25 APR 2024 · 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.

20 MAR 2024 · 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! 

9 MAR 2024 · 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/  

17 FEB 2024 · 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.  

2 FEB 2024 · 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!

3 DEC 2023 · 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.  

10 OCT 2023 · 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.    

28 AUG 2023 · 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.  

28 AUG 2023 · 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.  

12 JUL 2023 · 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!