Sunday, March ,31 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Email me! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
You Better Run by The Stooges
Bad Girl by The Detroit Cobras
Holy Water by WolfWolf
Without You by The Grawks
Circus Freak by The Electric Prunes
Black Eyes by The Darts
The Mouth of Harahan (Ballad of King Louie Bankston) by Quintron & Miss
Pussycat
Sunday, June 11, 2023 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Sunday, April 25, 2021 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I Appeared to The Madonna byThe Devils
Oval Room by The Ghost Wolves
Dirty Hustlin' by The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Sunday, January 31, 2021 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Warren Zevon
Euthanize Me by The Cavemen
Uranium Rock by The Cramps
Love by Country Joe & The Fish
I’d Rather Be a Loser by Rick Holmstrom
Stay on Me by The Goon Mat & Lord Bernardo
Commander Salamander by Oh! Gunquit
Her Incredible Shoes by Dan Melchior & Das Menace
Dos Hojas Sin Rumbo by Al Hurricane
(Background Music: Polarized by Manby’s Head)
Fugitivo de Alcatraz by Los Saicos
Road of Joys by Herzegovina
Stroller Pollution by Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Tenderest Kiss by Divine Horesemen
It’d Be Sad if it Wasn’t So Funny by Lonesome Bob
Whatever Happened to Cheetah Chrome by Tommy Womack
Rollin’ Voodoo by Cheetah Chrome
Alley Oop by The Bozo Dog Doo-Dah Band
(Background Music: Begin the Beguine by Esquivel)
Joe Camarillo tribute set
Shoot Shoot by Joe Camarillo (with Dollar Store)
We Know It by The Waco Brothers
I Want to Destroy You by Dollar Store
We Move On by Ramblin’ Deano
Whatcha Gonna Do by Scott H. Biram
Messin’ With the Hook by John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat
Shanghai by Degurutieni
(Background Music: Voodoo Love by The Waitiki 7)
City Soleil by Afghan Whigs
Black Juju by Alice Cooper
Missouri Gal by Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
Picture on the Wall by Rachel Brooke
Souvenirs by Grandpaboy
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, July 26, 2020 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 9 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Be in the Now by Alien Space Kitchen
Down to the Dogs by Dead Moon
Lap Dancer by Big Ugly Guys
Blue Ain’t My Color by Chubby & The Gang
Baby Please Don’t Go by The Fuzztones
Catfight by The Barbarellatones
Mr. Tuna’s Big Old Place by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Sam the Homosapien by Mean Motor Scooter
Lust by The Tryfles
Geraldine by The A-Bones
West York Ballad by The Mekons
Man With Soul by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales
La Mula Bronca by Al Hurricane
Deteriorata by Norman Rose
Wrecked by Sleeve Cannon
Angel on the Road by X
I’m a Pig by Jono Manson
Speedway by Alan Vega
What Jail is Like by Afghan Whigs
I See the Light by The Five Americans
Hi Ho Baby by Lightning Beatman
Budujemy Nowy Dom (We Are Building a New Home) by Kazik
Revolution Kids by REQ’D
Walker on the Wild Side by The Grannies
Your Love by Marshmallow Overcoat
Purple Merkin Power by Purple Merkins
Can’t Stop Buying Records by Dave Del Monte & The Cross Country Boys
Don’t Wanna Wash Off Last Night by Gaunga Dyns
Somebody Told the Truth by Peter Case
I Was a Teenage Kiddie Porn Star by Al Foul & The Shakes
R.I.P. Rep. James Lewis
Eyes on the Prize by Mavis Staples
We Shall Not Be Moved by Sharon Jones
People Get Ready by The Chambers Brothers
Why (The King of Love is Dead) by Nina Simone
The Alabama Bus (Parts 1 & 2) by Brother Will Hairston
Say It Loud, I’m Black and Proud Part 1 by James Brown
Good Ship Venus by Loudon Wainwright III
Plastic Jesus by Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue
Down Off the Farm by Kipp Bentley
I Had an Od Cow by Baby Gramps
Hard Travelin’ by Tim Timebomb
In the Heat of the Night by Ray Charles
You Gotta Move by Sam Cooke
Where Did the Night Go by Gil Scott-Heron
Gun by Little Sparta with Sally Timms
Mysteries of Love by Julie Cruise CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, July 19, 2020 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 9 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Don’t Try it by The Devil Dogs
Go-Go Girls by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs
I’m Just a Mops by The Mops
Let Go by Gino & The Goons
Cretin Family by The Ramones
Despot by Sleeve Cannon
Those Fabulous 60s by Christopher Guest
Dead Pool by Mission of Burma
Eye of the Zombie by John Fogerty
Opus I: Unintended Consequences by Johnny Dowd
Everybody Out by Al Scorch
Laugh at Me by Frontier Dan & The Hickoids
All Night Cowboy by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Turnin’ Blue by The Candy Snatchers
English Scheme by The Fall
Money (That’s What I Want) by The Backbeat Band
Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner
Evil! By Grinderman
Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) by The Raconteurs
The Same by Grey City Passengers
Baby in a Well by Scott H. Biram
Huntsville by Tex Offenders
Love Me Two Times by Reverend Beat-Man & Izobel Garcia
Wir Sind Keine Menschen by Bonaparte
Honky Tonky Rhythm by Bobby Sisco
The Last Meal by Hurricane Harry
Have Love Will Travel by Big Sandy
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark by The Nightbeats
Dirty Robber by The Sonics
I’m Not Playing Your Games by Miss Ludella Black & The Masonics
Meet Me by The Garbage Can by Waylon Thornton & The Heavy Hands
I Love Living’ in the City by Fear
Funky Old Man by Bobby Rush
Centerfold by Beach Balls
Robot Drone by Holly Wood
Pinon Lurker by The Gluey Brothers
Behemoth by TAD
Candyass by The Dirtbombs
Dark Lonely Street by Bloodshot Bill
So Sad About Us by Dex Romweber Duo
Gaslight by Hamell on Trial
Death Wears an Overcoat by Bichos
Bread and Butter by The Newbeats
Yippee Hippee by Teri & The Librettos
Dusty Plain by Little Sparta with Sally Timms
There are Things by The Mekons
Sadness Malaise and Other Southwestern Tragedies by Alien Space Kitchen
Jesus in Pajamas by Kinky Friedman
Oh Fuck It by Pete Krebbs & Danny Barnes
She Walks Too Close to the Sun by Nick Vulture
New Skateboard by William Elliott Whitmore CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, April 26, 2020 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 9 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Who Will Save Rock 'n' Roll by The Dictators
Not Me by The Orlons
Garaje de Muerte By Los Peyotes
Karate Monkey by The Kongsmen
Double-Crossin' Girl by the Fe Fi Four Plus 2
Night Train by James Brown
She's Goin' Crazy by The Fast Talkers
A Place in Space by Busy McCarroll
Poor But Honest by Ian Whitcomb
In the Doghouse by The Bombpops
Cadillac by The Dear Watsons
Cherry Red by Ty Segall
She Devil (with the Polka Dot Bikini) by Help Me Devil
Tiger Man by John Schooley
Miss Betty by Bloodshot Bill
Kate by Johnny Cash
I Was Dancing at the Lesbian Bar by Jonathan Richman
Hey Stop Messin' Around by the Hush Puppies
And On the 7th Day by Blabbermouth vs. Lachlan-Young
You Got Me Cryin' by Johnny Otis
No Hobo by Salty Pajamas
Perverts in the Sun by Iggy Pop
Miniskirt Blues by The Cramps with Iggy Pop
Punk Ass Blues by Simon Stokes & Hammerlock
Cesspool by The Electric Mess
The G Man Got the T Man by Cee Pee Johnson
Dog Meat by Flamin' Groovies
Then Comes Dudley by The Jesus Lizard
Exercise Man by The Dean Ween Group
Ghost Rider by Suicide
Days and Days by Concrete Blonde
Just Dropped In to See What Condition My Condition Was In by Mojo Nixon
It's Your Voodoo Working by Charles Sheffield
Mi Saxophone by Al Hurricane
Mama Get the Hammer by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
The Jellybutt of Timbuktu by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Sock it To Me Baby by James Carr
I Had it Made by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
She's a Burglar by Howard Tate
I'm Lost by MFC Chicken
Back Door Friend by Jimmy Rogers
Lies I Told by Ghost Wolves
In the Garden / You Send Me / Allegheny by Van Morrison
I Got Stoned and Missed It by Shel Silverstein
Come Back When You're Younger by Jerry Reed & Old Dogs
Red Neck -Hippie Romance by Bobby Bare
Gorgeous George by Ronny Elliott
Any Fool With a Heart by Tami Neilson
The Christian Thing by Jono Manson with Eliza Gilkyson & Terry Allen CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Outside In Productions just announced this summer's Santa Fe Bandstand schedule.
Shinyribs at 2018 South by Southwest
Ad it's going to kick off with none other than Shinyribs!
In a magnificent act of copy-and-paste, here's that schedule:
• Opening Night with SHINYRIBS (June 19): Shinyribs is an American country-soul, swamp-funk band. Known for his outrageous outfits and on-stage antics, front man Kevin Russell delivers a rousing dance party of a show that’s impossible to forget. Winners of “Best Austin Band” at the 2019 Austin Music Awards.
• PETER ROWAN AND THE FREE MEXICAN AIRFORCE with LOS TEXMANIACS (June 22): Grammy-award winner Peter Rowan comes back to Old Santa Fe for his 3rd Bandstand appearance. For this special show, Peter will be backed by New Mexico’s own Grammy winning conjunto band Max Baca y Los Texmaniacs.
• LA MERA CANDELARIA (June 27): This LA-based band fuses cumbia with the relaxed vibes of son cubano, creating a refreshing new musical mix. Founder Stephani Candelaria hopes her lyrics, which tackle queer relationships and gender roles, inspire cultural change in her community.
• JIM LAUDERDALE (July 10): Jim Lauderdale is a 2-time Grammy winning Americana icon, a singer-songwriter whose unmistakable rhinestone-incrusted silhouette has been a symbol for creative integrity and prolificacy for
thirty-one albums over decades of recording.
Terrance Simien at Santa Fe Bandstand, June 2014
• TERRANCE SIMIEN AND THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE (July 16): For 35 years, two- time Grammy award winning artist Terrance Simien, 8th generation Louisiana Creole has been shattering the myths about what his indigenous Zydeco roots music is – and is not. Don’t miss this special Cajun dance party.
• AL HURRICANE, JR. (July 20 at SWAN Park): Affectionately known as "The Godson" of New Mexico Music, Al Huricane Jr. proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, having created numerous solo albums and
contributed such celebrated songs as "Flor De Las Flores" to New Mexico's unique style of Spanish music.
• AMY HELM (July 24): Amy Helm is an American singer-songwriter and daughter of The Band drummer Levon Helm and singer Libby Titus. She is a past member of the Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band and Ollabelle.
• LOS STRAITJACKETS (August 1): Mixing the familiar sounds of Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, and the Ventures, Los Straitjackets create their own version of energetic surf guitar twang, complete with Mexican wrestling masks.
• ELIZA GILKYSON (August 7): Eliza Gilkyson is a twice Grammy-nominated (2006/2015) singer songwriter and activist who is one of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles.
• DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS (August 8): With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, Davina and the Vagabonds have grown from a down-and-dirty
blues band into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles on the international stage.
Sunday, July 1, 2018 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
4th of July by X
The Outcast by Dave Van Ronk
96 Tears by Garland Jeffreys
Used by The Black Smokers
Medication by The Saucer Men
Mujeres Gatos en la Luna by Los Eskeletos
Dead Sea Fruit ny Miss Ludella Black & The Masonics
Bad Mouthin' by Tony Joe White
I'm Not Like Everybody Else by The Rockin' Guys
Do The Push and Pull by Rufus Thomas
We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You by Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys
Love Buzz by Shocking Pink
Love Buzz by Nirvana
Lille Girl by The Goon Mat & Lord Bernardo
Commuter Baby by Trixie & The Trainwrecks
The Monkey Speaks His Mind by Andre Williams
The Crusher by The Cramps
Jump and Shout by The Dirtbombs
Taxidermy Porno by The Hex Dispensers
Laredo (Small Dark Something) by Jon Dee Graham
No Guilt by The Waitresses
Today is a Beautiful Day by Reverend Beat-Man & The New Wave
The Good Bastards by The Bennevilles
I'm Shakin' by Little Willie John
Praise His Name by Leo "Bud" Welch
It Came from the South by Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis
American Music by The Blasters
The Beast is You by The Electric Mess
Bottle of Wine by The Fireballs
House of the Rising Sun by Jello Biafra & The Raunch and Soul All Stars
Manny's Bones by Los Lobos
Mi Saxophone by Al Hurricane
You Done Me Wrong by Bill Hearne
Everything's Dead by The Dead Brothers CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Satan's Bride by Gregg Turner (see video at bottom of page)
Frankenstein by New York Dolls
Walking on My Grave by Dead Moon
Idol With the Glowin' Eyes by Southern Culture on the Skids
The Ghost With the Most by The Almighty Defenders
Bandstand by Tandoori Knights
Be Righteous by Mark "Porkchop" Holder
Sin Palabras by Al Hurricane
Fats' Fingers by Hakim Be
I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday/ I Want to Walk You Home by Fats Domino
Can't Fool the Fat Man by Randy Newman
What a Party by Fats Domino
Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie
Mind Playing Tricks on Me by The Geto Boys
Murder in the Graveyard by Screaming Lord Sutch
(This set consists of songs from Friday's Halloween Terrell's Tune-up)
Nature's Revenge by Skinny Puppy
Season of the Witch by Vanilla Fudge
The Ballad of Dwight Fry by Alice Cooper
Brand New Girl by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
The Kindness of Strangers by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
D.O.A. by Bloodrock
... a Psychopath by Lisa Germano
Demon in My Head by Joe Buck Yourself
Plan from Frag 9 by Pere Ubu
Get it Boy by Travel in Space
Pretty Good for a Girl by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Digging My Grave by Wild Evel & The Trashbones
You Went Away by Phil Hayes & The Trees
Come On My Little Darlin' by The Masonics CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 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
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens
(It's a) Monster's Holiday by Buck Owens (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by Marty Robbins
Frankenstein's Monster by Legendary Shack Shakers
I Flipped by Ray Condo & The Ricochets
Hot Dog That Made Him Mad by Carolyn Mark
Don't Say it by Margo Price
Delta Dawn by Hellbound Glory
Keep Your Mouth Shut by Beth Lee & The Breakups
You Gonna Miss Me by Eilen Jewell
Don't Mess with My Toot Toot by Fats Domino & Doug Kershaw
Harder Than Your Husband by Frank Zappa with Jimmy Carl Black
The End by The Imperial Rooster
The Tombstone Hymn by Rev. Tom Frost
Let it Roll by Dinosaur Truckers
Wrong Honky Tonk by Phoebe Legere
Honky Tonk Halloween by Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures
Eatin' Crow and Drinkin' Sand by Jesse Dayton
I Wish You Knew by Dale Watson & Ray Benson
Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare
Up to No Good Livin' by Chris Stapleton
Honky Tonk Flame by Tyler Childers
Let's Have a Party by Wayne Hancock
Back When We Was Young by Joe West
Sentimiento by Al Hurricane
Mi Madrecita by Baby Gaby
Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes by George Jones
Just Because I'm a Woman by Dolly Parton
Sweet Cruel World by Max Gomez
Lindsey Button by David Rawlings
You Don't Hear Me Crying by Modern Mal
Never Come Home by Robbie Fulks
The Pilgrim by Emmylou Harris & Kris Kristofferson 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 Freeform American Roots Radio list
On Monday night, while editing one of my stories about the career of the late Al Hurricane, my editor Howard Houghton had a question about a reference to Fats Domino. Fats was in the story, of course, because Hurricane had toured with him briefly as a young man. Howard, a serious blues fan, asked whether we should identify Domino as an "early rock giant" as I had done in the piece, or an "early R&B giant." While either description is accurate, I argued that more people probably know him as a rock 'n' roll star.
"He's one of the last of the early rockers left," I said.
Like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the other founding fathers, I remember loving Fats Domino's music before I even started grade school. Maybe, being a fat kid myself I had a certain affinity for The Fat Man. But it's deeper than that. Just hearing him sing and play piano made me feel happy deep inside.
More than a quarter century ago, before my son was born, I wanted to name him "Antoine" to honor Mr. Domino. My then-wife wasn't quite sold. She thought such a French-sounding name might sound too affected, So we compromised and named him "Anton." It would be nice if I could say my son became a huge Fats Domino fan. He's not -- but he has an open mind and a healthy curiosity about music, so maybe one day.
By the way, as soon as I learned about Fats' death I sent Howard a link to theNew Orleans Time Picayune obit. When I got to work, he threw this part of the story right into my face:
Mr. Domino was one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's first 10 inductees. But in a 1956 interview, Mr. Domino said, "What they call rock and roll is rhythm and blues, and I've been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans."
Lord keep you, Mr. Domino. Here are some of my favorite (and not overplayed) tunes from the late giant. Here's his first hit, "The Fat Man."
The Beatles always cited Fats Domino as a major influence. The first time I heard "Lady Madonna" in 1968 I thought it was an obvious tribute to the man from New Orleans -- and Paul McCartney has admitted as much. I guess Fats liked it too. Just a few months later he released his own version.
This is a fairly recent (2011) version of a fairly obscure Domino song from 1956.
In the mid 1980s, Domino teamed up with another Louisiana star, Doug Kershaw to cover "Don't Mess With My Toot Tooty," a song that not long before had been a hit for zydeco singer Rockin' Sidney. (Check out the guest appearances by David Carradine and Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards in this video.
Finally, here's a sweet tribute to The Fat Man from Albuquerque poet Hakim Bellamy, which he released Wednesday after Mr. Domino died.
This one I can't believe. Just one day after Al Hurricane ...
George Adelo died yesterday. He was a friend of mine. At this point I don't know the exact cause of death, but apparently he'd been very ill for at least several days.
A Pecos resident, George had a local band called White Buffalo. I saw them many times, once, a few years ago, backing rock 'n' roll sax giant Bobby Keys at Buffalo Thunder casino. Sometimes he played under the name of Georgie Angel.
Late last month White Buffalo lost its drummer, Jimmy Varela who died at the end of a performance in Pecos.
He also had been a member of Junior Brown's road band. (Like George and me, Junior went to high school in Santa Fe in the late '60s and early '70s.)
But, believe it or not, my first dealings with him -- except for a few times we might have crossed at parties during our high school and college years -- was not related to his work as a musician, but to his legal practice.
I was covering a story about 3 Northern New Mexico kids who broke into a bar and used the money to go to California where two of of them eventually were convicted for the murder of a woman on Zuma Beach. George was representing the kid who wasn't charged. That was back in the days when newspapers had travel budgets, so they sent me to California to cover the trial of the other defendants.
I called George for comment and said, "Hey George, I'm calling from LA ..."
Before I could go on, he said, "You son of a bitch!"
I had a feeling we'd be friends from then on.
A funny Adelo story that popped in my head this morning while trying process George's death: One night several years ago he called me at KSFR when I was doing The Santa Fe Opry. "Hey Steve, cold you play a real romantic song for me. I'm with this beautiful woman ..."
One of the songs I had cued up was the Frank Zappa/Jimmy Carl Black song "Harder Than Your Husband." I couldn't resist. Before playing it, I said "Here's a romantic song for my friend George ..."
He called up immediate yelling "What the hell are you doing to me?!?!?!"
I loved George.
He was a sweet, funny, caring man who loved music, loved New Mexico, loved his family and friends ... So much more I want to say.
George, you son of a bitch!
George Adelo talking with Boris McCutcheon at the 2006 New Mexico Music
showcase at South by Southwest
I was on the air doing my radio show last night when I learned of the death of Alberto Sanchez, better known as Al Hurricane. He died from prostate cancer, He was 81. Anyone know of any gatherings, tributes, memorials for Al? Let me know. E mail me at sterrell(at)sfnewmexican.com thanks Al was the undisputed king of New Mexico music. I've been a fan for about 40 years but I didn't get to meet him until 1998 when I interviewed him for the New Mexican. At that point he still was going strong as a musician. Here's a copy of that interview
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican June 7, 1998
It's star time New Mexico style.
The band is pumping a Norteno beat and the audience is warmed up. Literally. It's an outdoor show on a hot afternoon, but nobody seems to mind the sweat and the sun.
"Are you ready for the star of the show?'' the man behind the keyboards asks. The crowd roars in approval.
"Well, sorry. We're not bringing him out yet.'' But the bandleader's smile gives away his little joke. "No, I'm just kidding. Here he is, ladies and gentleman, the star of the show, the Godfather of New Mexico music, and my father, Mr. Al Hurricane!''
The Godfather emerges from his tour bus parked to the left of the stage as all eyes turn to him. He cuts a dashing figure white suit, white shoes, a mop of black curly hair and a face marked by a black eye patch a grim souvenir of a life as a traveling musician turned into a celebratory trademark of a man and his music.
"Orale!" Hurricane shouts, waving his hand in greeting and grinning. Some shout back. Others just clap and cheer louder. By now it's a standing ovation and he hasn't even started.
He basks in the moment. This more than the money, he says is what propels Alberto Nelson Sanchez, the man behind the Hurricane.
For about 40 years Sanchez/Hurricane has been making a living with his music. He owns his own record company, Hurricane Records, which still thrives in the age of the compact disc. In past years his family also owned its own recording studio and nightclub in Albuquerque.
And while the entertainment business is full of stories of careers destroying family relationships, the musician's road seems to have had an opposite effect on the Sanchez clan.
Hurricane has shared the stage with his younger brothers "Tiny Morrie" and "Baby Gaby," who was part of a recent show at Camel Rock Casino. He has seen his son, Al Jr., grow up to become his bandleader, and his nieces and nephews find musical careers of their own. He currently is working with his youngest daughters on what he hopes will turn into a recording project.
But the road has had its share of pain and loss for Hurricane as well.
He lost an eye in an automobile wreck on the way to a gig in Colorado in November 1969.
Both of his marriages ended in divorce, the second one with extremely tragic consequences.
In 1986, soon after his second divorce, his ex-wife's boyfriend killed his 2-year-old daughter. The boyfriend, Ruben Lopez, and Hurricane's ex-wife each were convicted of charges of child abuse resulting in death. Both served time in prison. Hurricane had a heart attack soon after the killing.
But his family, his music and his fans all helped him heal and go on.
The Godfather! ("Don't call me `El Padrino'," he later cautions a reporter. "There's a singer down in Texas who goes by El Padrino.") As the crowd outside of Camel Rock Casino cheers, it's easy to see that the man called Hurricane has won a big spot in their hearts. And you can tell he feels that love. Maybe that's why he doesn't immediately take the stage, but goes right for the center of the crowd.
Holding a wireless microphone, Hurricane sings his first several tunes right there among the people. Between songs he shakes hands with his fans, tells jokes with the men and flirts with the ladies. (Nothing raunchy, mind you. Not far away in the audience is Bennie Sanchez Hurricane's mother). During one song, he dances with a little girl who has come to the show with her parents.
Indeed, it's an all-ages show. As Hurricane finally joins his band on stage and more couples start dancing, you can see many generations. Men and women who look old enough to be the parents of the 61-year-old Hurricane dance next to couples in their teens not to mention small children who scamper about the concert area.
It's an inter-generational gathering on stage also. Hurricane's son, Al Jr., 38, leads the band and is a recording artist in his own right. At the recent Camel Rock gig, two daughters, Erika, 20 and 13-year-old Danielle the twin sister of the girl who was killed sang a few songs. Other sons and daughters have played with him in the past.
Hurricane has been playing music in public since he was younger than Danielle.
He was born in Dixon in 1936, but spent most of his early years in Ojo Sarco. His mother gave him the nickname "Hurricane'' as a child.
"I couldn't reach across the table without spilling a bunch of things and knocking everything over," he said in a recent interview at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque.
The Sanchez family moved to Albuquerque when Al was 9 years old. At first he found himself picked on because of his light complexion and natural blonde hair. (His jet black toupee is one of the worst-kept secrets in New Mexico entertainment circles).
But his music helped him win acceptance. Both his mother and his father, Margarito, who died in 1979, encouraged him in this direction, he said.
As a youngster he worked as a strolling troubadour at restaurants in Albuquerque's Old Town. As a student at Albuquerque High School he formed his own band.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bennie Sanchez began a career of promoting rock shows at the old Civic Auditorium in Albuquerque. Among those who performed were James Brown, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Hurricane said he played with Chubby Checker in Santa Fe at a show his mother produced.
The young Hurricane's group was frequently chosen to open the show for touring national acts and sometimes was hired as a ``pickup'' band for famous singers coming through town without their own backup groups.
This is how Hurricane hooked up with Fats Domino. For a short time he traveled with Domino, though he said he turned down a chance to tour Europe as a part of Domino's band in the early 1960s because he did not want to leave his wife and young children.
Hurricane had married his high school sweetheart Nettie. The couple had four children Al Jr., Darlene, Sandra and Jerry.
Hurricane said he also played some concerts as a guest guitarist with Marvin Gaye's band in the mid-1960s.
While he loved rock and soul music, by the late 1960s he realized "people here were hungry for Latino music."
The Godfather-to-be cut his first album Mi Saxophone in 1967 for a small independent record company. Soon after that, he and his family started Hurricane Records, which produced albums for Hurricane, Tiny Morrie and Baby Gaby, and later Al Jr.
More than 40 albums would be released on vinyl during the next couple of decades. Like other record companies in recent years, Hurricane now only deals in CDs and tapes. Hurricane said he has six of his own albums currently available on CD.
Meantime, brother Morrie and his mother set up a family recording studio on San Mateo Boulevard, purchasing recording gear from Norman Petty Studios in Clovis. "Norman Petty offered us a deal on his Buddy Holley equipment," Hurricane said.
And noticing that there was no venue in Albuquerque for Chicano music, the family bought the Far West nightclub on west Central Avenue.
Thus the Sanchezes became a mini-music industry of their own recording music at their own studio, distributing it on their own label and playing live at their own nightclub.
The family toured quite a bit in those days, mainly through the Western states with cities that had sizable Hispanic communities.
It was on the way to one of those out-of-state gigs that Hurricane lost his right eye.
"It was November First, 1969, in Walsenberg, Colorado,'' Hurricane recalled. "We were in our way up to a show in Denver. I was in a car, there were six of us, band members, you know. We were pulling a trailer with our equipment. Tiny, Gabe and my mom were behind us about two or three hours.''
The car hit an icy bridge and started to slide, Hurricane said. ``It turned over five times and I came out of the driver's side.''
There was a shard of glass stuck in his eye.
Hurricane's wife and children came to the hospital, he said. They got off the elevator as nurses wheeled him by in a gurney, "I heard my wife tell my son, `Look at that poor man. I hope your dad is not in that bad of shape.' My face was so swollen up my own wife didn't recognize me.''
The accident and the new eye patch didn't stop the music. But his first marriage soon came to an end. Hurricane remarried in 1971.
With his new wife, Hurricane had four more children Nelson, Erika and the twins Danielle and Lynnea.
By the early 1980s, Hurricane decided to sell the nightclub and the recording studio.
Tiny Morrie and his family moved to Mexico, where his son Lorenzo Antonio became something of a teen idol. Morrie's daughters would form a Spanish-language pop group called Sparx a few years down the road.
Baby Gaby by this point had decided to quit the music business. He became a postal worker but still performs occasionally.
The mid-1980s became the most horrible time in Hurricane's life the second divorce, the killing of Lynnea, the heart attack, which he says came about due to the stress of losing his little girl.
Lynnea Sanchez was pronounced dead on arrival at University of New Mexico Hospital on Nov. 5, 1986. An autopsy later showed that she died of blunt trauma to the back or the abdomen.
Hurricane's wife, Angela Sanchez, then 34, and her boyfriend Ruben J. Lopez, then 44, were arrested. In September 1987 a jury convicted both of child abuse leading to death.
Lopez was sentenced to nine years in prison. He was released in 1992 and is still on parole. Angela Sanchez was sentenced to six years and served about half her term.
Hurricane said he had no choice but to go on and be strong. "She went to prison and suddenly I had to be the mother and the father of my children, '' Hurricane said. "You know it really touched me. Last Mother's Day my son Nelson called me and said `Happy Mother's Day, Dad. You were my father and mother.' ''
These days Al Hurricane has slowed down. Not nearly as much touring, just a couple of gigs a week. He says he's working on a new album but doesn't want to say when to expect it. "Whenever I say, it would be later,'' he said.
But he still loves the music, still loves the applause, still loves it when a fan interrupts an interview to get an autograph and a kiss.
And the Godfather loves passing his music on to a younger generation. He recalled a recent show at a school in Las Vegas, N.M. The students he said were just as enthusiastic, if not more, than his regular audiences. "They were grabbing me, caressing me, '' he said. "I told the vice principal later that I felt like Elvis Presley. He told me, `You are our Elvis Presley.' "
Here are some videos, starting with one that was produced by Natalie Guillen for The New Mexican two years ago:
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Norma by NRBQ
Spookmaster by The Ghastly Ones
Between Me and You, Kid/ Six Two One by Mudhoney
Swampland by Pere Ubu
Skippy is a Sissy by Roy Gaines
Ride With Me by Sulfur City
Jettisoned by Thee Oh Sees
Two Headed Demon by Urban Junior
Dispatch from Mar-A-Lago by L7 R.I.P. Al Hurricane
Mi Saxophone
Filomeno
La Mucura
El Burro Norteno
Bikini Girls with Machine Guns by The Cramps
Ghost Rider by The Gories
Bela Lugosi's Star by Nekromantix
It's the Law by Bob Log III
Red Wine by Juke Joint Pimps
Walk Out by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
I'm Insane by T-Model Ford
Coffin Lid by Mark "Porkchop" Holder
Somebody's Child by The Routes
Marcia Funebre by Los Eskeletos
Thank You, Mr. K by Ty Segall
Teen Angel by Dirty Fences
What Can I Do? by Howlin' Max Messer
Cruel Cruel World by Jackie Shane
Chicken Pussy by Bongwater
The House at Pooneil Corners by Jefferson Airplane
Bad Attitude by Lisa Germano
In Germany Before the War by Marianne Faithfull
I'm Still Here by Tom Waits CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
UPDATED! You can hear the Charlie Manson set on the music player at the bottom of this post
Sunday, September 6, 2015 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Webcasting! 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org Here's the playlist OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Let's Jump a Train by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
Lonesome Town by Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater with Los Straitjackets
Treat Her Right by Los Straitjackets with Mark Lindsay
Mister Kicks by Dave & Phil Alvin
Down and Out by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Chase by Paul Preston
Adjunct Street by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Let's Get Wild by Rudy Grayzell
Bless You by The Devil Dogs
El Preso by Al Hurricane
Saved by The Woggles
Spin That Girl by Lovestruck
Too Much of You by Thee Fine Lines
Lemonade Man by The Electric Mess
Rickshaw Rattletrap by Churchwood
Corner of Fuck and You by The Grannies
Hawkeye the Gnu by The Bonzo Dog Band
Mother Loves Her Children by Leo Welch
Charlie Manson Murdered the 60s
Death Valley 69 by Sonic Youth with Lydia Lunch
Revolution Blues by Neil Young
Never Learn Not to Love by The Beach Boys
Cease to Exist by Charles Manson
Charles Manson Blues by The Flaming Lips
Helter Skelter by The Beatles
Rock 'n' Roll Murder by The Leaving Trains
White Light/White Heat by Lou Reed
Boom Boom/Strange Brew by Buddy Guy
Red Head Walking by Beat Happening
Psychedelic Baby by Rodd & The Librettos
Wish That I Was Dead by The Dwarves
I Want You by David Lynch
When I Wake by Holly Golightly CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, August 30, 2015 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Webcasting! 101.1 FM email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org Here's the playlist
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Police Call by Drywall
Henrietta by The A-Bones
Love Me Like Before by The Brood
Willow by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Mustang Ranch Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Black Snake by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales
The Devil's in the Swamp by The Slow Poisoner
Gett Off by Prince
Mi Saxophone / Reyes Ruiz / La Mula Bronca by Al Hurricane
Rattlesnakin' Daddy by Dave & Phil Alvin
Whtebread 'n' Beans by Left Lane Cruiser
The Wolfs are Coming by WolfWolf
Between Me and You, Kid by Mudhoney
Obviously 5 Believers by Big Foot Chester
Tupelo by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Shake it On Down by R.L. Burnside
Gimme Love by Sleater-Kinney
Heart Attack and Vine by Lydia Lunch
Whistlin' Past the Graveyard by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Red Head Walking by Beat Happening
Come Back Lord by Reverend Beat-Man
Rat Fink by Bloodshot Bill
Holy Smoke by Thee Oh Sees
Frozen in Time by Holly Golightly
Lover's Curse by Bracey Everett
My Shadow by Jay Reatard
Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra
Addicted by Amy Winehouse
Noble Experiment by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
I've Got a Home by The Holy Wonders
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
The Godfather of New Mexico music, Alberto Sanchez, better known as Al Hurricane, is hanging it up. At the age of 79, he's near the end of his "Farewell Tour." What's being billed as his last show will be Saturday, Sept. 5, during the Fiesta de Santa Fe’s Mariachi Extravaganza at the Fort Marcy Ballpark.
I was saddened to learn that Al is suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer.
My New Mexican colleague Staci Matlock just wrote a wonderful profile of Hurricane's life and career in today's paper. You can find that HERE. You also should check out some more videos of Al's interviews, shot by Natalie Guillen, HERE.
And if you've really come down with Hurricane mania, you can even check out the 1998 profile I did. I tacked it on a political column from a few years ago in which I'd mentioned Al. CLICK HERE(and scroll down for the profile.)
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican May 16, 2014
Usually in this column I write about new, or at least recent albums.
But this week I’m going to try something different and write about a bunch of new — or at least recent — songs.
Langford looks for drones during a Waco Bros. set
* “Drone Operator” by Jon Langford & Skull Orchard. For centuries, going back at least as far as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” there have been anti-war protest songs written about the warriors themselves, portraying scared and lonesome soldiers barely hanging on in the hellish environment that is war.
But Langford’s tune, from his latest album, Here Be Monsters, is a different kind of war protest, which make sense, because it’s a different kind of war, with a different kind of warrior.
The drone campaigns in all the various theaters in this "war on terror" are designed to, as Langford sings, “stem the flow of body bags the politicians find so hard to explain."
As the narrator (and title character) explains, “I’m not really a soldier. I’m more likely to die/By car wreck or cancer/or that eye in the sky.” No, he’s not dodging bullets or improvised explosive devices. He’s just another guy at the office, complaining about the traffic on the way to work, drinking coffee, and when the workday’s done having a beer and watching some basketball with his co-workers.
“Yeah, I’m a drone operator. I am part of the team/While I study my monitor, wipe some dust from the screen." Of course, things don’t always go smoothly: “It didn’t look like a wedding. It really wasn’t my call.”
Being so far physically removed from the drone he’s operating seems to play with the narrator’s psyche, though. At one point in the song, he declares, “I’m like a god with a thunderbolt sitting on a big white cloud.”
And by the end of the song, it’s clear that he’s in a bar bragging about his work to some prospective paramour. And apparently he’s thinking of other uses for the drone technology beyond fighting the evildoers: "In through your window. You’ll never know./You’ll never know. I’ll follow you home.”
After a near-metallic guitar blast that kicks off the song, “Drone Operator" turns into a gentle, lilting song with a melody that somehow reminds me of a lost Fred Neil song from the early '60s. Langford is backed by an angelic chorus featuring Tawny Newsome and Jean Cook, who also plays violin.
Besides creating the best anti-war song I’ve heard in years, Langford (best known for his work with pioneering British punks The Mekons and insurgent country heroes The Waco Brothers) and director Hassan Amejal have created one of the most artful music videos I’ve seen in years, featuring a slightly different arrangement of “Drone Operator.”
Check it out below.
* “Another Murder in New Orleans” by Bobby Rush with Dr. John. Whoever thought that a song that started out as a Crime Stoppers benefit could have so much soul?
Then again, no one would doubt that a Marvel Team-Up between the old chitlin'-circuit charmer Rush and the hoodoo-fried piano professor known as the Night Tripper would be anything less than soulful.
It’s true that Rush and Dr. John (backed by a tight little blues unit called Blinddog Smokin’) did this song to benefit the organization that pays cash rewards for anonymous tips that lead to arrests and convictions.
“When I heard the lyric, I thought, ‘You’re talking about New Orleans, my town?'” Rush told The NewOrleans Times-Picayunelast year. “Let me be a part of this. I want to be part of something to stop the crime.'”
The song’s lyrics deal with the rise in violent crime in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. It’s available on Rush’s new album, Decisions.
*“Box of Pine” by Black Eyed Vermillion. It’s been nearly five years since this “underground country,” "punk-roots,” whatever band, fronted by Gary Lindsey (a former sideman of Hank 3, aka Hank Williams III), released its debut album, Hymns for Heretics.
I was beginning to give up hope on the gravel-voiced Lindsey. But now comes this song, an inspired collaboration with Stevie Tombstone (formerly of The Tombstones).
It’s a gritty but catchy, minor-key barroom sing-along with Eastern European overtones, and if you can listen to it without thinking of Tom Waits, you could probably hear the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.
It's got a great video also:
* “Superstar” by Alice Bag. Here’s the best Jesus Christ Superstar cover since that golden era when the Afghan Whigs did a deadly version of “The Temple” and Scratch Acid performed a punked-up “Damned for all Time.”
Ms. Bag
Ms. Bag (Alicia Armendariz), best known as a singer with the first-wave Los Angeles punk band The Bags, posted this last month on her SoundCloud page as a free download, along with the message: “This one goes out to all my homegirls from Sacred Heart of Mary HIgh School. Happy Easter.”
I didn’t attend any Catholic girls school, but back in my senior year at Santa Fe High, everybody was into Jesus Christ Superstar. My friend Jake even wrote an obscene version of this song about one of his teachers.
But I like Alice’s better, with its slow, funky groove.
But here's the bad news: The darn thing has disappeared from Bag's SoundCloud page. I'm lucky I downloaded this when I did. Oh well, at you can still find Alice’s moving version of “Angel Baby,” dedicated to her late sister, there. And I'll play "Superstar
Here's "Angel Baby."
* “That Lucky Old Sun” by Leon Russell. This song is from Russell’s new album, Life Journey. Written by Haven Gillespie and Beasley Smith back in the ‘40s, it’s definitely my favorite one on the record.
I’ve said it before. When I was just a grade school kid and heard Ray Charles’ version of this old Frankie Laine hit, it was one of the first times that music actually made me sad. Even a little kid could sense the sorrow and frustration through al the overblown orchestration when Charles sang, “I fuss with my woman and toil for my kids/Sweat ’til I’m wrinkled and gray.” It was the sound of a man going nowhere, and it was painful.
I still like Charles’ “Lucky Old Sun” best, though the lesser-known take by Jerry Lee Lewis, which was a true solo effort (unreleased until decades after it was recorded), just the Killer at his piano, is up there too.
But while Russell’s cover doesn’t displace those versions, it’s a noble effort and, like Russell’s best, it’s full of Okie soul. Greg Leisz’s subtle steel guitar adds some texture. But what gives it power is Russell’s voice, which is getting a bit ragged with age but full of emotion.
I couldn't find Leon's version, so you'll just have to settle for Ray Charles.
