Outsider musicians love Christmas too! It's time for some of the most twisted carols you may ever hear.
Not hip to the concept of outsider music? Fear not. Irwin Chusid, author of Songs in the Key of Z, the Bible of this "genre," will enlighten you:
Outsider musicians are often termed "bad" or "inept" by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. And believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality...
Most of the artists below appear in Chusid's book and or the fabulous Songs in the Key of Z CD compilations,
Here's an outside artist you probably have heard of, the late, great Tiny Tim, (especially if you read Wacky Wednesday very much.)
Previously, since 2008, I've produced a Christmas podcast for the Big Enchilada. But this year, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Call me Scrooge or call me Grinch, I just couldn't do it. So instead I'm giving you an hour of crazed rock 'n' roll, including some songs from some of my favorite albums of 2016. (And if you really need some Christmas music right now, you can find all my Christmas specials HERE)
Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
When Fate Deals Its Mortal Blow by Meet Your Death
Justine by The Righteous Brothers
Nasty Girl, Nasty Boy by The Cavemen
Human Lawn Dart by James Leg
Walking the Streets by Oh! Gunquit
Walking on My Grave by Dead Moon
Slippin' Sideways by Dywall
Eggnog by The Rockin' Guys
Sock it to Me, Santa by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Changes by Charles Bradley
Window Shopping by Sharon Jones
Got the Skinny by Gino & The Goons
Born Bad by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Fluorescent Sunset by Nots
Saturday Midnight Bop by Jerry J. Nixon
Dreams on Screen by The Dustaphonics
Christmas Song by Gregg Turner
Don't Believe in Christmas by The Sonics
Track 3 by Arrington de Dionyso with Gal Lazer Shiloach
Revolution Part 1 by Butthole Surfers
Melt by The Mystery Lights
The Sights and Sounfs of De Los Muertos by De Los Muertos
The Thin Man by Archie & The Bunkers
I Have Always Been Here Before by Hickoids
Yakov the Polka Reindeer by The Polkaholics
Chickasaw Fire by Churchwood
You're Humbuggin' Me by Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater with Los Straitjackets
Ponytail and a Black Cadillac by King Automatic
Getting Ready For Christmas Day by Paul Simon
Little Drummer Boy by Dengue Fever
Chokin' Kind by Z.Z. Hill
Surrealchemist by Stereolab
Star of Wonder by The Roches CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Dec. 16, 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
Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy by Buck Owens
SLC by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Run Mississippi by Rhonda Vincent
18 Wheels a Hummin' Home Sweet Home by Mac Wiseman
Walking Backwards by Pork Chop Party
Stutterin' Cindy by Charlie Feathers
Bowling Alley Baby by Reach Around Rodeo Clowns
Boots and Spurs by Kyle Martin
It's Movin' Day by Charlie Poole
Your Father's Country Music by Jim Terr
Little Bells by Rosie Flores
Be Careful If You Can't Be Good by Ray Condo & The Ricochets
Out of My Mind by Nikki Lane
Honky Tonk Girl by Hank Thompson
Christmas Time With You by Jesse Dayton
Born to Love One Woman by Don Johnston
Aunt Peg's New Old Man by Robbie Fulks
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now by Ry Cooder
String's Mountain Dew by Stringbean
The Great Joe Bob by Terry Allen
All Night Lady by Johnny Paycheck
Wall of Stone by Tommy Hill
Killed Them Both by Wayne Hancock
Another Clown by Mose McCormack
What Good Can Drinkin' Do by Martha Fields
How Can I Still Be Patriotic (When They've Taken Away My Right to Cry) by Neil Hamburger
Poor Don't Vote by Paul Burch
I'd Rather Be Gone by Merle Haggard
Ramblin' Woman by Hazel & Alice
Someday by Blaze Foley
Never Cold Again by The Imperial Rooster CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
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Sixty three years ago this month, Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy magazine. It featured full-color nude photos of Marilyn Monroe.
People bought it for the articles.
But in addition to playing an important role in the Sexual Revolution, Hefner also was responsible for bringing some great music to television. In 1959 he launched a syndicated show called Playboy's Penthouse. Though the set was made to look like Hefner's own swinging pad, it actually was a studio at Chicago's WBKB.
Here's a clip featuring Ella Fitzgerald.
Here's something cool: It's June Christy singing "Something Cool" at Hef's request.
Playboy's Penthouse only lasted two years. But by the end of the '60s, Hefner began hosting a second syndicated TV show. This one was called Playboy After Dark. (By then there was a rival magazine called Penthouse, So Playboy's Penthouse would have sounded like "Time's Newsweek.") Hef hosted with his then girlfriend Barbie Benton by his side. I forget which Albuquerque station carried it, but I saw many episodes on late Saturday nights.
The second show was in color -- just like Marilyn Monroe. And while there were some guests like Buddy Rich and Sammy Davis, Jr. However, this show was far more rock 'n' roll oriented when it came to musical guests.
Here's a show with Ike & Tina Turner. (Dig Ike's hair!) And right after the 13 minute mark, the Ragin' Cajun, Doug Kershaw, comes out to play some fiddle with Ike & Tina on "Honky Tonk Women."
And here are a couple of songs by Canned Heat -- and an interview with Bob "The Bear" Hite talking about his vast collection of 78s.
The theme song for both shows was by Cy Coleman, (who also co-wrote the song "Witchcraft."
"Well," like the old Wolf Brand Chili commercials used to say, "friend, that's too long."
Today, Dec. 14, is the birthday of Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones, a son of a railroad man who grew up to be unique musician and comic genius. He would have been 105 years old today.
Let's start out at the Hollywood Bowl.
Hard to believe this one's timely again -- (even though it's timeless). This is for those so-called "Alt-White" morons
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Livin' with Mum & Dad by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Don't Look Down by Lovestruck
Bursting Love by The Bloody Tomahawks
Mad Man by Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre
This Situation by Lucy & The Rats
Second Chance by Grandpa Death Experience
Marie Ann by Mojo Brothers
Losing My Mind by MFC Chicken
War Going On by Sulphur City
The Striker by Giant Robots
They Took You Away by Gregg Turner
Mencerminkan Mahkota Kotor by Arrington de Dionyso
Casino by Old Time Relijun
Laptop Dog by The Fall
The Splurge by James Chance & The Distortions
Teddy Bear by The Residents
A Poison Tree by Movie Star Junkies
Tura Satana Tribute Song by The Dustaphonics
Faster Pussycat by The Cramps
The Moon and Sixpence by Archie & The Bunkers
Fly Like a Rat by Quintron & Miss Pussycat
I Started a Joke by The Dirtbombs
Annie May by The Mobbs
Stupid Old Sun by The Fleshtones
Tammy by The Dean Ween Group
Get Yo Shit! by Black Lewis & The Honey Bears
Sag by Churchwood
Rita by Gaunga Dyns
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts by X
Not Raving But Drowning by Julian Cope CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Dec. 9, 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
Damn the Damage by Reverse Cowgirls
Crazy Mixed Emotions by Rosie Flores
It's Gravity by T. Tex Edwards
Crazy Blues by J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper)
Swampblood by Legendary Shack Shakers
I Crossed the Line by Jim Stringer
Holy Ghost Rock 'n' Roller by Jesse Dayton
I'm Mad by The Reverend Horton Heat
Kentucky Borderline by Rhonda Vincent
How Lew Sin Ate by Dr. West's Medicine Show & Junk Band
I Wanna Be Sedated by Two Tons of Steel
New Deal of Love by Hank Thompson An Incident Off St. Kitts by The Mekons & Robbie Fulkss
Red Brick Wall by The Waco Brothers
They Took the Stars Out of Heaven by Floyd Tillman & Johnny Bush
I Love You So Much It Hurts by Merle Haggard
Slippin' Around by Ernest Tubb
Each Night at Nine by Floyd Tillman & Willie Nelson
Driving Nails in My Coffin by New Duncan Imperials
Travelin' Mood by John McEuen
Voodoo Voodoo by Marti Brom
Inside View by Dale Watson
Heavy on the Lonesome by Miss Leslie & The Juke Jointers
99 Years to Go by The Wray Brothers
Bobbin' Bonnie by Eddie Bond
Polka de Nalgas by The Imperial Rooster
Boogie Woogie Country Girl by Sleepy LaBeef
Let's Bounce by The Supersuckers
Beer Cans Down the Trans Can by Washboard Hank
Downward Mobility by Southern Culture on the Skids
Katy Kay by Robbie Fulks
Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine by Wayne Hancock
Men With Broken Hearts by Hank Williams
The Bad Wind by Tony Joe White
You Make the Blues Feel Like a Sunny Day by Michael Hearne & Shake Russell
Getting to Know You by NRBQ
Empty Bottle by The Calamity Cubes CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Dec. 9, 2016 The recent passing of Norton Records co-founder Billy Miller set me to thinking about how much I appreciate great independent record labels. I assume Norton will remain a national treasure under the direction of Miller’s talented and visionary widow Miriam Linna.
But Miller’s death also makes me appreciate other great labels as well. Loyal readers of this column have seen me sing the praises of Norton, as well as others like Bloodshot, Saustex, Voodoo Rhythm, and Off Label.
Another one that deserves to be high on that list — especially for us fans of garage-punk and modern rock ’n’ soul — is Dirty Water Records. It's a British company named after The Standells’ major 1966 hit and an offshoot of the Dirty Water Club in London, which operated for more than a decade out of a venue called The Boston and still produces occasional live music events at various London spots.
I’ve written in the past about Dirty Water recording artists like King Salami &The Cumberland 3, Los Peyotes, and Hollywood Sinners. Here’s a look at several recent Dirty Water releases.
* Johnny & Bo by The Dustaphonics. Next only to King Salami, this band is probably the most exciting Dirty Water act in the label’s 12-year history. Featuring the guitar of the French-born Yvan Serrano-Fontova and the full-throttle vocals of Hayley Red, The Dustaphonics combine surf music, punk, and R&B (and a few echoes of ska, soundtrack music, and exotica) into a unique hopped-up sound.
The Johnny and Bo in the title refer to Ramone and Diddley, who are in Serrano-Fontova’s and Red’s personal pantheon of music heroes. The title song, complete with the famous Bo beat and a reverb-heavy guitar, has a refrain combining “Hey, Bo Diddley” and The Ramones’ signature “Gabba gabba hey.”
There’s also a high-spirited tribute song celebrating the late Tura Satana, the star of Russ Meyer‘s sex-sational 1965 classic, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. Before her death in 2011, Satana collaborated with Serrano-Fontova on some music projects, including co-writing an early Dustaphonics song, “Burlesque Queen.” Here’s a DJ tip: Play this alongside The Cramps’ version of “Faster Pussycat.”
Other highlights here are a sped-up cover of The Specials’ 1979 ska-revival hit “Gangsters,” a tune called “Listen to the Showman Twang” (featuring Red calling out idols including Dick Dale, The Ventures, Mickey Baker, Magic Sam, and The Trashmen), and not one but two versions of a song called “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” — one with a horn section and one without.
I’m just confused as to why they’re called The Dustaphonics. There ain’t nothing dusty about these sounds.
* Goin’ Chicken Crazy by MFC Chicken. This band leans heavily on soul and R&B, as filtered
through 1960s Northwestern U.S. bands like The Sonics and The Wailers. Led by sax man/singer Spencer Evoy and guitarist Alberto Ziol, this album sounds like a party that has no intention of ever ending. That’s probably most evident in the songs “Hooch Party,” “Blackout Drunk,” and the Chicken’s raucous cover of The Toppers’ 1954 novelty, “Baby Let Me Bang Your Box.”
The group celebrates simple joys like having a new pair of socks, roast potatoes, and even hair-care products.
“I Ain’t Crying (That’s Just Pomade in My Eyes)” pokes fun at the retro culture that often surrounds music like this. “When my girl up and left me, she took my good pomade/Now I’m left with the cheap stuff, the kind that ain’t well made.”
There are so many chicken songs here — “Goin’ Chicken Crazy,” “Chicken in a Hurry,” “Big Cluckin’ Mistake” — I couldn’t help but be reminded of Hasil Adkins’ album (on Norton Records) Poultry in Motion.
* Dirty Rock ’n’ Roll by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons. This is a high-energy, big-personality English trio, led by singer Puss Johnson, whose voice is a joyful experience that reminds me of KatieJane Garside of Daisy Chainsaw. (Remember “Love Your Money”?)
Even so, some songs on this album deal with gruesome themes. There’s the opening song “Burying the Bodies.” Then in “Hell Bent,” Puss sings of making boots out of a victim’s skin (and shrinking his head and grinding his bones), while the near-metallic “Souvenir” contains romantic lyrics such as, “They’ll find you in a ditch somewhere/bound and broken with no hair/I kept it as a souvenir.”
My favorite songs here are “Why Do You Hate Me,” “Hideous” (a rocking tirade against fashion-obsessed, celebrity-worshiping conformists), and best of all, “Still Livin’ With Mum and Dad,” an ode to eternal youth. “Hey why don’t you come over/and play on my Game Cube/We can listen to punk rock, baby, and make out in my room.”
And there’s even a song about the cat’s mortal enemy: “Dirty Li’l Dog.”
* Mystery Lover by Archie & The Bunkers. This band mostly just rants against hippies and
liberals
and demands their wives stifle themselves. Not really. Actually I’m a little puzzled about why this group — a pair of teenage (!) brothers from Cleveland — chose this name. But I don’t care if they call themselves Herman’s Hermits — these youngsters have created some amazing music here. With Cullen O’Connor on organ and Emmett O’Connor on drums (and both contributing vocals), these youngsters rock hard beyond their years.
The omnipresent organ gives the sound a spooky feel that reminds me of Mr. Quintron, the New Orleans keyboardist whom I first came to love through his collaboration with The Oblivians.
Alas, this is only a six-song EP. One of the songs is a cover of “Sunglasses After Dark,” first done by rockabilly Dwight Pullen and later by The Cramps.
For the sake of all us dingbats and meatheads, I hope these guys have a long future in music and stay true to these roots. can find out more at.
Today is the birthday of one of country music's greatest songwriters, Floyd Tillman.
He would have been 102.
He was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, but raised in Post, Texas, According to his official website, "Floyd was drawn to playing music by the fact that two of his brothers were earning $5 a night playing dances at a local skating rink.
"Floyd developed his own style of performing at an early age. He was always just a little off from the beat of the other musicians. He would rather sing his own compositions than the common hits of the day."
After years of recording hits and relentless touring, Tillman slowed down on his performing in the early 1950's, his website says, Quoting the artist: "It was a daily rat race. I was sleeping in my car-a bus was out of the question, too expensive-and making $200-$500 a night, more money than I could pay taxes on, and I got tired of it. I told the band they could go on and keep playin' but I was going to retire. That kind of life can get to you."
Tillman was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1971. And in 1984, Willie Nelson inducted him into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Tillman died in 2003 at the age of 88.
Here are some of his greatest songs.
Here's Tillman himself singing "I Love You So Much It Hurts Me" in 1948
"They Took the Stars Out of Heaven" was Tillman's first single in 1944, Here's a 1946 cover by a singer called Boots Faye
According to his website, "Each Night At Nine," a 1944 hit by Tillman, "captured the feelings of lonely servicemen so well that both Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose played it heavily to encourage desertion." Here's a version by one of Tillman's greatest interpreters, Ernest Tubb
Jerry Lee Lewis covers Tillman's "Slippin' Around," known as one of country music's first cheating songs.
Rockabilly star Eddie Bond is one of many to cover Tillman's "This Cold War With You,"
Here's a fairly recent version one of Tillman's most-loved songs, "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" performed by Rhonda Vincent
Outsider musicians love Christmas too! It's time for some of the most twisted carols you may ever hear.
