TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 23, 2009
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
A Question of Temperature by The Baloon Farm
He Sure Could Hypnotize by The A-Bones
So Long Silver Lining by New Bomb Turks
Seersucker Suit by J.J. & The Real Jerks
Ether Cocktail by The Derangers
Strychnine by The Fuzztones
The Witch by Los Peyotes
Pyscho by The Sonics
Get on This Plane by The Purple Merkins
Disintegrtation by The Readymen

Cops on Our Tail by The Raveonettes
Gimme Danger by Iggy Pop
Faces by T.C. Atlantic
Thelma & Louise by The Horrorpops
Two Shakes by The Ettes
Have Love Will Travel by Thee Headcoatees
Sheela-Na-Gig by P.J. Harvey
Party Date by Carl Canida

Son of a Gun by The Polkaholics
Who'd Ya Like to Love Ya by Lil Wally
Wasted by Pere Ubu
Voi La Intruder by Gogol Bordello
I Want to See You Bellydance by The Red Elvises
Dream Cloud Chote by Crow Hang
Jimi Hendrix Polka by Brave Combo
Experiment in Terror by Davie Allan & The Arrows

Said the People by Dinosaur Jr.
Jesus Christ for Dinner by The Modey Lemon
Falt Foot Flewzy by NRBQ
Blast Off! by The Monks
Goodnight Irene by Tom Waits
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 21, 2009
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

Wedding of the Bugs by Robbie Fulks
Crazy Ex Boyfriend by Rev. Horton Heat
Kitten by The Quarter Mile Combo
Big Dog Little Dog by Harvey Hunt
Betty Ann by Wayne Haas
Rockabilly Hop by Bill Moss
Juvenile Delinquent by Ronnie Allen
Hanky Panky by Jay Brown & The Jets
Good Morning Blues by Ethyl & The Regulars
Cherokee Maiden by Merle Haggard
Your Squaw is on the Warpath by Loretta Lynn
Ashes of Love by Chris Hillman
Footstompin' Friday Night by The Stumbleweeds

Rolly Polly by Asleep at the Wheel with The Dixie Chicks
16 Chicks by J.P McDermott
Cherokee Boogie by BR5-49
That's What Your Love Gets by Heavy Trash
Midnight Train by Johnny Burnett
Club Wig Wam by Ronnie Dawson
Mississippi Muddle by Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys
Raymond Martinez by Kell Robertson
If I Gave Up Smokin' by James Luther Dickinson
Kaw Liga by Hank Williams

NATIVE AMERICAN SET

God and the Devil by Jacques & The Shakey Boys
Millenium Cars by Keith Secola & His Wild Band of Indians
Redman by Slidin' Clyde Roulette
Indian List by Alex Jacobs
Now That the Buffalo's Gone by Buffy Sainte-Marie
Witchi Tai To by Joy Harjo
Baby of the Sky by Cherokee Rose

Broken Bottle Blues by 100 Damn Guns
Singer of Sad Songs by Waylon Jennings
Don't Go by Hundred Year Flood
Hemingway's Whiskey by Guy Clark
Waitin' on the 103 by Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
Artesia by Dave Alvin
There Ought to Be a Law Against Sunny California by Terry Allen
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: REZ BLUES

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 21, 2009

Did the blues spring from the stomp dances of southeastern American Indian tribes — runaway slaves taking refuge in nearby tribal communities and finding kinship in the Indian drums?

I’m not sure what ethnomusicologists would say about that theory, which is suggested by Canadian television producer Elaine Bomberry in the liner notes of the new three-disc compilation Indian Rezervation Blues and More.

But you can’t argue with the spiritual connections alluded to by musician Murray Porter in an interview in one of the bonus video features in the collection. Porter talks about growing up on the Six Nations Reservation in Canada and discovering B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” on late-night radio. “Something about it just grabbed me by the soul,” Porter says. “This is my calling.”

Indian Rezervation Blues isn’t a pure blues collection. In the 48 tracks you’ll hear some country, pop, hip-hop, spoken word, a little Christian rock (that’s The Plateros from Tohajiilee, New Mexico — they worship Jesus, but they also think very highly of Stevie Ray Vaughn), and lots of traditional-sounding Native music.

But the blues permeates the music here, snaking its way through these songs.

I was happy to find several New Mexico artists among the contributors. Besides The Plateros, there are A. Paul Ortega from Mescalero; poet Alex Jacobs; actor/Santa Fe gallerist/ blues harpist Gary Farmer with his band The Troublemakers; and part-time New Mexico resident Joy Harjo.

Here are some of my favorite selections from the compilation.

* “Witchi Tai To” by Joy Harjo. This is a fascinating reworking of a tune I first heard by the old hippie folk duo Brewer & Shipley (who were most famous for the cannabis-themed country-rocker “One Toke Over the Line”). B & S got the song from American Indian sax man Jim Pepper, who adapted it from a peyote chant. Harjo, a poet who plays sax, recorded this for her 2008 album Winding Through the Milky Way. She plays with the melody, turning it to a minor key and adding new lyrics.

* "Trail of Tears” by Wayne Lavallee. Here is bluegrass with a bite, featuring banjo, dobro, and heavy drums. I bet Steve Earle wishes he wrote this song.

* “Kokopelli Blues” by Keith Secola. Secola, whose song “Indian Cars” (which appeared with various titles in various versions) is a Native rock classic, has several songs on this collection. The best is this one, a beatnik jazz jaunt (the melody is a little like “Stray Cat Strut”) about New Agers and others ripping off Indian culture to sell products.

* “God and the Devil” by Jacques & The Shakey Boys. I had to double-check to make sure this group wasn’t from Louisiana. But no, Jacques Nadjiwon is from Canada and has French and Indian blood. This is what Cajun music would have sounded like had the Cajuns stayed in Canada.

* “Bushman’s Blues” by Art Napoleon. This is a happy-sounding fiddle blues number by a Canadian that also has what sounds like Cajun overtones. I also like Napoleon’s “Hunting Chant” on this album. It combines Native chants with guitar.

* “Indian List” by Alex Jacobs. This is a spoken-word piece in which Jacobs recites a number of racial slurs and nicknames for Indians and phrases applied to Natives. He then follows that with a list of names Indians call themselves, some of which are nearly as derogatory as the names on the first list.

* “Chicago” by A. Paul Ortega. Centuries ago, someone wrote a song that came to be known as “The Unfortunate Rake” about a man dying in the street from venereal disease. After this song got to America, it was turned into a cowboy tune called “The Streets of Laredo,” and somehow mutated into “St. James Infirmary,” “Dying Crapshooter Blues,” and other variations. In this song, Ortega transforms the doomed cowboy of Laredo into a dying Indian wrapped in white linen and turns the song into a lament for urban Indians cut off from their roots.

* “Redman” by Slidin’ Clyde Roulette. It’s just a good old stompin’ blues featuring slide guitar and harmonica. It gets extra points because "Slidin’ Clyde Roulette" is one of the coolest stage names I’ve heard in a long time.

* “Stripped Me Naked” by Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers. This is an old John Lee Hooker song adapted by Farmer and his band. When Farmer bellows “That was a mean old judge,” he sounds like he means it.

* “It Was in the Old Times” by Butch Mudbone. This is one of the best tunes that combines traditional chants with bluesy rock.

You lookin’ for trouble? You come to the right place at the Fifth Annual Troublemakers Ball, beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at VFW Post 2951, 307 Montezuma Ave., 983-9045. Among the acts playing there are Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers, Joy Harjo with Larry Mitchell, Samantha Crain, Mother Earth Blues Band, and Los Indios. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 629-6580 for information.

Indian radio: This area is fortunate to have some great radio shows specializing in Native music. The oldest one around here is Singing Wire, which airs from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays on KUNM-FM 89.9. KSFR-FM 101 offers Indigenous Foundation from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. And, for you members of the night-owl clan, there's Earthsongs from 1 to 2 a.m. on Tuesdays, also on KSFR.

(Note: In the print version of this story it says Indigenous Foundation is on an incorrect day. Saturday 3 to 5 p.m is correct.)

IN RECOGNITION OF ROBERT NOVAK'S PASSING

Here's an old 1986 Crossfire episode with Novak debating Frank Zappa about that pesky First Amendment. (Actually Novak is far more reasonable than Washington Times columnist John Lofton here)

Thanks, Paul Bonanos.

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TERRY ALLEN ON THE PLAZA TONIGHT!

Here's the best musical deal of the week. Terry Allen playing free on the Plaza.

Terry and his son Bukka will play as part of the Santa Fe Bandstand series. It's the last week of the series, which I believe is one of the better things the City of Santa Fe does all year.

Also on the bill are singer Terri Hendrix with ace Lubbock steel guitarist Lloyd Maines. (Will Lloyd play with the Allen boys? He's a card-carrying member of Terry's Panhandle Mystery Band.)

The show starts at 6 pm. Be there!

And if you have a few minutes, here's a story I did about Terry about 10 years ago for No Depression.

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In other local music news, Mary & Mars, a local bluegrass favorite of a few years ago featuring Sharon Gilchrist, Josh Martin and Ben Wright, are doing a couple of reunion shows.

There's a "secret" warm-up show Aug. 19th at the Cowgirl. Then the official gig at the Santa Fe Brewing Company on Aug. 28 with none other than Xoe Fitzgerald (no not suspect he is Joe West) opening.

Maybe if you ask nice, Sharon will sing her wonderful version of "I Say a Little Prayer."

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Finally, I'm humbled at the nice write-up that Michael Kaiser gave my podcast, THE BIG ENCHILADA.

What's humbling is that Kaiser is one of my podcasting role models. His RadiOblivion on the Garagepunk Podcast Network is a true inspiration. (Check it out and Blow Up Your Radio, baby!) I feel like a Little Leaguer who just got a compliment from Mickey Mantle.

By the way, I'm working on my next podcast, which should be up before Labor Day.