ARRESTS MADE IN BRYAN HARVEY SLAYINGS

Police have arrested two been in connection with the killings of House of Freaks frontman Bryan Harvey and his family -- as well as another terrible crime in which three members of another family were killed in their home in Richmond.

Not many details yet. The suspects' names are Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gevon Gray. The motive in both sets of killings is said to be robbery.

Here's the Richmond Times Dispatch story and here's the story from a t.v. station in Philadelia, where the suspects were caught.

Last night while playing my House of Freaks tribute on The Santa Fe Opry, I gave myself the creeps by playing a song called "Ten More Minutes to Live," Bryan Harvey's black-humor contemplation of the last minutes of his life.

But I stumbled across a story of later House of Freaks song, one I wasn't aware of called "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey," that seems to describe a murder in a basement. CLICK HERE .

DOES GENERAL "THUNDERBOLT" ROSS KNOW THIS?

Even The Hulk has his own blog!

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, January 6, 2006
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
19th Nervous Breakdown by Jason & The Scorchers
Barrier Reef by The Old 97s
Behind That Locked Door by My Morning Jacket
The Things I Done Wrong by Danny Barnes
Blood of the Ram by The Gourds
O Death by Camper Van Beethoven

2000 Funerals by Graham Parker
Rich Man's War by Steve Earle
Burn the Flag by The Starkweathers
There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere by Hank Thompson
Don't get Me Started by Rodney Crowell
Baghdad by Ed Pettersen
That's the News by Merle Haggard
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning by The Bubbadinos

HOUSE OF FREAKS TRIBUTE
(All songs by House of Freaks)
When the Hammer Comes Down
Ten More Minutes to Live
White Folk's Blood
Meet Your Heroes
Kill the Mocking Bird
You'll Never See the Light of Day
Big Houses
The World of Tomorrow

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live by Ry Cooder
Not the Tremblin' Kind by Laura Cantrell
The Dream (A True Story) by Porter Wagoner
Music Has No End by Clothesline Revival with Neil Morris
Solitary Man by Johnny Cash
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: THE MIGHTY DIAMOND

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
January 6, 2006

It’s a strange state of affairs when the latest Neil Diamond album is much cooler than the new Neil Young.

But it’s true. Mr. Velvet Gloves and Spit has made his strongest, his toughest album in probably 35 years.

Some credit producer Rick Rubin for the aesthetic success of Diamond’s album, 12 Songs. “He did it for Johnny Cash, now he’s done it with Neil Diamond, blah blah blah …” I say hogwash. First of all hiring Rubin as producer is no guarantee of a great “comeback” album. Anyone remember Sutras by Donovan a few years ago? Cosmic yawn.

Rubin’s stripped down production, his slave-master demand for new Diamond songs and his insistence that Neil do his own guitar tracks certainly helped create the somber but tasteful sonic atmosphere of 12 songs. But I believe Diamond is an old lion who needed to roar.

Perhaps because of artistic boondoggles like the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack and outright drek like “Turn on Your Heartlight,” people forget what a great songwriter that the old Brill Building vet Diamond truly is.

This is the man responsible for the most underrated boozy love song of all time, “Love on the Rocks,” the weird mysticism of “Soolaimon,” the kid-fear saga of “Shilo.” This is the guy who screamed at his own furniture in “I Am, I Said.”

And now he’s the guy who can make you feel the ache of love in “Oh Mary” and “Evermore.” There’s so many fine tunes here. “Man of God” finds still glowing embers from the fire that was “Brother Love‘s Traveling salvation Show.” “Delirious Love” is sweet delirious pop. And “Hell Yeah” is the best rewrite of “My Way” I’ve ever heard.

Consumer note: Before you plop this CD in your computer, make sure your copy doesn’t have the dreaded XCP “anti-piracy” software, which Microsoft classified as “spy ware” that can render your box vulnerable to viruses. My copy is possessed by this evil demon, so I only listen to it on my DVD player and in my car. Sony has stopped making Cds with XCP.

Holiday Clearance Section: It’s time for holiday leftovers at Terrell’s Tune-up. Here’s some quick takes on a whole mess of CDs released in 2005 that I somehow never got around to reviewing. Some have been in the musical refrigerator for months.

* Magic Time by Van Morrison. To make an obvious play on the title, Morrison indeed still has the magic. His peculiar style of sweet soul music infused by his peculiar brand of Celtic mysticism sound like they drifted out of some ancient cave. There’s a melancholy feel on this record. “Just Like Greta” finds Morrison wistfully fantasizing about disappearing from public site, (just like Garbo), while “They Sold me Out,” which almost sounds like some lost song by The Impressions, is a classic Morrison diatribe against music industry weasels. But I doubt if he’s really going away. On one song, an upbeat blues with honking harmonica, Van promises to “Keep Mediocrity at Bay.”

* Front Parlour Ballads by Richard Thompson. If you’re craving some of those classic crazed Thompson guitar solos, this mostly acoustic record isn’t for you. Some of the songs here, such as the bouncy opening cut “Let it Blow” will practically leave you screaming, “Come on Richard, plug in!” But indeed, the record lives up to its title. I love the electric Thompson and I hope this album is just a diversion. Still there’s some strange, twisted, bittersweet gems here such as the squeeze-box colored “Miss Patsy” (Is that a mandolin he’s playing or a lute?) whose quaint melody is a weird contrast to the lyrics, which deal with a terrorist in prison. “The Boys of Mutton Street,” with its catch sing-along melody is about a street gang. “When We Were Boys at School” deals with a bitter victim of bullies who dreams of rising to power to inflict vengeance. “Should I Betray,” the taunting song of a blackmailer, is perhaps the creepiest of all.

* Long Gone by Clothesline Revival. Taking old field recordings of American blues, gospel and hillbilly singers and mutating them with electronica backdrops isn’t a new idea. Moby did it several years ago with his album Play. But the idea still sounds fresh on this, the second Clothesline Revival CD. Led by California guitarist Conrad Praetzel, Clothesline makes these old scratchy recordings come to life. Praetzel for the most part doesn’t distort or overwhelm these ancient melodies. Instead he enhances them. Some of the tracks, such as “Strange Things Happening,“ (based on a tune sung by Charles Haffer, Jr. in a Clarksdale, Miss. funeral home 1942) and “I’m Worried about My Soul” (sung by Lillie Knox in south Carolina in 1937) are downright haunting. And “Down in Arkansas,” sung by Almeda Riddle in 1959, actually rocks.

* Punk Trampoline by The Stillettos. The Stillettos was a New York punk band that started out before “punk rock” even had a name. Led by a high-pitched shouter who called herself Elda Stilletto -- whose voice contained traces of Yoko Ono as well as Betty Boop -- the group allegedly included Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, Cheetah Chrome of The Deadboys and Rick (“Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hoochie Koo”) Derringer. This is a collection of recordings spanning the ‘70s. My favorites are the ones like “Feedback Rock” and “Pink Stilettos” that feature a crazy sax. There‘s even a weird punk/jazz tune called “Feedback Jazz.”

Terrell’s Sound World is back! Freeform weirdo radio returns to Santa Fe Public Radio after a three-week break, 10 p.m. this Sunday, on KSFR 90.7 FM.

And don’t miss The Santa Fe Opry 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR. I'll play a lengthy House of Freaks segment around the 11th Hour.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: IT'S ALL IN THE CARDS

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
January 5, 2006

The holiday spirit lingers in New Mexico’s political world. Some folks are still talking about a surprise Christmas card they received from one political figure — resigned state Treasurer Robert Vigil.

The card shows the former treasurer surrounded by his family and offers “Seasons Greetings and best wishes for the New Year.”

But that’s the large print. The surprise was in the small print at the bottom of the card: “Paid for by Friends of Robert Vigil for State Treasurer.”

Vigil, before he was arrested on federal extortion charges in September, was busy raising money for a re-election bid. In fact after he was videotaped taking money in a car from an investment adviser, Vigil’s lawyer said this wasn’t a kickback but an honest campaign contribution (though it never showed up on any report).

Maybe he was just raising cash to spread some Christmas cheer.

A spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office said there’s no record of anyone picking up a campaign packet for a 2006 Robert Vigil campaign.

More late Christmas cards: Someone call Bill O’Reilly! The War on Christmas” is getting help from unexpected quarters.

Upon returning to work Tuesday I found a Christmas card from the Republican National Committee in my mail box. It showed a nice winter scene in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with a couple resembling Mr. and Mrs. Claus strolling arm and arm down the steps.

But the real shocker was inside. No, it didn’t say “Paid for by Friends of Robert Vigil.” It said “... we wish you a happy holiday season and joyful New Year.”

No mention of Christmas or Christ!

Friends of Jack: Congresswoman Heather Wilson of Albuquerque is the only incumbent New Mexico politician to have taken campaign contributions from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The only other New Mexican to get cash directly from Abramoff was former Congressman Bill Redmond, a Republican who ran against U.S. Sen. Bingaman in 2000. Redmond, according to a study by the Washington, D.C. based Center for Responsive Politics, got $1,000 from the notorious lobbyist for that race.

However, several other political figures from this enchanted land have received contributions from Abramoff clients.

That can be largely explained by the fact that the list of those who hired Abramoff’s Greenberg Traurig firm to lobby Congress include two New Mexico Indian pueblos, Sandia and Santa Clara.

It probably could be argued that these pueblos, both of which operate casinos, would have been making campaign contributions any way.

The Pueblo of Sandia, according to the Associated Press, paid Abramoff’s firm more than $1 million to help the pueblo reclaim about 10,000 acres along the west face of the Sandia Mountains. Congress approved a settlement in 2003.

The Pueblo of Santa Clara paid Abramoff about $20,000 for lobbying in 2003, federal records show. But Santa Clara terminated its contract by the middle of 2004.

According to the CPR study, Wilson not only got the $1,000 from Abramoff in 2002 — a contribution that will be passed on to the Boy Scouts, according to a Wilson spokeswoman this week — she also took in $4,000 from Sandia Pueblo, half for her 2002 race, half for her current re-election effort.

Meanwhile, according to the CRP report, Sen. Pete Domenici got $2,750 from Santa Clara and $2,500 from Sandia in 2002.

But Republicans in New Mexico aren’t the only ones who got money from Abramoff clients.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico itself got a $5,000 contribution from Sandia Pueblo in 2002 and a $1,250 contribution for the current election cycle.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman received money from two gaming tribes that employed Abramoff — but not the ones from New Mexico. He got $2,000 from the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs, Calif. for his current re-elections effort. In 2000 Bingaman received $1,000 from the Tigua Indian Reservation near El Paso. The Tiguas, whose casino shut down in 2002, say they were defrauded by Abramoff.

Unsuccessful Democratic candidates Gloria Tristani, who ran against Domenici in 2002, got $1,000 from Sandia Pueblo, while Richard Romero, who twice ran against Wilson and 2004, received $2,000 from Sandia in 2002 and $1,000 from Santa Clara in 2004.

Sandia Pueblo spent nearly $100,000 on candidates for state offices in 2002. More than $57,148 of that went to Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign.

BRYAN HARVEY and FAMILY MURDERED

Bryan Harvey, the voice and guitar of a very cool late '80s band House of Freaks, has been murdered along with his wife and two daughters in their Richmond, Va. home.

You can read the gruesome details of the murder -- as well as how much the Harvey family was loved and respected in their community -- HERE.

Rolling Stone has more details of Harvey's music career HERE

House of Freaks was one of my favorite bands circa 1989. Tantilla. which I'm listening to as I post this, was in my Top 10 that year.

More than a decade before anyone ever heard of The White Stripes, House of Freaks was a two-man band with Harvey (who's the guy on the right in this photo) as frontman and Johnny Hott on drums. (Some cuts on Tantilla had a guest keyboardist. Marty McCavitt.)

Though minimalist, their sound had a melodic, almost folkish quality. Tantilla was full of gothic Southern tales. Songs about the Civil War, songs about race, of family, of white mansions. There were songs of running from the law, running from the hellhounds. But it never sounded hokey. Critics, myself included, drew comparisons to Faulkner and O'Connor. Christ, it was great album!

(I just stumbled across a web site devoted to House of Freaks where Harvey talks about the album.

"As far as Tantilla goes ... I think a lot of the songs reflected my obsession with race and the south and the lost cause and the nature of southern guilt. Originally I didn't intend to write a "concept" album ("When the Hammer Came Down" was written early on before we even moved to L.A.) but somewhere along the way after the release of Monkey on a Chain Gang, I thought I'd like to record a southern epic. I tried but I don't think anyone in 1989 wanted a historical epic in their rock 'n roll."

I'd wondered what happened to House of Freaks. Though the band had broken up, Harvey and Hott were still buddies. Apparently it was Hott who discovered the crime scene when he went to The Harveys' house for a New Year's barbecue.

Harvey worked for the local school system, though he still played music at night, in a soul-covers band called NrG Krysys.

This murder's got me depressed. Harvey's voice blasting over my speakers isn't helping. But what else is there?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm ripping off Mario here, but here's some recent search phrases that directed visitors to this blog. (Some will have links.):

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Out of sheer boredom the other day I created a list on eMusic. It's called "Santa Fe Opry Faves," and consists of music I've downloaded from eMusic that I've played on my Friday night show on KSFR.