Monday, May 31, 2010

FROGFEST 5

HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD at FROGFEST 5

It was fun and full of great music. As I Tweeted last night, the Hundred Year Flood "reunion" with Jim & Kendra was even better than I thought it would be. And the big surprise of the day was Anthony Leon & The Chain. Anthony recently moved here from Virginia. He does rockabilly and rocking honky tonk. And does it well.

I'm too fried to write much more. I'll let the photos do the talking. (Find more HERE.)




Anthony Leon & The Chain

P5310292

Stephanie Hatfield with Hundred Year Flood

Joe West with Nathan Moore

Freddy Lopez with The Strange

Sunday, May 30, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, May 27, 2010
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
Rat Race by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Jackeee by Pinata Protest
Midnight Blues by The Detroit Cobras
People Who Died by The Jim Carrol Band
Evil Eye by Dead Moon
I Need Somebody by Manby's Head
Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell by Iggy & The Stooges
Hot Cake by The Fall
Fat Mama by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Shake it Wild by King Salami & the Cumberland 3
Babylon, Pa. by Johnny Dowd
Don't Try It by The Devil Dogs
Two Bottles of Wine by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Dixie Iron Fist by Tha Legendary Shack Shakers
Lipstick Frenzy by LoveStruck
Whatever Happened to My Love by Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers
Fuzz Gun 2001 by Mudhoney

When Universes Collide by Gogol Bordello
Woman in Sin by Fishbowl Ensemble
Demon Stomp by The Things
That's All I Need by Andre Williams
Rosie Jones by Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire
Stewball by Thee Headcoats
Melvin by Thee Headcoatees
Stuck in Thee Garage by The Dirtbombs
They Threw Me Out of Church by Wesley Willis

Picture in a Frame by Tom Waits
Samisen Boogie Woogie by Umekici
Up in Flames by Koko Taylor

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper
Mysteries of Love by Julee Cruise
Love Letters Straight From Your Heart by Kitty Lester
In Dreams by Roy Orbison
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

AND I STILL CAN SEE BLUE VELVET THROUGH MY TEARS

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper



Friday, May 28, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, May 27, 2010
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
Rockin' and Knockin' by Gayle Griffith
Dixie Fried by Carl Perkins
Redbuds by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
The Golden Triangle by The Austin Lounge Lizards
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 by Jessie Colter
Goatburger Boogie by Cousin Deems Sanders & His Goatherders with Walt McCoy
Fear Not Gear Rot by Jason & The Scorchers
Blue Moon of Kentucky by Sleepy La Beef
They Say It Is Sinful To Flirt by The Delmore Brothers

Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals by Hank Williams
Done Gone by Ray Condo & His Ricochets
Roamin' Around by The Supersuckers
The Mansion You Stole by Johnny Horton
Stranger in the City by Merle Haggard
Foothill Boogie by Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
My Dumb Heart by Johnny Dilks
Caleb Meyer by Gillian Welch

FROGFEST SET
Big Frog
Don't Get Weird by Boris & The Saltlicks
Lets Fall In Love Again Tonight Hundred Year Flood
Oklahoma Bound by Joe West
Fish Boy by Stephanie Hatfield & Hot Mess
God Wanted to Be a Man by Goshen
Flying machine by The Strange
Close Up the Honky Tonks by Bill Hearne's Roadhouse Revue
Blue Angel by Hundred Year Flood

My Baby's Gone by Willie Nelson
Play Together Again Again by Buck Owens with Emmylou Harris
This Old Cowboy by Asleep at the Wheel
Aw, The Humanity by Reverend Horton Heat
Are You Washed In the Blood by Red Allen
Moonglow, Lamp Low by Eleni Mandell
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

Thursday, May 27, 2010

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: ANDRE SLOWING DOWN

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 28, 2010


Andre Williams is one bad mother (hush yo’ mouth!). And he’s not afraid to tell you so himself.

This underappreciated R & B geezer has been making records since the 1950s — his most famous song being “Shake a Tail Feather” (first recorded in 1963 by a band called The Five Du-Tones, but best known from the cover versions by Ike and Tina Turner and James & Bobby Purify).
ANDRE!
After years of hard drugs and even harder living, Williams began making a comeback in the late ’90s. And as recently as 2008, he showed he could still make a powerful album. Reviewing Can You Deal With It?, which he recorded with a band called The New Orleans Hellhounds, I wrote that Williams “gives dirty old men a good name.”

But on his new album, That’s All I Need, I hate to report that Williams is starting to show his age. It’s not a bad album — there are some pretty cool songs scattered over the 10 tracks, and even the filler isn’t terrible. But the sizzle Williams showed on Can You Deal With It? just isn’t here.

Williams recently published his first book, a collection of short stories called Sweets and Other Stories (Kicks Books, 2009). He reportedly wrote the book during a stay at a rehab center after a drug relapse. So perhaps this album catches him during a reflective period of his life.

That’s All I Need starts off slow and slinky with “My Time Will Come,” which features a snaky guitar lick from Dennis Coffey. It’s an understated tune, stark, but with an under- lying optimism.

The highlights of this record include “Tricks,” which features Williams speaking the lyrics almost like an invocation (“If you want to catch a woman, you use your brain. And I’m a scientist. ... If you want to catch a snake, you use a rabbit. And I’m a jack.”); “When Love Shoots You in the Foot”; and “Too Light to Fight” (Williams might not be that physically fit, but his trigger finger still works, he warns).

Some of the topical songs here are just too predictable. “There Ain’t No Such Thing as Good Dope” is an obligatory anti-drug song, while on “America” Williams assures us that he’s not unpatriotic “just because I sing and dance after midnight, just because I take a drink or two.” Huh?

“Amends,” the final song, features a slow groove and an acoustic guitar. It reminds me a little of Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby.”

I’m glad Williams is pulling his life back together. And you can’t begrudge someone in his mid-70s for slowing down. But newcomers to Andre Williams should start with some of the old stuff such as the Rib Tips and Pig Snoots: 1965-1971 compilation, the 2003 album Holland Shuffle!: Live At The World Famous Vera Club (with the Dutch band Green Hornet), or Can You Deal With It?

Recommended:

*Fourteen Blazin’ Bangers!! by King Salami and the Cumberland Three. This is a high-voltage British garage/punk band infused with R & B sensibilities. The group is still basically unknown in this great land of ours — I got this album from a German company, Soundflat, though it’s available on the British Dirty Water label) — but I’ve got the feeling that Salami and the boys will be expanding their empire onto these shores before long.

Blazin’ Bangers is the King’s first full-length album. It has versions of a couple of the group’s previously released singles like “Do the Wurst” and the frantic “Mojo Workout.” One of my favorites is a crazy sped-up Bo Diddley romp called “Ma JuJu Girl.” Also worthy are “I Smell a Rat” and “Chicken Back.”

Salami is apparently fond of faux American-Indian surfy instrumentals in the tradition of The Shadows’ “Apache.” One of his early tracks is called “Uprising.” He uses the same opening war whoop on this album, on the song “Pawnee Stomp.” It’s politically incorrect to be sure, but nonetheless irresistible.

* The Way of the World by Mose Allison. Like Solomon Burke and Bettye Lavette before him, this venerated Mississippi jazz/blues singer gets the full Joe Henry tent on this, his first new studio album in a dozen years or so.

Allison is even older than Andre Williams, but at the age of 82, he’s still in fine form — both on vocals and, as he proves handily on the instrumental “Crush,” on piano. He pokes fun at his advanced age on “My Brain,” based on Willie Dixon’s blues classic “My Babe” (“My brain is always workin’/Long as you keep that coffee perkin’. ... My brain is gettin’ pounded/Pretty soon I’ll be dumbfounded”).

Allison offers a twisted view of religion on “Modest Proposal,” suggesting that God deserves a vacation. If I weren’t already familiar with “I’m Alright,” an old Loudon Wainwright III tune about surviving a bad romance, I could have been convinced that Allison wrote it himself, he does such a great job of making it his own.

Producer Henry is nothing if not tasteful. He provides Allison with a suave, understated little combo — bass, drums, guitars, and sax — just like on Allison’s best recordings, with no attempts to modernize.

The album has a cool little treat, “This New Situation,” a duet between Mose and his daughter Amy Allison, an alternative country singer. It’s short, but indeed it’s sweet.

I never thought I’d be yakking about a great new Mose Allison album in the year 2010. But The Way of the World is a true pleasure.

NEW BIG ENCHILADA! HUMAN/ANIMAL HYBRIDS

THE BIG ENCHILADA


Visionary lawmakers in the great state of Arizona this year passed a law banning the production or even attempted production of human/animal hybrids. This was a courageous move, but was it too little, too late? Musicians for years have been warning us about these monsters. And now The Big Enchilada brings you the real story as told by Mississippi John Hurt, The Cramps, Alex Chilton, Tav Falco, John Schooley, Rex Allen and others. Plus wild bitchen sounds by Andre Williams, Barrence Whitfield & The Savages, Johnny Dowd, Batusis, King Salami, The Dirtbag Surfers and more.



DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE


Here's the play list:

(Background Music: Teen Beast by Los Straitjackets)
Bury You Alive by Batusis
Tricks by Andre Williams
Why Do You Get So High, Shorty? by The Treniers
She's Kind of Evil by Thee Fine Lines

(Background Music: The Beast by Roky Erikson)
Trash Talkin' Woman by The Electric Mess
Stink Bug by The Dirtbag Surfers
Howlin' Wolf by Johnny Dowd

The Human-Animal Hybrid Set

(Background Music: Hornet's Heart by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282)
Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me by Mississippi John Hurt
Tiger Man by John Schooley & His One Man Band
Human Fly by The Cramps
Monkey Man by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters
Chicken Head Man by T-Model Ford
Loan Shark by Guana Batz
Panther Man by Tav Falco
A Human Coyote Stole My Girl by Rex Allen
(Background Music: Wolfboy by Stephen W. Terrell)

Play it here:


Monday, May 24, 2010

DO THE BATUSI

I meant to include this with my most recent Terrell's Tuneup, in which I reviewed the EP by Batusis.

But what the heck. It's never too late for Jill St. John and Adam West.

Do the Batusi!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, May 23, 2010
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

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion by The Grateful Dead
Big Blond Baby by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Let Loose the Kracken by The Bald Guys
Whistle Bait by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages
Doojiman by Iggy & The Stooges
Bad News Travels Fast by The Fuzztones
Swamp Woman by Johnny Dowd
I'll Make You Happy by The Kontikis
Inside the World of The Blues Explosion by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
She Brought Life Back to the Dead by Sonny Boy Williamson
Crazy People by The Boswell Sisters

Pala Tute by Gogol Bordello
Cantina by Pinata Protest
Captain Kelly's Kitchen by The Dropkick Murphys
Time by The Rockin' Guys
Jesus Loves a Jezebel by Goshen
Tobacco Road by The Blues Magoos
I'm Not a Sissy by The Fleshtones

My Time Will Come by Andre Williams
Big Green and Yeller by Seasick Steve
Spinning Ceiling by Mark Sultan
Moody Liz by Captain Beefheart
Jump, Jive & Harmonize by The Plimsouls
Punk Slime by The Black Lips
San Quentin Bait by Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis
Little Miss Contrary by Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire

Dog Leg by Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers
Tripped Out by Pierced Arrows
I Fought the Law by The Clash
Mr. Operator by Thee Vicars
Monkey Trousers by Groovy Uncle
Big Cat Stomp by Batusis
Chestnut Trees & Bumblebees by Satan's Pilgrims
Waves of Fear by Lou Reed
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Friday, May 21, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, May 21, 2010
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
A Picture From Life's Other Side by Hank Williams
Hey Joe by Carl Smith
Footstompin' Friday Night by The Stumbleweeds
If You Don't Change Your Mind by The Waco Brothers
The Working Man's Friend by The Hickoids
Wrecking Ball by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
Busy Body Boogie by The Carlisles
Move It by T. Tex Edwards And The Saddletramps
I've Had It by Cornell Hurd

Rita(hhhhhh) by Vincent Craig
Lonesome Road Blues by W. Lee O'Daniel & His Hillbilly Boys
Penny in the Fountain by Halden Wofford & The Hi Beams
Rabbits Don't Ever Get Married by Hank Penny
Highway 54 by Wayne Hancock
Blacktop Scholar by Michael O'Neill
Cocaine by Dick Justice
Stuck On A Hat-Check Girl by Al Duvall

Come On by Hundred Year Flood
Hold On by The Strange
Bella Donna by Goshen
Fort Wayne Zoo by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Bumper Car by Bob Log III
Voice of the Lobster by Clothesline Revival
The Hills of Hell by Tha Legendary Shack Shakers

Tomorrow by Eric Hisaw
The Road to My Heart by Merle Haggard
Headin' Down the Wrong Highway by Hank Thompson
Second Fiddle to an Old Guitar by Jean Shepard
Third Rate Romance by The Amazing Rhythm Aces
The Green Green Grass of Home by Porter Wagoner
Black Wings by Tom Waits
Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down by Willie Nelson
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: RAW POWER REVIVAL

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 21, 2010


Are you washed in the blood of The Stooge?

Columbia Legacy’s snazzy re-repackaging and re-remixing (more on that later) of Iggy and The StoogesRaw Power serves as a delicious reminder of the primal, visceral assault that was The Stooges.

Hell, Raw Power isn’t even my favorite Stooges album. I’m more of a Fun House kind of guy. But it’s impossible to deny the, well, raw power of this record. Songs like “Search and Destroy,” the bluesy “I Need Somebody,” “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” (originally titled “Hard to Beat”), and, of course, the title tune are nothing short of essential rock ’n’ roll.

These days, of course, it’s easy to take what Iggy Pop and company were doing for granted. We basically expect rock bands to spill over with Iggy attitude. But think about how wild and dangerous The Stooges sounded in the 1970s, when most of the world was listening to Cat Stevens and Elton John. And keep in mind that while The Stooges are arguably the most influential band of that era, at the time, the group received virtually no radio play and enjoyed only minimal commercial success.

Now Raw Power comes in two forms: a two-disc “Legacy Edition” (which I have) and a $60 three-CD “Deluxe Edition,” which comes with a booklet, a Making of Raw Power DVD, suitable-for-framing photos, and other fancy stuff.

When the album was originally released in 1973, The Stooges had been resurrected and reconstituted. There was a new guitarist, James Williamson. Original guitarist Ron Asheton was reassigned to bass. And David Bowie was in charge of mixing the album. The group was called “Iggy & The Stooges” instead of just “The Stooges.”

But in 1997, Iggy decided to remix Raw Power, perhaps a belated response to fans and critics who thought that the Bowie mix was too thin. The new release has the original Bowie mix. I’m not too sure why. I guess that’ll make the 1997 version a collectors’ item.

I’ll leave it to the audiophiles to debate the merits of the two mixes. For me, the coolest thing about this new package is the second CD, most of which consists of an October 1973 concert in Atlanta. It’s called Georgia Peaches, which is how Iggy referred to the women at the show.

The band is in great form and Iggy’s rapport with the audience is sweet and warm. (“Hey, you want to get your little [expletive deleted] face punched out, little cracker boy?” he taunts one apparent heckler. “Come on up here! Come up here. I’m sick of your [expletive deleted]!”)

The group plays a lot of songs from the original Raw Power, including a meatier version of “Gimme Danger,” which stretches out to nearly eight minutes, and a “Search and Destroy” that’s more intense than the studio version. There are also tunes that would appear on The Stooges’ infamous live self-destruction exhibition immortalized on the album Metallic K.O. — “Cock in My Pocket,” “Heavy Liquid,” and a 10-minute slow burner called “Open Up and Bleed,” which served as the grand finale of the concert.

“And it ain’t for sale, baby,” Iggy proclaims at the end of the song. “No!”

They can repackage and remix it all they want. But indeed, the spirit of The Stooges can’t be bought or sold.

Also recommended:

* Batusis by Batusis. This has to be the surprise supergroup of the year: Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls paired with the mysterious Cheetah Chrome, formerly of The Dead Boys. And the sidemen aren’t slouches either — bassist Enzo Penizzotto and drummer Thommy Price, both of Joan Jett’s Blackhearts.

The group is named for the dance that Adam West did with Jill St. John in the first episode of the Batman television series. And the result is, not surprisingly, rocking. My only complaint is that this CD is just a four-song EP.

There are two instrumentals — Davie Allan & The Arrows’ “Blues Theme” and one called “Big Cat Stomp.” Then Syl and Cheetah each get a tune.

Mr. Chrome’s big moment here is “Bury You Alive,” a dark protest tune with the line “See the towers fall/Send the kids to war ... in the desert kids are dying for the lies you told/Some day you’ll have hell to pay, but t a long way down the road.”

That’s probably not going to be as controversial as Sylvain’s “What You Lack in Brains,” a lusty ode to a female individual whose lack of smarts can be overlooked thanks to her other attributes.

I think these guys did this project for the sheer fun of it. And that’s a good thing. This little EP is far more fulfilling than the last New York Dolls reunion CD. I just hope the musicians had enough fun to want to do a full album. Come on Syl and Cheetah, you could at least do a cover of Nelson Riddle’s “Batusi A-Go! Go! (I Shouldn’t Wish to Attract Attention)” from the Batman TV soundtrack album.

* Plethora by Piñata Protest. Piñata Protest is a San Antonio band that mixes Tex-Mex with metal licks and punk energy. And it works! Alvaro Del Norte sings like a Mexican Shane MacGowan and plays accordion while the other Protesters explode around him.

Born in Mexico, Del Norte said he grew up hating the music of his parents. But now he lists Los Tigres del Norterte as an influence right beside The Clash and the Sex Pistols.

My favorite here is “Campesino,” played at breakneck speed. Also cool is “Denied Rights.” It starts off with the “Mexican Hat Dance,” but by the end, the group is stomping all over the sombrero.

I see on the band’s MySpace page under the “upcoming shows” section, PP lists a New Mexico show on Aug. 9 — with no specific city or venue. It sure would be cool if someone around here booked the group on that night.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

R.I.P. VINCENT CRAIG

Navajo songwriter/cartoonist/humorist Vincent Craig died last week at the age of 59.

The New Mexican's substitute editorial writer Inez Russell did a wonderful eulogy today.

New Mexico's urban and reservation Indians have long known about the legendary entertainer. Fans of the popular Sunday-afternoon KUNM-FM radio show, Singing Wire, know Craig through his humorous telling of the story of Rita and the candy bar, a twisting tale that shows how love can lead a poor boy astray. For Rita, the hero steals the crazy candy bar and ends up, without her, sitting in the Window Rock jail. It's just one of Craig's many songs, but for whatever reason, "Rita" crossed cultures and audiences to find fans.

Read the whole piece HERE.

I wrote about Vincent in a review of various music events at Indian Market for No Depression back in 1997.

The most poignant and emotional musical moment of the weekend was from Vincent Craig on the Plaza Saturday afternoon. When introducing his song “A Viet Nam Tribute”, he started talking about his brother, who fought in that war. His voice became so shaky, and he was fighting back tears so hard, it seemed for a moment he would not be able to sing it. But he did, and quite powerfully.

(The entire review can be found HERE)

Here's a couple of Vincent performances on Youtube. The first one is a long, humorous monologue. The other is one of his sad songs. (Unfortunately, I couldn't find "Rita.")


Rest in peace Vincent. Hope there's lots of Big Hunk candy bars in Heaven.

UPDATE: The name of the writer of the editorial has been corrected

Sunday, May 16, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, May 16, 2010
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

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I Need Somebody by Question Mark & The Mysterians
Baby Please Don't Go by The Amboy Dukes
Search and Destroy by Iggy & The Stooges
Howling Wolf Blues by Johnny Dowd
The Future is Now (and It Stinks) by J.J. & The Real Jerks
Monkey Mess by Thee Vicars
Stinkin' From Drinkin' by Calvin Boze & His All-Stars

Granny Tops 'Em At the Hop by The A-Bones
Winter Funeral by Manby's Head
How Can I Make Her Mine by The Lyres
Night of The Phantom by Larry & The Blue Notes
Black-Hearted Woman by The Standells
Rita by Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Surfin' Dead by The Cramps
I'm Talking About You by The Remains
King Kong by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages
(We Want a) Rock 'n' Roll President by The Treniers

Just a Boy by The Butthole Surfers
Cowboy George by The Fall
Highball With the Devil by Les Claypool & Holy Mackeral
Blue's Theme by Batusis
Elle est Party by The Giant Robots
No Great Shakes by Hipbone Slim & The Knee Trembers
America by Andre Williams

Matador by Pinata Protest
Undercover Medley by Brave Combo
Big Legs by Gene Phillips & His Rhythm Aces
She'll Be Mine by King Shark
Bleeding Heart by Jimi Hendrix
Soul Man in the Underworld by Jon E. Edwards
Modest Proposal by Mose Allison
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Friday, May 14, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, May 14, 2010
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
Red Red Robin by Rosie Flores
Down in the Bayou by The Watzloves
Greasy Creek by Tha Legendary Shack Shakers
I Didn't Mean to Be Mean by Ray Campi
I Don't Work That Cheap by Bill Kirchen with Commander Cody
Rock-A-Billy Fever by Wanda Jackson
Black Road by Flathead
Red Rose by The Blasters
In a Holler Over There by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Clap Your Hands Billy Kaundart

Love of the Common People by Waylon Jennings (for Bob Barth)
Drinking Champagne by Willie Nelson
I Tremble For You by Waylon Jennings
Pretty When It's New by Merle Haggard
Jason Fleming by Roger Miller
The Selfishness in Man by George Jones
I Overlooked An Orchid Carl Smith
Forbidden Love by Mel Street
The Wheels Fell Off The Wagon Johnny Paycheck
The Taker by Kris Kristofferson

Orange Clown Train by Clothesline Revival with Charlie Musselwhite
Freeborn Man by Junior Brown
Back in Hell by Delaney Davidson
Teenage Kicks by The Dead Brothers
The Rounder by Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
Jesus on the Mainline by Ry Cooder
Beedle Um Bum by Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions

Anchor by Alejandro Escovedo
My Love Lives in South Austin by Cornell Hurd
Nashville Blues by The Louvin Brothers
That Yodelin' Gal, Miss Julie by The Delmore Brothers
Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark by Robbie Fulks
Flower of My Heart by Sparkle Moore
Real Life by Susan Cowsill
Two Wings by The Rev. Utah Smith
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

MARIACHI SUPERSTARS



Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, who Santa Fe Fiesta Council President Herman Lovato calls Mexico's premier mariachi group, will be headlining the 298th Fiesta de Santa Fe Mariachi Extravaganza at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 8 at The Santa Fe Opera.

These guys have been around since 1897. No, that's not a typo! 1897!


The Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan was born in a small city called Tecalitlan, to the south of Jalisco. Founded in l897 by Don Gaspar Vargas the formation during those years was provided by the guitarra de golpe (or mariachera) played precisely by Don Gaspar, the wooden harp by Manuel Mendoza, and two violins played by Lino Quintero and Refugio Hernandez. The combination of these instruments established the "Sonido Tecalitlan" which distinguished from the "Sonido Cocula". (The Mariachi from Cocula utilized the guitarron and the vihuela in place of the harp and the guitarra de golpe aside from the two violins). In 1913, Don Gaspar introduced one trumpet to the group but it was not well accepted and, in later performances, its high-pitched sound was considered annoying. The cornet was replaced by another violin. The group consisted then of five elements. The son of Don Gaspar Vargas, Silvestre Vargas, joined as a violinist in 1921.


In more recent times. this is the group Linda Rondstadt used on her Canciones de mi Padre album in 1986.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

No Radio Shows For Me This Weekend

But thanks to Tom Adler and D.J. Phi for subbing for The Santa Fe Opry and Terrell's Sound World while I'm on vacation.

I'm in the Live Music Capitol of the World and I have seen a couple of shows.

There was Brave Combo at Threadgill's Friday


BRAVE COMBO

BRAVE COMBO

Then last night we saw a bunch of bands at Mohawk. Here's the grand finale by a group called The Midget Men, joined by a bunch of friends for the greatest version of "We Are the World" I've ever heard.

We Are the World

We Are the World

Back to Santa Fe tomorrow.

Friday, May 07, 2010

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: WILLIE WORLD

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 7, 2010


There are no guest appearances by Kid Rock or Sting, no detours into reggae, and no covers of Grateful Dead or Fleetwood Mac songs.

The title of Willie Nelson’s latest album is direct and correct: Country Music. And though it’s hardly an essential addition to the vast body of work the prolific singer has given us in the last five decades or so, it’s a dandy little effort with some fine performances and classic country tunes.

The album is produced by T Bone Burnett, which instantly supplies an inroad to the NPR crowd. (A press release that came with the promo copy of the album announced it will be sold at Starbucks.) As with his other projects, Burnett is tasteful, if a little subdued. He’s gathered some impressive musicians here, including Buddy Miller on guitar, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, and Jim Lauderdale supplying background vocals.

This album probably could have been named “Bluegrass Music,” and only the most prissy purists would argue. Indeed, it’s the closest thing to a bluegrass album Willie’s ever done with songs like “Ocean of Diamonds,” “I Am a Pilgrim,” and “Gotta Walk Alone.” Even his covers of Hank Williams’ “House of Gold,” Ray Price’s “You Done Me Wrong,” and his own early tune “Man With the Blues” sound as if they came from the hills of Kentucky, thanks largely to McCoury, banjo man Riley Baugus, and Stuart Duncan on fiddle. True, there’s some steel guitar (by Russell Pahl), which isn’t a traditional bluegrass instrument, but most of the time it’s in the background.

And there are a few bluesy, jazzy tracks, the best of which are “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” which is carried by the stand-up bass of Dennis Crouch, and The Delmore Brothers’ “Freight Train Boogie.” Yes, I still like Doc Watson’s version best, but Willie’s isn’t bad.

That’s also true for this version of “Drinking Champagne,” a classic honky-tonker written by Bill Mack that’s been covered by folks from Carl Smith to Dean Martin. Willie’s version is nice and pretty, but it doesn’t have a fraction of the soul that Jerry Lee Lewis poured into the song in the ’60s.

And maybe Willie’s cover of the Porter Wagoner signature tune “Satisfied Mind” isn’t definitive. But it sure sounds good, and he sings it like he means it.

Willie Nelson just turned 77 a week ago. That he can still crank out albums as good as Country Music is nothing short of amazing.

Steve Terrell’s Ultimate Willie List

* Top 10 Songs written by Willie Nelson
1. “Something to Think About”
2. “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
3. “I Just Can’t Let You Say Goodbye”
4. “Bloody Mary Morning”
5. “Hello Walls”
6. “I’ve Got to Get Drunk”
7. “My Own Peculiar Way”
8. “I Still Can’t Believe That You’re Gone”
9. “Permanently Lonely”
10. “Funny How Time Slips Away”

* Best Willie album: Phases and Stages
* Best Willie tribute album: Twisted Willie (with outlaw pals like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson; plus ’90s “alternative” acts like L7, The Supersuckers, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Mark Lanegan, and Willie himself)
* Best Remake of a Willie album: Red Headed Stranger by Carla Bozulich. (Willie makes a guest appearance too.)
* Best Willie appearance on a tribute album: “Ride ’em Jewboy” on Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman
* Best Willie duet: Tie — “Seven Spanish Angels” with Ray Charles and “Sioux City Sue” with Leon Russell
* Best Willie & Waylon duet: “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” (written by Tom T. Hall)
* Best song by a superstar trio featuring Willie: “Old Friends” with Roger Miller and Ray Price
* Best Willie Dylan cover: “Señor” (with Calexico from the I’m Not There soundtrack album)
* Best Willie cover: Tie —“Hello Walls” by Faron Young and “Night Life” by Ray Price
* Best Willie cover by Waylon: “Pretend I Never Happened”
* How many female vocalists does it take to cover “Crazy”?: Apparently all of them
* Last great song Willie wrote: “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” (circa 1980)
* Willie song most likely to supply a title for a sci-fi movie: “I Just Destroyed the World.”
* Willie song most likely to be played at a gay pride event: “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” (written by Ned Sublette, performed by Willie)
* Best religious song Willie wrote: “In God’s Eyes”
* Weirdest Willie spoken-word piece: The conversation between the unborn Willie and God at the beginning of the Yesterday’s Wine album
* Best Willie TV commercial: Taco Bell, early ’90s (he sang a song called “Lady With the Rose Tattoo”)
* Best Willie tax return: The I.R.S. Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories (Willie recorded and sold this to pay off an enormous tax bill)
* Best guilty-pleasure Willie song: “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” with Julio Iglesias
* Best not-guilty Willie courtroom appearance: Last month at Billy Joe Shaver’s aggravated assault case in Waco. What Texas jury is going to convict somebody when Willie Nelson’s there to show his support?
* Willie album that proves marijuana can cause brain damage: Countryman (Willie’s reggae album)

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

TIN SOLDIERS AND NIXON COMING


Hard to believe it was 40 years ago when the Ohio National Guard shot and killed four student protesters at Kent State University. I was a junior in high school on May 4, 1970.

What scared me even more than police firing on demonstrators was the fact that so many Silent Majority types were so callous about it. Making excuses for the Guard was one thing, but there were many expressing the sentiment that the protesters deserved to be killed.

"Should have been done long ago ..."

So how would that reaction be if the same thing happened 40 years later?

Probably worse.

Here's a story about Neil Young's song "Ohio," which Young, along with Crosby, Stills and Nash were able to crank out and get on the air within three weeks of the killings. What's amazing is that commercial radio stations actually played the damned thing. That really wouldn't happen these days.

And below is Uncle Neil singing an acoustic version.




And here's a great version by The Isley Brothers. The video isn't much to look at, but listen to the song.

eMUSIC MAY

* Tangle by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. This band truly is one of the major lost gems of the '90s, one of the most unjustly overlooked groups of their era. And this album (their second) is so overlooked, I overlooked it myself. For some reason I thought I had all their albums. Somehow I never had this one until now.

I first stumbled across the Fellers back in 1991 -- the Summer of Grunge! -- when I was up in Seattle to go to a wedding. They were headlining a bill of fellow unknowns at a little club called The Off Ramp. Their strange, discordant, yet lovably goofy sound twisted my head off. Describing that night in a review of another TFUL282 album back in 1996, I wrote, "I was amazed at how joyful and childlike the Fellers were, not in a self-conscious or cloying way as they created their musical magic, how they could be sweet and ear-wrenching at the same time. I'd never realized before that night that a mandolin could be used as an audio assault weapon."

In Tangle, I hear echoes of Captain Beefheart, The Fall, maybe even a little Husker Du. But mainly I hear that crazy band I loved so much at the Off Ramp nearly 20 years ago.


*Git High Tonite! by Bloodshot Bill. He's a one-man rockabilly band from Montreal. He's a crony of both King Khan and BBQ, and allegedly even has his own brand of hair gel called "Nice 'n' Greasy," and -- like me -- he's a major Roger Miller fan. Sometimes you can hear it in his voice.

Although he rose from the punk scene, Bloodshot Bill does not play "psychobilly." You can feel the love and respect he's got for the rockabilly tradition. No metal riffs, no songs about werewolves or zombies (at least not on this album) .

But like the late great Ray Condo, you can hear the "psycho" in his vocals, his hiccups, his yodels.

I'm looking forward to a couple of upcoming CDs on Norton Records featuring this guy -- The Ding-Dongs with Mark Sultan (aka BBQ) and Tandoori Knights with the King (Khan, that is.)


* I Learned the Hard Way by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. I wouldn't call this "over-produced," but Sharon's fourth album with the Dap-Kings is noticeably more polished than he previous efforts. There's strings and vibes and background singers, more obvious references to Motown -- pretty classy stuff, though I prefer Jones and the Daps more gritty and less sweetened,

It took me a few tracks to start to sink into Hard Way. But it was worth it. There's some fine tunes here.

"Money" kicks off with a mini-sermonette about the recession woes, the message here basically is the same as other songs of similar titles - she needs MONEY! "Mama Don't My Man" is nice and basic -- just a guitar, some foot-stomps and some background singers. I bet somewhere there are Shirelles demos that sound a lot like this.

But by far the strongest here, and one of the best Sharon's ever done, is "She Ain't a Child No More," a tragic story of abuse and growing up too fast.

See for yourself. Here's Sharon and the lads performing this song recently on The Colbert Report.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - She Ain't a Child No More
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes



* Rosco's Rhythm by Rosco Gordon. You gotta love eMusic. Believe it or not, this, album is classified as "electronic experimental."

And no, it's not ska either, although Rosco's shuffling piano rhythms have been credited with inspiring a generation of Jamaican musicians.

But in reality, it's good basic R&B from the '50s. Rosco started out in Memphis where in the late '40s he was in a group called The Beale Streeters, which included B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and the late great Johnny Ace.

This generous album (30 tracks!) includes Gordon's earliest singles, "Bootin'" and "No More Doggin'," as well as the hilarious "Weeping Blues" and his novelty hit "Do the Chicken." And hey, Roy Head fans, check out Rosco's original version of "Just a Little Bit."

* The Very Best of The Boswell Sisters More than 40 years before Dan Hicks gave the world The Lickettes, there were the lovely Boswell Sisters from New Orleans. Connee, Vet and Martha Boswell and their snazzy, jazzy harmonies are nothing short of immortal. The Andrews Sisters identified the Boswells as a major influence, while Ella Fitzgerald was an admirer of sister Connee's vocals.

The girls began singing on the radio in the mid 20s and started recording for the Victor label in 1930. Their first hit, "When I Take My Sugar To Tea", (included on this collection) was from a Marx Brothers movie, Monkey Business. In 1932 they appeared with Cab Calloway and Bing Crosby in a movie called The Big Broadcast. And they were even featured in a Max Fleischer cartoon. "Sleepy Time Down South," (unfortunately not included here.) Their career was short. The act broke up in 1936 when both Martha and Vet got married and retired. Connee continued on as a solo act, recording well into the '50s.

The "Shout! Sister Shout!" on this album is not the song by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, but it's still wonderful. "Heebie Jeebies" is the Louis Armstrong tune. One of the coolest here is "Crazy People," which I'm surprised more people haven't covered. Take a gander below.


Sunday, May 02, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, May 2, 2010
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
Sister Hell by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Two Bottles of Wine by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Funnel of Love by The Fall 2:58
White Lies by Purple Merkins
Georgia Stomp by Barrence Whitfield
Shakin' All Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
Woody on a Safari by The Silly Surfers
Outkast by The A-Bones
I Saw A Ghost (Lean) by The Black Lips 2:52
You're Breaking My Heart by Nilson

Smokestack Lightning by Howlin' Wolf
Down The Road by The Monsters
Julio Iglesias by The Butthole Surfers
Flat Shoes, High Heels by Cyco Sanchez Supergroup
Nerves by Thee Fine Lines
Sookie Sookie by Steppenwolf
Hairy Eyeball by The Dirtbag Surfers
Haunted House by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Do the Trouser Press by The Bonzo Dog Band

KIM FOWLEY SET
Music Is The Magic by Kim Fowley
Inferno by Johnny C and the Blazes
Underground Lady by Kim Fowley
Fallout by Aston Martin and the Moon Discs
The Rebel by The Players
Eleventh Commandment Of Love by Bonnie and the Treasures
Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack by The Hollywood Argyles
March Of The Siamese Children by U.S. Rockets
The Trip by Kim Fowley
Night Of The Hunter by Kim Fowley
Worst Record Ever Made by Althea and the Memories

Please Judge by Roky Erikson with Okkervil River
Murder in My Heart for the Judge by Moby Grape
Mondo Bongo by The Electric Mess
Dance Like a Monkey by New York Dolls
Black Shiny Beast by Buick MacKane
Daisys Up Your Butterfly by The Cramps
It's All In the Game by Tommy Edwards
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

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