Thursday, October 09, 2008

FOOTBALL BUDDIES NO MORE?

Gov. Bill Richardson, in an interview on NPR this morning, said he and Bill Clinton might never kiss and make up over Richardson's choice to endorse Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton.

Have I heard from President Clinton? No. It could be pretty
much a permanent fissure. But, that's politics. That's okay," Richardson said.

"I'm still very fond of the Clintons," he said.

"I've reconciled with her, but with him — he wants to keep a grudge, that's fine with me,"

Richardson said, "I move on."

Listen yourself. The link is HERE.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: LOSING THE SWING

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Octobber 1, 2008


Does it still mean a thing if New Mexico loses its swing?

In recent years, political activists, political reporters and political junkies in this enchanted land have shared a certain pride that New Mexico in recent presidential elections, despite our modest stake of five electoral votes, has been a major swing state.

Could this be changing?

It’s true, we’ve seen candidate visits: John McCain in Albuquerque on Monday, Barack Obama in EspaƱola a few weeks ago.

But according to statistics from The Wisconsin Advertising Project, a creature of the University of Wisconsin Political Science Department, neither campaign seems to be spending that much money in the battle for New Mexico airwaves, at least compared with other battleground states.

According to a WAP news release Wednesday, Obama spent $185,000 on television advertising directed at New Mexico between Sept. 28 and Saturday, while, during the same period, McCain spent $144,000. In the 15 states in which both candidates are advertising, Obama spent more in 13 states than he did in New Mexico. McCain spent more in 14 states during this period.
"My Friends ..."
Granted, you’re going to pay more for television ads in bigger states with larger populations and more TV markets than New Mexico. But states similar in size to New Mexico, such as Nevada and New Hampshire, are seeing more political ads than our state.

In 2004, WAP showed Albuquerque stations in late September and early October sold more political ad time to presidential candidates than any other market except Miami.

But this year, the Albuquerque television market, according to WAP, isn’t in the top 10 markets for either McCain or Obama. McCain’s top 10 list does include El Paso, whose television stations are watched by Southern New Mexico households. There, the Republican aired ads 474 times last week, making El Paso No. 8 in McCain’s top 10.
OBAMA IN ESPANOLA
According to the study, Albuquerque ranked 20th for total political ads last week. The campaigns, the two political parties and outside groups attacking one candidate or the other bought a total of 960 airings on Albuquerque stations.

It’s not as if they’re not paying attention to the West. The top market for political ads was Las Vegas, Nev., (a total of 2,020 spots) while No. 2 was Denver (with 2,007 spots.)

Why aren’t the campaigns spending that much for New Mexico television ads?

When asked that question in a telephone interview Wednesday, Sarah Niebler, deputy director of The Wisconsin Advertising Project, said, “I can’t speak to the strategies of the campaigns.”

But she pointed to polling figures compiled by Pollster.com. Obama is leading McCain by 6 percentage points in New Mexico, according to Pollster, which averages several polls. In Nevada, Pollster shows Obama leading by less than 2 percentage points. In both Pollster and RealClearPolitics.com, another site that averages poll numbers, New Mexico for a few weeks has been listed as “leaning Obama” while Nevada continues to be a “tossup.”

So if McCain’s numbers start improving in New Mexico, expect to see more ads from both camps.

Beware of Tony: Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza told me this week that somebody out there is calling voters, falsely claiming to be from her office and trying to get Social Security numbers.

According to Espinoza, the calls are being made by a man who identifies himself as “Tony,” telling voters their voter registrations have been denied and asking them to dial a certain telephone number to clear it up. Those who call are asked for personal information such as Social Security numbers.

First of all, Espinoza says, that number is not associated with her office. She also said her office wouldn’t ask for such information over the phone.

Finally, she said, there’s nobody named Tony who works for her. “I even checked the temporary workers we hired, and there’s no Tony, she said.

Espinoza had some good advice that law enforcement officials frequently give: Don’t give strangers personal information over the phone. That’s a good way to get your identity stolen.

E-mailing the debate: I watched Tuesday’s presidential debate at a Santa Fe Community College watch party. Luckily, I wasn’t trying to keep up with my work e-mail. During the debate, and for a few minutes after it ended, I received 38 e-mails from the Obama campaign, most of them with the subject line “Debate Reality Check.”

Before the night was done, both sides sent out e-mail news releases declaring their candidate the winner.

For some reason, the McCain camp didn’t e-mail me its version of reality checks. I suspect I’m just not on that list.

But don’t worry, guys. I think my delete finger needs medical attention.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

McCAIN'S ALBUQUERQUE SPEECH

JOHN & CINDY McCAIN

My story on the Albuquerque event can be found HERE.

Being in the SUB Ballroom at UNM today brought back memories of past events I've seen there.

The first one was a Bo Diddley concert in August 1971 -- The King Kong Memorial Tribal Stomp. (I think that was the second annual KKMTS and perhaps the last one.) I also saw The Mahavishnu Orchestra there circa 1972. I got in trouble for opening an outside door and letting a bunch of hippies in for free. However, I didn't get kicked out of the show. They just made me sit away from the door.

The last presidential candidate I saw there also was a Republican -- Rep. Pete McCloskey, a Republican peace candidate (!) who challenged Richard Nixon in 1972. (His only delegate at the GOP convention that year was from New Mexico -- my old creating writing teacher Tom Mayer.)

Sunday, October 05, 2008

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, October 5, 2008
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
Dumb All Over by Frank Zappa
Waves of Fear by Lou Reed
Tapiocra Tundra by The Monkees
Surfin' Dead by The Cramps
Punk Slime by The Black Lips
Tales of Terror by Mudhoney
Hard Workin' Man by Captain Beefheart
Justine by The Righteous Brothers

Welfare Bread by King Khan & The Shrines
What Have You Done For Me Lately by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Gator Tail by Lee Dorsey
I'm Insane by T-Model Ford
Down In the Valley by Solomon Burke
Mamma Get the Hammer by Barrence Whitfield
Nasty by The Diplomats of Solid Soul

The Chase by Chaino
Strong Man Holler by Taj Mahal
For God's Sake Give Power to the People by The Chi-Lites
Satisfied Fool by Nathaniel Meyer
My Back Scratcher by Frank Frost
Jon E. Edwards Mood by Jon E. Edwards
All in the Mood by Howlin' Wolf
Pettin' and Pokin' by Louis Jordon

Today's Lesson by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Saw Your Name in the Paper by Loudon Wainwright III
The Dolphins by Richie Havens
Muck Machine by Giant Sand
The Donor by Judee Sill
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

McCAIN IN ALBUQUERQUE MONDAY

John McCain
This just in:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be in Albuquerque Monday for a rally at the UNM Student Union Building.

This will be the first candidate visit to the state since Barack Obama appeared in Espanola a couple of weeks ago.

The doors open at 11:30 p.m. and the rally starts at 1:30 pm.

I don't have any information about what to do if you want to attend, but I'll update this post when or if I find out.

UPDATE: According to a NM MCCain spokeswoman, it's first-come/ first-serve. People can get tickets at McCain's Albuquerque headquarters at 5643 Jefferson N.E. The office will close at 9 pm today. For more information, call 505-715-4330

Saturday, October 04, 2008

MY FIRST PODCAST

I'm experimenting with the wonderful world of podcasting.
The Steve Terrell Spooktacular
This first attempt was created from the 2006 Steve Terrell Spooktacular, broadcast on Terrell's Sound World on KSFR on Oct. 29, 2006.

CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, rightclick on the link and select "Save Target As.")

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.

You can play it on the little feedplayer below:



Here's the playlist:

Halloween Hootenanny by Zacherlee
Halloween (She Got So Mean) by Rob Zombie & The Ghastly Ones
(It's a) Monster's Holiday by Buck Owens
Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde
Monster by Fred Schneider
Monsters of the Id by Mose Allison
Feast of the Mau Mau by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The Raven by Lou Reed

Murder in the Graveyard by Screaming Lord Sutch
Satanic Beatles by The Rev. Mike Mills
Don't Shake Me Lucifer by Roky Erikson
King Henry by Steeleye Span
Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare
The Witchdoctor's Curse by The Frantic Flattops
Heeby Jeebies by Little Richard

Friday, October 03, 2008

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, October 3, 2008
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

SUPPORT THE KSFR FALL FUNDRAISER!Call me during the show 505-428-1382 or PLEDGE ONLINE

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Pigsville by The Waco Brothers
Shotgun Willie by Willie Nelson
Little White Pills by The Meat Purveyors
Burn Your Fun by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Horny by Zeno Tornado & The Boney Google Brothers
Ghost Train by Mike Neal
Take Me Back by Billy Kaundart
I Long, Then I'm Gone by Boris & The Saltlicks with Taj Mahal

I Saw Them Together by Jim Stringer & The AM Band
I Guess I Had It Coming by Johnny Paycheck
Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You by Sally Timms
Get Right With God by Lucinda Williams
Howling Moon by Los Cenzontles with David Hidalgo
What's a Simple Man to Do by Steve Earle
I Just Left Myself by Terry Allen
Kissing You Goodbye by Waylon Jennings
Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight by Gus Cannon
Sixteen Tons by Homer & Jethro

ROCKABILLY RIOT
Wild Side of Life by Charlie Feathers
Cracker Jack by Janis Martin
Nothin' Shakin' by Linda Gail Lewis
Rockabilly Monkey Face Girl by Our Favorite Band
Mercy Mercy, Percy by Joe Penny
Living Hell by Thunder Road
Tear Me Up by Rosie Flores
I'll See You in My Dreams by Jerry Lee Lewis
One Good Gal by Charlie Feathers
Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad by Wanda Jackson
Radioactive Kid by The Meteors
Flyin' Saucer by Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys

Knoxville Girl by Charlie Feathers
Killer Came From Space by The Dragtones
Ubangi Stomp by Carl Mann
I'm Through by Sleepy LaBeef
Jello Sal by The Breakers
Mound of Clay by Charlie Feathers
Let Go Of Louie by Ray Campi
Fish Out O Water by Ronnie Dawson
Private Detective by Gene Vincent
I Lose My Mind by Charlie Feathers
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: HEAVY AS A FEATHER

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 3, 2008


Mississippi-born Charlie Feathers — country crooner, rockabilly yelper, and hillbilly-blues shouter — never quite made it big during the pioneer days of rock ’n’ roll — or any time afterward, for that matter. But, like Carl Perkins sang in a latter-day rockabilly tune, he was there when it happened.
Charlie Feathers
Feathers worked as a session cat at Sun Studio before splitting off from the label. He even wrote an early Elvis tune, “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” And though Feathers never came close to the fame and financial success of Elvis, he did have an all-female fan club revolving around a Memphis house occupied by several fanatical telephone operators — 30 of them (!) living in one house, Feathers claimed in a recorded interview. That’s a fantasy come true that would make most guys jealous.

Feathers, who died in 1998, is the subject of a new three-volume collection of outtakes, demos, and obscurities from the mighty Norton Records label. The albums are Wild Side of Life: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume One; Honky Tonk Kind: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Two; and Long Time Ago: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Three.

The albums offer a hodgepodge of Feathers’ music, including a big chunk of lo-fi tracks and studio jamming. According to the liner notes, these albums “cherry pick a full spectrum of one-off singles, LP cuts, home demos, and live recordings from previously unreleased late ’50s Sun demos clear through the criminally underrated singles he waxed for his own Feathers imprint in the early ’80s.” There doesn’t seem to be any particular order to the material here; it’s certainly not chronological. You just have to sit back and enjoy the glorious jumble.

Feathers, who started off as a country singer, was never afraid to show the ’billy side of rockabilly, so there are plenty of country classics on these collections — “Folsom Prison Blues” (there are versions of this on all three volumes); Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and “Lonesome Whistle”; and other Nashville hits like “Release Me,” “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” “Am I That Easy to Forget?” and, of course, “Wild Side of Life.”
Wild Side of Life
Feathers puts his own crazy stamp on these songs, and some are barely recognizable. In fact, “Release Me” on Wild Side is a duet with Mississippi hill-country blues great Junior Kimbrough, who joins Feathers on “Feel Good Again” on Honky Tonk Kind (the song was available on a Fat Possum Records compilation a few years ago). According to the liner notes on Wild Side, Feathers once described Kimbrough as “the beginning and end of all music.”

Feathers could write decent country songs himself. One of my favorites is “Two to Choose,” on Honky Tonk Kind, which he recorded as a duet with his daughter Wanda Feathers in 1973. Also notable is “I Lose My Mind,” found on Honky Tonk Kind (a fast version that sounds like a home recording) and on Long Time Ago (a slower, more haunting version with a stand-up bass).

Then there’s “Dinky John” on Honky Tonk Kind, which probably was an answer to Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John.” I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say that anti-gun activists who advocate for mandatory trigger locks to protect children might want to give this a listen.

One of the coolest tunes here (on the Long Time Ago album) is the venerated murder ballad “Knoxville Girl,” a song that has roots going back to the hoary mists of British folk music but is best known by The Louvin Brothers’ version on their album Tragic Songs of Life. Feathers turned the song into a swampy snarler in his version recorded in 1979. You’re tempted to take him literally when he spits, “There stood the devil lookin’ straight at me.”

Even stranger is a big, bad voodoo rocker called “Jungle Fever.” No, this Feathers original (co-written with his buddy Ramon Maupin) has nothing to do with Spike Lee’s movie of the same name, and if it deals with a mixed-race relationship, it’s not apparent in the lyrics. “Darkness creeping through the green/Jungle fever got a hold on me/Won’t somebody tell me where can my baby be?” There are two versions on Long Time Ago, one from 1958 and one from 1980 that features a weird funk-guitar break in the middle.

My only complaint with this collection is that the liner notes, as interesting as they are, don’t include recording details for all the tracks.

Then again, you have to ask: Did you come to read or come to hear great American music?

Check out this discography of Charlie Feathers: CLICK HERE

Also recommended:
YUICHI
* Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys. This is a new album from a Japanese rockabilly unit — released on a label from Spain, no less. Rockabilly started 50 years ago, but it’s still conquering the world.

Yuichi’s voice reminds me some of Big Sandy’s — except I don’t think Sandy could sing in Japanese like Yuichi does on the sweet ballad “Sayonara.”

These guys go raw country with the Hank-like weeper “She Isn’t Around Anymore,” complete with steel and fiddles. And they get greasier than greasy on the ’50s-style slow-dancer “Hurt.”

And yes, they can tear it up. “Flyin’ Saucer” could almost be considered a love song for Billy Lee Riley. “Countin’ the Years” and “Thunder” are broken-English rockabilly nightmares that are nothing short of irresistible. (Aside for longtime KUNM-FM fans: Does anyone remember the promo spots for Malachi Mudgong that used a fake Japanese version of the Patsy Cline hit “Crazy”? If you liked that, you’ll love “Countin’ the Years.”)

Yuichi does a credible version of Roy Orbison’s “Oobie Doobie,” while “Bluest Boy in Town” is Elvis’ “That’s All Right, Mama” in disguise.

Rockabilly madness: this week on The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR-FM 101.1. And don’t forget Terrell’s Sound World, free-form weirdo radio, same time, same station, on Sunday.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

POLL TIME

A couple of new ones:

According to Rasmussen, Obama continues to lead McCain in New Mexico. In this n=month's poll the margin is 49 to 44 percent. A month ago, McCain was ahead of Obama in the Rasmussen poll 49 to 47 percent.

Also on Thursday SurveyUSA showed that Obama is winning New Mexico 52 percent to McCain's 44 percent. Those numbers are unchanged from a SurveyUSA poll two weeks ago.

In the U.S. Senate race Thursday Rasmussen showed Democrat Tom Udall beating Republican Steve Pearce 55 percent to 41 percent. Udall has widened his lead over Pearce in the past month. On Sept. 8 Rasmussen showed Udall leading by just seven percentage points.

In the Senate race, SurveyUSA shows Udall over Pearce 58 percent to 39 percent.

RUIDOSO DUST-UP

Looks like today's Roundhouse Roundup column about John McCain's in-laws' history in Ruidoso is getting lots of comments over on The New Mexican site.

Most of the comments are from McCain supporters -- mostly from out-of-town, I notice -- who claim the story proves The New Mexican's liberal bias, etc.

One even suggests I explore Obama's "ties to muslum religion." That's cut and pasted exactly as it appears over there. They're out there, folks!

Funny, sometimes when I write stories critical of the governor or the Demcoratic-controlled Legislature I'm accused of being a right-wing corporate lackey or whatever.

At this time only one comment posted has it right. Someone called "KarlaD" wrote, "Grow up. This is a story about history, not a criticism of Senator McCain. It certainly has nothing to do with Senator Obama either who is being slandered by the posters."

Rest assured, if Barack Obama's in-laws owned a scandal-ridden racetrack in New Mexico or were involved in some controversy in this state, even 50 or 60 years ago, I'd be at the microfilm machine tracking it down.

But I did chuckle to see the post from my old friend Babe Rainbow: "Midgets for McCain!" Don't think he's kidding.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

  Sunday, March 24, 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM  Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell E...