Showing posts with label kendrick lamar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kendrick lamar. Show all posts

Monday, September 19, 2022

Hell's Kitchen Radio #490: What's On The Stereo?

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You got yourself a HiFi, do ya? You think you're all ooh la la? I bet you got some of that wall-to-wall shag carpeting all the kids are raving about, hmm?

We actually had wall-ON-wall carpeting in the basement rec-room of one of my childhood homes. There were some interesting square-cut mirrors with gold veins running through them for some odd effect. That house also had a built in bar. But it was the deep shag carpeting that not only ran across the floor, but literally up the wall to the ceiling that really stood out. Whose idea was that???

And of course our home stereo was down there too. My parents went out of town for a few days, leaving my two older sisters in charge. They were in high school and I was in elementary school at the time. I always looked up to my oldest sister, Julie. She's about eight and a half years older than me, and would always look after me when my folks were at work. My middle sister, Tracy, is about seven years older than me. She and I often butted heads when I was young, even though she was super excited about my mom giving birth to her little brother, me. We're all thick as thieves today. That party though! I was super excited they were having all of their friends over. This would have been around 1979 or 1980. And I can tell you whatever you have seen in movies about the teen fashions of that time were all over my basement that night. I stayed down there as long as they let me stay. I also have a memory of them setting everything up in the early evening, and me watching CHIPS on TV. HA!

This reminds me of the time my dad and his then girlfriend (now wife of 30+ years) went to Lake Tahoe, leaving me at home during my junior year of high school. I lived with my dad throughout high school; my parents divorced when I completed 8th grade. My best friend at the time, Kevin, decided to print up flyers for a kegger at my house, which he passed out to the local high schools, in and around San Mateo. Thanks Kevin. This was in late 1986, or early 1987. We had one hell of a party that night. About 300 people arrived. We had four kegs full of beer. My mom phoned, knowing my dad was out of town, and asked who that nice young lady was who answered the phone? I had no clue. She could hear lots of voices. My sister Tracy got on the phone and confronted me about having a party, letting me know that she was going to drive across the Bay right then and there. GULP.

Tracy arrived and alerted everyone "THIS IS MY FATHER'S HOUSE AND NONE OF YOU ARE INVITED!". She then told me the police are sitting outside in their squad car and want to talk with me. I proceeded outside and they told me that when the beer runs out these kids are going to get angry. "Why don't you choose who you want to have stay and we'll take care of the rest?". That's mighty kind of you officers. I selected about 30 people, and then the cops came through and escorted everyone off my property. They never even knew we were taking money at the door! HA!

My dad arrived home the next night to a mostly cleaned house. The carpet was pretty well trampled upon. I stopped him at the front door and told him about the party. He was none too pleased, but this was my dad we're talking about. There was no grounding. There wasn't much of anything. Thanks dad? I guess. I had no leash growing up. I went to shows all the time, up and down the Peninsula, and in the East Bay. I drove down to Monterey to see the Grateful Dead for the May 9th and 10th 1987 shows all by myself. I was 16. I never got myself in any serious trouble. I was never arrested, I never drove while high, I never liked alcohol, and I never was an asshole to people. Somehow I learned if I took "healthy risks" then the only person I could really have harmed was myself. That, and the "it's better to ask forgiveness than permission" thing. I've grown out of that, thankfully. 

I have no idea what prompted me to share all of that with you, but there ya go. 

Ummmmm music. Yeah, music. I have a few 2022 remasters and box sets here tonight. David Bowie, Blondie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ella Fitzgerald all have remasters out this year. There's some garage punk, jazz, Japanese Folk Psych, British shoe gaze, stoner metal, ambient doom, hip hop, grunge, post-punk, and William Shatner. 

With this you can't go wrong.

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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You Ass Is Next In Line: The Mummies
All Night Long: The Headcoatees
Louie Louie: The Headcoats

Do Not Expose To The Burning Sun: Helms Alee
Blood of the Serpent: Glitter Wizard

Sound and Vision: David Bowie
Sunshine of Your Love: Ella Fitzgerald
Let's Spend the Night Together: Muddy Waters

Blue Train (Take 8): John Coltrane
Hood Politics: Kendrick Lamar

Dancing Blue: Kikagaku Moyo
Rave Down: Swervedriver

That's What Happened: Miles Davis
Trailer Trash: MV and EE

Moonlight Drive: Blondie
Raid: MF Doom and Madlib
King Henry V/Elegy for the Brave: William Shatner
IV: Aluk Todolo

New Face In Hell: The Fall
Stereo: Pavement
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Monday, January 17, 2022

Hell's Kitchen Radio #463: Chip Off The Hell Block

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Nothing brings me greater joy than to share my love of music and radio with my wonderful daughter, Lauson. She's my dream girl, literally. She came to me in a dream a few years before she was conceived and told me her name. She even spelled it for me. It was a seven year old version of her, all with the curly hair she was graced with. I woke up, looked at her mother and said "we're going to have a daughter named Lauson. L.A.U.S.O.N". We chose not to know the sex of the baby before she was born, but I already knew it was Lauson headed our way.

Lauson first joined me on Radio Valencia when she was 7 years old, over ten years ago! I think this was Lauson's 15th time on with me. Links to her previous episodes are below. I've marked all of her song choices. It's really interesting to see where my influence started and where hers took off. She's got an excellent ear for many genres. I couldn't be more proud. How is she a senior in high school already? 

Do I dream of her walking into her college radio station and blowing them all away? Of course I do. I also refuse to live vicariously through my children. She does have a pretty good airname though. And really, can you imagine what her peers would think when they hear she's been involved in community radio since she was 7? HA! Ok ok ok, I'll stop now.

Want more from the Spawn of Hell?


Enjoy.

jh

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

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Dholak Gheet: The Family of Apostolic
Somebody To Love: Kalyanji Anandji
Cold Sweat: Bernard Purdie

Why? (The King of Love is Dead): Nina Simone
River Deep Mountain High: Ike and Tina - L
The Sky Is Crying: Sonny Boy Williamson

Lady Grinning Soul: David Bowie - L
Wake Up Alone: Amy Winehouse - L
Listening to Music: A Child's Garden of Grass
Basically Frightened: Col. Bruce Hampton and Animal Rescue Unit

Be Ever Wonderful: Ted Taylor - L
Duckworth: Kendrick Lamar - L
Run Run Run: White Fence

Late Nights and Heartbreak: Hannah Williams and the Affirmations - L
Savoy Truffle: The Beatles - L
Hypocrisy: Millie Jackson

I Gotta Find Peace of Mind: Lauren Hill - L
Whisper to Me: Cecile Campbell
High and Lonesome: Robert Plant and Alison Krause

Working for the Knife: Mitzky - L
When I Paint My Masterpiece: The Band

We Gotta Get Outta This Place: The Animals
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Monday, January 10, 2022

Hell's Kitchen Radio #462: Never Draw Attention To The Mistakes

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Way back in my college radio days (even before that when I was taking announcing classes at College of San Mateo (CSM), from KKHI announcer, and father of the deepest radio voice I have ever heard, Daniel Odom), I was told to never draw attention to the mistakes. No one really ever pays attention, and if one makes mention of it, then the listener is apt to start to judge the announcer and hence, the station itself. 

I took that to heart.

Once at KFJC, when I was know at the Reverend Dah Wave, I couldn't help but trip over my inexperienced tongue from time to time; especially in the middle of the night, where the new DJs are expected to host shows for six months before moving onto a non-graveyard shift. Those graves were used to learn more about the vast musical library KFJC has, and learn my voice.

Mistakes were made.

I started taking the approach of drawing attention to them if the moment warranted it. More often than not the moment did not warrant it. I'm pretty deft when it comes to reading and enunciation. My dear friend Amacker "Rocket J. Squirrel" Bullwinkle, who hosted Friday's 6-10am would often co-host our transition when I came on for the 10-2pm Jazz/Soul/Funk show I hosted "Temple of the Bird". She would throw a PSA at me (that's public service announcement to those who do not know), testing to see how well I could read it live on air, without a pre-read. You cannot fool good Reverend.

As for the moments where I slipped up in a miserable manner, often not taking the time to thoroughly check the music I had just played to back announce properly, I would run a lot of names and titles together, and forget something vital, leading a handful of "ums" and "ahs". I would then purposely stumble and bumble in an even more animated way, to show that I am above nothing. 

Monday night was a lot like this. Our new studio has a lot of needs, including a new turntable and a new router. And my beloved 5TB WD hard drive is starting to crap out. I purchased a 12TB backup this week, and am backing everything up as I write. Back it up, folks.

Monday night my hard drive crapped out a few times, and only when I was about to move into a song. And the server was being a real bore. And the damnable turntable was mocking me! This led to more than one mic break being something akin to a disaster movie, sans the soundtrack; which is sad, because I have an impressive soundtrack collection.

We got the server working, I have a new hard drive, and my fingers are crossed someone got turntable one working properly, leading up to my next show, this Monday 8-10PM PST, featuring the return of my delightful daughter, Little Lauson Hell to the Radio Valencia studio.

Tune in and find out.

Enjoy and go back up your files.

jh

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

Follow me on Twitter
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Some Velvet Morning: Vanilla Fudge

Beautiful Strangers: Kevin Morby
No Place To Fall: Townes Van Zandt
Frankie and Albert: Taj Mahal

Cat Black: Ty Segall
Mr. Charlie: Lightnin' Hopkins
I Want It: Thee Headcoatees
Rocket Reducers #62: Melvins

Venus in Furs: Velvet Underground
Why Are We Waiting/Create the Visitor: Negativland

Somewhere To Go: Brownout
Darkest Light: Lafayette Afro Rock Band
Wesley's Theory: Kendrick Lamar

Can't Help Thinking About Me: David Bowie
Mogho Naba (King of Kings): The Pyramids
50 Year Old Man: The Fall

Halloween: Siouxsie and the Banshees

Monday, June 14, 2021

Hell's Kitchen Radio #440: Studio Bound

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532 days. That's how long it had been since I had the pleasure of broadcasting from a radio studio. That finally came to an end Monday night as I entered the new home of Radio Valencia, now a storefront location deep in the heart of the Mission District of San Francisco.

Granted, there is work to do. We have a new mural by Alan Forbes that we need to get up, signage needs to be added on the front, new furniture purchased, and art hung on the walls, but I can tell you this is the place that I've dreamed about for decades. Really, decades. Have you ever seen the show "Northern Exposure"? Then you know.

We have dreams of looking similar to the former East Village Radio.

As for the show, it was all vinyl. I haven't had the pleasure to host an all-vinyl show since December 2019. I never hooked my laptop up to my stereo. I don't even think I can. 

All of the music I played tonight was music I purchased during COVID. I didn't have enough time to play everything I brought, so next week might be more of the same. Oh boo hoo!

Of course I started with Melvins.

You're welcome.

Please forgive any technical issues, like over modulating, I'm getting used to the setup. 

Enjoy. I can't wait to host you all!

jh


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

Follow me on Twitter
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Fuck Around: Melvins
Silver Machine: Hawkwind

End Returning: FUZZ
Just Enough To Keep Me Hanging On: David Issacs
Roforofo Fight! Fela Kuti

Bring It On Home To Me: Sam Cooke
TV Set: The Cramps
Not What You Want: Sleater Kinney

Kolbasti: Altin Gün
Velvet Cave: Silver Apples
Take Your Medicine/Meddle With Metal: Czar Face and MF Doom

More Data: Negativland
New Face In Hell: The Fall

Predators and Scavengers: Tomahawk
Johnny: Suicide
Institutionalized: Kendrick Lamar

Saignant: Oh Sees
Bad Luck: Sonny Terry
Living Wreck: Mudhoney

Music Inside: Midnight Snaxxx
Old World: Modern Lovers

High Noon: The Scientists
Snow Day: Mike Krol
Born To Kill: The Damned