Public Regulation Commission candidate Jerome Block, Jr. today delivered a response to the Secretary of State as to why he lied on a campaign finance report about public money he spent.
But the Secretary of State’s office refused to let reporters see Block’s response.
The embattled Block delivered his written response shortly before 5 p.m. However spokesmen for Secretary of State Mary Herrera said the document wouldn’t be released until Monday at the earliest because Herrera and a deputy hadn’t had the chance to review the response.
Asked why it was important for the office to review the letter before letting reporters see it, spokesman James Flores said, “We don’t want to get inundated with calls about something we haven’t seen.”
Attempts to get a copy of the response from Block were unsuccessful.
The Secretary of State's Office on Monday of this week sent the letter to Block, asking him to "clarify" why he lied about a $2,500 expenditure in public campaign funds. The office also wanted to know Block’s explanation for a Sept. 24 e-mail exchange with a Las Vegas Optic reporter, in which Block admitted lying.
Block at first said he gave the $2,500 in public funds to San Miguel County Clerk Paul Maez's band, Wyld Country, to perform at a May rally. But he changed his story last month after two band members said there was no such performance.
At stake could be the seat Block hopes to win in November. Under the state Voter Action Act, violation of the statutes mentioned in the secretary of state's letter constitute a fourth-degree felony, and -- should matter go to trial and result in a conviction -- could strip Block of his right to vote.
The law also says a candidate who violates the Voter Action Act could face a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation and could be required to pay back all campaign funds. Between the primary and general-election races, Block has received $101,000 in state money.
Read more in Saturday's New Mexican. (Will update with link)
UPDATE: 7:49 p.m. James Flores called to tell me the document will be released on Saturday.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: GORDONDON'S GOLD
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 10, 2008
It’s hardly a new phenomenon for musicians to go back and re-record their old songs for new albums. Mostly these are business ploys. A record company persuades an old pro to redo his songs and purposely make them sound as close to the original hits as possible. This way the company can market a “Greatest Hits” package without having to license the original recording from the old record company. Virgin Records did this with Roy Orbison in the 1980s.
Likewise, sometimes musicians who don’t have the rights to their own early recordings will re-record and repackage those songs themselves. John Prine did this with Souvenirs, released on his own Oh Boy label in 2000.
But occasionally an aging artist will revisit his old songs as a purely artistic exercise. That seems to be the case with Recovery, the latest album by Loudon Wainwright III, which features songs from his first four albums, going back to the early 1970s.
Most of the 13 songs here were originally recorded with just Wainwright’s piercing voice and his acoustic guitar. They’ve been rearranged for this album with the help of producer (and longtime Wainwright fan) Joe Henry, who brought in the same basic band he used for Wainwright’s previous album, Strange Weirdos.
While this CD isn’t just an exercise in nostalgia for baby boomers, the songs will bring back memories for old-time Wainwright fans. Listening to it last week, I immediately recalled the first time I heard Wainwright screeching “Me and My Friend the Cat” on KUNM late one night in 1972.
The song selection is nearly impeccable. If I were compiling a “Best of Loudon: The Early Years” retrospective, just about all of these songs would be there — though I would have included “Me and My Friend the Cat” and the terrifying “Hospital Lady.”
Most of these tunes are like old friends to me — including the song “Old Friend,” which is about a man realizing that he no longer has anything in common with a buddy but the past. Fortunately that’s not the case with the songs here. Unlike some friendships, nearly all of the tunes have held up extremely well over the past four decades.
One of the most fascinating realizations in listening to these songs is how Wainwright, even though he was in his 20s when he wrote these songs, often wrote from the perspective of an old man looking back on his youth. “In Delaware when I was younger” are the first words on “School Days,” the first track on his first album (Loudon Wainwright III, 1970) and one of the songs included here.
In “New Paint,” a song about a man’s awkwardness on a date with a woman, the singer sadly declares, “If I were 16 again, I’d give my eye tooth/I’m tired and I’m hungry and I’m lookin’ for my youth.”
And of course there’s “Old Friend,” where Wainwright sings, “The good old days are good and gone now/That’s why they’re good, because they’re gone.” When he first sang this, those “good old days” couldn’t have been long gone, unless he was singing about some kid he hadn’t seen since kindergarten
While the original versions of these songs were powerful, now — sung by a 60-plus Wainwright — they are infused not only with a tangible wistfulness but also with an earned wisdom. “New Paint” in particular takes on a new sadness. Nobody really believed Wainwright in 1973 when he sang, “Sometimes I feel ugly and old” and that he was a “used-up 20th-century boy.” But now, aided by Greg Leisz’s heartache steel and Patrick Warren’s pensive piano, those lines are jolting.
“Motel Blues,” a tune about luring a girl to his room (“Chronologically I know you’re young/But when you kissed me in the club you bit my tongue”), takes on new implications. Singing it back in the ’70s, Wainwright sounded desperate when he cried, “Come up to my motel room — save my life!” But now that line sounds literal, though Wainwright sings it as if he’s resigned to the fact that the girl probably won’t succumb to his pleas.
Perhaps the most powerful track on Recovery is “Saw Your Name in the Paper.” This song was inspired by the death of Janis Joplin, though she’s never mentioned by name. For years I’ve suspected that it might also have been partly directed at Wainwright’s childhood friend Liza Minnelli. Maybe that’s because of the line “Your mother must be happy — they said you stole the show.”
But whether it’s about Janis, Liza, or the next American Idol winner, the song is a meditation on the dark side of fame and the fickleness of the celeb-loving public.
And yes, as is the case with most of his tunes, the song turns out to be about Wainwright himself. It was written about the time he was being touted as a potential “new Dylan” (one of about 863 “new Dylans” of that era). Wainwright’s only partially successful quest for fame has been a frequent topic in his songs. There was “AM World,” “Two-Song Set,” “The Grammy Song, “Harry’s Wall” and of course, the title song of his 1983 album, “Fame and Wealth,” just to name a few.
The one low point on the album is the last song. I won’t call “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” a clunker, but this is the one early Wainwright song I wouldn’t have included. I never understood its appeal, even when Johnny Cash covered it. It’s the biggest production number on Recovery — with a string quartet — but this weird little parable doesn’t hold a candle to the rest of the tunes.
But for the most part, Recovery reminds me why I first became a Wainwright cultist all those years ago and why he continues to be such a worthy artist.
Baby, it’s a public radio world: You knew I couldn’t resist doing a Loudon Wainwright III tribute on the radio. Tune in to Terrell’s Sound World, 10 p.m. Sunday on KSFR-FM 101.1 for some old, new, and in-between Loudon. The Wainwright segment starts at the 11th hour. (And don’t forget The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday, on KSFR.)
October 10, 2008
It’s hardly a new phenomenon for musicians to go back and re-record their old songs for new albums. Mostly these are business ploys. A record company persuades an old pro to redo his songs and purposely make them sound as close to the original hits as possible. This way the company can market a “Greatest Hits” package without having to license the original recording from the old record company. Virgin Records did this with Roy Orbison in the 1980s.
Likewise, sometimes musicians who don’t have the rights to their own early recordings will re-record and repackage those songs themselves. John Prine did this with Souvenirs, released on his own Oh Boy label in 2000.
But occasionally an aging artist will revisit his old songs as a purely artistic exercise. That seems to be the case with Recovery, the latest album by Loudon Wainwright III, which features songs from his first four albums, going back to the early 1970s.
Most of the 13 songs here were originally recorded with just Wainwright’s piercing voice and his acoustic guitar. They’ve been rearranged for this album with the help of producer (and longtime Wainwright fan) Joe Henry, who brought in the same basic band he used for Wainwright’s previous album, Strange Weirdos.
While this CD isn’t just an exercise in nostalgia for baby boomers, the songs will bring back memories for old-time Wainwright fans. Listening to it last week, I immediately recalled the first time I heard Wainwright screeching “Me and My Friend the Cat” on KUNM late one night in 1972.
The song selection is nearly impeccable. If I were compiling a “Best of Loudon: The Early Years” retrospective, just about all of these songs would be there — though I would have included “Me and My Friend the Cat” and the terrifying “Hospital Lady.”
Most of these tunes are like old friends to me — including the song “Old Friend,” which is about a man realizing that he no longer has anything in common with a buddy but the past. Fortunately that’s not the case with the songs here. Unlike some friendships, nearly all of the tunes have held up extremely well over the past four decades.
One of the most fascinating realizations in listening to these songs is how Wainwright, even though he was in his 20s when he wrote these songs, often wrote from the perspective of an old man looking back on his youth. “In Delaware when I was younger” are the first words on “School Days,” the first track on his first album (Loudon Wainwright III, 1970) and one of the songs included here.
In “New Paint,” a song about a man’s awkwardness on a date with a woman, the singer sadly declares, “If I were 16 again, I’d give my eye tooth/I’m tired and I’m hungry and I’m lookin’ for my youth.”
And of course there’s “Old Friend,” where Wainwright sings, “The good old days are good and gone now/That’s why they’re good, because they’re gone.” When he first sang this, those “good old days” couldn’t have been long gone, unless he was singing about some kid he hadn’t seen since kindergarten
While the original versions of these songs were powerful, now — sung by a 60-plus Wainwright — they are infused not only with a tangible wistfulness but also with an earned wisdom. “New Paint” in particular takes on a new sadness. Nobody really believed Wainwright in 1973 when he sang, “Sometimes I feel ugly and old” and that he was a “used-up 20th-century boy.” But now, aided by Greg Leisz’s heartache steel and Patrick Warren’s pensive piano, those lines are jolting.
“Motel Blues,” a tune about luring a girl to his room (“Chronologically I know you’re young/But when you kissed me in the club you bit my tongue”), takes on new implications. Singing it back in the ’70s, Wainwright sounded desperate when he cried, “Come up to my motel room — save my life!” But now that line sounds literal, though Wainwright sings it as if he’s resigned to the fact that the girl probably won’t succumb to his pleas.
Perhaps the most powerful track on Recovery is “Saw Your Name in the Paper.” This song was inspired by the death of Janis Joplin, though she’s never mentioned by name. For years I’ve suspected that it might also have been partly directed at Wainwright’s childhood friend Liza Minnelli. Maybe that’s because of the line “Your mother must be happy — they said you stole the show.”
But whether it’s about Janis, Liza, or the next American Idol winner, the song is a meditation on the dark side of fame and the fickleness of the celeb-loving public.
“Maybe you’ll get famous. Maybe you’ll get rich/It’s all right.
Don’t be afraid. Lots of us got that itch/Lots of us, we need it. We need it really bad/Lots of us are desperate. Lots of us are sad.”
And yes, as is the case with most of his tunes, the song turns out to be about Wainwright himself. It was written about the time he was being touted as a potential “new Dylan” (one of about 863 “new Dylans” of that era). Wainwright’s only partially successful quest for fame has been a frequent topic in his songs. There was “AM World,” “Two-Song Set,” “The Grammy Song, “Harry’s Wall” and of course, the title song of his 1983 album, “Fame and Wealth,” just to name a few.
The one low point on the album is the last song. I won’t call “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” a clunker, but this is the one early Wainwright song I wouldn’t have included. I never understood its appeal, even when Johnny Cash covered it. It’s the biggest production number on Recovery — with a string quartet — but this weird little parable doesn’t hold a candle to the rest of the tunes.
But for the most part, Recovery reminds me why I first became a Wainwright cultist all those years ago and why he continues to be such a worthy artist.
Baby, it’s a public radio world: You knew I couldn’t resist doing a Loudon Wainwright III tribute on the radio. Tune in to Terrell’s Sound World, 10 p.m. Sunday on KSFR-FM 101.1 for some old, new, and in-between Loudon. The Wainwright segment starts at the 11th hour. (And don’t forget The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday, on KSFR.)
FOOTBALL BUDDIES NO MORE?
Gov. Bill Richardson, in an interview on NPR this morning, said he and Bill Clinton might never kiss and make up over Richardson's choice to endorse Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton.
Listen yourself. The link is HERE.Have I heard from President Clinton? No. It could be pretty
much a permanent fissure. But, that's politics. That's okay," Richardson said.
"I'm still very fond of the Clintons," he said.
"I've reconciled with her, but with him — he wants to keep a grudge, that's fine with me,"
Richardson said, "I move on."
ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: LOSING THE SWING
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Octobber 1, 2008
Does it still mean a thing if New Mexico loses its swing?
In recent years, political activists, political reporters and political junkies in this enchanted land have shared a certain pride that New Mexico in recent presidential elections, despite our modest stake of five electoral votes, has been a major swing state.
Could this be changing?
It’s true, we’ve seen candidate visits: John McCain in Albuquerque on Monday, Barack Obama in Española a few weeks ago.
But according to statistics from The Wisconsin Advertising Project, a creature of the University of Wisconsin Political Science Department, neither campaign seems to be spending that much money in the battle for New Mexico airwaves, at least compared with other battleground states.
According to a WAP news release Wednesday, Obama spent $185,000 on television advertising directed at New Mexico between Sept. 28 and Saturday, while, during the same period, McCain spent $144,000. In the 15 states in which both candidates are advertising, Obama spent more in 13 states than he did in New Mexico. McCain spent more in 14 states during this period.
Granted, you’re going to pay more for television ads in bigger states with larger populations and more TV markets than New Mexico. But states similar in size to New Mexico, such as Nevada and New Hampshire, are seeing more political ads than our state.
In 2004, WAP showed Albuquerque stations in late September and early October sold more political ad time to presidential candidates than any other market except Miami.
But this year, the Albuquerque television market, according to WAP, isn’t in the top 10 markets for either McCain or Obama. McCain’s top 10 list does include El Paso, whose television stations are watched by Southern New Mexico households. There, the Republican aired ads 474 times last week, making El Paso No. 8 in McCain’s top 10.
According to the study, Albuquerque ranked 20th for total political ads last week. The campaigns, the two political parties and outside groups attacking one candidate or the other bought a total of 960 airings on Albuquerque stations.
It’s not as if they’re not paying attention to the West. The top market for political ads was Las Vegas, Nev., (a total of 2,020 spots) while No. 2 was Denver (with 2,007 spots.)
Why aren’t the campaigns spending that much for New Mexico television ads?
When asked that question in a telephone interview Wednesday, Sarah Niebler, deputy director of The Wisconsin Advertising Project, said, “I can’t speak to the strategies of the campaigns.”
But she pointed to polling figures compiled by Pollster.com. Obama is leading McCain by 6 percentage points in New Mexico, according to Pollster, which averages several polls. In Nevada, Pollster shows Obama leading by less than 2 percentage points. In both Pollster and RealClearPolitics.com, another site that averages poll numbers, New Mexico for a few weeks has been listed as “leaning Obama” while Nevada continues to be a “tossup.”
So if McCain’s numbers start improving in New Mexico, expect to see more ads from both camps.
Beware of Tony: Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza told me this week that somebody out there is calling voters, falsely claiming to be from her office and trying to get Social Security numbers.
According to Espinoza, the calls are being made by a man who identifies himself as “Tony,” telling voters their voter registrations have been denied and asking them to dial a certain telephone number to clear it up. Those who call are asked for personal information such as Social Security numbers.
First of all, Espinoza says, that number is not associated with her office. She also said her office wouldn’t ask for such information over the phone.
Finally, she said, there’s nobody named Tony who works for her. “I even checked the temporary workers we hired, and there’s no Tony, she said.
Espinoza had some good advice that law enforcement officials frequently give: Don’t give strangers personal information over the phone. That’s a good way to get your identity stolen.
E-mailing the debate: I watched Tuesday’s presidential debate at a Santa Fe Community College watch party. Luckily, I wasn’t trying to keep up with my work e-mail. During the debate, and for a few minutes after it ended, I received 38 e-mails from the Obama campaign, most of them with the subject line “Debate Reality Check.”
Before the night was done, both sides sent out e-mail news releases declaring their candidate the winner.
For some reason, the McCain camp didn’t e-mail me its version of reality checks. I suspect I’m just not on that list.
But don’t worry, guys. I think my delete finger needs medical attention.
Octobber 1, 2008
Does it still mean a thing if New Mexico loses its swing?
In recent years, political activists, political reporters and political junkies in this enchanted land have shared a certain pride that New Mexico in recent presidential elections, despite our modest stake of five electoral votes, has been a major swing state.
Could this be changing?
It’s true, we’ve seen candidate visits: John McCain in Albuquerque on Monday, Barack Obama in Española a few weeks ago.
But according to statistics from The Wisconsin Advertising Project, a creature of the University of Wisconsin Political Science Department, neither campaign seems to be spending that much money in the battle for New Mexico airwaves, at least compared with other battleground states.
According to a WAP news release Wednesday, Obama spent $185,000 on television advertising directed at New Mexico between Sept. 28 and Saturday, while, during the same period, McCain spent $144,000. In the 15 states in which both candidates are advertising, Obama spent more in 13 states than he did in New Mexico. McCain spent more in 14 states during this period.
Granted, you’re going to pay more for television ads in bigger states with larger populations and more TV markets than New Mexico. But states similar in size to New Mexico, such as Nevada and New Hampshire, are seeing more political ads than our state.
In 2004, WAP showed Albuquerque stations in late September and early October sold more political ad time to presidential candidates than any other market except Miami.
But this year, the Albuquerque television market, according to WAP, isn’t in the top 10 markets for either McCain or Obama. McCain’s top 10 list does include El Paso, whose television stations are watched by Southern New Mexico households. There, the Republican aired ads 474 times last week, making El Paso No. 8 in McCain’s top 10.
According to the study, Albuquerque ranked 20th for total political ads last week. The campaigns, the two political parties and outside groups attacking one candidate or the other bought a total of 960 airings on Albuquerque stations.
It’s not as if they’re not paying attention to the West. The top market for political ads was Las Vegas, Nev., (a total of 2,020 spots) while No. 2 was Denver (with 2,007 spots.)
Why aren’t the campaigns spending that much for New Mexico television ads?
When asked that question in a telephone interview Wednesday, Sarah Niebler, deputy director of The Wisconsin Advertising Project, said, “I can’t speak to the strategies of the campaigns.”
But she pointed to polling figures compiled by Pollster.com. Obama is leading McCain by 6 percentage points in New Mexico, according to Pollster, which averages several polls. In Nevada, Pollster shows Obama leading by less than 2 percentage points. In both Pollster and RealClearPolitics.com, another site that averages poll numbers, New Mexico for a few weeks has been listed as “leaning Obama” while Nevada continues to be a “tossup.”
So if McCain’s numbers start improving in New Mexico, expect to see more ads from both camps.
Beware of Tony: Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza told me this week that somebody out there is calling voters, falsely claiming to be from her office and trying to get Social Security numbers.
According to Espinoza, the calls are being made by a man who identifies himself as “Tony,” telling voters their voter registrations have been denied and asking them to dial a certain telephone number to clear it up. Those who call are asked for personal information such as Social Security numbers.
First of all, Espinoza says, that number is not associated with her office. She also said her office wouldn’t ask for such information over the phone.
Finally, she said, there’s nobody named Tony who works for her. “I even checked the temporary workers we hired, and there’s no Tony, she said.
Espinoza had some good advice that law enforcement officials frequently give: Don’t give strangers personal information over the phone. That’s a good way to get your identity stolen.
E-mailing the debate: I watched Tuesday’s presidential debate at a Santa Fe Community College watch party. Luckily, I wasn’t trying to keep up with my work e-mail. During the debate, and for a few minutes after it ended, I received 38 e-mails from the Obama campaign, most of them with the subject line “Debate Reality Check.”
Before the night was done, both sides sent out e-mail news releases declaring their candidate the winner.
For some reason, the McCain camp didn’t e-mail me its version of reality checks. I suspect I’m just not on that list.
But don’t worry, guys. I think my delete finger needs medical attention.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
McCAIN'S ALBUQUERQUE SPEECH
My story on the Albuquerque event can be found HERE.
Being in the SUB Ballroom at UNM today brought back memories of past events I've seen there.
The first one was a Bo Diddley concert in August 1971 -- The King Kong Memorial Tribal Stomp. (I think that was the second annual KKMTS and perhaps the last one.) I also saw The Mahavishnu Orchestra there circa 1972. I got in trouble for opening an outside door and letting a bunch of hippies in for free. However, I didn't get kicked out of the show. They just made me sit away from the door.
The last presidential candidate I saw there also was a Republican -- Rep. Pete McCloskey, a Republican peace candidate (!) who challenged Richard Nixon in 1972. (His only delegate at the GOP convention that year was from New Mexico -- my old creating writing teacher Tom Mayer.)
Sunday, October 05, 2008
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, October 5, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Dumb All Over by Frank Zappa
Waves of Fear by Lou Reed
Tapiocra Tundra by The Monkees
Surfin' Dead by The Cramps
Punk Slime by The Black Lips
Tales of Terror by Mudhoney
Hard Workin' Man by Captain Beefheart
Justine by The Righteous Brothers
Welfare Bread by King Khan & The Shrines
What Have You Done For Me Lately by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Gator Tail by Lee Dorsey
I'm Insane by T-Model Ford
Down In the Valley by Solomon Burke
Mamma Get the Hammer by Barrence Whitfield
Nasty by The Diplomats of Solid Soul
The Chase by Chaino
Strong Man Holler by Taj Mahal
For God's Sake Give Power to the People by The Chi-Lites
Satisfied Fool by Nathaniel Meyer
My Back Scratcher by Frank Frost
Jon E. Edwards Mood by Jon E. Edwards
All in the Mood by Howlin' Wolf
Pettin' and Pokin' by Louis Jordon
Today's Lesson by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Saw Your Name in the Paper by Loudon Wainwright III
The Dolphins by Richie Havens
Muck Machine by Giant Sand
The Donor by Judee Sill
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Dumb All Over by Frank Zappa
Waves of Fear by Lou Reed
Tapiocra Tundra by The Monkees
Surfin' Dead by The Cramps
Punk Slime by The Black Lips
Tales of Terror by Mudhoney
Hard Workin' Man by Captain Beefheart
Justine by The Righteous Brothers
Welfare Bread by King Khan & The Shrines
What Have You Done For Me Lately by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Gator Tail by Lee Dorsey
I'm Insane by T-Model Ford
Down In the Valley by Solomon Burke
Mamma Get the Hammer by Barrence Whitfield
Nasty by The Diplomats of Solid Soul
The Chase by Chaino
Strong Man Holler by Taj Mahal
For God's Sake Give Power to the People by The Chi-Lites
Satisfied Fool by Nathaniel Meyer
My Back Scratcher by Frank Frost
Jon E. Edwards Mood by Jon E. Edwards
All in the Mood by Howlin' Wolf
Pettin' and Pokin' by Louis Jordon
Today's Lesson by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Saw Your Name in the Paper by Loudon Wainwright III
The Dolphins by Richie Havens
Muck Machine by Giant Sand
The Donor by Judee Sill
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
McCAIN IN ALBUQUERQUE MONDAY
This just in:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be in Albuquerque Monday for a rally at the UNM Student Union Building.
This will be the first candidate visit to the state since Barack Obama appeared in Espanola a couple of weeks ago.
The doors open at 11:30 p.m. and the rally starts at 1:30 pm.
I don't have any information about what to do if you want to attend, but I'll update this post when or if I find out.
UPDATE: According to a NM MCCain spokeswoman, it's first-come/ first-serve. People can get tickets at McCain's Albuquerque headquarters at 5643 Jefferson N.E. The office will close at 9 pm today. For more information, call 505-715-4330
Saturday, October 04, 2008
MY FIRST PODCAST
I'm experimenting with the wonderful world of podcasting.
This first attempt was created from the 2006 Steve Terrell Spooktacular, broadcast on Terrell's Sound World on KSFR on Oct. 29, 2006.
CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, rightclick on the link and select "Save Target As.")
CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
You can play it on the little feedplayer below:
Here's the playlist:
Halloween Hootenanny by Zacherlee
Halloween (She Got So Mean) by Rob Zombie & The Ghastly Ones
(It's a) Monster's Holiday by Buck Owens
Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde
Monster by Fred Schneider
Monsters of the Id by Mose Allison
Feast of the Mau Mau by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The Raven by Lou Reed
Murder in the Graveyard by Screaming Lord Sutch
Satanic Beatles by The Rev. Mike Mills
Don't Shake Me Lucifer by Roky Erikson
King Henry by Steeleye Span
Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare
The Witchdoctor's Curse by The Frantic Flattops
Heeby Jeebies by Little Richard
This first attempt was created from the 2006 Steve Terrell Spooktacular, broadcast on Terrell's Sound World on KSFR on Oct. 29, 2006.
CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, rightclick on the link and select "Save Target As.")
CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.
You can play it on the little feedplayer below:
Here's the playlist:
Halloween Hootenanny by Zacherlee
Halloween (She Got So Mean) by Rob Zombie & The Ghastly Ones
(It's a) Monster's Holiday by Buck Owens
Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde
Monster by Fred Schneider
Monsters of the Id by Mose Allison
Feast of the Mau Mau by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The Raven by Lou Reed
Murder in the Graveyard by Screaming Lord Sutch
Satanic Beatles by The Rev. Mike Mills
Don't Shake Me Lucifer by Roky Erikson
King Henry by Steeleye Span
Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare
The Witchdoctor's Curse by The Frantic Flattops
Heeby Jeebies by Little Richard
Friday, October 03, 2008
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, October 3, 2008
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
SUPPORT THE KSFR FALL FUNDRAISER!Call me during the show 505-428-1382 or PLEDGE ONLINE
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Pigsville by The Waco Brothers
Shotgun Willie by Willie Nelson
Little White Pills by The Meat Purveyors
Burn Your Fun by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Horny by Zeno Tornado & The Boney Google Brothers
Ghost Train by Mike Neal
Take Me Back by Billy Kaundart
I Long, Then I'm Gone by Boris & The Saltlicks with Taj Mahal
I Saw Them Together by Jim Stringer & The AM Band
I Guess I Had It Coming by Johnny Paycheck
Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You by Sally Timms
Get Right With God by Lucinda Williams
Howling Moon by Los Cenzontles with David Hidalgo
What's a Simple Man to Do by Steve Earle
I Just Left Myself by Terry Allen
Kissing You Goodbye by Waylon Jennings
Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight by Gus Cannon
Sixteen Tons by Homer & Jethro
ROCKABILLY RIOT
Wild Side of Life by Charlie Feathers
Cracker Jack by Janis Martin
Nothin' Shakin' by Linda Gail Lewis
Rockabilly Monkey Face Girl by Our Favorite Band
Mercy Mercy, Percy by Joe Penny
Living Hell by Thunder Road
Tear Me Up by Rosie Flores
I'll See You in My Dreams by Jerry Lee Lewis
One Good Gal by Charlie Feathers
Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad by Wanda Jackson
Radioactive Kid by The Meteors
Flyin' Saucer by Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys
Knoxville Girl by Charlie Feathers
Killer Came From Space by The Dragtones
Ubangi Stomp by Carl Mann
I'm Through by Sleepy LaBeef
Jello Sal by The Breakers
Mound of Clay by Charlie Feathers
Let Go Of Louie by Ray Campi
Fish Out O Water by Ronnie Dawson
Private Detective by Gene Vincent
I Lose My Mind by Charlie Feathers
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
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10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
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OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Pigsville by The Waco Brothers
Shotgun Willie by Willie Nelson
Little White Pills by The Meat Purveyors
Burn Your Fun by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Horny by Zeno Tornado & The Boney Google Brothers
Ghost Train by Mike Neal
Take Me Back by Billy Kaundart
I Long, Then I'm Gone by Boris & The Saltlicks with Taj Mahal
I Saw Them Together by Jim Stringer & The AM Band
I Guess I Had It Coming by Johnny Paycheck
Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You by Sally Timms
Get Right With God by Lucinda Williams
Howling Moon by Los Cenzontles with David Hidalgo
What's a Simple Man to Do by Steve Earle
I Just Left Myself by Terry Allen
Kissing You Goodbye by Waylon Jennings
Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight by Gus Cannon
Sixteen Tons by Homer & Jethro
ROCKABILLY RIOT
Wild Side of Life by Charlie Feathers
Cracker Jack by Janis Martin
Nothin' Shakin' by Linda Gail Lewis
Rockabilly Monkey Face Girl by Our Favorite Band
Mercy Mercy, Percy by Joe Penny
Living Hell by Thunder Road
Tear Me Up by Rosie Flores
I'll See You in My Dreams by Jerry Lee Lewis
One Good Gal by Charlie Feathers
Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad by Wanda Jackson
Radioactive Kid by The Meteors
Flyin' Saucer by Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys
Knoxville Girl by Charlie Feathers
Killer Came From Space by The Dragtones
Ubangi Stomp by Carl Mann
I'm Through by Sleepy LaBeef
Jello Sal by The Breakers
Mound of Clay by Charlie Feathers
Let Go Of Louie by Ray Campi
Fish Out O Water by Ronnie Dawson
Private Detective by Gene Vincent
I Lose My Mind by Charlie Feathers
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: HEAVY AS A FEATHER
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 3, 2008
Mississippi-born Charlie Feathers — country crooner, rockabilly yelper, and hillbilly-blues shouter — never quite made it big during the pioneer days of rock ’n’ roll — or any time afterward, for that matter. But, like Carl Perkins sang in a latter-day rockabilly tune, he was there when it happened.
Feathers worked as a session cat at Sun Studio before splitting off from the label. He even wrote an early Elvis tune, “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” And though Feathers never came close to the fame and financial success of Elvis, he did have an all-female fan club revolving around a Memphis house occupied by several fanatical telephone operators — 30 of them (!) living in one house, Feathers claimed in a recorded interview. That’s a fantasy come true that would make most guys jealous.
Feathers, who died in 1998, is the subject of a new three-volume collection of outtakes, demos, and obscurities from the mighty Norton Records label. The albums are Wild Side of Life: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume One; Honky Tonk Kind: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Two; and Long Time Ago: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Three.
The albums offer a hodgepodge of Feathers’ music, including a big chunk of lo-fi tracks and studio jamming. According to the liner notes, these albums “cherry pick a full spectrum of one-off singles, LP cuts, home demos, and live recordings from previously unreleased late ’50s Sun demos clear through the criminally underrated singles he waxed for his own Feathers imprint in the early ’80s.” There doesn’t seem to be any particular order to the material here; it’s certainly not chronological. You just have to sit back and enjoy the glorious jumble.
Feathers, who started off as a country singer, was never afraid to show the ’billy side of rockabilly, so there are plenty of country classics on these collections — “Folsom Prison Blues” (there are versions of this on all three volumes); Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and “Lonesome Whistle”; and other Nashville hits like “Release Me,” “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” “Am I That Easy to Forget?” and, of course, “Wild Side of Life.”
Feathers puts his own crazy stamp on these songs, and some are barely recognizable. In fact, “Release Me” on Wild Side is a duet with Mississippi hill-country blues great Junior Kimbrough, who joins Feathers on “Feel Good Again” on Honky Tonk Kind (the song was available on a Fat Possum Records compilation a few years ago). According to the liner notes on Wild Side, Feathers once described Kimbrough as “the beginning and end of all music.”
Feathers could write decent country songs himself. One of my favorites is “Two to Choose,” on Honky Tonk Kind, which he recorded as a duet with his daughter Wanda Feathers in 1973. Also notable is “I Lose My Mind,” found on Honky Tonk Kind (a fast version that sounds like a home recording) and on Long Time Ago (a slower, more haunting version with a stand-up bass).
Then there’s “Dinky John” on Honky Tonk Kind, which probably was an answer to Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John.” I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say that anti-gun activists who advocate for mandatory trigger locks to protect children might want to give this a listen.
One of the coolest tunes here (on the Long Time Ago album) is the venerated murder ballad “Knoxville Girl,” a song that has roots going back to the hoary mists of British folk music but is best known by The Louvin Brothers’ version on their album Tragic Songs of Life. Feathers turned the song into a swampy snarler in his version recorded in 1979. You’re tempted to take him literally when he spits, “There stood the devil lookin’ straight at me.”
Even stranger is a big, bad voodoo rocker called “Jungle Fever.” No, this Feathers original (co-written with his buddy Ramon Maupin) has nothing to do with Spike Lee’s movie of the same name, and if it deals with a mixed-race relationship, it’s not apparent in the lyrics. “Darkness creeping through the green/Jungle fever got a hold on me/Won’t somebody tell me where can my baby be?” There are two versions on Long Time Ago, one from 1958 and one from 1980 that features a weird funk-guitar break in the middle.
My only complaint with this collection is that the liner notes, as interesting as they are, don’t include recording details for all the tracks.
Then again, you have to ask: Did you come to read or come to hear great American music?
Check out this discography of Charlie Feathers: CLICK HERE
Also recommended:
* Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys. This is a new album from a Japanese rockabilly unit — released on a label from Spain, no less. Rockabilly started 50 years ago, but it’s still conquering the world.
Yuichi’s voice reminds me some of Big Sandy’s — except I don’t think Sandy could sing in Japanese like Yuichi does on the sweet ballad “Sayonara.”
These guys go raw country with the Hank-like weeper “She Isn’t Around Anymore,” complete with steel and fiddles. And they get greasier than greasy on the ’50s-style slow-dancer “Hurt.”
And yes, they can tear it up. “Flyin’ Saucer” could almost be considered a love song for Billy Lee Riley. “Countin’ the Years” and “Thunder” are broken-English rockabilly nightmares that are nothing short of irresistible. (Aside for longtime KUNM-FM fans: Does anyone remember the promo spots for Malachi Mudgong that used a fake Japanese version of the Patsy Cline hit “Crazy”? If you liked that, you’ll love “Countin’ the Years.”)
Yuichi does a credible version of Roy Orbison’s “Oobie Doobie,” while “Bluest Boy in Town” is Elvis’ “That’s All Right, Mama” in disguise.
Rockabilly madness: this week on The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR-FM 101.1. And don’t forget Terrell’s Sound World, free-form weirdo radio, same time, same station, on Sunday.
October 3, 2008
Mississippi-born Charlie Feathers — country crooner, rockabilly yelper, and hillbilly-blues shouter — never quite made it big during the pioneer days of rock ’n’ roll — or any time afterward, for that matter. But, like Carl Perkins sang in a latter-day rockabilly tune, he was there when it happened.
Feathers worked as a session cat at Sun Studio before splitting off from the label. He even wrote an early Elvis tune, “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” And though Feathers never came close to the fame and financial success of Elvis, he did have an all-female fan club revolving around a Memphis house occupied by several fanatical telephone operators — 30 of them (!) living in one house, Feathers claimed in a recorded interview. That’s a fantasy come true that would make most guys jealous.
Feathers, who died in 1998, is the subject of a new three-volume collection of outtakes, demos, and obscurities from the mighty Norton Records label. The albums are Wild Side of Life: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume One; Honky Tonk Kind: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Two; and Long Time Ago: Rare and Unissued Recordings, Volume Three.
The albums offer a hodgepodge of Feathers’ music, including a big chunk of lo-fi tracks and studio jamming. According to the liner notes, these albums “cherry pick a full spectrum of one-off singles, LP cuts, home demos, and live recordings from previously unreleased late ’50s Sun demos clear through the criminally underrated singles he waxed for his own Feathers imprint in the early ’80s.” There doesn’t seem to be any particular order to the material here; it’s certainly not chronological. You just have to sit back and enjoy the glorious jumble.
Feathers, who started off as a country singer, was never afraid to show the ’billy side of rockabilly, so there are plenty of country classics on these collections — “Folsom Prison Blues” (there are versions of this on all three volumes); Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and “Lonesome Whistle”; and other Nashville hits like “Release Me,” “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” “Am I That Easy to Forget?” and, of course, “Wild Side of Life.”
Feathers puts his own crazy stamp on these songs, and some are barely recognizable. In fact, “Release Me” on Wild Side is a duet with Mississippi hill-country blues great Junior Kimbrough, who joins Feathers on “Feel Good Again” on Honky Tonk Kind (the song was available on a Fat Possum Records compilation a few years ago). According to the liner notes on Wild Side, Feathers once described Kimbrough as “the beginning and end of all music.”
Feathers could write decent country songs himself. One of my favorites is “Two to Choose,” on Honky Tonk Kind, which he recorded as a duet with his daughter Wanda Feathers in 1973. Also notable is “I Lose My Mind,” found on Honky Tonk Kind (a fast version that sounds like a home recording) and on Long Time Ago (a slower, more haunting version with a stand-up bass).
Then there’s “Dinky John” on Honky Tonk Kind, which probably was an answer to Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John.” I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say that anti-gun activists who advocate for mandatory trigger locks to protect children might want to give this a listen.
One of the coolest tunes here (on the Long Time Ago album) is the venerated murder ballad “Knoxville Girl,” a song that has roots going back to the hoary mists of British folk music but is best known by The Louvin Brothers’ version on their album Tragic Songs of Life. Feathers turned the song into a swampy snarler in his version recorded in 1979. You’re tempted to take him literally when he spits, “There stood the devil lookin’ straight at me.”
Even stranger is a big, bad voodoo rocker called “Jungle Fever.” No, this Feathers original (co-written with his buddy Ramon Maupin) has nothing to do with Spike Lee’s movie of the same name, and if it deals with a mixed-race relationship, it’s not apparent in the lyrics. “Darkness creeping through the green/Jungle fever got a hold on me/Won’t somebody tell me where can my baby be?” There are two versions on Long Time Ago, one from 1958 and one from 1980 that features a weird funk-guitar break in the middle.
My only complaint with this collection is that the liner notes, as interesting as they are, don’t include recording details for all the tracks.
Then again, you have to ask: Did you come to read or come to hear great American music?
Check out this discography of Charlie Feathers: CLICK HERE
Also recommended:
* Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys. This is a new album from a Japanese rockabilly unit — released on a label from Spain, no less. Rockabilly started 50 years ago, but it’s still conquering the world.
Yuichi’s voice reminds me some of Big Sandy’s — except I don’t think Sandy could sing in Japanese like Yuichi does on the sweet ballad “Sayonara.”
These guys go raw country with the Hank-like weeper “She Isn’t Around Anymore,” complete with steel and fiddles. And they get greasier than greasy on the ’50s-style slow-dancer “Hurt.”
And yes, they can tear it up. “Flyin’ Saucer” could almost be considered a love song for Billy Lee Riley. “Countin’ the Years” and “Thunder” are broken-English rockabilly nightmares that are nothing short of irresistible. (Aside for longtime KUNM-FM fans: Does anyone remember the promo spots for Malachi Mudgong that used a fake Japanese version of the Patsy Cline hit “Crazy”? If you liked that, you’ll love “Countin’ the Years.”)
Yuichi does a credible version of Roy Orbison’s “Oobie Doobie,” while “Bluest Boy in Town” is Elvis’ “That’s All Right, Mama” in disguise.
Rockabilly madness: this week on The Santa Fe Opry, 10 p.m. Friday on KSFR-FM 101.1. And don’t forget Terrell’s Sound World, free-form weirdo radio, same time, same station, on Sunday.
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