There's just something about Kansas City is brought to you in part by the generosity of our friends at the Cocherl Family Foundation, the Bergman Family, and the Sherman Family Foundation.

Thank you.

Folks, welcome to another episode of There's Just Something About Kansas City.

And this guy sitting across from me is all about Kansas City.

And born and raised here.

That is, my good friend here, Madison Ward.

And you might know him a little bit differently.

Madison Ward.

Mama Bear was the original group, and now Madison's out on his own.

And number one, welcome, man.

This is just.

This is awesome.

Thank you for having me.

Yeah, I'm going to get to learn a lot more stuff about you.

I we heard about you through, to, Kate Feder.

She is our creative director for this podcast.

And they have their own my wife Sarah's kids have this Mac family band.

Her last name is McInerney.

They call it the Mac Family banners.

Five of them, and they can all sing, they all play something, and it's amazing.

But Kate has seen you several times.

Oh, wow.

Both on video or at certain events or concerts or whatever.

Was it, was it okay?

Did she like it?

Was it?

Well, I don't good reports or she didn't she didn't she to she said, give them one more chance, Well, If she would have panned you wouldn't be sitting where you are right now, okay?

I thought it was like a mercy invitation to like to see what it was.

The parachute?

Yeah.

She's like he was bad.

Yeah.

You need to help us.

Yeah, just.

Just help.

No, I don't think just.

That was it at all.

But you, You have a really interesting story.

I mean, about the music and about getting with Mama Bear and how you both were the same age when you started to do the music.

You know, you were 19.

She was 19 back in the day and, all those sort of things.

So your story is extremely interesting.

And you do music like folks, blues, gospel.

It's all about everyday life.

You're going to play a little for us, a little bit later.

And your voice is so unique to me.

I mean, when I've heard your stuff and just listening and watching, how did this all come about and how did this all start?

well, thank you for having me here.

I feel like a politician.

Well, first of all, that's a great question, and thank you for having me.

And I want to just talk more about that.

Okay?

No.

Right.

my mom, she started playing, like you said, like around 19 or so.

And, whenever she brought me up, she had been playing in coffee shops for a long time and and playing unique events here and there.

And people got to know her well through her music.

And I always grew up hearing how she impacted people through her playing.

And, and I always thought it was a beautiful thing, but it was never anything I wanted to do.

I think I had still like a creative itch to do something, and I thought I would maybe become like an actor, like my uncle.

He's like a this pretty cool actor who's been on, like, The Wire and shows like that.

And I thought I would follow in those footsteps.

And, as I got older, I just kept I would play the guitar a little bit here and there, and I started realizing if I wanted to go act, I would have to like move out to LA, New York.

But I could like, get better on the guitar at home and get better at singing easier.

Yeah.

And I think it maybe just suited my my way of thinking just a little bit more introverted maybe, I don't know, but so I kept doing that.

And, eventually I started writing these songs and my mom was like, Will you come out to some of these shows?

I'm going to be playing at a coffee shop.

I want you to share a couple, and I did.

I shared a couple, and she really believed in the bizarre sort of stuff I was writing.

She thought it was unique.

Sometimes a little off, but she was like, just come and do a couple.

So I would then after a while she said, do the whole night, let's just do the whole night.

I said, okay, so then we made it like the sort of, singing harmony on her stuff.

She's singing a little bit on mine.

Then after a while, so what do we do?

And I was like, we start, is this starting to become a band?

And, yeah.

When do we break up?

Yeah, I know right?

Yeah.

Should I like going.

Yeah.

Where's my Yoko Ono?

Yeah.

And I was trying to figure out it.

Then after a while I said, you know, let's, start doing original music because she loved doing covers.

So she would play Bob Dylan and Tracy Chapman and all these different artists, and I love that stuff, but I really a little bit off center stuff, too.

Not like a like country.

It was more folk.

It was more folk music.

Definitely.

Yeah.

She like, she love.

She grew up on like a lot of the Motown sort of stuff.

But she whenever, like Peter, Paul and Mary and stuff came along, she just it, she became a full on hippie or something.

She just, she, she didn't know what that was.

It like really changed her.

And she wanted to that's what she wanted to play.

And so, I was writing all these originals, and after a while, I said, let's just have a whole night of zero covers.

Let's just play all original music, see if people enjoy it.

And it was like, it's risky to just get rid of your staples, you know?

Yeah, and we did.

And then over time, people were requesting the originals and I just said, we need to be a band and let's call it Madison, one of the Mama Bear.

We made some demos and here and there and yeah, just kept on going.

We never stopped.

We said, let's not put the brakes on this and stop it.

They tell us to.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

If people say you need to get off stage, we'll get off stage.

Yeah.

Or your body, you know, or whoever you're wherever your venue is at that time, a guy comes, you go, you know enough of that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We go back like doing Peter, Paul, Mary, do another job and get up.

Yeah.

Go into an office, go find some.

Go find something.

This.

Is this your mom, Ruth Ward?

Yeah.

Mama bear and she moved from Indiana.

How was that transition to here?

And then when?

What is your earliest memory of being here in Kansas City?

How old were you when she made your transition from Indiana?

were you even here?

Yeah.

Well, she had, moved from Indiana to Oklahoma, where she met my dad.

Okay.

And that's where I was born.

So I was born in Oklahoma City, and I was there for, a whopping 11 months.

And so, so lots of memories.

Yeah.

Right.

And then we moved from there to, just outside of Chicago and Waukegan, and we lived there for about three years.

For some weird reason.

I remember all of that.

I don't know why I really do it.

Then, my dad got a job, working for a lighting company, and they moved.

They said you can.

I believe that's actually what brought him to Waukegan.

But then they said either there or Kansas City.

And then after a while, he was like, I'm going to go to KC.

I think it suited the family better.

Reason.

And even though we loved it out there and, so she had left from Indiana when she was 19 and went to like she lived in Albuquerque for a little while.

She bumped around and.

Yeah.

And, so she found my dad in Oklahoma and then.

Yeah, they.

Yeah, they all came out here.

And so it was, Yeah.

This is sort of all I've ever known was, you know, we actually lived in Independence.

Yeah, just outside of KC, but that's all I've ever known.

Basically.

When did you decide?

Let's go.

Cut now.

I mean, that's a it's a huge step from doing coffeehouses to now we're going to put on a label and we'll see where this goes.

Or how did that happen?

That was in I want to say, 2012.

I remember telling her, I, I really I so I started working at a lighting company.

I left from the, photo lab in your dad's line of business.

Yes.

His in, and he was the manager, and I told him, I said I got to get out of working night shifts.

It was like eating away at me, and, and plus, you want to free up your nights to go.

Exactly.

And also, you know, they give you a plaque at that other company.

After five years, I didn't want the plaque.

I was like, don't give me that.

There go the gold watch.

I was like, bro, here's your gold watch here.

See, I don't want to speak or hitting your ass on the way out.

It's like SNL giving you a five timers jacket award.

That's right.

I said, don't give me a plaque there.

God.

And, so I left, right underneath the five year mark.

And once I started working at the day shifts at this lighting company, all I'm eating breakfast again, and I'm seeing the sun.

And I was getting inspired to write even more.

And, if every day I'd leave from that job, go over to my mom's house and we would write or, or just play music every day, and, so whenever we did that around 2012, I was like, let's go ahead and make it EP.

We had a buddy, named Joel Nanos, who lives here in Kansas City, and, he had a studio called Element, Studios, Element Recording.

And we went over there with barely any money, and, we recorded five songs; All original.

All original, no covers, no covers, no right.

No covers.

How you doing, Peter?

Paul bare anymore.

Okay.

Let's go.

And we, we called it.

"We Burned the Cane Field" and, I remember there was like some times where I was like, oh, I don't know if I love that take.

And Joel's like, that's what you paid for.

It was like, oh yeah.

Right.

he gave us a deal too, because he was an old family friend.

And, but we made that.

We use that to try to get gigs and, and then, at one point... That was just to get gigs, right?

Send it out.

Somebody say, can you give me a demo?

Yeah.

And you're sending them out the demo.

Or, your live show.

You want to just, you know, hand them out?

Yeah, sure.

And it was a, like a nice little EP in, my mom was like, let's sell these.

And I was always kind of like, let's just give them away.

And, but we so we did a little bit of both.

And at one point I realized, live video was sort of the thing that was becoming king.

I think it was, again, 2012 ish live.

Get video of you doing what you do on tape of some sort.

And, so we went down to Saint Louis.

There's a friend of ours named Bill Streeter who was doing documentarian footage and, I rented a car because my car could not make it down there.

And so we got this a little rental.

My mom and I drove the few hours, got a little, stayed up at the Union Station Hotel, and we went in, with Bill Streeter, who had now worked with pokey Lafarge, who was on Jack White's Third Man Records at the time.

And I was sort of he and Bill was a friend.

I don't know why we had these friends in there.

Now.

Y'all.

Y'all come together?

Yeah.

Y'all come together.

Help each other.

Yeah.

He said if you ever make it up to Saint Louis, we'll do a video.

So we went up there, we did three songs, and those three songs are the thing that got us anywhere.

It was just the videos that that time people wanted to see videos of live music, more so even than now.

And and so we that's how we got any connections we ever got managers, any label, whatever.

Right.

It was through those three.

If we never did that drive, I don't know, maybe it would have been an iPhone recording.

I don't wanna I'd yeah I don't know.

Well now he probably would have morphed into these days with the cell phones the way they are.

Right.

You would have probably gotten there eventually, right.

Maybe you could have even done them yourself into getting in that early on the ground floor.

There was extremely important.

Well, I think that Bill was really keyed into something like he was again, he's a documentarian, but I think he was capturing live music really well in, through the not just through the video, but through the mics and the audio and, and so he, he had like a vision for it.

Once we went out there, he was like, I really think this is how it should be.

And still to this day, nothing I think video wise we've ever put out has got more streams than those.

Like it's it's just he I think he just captured something.

So just sing anything you want right now, and.

And maybe we'll go back to when you're 19.

Sort of.

Okay.

And then we'll go.

We'll go for just anything you want to just.

It was master plan.

Seeking gold in the California Rocky Devil Hill.

A shovel in my hand.

Now I'm older than I remember how I love him.

Thrills We're shipping wine from the shelf.

Why, We're toasting to our health.

I cannot tell you where I've been.

With.

Sipping wine from the shelf.

Where are we toasting to our health.

I cannot tell you where I've been.

Oh, I cannot tell you where I'll be.

Hey.

From Brooklyn to Japan was a toe tapping tap of winter.

Searching for that stone.

Now tell me, man to man, do you believe in the power of a home to call your own?

Was sitting blind on the porch.

While I'm looking for my torch How can I tell you what I've seen Were sitting blind on the porch.

While I'm looking for my touch?

How can I tell you what I've seen?

Oh, I cannot tell you what I seen It was a master plan seeking gold in the California Rocky Devil Hills.

A shovel in my hand.

Now I'm old enough.

Remember how I love them through.

Oh, how I love them.

Thrills.

Oh, how I love them.

Thrills.

Oh, how I love them.

Thrill.

Thrill.

Oh, thank you very much.

That is just awesome.

So it is so unique.

I think people now understand I picture sometimes like like you see those shows on TV, like the Voice of America got down.

Especially the voice where they're not watching you.

Oh yeah.

And you can see in their eyes when you hear somebody, they're looking for something different.

A lot of them are doing covers of this guy or that, right?

Right.

They're always all of a sudden they hear something that is not something to hear.

And they all just they all hit that button so fast.

Oh, you know what I mean?

They just do.

They just go, wow, I man, that would terrify me.

Oh that Singing those chairs are still, still there.

And nobody's you have no idea that they're about to hit the button.

Somebody start flailing.

Yeah.

And then they're like well I was yeah.

Now he's now he's who is this guy.

Right.

But the sound is so unique and just and it is incredibly soulful.

Just, you know.

Oh thank you.

Just so to just me, do you remember anything from when you were 19, before you, when you were playing not with your mama, but with just you were doing the interim?

The little interim part I wrote.

Let's see.

okay.

Bear with me, folks.

Oh, I think they'll hang around.

I did write, okay, so this isn't a full song, but that's okay.

But I remember when I was, I was, I think, just graduated.

I was writing, I was trying to write, like, some comedy, sort of.

Okay.

Yeah.

Because I was really into, like, flight of the Conchords, you know?

Okay.

Like, they were doing a lot of folk music, stand up, sort of funny stuff.

Yeah.

So I remember I had written like, Excuse me, miss, I don't mean to be rude, but you and me spells Chinese food.

People say I'm a goody two shoes, but all I really want is a little bit Moo shu pork on the tip of my fork If we get married and have some kids, we can put them on eBay and get some bids.

Pay for your ticket.

The movie theater if you don't buy the snacks.

And I'll see you later.

I like popcorn.

Because I will always love you if I can afford it.

I will always love you if I can afford it.

I will always love you if I can afford it.

Something like that.

Yeah, that's the whole.

That is.

Well that's awesome.

It went on for a while, but yeah, it was.

How many ridiculous lines could you stream?

Can you throw.

Which is great because that's, that's you're doing it.

And all of a sudden I haven't played that in years.

Just letting you know I'm playing.

But you brought it right back.

You know what?

You brought me back.

There you go.

See that?

Now go forward.

Maybe something right now that you really like, that you're about to release or have just released on.

Okay, so this as a solo, this is not something I'm about to release, but and I just want them to have the difference, not something you release, but something that I have.

that I do sort of like I've just keep messing around with lately.

Okay, well, mess around your mind.

Mess around.

Okay.

Have a good time.

See?

Over the 50 states.

A to do with New York plates.

Hey, we made a way.

This home don't look the same, but maybe it's us.

who changed day.

Why do we stay?

We got home at 10:02, empty handed.

What can you do?

You cry to Lola.

The rent was du Do I pay you back in a month or two?

I ain't got nothing in my shoe.

Oh, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa oh.

Up here yeah yeah.

Over dusty the dusty mile I hit you with the trusty smiley.

Hey, we head faith A shiver wrote down a spine.

The hit you said the town cause my name.

What could we say?

We walked home a 5:45.

We ain't got power.

She cut it to bits.

We cried to Lola.

The wheels are gone.

Apologize and feel so raw I ain't got nothing but my song Oh whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa oh world.

Yeah yeah yeah.

Oh oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah oh oh.

Hey hey hey yeah yeah yeah.

Whoo whoo!

Stay.

Over you.

Whistling when thunder and swift lightning.

They.

We made a way.

We found a way A new place to stay.

(whistling) (whistling) So talk to me a little bit about Kansas City and how it's influenced you.

And, you know, just, about your hometown.

Well, this area, you know, I remember whenever I was about 19, I wanted, I thought I was going to move to Nashville.

Everybody, a lot of musicians were doing that at the time in Nashville as sort of having, like, it's like almost resurgence, like another wave.

And, I did think about that for a while.

And I remember thinking, you know, I it there was something that felt, everyone was sort of chasing the same thing out there, and I thought I could maybe stand out a little more here.

And also, focus on what I wanted to without quite as much distraction or, and I will say something that I do think I love about Kansas City is that it's got its own flavor, its own culture, but it's not so steeped in it where it feels that you have to, conform to anything.

It really does feel like people are doing whatever they want their own thing.

And I think the city does encourage it encourages the sort of the diversity of, of like, dreams and whatever you're running for, running after entrepreneurial, dreams and all that sort of stuff.

And that's something I've always loved about here.

Now that I've been able to travel in, get out and go overseas and all that stuff, it's always been a beautiful place to come back to.

I've always loved the people here.

there is.

I don't know if it's fully just all Midwestern or white, but there is a certain, there's just something about Kansas City, you know, there is a there is a certain, I don't know, charm or something or the that I do feel people are, like an honesty almost in a way.

You know, you go to Nashville sometimes it's like about adding to Nashville.

You go to the coast, it's about adding to whatever the culture is there.

I do feel here it's about you could add just to yourself and be yourself.

Just be yourself.

Yeah.

There's no right or wrong formula.

Here it is.

Your formula.

Yeah.

Is the correct.

Exactly.

You go to Nashville.

Well, you got to sound more like Tracy Chapman.

Yeah.

Luke Combs you got sound like Taylor Swift.

Yeah.

Somebody those three.

Yeah.

Right.

Only those three.

You know.

So you figure it out okay.

Well but I don't you know that's not me.

Yeah.

You know and I feel that like staying here I think helped me a lot.

I think it kept me from of just following, a certain path, in.

I don't like following, there was no formula.

And and I think no formula is good if you're trying to be a little.

I guess if you're trying to lean into anything unique.

Yeah.

You bet.

Yeah.

You bet.

That's why we love the city.

Yeah, that's why we love having you in it.

And we're glad you stayed, man.

Thanks so much for your time today.

It's just been terrific.

And so do the best.

Do we talk?

We talk about, you know, this is what this next hour.

No.

Let's do next hour.

no, no, no, we're not going to do that.

Okay?

I'm I'm not.

You're never going to hear about me.

Are you kidding me?

I wouldn't be on here very long had you moved here in 81, right?

Right.

In 1981?

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

Do you remember the.

I know you're about to sign off, but no.

You're okay going over that scene?

There is no formula.

There's no formula.

Okay.

No, no.

Do you remember that scene in Gone Baby Gone?

I don't know if you saw that.

I saw "Gone Baby Gone" See Affleck and.

Yes, Ed Harris.

Yeah.

And, Casey Affleck said, when you move here, it's like, oh, back in this time.

He said, oh, really?

See, you're not from here.

And he said, well, it depends on how you look at it.

He said, you may think you're more from here because you were born here, but I've been living here longer than you've been alive.

He goes, so you do the math.

Yeah, exactly.

Right.

So I think I've been here longer than you've been alive.

So, you know, so that's how I lose the house.

But, yeah, I wouldn't move.

So because there is just something.

So you might be more from here than me, I might be, yeah.

He quit traveling so much.

Yeah, but actually that wouldn't be a that would not be a good thing.

So onward and upward for you with the solo career here mama bear our best, most definitely.

Yeah.

Ruth was just a wonderful woman.

And has really in your family really helped you get to this position.

So that is totally wonderful.

Yeah.

Family, friends, people like yourself.

And thank you for having me.

You bet.

It's been great talking to you.

God bless you, man.

I remember just something about Kansas City and Madison Ward.

There's just something about Kansas City is a registered 501 C3 nonprofit organization with the mission of documenting the stories that have built our city to inspire and educate generations to come.

Our work is made possible by the generous support of local partners such as the Cocherl Family Foundation, the Bergman Family, and the Sherman Family Foundation.

For more information about how you can help us share these stories, visit our website "somethingaboutkansascity.org" Thank you.