Friday, November 18, 2011

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, November 18, 2011
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Foot-stomping Friday Night by The Stumbleweeds
I Ain't Never by The Head Cat
Clickity Clack by Ugly Valley Boys
Shotgun by Anthony Leon & The Chain
Hope Is A Thing With Feathers by Trailer Bride
Three Times for Johnny Minge by Rick Brousard & Two Hoots and a Holler
Truck Drivers Hell by Sonny Cole
Hidin' Out in Espanola by Broomdust Caravan
Anything Goes at a Rooster Show by The Imperial Rooster
Trouble I've Had it All My Days by Mississippi John Hurt

Chicken Strangle by O Lendário Chucrobillyman
Cookin' Chicken 1999 by Hasil Adkins
Where Is My Mind by Bobby Bare, Jr.
Dark End Of The Street by Frank Black
John Henry by Drastic Andrew
I Wanna Kill Your Man by Harmonica Lewinski
Right or Wrong by Wanda Jackson
Lady Cop by Cousin Jody
Country Porno by Jon Wayne

Another Man's Eyes by Delaney Davidson
Midnight Sun by Dex Romweber Duo
Don't Buy a Skinned Rabbit by Blonde Boy Grunt & The Groans
Mary Lou, Good Time Gal by Kell Robertson
Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
Pray I Won't Wake Up by Honky Tonk Hustlas
Jesus Was a Wino by Lydia Loveless
He's in the Nuthouse Now by Angry Johnny & GTO
Kosher Country by Jim Terr

Annalisa by Poor Boy's Soul
Wild Bill Jones by Eva Davis
Town With No Shame by Jimbo Mathus
Desperados Waiting For The Train by Jerry Jeff Walker
I Don't Worry by Rachel Brook with Brooks Robbins
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: One-Man Armies

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Nov. 18, 2011


The modern-day one-man band refuses to die.

Maybe it’s the bad economy that makes it more fiscally feasible to travel and perform without having to divide up the gate with others. Or maybe stripping music down to its gutbucket basics is a reaction to slick, over-produced rock ’n’ pop. Or, to indulge in some sociopsychological navel-gazing, perhaps the whole thing is a weird symbol for 21st-century isolation.

Whatever the case, one-man bands continue to haunt the edges of the rock ’n’ roll underground.

The concept is basic: one man plays guitar, banjo, ukulele, or sometimes keyboards with his hands, drums or other percussion with his feet, and harmonica or kazoo with his mouth.

Among the current practitioners of the art are Scott H. Biram, whose album Bad Ingredients is one of the finest records of the year; Bloodshot Bill; King Automatic; Bob Log III; John Schooley; Jawbone; Urban Junior (who calls his music “Swiss-spankin-electro-trash-garage-boogie-disco-blues-punk”); and Mark Sultan aka BBQ, whose acrimonious split from the King Khan & BBQ Show is an example of how even a two-man band can be a petri dish for personality conflicts.

Here are some recent one-man wonders whose CDs have crossed my ears in recent weeks:

* Burn Down by Poor Boy’s Soul. I first became aware of Trevor Jones, the one man behind this band, by way of a strange email from his publicist: “I have been trying to get this band serviced to you for weeks now. Want to know why I haven’t been able to get this out to you? He went missing. Got a call today from him, apparently he was in jail in a small town in North Dakota. Trevor rides the freight trains around the U.S. and, well, he got busted.”

That modern-day hobo-minstrel tale got me curious. I had to hear his voice before the railroad bulls silenced it forever.

Jones, an Oregon resident, got his band name from an old outlaw ballad, “Wild Bill Jones”: “I pulled my revolver from my side / And I destroyed that poor boy’s soul.”

He started out as a metal and punk player. But after he started riding the rails, he apparently got possessed by the lonesome ghosts of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly. “I bought a cheap acoustic and started learning folk, bluegrass, and blues from folks on the road. That’s when I started developing the style of music I play now,” he says in his official bio.

His voice has a gruff edge to it, but it’s not overdone. Crediting Mississippi Fred McDowell as a major influence, PBS plays a mean National guitar. Most of the seven songs here are hard-edged blues stompers, starting out with the title song — a slow-moving, ominous tune that sounds as if the singer is about to do something regrettable.

My favorite at the moment is “Nails in the Pine.” It’s the most uptempo number, reminding me of The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Also notable is the almost-five- minute “Ain’t Comin’ Back,” which has a dark, spooky feel. The way it’s recorded, you might think you’re hearing it from a car radio in the 1950s (right before your car breaks down on a dirt road near the local serial killer’s house).

The biggest surprise on the album is the last song, a somber seven-plus minute ballad called “Annalisa.” Sounding like a more melodic Jandek song, this is a moving tribute to Jones’ sister — who, he says, has overcome many obstacles. “Annalisa, you’re stronger than those demons in your head,” goes the refrain.

I’m looking forward to hearing more music from this poor boy’s soul.

* The Chicken Album by O Lendário Chucrobillyman. This is some of the craziest music I’ve heard in some time. Faithful readers of this column will know that’s saying something.

Chucrobillyman, whose real name is Klaus Koti, is a one-man band from Brazil, who plays American blues with shades of Brazilian country music and some pretty snazzy percussion.

He sings in English and Portuguese. This record is pure Amazon River voodoo.

The eight-song album starts off with a tune called “Chicken Flow,” a slide-guitar blues romp with a frantic clacking beats. Add then he starts clucking — singing actually — like a dadgum chicken!

The late great Hasil Adkins — the West Virginia maniac who is the patron saint of most of these contemporary one-man bands — did a compilation called Poultry in Motion. Chucrobillyman takes that concept one level further. He doesn’t cluck on all the cuts, but a listener gets the feeling that the chicken spirit could return at any time.

All the hens in the henhouse better beware!

This album was originally released in 2008 and was recently re-released by Off Label Records, a German company.

* One man vs. the radio industry: I’m doing a one-man-band special Sunday night on Terrell’s Sound World, freeform weirdo radio. The show starts at 10 p.m. on KSFR-FM 101.1, and the special segment begins right after the 11th hour. It’s streaming atcha and screaming atcha on the web at www.ksfr.org. And don’t forget The Santa Fe Opry, the country music Nashville does not want you to hear, same time, same station, Friday nights.

* One-man Spotify: Hear a selection of some of the finest past and present one-man (and one one-woman) bands on my new Spotify playlist One-Man Wonders. (Unfortunately, neither Poor Boy’s Soul nor O Lendário Chucrobillyman is on Spotify, at least yet.) It’s at www.sharemyplaylists.com/one-man-wonders.

Blog Bonus! Enjoy some videos:





and here's Dock Boggs singing "Wild Bill Jones"

Monday, November 14, 2011

eMusic November

Here's my latest batch of downloads from eMusic:

* Wolf Call! by Various Artists. Another fine Norton collection of greasy, sleazy rock 'n' roll and R&B from the late '50s and early '60s.

This isn't quite as diverse as other Norton compilations like Mad Mike's Monsters or the I Hate CDs series. But he'll, plaster a picture of a stripper on the cover and you probably could pass this off  as a new Las Vegas Grind volume.

Wolf Call! features music from the Golden Crest label, a Long Island-based company, though the best known band on the album, The Wailers, was from Tacoma. hjat band has two songs here, their classic "Tall Cool One" and "Snake Pit." Both are rollicking instrumentals

"Cleopatra" by The Precisions reminds me a lot of The Coasters, except the weird little Del Shannon organ seller in the middle. "I'm Buggin' Out Little Baby," is some good obscure rockabilly byDonny Lee Moore. "Let Your Love Light Shine" by The Kack-ties is raw, unfetterfed doo-wop.  "Roaches" is early '60s soul, sounding like the Isley Brothers would have sounded had they been exterminators. The singer notes that the Civil Rights Bill has passed, but there's nothing in the bill that guarantees you a home free of roaches.

"Bandito" by The Banditos has  south- of-the-border rhythms and a corny, probably offensive to some, monologue between the "bandito" and a bartender. But the strangerst here is "The Beatle Song" by The Japanese Beatles. It puts the ethnic stereotypes in "Bandito" to shame. In fact, shame's a pretty good word here.

* Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans by Iggy & The Stooges. I couldn't resist. This is one of those concerts where a band plays a classic album in its entirety decades later. Lou Reed got away with it on his recent live version of Berlin, so why not Iggy?

The original Raw Power has been remixed, repackaged and regurgitated so many time it's hard to keep track. The 2010 version included a live disc from a 1973 concert in Atlanta featuring half of the Raw Power songs.

But this new show, recorded last year at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in New York, featuring original Raw Power ax man James Williamson on guitar duties, is a welcome addition.  Iggy and the other surviving original Stooges are in their mid 60s now (Bassist Mike Watt, who's been a Stooge on recent outings, is the baby of the group. He's only in his 50s.). Even so, they rock like young bucks half their age.

Here's a video:



* South of Nashville by Honky Tonk Hustlas. When I first saw this band's name I feared it might be some crappy alt country/hip-hop fusion. But then I heard a song of theirs on Outlaw Radio Chicago and realized these guys sound a lot more like Wayne "The Train" than Cowboy Troy.

The Hustlas come from Montgomery, Alabama. The core of the band is , T. Junior on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Stemp on stand-up bass. The sound is acoustic-based traditional country with lots of fiddle, mandolin and dobro.

Even if country radio still played good country music they'd never play the HTH -- not only because of the occasional use of profanity, but because the lyrics to some of the songs are so dark. "My Worst Enemy," "Pray I Won't Wake Up" and even the upbeat "Never Gonna Quit" deal frankly with self-destructive urges. And the chilling  "Death's Cold Sting" reminds me a lot of Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken" -- which wasn't exactly a big radio hit for Hank.

So they're just going to have to make do with being played on shows like Outlaw Radio Chicago and, of course, The Santa Fe Opry. I hope to hear more from this band.



* Miami by The Gun Club. I confessed a couple of months ago when I downloaded their wonderful debut album Fire of Love  that I'm just a newcomer to the glory that was The Gun Club. 

This is the second album. Some consider Miami to be a sophomore slump for Jeffrey Lee Pearce and the Club. But while it's true that it doesn't quite match Fire of Love, there's plenty to love here.

Actually there's a song called "Fire of Love" here (it wasn't on the album of the same name.)  It borrows liberally from Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep."

Almost as powerful is "Like Calling Up Thunder" It's like a hoedown for maniacs (and Ward Dotson plays a guitar lick lifted from "Dixie" as Pearce sings, "Look away, look away ..."

Also there's a couple of great covers here. "John Hardy" is a wild cowpunk update of the the old outlaw ballad. But even better is the ferocious version of Creedence Clearwater Revivals' "Run Through the Jungle." This might even be more nightmarish than the original tune.

PLUS
* Three songs from Halloween Classics: Songs That Scared The Bloomers Off Your Great Grandma:  "The Skeleton In The Closet" by Putney Dandridge," "Minnie The Moocher At The Morgue" by Smiley Burnette and "Hush, Hush, Hush (Here Comes The Boogie Man" by Henry Hall. This is the second year in a row I hit up this fun collection for some Halloween material for my radio -- and this year my podcast -- Spooktaculars.

I doubt if any of these novelty tunes from the 30s would scare the bloomers off anyone, even your great granny. But they're still lotsa fun.

* "Ghoulman Confidential" by The Fleshtones. I used this one on the 2011 Big Enchilada Spooktacular also. This is the second "Ghoulman" song by The Fleshtones I'm aware of, the first being "Dance With the Ghoulman." Are there more?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, November 13, 2011
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(at)ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Shuffling Spectre by Dan Melchior und Das Menace
Cry! by The Monsters
The World's Greatest Sinner by The A-Bones
Little Cockroach by The Treblemakers
King Takes Queen by King Automatic
Loveminer by O Lendario Churcrobillyman
No Confidence by Simon Stokes
Night of the Caveman by The 99ers
Baby Please Don't Go by Them

Get Lost by Tom Waits
He's Doin' It by The Gories
Livin' in the Jungle by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Heavy Metal Blues by The Revelations feat. Tre Williams (Click link to download album for free.)
Don't Lock the Door by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
I Got The Feeling by Sharon Jones
I'm Mad by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Unchained Melody by Golden Group Memories
House Where Nobody Lives by King Ernest

DAVID LYNCH SET

Pinky's Dream by David Lynch with Karen O
I've Told Every Little Star by Linda Scott
Wicked Game by Chris Issak
Sycamore Trees by Little Jimmy Scott
Dark Night Of The Soul by Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse with David Lynch
Up in Flames by Koko Taylor
Floating by Julee Cruise
Noah's Ark by David Lynch

Bitch Done Quit Me by King Ivory
My Love Is A Monster by The Compulsive Gamblers
Love $$$ by Helium
See What you Cause by Cold Sun
Escape by Night by King Shark
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis


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Friday, November 11, 2011

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, November 11, 2011
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
South of Nashville by Honky Tonk Hustlas
Sinkhole by Drive-By Truckers
Daddy Was A Preacher But Mama Was A Go-Go Girl by Southern Culture On The Skids
Laugh it Off by Merle Haggard
The Wheels Fell Off The Wagon by Johnny Paycheck
Mama Hated Diesels by Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen
Death Of Country Music by The Waco Brothers
Hey, Good Lookin' by Ray Charles

Different Girl by Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
Throwing Stones by Poor Boy's Soul
Pearly Lee by Billy Lee Riley
Long Live by Anthony Leon & The Chain
Look at that Moon by Carl Mann
The Marching Hippies by Guy Drake
Come and Go by John Lilly
The Cuban Sandwich by Tom Russell & Barrence Whitfield
Cootzie Coo by Charlie Feathers
Veteran's Day by Johnny Cash

KELL ROBERTSON
Kell Robertson at Cafe Oasis 2004
KELL ROBERTSON
(All songs by Kell Unless Otherwise Noted)
Cool and Dark Inside
Died For Love
A Family Joke
Song
Dusty Little World
Another Hole to Fill by Jason Eklund
Down the Bar From Me
Wine Spodee Odee
For Woody Guthrie

Blonde Boy Grunt on the Santa Fe Opry
Blonde Boy Grunt live on
The Santa Fe Opry
The Pilgrim Chapter 33 by Kris Kristofferson
Madonna on the Billboard
Dizzy Gillespie
Song for Roxy
Junkie Eyes
Greensleeves
When You Come Down Off the Mountain by Blonde Boy Grunt (live in studio)
I'll Walk Around Heaven With You by  Blonde Boy Grunt & The Groans
Tell 'em What I Was



Music by Kell Robertson as well as Blonde Boy Grunt & The Groans can be found at www.blondeboygrunt.com

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

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

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, April 28, 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM  Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrel...