THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Laurell sat in for me Friday so I could go to the Drive-By truckers, Alejandro Escovedo show. She sent me her playlist.

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, May 4, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Substitute Host: Laurell Reynolds

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Viva Las Vegas-Elvis Presley
All You Fascists-Billy Bragg & Wilco
Rusty Cage-Johnny Cash
Pistol Packin' Mama-Al Dexter & His Troopers
Close Up The Honky-Tonks-Bill Hearne's Roadhouse Review
This ol Cowbow-Marshall Tucker Band
Thanks a Lot-Neko Case and Her Boyfriends

In Spite Of Ourselves-John Prine with Iris DeMent
it Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels-Kitty Wells
Love's Gonna Live Here-Buck Owens
Silver Threads and Golden Needles-Linda Ronstadt
Blue Bayou -Linda Ronstadt
Talkin' Terror Yodel- Joe West
So. Central Rain-R.E.M.
Seminole Wind-John Anderson
Dad's Gonna Kill Me-Richard Thompson
A Girl I Used To Know-George Jones
You Can Close Your Eyes-James Taylor

Mellow My Mind-Neil Young Tonight's the Night
Prison Trilogy -Joan Baez
Caryl Chessman-Johnny Mathis
I Scare Myself-Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
The Streets of Laredo-Harry Jackson

Feelin's-Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty
I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink-Merle Haggard
I May Be Used-(But Baby I Ain't Used Up)- Waylon Jennings
The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)-Waylon Jennings
Bruises For Pearls-Trailer Bride
I Love You so Much It Hurts-Floyd Tillman
A Horse with No Name-America
The Memories of You-Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris

VOICES OF LUNG CANCER

Here's a keep-it-in-the-family plug.

My sister-in-law Barbara Terrell (shown here with her husband/my brother Eric in Denver last year) has written a chapter in book being published this month.

Barbara is a breast cancer survivor. Her mother-in-law (my stepmother) Julie died of lung cancer.

Voices of Lung Cancer includes stories from several authors, and a forward by S. Epatha Merkerson, better known as Lt. Van Buren on Law and Order (and Reba the Mail Lady on Pee Wee's Playhouse.)

The book is available on Amazon.

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: PATTERSON ON THE TRUCKERS

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 4, 2007


The Drive-By Truckers apparently are going through a transition period that sounds a bit like a midlife crisis. Jason Isbell, one of the band’s three singer/guitarists, recently left the group. This came as the band, which plays at the Lensic Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. tonight, with Texas songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, was going through one of its “reinventions.”

“Last fall we all kind of did some soul-searching to figure out what was next, where we’ve been. We felt like we’d taken something we had done about as far as we knew how to take it,” singer Patterson Hood said in a telephone interview last week.

“Are we gonna do something a little different and see where we can take that, or are we gonna turn this thing into just our paycheck, just our job where we go out and play by the numbers? That obviously wasn’t going to work. We just don’t have that kind of temperament to do that kind of thing.”

At the tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the Truckers transform into a casino-circuit band, Hood laughed and said, “We could be like has-beens who never were. The idea that really worked for us was to reinvent ourselves a little bit. That’s what we did with Southern Rock Opera. We had to really reinvent ourselves.”

Southern Rock Opera, for those unfamiliar with the Truckers’ mythos, is a double-disc album that dealt with the life and death of Lynyrd Skynyrd and what it was like to grow up as an alienated teenager in the South during the late 20th century. Critics — including this one — hailed the record as a giant leap forward for the Drive-By Truckers in terms of both sound (more wild-eyed Southern rock and less alternative country) and songwriting. The albums that followed — Decoration Day, The Dirty South (my personal favorite), and last year’s A Blessing and a Curse — brought even more critical praise, if not mainstream success.

Wanting to try something new, Hood and his musical partner of 22 years, Mike Cooley, decided to do a small tour featuring a more acoustic version of the Truckers. They’re calling it “The Dirt Underneath” tour.


“You know that it’s gonna be really big and really loud, and there’s a certain thing that just kinda always happens with it,” Hood said of the crazed, raucous, three-electric-guitar assault for which the band is known. “What if we did a show that took away those elements? Let’s see if we can still have a valid, good show with that.

“This isn’t necessarily going to be strictly acoustic. We’re not calling it ‘unplugged’ or anything. It’s just a different slant on it — maybe change people’s expectations coming in, so the people who have seen it before will know they’re coming to see something different, so when it’s not exactly the way they remember the shows being they won’t leave mad.”

The band will be trying out new songs for its next album, which it will begin recording in June after the May tour.

“Since we’re not touring behind a new record for the first time in years, we could stay home and work up the best for this new record, or we could go out and play some smaller venues and do something a little more intimate and work it up in front of small, hopefully friendly audiences. And, while we’re there, throw in some other songs that haven’t gotten done much in a long time,” Hood said.


“I’m definitely hoping there will be songs done on this tour that have practically never been played live,” he said. “Like ‘Loaded Gun in the Closet.’ I’m really pushing Cooley to pull that one into the list. I love that song; it may be my favorite song on Decoration Day. I think we’ve played it live.”

There will be a guest Trucker on stage also: the venerated Spooner Oldham will be playing keyboards on this tour. Oldham is best-known as one of the primary studio musicians and songwriters who help create Muscle Shoals/Memphis soul in the 1960s. He worked with Hood’s father, bassist David Hood, on too many soul classics to mention.

So what happened to Jason?

“You spend a few years together, you get older, you change, you grow, you kinda have to all be moving close to the same direction to keep it moving forward,” Hood said. “He had some things he was wanting to do and needing to do, and we were all in pretty much agreement with what we wanted to do, and it seemed like a good time to be moving forward.

“Jason’s more pop influenced than the rest of the band,” he said. “But it’s never that cut and dry. In Beatle terms he’d be the McCartney figure. But even in Beatle terms, McCartney is the one who did ‘Helter Skelter.’ ... He was less influenced by the punk-rock end of the spectrum than certainly I was and Cooley was — not so much even the punk-rock music, but there’s a certain ethic that goes with that, I guess, that we’d always based it on. Jason just came from a different time. Jason’s a bit younger than most of us.”

Hood continued: “We were together five years. It was great. We made three records together. I’m a huge fan of his and his music. His record that’s coming out is fantastic. [Isbell’s Sirens of the Ditch is scheduled for July release.] We’ll leave the door open for us to ... maybe work on a project together or something.

“A bus is a small place when you spend 150 to 200 days a year on it, you know, with five or six of us at any given time plus the crew,” Hood said. “We live on it. When we tour, we don’t ride it from hotel to hotel like the big rock stars. We’re just one step away from being in the van; we’re all kind of cooped up in there. It can be a pressure tour when there’s tension. But it’s pretty cool. We’ve always been one big dysfunctional family.”

Tickets to the Truckers’ show are $21 to $35 and are available from the Lensic box office, 988-1234, or www.ticketssantafe.org.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: MORE ON MEL

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 3, 2007

The Roundhouse received a pair of rare celebrity appearances Wednesday.

One was Gov. Bill Richardson, who was in Santa Fe between campaign appearances in Nevada and Louisiana.

The other was controversial actor/director/DWI offender Mel Gibson.

Gibson, according to several Capitol employees, autographed photos of himself for several fourth-floor staffers after his visit with the governor.

Everyone at the Capitol was abuzz.

Well, almost everyone.

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, contacted some time after Mel had left the building, initially said he didn’t know anything about it but would check on it.

In the meantime, I checked myself, finding a freshly autographed Gibson photo belonging to a Capitol worker.

Gallegos called back later to officially confirm the meeting. He said Gibson was in town on personal business and decided to come by and meet with the governor. They discussed the state film industry Gallegos said, though no new movie is in the works.

Apparently Gibson is not in line for the job of director of the state Film Museum.

Some jaded reporters in the Capitol news rooms joked about Gibson being here to make a “You drink, you drive, you lose” public-service announcements. In fact, when Gibson pleaded no contest to DWI last year, he volunteered to do PSAs on the hazards of drinking and driving.

Gallegos said no Gibson PSAs are in the works here, at least none involving the governor’s office.
Gibson possibly is the most polarizing Hollywood figures alive to day. Many moviegoers thought Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ was anti-Semitic. “I felt brutalized when I saw that movie,” said Rabbi Marvin Schwab of Santa Fe’s Temple Beth Shalom on Wednesday.

Then there was the infamous July drunken-driving arrest in Los Angeles, in which Gibson cursed the arresting officer, who happened to be Jewish, saying, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” Gibson has since apologized for the outburst.

Asked about how he felt about Gibson meeting with the governor, Schwab said, “Not knowing the purpose of his visit, my only hope is that he’s here to make a movie that will elevate the human spirit instead of denigrating it and maybe help the economy of New Mexico in doing so.

“I can only hope that his apology for his drunken rant has become heartfelt, and I hope he comes to conquer the demons that made him drink. My ultimate hope is that we as a race can come to together and see the divine spark in which we’re all made.”

Other states being audited: Earlier this week, former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron said New Mexico isn’t the only state to get audited by the federal government for its spending of Help American Vote Act funds.

She’s right that other states are being audited, 15 in all, including New Mexico, according to a spokesman for the federal Election Assistance Commission.

California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. South Carolina and Texas already have been audited, said spokesman Bryan Whitener said. Audits are still in the works for Indiana, Maryland, Wyoming, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and New Mexico.

Completed reports are posted on the EAC’s Web site.

Among the concerns about possible misuse of federal funds listed in those reports include:

* $3,889 for “activities booklets” for high school students in Illinois. According to the report, these “appeared to be targeted to children, not voters.”

* $131,924 for a pair of “hip hop summits” in New Jersey, that included panel discussions that involved old-school rappers including Rev. Run (formerly of Run/DMC) and Doug E. Fresh. The EAC determined the state will have to pay back more than $64,000 used to pay for food and transportation to the events.

* $92,506 used by the state of South Carolina to purchase a vehicle.

* Nearly $4 million in questioned costs in California, nearly $2 million of which went to contracts that “didn’t meet the state’s competitive bidding requirements.”

In New Mexico some — mainly Republicans — have complained Vigil-Giron used some federal money to buy television ads featuring herself, telling viewers about voting. The Federal Election Commission looked into similar complaints in 2004 and eventually cleared Vigil-Giron.

However, now there are questions about a budget shortfall of up to $3 million in the Secretary of State’s Office.

It’s not clear when New Mexico’s audit will be done.

MEL & BILL

Whose white limo was parked outside of the Roundhouse this afternoon? None other than actor/director/DWI defendant Mel Gibson.

Gibson, according to several Capitol employees, autographed photos of himself for several 4th Floor staffers after his visit with Gov. Bill Richardson, who also was making a rare appearance at the capitol today.

Everyone here was abuzz about it.

Well, almost everyone.

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, contacted sometime after Mel had left the building, said he didn't know anything about it.

Maybe Gibson was here to shoot a "You drink, you drive, you lose" commercial.

UPDATE: 4:52 pm. Gilbert Gallegos just called. He said Gibson was in town on personal business and decided to come by and meet with the governor. No new movie is in the works, and no, he's not getting the job at the state Film Museum.

NEW BLOGS OF NOTE

Keeping with the great themes of this blog, one is political, one is musical.

The New Mexico Politico with Aaron Henry Diaz is the work of a 19-year-old student from Las Cruces who says, "My family has a long history in New Mexico politics and I aspire to carry on the tradition." Diaz doesn't seem completely aligned with either party, saying right now he can't decide whether he supports Bill Richardson or John McCain for president. (Thanks to blog scout Mario for finding this one.)

A new music blog worth noting is produced by the Future of Music Coalition, which features "issues at the intersection of music, law, technology and policy." I'll check this one every time I need a shot of outrage about the musical industrial complex.

XXXXXXXX

My story in today's New Mexican about the latest plans of Rebecca Vigil Giron can be found HERE.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, April 29, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
NEW: email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
El Kabong by The A-Bones
Red Lips, Red Eyes, Red Stockings by The Red Elvises
El Microscopico Bikini by Los Straitjackets with Cesar Rosas
Voodoo Trucker by Deadbolt
Baby Blue Rock by The Cramps
Throw a Boogie/Black Betty/Just a Little Bit by Scott H. Biram
Drunk Stripper by Bob Log III
Drive You Faster by John Schooley

Clean-up Woman by Betty Wright
Another Woman's Man by Little Royal
The Jungle by Diablito
Hey You by Evil Enc Group
African Twist by Stacy Lane
Get Out My Life Woman by Lee Dorsey
Ape Man by Aaron Neville
Sweet Skinny Jenny by Esquerita
Action-Packed by Ronnie Dee
Little Girl by John & Jackie
Monkey by J.C. Davis
Palolo Valley Girls by Da Mokettes & The Incredible Q Band.

Iggy Pop Set
All songs by Iggy Pop except where noted

Trollin' by Iggy & The Stooges
Real Cool Time by The Stooges
Gimme Danger
Dogfood
No Fun by The Ridiculous Trio
Wild America
One For My Baby

As Long As I Have You by Detroit Cobras
Come on in This House by John Hammond
Come on Up to the House by Tom Waits
Out of Left Field by Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham
People get Ready by The Chambers Brothers
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

GORDO GOES TO SPACE AGAIN

Although James "Scotty" Doohan is getting all the headlines for having his ashes blasted into space, also aboard that rocket were the ashes of Leroy Gordon Cooper.

A little perspective: Scotty was an imaginary spaceman. Gordo Cooper was the real thing, one of the original Mercury astronauts and, the first Okie in space.

He piloted the last flight of the Mercury program (Faith 7, in 1963) and in 1965 commanded Gemini 5, becoming the first man to make a second orbital flight.

From his NASA obit:

Cooper and Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. flew the troubled and suspenseful third flight of the Gemini program in August 1965. The goal of the mission was to prove astronauts could survive in space long enough to perform a lunar mission, which takes eight days. During their eight-day mission, they experienced a number of problems with power systems, thruster fuel, venting gas that caused the spacecraft to roll, and more in a seemingly unending series. But they stayed in orbit for almost 191 hours, 122 orbits in nearly eight days, and got themselves and their spacecraft back intact.

Growing up in Oklahoma in the 1960s, I had three major Okie heroes: Roger Miller, Mickey Mantle and Gordo Cooper.

This strange little story about sending Cooper and Doohan's ashes into space (along with the ashes of about 200 others) just reminds me how much I wish we spent the money we spend on stupid wars on exploring space.

TORNADO BENEFIT

Santa Fe Brewing Company next Saturday (May 5, 2007) is hosting a benefit for the city of Clovis, which was hit hard last month tornados.

All door proceeds from the "Caught by the Wind" show will go to the United Way of Clovis. To donate online CLICK HERE.

According to a press release from SF Brewing, volunteers are needed to help stage te event. Email Jeff if you can volunteer.

Saturday's going to be a great day for music here. Dengue Fever is playing at Quadstock at the College of Santa Fe that night. I'm going to try to make both. (And the Drive-By Truckers and Alejandro Escovedo are at the Lensic the night before.)

Santa Fe Brewing has done a great job bringing music to this town. (For example, Robert Earl Keen is tonight and John Hammond, who has a cool new album, is coming May 25). I'm glad they're getting involved with helping people too.

And hell, Clovis was where Buddy Holly made most of his magic. WE OWE THEM! (I believe theb ghost of Buddy spoke to me a coule of weeks ago when I was in Clovis. I was at Twin Cronnie Drive-In eating a chili dog, listening to my iPod on shuffle when "That'll Be the Day" came on. It was a sacred miracle!)

The Caught by the Wind line-up includes:


The JEFF STRAHAN BAND
AMAZING LARRY
BILL HEARNE & Friends
BUSY McCARROLL & the Ambassadors of Pleasure
The GEORGIE ANGEL BLUES BAND
LUNA de PLATA
LOVE LIES BLEEDING

$10 COVER -- ALL AGES
2 PM to Closing

GREG PALAST IN SANTA FE

My interview with author/jounalist and under-rated humorist Greg Palast can be found HERE.

When I spoke to him on the phone Tuesday morning I reminded him that we had spoken about now-indicted former Sen. Manny Aragon and his ties with the Wackenhut (now GEO) private prison corporation a couple of years ago. That led to Palast referring to Aragon as "the little pustulous pimple that stood out" over other local politicos.

Apparently "pustulous" is a word that his been on Greg's mind lately. Looking at his Web site this morning I found it used again, though this time applied to "The pustulous press jackals may tear at (Alec Baldwin's) flesh."

Palast is speaking tonight at The Lensic Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are available at the Lensic box office, 988-1234, or online at www.ticketssantafe.org. It's $10 for admission and $24 ticket includes a copy of his new book Armed Madhouse. Books will also be available for purchase and signing at the theater.

The book signing starts at 6 p.m., his talk at 7 p.m.