Tasty Brew Music

For more than twenty years, BJ Barham—Bradley Justin, as I finally got him to reveal—has been making a living doing what he jokingly calls “making a racket.” As the songwriter and driving force behind American Aquarium , he’s logged thousands of shows, built a fiercely loyal audience, and turned the miles, mistakes, memories and hard-earned lessons of a life on the road into songs. Their new album...

Sometimes the best conversations are worth waiting for — even if the wait happens to be over a decade. Kansas City songwriter and guitarist Jeff Porter has long been on my wish list for a live appearance on The Tasty Brew. I finally wore him down, and he joined me in the studio, guitar in hand, for music and conversation. Jeff is perhaps best known as a member of Kansas City's legendary The Ra...

Willi Carlisle calls himself a “big tent folk singer,” and spend a little time with his music and you begin to understand just how big that tent really is. He’s a songwriter, poet, folklorist, storyteller and road-worn troubadour whose songs make room for outsiders, working people, oddballs, heartbreak, humor—and the complicated business of being human. Willi joined me by phone ahead of his return...

Warsaw, Missouri songwriter Cody Dunning crafts lyrics and melodies that are honest and relatable. Cody reached out to me via email forwarding his latest work; upon a quick listen I knew it was a good fit for The Tasty Brew.   The ability to support songwriting in the Heartland by having songwriters come in and play live on the radio is one of my favorite things about being a broadcaster.   I espe...

Jacob Joseph Berger is a musician, songwriter, and attorney currently based in Grandview, Missouri.  He came to my attention as the opener for my touring songwriting friend,  Jeremy Facknitz,  at a 2026 Waldo Folk Show.  I remembered thinking during his first song where has this guy been and why have I never heard him before? The second thing I thought was I needed to get him on the Tasty Brew Mus...

Sometimes live radio requires a little improvisation—and this conversation with Kimmi Bitter certainly did. Just minutes before we went on the air at KKFI , the station internet went down. So, armed with a cell phone held up to the studiomicrophone and a little trial and error, we carried on. The audio is a bit rough at the beginning, but hang with us—it gets better quickly. Kimmi was in Kansas Ci...

Welcome to another episode of the Tasty Brew MusicPodcast. This time around, we're featuring a very special returnvisit from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Blaine Younger . More than a decade ago, before taking the leap from his western Kansas roots to pursue music full-time in Nashville, Blaine stopped by the KKFI studios for an early morningvisit when The Tasty Brew aired from 6-8 am on T...

Sometimes the most courageous journey an artist can takeisn't to a new city—it's becoming more fully themselves. Today's guest, River Shook , is living that journey through both music and life. Hello, friends, and welcome to another episode of the TastyBrew Music Podcast , where we share conversations with some of today's most compelling voices in Americana, folk, roots, and indepe...

Sometimes an artist's music tells you everything you needto know... and sometimes life writes a chapter no songwriter ever expected." Welcome to another episode of the Tasty Brew MusicPodcast . I'm Diana Linn. When Texas singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker burst ontothe Americana and country music scene, it felt like we were watching the beginning of a long and extraordinary career. T...

I have to pinch myself sometimes on the blessings I havetalking to some of the most talented and influential artists in roots music, especially when it’s in support of a live performance in the Heartland. Young Bluegrass master  Mason Via recently took the time to have a conversation with me after he’d been up all night jamming after a Owensboro Kentucky bluegrass festival.  Phone interviews can b...

Two immediate updates are required for this next episode of the Tasty Brew Music Podcast.  Within 48 hours of me speaking to Kaston Guffey of the indie folk duo My Politic on the radio over the 2026 Fourth of July weekend, there was a last minute scheduling change at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma.   I was in fact able to finally able to see My Politic perform in person in the...

Fund Drive shows on community radio used to give me so much anxiety but over the years, and with well over 50 of them under my belt, I now approach them like any other broadcast. Have fun, entertain and put the spotlight on those artists who are underserved or ignored by main stream media.  In the summer of 2026, I welcomed Nashville songwriters Lauren Wanamaker (making her radio debut) and Lucy I...

I’ve been a Nicki White supporter for over 10 years inwhatever iteration she chooses… pop, blues, R & B, country, roots… she bends multiple genres seamlessly, works hard in multiple projects like “ Flat Susan ” and “ The Village Prairie ” in addition to solo songwriter gigs.  Over the years, she has been most generous with her time and talent in support of KKFI including with me on the Tasty B...

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 st...

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...

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...

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, shap...

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 d...

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 ope...

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 projec...

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...

Lauren Karr is a Kansas City–based singer, songwriter who blends raw emotion with thoughtful lyricism. Her music weaves together stories of resilience, healing, and truth—reflecting both her personal journey and a deep desire to connect with others. Through her LCK Studios, Lauren is building a body of work rooted in authenticity, independence, and heart.   Lauren recently reached out to me to hel...

I love hosting Siren Song once a month on a Saturday onKKFI.  The focus, regardless of genre, is on female voices and songwriting telling the stories of women’s lives.  Kansas City based songwriter Jillian Riscoe reached out to me via email about her Ancient History EP project. We scheduleda date on Siren Song for a live performance.  The Midwest winter weather turned ugly on the appointed day so...

It has been years 7 years since I’ve been to Nashville andway too long since I’ve seen my friend and Illinois native Lauren Anderson who moved to Music City from Kansas City nearly nine years ago.  She returned to Kansas City recently toparticipate in a monthly Lyrical Belles residency in the Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads. The stars aligned for me to have her join me on the radio for a gabfest and...

I live a rather enchanted life these days and for that I ammost grateful.  I am more open to new musical and artistic experiences as I’ve gotten older due in no small part tomy acquaintance with and participation in programming provided by Beau Bledsoe, Artistic Director of Ensemble Iberica.  I have travelled on two life changing patron trips to Portugal and Ireland. Ensemble Iberica’s mission is...