TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 26, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and out new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
We Can't Be Killed by The Floors
Down the Drain by Monkeyshines
Caveman by The Blood-Drained Cows
A-Bomb Bop by The A-Bones
Gonna Murder My Baby by Pat Hare
Loaded Heart by The Gore Gore Girls
Blindness by The Fall
Searching by The Omens

Way Down South by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
Hook and Sing Meets the Funky Superfly by Sharon Jones
The Flag Was Still There by George Clinton
No Regrets by King Kahn & His Shrines
Petey Wheatstraw by Nat Dove & The Devils
Cissy Strut by The Meters
Guitar by Prince

King Cobra by The Budos Band
Path of the Blazing Sarong by Ravi Harris & The Prophets
Jon E's Mood by Jon E. Edwards & The Internationals
Got to Have it by Soul President
How Do You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul? by Public Enemy
Stool Pigeon by The Soul Deacons
Steam Train by Lee Fields
Total Destruction of Your Mind by Swamp Dogg

You're Just About to Lose Your Clown by Joe Louis Walker
Lonely Just Like Me by Arthur Alexander
Ana by Los Straightjackets with Little Willie G
Poco de Todo by King Richard & The Knights
Shocking Curse Bird by The Mekons
Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips
Down Where the Valleys are Low by Judee Sill
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 24, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos

Bye Bye Boozoo by Beausoleil
I've Always Been Crazy by Waylon Jennings with Travis Tritt
Bad News by Johnny Cash
Jason Fleming by Neko Case with the Sadies
Cocaine Blues by Holy Modal Rounders
Tequila Shiela by Bobby Bare
The Heart of California (for Lowell George) by Terry Allen
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee, Drinking Wine by Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n' Roll Trio

The Eggs of Your Chickens by The Flatlanders
Looking for a Job by Todd Snider
Bonapart's Retreat by Glen Campbell
I Cast a Lonesome Shadow by Hank Thompson
A Girl in a House in Felony Flats by Richmond Fontaine
She Baby by Heavy Trash
Flavor on The Tongue by The Gourds

Don't Lose My Trail by Eleni Mandrell
Empty Bed Blues by Maria Muldaur
Dancing on the Ashes by Robbie Fulks
Dancing with the Ghost of William Bonney by Bone Orchard
Molly Crow by Hundred Year Flood
Another Place, Another Time by Jerry Lee Lewis
Final Straw by John Egenes

Elijah's Church by Low Red Land
White Stone Door by The Mekons
Underneath the Stars by Peter Case with Carlos Guitarlos
No Earthly Good by Billy Joe Shaver with Kris Kristofferson
The Kiss by Judee Sill
Young Wesley by David Bromberg
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: STIRRING THE SOUL

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 24, 2007

Good God, ya’ll! Do you hear that funky sound? There’s a soul revival going on!

Truth be told, there probably is always a soul revival going on somewhere on the outskirts of American music. At any given time in the past couple of decades, some venerated old soulster from the days of yore was making a comeback, and a bunch of new, obscure bands are doing their best to carry on the traditions of the J.B.’s or Bar-Kays, while some cool underground labels are specializing in funky sounds (think Soul Fire in the early part of this decade or its predecessor Desco in the late ’90s).

Even though the current crop of soul revivalists doesn’t attain the heights reached by James Brown, Otis Redding, or Aretha Franklin, and there’s little, if any, chance in today’s musical climate that a revival will break into mainstream popularity like it did in the golden years, there are some cool, funky sounds coming down that definitely are worth hearing. They include the following albums:

* Kaboom! by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker. This record CD represents both a new band specializing in good old soul as well as a comeback vehicle for a respected vet.

Charles Walker has been in the music game for many decades. One of his songs, “No Fool No More” (by Charles Walker & the Daffodils) was included on the second volume of Night Train to Nashville, that wonderful collection of R & B, blues, and soul hits from the country music capital.

Walker’s voice has grown deeper and a little rougher since his Daffodils days, but it’s no less powerful. He’s a perfect match for this horn-heavy Nashville ensemble. All the songs here are original numbers, and all but one were penned by Dynamite chief guitarist Leo Black.

One of the highlights is the seven-plus-minute “Way Down South,” a slow-cooking, swampy protest song in which Walker moans about crooked judges and hurricanes “with beautiful names.” Then there’s the up-tempo, muscular “Killin’ It,” which concludes the album. It’s sheer madhouse funk, with Black’s guitar and Tyrone Dickerson’s organ rising over the horns.

*The Budos Band II by The Budos Band. As the name implies, this is the second album by this 11-piece instrumental band from Staten Island, N.Y., that blends soul, funk, and an ominous touch of crime jazz with a discernible West African pop sound. It’s like a soundtrack Fela Kuti never made for a great blaxploitation movie that exists only on the astral plane.

There’s definitely an undercurrent of danger here. The album cover shows a scorpion about to strike. One of the song titles is “King Cobra” — both a dangerous arachnid and a malt liquor.

Horns and percussion dominate the Budos sound, but organist Mike Deller’s slinky riffs also stand out. His solo on “Deep in the Sand” sounds like it came straight out of The Arabian Nights, while the hook on “Ride or Die” sounds like it owes a debt to ? & The Mysterians (or perhaps to the contemporary psychedelic Cambodian American rock band Dengue Fever).

In the middle of the album, you might think you recognize one of the melodies — or at least the pulsating bass intro. But you might have a hard time placing it. “His Girl” is a minor-key rearrangement of “My Girl.” The Temptations never sounded this evil.

*Skippin’ Church by The Soul Deacons. Yes, Santa Fe has a bird in this cockfight. Brother E. Clayton and the boys, who live here, are as friendly and inviting as The Budos Band is sinister. But that’s not a bad thing. This high-spirited record is almost as irresistible as the band’s live performances.

Unlike The Dynamites or The Budos Band, members of The Soul Deacons don’t write much of their own material. But they have a good knack for choosing songs that aren’t that well known or overcovered, so the band can make the songs their own.

At the moment my favorite tune on the album is “Stool Pigeon,” originally performed by Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Steve O’Neill’s Stevie Wonder-like clavinet is nice and subtle, while Nick Thompson’s sax solo is exquisite. And among the background singers is none other than Chris Calloway.

While most the tracks are upbeat and danceable, Clayton slows it down on the closing song, “You’ve Got to Hurt.” It’s sweet and packed with soul, with Clayton accompanied only by piano, organ, and sax.

Also recommended:
*Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter by Arthur Alexander. Back when The Beatles was a cover band, one of the group’s most powerful numbers was the mournful “Anna.” When John Lennon sang the line, “So I will set you free, go with him,” you could tell even then there was a primal scream building up in the guy.

The song was written by Arthur Alexander, who is best known as a behind-the-scenes songwriter whose songs were recorded by The Rolling Stones, Johnny Rivers, and all sorts of rock, soul, and country artists. His own solo career never quite took off, though his understated, earnest voice perfectly fit his solemn songs of heartache.

This is a reissue — fortified by bonus tracks — of Alexander’s 1993 comeback album. True to his reputation as one of soul music’s saddest hard-luck stories, Alexander, died shortly after the album’s original release.

The original album, which featured sidemen like Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn, and “Funky” Donnie Fritts, includes some of his best-known songs — “Every Day I Have to Cry” (Rivers did my favorite version of this), “In the Middle of It All,” and “If It’s Really Got to Be This Way.”

One of the most gripping songs is “Lonely Just Like Me,” which unexpectedly turns into a murder ballad. The studio version sounds almost like a Marty Robbins song, but there’s also an a cappella version recorded in a hotel room that’s stark and startling. And, yes, there’s a live version of “Anna” that’s just heartbreaking.

Students of soul should get well acquainted with Arthur Alexander.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: WHAT IF THE WHAT-IFS COME TRUE?

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 23, 2007

Possible 2010 lieutenant governor candidate Javier Gonzales might have hit the nail on the head this week when asked about Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano’s announcement that he’s running for the “light guv” when he said, “In politics, three years is an eternity.”

Solano, of course, has his reasons for starting so early. While well-known in Santa Fe County (where he won big in last year’s primary and faced no opponent in the general election), the sheriff needs to build up name recognition in those other 32 counties.

And of course, while there haven’t been any formal news conferences like Solano’s, he’s not the only candidate working on the 2010 election. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has said straight out she’s running for governor. Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chávez has an exploratory committee for a possible gubernatorial run. One of the world’s shortest books would be about exploratory committees that didn’t turn into full-blown campaigns.

But Gonzales and others with whom I’ve spoken in the last couple days agree that there are a lot of “what-ifs” out there with the potential of shaking up the political ecology in this state.

First of all, before we get to the 2010 election, there’s something called the 2008 election. (Remember that?)

True, no state offices are up for election next year. All legislative seats are up, and theoretically, any legislator planning to run in 2010 could be defeated in 2008. But assuming next year is like most previous elections, there will be little legislative turnover and an embarrassing number of incumbent lawmakers will face no opposition in the primary or general election.

The real “what-if” is next year’s national election and what ripple effects it might have for New Mexico.

Gov. Bill Richardson is running for president. Even if he doesn’t get the nomination, there’s speculation he could end up on the Democratic ticket. Or he could end up in the Cabinet if a Democrat gets elected. Or — and this is just pure speculation on the part of some political junkies — he could end up running against his old rival Pete Domenici for U.S. Senate.

(Richardson, for the record, has repeatedly said if he doesn’t get the nomination, he’ll go back to “the best job I’ve ever had,” i.e. governor of New Mexico. However he also told the New York Daily News last week, “I never preclude anything.”)

If Richardson, for whatever reason, doesn’t complete his term, Denish would become governor. That would mean she would have the advantage of the incumbency. No incumbent New Mexico governor has been ousted in a primary, at least in the near 40 years I’ve lived in this state.

Under the New Mexico Constitution, there’s no provision for choosing a replacement lieutenant governor. There have been attempts to change that in the past two legislative sessions, but both have stalled. It’s possible though such an amendment could pass in the next session and be approved by voters in November 2008.

That would mean if Denish became governor, she would choose her lieutenant governor, who then, assumedly, also would have the advantage of the incumbency in 2010.

But Richardson is not the only New Mexico Democrat who — at least according to the rumor mill — could be tapped for a federal office. There’s some chatter about U.S. Rep. Tom Udall becoming interior secretary — his dad Stewart Udall’s old job — if a Democrat is elected president.

If that were to happen, that would create the biggest political stampede among Northern New Mexico Democrats since Richardson gave up his congressional seat to become U.N. secretary. That actually could help Solano because some of the potential candidates looking at the lieutenant governor’s job might switch their sights to Congress.

Even if none of these particular “what-ifs” come true, three years indeed is a long, long time in politics.

Voter ID: An independent report released Tuesday found that 80 percent of New Mexico voters surveyed rated their voting experience with the new state paper-ballot system as “good” or “satisfactory.”

The poll was of 471 voters in the 1st Congressional District (which mainly consists of Albuquerque).

However, according to the executive summary, the same study indicates there is confusion among poll workers and voters about the voter identification requirements under the new election law that went into effect last year.

That law requires some identification be provided at polling places. The ID can be “verbal” — a statement of the voter’s name, address, birth year and last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number.

During legislative debates on the law, Republicans argued that verbal identification amounts to no identification at all. As it turns out, a big number of voters weren’t even asked for verbal ID.

“Although many poll workers asked for voter identification, many did not,” the study said. “The voter survey confirmed this finding indicating that almost 65 percent of voters showed some form of voter identification, while 35 percent did not.”

The summary goes on to say, “Voters should be treated equally by poll workers and given the politics around this issue and the clear confusion by poll workers, more effort should be made training poll workers on voter identification election laws.”

UNAPOLOGETIC NEPOTISM

Say hello to my little friends.

BLOOD-DRAINED MONKEY FLOOR

I just got word that Santa Fe expatriate Tommy Trusnovic will be back in Santa Fe for a visit and has lined up a reunion for the last three (!) bands he was involved with here.

Monkeyshines, The Floors and The Blood-Drained Cows (that one featuring Gregg Turner, who I believe was fired by Manny Aragon from The Angry Samoans or something) will be playing at CKs -- right next door to Cheeks -- on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2841 Cerrillos Road. Don't know about exact time or cover charge yet.

I realize most of the readers of this blog are at Cheeks every weeknight anyway, so pull yourself away and wander in next door to check out these bands on Sept. 5.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 19, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and out new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Give Her a Great Big Kiss by The New York Dolls
London Boys by Johnny Thunders & Wayne Kramer
Wild Wild Lover by The A-Bones
Psycho Daisies by The Hentchmen
Psychedelic Love by Big Ugly Guys
Carolina Hard Core Ecstasy by Frank Zappa & Captain Beefheart
Teddy Bear by The Residents
Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Orion

Zina Marina by Gogol Bordello
Otono No Himitsu by Go!Go! 7188
This Town Belongs to Me by Thundercrack
Scorpion by The Budos Band
Frankie & Johnny by Kajik Staszewsky
Goodbye My Roller Girl by Mummy the Peepshow
Indian Johnny by Robert Mirabal
I Got Something For You Girl by Hot Nuts
Half a Boy and Half a Man by Queen Ida

Grinnin' in Your Face by James Blood Ulmer
I'm Not Your Clown by Hubert Sumlin
Sinner Girl by Benny Spellman
Slinky by The Dyamites featuring Charles Walker
She's Not Just Another Woman by The Soul Deacons
Johnny Heartbreak by Arthur Alexander
One Kind Favor by Canned Heat

Good Shepherd by The Jefferson Airplane
Lynch Blues by Corey Harris
Borracho by Mark Lannegan
The Indifference of Heaven by Warren Zevon
That Feel by Tom Waits with Keith Richards
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis