Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016 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
Here's the playlist
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Look at That Moon by Carl Mann
Garbage Head by Eric Amble
Melt by The Mystery Lights
Rick Wakeman's Cape by The Fleshtones
The Same by Grey City Passengers
Baby Runaround by The Gears
Violets are Blue by The Mobbs
Dead in a Hotel Room by The Hickoids
Spook Factor by The Memphis Morticians
My Baby Left Me by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Tiger in My Tank by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
The Dozens by Eddie "One-String" Jones
Elephant Man by Meet Your Death
Human Lawn Dart by James Leg
Bloodhound by Left-Lane Cruiser
The Wolf by The Bloodhounds
Sexual Release by Lonesome Shack
Tie My Hands to the Floor by Sulphur City
Savage by The Cavemen
Milchblut by The Grannies
Tura Santana Tribute Song by The Dustaphonics
Trouble of the World by Dex Romweber
Heaven is Ugly by The Gospel Truth
Mad Mod Goth by The Fall
Evil Eye by Dead Moon
Dirty Deeds by Grandpa Death Experience
Slippin' Sideways by Drywall
Here Come the Martian Martians by Jonathan Richman
Vibrator by The Painted Dogs
Motorcycle Irene by Moby Grape
Teenage Maniac by The Spooklights
Are You Man Enough by The Four Tops
This Time Darlin' by Social Distortion
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 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
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens
Guitar Man by Junior Brown
Endangered Species by Waylon Jennings
Kung Fu Fighting by Girls on Top
I Just Left Myself Today by The Hickoids
Rocket in Your Pocket by Jenny & The Steady Gos
King's Highway by Sulphur City
Downward Mobility by Southern Culture on the Skids
Southern White Lies by Martha Fields
Freddy Lopez by Joe West
Dirty House Blues by Wayne Hancock
My Boyfriend by Nancy Apple
If You're Looking for a Loser by Arty Hill
You're Humbuggin' Me by Dale Watson
I'm Not Drunk Enough by Rex Hobart
She's a Humdinger by Gov. Jimmie Davis
Your Past's Gonna Come Back to Haunt You by Emily Kaitz
My Gal by Jim Kweskin Jug Band
Easy Ridin' Mama by Devil in a Woodpile
Coney Island Washboard by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Euphoria by Holy Modal Rounders
Banjorena by Dixieland Jug Blowers
Lampshade On by The Dustbowl Revival
Darktown Strutters Ball by Howard Armstrong
Down on Penny's Farm by Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Oct. 14, 2016
Back in 1960, a folklorist/ethnomusicologist named Frederick Usher discovered a street singer named Eddie Jones (if, indeed, that was his real name) playing a one-stringed contraption and singing the blues on Skid Row in Los Angeles.
Usher described Jones’ instrument as a “home-made African derived Zither-Monochord.” (I doubt Jones called it that.) It’s basically a close cousin of the diddley bow, another instrument with African roots.
There, in some Skid Row alley, Usher recorded at least 15 songs by Jones, some with his crony, harmonica player Edward Hazelton. Four years later, the venerated folk label Takoma Records released an album of those recordings under the title One-String Blues.
I first heard this remarkable, if under-appreciated, blues gem back when I was in college. My favorite track was a wild, filthy, hilarious little romp Jones called “The Dozens.”
The song begins:
“God made elephant big and stout / He wasn’t satisfied until He made him a great long snout. … He made him some eyes that was to look at that grass / He wasn't satisfied until He gave him a big fat ass ...”
So imagine my delight when I recently came across a new self-titled album by an Austin band called Meet Your Death. They’ve got a track they call “Elephant Man,” which is a louder, more raucous version of Jones’ one-string “Dozens.” Frontman Walter Daniels growls the lyrics over John Schooley’s apocalyptic slide guitar and then blows his harmonica as if challenging the elephant to a loser-leave-town battle.
This version is based on Bo Diddley’s 1970 take on it, also titled “Elephant Man.” And even though I’m pretty sure Meet Your Death wasn’t overly concerned about getting a G rating here, they leave out the “dirty” verses. Even so, the song is crazy joy from start to finish.
Walter Daniels
But even without “Elephant Man,” I was bound to love this band. I’ve been a long-time fan of both Daniels and Schooley — I even got to see them together in an acoustic setting along with fiddler Ralph White at a Beerland gig in Austin a few years ago.
Harp-man Daniels is a longtime Austin stalwart, having played in such bands as Big Foot Chester and Jack O’Fire, which covered a Blind Willie McTell song called “Meet Your Death” back in 1994.
I mostly know Schooley from his three albums on the Swiss label Voodoo Rhythm Records, under the name “John Schooley and his one-man band.”
In Meet Your Death, this dynamic duo is backed by a couple of younger guys — Harpal Assi on bass and Matt Hammer on drums.
John Schooley
Meet Your Death plays hard-rocking punk blues covers by some great American writers like Hank Williams (“I Don’t Care If Tomorrow Never Comes”) and Mose Allison (“If You Live”).
But next to “Elephant Man,” my favorite song here is the opening track, which comes from a more obscure source. “Obeah Man” is based on a song called “Exuma, The Obeah Man,” recorded in 1970 by Bahamian singer Macfarlane Gregory Anthony Mackey, who recorded under the name Exuma.
Starting off with jungle drums, the song quickly turns into a hoodoo-drenched, Dr.-John-by-way-of-Bo-Diddley invocation to the ruling demons of rock ’n’ roll, with Daniels as the ragged-voiced high priest.
By the end of the song you’ll believe that the singer “came down on a lightning bolt” and “has fire and brimstone coming out of [his] mouth,” as he sings.
Also recommended:
* Blood on the Keys by James Leg. If you need more of that blues-driven, rump-bumpin’, holy-roller-shoutin’, swampy rock ’n’ roll, a keyboard player called James Leg just might be your man.
Leg was born John Wesley Myers. He’s the son of a preacher man, born in Port Arthur, Texas ( Janis Joplin country), and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee (home of the choo-choo).
Before launching his solo career, Leg played with a couple of notable hard-chugging bands. He fronted The Black Diamond Heavies and played in the final incarnation of The Immortal Lee County Killers, a pioneering band of the punk blues sound. Leg also recorded an album (Painkillers, 2012) with current blues minimalist titans Left Lane Cruiser.
Blood on the Keys, recorded in a converted Masonic lodge in Kentucky, is a splendid showcase of what Leg does best: roaring and thundering (with a voice that falls somewhere between Captain Beefheart and Jim “Dandy” Mangrum of the band Black Oak Arkansas) over stripped-down atomic-powered boogie.
A big percentage of these songs feature Leg backed by his own keyboards and drummer Mathieu Gazeau — sometimes joined by guest guitarists and, on a couple of tracks, backup female vocalists (a group called Foxxfire).
And indeed, these songs — including the opener, “Human Lawn Dart”; “Mighty Man” (written by the early ’70s British band Mungo Jerry, best known for their hit “In the Summertime”); “Huggin the Line”; and “DogJaw (Do Some Things You Say)” — are guaranteed to get the crowds moving.
But there are a handful of outliers here too. One of the most memorable songs on the album is “Should’ve Been Home With You,” penned by the late Austin songwriter Blaze Foley. This minor-key tune rocks with just about as much intensity as any other on Blood on the Keys, but the demonic fiddling of Sylvia Mitchell gives it a sweet touch.
Mitchell also plays on “St Michel Shuffle,” which sounds like a tribute to Tom Waits. There are also a couple of soulful, gospel-influenced ballads, including the title song and, even better, “I’ll Take It.”
I’m glad that Leg’s blues bruisers outnumber his ballads. But there’s nothing wrong with a little variety.
Video time!
Here's Meet Your Death live at Beerland
Here's some live Leg (from a Paris show in July)
And finally, I couldn't find "The Dozens" by Eddie "One-String" Jones on YouTube, Spotify or anywhere else. But here's a video of Jones doing "Baby Please Don't Go."
Today would have been the 91st birthday of comedian, First Amendment fighter and major jazz nut Leonard Alfred Schneider, better known as Lenny Bruce.
Lenny was a comic, not a musician. But his love for jazz led to some interesting musical collaborations.
He even produced a television pilot (The World of Lenny Bruce) that featured performances by jazz stars of the day including Cannonball Adderly, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and Buddy Rich (see clip below.) But, of course, none of the gutless prigs running the networks would touch any show hosted by a foul-mouthed lunatic like Lenny.
And here's a final musical connection: Lenny's last gigs were with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention at the original Filmore Auditorium on June 24 and 25,1966. Those who saw the show reported that Lenny was not in good shape. He died of a drug overdose about six weeks later,
Let's start with a strange beatnik poetry interlude called "Psychopathica Sexualis from Lenny's 1959 album The Sick Humour of Lenny Bruce
Here is Lenny singing -- and doing some shtick with -- a bittersweet little song about loneliness.
As promised, here's a clip from Lenny's TV pilot. "I feel from jazz," he declares as he introduces Buddy Rich.
And to conclude, here's Stan Ridgway covering Bob Dylan's tribute to Lenny
This weekend, on the heels of the release of the infamous Donald Trump "hot mic" tape in which he brags about being able to kiss and grope women without their consent because he was “a star," another Trump video begin popping up on Twitter. These were videos from earlier this year in which the Republican nominee reads a poem about a "tender woman" who shows mercy to reptile who seems to be in pretty bad shape.
Here is one of those speeches. (Note: The original Yotube I posted was taken down. I'm replacing it with one that CBS News posted in April 2017.)
As interpreted by Trump, the snake is a metaphor for Syrian terrorists and the "tender woman" are the foolish liberals who "would take them in."
But the people posting the video over the weekend were doing so to taunt Republicans who were practically tripping all over themselves trying to flee from Trump. Their message: They knew damn well what this guy was before they took him in.
Though Trump has repeatedly -- and incorrectly -- identified the writer as Al Wilson (a soul singer who covered it in 1968), the lyrics he's reading are a variation of a song written in the early '60s by jazz singer Oscar Brown, Jr. that was based on one of Aesop's fables.
Johnny's was the first version I ever heard, so I've got a soft spot for it. Here's a live version
And here is a fairly recent one by French rocker, Rev. Tom Frost from his 2013 album, Bloody Works. I'm pretty sure that Debra Paget, the dancer in this video never went furniture shopping with Trump.
Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 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
Here's the playlist
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
Purple Merkin Power by Purple Merkin
Mojo Workout by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Hey You by Simon Stokes & The Heathen Angels
Stella by The Havishams
Bleed Me by The Upper Crust
White Glove Service by The Grannies
Voodoo Moonshine by Deadbolt
Bald Head by Bobby King & Terry Evans
Blood on the Keys by James Leg
I Wanna Be Your Busyman by The Fadeaways
Stormy Weather by The Reigning Sound
Obeah Man by Meet Your Death
Burn She Devil, Burn by The Cramps
Degenerate by DD Owen
Give Me Back My Wig by Hound Dog Taylor
Cannibal Island by The Young Rochelles
Midnight Queen by Iron Lizards
Mutants of the Monster by Christopher "CT" Terry & Micheal Denner
Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 8 am to 10 am Sundays Mountain Time Substitute Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org Here's the playlist :
Welcome Table and Prayer by Alice Wine
Howard Hugh's Blues by John Hartford
Blow the Man Down by Woody Guthrie
Ramblin' Man by Steve Young
Summer Wages by David Bromberg
The Boll Weevil by Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur
Love Song of the Dump by Washboard Hank
Don't Lie Buddy by Josh White
That'll Never Happen No More by Howard Armstrong
Do You Call That a Buddy by Martin, Bogan & Armstrong
Wine Spo-Dee-Odee by Kell Robertson
Wild Bill Jones by Eva Davis
Just Like a Monkey by South Memphis String Band
Luther Played Guitar by Stan Ridgway
I Want My Mama by Salty Holmes
Your Past is Going to Come Back and Haunt You by Emily Kaitz
Good Morning Judge by Louis Innis & His String Dusters
How Lee Sin Ate by Dr. West's Medicine & Junk Band
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate by The Hoosier Hotshots
She Lived Down by The Firehouse by R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders
Stealin' by Dave Van Ronk's Ragtime Jug Stompers
Collegiana by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 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
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens
Too Much by Rosie Flores
Two String Boogie by Wayne Hancock
Swamp Pigs by Dash Rip Rock
Hard Times by Martha Fields
These Arms by Dwight Yoakam
Church on a Saturday Night by Arty Hill
Baby I Like You by Southern Culture on the Skids
Zoysia by The Bottle Rockets
I'll Be There (If Ever Your Want Me) / Make the World Go Away by Willie Nelson
Sweet Georgia Brown by Johnny Gimble with Merle Haggard
Take Me to the Fires by The Waco Brothers
On the Verge by The Royal Hounds
The Ballad of Charles Whitman by Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys
Ladies Love Outlaws by Waylon Jennings
Second Fiddle to an Old Guitar by Jean Shephard
Another Clown by Mose McCormack
Please Tell That Clown to Stop Crying by Neil Hamburger
I Just Can't Be True by Webb Pierce
You're Not Here by Washboard Hank
Drunken Lady of the Morning by Michael Hearne
Long Black Veil by Dale Watson
Roly Poly by The Pine Valley Cosmonauts with Brett Sparks
Venerable old Route 66 undoubtedly inspired more music than any other ribbon of asphalt built in the last century.
Although there have been several songs written about that highway, most of these have been overshadowed by the mother song of the Mother Road, Bobby Troups' ``Get Your Kicks On Route 66.''
Troup, a jazz musician married to the late singer Julie London, wrote the song in 1946, traveling down the road on a trip west. Much of the lyrics are a simple recital of towns along the highway.
`It winds from Chicago to L.A., More than 2,000 miles all the way, Get your kicks on Route 66. Now you go through St. Louie, Joplin, Missouri And Oklahoma City is mighty pretty. You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico, Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.''
Here's a version by the songwriter
Nat ``King'' Cole had a hit with it in 1946 ...
But he was hardly the last to record it.
Route 66 historian David Kammer, who lives in Albuquerque said in 2001 that he was aware of more than 120 different versions of the song.
There are jazz, country, punk-rock, goth-rock, zydeco and raw schmaltz versions.
Here are some of those, starting with The Stones
Wayne Hancock takes it to the country
The late Buckwheat Zydeco did it
British synth-rock group Depeche Mode recorded a version.
The Cramps kindly kept it sleazy.
Here's a take by a Japanese blues band
And then there's this by Tom Trusnovic & Monkeyshines
