Monday, May 31, 2004

LIVE! HATCHET WIELDING JEWS!


Dr. Turner, formerly of The Angry Samoans, and myself will be doing a little entertaining next weekend.

First there's the Friday night (7 p.m.) at the Aztec. This will be the first time the two of us have played there since a pre-Christmas gig three or four years ago.

Then the next night about 6 p.m. we'll play at the grand opening of Twisters Vintage, 1810 Second Street (right by the Second Street Brewery.)

The Hatchet Wielding Jews are only half Jewish, and I'm not that half. But as you can see in the poster, I do wield a mean hatchet.

Unfortunately our busy schedules prevented us from rehearsing adequately, so we'll basically be doing our cheesy solo acts that you know and love -- and haven't seen much of lately.

Hope to see you there.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAY LIST

Sunday, May 30, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Undercover of the Night by The Rolling Stones
The Blue Mask by Lou Reed
Black Sheets of Rain by Bob Mould
Stride of the Mind by Patti Smith
Falling by Mission of Burma
Just a Gigolo by Bing Crosby

Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance by Prince
I'm So Proud by The Isley Brothers
Ain't That a Bitch by Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul
Will It Go Round in Circles by Billy Preston
Bitch/Dumb Ass by Gary "U.S." Bonds with Phoebe Snow and Dickie Betts

Los Lobos Set
(All Songs by Los Lobos unless otherwise noted)

Hurry Tomorrow
Good Morning Aztlan
I Got Loaded
Kitare (Los Lobos with Tom Waits and Martha Gonzalez)
Fiesta Erotica by Latin Playboys
Lonely Dying Love by Houndog
Rita

Wreck of the Carlos Rey (Los Lobos with Richard Thomopson)
Down Where the Drunkards Roll
Manny's Bones
Angelito by Cesar Rosas
El Canoero by Los Super 7
A Matter of Time
Rio De Tenampa
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Sunday, May 30, 2004

Saturday, May 29, 2004

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAY LIST

The Santa Fe Opry
Friday, May 28, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Smoky Shadows by Cornell Hurd
Three Wishes by Jim Stringer
Fake Love With Me by Audrey Auld
You've Never Seen me Cry by The Flatlanders
Half a Boy, Half a Man by Queen Ida
Paper In My Shoe by Michelle Shocked
Fancy Dancer by J.J. Cale
This Old House by Loretta Lynn
Merchants Lunch by The Austin Lounge Lizards

Choctaw Bingo by James McMurtry
Borrowed Bride by The Old 97s
Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight by Whiskeytown with Alejandro Escovedo

I Love You Baby (And I Hate Myself) by Uncle Dave & The Waco Brothers
Tramp on Your Street by Billy Joe Shaver
Say a Little Prayer by Mary & Mars

Don't Gossip In the Sauna by Emily Kaitz
Anything for a Laugh by Graham Parker
She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye by Cowboy Johnson
Disappearing Angel by Tav Falco
Presently in the Past by Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
Wishin' by Jon Rauhouse
If You Love Me You'll Sleep on the Wet Spot by Asylum Street Spankers
In the Shell by Angel Dean & Sue Garner
Baghdad by Ed Pettersen

I Saw the Buildings by James Talley
The Assassin by Patterson Hood
Sweet Saviour's Arms by Grey DeLisle
Are You Still My Girl by Joe West
Marie by Randy Newman
Sign of Judgment by Dave Alvin
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

Friday, May 28, 2004

In Focus: Tonight (and Sunday Morning)

I just got back from taping a segment on In Focus KNME-TV (Channel 5)talking about next Tuesday's primary and other political topics with anchor Kate Nelson of The Albuquerque Tribune and Joe Monahan, famous for his New Mexico politics blog.

Our segment follows a discussion featuring state Democratic Chairman John Wertheim and his Republican counterpart Allen Weh.

The show airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 5 (short notice, I know .. ) and again 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

APRIL WINCHELL!

Chuck the Duck just turned me on to this site. And now I'm in love with April Winchell. She's a DJ on KABC in Los Angeles, was the voice of Baby Herman's mom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but most importantly, has a collection of truly weird music. You'll find outsider music, Golden Throat celeb songs ("Hot Dog Heart" by Jim Nabors, "Yellow Submarine" by Milton Berle), commercial jingles, foreign cover songs (ABBA in Hindi!), chicken songs, "Terrifying Christian Recordings," KFC training recordings, and much more.

You'll also find links to April's blog and archives of her radio shows. Have fun.


TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: TOO MANY DRIVERS ON THIS RIDE

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 28, 2004
Hate to say it, but with their new album The Ride it looks like Los Lobos have come down with Chieftains Syndrome.

This is a condition that happens to musicians who pack so many guest stars onto an album that it’s hard to tell who the “host star” is.

Can’t say I blame the band. If I was doing an album and my friends included Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Mavis Staples etc., I’d be tempted to call on them for help too.

And so Los Lobos plays Latin sounds with Ruben Blades and Mexico’s Café Tacuba, gospel soul with Staples, British folk rock (!) with Thompson, weirdness with Waits, and Chicano funk with Little Willie G of the classic 1960s East L.A. band -- and Los Lobos inspiration -- Thee Moonlighters.

And what’s even stranger, The Ride has so many new versions of old Lobos tunes, with all these different singers at some points it seems like a tribute album.

Unlike aging comedians, aging rockers don’t have Friar’s Roasts. Instead, they make albums like these.

Los Lobos deserves a tribute album as much as anyone, but being that it’s been a couple of years since their last album, Good Morning Aztlan, I wanted to hear more new songs.

This is somewhat disappointing because when I saw Los Lobos in Austin a couple of months ago, the band sounded stronger than ever. I was hoping for an album that would twist my head.

On the bright side, there’s much worthwhile music here.

There’s a few songs without guest singers, showing that the band is in great form on its own. “Rita,” with its sweet steel guitar by Greg Leisz.

Both “Charmed” and “Hurry Tomorrow” (the latter co-written by Lobo Cesar Rosas and Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter) are both tough, boiling blues tunes with lots of sax and guitar.

“Chains of Love” is closer to ‘60s Memphis soul, slow and bluesy. Garth Hudson of The Band is playing organ and there’s a crazy Hidalgo fiddle solo.

“Somewhere in Time,” a duet between David Hidalgo and Dave Alvin, featuring a Drifters/"Spanish Harlem” beat and Leisz’s hypnotic steel, almost sounds like a latter-day Righteous Brothers tune with baritone Alvin as Bill Medley and Hidalgo as Bobby Hatfield.

The Waits track, “Kitate” sounds like something off one of the Latin Playboys’ CDs. Like the music of that Lobos side project, this tune sounds like a surreal field recording from some Mexican or Central American street festival, with lots of percussion, horns and carnival organ. Waits scats and shams and growls in languages nobody speaks in a near call and response with Martha Gonzalez of the band Quetzal.

And the new version of “Wicked Rain” is sung by ’70s soul man Bobby Womack, as a part of a medley with Womack’s Blaxploitation movie title song, “Across 110th Street.”

On its own there probably wouldn’t have been a good reason to re-record “Wicked Rain,” a good, if not great, Rosas blues grinder. But coupled with Womack’s song, the whole track cooks.

“The Wreck of the Carlos Rey,” featuring Hidalgo trading verses with Thompson, is a rocking tune. But with its folk rock riffs and Thompson’s guitar, it sounds like something right off a Thompson album -- even though it's written by Hidalgo and Louie Perez.

The one truly misguided song here is Elvis Costello’s version of “Matter of Time,” the first song to ever indicate Los Lobos was more than just a high-energy goodtime band, but was in fact a great band.

The song is a conversion between a Mexican man and his wife right before the man leaves her to go to the U.S. to seek a decent future. It’s the story of this country and all its immigrants. “I’ll send for you, baby in just a matter of time.”

It’s a moment full of tenderness and uncertainty. But in the original 1984 version on How Will the Wolf Survive, the rhythm is upbeat and Steve Berlin‘s sax, is jaunty, giving a sense of optimism even when the singer wonders if he’s just pursuing an empty dream.

Costello’s version is slow and maudlin. Pretty, yes. But it sounds like a sad dirge. The promise of a new life, which propelled the original version, is completely missing here.

Despite this misstep, The Ride is, song for song, a pretty decent cruise. I just hope Los Lobos comes back soon full throttle with a new batch of songs and a downsized guest list.

*Terrell’s Sound World this week will feature a lengthy Los Lobos segment, including lots of cuts from The Ride, as well as old Lobos tunes, Latin Playboys, Los Super 7, Houndog, etc. TSW starts at 10 p.m., Sunday, while the Lobos songs start shortly after 11 p.m. On KSFR, Santa Fe Public Radio, 90.7 FM, of course.

And don’t forget The Santa Fe Opry, country music as the good Lord intended it to sound, starting at 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR.

Thursday, May 27, 2004

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: THE ACI SCORECARD

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican

The state’s premier business lobby gave Santa Fe-area legislators grades ranging from B minus to D in its 14th annual report card.

Actually the Association for Commerce and Industry doesn’t assign letter grades in its Focus Report. But they rate all the representatives, giving them a percentage determined by how closely legislators come to the official ACI position on several bills.

It’s doubtful that anyone from our delegation will be crying over the fact that nobody from Santa Fe got an “A” rating (90 percent or more). All our representatives are Democrats, and even though ACI is nonpartisan, Republicans traditionally rank much higher in Focus Reports.

All seven House members and all eight senators who scored 100 are Republicans.

Only three Democrats in the entire Legislature scored 90 percent or higher — Rep. Don Whitaker of Eunice and Sens. Shannon Robinson of Albuquerque and John Arthur Smith of Deming.

But even with a percentage that amounts to a low “B,” Sen. Roman Maes’ high rating helped secure a hefty contribution from ACI’s political-action committee, JobsPac for his re-election campaign. The $7,000 from the PAC represented Maes’ largest single donation, at least in the first round of campaign finance reports. (The second reports are due today.)

Here’s how the Santa Fe area’s lawmakers fared in the last two regular sessions, according to the latest ACI scorecard:

Senate:

Roman Maes: 81 percent
Phil Griego: 79 percent
Nancy Rodriguez: 77 percent.

House:

Max Coll (retired): 76 percent
Luciano “Lucky” Varela: 69 percent
Jim Trujillo: 69 percent
Ben Luján: 64 percent.

Poll watching: The Zogby organization recently conducted “interactive” (e-mail) polls of voters in 16 “battleground” states including New Mexico. In this state, Democrat John Kerry led Republican George W. Bush 48.4 percent to 43.3 percent. Ralph Nader drew 2.9 percent, while 5.4 percent were undecided.

Kerry’s lead, however, is still within the poll’s margin of error.

The poll, conducted May 18 to Sunday, included the responses of 454 “likely voters” in New Mexico.

Overall, Kerry was leading in 12 of the 16 states polled for a total of 148 electoral votes. Bush won five of these states in 2000.

Bush was leading in four states with a total of 29 electoral votes. One of those states, Iowa, was won by Al Gore in 2000.

However, like New Mexico, most of the results in other states are within the poll’s margin of error.

Zogby will be doing these polls twice a month, according to The Wall Street Journal, whose Web site is hosting the results.

Green news: The state Green Party sent out a press release Wednesday urging reporters to cover the exciting June 1 presidential primary.

And, as far as the White House goes, it’ll be the only game in town. The Democrats opted out of a June primary, instead holding a party-run caucus in February. While there’s officially a Republican primary, President Bush is unopposed.

But five Greens are running on their primary ballot, including New Mexico’s Carol Miller, who, in addition to running as a “favorite daughter” candidate for president, also is listed as the state coordinator for Ralph Nader’s campaign.

“This election will determine how 10 New Mexico delegates will vote at the U.S. Green Party Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on June 26,” state Green co-chairman Joe Lacayo said in the statement.

Of course, if the Greens really wanted press coverage, they wouldn’t be holding their convention in Milwaukee.

Besides Miller, the other Green candidates on this state’s primary ballot are California lawyer David Cobb; Paul Glover, who works for a health fund in Ithica, N.Y.; Kent Mesplay, a biomedical engineer from San Diego; and Loma Salzman, an environmental activist from Brooklyn, N.Y.

For statements by all the Green candidates, CLICK HERE.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Almost a month ago I posted here about an e-mailed letter to the editor of The New Mexican in which reader Andrew Duran apparently was upset with a story I wrote about a local Republican Party function.

"terrell should go back where he came from.where racism is still rapant and the gop are still lynching people of color." is just one of the suggestions he shared in his thoughtful critique.

The e-mail address on the original letter at first looked like a phony because when I tried to respond to this gentleman my e-mail was returned. But I guess the crack editorial staff of The New Mexican was able to verify the author. A heavily edited version of the letter was published in today's paper under the headline Terrell the Terrible.

If you missed the original post and want to see the full unedited letter and my response, it's right at the top of my April Archives.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

WEDDING DRESS

My friend Margot turned me on to this one. Funniest thing I've seen on E-bay in awhile.

CLICK HERE

Monday, May 24, 2004

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAY LIST

Sunday, May 23,2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I Had Too Much To Dream by The Electric Prunes
Letter to Memphis by The Pixies
Gandhi by Patti Smith
My GF by Chopper Sick Balls
Compared to What by Les McCann & Eddie Harris

Take Me Out to the Ballgame by Bruce Springstone
I Lost My Mind by The Angry Samoans
Rusty Cage by Soundgarden
McDonna by The Three Johns
Helldorado by Davie Allan & The Arrows
Rip Off by Johnny Dowd
Liar Liar by The Castaways
Green Door by The Cramps
The Prize by Cellophane Typewriters
A Little Red Fez by Kalesijski Zvuci

Be For Real by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
Dirty by Earth, Wind and Fire
Expansions by Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echos
I'll Be Alright by Terrance Trent D'Arby
Need a Little Taste of Love by The Isley Brothers

Chains of Love by Los Lobos
Little Head by John Hiatt
Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long by Brian Wilson
Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me) by The Four Seasons
Classic Hollywood Ending by Stan Ridgway
I Want You to Hurt Like I Do by Randy Newman
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, May 22, 2004

NICK OF AGES

Writer Nick Hornby, who is most famous for writing the book that was made into the movie High Fidelty just published a wonderful, must-read essay on the state of rock 'n' roll. He even talks about the need of us older folk (he's 47. I'm 50) for the "exhilaration and a sense of invincibility" that good rock 'n' roll brings us -- and why so much contemporary popular music is failing.

Plus he frames the whole piece with a discussion of a recent performance of Marah, which was one of my favorite acts I saw at South by Southwest this year. (Check back in this blog's March Archives.)

Hornby's piece is in the New York Times, so if you're not registered for their online edition, you'll have to register. (Do it.)

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAY LIST

The Santa Fe Opry
Friday, May 21, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Host: Steve Terrell
With Co-host Dana Brownrigg

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Get Up and Go by David Bromberg
Whip the Blankets by Neko Case
Tarmac by Hazeldine
Steve's Last Ramble by Steve Earle
Garbage Head by Eric Ambel
Amazons and Coyotes by Simon Stokes
Red Dress by James McMurty

Calamity Jane by Grant Lee Phillips
Amie by Pure Prairie League
Clementine by Parlour James
Pretty Polly by Mary & Mars
My Maria by B.W. Stevenson
O, Dana by Big Star
Susan's Song by Tom House
Laura by Rolf Cahn
The Ballad of Cat Ballou by Nat King Cole & Stubby Kaye

Loretta Lynn Set
All Songs by Loretta Lynn except where noted

Van Lear Rose
You Ain't Woman Enough
Portland, Oregon Loretta with Jack White
As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone by Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
Mississippi Woman, Louisiana Man by Kate Campbell with Kevin Gordon
Have Mercy
Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be by Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn
Rated X by The White Stripes
The Story of My Life

Tell Me True by Grey De Lisle with Murry Hammond
Sweet Dreams by Patsy Cline
Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blues by Crystal Gayle
Break It To Me Gently by Brenda Lee
Sugaree by Graham Parker
Somewhere in Time by Los Lobos with Dave Alvin
I Wish I Was The Moon by Neko Case
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

Donuts Make My Brown Eyes Blue

My friend Dana has a friend Robin who always thought Crystal Gayle's biggest hit was called the above.

Don't feel stupid, Robin. Dana herself always thought "The Age of Aquarius" was "The Angel Aquarium."

Another friend of mine always thought the line in Michael Murphey's "Wildfire" was "And the pony she called Wildfire busted down and stalled."

What are your favorite mistaken titles and lyrics? Please use the comment function below to share.

" 'scuse me while I kiss this guy ... "

Friday, May 21, 2004

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: SWOONING FOR LORETTA!

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 21, 2004

I can see why some country purists might get upset about Van Lear Rose, the new album by Loretta Lynn. Produced by Jack White White of The White Stripes, many of the songs here rock seriously. Some of the tracks have about 10 times the drum sound as any previous Loretta effort. And White’s slide guitar sure can scream.

So if you’re a purist who doesn’t like to see those lines crossed, by all means stick with Loretta’s ‘60s-’70s classics. (In fact, if you’re a newcomer who came to Loretta through The White Stripes, immerse yourself in some classic Loretta as quickly as possible. You won’t be sorry.)

But as a long-time Loretta fan, I give my heartiest squeal of approval for Van Lear Rose. The lady sounds inspired here. And if, at the age of 68 or 70 or whatever she is, she wants to rock out with a bunch of young punks, more power to her.

After all, she made her name in the early days by challenging Nashville orthodoxy. She was the first female country singer who actually wrote most of her own songs. In an era when the C&W industry was looking for mainstream respectability she unabashedly kept things real with her songs about domestic discord, drinking and real-life heartache.

Not to mention the fact that her songs like “Pregnant Again” and -- especially -- “The Pill” were always getting banned on country radio back then for their “controversial” subject matter.

Besides, in the liner notes, Loretta compares Jack White to her old producer, Nashville icon Owen Bradley.

Trust her. She’s Loretta Lynn.

The singer wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album. And there’s some fine ones.

“Family Tree,” featuring some sad fiddle by hotshot stringman Dirk Powell, is a confrontation with “the other woman,” a tried and true Loretta theme we’ve heard before in songs like “Fist City” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man.” My favorite line in the new song: “No I didn’t come to fight/ If he was a better man I might/But I wouldn’t dirty my hands/ On trash like you …”

Likewise on “Mrs. Leroy Brown” she indulges in a revenge fantasy against bad, bad Leroy and the “big old blonde who thinks she’s a movie star” threatening to “grab her by her pony tail and sling her around and around.”

A variation on that theme is found on “Women’s Prison,” in which the narrator gets the death penalty for plugging an errant husband.

The most moving song on the album is “Miss Being Mrs.,” in which Loretta, who lost her husband of 48 years in 1996, sings frankly about the loneliness of widowhood.

The most surreal track here is “Little Red Shoes,” a spoken -word piece in which Loretta tells the story of her mother shoplifting her first pair of shoes for her over a dreamy instrumental track. Has anyone coined the genre name “Honky tonk/trip hop” yet?


The last song, “The Story of My Life,” is just that, a humorous overview of her well-known biography (slyly working in some of titles of her hits). The verse about the Coal Miner’s Daughter movie ends with , “What I wanna know is what happened to the cash.” But it’s hardly a bitter tune. “I have to say that I’ve been blessed/ Not bad for this ol’ Kentucky girl I guess.”

Not bad, indeed, Loretta.

Also recommended:

The Graceful Ghost by Grey DeLisle.
This has to be one of the prettiest country albums -- actually one of the prettiest CDs of any genre -- I’ve heard in a long time.

DeLisle’s voice invites comparisons to Dolly Parton’s, both in timbre and emotional punch. And like Dolly, DeLisle is a smart songwriter and fascinating storyteller. She wrote all the tunes here except for her cover of an obscure Kitty Wells song, "This White Circle on My Finger."

The music here, provided by a small acoustic group including her husband Murry Hammond (the bass player for The Old 97s, who plays guitar and sings on this album) wisely keeps the emphasis on the singer’s voice.

There’s a Civil War feel to much of the album. Some songs sound like antebellum parlor songs. "Tell Me True," a simple love song done as a duet with her husband includes a spoken part -- done on antiquated recording equipment -- in which DeLisle reads from a Civil War love letter.

DeLisle has said in interviews that The Graceful Ghost represents her long distance courtship with Hammond. That’s sweet, but I hope it’s not literally true. There are some beautiful love songs here, but there’s plenty of tunes that, following the folk-ballad tradition, are downright tragic.

Such is the case of "Poor Katy Allen," which is about a woman lost in a shipwreck and “Black Haired Boy” -- another heart-tugging Hammond duet and another shipwreck song.

But most tragic of all is "The Maple Tree," a war ballad (I think this one’s World War II) in which a case of mistaken identity leads to horrible consequences.

If she keeps putting out records like this, I hope Grey is around as long as Loretta.

Hey Loretta! Tune in The Santa Fe Opry Friday night on KSFR, 90.7 FM, for a musical salute to the Coal Miner’s Daughter -- Loretta old and new, Loretta with Conway, Loretta with Ernest Tubb, Loretta covers and more. Show starts at 10 p.m. (and I’ll play some Grey DeLisle in there somewhere) while the Loretta segment starts right after 11 p.m.

Thursday, May 20, 2004

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: DROPPING OUT BEFORE HE'S IN?

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican

The line of people running for the state Senate seat in Santa Fe’s District 25 — held for nearly 20 years by Democrat Roman Maes — might be getting shorter.

Robb Hirsch, who has been gathering petition signatures and raising money to get on the ballot as an independent candidate, said Wednesday he’ll drop out — on one condition:

If Democrats vote down Maes in favor of challenger John Grubesic.

“I am not seeking office for personal glory and so I don’t care which of us dedicated reformers running in this race wins as long as one of us does!,” Hirsch wrote in an e-mail to people who have signed his petitions.

“As an Independent I’m not in the primary June 1st, so I strongly encourage the many hundreds of you Democrats who signed my petition to get out and vote for John Grubesic in the primary. He is genuinely committed to change for a brighter future, as shown by his strong stance on environmental protection and water conservation which won him endorsement by the Sierra Club.”

Other candidates in the District 25 Democratic primary are Letitia Montoya and Geraldine Salazar. There are two Green candidates, Rick Lass and Joseph Niesley, who also are facing off in the June 1 primary. Waiting in the wings is Republican Bob Mallin, who is unopposed in his primary.

But it’s too early to write Hirsch’s political obituary.

In his e-mail, he wrote, “... if the incumbent with all his tens of thousands of dollars of special interest money wins the primary, I assure you not only will I be in the race but I will be running strong as a clear alternative to business as usual.”
Maes has reported raising nearly $60,000 for his campaign. That’s more than all his challengers put together.

Hirsch, an education consultant who also is involved in a wind-energy business, says he has obtained 1,250 petition signatures, which is almost three times the number he would need to get on the November ballot.

Building a platform: The John Kerry campaign announced Wednesday that the people writing the Democratic Party’s 2004 platform soon will be holding hearings in several cities, including Santa Fe.

On June 18, national Democrats will meet in Santa Fe. “Healthcare providers, seniors, environmentalists, civil rights workers, and others will testify about how to protect our citizens and the environment,” the a written statement from the campaign said.

The next day the Platform Drafting Committee will meet here to start writing the actual document, which, if past history is any indication, will produce a few skirmishes at the national convention only to be completely forgotten shortly thereafter.

The 411 on a 527: One of the biggest anti-Bush “527” groups in the country has come to New Mexico. America Coming Together, not to be confused with Gov. Bill Richardson’s Moving America Forward (where do they come up with these names?), has set up shop in Albuquerque with a staff of nine (so far) and a budget of $3 million.

Unless you’re a complete political junky, you might not know that 527s — named after the section of the U.S. tax code the groups fall under — are advocacy groups not formally associated with political parties.

527s have risen in prominence since the new federal campaign-reform law went into effect.

Democrats have been the main beneficiaries of the 527s.

Republicans tried to convince the Federal Election Commission to stop letting groups use unregulated money to buy campaign ads and conduct get-out-the-vote activities. However the FEC recently decided to take no action this year.

America Coming Together CEO Steve Rosenthal, a former political director for the AFL/CIO, was in New Mexico Wednesday. He said we’re one of 15 battleground states in which ACT is active. “Hopefully it’ll be 17 soon,” he said.

The group’s main activity here will be registering new voters and door-to-door canvassing, he said. Later ACT will conduct an absentee ballot drive and then an effort to get voters to the polls.

“Our three missions are bringing new voters into the political process, electing progressive candidates and defeating George W. Bush,” he said.

But he said for legal reasons there is a strict “wall” between his group and the Democratic Party. “We don’t communicate with the Kerry campaign either,” he said.




Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Crossing STYX


I went to a concert in Albuquerque last night that I normally wouldn't have -- STYX and Peter Frampton.

You read it right. STYX and Peter Frampton.

I was never a big Frampton fan, but I had a college roomate, Joe Sedowski, who always played Frampton Comes Alive. And as far as STYX goes ... I've always been more of a Journey man ... (Not really. I always hated this whole prog/clog lite hair metal stuff)

I'm sure you're wondering why I'd go to such a show when I'd never buy CDs by these guys and would never play them on my radio shows.

The answer of course is the one I probably could use for half the stupid things I've done in my life.

A pretty girl asked me to.

But at great risk to my hipster cred, I enjoyed the hell out of the show. Frampton just seemed to be having a great time playing his songs. And he sounded good too.

As for STYX, well they were ultra cheesy -- entering the stage all
five in a row behind the drumer riser, their hair all blowing in the wind as the smoke machine is blowing and the light shines orange on them to swirling synth music. Straight out of Spinal Tap.

But they broke like the wind, and I have to admit they were good bitchen fun. They're all good showmen and the band was tight.

And even though I'm not real familiar with their music and don't know the names of most their songs, I was surprised how many tunes and riffs I recognized. Some of that stuff must have sunk in subliminally through the years. Since I never knew that much about the band, it didn't bother me that many of their original members are long gone.

Their climatic version of "Come Sail Away" had it all -- disco ball, confetti. Almost good enogh to make me forget the Southpark version. I loved it!

My only complaint is that they only played a brief section from "Mr. Roboto" as part of a medley.

As a self-confessed music snobs, my advice to others is let's not be so smug all the time. Sometimes you just gotta come sail away!

I hear Kansas is coming to one of the casinos around here ...



Monday, May 17, 2004

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAY LIST

Sunday, May 16,2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Hold Me Now by The Polyphonic Spree
Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown by The Mothers of Invention
My Blakean Year by Patti Smith
Skull Ring by Iggy Pop & The Stooges
Crap Rap 2-Like to Blow by The Fall
Hunt Again by Mission of Burma
No Confidence by Simon Stokes

Monster by Steppenwolf
Debonair by Afghan Whigs
Prince of Darkness by The Mekons
The Devil's Music by The Three Johns
Knock it Right Out by Grandpaboy
Evil Star by Cellophane Typewriters
Fascist Girl by Ukelele Man

Plastic Spoon by Otis Taylor
Goin' Through the Woods by Charles Caldwell
Black Magic Woman by Charlie Musselwhite
Bed Spring Poker by The Mississippi Sheiks
The Darktown Flappers Ball by Mamie Smith
Mother Earth by Memphis SLim
Please Send Me Someone to Love by Percy Mayfield
B.D. Woman's Blues by Lucille Bogan
The Coldest Stuff in Town by Whistling Bob Howe & Frankie Griggs

Wreck of the Carlos Rey by Los Lobos with Richard Thompson
Keep Your Distance by Richard Thompson
Not Meant to Be by Bone Pilgrim
Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac
Say We'll Meet Again by Lindsey Buckingham
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Sunday, May 16, 2004

Advice For the Lovelorn

Probably not many of you come to this blog seeking advice on matters of the heart.

But if that's what you're after, CLICK HERE for Dear Dr. Desdemona - Advice for the Hopelessly Dysfunctional.

This brand new advice blog is the creation of the lovely Desdemona Finch, a singer and songwriter based in New York. (She also was part of our entourage at South by Southwest last March.)

Now that Desdemona is doing this, I can finally stop calling Dr. Laura.

Saturday, May 15, 2004

The Santa Fe Opry Play List

The Santa Fe Opry
Friday, May 14, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Host: Steve Terrell


OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Meat Man by Jerry Lewis
Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used to Do by Elvis Costello
The Future Mrs. Dave by Uncle Dave & The Waco Brothers
Enemy by Dollar Store
Over the Cliff by Jon Langford
Your Rockin' Chair by Stan Ridgway
Hole in the Head by Eric Ambel
Will You Let Me Stay With You by Chipper Thompson
Between Lust and Watching TV by Cal Smith

The Jewel of Abilene by Grey DeLisle
Women's Prison by Loretta Lynn
Moonshiner's Child by Tammy Faye Starlite
Brand New Heartache by Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen
Old Five and Dimers (Like Me) by Waylon Jennings
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights by Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys
Before the Next Teardrop Falls by Freddy Fender
Please Save a Little For Me by Cornell Hurd
I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine by Jimmie Davis

Tornado Alley by Graham Parker
I Remember You by Jim Stringer with Susana Van Tassel
Smoke Rings by Jon Rauhouse with Kelly Hogan
Castanets by Alejandro Escovedo
Red Red Robin by Rosie Flores
I Can't Go On That Way by Johnny Cash
You Just May Be The One by The Monkees
Hoboin' by Blonde Boy Grunt & The Groans
Funky Butt by Devil in the Woodpile

Got My Wings Back by Rolf Cahn
Pretend I Never Happened by Willie Nelson
Horizon by Marlee MacLeod
Dark and Stormy Weather by Norman & Nancy Blake
That's The Way Love Goes by Merle Haggard
A Whorehouse is Any House by Bonnie Prince Billy
The Man in the Bed by Dave Alvin
Old Man by Tom House
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

Friday, May 14, 2004

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: OTIS' BLUES

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 14, 2004

Double V is something of a departure for Colorado blues monster Otis Taylor. It’s his first album in years without producer/bassist (and Santa Fe resident) Kenny Passarelli and guitarist Eddie Turner.


Here Otis handles guitar duties himself as well as banjo, mandolin and harmonica, while his teenage daughter Cassie Taylor plays bass. (She sings lead on one track, “Buy Myself Some Freedom.”)

And on some songs, he uses cellos.

I can already hear the purists moan. Muddy Waters never used no stinkin’ cello! Not to worry. Taylor’s not getting pompous and prissy here. Some have compared these cuts with the music of John Cale. I think Van Morrison is a more apt reference point. No, he’s not trying to recreate Astral Weeks or Veedon Fleece. But Taylor is bringing new textures to the blues.

He employs African-pop “happy guitar” on some songs like “Please Come Home Before It Rains” and “Sounds of Attica.” He goes country blues on others, such as the nightmarish “It’s Done Happened Again.” And for a couple of tunes, Otis stands alone: it’s just him and his harmonica on “Took Their Land” and just his moaning voice on “Hurry Home.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is Taylor’s talent for painting harrowing, politically charged and intensely emotional pictures with his lyrics. These are “pictures from life’s other side” as Hank Williams would say. There’s the autobiographical “Mama’s Selling Heroin”; “Plastic Spoon,” a story of old people having to eat dog food in order to afford their medicine; and a lament for the injustices against Native Americans on “Took Their Land.”

I hope the absence of Passarelli and Turner is temporary. They’re missed here. Still, Double V is a strong album. I still believe Otis Taylor is the most relevant bluesman working today.

Also Recommended:

*Remember Me by Charles Caldwell.
This is the kind of album that the Fat Possum label became famous for. Raw, stripped-down blues - a rasty old coot from Mississippi with a loud electric guitar, sometimes backed by an eager drummer. If you like R.L. Burnside, T-Model Ford and Paul “Wine” Jones, chances are you’ll like Charles Caldwell.

Caldwell was “discovered” by Fat Possum overlord Matthew Johnson in May 2002. Johnson recorded the tracks for this album. But last September Caldwell died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. He never saw his first CD.

A sad story, true. But the music is a wild joy.

More recommendations:
The Columbia Legacy Roots ’n’ Blues Series.
Columbia recently has reached into its vaults for a whole mess of blues and blues-related material from the ’20s and ’30s. Here’s some recently released CDs:

*Honey Babe Let The Deal Go Down: The Best of The Mississippi Sheiks.This is a 20-song collection by one of the most influential string bands of the 1930s.

With a basic arrangement of fiddle, guitar and vocals, the revolving Sheik roster included singer Walter Vinson and various members of the Chatmon (sometimes spelled Chatman) family - Lonnie, Sam and sometimes Bo. They also backed bluesman Texas Alexander (a few of those tracks are included here). And though they don’t appear on this compilation, famous bluesmen like Charlie Patton and Memphis Slim (both reportedly Chatmon relatives) passed through the live version of the Mississippi Sheiks.

If nothing else, the Sheiks should be honored for “Sitting on Top of the World,” which has been covered by everyone from Sinatra to the Grateful Dead, Howlin’ Wolf to Harry Belafonte.

Then there are Sheik songs the mainstream never would touch.

Bo Chatmon also had a solo career under the name “Bo Carter” that produced such risqué blues hits as “Please Warm My Weiner” and “Banana In Your Fruit Basket.” Those aren’t included here, but the other Sheiks weren’t above some good, clean double-entendre action, as evidenced in Lonnie’s “Bed Spring Poker” and Vinson’s “Ramrod Blues.”

*Crazy Blues: The Best of Mamie Smith. Before Bessie Smith was “queen of the blues,” that title belonged to another (unrelated) Smith - Mamie.

Mamie’s 1920 signature tune, “Crazy Blues,” is considered the pioneer classic blues number. It was the first million-selling blues song. With her flamboyant stage costumes, this former vaudevillian created the mold for the great female blues stars for years to come.

But despite their common surname and their sequins, Mamie and Bessie were very different performers. Mamie’s voice was as clear as Bessie’s was rough.

Some argue her sound wasn’t technically blues at all. Her band on “Crazy Blues” was the Jazz Hounds, and, like all her subsequent bands, it was a horn-heavy group. (Look, Ma, no guitars!)

Call it what you want. The lady had soul.

*Shave ’Em Dry: The Best of Lucille Bogan. Bessie Smith may have been rougher and tougher than Mamie Smith. But some of the songs on this compilation make Bessie look like Debby Boone.

Lucille Bogan, who was raised in Birmingham, Ala., recorded during the mid-’30s. She never got as famous as Bessie or Mamie, but some of her songs have made her infamous among blues collectors for years.

Accompanied solely by Walter Roland’s piano on most tracks, Bogan sings songs that just radiate sex - sex with men and sex with women. “B.D. Blues” - hint, the B stands for bull - is one of the first songs in recording history to openly celebrate lesbianism.

She sings of sex for sale, sex for free, sex until the cows come home, sex as barbecue, sex as stew meat, wild sex, rough sex, crazy sex and, above all, funny sex. Bogan’s world sounds like a dirty joke that you never want to end.

Of course, Bogan’s raunchiest tunes - the title cut and “Till the Cows Come Home” - weren’t commercially released until years after Bogan’s death. According to the liner notes, only a few copies were made for friends. Luckily, at least one copy of these survived.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: READING THE FUTURE

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican

All politicians want us to think they're looking ahead to the future. But an answer to a recent questionnaire The New Mexican sent to legislative candidates appeared to imply that a certain state senator was not only forward looking but also had psychic powers.

We asked candidates for the latest book they've read. (I know, some might think these kind of personal questions are silly, but I've always thought they can be revealing.) Sen. Roman Maes, seeking the Democratic nomination for a sixth term representing District 25, answered My Life by Bill Clinton.

There's only one problem.

According to Amazon. com, the former president's memoir will not be released until June 30.

Can Maes read into the future?

Or is he so close to Clinton he got an advance manuscript?

Sorry. Just a misunderstanding Maes said Wednesday.

"I thought you meant 'what book do I want to read,' " Maes said.

"You wouldn't believe how many of these questionnaires we're asked to fill out," he said. "I must have received 25 of them this year."

For the record, the actual last book Maes says he read was by another Clinton -- Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

You can see what all the other legislative candidates are reading, thinking and saying in the New Mexican's candidate profiles, beginning next week.

Veepwatch: Gov. Bill Richardson, who insists he does not want to be John Kerry's running mate, might well get that wish, according to an article in Wednesday's Bloomberg.com.

The financial wire quotes unnamed "campaign and party officials familiar with the selection process" that the short list has come down to five names: Sens. John Edwards and Bob Graham, Rep. Richard Gephardt, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Of these, Vilsack is the only one who wasn't a candidate for president earlier in the election season.

U.S. News & World Report's "Washington Whispers" also recently ran an item concerning Richardson's chances for the vice-presidential slot. The column said Clark had endorsed Richardson for the position.

"But party insiders say it's a tactical move," the column said. "Clark doesn't think Richardson's truly in the running, they explain. He's being nice in hopes of getting the New Mexico guv's support."

Generally speaking: A local Republican just got appointed to a national committee of the George W. Bush re-election team. Retired Lt. Gen. Gordon Sumner of Santa Fe was appointed to the Bush-Cheney '04 Veterans Leadership Team, headed by former Sen. Bob Dole. Sumner traveled to Tampa this week for the announcement.

Sumner, 79, retired from active duty in 1978, is a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In Korea, he was captured by the Chinese, but managed to escape after three days.

"The first 24 hours are the worst," Sumner said Wednesday.

In 1975, Sumner chaired the Inter-American Defense Board. In Santa Fe he chairs the board of Sumner & Associates, a high-tech company.

Monday, May 10, 2004

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAY LIST

Sunday, May 9 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges
Radio Baghdad by Patti Smith
Disconnection Notice by Sonic Youth
Oh Jane by Cellophane Typewriters
Experiment in Terror by Davie Allan & The Arrows

Wicked Rain/Across 110th Street by Los Lobos with Bobby Womack
The Backstabbers by The O'Jays
Teenage Wristband by The Twilight Singers
Hey Maria by Les Negresses Vertes
When We Collide by Vowel Movement
The Problem by Lambchop

Stan Ridgway Set
All songs by S.R. except where noted

Into the Sun
Lonely Town
Police Call by Drywall
Jack Talked
Shrink Wrapped Soul by Hecate's Angels
Whatever Happened To You?
Lost Weekend by Wall of Voodoo

Talkin' Wall of Voodoo Blues
Walkin' Home Alone
What Now My Love?
The Cloven Bunny by Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wexstun
Whistle For Louise
Big American Problem by Drywall
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, May 08, 2004

The Santa Fe Opry Play List

The Santa Fe Opry
Friday, May 7, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Host: Steve Terrell


OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Raised on Robbery by Jim Stringer
I'm Allright Now by Johnny Cash
Laughin' in the Sky by Simon Stokes
Cold Kisses by Cornell Hurd
High on a Mountain Top by Loretta Lynn
Lunda on My Mind by Conway Twitty
Cold Bed by The Gourds
Special Love by Rolf Cahn

Marylou (Goodtime Gal)/I've Always Love Waltzes by Kell Robertson
Unrequited to the Nth Degree by Loudon Wainwright III
Things I Never Said by Graham Parker
Make Me Hate You Before I Go by Rex Hobart & His Misery Boys
Bluer Than You by Ronny Elliott
Too Many Rivers to Cross by Brenda Lee
Kissing You Goodbye by Waylon Jennings

If Walls Could Talk by Eric Ambel
Take Me As I Am by Bob Dylan
Central Avenue Romance by Nels Andrews
Are You Still My Girl? by Joe West
All Fall Down by Tom House
Endless Sleep by Tav Falco
Memphis by Jerry Lawler
There Must Be Someone by The Byrds
Opportunity to Cry by The Holmes Brothers
Something Stupid by The Mavericks with Trisha Yearwood

Touch of Evil by Tom Russell
Katy Allen by Grey DeLisle
Men With Broken Hearts by Nancy & Norman Blake
Crossing Muddy Waters by John Hiatt
Border Radio by Dave Alvin with Katy Moffat
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

Friday, May 07, 2004

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: Stan the Man

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 7, 2004


Stan Ridgway turned 50 last month. He’s been making records for more than 20 years, first with his band Wall of Voodoo, then on his own.

He’s just made his best record in years.

And that’s saying a lot. While he isn’t seen much on MTV much anymore and while he’s bounced around from label to label, Ridgway has produced a steady stream of fine albums, each one containing at least one song that’s a complete jaw dropper.

But the new one, Snakebite. basically is a jaw dropper from start to finish.

The album lives up to its subtitle, Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs. Many of the songs deal with people who are trying to escape -- from the police in “Wake Up Sally,” from bad relationships in the black-humor blues of “King For a Day,” from terrifying political realities in “Afghan/Forklift“ and “Monsters of the Id“, from humdrum small-town life in “Running With the Carnival,” and from a Union Army firing squad in “My Rose Marie (A Soldier’s Tale).”

Snakebite starts out with “Into the Sun,” a breezy tune full of hope and promise. It reminds me of “Lonely Town,” from Ridgway’s 1989 Mosquitoes -- except while the lyrics of that song were full of foreboding, “Into the Sun” is outwardly optimistic. The singer is driving to some desert home “where the coyote walks the toad/The tumbleweeds speak in secret code ... Out where the sagebrush sings our song.” His voice sounds full of confidence, and a harp in the second verse gives the lyrics a grandiose veneer. But the backdrop of electronic noise, sounding like some flock of prehistoric birds, hint at some gathering inner storm that threaten the singer’s scheme.

That sense of impending undefined doom -- “something in the air, moving like a southbound train” -- resurfaces in other songs. In “Afghan Forklift” a warehouse worker in Arkansas is overcome with that feeling when he notices two crates “marked Top Secret, headed for Afghanistan.” We never learn exactly what’s in the crates, but apparently it’s serious enough to prompt the forklift operator to try (in vain) to call the president.” A repeated minor-key folk lick, punctuated by Ridgway’s piercing harmonica and low French horns add to the sense of dread.

“Monsters of the ID,” an inspired cover of a Mose Allison song are Ridgway’s main political statements on Snakebite. On “Monsters” he lets loose with the screeching, rumbling electronic noises (usually rising at the end of the verses), as well as horror movie choruses and some pretty impressive harmonica.

Singing in a lower register than usual, Ridgway moans, “The creatures from the swamp/Rewrite their own Mein Kampf/Neanderthals amuck/Just tryin’ to make a buck/And goblins and their hags/Are out there waving’ flags…”

While many of his characters are “fugitives” of one kind or another, Ridgway refuses to run from his own history. He sings of the band that launched his career in “Talking Wall of Voodoo Blues Part 1.”

With guitars suggesting both hillbilly and Mid-eastern music relentless drums and rubbery keyboards, Ridgway recounts the band’s brief history -- from the innocent days of “punk-rock fun” to signing 200-page contracts, MTV (“Labor Day in Mexico/Lots of beans and drugs and friends”) the pre-destined rip-off (“We played a show for 40 grand/And the manager took every cent”) and break-up, for which Ridgway shares in the responsibility. (“I did my best to patch it up/But we were all just big assholes.”)

While you can still hear the Wall of Voodoo echoes throughout the work, this is Ridgway’s rootsiest album ever. There’s a tasty country fiddle (played by Brantley Kearns) in “Wake Up Sally.” “Crow Hollow Blues” with its sinister banjo sounds like Ridgway’s been listening to Tom Waits’ Mule Variations. “Your Rockin’ Chair” is basically a hillbilly stomp, though the subtle keyboard counterpart in the refrain plus the bamboo flute give it an otherworldly quality. Alison Krauss could do a fine version of “Rose Marie.”

But the real trick Ridgway pulls off is combining these diverse elements without it feeling forced. He makes it sound like slide guitar and bamboo flute and spook house keyboards were meant to be played together.

Also Recommended:
*Saints and Scoundrels by Hecate’s Angels.
Ridgway’s wife Pietra Wexstun is as responsible as anyone for the basic sound of her husband’s records for the past decade or so. A keyboard magician always reaching for the out-there, she also has a warm, soothing voice -- kind of like a sexier Laurie Anderson.

This second album by Wexstun’s band Hecate’s Angels is more vocal-oriented than the previous one, 1996’s Hidden Persuader, though both efforts are marked by an ethereal, almost mystical sound incorporating elements of jazz, electronica and world musics. Both have a soundtack quality to them.

Perhaps the strongest is the opener, a jazzy tune called “Way With Words.”

Also notable are the dreamy, boiling, guitar-heavy tune called “Patterns” then a slow lament called necklace, featuring Ridway on a twangy tremelo guitar.

And there are some spacy, mysterioso instrumentals here: “The Innocents,” “Moon Maid’s Lament” and “Appalachian Raga,” which features Wexstun on dulcimer and autoharp as well as keyboards.

*Blood by Stan Ridgway and Pietra Wexstun Fans of Hecate’s Angels’ spooky instrumentals and Ridgway’s darker tunes won’t want to miss this collaboration, a musical score for an art exhibit by Mark Ryden. The brooding music sounds like it could have been the greatest horror movie soundtrack, which is appropriate for Ryden’s disturbing images of bleeding big-eyed Margaret Keane children. The CD package, designed by Ryden with several samples of his creepy portraits -- is amazing itself.

These CDs are available only through the internet -- here or here -- or by mail: Redfly Records, P.O. Box 9524, Los Angeles, Calif. 90295

I’m on New Mexican Radio:
Tune into Terrell’s Sound World, 10 p.m. Sunday KSFR, 90.7 FM, Sunday night for real long set of Ridgway tunes, including Wall of Voodoo, Drywall, Hecate’s Angels, etc.

Thursday, May 06, 2004

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: "Where's My Name?"

As published in The Santa Fe New Mexican

Yes, national reporters are just as persistent as New Mexico reporters in asking Gov. Bill Richardson about his prospects of being John Kerry's running mate. And to his credit, his answer is basically the same no matter who is asking.

No I'm not interested. I'm very happy as governor of New Mexico. I don't plan to leave here.

And when asked whether Team Kerry has contacted him about the possibility of joining the ticket, the answer is a brusque "no comment."

Richardson went through this routine Tuesday at a press conference at Longfellow Elementary School following Kerry's appearance there.

However, Richardson added a little teasing when Lois Romano of the Washington Post asked a question Tuesday about Kerry's vice-presidential selection.

In a story this past Sunday, Romano had written: "In interviews with more than 20 Democratic and campaign operatives with some direct or indirect knowledge of the process, it is clear that Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) are being officially investigated by Washington lawyers. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack apparently is also under consideration, as is Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) -- each viewed as a moderate, midwestern balance for the Massachusetts senator."

Nowhere in the story does the name "Bill Richardson" appear.

"By the way, Lois, I didn't make your list anyway," Richardson told Romano. "I read your list. So how am I going to make it if I'm not on your list?"

Richardson was smiling when he chided Romano for not including him. Does this mean he wants to be invited to the prom even if he says he doesn't want to dance?

We kid you not: At his Longfellow event, Kerry faced questions and comments from a small group of educators, school employees and parents. While some of the questions were predictable, it didn't seem as if they were planted or preapproved by the Kerry campaign.

In fact, Tuesday might have been the first time the Massachusetts senator has had to grapple with an issue raised by one woman who identified herself as an employee of an after-school program.

The woman told Kerry that she believes "calling our children 'kids' also sends a message. Kids are little goats. And in Spanish, when little kids grow up, they grow up to be something that is not positive."

Cabron!

"I think we ought to start talking about our children, because they are children. They aren't kids," the woman concluded.

Kerry didn't comment on this alleged linguistic slam against children. He thanked her and quickly went on to the next question.

But as of Wednesday afternoon, the Kerry campaign hadn't yanked potentially offensive material on its Web site that refers to Kerry's "Three-Point Plan to Keep Every Kid Safe, Healthy and Ready to Learn."

Cheshire in charge: New Republican state Chairman Allen Weh announced Wednesday that he's appointing Whitney Cheshire as acting executive director of the state GOP.

It's not clear in this case what "acting" means. Cheshire could "act" as director longer than several "permanent" executive directors of the party during the past year who didn't last long.

Until recently, Cheshire was the state communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign. During the last session of the Legislature, she was press secretary for House Republicans.

And she managed the successful 2002 primary campaign for U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.

Cheshire also has ties to the two feuding factions within the state Republican Party. She was the campaign spokeswoman for gubernatorial candidate John Sanchez in the 2002 general election.

But two years before, she managed state Sen. Ramsay Gorham's re-election campaign.

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Music We All Should Have


Here's a collection of some wonderful album covers. CLICK HERE

The commentary is pretty funny too. (Sometimes unintentionally in phrases like "retards in a retard shop.")

Monday, May 03, 2004

Terrell's Sound World Play List

Sunday, May 2 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
New Day Risin' by Husker Du
People Who Died by The Jim Carol Band
Smash It Up by The International Noise Conspiracy
Garbagehead by Eric Ambel
Murder in My Heart For the Judge by Moby Grape
Belladonna by Celophane Typewriters
Monsters of the ID by Stan Ridgway
Sold My Horse for a Pound of Gold by Sturrbaard Bakkebaard

Goodbye to Chain Stores Part 1 by Rev. J.M. Gates
Seen Better Days by by The Mississippi Sheiks
Miss Jenny's Ball by Mamie Smith
Barbeque Bess by Lucille Bogan
Elevator Papa, Switchboard Mama by Butterbeans & Susie
Race That You Won't Run by Sleepy John Estes
Down the Road of Love by Charles Caldwell
Bobo Stomp by Leroy Carr


Johnny Dowd Set (all songs by Johnny Dowd)
Brother Jim
First There Was
Worried Mind
Sky Above, Mud Below
Separate Beds
Wedding Dress
I Don't Exist

Each Time I Bring It Up It Seems to Bring You Down by Lambchop
Set the Twilight Reeling by Lou Reed
Shrinked Wrapped Soul by Hecate's Angels
The Desperado by Judee Sill
Now We Have the Bomb by The Mekons
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, May 01, 2004

The Santa Fe Opry Play List

The Santa Fe Opry
Friday, April 30, 2004
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
When Will I Be Loved by The Everly Brothers
Loving You Was Never Enough by Cornell Hurd
Cruel Lips by Graham Parker with Lucinda Williams
Judas Kiss by Eric Ambel with Steve Earle
Whatever Happened to Us by Loudon Wainwright III
Paper In My Shoe by Michelle Shocked
Looking for Love by Junior Brown
Pride by Ray Price
How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away? by Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks

Family Tree by Loretta Lynn
Rated X by The White Stripes
You've Never Been This Far Before by Conway Twitty
May I Be Your June? by Mary Alice Wood
Where DId We Go Right by Johnny Cash with The Carter Family
(Somebody Bring Me a Flower) I'm a Robot by The Gourds
What Would Willie Do? by Bruce Robinson
Funny How Time Slips Away by Willie Nelson

Act Naturally by Buck Owens with Ringo Starr
I'm Looking Through You by Steve Earle
What Goes On by The Beatles
Precious Memories (Was a Song I Used to Hear) by Norman & Nancy Blake
Oklahoma Blues by Zeke Clements & His Western Swing Boys
Wild and Blue by The Mekons
Crow Hollow Blues by Stan Ridgway
Away from Myself by Emily Kaitz
Hello Walls by Willie Nelson

Born to Lose by Ray Charles
Blackhaired Boy by Grey DeLisle with Murry Hammond
24 Hour Store by The Handsome Family
Sugarman by Kris Kristofferson
Fire by Patterson Hood
If I Could Only Fly by James Luther Dickinson
Lover Don't Go by Nick Lowe
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

  Sunday, March 17, 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM  Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Te...