Kansas City Music Blog

Because we like to keep ourselves informed, we at Wayward Blog like to keep our ear tuned to the radio. You can't rock all the time, and Anti-Flag songs are ten times funnier when you're actually aware of the political situation in which the world finds itself. Plus, being as how journalism is a fantastic way to make mad scrilla, we're always looking for ways to diversify our portfolio.

Melissa Kaplan

​Hence, we were listening to American Public Media's Marketplace program on KCUR last night, and were pleasantly surprised to witness the converge of indie rock and finance when Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla was on to talk about the nature of being both a producer and a member of a seriously successful band.

Walla talked about how he got into being a producer, as well as Death Cab's inclusion on the New Moon soundtrack. You can read the transcript or listen to all of last night's program.

In a forum post yesterday on HipHopKC.com, Mac Lethal announced that he's looking for local songs to spin on his Sunday night KRBZ 96.5 the Buzz show, Black Clover Radio. Except for two songs, Lethal wrote, his entire playlist this past Sunday was local.

He does, however, have some stipulations:

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Don't send me songs about hustling drugs in the K-town. I got a few of those submitted, and while I'm not upset at them sonically, I can't co-sign them because they are too similar to top 40 rap. I would rather you artists that sent me those songs resend some songs about something of more substance. Political issues/ emotional issues/ relationship issues/ financial trouble/ creative story telling etc.

IF you gotta send me a song about drugs, at least make it sound like "Mr. Big" by Eightball and MJG, or some old UGK shit or something with musical innovation. I don't mind the violence, or the graphic lyrics. But make it creative. I wanna play it, knowing cats are listening like, "Wow, this is REALLY cool, and refreshing, and new." But keep that Hot 103 shit away from my email address.

Mac continues:

I don't want any crunk shit (leave that style for Memphis and Atlanta and them cats.) The stuttering snares, and 808s, and synthy beats, with auto-tuned choruses. No dice. Don't send me club records. Records about being in the club etc.

Underground rappers. Get your stuff sounding top notch before you send it. Don't send busted ass mixes. It needs to sound at least quality enough for radio play. I think what I mean by that has gotten lost on cats, but oh well, the submissions will still be interesting.

Keep the submissions coming, but look. If we are gonna blow this scene up, and feel energized and full of life, I need y'all to step your lyric game, beat game, vocal game, creativity game, recording game, musical game and overall package game UP.

Stik Figa, Greg Enemy, Ces Cru, Deep Thinkers etc. You need to strive to be pushing the boundaries they are pushing.

P.S. If you drop an exclusive mixtape freestyle, or wanna rant about some KC music scene shit. Record it, flip the curses backwards, and send it over. I'll give it some play. We need more artists voicing their opinions unconstrained by text.

Stik Figa and Greg Enemy for example. Send me a 3 minute long rant, over a smooth jazzy instrumental, try not to curse. And TALK SHIT on what needs to be fixed in the town.

It don't have to be songs. IF you got 3 minutes of some audio that pertains to KC hip-hop. SEND IT THE FUCK OVER.

So, to recap: no crunk, no Auto-tune ... substance, yes. Illegal substances, no. Rants welcome.

Mr. Lethal neglected to include his e-mail address with the post, so here it is: maclethalzzz@gmail.com

Everyone who's been demanding of late to have their voices heard on local radio should get on this. It's not urban radio, per se, but it's a start. Kudos, Mac.

​Tune in to 90.1 FM tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. for on-air hijinks and a rich panoply of Kansas City-area music selected by me and my good friends, the Buckle Bunny Crystal Wiebe and clubs editor Berry Anderson. Pitch restaurant columnist and Anything Goes host-with-the-most will be leading the parade, which is being billed as "a mix of acoustical music and spoken word." Add ear-pillaging distortion and butt-shaking grooves to that, and you've got our m.o. for the night.

So today, we'll be diving into a fat ol' stack of local CDs and MP3s to vet choice songs for those seven little words you can't say on the radio. If you'd like us to play your radio-friendly song, e-mail it in MP3 format or via downloadable link to jason.harper@pitch.com, and we'll try to get it on. No promises.

But please, do listen.

Our friend and rapper extraordinaire James Christos was kind enough to call the Wayward HQ and give us the skinny on a public forum of sorts that went down last night between representatives from Hot 103 Jamz and a bevy of Kansas City rappers and DJs.

​The focus: Why the area's leading urban station plays almost no local hip-hop. It's not a new question by any means, but it's something that continually frustrates and inspires local artists to act.

Summary: KPRS continually takes heat for maintaining a format that the station feels works -- a format that has no room for up-and-coming KC artists. In short, the station doesn't play local artists because local artists aren't big enough. Artists, in turn, complain that they (and by extension, Kansas City's reputation nationwide) can't get big without local radio support. It would have the makings of a stalemate -- except that many in the hip-hop community aren't interested in backing down.

According to Christos, the impromptu summit was held at Jaz Brewer's 64111 Studios on 17th and Summit St. and that, in fact, it came about because of a Twitter campaign launched by Brewer. Read back over the past few days of tweets @Jaz64111studio to catch up.

Christos says some 40 people participated in a public conference call that included several KPRS DJs. Kenny Diamondz, host of the station's only local music program, Underground Heat, was present in person, as were about 20 livid locals ("Everybody who's anybody in rap in Kansas City," was how Christos put it). According to Christos, the Hennessey flowed and so did the honesty.

And in the end, he says, no accord was reached between the station and the artists.

Now we want to hear from you: Were you there? What happened? What should happen next?

We want to hear from both sides of the debate. And, please, include your name with your comment.

​I listen to the radio when I drive around town, and I flip between Hot 103.3 Jamz and 95.7 The Vibe because they both play "urban" music (though The Vibe has always been more on the lighter side of things -- Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas -- than, say, KPRS's Lil Wayne and Drake).

But yesterday, The Vibe played a Rob Thomas song. And then, "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. Obviously, something's up.

Now on 95.7 FM...

​I called a radio insider who forwarded me a press release sent out today, October 16, announcing The Vibe's format change. "CUMULUS longtime Top 40/Rhythmic KCHZ (95.7 The Vibe)/KANSAS CITY has made a decidedly mainstream move with the music in the last few days with the introduction of songs by TAYLOR SWIFT, KINGS OF LEON, SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, JASON MRAZ, NICKELBACK, DAVID COOK and many others to the playlist," it reads (obnoxious capitalization theirs).

This seems like good news for KPRS, now that no other station challenges its urban format. But why would The Vibe join an already-saturated Top 40 market? Kansas City already has KMXV's Mix 93.3 and 99.7 Kiss FM (which broadcasts Ryan Seacrest's show).

The insider thinks The Vibe's switch might have something to do with a change in the ratings system. Arbitron, the company that calculates Kansas City's radio station ratings, is switching from using listener-reported surveys (called "diarys") to a system called PPM -- the Portable People  Meter. 

If you're heading to the record store today to pick up some new releases, here's what's happening and cool on your radio this week. Think of this not as a "must have" guide, but just FYI on what makes the tastemakers move and shake.

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There's charts from KJHK and Sonic Spectrum. And, as always -- if you've got a radio program or station you think bears inclusion, shoot me your charts or playlists at nick dot spacek at pitch dot com.

Johnny Dare's birthday bash was at the Midland by AMC Saturday night. If you didn't buy tickets in advance, you were pretty much hosed, as the show featuring Steel Panther and the Federation of Horsepower sold out fast.

However, you can check out the video below and see several personalities from 98.9 The Rock belt out a Journey cover (top-selling song on iTunes ever, by the way) with Steel Panther while various sundry ladies in tight clothing gyrate nearby. Man...this kind of makes that free slice of pie you got at Perkins on your birthday seem like a total screwjob, huh?

Hickory dickory, Stik.

​KC Currents, the great little local news and culture show on KCUR 89.3 FM that covers everything from women's football to why that "new car smell" is actually toxic, is turning its mic on local hip-hop to give air time to one of our personal favorites here at the Wayward Blog: Stik Figa.

Stik, who was born in Topeka as John Westbrook Jr., was voted Best Hip-Hop artist in the 2009 Pitch Music Awards. Not just a boundlessly talented rapper, dude is a class act.

I ran into Currents producer Alex Smith last night at the Brick, and he said that Stik is such a good interview, other musicians could learn from him. So, get out your notepads, wannabe- media-savvy MCs, when Stik hits the left side of the FM dial this Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m. If you got church or something, there's a repeat broadcast on Monday at 8 p.m.

Twitter: @kccurrents

We're trying something new here at the Wayward Blog. In an effort to reach out to and make bridges between us and other media outlets, we'll post playlists and charts from various area radio outlets that are making tastes. For this first edition, we'll focus on KJHK's weekly charts (since they're back in the swing of things after their summer free form break) as well as the playlist for Robert Moore's Sonic Spectrum.

KJHK can be found on your radio dial at 90.7FM, and Sonic Spectrum airs Saturday nights from 6-8pm on KRBZ 96FM, aka "The Buzz."
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If you have a radio program you think bears mentioning or work for a radio station that would like to share its weekly charts with us (*cough* The Rock *cough*), feel free to start sending to me at nick.spacek@pitch.com.

The University of Kansas' student-run radio station, KJHK 90.7FM (your sound alternative), came back from their summer break and free form radio this Monday morning. That means they're back on the air 24/7, and you can expect a new crop of DJs and attendant special programs.

In addition to returning talk shows like Good Evening and the Dick an' Dyke Show, as well as the KAB award-winning As Heard From the Hill newsmagazine, there's music programs like Friday Night Noise (a mix of post-rock, Kraut rock, et al), Blip the Universe Forever (8bit, chiptune, bitcore), the Rio Deal (tropicalia), and the triumphant return -- after a couple semesters off -- of the local music showcase Plow the Fields.

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This semester's poster/schedule was done, as it has been for the past year, by Eric Dobbins, proprietor of Wonder Fair: Art Gallery and How!.

Straight from KJHK music director Alison Cain's Twitter page comes this news:

"girls in-studio @kjhk preliminarily scheduled for wednesday, august 12th between 4 and 8 pm"

Girls are playing later that night at the Record Bar. The band's on the cover of this month's FADER, as well. That news also comes courtesy of Twitter, thanks to Range Life Records (@rangelifercrds).
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So, you can now tune in, listen to the band play live on the radio, and then head over to the Record Bar to see them open for Los Campesinos! Then, a week later, you can relive the awesomeness by reading about the band! Yay!!!

Well, maybe not all. Maybe just those emanating from local stations KKFI 90.1 and KCUR 89.3 during certain hours of the morning, but, hey, we're still excited.

​First, set your alarm for 7 a.m. sharp and tune it to 90.1 KKFI community radio (make sure you flip the switch on your clock so that the radio comes on instead of the buzzer, though) and turn the volume all the way up: Pitch clubs editor and music gemologist Berry Anderson will pay a visit to host Bill O'Connor's Your Morning Buzz show to play musical selections by nominees up for trophies in our annual Pitch Music Awards. In addition to playing all that great local music, Berry will no doubt dispense important advice on how to survive the night's Pitch Music Showcase, raging in Westport from 8 p.m. until the bars close. Thanks for having us, Bill!

​Next, don't leave your home -- don't even get out of bed -- but do touch that dial. Because starting at 10 a.m. on 89.3 KCUR public radio, on the famous Walt Bodine Show, yours truly, I, Jason Harper, music astrologist-to-the-stars, will be a featured guest. I won't be talking about the showcase, though, unless they allow me a shameless plug.

Instead, I've been given the honor of getting to talk to and with listeners about Bob Moczydlowsky's killer rock documentary 72 Musicians, which was shot over three days at the Record Bar. Also on the mic will be the man himself, Mr. Moczydlowsky, plus local rocker Billy Smith of the bands Roman Numerals and Olympic Size, both of which are featured in the movie (anonymously). I don't know that I've ever heard of Walt Bodine featuring local music so prominently for a whole hour, so please listen in and pick up the phone (but don't get out of bed) during the call-in portion. It's gonna be fun. Thanks for having us, Walt! We won't let you down.

So, KJHK listeners, here's a proposition for you. The station's exec staff has noticed that their logo, while fitting to their image, is starting to show its age. Being a radio station that generally attracts wonderful people with wonderful creativity and even more wonderful ways to put that creativity to use, we are asking if you, dear KJHK listener, if you would be willing to help them design a new logo.

They have little to no guidelines, other than that it say KJHK 90.7 on it somewhere. If you feel like participating, simply sketch something out, and drop it by the SUA Office in the Kansas Union on the University of Kansas campus or email it to station manager Logan Nickels sometime within the next 2-3 weeks. They're just kind of going with ideas right now and won't have anything concrete for a while regarding what sort of reward you'll receive if your design is chosen.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a DJ at KJHK 90.7FM until July 31.

If you snoozed and missed the broadcast of Coalesce's in-studio on BBC1 Monday evening (I know I certainly did), you've still got a chance to check it out.

Coalesce recorded an exclusive live set for the BBC's Radio 1 "Rock Show" while in the UK as part of their first-ever European tour. This session will air all week long right here.

According the band's Twitter feed, the broadcast only features three out of the four songs recorded, omitting "The Purveyor of Novelty and Nonsense." I, too, "smell a bootleg coming." Well, that or a really super badass 10". I can hope.

Theater League's jazz, blues and comedy hour, 12 O'Clock Jump, will make its own jump to live broadcast this weekend, when KCUR 89.3 starts carrying the program from midnight to 1 a.m. on Saturday nights.

The show features vocalists David Basse and Nedra Dixon; actors Pearl MacDonald and Pete Webber; and musicians Tyrone Clark on bass and Mike Warren on drums, along with the show's musical director, Joe Cartwright, on piano. Guest hosts will join the cast to perform and talk about the music of the featured artist of the week.

The weekly broadcasts of the show, live from the Mutual Musicians Foundation in Kansas City's 18th and Vine Historic District, begin on Saturday, July 4, with clarinetist Pete Fountain the featured artist and Lynn Zimmer the guest host. More information is available on KCUR's website.