IT WAS A LONG DRIVE ...

But I made it to Austin. Watch this blog for SXSW coverage.

2007 IDOLATOR CRITICS POLL

Somehow between the collapse of the Richardson campaign and the start of the state Legislature, I forgot all about the Idolator music critic's poll, in which I participated.

None of the stuff I voted for did very well, (of my Top 10 albums, the highest rated on the poll was The White Strripes' Icky Thump, which was ranked 16. My #1, Gogol Bordello's Super Tranata! came in 39th.) You can see my personal ballot HERE.

About to shove off for Austin ...

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 9, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time

Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
It's the Love by The Breeders
Monk Time by The Monks
Abba Zabba by Captain Beefheart
Boy Chucker by Rocket from the Crypt
Giddyup by The Hives
Kung Fu by The Dirtbombs
English Civil War by The Clash
Going Back to School by The Fleshtones
Bloody Mary by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Shape of Things to Come by The Ramones
Sandbox by Too Much Joy
Streaks and Flashes by The Chesterfield Kings
Unsatisfied by The Replacements
Why Don't You Lie by The King Khan & BBQ Show
In Praise of Sha Na Na by The Dead Milkmen
Love Special Delivery by Thee Midnighters
Rockin' Bones by Flat Duo Jets
Red Brick Wall by The Waco Brothers

Biting Game by Sinn Sisamouth
Not a Crime by Gogol Bordello
Toc by Tom Ze
Hilo by Antibalas
Donegal Express by Shane MacGowan & The Popes
In the Masoleum by Beirut
Zobi La Mouche by Les Negresses Verte
I Bid You Goodnight by Joseph Spence

In Lust You Can Hear the Axe Fall by Xiu Xiu
Love Song by Pere Ubu
(from Dr. Terror's Chamber of Horrors) by S.T. Mikael
All Misery/Flowers by The Gutter Twins
When You Were Mine by The Movin' Morfomen
Moonbeam by King Richard & The Knights
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

STAB FROM THE PAST

My crony Mark Ducaj found some yellowed old clips including this one from Pasatiempo in late 1981, about the time I released Picnic Time For Potatoheads.

The same column, by Emily Drabanski, also mentions a gig with my brother's band at the time, Holy Cow.

(Speaking of brothers with gigs, Mark's brother, Scott Ducaj, a graduate of Santa Fe High and a fine product of the late Clark Pontsler's music program at SFHS, has been playing in country singer Kenny Chesney's band. Kenny's not the kind of stuff I play on The Santa Fe Opry, but even without my help, he recently got 11 nominations for the Academy of Country Music awards. Congrats, Scott!)

STEP ASIDE, TOM JONES

This filled my heart with joy. (Thanks, Curt!)

Can't wait to see Langford and The Waco Brothers next week.

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 7, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org


OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Cat Scratch Fever by Hayseed Dixie
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 by Luther Wright & The Wrongs
Skip a Rope by Kentucky Headhunters
I Want to Be Loved by Sleepy LaBeef
Carnival Bum by Joe Ely
Daddy Needs a Drink by Drive-By Truckers
Fireline Road by James McMurtry
Chewin' Chewing Gum by Stringbean

Crazy Love by Trailer Bride
A Wreck of a Man by Arty Hill & The Long Gone Daddies
Waitin' Where She Hides by Dave Insley
Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time by Mickey Gilley
Evening Gown by Jerry Lee Lewis & Mick Jagger
How Can Evil Look So Good by DM Bob & Country Jem
Dream Vacation by The Gear Daddies
Ride on Angel by Simon Stokes
Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo by Harmonica Frank Floyd

Catch 'em Young, Treat 'em Rough, Tell 'em Nothin' by Hank Penny
Runaway Mama by Merle Haggard
Every Day I Have to Cry by Johnny Rivers
Spend it All on You by Ronny Elliott
Savin' My Lovin' by Dan Hicks & The Acoustic Warriors
If You's a Viper by Martin, Bogran & Armstrong
Electricity by Paul Burch
The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore by Kathy Mattea

Hillbilly Fever by The Osborne Brothers
Holdin' Our Own by Jesse Dayton & Brennen Leigh
Old Five and Dimers Like Me by Waylon Jennings
Here No More by The Breeders
Sammy's Song by David Bromberg
Ain't You Wealthy Ain't You Wise by Bonny Prince Billy
The Urge For Going by Dave Van Ronk
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

TED IN NM

I was so busy with political stories at work yesterday, I had to pass on an opportunity to interview THE NUGE, who is in the state filming a movie.

Kate did a good job though.

Just for the heck of it, here's some classic footage of Bill Richardson's new hunting buddy:



UPDATE: The original video I posted here was yanked from YouTube. Here's the same song. Hope it lasts.

Also, one wiseguy pal of mine wrote with this question:

I wonder what Ted would say if he knew Richardson line-item vetoed $25,000 for an archery-in-the-schools program.

I wonder too.

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: DOWN IN THE GUTTER

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 18, 2008

Rarely have gloom and damnation sounded so attractive.

Under the collective name of The Gutter Twins, Mark Lanegan — former lead moaner of Screaming Trees — and Greg Dulli — best known as the main voice of The Afghan Whigs and, more recently, The Twilight Singers — have teamed up to create Saturnalia, a foreboding serenade for a dark night of the soul, a morose masterpiece that captures the strengths of each of the Twins. It’s full of themes of deteriorating love, impending doom, spiritual apocalypse, guilt, and sorrow — the feel-good hit of the season.

This isn’t the first time Lanegan and Dulli have collaborated. Lanegan is basically an honorary Twilight Singer, having appeared on several tracks on various TS albums. I was first exposed to the music of these guys back in 1991, on a compilation album from the Sub Pop label sardonically titled The Grunge Years. The Afghan Whigs had a song on it called “Retarded.” Lanegan — whose solo work is far more impressive than his stuff with Screaming Trees — had a tune there called “Ugly Sunday.”

Saturnalia is a Sub Pop product too, though the Seattle record company that epitomized independent rock during the grunge years of the late ’80s and early ’90s is now part of the Warner Music empire (Warner owns 49 percent of the company). The good news is that this album sounds like a Sub Pop record of yore. With the first ominous strums of the opening tune, “The Stations,” a listener realizes that it’s going to be an intense excursion. Lanegan’s baritone is out front at the outset; the tempo picks up, and Dulli takes over the refrain. “I hear the rapture’s coming/They say he’ll be here soon/Right now there’s demons crawling all around my room.”

This is followed by a song called “God’s Children,” which starts out with a creep-show organ over a thumping beat. The melody that emerges (over trademark Whigs/Twilight swirling guitars) is classic Dulli.

One highlight here is “Idle Hands,” which happens to be an actual rocker, with Dulli playing a Mellotron to provide a “Kashmir”-like hook as Lanegan sings about devilish things: “I suffer you/You suffer me/We are the devil’s plaything.” And speaking of classic rock, check out the “Dear Prudence” guitar on “I Was in Love With You.”

Lanegan gets downright frightening on “All Misery/Flowers.” As the guitars grow thicker and thicker and some instrument sounds as if it’s screaming, Lanegan intones, “I woke up, I was crying/I saw an animal with eyes like mine on fire/I saw my own true love/She was a solid flower.”

No, it’s not easy listening. But Saturnalia is a midnight ride worth making. You can listen to the entire album online at the GTs' MySpace page.

Also recommended:

* R.I.P. by Rocket From the Crypt. Remember the “San Diego sound”? I don’t either. But for about 14 minutes back in the mid-’90s, some civic boosters were pushing Tijuana’s neighbor to the north for that dubious honor. Their best argument was Rocket From the Crypt.

Rocket played a timeless and unrelenting style of rock ’n’ roll, neck deep in the punk ethos but informed by R & B. One thing that always distinguished this band was the inclusion of a horn section — sax player Apollo Nine and trumpet man JC 2000. (And no, Rocket wasn’t one of those tacky ska bands of the era.)

The group had a brief stab at fame, getting picked up by the major label Interscope during the Nirvana-era indie-rock feeding frenzy. Rocket even had a video of the song “Ditch Digger” (a version of which is included on this album) that got some MTV play.

But just as the San Diego scene never quite materialized as a national touchstone, Rocket From the Crypt never quite became a household name. The group braved on for a while, breaking up in 2005 following one last Halloween party in its hometown.

Fortunately, Rocket recorded the show, which was finally (in fact, last month) released in the form of this album. “Here comes the death of Rocket From the Crypt!” an announcer shouts over the synthesized strains of “The Song of the Volga Boatmen.”

The music, as far as I’m concerned, sounds better than any of the studio stuff I’ve heard from the group. You can almost feel the sweat flying out of your speakers as Rocket blasts through its breakneck repertoire.

The songs are fast and furious, many of them — including “A+ in Arson Class,” “Carne Voodoo,” and “Sturdy Wrists” — clocking in at under two minutes. About the only time the musicians stop to take a breath is when they admonish their fans for throwing Halloween costumes on the stage. (“This ain’t no lost and found.”)

But they stretch out on their last song — and yes, assuming no big comeback is in the works, this really is their last song — “Come See, Come Saw.” During an instrumental break, singer Speedo asks the crowd, “Are you satisfied? I said, ‘Are you satisfied?’”

It sounds like the audience is responding “No.” Alas, there was only a minute or so left for Rocket From the Crypt to satisfy.

Some of us still want more.

I downloaded this album, so I haven’t seen the DVD you get with the CD. It’s almost tempting to pick that up.

Blogging SXSW: Starting Wednesday, March 12 (if not before), watch this blog for my updates on the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: FEARS OF LUJAN "FIX" OVERBLOWN

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 6, 2008

Even before Ben Ray Luján officially announced he was running for Tom Udall’s congressional seat, some Democrats were expressing the fear that Luján’s dad, state House Speaker Ben Luján, had the nomination wired for him.

But, following the local Democratic ward meetings and Santa Fe County Democratic Convention (both of which took place at Santa Fe Community College last Saturday), it’s apparent the younger Luján is indeed a strong candidate, but fears that he and his father would shut out everyone else were overblown.

Before the Legislature passed and the governor signed a “fix” to a controversial change in election law, some even feared the Lujáns could have “the fix” in by the time the March 15 pre-primary convention took place.

The theory went along these lines: The state Central Committee — which makes up 152 out of the 712 delegates in the 3rd Congressional District at the pre-primary convention — largely is made up of local elected officials and other assorted politicos.

As Sheriff Greg Solano wrote in his campaign blog last year, “All of these people go to the legislature at some point and time to get things passed or obtain capital funds for their local jurisdictions.” And thus, the thinking went, these folks wouldn’t want to do anything to cross the speaker — like vote against his son.

It was only a few weeks ago that there was talk that Ben Ray Luján could be the only candidate March 15 to get the required 20 percent of the delegate vote.

But the Legislature, with almost no opposition, passed Senate Bill 1, which allows candidates who don’t make the cut at the pre-primary convention to gather more petitions to get on the ballot. Ben Ray Luján appeared before at least one committee to endorse the bill. Gov. Bill Richardson signed it Friday.

At the community college Saturday, it was apparent that Santa Fe developer/green builder Don Wiviott also had strong support — mainly in the form of new people who had never before participated in ward meetings whom the Wiviott campaign brought in. Other candidates — Harry Montoya, Benny Shendo Jr., Jon Adams and Rudy Martin — had supporters there too, but did not seem as visible as Luján and Wiviott, who plastered the college with their posters and their supporters with stickers.

It still is impossible to tell at this point how many of the county’s 166 elected delegates in the 3rd Congressional District are going to which candidates. But — barring anything unforeseen and off-the-chart bizarre — I’m pretty sure Luján won’t be the only one with 20 percent or more March 15.

To be sure, the younger Luján is the favorite of the party regulars. He got by far the most applause Saturday at the county convention, which consisted mostly of state Central Committee members, and the two at-large delegates elected by that group both were Luján supporters.

Furthermore, Luján’s first campaign-finance report showed he’s tapping into Richardson’s base of financial supporters.

The real test for Luján will be the primary itself.

A race growing nastier: The rhetoric in the 3rd District race is escalating, but it’s not between Luján and Wiviott, but Adams and Wiviott.

Adams, a lawyer, filed a lawsuit last month claiming Wiviott didn’t have enough petition signatures to be considered at the pre-primary convention.

That’s not unusual. Patsy Trujillo, a supporter of Luján’s, did the same thing with Rudy Martin, a Dixon lawyer. And, for you history buffs, Diane Denish did the same thing to state Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque in the 2002 lieutenant governor’s race.

What haven’t been typical are Adams’ responses to Wiviott’s legal responses to the lawsuit.

Last week, Adams e-mailed a news release saying Wiviott’s lawyers had been calling him “almost nonstop ... repeatedly threatening to subpoena and depose Adams, even though all the information about the signatures is in the lawsuit, and Adams’ signatures are not in issue.”

The release claimed Wiviott “filed a surprise request to dismiss the case without allowing a hearing or a response to the brief seeking dismissal, a highly unusual request that would be almost unprecedented.”

Actually, people being sued routinely seek to have their cases dismissed.

Adams, in the same news release, also claimed Wiviott was “trying to bribe people with free dinners to be delegates for them to the state nominating convention.”

This prompted Wiviott campaign manager Caroline Buerkle last week to say of Adams, “He’s a fringe candidate throwing around bizarre and baseless charges.”

Wiviott filed another motion in the case, prompting Adams to fire off another news release, saying the new motion was filed “before Adams had a chance to respond to the first motion to dismiss.”

“Wiviott is desperate to avoid a hearing on the merits because he knows he doesn’t have enough signatures,” the release said. “Moreover, he knows I am out of town visiting my mother who is waiting for a heart transplant, and for him to file this surprise motion with more false and misleading accusations at this time really shows a lack of regard for human decency.”

Asked about the second news release, Buerkle said, “We’re confident in our signatures and believe this sideshow of a lawsuit will be dismissed. Don won’t be distracted. He’s focused on his campaign and talking to voters about how he’ll fight for change in Washington.”

But alas, the case will not be decided by news releases — or newspaper columnists. A motions hearing is scheduled to be heard at 1:30 p.m. today before state District Judge Daniel Sanchez.

RFOBNHNW

A former Republican state senator from Albuquerque is switching sides in the upcoming presidential election — maybe.

Victor R. (”for Republican”) Marshall said Monday he’s started and appointed himself president of a national group — at this point a one-man group —called “Republicans for Obama, But Not Hillary, No Way.”

RFOBNHNW already has a one-page Web site, in which lawyer Marshall explains his political stance in simple language:

I’m a lifelong Republican.
I’m disgusted with my party.
Barack Obama is the best candidate in this election.
I’m going to vote my conscience and vote for Obama in November
— if I get the chance.
If Hillary gets nominated, I’ll vote for John McCain.
I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. Not ever. No way.

The site links to a more established group just called “Republicans for Obama.”

“There’s a ton of people like me,” said Marshall, who represented an Albuquerque Senate district between 1985 and 1992, in an interview. “I’m a fiscal conservative, I’m green, I’m pro choice. I want to know what’s happened to the Republican Party.”

Marshall said it doesn’t bother him when Republican McCain or Democrat Clinton criticize Obama for “lack of experience.” "Experience," Marshall said, is "just a buzz word for political hacks to justify themselves.”

One way to tell that Marshall has Republican blood in him is his reaction toward Clinton. “There’s too many reasons to list. I think she’s dishonest, just like her husband,” he said.

(Full disclosure: Marshall works as an attorney for The New Mexican. )