TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, March 12, 2006
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
I'm Finding it Harder to Be a Gentleman by The White Stripes
Slaves & Bulldozers by Soundgarden
My Cat's Name is Maceo by Jane's Addiction
What I Want by This Bike is a Pipe Bomb
Milk by Kings of Leon
Praise God by Johnny Dowd
OK/No Way by Mission of Burma
Oh My Darling Clementine by The American Indians

Armed Love by The International Noise Conspiracy
Cosmic Highway by Les Claypool's Frog Brigade
Bubba's Truck by Key
Days of Rain by Bob Mould
Movie Star by The Grabs

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling by Frank Patterson
Thousands Are Sailing by The Pogues
Forty Deuce by Black 47
Come Out Ye Black and Tans by The Wolfe Tones
The Women of Ireland/The Morning Dew by The Chieftains
Molly Malone by Sinead O'Connor
The Dirty Glass by The Dropkick Murphys

Tura Lura Lural by The Band with Van Morrison
Black Velvet Band by The Irish Rovers
Whiskey in the Jar by The Dubliners
Rambling Irishman by The Oyster Band
Carrickfergus by Van Morrison & The Chieftains
There Were Roses by Maloney, Keane & O'Connell
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

DRAWN & QUARTERED

Gov. Bill Richardson, as reported by my colleague Dave Miles, is calling on New Mexicans to suggest design ideas for the state quarter, to be minted in 2007.

"From pueblo potters to Santa Fe painters, we know how to create amazing images," Richardson said. ... his preferred design would be something similar to the state's float in the Rose Bowl parade this past January, which featured an adobe-style church, chile ristras, Indians and Buffalo Soldiers,"

Don't forget the flamenco dancers ...

I liked this line in Dave's article:

Although the governor appeared on the float, he said he would not want to have his mug grace New Mexico's quarter.

Of course, Richardson originally said he wouldn't ride on the Rose Bowl float.

This state quarter business reminded me of an article in Slate back in 2002, one headlined "The State Quarters: Why are they so ugly?"

Most of the designs, usually chosen by a state commission appointed by the governor, are boring, timid, and cluttered—evidence of all that can go wrong when art is created by committee. They are also surprisingly revealing about the peculiar, parochial ways that states view themselves. ...

The quarters fall into three main categories: the single icon, the kitschy collage, and the tableau (or the good, the bad, and the ugly). The five collage quarters resemble '50s souvenir plates.

My money is on a collage-style quarter for New Mexico.

Though Richardson cautioned against trying to cram too many icons on a tiny quarter, I'm betting on unabashed clutter.

Many will want to include representations of the three largest cultures in New Mexico -- which most likely means a conquistador, an Eagle Dancer and a cowboy. Albuquerque probably will lobby hard for a hot-air balloon -- which might have to share the sky with a Virgin Galactic spaceship. The Zia symbol's got to be in there somewhere, and to symbolize Los Alamos, an atom symbol (that's so much more tasteful than a mushroom cloud). And don't forget the roadrunner, the yucca, maybe a Georgia O'Keeffe datura flower, and how about some bats flying out of Carlsbad Caverns?

If it was up to me, I'd keep it simple -- and a little surreal. Maybe a fat koshare eating a watermelon with a jackalope at his feet.

If you've got your own ideas, CLICK HERE for the official for information on how to submit it.

Remember, the deadline is May 12.

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, March 10, 2006
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
You Are My Sunshine by Ray Charles
Aftermath U.S.A. by The Drive-By Truckers
Ghosts of Hallelujah by The Gourds
Back to Black by Terry Allen
Wild Things by Scott Miller
Oklahoma Bound by Joe West
Seeds and Candy by Boris & The Saltlicks
Caves of Burgundy by Tribolite

Naked Light of Day by Jesse Taylor with The Flatlanders
Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll by Janis Martin
Wasted My Time by Eric Hisaw
Politics of the Dead by Hundred Year Flood
The Song of a Hundred Toads by The Handsome Family
Don't Be Afraid of the Neocons by Norman & Nancy Blake
He's Coming to Us Dead by Ralph Stanley
Big Time Annie's Square/I'd Rather Be Gone by Merle Haggard

Big Al Anderson Set
Love Make a Fool of Me by Big Al
It Was an Accident by NRBQ
Under the Hood by Big Al
Movin' Into the Light by Big Al
A Better Word For Love by NRBQ
Ridin' in My Car by NRBQ
Trip Around the Sun by Big Al with Kim Richey

Pastor Absent on Vacation by Porter Wagoner
Blowin' in the Wind by Dolly Parton
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere by The Mekons
Faded Love by The Pine Valley Cosmonauts with Anna Fermin
Pilgrim's Progress by Kris Kristofferson
Carmelita by Danny Santos
Lift Him Up, That's All by Washington Phillips
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: BIG AL SPEAKS

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 10, 2006

Quitting NRBQ was “the second-best thing I ever did,” said guitarist/singer/songwriter “Big Al” Anderson.


This only begs the question: what was the best thing he ever did?

“Being in it.”

Anderson’s career with NRBQ — that eclectic, eccentric, highly influential though commercially underachieving band whose full name, New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, hardly does it justice — spanned 22 years and a dozen or so albums.

In recent years Anderson has earned his living as a songwriter, penning tunes for Carlene Carter, George Jones, Vince Gill, the Allman Brothers, the Mavericks, Patty Loveless, Jimmy Buffett, Trisha Yearwood, LeAnn Rimes, and others.

He’s also a noted sideman, playing guitar in recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis and the Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson).

Now he’s stepping into the spotlight again. Sony Legacy has licensed and just released his solo album After Hours.

No sweat: “Big Al” isn’t as big as he used to be. Though still towering well over 6 feet tall, he’s slimmed down considerably since he was known as “300 Pounds of Twangin’ Steel and Sex Appeal.”

He’s a part-time Santa Fe resident, splitting his time between Nashville, Tenn., and his La Tierra home, where he moved with his wife, Maryanne Hill, four years ago.

“I love it here,” Anderson said in a recent lunchtime interview at Tia Sophia’s. “I don’t interact with people much.”

He first came to Santa Fe one summer night in the 1980s when NRBQ played Club West. “It was 90 degrees, and I wasn’t sweating,” he recalled.

About six years ago, Anderson said, country singer Hal Ketchum, who was living in Tesuque, invited him to come out and write some songs. Later he came to Santa Fe to write songs with another country artist, Jeffrey Steele.

“I was shopping at Albertsons and saw a real-estate book,” Anderson recalled. “I went out to look at one house, and 40 houses later, I moved here from Connecticut.”

Red Roof Inn & the Waffle House: Anderson was born in Windsor, Conn., in 1947. His first successful band was called the Wildweeds, who were signed with Vanguard Records in the mid-’60s. He joined NRBQ in 1971, but he already had been a fan of the band. His predecessor, Steve Ferguson, is the best guitarist the group ever had, and their 1969 first album is still their best, Anderson insists.

“I learned all about music,” he said. “Anything went. You had to learn about everything.” NRBQ is famous for mixing basic American roots music with highly crafted pop, modern jazz, children’s music, and just about anything else that popped into band members’ heads. “It had its own set of walls, but the room was a lot bigger than anyone else’s, that’s for sure,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s contributions were immeasurable. “Ridin’ in My Car,” perhaps the loveliest automobile song this side of Brian Wilson, was his, as were the neo-rockabilly “It Comes to Me Naturally” and the wickedly funny “It Was an Accident,” just to name a few.

But he called it quits after a gig at Tramps in New York. “It was New Year’s, so don’t know if I quit in ’93 or ’94,” he said. “It was actually a split with no words,” he recalled. “I just told Joey [Spampinato, NRBQ’s bassist] that I’d probably split. There was nothing really wrong. It just stopped growing for me.”

Touring life became tedious for him. “The Red Roof, the Waffle House ... ” he said, referring to fixtures of the rock ’n’ roll road-warrior lifestyle. He also spoke not so fondly about his normal preshow intake of “half a gram of cocaine and half a quart” of booze back in the daze.

Not long before he quit, Anderson got a taste of songwriting success outside the band. “Every Little Thing” by former Tesuque resident Carlene Carter was co-written by Anderson.

Solo Al: Since leaving NRBQ, Anderson has released two solo albums, 1996’s roadhouse romp Pay Before You Pump and, eight years later, the quieter, more reflective After Hours.

I initially compared After Hours to the latter-day work of Charlie Rich — the slow, jazzy “Love Make a Fool of Me” and “Two Survivors” would have fit in fine on Rich’s Pictures and Paintings, as would “Better Word for Love,” a song Anderson previously recorded with NRBQ.

Then there’s “Just Another Place I Don’t Belong,” which sounds like the lovechild of Nick Lowe and Stax stalwart Dan Penn. “In My Dreams” has verses that sound like Western swing, though the chorus, with its NRBQ-y jazz chords, suggests greater depths. And “Blues About You Baby,” co-written with Delbert McClinton, shows Anderson hasn’t forgotten good old roots rock.

Originally this was a self-released effort, for sale only on Anderson’s Web site. “I think I sold 500 or 600 and gave away about 1,000 copies,” he said. “I lost interest in hustling.”

Eventually the album got the attention of Sony/BMG honchos, who, hopefully, will hustle the CD for him.

A place where there is no music: An interview in Massachusetts’ Daily Hampshire Gazette late last year noted that “when he is in Santa Fe he isn’t part of a music scene. ‘It’s good to be in a place where there is no music when I’m done with makin’ it,’ said Anderson.”

“Well, it’s not like Nashville,” he said when I asked about the comment.

Anderson said he’s been thinking about bringing a little music to Santa Fe, perhaps flying in some of his songwriting partners to the city for shows. But one gets the idea that this town is a place for rest and getting away from it all for Anderson.

And while he’s gearing up for some publicity gigs for After Hours, including a showcase at South by Southwest Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas, next week, Anderson seems to prefer his life as a behind-the-scenes songwriter.

That might preclude any further work with NRBQ. While he played at the group’s 35th anniversary in 2004, when asked if he’d play a 40th reunion, Anderson said, “That’s a good question.”

It was one he didn’t answer.

Big Al on the radio: Hear my favorite “Big Al” songs from his solo albums and with NRBQ tonight, March 10, on The Santa Fe Opry on KSFR, 90.7 FM. The show starts at 10 p.m. and the “Big Al” show will start at 11 p.m.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: PLAGUE OF ZOMBIES

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
March 9, 2006

A news release from the Governor’s Office on Wednesday promised “a plague of zombies,” “ferocious monsters”, murder, mayhem, “creepy events” and “Living Hell.”

No, Gov. Bill Richardson wasn’t announcing a special session of the Legislature.

This was an announcement of four low-budget horror/suspense films to be shot in New Mexico this spring and summer.

The movies are part of a package by a Hollywood company called Odd Lot Entertainment — actually, according to Variety, a subsidiary of Odd Lot called Dark Lot will produce these films.

Each one has a budget of about $3.5 million, according to Richardson’s film-industry point man, Eric Witt. The productions, he said, will employ about 400 New Mexicans.

The state Investment Council already has agreed to give interest-free loans for two of these films. Each will get $3.4 million from the state.

The four cinematic jewels announced Wednesday are:

* Wanted: Undead or Alive: This is a good old cowboys ‘n’ zombies flick. In the synopsis provided by the Fourth Floor, “When Wild West misfits Elmer Winslow and Luke Budd rob the corrupt sheriff of a dusty Western town, they have no idea a plague of zombies is sweeping the country. In a bizarre turn of events, Geronimo’s sultry niece may hold the key to their survival.” According to the horror-movie Web site Bloody-Disgusting.com, this will be a comedy. The dusty Western town will be played by Bonanza Creek Ranch south of Santa Fe.

* Living Hell: “Mild-mannered schoolteacher Frank Sears is mystified by the bizarre tattoo his mother gave him as a child — right before she committed suicide. Desperate to unlock its meaning, Frank’s quest leads him to a top secret Cold War military project where he unwittingly unleashes an unstoppable organism.” (Boy, I misread that word the first time!) This will be shot at Santa Fe’s old main-prison facility and in and around Belen.

* Zero Dark Thirty: “When Andy, a U.S. Army soldier, returns from active duty in the Middle East, his once-tranquil hometown is racked by a string of strange and violent events.” This will be filmed at the old prison and in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

* Buried Alive: “A gang of sorority buddies play a prank by leaving fellow college students in an abandoned hunting cabin. Creepy events unfold and the local groundskeeper winds up dead.” The filming location hasn’t been determined, Witt said.

Asked whether the “sorority buddies” reference was a mistake, Witt had a two-word reply: “Brokeback Zombies.”

Pork for Peace: There will be zombies in the summer and peaceniks in the fall.

Richardson on Wednesday announced that he’d vetoed nearly $270 million in spending. But one thing that apparently did survive was $300,000 earmarked in the capital-outlay bill for a world-peace conference in Santa Fe next September.

The conference money was sponsored by Sen. Shannon Robinson, the “Bull Moose” Democrat from Albuquerque, who last year secured another $120,000 for the conference.

Clarissa Duran, director of volunteers for the September conference, said Wednesday that there will be a meeting next week for those wanting to volunteer. That will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the State Archives and Records Building on Camino Carlos Rey. Duran’s number is 929-3825.


Wings of Justice: Richardson is the latest recipient of the “Wings of Justice” award from Buzzflash.com, a liberal Web site. Richardson’s support and signing of the “paper-ballots” bill — which will require paper-ballot voting machines to be used in every county in the state — won him the weekly award.

The centrist governor joins other recent winners, which include many left-wing icons like the late Rosa Parks, newspaper columnist Molly Ivins, peace activist Daniel Ellsberg, Democracy Now host Amy Goodman and David Letterman.

David Letterman?

The late-night talk-show host won his wings by telling Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly, “to his face, that 60 percent of what he says is crap.”

Name that anonymous source: The irreverent political blog Wonkette on Tuesday invited its readers to name the anonymous Democratic governor who was quoted in The Washington Post criticizing national Democratic Party strategy.

The Post quote:

“They want to coordinate. They want to collaborate. That’s all good,” said one Democratic governor who declined to be identified in order to talk candidly about a closed-door meeting. “The question is: Coordinate or collaborate on what? People need to know not just what we’re against but what we’re for. That’s the kind of message the governors are interested in developing at the national level.”

The blogster concluded, “to the extent that there’s ever a correct response, it sounds like the answer to today’s quiz was ‘Bill Richardson.’ ”

Richardson, who has made similar on-the-record statements in the past, on Wednesday denied he was the unnamed source.

One Wonkette reader described Richardson as “a gabby ex-Clinton Administration cabinet member who’s still probably on the Rolodex of a lot of reporters in this town. ...

Until a few months back, Richardson was making the rounds in D.C., trying to build up support for a 2008 White House bid but revelations that he really, really exaggerated the bit in his bio about being a baseball player appear to have sunk that.”

Tell that to the citizens of New Hampshire celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the governor of New Mexico next week.

Another reader said, “I’m thinking it’s Bill Richardson, strictly based on my gut reaction that the person in question sounds completely exasperated, which is Bill’s default setting. Also, I can totally hear him saying ‘that’s all good.’ He probably tries to impress the youngsters on his staff by using ‘hip’ lingo, like ‘it’s all good’ and ‘I’m down with that.’ And more practically, he’s going to try and run in 2008 as an outsider, against the Democratic party. Yeah, good luck with that.”