Monday, August 20, 2018

Hell's Kitchen Radio #343: Steel Bridge Spectacular

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Every June in the lovely bayside town of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, a group of talented troubadours gather in the Holiday Music Hotel to woodshed together, in what is known as the "Construction Zone", for hours and days on end, spinning the bottle, and gathering up to create fresh, new music, that they will premier live at local venues once they emerge from the creative process, for the annual Steel Bridge Songfest. Founded by songwriter pat mAcdonald, and now in its 14th year, it's an anything goes process, that will elicit some of the most awe-inspiring musical moments, you would think took months to create instead of hours.

On my show this past Monday night I was happy to welcome back to the studio, guitarist extraordinaire Eric McFadden, who, for the past 14 years has been a mainstay at Steel Bridge. Eric brought along music from the past three years to share.

As you can see by the playlist that follows, there are a lot of names associated with the songs. These are the folks who worked together throughout the event to write these songs. Credit where credit is due.

I hope you enjoy these songs as much as Eric, pat and everyone who was involved in Steel Bridge Songfest enjoyed creating them for you. I look forward to making the trek out to Sturgeon Bay to witness this showcase live in the years to come.

If you're living in the SF Bay Area, come on out to the Ivy Room in Albany on Friday night, August 24th for Eric's CD release party "Pain By Numbers". We close out the show with the track "The Jesus Gonna See You Naked" from the new CD.

It's always great having Eric in the studio. He's a great musician, and an excellent storyteller. I'm sure you'll enjoy this show.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Strawberry Moon: Anna Sacks, Ruby James, Genevieve Hayward
Local Girls: Vincent Gates, Carley Baer
Bomb The Bridge: James Hall, Matt Spatol, Dan O Stoffels

She's So Nautical: James Hall, Chris Bishop, Lumberjack Cash, Liv Muller
Long Way Gone: Morgan Rae, Eric McFadden, pat mAcdonald, Josh Harty
Holidazed: Eric McFadden, Tarl Knight, Bruce Butkovich

Rhythm to the Schism: delphine de st. Paër, Loren T, Craig Greenberg, Eric McFadden
Ms. Cherry Lanes: Liam Hall, Matt Spatol
Steel Bridge Lullaby: Geri X, Anna Sacks, Jimm McIver

Views Just Fine: Vincent Gates, Charles Boheme, Michael Black, Barrett Tasky
Haunt Me Out: Brett Newski, Eric McFadden, Michael McKinnon, Jamey Clark, Greg Roteik
Long Way Round To You: Patrick Kelly, Carley Baer, Alex Hand, Barrett Tasky, Jamey Clark

Without Music: Liv Muller, Loren T, Jamey Clark, Queen Delphine
Joys: Eric McFadden, Geri X, Sugar Ransom
Devil's Daughter: Lantz Lazwell, Liam Hall, Matt Spatol, Charles Boheme

Wait: Robin Bienemann, Alex Hand, Cathy Grier
Dance on the Bridge: Morgan Rae, Ruby James, Craig Greenberg, Andrea Wittgens, Jamey Clark
Filigree: Robin Bienemann, Tony Menzer, Mike Wheeler

Diamonds and Fairies: Charles Boheme and many many more
Talk About the Good Things: Claire Kelly, James Hall, Lantz Lazwell, Bruce Butkovich, Jamey Clark

The Jesus Gonna See You Naked: Eric McFadden, James Hall, Geniveive Hayward, Vincent Gate, Andrea Wittgens

Photos by Ty Helbach

Monday, August 13, 2018

Hell's Kitchen Radio #342: Me Love You Long Time

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I try to please you too much. Sometimes I work to please you so much, it hurts. I overthink what I should or shouldn't play, because I don't want to lose you. Sometimes I take a risk, really wanting you to love a song, and I see that you left, and it really breaks me up inside, so much so that next time I see you there, I never even touch that track. It's like the electric third rail kinda thing. I just stay far far away from that. Too risky.

Then I start to think to myself "self, these people are tuning into you because they are really interested in what you're going to play. Go ahead and take that risk. Some may leave. Don't choose songs for the one's who leave. Choose for those who stay. Tonight's show is for those who stay. All tracks, but a couple, average roughly 8 minutes in length. Some jam out pretty far. I don't suggest you multitask while listening.

I pay tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin in my last half hour, with a selection from a fantastic show from 1971. RIP Aretha, and thanks for sharing your soul, your passion, your life with us all.

Radio is an artform. I get two hours a week to paint an aural picture for you. For this show I'm using a few pretty broad strokes. I hope you enjoy.

Next Monday, August 20th, 8-10PM (PDST), guitar gunslinger, and all around good guy, and my brother from another mother, Eric McFadden will be in the studio with me, celebrating the annual Steel Bridge Songfest. We'll feature two hours of supreme songwriting from such luminaries as pat mAcdonald, James Hall, The Legendary Sons of Crack Daniels, Craig Greenberg, Barrett Taskey, and many, many more. Steel Bridge Songfest is an annual week each June, of songwriting, culminating in four days of live performance, every June in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, as a fundraiser to keep the old Steel Bridge standing.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Makin' Out: McCoy Tyner Quintet

I Came From the Mtn.: Thee Oh Sees
Interstellar Overdrive: Pink Floyd (October 31, 1966 Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK)
May The Circle Be Unbroken: 13th Floor Elevators

Well You Needn't: Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane
Oval Office: 3rd Bass

The Prophet's Song: Queen
Hazemaze: FUZZ

Natural Woman/Bridge Over Troubled Water/Dr. Feelgood-Spirit in the Dark: Aretha Franklin (June 12, 1971 Montreux, Switzerland)
Kuruimizu: Boris

New Potato Caboose/It Hurts Me Too: Grateful Dead (October 22, 1967 Winterland, SF, CA)

As a kid in the 70s Aretha Franklin would often be heard playing around our home. But what comes to mind most often is this scene from the classic 1980 film, The Blues Brothers, where she confronts Jake, Elwood, and her "husband" Matt "Guitar" Murphy. Don't mess with the Queen.

Monday, August 06, 2018

Hell's Kitchen Radio #341: Wait For It

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Once again I have outdone myself. Even after almost 30 years I still have the ability to put a set together that continues to prove that commercial radio has, does, and always will suck.

The legendary record label and recording studio, Fantasy Records, is closing. I pepper in a few artifacts in tribute, including some CCR, Lenny Bruce, Rancid, and Primus. I took a few requests, one of which is a brilliant 20 minute long devotional Sufi piece, and some Flo and Eddie in the form of a live Zappa/Mother's from 1970.

But that's not all! You also get the shortest, yet most inspiring version of the (almost) entire Tommy LP, an electronic-voiced Eric Clapton side project, and two horny drunk women pissed off at their even more drunk boyfriend. Oh yes, and a really pissed off preacher.

What will I do next Monday to top this one? Tune in Monday 8-10PM to find out.

Monday, August 20th, my brother from another mother, Eric McFadden will be in the studio to co-host our 3rd (non-consecutive) Steel Bridge Special. This is always a hoot.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Suzie-Q: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Now Ah Lissen: Southern Preacher
Lost On You: LP

Grapevine: The Slits
How To Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties: Lenny Bruce
Roots Radicals: Rancid

Call Any Vegetable: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (February 13, 1970 Fillmore East, NYC, NY)
Chinatown: John Zorn's Naked City
Layla: 386DX
2 Drunk 2 Fuck: Avenue D

Here Come The Bastards: Primus
Hot Rod Lincoln: Commander Cody
Sex and Money: Iggy and the Stooges
How's Never: Gateway

Mainu Yaar Di Namaaz Lain Dey: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Tommy in Seven Minutes: V/A

Toumast: Tinariwen
Atomin Punk: Cherry 2000

Relax: Petra Haden