Sunday, April 28, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, April 28, 2013
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
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Jump Jive and Harmonize by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Get Me to the World on Time by The Electric Prunes
Dead Moon Night by Dead Moon
Rubber Gloves by The Psyched
Crystal Snake by J.C. Satan
Slipping Away by Mudhoney
Jelly Roll by Richard Berry
Hand to Hand by Thee Headcoats
On Lover's Lane by The Dirty Novels
Tomboy by Acid Baby Jesus
He Looks Like a Psycho by The Electric Mess
Grease Box by TAD
Janet by The Sauterelles
Rollin' and Tumblin' by Elmore James
Voodoo Moonshine by Deadbolt
Green Eyed by The Fall
I Just Want To Have Something To Do by The Ramones
Anna by Joe "King" Carrasco y Los Molino
Bad Harmony by Frank Black & The Catholics
Crazy Crazy Mama by Roky Erikson
New Years Eve by Dengue Fever
Stranger by Black Lips
Shake Your Hips by Slim Harpo
Keep on Churnin' by Wyonie Harris
Waste of Time by The Paint Fumes
Weekend by New Bomb Turks
New Values by The Livids
Searching by The Monsters
Ain't Done You No Harm by Dead Man's Tree
Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance by The Mothers of Invention
Lake of Fire by Meat Puppets
Highway Man by Blue Cheer
Get Happy by Simon Stokes
Back When Dogs Could Talk by Wayne Kramer
Good Night Irene by Tom Waits
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
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It's a Mystery Inside a Riddle Wrapped in an Enchilada!!!!!!
OK, I'm risking my LIFE to bring you this episode, but I have to alert you to some DANGEROUS PLANS by high-raking officials I've uncovered! If you listen closely to the lyrics of each song -- ok, some of them you'll have to play backwards -- and you READ BETWEEN THE LINES you'll realize that I'm sending a CIPHERED MESSAGE to you, my faithful podcast listeners, about a widespread clandestine program to destroy the very FABRIC OF CIVILIZATION!! It's a mystery, inside a riddle, wrapped in an enchilada! Yes, the Trilateral Commission is involved, but so are The Rothschilds, the RAINBOW GIRLS and the Small Business Administration!!! Listen if you dare, but once you crack this code, alert all your friends and email them the link to this episode!!!!THE WORLD MUST LISTEN TO MY TRUTH!!!!!
Here's the playlist:
(Background Music: Mob Job by John Zorn)
Conspiracy by The Dick Nixons
A Dirtier Job by The Blues Against Youth
Fruit Fly by Hickoids
The Flame That Killed John Wayne by The Mekons
In Your Stereo by The Lo-Fi Jerkheads *
Ride in My 322 by Spyder Turner
(Background Music: Hey Amigo by Havana 3 a.m.)
Your House or the Courthouse by Livids
Pow Pow Pow by Dengue Fever
Broken Soldier by The Black Angels
La Balada by Los Vigilantes *
Walker on the Wild Side by The Grannies
Rockhouse by Big Maybelle
(Background music: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. by West Hell 5)
Born in 77 by Black Jaspers *
Double 0 Bum by Gas Huffer
Coup D'Etat by Circle Jerks
Egyptian Rats by Paint Fumes
Discontented Man by Dead Man's Tree
Kicker Conspiracy by The Fall
* The songs so marked are from the free Slovenly Recordings compilation, Globule Expectorations. Download it HERE.
Play the episode below
Friday, April 26, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, April 26, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Exit Me by The Imperial Rooster
It's All Over by Joe West
Killed a Chicken Last Night by Scott H. Biram
Owls by The Handsome Family
HANDSOME FAMILY INTERVIEW
Brett & Rennie Sparks live on the phone!
Wildebeest by The Handsome Family
And the Band Played On by Richard Thompson & Christine Collister
You and Me by Luke Winslow-King
There to Stay (Small Town Girl) by The Electric Rag Band
Low Down Blues by Wayne Hancock\
Ophelia by Country Blues Revue
GEORGE JONES TRIBUTE
All Songs by Geoerge unless otherwise noted
Just One More
Stand On My Own Two Knees
George Jones Talking Cell Phone Blues by Drive-By Truckers
White Lightning
Root Beer by Buck Owens
Choices
The Window Up Above by The Blasters
Take Me
Walk Through This World With Me by Don Rich
You Got to Be My Baby
Color of the Blues
Tall Tall Trees by Roger Miller
If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me Her Memory Will
Why Baby Why by Webb Pierce
Say It's Not You by Jones with Keith Richard
The Race is On
I Pity the Poor Immigrant by Richie Havens
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
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Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
George Jones: Who's Gonna Fill His Shoes?
The Possum is gone. George Jones, who had one of the most soulful voices ever to grace the country music airwaves, died today at the age of 81.
I've been a fan since "The Race is On" was a hit on WKY Radio in Oklahoma City.
We'll remember him properly tonight on the Santa Fe Opry (10 p.m. Mountain Time, KSFR, 101.FM in Northern New Mexico, streaming HERE.)
Til then, here's some videos of George, including one with his late ex wife Tammy Wynette
TERRELL's TUNEUP: New Sounds From Santa Fe Favorites
Due to a last minute space crunch, this column won't be appearing in the print edition of Pasatiempo this week. However, it's supposed to appear on the website. And obviously, it's already on this blog.
Santa Fe’s Joe West proved many years ago that he could make excellent albums full of funny and provocative — not to mention catchy — country-flavored songs. And he’s still perfectly capable of writing and singing fine, slightly cockeyed country tunes. But judging from his output in recent years, at some point West got restless. He needed to stretch.
There was the 2010 rock opera, Time-Traveling Transvestite (credited to Xoë Fitzgerald, the hero of that story), on which West and his band branched out into 1970s glam rock and a little old-school garage band sounds. This was followed by Aberdeen, S.D., a loving ode to the town where West spent his high-school years. This album’s even more experimental than Xoë's album — with lots of spoken-word pieces, field recordings of train whistles and old friends, sinister tape loops over moody instrumental pieces — and some straightforward West songs.
Now comes Blood Red Velvet, a rich collection, which, if not quite as experimental as Aberdeen, still shows West progressing.
With his band, The Santa Fe Revue (not to be confused with The Santa Fe All Stars, another West ensemble), West performs some dandy new songs in the country/folk vein.
These include the opener “It’s All Over,” a song about a break-up; a minor-key love ballad called “Tara’s Song” (he sings, “People say, Joe, what in the world are you doin’/A chick like that will lead you down the road to ruin./That ain’t no chick, mister, that’s my wife/I never felt so alive in all my life.”); the banjo-driven“Don’t Let ’Em Get You Down”; the title song, which has one of the prettiest melodies West has ever written; and “Hometown Shit Beer,” a sudsy ode to cheap local brews.
But West doesn’t keep it all country. “The Blues” is an anthem-rocker with a full-blown horn section. “Pink Nun,” which features some beautiful background vocals by Santa Fe’s Felecia Ford — and someone who sounds like a male opera singer and what sounds like samples of Spanish-language radio in the background.
West does a little recycling here. The album has a couple of new and improved versions of Xoë Fitzgerald songs, including a trip-hoppy “Frank’s Time Travel Experiment” (sounding even more alien than the original) and “I Got It All,” featuring the brassy, bluesy vocals of band member Lori Ottino.
And then there’s “The Glory Days of Doña Dillenschneider,” which originally appeared on the first episode of West’s defunct (or, hopefully, only dormant) KSFR-FM radio show, Intergalactic Honky Tonk Machine. This features a violent little anecdote told by Dillenschneider, a friend of West’s (and 1967’s Miss Rodeo de Santa Fe). The track ends with her take on the old Mary Hopkins hit “Those Were the Days.”
Blood Red Velvet ends with a look at mortality. It’s a cover of the late Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick,” with band member Margaret Burke on lead vocals, accompanied by West’s young daughter Clementine.
But that’s not the only look at morality on the album. Among the tracks is “Death in Santa Fe.” It’s less than two minutes long, and it turns out to be a dumb joke. But it’s the little touches like this that give West’s work its flavor.
The CD release party for Blood Red Velvet begins at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Vanessie (427 W. Water St., 982-9966). West is slated to take the stage at 8 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
More local yokels
* Cluckaphony by The Imperial Rooster. Here’s another rough, rowdy, raucous, and sometimes a little raunchy romp by Española’s number one gonzo country band.
This is the group’s third studio album (there’s also some live stuff they give away online).
And while the group retains plenty of its punk/slop spirit that made us Rooster fans in the first place, I do believe the musicians sound tighter than ever before. You can really tell on breakneck songs like “Overunderstimulated” and “Santa Cruz.” They still sound like they’re having a party when they play, but musically, they’re getting stronger.
You’re not going to mistake them for The Beach Boys, but the vocal component is one of the strong points of this collection. At least four of the six members sing. The choruses on lots of the songs here feature boisterous vocals, sometimes harmonies, sometimes unison, and sometimes with a Rooster or two singing in falsetto. It sounds as if everyone in the bar is singing along with the band, and indeed it makes the listener want to sing along as well.
But the main attraction for The Imperial Rooster always has been the group’s hilarious songs. There’s no shortage of those on Cluckaphony. There’s an encounter with Satan in “The Hoover Farm Exorcism,” drugs and debauchery on “April,” and irreverent look at death on “Pine Box Blues.” And “Polka de Nalgas,” a song any man could get behind.
* A Minor Bit Blue by Country Blues Revue. This is the second album of easy-going, unpretentious music by a Santa Fe band fronted by singer and guitarist Marc Malin and “Harmonica” Mike Handler (I forget what he plays). The rhythm section for most of the tunes are bassist Larry Diaz and drummer Arne Bey.
A host of local musicians make cameos here, as does one out-of-towner, singer Roberta Donnay, who probably is best known for being one of Dan Hicks’ Lickettes in recent years. She takes turns with Malin singing lead on “Comfort,” a breezy little song that sounds like something Hicks himself might record.
Despite the name, CBR doesn’t limit itself to country blues. In fact, several songs feature horns. The musicians take a stab at rockabilly on the original song “Rockability” and a cover of “That’s Alright Mama.” Some tunes like “No More Bad News” (featuring call-and-response vocals between Malin and Stephanie Hatfield) hint at New Orleans funk.
My favorite songs on this album include the good-time cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” and the swampy “Voodoo Queen” featuring Handler growling the vocals and Terry Diers on accordion. But CBR saved its best for last, another one rooted in the swamp called “The Blues Chose Me.”
HERE'S SOME VIDEO ACTION
Here's Joe and band at SF Bandstand last year, irresponsibly making light of the New World Order robot menace.
The Imperial Rooster singing a song from Cluckaphony
A live performance by Country Blues Revue
Santa Fe’s Joe West proved many years ago that he could make excellent albums full of funny and provocative — not to mention catchy — country-flavored songs. And he’s still perfectly capable of writing and singing fine, slightly cockeyed country tunes. But judging from his output in recent years, at some point West got restless. He needed to stretch.
There was the 2010 rock opera, Time-Traveling Transvestite (credited to Xoë Fitzgerald, the hero of that story), on which West and his band branched out into 1970s glam rock and a little old-school garage band sounds. This was followed by Aberdeen, S.D., a loving ode to the town where West spent his high-school years. This album’s even more experimental than Xoë's album — with lots of spoken-word pieces, field recordings of train whistles and old friends, sinister tape loops over moody instrumental pieces — and some straightforward West songs.
Cover by Joe's dad, Jerry West |
With his band, The Santa Fe Revue (not to be confused with The Santa Fe All Stars, another West ensemble), West performs some dandy new songs in the country/folk vein.
These include the opener “It’s All Over,” a song about a break-up; a minor-key love ballad called “Tara’s Song” (he sings, “People say, Joe, what in the world are you doin’/A chick like that will lead you down the road to ruin./That ain’t no chick, mister, that’s my wife/I never felt so alive in all my life.”); the banjo-driven“Don’t Let ’Em Get You Down”; the title song, which has one of the prettiest melodies West has ever written; and “Hometown Shit Beer,” a sudsy ode to cheap local brews.
But West doesn’t keep it all country. “The Blues” is an anthem-rocker with a full-blown horn section. “Pink Nun,” which features some beautiful background vocals by Santa Fe’s Felecia Ford — and someone who sounds like a male opera singer and what sounds like samples of Spanish-language radio in the background.
West does a little recycling here. The album has a couple of new and improved versions of Xoë Fitzgerald songs, including a trip-hoppy “Frank’s Time Travel Experiment” (sounding even more alien than the original) and “I Got It All,” featuring the brassy, bluesy vocals of band member Lori Ottino.
And then there’s “The Glory Days of Doña Dillenschneider,” which originally appeared on the first episode of West’s defunct (or, hopefully, only dormant) KSFR-FM radio show, Intergalactic Honky Tonk Machine. This features a violent little anecdote told by Dillenschneider, a friend of West’s (and 1967’s Miss Rodeo de Santa Fe). The track ends with her take on the old Mary Hopkins hit “Those Were the Days.”
Blood Red Velvet ends with a look at mortality. It’s a cover of the late Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick,” with band member Margaret Burke on lead vocals, accompanied by West’s young daughter Clementine.
But that’s not the only look at morality on the album. Among the tracks is “Death in Santa Fe.” It’s less than two minutes long, and it turns out to be a dumb joke. But it’s the little touches like this that give West’s work its flavor.
The CD release party for Blood Red Velvet begins at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Vanessie (427 W. Water St., 982-9966). West is slated to take the stage at 8 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
More local yokels
* Cluckaphony by The Imperial Rooster. Here’s another rough, rowdy, raucous, and sometimes a little raunchy romp by Española’s number one gonzo country band.
This is the group’s third studio album (there’s also some live stuff they give away online).
And while the group retains plenty of its punk/slop spirit that made us Rooster fans in the first place, I do believe the musicians sound tighter than ever before. You can really tell on breakneck songs like “Overunderstimulated” and “Santa Cruz.” They still sound like they’re having a party when they play, but musically, they’re getting stronger.
You’re not going to mistake them for The Beach Boys, but the vocal component is one of the strong points of this collection. At least four of the six members sing. The choruses on lots of the songs here feature boisterous vocals, sometimes harmonies, sometimes unison, and sometimes with a Rooster or two singing in falsetto. It sounds as if everyone in the bar is singing along with the band, and indeed it makes the listener want to sing along as well.
But the main attraction for The Imperial Rooster always has been the group’s hilarious songs. There’s no shortage of those on Cluckaphony. There’s an encounter with Satan in “The Hoover Farm Exorcism,” drugs and debauchery on “April,” and irreverent look at death on “Pine Box Blues.” And “Polka de Nalgas,” a song any man could get behind.
* A Minor Bit Blue by Country Blues Revue. This is the second album of easy-going, unpretentious music by a Santa Fe band fronted by singer and guitarist Marc Malin and “Harmonica” Mike Handler (I forget what he plays). The rhythm section for most of the tunes are bassist Larry Diaz and drummer Arne Bey.
A host of local musicians make cameos here, as does one out-of-towner, singer Roberta Donnay, who probably is best known for being one of Dan Hicks’ Lickettes in recent years. She takes turns with Malin singing lead on “Comfort,” a breezy little song that sounds like something Hicks himself might record.
Despite the name, CBR doesn’t limit itself to country blues. In fact, several songs feature horns. The musicians take a stab at rockabilly on the original song “Rockability” and a cover of “That’s Alright Mama.” Some tunes like “No More Bad News” (featuring call-and-response vocals between Malin and Stephanie Hatfield) hint at New Orleans funk.
My favorite songs on this album include the good-time cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” and the swampy “Voodoo Queen” featuring Handler growling the vocals and Terry Diers on accordion. But CBR saved its best for last, another one rooted in the swamp called “The Blues Chose Me.”
HERE'S SOME VIDEO ACTION
Here's Joe and band at SF Bandstand last year, irresponsibly making light of the New World Order robot menace.
The Imperial Rooster singing a song from Cluckaphony
A live performance by Country Blues Revue
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Handsome Family to Be Interviewed on Santa Fe Opry
This Friday night, Brett & Rennie Sparks, better know as The Handsome Family, will join me by phone on The Santa Fe Opry.
The Handsomes are releasing a new album called Wildnerness, which I've been playing for a few weeks on the show. (I'll play some more of it on Friday.)
The CD release party is May 4 at Low Spirits in Albuquerque
A wise critic once wrote:
The Handsome Family sing melodies that sound as if they came out of scratchy old cowboy records or dusty hymnals secretly smuggled out of backwoods churches. And the lyrics take you to mysterious places, telling strange tales of ghosts, dead children, murders, supernatural animals, drunken domestic disputes, uneasy little victories and somber little defeats.That's still true.
The show starts at 10 p.m. and the interview will be about 15 minutes later. Tune in.
In the meantime, enjoy a couple of videos.
l
I'm pretty sure I've been to this store they're singing about in the video below.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
R.I.P. Richie Havens
Richie Havens, who died yesterday at the age of 72, always seemed to be a gentle and wise person with enough soul for a thousand people.
I'd been a fan even before his fabled Woodstock appearance. When I was in high school I got a double album by him called 1983.What was the significance of the title? I suppose that it was the year before Orwell's 1984, a last gasp of freedom.
He'll be remembered for singing "Freedom" at Woodstock and his interpretations of Beatles and Dylan songs. But also he ought to be remembered for his frantic guitar playing. He was a rhythm, not a lead guitarist. But what crazy rhythms came out of his hands. Especially on the faster songs, Havens was the Keith Moon of the rhythm guitar.
I went back and read a few things about Richie that I've written in the last 20 years. (And I intend to recycle some of that here.)
The first time I ever saw Havens was in the fall of 1972 at an Albuquerque airport rally for Democratic vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver. Havens was in New Mexico filming a version of Othello called Catch My Soul. (It wasn't very good, but that's another story.)
It was a fairly surreal rally. I remember then-Gov. Bruce King urging the crowd to "knock on doorbells for George McGovern." The cowboy governor then introduced actor Dennis Hopper, who read Rudyard Kipling's poem "If."
Havens was the main reason that I and who knows how many other hippies there showed up at the airport. When he finally took the stage, he explained to the crowd that he personally didn't intend to vote, because he refused to give control of his life to anyone. Not the message the organizers wanted.
He sang some of his better-known songs, but the one that seemed to sum up the day was an obscure little tune he'd written himself called "Younger Men Grow Older." It's an emotional song of an old man's regrets, sung to a young guy. The old man is saddened that the kid soon will have such regrets of his own.
That realization was hitting a lot of the audience too. In the years to come everyone would feel old and jaded. In the near future, Nixon would be re-elected. Hippiedom would degenerate beyond recognition. And Richie Havens himself seemed to disappear.
The next time I saw him was in 1980, here in Santa Fe, in front of the Plaza Cafe. Havens — in town for a show at the old Line Camp — was looking on in horror as some local toughs were pounding the snot out of a wino on the sidewalk.
The world seemed to be growing more hateful all around him, but Havens still seemed to have a saintly presence.
I was downtown plastering posters on lampposts and utility poles for one of my own upcoming gigs, a Fiesta weekend party at the old Forge lounge. (Back then Santa Fe was pretty lax about enforcing any laws pertaining to posting such things. I miss those days.)
When I saw Havens I was starstruck. I went up and introduced myself — as the fight a few feet away seemed to die down — and handed him one of my posters, which had a badly-drawn picture of Zozobra along with some of my song lyrics. Havens read the lyrics: "Kick the gloom and stomp the doom, good spirits we employ," then added, "I like that."
That made my day.
And that night I interviewed him backstage at the Line Camp. No it wasn't a great moment in journalism or anything. We just talked about his life and his music and how the times they were a changin'. (And neither of us brought up the poor wino who got his ass kicked on the Plaza that day.)
The main thing I remember from that interview is that he was sweet and kind and generous with his time. And also what a great performance he'd given that night -- just a percussionist and, I believe, a bass player backing up Haven's mournful vocals and crazy rhythm guitar.
Rest in peace, Ritchie.
Enjoy some of his music below.
I'd been a fan even before his fabled Woodstock appearance. When I was in high school I got a double album by him called 1983.What was the significance of the title? I suppose that it was the year before Orwell's 1984, a last gasp of freedom.
He'll be remembered for singing "Freedom" at Woodstock and his interpretations of Beatles and Dylan songs. But also he ought to be remembered for his frantic guitar playing. He was a rhythm, not a lead guitarist. But what crazy rhythms came out of his hands. Especially on the faster songs, Havens was the Keith Moon of the rhythm guitar.
I went back and read a few things about Richie that I've written in the last 20 years. (And I intend to recycle some of that here.)
The first time I ever saw Havens was in the fall of 1972 at an Albuquerque airport rally for Democratic vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver. Havens was in New Mexico filming a version of Othello called Catch My Soul. (It wasn't very good, but that's another story.)
It was a fairly surreal rally. I remember then-Gov. Bruce King urging the crowd to "knock on doorbells for George McGovern." The cowboy governor then introduced actor Dennis Hopper, who read Rudyard Kipling's poem "If."
Havens was the main reason that I and who knows how many other hippies there showed up at the airport. When he finally took the stage, he explained to the crowd that he personally didn't intend to vote, because he refused to give control of his life to anyone. Not the message the organizers wanted.
He sang some of his better-known songs, but the one that seemed to sum up the day was an obscure little tune he'd written himself called "Younger Men Grow Older." It's an emotional song of an old man's regrets, sung to a young guy. The old man is saddened that the kid soon will have such regrets of his own.
That realization was hitting a lot of the audience too. In the years to come everyone would feel old and jaded. In the near future, Nixon would be re-elected. Hippiedom would degenerate beyond recognition. And Richie Havens himself seemed to disappear.
The next time I saw him was in 1980, here in Santa Fe, in front of the Plaza Cafe. Havens — in town for a show at the old Line Camp — was looking on in horror as some local toughs were pounding the snot out of a wino on the sidewalk.
The world seemed to be growing more hateful all around him, but Havens still seemed to have a saintly presence.
I was downtown plastering posters on lampposts and utility poles for one of my own upcoming gigs, a Fiesta weekend party at the old Forge lounge. (Back then Santa Fe was pretty lax about enforcing any laws pertaining to posting such things. I miss those days.)
When I saw Havens I was starstruck. I went up and introduced myself — as the fight a few feet away seemed to die down — and handed him one of my posters, which had a badly-drawn picture of Zozobra along with some of my song lyrics. Havens read the lyrics: "Kick the gloom and stomp the doom, good spirits we employ," then added, "I like that."
That made my day.
And that night I interviewed him backstage at the Line Camp. No it wasn't a great moment in journalism or anything. We just talked about his life and his music and how the times they were a changin'. (And neither of us brought up the poor wino who got his ass kicked on the Plaza that day.)
The main thing I remember from that interview is that he was sweet and kind and generous with his time. And also what a great performance he'd given that night -- just a percussionist and, I believe, a bass player backing up Haven's mournful vocals and crazy rhythm guitar.
Rest in peace, Ritchie.
Enjoy some of his music below.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Black Lips Country
You know I love good old outlaw country and I also love the garage/punk. Well here's new tune that combines both.
It's surprisingly not-irreverent cover of a Waylon & Willie classic by The Black Lips.
I love this kind of cross-genre mash-up. Reminds me of the great Mudhoney/Jimmie Dale Gilmore collaboration back in the '90s. Of course zealots from either the country world or the punk sphere could very well hate this.
Their loss.
And here's that Townes Van Zandt song that Jimmie Dale and Mudhoney teamed up on.
It's surprisingly not-irreverent cover of a Waylon & Willie classic by The Black Lips.
I love this kind of cross-genre mash-up. Reminds me of the great Mudhoney/Jimmie Dale Gilmore collaboration back in the '90s. Of course zealots from either the country world or the punk sphere could very well hate this.
Their loss.
And here's that Townes Van Zandt song that Jimmie Dale and Mudhoney teamed up on.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, April 21, 2013
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
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
First hour with special guest Pete Menchetti of Slovenly Recordings
Linda Nina by Los Ardillas
Me Siento Azul by Los Vigilantes
December by Scared of Chaka
Sally Smoked Dope by The Paint Fumes
I Want to Fuck All the Girls in My School
by Bazooka
Congo MC/ I'm Not to Blame by The Oops
Fier by Arsene Obscene
Born in 77 by The Black Jaspars
Nowhere Else to Go by Mouthbreathers
Fireworx by Sultan Bathery
It's on Me by Acid Baby Jesus
In and Out by The Black Lips
Planet Failure by The Spits
Let's Drink Some Wine by The lo-fi Jerkheads
Nulle Autre Que Ton by Magnetix
Muff Diving by The Anomalies
It's Great by Wau y Los Arrrrghs!!!
Your House or the Courthoude by The Livids
Days of Destiny by The Hipshakes
Download the latest Slovenly Compilation HERE
Pete Menchetti will be DJing at Matador in Santa Fe on Wednesday night, 9 p.m.
Here Come the Mushroom People by The Molting Vultures
Shrunken Head by Hipbone Slim & The Knee-Tremblers
Gulls Rock by The Molting Vultures
31 Coupe by Angie & The Carwrecks
Brown Paper Sack by Reigning Sound
Beaver Fever by The Brain Eaters
Come Back Lord by Rev. Beat-Man
Less Bone, More Meat by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Honey Don't by The Blues Against Youth
Water Main by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Final Course by Mudhoney
Always Maybe by The Black Angels
I Put a Spell on You by Them
Weedeye by Churchwood
15 Degrees Capricorn Asc by Sam Samudio
Faster Pussycat by The Cramps
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
Friday, April 19, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, April 19, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Highway Patrol by Junior Brown
FBI's Top 10 by DM Bob & The Deficits
She Liked Every Kind of Music But Country by Robbie Fulks
Sam's Place by Buck Owens
Right or Wrong by Wanda Jackson
Best to Be Alone by Wayne Hancock
Working Girl's Guitar by Rosie Flores
Santa Cruz by The Imperial Rooster
Ain't I'm a Dog by Ronnie Self
When Hillbilly Willie Met Kitty From the City by Tani Allen & His Tennessee Pals
Hometown Shit Beer by Joe West & The Santa Fe Revue
One For the Road by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Shadows Fallin' Down My Face by The Dinosaur Truckers
San Antonio Romeo by Cathy Faber's Swinging Country Band
It'll Be Me by The Head Cat
The Parakeet by James Hand
Marie (The Dawn is Breaking) by Willie Nelson
White Dress by Anthony Leon & The Chain
The Woman I Need (Honky Tonk Mind) by Johnny Horton
Swinging Doors by Johnny Bush & Justin Trevino
Eels by The Handsome Family
Take Me to the Fires by The Waco Brothers
Creep Up Fast by The Electric Rag Band
Empty Bottle by The Calamity Cubes
The Low Road by Shooter Jennings
Wolverton Mountain by Southern Culture on the Skids
Tlaquepaque by Joe King Carrasco y El Molino
I've Got a Tender Heart by Eleni Mandell
The Man from God Knows Where by Tom Russell
Out of Control by Dave Alvin
The Law is For Protection of the People/You Don't Tell Me What to Do by Kris Kristofferson
Touch Taven by Elizabeth LaPrelle & Jadoo
Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
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Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Thursday, April 18, 2013
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: Mudhoney Crashes Through the Roadblocks
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
April 19, 2013
Vanishing Point is an early-1970s movie about a former cop named Kowalski who picks up a Dodge Challenger in Denver to deliver to San Francisco. He makes a bet in a Denver biker bar that he can drop off the car by the next afternoon. Eluding cops, running them off the road, and crashing through roadblocks in several western states, Kowalski is cheered on by Super Soul, a blind disc jockey at some Podunk radio station who calls him “the last American hero” and “the last beautiful free soul on this planet.”
Vanishing Point also is the name of the latest album by Mudhoney, a band that’s been speeding along the metaphorical highway of rock ’n’ roll for a quarter century.
Heck, the band is named after a Russ Meyer boobsploitation film that played at the same drive-ins that Vanishing Point would a few years later.
Sometimes I feel like the outcast voice in the wilderness Super Soul, rooting for this perpetual underdog band. Fortunately, the new album gives me a lot to cheer for.
Somewhere in a parallel world, some A & R lackey played his boss, music mogul David Geffen, a weird little single by a Seattle band on an independent label nobody every heard of. Fireworks went off in Geffen’s head.
Geffen knew he’d heard an anthem for the new generation. He would sign this band, commission a cool video with punk-rock cheerleaders for that song, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and Mudhoney would launch a revolution that would shake American culture.
OK, back to reality: actually, something similar happened to Nirvana, another Seattle band on the Sub Pop label. In the wake of its success, major labels would scoop up dozens of Seattle bands, including Mudhoney.
In the early ’90s, Mudhoney was considered, at least by casual fans who didn’t know much about its history, to be kind of like Nirvana’s little brothers. (In fact the one time I saw Nirvana, Mudhoney was the opening act.)
Sometimes I wish it would have been Mudhoney instead of Nirvana to carry the banner back in the days when the flannel flew. I’d argue that Steve Turner is a better guitarist than Kurt Cobain was. Mark Arm’s lyrics have lots more humor than those of Cobain. Musically, Mudhoney drew far more from garage, psychedelic rock, and The Stooges than Nirvana did.
And had Mudhoney climbed to the toppermost of the poppermost, we probably would have been spared a generational spokesman committing suicide. And we probably would have been spared Courtney Love. (Mudhoney, in fact, did a scathing and wickedly funny song, “Into Yer Shtik,” about — at least in part — the widow Cobain.)
But after Nirvana imploded, most of the “new Nirvanas” fell by the wayside, broke up, died of heroin overdoses,went back to the proverbial car wash — whatever, never mind.
Except Mudhoney. Of all those crazy Sub Pop groups of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mudhoney is the last band standing.
One could argue that Soundgarden might also qualify for that honor. Like Mudhoney, it started out in the ’80s on Sub Pop and just last year released a good album — King Animal. However, Soundgarden broke up for more than a decade. It didn’t soldier on like Mudhoney, releasing new albums on a fairly regular basis.
I did say “fairly” regular, right? Vanishing Point comes five years after the band’s previous album, The Lucky Ones. But even if Mudhoney isn’t as productive as it was in days of yore, it still packs a punch.
The first song, “Slipping Away,” kicks off with a short but snazzy drum solo by Dan Peters (the Gene Krupa of grunge?). The song slows down suddenly as Turner’s rubbery guitar creates a psychedelic sonic assault that would make the Butthole Surfers cry uncle.
This is followed by “I Like It Small,” which is about — wait, is this about what I think it’s about? “Chardonnay” is a minute and 39 seconds of raw punk rock with Arm spitting out a rant against the “critics’ favorite” wine with the same venom most rockers would save for a cheating girlfriend, a bad boss, or the government.
And he gets even more grouchy on “I Don’t Remember You,” a tale about an encounter at a supermarket with a forgotten acquaintance. Arm sings, “It’s a goddamn pleasure to meet you again/Half my brain is missing, and I don’t need new friends/I can’t keep up with the good friends I’ve got/’Scuse me while I fill this shopping cart.”
And I don’t know who or what is the target of “Douchebags on Parade,” which has subtle overtones suggesting Quadrophenia-era The Who.
At the moment — and this has changed at least a couple of times since I got the album — my top tune from Vanishing Point is “The Final Course.” It’s a strange tale that involves a decadent feast, accusations about the paternity of a child, the choking of a “shrew,” murder, and cannibalism (which repulses the narrator, though apparently not as much as Chardonnay does the narrator in that other song.)
The lyrics suggest a medieval setting, though when Arm sings “Someone brained me with a skillet, boom boom, out go the lights” it takes on overtones of the Stooges — not Iggy, but Moe, Larry, and Curly.
So Mudhoney keeps barreling on like Kowalski speeding down some Utah highway. There’s not much chance at this point that Mudhoney’s career will end, symbolically speaking, in some glorious, fiery crash like Kowalski did on the screen.
Fans are just happy that they haven’t run out of gas yet.
Blog Bonus: Bring on the videos.
Here's the video for "I Like It Small."
A classic from the golden years of Grunge
And here's a look at the movie that gave the band their name.
April 19, 2013
Vanishing Point is an early-1970s movie about a former cop named Kowalski who picks up a Dodge Challenger in Denver to deliver to San Francisco. He makes a bet in a Denver biker bar that he can drop off the car by the next afternoon. Eluding cops, running them off the road, and crashing through roadblocks in several western states, Kowalski is cheered on by Super Soul, a blind disc jockey at some Podunk radio station who calls him “the last American hero” and “the last beautiful free soul on this planet.”
Vanishing Point also is the name of the latest album by Mudhoney, a band that’s been speeding along the metaphorical highway of rock ’n’ roll for a quarter century.
Heck, the band is named after a Russ Meyer boobsploitation film that played at the same drive-ins that Vanishing Point would a few years later.
Sometimes I feel like the outcast voice in the wilderness Super Soul, rooting for this perpetual underdog band. Fortunately, the new album gives me a lot to cheer for.
Somewhere in a parallel world, some A & R lackey played his boss, music mogul David Geffen, a weird little single by a Seattle band on an independent label nobody every heard of. Fireworks went off in Geffen’s head.
Geffen knew he’d heard an anthem for the new generation. He would sign this band, commission a cool video with punk-rock cheerleaders for that song, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and Mudhoney would launch a revolution that would shake American culture.
OK, back to reality: actually, something similar happened to Nirvana, another Seattle band on the Sub Pop label. In the wake of its success, major labels would scoop up dozens of Seattle bands, including Mudhoney.
In the early ’90s, Mudhoney was considered, at least by casual fans who didn’t know much about its history, to be kind of like Nirvana’s little brothers. (In fact the one time I saw Nirvana, Mudhoney was the opening act.)
Sometimes I wish it would have been Mudhoney instead of Nirvana to carry the banner back in the days when the flannel flew. I’d argue that Steve Turner is a better guitarist than Kurt Cobain was. Mark Arm’s lyrics have lots more humor than those of Cobain. Musically, Mudhoney drew far more from garage, psychedelic rock, and The Stooges than Nirvana did.
And had Mudhoney climbed to the toppermost of the poppermost, we probably would have been spared a generational spokesman committing suicide. And we probably would have been spared Courtney Love. (Mudhoney, in fact, did a scathing and wickedly funny song, “Into Yer Shtik,” about — at least in part — the widow Cobain.)
But after Nirvana imploded, most of the “new Nirvanas” fell by the wayside, broke up, died of heroin overdoses,went back to the proverbial car wash — whatever, never mind.
Except Mudhoney. Of all those crazy Sub Pop groups of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mudhoney is the last band standing.
One could argue that Soundgarden might also qualify for that honor. Like Mudhoney, it started out in the ’80s on Sub Pop and just last year released a good album — King Animal. However, Soundgarden broke up for more than a decade. It didn’t soldier on like Mudhoney, releasing new albums on a fairly regular basis.
I did say “fairly” regular, right? Vanishing Point comes five years after the band’s previous album, The Lucky Ones. But even if Mudhoney isn’t as productive as it was in days of yore, it still packs a punch.
The first song, “Slipping Away,” kicks off with a short but snazzy drum solo by Dan Peters (the Gene Krupa of grunge?). The song slows down suddenly as Turner’s rubbery guitar creates a psychedelic sonic assault that would make the Butthole Surfers cry uncle.
This is followed by “I Like It Small,” which is about — wait, is this about what I think it’s about? “Chardonnay” is a minute and 39 seconds of raw punk rock with Arm spitting out a rant against the “critics’ favorite” wine with the same venom most rockers would save for a cheating girlfriend, a bad boss, or the government.
And he gets even more grouchy on “I Don’t Remember You,” a tale about an encounter at a supermarket with a forgotten acquaintance. Arm sings, “It’s a goddamn pleasure to meet you again/Half my brain is missing, and I don’t need new friends/I can’t keep up with the good friends I’ve got/’Scuse me while I fill this shopping cart.”
And I don’t know who or what is the target of “Douchebags on Parade,” which has subtle overtones suggesting Quadrophenia-era The Who.
"Go Mudhoney, go!" |
The lyrics suggest a medieval setting, though when Arm sings “Someone brained me with a skillet, boom boom, out go the lights” it takes on overtones of the Stooges — not Iggy, but Moe, Larry, and Curly.
So Mudhoney keeps barreling on like Kowalski speeding down some Utah highway. There’s not much chance at this point that Mudhoney’s career will end, symbolically speaking, in some glorious, fiery crash like Kowalski did on the screen.
Fans are just happy that they haven’t run out of gas yet.
Blog Bonus: Bring on the videos.
Here's the video for "I Like It Small."
A classic from the golden years of Grunge
And here's a look at the movie that gave the band their name.
The Music of Kevin Curtis, Ricin Suspect
UPDATE April 23, 2013: Charges against Curtis have been dropped shortly after he was released from custody. More details HERE.
The Mississippi man arrested yesterday on suspicion of sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker has been described in national news reports as an "Elvis impersonator."
That's true. But Kevin Curtis also is an aspiring country singer and songwrtiter. You can hear some of his original tunes on his ReverbNation page. These aren't the kind of songs I normally play on The Santa Fe Opry, but they're probably as good than most the stuff on commercial country stations.
I also found this on Curtis' Facebook page. I can't say for certain it's him, but it's one of the most bizarre tributes to former Santa Fe resident Randy Travis I've ever seen.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Let's Get Slovenly
This Sunday on Terrell's Sound World I'll be joined by Pete Menchetti of Slovenly Recordings, a bitchen punk/garage label based in Reno, Nevada and Amsterdam (!)
Slovenly has released records by the likes of Billy Childish, The Reigning Sound, The Black Lips Wau & Los Arrrrghs!!!, The Spits, Livids (featuring Eric Davidson of New Bomb Turks). Los Vigilantes, Hollywood Sinners and more.
I wrote about a Slovenly sampler a few years ago in Terrell's Tune-up. CLICK HERE (and scroll down)
As always, the show starts at 10 pm Mountain Time on Sunday. Folks here in northern New Mexico can listen at 101.l FM on your radio dial, and it'll be streamin' at ya, screamin' at www.ksfr.org.
And even before then you can listen to -- and, if you want to do something rash, BUY -- some Slovenly sounds at the label's Bandcamp page. I'll embed some Livids below.
Tune in Sunday night and don't forget to END YOUR WEEKEND ROCKIN'
Slovenly has released records by the likes of Billy Childish, The Reigning Sound, The Black Lips Wau & Los Arrrrghs!!!, The Spits, Livids (featuring Eric Davidson of New Bomb Turks). Los Vigilantes, Hollywood Sinners and more.
I wrote about a Slovenly sampler a few years ago in Terrell's Tune-up. CLICK HERE (and scroll down)
As always, the show starts at 10 pm Mountain Time on Sunday. Folks here in northern New Mexico can listen at 101.l FM on your radio dial, and it'll be streamin' at ya, screamin' at www.ksfr.org.
And even before then you can listen to -- and, if you want to do something rash, BUY -- some Slovenly sounds at the label's Bandcamp page. I'll embed some Livids below.
Tune in Sunday night and don't forget to END YOUR WEEKEND ROCKIN'
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The Mice of Eden Avenged!
Here's a little slice of Santa Fe rock 'n' roll history, dug up my my friend and fellow Okie Jeff Hett: The theme from The Avengers by his old band, The Mice of Eden in 1987.
The video reminded me that I helped name this band all those years ago.
The video reminded me that I helped name this band all those years ago.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, April 14, 2013
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
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Just My Kind by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Hooky by J.J. & The Real Jerks
Going to Las Vegas by Gas Huffer
Bad Blood by Sons of Hercules
Fruit Fly by Hickoids
Death of Mighty Joe by The Devil Dogs
Satan's Bride by Gregg Turner
Berlin by Dicky B. Hardy
Happy Hodaddy by The Astronauts
Just a Gigolo by Bing Crosby
Pow Pow Pow by Dengue Fever
The Black Angel's Death Song by The Velvet Underground
Broken Soldier by The Black Angels
Not a Crime by Gogol Bordello
Bill Bailey by The Gun Club
The Final Course by Mudhoney
Drunk Drunk Drunks by The Kids
Tobacco Road by Eric Burdon & War
Strawberry Soda by Bastard Winos
A House is Not a Motel by The Marshmallow Overcoat
Down in the Alley by The Gibson Bros
Soul Mercenaries by The Blues Against Youth
Angelitos Negros by The Copper Gamins
Tutti Fruitti by Slim Gallard & Slam Stewart
The Greatest Lover in The World by Bo Diddley
Big Booty Woman by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Groovy & Linda by Chelsea Light Moving
Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso) by Sonic Youth
Haunting You by Jay Reatard
I Wanna Know by Lenny Kaye
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead by Warren Zevon
Lovecrimes by The Afghan Whigs
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
Friday, April 12, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, April 12, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Guv'ment by Roger Miller
Keep on Truckin' by Hot Tuna
Blood on the Bluegrass by Legendary Shack Shakers
Drugstore Truckdrivin' Man by Jason & The Scorchers
Whoopie Baby by Earl Songer
Mule Train by Tennessee Ernie Ford
Alien Baby by DM Bob & The Deficits
Street People by Shannon McNally
Dig Some Squeaky Shoes by Andy Starr
One Day a Week by Johnny Paycheck
Pardon Me, I've Got Someone to Kill by Lonesome Bob
Ella Speed by The Jim Kweskin Jug Band
Shout You Cats by Maria Muldaur
Black Ship by The Dinosaur Truckers
Skilly Bom Billy Flop by The Imperial Rooster
Cowgirl by Trailer Bride
Men Like Me Can Fly by James Hand
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) by Jimmy Wakely
Headed Back to Austin by Junior Brown
Mama, It's Just My Medicine by Shooter Jennings
Can't Change Me by Lydia Loveless
Tennessee Blues by The Howlin' Brothers
Funnel of Love by Southern Culture on the Skids
Truck Stops and Pretty Girls by Jim & Jesse
Clickity Clack by The Ugly Valley Boys
Flying Trapeze by Graham Parker
Lizard by The Handsome Family
El Santo Grial: La Pistola Pia by Slackeye Slim
Days of 49 by Bob Dylan
Blue Gums a Calling Me Back Home by Roger Knox with the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Yesterday When I Was Young by Bobby Bare
Boulder to Birmingham by Emmylou Harris
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
R.I.P. Jonathan Winters
He wasn't a musician, but still I consider Jonathan Winters' weird and hilarious comedy to be rock 'n' roll in spirit.
Jonathan died Thursday at the age of 87. Here's one obit HERE. Here's ANOTHER.
I'm no comedian, but Jonathan Winters had a huge influence on my own warped sense of humor. Some of his improvised one-liners have stuck with me for years and oftern come out at inappropriate moments.
"I knew your dad during the war. He was a traitor."
"Not much upstairs, but below the neck, gangbusters!"
But nobody did it like Jonathan. Here's a small sample of his work below.
And ya want music? Here's The Doors on Jonathan's TV show in 1967
Jonathan died Thursday at the age of 87. Here's one obit HERE. Here's ANOTHER.
I'm no comedian, but Jonathan Winters had a huge influence on my own warped sense of humor. Some of his improvised one-liners have stuck with me for years and oftern come out at inappropriate moments.
"I knew your dad during the war. He was a traitor."
"Not much upstairs, but below the neck, gangbusters!"
But nobody did it like Jonathan. Here's a small sample of his work below.
And ya want music? Here's The Doors on Jonathan's TV show in 1967
Thursday, April 11, 2013
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: Contemporary Psychedelia
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
April 12, 2013
Once again The Black Angels prove that a band can play psychedelic music without sounding campy or even all that retro.
Granted, on its new album, Indigo Meadow, the Austin band certainly employs some sonic tricks from the psychedelic era: lots of reverb, lots of fuzz, some Mideastern/East Indian-sounding guitar licks and melody lines here and there, creepy electric organ — and in a couple of places you’ll hear that electric jug sound pioneered by the Angels’ Texas forebears, The 13th Floor Elevators.
The band’s music is strong enough that it doesn’t seem defined by these musical embellishments. It’s fresh and powerful. It seems like a logical progression from the psychedelia of yore, not some cute re-creation — even though the band does have a song with the unfortunate title “I Hear Colors.”
Like the group’s previous album, Phosphene Dream, on which the Angels moved away from 16-minute astral odysseys, Indigo Meadow puts more emphasis on melody and has shorter and punchier tunes than those found in the band’s early work. Indeed, the longest song here is shorter than the shortest song on the Angels’ 2008 album Directions to See a Ghost.
But if anything, Indigo Meadow seems heavier and more hard-rocking than Phosphene Dream. For instance, the fuzz-drenched guitar riff that starts off “Evil Things” could aptly be described as “Led Sabbath.”
On the title song, Stephanie Bailey’s thunder drums and a tense, repetitive guitar riff — almost suggesting the soundtrack of the shower scene in Psycho — set the mood before singer Alex Maas begins what isn’t exactly a tender tune of love: “Lay your hands across my chest, girl/You’ve been a problem since the moment I met ya/You always cause a real friction/Put your pale hands on my face, my love.”
Fractured romantic tension is one of the underlying themes of Indigo Meadow. True, the hopped-up, electro-poppy “You’re Mine” sounds like the singer has a bad case of schoolboy puppy love, but other songs show the darker side of love.
On “Holland,” one of the more mellow tunes on the album, Maas sings, “I’d rather die than to be with you tonight.” In the refrain of “Love Me Forever,” as Maas repeats the song’s title, it sounds more like a command of a megalomaniac than the plea of a lover.
And an undercurrent of misogyny seems to creep into one of band’s attempts at a timely topical tune, “Don’t Play With Guns.” This is the Black Angels, so it’s not going to be your typical protest number. It’s about a young woman who manipulates people to “kill for fun” for her. “Now Angie she was a demon/She had six arms and Lucifer eyes/She always had this glow.”
Some of the best songs here are those on which the Angels seem to be having fun. “The Day” sounds like some forgotten Yardbirds tune. “Twisted Light” is nice and trippy, showing off Bailey’s heavy-fisted drums. And even though I made fun of the title, “I Hear Colors” (subtitled "Chromaesthesia") is a wild stomper with crazy organ (it would make Ray Manzarek proud) and a theremin exploring the colors of sound.
I’ve always felt that psychedelic rock withered too soon back in the late ’60s. Attempts at a revival in subsequent decades have fallen flat, usually devolving into fey self-parody. But The Black Angels are one of the few bands that didn’t forget the “rock” part of psychedelic rock. Long may they fly.
Also recommended:
* In the Ley Lines by Dengue Fever. This is being billed as Dengue Fever’s lost album. It features five alternative mixes of previously released Dengue tunes, plus another five recorded live in Peter Gabriel’s studio four years ago.
This collection wasn’t actually “lost.” It just wasn’t widely circulated, available only for subscribers to the Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound, a service for audiophiles set up by a British company that manufactures stereo and home-theater speakers.
Although I’m familiar with almost all of the songs on the CD, I’m glad the album is available for us plebeians. The live tracks are especially full of the kind of the wild energy that you expect in a Dengue Fever show. (The band played in Santa Fe at least three times in recent years. I’ve caught them twice and would go again.)
A little Dengue 101 for the newcomers: the group was the brainchild of Zac and Ethan Holtzman, California brothers who were huge fans of late ’60s/early ’70s Cambodian rock ’n’ roll. This was a crazy sound that was heavily influenced by American surf, psychedelic, garage, and soul music.
Cambodian rock was basically destroyed — as was much of Cambodian civilization — by the evil Khmer Rouge regime in the late ’70s. The Holtzman boys and their pals got down the instrumental component of this brand of rock, but Dengue Fever didn’t really blossom until it hired Cambodian-born singer Chhom Nimol, from a family well known in Cambodian music circles.
The band’s first three studio albums are well represented. (The fourth, Cannibal Courtship, was released after Ley Lines was recorded.)
There are rousing versions of “New Year’s Eve” and “Hold My Hips” from the group’s 2003 self-titled debut album, a nice spooky rendition of “One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula,” which was a highlight of Dengue’s breakthrough album Escape From Dragon House, and two duets with Nimol and Zac Holtzman that first appeared on the third album, Venus on Earth. These are “Tiger Phone Card” and “Sober Driver,” which sounds slinkier and sexier here than it did in its original form.
While all the songs on this lost album have appeared elsewhere before, a couple may be new to casual fans because they were available only on deluxe versions of Dengue albums.
“The Province” is one of those slow, pretty mysterioso tunes the band does so well. But I prefer “Doo Wop (Today I Learnt to Drink),” a rocking little tune originally done by Cambodian star Ros Serey Sothea. She disappeared during the reign of Pol Pot, but thanks to Nimol, her song lives on.
Blog Bonus: Here's some videos for you r viewing and listening pleasure
Here's Dengue Fever in Santa Fe last year. The picture is fuzzy, but the sound ain't bad. I shot it with my little iPhone
April 12, 2013
Once again The Black Angels prove that a band can play psychedelic music without sounding campy or even all that retro.
Granted, on its new album, Indigo Meadow, the Austin band certainly employs some sonic tricks from the psychedelic era: lots of reverb, lots of fuzz, some Mideastern/East Indian-sounding guitar licks and melody lines here and there, creepy electric organ — and in a couple of places you’ll hear that electric jug sound pioneered by the Angels’ Texas forebears, The 13th Floor Elevators.
The band’s music is strong enough that it doesn’t seem defined by these musical embellishments. It’s fresh and powerful. It seems like a logical progression from the psychedelia of yore, not some cute re-creation — even though the band does have a song with the unfortunate title “I Hear Colors.”
Like the group’s previous album, Phosphene Dream, on which the Angels moved away from 16-minute astral odysseys, Indigo Meadow puts more emphasis on melody and has shorter and punchier tunes than those found in the band’s early work. Indeed, the longest song here is shorter than the shortest song on the Angels’ 2008 album Directions to See a Ghost.
But if anything, Indigo Meadow seems heavier and more hard-rocking than Phosphene Dream. For instance, the fuzz-drenched guitar riff that starts off “Evil Things” could aptly be described as “Led Sabbath.”
On the title song, Stephanie Bailey’s thunder drums and a tense, repetitive guitar riff — almost suggesting the soundtrack of the shower scene in Psycho — set the mood before singer Alex Maas begins what isn’t exactly a tender tune of love: “Lay your hands across my chest, girl/You’ve been a problem since the moment I met ya/You always cause a real friction/Put your pale hands on my face, my love.”
Fractured romantic tension is one of the underlying themes of Indigo Meadow. True, the hopped-up, electro-poppy “You’re Mine” sounds like the singer has a bad case of schoolboy puppy love, but other songs show the darker side of love.
On “Holland,” one of the more mellow tunes on the album, Maas sings, “I’d rather die than to be with you tonight.” In the refrain of “Love Me Forever,” as Maas repeats the song’s title, it sounds more like a command of a megalomaniac than the plea of a lover.
And an undercurrent of misogyny seems to creep into one of band’s attempts at a timely topical tune, “Don’t Play With Guns.” This is the Black Angels, so it’s not going to be your typical protest number. It’s about a young woman who manipulates people to “kill for fun” for her. “Now Angie she was a demon/She had six arms and Lucifer eyes/She always had this glow.”
Some of the best songs here are those on which the Angels seem to be having fun. “The Day” sounds like some forgotten Yardbirds tune. “Twisted Light” is nice and trippy, showing off Bailey’s heavy-fisted drums. And even though I made fun of the title, “I Hear Colors” (subtitled "Chromaesthesia") is a wild stomper with crazy organ (it would make Ray Manzarek proud) and a theremin exploring the colors of sound.
I’ve always felt that psychedelic rock withered too soon back in the late ’60s. Attempts at a revival in subsequent decades have fallen flat, usually devolving into fey self-parody. But The Black Angels are one of the few bands that didn’t forget the “rock” part of psychedelic rock. Long may they fly.
Also recommended:
* In the Ley Lines by Dengue Fever. This is being billed as Dengue Fever’s lost album. It features five alternative mixes of previously released Dengue tunes, plus another five recorded live in Peter Gabriel’s studio four years ago.
This collection wasn’t actually “lost.” It just wasn’t widely circulated, available only for subscribers to the Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound, a service for audiophiles set up by a British company that manufactures stereo and home-theater speakers.
Although I’m familiar with almost all of the songs on the CD, I’m glad the album is available for us plebeians. The live tracks are especially full of the kind of the wild energy that you expect in a Dengue Fever show. (The band played in Santa Fe at least three times in recent years. I’ve caught them twice and would go again.)
A little Dengue 101 for the newcomers: the group was the brainchild of Zac and Ethan Holtzman, California brothers who were huge fans of late ’60s/early ’70s Cambodian rock ’n’ roll. This was a crazy sound that was heavily influenced by American surf, psychedelic, garage, and soul music.
Cambodian rock was basically destroyed — as was much of Cambodian civilization — by the evil Khmer Rouge regime in the late ’70s. The Holtzman boys and their pals got down the instrumental component of this brand of rock, but Dengue Fever didn’t really blossom until it hired Cambodian-born singer Chhom Nimol, from a family well known in Cambodian music circles.
The band’s first three studio albums are well represented. (The fourth, Cannibal Courtship, was released after Ley Lines was recorded.)
There are rousing versions of “New Year’s Eve” and “Hold My Hips” from the group’s 2003 self-titled debut album, a nice spooky rendition of “One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula,” which was a highlight of Dengue’s breakthrough album Escape From Dragon House, and two duets with Nimol and Zac Holtzman that first appeared on the third album, Venus on Earth. These are “Tiger Phone Card” and “Sober Driver,” which sounds slinkier and sexier here than it did in its original form.
While all the songs on this lost album have appeared elsewhere before, a couple may be new to casual fans because they were available only on deluxe versions of Dengue albums.
“The Province” is one of those slow, pretty mysterioso tunes the band does so well. But I prefer “Doo Wop (Today I Learnt to Drink),” a rocking little tune originally done by Cambodian star Ros Serey Sothea. She disappeared during the reign of Pol Pot, but thanks to Nimol, her song lives on.
Blog Bonus: Here's some videos for you r viewing and listening pleasure
Here's Dengue Fever in Santa Fe last year. The picture is fuzzy, but the sound ain't bad. I shot it with my little iPhone
Sunday, April 07, 2013
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
In the Mood by Ray Stevens
I Like It Small by Mudhoney
Evil Things by The Black Angels
Devil in Me by Churchwood
Indians by The Mokkers
I Can't Control Myself by The Ramones
Muscle Man by The Ty Segall Band
Doo Wop (Today I Learned to Drink) by Dengue Fever
Hairball Alley by Rocket From the Crypt
Midnight Hour by Question Mark & The Mysterians
On the Hill by The Blues Against Youth
Golden Card by The Copper Gamins
Motor City Baby by The Dirtbombs
Do the Heartstopper by The Soledad Brothers
Sweet Nothins by Jenny & The Steady Gos
Shake a Tail Feather by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
Something for Nothing byThe Oblivions
The Crusher by The Novas
The Freak Was Clean by Thee Oh Sees
Ju Ju Hand by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Alchohollywood by The Raunch Hands
Around and Around by The Flamin' Groovies
Yosemite Sam by King Salamai & The Cumberland 3
Wogs Will Walk by Cornershop
Surf in the City by Havana 3 a.m.
El Microscopico Bikini by Los Straitjackets with Cesar Rosas
Try Me One More Time by The Demon's Claws
Grease Monkey Go by The X-Rays
Satisfaction by Swamp Dogg
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver by Primus
What Was That by Dinosaur Jr.
You're Just Another Macaroon by Figures of Light
Sally Go Round the Roses by Holly Golightly
No Woman's Flesh But Hers by Johnny Dowd
Bluebird by Leon Russell
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
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Saturday, April 06, 2013
Latest eMusic Downloads
* Rough Guide to Psychedelic Africa by various artists. This collection reminded me how much I love some of the strange and wonderful sounds that were coming out of Africa in the late '60s and '70s. (It also sparked the idea to include a set of African psychedelia on the latest Big Enchilada podcast, even though no tracks from this collection ultimately made it to that episode.)
It was a time in which African musicians were discovering Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Funkadelic. And we can't forget James Brown, who though not normally considered "psychedelic," injected his wild energy on all musicians who took him to heart. That's definitely the case with Nigerian shouter Victor Abimbola Olaiya, whose "Let Yourself Go" opens the album.
The real star of this record is another Nigerian Victor -- singer/guitarist Victor Uwaifo. Not only is his spacy classic "Guitar Boy" here, but there's an entire "bonus" disc worth of Uwaifo cuts. Sometimes these songs start out as fairly conventional Nigerian highlife, then take a sharp turn toward the astral plane when Uwaifo takes a guitar solo.
Other high points here include "Nijaay" by the Senegal-based Orchestra Baobab, featuring some other-worldly guitar (This is a fairly recent recording, from 2007); Ethiopian Alemayehu Eshete's slow-burning "Eruq Yaleshew"; and the rubbery guitar of Celestine Ukwu of Nigeria on the meandering tune "Obialu Be Onye Abiagbunia Okwukwe" is downright trippy.
Howver, I'm certainly not the first to point out that this Rough Guide collection has a rough definition of "psychedelia" and that much of the material here, while being decent African dance music, won't immediately remind a listener of The Doors or Quicksilver Messenger Service or the Electric Prunes.
So if you want to get acquainted with true African psychedelia, you'll find more actual journeys to the center of your mind on collections like those great Soundway Records compilations like The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria and Nigeria Rock Special: Pyschedelic Afro-Rock & Jazz Funk in 1970s Nigeria -- not to mention the fantastic Luaka Bop collection Love's a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa.
* Do You Feel It, Baby? by Question Mark & The Mysterians. Through the magic of the Internet I've recently made the acquaintance of Question Mark, whose "96 Tears" was one of the most bitchen songs of 1966 -- which truly was one of the most bitchen years in rock 'n' roll history. It was a song that helped define the sounf that later would be called "garage" rock.
This live album from Norton Records was recorded in 1997, which wasn't such a bitchen year, though it was recorded at the Cave Stomp Festival in Coney Island, which by all accounts was a mega-bitchen affair. As Question Mark recently explained to me, his set lasted well past the wee hours of night into the next morning.
It's a high-charged set that includes 19 gems from The Mysterians' heyday. And even though the band at that point was 30-plus years beyond "96 Tears," they played with enough energy to put much younger players to shame.
(For my recent radio interview with Question Mark CLICK HERE. And hey, I downloaded Aretha Franklin's version of "96 Tears" especially for that show.)
* The Rock Garage Texas Live Concert Series Vol. 1. This is a collection of live performances in Austin, Texas in 2009 and 2010 compiled by photographer/videographer/rocker Michael Crawford on his label The Rock Garage.
It includes songs by The Hickoids and Churchwood (both of which I've come to know through Saustex Records); revered Texas garage-punk bands including The Ugly Beats and The Pocket FishRmen (who have their own live album released by The Rock Garage) ; some cool alt-country such as The Texas Sapphires (who used to play Santa Fe fairly regularly a few years ago) covering X's "The New World"; electro-punx Pong; and more.
Not all the bands are from Texas. This album has tracks by Nashville Pussy as well as Dash Rip Rock from New Orleans.
You have to note that "Volume 1" is in the title here. Here's hoping for a Volume 2 in the near future.
* Give 'em as Little As You Can…As Often As You Have To…or…A Tribute To Rock 'n' Roll by Swamp Dogg. eMusic gave everyone a $5 bonus last month because their site's search function went kapoot for a couple of days.
This occurred at the time I was starting to write my column on the new Swamp Dogg reissues, so I couldn't resist using my bonus to pick up the latest (2009) studio album by Swamp (at least his latest non-Christmas album.)
This is a covers album, with Swamp putting his own stamp on rock, soul and blues standards. You might think the Free World doesn't really need new souped-up versions of old chestnuts like "Johnny B. Goode," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Heartbreak Hotel" But Swamp Dogg makes them all irresistible. You haven't heard them like this before. He even makes "I Want to Hold Your Hand," one of my least-favorite Beatles songs sound fresh.
Swamp covers The Stones, Fats Domino, Aretha, Springsteen, Bob Marley, The Temptations ... and, yes, Swamp Dogg. There's a new version of his own classic "Total Destruction to Your Mind." I like the original best, but this one ain't bad.
Plus :
* Several Celt-punk songs I used for my St. Patrick's Day set on Terrell's Sound World.
These were:
* "Rosettes" by The Men They Couldn't Hang
* "Nantucket Girls Song" by The Tossers
* "Drunken Lazy Bastard" by The Mahones
* "Breaking Through" by Blood or Whiskey
* "Brennan on the Moor" by The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem (This isn't Celt-punk in form, ony spirit)
It was a time in which African musicians were discovering Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Funkadelic. And we can't forget James Brown, who though not normally considered "psychedelic," injected his wild energy on all musicians who took him to heart. That's definitely the case with Nigerian shouter Victor Abimbola Olaiya, whose "Let Yourself Go" opens the album.
The real star of this record is another Nigerian Victor -- singer/guitarist Victor Uwaifo. Not only is his spacy classic "Guitar Boy" here, but there's an entire "bonus" disc worth of Uwaifo cuts. Sometimes these songs start out as fairly conventional Nigerian highlife, then take a sharp turn toward the astral plane when Uwaifo takes a guitar solo.
Other high points here include "Nijaay" by the Senegal-based Orchestra Baobab, featuring some other-worldly guitar (This is a fairly recent recording, from 2007); Ethiopian Alemayehu Eshete's slow-burning "Eruq Yaleshew"; and the rubbery guitar of Celestine Ukwu of Nigeria on the meandering tune "Obialu Be Onye Abiagbunia Okwukwe" is downright trippy.
Howver, I'm certainly not the first to point out that this Rough Guide collection has a rough definition of "psychedelia" and that much of the material here, while being decent African dance music, won't immediately remind a listener of The Doors or Quicksilver Messenger Service or the Electric Prunes.
So if you want to get acquainted with true African psychedelia, you'll find more actual journeys to the center of your mind on collections like those great Soundway Records compilations like The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria and Nigeria Rock Special: Pyschedelic Afro-Rock & Jazz Funk in 1970s Nigeria -- not to mention the fantastic Luaka Bop collection Love's a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa.
* Do You Feel It, Baby? by Question Mark & The Mysterians. Through the magic of the Internet I've recently made the acquaintance of Question Mark, whose "96 Tears" was one of the most bitchen songs of 1966 -- which truly was one of the most bitchen years in rock 'n' roll history. It was a song that helped define the sounf that later would be called "garage" rock.
This live album from Norton Records was recorded in 1997, which wasn't such a bitchen year, though it was recorded at the Cave Stomp Festival in Coney Island, which by all accounts was a mega-bitchen affair. As Question Mark recently explained to me, his set lasted well past the wee hours of night into the next morning.
It's a high-charged set that includes 19 gems from The Mysterians' heyday. And even though the band at that point was 30-plus years beyond "96 Tears," they played with enough energy to put much younger players to shame.
(For my recent radio interview with Question Mark CLICK HERE. And hey, I downloaded Aretha Franklin's version of "96 Tears" especially for that show.)
* The Rock Garage Texas Live Concert Series Vol. 1. This is a collection of live performances in Austin, Texas in 2009 and 2010 compiled by photographer/videographer/rocker Michael Crawford on his label The Rock Garage.
It includes songs by The Hickoids and Churchwood (both of which I've come to know through Saustex Records); revered Texas garage-punk bands including The Ugly Beats and The Pocket FishRmen (who have their own live album released by The Rock Garage) ; some cool alt-country such as The Texas Sapphires (who used to play Santa Fe fairly regularly a few years ago) covering X's "The New World"; electro-punx Pong; and more.
Not all the bands are from Texas. This album has tracks by Nashville Pussy as well as Dash Rip Rock from New Orleans.
You have to note that "Volume 1" is in the title here. Here's hoping for a Volume 2 in the near future.
* Give 'em as Little As You Can…As Often As You Have To…or…A Tribute To Rock 'n' Roll by Swamp Dogg. eMusic gave everyone a $5 bonus last month because their site's search function went kapoot for a couple of days.
This occurred at the time I was starting to write my column on the new Swamp Dogg reissues, so I couldn't resist using my bonus to pick up the latest (2009) studio album by Swamp (at least his latest non-Christmas album.)
This is a covers album, with Swamp putting his own stamp on rock, soul and blues standards. You might think the Free World doesn't really need new souped-up versions of old chestnuts like "Johnny B. Goode," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Heartbreak Hotel" But Swamp Dogg makes them all irresistible. You haven't heard them like this before. He even makes "I Want to Hold Your Hand," one of my least-favorite Beatles songs sound fresh.
Swamp covers The Stones, Fats Domino, Aretha, Springsteen, Bob Marley, The Temptations ... and, yes, Swamp Dogg. There's a new version of his own classic "Total Destruction to Your Mind." I like the original best, but this one ain't bad.
Plus :
* Several Celt-punk songs I used for my St. Patrick's Day set on Terrell's Sound World.
These were:
* "Rosettes" by The Men They Couldn't Hang
* "Nantucket Girls Song" by The Tossers
* "Drunken Lazy Bastard" by The Mahones
* "Breaking Through" by Blood or Whiskey
* "Brennan on the Moor" by The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem (This isn't Celt-punk in form, ony spirit)
Friday, April 05, 2013
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, April 5, 2013
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Long Road Home by Wayne Hancck
Let's Elope Baby by Kelli Jones-Savoy
Overunderstimulated by The Imperial Rooster
Sweeter Than the Scars by Shinyribs
Burn the Place to the Ground by The Dinosaur Truckers
Julia Belle Swain by The Howlin' Brothers
The Other Life by Shooter Jennings
Harder Than Your Husband by Frank Zappa with Jimmy Carl Black
That's Alright Mama by The Country Blues Revue
Frogs by The Handsome Family
You Can Come Crying to Me by Carla Olson with Juice Newton
He Calls That Religion by Maria Muldaur
Jesus Triology by The Electric Rag Band
Hesitation Blues by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
New Old Blue Car by Peter Case
76 Years Young on Saturday |
I'll Fix Your Flat Tire Merle by Pure Prairie League
All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers by Merle Haggard
Swinging Doors by Justin Trevino & Johnny Bush
My Own Kind of Hat by Rosie Flores
Sweet Georgia Brown by Johnny Gimble with Merle Haggard
If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time by Merle Haggard
Today I Started Lovin' You Again by Rufus Thomas
You Don't Have Very Far to Go by Lucinda Williams
Someday We'll Look Back by Merle Haggard
The Band Played On by Richard Thompson & Christine Collister
Took the Children Away by Roger Knox & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Walk Through This World With Me by Don Rich
The Cold Hard Truth by George Jones
The Apathy Waltz by Junior Brown
Queenie's Song by Terry Allen
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page
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Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Thursday, April 04, 2013
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: Bitter Tears from Australia
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
April 5, 2013
Back in the mid-’60s, when I was but a lad, my mom, knowing how much I liked Johnny Cash, gave me an unusual album. It was called Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian.
Unlike the other Cash records I had, there were no big radio hits on this one. It had to be one of the angriest county albums released on a major label in the ’60s — or, come to think of it, ever. The songs were all about broken promises, broken lives, damned rivers, and damned peoples.
And yet, there was some wicked humor in at least one song, a “tribute” to a certain notorious Indian fighter: “I can tell you, buster, I ain’t a fan of Custer/And the general he don’t ride well any more.” Like most the songs on the album, “Custer” was written by Peter La Farge, son of the late Santa Fe writer Oliver La Farge.
There’s a recently released CD that deals with the plight of indigenous people, and it’s not about American Indians: Stranger in My Land by Aborigine singer Roger Knox (backed by Chicago’s Pine Valley Cosmonauts). The stories told take place in different locales than those on Bitter Tears, but many of the themes are similar.
Knox has been performing and recording in the land down under for more than 30 years. This collaboration with the Cosmonauts, a loose-knit country-rock collective headed by Jon Langford (best known for his work in The Mekons and The Waco Brothers) is his American debut.
The teaming was instigated by Langford, who first read about Knox in a book by Australian author Clinton Walker called Buried Country, which chronicles Aboriginal country musicians. In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, Langford said that the book “really struck a chord in me, that black people in Australia would use basically a white American music form as a way of telling their stories.”
For this album Langford gathered an impressive bevy of guests including fellow Mekon Sally Timms, R & B codger Andre Williams, and American country giant Charlie Louvin (who died since he contributed his vocals to the song “Ticket to Nowhere”). Kelly Hogan, Will Oldham, and Tawny Newsome added some vocals, and The Sadies, a Canadian band that has collaborated with Langford before, became honorary Cosmonauts.
There are several sentimental wish-I-was-back-home tunes here, a familiar theme in American country music. There is “Home in the Valley” (with sweet harmonies by Timms) and “Blue Gums Calling Me Back Home,” in which Knox gets nostalgic about “a land where the kangaroos and emus roam.”
In “The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards,” Dave Alvin and Knox’s son Buddy swap electric-guitar leads as Knox tells about a previous career herding cattle and admits to the harsh brutalities of the cowboy’s life: “The mosquitoes and flies torment you, and the sun beatin’ down so hard/You might think it’s a hell of a place, but to me, it’s my own back yard.” In “Streets of Tamworth,” he longs for “didgeridoos droning in the night,” “the taste of porcupine,” and being where “the white man’s ways won’t bother me no more.”
There are also some scathing political songs. “Warrior in Chains” is about an Aborigine inmate who commits suicide in an Australian prison. (Knox, as well as many of the songwriters whose works are on this album, spent some time within the Australian corrections system.) “Brisbane Blacks” deals with alcoholism among the Aborigines. “Wayward Dreams” is about the destruction of tribal customs because they don’t fit into the white man’s “wayward scheming dreams.”
And most heart-wrenching of all is “Took the Children Away,” written by Archie Roach. This is about the cruel Australian policy of taking Aborigine children from their homes in an attempt to assimilate them into the white culture. The policy officially ended around 1970.
My favorite song is “Scobie’s Dream,” a lighthearted tune about a drunk with severe d.t.’s. Poor Scobie hallucinates about an animal hoedown — “dancin’ kangaroos,” “two black crows playing the old banjo,” “Mr. Bandicoot in a gabardine suit dancing with a little brown pig,” etc. — for a whole week. The song, written by Dougie Young, is described in the liner notes as about “a jailbird and a drunk.” It exemplifies country music’s proud tradition of finding weird humor in even the most tragic situations.
Also recommended:
* My World Is Gone by Otis Taylor. Many of the best songs on My World Is Gone, like the material on Roger Knox’s album, deal with the plight of tribal people — in Taylor’s case, American Indians. The Denver bluesman is aided by Mato Nanji of Indigenous, a Native blues-rock band, on about half the tracks.
The most memorable “Indian songs” here are the title cut, a slow lament featuring Nanji’s guitar and fiddle by Anne Harris; “Sand Creek Massacre Mourning,” which deals with a 1864 attack by the Colorado militia (and a company of New Mexico volunteers) on Cheyenne and Arapaho villages in which mostly women and children were slaughtered; “The Wind Comes In,” featuring some tasty interplay between Nanji’s guitar, Brian Juan’s electric organ, and Taylor’s banjo; and the quick-paced “Lost My Horse,” a re-recording of a song that first appeared on Taylor’s 2001 album White African.
As usual, Taylor’s lyrics are sparse, repetitive, and short on detail. The words provide a loose framework, and he lets the instruments create the mood. Sometimes only Taylor seems to know what the song is actually about.
For instance, I had no idea what “Girl Friend’s House” was about until I read the liner notes: “After catching his wife in bed with her girlfriend, the husband decides he wants to join in.” I listened to the song a couple of more times to try and catch some juicy details, but alas, I could find none.
Blog Bonus:
Here's Roger Knox with the Pine Valley Cosmonauts live in San Francisco. Sally sounds especially lovely here.
April 5, 2013
Back in the mid-’60s, when I was but a lad, my mom, knowing how much I liked Johnny Cash, gave me an unusual album. It was called Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian.
Unlike the other Cash records I had, there were no big radio hits on this one. It had to be one of the angriest county albums released on a major label in the ’60s — or, come to think of it, ever. The songs were all about broken promises, broken lives, damned rivers, and damned peoples.
And yet, there was some wicked humor in at least one song, a “tribute” to a certain notorious Indian fighter: “I can tell you, buster, I ain’t a fan of Custer/And the general he don’t ride well any more.” Like most the songs on the album, “Custer” was written by Peter La Farge, son of the late Santa Fe writer Oliver La Farge.
There’s a recently released CD that deals with the plight of indigenous people, and it’s not about American Indians: Stranger in My Land by Aborigine singer Roger Knox (backed by Chicago’s Pine Valley Cosmonauts). The stories told take place in different locales than those on Bitter Tears, but many of the themes are similar.
Knox has been performing and recording in the land down under for more than 30 years. This collaboration with the Cosmonauts, a loose-knit country-rock collective headed by Jon Langford (best known for his work in The Mekons and The Waco Brothers) is his American debut.
The teaming was instigated by Langford, who first read about Knox in a book by Australian author Clinton Walker called Buried Country, which chronicles Aboriginal country musicians. In a recent Chicago Tribune interview, Langford said that the book “really struck a chord in me, that black people in Australia would use basically a white American music form as a way of telling their stories.”
For this album Langford gathered an impressive bevy of guests including fellow Mekon Sally Timms, R & B codger Andre Williams, and American country giant Charlie Louvin (who died since he contributed his vocals to the song “Ticket to Nowhere”). Kelly Hogan, Will Oldham, and Tawny Newsome added some vocals, and The Sadies, a Canadian band that has collaborated with Langford before, became honorary Cosmonauts.
There are several sentimental wish-I-was-back-home tunes here, a familiar theme in American country music. There is “Home in the Valley” (with sweet harmonies by Timms) and “Blue Gums Calling Me Back Home,” in which Knox gets nostalgic about “a land where the kangaroos and emus roam.”
In “The Land Where the Crow Flies Backwards,” Dave Alvin and Knox’s son Buddy swap electric-guitar leads as Knox tells about a previous career herding cattle and admits to the harsh brutalities of the cowboy’s life: “The mosquitoes and flies torment you, and the sun beatin’ down so hard/You might think it’s a hell of a place, but to me, it’s my own back yard.” In “Streets of Tamworth,” he longs for “didgeridoos droning in the night,” “the taste of porcupine,” and being where “the white man’s ways won’t bother me no more.”
There are also some scathing political songs. “Warrior in Chains” is about an Aborigine inmate who commits suicide in an Australian prison. (Knox, as well as many of the songwriters whose works are on this album, spent some time within the Australian corrections system.) “Brisbane Blacks” deals with alcoholism among the Aborigines. “Wayward Dreams” is about the destruction of tribal customs because they don’t fit into the white man’s “wayward scheming dreams.”
And most heart-wrenching of all is “Took the Children Away,” written by Archie Roach. This is about the cruel Australian policy of taking Aborigine children from their homes in an attempt to assimilate them into the white culture. The policy officially ended around 1970.
My favorite song is “Scobie’s Dream,” a lighthearted tune about a drunk with severe d.t.’s. Poor Scobie hallucinates about an animal hoedown — “dancin’ kangaroos,” “two black crows playing the old banjo,” “Mr. Bandicoot in a gabardine suit dancing with a little brown pig,” etc. — for a whole week. The song, written by Dougie Young, is described in the liner notes as about “a jailbird and a drunk.” It exemplifies country music’s proud tradition of finding weird humor in even the most tragic situations.
Also recommended:
* My World Is Gone by Otis Taylor. Many of the best songs on My World Is Gone, like the material on Roger Knox’s album, deal with the plight of tribal people — in Taylor’s case, American Indians. The Denver bluesman is aided by Mato Nanji of Indigenous, a Native blues-rock band, on about half the tracks.
The most memorable “Indian songs” here are the title cut, a slow lament featuring Nanji’s guitar and fiddle by Anne Harris; “Sand Creek Massacre Mourning,” which deals with a 1864 attack by the Colorado militia (and a company of New Mexico volunteers) on Cheyenne and Arapaho villages in which mostly women and children were slaughtered; “The Wind Comes In,” featuring some tasty interplay between Nanji’s guitar, Brian Juan’s electric organ, and Taylor’s banjo; and the quick-paced “Lost My Horse,” a re-recording of a song that first appeared on Taylor’s 2001 album White African.
As usual, Taylor’s lyrics are sparse, repetitive, and short on detail. The words provide a loose framework, and he lets the instruments create the mood. Sometimes only Taylor seems to know what the song is actually about.
For instance, I had no idea what “Girl Friend’s House” was about until I read the liner notes: “After catching his wife in bed with her girlfriend, the husband decides he wants to join in.” I listened to the song a couple of more times to try and catch some juicy details, but alas, I could find none.
Blog Bonus:
Here's Roger Knox with the Pine Valley Cosmonauts live in San Francisco. Sally sounds especially lovely here.
One Hundred Years of Muddy Waters!
Muddy Waters was born 100 years ago today.
It oughtta be a national holiday, dammit!
Muddy might not have realized it at the time, but truly he helped get America's mojo working.
He died in 1983, but his music lives on.
So even though we don't get the day off, show your patriotism and take a few minutes off work and watch these videos. You owe it to Muddy. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to America.
Happy birthday Mr. Morganfield.
Here's Muddy on television in Europe in 1960 with Sonny Boy Williamson, and a band featuring Willie Dixon and others
Here's Muddy around the same time at the Newport Jazz Festival
And here's Muddy with a bunch of British guys in the early '80s.
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
The Question Mark Interview
In case you missed my live interview with the one and only Question Mark of Question Mark & The Mysterians, you can listen to it here through the magic of Mixcloud.
The actual interview starts about 20 minutes into the show following some hard thumping garage rock (including some of the bands I saw at The Detroit Breakdown at Lincoln Center in New York in 2010 -- where I saw Question Mark & The Mysterians for the first time ever. (There's also a little fumbling when I was having trouble getting the telephone to come out over the air.)
Be sure to listen to the end, or you'll miss the story of how Question Mark was nearly crushed to death by Meat Loaf in a rollaway bed.
So wake your friends, slap your neighbors and listen to this crazy stuff.
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TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
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A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican January 14, 2011 Junior Kimbrough is dead. R.L. Burnside is dead. Paul “Wi...
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