THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 28, 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

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia by Merle Haggard
LSD Made a Wreck of Me by T. Tex Edwards & Out on Parole
Red Necks, White Socks & Blue Ribbon Beer by Johnny Russell
I've Got a Lot of Living to Do by Cornell Hurd
Over the Cliff by John Langford
Workin' For the Devil by Deano Waco & The Meat Purveyors
End of the Road by Jerry J. Nixon
Aw the Humanity by Rev. Horton Heat
Don't Break My Heart by Tne Del Moroccos
Mennonite Surf Party by Rev. Billy C. Wirtz

Throwin' Away My Money by Wayne Hancock
Drugstore Truck Driving Man by Jason & The Scorchers
Bedevilment by Heavy Trash
Black Slacks by The Hormonauts
Bar-BQ Bob by DM Bob & Country Jem
Blue Railroad Train by The Delmore Brothers
Midnight Train by Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n' Roll Trio
I Feel So Good by Scott H. Biram
Hog Wild Too by PeeWee King
Bully of the Town by Joe Maphis

Hot Dog by Buck Owens
Cougar Mama by Quarter Mile Combo
Suits Are Pickin' Up the Bill by Squirrel Nut Zippers
Swingin' From Your Crystal Chandeliers by The Austin Lounge Lizards
Sulpher to Sugarcane by Elvis Costello
Clementine by Ethyl & The Regulars
Invitation to the Blues by Roger Miller

Wind Washed Water by Aimee Hoyt
Holy Roller by Young Edward
Keep it Your Pants by The Misery Jackals
I Love You a Thousand Ways by Lefty Frizzel
Can't You See I'm Soulful by Eleni Mandell
The Selfishness of Man by Buddy & Julie Miller
The Long Way Home by Hot Club of Cowtown
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: SHAKE THEM A-BONES

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 28, 2009

Longtime — and I mean real longtime — Rolling Stones fans will immediately recognize the cover of the A-Bones’ new album. It’s a spoof of the cover of the Stones’ 1965 LP The Rolling Stones, Now!

This wasn’t considered one of the Stones’ major albums. There was only one hit to speak of and a minor one at that — “Heart of Stone.” Now! mostly consists of old R & B, blues, and first-generation rock tunes — Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” Bo Diddley’s “Mona (I Need You, Baby)” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Little Red Rooster,” and Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me.” It was before the Stones started writing anthems or socially significant statements, before they were considered “artists,” before they assumed the mantle of the World’s Greatest Rock Band — when they simply played great rock ’n’ roll.

The A-Bones aren’t one of those neo-Stones bands, like the Chesterfield Kings, and they don’t sound much like Mick and the lads. But on their new record, The A-Bones, Not Now!, they capture some of the spirit of that early album and share the Stones’ love for greasy old blues and R & B. In fact, you could argue that the Bones go for greasier, nastier, and definitely more obscure source material than the Stones did.

A little bit about this band: the A-Bones are a project of singer Billy Miller and drummer/singer Miriam Linna, a couple whose other major project is Norton Records, a label specializing in the raw, the primitive. and the all-around bitchen — whether it’s old Flamin’ Groovies obscurities, vast Charlie Feathers or Hasil Adkins collections, tributes to Sam the Sham, or albums of little-known R & B shouters. Though the A-Bones have appeared backing other artists on various Norton records, Not Now! is their first album in more than a dozen years. Fortunately, they’ve kept their basic sound.

Aided by Lars Espensen on tenor sax, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan on guitar and piano, Bruce Bennett on guitar, and a bassist known as Marcus the Carcass, the A-Bones sound like those anonymous bands playing at sinister nightclubs or hopped-up youth dance parties in black-and-white teen exploitation movies. A little dangerous, a little sleazy, but ultimately inviting because they’re so much fun.

The album starts out with a tune called “Geraldine,” which begins with loud ominous voodoo drums and screaming ape calls. Espensen blows some seductive sax riffs and the song settles into a Diddleyesque groove as Miller begins singing.

Not Now! never lets up. There are some frantic instrumentals like “Restless” and “Catnip” and funny Coasters-like romps such as “He Sure Could Hypnotize” and “Jupiter Bulldog.” Linna, who wails like a hillbilly cheerleader in heat, shines on rockers like “The Lover’s Curse” and “Bad Times.”

One of the standouts on this album is a tune that sounds a little bit like folk rock — or at least as close to folk rock as the A-Bones are ever going to get. “Shallow Grave,” written by Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, is about serial killer Charles “Smitty” Schmid, dubbed “the Pied Piper of Tucson” and known for his ability to attract teenage girls. Miller sounds surprisingly tender here, especially for a song that has a line like “one foot stickin’ from a shallow grave in Tucson.”
I know it can’t be easy running a record company, but I hope Miller and Linna don’t take another 15 years to produce the next A-Bones album.

Also recommended:

* Blue Black Hair by The Del Moroccos. This Chicago group can certainly help keep the party going. The Del Moroccos are a little more polished than the A-Bones, and frontwoman Gabrielle Sutton doesn’t sing with quite the same menace as Miriam or Billy. But they’ve got the right idea — rockabilly guitar, honking sax, etc. They sound hungry and horny and they’re lots of fun.

I suspect this group is a hundred times better in person. But that’s not knocking the album. There’s plenty here to love. The band saves the best for the first, a spicy little rocker called “Baby Doll.” It’s the type of tune that the Detroit Cobras do so well. Sutton, come to think of it, has a voice similar to that of the Cobras’ Rachel Nagy.

Most of the songs are obscurities or originals. There are also covers of some recognizable classics like Ronnie Dawson’s “Action Packed” and Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Though that last one has been done by lots of takers, this version has something of an Angelo Badalamenti vibe. In fact, the slow, reverb-heavy guitar that starts off the song will make the ears of Twin Peaks fans perk up. But even cooler is “El Tren de La Costa,” which has the same melody as “Train Kept a Rollin’ ” but is sung in Spanish.

WHILE YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE NEXT BIG ENCHILADA PODCAST ...

Check out the newly launched podcast from the unstoppable Norton Records, Norton's House of Wax. It's hosted by the lovely Miriam and full of crazy treats from the mighty Norton catalogue.

The debut podcast focuses on the incredible I Still Hate CDs compilation.

Read about it HERE or go right to iTunes to listen and/or subscribe.

Be sure to check out all the fine podcasts on my Fellow Travelers list on The Big Enchilada site. (It's on the right-side column.)

Hopefully the new Big Enchilada podcast will be up by the end of the weekend. Watch this space.

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.

>

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.

****

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."

XXXXX

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.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 16, 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
Hobo Babylon by Deadbolt
Big Mouth Mickey by The Guilty Hearts
Amazons and Coyotes by Simon Stokes
Satanic Rites by Los Peyotes
Monk Time by The Monks
Shapeshifter/Saguaro by Lone Monk
Granny Tops 'em at the Hop by The A-Bones
Wildman on the Loose by Mose Allison

Jack Pepsi by TAD
Montana Slim by Andre Williams
Girl Gunslinger by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Everywhere by Nathaniel Mayer
I Don't Want No Funky Chicken by Wiley & The Checkmates
The Third Degree by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
Rootie Tootie Baby by King Salami & The Cumberland Three

JIM DICKINSON TRIBUTE

Monkey Man by Jim Dickinson
Down in Mississippi by Ry Cooder featuring Terry Evans, Bobby Charles & Willie Green Jr.
Killing Him by Amy LaVere
Let Your Light Shine on Me by Mudboy & the Neutrons
High Flyin' Baby by The Flamin' Groovies
A Thousand Forms of Mind by Mudhoney
Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out by Jim Dickinson
Bad Man by T-Model Ford

Boll Weevil by North Mississippi All Stars
Red Neck Blue Collar by James Luther Dickinson
Country Blues by Tarbox Ramblers
Floating Bridge by Sleepy John Estes
I Don't Know by Flat Duo Jets
Spirit in the Dark by Aretha Franklin
Jesus on the Mainline by Tate County Singers, Otha Turner & The Afrosippi Allstars

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 14, 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

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Goode's Field Road by Drive-By Truckers
Waco Express by The Waco Brothers
High Priced Chick by Yuchi & The Hilltone Boys
Let's Have a Party by Wanda Jackson
Gee Whiz Liz by Charles Senns
To' Up from the Floor Up by Ronnie Dawson
Red Chevrolet by The Crew
White Dove by Levon Helm
My Rough and Rowdy Ways by Chris Hillman
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by Gene Pitney

Rollergirl Gail by Misery Jackals
Cook County Jail by Ethyl & The Regulars
Haunted Heels by Big Sandy & The Flyrite Boys
Tourist in Town by Ray Mason
The Way You Can Get by The Gourds
Colorado Girl by Steve Earle
Down to the River by Clarence Fountain & Sam Butler
It Took 4 Beatles to Make One Elvis by Harry Hayward

DAVE ALVIN SET
All Songs by Dave except where noted
Boss of the Blues
Wanda and June
Marie Marie by Los Lobos
What Did the Deep Sea Say?
Out of Control
Closing Time by The Pleasure Barons

Que Sera Sera
So Long, Baby by Jo-El Sonier
So Long, Baby
Don't Look Now
Interstate City
Downey Girl


Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place. Tickets are $25 at the door.

CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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