen Is a Reptile. It was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize. // Discography: Burn (Naim, 2013) // Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do (Naim, 2015) // Your Queen Is a Reptile (Impulse!, 2018) // Black to the Future (Impulse!, 2021).]

57. Efterklang – Windflowers / City Slang Records / October 8, 2021
    [Efterklang is a Danish indie rock group from Copenhagen, formed in December 2000. The band has recorded six studio albums and are currently signed to the 4AD label, as well as their own record label Rumraket. Core group members include: Casper Clausen on vocals, Mads Brauer on electronics, and Rasmus Stolberg on bass// In 2012, they released their fourth album Piramida to good reviews. // The name Efterklang comes from the Danish word for “remembrance” or “reverberation.” Formed in Copenhagen, its three core members are Casper Clausen, Mads Brauer and Rasmus Stolberg. The original lineup also included Rune Mølgaard, but he has taken a more secluded role since 2007. Drummer Thomas Husmer left the band 2011. When performing live, the core three-piece band is complemented with the addition of live band members. // Efterklang released their first album Tripper to warm critical acclaim in autumn 2004. Their second album Parades saw the band working with British producer Darren Allison (Spiritualized), and was released in October 2007, receiving widespread critical acclaim by the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Drowned in Sound and Stylus magazine. Parades was named the 38th best album released between April 2005 to April 2009 by Clash in April 2009. In September 2008, Efterklang and The Danish National Chamber Orchestra performed Parades in its entirety at the Copenhagen Concert Hall; the performance was documented on a limited edition LP/DVD set entitled Performing Parades, which was released in October 2009. // In September 2009, Efterklang signed a new record deal with the British independent label 4AD. Their third full-length album Magic Chairs was Efterklang’s first on their new label, released in February 2010. Magic Chairs won IMPALA’s European Independent Album of the Year on February 28. The record was well received by Pitchforkmedia. // In August 2010, French filmmaker Vincent Moon and Efterklang’s 8-piece live band met up on an island off the Danish coast. The objective was to shoot a film with the same length as an album, and a film full of performances, experiments and collaborations. The result was called An Island. // In 2011, drummer and trumpet player Thomas Husmer left the band and the other members announced that they would carry on as a trio. // In 2012, the band went on tour to present their fourth album Piramida with an orchestra and drummer Budgie of Siouxsie and the Banshees as special guest for the live shows. The premiere at the Sydney’s “Opera House” in June was praised by Time Out and Mojo. The latter wrote : “Piramida is the sound of Efterklang’s grasp meeting their reach, of their ambition evading the pretentious, the blankly grandiose, and rewarding them with a masterpiece.”. A European leg coincided with the release of Piramida. The band performed with an orchestra and Budgie in Ireland, Scandinavia, UK, the Netherlands and Belgium. // At its release in September, their fourth album Piramida received good reviews. Mojo rated it four stars and said: “Despite the elegant grey-sky thinking, deep beneath the emotional permafrost, Piramida isn’t as cold as it seems”. BBC Music said : “This see-saw, between exquisite gloom and bruised hope, is part of what makes Piramida so powerful” before concluding by these words, “rarely have the Serious Young Man Blues been articulated with such grace, so affectingly”. British Fact magazine wrote: “Piramida is an abandoned mining town located deep within the Arctic Circle. It’s the setting for Efterklang’s fourth and finest album, an acutely musicianly affair employing lorry loads of classical instruments, brass, synths and what appears to be a choir of thousands broadcasting from the deep end of a fjord”. Q magazine commented: “here’s a band on top of the world, and on top of their game… Piramida is a revelation.” // From December Efterklang went on tour with their new 6-piece band. In 2013, the Piramida tour took the band around North America and Europe. // In 2015, The Leaf Label released a number of re-issues as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. A poll enabled fans to vote for which albums from the label’s back catalogue they wished to see re-issued, and Efterklang’s Parades was selected. The album, released on double vinyl LP, was initially available to fans through the PledgeMusic service and was introduced to shops in early 2016. A double vinyl re-issue of Tripper is also available from The Leaf Label after a successful BeatDelete campaign. // In 2016, the members of Efterklang, along with drummer Tatu Rönkkö, formed the band Liima. They released their debut album, ii, on March 18, 2016. The album received positive reviews, earning a score of 70 on Metacritic, based on 8 reviews. // Liima’s second album, 1982, was released on 3 November 2017.]

58. Lily B Moonflower – Moonflower / Lost Cowgirl Records / February 12, 2021
    [This was the second single, from her debut album, Moonflower. 23 year old Lawrence, Kansas / Kansas City, Missouri based singer songwriter Lily B Moonflower was originally from Desoto Kansas. MOONFLOWER was produced by Martin Farrell Jr. and features: Jake Keegan on dobro, Colby Allen Walter on mandolin, Michael Turnbo & Shannon O’Shea on fiddle, Miki P on drums, Jenna Rae on saxophone & back up vocals, and Martin Farrell Jr. on back up vocals, pedal steel, piano, telecaster guitar, tambourine, & bells. Songwriters & musicians that have heavily influenced Lily’s songwriting are Sturgill Simpson, Brent Cobb, The Wood Brothers, Chris & Morgane Stapleton, Grateful Dead, Samantha Fish, Willie Nelson, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Allman Brothers, Waylon, Nicki Bluhm & many many many more. Her entire life is dedicated to music. // Lily B is a ray of sunshine on and off the stage and her passion for roots music is apparent at her live shows and through her music. This debut album gives you a peek into the mind of a young songwriter who longs to be connected to people and nature, loves searching for crystals and arrowheads, has experienced love and heartbreak, and brings the party to every show. She has shared the stage with Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Jim Lauderdale, The Hillbenders, and many more. Lily is on a lifelong journey of creating music and this debut release will be one of many more to come. // Lily B Moonflower’s album was reviewed by Max Paley of Americana Music Academy (http://www.americanamusicacademy.com/press): “Lily has some advantages over your average country singer. First, her musical heritage is not hurting anything. But, more importantly, she has surrounded herself with the right people, particularly her life partner Jake Keegan (of the nationally touring bluegrass act Grassfed) and the good people at Lost Cowgirl Records. The new album sounds straight out of Nashville in terms of quality. // This is due mostly to the musical mind of Martin Farrell, Jr. Farrell retains his heavyweight Kansas country producer belt that he acquired with 2018’s Cosmic Western Duos, defended with 2020’s Coffee & Laundry and more than holds on to with Moonflower. Farrell demands authenticity from his artists, performing very little post-production work on the album and absolutely no auto-tuning. This means that Lily is actually as good as she sounds on these recordings. // Moonflower makes for such an exciting listen because it solidifies both Lily B. Moonflower as a true Country singer-songwriter and and the Eastern Kansas Country scene as a legitimate one worth paying attention to. It is so refreshing to hear a woman telling her stories in such a digestible way and accompanied by an amazing slate of backing musicians. Plans are already in motion for a new duo album with Lily and Keegan and even a second solo album and we cannot wait!” More info at: http://www.lilybmoonflower.com and https://www.thelostcowgirl.com. Lily B. Moonflower joined us LIVE on WMM on January 27, 2021.]

59. Robert Finley – Sharecropper’s Son / Easy Eye Sound / May 21, 2021
    [Robert Finley was born February 13, 1954. He is an American blues and soul singer-songwriter and guitarist. After decades of performing semi-professionally followed by time away from music, Finley made a comeback in 2016. He released his debut studio album, Age Don’t Mean a Thing, later in the year, which was met positively by critics. // Finley was born and raised in Bernice, Louisiana, United States. At 11 years old he began practicing the guitar he had purchased from a thrift store. Gospel music played a crucial role in his early development: “I always went to gospel quartet groups and I always took the front row seat, and I just watched their fingers”, recollected Finley in an interview. In 1970, he joined the army, originally to serve as a helicopter technician in Germany. Upon his arrival, however, Finley accommodated the army band’s need for a guitarist and bandleader by traveling with the group throughout Europe until he was discharged. // After returning to Louisiana, Finley worked as a part-time street performer, leader of the gospel group Brother Finley and the Gospel Sisters, and as a carpenter. He was deemed legally blind and forced to retire from carpentry. In 2015, Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports aging blues musicians, discovered Finley busking before a gig in Arkansas. With their help, Finley made a musical comeback, featuring him in packaged tours with acts like Robert Lee Coleman and Alabama Slim. // Finley released his debut studio album, Age Don’t Mean a Thing, on September 30, 2016, on Big Legal Mess Records. Although for the most part Finley was a bluesman, his record producer Bruce Watson keyed in on more of his soulful compositions. With production credits from Watson and Jimbo Mathus, Finley traveled to Memphis to record the album with members of the Bo-Keys. He penned all but two of the tracks, highlighted by an autobiographical title song, on Age Don’t Mean a Thing, evoking influences from Booker T. and the MGs, James Brown, and B. B. King. Music journalists were highly receptive to Finley’s comeback and album, particularly his revitalizing take on Southern soul.// After Age Don’t Mean a Thing, Finley got connected with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Auerbach and Finley then released an original soundtrack for the graphic novel, Murder Ballads, published by z2 Comics. Shortly after the release of the Murder Ballads soundtrack, Billboard announced that Finley would be releasing a full-length album produced and co-written by Auerbach. // The album, Goin’ Platinum! was released on Easy Eye Sound (Nonesuch Records) on December 8, 2017. The following year Finley joined Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Revue tour. Finley followed up the Easy Eye Sound Revue tour with a series of headline shows around the world. // In 2019, it was announced via social media that Finley was a contestant for the fourteenth season of America’s Got Talent. AGT released a sneak peek where Finley sang an original song, called “Get It While You Can”. He managed to reach the live shows but was eventually eliminated in the semi-finals. // In 2021, Finley announced the album Sharecropper’s Son, to be released May 21, 2021 on Easy Eye Sound. The album is autobiographical in nature, and centers around Finley’s upbringing on a crop share in Louisiana. The album is produced by Dan Auerbach.]

60. St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home / Loma Vista / May 14, 2021
    [6th studio album by St. Vincent. Like its predecessor, Masseduction (2017), Annie Clark produced the album alongside Jack Antonoff. The album was promoted by the lead single, “Pay Your Way in Pain”, released on March 5, 2021. Daddy’s Home was inspired by Clark’s father’s release from prison at the end of 2019, as well as the musical palette of New York City in the first half of the 1970s. Annie Erin Clark was born September 28, 1982. She is known professionally as St. Vincent, is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. She began her music career as a member of the Polyphonic Spree. She was also a member of Sufjan Stevens’s touring band before forming her own band in 2006. Her debut album is Marry Me (2007), followed by Actor (2009), Strange Mercy (2011), St. Vincent (2014), and Masseduction (2017) . // Her fourth solo album, St. Vincent, was named album of the year by The Guardian, Entertainment Weekly, NME, and Slant, as well as second best album of the year by Time. The album won her a Grammy for Best Alternative Album, her first Grammy Award. She was the first solo female performer in 20 years to win a Grammy in that category. In 2018, St. Vincent was included twice in NPR’s “200 Greatest songs by 21st Century Women”: at number 181 with “Digital Witness” and at number 38 with “Cruel”. Strange Mercy was among Pitchfork’s 200 Best Albums of the 2010s, ranking at number 55. St. Vincent ranked number 65 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums of the 2010s.// Masseduction, Clark’s fifth studio album, released in 2017, earned her Best Rock Song and Best Recordings Package at the Grammys, where she also performed alongside Dua Lipa for a mashup performance of their respective Grammy-nominated songs ‘Masseduction’ and ‘One Kiss.’ // Clark was born on September 28, 1982, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother is a social worker and administrator for a non-profit organization, while her stepfather works in corporate tax administration. Her parents divorced when she was three, and when she was seven she moved with her mother and two older sisters to Dallas, Texas. Clark is of Irish, and a small amount of Jewish, ancestry. She was raised Catholic and Unitarian Universalist. // From her parents’ blended families, she has four brothers and four sisters. // Clark was fond of the movie La Bamba and Ritchie Valens himself at a very early age, and received a plastic red guitar at age five that her mother got her at a Target store for Christmas. She began playing her first real guitar at age 12 and worked some of her teenage years as a roadie for her aunt and uncle, the guitar-vocal jazz duo Tuck & Patti. In 2001, she graduated from Lake Highlands High School, where she participated in theater and the school’s jazz band, and was a classmate of actor Mark Salling. // Clark attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for three years before dropping out, studying with Professor Lauren Passarelli. She felt that art institutions such as Berklee can be more directed towards the athleticism of art rather than the product. In retrospect, Clark said, “I think that with music school and art school, or school in any form, there has to be some system of grading and measurement. The things they can teach you are quantifiable. While all that is good and has its place, at some point you have to learn all you can and then forget everything that you learned in order to actually start making music.” // In 2020, St. Vincent was credited as a guitarist on “Texas Man” and a co-writer on “Young Man” with the Chicks, Antonoff, and Justin Tranter for the Chicks’ eighth studio album Gaslighter. In August 2020, St. Vincent collaborated with Japanese musician Yoshiki to release a classical arrangement of “New York”. In October 2020, St. Vincent’s online instruction class on Creativity and Songwriting was added to the MasterClass series. In late 2020, St. Vincent featured on the track “Chalk Tablet Towers” from the first season of the Song Machine project by Gorillaz.]

61. Reach – Life’s One Valid Expression / Reach / October 29, 2021
    [Produced by d’Jawnz. Featuring trumpeter Hermon Mehari, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, vocalists JaySol (Kansas City) and Kayla Starks (Dallas), and longtime partner-in-rhyme Les Izmore. The project covers a lot of conceptual ground with topics such as love, loss, the American project, gentrification and race relations. The writing may well comprise the most revolutionary tone of Reach’s long career. The musical backdrop mines the best of the Boom Bap era filtered through a contemporary aesthetic. Over the past several years, Reach’s focus has been musical production and his maturation is evident on Life’s One Valid Expression. The musical wheelhouse for Reach the producer – credited on the album as d’Jawnz – is a confluence of Jazz, Traditional Soul and Contemporary R&B. It’s a fitting palette for an album with such mature content. More information at http://www.reach.bandcamp.com%5D

62. Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Music from the Motion Picture) / Warner Records / Feb. 19, 2021
    [Cassandra Monique Batie was born Dec. 30, 1984, known by her stage name Andra Day, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. From San Diego, California, her debut album, Cheers to the Fall, was released in 2015 and peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard 200 chart. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best R&B Album and the album’s main single, “Rise Up”, was nominated for Best R&B Performance. Day also appeared alongside Stevie Wonder, who is partially credited for her discovery, in an ad for Apple TV in late 2015. Her Cheers to the Fall Tour began in November 2016. // In 2021, she portrayed Billie Holiday in the biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and was also nominated for Best Original Song. Her stage name was inspired by Holiday, whose nickname was “Lady Day”. // Day was born on December 30, 1984, in Edmonds, Washington. She moved to Southern California at age three, and grew up in and around San Diego, California, with her family. She began singing at a young age at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, California. Day also began taking dance lessons at age 5 (a discipline she continued into her 20s). She attended Valencia Park Elementary School which she credits with fostering her interest in performing arts. At age 12, Day was introduced to the sounds of jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington, all of whom she counts as early influences on her sound. Day attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in Paradise Hills where she graduated in 2003]

63. In The Pines – Interlude / Arctic Rodeo Recordings / August 20, 2021
    [In The Pines are back with their 2nd album, INTERLUDE, 13 years after the release the self titled debut. Both albums are on Arctic Rodeo Records. More info at: http://www.arcticrodeorecordings.com . KC based six-piece band with Brad Hodgson on guitar & vocals, Darren Welch on bass, Laurel Morgan on violin & vocals, Matt Wolber on guitar, and Mike Myers on drums. Made up of two guitars, a bass, a violin, a viola, a pump organ, drums, and five vocals, their music is serene at times, other times brooding. From: https://arcticrodeorecordings.com: When In the Pines released their self-titled debut in 2008, their sound resonated profoundly within and beyond the Kansas City music community. // Founded as a sextet that included a two-piece string section, the band deftly mixed music from disparate genres and eras into a sound that was fresh but familiar—nostalgic, even: a blend of old-time folk, classical music and experimental folk-rock. It cast a spell that transported listeners forward into new terrains and back into long-lost times, a sound with a sepia-toned Dorthea Lange/Dust Bowl vibe embellished with contemporary attributes that quashed any notions of revivalism or retroism. // “In The Pines” impressed listeners far beyond the band’s hometown, It was released in Kansas City by Second Nature Recordings, which led to some regional touring, and by the German label Arctic Rodeo, which led to a tour of Germany. The future looked bright. Then life got in the way. // In 2010, lead singer Brad Hodgson moved to Austin, Texas. Then live shows became more infrequent; the lineup changed; the band took a hiatus; and the recording process was delayed, interminably, it seemed to fans awaiting new music. // In June 2020, the band released “Bones,” the first song from the impending, long-awaited second full-length. The lineup still includes five original members: Hodgson, Darren Welch (bass, vocals), Laurel Morgan Parks (violin, vocals), Matt Wolber (guitar) and Mike Myers (drums). // Despite the song’s title, there was nothing skeletal about “Bones.” It’s a lush and orchestral, midtempo, folk-ish rock ballad awash in strings, embroidered with violin and guitar filigrees and bathed in dreamy vocals and supernal harmonies – five minutes of deep reverie. // And now, a year after the release “Bones,” In the Pines is set to release on Arctic Records its 11-track, full-length second album, “Interlude.” The song, it turns out, revealed in many ways what the rest of the album would sound like. // It signified a departure from the Pines’ initial sound yet replete with all its trademark traits: melodic, meditative and built on clever turns and changes. Over the course of 45-plus minutes, the band transports listeners on a mesmeric ride, one filled with hypnotic grooves and dusky terrains. // The opening track is aptly titled “The Sun Is Going Down.” It’s a twilit ballad with shifting time signatures and spell-binding vocals that don’t appear until halfway through. “Ghosts” sways gently to a hearty, angelic, orchestral-folk vibe. The instrumental closer, “Moving On,” arrives and departs in 2 minutes and change, depositing its own unique spirit along the way, one garbed in piano, strings and horns. As the album’s swan song, it casts a fitting mood, one of optimism and melancholy. // Upon the release of the “Bones” single, Hodgson called the process of making “Interlude” a “long haul with lots of obstacles” but one with a deeply satisfying payoff: “The thing that stands out is how much I love working with and creating with the band. We’ve been together so long, no matter the distance or time apart, it still feels like family.” // The rewards of that long haul and hard work are about to be distributed beyond the band family. Loyal fans at home and abroad will soon discover that the decade-plus wait for “Interlude” was well-worth all the patience spent More info at: http://www.arcticrodeorecordings.bandcamp.com Members of In The Pines joined us LIVE on WMM on August 25, 2021.]

64. Fred Wickham Caravan – Town Without Soul / Black Site Records / October 29, 2021
    [The first single released August 27, 2020, from the Fred Wickham Caravan’s debut LP tells of a place we all know, that city where something just ain’t right Fred Wickham on vocals & guitar, Marco Pascolini on pedal steel, Bart Colliver on piano & accordion & vocals, Richard Burgess on upright bass & vocals, Fred Wickham, Jr. on mandolin, Matt Brahl on drums & percussion. Music and lyrics by Fred Wickham. Produced by Fred Wickham Caravan. Recorded at The Nutthouse Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Engineered by Jimmy Nutt. Mastered by Chad Meise at Massive Sound Studios in KCMO. Fred Wickham is best known for his work with Hadacol, the Kansas City based quartet that released two critically acclaimed records and gained a national reputation for ferocious live shows across the country. The Caravan, formed to support the solo album, Mariosa Delta, blends country, soul and rock & roll into a sound that can only be called pure Americana. Info at: http://www.fredwickhamband.com Fred Wickham Caravan played and Album Release show with The Roseline is Friday, October 29, 2021, at 6:30 pm,at The Ship, 1221 Union Ave, Kansas City, MO 64101. Fred Wickham joined us LIVE on WMM on October 20, 2021.]

65. Rachel Cion – “ WANTED! – EP / Rachel Cion / May 4, 2021
    [Rachel Cion is Rachel Cionetti an Olathe, Kansas based singer-songwriter who has posted multiple songs on her SoundCloud page. We last played her single, “One More Time 35mm” on November 14, 2018 five days after it was released. Rachel Cion’s EP, Wanted!, contains 3 beautifully crafted takes on the ideas of contemporary folk, heavy rock, and dystopian pop. The EP’s first track, “Gunpowder Baby”, is perpetually propelled by a heavy bassline that is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “One Of These Days”, Tame Impala’s “Elephant” and Talking Heads “Psycho Killer”. Cion also pays homage to the former in her verse, making sure to let us know to not touch her “Gunpowder Baby” because she’s “a real live wire”. This is perhaps the poppiest moment of the EP, reminding me of St. Vincent’s “Los Ageless”. // The second song on Cion’s EP, “What You’ve Done”, immediately struck me as familiar. It sounded like a tune that I’d heard by another artist but just couldn’t place my finger on. While dissecting, I thought about the artists that had done this type of fingerpicking guitar work, because that’s what registered with me in terms of familiarity. I finally decided, after about 50 listens, that the best comparison to this song was the album abysskiss by Adrianne Lenker, doused in a kerosene of wicked folk-blues, and set alight by the same power that shut up the big-talker that Cion exposes in this tune of declaration. No, you cannot take her home you big mouthed son of a gun! Back to the guitar itself, the fingerpicking Cion uses in this song leaves the impression that every note is just as important as every full chord, and every vocalistic moment. It’s as if the whole song is a burning question, with a thousand different components, asking “What have you done?”. // The final song of the EP, “Heist”, is a searing blues nugget that builds off of the same idea that “Gunpowder Baby” does. This is for sure the heaviest hitting track on the Wanted! EP, rocking you fast and forcefully until the fadeout. These two tracks are very complementary to one another, with “Heist” being a grungy blues sludgefest to complement that dark, dystopian pop of “Gunpowder Baby”. The two tracks act as counterweights on this EP, balancing either end of the EP with different notes of the same idea of reclamation. With “Gunpowder Baby”, Cion claims her gunpowder baby, and in “Heist”, she wants your body, love, power, and control. More info at: http://www.facebook.com/rachel.cheeto%5D

66. Baby and the Brain – BrainBaby / Baby and the Brain / September 3, 2021
    [Baby and the Brain is comprised of 18 year old Jo Mackenzie (producer and songwriter) and 19 year old Dia Jane (singer/songwriter), who met at an open mic in Kansas City, Missouri, when Jo was in 8th grade and Dia was in 10th grade. Three years later, the two reconnected to started a musical project together that eventually turned into Baby and the Brain, a self-produced indie-pop band. Baby and the Brain also released the 8-track, BrainBaby with BONUS TRACKS on September 5, 2021. In 2020 Kansas City based singer songwriter, Jo MacKenzie released this year now collected together in a 5 -song EP, written, performed and produced by Jo MacKenzie. Mixed by Harper James. Jo MacKenzie released her Debut EP Proud on November 17, 2018. Along with Proud, Jo Mackenzie released the single “Just Like Rain” on August 18, 2018; “I Should Come with a Warning Sign” on September 28, 2019; and “Alaska” on November 23, 2019 and the single “Suicide Season” on February 1, 2020, and the single “Lose My Face” on April 24, 2020. More info at http://www.jomackenzie.com or Info at: http://www.babybrainband.bandcamp.com%5D

67. Kian Bryne – Morning Glow / Kian Byrne Music / December 4, 2020
    [12-song album from Kian Byrne who released the single. “All The Love” on February 7, 2020. Kian Byrne is a Kansas City based multi-instrumentalist. He plays drums in The Elders, and drums for Hi-Lüx, and bass for The New Riddim, and for YUM. This is a follow-up to Kian Byrne’s solo EP “Up & Down” released July 11, 2018, part of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. Kian Byrne released the single, “Your Love” April 9, 2021. Kian Byrne released the single, “It’s Yours ‘Til The End” May 1, 2021. Kian Byrne is released his single, “You + Me,” with a video on June 16, 2021. Kian Byrne joined us LIVE on WMM on July 14, 2021. More info at: http://www.kianbyrnemusic.com%5D

68. Scores – Vol. 1 / Oread Records / July 9, 2021
    [Scores is CJ Calhoun, Austin Ward, Alex Ward. All music written & performed by Scores. Saxophone on “Talk Flood” by Damien Rose. Trombone on “Keep Yr Eyes Clsed” by Joshua Landau. Saxophone on “Alligators” by Dan Barth. Tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 9: Engineered & Mixed by Joel Martin + additional programming, keys, and percussion. Recorded at Coop Studio in Lawrence, Kansas. Tracks 2, 3, 7, 8: Engineered & Mixed by Greg Panciera + additional programming and keys. Recorded at Ward’s Cabin in Fort Scott, Kansas. Mastering: Guy Davie at Electric Mastering London http://www.electricmastering.com More info at: http://www.scores.bandcamp.com ]

69. The Fey – Palm Tree Shade / The Record Machine / June 4, 2021
    [We last played The Fey’s February 12, 2021 single, “Wolf of The Wild” on March 3. That single followed their single, “Tear It off” released August 7, 2020. The Fey released “Lost In My Head” on August 2, 2019, that followed the band’s July 13, 2018 EP, Strawberry Lemonade. The Fey is a Rock/Soul sextet based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The band has created 3 EP’s under the alias “AZP”, but have recently made a name change to, The Fey. Charles Hull, Founder and Managing Director, Silver Street Records writes, The Fey is: Zach Watkins on lead/backup vocals, keys, percussion; Ishma Valenti on rap vocals; Trey Shotkoske on drums; Michael Rogers on guitars; John Fucinaro on bass, and Ludwing Siebenhor. Additional Backup vocals by Jasmin Ondap and Aly Millanes. Engineered and mixed by James Fleege at Silver Street. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Produced by Zach Watkins and James Fleege at Silver Street. Album art by Zach Watkins. More info at wwwtherecordmachine.co The Fey played Lemonade Park on June 25, with Lesser Pleasures, and The Royal Chief.]

70. Helado Negro – Far In / 4AD Records / October 22, 2021
    [6th album from Roberto Carlos Lange, better known by his stage name Helado Negro. He is an American musician. He was formerly signed to Asthmatic Kitty Records from 2009 to 2016. Helado is now currently signed to and released his latest album through RVNG Intl., a Brooklyn-based music institution. Helado grew up in Miami, Florida where he spent his teenage years searching for his identity in the cultural melting pot of south Florida. He immersed himself in the hip-hop and electronic music scenes, where he learned to be an artist by playing out shows to small audiences. Helado released his 6th albumTHIS IS HOW YOU SMILE on March 8, 2019. Helado released his first full-length album in 2009 titled Awe Owe. In 2010, Helado released an EP titled Pasajero. Helado released his second full-length album in 2011 titled Canta Lechuza. In 2012, Helado released the first of a three part EP, titled Island Universe Story – One. Helado released his third full-length album in 2013 titled Invisible Life. Helado released the second Island Universe Story EP in 2013. In 2014, Helado released his fourth full-length album titled Double Youth. The third EP in Helado’s three-part Island Universe Story series was released in 2014. In 2015, Helado released the single “Young, Latin and Proud” along with an animated-visual and lyric video. Lange describes the song as “It was as if I was singing my 6-year-old self a lullaby… It’s about feeling a sense of pride and self-confidence, understanding that you’re born into something and it’s alright to feel good about it. Stereotypes and contradictions are built into identity and I think those are a strong current in both Latino and black identity in the U.S. today.” In 2016, Helado released his fifth full-length album titled Private Energy.]

71. Ivy Roots – LOVE ART GROWTH 2 / Ivy Roots / December 16, 2020
    [Ivy Roots released the single “Home” on April 22, 2020. KC native singer songwriter, who plays piano & guitar, and produces beats. Her style ranges from R & B, Neo Soul, Hip Hop, Acoustic, & Pop. The acoustic guitar strumming songstress draws from her inspirations; Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Deangelo, and India Arie. Ivy Roots studied audio engineering at Kansas City, Kansas Community College. She toured in a 5-piece reggae band, played regional festivals, Los Angeles, and collaborated with film & performance. She also sang in a vocal jazz group at a performing arts jazz festival at Lincoln Center in NYC, before releasing her first album “Bad Intuition” and beginning her solo career. In 2019 Ivy Roots released her EP Love Art Growth on June 5, 2019 where she collaborated with Eddie Moore. Ivy Roots released her debut album Bad Intuition on April 14, 2016. Written & produced by Ivy.]

72. Sara Morgan – Another Nail / River Delta Records / June 4, 2021
    [Sara Morgan released her album AVERAGE JANE on January 26, 2018, on River Delta Records it was part of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018. KC based Singer/Songwriter, originally from McGehee, Arkansas. Sara Morgan plays saxophone, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and piano. Sara has opened for BJ Thomas, John Michael Montgomery, John Corbett, Sean Rowe, Chuck Mead, Ben Taylor, and was the pre-show before Loretta Lynn at The Uptown, November 2014. Ms. Lynn hosted Sara on her tour bus after Sara’s set and prior to Ms. Lynn’s performance. Sara Morgan played the 17th Annual Crossroads Music Fest, Saturday, September 11, at 9:00 PM on the Kissick Construction Stage at Stockyards Brewing Company Parking lot, 1600 Wyoming, one of FOUR OUTDOOR STAGES in the East Crossroads & West Bottoms w/ over 30 Bands.]

73. Sunshine Lombre – Fading Away / Sunshine Lombre / July 1, 2021
    [Debut album is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Soundcloud and all other major music streaming platforms. Though Sunshine Lombre was not Kansas City raised, she was born here, and has a lot of family here. Sunshine has been based in Kansas City for the majority of the pandemic. This album includes contributions from Kansas City artists: Deandre Manning, Kadesh Flow, and Eddie Moore. More info at: http://www.sunshinelombre.com%5D

74. Passerine Dream – Passerine Dream / DistroKid / May 3, 2021
    [Sidelined from touring in 2020 like everybody else, KC based musician Dave Tanner began demoing new songs and spent the first few months of the hiatus contributing bass and vocals to other people’s recordings. By fall, a routine of tracking and writing evolved into making a solo album, of sorts. As songs were coming together from new and existing material, a few friends offered, or were asked, to lend a hand in their respective areas of expertise. Nine heartfelt songs and a handful of special guests later, the Passerine Dream album was completed in April 2021. “As we went along and tracks came together, we couldn’t help but notice that a theme was emerging,” Tanner said. “This is an album about hope.” // Appearing on certain tracks are power-pop artist Erik Voeks; Marty Scott of Liverpool Legends; John Perrin of NRBQ; Albert Bickley of The Depth and The Whisper; Steve Davis of Liverpool: A Tribute to The Beatles; and John Countryman of Million Dollar Quartet. // Digital release on May 3, 2021 also kicks off an advance-order campaign for CD and vinyl via bandcamp and at passerinedream.com. // All songs written by Dave Tanner. Additional performing credits are listed in individual track information on bandcamp. // Passerine Dream was mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound Studios and mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Dave Tanner of Passerine Dream joined us LIVE on WMM on May 26, 2021.]

75. Martin Farrell Jr. – Coffee and Laundry / Lost Cowgirl Records / December 18, 2020
    [“Coffee and Laundry” has an original sound steeped heavily in traditional American roots music. Martin uses his personal experiences and midwestern upbringing for songwriting inspiration but transforms this perspective by adopting the role of characters throughout history. The record identifies most easily with Alt-Country and Americana genres with elements of folk, bluegrass, rock, western and blues. Similar to his first album, he wrote the songs, self produced the album and played all of the parts on the recordings.Martin recently served as producer of Lily B Moonflower’s new album MOONFLOWER to be released on February 12, 2021, on Lost Cowgirl Records where he played pedal steel, piano, telecaster guitar, tambourine, bells, & back up vocals. Minnesota-born songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Martin is intent on discovering new ways of playing old musical styles. After moving to Lawrence, KS in 2005 he began playing banjo, bass, piano and guitar in local bluegrass and rock groups. After meeting KC based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jenna Rae, the two began writing music and performing as a “cosmic western duo.” In 2017, they founded Lost Cowgirl Records with the mission to support female songwriters within the category of Americana and Roots music. More info at: http://www.jennamartinduo.com and http://www.thelostcowgirl.com. Martin Farrell Jr. was our guest on WMM on February 3, 2021.]

76. Valerie June – The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers / June Tunes-Concord Records / March 12, 2021
    [5th full length album co-produced by Jack Splash and Valerie June. Valerie June Hockett was born January 10, 1982), known as Valerie June, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Her sound encompasses a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. She is signed to Concord Music Group worldwide. // Born in Jackson, Tennessee on January 10, 1982, June is the oldest of five children. As a child growing up in Humboldt, June was exposed to gospel music at her local church and R&B and soul music via her father, Emerson Hockett. As a teenager, her first job was with her father, owner of Hockett Construction in West Tennessee, and a part-time promoter for gospel singers and Prince, K-Ci & JoJo, and Bobby Womack. She helped by hanging posters in town. Her father died in late 2016. // June relocated to Memphis in 2000 and began recording and performing at the age of 19, initially with her then-husband Michael Joyner, in the duo Bella Sun. After her marriage ended, she began working as a solo artist, combining blues, gospel and Appalachian folk in a style that she describes as “organic moonshine roots music”, and learning guitar, banjo, and lap-steel guitar. She became associated with the Memphis-based Broken String Collective. // In 2009 she was a featured artist on MTV’s online series $5 Cover (following the lives of Memphis musicians attempting to make ends meet), and in 2010 she recorded the EP Valerie June and the Tennessee Express, a collaboration with Old Crow Medicine Show. // In 2011 she was honored by the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission at the Emissaries of Memphis Music event. She raised funds to record an album with producer Craig Street via Kickstarter.com, raising $15,000 in 60 days. Later that year she relocated from Memphis to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Shortly after, record producer Kevin Augunas introduced June to Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, which led to the recording of June’s album Pushin’ Against a Stone in July 2011, which was co-written and produced by Dan Auerbach and Kevin Augunas. // In 2012, June performed with producer John Forté on a collaboration called Water Suites (on the hip-hop-blues song “Give Me Water”), and with Meshell Ndegeocello on the song “Be My Husband”. She contributed The Wandering’s 2012 album Go on Now, You Can’t Stay Here: Mississippi Folk Music Volume III. In 2012 she performed in the UK for the first time, playing at Bestival and appearing on Later… with Jools Holland. // She has received substantial radio play in Europe on BBC Radio 6, including a feature on Cerys on 6 with Cerys Matthews. Mary Anne Hobbs of XFM has said of June: “This woman has already touched my heart, she really, really has.” // In February 2013, June was invited to support Jake Bugg on the UK leg of his tour. In March 2013, June performed two nights at South By Southwest. The first performance was on March 14 as part of the Heartbreaker Banquet. On March 16, June performed again, this time as part of The Revival Tour. Rolling Stone June’s second album, The Order of Time one of the 50 Best Albums of 2017, citing “her handsomely idiosyncratic brand of Americana, steeped deep in electric blues and old-time folk, gilded in country twang and gospel yearning….a blend of spacey hippie soul, blues and folk with June’s pinched, modern-Appalachian voice at the center”. In a 2017 interview, Bob Dylan was asked what artists he listened to and respected; June was among the artists he mentioned in reply.More info at: http://www.valeriejune.com%5D

77. Unfit Wives – LIVE & UNFIT / Lost Cowgirl Records / September 17, 2021
    [Unfit Wives bring their hard-driving bluegrass originals to Kansas City and surrounding areas with hot licks, lyrics, and feisty four-part harmonies. Unfit Wives are: Jenna Rae on guitar & vocals, Shannon O’Shea on fiddle & vocals, Monica Greenwood on mandolin & vocals, and Kahlen Mitchell on upright bass & vocals. Unfit Wives who played a Parking Lot Show with Ryan Manuel, and Tyler Gregory, Saturday, October 10, at 7:00 PM, at Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive, Lawrence Kansas, presented by I Heart Local Music and Theatre Lawrence for a socially distanced drive-in concert at the Theatre Lawrence parking lot. More info at http://www.unfitwives.com and http://www.thelostcowgirl.com%5D

78. Jake Wells – Goodbyes EP / Jake Wells Music / October 15, 2020
    [Co-written with brother Jordan Wells.More info at https://jakewellsmusic.com. All of the new songs on this EP (Plus the stand alone single “Salt and Water”) came from a the “custom song writing project” that Jake and brother Jordan Thompson embarked upon to support themselves financially during the pandemic. More information at: https://www.thepitchkc.com/one-musicians-custom-songwriting-brought-joy-and-tears-to-an-empty-year/ This Jake released the single “The Wrong Side (feat. J. Taylor)” on September 3, 2021, and Jake Wells and The Dirty Musicians single, “Holy Woman” released on August 6, 2021, and Jake’s single “Time After Time” released May 6, 2021, and “Salt and Water” was released on October 3, 2021. Jake Wells released his EP, SUNDAY MORNING released February 29, 2020. Kansas City based indie folk singer songwriter. Jake Wells was born in Florida grew up in Colorado. Jake studied Music Composition at University of Northern Colorado. “Jake’s sound evokes an emotionality and maturity much deeper than his age of 22 would imply.” He was named one of Spotify’s top 20. He has performed on stages since he was a teenager. His single releases are currently gaining radio play in the Midwest on several FM stations. In 2018 he was featured on the nationally televised NBC reality – competition program The Voice.]

79. Nature Boys – IV / Dead Broke Rekerds / September 24, 2021
    [Nature Boys started playing together in Kansas City, Missouri in September of 2009. They had their first show in November/December 2009 at their Troost House, and then their second show at Dave’s Stagecoach Inn. We left for our first tour in January of 2010. The band includes: Danny Fischer on guitar & vocals, Suzanne Hogan on bass & vocals. evan malone on drums Kansas City, Missouri punk rock & rollers that have been kickin’ up dust all across the country since 2009! Their fourth album and first on Dead Broke after self-releasing a slew of their previous efforts. Imagine if Dead Moon was a buch of punk rockers from the south, then you might be getting close to what Nature Boys scrappy & energetic punk rock is all about. Limited to 300 copies. (200 Black, 100 Clear Pink) Comes w/download code. Nature Boys played a Special Halloween Benefit for Confluence & KC Tenants on Saturday, October 30, at 8:00 PM, at Blip Roasters 1301 Woodswether Rd, WEST BOTTOMS, KCMO with Pink Phase, DJ Dan Cool, Killus.]

80. Rhiannon Giddens – They’re Calling Me Home (with Francesco Turrisi) / Nonesuch Records / April 9, 2021
    [Rhiannon Giddens was born February 21, 1977. She is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player. // Giddens is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, an alumna of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and a 2000 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory at Oberlin College, where she studied opera. // In addition to her work with the Grammy-winning Chocolate Drops, Giddens has released two solo albums: Tomorrow Is My Turn (2015) and Freedom Highway (2017). Her 2019 album, There Is No Other, is a collaboration with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi. Her latest album, They’re Calling Me Home (2021) continues her collaboration with Francesco Turrisi. She appears in the Smithsonian Folkways collection documenting Mike Seeger’s final trip through Appalachia in 2009, Just Around The Bend: Survival and Revival in Southern Banjo Styles – Mike Seeger’s Last Documentary (2019). In 2014, she participated in the T Bone Burnett-produced project titled The New Basement Tapes along with several other musicians, which set a series of recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics to newly composed music. The resulting album, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, was a top-40 Billboard album. // In 2005, Giddens, who at that time was spending time competing in Scottish music competitions (specializing in the Gaelic lilting tradition, also known as mouth music), attended the Black Banjo Then and Now Gathering, in Boone, North Carolina. There she met Dom Flemons and Sule Greg Wilson. The three started playing together professionally as a “postmodern string band”, Sankofa Strings. During that same time period, Giddens was also a regular caller at local contra dances and featured in a Celtic music band called Gaelwynd. Later in 2005, after both Gaelwynd and Sankofa Strings had released CD albums, Giddens and Flemons teamed up with other musicians and expanded the Sankofa Strings sound into what was to become the Grammy winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. // In 2007, Giddens contributed fiddle, banjo, “flat-footin’” dancing and additional vocals to Talitha MacKenzie’s album Indian Summer. // Performing as a soprano, Giddens and mezzo-soprano Cheryse McLeod Lewis formed a duo called Eleganza to release a CD in 2009. Because I Knew You… consists of classical, religious, theater, and movie music. Giddens and Lewis were middle school classmates who reconnected after college while working in the same office. The friends started singing together in 2003, but did not begin recording until 2008. // As of November 12, 2013, Giddens became the only original member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. // In 2013, Giddens began pushing further into her solo career. Giddens participated in “Another Day, Another Time”, a concert inspired by the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis. Many critics have stated that Giddens had the best performance at what was called “the concert of the year”. Late in 2013, Giddens contributed the standout a cappella track “We Rise” to the LP We Are Not For Sale: Songs of Protest by the NC Music Love Army – a collective of activist musicians from North Carolina founded by Jon Lindsay and Caitlin Cary. Giddens’ protest song joins contributions from many other Carolina musical luminaries on the Lindsay-produced compilation (11/26/13 via Redeye Distribution), which was created to support the NC NAACP and the Moral Monday movement. // In early 2014 Giddens recorded for Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes alongside Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith & Jim James. The album was produced by T-Bone Burnett and is a compilation of partial, unreleased lyrics written by Bob Dylan. // In February 2015, Giddens released her debut solo album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, on Nonesuch Records. Also produced by Burnett, the album includes songs made famous by Patsy Cline, Odetta, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone, among others. The Wall Street Journal said the album “confirms the arrival of a significant talent whose voice and distinctive approach communicate the simmering emotion at the core of the songs.” Additionally, the Los Angeles Times called the album “a collection that should solidify her status as one of the bright new lights in pop music.” // In July 2015, she had a big stage at world music folk and dance festival at TFF Rudolstadt in Germany. Her performance was also broadcast live by the German national public radio Deutschlandfunk. Rhiannon appears on Jon Lindsay’s single “Ballad of Lennon Lacy” (Redeye Distribution, August 21). The song tackles the mysterious hanging death of Lennon Lacy, a black teen from rural Bladenboro, North Carolina. The case is currently under investigation by the FBI, and widely suspected to be a lynching. // On November 27, 2015, to coincide with the Black Friday Record Store Day event, Giddens released Factory Girl (EP) on Nonesuch Records, which contained music culled from the same T Bone Burnett–produced sessions that yielded Tomorrow Is My Turn. A digital version of Factory Girl was made available December 11, 2015. The sessions for the album and EP took place in Los Angeles and Nashville, with a multi-generational group of players assembled by Burnett. Musicians on Factory Girl include Burnett; fiddle player Gabe Witcher and double bassist Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers; percussionist Jack Ashford of Motown’s renowned Funk Brothers; drummer Jay Bellerose; guitarist Colin Linden; veteran Nashville session bassist Dennis Crouch; and Giddens’s Carolina Chocolate Drops touring band-mates, multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins and beat-boxer Adam Matta. // Rhiannon appeared on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on December 31, 2015, shown on BBC Two. She performed songs from her 2015 album Tomorrow Is My Turn, including “Waterboy” and a cover of “St James Infirmary Blues” with Tom Jones. // She was selected to take part in Transatlantic Sessions in January 2016. This collaboration between American and Celtic musicians is a coveted honor. The ensemble performed as part of Celtic Connections in Glasgow, and a short UK/Irish tour. Her performances on the tour included the stirring tribute to David Bowie “It Ain’t Easy”. Later in the year, Giddens became the first American to be honoured as Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Later in the year, it was also announced that she would be receiving the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Winning this award makes Giddens both the only woman and the only person of color to receive the prize in its six-year history. In 2016, it was also announced that Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops would be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. // In 2017, Giddens became only the fourth musician to perform at both the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. Later that year, she delivered the keynote address at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference 2017. According to Bluegrass Today, “Giddens shattered long-held stereotypes. By the time she was done, she had systematically dismantled the myth of a homogenous Appalachia.” In June 2017, Giddens appeared in the multi award-winning documentary The American Epic Sessions, directed by Bernard MacMahon, where she recorded “One Hour Mama” and English folk ballad “Pretty Saro”, on the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. Both performances were released on Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Upon hearing the playback of these direct-to-disc recordings, she exclaimed “you feel like your soul is coming out of the speaker.” // In October 2017, Giddens was named one of the 2017 class of MacArthur “Genius” Fellows. The organization noted, “Giddens’s drive to understand and convey the nuances, complexities, and interrelationships between musical traditions is enhancing our musical present with a wealth of sounds and textures from the past.” Rhiannon further demonstrated the broad range of her musical interests with several subsequent projects. In early November, she performed as a soprano with the Louisville Orchestra in Teddy Abrams’ multimedia tribute to Muhammad Ali, The Greatest. A week later, she sang with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for their live recording of American Originals: 1918, which explored the early development of jazz during the post WWI era. In January 2018, Giddens co-produced (with Dirk Powell) Songs of Our Native Daughters for Smithsonian Folkways. Written and recorded with fellow artists Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell, “The album confronts the ways we are culturally conditioned to avoid talking about America’s history of slavery, racism, and misogyny.” Also in early 2018, the Nashville Ballet announced that Rhiannon Giddens has been commissioned to write the music for Lucy Negro, Redux, a new dance choreographed by artistic director, Paul Vasterling. Based on the book by Caroline Randall Williams, its premise is that Shakespeare’s Dark Lady was of African descent. The ballet premiered in February 2019. Then in March 2018, Giddens fulfilled a previously announced engagement as guest curator for the Cambridge Folk Festival by inviting Peggy Seeger, Kaia Kater, Birds of Chicago, Amythyst Kiah, and Yola Carter to perform at the event. // Giddens recorded vocals for Silo Songs, an audio installation created by composer Brad Wells for Hancock Shaker Village. She contributed a song, “Mountain Hymn”, to the popular video game Red Dead Redemption 2 which was released in October 2018. The song was written with Daniel Lanois. Beginning in December 2018, she is hosting a podcast called Aria Code with Rhiannon Giddens produced by the Metropolitan Opera and WQXR-FM. The program examines why individual arias have a lasting impact on audiences and how singers prepare to perform them. In 2019, Giddens released two studio albums: Songs of Our Native Daughters with Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla and Amythyst Kiah, and There Is No Other with Italian musician Francesco Turrisi. // For the 2020 Spoleto Festival USA, Giddens was commissioned to create an opera based on the autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, an enslaved Muslim-African man who was brought to Charleston, South Carolina in 1807. Giddens wrote the libretto and served as lead composer with help from co-composer Michael Abels. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world premiere of Omar was postponed until 2021. In July 2020, Giddens was named Artistic Director of the cross-cultural music organization Silkroad (arts organization). The position had been vacant since 2017 when Silkroad’s founder, Yo-Yo Ma, stepped down. // On August 17, 2020, Giddens guest-hosted the BBC Radio 2 Blues Show whilst its regular host Cerys Matthews was on her holidays. // Giddens earned an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her lasting impact on the UNCG community and work in music. She sang “Calling me Home” by Alice Gerrard at a virtual commencement after accepting the degree in December 2020.]

81. Joy Zimmerman – The Canvas Before Us / Cultivate Joy Records / August 2, 2021
    [The Canvas Before Us was produced, recorded and mastered by Gary Gordon of Inside-Out Studio, Sparta, IL. Additional vocal mixing was done by David Travers-Smith of Found Sound, Toronto, Canada. Along with vocals, Joy played guitar, fiddle, ukulele and typewriter on the album. The stellar contributing musicians are Robert Bowlin, Ryan Dugan, Polly Lanuay, Ross Sermons, Gary Gordon, Monty Jackson, and Roberta Gordon. Joy Zimmerman’s songwriting has been recognized nationally with an American Songwriter Lyric Contest Honorable Mention and ten Walnut Valley Festival NewSong Showcase wins. “We’ll Hold the Light”, Joy’s single honoring health care workers during the pandemic, was a Top 20 Song of the Month on the Folk DJ Chart. Joy Zimmerman was our guest on WMM on September 22, 2021.]

82. Alisa Jefferson – Tell Me / Alisa Jefferson / June 1, 2020
    [10-song solo debut album, TELL ME, on June 1, 2021. All lyrics, instrumentation, vocals, melodies, song content for TELL ME was written and created by Alisa Jefferson. TELL ME was also recorded by Alisa Jefferson. Mixed and produced by Alisa Jefferson and Andy Oxman of SoundWorks Recording Studio, Blue Springs, Mo. And mastered by Matt Elliott of Black Sky Studios, Buckner, MO. Alisa Jefferson grew up in KC. She played viola in her school orchestra and received her first acoustic guitar at age 13. Alisa established her rock trio, Morning Fix, in 1994, singing & playing bass. In December, 2014, Alisa established, fronted, and played bass in the rock trio, Radial Red. In 2019 Alisa performed on the side stage with Joan Jett and Heart at Starlight Theatre with KC band, Mad Libby. More info at: http://www.alisajeffersonmusic.com Alisa Jefferson was our guest on WMM on June 2, 2021 and February 10, 2021.]

83. Shawn M. Stewart – POP / Shawn M. Stewart / October 8, 2021
    [Shawn M. Stewart has already written and recorded POP in spring of 2021 but held off for an October 2021 release. Shawn M. Stewart released his album 2020: THE MUSICAL in November 2020. From that album the single “Cameras” was voted the #4 favorite song of the year, by Bridge 90.9 listeners and has received over 20,495 streams on Spotify and 1,500,000 streams on Soundcloud. The songs were written after an exercise in which Shawn only listened to brand new music for 12 months, mostly top 40. After that immersive experience, Shawn found the ideas that were coming to him sounded more like “Basic Ass Bro” than 2020’s “Poppies and Puppies.” shawn wrote most of the songs (8 of 10) last December in a Pop-flurry. On TikTok Shawn calls himself, “A Wes Anderson character, socially unhinged.” On Soundcloud Shawn describes his sound as Psych-Americana-Alternative-Country-Rap. On Spotify Shawn wrote that he just got a website in January 2021. And that he never took promotion seriously prior, but with help from a friend, they are going at 2021 with a vengeance and averaging nearly 700,000 weekly combined streams. On Facebook Shawn identifies as a songwriter with published TV/Film material, a Top % finish in “Song of The Year” and that you play live…very infrequently. Shawn has previously been known as “Johnny Super Colossal” but he has decided to go forward with his real name. More info at: http://www.ShawnMStewart.com // Shawn M. Stewart played a POP Album Release Show, Friday, October 8, 2021, at 7:00 PM at Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming, West Bottoms, KCMO, with Miki P, and Timbers. Shawn Stewart was a guest on WMM on October 6, 2021.]

84. MellowPhobia – IS THIS SEAT TAKEN? / Jackal And Hide Records / June 23, 2021
    [Music and Lyrics by Tillie Alexandra Hall, Producer Tillie Alexandra Hall. Recording Engineering by Justin Mantooth. Mastering by Pete Maher. Adam McKee on drums MellowPhobia were formed out of the indie alt-rock scene of Pittsburgh, PA. Now residing in their home city of Kansas City, producing a highly original sound that they describe as “landlocked surf rock”. Socially conscious lyrics, and hook laden tunes keeps the crowd jumping. The band revolves around songwriter and guitarist Til who provides the distinctive vocals to all MellowPhobia tracks. In July 2018 MelloPhobia released the 3-song EP LISTEN. More info: http://www.mellowphobia.com. Tillie Alexandra Hall of MelloPhobia was our guest on WMM on Oct. 20, 2021.]

85. Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind / Asthmatic Kitty / Sept. 24, 2021
    [A Beginner’s Mind is a collaborative album by American musicians Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine. After being teased by Asthmatic Kitty for several days, the album was formally announced on July 7, 2021, along with its track listing and two singles, “Reach Out” and “Olympus”. Daniel Anum Jasper created the album’s cover artwork. The album was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. A Beginner’s Mind was created in a cabin in upstate New York. There, Stevens and Augustine watched movies every day for inspiration. // Angelo De Augustine is an American musician residing in Thousand Oaks, California. De Augustine has collaborated with and opened for musician Sufjan Stevens. His parents were both close to music. When he was 5 years old, his father left home. Angelo wanted to be a professional soccer player in his teens years, but after an accident, he wasn’t able to continue his dream, but replaced the soccer for the music later, becoming his biggest passion. Angelo De Augustine self-released his first album in 2014, titled Spirals of Silence. In 2017, Angelo De Augustine released his second full-length album and first with Asthmatic Kitty Records, titled Swim Inside The Moon. In a 2018 review of the artist’s “Carcassonne,” National Public Radio (NPR) said that De Augustine wrote it for people who dream of visiting small villages and towns in France. NPR characterized the album’s mood as being “like waves rushing onto the shore.” In 2019, Angelo De Augustine released his third full-length album and second with Asthmatic Kitty Records titled Tomb. The Irish Times described the artist’s Tomb album as “his first bona fide studio album” that followed “a series of low-key releases recorded in a bathtub on a reel-to-reel tape machine and a single microphone.” The artist’s “Time” single was performed as a duo with musician Sufjan Stevens.// Sufjan Stevens (/ˈsuːfjɑːn/ SOOF-yahn; was born July 1, 1975. He is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations. His debut album, A Sun Came, was released in 2000 on the Asthmatic Kitty label, which he co-founded with his stepfather. He received wide recognition for his 2005 album Illinois, which hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the single “Chicago” from that album. Stevens later contributed to the soundtrack of the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the soundtrack’s lead single, “Mystery of Love”. Stevens has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of Enjoy Your Rabbit and the lo-fi folk of Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of Illinois and Christmas-themed Songs for Christmas. He employs various instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same recording. Stevens’ music is also known for exploring various themes, particularly religion and spirituality. Stevens’ ninth and latest studio album, Convocations, was released in 2021.]

86. R.I.Peter – Soft Serve / Manor Records / March 19, 2021
    [1st single form R. I.Peter’s12-track solo album release, SOFT SERVE, from Manor Records. Earlier this year R.I. Peter released the single, “In Your Eyes” on February 26, 2021. On April 10, 2020 R.I.Peter released the singles: “Cruis’n” and “Rising Sun” through Manor Records. Kansas City based musician and songwriter Peter Beatty also plays in the band Momma’s Boy, and before that was in Rev Gusto that was formed with Jerry Frederick, Sam Frederick, Shaun Crowley; and Quinn Hernandez on drums while they were in high school at Saint James Academy. Peter studied at University of Kansas. Peter released the debut EP solo project R.I.Peter on July 5, 2019. Manor Records described R.I.Peter’s music saying, “It’s like if you took video game music and mashed it with Fleet Foxes or something. electronic pop ambient america folk mystic Both of the songs were written by Peter Beatty. More info t http://www.manorrecords.com. Peter Beatty was our guest on WMM on March 17, 2021.]

87. Bachelor – Doomin’ Sun / Polyvinyl Recording Company / May 28, 2021
    [Album Notes from http://www.bachelortheband.bandcamp.com: Bachelor, the new project from Melina Duterte (Jay Som) and Ellen Kempner (Palehound), is not a band, it’s a friendship. // You could say the friendship began in 2017 when Duterte and Kempner first met in a Sacramento green room and experienced love at first sight. Having been mutual fans of each other for years at that point, putting each other’s songs on playlists and scouring YouTube for live videos, they both remember starting that night as nervous wrecks intent on making a good impression. That proved extremely easy, and their anxious facades quickly faded into geeky fandom as they unabashedly yell-sang lyrics from the crowd during each other’s sets. // A year later, Kempner visited Duterte’s home studio in Los Angeles to mess around and record for fun. They hadn’t really hung out much since the two shows they did in 2017, but they kept in touch by hesitantly texting and replying to Instagram posts. Now together in LA, the jitters Kempner and Duterte fought the first time they met were back, but this time they weren’t born of insecurity, but of excitement. The two spent a few hours writing and recording their first song together, “Sand Angel,” a seductive slow-burner that unfurls like a lucid dream. Kempner’s arid lead vocals are punctuated by Duterte’s spry harmonies, lending the track a rare dynamism that could only mean one thing: they had to write an album together. // In January of 2020, the duo packed the entirety of Duterte’s recording equipment into two cars and headed to a rental house in Topanga, CA where over the course of two weeks, they wrote and recorded their debut album Doomin’ Sun. The house had a living room with a baby grand piano in it which they turned into a live room by pushing all the furniture against the walls and setting up drums and amps. The ad hoc studio set up offered the comfort required for ideas to flow freely, uninhibited by any preordained schedule. // In this space, Kempner and Duterte hybridized their individual songwriting talents, producing a collection that slips between moods with ease and showcases their lyrical prowess. On the bass-heavy rock song “Stay in the Car,” the duo paint a yearning portrait of a woman in a supermarket parking lot, a barely-contained desire oozing out of cotidian descriptions like: “She burns out of the market/ Plastic bags digging into wrists/ Blood stuck in her fingertips.” The heavy bass makes another appearance on “Anything At All,” a track with a chorus so playful it could be a schoolyard taunt, defying the darker lyrical themes heard on the verses. // A typical day at the house in Topanga consisted of the two late-sleepers slumping down to the kitchen at around 11AM to drink canned ice teas and make lunch before they started messing around with instruments, crafting pitch riffs and chord progressions. After Kempner and Duterte sussed the form of the song and tracked the basics, they’d spend a couple of hours apart. During that time, Kempner wrote lyrics in the backyard treehouse while Duterte worked her producer magic, or Duterte wrote lyrics on the back patio while Kempner came up with guitar parts. When they regrouped, the duo shared what they’d worked on, made dinner, and watched an unreasonable amount of TV for the rest of the night. //About halfway through their stay in Topanga, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia of Big Thief came by the house. Meek brought guitar pedals and a beautiful old Martin acoustic to generously lend to the project, and Krivchenia elevated a few of the songs by tracking drums while Duterte’s partner Annie Truscott (Chastity Belt) recorded strings to accentuate moments on the album. Aside from those contributions, Kempner and Duterte spent most of their time in isolation, a fitting precursor to the remainder of the year, but the songs on Doomin’ Sun are anything but isolating. These songs tell stories that will surely be recognizable to listeners, especially when they offer up interpretations of modern life. “Drivin’ on to the next town/ Keeping the rubber side down/ But the danger is in my phone/ And the drug of an endless scroll,” Kempner sings on the downcast, country-inflected “Sick of Spiraling.” // Kempner and Duterte had arrived in Topanga with no songs written and no solid plan, but after two short weeks, they had finished the 10 songs that make up Doomin’ Sun. That much work in so little time may sound exhausting, but it wasn’t, it was blissful and freeing. On the album’s powerful opener, “Back of My Hand,” it’s possible to hear echoes of Bachelor’s foundation in the opening verse, “I’m your biggest fan/ Got your song in my head/ And your poster’s above my bed,” but the song soon hits a more sinister register as it goes on, “You date the beauty queens/ I see their bodies in magazines/ Sharp jaw size 0 jeans/ I skip a meal/ I drink some tea.” // There was a lot of pain that went into the record, especially around themes of queerness and climate change inspired by the red skies and wildfires subsuming Australia at the time. However, when the duo did shed tears during the creative process, they weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of laughter. When Kempner and Duterte look back on those weeks, what they remember first is shortness of breath and the inability to track vocal takes without falling to the floor howling. They couldn’t remember a time they’d ever been so delirious with creativity, so overwhelmed with joy.]

88. Whim Grace – My Dear Sweet Dystopia EP / Whim Grace / July 4, 2021
    [Now recently based in KCK. Since 2013 Whim Grace has released two albums, two EPs, one live EP, and six singles. She has 41 published songs. Whim Grace is an award winning multi instrumentalist who is best known for her sultry soulful voice and unique sound. Born in the Philippines, Whim has been wandering the world ever since, seeking sound and connection. She is always hoping someone will understand and answer her siren’s call. // About My Dear Sweet Dystopia Whim writes, “This EP means alot to me. The culmination of so much time and effort. Three songs with all the sound of space, time, earth, and hope I could possibly jam into them. Sean Berahmand and I made every single sound you hear. We re-created the Apollo moon landing in the studio to avoid any possible copyright issues. Every beat, static, or melody, we made. I wrote every musical line of this EP, I guess to prove I could, but also to better communicate the world I hear with others. Sharing that impossible fantasy place with you.” // Whim continues: “I often spend alot of time out of my body, somewhere else… Maybe it’s disassociation from years of trauma, maybe it’s meditation, or time travel, or astral projection, or death, but this allows me often to see the world, and even my life, from above, a wonderous, bewildering colorful thing. This view of life gives me peace. Everything is so beautiful from above. Earth and us, and all the chaos. Let’s not forget the miracle of our time here. The miracle of each other.” // Whim says, “That’s what sound gives me. The reminder of the connection to all places things people. Let’s try to remember how beautiful the earth is. Protect and honor her, and all the pieces of existence. I feel like that’s our only true purpose floating in space on this small blue imperfect thing. Take care and honor what we have been given. // Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Sean Berahmand. Sound by Whim Grace. Album Art designed by Rachel Rosenkoetter. Photos by Tom Boehme. More info at http://www.whimgrace.bandcamp.com. Whim Grace was a guest on WMM on September 1, 2021.]

89. The Rugged Nuggets – Odds & Ends / Colemine Records / September 24, 2021
    [“Cinematic soul” ensemble formed by Judson McDaniel, comprised of members of Orgone and Jungle Fire: David Moyer, Jake Najor, Joey Reina, Judson McDaniel, Michael Duffy, Patrick Bailey, Sam Halterma. Group For Fans of Menahan Street Band, El Michels Affair, Khruangbin, BadBadNotGood. Recorded in the San Fernando Valley just a stones throw away from the infamous Van Nuys Blvd. cruising scene, it’s no wonder from the debut long player from The Rugged Nuggets hits hard and demands to be turned up loud with the windows rolled down. Delivering west-coast cool at it’s finest. With swooning strings, breezy guitars and tough as nails drums, Odds & Ends epitomizes a mellow vibe, but is undeniably cool.]

90. Laura Mvula – Sharecropper’s Son / Easy Eye Sound / May 21, 2021
    [Laura Mvula (née Douglas; born April 23, 1986) is a British recording artist, songwriter and composer. A native of Birmingham, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul, and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In 2012, she signed with RCA Records and released extended play, She, to critical acclaim. // Mvula released her debut studio album, Sing to the Moon (2013), to favorable reviews, earning two MOBO awards and a Mercury Prize nomination. In 2014, orchestral re-recording with the Metropole Orkest was released. Her second album, The Dreaming Room (2016), was received to critical acclaim, won the Ivor Novello award and garnered a Mercury Prize nomination as well. Mvula then wrote the music for 2017 theatre production of Antony & Cleopatra by the Royal Shakespeare Company. While working on her third album, she released the 1/f EP in February 2021. // In 2018, Mvula received an honorary doctorate of music from her alma mater, Birmingham City University. // Laura Mvula grew up in the Birmingham suburbs of Selly Park and Kings Heath with two younger siblings. Her mother is a humanities professor and is from Saint Kitts. Her father is from Jamaica and is a youth legal protection educator. She took up piano and violin at primary school and later attended Swanshurst School for girls. In her teens, she sang with Black Voices, an a cappella group set up by her aunt Carol Pemberton; in 2005 they toured Italy and other countries. In 2008, Mvula formed a jazz/neo-soul group called Judyshouse, singing lead vocals and writing material for the band. She was Director of the Lichfield Community Gospel Choir, founded by Black Voices and Lichfield Festival in 2009. She has also previously directed the Alvechurch Community Choir in Alvechurch. // In 2008 Mvula graduated from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a degree in composition. She worked as a supply music teacher, and later as a receptionist for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, when she began to write songs. Her sketches caught the attention of composer Steve Brown, and his manager, Kwame Kwaten, who also became Mvula’s manager. In a 2013 podcast for The Daily Telegraph, she admitted to suffering from “crippling stage fright”. // In May 2012, after several showcases, Laura Mvula was signed by Colin Barlow to Sony subsidiary RCA. She released her debut extended play, She, on November 16, 2012. The title track is the first song she ever wrote. On December 6, she was shortlisted for the Critics’ Choice award at the 2013 BRIT Awards. On December 9, she was nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2013 poll and later finished in fourth position. On February 1, 2013, she gave her first live TV performance on The Graham Norton Show on BBC One, singing “Green Garden”. // Her debut studio album, Sing to the Moon, was released on March 4, 2013. She worked on the album with producer Steve Brown and mix engineer Tom Elmhirst. It was preceded by the single “Green Garden”, an elegy to her home in Kings Heath. Paul Lester from The Guardian described her music as “gospeldelia”, calling it a new musical genre. The album was met with a largely positive reception, receiving a perfect score from The Independent, and 3.5/5 from Rolling Stone. It reached number 9 on the UK Albums Chart and within the top 100 in seven other countries, and reached 173 on the US Billboard 200. // Mvula won awards for Best Female Act and Best R&B or Soul Artist at the 2013 MOBO awards, which took place in October. She was also nominated for two Brit awards, Sing to the Moon was shortlisted for a Mercury Prize, and during 2013–14, she garnered over a dozen award-nominations in different categories altogether. The same year, she recorded a cover of the popular 1935’s song “Little Girl Blue”, which ended up being part of original soundtrack for the 2013 acclaimed film 12 Years A Slave. The track was produced by Troy Miller as their first collaboration. // In March 2014, the artist re-recorded an orchestral version of her debut album in collaboration with the Metropole Orkest and conducted by Jules Buckley. This was released on June 23 as a high quality download via Bowers & Wilkins’ Society of Sound and on CD on 11 August. On August 19, she performed with the Metropole Orkest at the Albert Hall as a part of the 2014 BBC Proms Season, supported by Esperanza Spalding and ElectricVocals. // In July 2015, Mvula performed with fifty musicians of the Metropole Orkest at the North Sea Jazz Festival, one of the biggest indoor jazz festivals in the world. The same year, she recorded a track “You Work For Me”; director Guy Ritchie chose it as a part of soundtrack for his 2015 film The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the song’s clip was also used in the US trailer of the movie. // In January 2016, Mvula released “Overcome”, a collaboration with Nile Rodgers, and the lead single from her forthcoming second studio album, The Dreaming Room. She recorded “Sing to the Moon” with Snarky Puppy for their jazz fusion album Family Dinner – Volume 2, which was released on February 12. She began promotion for The Dreaming Room by performing “Overcome” on The Graham Norton Show on 29 January and on The Andrew Marr Show on February 14. On March 19, Mvula played the first live show of the album at the Jazz Maastricht Festival. On 22 March, she previewed the entire album at the Islington Assembly Hall. On 7 April, the singer released “People” from the album, a collaboration with Wretch 32. On April 19, she released the second single from The Dreaming Room, “Phenomenal Woman”. The third single, “Show Me Love”, was released on 27 May. // The Dreaming Room was released on June 17, 2016, and received universal acclaim from music critics. Writing for Exclaim!, Ryan B. Patrick gave the album a rave review, calling it “a subconscious succession of visuals, emotions and ideas – sometimes abstract, sometimes allegorical, but always dredging up something for the conscious mind to ponder. The Dreaming Room is this and more.”. This album is more political than her first; the sound, the orchestration and the rhythms more explicitly refer to her Jamaican and Caribbean influences. The song “Phenomenal Woman” is a happy feminist hymn, inspired by the book of poems of the same title by African-American writer and activist Maya Angelou. The Dreaming Room was produced with Troy Miller and the instrumental crew of The London Symphony Orchestra. In the same June, the singer performed on the Glastonbury Pyramid stage for a second time. In July, she performed with Tom Odell in the first UK event for “Global Citizen” and “Chime For Change”, at The View from The Shard in London. The evening followed the launch of #SheWill campaign, aimed at breaking down the barriers that prevent millions of girls worldwide from attending school. On October 30, she appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing singing her fourth single “Ready or Not”, the cover of The Delfonics’ song, which was released on 4 November. The song was used in 2016 Christmas campaign of House of Fraser. // The album was shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize among others, and in May 2017, won the Ivor Novello award. Mvula was also nominated for four MOBO awards. In January 2017, the artist revealed that she had been dropped by Sony. She composed the music for the 2017 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Antony and Cleopatra, which opened at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in March and later transferred to the Barbican Centre in November. In April, she presented a Woman’s Hour documentary discussing anxiety. // In April 2018, she performed “I Put a Spell on You” as part of BBC One’s The Queen’s Birthday Party from the Royal Albert Hall in London. The same year, Mvula and Buika were invited by Carlos Santana to collaborate on his band’s album Africa Speaks. // Mvula’s “Sing to the Moon” was performed at the 2019 BBC Last Night of The Proms. In that year, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by her alma mater, Birmingham City University, for her services to music. // In February 2021, Laura Mvula announced the pending release of new music and a livestream concert on February 24, 2021, titled “Under a Pink Moon”. During the live stream, she premiered four new songs taken from her forthcoming album due to be released by Atlantic Records in 2021. The new songs were “Safe Passage”, “Conditional”, “What Matters” featuring Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, and “Church Girl”. New versions of the songs “Green Garden”, “Show Me Love” and “Sing to the Moon” were also performed, which are included on the 1/f EP released the next day. Both Elisa Bray of iNews and Sylvia Unerman of The Upcoming gave the concert five stars 5/5. // The EP released on February 25 includes also a cover of Diana Ross’ 1971 hit “I’m Still Waiting”. As wrote Nick Levine of BBC America, this mini-album is a “heartening musical comeback” and “showcases an intriguing new direction: Mvula’s music is still soulful, but now has balmy ’80s beats underpinning her lush melodies. […] it’s a mouthwatering start to her second chapter”. Pitchfork’s Jessica Kariisa pointed out “daring musicianship”. // March 3, Mvula released the single “Safe Passage” alongside a video. The second single, “Church Girl”, was released on 17 March with details about Mvula’s third album, Pink Noise, which was released on 2 July. “Got Me”, the third single, was released on May 12. // When Mvula was a (very) young girl, her great desire was to be a member of the R&B girl group Eternal. In 2013, she said: “I think that is when I really started to pay attention to singing in a different way to the way we did in church”. Together with her siblings and encouraged by parents, who personally favoured jazz and traditional gospel, she performed using their garage as a dance studio. // She stated her influences include Nina Simone, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Des’ree, Omar, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, The Jackson 5, and Diana Ross.]

91. Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type – Thank You Stranger EP / Manor Records / July 23, 2021
    [This was the first single from THANK YOU STRANGER a collection of songs from that unfinished album, containing the last of the sonic works the group collaborated on, and a proper farewell to the fans, friends, and family who made it all possible. “Drawing inspiration from modern femme-fronted acts such as St. Vincent, Rubblebucket, and Niki & The Dove, THANK YOU STRANGER flaunts an unabashed pop persuasion coming apart at the seams with fuzz-fleshed guitars and reverb-washed cries for reconciliation.” The songs on THANK YOU STRANGER EP were written & recorded by Rachel Mallin of The Wild Type. Performances from Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, and Ace Edmondson appear on B-side tracks. Pryor to this new release the Indie synthpop from Kansas City based, released the single “It Isn’t Love” on November 9, 2018. That single featured: Rachel Mallin on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Walker on bass, Austin Edmisten on drums & back-up vocals. Rachel Mallin wrote, recorded and produced her first album, The Persistence of Vision, in 2014 — a solo effort that spoke to her synthpop sensibilities and landed her on Kansas City radio. That same year, she left the University of Missouri to pursue a music career, and enlisted bassist Justin Walker and drummer Austin Edmisten to form The Wild Type. By mid-2016, the act — with keyboardist Jesse Bartmess and former guitarist Matt Kosinski — released its debut EP, Degenerate Matters, recorded, produced, and mastered by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios. Musical Arrangements written and performed by Rachel Mallin, Justin Walker, Austin Edmisten, Jesse Bartmess, and Matt Kosinski. Lyrics written by Rachel Mallin. That same year, The Wild Type earned support slots for acts from Cold War Kids to Metric and The Struts, and widespread recognition in its hometown at festivals such as Middle of the Map and Boulevardia.]

92. The Moose – Spature / The Moose / April 22, 2021
    [26-track double album. Music and Lyrics by The Moose. Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Emma Klein and Jake Hilger. “Spature” is a sonic amalgamation of sunny peaks and dark chasms. Join The Moose as they experiment with the fantastical worlds of space and nature. From ‘Lava’ to ‘Mother Tree’, there is a song on this double LP for everyone.The Moose is a psychedelic rock/pop alternative band from Lee’s Summit / Kansas City, formed in 2016 by Jake Hilger, Alex Huffman, and Tyler Frey with Emma Klein and Parker Tozier joining in 2016. The Moose released their debut full length album, The First Real Encounter, on Dec. 21, 2018. The Moose joined us LIVE on WMM on July 10, 2019.]

93. Cory Phillips & The Band of Light – SEX THIRSTY LOVE HUNGER / Cory Phillips / May 21, 2021
    [Cory Phillips is a sultry tenor & moody jet-setter who lights dangerous fires with erotic poetry and bedroom soul funk. Michael Hamm on guitar (Play Dead, the Band That Saved the World), Nate Holt on keyboards (Asterales, Approach), Mario Vlasic on bass, Chel Rich on drums (Half Tiger Half Bear, Red On Yellow, Stone Cutters Union) are the Band of Light. The group spans from southern rock to classic soul and disco to jazz in the same movement, mirroring Phillips’ fire dance with their own seasoned acrobatics. Their seductive live shows are consistently epic funk and disco parties, the excitement and prowl of which were miraculously captured on this new studio album. With SEX THIRSTY LOVE HUNGER, Cory Phillips & the Band of Light take us to their party, get us naked, and remind us that there is something perfectly spiritual in our appetite for hedonism.. // Cory Phillips definitely has something to prove. The entire collection is brimming with summer party gold. It’s been over 10 fast years since he released anything larger than a single, and this long-awaited follow up to Phillips’ self-titled 2009 debut is meant to make up for lost time. // When asked why it’s been so long, Phillips laughs it off, “No one was ready for this yet. I think people now are dying to groove and be sexual again.” // Phillips and his bands have played coast to coast for a decade, amassing fans drawn to his erotic singing and bedroom funk. Yet only the time that Covid-sequestering afforded him allowed for the definitive recording of his decade’s better work. // The new album is an effort in innovation. In the midst of the health crisis, new freedoms and limitations developed for the musician with a secret life pursuing his PhD in climatology at the University of Kansas. Gigs cancelled, tours off, Phillips converted part of his house into a recording studio and brought in his Lawrence/Kansas City-based ‘Band of Light’ along with wizard engineer Robert Rebeck (Tech N9ne) to complete the 14-song hitlist of retro-tinged solid gold. // Each song on the quasi-concept album is a testament to love and sex based on hard-lived experiences in Phillips’ own life: loves gained and lost, the joys and costs of being a habitual pleasure-seeker, longing and courtship, even carnal moments in real time. The content always exudes refined wisdom and sensitivity but dips into the dark waters of illicit love equally. The dirty bouquet of groove, funk, soul, and classic pop Phillips & the Band of Light developed is a horny blend of vintage spice. On this album the mature music man has learned how to communicate more info in his poems, and this book of songs is a tantalizing read at the turntable. // The album’s first single, “Fit You”, is a foray into their musical boudoir (dudeoir?). Evoking Sade and Michael Jackson, Phillips pits Feminism against Machismo as he tries to make sense of a friend/lover. Ultimately we discover which role wins, instinctively, as the song concludes with commanding sexuality. Cory Phillips and The Band of Light played an Album Release Party, Friday, May 21, at Replay Lounge 946 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS.]

94. Joan As Police Woman, Tony Allen, Dave Okumu – The Solution is Restless / PIAS Recordings / November 5, 2021
    [Joan Wasser, born July 26, 1970, known by her stage name, Joan As Police Woman is an American musician and singer-songwriter. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders. Throughout her career, she has regularly collaborated with other artists as a writer, performer and arranger. Kansas City artist Krystle Warren has toured around the world with her.] [THE SOLUTION IS RESTLESS is a joint album written and recorded by Joan As Police Woman, Dave Okumu of The Invisible and legendary drummer Tony Allen shortly before he passed away. Damon Albarn is also featured on the record. // Joan says..”Damon Albarn introduced me to Afrobeat legend, Tony Allen, at the Africa Express event “The Circus” in London in 2019. Tony and I played Nina Simone’s I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free and made a pact to record together in the future. In November of that year, our pact was realised. My old friend and fierce musician Dave Okumu joined Tony and me in a Parisian studio, where we improvised, untethered by form or tempo. I left with the tapes without knowing exactly how I’d use them. // In April I lost a beloved mentor, Hal Willner. Hal created beautiful and unlikely collaborations among artists. Hal appointed me Musical Director of Hal’s collaboration on Neil Young’s songbook in 2004 (Prospect Park) and 2011 (Winter Olympics Vancouver). Grieving Hal’s death, I began creating songs from the Parisian improvisations, only to learn of Tony’s passing while in the studio. As my world became undone, I focused on creating the new album from the Paris collaboration. // This production style danced in my mind for years. The songs are composed in various ways. For some, I used only a one-bar drum loop; for others I created blueprints around basic A/B sections we had improvised. I used the source material in every way possible. The pandemic allowed me to explore and experiment for months in my home studio. // The album title, The Solution Is Restless, is a lyric from one of the songs, Geometry Of You, which muses on the numerical perfection of numbers and geometry applied to a person’s body, heart and mind. Rather than orchestrate an elaborate seduction of a lover, I simply ask them what they want. The answer is my poetic understanding of quantum theory: the solution is restless. The solution to caress a person’s heart is final and fluid, different on a different day, constantly changing.” // Credits: Joan Wasser on Vocals, Strings, Piano, 12 String Acoustic, Wurlitzer, Synths, Bass, Percussion, Production & Lyrics; Tony Allen on Drums; Dave Okumu on Bass, Guitar, Percussion; Cole Kamen-Green on Trumpet; Damon Albarn – Vocals, Piano (2); Meshell Ndegeocello – Bass (1); Parker Kindred on Percussion (1); Aviram Barath – Moog (1); Luke Moellman – Mixing; Fred Kevorkian – Mastering. // Recorded at Midilive Studios Villetaneuse France by Hugo Bracchi Trout Recording Brooklyn by Adam Sachs & at Wonderland. Reuben Butchart – Art Direction & Collage // Terrance Hayes – Artwork & Collage (front) // Daniel Amazu Wasser – Artwork Gatefold & Sleeves. // In honor of Tony Allen & Hal Willner who sparked the deepest magic in collaboration. // Stay restless.]

95. Pageant Boys – Haunted / The Record Machine / November 19, 2021
    [One of three singles released from the 10-track album HAUNTED. P “Past Life” on September 17, 2021 through The Record Machine. Alexander Sheppard is the musician behind the name Pageant Boys. In this new slow-burner he gets honest about heartbreak, the fallout of a failed relationship, and the relatable emotions that follow. This single will be part of the new 10-track albun from pageant BoysMore info at: http://www.therecordmachine.co]

96. Solohawk – The Radio Waves And Your Movies / Solohawk / August 27, 2021
    [On April 28 we played “Wave” the first single from, The Radio Waves And Your Movies. It was backed by I Can’t Forget, recorded live at The Wright Opera House. Solohawk is: Steve Faceman on guitar & vocal, and Til Willis on guita & vocal & drums & bass. “Wave” was recorded and mixed by Til Willis at 1509 Recording Service. “I Can’t Forget” was recorded by Ethan and Eric Funk in Ouray, CO at the Wright Opera House.Mastered by John Hruska. Solohawk is an Indie-Folk duo consisting of Steve Faceman & Til Willis. Seeking refuge from their respective Rock bands, Faceman and Willis tour as an acoustically. A refreshingly stripped down adventure that both singer/songwriters enjoy, as it allows the camaraderie and personality of the songs to shine. More info at: http://www.solohawl.bandcamp.com]

97. Yaya Bey – The Things I Can’t Take With Me / Big Dada / April 9, 2021
    [Born and raised in Queens, New York, Bey considers herself mostly an “East Coast Girl” because of the formative years she spent as an adult creating and protesting in the DMV area. It was D.C. producer Chucky Thompson (known for his work with Notorious B.I.G. and Diddy) who encouraged Bey to record her own songs after years of writing for others and performing spoken word poetry. Like her dad, the pioneering rapper Grand Daddy I.U., Bey made the most out of what she had as a self-taught musician with a penchant for storytelling and an ear for sampling. Singer-songwriter Yaya Bey is multidisciplinary artist . The self-produced, six-track EP follows her last album, 2020’s intimate and political Madison Tapes, which received critical praise from Pitchfork (7.7), FADER, Afropunk, Noisey, and more. Following the same spirit of her previous projects, The Things I Can’t Take With Me searches the deeply personal and refreshingly honest truths of Black womanhood and love. // The project’s first single “fxck it then” radiates as an affirmative anthem for rediscovering your shine, reminding everyone that Yaya Bey “ain’t average.” It’s accompanied by new collage work created by Yaya herself, and a music video directed by Morgan B. Powell. “The video was a true labor of love,” Bey said, describing the visuals as “an ode to hood joints.” The nostalgic super 8 film aesthetic features styling by Alexea Brown and glimpses into Bey’s polaroid photography. // On The Things I Can’t Take With Me, Bey works her way through a breakup that triggered the deepest of wounds: the childhood trauma that resurfaces in our relationships. “I never seen my daddy treat a woman good/I don’t know what it’s like to be understood,” Bey sings over a fuzzy riff on the opening track “the root of a thing.” On “you up?,” she grapples with the duality of addictive passion and arguing all day: “This is hell but I’ve been waiting all my life for this/Oh the lips that tell me lies but I can’t wait to kiss.” // The new EP came together unexpectedly when Bey set out to record her next album. After her relationship ended, the direction of the project took a detour. “[The album] is going to be about the journey home to self,” Bey explained. “But on the way, there’s all this shit I gotta let go of, just the things I can’t take with me.” So, she allowed herself to make the music she needed to make, drawing on breakthroughs in therapy to process her grief and move forward. // The Things I Can’t Take With Me feels like a natural progression from last year’s Madison Tapes, both of which were recorded during the pandemic and what Bey describes as a “deep, deep depression.” But unlike the laid-back, collaborative vibe of the album, The Things I Can’t Take With Me flows like a solitary intention. Bey maneuvers effortlessly from heartbroken introspection towards a newfound security, denouncing the wack morals of an industry dude and embracing her own agency as a “bad bitch.” The EP culminates in the enthralling “protection spell,” empowering Bey in the mantra of returning to herself, whole. Her voice floats over watery guitars like a hymn: “No weapon/Formed against me/Not even you baby.” // Yaya Bey’s 2016 debut, The Many Alter-Egos of Trill’eta Brown, was an ambitious project that included a dreamy, largely acoustic mixtape, book, and digital collage inspired by her front-line activism as a street medic in Ferguson. “You spend two years of your life protesting and getting assaulted and arrested—you got a lot of shit to say after that,” Bey said. // Since then, she’s sharpened her sound and honed her focus, using the same D.I.Y. ethos that drove Trill’eta Brown to move from the global struggle of Black liberation towards her own inner healing. Inspired by the warm, smooth soul of Donny Hathaway and the strength of musicians like Alice Smith, Mary J. Blige, and writer Toni Morrison, Bey aims to soundtrack the lives of Black women just like her. With her 404 and pen, she brings an electrifying insight to the seemingly mundane like corporate malaise, heartache, and social media anxieties. // Bey has also developed her skills as a multidisciplinary artist, labeled “a force to be reckoned with in the art world” by Essence Magazine and acclaim from Solange’s Saint Heron agency. To date, she’s shown her collage work in galleries and has had two residencies at Brooklyn’s MoCADA Museum.]

98. Chess Club – You’re Lucky I Like You / Black-Site / March 23, 2021
    [All songs written and produced by the members of Chess Club: Cooper Avery on drums, David Krejci on bass, and Griffin Nelson on guitar & vocals. Recorded at Weights + Measures Soundlab, Kansas City, MO. Mixed & mastered by Duane Trower. Vinyl Mastering by Chris Muth at Taloowa Corp. Yonkers, NY. Kansan-Emo-Math-Pop – Sometimes with blast beats. Formed in 2014 Chess Club prides itself on the mantra of DIY or DIE, booking its own shows and producing its own recordings. In that spirit, the band treats every show as if it were a house party, breaking down the partition between performer and crowd to create an up close and personal experience. Chess Club released their 10-song debut album, HIT THE BALL on June 9, 2018 through Black-Site. Chess Club released the 6-song debut EP, HI SAD on Jan. 29, 2016. http://www.black-site.org]

99. Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral – HAUNTED / Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral / October 22, 2021
    [Lonnie Fisher on lead vocals, 5 String Guitar & Keyboards; Tim Jenkins on guitars; Chris Nunez on drums, Tim Manning on bass, & Julia Reynolds on vocals & keyboards http://www.facebook.com/lonniefisherandthefuneral [Lonnie Fisher and The Funeral Album Release and Abby’s Fund Benefit, Friday, October 22, 2021, at Lemonade Park, 1628 Wyoming, WEST BOTTOMS, KCMO with Fritz Hutchison and Big Dopes. Lonnie Fisher writes: “Midwest Music Foundation helped me through some really tough days after my strokes and it’s a miracle I’m singing and playing again. This show is for helping others.” Lonnie Fisher and The Funeral played a Lawrence Album Release Show at Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, on Fri. Nov. 19 at 6:00 PM with Alien Hellbop and Shebangs, also having Album Releases.]

100. Chris Hudson and The Bard Owls – The Easing / Chris Hudson / September 29, 2021
     [Recorded as sort of grand finale to the Isolation Tracks Home Studio Compilation from 2020’s Covid shut down. The Easing was recorded between December 2020 and February 2021. Chris sings, plays bass, keys, mandolin, tenor guitar, banjo, classical guitar, electric guitar and drums thru out the songs with internet collaborations featuring local Kc music artists Jason Beers, Chad Brothers, Jeremy Clark, Travis Feldman, Kristin Hamilton, Devon Teran and Sam Wright. Mastered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Studio. The Easing takes the listener thru the many emotions of living inside with ones significant other trying to live an honest, balanced, sheltered, and loving life of resilience while watching the bad news of the outside world that unfolds slowly into uncertainty and chaos into a future of unknowns. // Chris Hudson has been playing and creating songs for decades in the KC – Lawrence area. Chris Hudson also released another full length album with his other band Gullywasher called, HOLDING THE DAWNING released on March 15, 2021. KC based Gullywasher includes: Matt Cathlina on upright bass & vocals, Chris Hudson on guitar & vocals, and Sam Wright on banjo & vocals. Formed in 2018 the band started recording demos, rehearsing and performing these songs at multiple venues, including a trip to SXSW in Austin in early March 2020 just before the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down and quarantine. HOLDING THE DAWNING was recorded between September and November 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, at Weights and Measures Soundlab in KCMO with Duane Trower. More info at http://www.chrishudson.bandcamp.com. Chris Hudson was our guest on WMM on March 15, 2021 and September 22, 2021.]

101. The Popper & They Call Me Sauce – Kansas City Lights / Landmark That / May 28, 2021
     [New album from Royce “Sauce” Handy, in collaboration with legendary KC rapper, The Popper. Sauce met The Popper at his store, IMKC Clothing Company, a local clothing and apparel line based in Kansas City at 1809 Vine St., Kansas City, MO. The two went into the studio and created a new up beat record that was done in classic mixtape style. They Call Me Sauce told Nick Spacek in a May 28, 2021 editiion of The Pitch KC, “we got some of the hottest up-and-coming artists on there, Suli-4Q and YGKC. Then we got a DJ Big Baby and DJ Fresh, these classic mixed tape and DJ mainstays. Fresh was one of the first. He’s a core DJ, one of the first people to host hip hop shows and big hip hop shows in Kansas City and stuff, and that’s the Popper’s brother, so I’m like, ‘Yo, this makes so much sense.’ And then, to have Tech on there and then Brian B. Shynin and Shay Moore from Hot 103—we wanted to make sure we were representing all of those things mixed together, as well.” The album starts with an intro from Brian B. Shynin is Co-host of The Morning Grind with Shay & Shyne on Hot 103 Jamz. More information at: https://www.thepitchkc.com/they-call-me-sauce-and-the…/ Royce “Sauce” Handy is a rapper, songwriter, beat maker, designer, teacher, MC, business owner, social media manager, husband, father, and community organizer. He has worked with AdHoc Group Against Crime, Teens in Transition, Storytellers Inc., Arts Tech, Mid-America Regional Council, UMKC, Rep. Brandon Ellington, and former KC Mayor, Sly James. He is co-owner of The Rap Asylum, We are RAP, and owner of Melanin Connoisseur. In 2017 Sauce released his EP, Summer Sauce, part of WMM’s 117 Best Recordings of 2017. In 2018 Sauce released Soul Food 4. In 2019 his collective NuBvckCity w/ Kartez Marcel, Mae C, & VP3 released “All Night” / “Alive”. This was #1 on WMM’s 39 Favorite Singles of 2019. In 2020 They Call Me Sauce released 5 Singles including “Make You Sing [feat. Love, Mae C]” On March 27, 2020. Sauce was on WMM on April 29, 2020]

102. Danielle Ate the Sandwich – It’s Not a Burden (Original Songs from the Documentary Film) / Youngest Daughter Records / May 28, 2021
     [Danielle Ate The Sandwich is Danielle Anderson Danielle Ate the Sandwich is a national touring, folk singer/songwriter, known for her original songs, Youtube videos, composing the soundtrack to the HBO documentary, ‘Packed in A Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson,’ and The 24 Hour Album Project, where she writes and records an album in one day, live streaming the process to her fans. She has released over ten albums. It’s Not A Burden is a powerful and brilliant film about the joys and pain of raising elderly parents. The songs are produced by Joanna Katcher. This year Danielle Ate The Sandwich has also released the 7-song album, 24 HOUR ALBUM (2021), on April 25, 2021. The 7 songs on this album were written and recorded in 24 hours on April 24th-25th, 2021, during Danielle Ate the Sandwich’s 6th annual 24 Hour Album. This project challenges the artist to write, record, produce, and release a new album in just twenty four hours. Danielle Ate the Sandwich is a national touring, folk singer/songwriter, known for her original songs, Youtube videos, composing the soundtrack to the HBO documentary, ‘Packed in A Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson,’ and The 24 Hour Album Project, where she writes and records an album in one day, live streaming the process to her fans. Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the single, “A Weight, A Wall” on June 1, 2021. Danielle Ate The Sandwich released the single, “Goodbye to You” on August 22, 2021. More info at: http://www.danielleatethesandwich.com.]

103. Collidescope – DEEP TAPE / Collidescope / December 31, 2020
     [7-track album. Collidescope is essentially a duo that includes: Hadiza. on vocals, beats, & synthesizers; and Madison Monroe on guitar, bass, beats, synthesizers, mixing & vocals. DEEP TAPE includes Victoria Falls Stillwater on addition sound production and vocals, and was mixed and mastered by J.Ashley Miller. DEEP TAPE is a follow up the the band’s debut EP Systemic released December 16, 2017. Hadiza also released her solo album SHADOW WEIGHT on Nov. 22, 2019. More info at: http://www.acollidescope.bandcamp.com. Hadiza. of Collidescope was our guest on WMM on February 10, 2021.]

104. Bummer – Dead Horse / Thrill Jockey Records / October 1, 2021
     [Matt Perrin on guitar & vocals, Mike Gustafson on bass, and Sam Hutchinson on drums. Produced by BUMMER and Justin Mantooth. Engineered and Mixed by Justin Mantooth at Westend Recording Studios in Kansas City, KS. Mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering in Portland, Oregon. Painting “Sense Titol” is an original work by Joan LaLucat Vehil and is licensed for use. // Kansas City trio BUMMER mirror the absurdity of modern life with a balance of dark humor, dejected nihilism and righteous fury. Their music spills out in torrents of skull-crushing riffs, gargantuan bass and caustic howls delivered at breakneck speed with gleeful abandon. Following their split 7” with longtime friends The Body which teased a more focused, lean sound for the group, Dead Horse hones BUMMER’s auditory desolation and scathing gaze to laser-point precision. In eleven short vignettes the trio lay waste to everything in their path, penning a vitriolic overview of life in the American Midwest, a surprising blend of one-star Trip Advisor review and insightful cultural critique. // BUMMER’s searing music and self-deprecating sense of humor are steeped in their surroundings. Born and raised in Kansas City, vocalist/guitarist Matt Perrin elaborates: “These songs are influenced by how empty and miniscule life in Kansas can be and the stories that come from it.” From the opioid epidemic to the dust bowl and extraterrestrial encounters, themes recur of entrapment and failed escapes. On the aptly titled “Barn Burner (You Boys Quit Whippin’ Those Whips),” Perrin grapples with a deep-set disillusionment with his hometown atop blistering, splintered riffs. The wrecking ball groove of “I Want To Punch Bruce Springsteen in the Dick”s lurches and swings like a pendulum of pure contempt, lamenting environmental devastation ravaged upon Kansas from years of over-farming and overproduction (alongside less subtle messages about their feelings towards The Boss). “Quadruple ZZ Top” repurposes FDR’s infamous quote about the Dust Bowl’s destruction “What the sun left, the grasshoppers took” in a corrosive whirlpool that thrashes in every direction. “E1M1” turns the group’s gaze skyward, inspired by the alleged repeated UFO sightings reported by a 19th century mill worker, while “Kid Spock” draws from Tom Goldwin’s science fiction short “The Cold Equations”. Finding little respite even in the usual escape of space and science fiction, Dead Horse’s relentless bludgeon brings into focus the harsh realities of the American dream and the places left behind by the ravages of capitalism. // In spite of its often weighty subject material and darker textures, Dead Horse is unapologetically fun. Written during lockdown in the trio’s practice space and recorded with Justin Mantooth at Westend Recording Studios in Kansas City, Dead Horse was written as a more collective endeavour than the band’s previous outings. It captures the sheer ecstasy and blunt force of the group’s live shows in greater clarity than ever before. The immediately intoxicating “JFK Speedwagon” sets the tempo for the album, hurtling through Mike Gustafson’s thundering bass breaks and guest vocals from Sean Ingram of Coalesce (who also features on “Juice Pig”), providing a perfect counterpoint to Perrin’s acidic guitar and desperate shout. “I Want To Punch…” and “E1M1” take the foot of the pedal for a split second, cruising through caveman mosh and pummeling sludge. On “Donkey Punch”, drummer Sam Hutchinson’s hypnotic groove and Perrin’s freewheeling guitars threaten to spiral out of control at any moment, pushing up to fever pitch as Perrin trades tortured howls with Portrayal of Guilt’s Matt King. “Magic Cruel Bus” lulls the listener into a false sense of security with a lilting blues guitar opening before erupting into rolling waves of distortion. // Dead Horse is a decisive statement from a band at the height of their powers, a masterclass in eviscerating hooks and incisive takedowns. With their Thrill Jockey debut album, BUMMER’s unflinching reminder of just how grueling life can be is coupled with a cathartic riff driven explosion of energy. BUMMER offers an escape and a solution: head bang through the bad times. More info at: https://bummerkc.bandcamp.com%5D

105. HXXS – Channeler / Little Giant / August 6, 2021
     [17-track album from Jeannie Colleene and Gavin Neves who make up the duo known as HXXS. Cutting their teeth in this harsh reality, HXXS has formed a strange mix of noise and deteriorating rebellion. Armed with a combination of drum machines, loopers, electric guitar, and banshee like squalls from both vocalists, HXXS brings the mania of electronic-noise, combines it with jazz-like swordsmanship and incantory spell craft. Taking pride in making things increasingly difficult on themselves by performing live cuts with ritual-like fever, while maintaining the unstable improvisation and manic haywire you might get from free-jazz which makes their live sets unpredictable. “Too unsettling and vivid to dismiss” HXXS “paints a picture of grievances that fester like open wounds.” The KC-based duo has toured extensively in venues the size of living rooms to concert halls with acts like Liars, ADULT., and Kyp Malone.Also in 2020 HXXS released How the West Was Won on High Dive Records on June 18, 2021. Originally released digitally on Jun e 4, 2020, after HXXS was signed to High Dive Records this was released on vinyl.]

106. Birdie – CELLOPHANE HEART / Birdie / June 4, 2021
     [Power pop, punk, and echoes of the girl groups of our time intersect in Kansas City-based band Birdie. This energetic collaboration of local talent brings a fresh take on classic sounds. Birdie is the musical project of Betsy Schwartze who lives in Stilwell Kansas. On October 14, 2021 Birdie also released the 8-track EP FRAIL BRANCHES. More info at: http://www.birdiesound.com]

107. Catty Cline – Scratch EP / Manor Records / September 34, 2021
     [The first single of two from Catty Cline’s an debut EP titled SCRATCH that we will be released digitally by Manor Records. Catty Cline is singer/songwriter Anna Redmond, who was originally based out of Springfield, MO, and is now based in Kansas City. She has previously performed in Upkeep, her earliest project (with Spencer Pearson), and Buckle Up Baby (with Addie McKenzie and others). She has also self-released a few singles on bandcamp under her name. Influenced by a mix of slower bedroom-pop, alt-pop, neo-folk, and 90’s girl punk, she hopes that her music reflects her true character. More information at: http://www.manorrecords.com].

108. Florian Arbenz, Nelson Veras & Hermon Mehari – Conversation #1: Condensed / Hammer Recordings / April 23, 2021
     [2021 sees the launch of an ambitious project from Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz who is set to release 12 albums (or “conversations”) with 12 radically different groups of musicians. // The 1st of this series, recorded from his studio in Basel and accompanied by a feature-length video of the session, features American trumpeter Hermon Mehari and Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras. Across a career spanning more than 25 years, drummer and percussionist Florian Arbenz, has carved out a reputation as not just a skilled musician, but as a creative collaborator. Whether with the long-standing trio VEIN who have recorded and toured with Greg Osby & Dave Liebman, or with his own project Convergence which brings together musicians from four continents, he is not content to sit still. // In 2021, he launches perhaps his most adventurous collaboration yet: a series of 12 albums or “conversations” with 12 different line ups. The thread that joins them all together is his fascination with bringing visionary musicians together and giving them space to express themselves in his studio. Together, they work through a selection of music curated by Florian to suit the individual musical personalities present. // Conversation #1 – subtitled Condensed – sees Florian joined by American trumpeter Hermon Mehari & Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras. // “I’ve known and played with Nelson for several years and am captivated not only by his highly original and virtuoso playing, but also by his unique character and his great sense of humor. He’s a complete player both rhythmically & harmonically so it seemed obvious to get him on board for this series. Hermon, on the other hand, I had never met before our recording session. I had, however, admired his warm tone, open-minded musicality & improvisational skills from afar and am so happy to have finally recorded with him!” // This slightly unusual line up of guitar, trumpet & drums might, at first glance, miss a bass instrument. But despite the challenges, the creativity of the musicians involved, as well as Florian’s addition of custom percussion instruments covering this range, make for a fascinating listen which moves from hard-swinging soloing to dreaming soundscapes. More information at http://www.florianarbenz.com. Florian Arbenz joined us LIVE on the phone from Switzerland on WMM on June 30, 2021.]

109. Just Angel – Just Angle Pt. 1 EP / Just Angel / December 24, 2020
     [Just Angel is a Kansas City based, singer, musician, songwriter, dancer. and creative artist. Se recently contributed vocals to the recent Sisterbot record. More info at: /distrokid.com/hyperfollow/justangel/just-angel–pt-1]

110. Connor Leimer – Like My Mind / Connor Leimer / May 7, 2021
     [Connor Leimer is a New York-based musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Produced and mixed by Kyle Dreaden. Recorded by Brendan St. Gelais, Preston Cochran & Scottie Prudhoe. Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering. Recorded at: The Smoakstack, and at Trace Horse Dtudio both in Nashville, TN., with Connor Leimer on vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar; Jonny Gleaton on bass guitar; and Jake Finch on drums, percussion, mellotron, synth, guitar, conga. “Like My Mind” formed over an arranged dinner meeting with Nashville-based producer Kyle Dreaden. The two sipped red wine opposite each other on a winter night bonding over a mutual adoration of record-making. The rendezvous was as cordial as it was fruitful. The result: four new songs with the sensible backing band of Jonny Gleaton on bass and Jake Finch on drums. Mastered in Los Angeles, California by GRAMMY® Award-winning mastering engineer Brian Lucey (the Black Keys, Cage The Elephant), Connor’s latest book of songs present a love letter to the eccentric with the aim of encouraging listeners to live as cultured amateurs: like that of a wanderlust youth who dreams of speaking another language fluently on a foreign coast. More info at: http://www.connorleimer.com. Connor Leimer joined us LIVE on WMM on May 12, 2021.]

111. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee / Dead Oceans / June 4, 2021
     [Third album from Japanese Breakfast, the solo musical project of musician Michelle Zauner, born March 29, 1989. Under the alias, Zauner has released two previous studio albums: Psychopomp (2016) and Soft Sounds from Another Planet (2017). Michelle Zauner was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her family moved to Eugene, Oregon when she was nine months old. // Before Japanese Breakfast, Zauner fronted a solo project under the moniker Little Girl, Big Spoon. As a student at Bryn Mawr College, Zauner fronted Post Post, an indie pop band with other students from Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. Later, she started the Philadelphian emo band Little Big League. Zauner fronted the band between 2011 and 2014, before returning to her hometown of Eugene, Oregon in 2013 as her mother was diagnosed with cancer. // While in Oregon with her family, Zauner began recording solo music. She described the project as having much more to say after Tropical Jinx, the 2014 studio album by Little Big League. Originally Zauner began to record samples of music as a meditative exercise and “instant gratification”. // On April 1, 2016, Japanese Breakfast released its first studio album, Psychopomp, under Yellow K Records. Zauner described the debut album as a confrontation of her mother’s death as well as “dark and heavy-handed”, although she had a desire to make the music urgent and “sonically upbeat.” // On June 23, 2016, Japanese Breakfast was signed to the Dead Oceans label. Her second album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet, was released on July 14, 2017, to “universal acclaim”, with a Metacritic score of 83. In Brian Shultz’s review for The A.V. Club he gave it an A- grade and said, “there’s a confidence and crispness to Soft Sounds that shows just how fully realized Zauner’s formerly homemade experiments have become.” // In 2019, Japanese Breakfast released two singles under the W Hotels music label, “Essentially” and a cover of the Tears for Fears song, “Head Over Heels”. // In 2020, Japanese Breakfast collaborated with Ryan Galloway of the band Crying to form Bumper (stylized BUMPER) and released an EP called “pop songs 2020” on YouTube. // On March 2, 2021 Michelle Zauner released the song and self-directed music video, “Be Sweet,” the first single from the third Japanese Breakfast album, Jubilee. The album will be released by Dead Oceans on June 4, 2021. // Michelle Geslani of Consequence of Sound has described Japanese Breakfast’s sound as experimental pop. Anna Gaca of Spin has described it as lo-fi/ // Zauner has said she hopes her work can influence more Asian-Americans to be involved in music. // On February 28, 2019, it was announced that the publishing rights to Michelle Zauner’s memoir, Crying in H Mart, were won at auction by Knopf. More info at: http://www.japanesebreakfast.rocks]

112. Maal, Tom Richman – Grass EP / Paper Records / March 5, 2021
     [the 9-song album, GRASS owas created by Maal who is Jamaal Washington, originally from Lawrence, Kansas and now based in Los Angeles, and producer and beat maker Tom Richman who is now based in New York City. Maal has been releasing mixtapes and albums sine 2011. Maal has released multiple collaborations with producer Tom Richamn, as well as recordings with Morris. They were part of Team Bear Club. Maal and Tom Richman are the cover story for the premiere printed edition of Shuttlecock Music Magazine. More info at: http://www.maalmaal.bandcamp.com.] [Aaron Rhodes Founder and Editor of Shuttlecock Music Magazine introduced us to this release when he was our guest on WMM on April 21, 2021.]

113. The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You / Modular Recordings Co / December 11, 2020
     [Follow up release to The Avalanches 2nd studio release Wildflower, from July 8, 2016, from Modular Recordings Co. The Australian electronic music group was formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their debut plunderphonics album, Since I Left You (2000), as well as their live and recorded DJ sets. Since I Left You was a critical and commercial success, receiving multiple awards, and has been considered both one of the best Australian albums of all time and best albums of the 2000s. Their current lineup consists of Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi, and James Dela Cruz. Production of Wildflower was lead by Robbie Chater with assistance from Tony Di Blasi and lasted nearly 16 years, commencing shortly after the release of their debut album, Since I Left You, in November 2000 and not concluding until March 2016.]

114. Juliette Frost – Hush EP / Juliette Frost / May 5, 2021
     [16-year old vocalist, songwriter, & visual artist, Juliette Frost talk about her new 6-song EP on the March 10, 2021 edition of WMM. Created in a 5-day recording session, last December in Los Angeles, with musician, bassist, & producer Dominique Sanders. The songs are written by Juliette, and feature her vocals layered in harmonies, beats & soundscapes. Less than a year ago, on April 18, 2020, Juliette released, Subterranean.Egyptian.Sea.Monkeys, her 19-track, debut, recorded in her bedroom, sampling sounds from her own cats meowing and purring, among others. Juliette Frost is the daughter of opera and jazz vocalist Emily Frost and nationally known Hip Hop Beatboxer Adrian “A-Train” Frost. ] [Juliette Frost was our guest LIVE on WMM on March 10, 2021]

115. Club Sinister – Club Sinister / Club Sinister / January 22, 2021
     [Self titled debut release from Club Sinister, formed by Alex Horton & Ian Weidner in early 2020. Alex & Ian met in middle school and have been friends ever since. The two spent ten years sharpening their songwriting by playing in a variety of bands from indie rock to metal. While they played together in previous bands, this is their first project as a duo since relocating to Kansas City a few years ago. The duo have always been drawn to darker music and imagery, but the desperate and unsettling nature of the EP really mirrors the the past year that many have experienced. More info at: http://www.clubsinister.bandcamp.com. Club Sinister joined us live on the show on March 17, 2021]

116. Remy Styrk – Fountainhead EP / Remy Styrk / August 16, 2021
     [About Fountainhead, Remy writes that, “Fountainhead is 3 intimate songs about grieving different parts of my life. these songs are the most honest way i can share with you. i am doing it for no one other than myself. welcome back, old friend .” 21 year old Remy Stryk lives in Leawood, Kansas, originally from Newark, New Jersey. This multi instrumentalist has been writing & recording music for several years. Remy Styrk is a sci-fi and thriller film composer composer living in KC. His work is informed by his life experiences, and his life experiences have been a tragic journey on a compact time frame. Styrk was born in Newark, NJ to a homeless heroin addict in February 1999. He doesn’t really know who his parents were, because he wound up in a semi-closed adoption. After birth, he was in the hospital for three weeks, clinging to life. At the age of 14 months, he was adopted by a couple, the husband, a fashion photographer and wife, a creative director, Tom & Deborah. When 9/11 happened and the family wanted to get away from the East Coast. Styrk’s adopted father Tom got a job at Hallmark in Kansas City, Missouri and the family relocated here. Sadly, not long after making the move, Remy’s adopted mother Deborah passed away from a sudden brain aneurysm. Tom quit his job at Hallmark to come home and take care of his kids in this terrible time. Remy’s father was pursuing a photography gig full time during this period, and that set the tone for his kids. Push through everything. Never give up. Dedicate yourself to what you love and work towards it each and every day. Remy began pursuing music. His family that supported his goals. At an early age they got him a guitar, and by age six he was already learning the drums. Remy found folk music, thanks to the relocation into KC. Folk music was new to Remy, and based entirely in storytelling. Remy leaned into that hard, because the storytelling allowed him to process his mother’s death, and the series of other traumas in his life. Remy told Brock Wilbur of The Pitch Kansas City, “I grew up black in a predominately white school system,” Styrk says. “I felt like an outcast but it didn’t make me want to give up on who I was. It pushed me to work harder on being who I want to be. I won’t change for anyone.” Styrk started playing with local bands. He moved from the DIY scene into rock and indie, but then found the famous KC blues scene– and his place within it. This series of genre dabbles prepared him perfectly to start scoring for film. On November 5, 2020 Remy Styrk released the single “Boy” written, produced, and recorded by: Remy Styrk (@remystyrk). Background vocals: Alexis Black + Danzell Capers. Bass solo: Abram Shaffer. Mixed by: Ben Soiefer of Sandblast Productions. Mastered by: Colin Bryson of The Bunker Studio. Remy writes about this new release: “The number of times someone or something washed my hands clean, stood me back up, and gave me another try is unmeasurable. throughout my life i’ve experienced death, drug addiction, anxiety, abandonment, and pure fear. some days are filled with 5 to 7 panic attacks. others are quiet, however a moment of “calm” from complete mental and physical exhaustion seems unbearable, almost more dangerous than a day of anxiety. 2020 has been a catalyst for me. igniting everything i’ve been shoving under the bed and breathing life into a debilitatingly unpredictable fire. the biggest question every time i step outside my front door is, ‘will i make it back home alive today?’”In 2020 Remy was a guest on WMM on May 27, where he talked about his latest interactive recording project, “Of My Own Design” his 9-minute interactive album structured like an “Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Remy create pieces of music that all fit together to tell a story both musically and visually. He is asking listeners, to imagine and create the visual story. Scene descriptions can be between 2 sentences and 2 paragraphs. All will be posted on his website: http://www.remystyrk.com/interactive. “In 2019 Remy release “Winter/Summer” In 2018 Remy released “In Too Deep” one of 5 singles Remy has released in the last 2 years. Remy Styrk released the EP Sunday, on Jan 25, 2018 a follow up to the Aug 12, 2015 full length album, Telling Stories Through The Basement Door. Remy Styrk joined us LIVE on WMM on May 26, 2021]

117. Marieme – Songs For The Revolution / Galsene Productions / June 18, 2021
     [Marieme is a Senegalese-American singer-songwriter with a multi-octave voice whose music has R&B, pop and jazz influences. Her musical themes reflect her youth affected by war and her subsequent world travels. She has released one EP, one acoustic visual EP, and her songs have been used in several television shows and in film. Marieme Diop was born in Nouakchott, Mauritania, Africa where her father was an executive at a regional electrical company. When she was six months old, war broke out between that country and Senegal forcing her family to escape leaving behind a comfortable lifestyle and keeping nothing. Marieme and her siblings lived with her aunt in Senegal, while her parents moved to the Bronx, New York in the United States. The family reunited five years later in New York. // “I grew up in Senegal until I was seven years old. There was always music around, but it wasn’t encouraged—I grew up in a very religious household. When I came to America, I found a box of CDs under my parents’ bed. It was a surprise to me because I didn’t think they listened to music. I found out later that my dad was the one who bought it because there was a discount at his job or something. There were CDs by Ace of Base, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and more—about ten albums. I would put them on and cry because of the way the music made me feel. Mariah Carey’s album changed my life. I was learning English through listening to music, which was a powerful connection. My assimilation to America was all through music. I was teased a lot for my skin color and for being straight from Africa.” // At the University of Buffalo, Marieme studied journalism and communication, and even studied and interned in feature writing in London, United Kingdom. It was in high school when a jazz history class played Billie Holiday that she realized what she wanted to become, and did so with a vocal range of several octaves. // Marieme lives in both New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California. // In 2017, Marieme moved to Los Angeles, and two days after arriving, she wrote the song, “Leave” with producer/songwriter Andy Rose. Shortly after, with three songs completed, she got a deal from Jason Markey of Universal Music Publishing Group. She started writing with producers such as Theron “Neff-U” Feemster, who has worked with Michael Jackson, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Dr.Dre, Ne-Yo. // Marieme released an eponymous EP in February 2018 on Caroline Records. The EP featured three songs, “Leave,” “Be The Change,” and “Ask For Help.”[5][6] Of the latter, she told Music in Africa: “In this society, we are faced with so much. As we learn more and more about ourselves and the human condition over time, it is very important to know our limits in order to be able to exceed them and be able to reach our true goal. Often, misplaced pride keeps us from moving forward, and in the song we meant not to be too proud and to be able to ask for help when we needed it. The most powerful way to do this is through music.” // In April 2018, the Marieme song, “What’s Cool” was included on the soundtrack for the Amy Schumer movie, I Feel Pretty. The album was released by Sony Music. // Caroline released a new Marieme song called “Tumblin’” in September 2018, which referenced the fall of a governmental system. // In October 2019, she began releasing a series of acoustic videos of the songs from the Marieme EP. The visual work preceded the release of her acoustic visual EP in January 2019. // Early in 2019, “Ask For Help” was used as the promotion for the nationwide season premiere of Iyanla: Fix My Life on Oprah’s OWN Network, and an episode of the CBS mini-series The Red Line. // Marieme independently released a video for her song “Fi Moy Senegal” featuring Shaheed and Dixa of Alien Zik, both from Senegal. The song was issued to celebrate Senegal’s Independence Day in April 2019. Initially available on YouTube only in Senegal, it became popular enough to be made available internationally by the platform in June. The audio for “Fi Moy Senegal” was used by the Senegalese soccer team Les Lions in July 2019 as they competed for the African Cup of Nations. // Since the beginning of her musical career Marieme has performed around the United States including dates in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the shows are benefits to help those in her home continent of Africa. In November 2019, she performed at the Kick 4 Life Gala at the Angel Orensanz Center, with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to provide education to at-risk children in Lesotho, Southern Africa. // Back in Senegal, Marieme became known for the live performances she does with popular African musicians, Akon, Youssou N’Dour and Pape et Cheikh.// LinkedIn struck a deal with Marieme to create an anthem for the business site. Her version of the Cat Stevens song, “Be What You Must, became part of their promotion beginning in November 2019. // The Marieme song, Rogue is one of several that are being played in the Apple TV+ television series Truth Be Told, which became available on the platform December 13, 2019. The song is also used in worldwide TV and Digital commercials about the show. // BlackBook named the song and video for “Ask For Help” as one of BlackBook’s Best Song + Video Premieres of 2019. // In 2019, Marieme shot a video for her track, “Lovechild”, during the New York WorldPride celebrations. The track promotes the promotion of protection for black trans lives.]

118. Hope Tala – Girl Eats Sun – EP / EMI – Republic Records / November 13, 2020
     [22 year old singer songwriter from the UK. After three yers studying at the University of Bristol with first class honors in English Literature while also traveling back and forth to London to record her firt EP Starrry Ache and her second EP Sensitive Soul (August 2019), Hope Tala let her academic life to focus entirely in her musical career. Alexandra Pollard in the Independent writes, ” Having turned down a masters offer from Cambridge to pursue a career in music, 23-year-old Hope Tala has a breezy self-confidence about her – one that oozes into the music. She doesn’t so much belt out her melodies as sigh them out, in a voice that is relaxed and conversational, set against bossa nova and R&B beats. She is refreshingly uncoy about using female pronouns, too. ‘Being open about being queer,’ she says, ‘has contributed to my confidence in myself.'”]

119. Esperanza Spalding – SONGWRIGHTSAPOTHECARYLAB.COM / Esperanza Spalding / April 3, 2021
     [36 year old Esperanza Spalding has released the TRIANGLE suite: a trio of new songs called: “formwela 1,” “formwela 2,” featuring Ganavya, and “formwela 3.” The tracks were developed by the Grammy-winning musician and released today as part of the unveiling of her Songwrights Apothecary Lab, a new project described as “half songwriting workshop and half guided-research practice.” The new songs were written “in consultation with music therapists and neuroscientists,” as The New York Times reports. “I was remembering ways that music had supported me,” she said on a recent call from her native Portland, Ore., “and wondering if we could go deeper into those themes.” Spalding told Marcus J. Moore in a piece written fior The New York Times on April 1, 2021. In 2017, Spalding, a bassist, vocalist and producer, spent 77 straight hours in the studio, writing and arranging songs. The resulting album, “Exposure,” was pressed directly to CD and vinyl for a limited release of just 7,777 copies. Her next project, “12 Little Spells,” explored the healing power of music; each song correlated with a different body part. // American jazz bassist, cellist and singer, Esperanza Emily Spalding, born October 18, 1984, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions. . Spalding was raised in Portland, Oregon and was a musical prodigy, playing violin in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at age five. She was later both self-taught and trained on a number of instruments, including guitar and bass. Her proficiency earned her scholarships to Portland State University and the Berklee College of Music. She has won four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award.]

120. The Wild Women of Kansas City – Live At Pilgrim Chapel 9/26/2010 / Cosmic Cowboy Records / Reissued March 14, 2021
     [Reissued on digital for the first time by Cosmic Cowboy Records, The Wild Women of Kansas City, LIVE AT PILGRIM CHAPEL 9/26/2010 is a 14-track live recording. The vocal quartet included legendary Myra Taylor (1917-2011), Millie Edwards, Geneva Price and Lori Tucker, singing in harmony. More info at: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-wild-women-of-kansas-city/1557857551 from Bill Brownlee’s Plastic Sax blog: “The Wild Women’s repertoire belied its billing as a jazz group. The 55-minute recording includes readings of the disco anthem “I Will Survive,” Ray Charles’ earthy hit “Night Time Is the Right Time” and the proto-rock gem “Don’t Let Go.” // Backed by an unidentified organist, bassist and drummer, the crowd-pleasing entertainers also perform familiar warhorses like “Sentimental Journey,” “Stormy Weather” and the inescapable “Kansas City.” Edwards sings lead on “What a Wonderful World” and Taylor does her playful Louis Armstrong impression during “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” // The women assert their intent on “Let the Good Times Roll”: “Tell everybody: Wild Women are in town/Sometimes we’re serious, sometimes we got to clown/ We don’t let nobody play us cheap/We got heart, soul- ooh, listen to the beat.” Thanks to the invaluable Live at Pilgrim Chapel 9/26/2010, their vital beat plays on.”]

Our playlist text is a “cut and paste” of information from: artist’s websites, bios, bandcamp notes, wikipedia.org, and WMM interviews.

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