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!