Fe fe, fi fi, fo fo fum, it's a Monster's Holiday! Halloween is here again and it's the second anniversary of The Big Enchilada! Sit back with a cold glass of your favorite blood type and enjoy the ghoulish sounds of Stud Cole, Roky Erikson, Johnny Dowd, Deadbolt, The Monsters, The Fuzztones, The Scrams, Electricoolade, The Electric Mess, The Hydeouts, Marshmallow Overcoat and so many more. Rock your rockin' bones!
(Background Music: Spooks-a-Poppin' Theme by The A-Bones)
Don't Shake Me Lucifer by Roky Erickson & The Resurectionists
I'm the Wolfman by The Fuzztones
Coffin Nails by Coffin Nails
The Zombie Stomp by Danny Ware
Breathing With the Dead by Organs
I Got the Creeps by Big John Bates
Frankenstein Meets The Beatles by Dickie Goodman
Friday, October 22, 2010
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
Bloody Mary Morning by Willie Nelson
Haunted House Boogie by Happy Williams
Jukebox Fever by Jerry Lee Merritt
One Hour Mama by Maria Muldaur
I Just Fall by Reckless Kelly
Sheriff Jodie Pickins by Deadbolt
Rebel Within by Hank III
My Neighbor Burns Trash by Southern Culture on the Skids
Something I Said by Ray Condo & The Hardrock Goners
Two Bottles Of Wine by Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
You Got a Long Way to Go by Ronnie Dawson
Hoboes Are My Heroes by Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
When Dorey's Behind the Door by Al Duvall
Xmas Ornament/Your Hearty Laugh by The Defibulators
This Haunted House by Eilen Jewell
Bennie Hess Boogie by Bennie Hess & His Nation Playboys
I'm Comin' Home by Johnny Horton
Hound Dog by Billy Starr
Broken Down by Joe Cassady & His West End Sound
That's When Your Heartaches Begin by Elvis Presley with The Million Dollar Quartet
Rainy Day Woman by Waylon Jennings
Hot Tamale Pete by Bob Skyles & His Skyrockets
Mohair Sam by Charlie Rich
Who Walks In When I Walk Out by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Miss Maybelle by Richard Johnston
Gloomy Sunday by Singing Sadie with Al Duvall
Barroom Girls by Doug Jeffords
This Orchid Means Goodbye by Carl Smith
Don't Take Your Love to Town by Johnny Cash
Cherokee Fiddle by Michael Martin Murphey
Walk You Home by Marlee MacLeod
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
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After all, for more than 20 years, the musicians have cultivated a goofy faux-hillbilly image — wearing funny hats, cheap sunglasses, backwoods/thrift-shop clothes — and singer/bassist Mary Huff sports a beehive that would frighten most bees. And they sing lots of funny songs about fried chicken, banana pudding, strippers, stock cars, Little Debbie pastries, tacky tiki bars, moonshine, and white-trash cultural affairs. I don’t know whether they still do this, but for a while, they were known for throwing pieces of fried chicken at their audience at live shows.
The only thing is, while they’re very funny, these North Carolinians are real musicians. As a trio (most of the time), SCOTS is a tight little outfit, playing a distinctive blend of country, rockabilly, surf, swampy R & B, garage, occasionally bluegrass, and exotica.
Huff has a voice as big as her hair (I always hope for more songs where she sings lead), and Rick Miller is a fine rock ’n’ roll guitarist. The only time I saw them live (at the late and lamented Paramount in 2001), I realized that they were playing surf music better than a lot of so-called surf bands out there.
Southern Culture’s latest effort, The Kudzu Ranch (named for the recording studio where they make the magic), is something of a return to form for the band. Their previous album, Countrypolitan Favorites, spotlighted their country side. (In fact, it was an homage to the Nashville sound of the late ’50s and early ’60s. Kudzu is far more varied.)
The opener, “Bone Dry Dirt,” is a pounding rocker with Miller playing Creedence-worthy guitar licks and drummer Dave Hartman knocking the snot out of his trap kit. One of SCOTS’ best-known songs is “Too Much Pork for Just One Fork.” They return to their own private hog heaven with the next song “Pig Pickin’,” a jumpy little rocker.
Huff sings it nice and pretty on “Highlife,” which almost sounds like a folk-rock tune. But her big moment on this record is “Bad Boys,” a lusty tribute to tattooed love boys who “need a good spanking.” Sings Huff, “I gotta get one of those!” It’s not quite as powerful as her signature song, Joanna Neel’s “Daddy Was a Preacher, But Mama Was a Go-Go Girl,” but it’s pretty snazzy.
They get mysterioso with a smoky little charmer called “Montague’s Mystery Theme.” They do a full rollicking SCOTS treatment of Neil Young’s “Are You Ready for the Country.” “Busy Road,” which concerns civilization encroaching on a backwoods home (“Lost two dogs about a month ago”), has an irresistible Bo Diddley beat. And Miller breaks out the banjo for “My Neighbor Burns Trash” (“Says I got a pack of matches and a pile of leaves/Three bags of garbage and some gasoline/Got a plastic jug and some cellophane/Burn anything that can’t run away”).
As always, there are plenty of fascinating instrumentals. “Slinky Spring Milt” sounds like a lost Duane Eddy twanger. “Jack’s Tune,” which closes the album, is slow and wistful. But the one that SCOTS fans will love the most is a surfy medley of Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” and an obscure Pink Floyd song called “Lucifer Sam.”
Is Southern Culture on the Skids a novelty act? If so, who cares? Life needs novelty. This is trash rock you won’t want to burn.
When visiting SCOTS' website, don't miss the “Home Cooking” section for some delicious recipes. Those turtle burgers look like a treat that city folks will never know.
Also recommended:
* Corn Money by The Defibulators. Before I start in on this fine debut album from this crazed country band from New York City (New York City?), brace yourself, Bridget, they’re coming to Santa Fe next week — to the Cowgirl BBQ on Wednesday, Oct. 27, to be exact. Judging by this album and a couple of videos I’ve seen, it should be a good evening.
Let me be straight. Though I’m a hillbilly fanatic, most contemporary alt-country bands bore me to tears. But I knew after hearing just a couple of tracks on The Defibs’ website that I was going to love this band.
In fact, Corn Money — which was actually released last year — is the best alt-country effort I’ve heard in years. Come to think about it, I like it even better than the Southern Culture on the Skids album reviewed above.
The Defibulators, a seven-member group, have fiddles, banjos, guitars, drums, a jew’s-harp, honking harmonicas, an upright bass, and a washboard player named Metalbelly.
Singer Erin Bru’s laconic vocals, especially on the song “Get What’s Coming,” remind me a little bit of Trailer Bride’s Melissa Swingle.
I hear a lot of various influences — or at least what I think might be influences — here. There’s a little SCOTS in the song “Go-Go Truck” and some Legendary Shack Shakers madness and a little Hank III raucousness on nearly every tune — maybe even some Reverend Peyton. The song “Xmas Ornament,” which I don’t think has anything to do with Christmas, sounds like some Handsome Family tune interpreted by the Asylum Street Spankers.
Almost every male-female vocal duo in every third-rate alt-country band in this land gets a Gram Parsons-Emmylou Harris comparison at some point by lazy writers and cheesy publicists. So I almost hesitate to use it here. But frontman Bug Jennings and Bru sound so purdy on “Your Hearty Laugh,” it reminds me of “The New Soft Shoe” by none other than Gram & Emmylou.
Check them out at the Cowgirl, 319 S. Guadalupe St., at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The cover charge is an incredible $3.
Sunday, October, 2010
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
Blackberry Brandy by The Sinister Six
Chimp Necropsy by The Scrams
Blame it on Mom by Johnny Thunders
It's Great by Wau & Los Arrrghs!!!
Little Girl by Hollywood Sinners
Lipstick Vogue by Elvis Costello
Pump It Up by Mudhoney
Out of Focus by Blue Cheer
Maria Has a Son by Kult
Kitchenette by Grinderman
Breathing With the Dead by Organs
Rumors by Syndicate of Sound
Sub-Atomic Powerplay by Make-Overs
Fireface by The Chocolate Watchband
I Was A Teenage Kiddie Porn Star by Al Foul & the Shakes
Nothing To Do by Figures Of Light Suburban Cop by The Ruiners King Kong by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages
Around the World by Delaney Davidson
Second Dark Age by The Fall
This is the Day by Pierced Arrows
Luminol by Horror Deluxe
LSDC by Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds
Egyptian Maiden by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Dickie Chalkie And Nobby by The Mekons Swamp Woman by Johnny Dowd Heard It All Before by New Mystery Girl
On Main Street by Los Lobos
Your Love by Reigning Sound
Tough Lover by Etta James
Time Is on My Side by Irma Thomas with Alan Toussaint
Lenny Bruce by Stan Ridgway
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Wild Man Boogie by Ray Batts
Seen You With No Make Up by Mike Neal
Pig Pickin' by Southern Culture on the Skids
Hey Bub by Halden Wofford & The Hi-Beams
White Trash Girl by Candye Kane
Hello Walls by Faron Young
Wings of a Dove by Ferlin Huskey
Pride by Ray Price
Corn Money by The Defibulators
Chauffeur by Rosie Flores and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
R.I.P Solomon Burke
(All songs by Burke unless otherwise noted)
Down in the Valley
That's How I Got to Memphis
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love by Wilson Pickett
Pledging My Love
Soul Meeting by The Soul Clan (Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay, Ben E. King & Joe Tex)
Only a Dream
I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel to Be Free)
Diamond in Your Mind
Celebration of the Rescue of the Chilean Miners
Dark as a Dungeon by Merle Travis with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
16 Tons by Bo Diddley
Coal Tattoo by Kathy Mattea
Blackleg Miner by Steeleye Span
The Mountain by Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band
The Rescue from Moose River Gold Mine by Norman Blake
Redneck War by Ron Short
Que Creek by Buddy Miller
Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean
American Boy by Eleni Mandell
Write Me Sweetheart by Doug Jeffords
Put It Back by Billy Kaundart
Sweet Tequila Blues by Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez
It's Not My Time To Go by Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE
