TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 7, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Celluloid Heroes by The Kinks
New Age by The Velvet Underground
My Beloved Movie Star by Stan Ridgway
Tiffany Anastasia Lowe by June Carter Cash
Martin Scorsese by King Missile
Shout Bama Lama by The Detroit Cobras
Beyond the Sound of Time by The Bomboras
Psycho Daiseys by The Hentchmen

Spin Cycle by The Laundronauts
Make You Sorry by The Routes
Crazy Pills by Quan & The Chinese Takeouts
Seersucker Suit by J.J. & The Real Jerks
The Mollasses by The Scrams
Melt My Mind by The Tex Reys
Medusa by The Hydes
The Orange Shadows by The Molting Vultures
(We're the) Knights of Fuzz by Marshmallow Overcoat
Sour and Vicious Man by The Strawmen

Hush, Hush/12 O'Clock Midnight/Dizzy Miss Lizzy by The Plimsouls
Bad Boy by The Backbeat Band
Slow Down by The Beatles
You Bug Me Badly by Larry Williams
Wiggling Fool by Jack Hammer
Honey I Need by The Pretty Things
Daddy You Lied to Me by The Del Moroccos
Hell of a Woman by Impala

Shivers Down My Spine by King Khan & The Shrines
Down on the Riverbed by Los Lobos
Death in the Morning by Rev. Anderson Johnson
Jungle Music by Simon Stokes
My Yoke is Heavy/It's a Wonderful Life by Sparklehorse
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 5, 2010
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

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Harm's Way by The Waco Brothers
Guacamole by The Texas Tornados
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz by The Blasters
Miss Froggy by Warren Smith
Drunk by Noon by Sally Timms
Juke Joint Jumpin' by Wayne Hancock & Hank Williams III
Shake, Rattle & Roll by Doc Watson
I Fall to Pieces by Patsy Cline
My Own Kind of Hat by Merle Haggard
Flowers on the Wall by The Statler Brothers
In-a Gadda da Vida by Mojo Nixon

Entella Hotel by Peter Case
Monday Morning Blues by Peter Case & Dave Alvin
Raymond Martinez by Kell Robertson
Can't Pay the Bill by Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Palenque by Felix y Los Gatos
New Mexico by Johnny Cash
A Human Coyote Stole My Girl by Rex Allen

Sands of Mexico by Ry Cooder with The Chieftains
Long Lost Tapes by Black 47
Wild Irish Rose by George Jones
Danny Boy by Shane MacGowan
Going Up the Country by Mike Cullison
Country Girl by Dale Hawkins
Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette by Johnny Bond & His Red River Valley Boys

That Nightmare is Me by Mose McCormack
Satin Sheets by Jeannie Pruett
Cherokee Fiddle by Michael Martin Murphey
I Just Dropped in to Say Goodbye by Carl Smith
16th Avenue by Lacy J. Dalton
Waltzing's For Dreamers by Carrie Rodriguez
I Believe in You by Don Williams
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: PLIMSOULS MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 5, 2010

The Plimsouls are one of those rock ’n’ roll bands that never quite achieved mega-success at the commercial level. But nearly 30 years after they broke up, their adherents claim that they were one of the most vital groups of all time.

Those who believe that — and I’m one who has slowly been drifting to that conclusion — have some fresh new evidence for that argument, a newly released concert album titled Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal. Recorded Halloween night in 1981 at the Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles, it captures the band at the height of their considerable powers.

So who were these guys?

The Plimsouls were a quartet led by singer Peter Case, who had previously played with a punk-rock unit called The Nerves. (And before that, he was a street busker in San Francisco, where, Case told me several years ago, none other than Dan Hicks used to harass and harangue him as he tried to sing for tips on the streets of North Beach.) Case has since gone on to establish himself as a respected singer/songwriter and contemporary folk singer.

In the fertile L.A. punk/New Wave scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s, The Plimsouls became major contenders. With Eddie Muñoz on guitar, Dave Pahoa on bass, and drummer Louie Ramirez, the Plims created a sound with the chaotic energy of punk rock but featuring hook-heavy melodies with nods to mid-’60s folk-rock and soul (their first EP, 1980’s Zero Hour, had a cover of Otis Reddings’ “I Can’t Turn You Loose”). Rodney Bingenheimer championed their signature tune “A Million Miles Away” on his KROQ radio show (the song was later included in the cinematic classic Valley Girl). And somehow it got tagged with the label “power pop” — which might put off some potential listeners wary of anything pop.

After their maiden album on the independent Planet Records, the Plimsouls got snatched up by Geffen Records. Their one-and-only major-label outing, Everywhere at Once, contained some of their classic songs. But I found it way overproduced in a glitzy, ’80s kind of way.

The band broke up soon after the release of Everywhere at Once. Case was becoming more and more interested in his folk and blues roots and less and less enthralled at the prospect of leading a rock band.

Every decade or so, The Plimsouls reunite. They recorded an album of new songs in the mid-1990s — the criminally neglected Kool Trash. Though I never got to see them in the ’80s, I’ve been fortunate to see them in 1996 and 2006 at the South by Southwest Festival. The latter show was held in perhaps the most jam-packed bar I’ve ever been in. Both shows are among the most high-charged and energetic I’ve ever seen.

For my money, the best Plimsouls albums are the live ones — this new record, and 1988’s excellent One Night in America. While listening to their albums is not the same as seeing them live, you still can hear the sweat.

If you’re a Plimfan, chances are your favorite song by the group is on Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal. “Million Miles” is here, of course, as well as perhaps the finest version of “Zero Hour” I’ve ever heard and a not-too-shabby “Lost Time.” The set starts out with “Hush Hush” and moves straight to “Shaky City,” which sounds like some unknown old Yardbirds tune mutated with some unexpected chord changes.

One of the standouts is “I Want You Back.” No, it’s not the Jackson 5 hit. It’s a Case original and perhaps as closes to rockabilly as the Plimsouls ever sounded.

In addition to their original tunes, the Plimsouls honor their forefathers with several hopped-up covers of early rock ’n’ roll classics. Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” sneaks in on a medley. The group pays tribute to the early L.A. Chicano rockers Thee Midnighters with a frenzied take on “Jump, Jive, and Harmonize.” There’s Larry Williams’ “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” which was most famously done by the Beatles (this one also appeared on One Night in America).

And there’s a real treat. The Plimsouls are joined by The Fleshtones, who apparently were the opening act that night, on spirited covers of Gary “U.S.” Bonds’ “New Orleans” and Little Richards’ “Hey Hey Hey.” There’s an uncredited sax player who seems to come out of nowhere on “New Orleans.” Is it the late Gordon Spaeth, who frequently played with The Fleshtones? I hope this live album will spark enough interest to bring about a new Plimsouls reunion. This music is timeless and welcome in any decade.

Check out The Plimsouls at Alive Records. And there are songs and videos at their MySpace page, even though nobody’s updated the site in two or three years.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, February 28, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Goodbye Sweet Dreams by Roky Erikson & Okkervile River
The Sky is a Poisonous Garden by Concrete Blonde
Drinkin' Wine Spo Dee O-Dee by Jerry Lee Lewis
Too Much Fun by Sons of Hercules
New Orleans by The Plimsouls with The Fleshtones
7 and 7 Is by Love
Two Shakes by The Ettes
Pachuco Boogie by Don Tosti's Pachuco Boogie Boys

Ralph Rook by The Scrams
Diet Pill by L7
Howlin' at the Moon by The Nekromantix
Emotional Cockroach by TAD
You Are What You Is by Frank Zappa
A House is Not a Motel by Marshmallow Overcoat
Fireman Ring That Bell by R.L. Burnside


Let it Rain by Pierced Arrows
You Must Be a Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe
Dead Moon Night by Dead Moon
Fire in the Western World by The Dirtbombs
Ain't Life Strange by Pierced Arrows

Whistling Past the Graveyard by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Only Darkness Has the Power by The Mekons
Human Cannonball by The Butthole Surfers

Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello
Do It Yourself by The Polkaholics
Crack in the Universe by Wayne Kramer
Part Time Lover by Howard Tate
Tne Third Degree by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
Oomp Boomp by The Rhythm Addicts
I'll Take Care of You by Gil Scott Heron
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

NEW BIG ENCHILADA: MADNESS & GLORY!

Madness & Glory is the name of this episode of The Big Enchilada. I'm going to subject you to about 40 minutes of musical madness from the likes of Pierced Arrows, The Reigning Sound, King Automatic, Sun Ra, Kim Fowley, Butterbeans & Susie and Rev. Beat-Man -- plus some great New Mexico bands like Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers and The Scrams. Then, for the conclusion, we switch to sweet gospel glory with The Persuasions, The Pilgrim Travelers, Luther Magby and more. It'll be good for your soul -- and maybe even your sanity.

You can play it here:




DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE

(Background Music: La Pajarera by Freddie Gomez y Sus Dinamicos)

Buried Alive by Pierced Arrows

Night of the Hunter by Kim Fowley

Eugene Landy by Oh No! and the Tiger Pit

Vague Information by King Automatic

Straight Shooter by Reigning Sound

Big and Strong by Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers
Massius Ray by T. Valentine

(Background Music: Flight of the Batman by The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale)

I Am Gonna Unmask the Batman by Lacy Gibson (with Sun Ra)

Flea Market Rock by The Scrams

Slight Delight by The Routes

Under New Management by Crappy Dracula

Eat My Wiener by Lothar

I Want a Hotdog for My Roll by Butterbeans & Susie

Save My Soul From Hell by Rev. Beat-Man & The Unbelievers

(Background Music: God Wants Your Soul to Be Holy by Bryan "Josh" Taylor and Elder Jerry Taylor)

The Old Rugged Cross by The Pilgrim Travelers

Where Shall I Be by Professor Johnson & His Gospel Singers

When Jesus Comes by The Persuasions

Babylon's Fallen by The Trumpeteers

Jesus is Getting Us Ready For That Great Day by Luther Magby

Let it Be by Rev. Robert Ballinger

The Big Enchilada Web site with all my episodes is HERE

Become a Facebok fan The Big Enchilada HERE.

10 BILLIONTH iTUNES CUSTOMER: 71-YEAR OLD JOHNNY CASH FAN

The man who downloaded the 10 billionth iTunes song is older than the 9 billionth, 8 billionth and 7 billionth customer put together.

That's just a guess. But Mr. 10 Billion is a grandfather with good taste in music.

Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Georgia was minding his own business, downloading “Guess Things Happen That Way,” a 1958 hit for JC, for his new iPod Nano when the bells went off and the confetti came down. No, actually he got a phone call from Steve Jobs, another from Roseanne Cash (who sang him the song over the phone) and, best of all, a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card (which I bet his none grandchildren are already fighting over.)

This song's for Louie:

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: PIERCING SOUNDS

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
February 26, 2010

Fred Cole, as he's told us himself, has "been screaming at the top of my lungs since 1965."

That's from a song called "Poor Born" by Cole's lost lamented band Dead Moon, which broke up about four years ago after a roughly 20-year run that produced more than a dozen albums (mainly self-released on the band's own Tombstone Records label, though Sub Pop Records released a great double-disc retrospect compilation, Echoes of the Past, a few years ago).

But don't spend too much time lamenting. Even though Dead Moon is gone, two-thirds of the band — Fred Cole and his bass player and wife of 40-plus years, Toody Cole — are back with another fine group, Pierced Arrows. The Arrows released an album called Straight to the Heart a couple of years ago on Tombstone.

And now comes their sophomore effort — and it's no slump — Descending Shadows on Vice Records (also the home of The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Black Lips, and others among my recent favorites), which is a rocking triumph and a sweet jab in the eye to the idiotic notion that rock 'n' roll belongs exclusively to the young.

Lollipops and witches: According to a recent online interview with Fred and Toody, as a mere teen in Las Vegas, in the mid-'60s, Fred played bass with Frank Sinatra Jr.'s band. Now that's paying dues. He also had a band called The Weeds. Some record-label munchkin thought that name was too close to The Seeds, so they renamed the group The Lollipop Shoppe. I've always believed this qualified Cole and company to be the best band with the crappiest name. Their intense, urgent-sounding hit "You Must Be a Witch", which can be found on the first Nuggets box set of '60s garage-band hits, brings a lot of images to a listener's head, none of which are of lollipops.

After the Shoppe closed for business, Fred Cole persevered. He and the Mrs. opened a music store in the Portland area, raised a bunch of kids, and kept playing music. The birth of punk rock inspired a group called The Rats, which also featured Toody.

And then, with drummer Andrew Loomis, came Dead Moon; its history is lovingly told in the documentary Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story (Netflix fans, you can find it there).

In that group, Fred didn't stray far from "You Must Be a Witch" (a song Dead Moon was known to sometimes include in its sets). His ragged, at times falsetto voice and fuzzy guitar were still out front. Rooted in the Nuggets era and invigorated by psychedelia and punk rock, Dead Moon played a timeless style of rock, comparable to that of Cole's contemporary Roky Erickson.

And now, Pierced Arrows: I'm not sure why Dead Moon broke up. But at least Mr. and Mrs. Cole are still together.

The good news for Dead Moon fans is that the new trio sounds like a continuation of Moon's basic guitar/bass/drums sound. I suppose hard-core followers could argue over which drummer is better, Loomis or new guy Kelly Halliburton (no relation to Dick Cheney), but I don't see a major difference. The important thing is there was no cheesy attempt to update or "modernize" the sound. And Fred is still writing some memorable songs.

"Buried Alive" is a grungy stomper (this is probably an obscure reference, but the arrangement reminds me of L7's "Diet Pill") telling a story of "sinister science." Fred sings of a nightmare future where bio-electronic implants are used to "improve" people.

"My spirit's in a ditch, a machine's replacing me/They can make me even better than how I used to be," he sings. "It doesn't make mistakes, it doesn't get confused/It doesn't eat or drink or think or feel it's being used."

In "Down to Earth," an emotional cruncher in which the guitar and drums remind me of some Crazy Horse tune, Toody sings of her mixed feelings about being a rock 'n' roll granny:

"Once upon the stage nervousness and age hit me like a plague/I've told myself before/Can't do this anymore/It's hard to walk away/Guess it's in my blood, I still can't get enough enough/It's what I've come to love."

My favorite here is "Paranoia," a snarling slow-burner given an almost playful bounce by Toody's bass. Fred sounds downright paranoid as he screeches about shadowy enemies coming after him. I'm also fond of "On the Move," especially when Fred and Toody do some call-and-response vocals, and it's hard to immediately tell who is who.

It's refreshing to see a good example of rockers not becoming old softies after a few decades. But actually, it's missing the point to emphasize their age. Fred and Toody are clearly possessed of a spirit that's beyond the strangling hands of time. May they ever rock.

Cool Pierced Arrows links: You can find five free and legal tracks from the Arrows' first album, Straight to the Heart, at the Free Music Archive. And while you're there, check out a live Dead Moon show on WFMU in 2001 at the archive.

Meanwhile, the entire Descending Shadows album is streaming at piercedarrows.com and at Vice Records. And for that Fred and Toody interview I mentioned, go HERE. And, of course there's their MySpace page.

Quality radio: I'll pierce your lollipop this week on Terrell's Sound World, freeform weirdo radio, in a little tribute to Fred Cole's career. That's 10 p.m. Sunday on KSFR-FM 101.1. It's streaming and screaming on the Web