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 media

Crys 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](vocals/guitar). 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!