Author Archives: KC Cafe

Nick Justice: Taking A Road Not Taken

By: Maria Smith

Nick Justice is not only a featured artist on KC Cafe radio, he is a fan of the station. He is always writing. A Road Not Taken is his fourth album in the last four years.

Fame was never really a motivation for Nick’s writing. Rather, he simply enjoys playing his music. Even a hiatus from music while his kids were growing up didn’t stop him from eventually finding his way back to it.

Justice prefers to play alone. His favorite performance setting is just himself, a guitar and a harmonica. He likes to write the music for his songs first, which is fitting for a man who has a guitar in almost every room of his house. He loves guitars. In fact, collecting them is what got him back into music after a fifteen year break.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste talked with Justice via Skype. They chat about their mutual obsession of guitars, his recording process, and more.

Listen to and download the interview here:

BiIl Abernathy: Telling Stories on a Nine String Guitar

Bill Abernathy is a long loved artist here at KC Cafe Radio. The Kansas City based singer songwriter recently got off of a pure solo tour. It was just him, his guitars and the road. He played listening rooms, some brewpubs, and a few anchor shows for radio stations. Abernathy enjoys being able to talk to the audience and challenged himself on the tour to see if he was able to connect with the younger generation. A challenge met with rewarding conversations about the true meaning of his music.

Abernathy writes the lyrics to his songs first, because of this he tells stories through his music. The song “Willow Creek” off of his newest album Crossing Willow Creek is a good example of that. It’s a nostalgic tribute to the things that led him to music, and supports him to this day.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste caught up with her old friend Abernathy. They chat about his mutant nine string guitar, inspiration for a few of his songs, and more.

Listen to and download the interview here:

Check out Bill’s newest album, Crossing Willow Creek here:

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Visit Bill Abernathy’s Website

James Kahn: Making History Writing History

By: Maria Smith

James Kahn’s newest album Matamoros is not a stand alone piece of work.   Rather, It is a companion piece that accompanies his newest book, Matamoros: Civil War on the Rio Grande.  He has worked on it on and off for almost twenty years and only now feels like it is ready to share.

Wanting to get a better understanding of his story’s characters, Kahn wrote them songs,  based on that characters story.  Each song provides additional tidbits about the character’s life.  The songs themselves are stand-alone classics, providing a truly unique experience for the reader of his book, as well as fans of his music.

Kahn was challenged by the historical aspect of the book which is very different than the sci-fi and medical thrillers he normally writes.  In fact it was so different that the majority of the time he spent on Matamoros was used researching.  He poured hours upon hours into finding the very best way to share this story, and in the end found an exceptional way to do it.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste caught up with Kahn via Skype.  They chat about the possibility of film or stage adaptations, favorite characters, and more.

Listen to the interview here:

Download the interview here: Interview with James Kahn 2/12/2020

Duff Ferguson: Forever in love with the Acoustic Guitar

Duff Ferguson challenged himself with his newest album More than I should. The singer songwriter played the whole thing on his mother’s old guitar, the very same guitar that he learned to play back in the early 70’s. In a time before YouTube could teach you how to do anything you could imagine, Ferguson learned to play by plucking along with Simon and Garfunkel and any other records he could find that matched the mellow tones of his hand me down guitar.

Ferguson pulls inspiration for his music from the world around him. Grabbing words and phrases from strangers and combining them with the tunes that wander around in his head. He makes music a priority in his life, even to the point of managing a tour and holding down a full time job at the same time. It all began after seeing Bill Frisell perform live, and deciding he wanted nothing more than to play guitar for the rest of his life. And he has.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste caught up with Ferguson via Skype. They chat about following girls to California, growing up in a family with a love of classical music, and more.

Listen to the interview here:

Download the interview here: Interview with Duff Ferguson 11/14/2019

Live @ FAR-West 2019: Saturday Showcase

KC Cafe Radio’s Live coverage from the 2019 Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) Music conference continued on Saturday, October 12, from the Warner Center Mariott Hotel in Woodland Hills, California.

The final Showcase of the 2019 conference featured performance by: The Western Flyers, Peridot, The Black Feathers, Jodi Siegel, T. Buckley, and Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio.

Listen to the performances here:

 

 The Western Flyers

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: The Western Flyers

THE WESTERN FLYERS (TX & CO) – The Western Flyers have often been called “The Biggest Little Band in the Land”! The award winning trio’s blend of classic western swing, hot jazz and electrifying fiddle tunes strike a chord with fans young and old. Combining master archtop guitar slinger Joey McKenzie, champion fiddler Katie Glassman, and the incomparable Matthew Mefford on upright bass, The Western Flyers become a swingin’ force of nature!

Peridot

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: Peridot

  PERIDOT (CA) – Peridot, (Hillary Reynolds) is a Los Angeles-based touring artist and songwriter with a knack for developing creative partnerships across genres. Growing up, she gravitated towards the music of her parents’ generation, like Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys – which are at the heart of her melody-driven style. Reynolds’ primary focus has been songwriting, collaborating with writers from Warner/Chapell, Sony/ATV and film composers for projects for Lifetime and Netflix. She has also begun curating backyard “Parachute” concerts, featuring local talent in music and comedy
The Black Feathers

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: The Black Feathers

THE BLACK FEATHERS (UK) – The Black Feathers are a husband and wife roots music duo based in Gloucestershire, UK who play a blend of Folk and Americana. Their debut EP was listed in The Telegraph as one of the best Folk albums of 2014. Their sound has been likened to that of The Civil Wars, and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.
Jodi Siegel

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: Jodi Siegel

JODI SIEGEL (CA) – Born in Chicago Ill., Jodi has opened for Robert Cray, Robben Ford, David Lindley, Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett (Little Feat), Albert King and others. Her lyrics are smart, her music combines elements of Blues, R & B, Americana and jazz, her voice has a smokey quality and her guitar playing including slide are undeniable. Currently finishing a new CD produced by Steve Postell to be released later this year.
T. Buckley

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: T. Buckley

T. BUCKLEY (AL, CANADA) – T. Buckley has been a staple of the Western Canadian music scene for the last several years. He recently recorded his fourth album, collaborating with renowned, Grammy – nominated producer/recording engineer Howard Bilerman. “Buckley has the catchy melodies of the ‘70’s era singer-songwriters, when writers like James Taylor and Cat Stevens ruled, and the succinct writing of the later Texas school, Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.” – Bob Mersereau
Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio

Download the performance here: Saturday Showcase: Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio

HEATHER PIERSON ACOUSTIC TRIO (NH) – From New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley, the Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio (with Davy Sturtevant on strings/brass and Shawn Nadeau on bass) brings to life the sounds of the streets of New Orleans and the valleys of Appalachia. The trio’s acclaimed recordings (2015’s Still She Will Fly and 2017’s Singin’) and live performances feature Heather’s multigenre songwriting, their instrumental virtuosity, and stirring three-part vocal harmonies.