Guitarist Richard Williams and the original members of Kansas had a chance to look back and consider the seemingly unlikely sequence of events that led them out of Topeka, Kansas in the new documentary Miracles Out Of Nowhere that was released earlier this year. In the film, some heavy hitters testify to the power of the music of Kansas, including Garth Brooks, Queen guitarist Brian May and album producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC). The band had a much different lineup back then than it has today. Today, Williams and drummer Phil Ehart carry forward with Kansas, surrounded by longtime bassist/vocalist Billy Greer, David Ragsdale on violin and additional guitars, keyboardist David Manlon and vocalist Ronnie Platt, who replaced original Kansas frontman Steve Walsh last year. Platt’s addition is something that has really brought an exciting new energy to Kansas, As a result of the change, Williams says that the band has a lot of things on deck including plans to begin recording a new album next January. (Matt Wardlaw)