Hell's Kitchen Radio #572: Bringing A Rubber Duck To A Knife Fight

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I was talking with a friend of mine earlier today about what makes a good radio show and about how I prepare, week to week? 

I think a good radio show, focused on music, comes from a host that listens to a lot of music a lot of the time, and is excited to curate a show that features tunes in sets that flow from one song to the next, regardless of genre. As a matter of fact I really love pulling off cross-genre sets.

As for how I prepare for my shows? I listen to a lot of music throughout the week, and it's inevitable that I'm going to hear a few tunes that I'm itching to play for you all, so I make a note of that.

Then I literally go through my record shelves and pull music that's calling to me. I also have a strong desire to play new music each week. I prefer to start a set with something new, or something that's relevant and timely. 

I purchase music almost weekly, so there's always something new on my show. And if there's a tribute to a fallen artist or one with a birthday that I just have to call out, or a show I've been to, or one upcoming, then something is going to end up in a set.

And then in the studio I have a stack sitting in front of me that I pull from based on the song that is currently playing. Honestly, there's not much more to it than that. More often that not I pull it off. I never phone it in. 

As for tonight's show, I noticed as I was pulling music that almost every artist tonight is American. I started out the show with some rural blues, moved onto to be-bop and post-bop jazz. Then onto some soul and funk. I made my way to some west coast country and psychobilly, before getting a bit darker in the goth/post-punk vein. Then came the garage/shoegaze/psych, followed by some new dissonance post-post-punk, 60s prog-psych, new Melvins (a genre all their own), more post-post-punk, punk/metal, and finally a tribute to Brian Wilson to close it all out.

And hot damn if this show doesn't flow. Check out me trying to tie it all together!

So as for how do I prepare for my show, after being in radio for 35+ years, and a whole hell of a lot of listening? A lot of this is second nature. But I can assure you I will never rest when it comes to preparing the best in quality non-commercial radio for you, dear listener. 

You have the John Hell Seal of Approval!

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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Frankie and Albert: Taj Mahal

Meet Me In The Bottom: Pink Anderson

Just Knock On My Door: Art Blakey

Jakey: Big John Patton

Sticks and Stones: Joe Jones

Good To Me As I Am To You: Aretha Franklin

I Want You (She's So Heavy): Eddie Hazel

Walkin' The Streets of Love Alone: Mitch Polzak

Psychobilly Freakout: Reverend Horton Heat

Flyin' High: Jenny Don't and the Spurs

Boom Boom: Rube Waddell

Stagger Lee: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Killer of Peace: Crow Jane

Kill My Baby Tonight: LA Witch
Sanitarium Blues: Death Valley Girls

Bye Bye 25!: Kim Gordon

Child in Time: Deep Purple

Vomit of Clarity: Melvins 1983

Secret Agent Rat: Crystal Fairy

Smoke Ring: Chime Oblivion

Take Me To Your Leader: Zig Zags

Heroes and Villains: Beach Boys
God Only Knows: Beach Boys

Who Listens To Radio: Sarah Vaughn

Hell's Kitchen Radio #528: Whoops I Did It Again

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It would appear I went a bit long and neglected my responsibility of posting my show. Sorry about that folks. I had a new Radio Valencia DJ in the studio for the night, training for his new show. You can check out The Final Step with Izzy Tuesdays 10-midnight. Nice guy. I'm looking forward to his show.

We have a lot of really great shows on Radio Valencia. And I'm nit just saying that. When I started this station I had a vision of a freeform station that allowed DJs to not only share the music they love, but to also continue to explore music of many genres, ready and excited to play what they find on their show, just for you.

That's what still excites me about hosting a radio show after all these years. 

So, even though I was distracted training our new host, I made certain to have some great music ready for you over two hours. New music from the Murlocks, Melvins with Helms Alee covering some early Scorpions, new Meatbodies, Population II from Montreal, Slift, Kim Gordon, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets whom I'm seeing in San Francisco next week!

There's also some rare San Francisco punk with pre-Flipper band Negative Trend, as well as some SF funk/punk with Dread Zeppelin, and many other treats sprinkled about.

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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The Payback Mix: James Brown
A Change is Gonna Come: The Gits

Virgin Criminal: The Murlocs

Big Boss Man (with Hope Sandoval): Mercury Rev

Talk to God: Goat

Crossing: Wooden Shjips
The Sails of Charon: Melvins and Helms Alee

Dragonaut: Sleep

April in Paris: Billie Holiday
How Blue Can You Get: BB King

Silly Cybin: Meatbodies

Now: Negativland

Hélène: Population II

Nimh: Slift

The Believers: Kim Gordon

Hey, Hey What Can I Do?: Dread Zeppelin

Meathouse: Negative Trend

Nightmare (K.I.L.L.I.N.G.) Meow: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
Meet Me At The Bottom: Pink Anderson

Rock A Bye Baby: Big Mama Thornton

Beat Club: A/LPACA

Hell's Kitchen Radio #526: What's Behind The Curtain?

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Never draw attention to the mistakes. 

That's really good advice. Don't let them see what's behind the curtain, and all that jazz. 

Unless you can make it an art form. 

I like to think I have made it some kind of art form, and not just roommate radio.

I don't often bring CDs into the studio; it's almost exclusively vinyl for this dude. But tonight I wanted to play a few tunes to celebrate Bunny Day and St. Stupid's Day, so I brought a few CDs along just to find out the CD player was not in operating condition. And I didn't bring nearly enough vinyl to fill two hours. I did have my trusty 5GB external hard drive filled to the brim with tasty musical treats, but I hadn't prepared to pull anything from there, so there was more improvisation on this night than I am used to.

You can probably hear it in my delivery.

And I had a friend in the studio I forgot was coming by, and I like to play the good host, all the while troubleshooting the CD players, which I was unable to do.

Taking a look at the playlist looks pretty satisfying though. I may sound a little cringe on the mic. Let me know. I can take it. My dad always told me it's healthy to embarrass yourself from time to time: it builds character. If that's the case, John Hell was certainly representing tonight!

Come look behind the curtain.

Enjoy.

jh 

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

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White Man's Got A God Complex: Last Poets
Religious Vomit: Dead Kennedys
Faith in My Pocket: Mark Growden

Imagine (Take 1): John Lennon
Loose Lucy: Grateful Dead
I've Got A Tiger By The Tail: Buck Owens and His Buckaroos

Gila Monster: King Gizzard
In and Out of Grace: Mudhoney
I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You: Ramones
Stunner: OSees

Psychedelic Orgasm: Kim Gordon
Know Your Rights: The Clash

No Place To Fall: Kevin Morby
She Don't Care: Ty Segall
Jesus Was Way Cool: King Missile
Built For Speed: Howlin' Wolf
Mercy: John Cale

Amphetamine: Rocket From The Tombs
Sister Morphine: Marianne Fatihfull
Gates of Eden: Bob Dylan
White Linen: Blüchunks

Bedside Manners: The Black Crowes
Downtown: Johnny Thunders
Walk On: Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore

Chocolate Jesus: Tom Waits

Hell's Kitchen Radio #525: Coomer Comes To The Kitchen

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Monday night I was excited to host songstress Robin Coomer into the Radio Valencia studio, sharing a few new tunes from her upcoming solo release. As always her voice is in top form. Really, there's nothing quite like it. 

From Robin's days in Birdsaw, through to LOOP! Station, Shake Well (er, ummm, that's actually a relative of hers I believe???), to inspired collaboration in Secret Songs, and now to a long overdue (IMHO) solo effort, due out this spring.

Check out my interview with Robin the first hour, as well as a few new tracks she shared.

The remainder of the night continues my focus on great female artists in celebration of Women's History Month.

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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Femme Fatale: Velvet Underground
Low Spark of High Heeled Boys: The Space Lady

Interview with Robin Coomer

Inside Gun: Robin Coomer

Interview with Robin Coomer

Close Call: Robin Coomer

Interview with Robin Coomer

Smoke In Mirrors: Robin Coomer

Send Me a Postcard: Shocking Blue
How Little Men Care: Margaret Cho and Neil Hamburger
Young, Gifted and Black: Aura and Lee Perry
Tryptich: Prayer/Protest/Peace: Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Aretha Franklin
Wild: The Nuns
Original Sin: Peach Kelly Pop

AirBnB: Kim Gordon
Centrate: Podium
Le Ju de Telephone: Caroline
I Get A Kick Out Of You: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Little Red Rooster: Big Mama Thornton
Mad Moth: The Bobby Lees
Carletta's In Hats Again: Brigid Dawson and the Mother's Network

The Lady is a Tramp: Ella Fitzgerald

Hell's Kitchen Radio #506: Let Them Eat Tweets

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I left Twitter a few years ago. It always upset me to scroll through it. I held onto the account so I could share my radio blog on there, tagging the artists I play. I never missed it, and I never thought I would. When Musk took it over I deleted my account. I don't need to share my data with that guy. It appears Twitter drives people to this page. I've gone from ~150 per post to ~10. ugh. I do not want to back to Twitter. 

Well I guess you lucky few get to enjoy all this music just for yourselves. Who am I to keep you from sharing it on your own social media platforms? 

Just look at what you get: a tribute to Tom Verlaine, some 70s Punk, 60s Blues and Jazz, new John Cale, Molly Tuttle, Ty Segall, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. I also have some demos and outtakes from The Who and Funkadelic. I'm all over the damn place. 

Let Twitter keep the creep. You have me and I have you, and that's all that counts.

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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Roadrunner: The Modern Lovers
Anarchy in the UK: Sex Pistols

Friction: Television
Down At The Rock and Roll Club: Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Love Comes In Spurts: Thee Headcoats

Sorcery: Big Band Katowice
Back Home: Yusef Lateef
Nisaba in the Grass: Luna

Night Crawling: John Cale
Earthquake: Kim Gordon

Fearless: Mary Lou Lord
The Waitress Song: First Aid Kit
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out: Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen
Sloppy Drunk Blues: Big Joe Williams

San Francisco Bay Blues: Molly Tuttle
Bumble Bee: Big Mama Thornton

Goin' Mobile (Pete's Demos): The Who
Red Hot Mama (alternative take): Funkadelic
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide (2022 remake): ZZ Top
Midnight Special: Harry Belefonte

Saturday Pt. 2: Ty Segall
Moth Tongue: Crystal Fairy

Pick A Bale of Cotton: Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Hell's Kitchen Radio #480: Miniature American Flags For All

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Standing in the newly painted Radio Valencia studio really fills me with pride, and inspires me to put on a quality show for you all. That's not saying the other weeks were phoned in, it just feels like I walked into a brand new studio and I'm really jazzed about it. 

Radio Valencia is a collection of jocks who have come together to play our favorite music for you. Some of us have been at this radio game a few decades now. RV has been going strong-ish since 2010. Having a storefront location this last year has been a huge boon for us, and we're now in a position to make the most of it; hence the facelift. Big thanks to the Tuesday night crew, Culturefest's Lilly and Joe. These two really went all out. I don't think the attached pictures do it justice, but they'll have to do. When I walked in Monday night I could have sworn the studio was actually bigger than before!

Sunday Streets on Valencia is July 10th. If you're in the area drop by and check out the studio. We're at

3227 22nd Street, between Mission and Valencia, next door to Make Out Room.

Tonight's show had a lot of emotion throughout it. New music from Emily Clark and Fanstastic Negrito. There's a 45th anniversary expanded edition Bob Marley, and a build up to this weekend's Mosswood Meltdown in the second hour. And George Carlin speaks about a timely issue beyond the grave.

How do I pack so much in? You'll just have to tune in Monday's 8-10PM PDST and find out.

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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Do It: Rollins Band
The Man With The X-Ray Eyes: Bauhaus

A Change Is Gonna Come: Baby Huey

Moth Tongue: Crystal Fairy
Nasty Girl: Betty Davis
Life Goes On: Big Mama Thornton

You Better Have A Gun: Fantastic Negrito
Let Me Roll It: Paul McCartney and Wings

Amazing Grace: Aretha Franklin

Big Sky: Emily Clark and the Passing Fancy
Chismiten: Mdou Moctar

Suck My Left One: Bikini Kill
Love Canal: Flipper
Crawl: Shannon and the Clams
Racist, Sexist Boy: The Linda Lindas
AirBnB: Kim Gordon

Lovers Lane: Hunx and His Punx
George Carlin Pro Life, Abortion, and the Sanctity of Life
Fisherman Dub: Lee Perry

Natural Mystic (Alternative version): Bob Marley
In The Great Getting Up In The Morning: The New Gospel Keys

Hell's Kitchen Radio #379: Mine All Mine

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Radio is my creative outlet. Every week I get a two hour empty canvas on which I can paint tunes that allow the listener to travel to a time and space where they can float, unaware of the responsibilities that lay around them, waiting to be picked up once again following the closing of my show. I hope you have the ability to lay down your weary lists, and just listen for a short time.

We all need to take back some of our precious time. The last thing I want to do is go to my death bed saying "if I only crossed one more item off that list". Now is the time to live, and yes, of course be your responsible self. But may I please request that every Monday night, between 8-10PM you set it all down and pick up a little bit of Hell?

Thanks a ton. I think this show is a perfect example of what I can offer from week to week. I think I'm counting ten distinctive genres spread throughout this playlist. And the second hour has a few live cuts sprinkled in for good effect.

Take a look, take a listen, and join me Monday at 8. You never know what you're going to hear, and I like it like that.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Skull Ring: Iggy Pop with The Stooges
ABC: Peach Kelly Pop
I'm A Greedy Man: James Brown

Certain Men: Negativland
I Walk With The Lord: Pat Kessee
Where Eagles Dare: Bratmobile
Poor Elijah: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends

Bump Bump Babe: Wells Fargo
Inner City Blues: Grover Washington Jr.

Oh Atlanta: Little Feet
CC Rider: Big Bill Broonzy
Long Distance Call: Muddy Waters with Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield

California Uber Alles: Dead Kennedys (April 28, 1985, Trenton, NJ)
Room Service: Rap Reiplinger
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love/Sell or be Sold/Mutiny in Jonestown: Minutemen (January 03, 1985 KPFK, LA, CA)
Earthquake: Kim Gordon

Stak O'Lee: Mississippi John Hurt
Yer Blues: The Dirty Mac
Bo Diddley: The Doors (July 21, 1969 Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, CA)
Marked For Life: Poison Idea

White Heat: Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Eena Meena Deeka: Aki Kumar

I Like Girls: Samantha Sidley
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Hell's Kitchen Radio #378: Safe In Hell

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I do love training a future great DJ. Tonight I had Ruffin the Love Muffin in the studio with me. He's getting ready to take on his own slot, and I get the extreme pleasure to take him through all the paces.

Janis Joplin passed 49 years ago last week, so I felt the need to bring out the goods: a classic live Ball and Chain from 68. This is a Big Mama Thornton cover, so I had to throw in some original Big Mama Mae, doing her dripping hot Hound Dog. Elvis never did it this good.

New music from Kim Gordon, and some other classics that are new to you.

I'm a wee bit behind on posting my shows over the past few months, so I'll be getting those up sporadically over the next few weeks...I hope.

Thanks for the love.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Bottle Up And Go: The Monkeywrench
Hound Dog: Big Mama Thornton

Ball and Chain: Big Brother and the Holding Company (May 4, 1968, Shrine Expo, LA, CA)
White Bird: It's A Beautiful Day

Stir It Up (In the Pot): Lee "Scratch" Perry
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now: The Smiths
Scream: Black Flag
I Am The Walrus: Pop-O-Pies

Viscous: Lou Reed
World In My Eyes: Depeche Mode
Clash City Rockers: The Clash
Shrinking Moon For You: Wooden Shjips
By The Time I Get To Phoenix: New York Underground Funk Band

It Ain't Me Babe: Bryan Ferry
Let The Boy Rock and Roll: Flamin' Groovies
The White Man's Got A God Complex: Last Poets
Louie Louie: Richard Berry
Safe in Hell: Sonic Youth

Cookie Butter: Kim Gordon
Vortex of Lies: Mudhoney
I'm Not The One: The Cars

Control: Amyl and the Sniffers
What A Wonderful World: Louie Armstrong