THROWBACK THURSDAY: Songs of September

This is for all my friends who have birthdays in September. I was born in September. So was my brother and my grandfather.

 Here are some wonderful American songs that celebrate this ninth month of the year.

Let's start with the old Schnozzola himself, Jimmy Durante, singing one of his signature tunes, written by  by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was first recorded in 1938 by Walter Huston. But I'll take Durante's cover.



Here's one from the 1960 off-Broadway musical The Fantastiks. It's sung by original cast member Jerry Orbach, who Law and Order fans will recognize as the actor who played Lenny Briscoe, the alcoholic wise-cracking police detective with the sad eyes and dark humor. ("Hope this doesn’t become habit forming," Lenny said over the corpse of a murdered nun.)



This song originally was done in 1959 by a long-forgotten vocal group called The Tempos. But I prefer the version done several years ago by a group called The Happenings.


Now let's end this September salute with some disco-tinged funk from the late '70s with Earth, Wind and Fire.


Have a great month!

WACKY WEDNESDAY: Belated Birthday Wish for R. Crumb

Sunday, August 30th was the 72nd birthday of one of America's greatest cartoonists, Robert Crumb.

Though best known for his work in the 1960s underground comix scene and his iconic characters like Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural  (and his disciple/victim, Flakey Foont) Crumb also is a musician -- and one with real vision.


Basically, he's a devotee of old jazz, blues and hillbilly music from the 78 rmp era. He's created several decks of cards featuring his portraits of his early musical heros.

And he's done lots of album covers, his most famous being Cheap Thrills for Big Brother & The Holding Company in 1968. (He liked Janis Joplin but didn't care much for her band.)

Around the same time, Crumb started his own band.

He talked about that in a 2013 interview in Red Bull Music Academy:

There were no musical influences around me at all but I remember having this really strong urge to make music. I was always fooling around with music. When I met my first wife she was part of the folk music scene in Cleveland so I kind of appropriated her guitar and started figuring out a few chords. Then when I moved to San Francisco in ‘67 it was the first time I got together with other guys who were serious about playing old time music and it was still the folk era, so the jug band thing had some popularity. So I started fooling around with these guys and we became The Cheap Suit Serenaders.

So happy belated birthday, Mr. Crumb. I salute you with your own songs.

This one's called "Hula Girl."



A lot of people call this next one "Pink Burrito," though its real name is "Get a Load of This."



Another favorite, the Serenaders' cover of a 1931 Henry Roy song about a cat.



Crumb sometimes collaborates with the New York-based East River String Band. Here's a live song.



Crumb moved to France in the early '90s. He became enamored of the French musette music of the 1930s and by end of the decade he was playing with a group called Les Primitifs du Future, with who he released an album in 2000 called World Musette. Get a load of this!

Summer's Almost Gone, But the Big Enchilada Lives On!

Welcome to the latest Big Enchilada Podcast episode. Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are fading fast. But the Big Enchilada is rocking on into that glorious decay that is the fall. We're going to get wild with Rudy Grayzell, Holly Golightly, The Dirtbombs, Simon Stokes Ty Segall, Churchwood, Social Distortion and more. Hang on!

DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE | FACEBOOK | 

 SUBSCRIBE TO ALL GARAGEPUNK PIRATE RADIO PODCASTS |

Here's the playlist:

(Background Music: Summertime by Die Zorros)
Let's Get Wild by Rudy Grayzell
Sweet Poison Caladina by YVY
Stopped My Heart by Holly Golightly
La Pizza de Colera by Madhello Orchestra
Bikini Girl by Panty-Meltdown Aftermath
Julie Ouli by Peach Kelli Pop
Psychedelic Baby by Rodd & The Librettos 

(Background Music: In the Summertime by Buckwheat Zydeco)
Man With Soul by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales
Alone and Forsaken by Social Distortion
Motor City Baby by The Dirtbombs
Rusty Hook by Thee Headcoats 
Courtyard by No Waves
Dance Me to Death by The Hi-Liters
G-Man Hoover by Sir Lancelot

(Background Music: The Sheik of Araby by The Continental Five)
Rickshaw Rattletrap by Churchwood
Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart by Ty Segall Band
I'll Still Be Here by Geek Maggot Bingo
Have a Say by The Hussy
Summertime Blues by The Outsiders
One Night of Sin by Simon Stokes

Play it below

BIG ENCHILADA 87: SONGS FOR A FADING SUMMER by Steve Terrell on Mixcloud

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 30, 2015
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(at)ksfr.org

Here's the playlist

OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres

Police Call by Drywall

Henrietta by The A-Bones

Love Me Like Before by The Brood

Willow by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Mustang Ranch Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Black Snake by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales

The Devil's in the Swamp by The Slow Poisoner

Gett Off by Prince

 

Mi Saxophone / Reyes Ruiz / La Mula Bronca by Al Hurricane

Rattlesnakin' Daddy by Dave & Phil Alvin

Whtebread 'n' Beans by Left Lane Cruiser

The Wolfs are Coming by WolfWolf

Between Me and You, Kid by Mudhoney

Obviously 5 Believers by Big Foot Chester

 

Tupelo by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Shake it On Down by R.L. Burnside

Gimme Love by Sleater-Kinney

Heart Attack and Vine by Lydia Lunch

Whistlin' Past the Graveyard by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Red Head Walking by Beat Happening

Come Back Lord by Reverend Beat-Man

Rat Fink by Bloodshot Bill

Holy Smoke by Thee Oh Sees

Frozen in Time by Holly Golightly

Lover's Curse by Bracey Everett

My Shadow by Jay Reatard

Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra

Addicted by Amy Winehouse

Noble Experiment by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

I've Got a Home by The Holy Wonders

CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Like the Terrell's Sound World Facebook page

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

 

Viva Al Hurricane!

El Godfather in action

The Godfather of New Mexico music, Alberto Sanchez, better known as Al Hurricane, is hanging it up. At the age of 79, he's near the end of his "Farewell Tour." What's being billed as his last show will be Saturday, Sept. 5, during the Fiesta de Santa Fe’s Mariachi Extravaganza at the Fort Marcy Ballpark.

I was saddened to learn that Al is suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer.

My New Mexican colleague Staci Matlock just wrote a wonderful profile of Hurricane's life and career in today's paper. You can find that HERE. You also should check out some more videos of Al's interviews, shot by Natalie Guillen, HERE.

And if you've really come down with Hurricane mania, you can even check out the 1998 profile I did.  I tacked it on a political column from a few years ago in which I'd mentioned Al. CLICK HERE (and scroll down for the profile.)

New Mexico loves you, Al!

Enjoy some of his music below.