Hell's Kitchen Radio #597: Best of 2025

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

What music caught your attention last year? Did you even pay attention? Of course you did. You have discerning taste. Only the best of the best attracts you. Nothing worth your time will slip past. 

Great minds...

I present to you my favorites from 2025. It's hard to conceive that we're a quarter of the way through this century. I remember the 80s and 90s, when 2000 seemed so close we could touch it. I was DJing at midnight on Y2K at Anon Salon for the monthly Burning Man parties in San Francisco. That was a great party we used to have. That night was off the hook. 

The host of those parties always wanted to pay me in coke. I don't do coke. I've never done coke. I've done many other things; never coke. I used to tell him that my landlord didn't take coke in payment. Someone ought to write about those parties. They were epic. A true who's-who in the early Burning Man scene, long before the term "burner" was ever used. Back then we were just a bunch of pranksters who liked to build big art, put on huge parties, and burn it all down. 

Good times. Then again there are always good times to be had. 

This show is nothing but good times too. Most of the show are releases from 2025, and I throw in some epic anniversary remastered reissues in the final hour. 

Are you coming to our SantaCon after party this Thursday night at Kilowatt? Talk about a good time! Radio Valencia DJs will be spinning throughout the night. Bring your piggy bank, this is also a fundraiser for the station. 

Go out and make some good times of your own.

jh

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

Lonely Cosmos: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Phantom Island)
Company Culture: Lambrini Girls (Who Let The Dogs Out?)

Paranoid: Freckle (Freckle)
I Hunt, You Prey: LA Witch (DOGGOD)

Rakiya Su Katamam: Altin Gun (Ask)
Nimerudi: GOAT + MC Yallah (Single)
Sister of the Moon: Death Valley Girls (Single)

Total Reset: Frankie and the Witch Fingers (Trash Classic)

King of Rome: Melvins 1983 (Thunderball)

Mangetout: Wet Leg (Moisturizer)

Ageism: Public Enemy (Black Sky Over The Projects - Apartment 2025)

I Once Was A Contender: Kate Vargas (Golden Hour In The House of Lugosi)

First of the Gang To Die: Chrissie Hynde and Cat Power (Duets Special)

Evil People: MIEN (MIIEN)

Glue: OSees (Abomination Revealed At Last)

An L.A. Funeral: Orcutt, Shelly, Miller (S/T)
Albuquerque: Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Tonight's The Night 50th Anniversary Remaster)

Castles Made Of Sand: Jimi Hendrix (Axis: Bold As Love - 2025 Remaster)

Wish You Were Here (Take 1): Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary)

The Real Contra Band: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Pogo Rodeo)

Not of This World: Zig Zags (Deadbeat at Dawn)

Working Man (Vault Edition): Rush (Rush 50)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #579: Days Between

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

It's not as much fun hosting my show remotely from home. I like my home. It's cozy. You should come over. But hosting in the studio is so much more fun. The energy is different when I'm standing at the console, looking out onto 22nd street to the people passing by, or stopping to look through the window. At home I'm sitting on the floor in my living room with my computer in front of me talking to the cat. 

That all being said, I have did manage to put together a pretty good show without any vinyl, including a tribute to Jerry Garcia who passed away 30 years ago on August 9th! That sure went fast. The days from the 1st through the 9th are considered the "Days Between", where there are a lot of tributes to Jerry. The last 30 minutes of this show I pay homage. 

And on my Tuesday night show: John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza, I play two hours of some stellar live Grateful Dead that focuses on Jerry. Tune in starting at 8pm Pacific.

No, I did not attend the Dead and Company shows in Golden Gate Park this past weekend. I have an issue with charging people money to see live music in a public park. And Dead and Co are really my jam. They're an OK cover band, but if I want to hear a quality Grateful Dead show I can always stream any of their 2000+ shows that are on my hard drive, or available on Archive. Or I can go see Stu Allen and Mars Hotel. 

I did however download all three live video broadcasts of the shows. They've sped up the songs, which is nice, since the two times I saw them a few years back the songs were sooooo slow. Got to hand it to Bobby Weir, his voice isn't nearly what it used to be, but he still gives it all he has. 

My money is on Mickey Hart being the last one standing. 

With all that being said, there's a lot of newish music tonight, including Wet Leg, LA Witch, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Public Enemy, Population II, and OSees. 

I'll be back in the studio next Monday night to celebrate Radio Valencia's 15th anniversary! Can you believe we made it that long? There have been times, especially during COVID, I thought we would be closing the doors forever. Tune in and celebrate with me. 

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

Lucifer Sam/Interstellar Overdrive: Marble Orchard (1991 Savage Sleep)
Gbe Mi Lo: Ofege (1973 Try and Love)

Catch These Fists: Wet Leg
SOS: LA Witch

Fucksake: Frankie and the Witch Fingers (Trash Classic)
Sexegenarian: Public Enemy (Black Sky Over the Projects - Apartment 2025)
Back Door Man (live): The Doors (Waiting for the Sun 50th)
Le The Est Pret (The Tea is Ready): Population II (Maintenant Jamais)
Sharaf: Sahra Halgan (Hiddo Dhawr)

Ouroboros: GOAT (GOAT)
Gild the Lily: Billy Strings (Highway Prayers)

Abominiation: OSees
Fire on the Mountain: Widespread Panic
Kill Jerry Garcia: Colorfinger

Let It Ride: The Soundcarriers (Harmonium 2009)
Daylight: The Kinks (Preservation Act 1 1973)
Pork Roll Egg and Cheese: Ween (the Pod 1991)

Summertime: Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins (Sonny Meets Hawk 1963)
Spidergawd/Eep Hour/The Wheel: Jerry Garcia (Garcia)

Days Between: Otiel Burbridge (Lovely View of Heaven 2023)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #573: John Avalos Takes The Gloves Off

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Nobody hates John Avalos. At least that's the way he puts it. There may be some who dislike him, but he's proven himself to be a steady left-leaning voice in the tumultuous political sea that is San Francisco for twenty years now. Avalos represented District 11 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2008-2016, ran a very powerful mayoral campaign where he came in second to Ed Lee, and now sits on the Democratic County Central Committee where he sees the party continuing to drift to the right, as big money continues to influence the party.

We spoke for the first hour, and yes, it got testy at times, but John and I are on the same side of the political fence, so we just kept agreeing with one another. I really was trying to be objective.

Not really.

The big takeaway is that we cannot give up, ever. We must be kind to our neighbors, be open and inclusive whenever and wherever we can, and take the fight to the streets.

As for the music, there's new LA Witch, Death Valley Girls, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Lambrini Girls, and Jon Anderson.

Do you have an exceptional ear for music? Do you ever get angry listening to a radio station and shout "I COULD DO BETTER THAN THIS!"? Do you ever send messages to your local radio station program director asking them to allow you just one hour of time on the air so you can show them all the great music they've been missing out on? 

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you too can be a Radio Valencia DJ! We're taking applications now for weekly two-hour shows. Send your query to station@radiovalencia.fm Give us a description of the show you want to host and we'll be in touch soon.

Enjoy and please share.

jh 

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

The Rain: Eddie Gale
Congo Call: Prince Lasha Quintet

Interview with John Avalos

Sisters of the Moon: Death Valley Girls
SOS: LA Witch

Interview with John Avalos

Down By The River (demo): Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Celebration Day: Led Zeppelin

Aerodynamic: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
High Plains Drifter: Beastie Boys
Ballad of the Soldiers Wife: Marianne Faithful and Chris Spedding

Eggs Laid Brain: Frankie and the Witch Fingers
I've Heard That One Before/Watch Your Step: Faust
Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy): DEVO
Filthy Rich Nepo Baby: Lambrini Girls

Perpetual Change: Jon Anderson

Hell's Kitchen Radio #571: Que Sera SerHell

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Walking into the studio tonight I was met with at least three blocks of protesters, out in the street making their voices heard in opposition of ICE policies happening right now across the state and across the nation. As of this writing 47 is actively having National Guard and Marines(!!!!) in the streets of Los Angeles putting down peaceful demonstrations, and calling the protestors insurrectionists,  justifying his use of the posse comitatus act, which forbids the president of using active duty military in the streets of our nation.

There goes our democracy.

But you knew that already. 

The hardest part is separating the "truth" from the propaganda. I have a degree in media literacy, and I can tell you this shit is really exhausting to digest. This is one of the main reasons I quit social media. I dropped Facebook in 2020, and Instagram on Inauguration Day 2025. I just can't.

Even listening to NPR (leans left) or reading the NY Times (leans left and omits far too much) is getting unbearable. I often have to read the Guardian UK and al Jazeera to get a better idea of what is happening in our own country.

That being said, I have a platform all my own with Radio Valencia.

We have told our staff that we aren't going to censor their voices, but Radio Valencia doesn't take any political stance as a radio station. Therefore, our hosts need to state their opinions are their own, and not the stance of the station. 

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

I'm hosting former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member John Avalos on my show Monday, June 23rd to talk about the current state of affairs. John always brings good conversation. Tune in.

For tonights show I was training a new RV staffer: Max! Great guy. He's going to be hosting a Black Metal show on Mondays 4-6pm soon. I got him playing some music he brought along (marked below "- Max") and talking with me about music and his own radio history. 

I also went record shopping last week (of course I did), so there's that to look forward to. New music from Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Zig Zags, Chime Oblivion (John Dwyer of OCS side project), Teri Gender Bender (of Le Butcherettes) and too much more jazz, punk, blues, and a tribute to Sly Stone who passed at age 82 Monday morning.

Enjoy and know your rights.

jh

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

Hate the Police: The Dicks
Goat Cheese: Mudhoney

Fucksake: Frankie and the Witch Fingers
There is the Bomb: Don Cherry

Kiss Her Or Be Her: Chime Oblivion
Fallout: Moon Duo
Beer Drinkin' Woman: Memphis Slim
Hey Hey My My (Into the Black): Neil Young and DEVO

21:32: Cluster
Outsider: Teri Gender Bender
Liquified Organs: Rawhead - Max
Cinnamon Girl (Extended Depression Mix): Type O Negative - Max
Watcher of the Skies: Genesis - Max
In Torment in Hell: Deiside - Max

Crying for Death: Morbid Saint - Max
Laid to Rest: Rotting - Max

At War With Hell: Zig Zags
Killer: Alice Cooper

Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey: Sly and the Family Stone
Runnin' Away: Sly and the Family Stone

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Self Again): Sly and the Family Stone
Que Sera Sera: Sly and the Family Stone

Hell's Kitchen Radio #569: Not A Natural Man

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Nothing special tonight, just truly amazing music that you must hear and share and devour with ever sense of your being! 

That being said, there's a mix of some truly old and some brand-spankin'-new! This was one of those nights when I have a lot of new music I'm just dying to share with all of you, but there are some ear worms from days gone by that I just need to get out.

New music from LA Witch, Death Valley Girls, and Altin Gun. There's some classic James Brown, Led Zeppelin (and the song they initially ripped off from Memphis Minnie), some Beastie Boys (and a couple originals they "borrowed" their samples from. 

As always, there's something here for practically everyone. Take a look at the playlist below, click on the link above and enjoy.

This coming Monday night I'm excited to interview community radio founder and filmmaker Sue Carpenter, whose new documentary 40 Watts from Nowhere, about her low watt LA community radio station KBLT is showing at the SF Documentary Film Festival, which Radio Valencia is co-presenting. 

Tune in and go see that show!

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

God Don't Work (Like A Natural Man): Scott H Biram
I Like Porn: Melvins

I'm Sick of You: James Williamson (ft. Mario Cuomo)

Dream Dream Big in the Sky: Marisa Nadler

Hot and Nasty: Black Oak Arkansas

Funky Drummer: James Brown

Shadrach: Beastie Boys

When the Levee Breaks: Memphis Mimmie

When the Levee Breaks: Led Zeppelin

Oh So Close, Yet So Far: Shannon and the Clams

Doggod: LA Witch

Girlfriend Is Better: Talking Heads

Leylim Ley: Altin Gun

Wanted Dead or Alive: The Rogues (Kim Fowley comp)

Astrology: Kim Fowley

Sadie Sorceress: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Empire: Frankie and the Witch Fingers

Fire and Brimstone: Death Valley Girls

Lay Down Your Weary Head (Bob Dylan): Barbara Manning

Mama Nature Said: Thin Lizzy

Young Man Blues: The Who (London 1971)

Casey Jones: Garcia and Grisman

Congo Call: Prince Lasha Quintet ft. Sonny Simmons

San Francisco Blues: Molly Tuttle with Dan Tyminski

Good Night Sleep Tight: Lawrence Welk 

Hell's Kitchen Radio #562: No Good At All

Listen into almost all of my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Sadly, because of DJ error (mine own, ugh), this show is not playable. Dang! This was a fine one as well. I almost feel like doing it all over again just so I can play these funs sets of music for you.

Oh well, next time I promise to click the right button...probably.

See what you missed below.

Sorry.

Tune in Monday 8-10PM Pacific when I actually do broadcast live!

jh

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

Follow me on Blue Sky
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

Do You Like To Eat A Cow: Paul Leary
Rejoice Unto Yourself: JD Pinkus

Flyin' High: Jenny Don't and the Spurs

The Irish Rover: The Pogues

I've Been Working: Van Morrison

Walkin' The Streets of Love Alone: Mitch Polzak

The Streets of Baltimore: Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels

The Waitress Song: First Aid Kit

Parchman Fram: Mercury Rev ft Carice Van Houton

Wake Up The Sun: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Coconut: Ty Segall

Carletta's In Hats Again: Brigid Dawson and the Mother's Network

California Dreaming: Eddie Hazel

Somaliland Ani Adi: Sahar Halgan

Badi Sabah Olmadan: Altin Gun

Nimerudi (Salmagundi Remix): GOAT and MC Yallah
Empire: Frankie and the Witch Fingers

The Smokey God: Glitter Wizzard

Bring Me Coffee or Tea: Can

Verwanlung: Embryo

Monaka: Kikagaku Moyo