Hell's Kitchen Radio #596: So Long, Ace

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Damn. 

I knew when I was in my early 20s that eventually they would all be gone. That's a thought we all probably have about our favorite artist: one day they'll be gone. For the most part we note it and move on. But what about when that band is our calling? The go-to band. The band that you have invested so much of your musical life to? 

They're still going to go.

Brent went in 1990. Jerry went in 1995. Phil in 2024. Donna in 2025. The way Bobby, the youngest, worked out, daily, I think we all expected him to be the last to go. When we heard of his passing it was a shock. I'm not on social media I don't know if there were stories of him having a cancer scare last summer, which the family said he was able to get past; lung issues eventually did him in. 

Bobby was known to spit out the lyrics, and I mean literally. If you stood in the crowd in front of him there were chances you would get a shower. He was such a crooner in the 90s, really playing to the crowd. 

I've written a lot about my time seeing the Grateful Dead over the years. The 40th anniversary of my first show just passed: December 30, 1985. Post-Dead I saw a few of the incarnations. I saw Phil a few times, went to the two days of Fare Thee Well in 2015 in Santa Clara, saw Dead and Co twice a decade or so ago. I'm happy the music continued to bring so much joy to so many people, and brought in a lot more fans. 

Bobby postulated about the music lasting 300 years. I'd have to imagine that's possible. There are so many people who have been inspired by the music created by Jerry and the boys, that it is conceivable it will grow and morph into the band that be "most triumphant and unite the world". And here you thought it would be Wyld Stallyns.

So here we are, closer than ever to being the orphans we knew we would one day be. Has anyone checked in on Billy, Mickey, TC, Ned and Bruce? If you know, you know.

As for this here tribute, I think Bobby would appreciate what he sees. I start out with an acoustic set, with a few special guests. I then move on to a proper first set, with those first set songs you've come to know and love, before moving onto the second set jams we all live for. 

There is minimal set breaks throughout the show. I marked each track with the date of the performance. There were two shows in 1978, when Jerry had laryngitis, that each song was a Bobby songs. These are all Bobby songs, with only four cover songs. I've also linked all the shows to Archive so you can listen to them all the way through. And you want to do that. All the links are soundboard or matrix (mix of soundboard and audience. I grew up thinking I only wanted to listen to pristine soundboards, but once I started to give audience recordings a listen that what I listen to almost exclusively. The sound of the crowd interacting with the music is a real treat.

What else is there to say? Thanks Ace, it's been a true pleasure. Oh, I always wanted to ask how the hell you grew to look so damn old all of a sudden? And why the beard? You went from being so young a fit, to someone's grandfather over night.

You still rocked like a young man. See you on the other side; wherever that is

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

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Green, Green Grass of Home - May 31, 1969
Dark Hollow - September 20, 1970 with Dave Grisman
Wake Up Little Susie - June 4, 1970 with David Nelson and John "Marmaduke" Dawson
Monkey and the Engineer - October 11, 1980
Cassidy - October 14, 1980

Jack Straw - January 22, 1978
Beat It On Down The Line - April 26, 1971 with Duane Allman
Yellow Dog Story - May 24, 1969
Mexicali Blues - August 27, 1972
New New Minglewood Blues - March 9, 1981

Greatest Story Ever Told - September 28, 1972 (with St. Stephen jam)
The Music Never Stopped - May 9, 1977

Estimated Prophet - December 26, 1979
Take a Step Back - May 8, 1977
Playin' In The Band - February 18, 1971 (the first one)
New Potato Caboose - February 14, 1968

Throwing Stones - October 09, 1989
Sugar Magnolia - November 11, 1973

Hell's Kitchen Radio #595: Rickshaw Throwdown

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What a jolly fine night this was. My good buddy John Karr, who runs sound at Rickshaw Stop came by with his colleague, Carmen Caruso, to talk up the club and spin some tunes from some upcoming shows. What makes this a hoot is that the staff of Rickshaw Stop are the one's curating the shows. This doesn't happen often, and when it does the staff bring together some really strong showcases.

I love talking music with people who know music. And it's a real treat to talk cross industry: radio and nightclub. We're all linked, you know. Artist, radio, clubs, record stores, promoters, critics. When we get together it's like we're comparing notes; a mind meld.

Carmen is also the fierce leader of the band Agouti, who is playing one of the showcases. The set that features her band also includes the other two who are on the bill, the Thursday. John and Carmen put this showcase together.

The following set of bands, featuring Gumby's Junk, is for the showcase that John Karr has put together for Thursday, January 22nd. 

I love when people who know and love music as much as I do turn me on to really great stuff. Feel free to share what you love with me. It may just get a spin.

John and I also tease an event that Radio Valencia is co-presenting at the end of February. I am just popping at the seams to tell you about it, but you'll just have to wait until next week for the official announcement. Suffice it to say if you hunger for the deep Punk history of San Francisco then you are going to flip for this!

Check out the playlist below and click on the link above to listen in.

Go see live local music and support the artists by buying their records and merch!

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

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Truckin': Pop O Pies (The White EP - 1982)

Linda Blair: Redd Kross

Music Never Stopped: Grateful Dead (Blues for Allah - 1975)

Dragons: Agouti (Nodes - 2019)

Friendo: Grooblen (EP - 2025)

Living In A Flood: Everyone is Dirty (Caramels for Grandpa - 2023)

Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees: Gumby's Junk (Business and Pleasure - 2025)

Discover What Your Monsters Are: Rip Room (Alight and Resound - 2022)

Goblin Gruel Part 1: Inner Ear Brigade (Perkunas - 2024)

The Light, The Sound: Flipper (Gone Fishin' - 1984)

Paint It Black: Avengers (S/T - 1983)

Frustration: Crime (San Francisco's Doomed - 1978)

Wild: The Nuns (S/T - 1980)

Holiday in Cambodia: Dead Kennedys (Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - 1980)

Bar-B-Que Pope: Butthole Surfers (Brown Reason To Live - 1983)

Irony Man: The Freak Accident (Octopus Head - 2022)

Youth of America: Melvins (Electroretard - 2001)

Silver Machine: Hawkwind (Live at the BBC 1972 - 2010)

A Writhing Jar: Bill Orcutt (Odds Again Tomorrow

Hell's Kitchen Radio #594: How Bad Can It Be?

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I just read that for the first time since 2000 California is 100% drought free. For those who are 25 they have only known life either in a drought, going into a drought, or coming out of one. If that snow pack is deep then this might just be a good year for the Golden state! 

And it's a new year for Radio Valencia! We've had a lot of ups and downs over the year, especially since COVID, but 2025 was a banner year! I am thrilled about the many new shows we've added, and even more so about the people staffing them. The tech side is getting a huge boost from some folks on staff who come with the credentials to bring us into the 21st century. Stay tuned in!

In the next week I have huge news to announce about a show I'm co-producing out the wilds of North Beach, at a once legendary venue that has new life being breathed into it. I am so excited about this, but I will not jump the gun. This will be a Radio Valencia co-presents, and you are going to want to be there. This is the kind of event that more people will claim to have attended than the venue can actually hold.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

As for this here show, being the first of the new year, I felt the need for a bit of a refresh. Some classic psych, blues, Black Power, folk, spiritual jazz, garage, krautrock, chicha, and so much more. 

Take a look at the playlist below, and click that link to give it a listen.

This coming Monday night I'm excited to have San Francisco's top soundman, John Karr in the studio, playing music from the many shows he engineers around the city and talking up this upcoming show I spoke about above. Oooh boy, this is going to be fun.

You do not want to miss this show.

Enjoy and please share.   

jh

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

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Some Velvet Morning: Vanilla Fudge (Near the Beginning - 1968)

White Man's Got A God Complex: Last Poets (This is Madness - 1971)

Crawlin' King Snake: John Lee Hooker (I'm John Lee Hooker - 1960)

My Time After A While: Buddy Guy (Chess Masters - 1984)

Memory of a Free Festival: David Bowie (Conversation Piece 5 CD Box Set - 2019)

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues: Bob Dylan (Highway 61 Revisited - 1965)

Peace Frog/Blue Sunday: The Doors (Morrison Hotel - 1968)

There She Goes My Beautiful World: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Abattoir Blues - 2004)

Looking for Your Door (Chrome): OSees (Levitation Sessions II - 2021)

21st Century Schizoid Man: King Crimson (In The Court of the Crimson King - 1969)

Hare Krishna: Alice Coltrane (Universal Consciousness - 1971)

What's In My Head (Demo): FUZZ (Fuzz's Fourth Dream - 2025)

Broken Hearted Blue: Jenny Don't and the Spurs (Broken Hearted Blue - 2023)

Spray: Can (Future Days - 1973)
Footprints: Wayne Shorter (Adam's Apple - 1966)

King Solomon's Marbles: Grateful Dead (Blues for Allah - 1975)

Ojos Azure: Money Chicha (Chicha Summit - 2021)

Gaia: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Omnium Gatherum - 2022)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #591: My Ears Are Burning

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Another week, another opportunity for me to shine upon you all the music that needs spinning. This is the kind of show where I poke through my records and say "I haven't listened to this in a while". And because of this I feel it my duty to bring you along for the ride.

I also felt the need to play a few of the records I purchased at the record swap a couple weeks ago. 

This is a weird show of sorts. I'm always mixing up the genres, but tonight felt a little schitzo. Sorry, not sorry. 

New music from Kate Vargas, Mien, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and the latest Beatles Anthology! 

The holidays are upon us. I don't suffer from seasonal depression, but I know a few who do. Get out of the house, see live music, sit in a cafe and read a book, go for long walks, exercise. Move your body to lift your spirits. Hell has what you need.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

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Chung King: Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd (Guitar Guitar - 1963)
Groove Me: King Floyd (S/T - 1971)

Shotgun Blues: Blues Brothers (Briefcase Full of Blues - 1978)
Ball and Chain: Janis Joplin (In Concert - 1972)

Batman and Robin Over the Roofs: Batman and Robin (Sun Ra)
Is The Season For New Incarnation: Brigid Dawson and the Mothers Network (Ballet of Apes - 2020)
Parchman Farm: Mercury Rev (Bobby Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited - 2019)
Black Grease: The Black Angels (Passover - 2006)

Evil People: Mien (Miien - 2025)
The Harder The Come: Jimmy Cliff (The Harder The Come - 1972)
Crazy Fingers: Grateful Dead (Blues for Allah - 1975/2025)
Across the Universe: The Space Lady (...On The Street of Dreams - 2018)

I Was Once A Contender: Kate Vargas (Golden Hour In The House of Lugosi - 2025)
Dollar Bill: GOAT (S/T - 2024)

Obsessive Devotion: MX80 Sound (Crowd Control - 1981)
Garbage on Glue: The Blind Shake (Key To A False Door - 2013)
If 6 Was 9: Jimi Hendrix (Axis: Bold As Love - 1967)
Allas Sak: Dungen (Allas Sak - 2015)
Pay To Cum: Bad Brains (S/T - 1981)

Born in the ADs: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Pogo Rodeo - 2025)
Snake Oil: The Darts (Snake Oil - 2022)

Don't Let Me Down: The Beatles (Anthology Part 4 - 2025)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #588: Celebrate Naked

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We had a sweet celebration of the life of "Naked" Rob Gongora, who hosted Terrible Tuesdays on
Radio Valencia from 2010 - 2019. He passed away in October from brain cancer.

FUCK CANCER!

Rob was a really wonderful guy. He was always there with a quick quip. Witty to the end and super inclusive. I was honored to speak at his memorial on Saturday at Cypress Lawn in Colma. We followed that up with a celebration of his life at his favorite watering hole: Gold Cane, on Haight Street. The night ended with three bands at Bottom the Hill: Candy Whips, Golden Brain, and Terry Gross. 

Rob would have been there if he could.

I've lost too many friends in the past 20+ years to cancer and suicide. Too many. Knowing a lot of creative types means that the odds are many will go too soon. But cancer is just so unfair. I just heard of two more people in my circle, both of whom beat off cancer, now have it once again; one was told it's inoperable. 

FUCK CANCER!

I don't buy into the "you only live once" hype. I think I live every day. I only die once. Therefore I'm going to appreciate every moment I have. Have I told you lately that I love you?

Make that call, send that text. I could not be more serious. We need to stay connected, or we too will succumb sooner than we need to.

Having a pet helps too. I've got Chairman Meow Mau , AKA: Maui, our fabulous tortoiseshell, with a strong personality to let me know that she loves me and needs me, and if she was just a little bit bigger, would eat me.

I was interviewed for a podcast the other day (I'll post when it's available) and I was asked by the host, James Ferrigno (AKA: Vico from San Francisco Liberation Radio, where we met when I was on air there 2000 - 2003), about what keeps me going? My dad always said "there's no reward without risk". I took that seriously. I took some great risks starting in my teens. Many weren't very healthy, so I've amended his quote to add "health risk". That being said, some of my biggest growth over the years probably didn't include the word healthy. 

My dad also used to say "invite everyone to the party, let them decline the invitation". I'm a firm subscriber to the benefits of inclusion. I like to bring people together. And I like to see what we can do with all that energy.

When you bring creatives together there's always going to be some friction. I like to play with that and watch the magic happen. I don't often reminisce, so during the interview I really had to stop to recall many of the events I helped bring to light. There's been so much fun living over the years, that I don't often slow down to remember it all. There's nothing wrong with that, since I've always been about what's happening nest.

This is all to say that I miss my departed friends and family, especially my dad, but that's never slowed me down. As a matter of fact, if anything, it's made me keenly aware that I have a responsibility to keep living and producing. 

Here's a show I had fun producing for you.

I opened with the band that Naked Rob and I love the most: Melvins! From there it's anything goes. I did a but of record shopping on Sunday; a bunch of used records. I especially am excited about the Diz and Bird, Eugene Chadbourne, David Peel, and Ralph Karney/Kramer/Chris Hild records.

This is what non-commercial radio is all about!

I also play some requests! If you know me you know how rare this is. Maybe I need to do this more often?

I'm hosting music critic Dave Pehling next Monday night to promote the record swap that's happening at Make Out Room on November 22nd.

I'm hosting my 15th annual Annual Annual on Monday, November 24th. Two hours from one year, and this time around it's all about 1981. What an amazing year for punk, post-punk, N.O.W.T.H.M. (tune in to find out what that is), and so much more.

Take a look at the playlist below and click the link to listen in.

Enjoy and please share. And go out and play!

jh

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

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Honey Bucket: Melvins (Houdini - 1993)
Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac: Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie "Yardbird" Parker (Diz N' Bird In Concert - 1953 Paris)

Here Comes A Cop: David Peel and the Lower East Side (Have a Marijuana - 1967)
Three Stoned Men Chant/Hey Brother Roll A Joint: Three Stoned Men (Higher Than God - 1991)
Bo Diddley Was A Communist: Eugene Chadbourne (Vermin of the Blues - 1987)

Summertime Blues: The Who (Who's Next/Life House (1971) Super Deluxe - 2023)
Young Man's Blues: Altamont (Our Darling - 2001)

Shanty Town: Desmond Dekker and the Aces (Ska Madness! - 2010)

Somebody Have Mercy: Sam Cooke (The Harlem Square Club - 1963)

My Baby's Gone: Jenny Don't And The Spurs (Broken Hearted Blue - 2023)

It's A Dark Day: Reverend Horton Heat (Smoke 'em if you Got 'em - 1990)

Clown: Carney/Hild/Kramer (Happiness Finally Came To Them - 1988)

The Words of Jamal: Pop-O-Pies (Joe's Second Record - 1984)

Who Stole The Keeshka?: Polkacide (S/T - 1986)

The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave (Live PCPPEP - 1984)

Stagolee: Jesse Fuller (Jazz, Folk Songs, Spirituals and Blues - 1958)

Spanish Castle Magic (Take 2): Jimi Hendrix Experience (Axis: Bold As Love Sessions - 2025)
You Know My Name (Look Up My Number): The Beatles (Anthology 2 - 1996)

Help On The Way/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower: Grateful Dead (Blues for Allah 50th Anniversary Deluxe - 2025)

Burbanks Dream: Golden Void (Berkana - 2015)

Looniversal: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Pogo Rodeo - 2025)

Freaks to the Front: Amyl and the Sniffers (Comfort To Me - 2021)

I Can't Help Falling In Love With You: Chrissy Hynde and Mark Lanegan (Duets Special - 2025)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #587: From Hell To Eternity

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I just got back from New Orleans with my daughter, Spawn of Hell. We were there celebrating her 21st birthday, and I could not think of a better place to take her. I love this town! So much great music and food. The weather wasn't too hot or humid, the beignets were powdery and fluffy, the cocktails were flowing, the gumbo was steamy and the crawfish étouffée was delightful.

NOLA is a walking town, and we put that to the test. We walked 10
miles on Saturday and another 7 on Sunday. Most of our walking was through the French Quarter, as well as up and down Frenchmen Street hitting up as many of the clubs as we could.

I think my finest memory will always be us walking towards Frenchmen Street and she says she hears a band that sounds familiar in the distance. We walk towards the music and it turns out to be one of her favorite bands of the past couple years: Dirty Rotten Vipers. She was over the moon! They were playing on the street and the crowd was very enthusiastic. We also made our way over to the Blue Nile, a club I like to visit when I'm in town. This is the same club I met my brother-from-another-mother, and brilliant singer/songwriter Adam Mackintosh. I shared that story here and it's worth your time.  

I digress.

The band was a funk/jazz ensemble that featured a drummer that was getting pretty lit, but never dropped
the beat. The main cat, who played trombone and sang, asked for anyone celebrating a birthday to get on stage, so Spawn and four other women made their way up while the band celebrated them all. Just look at that smile on her face!

We spent some time in Algiers Point, where Memphis Minnie lived and wrote "When the Levee Breaks", which I open the show with.

Did you know the first pharmacy in the United States was in New Orleans? I didn't know this either. They have a museum in its place now. We took the tour. We also toured the Museum of Death. If you like serial killers this place is for you! We were hoping for a bit more science-related information around death, but alas, sensationalism ruled the day. We also went to an excellent haunted house inside a former mortuary. I give it four stars. If I was a teenager that hadn't seen as many horror films as I have, I would have been scared out of my wits. All that said, we were spooked good. Spawn insisted that she go in front during the three floor tour, knowing that a jump scare was expected around every corner. They were good for that.

I've been wanting to take my daughter to NOLA for her 21st birthday since she was 12, and we're both so happy we went. Excellent people, food, music, drink and views. It's a beautiful city. Get there. Have fun. You're welcome. More pictures at the bottom of this post.

My first hour was inspired by our trip, but is in no way NOAL-exclusive. Lots of roots, blues, soul, jazz, hiphop and funk, before I segue to some singer/songwriter, Americana/Punk, lo-fi, and a tribute to Donna Jean Godchaux, the former singer from the Grateful Dead (1972-1979) who passed away last week. I got to meet her when Jerry died. Her son Zion used to date a dear friend of mine, and when Jerry died, Donna came for the memorial in Golden Gate Park and we all went together. I write about it here.

Go on and enjoy the music. That's really all what it get to: the music.

jh

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

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When The Levee Breaks: Memphis Minnie (Blues Classics By Memphis Minnie - Arhoolie Records)
Left Me A Mule To Ride: Big Joe Williams (Tough Times - 1959)
Frankie and Albert: Taj Mahal (Ooh, So Good 'n Blues - 1973)

Black Is: Last Poets (MOJO: Revolution Blues - 2018)
Munaye: Mulatu Astatke (Mulatu of Ethiopia - 1972)

Redebe: Johnny Dyani (Witchdoctor's Son - 1978)
Flute Loop: Beastie Boys (Ill Communication - 1994)
Kon Karne: MF Doom (Mmm Food - 2007)
Anti Love Song: Betty Davis (S/T - 1973)

Jesus Christ: Bob Dylan (Through the Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18 - 2025)
Corrina, Corrina: Bob Dylan (Through the Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18 - 2025)

Every Grain of Sand: Giant Sand (Swerve - 1990)
A Change Is Gonna Come: The Gits (Enter: The Conquering Chicken - 1993)
From Her to Eternity: Nick Cave (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - 1984)

Sway: Chrissie Hynde and Lucinda Williams (Duets Special - 2025)
The Girls Are Naked: The Creation (Action Painting - 2017)
Keep Your Big Mouth Shut: Thee Headcoatees (Here Comes Cessation - 1997)

Sunrise: Grateful Dead (In tribute to Donna Jean - May 26, 1977)
The Music Never Stopped: Grateful Dead - April 24, 1978)

Salsa Verde: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Pogo Rodeo - 2025)
Spanish Fly: Boss Hog (Drinkin' Lechin' and Lyin' - 1989)

Respect: Aretha Franklin (Live At The Fillmore East - 1971) 

    

Hell's Kitchen Radio #584: Does This Smell Right To You?

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How about another radio show where I play music that you never knew you needed? I like that idea. In a world where AI is telling you what to wear, watch, vote for, battle, digest, laugh at, point at, throw away, be disgusted towards, why not allow yourself a little freedom to listen to music curated by someone who digs in the crates to bring you something NOT generated by an algorithm?

At least while it's still legal to.  

Don't you get the feeling that we're going to come to a point where we'll decide on the ballot to allow our tech overlords to determine what we think?

Personally I don't believe in free will. True. I don't. I get to make my choices based on what's sitting in front of me. Not making a choice is still a choice. Isn't that a lyric somewhere? Thank you, Rush. 

So, all this being what it is, why not listen to some music that I had the "choice" to play for you tonight.

Highly inspired by Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, my first hour is chock full of Americana nuts, and other aural legumes. Nothing spectacularly new tonight, which is a rarity for me. You may have noticed I've taken to adding the album and release year on my playlist. Eventually I may even get to linking to wear you can buy it! I think I used to do that back in the day...when I used that choice to do so.

In the meantime, use your choice and listen to two hours using your own free will and I'll see you on the other side.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

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Magic: Zig Zags (Strange Masters Vol. 1 - 2024)
Mohawk Town: Paul Leary (Born Stupid - 2021)

King of California: Dave Alvin (King of California - 1994)

Every Grain of Sand: Emmylou Harris (Wrecking Ball - 1995)

The Devil's Chasing Me: Reverend Horton Heat (Full Custom Gospel Sounds of... - 1993)

Midnight Wine: Shannon and the Clams (Year of the Spider - 2021)
Don't Fall Down: The Black Angels (May The Circle Be Unbroken - 2021)

Delia's Gone: Johnny Cash (Murder - 2000)

Tonight, I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown: Jimmy Dale Gilmore (After Awhile - 1991)

Jack the Ripper: Susan and the Surf Tones (Thunderbeach - 1996)

She Rode Me Down: Tindersticks (Falling Down on a Mountain - 2010)

Graveyard Shift: Uncle Tupelo (No Depression - 1990)

Crazy Fingers: Grateful Dead (Blues for Allah - 1975)

The Road Goes On Forever: Robert Earl Keen (No. 2 Live Dinner - 1996)

Kill the Badger: William S. Burroughs (Dead City Radio - 1990)

Dread Locks Corner: Prince Jazzbo (Ital Corner - 1976)

Home Affairs: Osibisa (Osibirock - 1974)

California Dreaming: Eddie Hazel (Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs  - 1977)

Azeta: Lafayette Afro Rock Band (Soul Makossa - 1973)

Black: Ken Nordine (Colors - 1995)

Potholderz: MF Doom (Mmm Food - 2007)

Ya Habibti: Mdou Moctar (Afrique Victime - 2021)

Three Hours: Nick Drake (Five Leaves Left - 1969)

Resolution/Revolution: Linda Lindas (No Obligation - 2024)

In The Great Gettin' Up Morning: The New Gospel Keys

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza - Tuesdays 8-10PM Pacific - Celebrating Jerry Garcia

 

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza

Tuesdays 8-10PM Pacific

http://radiovalencia.fm

DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW RIGHT HERE!!! 

Jerry Garcia passed away 30 years ago on August 9, 1995. I was in bed when my alarm went off, turning on the clock/radio. I quickly hit the snooze button, but within the scant seconds between it turning on and my hand slapping the button, I heard my friend Nina "Ann Arbor" Price make a comment on her morning show on KFJC, that made me quickly turn the radio back on. Sure enough she had announced that Jerry had died. 

My heart sank in a way I did not anticipate. I knew that I would outlive my favorite band. I also knew the last Dead show I attended, in September 1994 was so disappointing that I couldn't see myself going to another, but I had not expected his passing.

I have written a lot of My Life with the Grateful Dead on this blog, so I won't regurgitate any of that here. 

Instead, I have for you two hours of live Grateful Dead, consisting of two songs. HA! I joke, I joke. There's ten songs on here to enjoy, spanning from late 1960s until 1980, all shining a light on the stellar guitar playing of one Jerome Jerry Garcia.

A lot of you know that I teach high school. Did you know I teach at Jerry's old school in San Francisco? What a treat! And the city just renamed the block of Harrington Street, blocks from where I teach, to Jerry Garcia Street. I get giddy just thinking of all the Heads who will make the pilgrimage here. I'm sure the neighbors won't be as excited, but here we are.

In the meantime, take a look at the playlist below, click on the link above and groove out to some good ol' Grateful Dead, in memory of the late, great Jerry Garcia.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

01 Dark Star > (Dick's Picks 36)

02 Morning Dew (Dick's Picks 36)

03 Scarlet Begonias > (Dick's Picks 18)

04 Fire on the Mountain (Dick's Picks 18)

05 Brown Eyed Women (Europe 72, 2001 remaster)

06 Cream Puff War - demo (Rare Cuts and Oddities)

07 Wharf Rat (Crimson, White and Indigo)

08 Friend of the Devil (Dead Set)

09 Bird Song (Reckoning)

10 Ripple (Reckoning)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #579: Days Between

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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

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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 #547: The Phil Zone

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Well crap, this was bound to happen, right? Everyone dies. When you're a kid and you discover your heroes you think they're going to live forever. You don't want to imagine a day when they won't be around to inspire and excite you.

I remember being in my 20s think that some day every member of the Grateful Dead will be dead and gone. That seemed like such a long way off. Jerry Garcia passed shortly before I turned 25. I got to see a good many shows between my first on December 30, 1985 and my final show on September 19, 1994.

Going to Dead shows were all about getting up near the front for all the spectacle. This was before I had the knowledge of finding the sweet spot. When I had the chance I preferred to situate myself it was was commonly called The Phil Zone; directly in front of bassist Phil Lesh. 

My finest memory was at the Earthquake Benefit Show on December 06, 1989. I was standing up at the stage railing with friends. We saw Phil and a few others standing back stage smoking a joint getting ready to come on stage. As Phil made his way forward, myself and a few others made the universal sign for smoking a joint. Phil responded by throwing that sign right back at us with a huge smile. That is something I will take my own grave.

Thanks for all the music, Phil. So many great memories. 

As for the music I shared tonight, it's a mixed bag of what Phil and the boys put forth over the year. Phil didn't sing much more than backup over the years, and not at all in the mid-70s into the mid-80s. He's known mostly for dropping bombs! Mad bombs. He was never your typical bassist, keeping the beat. He was a lead bassist. He weaves his way through the music as much as Jerry every did. And his style was more akin to neo-classical and the avant garde. 

Check out the Phil and Ned (aka: Seastones) sets from the summer and fall 1974 shows. You think you know the Grateful Dead? This ain't no Touch of Grey. 

There are two particular passages here tonight that I think are super tasty. The first is the Spanish Jam from January 22, 1968. What they do with this theme is really beyond compare. The second piece is a 35+ minute Other One from the Europe 72 tour: April 26, 1972. The song is all over the place and showcases the brilliance of Mr. Lesh and how he can drive the band as much as any other player. This is improvisation at its finest. Even you skeptics will agree this is fine art. 

There are also some lead vocals from Phil including his classic "Box of Rain" which was written in

memory of his father. There's an early 1966 tune "Cardboard Cowboy", which Phil explains. I took the passage from his audio book/memoir "Searching for the Sound". There are also some alternative mixes from the 50th anniversary Mars Hotel: "Unbroken Chain" (first performed live in 1995) and "Pride of Cucamonga", a song the Dead never performed live. I also throw in a Dylan cover: "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", that I loved to hear Phil sing. 

His voice leaves a lot to love, and that's being polite. Being a Dead Freak we just kinda let that go. HA!

OK, enough for the lead up. Click on the link and enjoy the show.

jh

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

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Box of Rain (Alternative Mix): Grateful Dead

Comments on Cardboard Cowboy/Cardboard Cowboy: Grateful Dead (1966)
Born Cross-Eyed->Feedback->Spanish Jam: Grateful Dead (January 22, 1968)

Unbroken Chain (Alternative Mix): Grateful Dead (Mars Hotel 50th)
Hard to Handle: Grateful Dead (August 6, 1971)
The Music Never Stopped: Grateful Dead (July 17, 1989)

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues: Grateful Dead (March 15, 1990)
Cryptical Envelopment->The Other One: Grateful Dead (April 26, 1972)

Easy Wind: Grateful Dead (May 15, 1970)
Pride of Cucamonga (Alternative Mix): Grateful Dead (Mars Hotel 50th)

Cosmic Charlie: Grateful Dead (Aoxomoxoa 50th)