Monday, March 30, 2009

# 8 PODCAST: SANTA FE OPRY FAVORITES VOL. 2

My latest podcast is ready for you to stream or download.

Santa Fe Opry Favorites Vol. 2 features more country music as the Good Lord intented for it to sound, in all its twisted roots and branches.

This show features several of New Mexico's best country/folk/hillbilly/roots-rock acts -- Kell Robertson, Mose McCormack, Hundred Year Flood, the late Rolf Cahn and the mysterious Jerry J. Nixon ... and lots more.

These are the kind of tunes I play on the Santa Fe Opry, every Friday at 10 pm (Mountain Time) on KSFR, Santa Fe Public Radio

CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, right click on the link and select "Save Target As.")

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.

You can play it on the little feedplayer below:



My cool BIG feed player is HERE.
Here's the play list:
Don't touch Billy
Opening Theme: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Cool and Dark Inside by Kell Robertson
I Wanna Be Sedated by Two Tons of Steel
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat by Stringbean
Workin' For The Devil by Deano Waco & The Meat Purveyors
The Marriage Song by The Stumbleweeds
Beans and Make Believe by Mose McCormack

(Background music: Water Baby Boogie by Joe Maphis)
Grinding Wheel by Hundred Year Flood
Just Call Me Steven, I'm Leavin' by Cornell Hurd
Railroad Shuffle by Jerry J. Nixon
Umm Boy You're My Baby by Bill Johnson & The Dabblers
Hush Money by The Collins Kids
Stop Look and Listen by Patsy Cline
The Squid Jiggin' Ground by Peter Stampfel & The Bottle Caps

(Background music: Wednesday Night Waltz by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys)
Sweet Mary Alice by Possessed by Paul James
Hidin' in the Hills by Butch Hancock
They Don't Rob the Trains Anymore by Ronny Elliott
Special Love by Rolf Cahn
Closing Theme: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

UPDATED! TWO DAYS ONLY! FREE DYLAN DOWNLOAD


Get a free MP3 of "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" from Bob Dylan's upcoming album, Together Through Life.

It's a cool, raspy blues that reminds me a lot of Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talkin'."

According to Peter Blackstock at No Depression the free download only is available two days, Monday March 30 and Tuesday March 31. (My original version said it was only one day.)

Get it HERE.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 29, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

Support the KSFR Fundraiser! Call me and make a pledge 505-428-1382

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Shapes of Things by The Yardbirds
Masked Marvel by Stack O'Lees
Country Jones by Goshen
Hey Mama by Black Smokers
Georgia Lee Brown by The Cramps
Big Bird by The Deadly Snakes
Johnson in a Headlock by The Fuzztones
Body Combat by The Black Lips
Love Came Tumblin' Down by The Monks

Thunder Reef by The Bobby Fuller Four
Keep on Churnin' by Wynonie Harris
Hey Conductor by Sonny Flaherty & The Mark V
Tarzan by Artie Wilson
Rally in the Valley by Rudy Ray Moore
Fungus Among Us by Hugh Barret & Victors
Motorcycle Irene by Moby Grape
Satan's Little Pet Pig by Demon's Claws
The Pigmy Grind Part 1 by Sonny Dublin
Today I Learnt to Drink by Ros Serey Sothea

New Mexican Jumping Bean by OuttaGear
Yo-Yo Part 2 by Don Covay
My Man is a Mean Man by Sharon Jones
My Babe by The Righteous Brothers
Camillia's Gone by The Dex Romweber Duo
Rainbow Jackson by The Electric Attitude
Spasms by Little Willie John
This Love Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us by Charles Bradley & The Bullets
Torture by King Khan & The Shrines
I Got a Razor by Willie Dixon & Memphis Slim

Pass the Peas by Fred Wesley & The JBs
Funky in Here by The Dayton Sidewinders
Squad Car by Impala
The Big Payback by James Brown
Hot Pants Road by Ravi Harris & The Prophets
Never Want to Be Young Again by Gogol Bordello
Soul on Fire by Lavern Baker
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, March 28, 2009

BONUS! OLD DOUG SAHM PLAYLIST

Electronic packrat that I am, I was able to find the playlist for the last tribute I did to Doug Sahm on the Santa Fe Opry -- right after he died.

The first hour was all for Doug. The next hour was in honor of the publication of Enduring Cowboys, a book, published by New Mexico Magazine. I wrote one of the chapters.

Here's that list

November 19, 1999
(hour 1 - All Doug Sahm unless otherwise noted)
Is Anyone Goin' To San Antone?
She's About a Mover by Sir Douglas Quintet
Who Were You Thinking Of ? by Texas Tornados
The Image of Me
What's Your Name?
Juan Mendoza
A Little Bit Is Better Than Nada by Texas Tornados
Give Back The Keys To my Heart by Uncle Tupelo with Doug Sahm
Mendocino by Sir Douglas Quintet
Tennessee Blues
Ta Bueno Compadre by Texas Tornados
I Don't Believe
Texas Tornado
Una Mas Cerveza by Texas Tornados
Texas Tornado
Una Mas Cerveza by Texas Tornados
Wallflower
Chicano
Adios Mexico by Texas Tornados
Rio de Tenampa by Los Super 7

Hour 2 - Ode to Enduring Cowboys
Back in the Saddle Again by Gene Autry
From Whence Came the Cowboy by Sons of the San Joquin
Out on the Western Plains by Leadbelly
Just a Rodeo Cowboy by Vincent Craig
Mama’s Picture by Mose McCormack
Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse by Buckshot Dot
Oh Bury Me Not by Johnny Cash
Rawhide by Frankie Lane
Ringo by Lorne Green
Five Brothers by Marty Robbins
Sonora’s Death Row by Michael Martin Murphey
They Don’t Rob Trains Anymore by Ronny Elliott
High Noon by Tex Ritter
Billy 1 by Bob Dylan
Streets of Laredo by Web Wilder
Cowboy Boots by The Backsliders
Happy Trails to You by Roy Rogers
.

Friday, March 27, 2009

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 27, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Stop the World and Let Me Off by John Doe & The Sadies
Lotta Lotta Women by Robbie Fulks
In the Jailhouse Now by Steve Earle & The V-Roys
Georgia on a Fast Train by Billy Joe Shaver
Living Like a Fool by Chris Darrow
Walk on Out of My Mind by Waylon Jennings
Build Me a House by Kim & The Cabelleros
Turn it On, Turn it On, Turn it On by Tom T. Hall
Up Above My Head by Maria Muldaur & Tracy Nelson

Another Clown/Beans and Make Believe by Mose McCormack
Drink Up and Be Somebody by Merle Haggard
I'll Fix Your Flat Tire, Merle by Pure Prairie League
Up For Air by John Egenes
25 Mexicans by Phil Lee
Dollar Dress by The Waco Brothers
Hillbilly Monster by James Richard Oliver

DOUG SAHM SET
Mendocino by Shawn Sahm
(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone by Doug Sahm
Old Billy Baetty by The Sir Douglas Quintet
I'm Not That Kat Anymore by Terry Allen
Who Were You Thinkin' Of by The Texas Tornados
I Don't Believe by Doug Sahm
You Was For Real by Greg Dulli
You Was For Real by Doug Sahm
Give Back the Keys to My Heart by Uncle Tupelo with Doug Sahm

You Can't Hide a Redneck (Under that Hippie Hair) by The Bottle Rockets
Lawd I'm Just a Country Boy in This Great Big Freaky City by Alvin Youngblood Hart
Wolly Bully by The Sir Douglas Quintet
Nuevo Laredo by The Gourds
Bad Boy by Doug Sahm
Get a Life by Doug Sahm with The Gourds
Be Real by Freda & The Firedogs
The Rains Came by The Sir Douglas Quintet
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

Thursday, March 26, 2009

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: PLAY IT AGAIN, SAHM

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 27, 2009


Keep Your Soul
Ten years ago this November, Douglas Wayne Sahm checked into the Kachina Lodge in Taos. Shortly thereafter he checked out of this earthly plane.

It was a loss felt by all true fans of Texas music — and by that I mean country, blues, Tex-Mex, rock ’n’ roll, and all the wonderful blends of those ingredients that Sahm loved so much and performed so well. His work with his bands — going back to the mid-’60s with the Sir Douglas Quintet and later with the Texas Tornados — and in his solo projects is nothing short of timeless.

It’s not quite as exciting as, say, a discovery of never-released lost Sahm recordings, but there’s a new record that Sir Doug fans shouldn’t be without. Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm — released this week — was lovingly put together by a team led by Sahm’s son Shawn Sahm.

This isn’t the first tribute album for the man. There was Songs of Sahm by the Bottle Rockets back in 2002. That was a fine effort worth seeking out. And some of the Sahm obscurities on the Bottle Rockets’ effort — like “Lawd, I’m Just a Country Boy in This Great Big Freaky City,” “Stoned Faces Don’t Lie,” and “You Can’t Hide a Redneck (Under That Hippy Hair)” — aren’t on the new tribute.

But there’s a lot more Texas on the new one, including numbers performed by Sahm’s old band mates, friends, family, and contemporaries. The two surviving Texas Tornados, accordion master Flaco JimĂ©nez and organist Augie Meyers, reunite on a song called “Ta Bueno, Compadre.” Sung by Nunie Rubio and featuring the West Side Horns’ Al Gomez on trumpet and Louie Bustos on tenor sax, this is an upbeat Tex-Mex stomper. (The fourth Texas Tornado, Freddy Fender — the mayor of Milagro — joined Sahm in rock ’n’ roll heaven in 2006.)

Meyers — Sahm’s main sidekick, whose Vox organ was one of the most recognizable components of the SDQ — also pops up here on “Adios, Mexico,” a rocking Tornados tune performed by Joe “King” Carrasco. Carrasco was perhaps Sahm’s most important disciple in the early 1980s, playing a hopped-up version of the basic SDQ sound he called “Nuevo Wavo.”

This wouldn’t be a proper Doug tribute without those contemporary Sahm disciples, The Gourds. The Austin band displays Sahm’s (and its own) Mexican and Cajun influences on the song “Nuevo Laredo.”

Santa Fe’s Terry Allen is spotlighted doing a bluesy Sahm tune called “I’m Not That Kat Anymore.” Terry’s joined by his usual gang, known as the Panhandle Mystery Band, led by Lloyd Maines on guitar. And that’s Joe Ely on background vocals. Even more bluesy is Jimmie Vaughan, who does a Sahm shouter called “Why Why Why,” complete with a horn section and Sahm’s longtime drummer George Rains.

Little Willie G., from the 1960s East L.A. band Thee Midnighters, kicks off the album with the Sir Douglas Quintet’s first hit “She’s About a Mover.” (According to legend, the SDQ tried to pass itself off as English to cash in on the British Invasion. But after listening to this song for more than a couple of seconds, nobody but a drooling moron could mistake Doug Sahm for a limey.) Ry Cooder produced and plays a great grating electric guitar on this track. And we stay in East L.A. for the next tune, “It Didn’t Even Bring Me Down,” a suave little mellow song performed by Los Lobos with Cesar Rosas on lead vocals and Steve Berlin shining on sax.
TEXAS TORNADOS 1996
Most of the artists on the CD — including Dave Alvin, Alejandro Escovedo, and Delbert McClinton, all of whom provide worthwhile interpretations — are no big surprise. But somehow I’ve never associated the music of Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers) with the music of Doug Sahm. So Dulli’s contribution, “You Was for Real” is the big surprise of the album. Even though there’s steel guitar (Greg Leisz) and fiddle (Amy Farris), it’s unmistakably Dulli. He’s played with the melody of the song — originally a cry-in-your-beer honky-tonker — and turned it into a dark, minor-key slow-burner. You might call the sound “Twilight Tornado.” It’s truly one of the tribute’s highlights.

But speaking of being for real, my very favorite song on Keep Your Soul is “Be Real” by Freda and the Firedogs. This group, led by long, tall Marcia Ball, was an Austin staple back in the day when Sahm was inventing the concept of the “cosmic cowboy.” Sahm would perform with the Firedogs. Ball, reunited with her old bandmates, sings Sahm’s two-stepper with unpretentious grace, class and emotion.

Somewhere, Sir Doug has to be smiling.

I’ll be Doug-gone: Friday night on The Santa Fe Opry I’ll do a proper tribute of my own to Mr. Sahm, playing tracks from Keep Your Soul, other Sahm covers, and of course, tons of Doug’s own stuff. The Opry starts at 10 p.m. Mountain Time, and the Sahm segment starts right after the 11th hour. That’s KSFR-FM 101.1 FM and streaming live at ksfr.org.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 22, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org


OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Leave the Capitol by The Fall
Garbage Man by The Cramps
The Boogie Disease by Dr. Ross
Freezer Burn by Edison Rocket Train
Kick Boxer Girl by Black Smokers
American Beat by The Fleshtones
Loan Shark by Guana Batz
Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver by Primus
In Jail in Jacksonville by Root Boy Slim & The Sex Change Band

Preacher and the Bear by The Big Bopper
Love Special Delivery by Thee Midnighters
The Strip by The Upsetters
Debra Lee by BBQ
Pachuko Hop by Chuck Higgens
Pachuco Boogoe by Don Tosti's Pachuco Boogie Boys
WPLJ by The Mothers of Invention
Burn Baby Burn by Stud Cole
Tijuana Affair by Manic Hispanic

The Sky is a Poisonous Garden by Concrete Blonde
Young Girl Sunday Blues by Jefferson Airplane
Long Day's Flight (til Tomorrow) by The Electric Prunes
Today is a Good Day by Mudhoney
Undertaker by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Mysterious Friends by The Grifters
Polish Work Song by The Dex Romweber Duo
The Blood of God by Kult

I'll Fly Away by Isaiah Owens
God's Mighty Hand by The Rev. Utah Smith
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands by Brother Williams Memphis Sanctified Singers
The Ball Game by Sister Wyona Carr
I Know I've Got Religion by The Staple Singers
Walk Around by The Rev. Lonnie Farris
City of Refuge by Alvin Youngblood Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Church Needs Good Deacons by Washington Phillips
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Best Music Deal of the Day

LOS WACOSI couldn't see the Waco Brothers this year because I couldn't make it to SXSW (thank you New Mexico Legislature!), but here's the next best thing.

The lovely and talented Deano Waco (that's him on the far left of the photo) is offering free downloads of 14 songs with the fabulous Meat Purveyors.

You can find that HERE.

Don't be a freeloading scumbag. Use the Paypal button to leave a little dough for Deano. As the man says, "Think of it like I'm your bartender and I've just given you a round on the house!"

I'm listening now and it sounds cool.

Friday, March 20, 2009

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: THIS IS WEIRD

For some reason, my column this week did not appear in Pasatiempo.

However, it did show up on The New Mexican's Web site.

You can check it out HERE.

Somehow a story I did for the Legislative page in today's paper got held also. Maybe I've been fired.

UPDATE:
Looks like this is going to be a "Web Only" Tune-up. It was actually based on several short reviews in recent e-Music monthly reports published on this blog. You can find those HERE.

XXXXX

By the way, Tom Adler will be filling in for me tonight on The Santa Fe Opry on KSFR. It's the last night of the Legislature (THANK GOD!), so I'll be stuck at the Roundhouse. But Tom always does a great job, so tune in at 10 p.m. on KSFR, 101.1 FM or on the Web.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 15, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
In Praise of Sha Na Na by The Dead Milkmen
Big Black Baby Jesus of Today by The Black Lips
Hey Sailor by The Detroit Cobras
Rosalyn by The Pretty Things
Marie by The Alarm Clocks
Samson and Delilah by Edison Rocket Train
Smokes by Question Mark & The Mysterians
Don't Try It by The Devil Dogs
I Couldn't Spell !!*@! by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Love Letters by Dex Romweber Duo with Chan Marshall
Johnny's Jive by Johnny Little John & Guitar

Back Street Girl by Social Distortion
Out the Door by Les Sexareenos
Tina Louise by The Dirtbombs
It Ain't the Meat by The Swallows
Oh Sweet Susanna by The Mooney Suzuki
Your Love Has Got to Me by Don Covay
Red Rose Tea by The Marquis Chimps
Andre by L7
I Love Mean Girl by Pan Ron & Im Yeng
Cheerful Angels Commercial by Isaiah Owens

Cold Night for Alligators by Roky Erikson
El Perversio by Deadbolt
Unemployment by Demon's Claws
Wine Head by Johnny Wright
Rock and Roll by The Velvet Underground
Woman Train by Hank Davis
Midnight Stroll by The Revels
Selena by Kult
My Man Stands Out by Julia & Her Boyfriends

Hold My Hips by Dengue Fever
California Tuffy by The Geraldine Fibbers
Black John by The Soul of John Black
Bring it on Home to Me/I'm in Love Again by Rudy Ray Moore
Shapes of Things by The Yardbirds
The Parting Glass by The Clancy Brothers
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Friday, March 13, 2009

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 13, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell


101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Foot Stompin' Friday Night by The Stumbleweeds
Whatcha Gonna Do Now by Tommy Collins
Where a Rat's Lip Have Touched by Phil Lee
I'm a Gonna Kill You by T. Tex Edwards & Out on Parole
I Wanna Be Sedated by Two Tons of Steel
Walking Bum by Heavy Trash
Disconnect You by Mike Neal
Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other by Willie Nelson
Things We Like to Do by NRBQ

Tribute to Tribute Albums
It Didn't Even Bring Me Down by Los Lobos
Hot Dog by Toni Price
Hot Dog That Made Him Mad by Carolyn Mark & The Room-Mates
Before All Hell Breaks Loose by Asleep at the Wheel
Truckin' by Dwight Yoakam
Harper Valley PTA by Syd Straw & The Skeletons
I've Always Been Crazy by Carlene Carter
Poor Little Critter on the Road by Trailer Bride
Trouble in Mind by The Pine Valley Cosmonauts with Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Death Penalty Set
Send Me to the 'lectric Chair by David Bromberg
25 Minutes to Go by Johnny Cash
Sing Me Back Home by Merle Haggard
Sam Hall by Richard Thompson
Green Green Grass of Home by Kelly Hogan
Hangin' Johnny by Stan Ridgway
Miss Otis Regrets by Jenny Toomey
Ellis Unit One by Steve Earle & The Fairfield Four

After We Shot the Grizzly by The Handsome Family
Quietly by Fred Eaglesmith
They Don't Rob Trains Anymore by Ronnie Elliott
I Can't Get Used to Being Lonely by Amber Digby
Someday by Blaze Foley
Four Strong Winds by Neil Young
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: ROMWEBER ROMP

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 13, 2009


The weird phenomenon of punk/blues duos — which bore commercial fruit in the early part of this decade with The White Stripes and The Black Keys — owes debts untold to a North Carolina twosome called The Flat Duo Jets. Led by guitarist/shouter Dex Romweber, the Jets burned out by the end of the '90s. While they never quite grabbed the brass ring, the Jets earned a certain reverence in rock's underground corners, a respect that continues to this day.

Romweber has lain low for the last few years, but now he's back with another duo — his sister Sara Romweber (formerly of a band called Let's Active) taking Chris "Crow" Smith's place behind the traps set.

If you only heard a couple of tracks, such as "Pictures of You" and "Gray Skies," you might think the Dex Romweber Duo was Flat Duo Jets Mach II. But that's definitely not the case.

The new album, Ruins of Berlin, features the Romweber siblings collaborating with other musicians. Several songs include a bassist, while saxophone and even a cello pop up here and there. Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids shows up for a guitar showdown with Dex. And there's a bevy of female guest vocalists, including Exene Cervenka, Neko Case, and Chan Marshall.

They are employed well. "Lonesome Train," in which Cervenka comes in on the second verse, is a wistful little minor-key ditty with a simple refrain, "Make love to me as we listen to the lonesome train ... out there in the lonesome rain." It's the type of tune that might have been crooned by the radiator lady in Eraserhead.

And speaking of David Lynch movies, I do believe my favorite track here is "Love Letters." When, as a grade-school kid, I used to hear the smoky blues torch-song original by Ketty Lester on my transistor radio, it seemed like a seductive invitation into some sexual netherworld. Years later, when Lynch used it in the soundtrack of Blue Velvet, it took on overtly sinister tones. ("Don't be a good neighbor anymore to her. I'll have to send you a love letter! Straight from my heart.") Neither Marshall's nor Dex's vocals come close to Lester's. But in this version, there's a subtle hint of menace to evoke disturbing memories of Frank Booth's evil joy ride.

Some of the selections here have a pronounced European feel. That's especially true of the instrumental "Polish Work Song," written by Dex and featuring Bob Pence on saxophone. Similarly, the title song — a Marlene Dietrich tune, for the love of Elvis! — has a jaunty little beat, but the melody is extremely similar to the slinky jazz song "Kiss of Fire."

Some of the best tunes here are the rocked-out instrumentals. "Lookout," which opens the album, is a surfadelic little cruncher featuring Miller as well as sax man Pence. Pence comes back for "Cigarette Party," a song where sister Sara gets to show her stuff on bongos.

The album ends with a simple country song, "It's Too Late," which Dex dedicates to a friend in North Carolina. It's not even a duo — just Dex playing an acoustic guitar and singing. It seems like the perfect coda for an understated but worthwhile album.

Also recommended:

200 Million Thousand by The Black Lips. These guys have taken some flak in the garage/punk community recently for allegedly getting too big for their metaphorical britches, so I approached their latest album with some reservations. I'm happy to report that even if it's true that these boys from Georgia are getting swelled heads, this record is swell.


You can still hear the basic Black Lips sound in here — basic guitar snot rock with frequently off-key singalong verses that remind me of The Dead Milkmen of yore. But somehow they seem to be expanding their sound without sacrificing their raw, rough, amateur-hour appeal.

"Drugs" is a basic rocker that sounds almost like a lost Dictators song. "Trapped in a Basement" is a minor-key stomper that reminds me a little of The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." "Drop I Hold" is an experimental, lo-fi, almost trip-hoppy piece that doesn't sound like anything else this has ever done, showing an artsy side we never knew they had.

On some songs, The Black Lips sound as if they've been listening to another "Black" band —The Black Angels. Psychedelic sludge colors tunes like the faux-bordello "Body Combat" and "Big Black Baby Jesus of Today."

Sometimes you wonder whether The Black Lips are idiot savants or just idiots. Take the track called "I Saw God." It starts off with a child talking about "religious experience," followed by a spoken-word piece over a slow-churning guitar. Next thing you know, someone starts fooling with the tape speed and loud beeps begin to "censor" the speaker's increasingly volatile (if incomprehensible) rant. The music pounds and swells like some deranged anthem before slowing down and puttering to a finish.

One track I found irritating was "I'll Be With You." Not that the song's bad. I like the Mickey-and-Sylvia tremolo guitar. But we've heard it before on a previous Black Lips tune, "Dirty Hands." The band is obviously going for new directions elsewhere on the album, so it's strange that with this song they basically copy themselves.

I have not heard the complete album. For reasons best known to the band and its record company, the final track, "Meltdown," isn't available for download on eMusic (where I got the rest of 200 Million Thousand), Amazon, or iTunes. So if "Meltdown" is bad enough to bring down the rest of the album or good enough to make the whole thing Top-10-of-the-year worthy, I just don't know.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

CAN'T KEEP POLITICS OFF THIS BLOG

Why is Bowzer, formerly of Sha Na Na, pushing a bill through our state Legislature?

(Hint: He's not going to run for lieutenant governor on the same ticket as Val Kilmer.)

Check out this week's Roundhouse Roundup column on my political blog.

Meanwhile, dig this strange cover of a Dead Milkmen's song:

Monday, March 09, 2009

NEPOTISM CORNER

As I've said before, I'm from Santa Fe where it's not what you know. It's not even who you know. it's who you're related to.

So indulge me in devoting a little blog space to a real cool project my brother, Jack Clift, did with John Carter Cash (son of Johnny & June.) Pale Imperfect Diamond by The Cedar Hill Refugees is a fusion of music from Uzbekistan -- specifically Jack's Uzbek band Jadoo -- and country music from the American south. Performing on the album are greats like Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, John Cowan, The Peasall Sisters and more. Here's a video about the project:


OUTTAGEAR in your dadgum ear!
For more info go HERE.

Meanwhile, my son Anton and his band OuttaGear, which grew up in my garage, just recorded a bunch of original songs. You can find three of them HERE.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 8, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I Like My Baby's Puddin' by Wynonie Harris
Waking Up by Elastica
Laredo (Small Dark Something) by Jon Dee Graham
The Clown of the Town by The Rev. Beat-Man
Butcher Pete Part 1 by Roy Brown & His Mighty Mighty Men
Trapped in the Basement by The Black Lips
Native Girl by The Native Boys
Psykick Dancehall by The Fall
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate by The New Orleans Feetwarmers

Cigarette Party by The Dex Romweber Duo
Foxy Brown by The Moaners
Let Your Light Shine by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Genocide by Link Wray
Andre Williams is Moving by Andre Williams
Midnight Boogie by Billy Miles Brooke
Wake Me Shake Me by Isaiah Owens
Magical Colors (31 Flavors) by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Butcher Pete Part 2 by Roy Brown & His Mighty Mighty Men
If You're a Viper by Bob Howard & His Boys

Ethiopium by Dengue Fever
I'm 16 by Ros Sereysothea
Hasabe by Ayalew Mesfin
California Uber Alles by Kazik
Into the Go-Go Groove by Little Gerhard
Acid Rock by The Funkees
I'm All Skinny by Sin Sisamouth

Shady Grove by Quicksilver Messenger Service
The Lowlands Low by Dan Milner
English Civil War by The Clash
Three Time Loser by Don Covay
Death of a Clown by The Kinks
Unchained Melody by Vito & The Salutations
Hell Yeah by Neil Diamond

CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Saturday, March 07, 2009

eMUSIC MARCH


* Rockin' n Reelin' in Aukland, New Zealand by The Cramps: Papa Satan's in Heaven! Long live Lux Interior!

This live set was one of the few Cramps album I didn't have. And it's good and crazy. Recorded about the same time as their 1986 album A Date With Elvis, there's lots of songs from that album here -- "Cornfed Dames," "The Hot Pearl Snatch," "What's Inside a Girl," etc.

And Elvis shows up for this date, at least in spirit. The Cramps put their stamp on "Heartbreak Hotel" and a true Elvis cheese classic "Do the Clam," which actually was a hit from his 1965 movie Girl Happy.

Lux is with Elvis now. Maybe The King is teaching Mr. Interior the words to "Queenie Wahini's Papaya."

* Funky Yo Yo by Don Covay: Here's an obscure 1977 album from soul master Covay.

Despite the fact it came from the dawn-of-disco era, the album is free of '70s gloss. In fact, some songs are downright minimalist.

My favorite song here is "I Don't Think I Can Make It," which sounds almost like a long-lost Percy Sledge meditation with a sweet organ coloring heavy drums. But the best part is the spoken word segment: "You might your find yo' love with the trash man, the ice man, sometimes the undertaker. But wherever you find it, baby, I want you to hold on to dear life."


* Impala Play R&B Favorites: Impala was (is?) an instrumental group from Memphis that played a basic surfy sound sometimes augmented by a crazy sax.

It was a song called "Taos Pueblo" -- which sounds a lot like the surf classic "Apache" that made me download this 1998 effort. But there's other tracks that make this album a real joy. There's a greasy, sleazy tunes including a cover of Henry Manacini's "Experiment in Terror" (this might even be better than the version by The Blue Hawaiians, which came out about the same time) and Link Wray's "Vendetta."

The song "Makin' It" sounds like the stuff they had to have played in Jack Ruby's Carousel Club. And no, "Hell of a Woman" is NOT the lame Mac Davis hit. It's even darker and more menacing than "Experiment in Terror."

* Burn, Baby, Burn by Stud Cole: Yikes! This is some of the most intense stuff I've heard in awhile. If you're looking for labels, "psychedelic rockabilly" is about the closest I can come up with.

There's a mad apocalyptic feel to many of these songs. "The Devil's Coming" sounds particularly acid damaged, aided by some cheap recording effects.

But that's just a little crazier than "Stop the Wedding" in which Stud's voice sounds as if he might really burst into the church and interrupt the ceremony.

And in "Black Sun" Cole sounds like some swamp shaman railing against the elements. Then songs like "I'm Glad" and "It Ain't Right" sound right out of the '50s.

I really don't know much about Cole. Crusing the Internet for information about his life has been frustrating. Some sources say his real name is Patrick Tirone (there's a track here that's a radio jingle for a Tirone Real Estate!) and he originally was from Buffalo, N.Y. He moved to L.A. to try to make it in the music biz. Supposedly this is his only album and he only pressed 100 copies. I'm glad Norton Records rescued this from obscurity.


* 200 Million Thousand by Black Lips: You can still hear the basic Black Lips sound in here — basic guitar snot rock with frequently off-key sing-along verses that remind me of The Dead Milkmen of yore.

But somehow these wild-eyed Southern boys seem to be expanding their sound without sacrificing their raw, rough amateur-hour appeal.

On some songs The Black Lips sound as if they’ve been listening to another “Black” band — The Black Angels. Thumping psychedelic sludge colors tunes like the faux-bordello “Body Combat” and “Big Black Baby Jesus Of Today.”

Sometimes you wonder whether The Black Lips are idiot savants or just idiots. Take the track called “I Saw God.” This sounds like some deranged anthem that teeters between ridiculous and sublime.

But here's a complaint. For reasons best known to the band and its record company, the final track “Meltdown" isn’t available for download on eMusic. I was willing to spend a buck on Amazon or iTunes, but it's not available for download there either. Sorry, Black Lips. Due to this brilliant marketing strategy, you just lost a dollar.



* Satan's Little Pet Pig by Demon's Claws: This album is the musical equivalent to the the plague of feral hogs the New Mexico state Legislature is trying to battle.

The music of this Montreal band is basic garage punk (The Black Lips are among their top MySpace friends) with some metallic overtones. There's also a distinct country feel on some of the songs, especially "That Old Outlaw" which almost sounds like it came from Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.

And do I hear an echo of early Replacements on "Tom Cat"?


*Hully Gully Fever by Rudy Ray Moore: This is Rudy Ray before he became Dolomite.

I only had enough tracks left to get a dozen of these songs. I'll get the rest when my account refreshes next week.

I actually owe Cornell Hurd for leading me to this album. Cornell covers "I'm Mad With You" on his latest album American Shadows: The Songs of Moon Mullican. Cornell pointed out how cool it was that Mullican, a country star in the '40s and '50s, would record a tune by Rudy Ray Moore. I started Googling to try to find Rudy's original, and low and behold, it was right here on eMusic.

Friday, March 06, 2009

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 6, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell


101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Puddin' Truck by NRBQ
I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning by David Bromberg
Dixie Fried by Carl Perkins
Deisel Smoke, Dangerous Curves by The Last Mile Ramblers
TV Party by Ayslum Street Spankers
Home on the Range by St. Dominic's Trio
Muswell Hillbilly by Southern Culture on the Skids
Be Real by Freda & The Firedogs

Shake a Leg by Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars
Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll by Janis Martin
Hillbilly Fever by Little Jimmy Dickens
Mr. Undertaker by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
Junkyard in the Sun by Butch Hancock
Cajun Joe (Bully of the Bayou) by Doug & Rusty Kershaw
Dancing Shoes by Mama Rosin
Fan It by Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel
One Sweet Hello by Merle Haggard
Stoney Mountain Boogie by The Stoney Mountain Boys

Brennan on The Moor by The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem
Mississippi by Bob Dylan
Wild Little Willie by Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Night Train to Memphis by Roy Acuff
Steamboat Whistle Blues by John Hartford
Desert Rose by Chris Hillman
In My Dreams by Emmylou Harris
You Can't Outplay the Blues by Chris Darrow
Sam Hall by Tex Ritter

Asphalt World by Blonde Boy Grunt & The Groans
The Wrong Kind of Girl by Roger Miller
Follow Me Down by Guy Davis
Southern Girl by John Egenes
Truly by Hundred Year Flood
LaLa Land by Gary Heffern
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

Thursday, March 05, 2009

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: MY LATEST FAVORITE MUSICAL INTERNET TIME-WASTERS

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 1, 2009


Collage of my LAST.fm library

After more than a decade as a hopeless Internet addict, I realized things might have gotten really out of hand when, last Saturday, I felt compelled to Twitter from the electronic-junk-recycling collection site on Siler Road.

Was it all those piles of discarded computers, monitors, printers, scanners, and keyboards that fed my compulsion to start tapping on my cellphone, holding it as if it were some security blanket? Hard to say. All I know is that the compulsion was there, and when I thought about it, it seemed pretty pathetic.

A couple of music sites have been taking up an embarrassing amount of my attention lately — as if I needed more excuses to waste time on the Internet.

One, which I’ve been using for several weeks, is called Last.fm. More recently, I’ve been spending lots of time fooling around with Blip.fm. Both provide ways to enjoy lots of free music (sorry, musicians) without downloading anything — and encourage the use of nonsensical baby-talk words that make me cringe every time I write, say, or — especially — think them. Let’s do this one at a time.

I’ll go first with Last:

Somebody’s watching what songs I play on my computer! I’ve got to admit, the concept of Last.fm sounds pretty creepy when I think about it. When you sign up, you give this UK-based site access to what songs you play on your computer’s primary media player. You can also set it up to get the songs you play off your iPods and cellphones. This is called “scrobbling” — a much nicer word than “spying.”

With this group of songs, Last.fm creates a personal library for each user. Many, though certainly not all, of the songs you play end up in your library. (You also can manually add tracks you see scattered around the Last.fm realm.) That means you can use any computer that has Internet service to access a nice chunk of your music collection — without having to lug around external hard drives or crates of CDs.

When you press “Play your library” it starts playing tracks you have in shuffle mode, which is what I like anyway. In the last few minutes, as I worked on this column, it has played tracks by Bo Diddley, Dinosaur Jr., the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Graham Parker.

And it gave me the Willies — “Whiskey River” by Willie Nelson was followed immediately by “Pain in My Heart” by Willie Dixon.

And yes, there’s a skip button if the Last.fm library player comes up with something you’re not in the mood for.

Another cool thing: sometimes the version of the song played is different from the version you have in your computer. And sometimes it comes up with something comically wrong. For instance, a few minutes ago, it played what it claimed was “Birth of the Boogie” by Bill Haley. But instead, the song playing was some yodeling cowboy. I liked it, but it wasn’t Bill Haley.

I also find it interesting to keep track of my own musical tastes. Last.fm keeps a running tab of your most-played artists. Here’s my Top 10 as of last Saturday afternoon: The Fall (429 plays); The Cramps (408 — and yes, they were high on my list even before Lux Interior died); Captain Beefheart (356); The Mekons (346); The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (313); Tom Waits (290); Otis Taylor (256); The Fleshtones (251); The Dirtbombs (232); and Andre Williams (215).

(Update: Sometime before Friday night, The Cramps had overtaken The Fall in my never-ending Last.fm rat race.)

Actually, Andre would be higher, but many of the tracks I have by him list whatever band he’s playing with — Andre Williams & Green Hornet, Andre Williams & The Sadies, Andre Williams & The New Orleans Hellhounds, etc.
Joe West with Santa Fe All Stars
And you can listen to the music libraries of others. Last.fm is also a social network, though I admit I don’t use it much that way. Most of my 10 friends are people I know from other music sites or from “real life” (whatever that is). One new friend, a fellow New Mexican, dropped me a line saying, “anyone who digs Joe West and the Mummies is a friend of mine.”

Everyone’s a DJ: I’ve been more active recently on Blip.fm, which some of my buddies from the GaragePunk Hideout turned me on to.

On Blip, you look for songs or artists, and when you find one you like you “blip” it, making a comment if you so desire. Users create their own “stations.” You can choose your “Favorite DJs,” which is a good way to discover music you like — and you don’t have to sign up to hear the songs.

If you’re on Twitter, your blips go out as tweets. (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) And if you’ve set up your Twitter to go to other points in your Internet stomping grounds, those blips/tweets will appear with your comment and a link to the song.

For instance, someone following me on Twitter or reading my music blog or checking out my Facebook profile on Saturday afternoon would know that I blipped “Daddy Was A Preacher, Momma Was A Go-Go Girl” by Southern Culture on the Skids and “Guacamole” by the Texas Tornados — and would be able to click and listen to those tunes. (There’s also a widget to embed your Blip.fm station on your sites.)

However, I think I might have arrived at this party a little late. According to a Feb. 12 story in The Wall Street Journal, Jeff Yasuda, founder and chief executive of Blip.fm’s parent company, the San Francisco-based Fuzz Artists Inc., plans to shut down the Fuzz Web site for economic reasons.

WSJ notes that Yasuda is keeping Blip.fm going. But you’ve got to wonder how’s he going to keep the lights on at the free service when his main business has folded.

Until that dreary day, check out my Blip.fm station at blip.fm/steveterrell and my last.fm at last.fm/user/robotclaw. You can follow my Twitter at twitter.com/steveterrell.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

SONGS LUX LOVED


With the passing of Lux Interior, Jersey City radio station WFMU has made 13 hours of his favorite music available for downloading.

You'll find it HERE

I've already downloaded a couple of volumes and will be doing more.

Also you can hear the original versions of "Goo Goo Muck" and "Primitive" on my latest podcast.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 1, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Jezebel by The Mummies
Werewolf by Southern Culture on the Skids
Blank Generation by Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Cornfed Dames by The Cramps
You Shake Me Up by Andy Anderson
Get Out of Here, Pretty Girl by Billy Childish
Caroline by Pierced Arrows
Taos Pueblo by Impala
Death of an Angel by The Kingsmen

Pray for Pills by The Dirtbombs
Eat My Weiner by Lothar
Patches Rode the Rail by Deadbolt
Frightened by The Fall
Cecile Lemay by Demon's Claws
Stalking My Woman by Howard Tate
Punk Slime by The Black Lips
Blind Man's Penis by John Trubee & The Ugly Janitors of America

Bad Trip by Lee Fields
Death Ray Boogie by Pete Johnson
You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth by The Temptations
Screaming Night Hog by Steppenwolf
Back When Dogs Could Talk by Wayne Kramer
Let Me Come Home by Rudy Ray Moore
100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Gray Skies by The Dex Romweber Duo

TV Party Tonight by Henry Rollins
Florentine Pogen by Frank Zappa
The Chastising of Renegade by Primus
Arabia by Pere Ubu
Four Wheeling by Elastica
Bummer in the Summer by Love
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

MY LUCKY 7 PODCAST: TERRELL'S SOUNDWORLD FAVORITES VOL. 2

My latest podcast!
CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, right click on the link and select "Save Target As.")

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.

You can play it on the little feedplayer below:




My cool BIG feed player is HERE.

Here's the play list:

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
El Jefe/Mucho Trabajo by Lone Monk
Ubangi Stomp by Jerry Lee Lewis
Way Down in the Congo by Ike & Bonnie Turner
Penny & The Young Buck by The Gluey Brothers
Little Red Riding Hood by The Big Bopper
Bird Guy by Qu'an & The Chinese Takeouts
(Background Music: QB by The Fuzzy Set)

Everybody's Got the Devil Inside by Thee Butchers' Orchestra
Boooooogie by Stinky Lou & The Goon Mat with Lord Bernardo
One Kind Favor by Canned Heat
Goo Goo Muck by Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads
Primitive by The Groupies
Pappa Satan Sang Louie by The Cramps
(Background Music: Makin' It by Impala)

Pardon Me, I've Got Someone to Kill by The Rockin' Guys
Bloody Mary by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Nut Sundae by The Fabulous Tempoes
Ooba Gooba by The Charts
Not Me by The Orlons
Pack Your Pistols by The Dirty Novels
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

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...