Conversations and musical interludes with artists, industry professionals and supporters of the Americana/Global Roots Music scene. This podcast is curated by Diana Linn, Member of Folk Alliance International and the Americana Music Association, Host of the Tasty Brew Music Radio Show and Siren Song on 90.1 FM KKFI, and Co-Founder of the Heartland Song Network, Inc., a Kansas nonprofit dedicated to empowering the art of songwriting through education, collaboration and mentorship.
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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 be…
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’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 Brew…
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…
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, shaped…
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…
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…
