THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, November 4, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Hogs on the Highway by The Bad Livers
Pick Me Up on Your Way Down by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
The Old Man Down the Road by John Fogerty
No Place in History by Big Al Anderson
Two Step Too by Delbert McClinton
Don't Ya Tell Henry by The Band
The White Trash Song by Steve Young
Please Don't Bury Me by John Prine

River, Road or Rail by Nancy Apple & Rob McNurlin
Hurricane Season by Tom Russell Band
Joe Citizen Blues by Son Volt
The End by Marah
Doreen by The Old 97s
Party Lights by Junior Brown
Crimson and Clover by Dolly Parton
Black Sheep by Mark Weber

Keep Going by Boozoo Bajou with Tony Joe White
All You Rounders Better Lie Down by Clothesline Revival
Mother Prays Loud in Her Sleep by Flatt & Scruggs
The Waltzing Ladies by Josh Lederman & Los Diablos
Turn Row Blues by Bobby Earl Smith
Burn That Broken Bed by Iron & Wine with Calexico
Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White

I Don't Wanna Play House by Tammy Wynette
Weighted Down (The Prison Song) by Alexander Spence
Glasgow Girl by Rodney Crowell
Down Here Where I Am by Blaze Foley
Funny How Time Slips Away by Willie Nelson
Shine on Harvest Moon by Bobby Bare
3 Hearts Later by Marti Brom
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

LIKE A NINJA

OK, Tom over at The Donegal Express challenged his cronies in blogdom to use the phrase "like a ninja" on a blog post between now and Monday.

I'm not sure exactly why.

He probably wanted something more subtle, but I had this stupid Madonna song in my head ...

I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn’t know how lost I was
Until I found you

I was beat incomplete
I’d been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new

Chorus:

Like a Ninja
Touched for the very first time
Like a Ninja
When your heart beats (after first time, with your heartbeat)
Next to mine

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: BETTYE'S BACK

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Nov. 4, 2005

The new album by soul belter Bettye LaVette, I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise reminds me of a couple of other excellent albums from recent years.

There are obvious similarities between LaVette’s latest and Solomon Burke’s 2002 CD Don’t Give Up on Me. Both were produced by roots rocker Joe Henry, and both consist primarily of vibrant covers written by better known, (primarily) rock artists. (Burke sang tunes by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. Here LaVette covers Sinead O’Connor, Lucinda Williams, Joan Armatrading, Aimee Mann, Dolly Parton and other female composers.)

Perhaps even more comparable to LaVette’s new album is Howard Tate’s 2003 tasty “comeback” album Rediscovered. (I’ve actually become angry when I saw this CD in bargain bins at a record store a few months ago. “The fools!” I nearly screamed.) Like Tate, LaVette is an unjustly overlooked singer who should have been a huge star in the 1960s, but through a series of strange misfortunes, somehow missed the boat. I’d like to believe that there’s a parallel world somewhere in some galaxy in which both Howard and Bettye are right up there in higher reaches of the soul pantheon.

Unlike Tate, who went missing for several decades after his recording career flopped, LaVette stuck with it, her career “like a case study in the annuls of Murphys Law, full of bad luck, wrong decisions and nonstop professional disappointments,” a wise critic once wrote.

On the new CD, Henry has assembled a very capable but unassuming batch of musicians to back her up (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, no horn section.) But he wisely allows LaVette’s voice to remain front and center.

The album starts off with “I Do Not Want What I Do Not Have,” which was the title song of Sinead’s greatest album. Like the original, LaVette’s version is performed a capella. But the similarities end there. O’Connor’s version sounded like the cry of a wounded child. LaVette -- who has taken so many liberties with the melody she should get songwriter credits, sounds like a field holler, oozing with raw spiritual power.

Then the band comes in for “Joy” with a funky crunching guitar (Doyle Bramhall II) and LaVette shouting the title. This is one of Lucinda Williams’ greatest rockers. I never thought anyone would ever make it better, but somehow LaVette did.

She turns Parton’s folkish “Little Sparrow” into a voodoo-soaked blues, while “The High Road” written for LaVette by Sharon Robinson sounds like a gospel ballad worthy of Mavis Staples. But even prettier is “Just Say So,” in which LaVette is accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. It sounds like a long, lost Stax demo.

The only slight disappointment here is “Down to Zero,” the song that introduced Joan Armatrading to the world in the late ‘70s. LaVette’s cover is worthwhile, but I find myself missing Armatrading’s understated moan.

The album ends with Fiona Apple’s “Sleep to Dream,” whose refrain not only gave LaVette the title for her album, but also reveals the singer’s underlying attitude: “This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways. … I‘ve got my own Hell to raise.” It’s not clear to whom LaVette is directing her rage. But I wouldn’t want to be the one to try to stifle this voice.

(The photo of Bettye LaVette is from Robert Mugge's Blues Divas.)

Also Recommended:

One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963; Night Beat; The Best of Sam Cooke. With a new biography on the shelves (Peter Guralnick’s Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke) and these three reissues from RCA/Legacy, perhaps the time has come for a full-fledged Sam Cooke revival.

This new version of One Night Stand is the “20th anniversary edition” of an album which for reasons I will never understand wasn’t released until 1985, more than 20 years after Cooke’s death.

Before this, the only live Cooke album was the rather tame Live at the Copa, which showed the softer, smoother, more uptown side of Sam. But here, Cooke, fresh off a British tour with Little Richard is all sweat and grit in this Miami show. With a band led by R&B sax titan King Curtis (grim note: both Cooke and Curtis died as a result of homicide), Cooke rips through most of his biggest hits, spotlighting the gospel fervor that had only been hinted at in the studio versions.

One Night Stand was recorded in January 1963. About a month and a half later he went into the studio and in three nights recorded what would become Night Beat.
It’s not nearly as raw as the Harlem Square show, but no less soulful. Here he plays with a small combo, including a young Billy Preston on organ. While Cooke wrote most of his own material, Night Beat is a collection of blues songs, including some Charles Brown tunes and a snazzy takes on the Howlin’ Wolf hit “Little Red Rooster” and Mississippi Fred McDowell‘s “You Gotta Move.”

But the record starts out with a quietly urgent version of the old spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”.

The fact he was doing religious material is significant. Cooke started out as a gospel singer with the influential Soul Stirrers and his “defection” to the world of pop was considered by some as an affront to God Himself. But Cooke proved here that his gospel roots still were strong.

I like the “Best Of” album here mainly, to steal a Cooke hit title, “For Sentimental Reasons.” It was one of the first albums I ever owned in the early ‘60s. It still makes me grin when I read the hyped-up headline that was on the original back cover: “He lives in the Top Ten…”

Still there are far better retrospectives to introduce a new fan. Both Portrait of a Legend, released just two years ago and The Man and His Music (1986) have about twice as many tracks, and unlike this one, contain “A Change is Gonna Come.”

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: MORE ON MR. BUCKMAN

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 3, 2005

If nothing else, Mississippi political operative and all around colorful character Richard Buckman stirred things among New Mexico Democrats.

First there was his “sweetheart” contract with the state Democratic Party for which he took in $40,000 between December and September — while his real-life sweetheart Vanessa Alarid worked as the party’s executive director.

State party chairman John Wertheim insists that Alarid had nothing to do with the contract with Buckman’s TCB Consulting firm.

Then there was his precedent-setting drunken driving case.

Although two Albuquerque police officers said Buckman showed signs of intoxication — bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and the strong odor of alcohol — and although he failed a field sobriety test when he was pulled over in the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2004 — the charge was thrown out.

A judge ruled that the field sobriety test was invalid because Buckman was too heavy.

Police guidelines say that DWI suspects more than 50 pounds overweight shouldn’t be given certain physical field sobriety tests involving balance. Buckman’s DWI charge was dropped.

Buckman didn’t return phone calls made Tuesday and Wednesday to his Los Angeles office. He’s now working in the show biz world with a company called Sand Castle Entertainment Group.

But even before Buckman came to New Mexico, Buckman’s name was attached to controversies in other states.

The Wall Street Journal in March 2004 reported that Buckman approached an associate of U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss. with an unusual offer concerning the Democratic filibuster of President Bush’s judicial nominees.

According to Pickering, Buckman had proposed a deal: Democrats were willing to end their opposition to the nomination of the congressman’s father, Charles Pickering Sr., to a federal appeals judgeship.

All the younger Pickering had to do was agree to a redistricting plan that would effectively eliminate his Congressional seat.

Buckman, in a Mississippi paper, denied trying to influence the confirmation of Judge Pickering.

Charles Pickering became a federal appeals judge, eventually getting a temporary recess appointment by Bush. He resigned late last year, shortly before his term was up. Chip Pickering still is in Congress.

(Strange aside: An online Fox News article about the alleged Pickering proposal says Buckman is “formerly a GOP consultant.”)

Also last year, Buckman found himself in the middle of an ethics fight in D’Iberville, Miss. — though he was not accused of wrongdoing himself.

According to accounts in The Sun Herald, a Biloxi, Miss. paper, Buckman was hired as a consultant on economic development issues in 2003, receiving a monthly retainer of $1,500. But when a Buckman associate went to pick up his money, the city manager said he had to go talk to a city councilor about the check.

D’Iberville Councilor Oliver Diaz said that he had made a personal loan to Buckman. Diaz said he and Buckman had agreed that if Buckman couldn’t pay his loan, Diaz would keep his consulting check.

Buckman had fallen behind on his loan payments, Diaz said.

“Richard and I are still friends. In fact, he still owes me $500,” Diaz was quoted in The Sun Herald in April 2004.

Diaz in December was found to be in violation of the city’s ethical code and was forced to reimburse the city for $1,500.

Love & Gloating on the Campaign Trail: For another perspective on Richard Buckman, check out Stump Connolly's account of meeting "a dark, brooding man in a dark suit and camel's hair coat leaning into my shoulder" while covering last year's Wisconsin primary. Buckman eventually asks Connolly, "Just paint me clean! Just paint me clean, brother."

This is where I stole the photo of Buckman -- with Stump's blessing. Be on the lookout for a soon-to-be-published book by Connolly based on his coverage of the 2004 election.

Pigskin preview: Perhaps state government is trying to create less news about kickbacks and more about kick-offs.

Whatever the case, the state is advertising for proposals for consultants who will study the feasibility study of attracting a National Football League to New Mexico.

James Jimenez, secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration said in an interview Wednesday that this request for proposals came about as a result of talk earlier this year about trying to lure the New Orleans Saints franchise to the state.

After Saints owner Tom Benson talked about the possibility of moving the team out of New Orleans — and this was well before Hurricane Katrina — Richardson sent representatives to talk to the team management.

It’s not likely that New Mexico will get the Saints, Jimenez said. But Richardson wants to study everything that is needed for the state to be in the position of being serious about trying for an NFL team, he said.

“We want to know what are the business requirements, what’s expected of a public entity, what kind of stadium would be required, the number of tickets you’d have to sell,” Jimenez said. “Everything needed to make New Mexico more attractive.”

The maximum the state will pay for the study is $150,000, Jimenez said. The deadline for proposals is Dec. 2.

And though I’m sure it’s premature, my vote is to call the team The New Mexico Jackalopes.

WERTHEIM UNDER FIRE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Nov. 2, 2005

State Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim — under fire recently from some Democrats who say he has kept them in the dark on party finances and other matters — said Tuesday that he hasn’t done a good job communicating with his members.

“I haven’t done enough reaching out and soliciting other people’s advice,” Wertheim said in an interview. Wertheim has been state chairman since April 2004.

Wertheim said he is working on improving his communication with party rank-and-file and has taken to heart criticism of his leadership listed in a letter last week from 16 members of the party’s state Central Committee.

The Oct. 24 letter — sent to all 350 central committee members — was from members from the state party’s “progressive” wing.

One of those signing the letter, Barbara Wold of Albuquerque, said her main concern is that the state party needs to be more transparent and more communicative.

In a progressive Democrat blog called Democracy for New Mexico, Wold wrote, “We believe the party's focus has been on candidates and their big personalities at the top instead of on principles and positions that come from the bottom up — the very things that define who we are and what we stand for as a Party.”

Charlotte Roybal of Santa Fe, a longtime party activist who signed the letter, said she and others made a proposal to Wertheim to form a progressive caucus. She never heard back, she said.

Wertheim’s critics say he has not made the state party’s budget available to them. Those signing the letter said they want to see “a meaningful and detailed accounting of the incomes and expenditures that have reduced our state party’s coffers to a dangerous low.”

Wertheim denied that the party is having financial problems.

According to the most recent available filing with the Federal Election Commission, the state party has cash on hand totaling $50,818. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, the state party has spent about $40,000 more than it had taken in.

Party spokesman Matt Farrauto said having $50,000 in the bank during an off election year is “fantastic.” He said the contention that the party is in financial trouble is “fiction conjured by people who don’t have a good perspective.”

Wertheim said the party’s finances and budgets are available to any Central Committee member “who wants to come in and look at our records.”

He said that all the party’s monthly finance reports are available on the Internet. State political organizations are required to file reports with the FEC. But he said he intends to require the party treasurer to come up with a way to help party members better understand the financial reports.

One large expense that has been criticized by some Democrats is a now-terminated consulting contract with a firm called TCB, which cost the party $40,000 between December and September. The company is headed by a man named Richard Buckman, who at least for some time in recent months, was dating the party’s executive director, Vanessa Alarid.

The letter also complains that Wertheim hasn’t responded to requests for regular meetings of the Platform and Resolutions Committee “so we can counter the recurring criticism that the Democratic Party does not stand for anything.”

Wertheim said the activists have a point in this criticism. He said he recently reactivated the committee.

Some Democratic activists have raised concerns about the large turnover on the state party staff in recent months. Last month the party lost long-time comptroller Brian Monaghan, who was hired in 1998 to straighten out problems the party was having with the FEC. Monaghan, 65, said last week his retirement had nothing to do with any problems in the party.

Wertheim said that while some positions haven’t been filled, the party recently hired four regional field organizers to help Democratic efforts in all parts of the state. Their salaries, he said, are being paid by the Democratic National Committee.

Until recently, the party had four other field organizers who were paid by Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign fund. Those four still work for the governor’s political operation.

Wertheim said part of the party’s problems is that so many new people became active in the party during the 2004 election.

“There’s a lot of energy and passion for the party by people who want to get involved who have no prior experience in party politics,” he said.

Wold, a Howard Dean supporter who became active during last year’s state Democratic presidential caucus, said that she is one of those newcomers Wertheim mentions.

“The party’s not used to having all these new people come in,” she said. “There are 40 to 50 state Central Committee members who are new and don’t expect things to be run like they’ve been run before.”

Wold said the challenge of the Democrats is to “get new blood without turning off the people who’ve worked (with the party) a long time.”

Meet Richard Buckman

A Democratic political operative from Mississippi who was paid $40,000 the state Democratic Party while dating the party’s executive director, has raised eyebrows among some party activists.

TCB Consulting, headed by Richard Buckman, 37, was contracted for “party building and fund raising” between December and September. During at least part of his tenure in New Mexico he was dating Vanessa Alarid, executive director of the state party.

Wertheim said in an interview Tuesday that Alarid had nothing to do with Buckman’s hiring.

During his time here Buckman was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Albuquerque shortly before last year’s election.

However, his lawyer was able to get the DWI charge dropped after convincing a judge that the 300-pound Buckman was too heavy to pass a field sobriety test in which Buckman had lost his balance while trying to walk a straight line.

In September he pleaded guilty to having driving without insurance or his driver’s license.

Buckman couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Some Democratic critics of Wertheim have questioned the TCB contract and what exactly the Democrats got for their money.

Wertheim said Buckman did valuable work for the party in terms of fundraising.

One of TCB’s major accomplishments, Wertheim said Tuesday, was getting retired Gen. Wesley Clark to speak at a fundraising dinner in Hobbs. Strengthening the Democratic Party in southeastern New Mexico — which voted overwhelmingly Republican last year — is crucial, Wertheim said.

In a July e-mail to a county party chairman who had questioned Buckman’s contract, Wertheim wrote, “TCB’s consulting arrangement focuses on strengthening the (state party’s) relationship with the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, both of which have provided substantial financial support to the DPNM during my tenure as Chairman.”

Last week outgoing party comptroller Brian Monaghan said he had never seen the TCB contract, though he had once asked Wertheim to see it.

“I’m not going to read anything into that,” Monaghan said. But he said normally he would see such contracts.

Wertheim said “I’m not sure why he said he couldn’t see it. The contract is on file at the office.”

The contract with TCB was terminated in September by mutual agreement of both parties, Wertheim said.

The DWI arrest had nothing to do with the contract being terminated, Wertheim said.

Buckman currently is in the entertainment business in Los Angeles.

UPDATE: A Democrat reader just pointed out to me that in my subhead for this post I mistakenly had written "Meet Richard Buckner."

For those who don't know, Richard Buckner is a wonderful singer in the alt country realm. You can read about him HERE. As far as I know, he's never been a political operative from Mississippi.

Fortunately, I got Richard Buckman's name correct in the rest of this post, and, thank God, in the paper.