Hell's Kitchen #205: Happy Toddie Time

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Tonight on the show I had two, count them, TWO local bands in the studio. In the first hour, Erin, from the Oakland trio The Hot Toddies came by to talk up her band's 10th anniversary show happening this Saturday night at The Fillmore. They're a surf-pop band, with some rather bodacious lyrics. Erin had some fun stories to tell, and I know the upcoming show is going to be a hoot.

In the second hour Rebecca and Mike from Happy Fangs stopped in to talk up their show, also this Saturday night. They're headlining at Rickshaw Stop. Hmmm, which show to go to? If you haven't heard Happy Fangs yet, then you MUST listen to this interview. Rebecca was having nothing of what I was serving up. OUTSTANDING! She served up some delicious Hell to this here host. Their brand spankin' new release, Capricorn, dropped a couple of days ago. Check it out.

I asked both bands a favor. One said maybe, the other a resolute NO!

It's all about supporting live, local music. Stop being boring and go to a show this weekend. I'm going to see my man-crush, Ty Segall at the Great American Music Hall on Thursday night. It's the first time I've ever seen him, and I'm really pretty giddy about this. As much as I really want to get in close, because he's very physical on stage, I also want to be in that sweet spot in the middle of the room. What to do, what to do? On Saturday night, I'm going to miss seeing both of my guests, and head up to Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, to see Phil Lesh's new band Communion. I wonder what they're going to play? Also, this room has got to be the BEST sound room in the Bay Area. And why not? Phil has the money and the musical acumen to create the very best.

Ah, for the love of live music!

Stop being boring, and go have fun.

Enjoy.

jh

Hell's Kitchen with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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I Heard it on the X: Olivelawn
Lil Red: Bikini Kill
Cheap Trick Record: Bratmobile
Celebrity Compass: Bongwater

High in a Flat: Bevis Frond

Interview with Erin of The Hot Toddies

Surf Song: The Hot Toddies
Seattle: The Hot Toddies

Interview with Erin of The Hot Toddies

Boys on Bikes: The Hot Toddies
Jaguar Love: The Hot Toddies

Interview with Erin of The Hot Toddies

Summertime Blues: The Hot Toddies
Mary-Christ: Sonic Youth
Flower and Dream: Angel in Heavy Syrup

Interview with Happy Fangs

Raw Nights: Happy Fangs
Ton of Bricks: Happy Fangs

Interview with Happy Fangs

Cliche: Happy Fangs
In The Morning: Happy Fangs
Send/Receive: Wand
Diddley Daddy: Bo Diddley
Messin' with the Kid: Blues Brothers

Dinah-Mo Hum: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (1974 11 17 - Spectrum Theater, Philadelphia, PA)
Sleigh Ride: Fuzz (Kings Barcade, Raleigh, NC October 10, 2013)

Hell's Kitchen #204: Girls and Boys and You

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Santa Rosa band Girls + Boys join me in the studio tonight.When asked to describe their kind of music, they say folk rock, heavy on the rock. With three guitarists you can understand why they would say that. Bass player Josh, and singer/songwriter Brianna hung out for the night, and proved to not only be a great interview, but also it felt like to long lost friends we're hanging out. You can catch them live at the Make Out Room this Sunday night. I plan on being there, so come say hello. Check out their website for details on how to find their music, and where to see them perform live. They have a lot of shows on the calendar, so you have no excuses. Support live, local music.

Another special guest dropped in unexpectedly: KROB, along with his mother Maggie. Now I've known KROB for about 15 years, and I have never met his mother before. How the hell did we go so long and not actually meet? Regardless, she was a delight and allowed me to interview her. If you know KROB then you really need to listen to this interview.

Check out the playlist below and tune next week as I will have another band in the studio, with tickets to giveaway. A shout out to Elizabeth Simon, from Bourgeois Productions Presents, For sending me all the bands lately. It's much appreciated.

Enjoy.

jh

Why? (The King of Love is Dead): Nina Simone
Freedom Day: Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln

Interview with Girls + Boys

Wanna: Girls + Boys
Scratch and Scream: Girls + Boys

Interview with Girls + Boys

I Would: Girls + Boys

Interview with Girls + Boys

Vibration: Girls + Boys
Fat Old Sun: Pink Floyd
Voodoo Chile: Jimi Hendrix (June 20, 1969 - Newport Pop Festival)

Take Up They Stethoscope and Walk: Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin
Am I In Heaven: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Fuzz's Fourth Dream: Fuzz
Fable of the Brown Ape: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Watcher of the Skies: Genesis
Primitive Man: Jerusalem

Hog Leg: Melvins
Posso Perder Minha Mulher, Minah Mae, Desde Que, Eu Tenha O Rock and Roll: Os Mutantes

Hell's Kitchen #203: Running With Scissors

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If you know me, then you know how much I absolutely LOVE supporting local bands. I've interviewed countless artists over the years, and their stories are too much fun. Monday night I was lucky enough to have two members of local indie scene-sters,  Scissors for Lefty with me. Bryan and Eric proved to be super friendly, and ready to talk about SfL's roller coaster ride of the past few years. This band is no flash in the pan. They've been supporting act for some heavyweights, including Panic at the Disco, The Sea and Cake, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gang of Four, and Blonde Redhead.

Their third release, Bangs and Lashes, came out last October, following a successful Kickstarter campaign, and it was worth the wait. This record kicks the pop-indie-dance-jump-around-groove right from the start. Bryan and Eric performed a few songs in the studio for us, and told some great road stories, as well as how they are surviving the post-record label world. I love Bryan's voice. It reminds me a bit of a young Brian Ferry. There's a shoegazer sound to them that really gets my toes a-tappin'. I think you'll agree. It was so much fun having them perform in the studio, I can only imagine what they do live. Go see this band before they hit it HUGE. And they are going to hit it HUGE.

Scissors for Lefty are supporting Fritz Montana at the Great American Music Hall this Friday night. Tickets are still available. Go out and support live, local music. You can thank me later.

You can see by the playlist below that Monday night had a pretty sweet mix. Take a listen, and feel free to comment.

This coming Monday I'll be interviewing local band Girls and Boys in the first hour. Tune in.

Enjoy.

jh

Hell's Kitchen with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Rice Rocket Boy: Kitten on the Keys
Looking For The Ghost: Heartless Bastards
I Hate Winter: Loop! Station

Interview with Scissors for Lefty

X's Are Forever: Scissors for Lefty
Come Undone: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Sunshine of your Love: Ella Fitzgerald

Interview with Scissors for Lefty

Getaways (Live in studio): Scissors for Lefty
Puzzle Pieces (live in studio): Scissors for Lefty

Werewolf: Scissors for Lefty
Blue Jay Way: The Beatles
Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings: ZZ Top
Jerkus Crokus: Mott the Hoople

Circles: Ty Segall
River of Fever: The Flesh Eaters
It's Shoved: The Melvins
Youth of America (Alt Take): The Wipers

Heartbreak Hotel: Ayers/Cale/Eno/Nico
Do you Take This Man?: Diamanda Galas
Piss Factory: Patti Smith

Brother: OBN IIIs
I Think of Demons: Roky Erickson

Hell's Kitchen #202: Grunge vs. BritPop

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It's all Grunge vs. BritPop tonight on Hell's Kitchen with John Hell and David Fraser.

It's hard to believe that the 90s ended 15 years ago. It's even harder to believe that Grunge started more than 25 years ago. That's just ridiculous to me. What's even more ridiculous to me is that I was in my 20s that long ago. Like many, I too was smitten when I first encountered the early sounds of Grunge and Britpop and Shoegaze, starting around 1989. And who wouldn't you be? The distorted guitar, the pounding rhythms of the drums and the bass, the lyrics so full of angst and Generation X-style miasma. Everyone called us Slackers, but I never saw us like that. There was some serious talent coming out of that time. I remember so many friends being into bands like Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, and of course Pearl Jam. I couldn't stand any of those bands. I remember asking all of them, out of all of these bands that you love so much who will you remember, and which will be played regularly on the radio 20 years from now? I correctly predicted that Nirvana would stand the test of time, and not because they were so brilliant, which I do think that they were, but mostly because they borrowed from heavy hitters, such as the Pixies and the Beatles, and also because Kurt Cobain was really an amazing songwriter.

My favorite band of the time and still in my top five today, is Mudhoney. And why not? What an amazing band. If you know your history, then you know that Mark Arm and Steve Turner only started Mudhoney as a bit of a joke and a side project. They never meant for it to go as far as it has. And though it's hard to see how the Melvins are considered the godfathers of Grunge, I can appreciate their obvious influence on the genre, while still recognizing that there really isn't any grunge in them at all.

As for Britpop, there are a few bands in the genre that I took two. Mostly Swervedriver to be honest. I also like The Vaseline's, and My Bloody Valentine. But I mostly looked at Britpop as a genre that was trying to rip off what was happening in Seattle. I may get hate mail for that, which is fine, but I standby it.

This show reminded me so much of my early days at KFJC. David was a great co-host too! David grew up in Seattle during the Grunge heyday and knows his music history. We both soon realized that this is obviously part one in an ongoing series. Listen for David's return in the months to come. He may even take a shot at joining the ranks of great Radio Valencia DJs. Excellent!

Enjoy.

jh

Hell's Kitchen with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

Follow me on Twitter
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Show Me The Way: Dinosaur Jr.
Rocket Reducer #62: The Melvins
Dies Iraea: Melvins
I Wanna Be Adored: Stone Roses

D7: Wipers
In And Out Of Grace: Mudhoney
Son of a Gun: Vaselines
Grease Box: Tad

Only Shallow: My Bloody Valentine
Revolution: Mudhoney
Song 2: Blur
Backwater: Meatpuppets

Lady Killers: Lush
I Like Fucking: Bikini Kill
Seaweed: The Gits
Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam: Nirvana
Queen Bitch: Green River

The Scratch: 7 Year Bitch
Rave Down: Swervedriver
I Hate Rock and Roll: Jesus and Mary Chain
Mousetrap: Ride
Black Metallic: Catherine Wheel

Dollar Bill: Screaming Trees

Fade Away: Oasis