Tasty Brew Music: Recent Episodes
Diana Linn
Conversations and musical interludes with artists, industry professionals and supporters of the Americana/Global Roots Music scene. This podcast is curated by Diana Linn, Member of Folk Alliance International and the Americana Music Association and Host of the Tasty Brew Music Radio show on 90.1 FM KKFI, Kansas City's Community Radio Station.
I have to pinch myself sometimes on the blessings I havetalking to some of the most talented and influential artists in roots music, especially when it’s in support of a live performance in the Heartland. Young Bluegrass master Mason Via recently took the time to have a conversation with me after he’d been up all night jamming after a Owensboro Kentucky bluegrass festival. Phone interviews can be dicey sometimes with janky connections; it’s easy to talk over each other when you can’t make eye contact. I appreciate Mason’s patience and participation when I knew he had to be dog tired. It took four quick years for Mason Via to become one of thenewest leaders of modern-day American roots music. During that whirlwind period, he toured the world as a member of Old Crow Medicine Show, earned a Grammy nomination for his work on the band's chart-topping album Jubilee,contributed songs to Grammy Winning and Nominated records by Molly Tuttle and Del McCoury Band, and released his solo debut, New Horizons. The momentum continues with Mason Via, a self-titled solo record that balances the progressive with the timeless, reintroducing Mason as a southern storyteller and sharp-eyed singer/songwriter steeped in the bluegrass tradition. How lucky we were to have Mason come to Kansas City to play the intimate confines of the Waldo Folk Series. Enjoy this conversation with the amazing Mason Via.
Photo Credit: Olivia Jewell Photography
americanamusic #bluegrass #songwriter #songwriting #communityradio
Two immediate updates are required for this next episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast. Within 48 hours of me speaking to Kaston Guffey of the indie folk duo My Politic on the radio over the 2026 Fourth of July weekend, there was a last minute scheduling change at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma. I was in fact able to finally able to see My Politic perform in person in the middle of a 100 degree afternoon on The Bound for Glory Stage. Their next stop was the Greenwood Social Hall in Kansas City… I’m sorry to have missed that show but I am consoled by the fact that evening I was in Okemah Oklahoma dancing to JamesMcMurtry and Betty Soo in the Pastures of Plenty. Within a couple of weeks of the short tour's end, My Politic as a duo is taking a hiatus and Kaston Guffey will be performing and touring solo. My Politic is Kaston Guffey And Nick Pankey. The two of themgrew up in the Ozarks & have been performing as My Politic for over 15 years. Across 10 releases, their body of work consistently showcases engaging storytelling, expertly crafted characters, highly skilled acoustic instrumentation & sibling like harmonies. Enjoy this conversation with Kaston as we talk about The Ozarks, the craft of song and why it’s all just math.#songwriters #songs #communityradio #rootsmusic#tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #localmusic #troubadours #heartlandsongs #songwriters#songs #communityradio #rootsmusic #tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #localmusic #woodyfest #greenwoodsocialhall#troubadours #heartlandsongs
Fund Drive shows on community radio used to give me so much anxiety but over the years, and with well over 50 of them under my belt, I now approach them like any other broadcast. Have fun, entertain and put the spotlight on those artists who are underserved or ignored by main stream media. In the summer of 2026, I welcomed Nashville songwriters Lauren Wanamaker (making her radio debut) and Lucy Isabel for what turned out to be a wonderful dual conversation and musical performance from two songwriters who did not knoweach other but found themselves together in the same space on Kansas City community radio. I misspoke and saidLucy’s last name as Spiegel instead of Isabel…I’m so sorry Lucy! It’s also totally on me that in the beginning I did not notice that Lauren and Lucy were not “up on” their mics while they spoke. It got better as we progressed but thankfully the musical performances were clear as a bell. Enjoy these ladies’ evocative vocals, classic songwriting and a Patsy Cline cover from Lucy that will make your head spin. Oh yes, and we raised some serious rent for Kansas City community radio that morning. Enjoy!#songwriters #songs #communityradio #rootsmusic#tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #localmusic #troubadours #heartlandsongs #songwriters#songs #communityradio #rootsmusic #tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #localmusic#troubadours #heartlandsongs
I’ve been a Nicki White supporter for over 10 years inwhatever iteration she chooses… pop, blues, R & B, country, roots… she bends multiple genres seamlessly, works hard in multiple projects like “Flat Susan” and “The Village Prairie” in addition to solo songwriter gigs. Over the years, she has been most generous with her time and talent in support of KKFI including with me on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, Siren Song and MidCoast Live!. Her May 2026 release, “Shadow Work in the Omnipresence of the Divine”, described by Nicki as representing her “sacred space” is a raw, home-recorded meditation on presence—poetic soundscapes shaped by imperfection, subtle nature, and handmade sound. I welcomed Nicki back to the airwaves for a conversation and musical performance on KKFI’s MidCoast Live to highlight this unique and highly personal work as a prelude to it’s officialRelease Party at Kansas City’s Yes Way Venue.
songwriters #songs #communityradio #rootsmusic #tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #localmusic #troubadours #heartlandsongs #ambientamericana
The community radio station for which I am a programmer has the following mission statement: We seek to stimulate, educate and entertain our audience, to reflect the diversity of the local and world community, and to provide a channel for individuals and groups, issues and music that have been overlooked, suppressed or under-represented by other mediaCrys Matthews has her own personal mission statement that perfectly aligns with community radio: To amplify the voicesof the unheard; to shed light on the unseen and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made forthese times. I look forward to meeting up with Crys again this summer at the 2026 Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah,OK. Enjoy this conversation and musical performance from North Carolina’s own Crys Matthews.#communityradio #folkmusic #rootsmusic
I recently welcomed my friend Sky Smeed to spend an hour with me on the Mid-Coast Live! program on KKFI. I have a fifteen-year history with this Kansas songwriter; he was the first artist I had join me live in the KKFI studios as I launched The Tasty Brew Music Radio Show in 2010. I’ve hosted Sky at my home for a house concert. A good number of the songs masterfully captured by Barak Hill on his latest album, a live recording at The Rock House in Reeds Spring, Missouri are familiar to me as are some of Sky’s life experiences that gave rise to songs like “Don’t Know What to Do” “Lunker Bass” and “Without Music.” That familiarity does not diminish the emotional impact of hearing these songs on this recording nor is it required to appreciate the underlying artistry of the words, stories and guitar accompaniment. It is ALWAYS a treat to hear a new (to me) Sky Smeed tuneand this recording introduces me to precious guitar work on “Hangin’ On”, the affirmation that “Good Luck” is indeed “sick” according to Sky’s daughter Rosalie, the bittersweet and comedic reality of not wanting to work “Nine to Five” anymore and concurrence with “Keep Rolling On” that things do/life does change in the blink of an eye.Sky exhibits wonderful crowd work and pacing on this record;his Prine-like sense of humor is front and center on tunes like “Chicken of the Trees,” “Barbecue” and “Bumper Sticker.” I have always appreciated his homage to those masters that came before him. His take on Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” is stellar. Just sing along…it’s okay.I have been privileged to attend a number of musicalevenings at The Rock House over the years. The folks that were in attendance on this particular evening got to witnesslightning being caught in a bottle. Kudos to Rock House Co-Hosts Jeanette Bair and Bruce Anderson, recording engineer (and awesome songwriter in his own right) Barak Hill and of course, to my friend, Sky Smeed. Well done!
songwriter #rootsmusic #communityradio #tastybrewmusic
I had my first experience as a panelist at a Folk Alliance Region Midwest mini-conference or “Farmette” in Emporia, Kansas. My co-presenter, Nick Carswell, and I were to share our insights and opinions on what an artist needed to have in their tool kit to be “radio ready”. During the day’s activities I had the pleasure to meet many Heartland artists for the first time, including The Shandies of Springfield, Missouri. The Shandies are Shannon Stine (vocals/guitar) andNatalie Wlodarczyk Vwo-dar-chik. They deliver intimate, lovely marital harmony-rich performances shaped by a decade of performing and traveling together. Their songs are personal, a little playful, and perfect for listening rooms. Shannon’s family tradition of generating musicians and Natalie’s calling as a music educator make a very special pairing. Speaking of special pairing… A shandy is a refreshing, low-alcohol tasty brew made by mixing beer (typically a light lager or pilsner) with a citrus-flavored carbonated beverage, such as lemonade, lemon-lime soda, or ginger ale. Consider pouring yourself one and enjoy this conversation and musicalperformance from Shannon and Natalie…. The Shandies!#tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #songwriters #folk #folkalliance #theshandies
Some things never get old…. Like the opportunity tointroduce a songwriter from the Heartland to a radio audience for the first time. I had the opportunity during a recent “Pledge Drive” on KKFI to introduce songwriter and Topeka, KS firefighter Caleb Nelsen to the Heartland’s airwaves. Caleb’s has over a decade of writing and performing behindhim… a sound that is a mix of Americana roots, shaped by influences from country, rock, pop, and punk creating musicthat is uniquely his own.Enjoy this conversation and live music performance fromCaleb Nelsen that includes several selections including a tune called “Open Space,” a clear reflection of the grit and honesty that defines his sound drawn from real-life experience.#rootsmusic #countrymusic #songwriter #songwriting
I have dedicated most of my discretionary time and income tocommunity radio in Kansas City for the past 25 years. One of the perks from that association is to be introduced to and become friends and acquaintances with some amazingtalent. Songwriters Sara Morgan and Kelly Hunt, who individually made their radio debuts with me over ten yearsago, are now creating music and touring together as the duo “Of a Feather.” They joined me in the KKFI studios during a Pledge Drive to perform new music and share their connection with and support of community radio.Sara Morgan writes and performs poignant, thoughtful, andsometimes hilarious tunes which cast back to the timeless country tradition of the second half of the 20th century. Her themes of love, loss, courage, introspection, and irony are in direct contrast to the current pop-influenced /cross-genre / multi-writer Country Music found on the market today.Kelly Hunt’s songs hover beyond the constraints of genre,navigating between past and present, old world and new. Self-taught on banjo and guitar, her style is highly original and her voice evokes both her Irish ancestry and her upbringingin the soul-infused Mississippi river delta. Together, as “Of a Feather” they say they are just wingingit, but it sounds oh so good in your headphones. Enjoy this Radio Mom’s recent visit from two of her favorite lyrical daughters…Of a Feather.#music discussion podcast; #music interview podcast; #music podcast interviews;#americana music radio;#heartfelt music conversations;#alternative music podcasts;#communityradio;#tastybrewmusic
As is often the case, songwriter Mike Westbrook was referred to me by a fellow songwriter. Relatively new to theHeartland via Louisiana and Oregon, Westbrook came to songwriting in his mid-20’s and is actively pursuing the muse and a lyrical life. The youngest of three in a family not knownfor pursuing music as a vocation or even a hobby, Mike is finding his way by writing new songs and is open to performance opportunities friendly to Country and Roots Music. It was an honor to provide him the opportunity to make his radio debut and introduce him to other like-minded artists at a recent monthly Heartland Song Network Song Sanctuaryevent. I look forward to witnessing Mike finding his musical way and will be happy to invite him back to the airwaves ashe sees fit. Enjoy this introduction to and musical performance by Mike Westbrook.
As a follow up to our June, 2025 podcast episode with songwriter Rick Gibson, I had Rick back in the studio to share an update on the Ozark Anthology Project that includes the Book of Ozark and The Life and Times of Curtis Lee (Rick’s grandfather). In THIS episode, you’ll hear a carefully curated set of “mini-sodes” and original songs that give a tantalizing taste of how this industrious project is manifesting. As Rick says… The preservation of American cultural history through music is one way to inform, educate and captivate current and future generations. The Ozark Anthology "Book of Ozark" s just such a resource. The people, places and other things comprising this body of music, serves to preserve this vanishing legacy.Blending history, fiction and music, "The Life andTimes of Curtis Lee" is an immersive audio drama that brings the early 20th-century America to life. We Follow Curtis from the Tennessee hills to the Ozarks — a story of trauma, endurance, and the unshakable spirit of ordinary people in extraordinary times.We lost Tom Hall, who lends his unique voice to these songs, in October 2025. Much gratitude to Rick Gibson for reserving his grandfather’s legacy in such a tenderly and thoughtful way and for giving us one last opportunity to hear the amazing voice of Tom Hall.
Time flies… it really does. I first had songwriter Teri Quinn on The Tasty Brew Music Radio Show ten years ago introducing the release of her Moons and Meltdowns EP. I’ve been present at some amazing performances from Teri at Folk Alliance, at a festival in Kansas City’s Roanoke Park and at local KC venues like RecordBar and The Rino. I took the opportunity to reconnect with Teri when I hosted my monthly residency on KKFI’s MidCoast Live! program. Teri was joined by her bandmates, The Coyotes… Landon Hambright on guitar and backing vocals and Carly Atwood on upright bass.Teri has an ambitious sense of genre-crossing creativitythat has always made their music dynamic, diverse, and laced with surprises. Since moving to Kansas City, MO in 2009, from her native Michigan. Quinn has been experimenting and discovering their voice as a musician and songwriter. Outer Reaches festival wrote that “ Teri Quinn is the folkhero the goth world has always needed. Their voice is a golden light to all those that need to hear it.”You know what else you need to hear…. The provenance storyof Teri’s banjo. It’s a wonderful Louis Meyers vignette. If you know, you know.Enjoy this musical conversation with Teri Quinn and TheCoyotes!
Lauren Karr is a Kansas City–based singer, songwriter who blends raw emotion with thoughtful lyricism. Her music weaves together stories of resilience, healing, and truth—reflecting both her personal journey and a deep desire to connect with others. Through her LCK Studios, Lauren is building a body of work rooted in authenticity, independence, and heart. Lauren recently reached out to me to help get the word outabout a newly penned and recorded song “Desolation”. We got together on a recent Saturday on the radio during my monthly residency on KKFI’s Siren Song. I appreciate it so much when artists like Lauren are willing to be vulnerable and share their most personal creations on the 100,000 watt blowtorch of creative insanity that is community radio. As of late 2025, early 2026 Lauren is building out a newwebsite. For now you can find her on Reverbnation and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/laurenckarr
I love hosting Siren Song once a month on a Saturday onKKFI. The focus, regardless of genre, is on female voices and songwriting telling the stories of women’s lives. Kansas City based songwriter Jillian Riscoe reached out to me via email about her Ancient History EP project. We scheduleda date on Siren Song for a live performance. The Midwest winter weather turned ugly on the appointed day so wepivoted to a phone conversation followed up a couple of tunes from the EP.Singing and performing since the age of 7 in country,rock and pop line ups Jillian has toured and performed across the United States, including at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, major sporting events and teams like the KC Royals and KC Current, the GrammyMuseum Music Revolution Project, and the CDBaby DIY Musician’s Conference. She has received regional music awards, secured national radio airplay, has been featured on regional TV and opened for international touring artists & bands. Now concentrating on leading the lyrical life as a songwriter and splitting her time between KansasCity & Nashville, Jillian is always on the road, bringing the music with her. Enjoy this introduction to Jillian Riscoe!
It has been years 7 years since I’ve been to Nashville andway too long since I’ve seen my friend and Illinois native Lauren Anderson who moved to Music City from Kansas City nearly nine years ago. She returned to Kansas City recently toparticipate in a monthly Lyrical Belles residency in the Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads. The stars aligned for me to have her join me on the radio for a gabfest and a few tunes before she headed off to the bustling metropolis of Red Cloud, Nebraska. These are heady times for Lauren as she was part of TeamSnoop on Season 28 of NBC’s The Voice TV show. We catch up on how her life has incorporated that crazy and uniqueexperience. American has now witnessed her powerhouse voice, raw honesty, and fiery stage presence. Though her voice now lives in blues, soul, and rock,Lauren’s roots are deeply classical. She began piano at eight, sang in multiple choirs, and pursued classical voice through high school and college. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Augustana College, including atransformative summer in Italy, studying Italian and touring as an opera student. Opera was the original plan—until she discovered she was meant to belt, wail, and testify through soul and blues.Lauren pursued a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at TheUniversity of Kansas. She trained in jails, schools, and hospice settings while also working full-time as a preschool teacher and caregiver for adults with intellectual disabilities. Her master’s thesis explored the use of music therapy to improve respiratory function and quality of life for children withCystic Fibrosis.Lauren survived a major medical crisis of her own. Afterdeveloping a blood clot caused by Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, she underwent decompression surgery that removed her first rib. Forced off the stage for six months and facing potential long-term nerve damage, she fought her way back to full recovery.Enjoy this conversation with and musical performance by myfriend, Lauren Anderson!
I live a rather enchanted life these days and for that I ammost grateful. I am more open to new musical and artistic experiences as I’ve gotten older due in no small part tomy acquaintance with and participation in programming provided by Beau Bledsoe, Artistic Director of Ensemble Iberica. I have travelled on two life changing patron trips to Portugal and Ireland. Ensemble Iberica’s mission is to create music and programming that enlightens, heals, and connects audiences and artists globally, with a focus on the music of the Iberian Peninsula and its connected regions like Latin America. Theiraim is to transcend cultural boundaries, foster appreciation for diverse perspectives, and build a more interconnected world through artistic exchange. They achieve this beautifully through performances, educational programs for youth, and intercontinental collaborations.Beau asked if he could come to the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show to introduce our listeners to their latest project Tradición Viva / Living Tradition… a book of stunning pictures by Pultizer prize photographer Dan White that includes a CD + digital download of multiple Ensemble Iberica performances captured at multiple Kansas City venues. I said yes please! Enjoy my conversation with and carefully curated selections from Beau Bledsoe, Artistic Director of Ensemble Iberica.
Camdenton, Missouri native Trusten Williams is anothertreasure that has come into my orbit by virtue of my volunteering as a programmer/dj on community radio. Now aretired educator, Trusten has found a way to get his penchant for collaborating and writing amazing songs, recorded by a cadre of some of Americana/Roots music’s best practitioners. For many years Trusten and his wife Tracie have hostedstellar house concerts; I was privileged to experience one of the musical highlights of my life a few years back when the Williams’ hosted the legendary Verlon Thompson with Chad Elliot and Tommy Lewis opening at their home in Camdenton. Trusten recently drove up from his present home inSpringfield, MO to share the stories and give the details behind some selections from a 17 song album “Songwriters” co-written with his friend Benny Nale, the proceeds of which will go to support the mission of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. Enjoy this conversation and musical selections from a uniquemember of the Heartland roots music community…. Trusten Williams.
It is always a roll of the dice when attempting to make aconnection for a phone interview. We went through some things to get Kentucky native Cole Chaney on in a timely manner one fall morning as he and his crew were checking out of their Airbnb en route to Kansas City for a show atKnuckleheads. For Chaney, even though he’s only in his mid-twenties, his lyrical life has been quite prolific already. Cole grew up in rural Appalachia, went to welding school but has taken thatproverbial leap of faith to pursue music. An admiration for 1990’s rock is a vital influence and on Cole’s latest, In the Shadow of the Mountain, he aims to find balance between rock and the bluegrass and folk music of his native Kentucky. In Cole’s own words, “In a lot of ways, things have goneextremely far. And yet, so many things have remained the same,” “And that’s been the beauty of the journey.”I look forward to following Cole’s journey as his navigateshis lyrical life. Enjoy this conversation (despite the challenge of some background noise) with another extremely talented son of Kentucky, Cole Chaney.
Max Gomez and I have only crossed paths in person one time when he opened for James McMurtry; I have been a fan of his work for some time and was very disappointed I had to miss his recent show in Kansas City. We were able to have an on air radio conversation before that show and it was a real treat to hear stories of John Prine, Jack Barksdale, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and others. Also, how could you grow up in a magical place like Taos, New Mexico an not be inspiredto pursue art in some form?In the Land of Enchantment, he fell under the influence of country blues early on and developed a songwriting style that is uniquely his. He received critical acclaim upon the release of his debut album Rule The World (2013, New West Records); and his subsequent EP, Me and Joe (2017, Brigadoon Records),contained a freshly minted classic, “Make It Me,” which has gained million of listeners on Spotify alone.As a budding performer, Max apprenticed in the rarefied musical micro-climate of northern New Mexico, where troubadours like Michael Martin Murphey and Ray Wylie Hubbard helped foster a Western folk sound both cosmic and country. He has shared billing on hundreds of stages with stalwarts of the Americana/Roots genre like the aforementioned James McMurtry, Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Patty Griffin, and Jeff Beck, and Johnny Depp. His latest record, Memory Mountain, is a must listen! Enjoy this conversation with Max Gomez.Photo Credit: Blue Gabor
Kansas City based songwriter Amy Ward responded to a call to action to submit a proposed theme song to celebrate the 15th anniversary for my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. Although, like Tica Felise from our last Tasty Brew Music Podcast episode, I did not ultimately choose Amy’s submission, I thought her offering compelling enough to want to know more about her music. I brought her into the radio station one Saturday Morning asI hosted the women-centric program “Siren Song.” As you will learn in this conversation, Ward often prepares songs for Sync Licensing, achieving hundreds of song placements on prime TV, Day Time TV, Major Motion Pictures and Independent Films. She has performed at renowned venues like Madison Square Garden, Kauffman Stadium and T-Mobile Center, as well as recognition on Fox 25 Boston and ABC’s KMBC KansasCity. In films and television, she contributes as a songwriter, singer, and producer, including placement on Netflix progamming, and tv programs like Say Yes to the Dress, NCIS, General Hospital, Young & the Restless, toname a few.On the horizon, Amy lands two songs in the upcoming film,Viral - directed by Blair Underwood and her first song in an animated film , A Tooth Fairy Tale-in theaters and streaming now. Enjoy this conversation with music samplings from the AmyWard catalogue!Photo Credit: Hilary Fuller
To commemorate and celebrate 15 years of the Tasty BrewMusic Radio Show on KKFI, I partnered with the Heartland Song Network in the summer of 2025 to seek submissions for a theme song for the show. Although I did not ultimately choose the entry submitted by Kansas City based songwriter Tica Felise, I was enchanted by her story and musical journey and invited her to spend some time with me on air so my listeners and I could get to know her better.Tica was born in Costa Rica and has found a home in KansasCity by way of Denver and Omaha. A very early interest in music led to lessons and performance eventually morphing into writing her own songs and performing and recording as a solo artist in Kansas City. Enjoy this conversation with an unapologetic ukulele goddess as we share some of the stories behind the recordings of Tica Felise!
My friend Beau Bledsoe, Artistic Director of the amazing nonprofit Ensemble Iberica, recently messaged me that Max and Josh Baca of Los Texmaniacs were coming to Kansas City for a show and wanted to come on the radio to honor the recently departed music icon, accordionist Flaco Jimenez. I, of course, said yes! They were delayed in getting to the station before I had to sign off but we were able to squeeze in the conversation and performance you are about to hear.Los Texmaniacs are the Past, Present, And Future of ConjuntoMusic. Conjunto music may be a familiar sound to residents of Texas, but its worldwide appeal can be surprising. Conjunto is a uniquely American musical genre, originating in South and Central Texas, that blends European accordion music with Mexican rhythms and instruments like the bajo sexto. Combine a hefty helping of Tex-Mex conjunto, simmer with several parts Texas rock, and add a daring dash of well-cured blues and R&B riffs, and you’ve cooked up the tasty Grammy-winning Los Texmaniacs groove. Max Baca is a legend on thebajo sexto, a twelve-string guitar-like instrument, and his nephew, Josh Baca, is fast attaining legendary status on the accordion, with those two instruments creating the core of the lively conjunto sound. I’ve been privileged to see this amazing group play inKansas City, Montreal and early next year in New Orleans alongside some of my wonderful friends in Ensemble Iberica and Making Movies. They are committed to their craft whilepreserving and protecting the music they so dearly love. Icing on the cake - Max co-wrote a song with my number onepretend boyfriend Joy Ely.Enjoy this musical performance by and conversation with Max and Josh Baca of Los Texmaniacs!
I have known songwriter Kristin Hamilton for 8 years now….Beginning with her membership in an amazing Americana band called Under the Big Oak Tree and continuing with her work with her daughter Lucy Gray, members of Cowtown Country Club and now as a solo artist. In addition to the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, I host, in rotation with others, a live performance radio show on KKFI called MidCoast Live! shining a spotlight on local and touring artists from all genres of music. I welcomed the opportunity to showcase Kristin as a solo artist on MidCoast Live!Her music is folk country tinged with the sweet flavor ofbluegrass touching on topics of family & faith, grief & gratitude. Hamilton grew up singing at spontaneous musicalget-togethers on her family's farm in northwest Missouri. Extended family would gather under a big oak tree on summer nights to sing and play old country and gospel numbers. Being "the shy one" in the group, she was eventually brave enough to accept an invitation to sing at church that led to an additional invitation to perform accompanied by her father and accomplished guitar player, Rocky Cathcart. That show was a great success and eventually led to the formation of Under The Big Oak Tree that included some of the best musicians in the area - Simon Fink, Doug Ward, and Jason Riley. Under The Big Oak Tree released three full length albums including the last release "The Ark" that earned repeated spins on local NPR and community radio stations.In 2018 Kristin joined forces with the Lost Cowgirl Revue for a special tour of Germany, The Netherlands and France. The Revue included acclaimed singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Julie Bennett Hume, Joy Zimmerman, and Jenna Rae with accompaniment by Chris Hudson, finger styleclassical guitarist all of whom get regular spins on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. Enjoy this conversation and special musical performance byKristin Hamilton!
East Texas Songwriter Stefan Prigmore is another artist thatcame to me from multiple streams of connection as you’ll hear in the Summer 2025 conversation and musical performance. His down home demeanor and Jon Dee Graham meets Skylar Hamilton meets John Prine vocal aesthetic is a wonderful combination. In Stefan’s own words: I make music because it helps me to process difficult and complex ideas, in a way that others also understand and can relate to. There’s a catharsis that happens when I see my understanding reflected back in another person when they hear one of my songs, that gives us both some comfort. It alsohelps me to lift up the beauty I see in this world, and has become a lens for seeing and understanding the world and my feelings. It generally all comes down to love, that I have and find when birthing a song, and that is reflected backwhen I share these songs with you.As you’ll hear in our conversation, Stefan has been creatingand performing music since his teenage years, following his father into the business. If you explore his catalogue,you will learn and understand the joy Stefan finds in the outdoors and the gratitude he shows on the stage are part of the same values reflected in his music. Stefan's sound is an approachable blend of Americana, folk, and roots. Although some of his lyrics can be construed as dark, they are sincere and that soft/tender conversational voice is becomesquite dynamic and distinctive when he sings.
I’ve been around of while. I’ve seen and heard hundreds, if not thousands, of live music performances. Everything from my first concert in 1965 for The Righteous Brothers in St. Louis to Loretta Lynn at the Ryman Auditorium inNashville, Tennessee. I’ve been present in locked fado clubs in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal witnessing some of the most profound and emotional music ever performed. I’ve sat mere steps away from Guy Clark and Verlon Thompson, Rodney Crowell, Bonnie Raitt, John Fullbright, Steve Earle…. On and on. I know myself to have been in the presence of folks at the pinnacle of so-called American Roots Music. I felt no less inspired and awed on a Monday night in KansasCity with about 50 other folks listening to an 18 year old lyrical master from Ft. Worth Texas and his partner in music for the evening, Abe Partridge of Mobile, Alabama.Jack started performing original songs at age nine and hasshared the stage with artists like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Wynonna Judd. His mature and heart wrenching lyrics, soulful voice and master guitar skills pay homage to country music and blues influences. Inspired by legends like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Johnny Cash, yet with a voice and point of view all his own, Jack is on track to have career thatwill only mature and flourish in the coming decades. Do not miss an opportunity to see and support him.We had a bumpy start trying to make the phone connection for this conversation but we finally got it together. Enjoy my first interview with Jack Barksdale…. I hope to speak to him again someday and wish him nothing but the best.
Danielle Anderson aka Danielle Ate the Sandwich is a very talented artist. She recently filled in as host for the Heartland Song Network’s monthly song salon (The Song Sanctuary)at Kansas City’s PH Coffee. A gentleman named Jesse Jack Sample from Toronto, KS attended and blew everyone, including Danielle, away with his amazing contributions to the afternoon. She immediately contacted me as she thoughtJesse was a great candidate for inclusion on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show’s rotation. She was right and with some back and forth, we were able to come up with a date for Jesse to come in and share his stories with our KKFI audience.Sample began his musical journey in the Wichita rock scenebut then paused to raise a family and live a quieter life. In recent years he’s found himself living in Toronto, Kansas a place more in tune with the country sounds heard on his album “King of the Plains.”For a time he operated a bait shop/music venue in Toronto, adifficult venture to sustain in a small town. Building an audience is difficult within an urban center; super challenging from a place like Toronto, KS. Enjoy this musical conversation and performance with JesseJack Sample… Dillon Boren on acoustic bass and Jack Riebel on fiddle…. Oh and grab a tissue for Jesse’s original composition “Juliet.”
One of many great joys in hosting shows on community radiois giving a voice to local musicians who, despite their amazing talent and songwriting ability, are underserved or completely ignored by mainstream corporate media. This episode of the Tasty Brew Music podcast features this show’s debut of Flanner Laycock and Schrock from Harrisonville,Missouri. With Dylan O. Flanner on lead guitar and vocals, Jesse Laycock on bass, and Aaron Schrock on guitars/vocals, this group of young songwriters serve up solid original tunes and faithful, yet unique covers of their favorite songs. Their debut record with original material plus an amazing cover of the Kris Nichols tune “Everythings for Sale”, Postcards from Gehenna Missouri, is right on for any discerning fan ofAmericana/Red Dirt/Roots Music. Enjoy this live in studio performance captured In June 2025 for the MidCoast Live! Radio Show on 90.1 FM KKFI.
My connection with songwriting guitarist Rick Gibson goesback to about 2012 when he spearheaded a project with his “Peacemakers” band that featured my friend Tom Hall on vocals. Rick recently visited the Tasty Brew Music Radio show to share the details and spin some tunes from his 2025 project “The Book of OzarK’ …part of his continuing legacy project “Ozark Anthology – the Life and Times of Curtis Lee” This work chronicles a young man’s courageous journey from humble hilltop beginnings across the backdrop of a changing 20th century Ozark America, through personal tragedy, the depression, World War II and 1960’s racism. My friend Tom Hall has again lent his signature vocals to the project and Rick is working on fundraising to complete a screenplay and sound track, seeking a producer andscreenwriter for the film and to finalize recording, mixing and mastering of the sound track.Enjoy this conversation and sneak peak into the Book ofOzark!
roots music #ozarks #communityradio #tastybrewmusic
Welcome to the 101st episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast!
I first met Christian Dixon at a Sunday Heartland SongNetwork Song Sanctuary session at PH Coffee House. Shortly thereafter I welcomed Christian on air for what I believe was his very first radio appearance. I was honored to recently welcome him back to the airwaves as he was preparing to release his new work “Genetics.”
Christian is a middle born child from a small town in theMidwest…Hamilton, Missouri I believe. From a young age, he asked himself the big questions like "What is this all for?" As a pastor's grandson, faith and religion were inseparable from his upbringing. Scarcity and provision, mental health and illness, and shifting self-worth were also formative experiences that shape his life’s perspective.
He is heavily influenced by the lyrics of Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman, and relates closely to the work of Matt Maeson and Noah Kahan. Christian wants his music to be meaningful, introspective, and authentic; he is unafraid to confront heavy subjects like family trauma, loss, doubt, and a longing to answer the question "What is this all for?"Enjoy this follow up appearance on the Tasty Brew with Missouri son Christian Dixon.
To the best of my knowledge, Kris Schultz is the second“merch slinger” I’ve met that went on to pursue a lyrical life as a troubadour in her own right. My first experience was with Texas songwriter Kayla Ray as she first visited KC slinging merch for Jason Eady. I love Kris’ trajectory…. check this out. Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Kris was obsessed at an early age with the country songs of heartbreak and loss on the jukebox at a bar she visited regularly with her parents. At an early age, she showed promise in several sports, especially the field part of track and field eventually accepted a scholarship to throw Javelin at Kansas State University, where she majored in Radio/Television Journalism. While competing in the Texas Relays during her college career, she fell in love with Austin, TX. And soon moved there with only a box of books & CDs, a small stereo, and a bag of clothes. She walked into the city-ran Austin Music Network TV channel, asked for an internship, and soon was spending her days proof-checking videos of local music and taking in every note. But she still hadn't thought of playing music herself. After years assisting musicians as merch slinger, roadmanager and van driver, but never playing or singing herself, Kris eventually acquired a guitar and began writing songs.She released her full-length album, Standard Issue Heart, inOctober 2021, has played such legendary venues as The Saxon Pub and Cactus Café in Texas, toured in the Midwest, Southwest and Southeastern US, has been featured in the live performance series “Songs In Places.” Kris recently found herself in the Heartland and we connected to make an appearance on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show happen. Enjoy this performance and conversation with Austin transplant Kris Schultz. Tasty Brew Music Radio Show "Showcasing the best of Americana/Roots Music in andfrom the Heartland!”Fridays 10 AM to Noon CST on 90.1FM KKFI Kansas CityCommunity Radio !!Since 2010, spinning a “tasty brew” of Americana/Bluegrass/Country/Roots Music… empowering the art of the song! "How can I listen?"Kansas City turn your radio dial to 90.1FM every Friday from 10 am to NoonAround the world use your cellphone or computer to go to www.kkfi.org and click the red "Live" button on the top left of the screen every Friday from 10 am til Noon Central Standard Time Missed it live? Or want to listen again? go to archive.kkfi.org to listen for up to 2 weeks from the date the episode aired! KKFI has a mobile app!? Download the app to listen live and see the current playlist, listen to replays, and see the entire show calendar including bios for each show & DJ.
Tasty Brew Music with DJ Diana LinnFridays 10 am - Noon CST on90.1FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio https://kkfi.org/program/tasty-brew/https://kkfi.org/program/tasty-brew/
tastybrewmusic #americanamusic #songwriter #rootsmusic #austinmusic
Cameron Keeling, one of the hardest working and accomplished musicians from the Heartland, learned to play and write songs around his hometown Kansas City MO. He toured with bluegrass band Grassfed for 5-years, releasing 2 studio albums. You can catch him these holding down the low end on the upright bass as well as singing and writing with the band Front Porch. Cameron and his RunawayTrain bandmate Cory Clark recently came into the Tasty Brew to share stories behind and spin some tunes ("Off My Mind," "Ready to Go" and "Haystack") from the Runaway Train’s new 2025 CD “Kill Creek.” Enjoy my conversation with and selected selections fromCameron Keeling and the Runaway Train’s Kill Creek available on all the major streaming platforms and from the band at one of their many shows throughout the country during this summer 2025 festival season. For all things for a busy and prolific Cameron Keeling… check out https://cameronkeelingmusic.com.
In this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast, I welcome Terra Spencer, a gifted songwriter from Windsor, Nova Scotia. Howard Dolginoff, presenter of the Labyrinth House Concert Series, was kind enough to make the introduction and bring Terra into the KKFI studios prior to her run of shows in the Heartland. Ron Sexsmith shares: Raised on the mud banks of the Avon River, award-winning Nova Scotian funeral director-turned-songwriter Terra Spencer charms audiences with her deft guitar, gospel piano, butterscotch voice, crackling wit, and wood-paneled warmth. Her startlingly intimate songs have caught the eye of collaborators including David Francey, Ben Caplan, and Matt Andersen. Every show is a knee-to-knee conversation with a natural storyteller. “The real deal.” Terra blends folk, country and soul in a way that feels both timeless and personal that has garnered her a devoted following. Terra shares a performance with us here and we have a conversation about her journey from funeral director to troubadour, the stories behind her lyrics and what inspires her songwriting. So sit back...relax...and enjoy this offering of the Tasty Brew with Terra Spencer!
In this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast, I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with a young artist from Lenexa, Kansas. His name is Max Cooper III — a young and incredibly gifted piano-playing songwriter with a unique sound that's already turning heads here in the Heartland. Max blends heartfelt lyrics with intricate melodies, creating music that resonates deeply with listeners of all kinds.In today’s episode which I believe came from Max’s firstever appearance on the radio, we’ll talk about his young journey pursuing his dreams in the music world, the creative process behind his songwriting, and what he’s done so far to carve out his place in an ever-evolving industry.I am always humbled and a little nervous to host someone fortheir first radio appearance. I want it to be a good experience for the artist as we both hone our respectiveinterviewing and performance chops.So, sit back, relax, and join us for this inspiring debut radio conversation and performance with Max Cooper III.
community radio #tastybrewmusic #maxcooperIII #piano #songwriter
Abbie Gardner is a renowned dobro player, solo artist, and a key member of the acclaimed Americana trio, Red Molly.With her exceptional mastery of the dobro, her soulful voice, and her deep storytelling, Abbie has earned a place as one of the most respected artists in the Americana and roots music scene. Her dynamic musical journey spans across both solo projects and collaborative work with Red Molly, where her rich harmonies and instrumental prowess shine.Abbie has performed at major music festivals including FolkAlliance International, the MerleFest in North Carolina, and The Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon, among others. These performances have solidified her reputation as a captivating live performer, known for her musical depth and ability to connect with audiences.Her solo work has garnered critical acclaim, includingrecognition from the Independent Music Awards, where she won the Best Americana Song category for her heartfelt composition “Long Ride Home.” She has also received multiple nominations for her instrumental and vocal work,further cementing her as a standout artist. Abby has a Kansas City connection… her inlaws live here andshe finds herself in our town from time to time. Not too long ago, Abbie dropped in at the Heartland Song Network’s monthly Song Sanctuary at PH Coffee. What a treat that was! Join us as Abby and her amazing music and life partner Craig Akin on bass grace us with this musical conversation and performance for the Tasty Brew!
You’ll hear my origin story with Missouri’s native son Jack Summers in this episode of the Tasty Brew Music podcast… a story with a familiar path. My introduction comes by way of plugged in Heartland music tastemaker Mike Paget of the Green Guitar Folk House Series. As a Boomer and lifelong lover of the craft of songwriting, my pantheon includes John Prine, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, of course. Although sonically the comparisons may seem appropriate, the lyrical content and points of interest in Jack’s songs are unique to him while being very relatable. Ironically, unlike most members of his 20-something/Millennial/Gen Z generation Jack foregoes a robust online presence but for Instagram and his website jacksummersmusic.com. It can be a bit of challenge to find him on the internet. Jack is putting in the work. Generally a sole practitioner, he has dabbled in collabs and as a Kerrville Music Festival songwriting competition winner, he takes the lyrical life seriously. With the support and guidance from his family and song farmers like Mary Gauthier, the desire to create is there and I believe his aim to be true. Enjoy this late Fall 2024 conversation and musical performance. Good stuff from Weston, Missouri’s Jack Summers.
Deanna Ray Eberhart Von Fange – what a regal sounding moniker! Deanna Ray, her “roots” music name, barely in her mid-20’s, presents as a fully mature artist. I was introduced to Deanna a couple of years ago by my colleague, and accomplished songwriter in her own right, Julie Bennett Hume. Deanna was still in college pursuing a double masters in vocal performance and Choral Church Music at the University of Kansas. In addition to her own studies, Deanna has been teaching music to students ages 8-14 including voice, guitar, ukelele and basic piano. I have witnessed the power of her operatic voice; she is truly a gifted force of nature that most assuredly has a long and accomplished career ahead of her in whatever genre she pursues. It has been an honor and privilege to get a glimpse into a musical world that is as organic as it is cerebral. It is a pleasure to give space and airtime to an emerging Heartland artist as talented as Deanna. Enjoy this conversation and beautifully nuanced performance of original music from Deanna Ray.
americanamusic #rootsmusic #tastybrewmusic Memories can be tricky…especially when you attain a certain vintage. While preparing this episode, I was hard pressed to remember the first time I met guitarist singer songwriter Chris Hudson and heard his indie Americana folk project…Gullywasher. Chris says we met on my show around 2018 when I was still holding down the Tuesday morning 6 am to 8 am slot. In the intervening years, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve enjoyed whatever iteration Gullywasher is in and was most pleased to finally capture Chris and bandmate Sam Wright on banjo and vocals for this episode. Gullywasher, purveyors of indie, Americana and folk music, was founded in 2017 by guitarist,singer, songwriter Chris Hudson. The core trio includes Sam Wright on banjo and vocals and Matt Cathlina on the upright bass and vocals. In this episode Chris and Sam share insights and selections from the latest Gullywasher project… Rustbelt Revelations Part 1… released in October 2024…six songs from a working class upbringing currently navigating a social media age that features surveillance capitalism, bitter political division and environmental concerns. Contributing artists include Tasty Brew Favorites: Brandon Day on Cello Special vocal performances by Beth Watts Nelson and Kristin Hamilton Marco Pascolini on pedal steel and Jaisson Taylor on percussion. Rust Belt Revelations Part 2 is scheduled for release in 2025. Enjoy this conversation with musical interludes from Chris Hudson and Sam Wright from Kansas City’s own Gullywasher.
There is the classic movie or theater story line where the understudy of a lead role, or the staff employee at a company, gets the opportunity to assume the helm and shine. This episode’s guest, Jennifer Roe, is a living/breathing example of that life changing opportunity. Over the years, Roe fulfilled many supporting roles at Folk Alliance International, an international arts non profit and NEA designated national arts service organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. She even served as Interim Director twice and when circumstances placed FAI in need, the governing body wisely, in my opinion, did the right thing and with Jennifer’s concurrence, installed her officially as Executive Director. I’ve been a member Of FAI since 2010 or so. It is a community of artists, managers, agents, DJs, festivals, record labels, fans, and more… striving to keep the tradition of folk, roots and indigenous music thriving through preservation, presentation and promotion. The 37th Annual FAI conference with the theme “Illuminate” is scheduled for February 2025 in Montreal. Enjoy this conversation with Jennifer Roe, Executive Director of Folk Alliance International.
As has happened quite often in the past 10 years or so, my curation of private showcase rooms at the Folk Alliance International Conference has yielded connections that provide continuing collaborations and opportunities for engagement. Case in point… Chrislyn Lawrence and Mike “Mac” McClure also now known as the musical duo “Crow and Gazelle.” Booking the duo at the 2002 Conference and subsequently for other listening room series in the Heartland has brought another welcome addition to my so called “Americana/Roots Music” family. Mike McClure made his name as one of the founders of the Oklahoma Red Dirt Music Scene and producer of such Tasty Brew Music favorites as the Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed. Chrislyn, worked behind the scenes of that music world in supporting roles, including as a booking agent. Circumstances kept them from pursuing a connection when they first met in 2003, but fate intervened and they’ve been professionally and personally a team since 2018. Their mission is to deconstruct the idea of separateness… that we humans are not separate from divinity… we are holy, everything and infinite. Enjoy this on air conversation with Crow and Gazelle in support of a Heartland appearance for the Green Guitar Folk House Listening Room Series.
Although it has been decades, I DO remember how challenging and isolating it can be to move away during your 20’s from your hometown to accompany and support a spouse that is pursuing a promising job opportunity. Arkansas Native and Singer/Songwriter Cory Jackson did just that to support his spouse. I was only too happy to help introduce him to the Heartland’s music scene when a mutual acquaintance asked me to do so. Since that request in 2023, it has been my privilege to welcome Cory to the KKFI airwaves and to showcase him as a Heartland Song Network Artist of the Month. Cory works to bridge the gap between modern country music and the classic sounds of the past with his contemporary compositions and storytelling.
Born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Cory’s rural upbringing deeply influences his music. Introduced to the guitar by his grandfather at 16, Cory began learning cover songs, which led to mastering a few chords and eventually trying his hand at songwriting. Fueled by dreams of a big-stage career that filled his thoughts during bus rides home from school, Cory quickly gained recognition for his talent. He released his first EP in 2015, followed by a series of singles available across all streaming platforms.
He has won independent artist competitions and earned the Arkansas Country Music Association’s "Country Artist of the Year" award in 2018.
Cory experienced a three-chair turn on NBC’s The Voice in 2019, joining Team Blake and further refining his craft under Blake Shelton’s mentorship. Cory values connection with his audience, staying true to his roots while pushing the boundaries of country music. Whether performing intimate acoustic sets like this one in our community radio studio or commanding large stages at festivals and other music venues, Cory has the ability to resonate with fans through heartfelt music. Enjoy this conversation and musical performance from Country artist Cory Jackson.
Kate McDonnell has captivated audiences all over the world with her award-winning songwriting, her unusual upside down and backwards guitar style, and her crystalline voice. Kate was in the Heartland for a couple of shows in 2024 including Howard Dolginoff’s Labyrinth House Concert Series. She was kind enough to come onto my radio show during a Pledge Drive to help me raise money for community radio. Kate comes from generations of musicians on both sides: her maternal grandfather (trumpet) and great grandfather (trombone and viola) performed with the National and Baltimore Symphonies. Kate's father sang in operettas in his younger years, and her mother continues to play anything she can hear on the piano in F#, just as her own mother did. All three of Kate's siblings have the musical gift. Armed with her unusual guitar style and soprano voice, Kate teamed with her twin sister to perform around their Baltimore hometown during their high school and college years. After a four-year sabbatical from performance in the mid-80s, Kate returned to music by partnering with guitarist Freddie Tane, at one time a member of Bill Haley’s Comets. That duo cut two self-released albums during their collaboration and opened shows for touring stars such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Judy Collins. In 1989, Kate started writing her own songs and began racking up serious critical recognition like being named a New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and a finalist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Showcase in New York State. Kate’s latest work, “Trapeze” introduced here on the Tasty Brew was released in September 2024. Enjoy this conversation and in studio performance with New York’s Kate McDonnell.
I am honored to be on Radio Promotor Angela Backstrom’s contact list for new music being released by the amazing cadre of Americana/Roots Artists she represents. Angela reached out to me to arrange a phone interview to highlight Kiely Connell’s appearance at Kansas City’s recordBar venue in support of her amazing sophomore record “My Own Company.” I went down the rabbit hole, as I so often do in preparation for this conversation. I was entranced by Kiely’s voice, her affinity for some of my personal favorites like Courtney Marie Andres and Patsy Cline, and her totally relatable lyricism. Kiely Connell is a Nashville-based, rustbelt-born Country singer who has widened her musical horizons by recording My Own Company in Portland, Oregon with producer Tucker Martine (Roseanne Cash, Courtney Barnett, Madison Cunningham). It is a gritty and generous display of heartbreakingly honest lyricism, powerhouse vocals, and a deep-dive into recovering after heartbreak, staring down the barrel of depression, and coming out the other side…to choose oneself. Instrumental backing provided from bassist Nate Query (the Decembrists), drummer Andrew Borger (Tom Waits, Norah Jones) and long term musical companion and guitarist Drew Kohl. In Connell’s own words, “It’s about a love that you work so hard on that doesn’t work out in the end, so you ultimately end up working on yourself. You learn that the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” Enjoy this conversation with Nashville’s Kiely Connell.
Savanna, daughter of the Heartland’s Flint Hills, returns to share with me new music making its radio debut on my turn as host of MidCoast Live! On KKFI…a weekly live performance radio show that welcomes all genres of music and spoken word performance. On this episode you will hear these new bona fide country music selections: L-O-V-E Same Beer, Different Day Honky Tonk Heartbreaker Trailer No.3 In our latest conversation, we re-visit how I first discovered Savanna’s songcraft. It is alive with visual imagery indigenous to the Heartland and illustrative of a path a young generative artist like Savanna navigates every day in an industry…in a world not always kind or supportive of a woman flying solo or fronting a band. Her love for performing started in her grandparent's “Sodie Bar” on karaoke night when she was a little girl and has since taken her all across the country. From dive bars, fairs, festivals and rodeos, to season 20 of The Voice on NBC where she was chosen by Blake Shelton, Savanna has won over audiences with her unique, yet nostalgic country style. Savanna has won multiple songwriting contests and has been nominated 4 times for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Rocky Mountain Country music awards. She has shared the stage with acts such as Gary Allan, Sara Evans, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, Reckless Kelly, Granger Smith, Tanya Tucker, Jason Boland, Ned Ledoux and many others. She has 3 studio albums of original music available on all streaming platforms. To quote Savanna "Country music has always been my shoulder to lean on, no matter what. I can always relate to it, and always rely on it. That's how I want my songs to be for others. Just honest, genuine, country music." Enjoy my conversation with and musical performance by Savanna Chestnut!
Zachary Scott Kline came into my consciousness thanks to an email from Nashville songwriter, Henry Conlon, a former guest on my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show and Podcast. Zachary’s power trio that included Ray Akers on bass and Sam Hatfield on drums was coming to the Heartland including playing a show in Lawrence. It was a great honor to host what I believe to be Zachary’s debut radio interview and performance. Zachary found his way to Americana via competitive football and the San Francisco punk scene. Apparently there is an inside joke that when they turn 30, punk rockers put a cowboy hat on and mutate into something completely different. Really? I duly note Zachary counts John Prine, Blaze Foley, Ryan Bingham, David Ramirez and Jason Isbell as strong influences. Well done. I find Zachary’s songcrafting sincere and his lyricism and turn of phrase compelling. Zachary…keep working on that website...the music loving public at large needs to find you with ease. Enjoy the debut radio performance and interview of Zachary Scott Kline.
I love hosting songwriters on the radio and when it is an artist I have a personal kinship and history with…even better. I was introduced to Jesse Harris and the Gypsy Sparrows shortly after I started my broadcast career in 2010. The Sparrows were a hard driving, good time honky tonk/outlaw country/red dirt band for ten years. Jesse took a break when his son Jack was born and has been helping to support a growing family and successful landscaping business for the last 7or 8 years. As you will hear in this conversation during a recent appearance on KKFI’s MidCoast Live Radio Show, Jesse and I share some great memories and from the sound of what’s in the hopper, great new musical memories are to be made with his new project… Jesse Thomas Harris and the Murder of Crows. I loved learning Jesse caught the music bug as a teenager listening to the blues at KC’s landmark Blues institution…BB’s Lawnside BBQ. My main take away was that Jesse plans to stay close to home and nurture and share his musical chops right here in the Heartland. Welcome back my friend! Enjoy this spirited and engaging in studio conversation and performance with Kansas City’s own Jesse Thomas Harris.
Like so many musical discoveries in my Tasty Brew orbit, Heather Pierson came to my attention from Mike Paget, Director behind the Green Guitar Folk House Music Series in Lenexa, Kansas. He discovered Heather’s talent at her official showcase during a past Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City and brought her back to the Heartland as she was touring through the area. You’ll hear us mention another Heartland music series I’ve heard stellar reviews about hosted at The Bixler 108 in Unionville, Missouri. It is so important that stops like the Bixler become available to those trying to lead a lyrical life as they try to connect the dots between major markets like St. Louis and Dallas or west to Denver. Born to a Scottish émigré mother and Navy veteran machinist father in Joplin, Missouri, Heather started out life in the single-traffic-light town of Galena, Kansas. Music was constantly spilling out of the speakers of her parents’ stereo – a diverse playlist that included such artists as The Allman Brothers, Kansas, Cream, The Beatles, KISS, Cat Stevens, Mario Lanza, Jose Feliciano and Anne Murray. This diversity served to open Heather’s young mind to the rich and varied language of music and to lay the foundation for her future endeavors and experimentations. Heather is now based in New Hampshire’s White Mountains…. a singer/songwriter, pianist, song leader, and performer with a passion for cultivating joy, both onstage and off. With a toe in each of the realms of New Orleans jazz, blues, vocal chants, instrumental piano, and folk, her multi-genre songwriting places her firmly in a category all her own, one honed by decades of diligent practice and curious exploration. Whether solo, as a duo, with her trio, or in a community sing, Heather’s live performances feature her bell-tone vocals, ease at the piano, and are infused with happiness, honest self-reflection, and a genuine desire to connect and share from the heart. In over twenty years on her own record label, Vessel Recordings, she has released fifteen albums and several singles of original music. Her forthcoming sixteenth studio album, Back To The Light, is her most vibrant release yet. It is slated for a September 2024 release, and it was recorded ‘live on the floor’ at Acadia Recording Company in Portland, ME with her trio mates Shawn Nadeau on bass (Shawn joins us in the studio for this conversation) and Craig Bryan on drums and percussion. I just know you’re going to dig the seemingly effortless vocal and instrumental offerings from Heather Pierson and Shawn Nadeau during a mid-morning stint on the radio in the Heartland…. Enjoy!
I met Gracie Caggiano when she participated in one of the very first monthly Songwriters’ Sanctuary events presented by the Heartland Song Network at PH Coffee in Kansas City. I was impressed not only with her songwriting and vocal ability, but her steadfastness in dealing with the physical barriers presented to an artist living with muscular dystrophy confined to a wheelchair. When I learned she had not yet been on the radio, I knew I had to make that happen and welcomed her to the airwaves in early June 2024. As you will learn in our conversation, In the spring of 2023, Gracie earned a Master of Music in Composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, have previously earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition in 2021 from Florida’s Stetson University. In her current work, she explores the significance of disability in her own lived experience embracing both her popular music background and classical training. In 2019, Gracie placed third runner-up in a Competition for Student Composers for her choral work The sun kept setting. In spring 2022 at UMKC, she was selected for a composition residency with the university’s Graduate Fellowship String Quartet. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City performed her new micro-opera “Becoming” in June 2023. Later that year, Gracie invited listeners into her poetic space with "To Love Is to Be Honest" and "Don't Look at Me That Way" in anticipation of her debut album “I can't be anything but human” (released May 10, 2024). You will hear selections from that ep, made possible by a grant and recorded at UMKC. Enjoy this conversation and the debut radio performance by Gracie Caggiano.
What does a Florence, Italy transplant in Austin, Texas have in common with a community radio dj in Kansas City? Turns out a connection to the first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. Listen to this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast to learn the details. A creative and prolific artist, Giulia has released a number of solo albums, touring nationally throughout the USA and internationally. An accomplished guitarist, Giulia also plays ukulele and sings in four languages. She has been called smart, pensive and cool credited with psychedelic grooveability whilst “baring her clairvoyant soul” to “deliver musical mojo.” I am in awe of female artists who travel the world solo… it is not for the faint of heart. The dedication must be steadfast and the nerves of steel. Millanta’s newest record Only Luna Knows and her cookbook ‘Dinner with Giulia” – Flavors, Songs and Stories of a Florentine Troubadour are available now! Enjoy my conversation with singer songwriter and lucid dreamer … Giulia Millanta.
The final installment of the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference Takeover of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show spotlights two musical and life partner duos… Liz and Nilko of New York City and Tipps and Obermiller of Fort Worth, Texas. First up Liz and Nilko, a New York City based “Latin Americana” duo combining and celebrating the music of their backgrounds… Appalachia and the Andes Mountains. LIZ CHIDESTER is a critically acclaimed and award winning Americana singer/songwriter, actor, teaching artist, and ukulelist. Since his 2009 Carnegie Hall solo debut, multi-faceted touring artist Nilko Andreas has been performing for audiences on three continents as an internationally awarded classical guitarist, Composer, Actor, Music Director and singer. The goal is to have their harmonies contribute to the healing of the Americas. They have performed at different festivals around the US including the Folk Alliance International Festival in Kansas City, NJ Uke Fest, and the Lavender Festival in Charlottesville, VA. When Hilary Tipps and Steve Obermiller met, it took no time at all for these Fort Worth, Texas songwriters to fall in love and start their lives together. It took another decade of trying to create life, deal with death and build careers in teaching and nursing before they wrote their first songs together. Now they are fully invested in their passion for songwriting and performing. They bring a connection of energy and charm unique to a couple dedicated to each other, their music and their audience. Enjoy these conversations and musical interludes with Liz & Nilko and Tipps and Obermiller.
Collaboration and networking are instrumental in whatever success I enjoyed in my former corporate work life and now in my post career volunteer world. Nancy LaBerge of Calgary’s “Backyard Betties” was introduced to me via email by Linda Wilson, a former radio colleague….giving me the heads up Nancy and her group would be coming to Kansas City for the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference. Might there be any broadcast or performance opportunities for the Backyard Betties on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show? Of course. I soon came to know that Nancy, through her affiliation with the Calgary Songsmiths, had already come into my orbit through a songwriting collaboration exercise with our local Heartland Song Network members borne from a prior year’s introduction at Folk Alliance. Joining Nancy LaBerge in three-part harmonies are Pip Hazel and Sarah Nielson on percussion with Mark Cassano on guitar. The Backyard Betties are exceptionally talented with a strong commitment to connecting with their audiences through songs of love, life and loss while fostering the growth of emerging songwriters in their community. Colin Cutler, an Army Vet, is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter, folk musician, poet, and storyteller toting a banjo and guitar. Whether solo or with his band, Hot Pepper Jam, he is a wide-ranging performer whose musical roots draw from the breadth of American folk music—from Appalachian oldtime to blues to gospel to country to rock’n’roll—to form what No Depression has described as “one magnificent tapestry of roots music.”. In the course of curating a private showcase for a Folk Alliance International Conference, it becomes quite daunting to make decisions with so very many talented artists making submissions. Colin Cutler made the decision easier for me to choose him when his bio revealed his latest work “Tarwater” was based upon the work of Georgia author Flannery O’Connor. That was enough of a hook to send me down the rabbit hole of his background and discography. Enjoy my conversations with and in studio performance by Backyard Betties and Colin Cutler.
It always lovely to welcome Montreal’s Genevieve Racette back to the KKFI studios whenever she can make it to Kansas City; this visit was facilitated by Genevieve’s attendance at the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference. Please excuse some background construction noise that may be discernible while she and I are having our conversation…Both the street in front of the station and our building itself is under some serious reconstruction to accommodate a street car line extension and new tenants. As a woman in the music industry, Genevieve prioritizes surrounding herself with like-minded women-identifying individuals, taking pride in the fact over 80% of her team consists of woman-identifying musicians and industry members. She has showcased at prestigious music events such as Folk Alliance, Folk Music Ontario. Americanafest, Canadian Music Week and more. Her fourth record, “Golden” is set to be released this Fall. Next up in the Folk Alliance 2024 Takeover… Arizona’s Remi Goode is a trained classical guitarist and choral singer turned alternative folk/pop singer-songwriter. When she first decided to put her voice and guitar together and write original music, she quickly developed a style that highlights her careful classical sensibilities, pure vocal quality, and the distinctive sound of a nylon-string guitar. With an affinity for small arrangements and modest production, Remi’s highest priority is lyricism. She writes with blunt honesty and introspection, searching for the root of the dynamics within a relationship or a deeper understanding of her own self-conception. Although Remi’s analysis of herself and others is often unforgiving, her songs always contain a qualifying aspect of emotional ambiguity—an expression of both grief and acceptance at having to navigate a world that isn’t black or white. Enjoy these conversations and performances in Episode 1 of the Folk Alliance 2024 Take Over of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast.
Originally from the mountain state of West Virginia, Eades began making music at the age of 12, when out of boredom her father handed her a 1950's Gibson that had been stored away, waiting for someone to play. It wasn't long before she began writing songs, recording her first album at age 17 as part of the duo Special Guest. After a more than decade-long hiatus from music, Eades began playing music again after moving to Kansas City and began her solo career in 2015. Her music is genuine, and shares bits of her story, drawing from experiences that many find relatable. Influenced by the strong female singer-songwriters she listened to growing up, including Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Jewel, she followed their lead and added her own tinges of twang, angst, and blues. I am a fan of her versatility and fluidity between genres and it is always a pleasure just to have a regular conversation with her on any number of given topics. Erin has played out in public somewhat sparingly since the pandemic but as you’ll hear on this recent visit to the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, Erin recently released some new music after nearly a 5-year hiatus of publishing any new work and is ramping up her in person footprint to promote the new music that is coming. It was an honor to air the radio broadcast debut of her new song “Lesser of Two Evils.” Enjoy my conversation with Erin Eades!
I am so honored when a friend and artist such as songwriter Kelly Hunt recommends a fellow musician to me for consideration. In the case of songwriter and fellow Buckeye Ben Gage, she could not have been more spot on with her recommendation. As you will hear in this conversation and performance on a recent Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, Ben sounded totally at ease and seemingly is a rather comfortable space in his lyrical life. A couple of corrections to note in my on air comments. The Folk Alliance International Conference for 2025 will be in Montreal not Toronto and although its true Travis Kelce played college ball at the University of Cincinnati, he is in fact from Cleveland. I love how Ben blends folk and roots blues. I understand how he grew up in the rust belt of Northeast Ohio along the great Lake Erie with roots running deep alongside hard working Ohio blue collars. His tenacity, love of family, and respect for a long day can be heard in his music. He now travels the country full time sharing and collecting stories and songs. Enjoy this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast and be sure and check out Ben’s work and schedule at https://www.bengagemusic.com/
I met Emma Jo via other songwriting friends in Kansas City and it has been interesting, even instructive, to witness her evolution as a young woman who follows a lyrical life. Raised in Kansas City by a mother who loved country music and a father who breathed rock & roll, Emma Jo has spent the better part of her life latching onto a deep-rooted passion for music and performing. From stealing the spotlight at age four during a local talent show, to learning guitar on an Esteban purchased from an infomercial, to releasing a full-length acoustic album titled Waiting to Be Heard at fifteen, there has not been a moment when she wasn’t living and breathing melody. I was gratified to learn in this conversation that Emma Jo loves is committed to living and creating here in America’s Heartland. I knew when I first heard her newest record, “Girl Bandit” I wanted to have her on the radio for a more robust conversation than what I could grab in between or after a set at a local gig. Ultimately, Girl Bandit is a record that was destined to be written. It serves as not only as documentation of one woman’s search for strength in dark times and her eventual triumph, but as an emotional support record for life changes. Emma Jo says “I’ve dealt with loss and trauma and pain, just like everyone. Girl Bandit is a record about how I discovered I was living the wrong life, grappled with that, and made the decision to change it – and it’s a call to action to take the first step out of darkness.” I have the privilege of hosting shows on community radio that permits me to play the songs and talk to whomever I want. I take into consideration what may be of interest and entertaining to my listening audience. I am grateful for the opportunity to memorialize these experiences for the Tasty Brew Music podcast. Enjoy this conversation and in studio live performance from the Heartland’s own Emma Jo.
In the Fall of 2023, a contingent of folk and jazz artists from Frutilla, Chile (fru-tee-ya Chill-ay) came to Kansas City as part of a cultural exchange facilitated by The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and their Creative Cities Network. The Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. Almost 300 cities around the world which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level. To date, Kansas City is the ONLY US City with the UNESCO Creative Cities designation. Martina performing as Medicentuna and Daniela Conejero visited with me at the KKFI studios for a lively conversation and enchanting on air performance. Enjoy this unique and captivating episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast!
Alicia Stockman was in Kansas City to play an intimate house concert for the Labyrinth Listening Room Series curated and hosted by fellow music lover Howard Dolginoff. I happened to be hosting Siren Song on 90.1 FM KKFI that same day and Howard brought Alicia to the studios so we could have a chat and share some tunes with our listeners who were not able to make it to the show. Alicia is a Utah-based folk meets Americana Singer Songwriter whose songs are written like intimate moments that draw listeners into a relatable emotional journey. You’ll hear that her musical start was in a loud rock and roll band playing cover songs in bars with sticky floors; she eventually broke away to perform her own songs, finding a home in the Americana scene. Her work sparked the interest of “Nashville’s Americana Queen, and former Tasty Brew Music Podcast guest, Mary Bragg, who began collaborating with and producing Alicia’s album, “Four Walls.” Enjoy this on air conversation with and musical performance by Alicia Stockman.
I’ve been fortunate to see Sarah Lee Guthrie perform on multiple occasions with her family at the annual Woody Guthrie Festival aka Woody fest in Woody’s hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. The very first song I remember learning to sing outside of church hymns was Woody’s This Land is Your Land in grade school choir back in the late 1950’s. When contacted recently by Sarah Lee’s management to gauge any interest in an interview prior to an upcoming Sarah Lee Trio gig in the Kansas City area, I jumped at the chance. I personally find it a challenge to prepare for a conversation with the descendant of a legacy artist like John Prine or Woody Guthrie; you want to be respectful of the legacy but not dwell on it to the exclusion or minimization of the talent of the artist you are speaking with… but I’m happy to say that most times it is a wonderful experience and Sarah Lee, in this instance, could not have been more gracious and forthcoming. Sarah Lee has been touring with her father Arlo Guthrie right up until he retired a couple of years ago. She has had folks like Pete Seeger and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott as grandparent figures in her life spending a good many of her Thanksgiving holidays playing Carnegie Hall as part of the annual folk gathering started by the Weavers decades ago. Though her lineage is undeniable, many are drawn to the clarity and soul behind Sarah Lee’s voice. As her website bio says, you’ll be drawn to the gentle urgency of her interpretation of songs that flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life and the river of songs that have guided her to where she stands how. Enjoy this conversation with Sarah Lee Guthrie.
I seem to be experiencing “full circle” type moments fast and furious these days. Case in point... a brief encounter at Americanafest years ago with radio promoter Angela Backstrom has yielded a now years’ long association that not only brings me amazing music every week but affords me opportunities to talk to folks like Tommy Prine. Angela sent an email casually mentioning Tommy was coming to Kansas City to play Knuckleheads...would I be interested in talking to him for my radio show? Of course I would... I immediately began to obsess about how to honor the singular talent of Tommy’s artistry without focusing on or making constant references to his father who occupies heroic and iconic status that transcends my Boomer generation’s songwriting community. The more I began to prepare for the conversation and let it be known it was going to happen, a good number of people who know or who have interacted with Tommy, reached out to allay my fears. As you will hear, Tommy’s head is on straight, his aim true and his talent is singular and unique to him. Enjoy my conversation with young Master Prine.
Rick Dodderidge is one of THE most dedicated music enthusiasts I’ve ever encountered in 70+ years on this planet. I kept running into Rick and his lovely friend Vicki at various events around Kansas City. He co-hosts a monthly spot on Mike Lytle’s Real Deal on KKFI where he shares his favorite music and accompanying stories such as you will hear in THIS conversation. Rick, Vicki and I ended up on the same Ensemble Iberica patron’s trip to Ireland in the Spring of 2023. We shared some profound musical and cultural experiences there. A conversation in Ireland led to Rick’s appearance on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. As you’ll hear, Rick literally will scale any logistical or economic wall to witness his favorite musical icons. He saw the Grateful Dead over 400 times. He went $150,000 in credit card debt nearly 40 years ago to travel the world to see the likes of Genesis, The Dead and Gong. He hasn’t let up…most recently travelling to London for a Jeff Beck tribute and to our Great Northwest to see Joni Mitchell with Brandi Carlile. Enjoy this out of body conversation with music lover extraordinaire...Rick Dodderidge.
I love listening to my DJ Brother Scott Stanton’s River Trade Radio Show on KKFI on Sunday Mornings. Not too long ago I heard an amazing voice on his show that stopped me in my tracks. It was Beth Watts Nelson also now known as Little Miss Dynamite from right here in the Heartland. I knew I had to get to know her and have her on my radio show. I reached out to Beth right away; as a middle school teacher in the throes of finishing up her 20th year as a middle school choral director, it took a couple of months for us to find a date that worked with both of our schedules. The following conversation is our initial meeting. As you’ll hear, Beth has been writing songs and singing most of her life with the support of her amazing family. She has taken a huge leap of faith with her new project, the Notorious Chorus, a group vocal and harmony singing workshop for those who like to sing whether a beginner or seasoned professional. And for the record, I did sign up for the inaugural group and at the recording of this episode we’re nearly through our 4-week session. I have never sung in public, except maybe the National Anthem and Happy Birthday, so this was a big leap for me. I’m having a blast and Beth is a total pro!
Enjoy my conversation and musical performance by Brandon Day on upright bass with Little Miss Dynamite, Beth Watts Nelson!
As I’ve stated before, one of the perks of hosting a radio show, is the ability to help a musical friend launch a new project into the ether. I met the Reverend Jimmie Bratcher and his amazing wife Sherrie years ago at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City. I’ve been privileged to witness the hard work and devotion he pours into his music and his ministry. His work with the prison and the unhoused populations in this country is remarkable.
Like many young men of the Boomer generation, Jimmie’s first guitar hero was Eric Clapton. Early on, he played in bands that never quite took off “due to lack of professionalism and substance abuse.” Eventually, he steadied the ship and with the recent release of his 13th album, “Far Enough,” the Reverend has assembled a stellar crew of players, technicians and vocal accompaniment that are respected and revered industry wide. You HAVE to hear the stories behind the songs and the names of those involved in the production of the book and recordings of Far Enough… it reads like a who’s who in American popular music. It may be of interest to other creatives to hear how the Reverend has conducted his own research and formulated a strategy to tackle the business of music as well.
Did he go Far Enough? Time will tell. Enjoy this conversation with my friend, the Reverend Jimmie Bratcher.
Being in the music ecosystem provides loads of opportunity for serendipity. Making a connection with newcomer songwriter Henry Conlon is a case in point. A fellow KKFI colleague had been contacted by Conlon’s team looking for on air opportunities in support of an opening slot Henry had at a recent Sundown Concert Series featuring Kansas City’s own Casi Joy and Danielle Nicole. I reached out to Henry offering a spot with the understanding it was a Pledge Drive Show and I would be asking him to assist in pitching for donations. He was all in. He began writing songs in high school playing coffee houses and the occasional open mic. As time went on, he began to grow a small but loyal fanbase in the northeast and eventually cut an album of original songs at Dirt Floor Records. Since releasing his first album, Henry has moved to Nashville where he has been writing and performing nearly every night of the week, embedding himself into the songwriter scene. Conlon has had a variety of cuts with artists such as Zachary Scott Kline and Madeline Finn. His song “Reckless Love” released by John Hollier in 2022, placed on the Americana Radio charts. In May of 2022 he had the opportunity to open for Whitey Morgan and Jesse Daniel at the Bandit Town festival in Manor Texas and for Old Crow Medicine Show and Billy Joel as a part of the Greenwich Town Party, an annual festival in Greenwich Connecticut. Enjoy the conversation and in studio performance with Henry Conlon.
International Folk Music Awards 2017 Artist of the Year Ordinary Elephant captivates audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world. The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, their connection, and their influences such as Gillian Welch and Guy Clark all meet on stage. Crystal and Pete set aside the work they've done previously as a veterinary cardiologist and a computer programmer, respectively. The two met at an open mic in College Station, Texas, in 2009 and soon moved to Houston together. With her on acoustic guitar/lead vocals and him on clawhammer banjo/harmony vocals, they threw all caution to the wind and hit the road in an RV. Ordinary Elephant’s songwriting has won numerous awards and they regularly shine in showcases at Folk Alliance International conferences, music festivals, house concerts and workshops. Crystal and Pete recently made their way to Kansas City for what of course was a stellar and very moving performance at the Green Guitar Folk House Series in Lenexa, Kansas. I was able to grab a few moments with them on the radio as they were enroute to our fair city. Enjoy my conversation with the extra extraordinary…. Crystal and Pete Damore... Ordinary Elephant!
Billy Brady was given his nickname “Bluegrass” by his close family and friends. He is a first generation musician born to a blue collar family that works construction. He began playing guitar at 16 and his bluegrass roots started in the Ozarks one summer when he was working at a fish hatchery. He played in a reggae band for a minute. Travelling to festivals across the county, he settled on bluegrass as his musical voice. Kansas City has become fertile ground for bluegrass and other roots genres of music. Billy recently joined me on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show to share some details about opening up the concert season at Kansas City’s Lemonade Park and what is shaping up to be a very busy summer festival season for the Whiskey Mash Band. Enjoy my conversation with musical interludes from Billy Brady, front man for the Whiskey Mash Band.
The email from Eli Lev came into my inbox like dozens of new music submissions do on any given day. This one stood out a bit because the subject line referenced my radio show by name instead of something generic like “new music from singer/songwriter Eli Lev.” The body of the email indicated that Eli had done some homework and was of the opinion his music would be a good fit for the show. It did not appear to be a completely “cut and paste” email. I was impressed enough by the professionalism and personalization of the post to click through the entries of his submission. He was correct…it appeared he was a good fit but still… the interactions we had to set up this appearance were timely and complete. Eli’s back story, as you will hear, is rather unique. His professional career started as an educator in places like Arizona on an Indian reservation and a corporate trainer in exotic places like the little known country of Andorra in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France… his ability to transfer those organizational and professional level skill sets is serving him well as he leads a lyrical life on the road as a troubadour. Enjoy my first in what I hope to be an ongoing set of conversations with Eli Lev.
The Missouri Ozarks is both home and backdrop to Missouri Arts Council Touring Performer, Mick Byrd. A member of the MO Blues Society and Tennessee Songwriters Association International, Mick has performed at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville for over 20 years. An award from Billboard Magazine kicked off his music career in 1994. Mick brings fans an amazing array of original Roots Rock, Country & his signature “Ozark Blues.” Mick performs solo or with some of his very talented musician friends as a duo or band, creating “The Backroad Band.” Whether in his travels across Missouri, the United States or Ireland, people everywhere find common ground in Mick’s music.
My personal introduction to Mick Byrd may be the most unique and unusual yet. A lifelong friend of nearly 50 years and I were talking one day and she surprised me by telling me her 93 year-old mother confessed she had been married to a man before she was married to my friend’s father. His namewas Curtis Byrd. My friend later met Mick Byrd totally by happenstance on the streets of Jefferson City, Missouri as he was setting up for a music gig at a place called Gumbo Bottoms. She asked are you related to Curtis Byrd? Why yes, he said…he was my father. Oh my…she replied. Your dad was once married to my mother. Now there’s a song in there somewhere.
My friend suggested at some point Mick get in contact with me. She thought my music connections in the Heartland may be of assistance to him.He did reach out to me and in March 2023 I had Mick on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. Enjoy my conversation with the pride of Vienna, Missouri, Mick Byrd.
It is always a thrill and privilege to host an artist’s first radio appearance or debut a new song to a listening audience; I had that opportunity recently when classically trained opera singer turned roots music artist Kirstie Lynn appeared with me on an episode of Siren Song on KKFI.
Originally from the Fingerlakes region of Upstate, NY, Kirstie Lynn brings elements of all the places she has called home into her songwriting. From the lilacs of Rochester, the bridges of London, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia, and the sweeping prairies of the Midwest, you can find melodies and words accompanied by her finger-picking on guitar reminiscent of the many lives she has lived so far. Her ability to whistle with vibrato and mimic the sounds of a trumpet are sweet enhancements to her vocal prowess.
As an aspiring conservationist and naturalist as well, her lyrics are deeply saturated in the outdoors and her experiences and adventures in nature.
With her vocal training, Kirstie Lynn's voice is free and easy to listen to. My listening ear references her voice and style to that of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins, but her singing is uniquely her own.
Enjoy my initial conversation with and musical performance by Kirstie Lynn aka Kirstie the Worstie. She’s the best!
Howard Mahan is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter originally from Fredonia, Kansas and now based out of Lawrence, Kansas. Howard started playing guitar in a family band at age 9. After finishing college where he studied guitar, business, and law, Howard has played shows and recorded music across the US with several different groups, including the primary configuration "Howard Mahan & Friends"
In anticipation of the release of Mahan’s second full length album “Marigold”, Howard recently stopped by the Tasty Brew Music Show on KKFI to get acquainted with my listeners and to help “Pitch” during a recent fund drive for the station. I apologize in advance… you’ll definitely hear I was suffering from a pretty nasty sinus infection.
Marigold draws heavily from Mahan’s life-experience, literary, and theatric inspirations…the album has a unique and diverse feel fitting nicely into the Tasty Brew family of sounds…enjoy this conversation with Howard Mahan and Friends!
On February 3, 2023, I presented a four-hour edition of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, interviewing an array of local, national and international touring artists that were in Kansas City for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference.
Last, but certainly not least for the show, was internationally reknown guitarist Pipo Romero. Although flamenco is not necessarily a genre of music heard on my radio show, when Pipo applied to play the Heartland Song Network Private Showcase Room and I had no room for him, I KNEW I had to get him on the radio so I could share his musical prowess with as many people as possible while we had him here in Kansas City.
Romero is the new reality of the acoustic guitar in Spain, with a mixture of styles in which folk, flamenco or classical music merge, as well as Celtic or country touches that together crystallize into unique melodies with an innovative sound. From Cadiz, his music comes from music, influences and folklore from around the world. His unique approach to the instrument has made him one of the most respected acoustic guitar artists in the world.
I would have loved to devote more time to Mr. Romero but I had to make way for the next program; although the language barrier proved to be a challenge the music was universally understood. It was an honor to be present as a witness and to share it with my listeners.
Enjoy this musical interlude with the otherworldly Pipo Romero.
On February 3, 2023, I presented a four-hour edition of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, interviewing an array of local, national and international touring artists that were in Kansas City for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference.
Next up is Patterson Barrett from Austin, Texas and Beth Bombara from St. Louis.
Patterson first came to my attention about 8 years ago at the Folk Alliance Conference as the side man for Songwriter Stephanie Urbina Jones. As you’ll hear, we’ve stayed in touch over the years and I learn something new about Patterson with each visit. During this conversation, he casually drops new information to me that at the age of 17 he played pedal steel, dobro and guitar on Jerry Jeff Walker’s rendition of Guy Clark’s L.A. Freeway for Walker’s first release on MCA Records. He has helped anchor the Buddy Miller House Band during an Americanafest Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium. I had the privilege of attending those Awards Show for a good number of years and the house band was always on fire!
Not long after arriving in Austin, he formed the band Partners In Crime, which included Buddy and Julie Miller, sometimes referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Americana Music….releasing one album on their own label, Criminal Records.
In the years since, Patterson produced some of Hal Ketchum’s earliest demos, served in Al Kooper’s back-up band, and performed before 10,000 festival-goers as Chuck Berry’s pianist. He accompanied Nancy Griffith on Austin City Limits, legendary Austin singer Lou Ann Barton in music clubs around the country, and Buddy Miller on his Your Love And Other Lies CD, and more recently, on the Buddy & Jim CD. He has a continuing collaboration with Stephanie Urbina Jones as her accompanist, musical director and producer, including work with her Honky Tonk Mariachi project, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry multiple times.
In addition to years of supporting other talented artists in every format imaginable, Barrett has maintained a career as a recording artist in his own right.
Around 2015, I was introduced to Beth Bombara through a mutual musical friend, Sky Smeed. Although based in Missouri, Beth has spent much of her adulthood on the road, carving out her own award-winning mix of vintage folk and electric roots-rock. She’s been a solo artist, a bandleader, and an occasional side musician for other artists. Her songs live in the same world as greats like Petty and Dylan; Gillian and Joni, and grow up like trees drawing nourishment from their roots music. But she never, ever sounds like the "typical" artist who claims these influences; Bombara to zig where someone else might zag, making harder or gentler turns, brushing up against jazz or taking rock toward its fulfillment.” - The Columbia Tribune
It’s been my pleasure to include Beth for the last three years now as part of the Heartland Song Network Private Showcase line up.
Enjoy these conversations and performances with Patterson Barrett and Beth Bombara in Hour 3 of the Folk Alliance Takeover of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show.
On February 3, 2023, I presented a four hour edition of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, interviewing an array of local, national and international touring artists that were in Kansas City for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference. Next up is Miki P and Cameron Keeling and The Runaway Train. Miki is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who shares her passion through music and performing. She decided when she was 11 years old that making music absolutely was it for her. She picked up her first guitar in 6th grade, and shortly after took up drum set, becoming a dedicated student of both instruments. A self-led musician, Miki now shares her stories through her voice, joined by playing either guitar, drums, piano, bass, or ukulele. “Miki P’s voice is kind enough to squeeze your trembling hand, and strong enough to teach you to stand on your own.” Emma Ottinger – Manor Records Cameron Keeling has been saturated in bluegrass music for the last decade or more…. On the road playing clubs, festivals and honky tonks. He hosted weekly bluegrass jams for 4 years at the Westport Saloon in Kansas City while holding down a spot for five years in the touring powergrass trio of Grassfed. Cameron is writing new songs and performs “Haystack” and “Hey Hey Hey” here for us live in the studio with his Runaway Train line up… Zack Bozeman on upright bass and Corey Clark on mandolin. Enjoy Part 2 of the 2023 Folk Alliance Takeover of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show.
On February 3, 2023, I presented a four hour edition of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, interviewing an array of local, national and international touring artists that were in Kansas City for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference. First up were Chris Hudson of Kansas City’s Gullywasher and Australia’s Nick Vulture. Hudson is a Guitarist, visual artist, Singer Songwriter for Kansas City- based Gullywasher, the Bard Owls and other projects, and Teacher at Kansas City Young Audiences. Vulture has moved into territory that couldn’t be any further removed from his roots in the garage punk scene of Adelaide, South Australia with his band The Molting Vultures. His solo endeavor is gritty acoustic folk done raw and stripped back to its very core. Enjoy these on air musical interludes and conversations with Chris Hudson and Nick Vulture.
The music of Caleb Caudle was originally recommended to me some years ago by music loving friends that know whereof they speak. Following their suggestions usually yields solid gold. Caleb was recently in Kansas City in 2022 on tour in support of Hayes Carll and then solo to promote his latest critically acclaimed album, Forsythia. He was also finally able to personally promote his album, Better Hurry Up, that was way laid by the Covid-19 pandemic. Forsythia is a portrait of Caleb at his most solitary and reflective. Thematically, it meets anticipation for the unknown future with nostalgia for the past, and reconciles both with meditation in the present. The album, recorded at Cash Cabin and produced by John Carter Cash, features acclaimed session players Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Dennis Crouch and Fred Eltringham, and the vocal talents of Carlene Carter, Elizabeth Cook and Sarah Peasall McGuffey. On his last release, Better Hurry Up, Caudle found himself feeling like time was moving too fast. By early 2020, with a new home base in Nashville, a few years of sobriety under his belt and the release of his best album yet imminent, Caudle was prepared for the next phase of his career. But a few days before Better Hurry Up came out, a devastating tornado ripped through Nashville; a week later, just before he was set to depart for a lengthy tour, the world went into lockdown. The couple moved back to the mountains of North Carolina for the duration of the pandemic, where he spent most of his time in the woods– hiking, observing, thinking and writing. Caleb took some time to call into the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show from the road on his way to Kansas City for a show. Enjoy my on air conversation with the very talented songcrafter….Caleb Caudle.
No stranger to change or the exploration that comes with it, Carrie Welling has been navigating life’s twists, turns, demons, and discoveries from a young age. A self-described ‘military brat’, Welling’s struggle to feel rooted in any one place carved a unharmonious path of heartbreak, doubt, and insecurity that defined her 20s and early 30s. Her bold, sultry voice, reminiscent of Sheryl Crow’s grit, Natalie Maines’ twang, and Stevie Nicks’ heart, is upstaged only by the genuine love and connection this natural performer has with her fans both on and off stage. But embracing confidence has not always been easy for this singer-songwriter, who speaks candidly about her battle to be good to herself, and to quiet the inner voice nagging her to be “perfect”.
Late in the summer of 2022, a Tasty Brew Music listener and local house concert presenter from Lawrence, Kansas gave me the heads up about Carrie. We weren’t able to get her live in the studio while she was in the area, but after some initial technical difficulties, we were able to have a nice on air conversation about her lyrical journey… including the importance of having an organizational and logistical support team and auxiliary financial support via platforms like Patreon. I was so encouraged to hear of her connections with personal favorites Mary Bragg and Barnaby Bright.
Welling put out a Patreon campaign, embracing her dream to finally quit the side hustle and focus on music full-time. Her patrons, which Carrie refers to as her “champions”, have proven to be an integral part of the artist’s journey - not only supporting her online but also at live performances across the globe. “My Patreon champions started out as my fans and now we’re all friends. Some of them I talk to everyday, and they give me music ideas! They keep me going,” she says. Enjoy my conversation with Nashville’s Carrie Welling.
Serendipity brought Jeremy Facknitz into my musical life. Late this past summer, he posted on a local Kansas City Musicians Facebook Page looking for a fill in gig on just a few days’ notice to help support a solo run of gigs in the Midwest. I checked him out, was happy to help him land a last-minute slot in a songwriters’ circle at a local venue and welcomed Jeremy into the radio station for a conversation during my weekly Tasty Brew Music Radio Show.
Jeremy has entertained audiences with his lovingly crafted music and high-energy performances for decades. Since the 2002 break-up of his Detroit-based band "The Ottomans", Jeremy has performed primarily as a solo act, marrying folk-rock and jazz stylings to showcase his intimate stories of life, love, and self-discovery.
Facknitz carved out a living performing at bars, coffeeshops, and corporate events while teaching lessons on the side. Life turned on a dime when on July 17th, 2017 Jeremy was diagnosed with viral meningitis. "I came face to face with my mortality, and I realized it was time for a change. I quit performing at bars and spent the next year making the leap to house concerts, touring, and performing solely for listening audiences."
Jeremy was named a top 24 finalist from over 800 entries in the 2020 and 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competitions at Kerrville Folk Festival. His songs "Ballet of an Unhatched Chick" and "Michigan (Something In The Water)" were awarded semi-finalist distinction at songoftheyear.com, also in 2020 and 2022.
As you’ll hear in this conversation, while occasionally performing with his 6 piece band in Colorado, Jeremy continues to tour solo - performing at house concerts and listening rooms in the United States, Canada and Europe. He's currently promoting his 5th album of original material "From Those Sweet Ashes" and has begun recording a follow-up album set for release in 2023. Enjoy this brief interlude with Songwriter Jeremy Facknitz.
Savraya is a singer-songwriter referred to me by a mutual songwriting friend from Louisiana, Tommy Ike Hailey. She’s just starting her lyrical life and it’s always an honor and privilege to be the first radio or podcast experience for a young artist like this.
Living in places like Nashville, Ft. Worth and the Mississippi Gulf Coast near New Orleans gives her a unique perspective on Southern American music with roots, blues, jazz, country, hip hop, pop, and even Cajun in the mix.
Gifted with her first guitar at 16, she started writing songs and playing open mics. Dad’s job transferred the family back to Nashville and she started playing songwriter rounds and recording with Michael McAdam and great Nashville musicians including Jimmy Lester, and Dave Roe who had worked with Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakum and many more. Another transfer back to Mississippi and Savraya started to write new material and gigging all over the Gulf Coast. She claims no specific genre with an open mind to past and present influences. Her second release “Glass Ball” finished first in the 2021 Ozone Songwriting competition. She works with regional videographer Chaz Singleton (Astroclown Productions) who has shot videos for hip hop artists including Juvenile, Choppa, Young Bleu, and the Ying Yang Twins.
Savraya is a unique artist with powerful vocals and meaningful lyrics for one so young! Enjoy this early morning conversation and musical performance with Savraya.
Joy Zimmerman, in regular rotation on KKFI’s Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, is a folk and acoustic roots singer/songwriter who cultivates joy with a clear, rich voice. She believes in the power of music and community. At home on guitar and violin, Joy’s most recent album, The Canvas Before Us, debuted at #8 on the FAI Folk Chart.
I concur with this assessment…."Joy Zimmerman combines consummate instrumental skill with moving lyrics...and she does it with wonderful creativity, beauty, and her clear, ringing, passionate voice." ~Mark Helpsmeet, Northern Spirit Radio
Also a personal favorite, Danielle Ate the Sandwich is the stage name of pop-folk songwriter, Danielle Anderson. Getting her start in Fort Collins, CO, now based in Kansas City, MO, Danielle has been touring nationally since 2009, after cultivating an online following from her homemade videos on YouTube. Danielle Ate the Sandwich has released seven albums of original music and toured internationally.
These two powerhouses recently met via the Heartland Song Network and as you’ll hear in this conversation, have joined forces and voices to collaborate on a new project of unknown destination and duration….we’ll just have to see. One of the wonderful byproducts so far is their collaboration with Erin McGrane and Eboni Fondren lending their voices on Joy’s song, “Hear our Voices” released on the heels of the statewide vote to preserve reproductive rights in Kansas. Enjoy this mid-day morning conversation with Joy Zimmerman and Danielle Anderson!
Nationally renowned, Québécois folk-pop musician, Geneviève Racette, has captivated listeners with her gentle, yet compelling voice and has garnered impressive industry support for her folk-pop tracks ever since her first EP in 2014. Through her lyricism and ethereal vocals (which you will hear throughout this session), Geneviève has emerged as a rising star in both French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes.
I was lucky enough to meet Genevieve early in 2022 and had her on the expanded 4 hour version of the Folk Alliance International Take Over of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show on KKFI Radio. When she returned to Kansas City in late summer of 2022, I was only too happy to renew the acquaintance as I hosted my monthly episode of the Siren Song radio show.
It was enlightening to discover both the differences and similarities of pursuing a lyrical life and surviving a global pandemic in Canada vis a vis the United States and to become familiar with an artist’s educational background, collaborative and mentor experiences. Enjoy my conversation with the lovely Genevieve Racette.
Photo Credit: Creator: ANNIE DIOTTE Copyright: 5146059015
Nationally renowned, Québécois folk-pop musician, Geneviève Racette, has captivated listeners with her gentle, yet compelling voice and has garnered impressive industry support for her folk-pop tracks ever since her first EP in 2014. Through her lyricism and ethereal vocals (which you will hear throughout this session), Geneviève has emerged as a rising star in both French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes.
I was lucky enough to meet Genevieve early in 2022 and had her on the expanded 4 hour version of the Folk Alliance International Take Over of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show on KKFI Radio. When she returned to Kansas City in late summer of 2022, I was only too happy to renew the acquaintance as I hosted my monthly episode of the Siren Song radio show.
It was enlightening to discover both the differences and similarities of pursuing a lyrical life and surviving a global pandemic in Canada vis a vis the United States and to become familiar with an artist’s educational background, collaborative and mentor experiences. Enjoy my conversation with the lovely Genevieve Racette.
Photo Credit: Creator: ANNIE DIOTTE Copyright: 5146059015
Quite often my involvement in the Roots Music Community affords me the opportunity to witness the launch of an artist that has the promise of a bona fide lyrical life. Forrest McCurren has that kind of potential with songs that can give you the spiritual and emotional reboot you may have difficulty achieving on your own.
Stylistically you’ll hear a tip of the hat to the greats he mentions in this conversation… Prine, Dylan, Clark, Van Zandt… Forrest sings of stories from waitresses, heartbroken high school football standouts, tattooed trailer park lovers…written for good people that are still trying to figure out if life is sweet or sour.
His backing band, The Daily Special, includes wife Margaret McCurren, a multi-instrumentalist that is as comfortable with drumsticks as she is with a fiddle bow and with a voice that warmly compliments Forrest’s sound. As noted on their website...Margaret is the cold, refreshing, light beer to Forrest’s shot of whiskey. Like a piece of modern art at a county fair, they are complimentary opposites. Rounding out the line up is fellow Mid-Missourian Ryan Tannehill aka RT on a very tasty sounding Telecaster.
They call it Small Town Soul – Rural Rock n Roll. Catch them when you can as I’m pretty sure the release of the debut effort, Oh Me Oh My, is going to be their entry to a long and lyrical road…around the world. Oh and be sure to tell them your favorite joke...it may make it in to the banter of a show near you.
Enjoy this conversation with this cosmic troubadour from the heart of the heartland – Forrest McCurren.
The music of Wade Bowen has been spinning in my playlists since I went on the radio in 2010. My niece Shae was attending Texas State University in San Marcos at the time and Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Jason Bowland and others were working hard to become the “go to” purveyors of that very distinctive sound that some came to label as Outlaw or Red Dirt Country.
Today Wade is a familiar and awarded name in music, performing along the active touring highways of Texas and the Southwest and selling out top venues like the legendary Gruene Hall in New Braunfels and performing multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry. Carving out a dedicated fan base with his magnetic appeal and proven abilities, Bowen has now enjoyed a 20-year stint as a leader amongst a flourishing Americana and Alt-Country music community.
Wade continued his productive and lyrical life through the pandemic on his most recent full-length album, Somewhere Between The Secret And The Truth.
Wade recounts “I went through a big writer’s drought; kind of just being shell shocked from everything, not knowing how to handle it, and then finally came out of that and just had this flood of just wanting to write.” “This reset button really rejuvenated my passion for my entire career, all the way across the board. I was trying to find where I fit musically again. I’ve been doing this so long that I feel like I got off track from where I felt I fit–I was all over the place with my songwriting and my career.” “Ironically enough, COVID really gave me a chance to just turn my brain off a little bit and stop thinking. When I came out on the other side, I really found not only a renewed sense of my music and wanting to get out and play again, but I found a renewed sense of self. I found who I wanted to be as a writer, as a singer, as an artist.”
Wade cowrote all 12 songs on the record and serves as the sole producer for the first time in his career.
Pi Jacobs draws inspiration from her unconventional upbringing in the Land of Weed and Wine aka Northern California. Blending roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, her music has drawn comparisons to Tom Waits, Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams. She has been heard on NPR, Austin Music TV, Americana Highways and regularly on radio stations across the nation including 90.1 FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio.
Tim Easton is repeat offender on the Tasty Brew Music Podcast having first appeared during a live recorded interview from the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma in 2019. Tim Easton was born on the Canadian border in upstate New York and spent his formative years living in Tokyo, Japan and Akron, Ohio. Traveling early and often, he learned the ways of the road and roads and spent 7 years as a bona fide troubadour, making his way around Europe, playing the streets and clubs, living in Paris, London, Madrid, Prague, and Dublin. Before the pandemic he toured Russia under the auspices of the US State Department. His songwriting style is folk based storytelling and personal traveling tales, often peppered with bold confessions or “tell it as it is” reality. Rolling Stone magazine praised him as “having a novelist’s sense of humanity”.
Pi and Tim were part of a contingent of artists who came in to the KKFI studios during the 2022 Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City as part of a special 4 hour “takeover” of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. Enjoy these conversations and musical interludes with Pi Jacobs and Tim Easton!
Debbie Cole is a classically trained violinist with over 35 years of experience as a musician. She plays “by ear”, is proficient in and is a fan of multiple genres of music. In 2014, she started playing the acoustic guitar; it proved to be a pivotal point in her musical growth. Playing the guitar led to the discovery of her actual voice and empowered the composition of original music. Debbie, now branding herself as “ColeBrood” sent me an email in my capacity as a DJ/Programmer on KKFI’s Tasty Brew Music and Siren Song Radio Shows…sharing with me three newly penned and home studio recorded songs. I liked them….alot. I was enchanted by her back story and felt compelled to get her on the radio right away…as it turns out, it was her first radio interview. As always, I treat these interviews as conversations…seeking to get to know as much of the person as I can in the very short period allowed. I look forward to following Cole’s progress and believe she has the talent and drive to succeed! Enjoy this introduction to Debbie Cole also known as Colebrood!
I receive dozens of new music submissions and requests for radio interview every week. I do my best to respond to or sample them all. It doesn’t take long to get way behind in the exercise. One such request for a phone interview came to me on behalf of the renown fiddler in the Irish tradition, Martin Hayes. I had not heard of Martin (shame on me) and my direct contact with Irish traditional music was rather limited even though I had a basic understanding that most of so-called Americana and Folk Music was rooted in Irish and Celtic music forms. I’ve been to the massive Irish Fest and the Irish Center here in Kansas City… my local pub Conroy’s even has live traditional Irish music from time to time. These touchpoints do not begin to honor what awaited me when I went down the Martin Hayes’ rabbit hole …diving into the stories, catalogues and career of Martin and some of his colleagues past and present. I am so very glad I did not scroll past the initial request and instead took the opportunity to spend some one on one time with a musician that, in his sphere of influence, should come to be compared to the likes of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. Enjoy my conversation with the virtuoso player and stellar human being, Ireland’s Martin Hayes.
Some years ago, I went to Knuckleheads’ Gospel Lounge in Kansas City to see a song swap with all female songwriters. I was very familiar with the line up but for a young woman named Jenna Rae. When that song swap was over, I remembered thinking this young lady’s voice is uniquely suited to country music but the ease with which she told stories and engaged the audience with a wonderful sense of humor would be the envy of any performer of any genre of music. In the intervening years, as you’ll hear in this conversation conducted live on the radio in April 2022 to celebrate the release of her solo album “Country Lo-Fi." Jenna Rae and I have stayed in touch. Despite our 40 year age difference, sharing space and time comes pretty naturally to us. She and her musical and life partner, Martin Farrell, Jr. are part and parcel of what makes the Heartland Roots Music scene so fresh and so worthy of support. Join me in celebrating my young and talented friend, Jenna Rae!
I have been a fan of Jeff Black’s songwriting for many years. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Liberty, Missouri. In the 1980’s Black began performing at Blayney's, a blues club here in Kansas City where he also worked as a bouncer. Jeff began touring and eventually relocated to Nashville where he re-connected with Kansas City friend, Iris Dement lending some backing vocals on DeMent's 1992 debut album, Infamous Angel).
Black's own first album, Birmingham Road, was recorded with the members of the band Wilco, minus lead singer, Jeff Tweedy. Those songs have been described as "fine portraits of American life without the sappiness or self-consciousness often attributed to the singer/songwriter genre.”
Sam Bush has championed him with recording many of his songs including "Same Ol' River" and "King Of The World". Jeff co-wrote the title track to Sam's Grammy nominated album "Circles Around Me". His songs appear on recordings by Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Douglas, Dierks Bently, John Oates, Blackhawk, Jo-el Sonnier and the soundtracks of "The Thing Called Love" The acclaimed PBS documentary "The Appalachians" and Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize Winner "Steel City". WUMB Boston listeners voted Black one of the top 100 Folk artists of the last 25 years.
His intimate live shows provide a master class in songcraft appreciation, tempo and audience interaction. After a two year pandemic induced hiatus, I was finally able to welcome Jeff back into the KKFI studios for a sit down conversation and private mini concert in support of some recent Midwest gigs. We talked about music education, or the lack thereof, the pandemic, of course, collaboration, mentorship and the value (or not) of songwriting workshops.
Enjoy this musical conversation and performance with the lyrical and very talented Jeff Black.
I first became aware of Songwriter Terry Klein in 2018 when Radio Promoter Adam Dawson of Broken Jukebox Music sent me Terry’s sophomore effort, “Tex”. I saw that Walt Wilkins produced the album and that’s really all I needed to know to be intrigued enough to give it a full and complete listen.
He has garnered high praise from two of my musical heroes, Mary Gauthier and Rodney Crowell as well as press and radio outlets across the United States and Europe.
For his third album, Terry went to Nashville and worked with producer, multi-instrumentalist and award winning songwriter in his own right, Thomm Jutz. Good Luck, Take Care is described as a raw, visceral departure from the work he’s done before. Ten dynamic songs that take hold from the first measure, knock you off balance, and won’t let go without a fight.
Adam contacted me in early 2022 to see if I might be of assistance in getting Terry a Kansas City gig because the postponement of Folk Alliance International’s Music Conference here until May 2022 was going to leave a big whole in his touring schedule to promote “Good Luck, Take Care.” Terry was able to find a Kansas City gig and I was only too happy to have him on the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show the day before he was to appear in our town. Enjoy this on air conversation where we extoll the virtues of leading a lyrical life from Boston to Austin, collaborating with some of the best producers and songwriters in Americana/Roots Music and the importance of investing in your craft through co-writes and workshops.
My friend Rex Pryor grew up in a small northwestern Missouri town… you become aware of these roots very quickly when listening to his songs. We met through a mutual friend, the late Scott Ford, who tragically passed away New Year’s Eve 2021. Although now retired from a storied career in corrections and law enforcement, Rex remains busy writing and performing music and serving on the Board of Directors of the Heartland Song Network, a Kansas non-profit dedicated to empowering the art of the song through education, collaboration and mentorship.
Rex recently joined me on KKFI’s Tasty Brew Music Radio Show to feature songs and stories from the Exit 13 Duo new release “Flatlands.” As is the case with many songwriters in the Heartland, Rex is self-taught on the guitar (he picked it up at the age of 45). He really is enjoying leading a lyrical life in the Heartland performing as a solo, as a duo with his nephew and with his Band, Exit 13. Enjoy this conversation with Rex Pryor about music education, collaboration and travelling the Flatlands!
This edition highlights one of my most favorite things to do….have an aspiring and supremely talented young songwriter live in the studio with me on my radio program…. a “get to know each other” chat which may or may not include the world broadcast premiere of originally penned songs.
Leah Sproul is most known for her work in the Heartland with a Western Swing outfit called Cowtown Country Club. Although her bandmate, Greg, accompanies her most expertly on guitar and harmony vocals on the broadcast, the songs you hear are her own as she launches this solo project. I am always humbled when an artist honors me with being the first to play their original music on the radio.
I was not kidding when I said at the beginning of this conversation that Leah’s voice reminds of Leanne Rimes and Patsy Cline. It’s that good in my ears. Her personality (charming) and energy level (high) is what we dream of in a radio interview. The woman has a PHD in music composition for crying out loud. We may be 40 years apart chronologically but I believe Leah’s soul to be an old one and I look forward to following her lyrical life.
Enjoy this introduction to Dr. Leah Sproul.
I first met Fred Wickham at the old Coda venue here in Kansas City as the lead guitar player for Country Band The Naughty Pines. I subsequently learned of and became a fan of his band Hadacol and now the Fred Wickham Caravan.
Hadacol was around in the late 90s and early 2000s with Wickham, bassist Richard Burgess along with Wickham’s brother Greg. They recorded two critically acclaimed albums and toured extensively across the nation. The music critic writing for Salon Magazine once called the band’s brand of country “so tough they don’t have to prove it.”
An attorney by day, Fred has never abandoned his role as a generative/working musician in the Heartland.
The Fred Wickham Caravan now blends country, soul and rock and roll into a sound that fits nicely under the Americana umbrella. Comprised of some of Kansas City’s finest roots musicians, the Caravan originally formed to support Wickham’s 2017 solo release Mariosa Delta. Produced and recorded by the late, great Lou Whitney in Springfield, Missouri, the album received widespread critical acclaim both nationally and abroad. No Depression called Mariosa Delta “a sparkling gem of an album…a great record, part document, part tragedy, all heartbreak,” while PopMatters said the album was “reminiscent of rambling folk and country legends like Dylan and Cash.”
For the Caravan record recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Town without Soul, Wickham and Burgess have recruited some of their favorite musicians and best friends to form a six-piece band capable of jumping from one musical style to the next while maintaining a sound that is all their own. Guitar legend Marco Pascolini lends his unmistakable stylings on electric and pedal steel guitar. Cowboy Bart Colliver, Kansas City’s most soulful keyboardist, adds accordion and great harmony vocals. Matt Brahl, one of KC’s finest drummers and an old friend who actually played with Wickham and Burgess during the final days of Hadacol, jumped right in after original drummer Sam Platt departed. Rounding out the ensemble is Wickham’s son, Fred Jr., who had become an accomplished mandolin player while no one was watching.
I’m pretty certain I met Rigby Summer in 2017 in connection with the Monday@ Modella songwriter pop-up and the All Music Starts Local Initiative she started in Stillwater Oklahoma after a 5-year hiatus from the music scene. Our paths have crossed numerous times since then in Kansas City but also on the road in Oklahoma and even as far away as Montreal, Canada. While returning from the 2019 Folk Alliance Conference in Montreal and suffering from debilitating back pain, Rigby helped me navigate customs and connecting flights including pushing me around in an airline wheel chair.
Rigby is one of the hardest working, independent, do it yourself roots musicians I know. She has a lovely, mature voice and writes songs that are relatable and thoroughly engaging…reflecting the road she has traveled from Kansas to California to Wyoming to the red dirt roots of her current home in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In these intervening years she has shared the stage and has learned from a myriad of local and touring artists.
In the Fall of 2020 she produced a short cover EP "Dancing Alone" with Kyle Reid and released it in November 2020. Production is now complete on her first full-length album “Geography," recorded at Naptime Studio in Norman, Oklahoma, with Kyle Reid at the helm. She recently joined me on the radio on Geography’s release day. Enjoy my conversation with Rigby Summer.
I was introduced to Oklahoma City based songwriter Carter Sampson some years ago after she played a gig at Kansas City’s Knucklehead Saloon. I was very impressed by her command of the stage and storytelling. We briefly crossed paths multiple times in Nashville during Americanafest, in Oklahoma during Woodyfest and in Kansas City for occasional gigs at the Westport Saloon and again at Knuckleheads. She had been booked to play several Kansas City gigs in early 2020 that got cancelled either because of bad weather or the Covid-19 pandemic. I tried multiple times to schedule conversations with her since 2018 for this podcast and we just couldn’t make it happen. The stars aligned and we were finally able to get Carter back to Kansas City for an intimate show at Mike Kelly’s Westsider as part of the Bloody Mary Morning Listening Room Series presented by the Heartland Song Network. This episode is a portion of the conversation we had on air via my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show on 90.1 FM KKFI just before she hit the road for Kansas City.
Carter has released five studio albums and is working on her latest record with Oklahoma producer Kyle Reid. Her 2016 release Wilder Side received international attention and was No. 3 on that year’s Euro Americana year end chart. She is the founder and director of The Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls OKC, a nonprofit volunteer run organization that empowers girls through music education. She is a proud member of the Citizen Potawatomie Nation.
I love everything about Carter Sampson. Her clear and present voice, wordcrafting, guitar skills, artistic visual aesthetic, and work ethic. She is as equally adept at fronting a full band on the main stage of a music festival as she is keeping a small room of dedicated listeners completely captivated for hours. She was meant to lead a lyrical and musical life and that is what she has done, is doing and will do moving forward. Enjoy my long awaited one on one with Carter Sampson….to be continued somewhere down the road… most likely in Oklahoma.
I was introduced to Jess Jocoy’s music by Graham Jackson, a gentleman actively supporting Americana Music in the UK. I met Graham when he attended a Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City some years ago and introduced me to the UK’s Danni Nicholls, the subject of another episode of this podcast. Graham regularly listens to my radio show online in the UK. We have similar musical tastes and I trust his judgment for music recommendations.
Jess was raised two hours south of Seattle. As you’ll discover in this conversation, she is following her dream of writing and singing country music by relocating to Nashville to attend college and plant her lyrical flag.
Like thousands of others, Jess’ cross-country travels were brought to a stop in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic halted her touring career. At the time, she was riding a wave of critical acclaim for Such a Long Way, a debut album inspired by grief, gratitude, the loss of her father, and the love of creating music. No Depression hailed the record’s “insightful, open-hearted songs” and “smooth blend of traditional country and folk sounds,” while American Songwriter praised the “mournful effervescence” of songs like “The Ballad of Two Lovers.” The iconic radio station WSM, home to the Grand Ole Opry, made Jess their “Artist of the Week,” and her music even made its way onto national television, where she performed “Easy” during an episode of NBC’s Songland. Those childhood dreams of making her mark in the same town as her musical heroes had finally started to come true, only to be postponed by a disease that sent the entire world indoors.
It was an honor and privilege to extend the first opportunity to be interviewed on the radio to Jess. We started the session by launching immediately into a live performance of “Constellations” from her 2021 release “Brighter Eyes.” Enjoy.
I met Samantha Fish when she was about 19 years old…just starting to play in public at local Kansas City venues and jams. We have stayed in touch and connected over the years and it has been alternately terrifying and gratifying to see her trajectory into the international music stratosphere. Not content to be labelled solely as a “blues” or “rock” artist, she is constantly evolving and experimenting with multiple genres… collaborating with some of the best the music industry has to offer. The Heartland music community is very proud to claim her as one of our own and she is poised for a long and storied career. She remains very humble and willing to help her local community radio station, 90.1 FM KKFI, as she did in this interview during a recent pledge drive. Locked and loaded and back out on the road, Samantha Fish is following her American Dream in support of her newest release "Faster" on Rounder Records.
Singer/Songwriter Sara Morgan and I go back a ways now…I was the first dj to play her music on the radio circa 2014 or so. We did a Tasty Brew Music podcast episode back in 2019. She has released in the summer of 2021 a very personal project called “Another Nail.” In this conversation, you’ll hear how the process differed with this, her first “Nashville” effort with producer Eric Conn, from her previous self-released records
We take a dive into what the Heartland does well and what it does best to support roots musicians like Sara… she shares her opinion as to the necessity of the “music industry” being here…or not and what she believes are the keys to any success and longevity she may have in the industry.
Sara shares her Summer reading list, present listening habits, insights garnered from personal contact with industry favorites Loretta Lynn and Radney Foster, biggest surprise of 2021 and plans for the next 5-10 years. It’s all here in this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast with the Heartland’s Sara Morgan.
Iowa troubadour and multi media artist Chad Elliott is back for his second Tasty Brew Music podcast episode. He is one of the most gifted people I’ve ever encountered during my many years of supporting the arts. His songs have been a mainstay of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show since it’s inception in 2010.
As a reminder… or by way of introduction… Chad has an academic background in the fine arts and is an accomplished painter, sculptor and illustrator. He is a prolific songwriter and accomplished guitar picker. As you’ll hear in this conversation, all of his artistic skills were brought to bear in order to survive and thrive during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chad celebrated the release in May 2021 of his 25thfull length album – “Singing River”…a dream project recorded with some of the original “Swampers” Spooner Oldham and David Hood at the iconic Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama… the place where music legends Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and many others laid down some of the most renowned songs in popular music. He traveled to Muscle Shoals with famed Iowa musician and producer Bo Ramsey who lent his signature sound on guitar. The new Americana/roots/blues mix that arose in Singing River is exactly the sound Chad was hoping to create.
Chad believes, as I do, that it is possible to survive and thrive in the Heartland as a creative generative artist. He walks that walk and talks that talk every single day. Enjoy my conversation with my friend … Chad Elliott.
Alisa Jefferson says she has always been very passionate about music and the songs she delivers as a singer/songwriter. She grew up in the Kansas City area with influences from '70s Motown to mostly '80s and '90s rock/pop. She played viola in orchestra before she received her first acoustic guitar at age 13 and she has NOT looked back since.
Alisa and I connected via phone on my radio show that recently moved to Fridays from 10 am to Noon on KKFI. We had a conversation that covered her musical background, how she has navigated the so-called Kansas City music business as the front woman in a rock and roll band for the last 20+ years and how the Covid-19 pandemic has given her the space and grace to make new inroads in her musical life.
She has written, is recording and plans to release a 10+ track LP this Summer of 2021. As of the air date of this radio show, she has released four singles from this new LP to most major music platforms. You’ll hear one of those songs, “Million Ways” at the end of the conversation. To discover more of Alisa’s catalogue, check her out at alisajeffersonmusic dot com. Enjoy my conversation with the very talented Alisa Jefferson.
Ryan Manuel is a singer-songwriter based in Lawrence, Kansas. He got his start playing music in his hometown of Sedalia, Missouri after winning the 2011 MO State Fair Idol competition. He has been playing shows around the Midwest, writing and recording music ever since. Ryan has opened for Whiskey Myers, the Randy Rogers Band, William Clark Green, and many others. Since hitting the Kansas City music scene in 2012, he has released a solo album "Kansas" and his band Ryan Manuel and the Getaway released a full length, self-penned album, “On the Run."
Ryan first came to my attention in about 2015 through an introduction by the late Scott Ford who was very instrumental in making me aware of a number of artists in the so called Texas Songwriter and Oklahoma Red Dirt Music Scene. I finally caught a set from Ryan before the pandemic in the summer of 2019 when I was pleasantly surprised to find him on stage when we dropped into the music venue formerly known as Repeal 18th in North Kansas City.
Ryan reached out to me to help him get his newest single “Sold” on the radio here in Kansas City. In this conversation we had on a recent show, I was particularly encouraged by his supportive words of the Heartland music scene and willingness to NOT dismiss or write off the small towns and rural communities that deserve to experience live music. Lend your ears to a troubadour from the Heartland, Ryan Manuel.
Danielle Ate the Sandwich is the stage name of pop-folk songwriter, Danielle Anderson. As you’ll hear in this conversation on my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show, Danielle got her start in Fort Collins, CO, and is now based in Kansas City, MO. Until the pandemic she had been touring nationally since 2009, after cultivating an online following from her homemade videos on Youtube. She has multiple albums of original music and has opened for the likes of Mumford and Sons, Jake Shimabukuro, and Suzanne Vega. She wrote the soundtrack to the Emmy nominated HBO documentary, “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson.”
Her songs are lyrically driven, performed on ukulele and guitar. She finds inspiration from her curiosity about death, science, religion, family dynamics, and her own emotions and experiences. Her songs can be thoughtful and serious, but she’s known for her quirky lyrical twists, and delivering witty and honest stage banter in her live shows.
The Denver Post says, “Danielle Anderson is a tender singer-songwriter, a brazen humorist, a fearless young woman!” Enjoy my conversation with Danielle Ate the Sandwich.
I met Austin singer songwriter Mandy Rowden some years ago when she breezed through Kansas City to meet up with former tour mate Duncan Hill. I quickly became a fan of her music and work ethic. The icing on the cake was she and my dearly departed friend Tom Green were from the same bustling East Texas metropolis of Sulphur Springs. We have stayed in touch over the years and I was so happy to recently have a conversation with her via phone on my Radio Show. We talked about trying to launch a new album via Kickstarter during a pandemic and the Texas 2021 Snowvid castastrophe going days without running water or power.
Kicks butt with her pen.” –Austin Chronicle
“Rowden tells it like it is over a wiry brand of alt-country, singing in a low-key, sleepily sensual voice that calls to mind Kim Richey or Lucinda Williams.” –Charleston City Paper
As I said, brought up in East Texas, Mandy Rowden has been a practicing musician since the tender age of six. That’s when she began learning classical piano and guitar, laying the foundation for an eventual career in music – but it wasn’t until the Americana sound found its way into her soul that she embraced her true path: that of a real-deal, down-in-the-dirt singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s weathered some storms and emerged with tales to tell.
In addition to making music of her own, Rowden is dedicated to helping others discover the joy of songwriting, vocal performance and instrument study. That’s why she founded Girl Guitar: a comprehensive rock school for women, bringing music enthusiasts of every skill level into six-week workshops with a rollicking showcase at the end. The Austin-based program introduces beginners to the basics of their chosen craft and encourages intermediate and advanced musicians to further hone their skills, all while surrounded by a supportive female community.
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast comes from a radio interview I had recently with Julia Othmer… a "captivating" piano-playing singer/songwriter known for her energetic live performances. She recently relocated back to Kansas City from Los Angeles and we had the opportunity to get updated on some of her current and future plans.
Passionate and engaging, Othmer creates intimate warmth with her audiences regardless of the size of the venue. Using music to connect to people and social issues inspires her. Her most recent project Songs of September, was a 30-day online voter registration drive concert series where she performed songs of change, protest and hope. She then asked listeners to vote on their favorite performances resulting in Seeds: Volume 1 (LIVE) - a listener-curated, democratically-elected collection released in late 2020. Seeds: Volume 2 (LIVE) released March 20, 2021 - on the spring solstice.
Her most recent studio album "SOUND" is a collaboration with UK-based producer/composer James T Lundie and features re-imagined vintage and bespoke equipment. “SOUND sounds so good” writes Elmore Magazine, it has “stunningly sophisticated and dramatic architecture” and is “spellbinding and visceral.” Acclaimed Kansas City music writer Tim Finn describes SOUND as a “self-made record with a big-label sound… rich in space and soaring dynamics and rife with layers and textures and melodies and grooves.” Kansas Public Radio host Bob McWilliams says these “songs are powerful.”
Tracks from Julia's critically acclaimed debut album, Oasis Motel, have been featured in shows like Witches of East End, Switched at Birth, The Lying Game, Army Wives, and DeGrassi: The Next Generation. She received songwriting awards from the Billboard World Song Contest and the International Songwriting Competition. Julia shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, Heart, Regina Spektor, The Alarm, Amanda Palmer, Lisa Loeb and John Waite among others.
Enjoy this conversation with Kansas City’s own force of nature, Julia Othmer!
My friend Courtney Patton is a storyteller.
She’s also a mother, a wife, a producer, a singer, a songwriter, a tour-van driver and a musician- as well as a world-traveler when she’s out on tour throughout the continental U.S., Canada and Europe. In a musical era in which clichés and bravado are the norm, Courtney is far more brave in peeling back highly personal and emotional open-book songs delivering them with sensitivity and sentiment
Following her previous solo albums, Triggering a Flood (2013) and So This Is Life (2015), and her acoustic collaborative project with her husband and fellow Texas troubadour Jason Eady, Something Together, (2017), Patton has drawn on true life day-to-day autobiographical life experiences released a third album, What It’s Like To Fly Alone.
As you will hear in this recent conversation I had with Courtney on my radio show, she is on the road again after spending a very challenging, but productive year in quarantine, raising her two children while co-founding a new non profit during a pandemic. Hmmm…that sounds familiar.
The Sequestered Songwriters Relief Fund was an idea born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mission of the Sequestered Songwriters Relief Fund is to… Provide emergency relief funds for full-time Americana musicians in need.
A group of songwriter friends gathered virtually to participate in an online guitar pull to celebrate Merle Haggard on his birthday. The following week, John Prine passed, and the group again gathered virtually to pay tribute to him. None of the songwriters wanted to stop, and the fans were just as excited, so the weekly tributes continued. Fans started asking about how they could financially support the endeavor. As none of the musicians wanted any kind of compensation for the amount of fun they were having online each week, the idea to start a nonprofit that would benefit songwriters in future financial crisis seemed like the perfect solution.
Next up…the Sequestered Songwriters Festival to be held on October 17, 2021 in Justin, Texas.
Enjoy my conversation with my friend, Courtney Patton!
Every so often an artist or group circles in the periphery of my musical consciousness…recommended by peers or supporters…I may hear a snippet of their offerings or perhaps forget to check them out altogether. Such is the case with Barnaby Bright, an indie folk duo comprised of marital team Becky and Nathan Bliss, from Kansas City. As their online bio reveals, Nathan and Becky Bliss have made some cool Americana records, lived in Brooklyn and Nashville, toured coast to coast, run out of money, toured Europe, run out of money again, won high-falutin' prizes for songwriting in New York, generally not argued with each other, built an audience, been named one of Amazon's Top 100 albums of the year, played Lincoln Center & NPR's Mountain Stage, eaten copious amounts of vegetarian food, attracted 19k+ listeners a month on Spotify and opened for Norah Jones & the Lumineers.
My friend, Karin Bauer, has been extolling the virtues of Barnaby Bright for YEARS and I had all but ignored her calls to action to dig into their catalogue. I was wrong to have done so; I had missed out on some true sonic treasures but I’m relieved to say that is no longer the case. My friend and colleague, Sam Wisman, a world class percussionist in his own right, had recently played a livestream show when Barnaby Bright was a guest of Becky’s brother Ben Bliss, a critically acclaimed operatic tenor. Sam asked me to consider interviewing them to help promote the audio re-broadcast of that program “Holiday Bliss” on KKFI.
Still in lockdown, I reached out to Becky Bliss and she graciously agreed to a Zoom session to have a conversation. By the time we met virtually, I felt like we had already been introduced. We have tons of mutual friends and they could not have been more gracious in telling a portion of their story.
As you will hear, I am very interested in why our world class, in many cases classically trained artists like Becky and Nathan, leave the Heartland to pursue their dreams. It is heartwarming and reaffirming to know they can and will come home.
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music podcast is a wide-ranging conversation with the very talented Chis Hudson recently tapped as the Heartland Song Network’s November 2020 Artist of the Month. Chris is a singer, songwriter and composer, with a passion for various forms of American folk music and finger style guitar. Involved with Heartland groupsGullywasher, The Bard Owls and The Multiverse. Chris has released full length CD recordings that include experimenting with new forms, instruments, electronic synth, music genres and experimental video soundscapes.
Chris received his Bachelor of Music in 1996 from the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music. He has given solo performances in various concert series through the Kansas City Guitar Society including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Downtown Library Series and Guitars in the Garden at Loose Park. As a gifted and compassionate instructor and performer for over 25 years, Chris has a reputation for being a great source for music instruction in all styles. He is a laid-back, comfortable and very approachable person.
Chris has been a teacher with Kansas City Missouri Young Audiences since 2004, working at the Community School of the Arts. In 2007, Chris received the Kansas City Young Audiences Lighton Prize for Teaching Artist Excellence for his work with children, inspiring their love of guitar and musical collaboration in the Garage Band classes. He believes in giving back to the community what he has learned as a working musician and teacher, and performs regularly at various fundraisers for KCYA and the Community School of the Arts, encouraging volunteerism, community involvement, and funding for student scholarships for families with low incomes. Chris performs during the school year in local Kansas elementary schools for Arts Partners with the Kansas Settlers Band teaching Kansas Cultural History to 4th graders.
Chris even became the interviewer toward the end of this conversation asking me my musical background and my process for putting together my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. Enjoy my conversation with educator, collaborator and musical mentor…Chris Hudson.
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast is a conversation between my better half and co-founder with me of the Heartland Song Network, Danny Powell and multi-instrumentalist Michael McClintock. Danny conducted this interview at our home in connection with Michael serving as the October 2020 Artist of the Month for the Heartland Song Network, a nonprofit whose mission is to elevate the art of the song through education, collaboration and mentorship.
Michael, from the bustling metropolis of Neosho, Missouri, graduated in 2006 from the University of Missouri Kansas City Music Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music in classical guitar performance. His first professional musical project was playing flamenco music. He quickly branched out into multiple genres of music and now performs with Ensemble Iberica, highlighting the music of Spain and Portugal and the colonial Americas, Cubanisms (the music of Cuba), Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices, a traditional Country Band and now the FM Duo, a new project with fellow Jazz enthusiast and guitarist Jeff Freling. It was with Ensemble Iberica that Michael started to introduce the Cuban Tres, a guitar unique to the island, in different styles of music such as Jazz, Fado, Tango, Bossa Nova, Ginga, Flamenco. Michael along with his Cuban born wife, Dalida, have formed the project “Cubanisms”, to spread the culture of Cuba in the United States by performing Cuban-Latin songs arranged by Michael. They also provide travel guided services to Cuba.
Enjoy this conversation with a man with small town Missouri roots now playing music at a world class level around the globe.
Cubanisms:
Michael McClintock – Cuban Tres
Fedra Cooper Berrera – Vocals
Bruno Bessa – Vocals
James Isaac – Saxophone
Forest Stewart – Bass
Miko Spears – Percussion
Robert Beasley – Percussion
John Currey - Percussion
Well it finally happened. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted my first Tasty Brew Music Podcast conversation with a subject online via Zoom. This episode features Elexa Dawson, native of the Citizen Potawatomie Nation and amazing vocalist and songwriter. As you will hear in our conversation, Elexa was chosen as the Heartland Song Network’s Artist of the Month for August 2020 so you will hear references to that organization and a songwriting exercise they initiated called “Covid Collaborations.” I am a Co-Founder and Director of that non-profit with a mission to elevate the art of the song through education, collaboration and mentorship.
Elexa first caught my ear listening to the River Trade Radio Program on KKFI probably in early 2019. She lives with her young daughter in rural Chase County, Kansas in the beautiful Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills. When she was touring the Heartland before the lockdown, I made sure to catch her shows whenever she made it to the Kansas City Area. Her latest cd, “Music is Medicine” recorded by Peter Oviatt at Moonflower Sounds in Taos, New Mexico and released by Lost Cowgirl Records is a delight; however, it turns out that work was not the first time I heard Elexa. She also performs with The Weda Skirts, a 5-piece acoustic lineup, whom I had seen performing at past Kansas City Symphony in the Flint Hills events. They play conscious, original acoustic music from the Heartland written by Elexa Dawson. Dawson is a member of Heyleon, a group that describes themselves as “taking a deep space acoustic flight where space time as we know it goes away…a Trans-Apocalyptic Pagan Gospel Super Group formed in the Pecan Grove at Walnut Valley Festival.”
At the end of the day, Elexa is an extremely talented artist living in the Flint Hills…using this time of enforced isolation to reflect, reclaim and re-invent herself. I think she’s going to be just fine and I cannot wait to see and hear what’s next. Enjoy my conversation with the amazing Elexa Dawson.
There are beautiful, amazing and talented people in this world. Sometimes you have to travel to a music conference in Montreal to find out one of them, Kelly Dougherty, has lived a few houses down the street from you for years. Until recently, Kelly served as the Communications Director for Folk Alliance International…an organization whose mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion. She was poised to be instrumental in organizing and managing the annual Folk Alliance International Conference as it returned to it’s home base in Kansas City, Missouri in 2021. The Conference was cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the fallout has led to FAI staff cuts that included Kelly.
We recently sat down for a conversation in my home, physically distant but close enough to record a wide ranging conversation that included discovering she started her music career as a young child performing pantomime, ala Marcel Marceau, in beauty pageants in Wyoming, followed by a stint singing and dancing with her dad’s honky tonk band in Western saloons, meeting the likes of country stars like Johnny Cash during Cheyenne’s Frontier Days. As an adult she has discovered and curated a love and respect for Irish music and culture, volunteering heavily at Kansas City’s Irish Center, Irish Fest and tending bar occasionally at Browne’s Irish Marketplace.
Kelly actively volunteers in the dog rescue community and has teamed up with another talented neighbor, Jill Westra, performing locally as “Distant Cousins.” As you listen to Kelly’s story, I’m certain you will agree she has what it takes to come back stronger and engaged more than ever in the community she loves. And if I ever get to travel to my ancestral home….Ireland… I want Kelly to be my guide. Enjoy this sheltering in place conversation and musical interlude from Kelly's CD "Dair" courtesy of my friend and neighbor, Kelly Dougherty.
Being sheltered in place due to COVID 19 has presented a unique and unusual challenge to continue to conduct conversations with artists and industry insiders. One of the benefits of being isolated is taking time to do some housekeeping of computer audio and video files. I literally stumbled across what you will hear next…my very first on air radio interview in 2011… and it was a precious one… with Grammy nominated songwriter Iris Dement. Iris and her husband Greg Brown were coming to Kansas City to headline a fundraising concert in support of a local nonprofit’s child services program.
Iris, born in Paragould, Arkansas is the youngest of 14 children raised in the Dement’s Pentecostal household. As you will hear in this conversation, Iris' mother had harbored dreams of going to Nashville and starting a singing career. Although she put those plans on hold to get married, her singing voice was an inspiration and influence for her youngest daughter Iris. Iris spent nearly 20 years in Kansas City…played her first open mic here as she slowly but surely navigated her way into the musical family that has become known as Americana.
Perhaps best known for her song “Our Town” and her duets with the legendary John Prine, Iris’ body of work deserves close and focused attention. It runs the gamut with songs of love, redemption, religious skepticism, introspection, small town life, and protest with topics as diverse as sexual abuse, religion, government policy and warmongering.
Iris could not have been more gracious and kind in this interview conducted very very early on a Tuesday morning. I have been and always will be a fan. Enjoy this short…but lovely conversation with Iris DeMent!
Sheltering in place during the COVID -19 pandemic of 2020 made it necessary to utilize other resources to bring you content for this podcast. The following is the audio from a magical night in the studios of 90.1 FM KKFI when I brought together two completely different artists who just happen to share the name Kelley/Kelly Hunt. Before this evening on March 1, 2018, these women had never meant. I've known "Piano" Kelley Hunt for over 20 years. When I first met "Banjo" Kelly Hunt a few years ago, I just KNEW I had to get them together...whether they performed at the same time or not. After this radio appearance, they have in fact become friends in music and in life…another unexpected by-product of that evening… Al Berman, "Piano" Kelly’s husband and manager, is currently acting as "Banjo"Kelly’s manager as well. And that recording project "Banjo" Kelly was talking about....it became "Even the Sparrow" nominated for Folk Alliance International's 2019 Album of the Year! I thought it could be a special evening of music and conversation. I was right. Please enjoy this special edition of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast.
Mary Bragg, a lovely woman from Georgia that crafts beautiful songs from her home base in Nashville, was another one of those serendipitous Folk Alliance finds discovered in the wee small hours of a Conference private showcase. When I caught a show she did in Kansas City as part of the “First Friday” events hosted at the Folk Alliance HQ last August, I knew I wanted to have a sit down with her for this Podcast. We had that opportunity in New Orleans on an afternoon when we were both running on empty but still managed to have an easy going, wide ranging conversation that covered topics like sound engineering, publishing, performing arts organizations, record deals, distribution, “flying in” tracks, and oh yes…songwriting, the art of the song, and how living in Nashville has taught her how important it is to “lean in” and own the ability to translate emotion and humanity into a song. As we agreed, if the song and performance isn’t stellar, it doesn’t really matter that much whether you have the so-called best hardware and software.
“Writing is the most vulnerable state that I’m ever in,” says Mary Bragg. “But there can be a real beauty in that vulnerability when you know you’ve written the strongest thing that you can, when you’ve paired a killer melody with a meaningful lyric that says exactly what you wanted to say.”
And that is why I love supporting songcrafters like Mary Bragg. What she writes is meaningful for me and verbalizes thoughts and feelings I have myself. You are on the Right Track Mary Bragg...stay there…please… and thank you!
Folk Alliance 2019 in Montreal did not pan out exactly as I planned…I caught some wonderful music and some audio for this podcast but for the most part, I spent the entire week trying to navigate and operate with incredible back and hip pain…what I thought was sciatica turned out to be, among other things, a couple of stress fractures in my lower back. I will always be most grateful for two things from that trip...the kindness and assistance shown to me by my travelling Kansas City music family and the discovery of the musical tour de force known as Rising Appalachia.
As world travelers for nearly two decades, Rising Appalachia are now merging multiple global music influences with their own southern roots. Founded by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, the band has established an international fan base due to relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence. But it wasn’t always so. The sisters have morphed into this musical life coming to realize that performing could be just one component of a greater overall vision – one that includes advocating for social, racial and environmental justice, and Indigenous rights.
When I discovered that Rising Appalachia would again have an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance 2020 in New Orleans, I knew I had to try and have a conversation with at least one of the sisters for this podcast. Ironically within a few days of that discovery, Rising Appalachia’s team reached out to me as a registered Folk DJ at the conference, asking if I wanted an interview opportunity in New Orleans. Leah Song aka “The Hustler” and I did sit down late one afternoon for a lovely chat. She could not have been more engaging and accommodating. Enjoy this conversation that highlights the dynamics of being a female led band, the importance of stewardship and cooperation from the male band members, creating a complete aesthetic by adorning themselves with wearable art made by friends and fans, and the band’s commitment to what they call the “slow music” movement. Enjoy my time with Leah Song of Rising Appalachia.
As a music business professional, Brad Paul has actively promoted a wide variety of music genres through his work as a radio promoter, radio host and producer, concert promoter, video producer and director. I first met Brad nearly 10 years ago at my first Americana Music Association conference in Nashville after I had just gotten on the air on KKFI with the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show. He has been at every AMA and Folk Alliance International conference I have attended since that time…advocating on behalf of his clients and very often serving on multiple radio-centric panels.
Brad graduated from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts with a BS degree in communication. While at Emerson he co-created the popular morning show The Coffeehouse on Emerson’s student run radio station WERS, where he also served as Program Director. He was responsible for bringing Live At Passim to WERS and produced and hosted the program for three years from the venerable music venue in Harvard Square.
Brad hosted and produced “The Folk Show” on WEVO (New Hampshire Public Radio) from 1988 to 1991 and Folk On WGBH (Boston's NPR affiliate) from 2004 to 2009. He is a founding member of the Americana Music Association and has served on its Board of Directors for thirteen years, with three years served as President of the Board
As VP of Promotion for Concord Music Group/New Rounder/Village Roadshow and SVP of National Promotion for Rounder Records he promoted artists as diverse as Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Gregg Allman, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, The Chieftains, Alejandro Escovedo, Raul Malo and many more to a variety of radio formats including AAA, Americana, country, folk, and syndicated programs from National Public Radio and Public Radio International.
Since its inception in 2013, Brad Paul Media, a full service radio promotion and artist development consulting company whose goal is to help artists increase their brand awareness through radio exposure and develop their career by tapping into his network of music industry professionals, has scheduled over 1000 radio in-studio appearances and garnered tens of thousands of radio spins for over one hundred clients.He has sent me some amazing talent over the years that I have had the privilege of introducing rather exclusively to a Kansas City radio and KKFI streaming audience.
When he reached out to gauge my interest in interviewing his 2020 talent slate in New Orleans at Folk Alliance, I responded sure I would love to but only if he agreed to sit down with me for a chat also. Many thanks to Brad for arranging my subsequent interview with Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore aka The Mastersons and anchor of Steve Earle’s touring band, The Dukes. Enjoy my conversation with a bonafide music industry insider, Brad Paul.
I caught up with singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalists Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore at the 2020 Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were booted out of the Media Room I had reserved so that NPR’s Anne Powers could do an impromptu interview with Ani DiFranco. No worries, The Mastersons went with the flow and we conducted our conversation in my hotel room while they were perched on my bedside with my lavalier mic attached to my water bottle handle. They could not have been more gracious and accommodating. When they're not touring the world as valued longtime members of Steve Earle's band the Dukes, the musical and marital twosome make inspired albums of their own emotionally vivid, deeply humanistic songs.
Experience is something they have aplenty. Prior to coming together as a musical duo (they married in 2009), Masterson and Whitmore were both seasoned veterans of the Americana and Texas music scenes. Masterson spent his teens playing the blues in Houston clubs before landing hired-gun gigs with acts as varied as Jack Ingram and Son Volt, while the Denton-born Whitmore grew up performing in a family band with her folk- singer dad, Alex, and sister Bonnie (now a solo singer-songwriter) before playing fiddle and violin on dozens of album sessions for the likes of Bruce Robison, Slaid Cleaves, and Shooter Jennings. By their own admission, they are here to “serve the songs.”
The Mastersons, who now call Los Angeles home after stints in Austin, Brooklyn and Terlingua, Texas; recorded their soon to be released “No Time for Love Songs” at L.A.'s legendary Sunset Sound Recorders with Shooter Jennings; it was engineered and mixed by five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer, Ryan Freeland. Shooter had recruited The Mastersons to play on his albums Family Man (2012) and The Other Life (2013), and they’d recently reunited to work on the now Grammy award winning Tanya Tucker's comeback album While I'm Livin', which Jennings co-produced with Brandi Carlile.
As our country becomes more divided," Chris observes, "it makes it harder to connect with loved ones and friends that disagree. Fundamentally we all want the same things, but we're pitted against each other by extreme rhetoric on both sides. If we can lead with kindness and empathy, there is a way out."
"Only by cataloging and acknowledging loss and grief can we move forward with gratitude for what we have." I agree 100%. Enjoy this conversation with Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, The Mastersons!
Not too long ago, Grammy award winner, member of the Grand Ole Opry and brother to Bluegrass Queen Rhonda Vincent, Darrin Vincent, of Dailey & Vincent, called into the KKFI studios for a conversation in advance of the duo’s appearance in Kansas City at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. As you will hear, Darrin is thoughtful, kind, a loving husband and father…generous in his praise of others with a very specific sense of humor. For example, when asked “How do you get to be a millionaire in the music business? His response: “Start with $2 million!” And his laugh…oh my…that laugh!
Darrin started singing at age three and playing music at age six along with sister Rhonda Vincent, as part of his family band, The Sally Mountain Show. As a young man, Darrin played guitar for 7 years for the legendary John Hartford. As a member of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for more than 10 years, Darrin has won five Grammy Awards and eight IBMA Awards for Instrumental Group of the Year. He has performance and recording credits with dozens of artists including Dolly Parton, Nora Jones, Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Bruce Hornsby, Vince Gill, John Hartford, and many more. He has producer credits on Grammy nominated projects with sister Rhonda Vincent, Susie Luchsinger, Cherryholmes and Hunter Berry. He is an accomplished musician and vocalist with expert abilities to arrange and create captivating music.
Daily & Vincent play over 100 dates a year including the Grand Ole Opry, have a tv show on Marty Stuart’s RFD-TV cable network, host a cruise and perform at festivals throughout the world. Enjoy this casual conversation with the very talented Darrin Vincent!
It is not every day I meet a Grammy award winning artist. That honor came to me some years back when my friend Beau Bledsoe of Kansas City’s Ensemble Iberica introduced me to the music of and the goddess that is Mireya Ramos… founder of the all female mariachi band Flor de Toloache. As you will hear in this episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast, Mireya has found a “heartland home” in the middle of what a lot of folks still consider “fly over country.” I’ve been fortunate enough to catch her shows sitting in with Ensemble Iberia, Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices and others at multiple venues in Kansas City.
Mireya, with her Afro Caribbean roots (her mother is Dominican), grew up in Puerto Rico where her Mexican father’s mariachi band played in the family restaurant. She embodies all of her musical influences whether it is mariachi, salsa, merengue or hip-hop, she always creates a unique and refreshing sound. Although, classically trained through Suzuki method on the violin and orchestral experiences in college, her passion lies in folklore and other alternative genres. Her natural improvisational skills and beautiful tone both in her violin and her lyrical voice has made her one of the top Latin artists in this country.
In 2007, she founded Movimiento, a mix of Latin American grooves with jazz and blues. In 2008, she co-founded Mariachi Flor de Toloache: New York’s first all-female mariachi band. They are Latin Grammy Award Winners and have been nominated again for a Latin Grammy in 2019. They recently were chosen to serenade Linda Ronstadt at Linda’s induction at the most recent Kennedy Center Honors in 2019! Being a genuine supporter of culture and empowerment of women, Mireya also founded an all-female Dominican roots group, the “809 Ladies” mixing merengue, pambiche, bachata and Caribbean roots music with jazz creating a unique concept and sound…a REAL Tasty Brew!
Mireya recently spent her birthday week in Kansas City and we squeezed in this conversation between an in store appearance at Mills Records, a house concert, a show at The Ship and a New Year’s Eve Show with Making Movies at The Truman. I was concerned about the hoarseness I had detected in her voice at the record store and kept this conversation shorter than I would have liked. I appreciate her graciousness in giving me the time we had together. Enjoy this conversation with a true national treasure…Mireya Ramos!
My introduction to Israeli guitarist, singer and songwriter, Bat-Or Kalo, or “B” as her friends call her, came some years back when she played a show at a very unlikely venue for her…a cocktail bar in the Waldo neighborhood in Kansas City. She came to play on my Tasty Brew Music radio show. We’ve stayed in touch over the years as she has come to play solo at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City and most recently a duo show in Carl Butler’s Gospel Lounge with bassist Jared Gaiser. As you will hear in our conversation recorded recently when she and Jared visited my home, she is fiery and electrifying, her guitar chops and contralto voice a force of nature.
KALO defies convention, channeling power trios like The Police, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rush or Cream but her solo and duo acoustic performances are just as powerful. Within the past two years, KALO has opened for Los Angeles-based rocker Andy Frasco, the godfather of British blues, John Mayall, Texas guitar phenom Chris Duarte and has shared billing with acts like Avett Brothers and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. She was nominated for an Independent Music Award in the 2017 Best Alt/Indie Rock Album category for her album Wild Change.
B was intent on interviewing me instead of the other way around but B, her bass player and musical companion, Jared Gaiser and I managed to have a wide ranging conversation … from discussing the fine attributes of dirt, Disney Movies, Albert Einstein, learning disabilities, the importance of connection and community, the magic and humanity of music and what B wants us to know about the community and experience of her homeland…Israel. Please enjoy this time with Bat-or Kalo and Jared Gaiser.
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast features Songwriter Sara Morgan. We were introduced by a mutual friend about 6 years ago late one Friday night as I was leaving Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City. I was going to Host KKFI s Radio Show “Womansong” the next morning, and after a short introductory conversation, asked Sara to come in and play live in the studio (she had never been on the radio) totally relying on my gut instinct that she would be okay. The rest as they say is history…our little slice of shared history… As she had “Never Been to Nashville,” I asked her to join me in Music City for an Americanafest Music Conference. At the Americana Music Awards Ceremony at The Ryman, she met Loretta Lynn who was greeting fans as she sat in the first row as we waited for the ceremony to start. As you’ll hear, it has been one serendipitous milestone after another...for both of us...ever since. In this conversation, we talk about where Sara is RIGHT NOW on her mountain including the recording process in Nashville, navigating social media and the business that is music. It is also a love letter of sorts to those very important people that have mentored her so far….Jason North, Carl Butler (The Gospel Lounge) , Eric Conn, Frank Hicks (Knuckleheads), Devon O’Day (WSM Radio) and her number one inspiration…Loretta Lynn. Enjoy this conversation with the girl I call Grasshopper…Sara Morgan.
Welcome to lucky Episode No. 13 of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast. I discover new music through word of mouth, radio promoters, podcasts, other artists, friends and family. There are those that seek ME out, finding me through any number of channels…perhaps through my membership in Folk Alliance International, the Americana Music Association, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters or just going down that internet rabbit hole using certain music related hashtags or keywords . The Rough & Tumble, Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler, found ME, sent me their cds with lovely handwritten notes and beautiful self-created art work. And the music was thankfully and delightfully right up my alley. They contacted me six months in advance of knowing they would be in the Kansas City area, asking if they could come on my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show on KKFI…even knowing I’m on at oh dark thirty through drive time on Tuesday mornings. We made a date, they came on the show and we made further plans to meet for a sit down conversation to get to know each other better. I am fascinated by anyone who is brave and courageous to sell everything they own and hit the road to pursue their dreams.
They have a wonderful insight on being true traveling troubadours in America in 2019. I wanted to ask them questions that I felt would be of interest to any aspiring road dogs out there. They describe themselves as a
“dumpster-folk, thrift store-Americana duo, hobbling around the country in their 16-foot camper since 2015”. They picked up a couple of actual strays along the way--Puddle & Magpie Mae-- and have been making themselves at home in living rooms, bars, theaters, and festivals across the country.
"Their music has been described as ‘restorative, their performance highly entertaining, their orchestra of unusual instruments intriguing, and… jokes and stories are worthy of an HBO special." (Linda Bolton, Cozy Cabin House Concerts).
The stray folkies are as industrious as they are scrappy, releasing five EPs and two albums in their 8 years. The Rough & Tumble’s 2018 release We Made Ourselves a Home When We Didn’t Know, brought the listener to the road and the road to their home, an album “as cozy, comfortable and inviting as a well-worn couch.” (Bill Kopp, Mountain Xpress).
They have a weekly live cast, a monthly blog, a Cook & Color Book, a food blog and play upwards of 150 shows a year. Enjoy my conversation with Mallory and Scott – The Rough & Tumble – now THAT’s Americana!
Amy Speace is a modern troubadour whose music is reminiscent of folk music’s 1970s glory days. She has spent the last 20 years on the road chasing her dreams from New York City to Nashville to around the world. She has built an international audience without the help of a major label performing an average of 150 shows a year including the Glastonbury Festival and NPR's Mountain Stage.
Discovered and mentored by Judy Collins during the early 2000s, Speace left her career as a classically-trained Shakespearean actress and kicked off a string of acclaimed albums. She was championed by the likes of The New York Times and NPRfor her solo work. I personally love her work as a member of Applewood Road, a harmony-heavy trio that I discovered one year at Folk Alliance.
Me and The Ghost Of Charlemagne, her latest work, captures Amy at her now mature core, with stripped down songs that showcase her amazing voice and stellar songwriting chops. She’s no longer focused on the elusive holy grail of fame and fortune. She’s more than satisfied with the strange and crazy trip this life is. She is a reinvested and re-energized songwriter who is nowhere near finished with what she has to offer.
I share my 2013 “origin story” with Amy at the beginning of this conversation. A lot has happened to the both of us in the intervening 6 years. Amy had just suffered the loss of her much beloved father less than two weeks before. We spoke right before her first show after having to cancel quite a few dates and I will always be most grateful for her kindness and consideration for granting me the opportunity to spend some quality time with one of my favorite Americana artists.
We talk about mutual friends and acquaintances, navigating the “chaos” of a lyrical life, and an interesting perspective on showcasing at conferences and “building your brand” like Americanafest and Folk Alliance vis a’ vis more commercial musical pathways. I’m comforted with the thought our mutual music loving friend Tom Green was smiling down on us from the other side of the ether and sending us virtual hugs. Enjoy this conversation with folksinger Amy Speace!
Welcome to Episode 11 of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast…a conversation I had during the 2018 Folk Alliance International Conference with Doug and Telisha Williams also known as The Wild Ponies. They grew up together in Southwest Virginia, an area steeped in a powerful and rugged musical tradition. Musically, they are somewhat of a pinball, bouncing between folk, rock and roll and country music interwoven with an old-time style that informs everything they do. As you will hear, I was first introduced to them by a fellow DJ at KKFI and continued the acquaintanceship over the years making sure to attend their annual Happy Hour get together during Americanafest in Nashville. In addition to being wonderful musicians who tour the world, they have an entrepreneurial spirit that has garnered them a regular show on WSM Radio’s Route 650 line up, a guided Kentucky Bourbon Trail Ride Series, and whiskey tastings all over America that get served up with a Wild Ponies Show as the musical highlight. As you’ll hear they are always open to new music centered adventures. Enjoy my wide ranging conversation with Doug and Telisha Williams….the Wild Ponies. Now that’s Americana!
The daughter of an opera singer and a world travelling saxophone playing airline pilot, Kelly Hunt was raised in Memphis, TN, and grew up performing other people’s works through piano lessons, singing in choirs, and performing theater. During her teenage years, influenced by musical inspirations as diverse as Norah Jones, Rachmaninov, and John Denver, she began writing her own songs on the piano. Introduced to the banjo in college while studying French and visual arts, Kelly began developing her own improvised style of playing, combining old-time picking styles with the percussive origins of the instrument. After college, Hunt rambled through short careers in acting, graphic design, traditional French breadmaking, and medicine, all the while privately making music.
I met Kelly shortly after her move to Kansas City and her discovery and subsequent acquisition of the mysterious Depression-era tenor banjo she has named Ira. In short order I invited Kelly on to my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show where she has become a regular fixture. It has been an honor and privilege to get to know this young woman as she navigates the lyrical life she has chosen… Her inaugural effort Evan the Sparrow, produced by Hunt and Kelly Werts, has garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone Country, No Depression and many others and includes her friend and talented musical partner, Stas Heaney. Kelly is well read and well spoken. I recently welcomed her to my home one morning where we sat down and talked about a wide range of subjects. I hope you enjoy this conversation and musical interlude with “Banjo” Kelly Hunt.
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast features one of my favorite human beings on the planet… Chad Elliott…Iowa based singer-songwriter, poet, author, illustrator, sculptor, ceramicist, podcaster, and yes I’m going to say it…Renaissance Man! I was introduced to his music early on with my radio show in 2010. I’ve seen Chad perform dozens of times in many different settings, including my own backyard for a house concert. He’s been a huge supporter of my show and community radio in general; one night he drove all night from Colorado to help me pitch during a Pledge Drive Show on KKFI one morning from 6-8 am. He was my featured performer on the 2018 Tasty Brew Music Stage at KKFI’s Crossroads Musical Festival.
He leads a very lyrical life that serves as fertile ground for weaving love, loss and forgiveness into timeless melodies. He plays more than 200 shows a year, has penned more than 1,000 songs and released 22 albums to date. His latest …released in 2018… “Rest Heavy” was recorded at the world famous Sun Studios in Memphis with his band The Redemptions. As you’ll hear in this conversation, he has 3 more album projects in the works! It was a real pleasure to sit down with him for a conversation that lasted more than 5 minutes …this one before a recent repeat performance at the Green Guitar Folk House Concert Series in Lenexa, Kansas. We start the conversation right after I relayed some details of my conversation with Radney Foster the previous week. Chad suggested I ask Radney about Gaffney, South Carolina. I had forgotten to do that so as you will hear at the beginning here…Chad filled in the blanks. Enjoy this wide ranging conversation with a true hard core troubadour and Renaissance Man… Lamoni Iowa’s Chad Elliott!
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast is a conversation I had with Texas Songwriter and author Radney Foster…. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his recording debut as part of the Foster & Lloyd duo, recording three studio albums and with nine singles on the country charts. Foster began his solo career in 1992 and his album Del Rio, TX 1959 produced four consecutive Top 40 hits. Overall, Foster has had thirteen songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the Top Ten hits "Just Call Me Lonesome" (#10, 1992) and "Nobody Wins" (#2, 1993). His songs have been recorded by Gary Allan, Sara Evans, Keith Urban, Hootie and the Blowfish and Jack Ingram. He is now producing, writing screenplays, short stories and novels. He’s been one of my favorites since I discovered him nearly 20 years ago on a KGSR Radio Compilation CD.
I was in Red River to attend Larry Joe Taylor’s Annual Hot Chili Days and Cool Summer Nights Music Festival featuring Texas Singer/Songwriters. Radney was the featured performer at a kick off event on a mountaintop currently serving as Michael Martin Murphey’s Bitter Creek Ranch and through the kindness and tenacity of his manager (and wife) Cyndi Hoelzel, we were able to find a precious block of time before Radney had to leave for sound check. Although Radney, via Cyndi, had agreed to the sit down weeks in advance, with no cell service in town, unknown daily schedule until the day of and limited internet connectivity, it was very challenging to find a suitable venue for our conversation. We settled on the second floor lobby of the rustic Red River Lodge next to the Mother Lode Saloon, windows wide open to the street during an ongoing rain shower. Radney has done yeoman’s work with SongwritingWith Soldiers, a non-profit transforming veterans’ lives by using collaborative songwriting to expand creativity, connections, and strengths. As the mother of a Marine suffering from PTSD, it was an honor and privilege to spend this precious time with Radney Foster….enjoy!
Tim Easton, American songwriter and fellow Buckeye, has learned the ways of the hardcore troubadour…making his way around Europe and America by busking in the streets and playing the clubs. Although Rolling Stone Magazine praised him as “having a novelist’s sense of humanity” I believe his education as a Poetry Major at Ohio State University is the not so secret ingredient to his lyrical life. When I saw he was on the roster for the 2019 edition of the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma, I knew I had to try and have a sit down conversation with him. Although my familiarity with his work was on the fringe, I wanted to dig deeper.
As soon as I hit the registration desk at the Okfuskee County Historical Society in Okemah, (incidentally the recording site for Tim’s latest CD “Exposition” )I asked the volunteer staff for help in contacting Tim. Within two hours I had a text. We met shortly thereafter in front of the Crystal Theater but where to record a conversation? There was no media room and no readily available space to sit down and chat. A Woodyfest volunteer AGAIN to the rescue…”I live at the rock house down at the corner of Woody Guthrie Boulevard and Broadway. The back door is open, the air conditioning is on; there’s nothing but two chairs and a table in there but you’re welcome to it.” Tim was game and so was I. We had the following conversation in a virtually empty house sitting in two velveteen rockers facing each other with my lavalier mic attached to my water bottle handle. As you’ll hear, Tim talks about growing up in Japan, opening for the Flatlanders and Townes Van Zandt, busking the streets of Europe, heading his own record company, traveling to Alaska to teach songwriting workshops so you can fish and an upcoming State Department sponsored trip to Russia. Woody Guthrie would have loved Tim Easton. Now THAT’s Americana!
One of my favorite features of the annual Folk Alliance International conference is the Folk DJ reception. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet Roots Music Artists and their representatives up close and personal. At that reception in 2018, I was approached by a British gentleman, Graham Jackson, asking if I would be willing to meet an Americana artist from the UK, Danni Nicholls. We made arrangements to have a sit down conversation with Danni in the KKFI suite the next day. It was a lovely introduction to her special brand of roots music… that to date has garnered her two consecutive Americana Music Association UK Award nominations… one each for Album and Artist of the year. Danni has played shows with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Sturgill Simpson, and The Secret Sisters and been invited to play at festivals around the world including Cambridge Folk, Americanafest and Folk Alliance International. She is a beautiful and elegant woman and it shows in her music. Her most recent work, The Melted Morning, is very personal but widely relatable… the pain and darkness of rejection, the fear of losing your own identity and the power of human connection to offer up hope in the face of life’s many challenges. Enjoy these few stolen moments with the very talented Danni Nicholls. Now that’s Americana….UK Style!
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast is a conversation my dear friend, Art White, and KKFI listener and supporter Joel Weir and I had with multi-instrumentalist and songmaster Darrell Scott. Darrell had just released the epic Couchville Sessions project and was playing his very first show EVER in Kansas City. I remembered it as a solid conversation but until I re-visited it for the first time since it occurred, I had not envisioned it as a podcast, but rather something I would somehow, some way play on my morning radio show. That didn’t happen. I am so happy conversations like these I have had over the years are going to be able to see the light of day; it is giving me the courage and desire to turn my creative energy in this direction for this podcast. This particular conversation would not have happened without the assistance of Art White who recorded and preserved it on an old Iphone and Joel Weir who was instrumental in getting us the opportunity. Art had brought a cooler full of crappie he had caught in a pond on his farm up to Knuckleheads Saloon kitchen…we cooked it all up, added some potato salad and other fixins and had us a community meal with Darrell and his family before we recorded this conversation and subsequently Darrell’s Show in the Gospel Lounge. Darrell waxes eloquently about Peter Rowan, John Cowan and New Grass Revival, his gig with Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, the legendary Guy Clark, his own father's obsession with Hank Williams, Sr. and many other topics related to leading a lyrical life. This man has written hundreds of songs....some of the best songs in the Americana music songbook..."You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," "River Take Me," "It's a Great Day to be Alive" and of course his co-write with Guy Clark..."Out in the Parking Lot." I'm so honored to have been able to have this conversation and to share it with you here. Darrell Scott...now THAT's Americana AND Food for your Soul!
This episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast brings a conversation with Canadian born, Austin based Roots Musician Ray Bonneville. Ray had a former life as a Marine in Viet Nam, a bush pilot in the Canadian wilderness and the leader of a garage blues band. Ray’s music came to me at the suggestion of fellow KKFI DJ John “Junebug” Stuerke, host of the weekly Blues Kitchen Show. He said I should check out Ray’s “Bad Man’s Blood;” that it would be a good fit for The Tasty Brew. He was right! Some years later, I wrangled Ray into the radio station for a live interview and performance in between private showcases during a Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City. I don’t think I’ve missed a Ray Bonneville performance in Kansas City since. His music is blues informed but greatly influenced by the musical gumbo found in his former home of New Orleans. The tones he accomplishes with just a guitar and harmonica are uniquely his own. Before a recent Kansas City show, we had a wide ranging conversation in the Green Room, next to the railroad tracks, at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City…that at times was accompanied by train whistles, steel on the rails, horns and the country band doing sound check in the Gospel Lounge below us. Now THAT’s Americana! Enjoy a conversation with the incomparable Ray Bonneville.
I am a latecomer to the world and talent of Jim Lauderdale...I "discovered" him in 2010 in Nashville at my first Americanafest (the annual conference of the Americana Music Association); he hosted the Annual Awards Ceremony at The Ryman Auditorium and I caught his official showcase with a full band at The Mercy Lounge. Shortly thereafter he was on a bill with Carrie Rodriguez at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City and I try to make every performance in my home town. I've become a true fan of his music and his amazing work ethic. He has released dozens of albums, been nominated for Grammies, is one of the most prolific collaborators in American music and yet still flies under most of the American public's musical radar. In this "phoner" into the Production Studio at 90.1 FM in 2015 during the release of Jim's "I am a Song," you'll hear a wide ranging conversation of his early musical beginnings as a banjo player in New York City's country scene, his love affair with the Eastern mind/body discipline tai chi, and a recounting of just a few of his collaborations...oh the collaborations! Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, Robert Hunter, Nick Lowe, Roland White, Lucinda Williams, Rodney Crowell and many more. Enjoy my conversation with the King of Americana Jim Lauderdale!
Episode 2 of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast is a conversation with American music icon, John Oates (Hall & Oates), recorded in Kansas City in February 2018 during the Folk Alliance International Conference. John was at the Conference to promote his latest musical release “Arkansas” and his written memoir “Change of Seasons.” There was a bit of background drama before the conversation started as there was a mix up with John’s staff as to what time the interview was to start. Long story short, when I arrived in the suite, John was already there talking to the sound engineer who astutely kept him in the room, conducting an interview well enough John thought it had already begun. He was a bit taken aback when I walked into the room and the sound engineer announced…oh here’s Diana Linn…she will be interviewing you. John took it all in stride, as you will hear; we had a lovely conversation about his full circle journey with Roots Music….feeling compelled in his later years to curate content from the 1920’s and 30’s American music catalogue and sharing some details on his recent infiltration of the Nashville music scene…all the while being warmly embraced by the Americana/ Roots Music Community. You will also hear a thoughtful duo of questions posed by my sister DJ at 90.1 FM KKFI, Kasey Rausch. Enjoy Episode 2 of the Tasty Brew Podcast with my very special guest John Oates! #johnoates #americanamusic #tastybrewmusic #folkalliance
Welcome to Episode #1 of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast! Host Diana Linn met and had a conversation with Singer/Songerwriter Ilona Pal in Montreal, Canada during the 2019 Folk Alliance International Conference. They quickly established a connection not only via Ilona's music, but through the spirit of Hollywood icon James Dean.
Ilona Pal has traveled the rails between Montreal and Ottawa many times over, but in November of 2017, that train ride, and a movie about friendship, love and loss inspired a song that gave her wings to fly.
The movie was the 2015 feature film “Life”: the story of photographer Dennis Stock’s historic 1955 photo shoot of iconic actor James Dean in Fairmount, Indiana, for that still famous spread in Life Magazine.
“The song was a gift,” says Ilona. “I wasn’t looking to write a song about James Dean that day, the song was looking for me”. But when the last frame of the film faded to black and the words ‘James Dean died 6 months later’ appeared on the screen, she felt a wave of emotion well-up in her chest. That wave soon reached her creative spirit, and all at once, most of the lyrics and melody that would become A Farm In Indiana were born.
Pal first emerged as an independent Canadian New Country artist with her debut single Hold On Heart and self-titled album. She landed a spot on the roster at Peter Asher Management in LA, alongside such notable artists as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. French recordings of her songs have ranked #1 in Quebec and received ADISQ award nominations. Film credits include the closing theme song for Time At The Top (Showtime, HBO). Learn all things Ilona Pal here.