Tune into Hell's Kitchen Radio, with John Hell, every Monday night 8-10PM (Pacific), on Radio Valencia (https://radiovalencia.fm) in San Francisco. You can find my playlists and links to the podcasts right here.
I missed you all last week when I saw Melvins and Napalm Death at Great American Music Hall. How much fun was that? I think we both know the answer to that one. And to top it off, Jello Biafra joined in the fun singing Nazi Punks Fuck Off and ended the song with a stage dive. Good God, Man, people had to carry you. You practically took someone's head off.
Great show though.
This was an inspired show. There's a flow in the musical sets. Just take a look for yourself. Do you see it? You see it, right? You see it?
Paying some love to Amyl and the Sniffers to start out. I took the fabulous Lauson Hell to see them last week at The Fox Theater. There's some new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. You do have your tickets to the show at the Bill Graham Civic in May, right?
Can I confide in you? I'll have to wait until you leave a comment or something.
I'll wait.
In the meantime, there's some spaghetti westers, jazz flute, misogynist funk, obscure SF punk, not-so-obscure SF punk. Then I moved the punk down the coast and eventually across the pond. Do we still say that? I end with some Linda Lindas because they ROCK!
Monday, April 21st I'm hosting an Iggy Pop birthday special, part one. I can't wait to celebrate Papa Stooge. Tune in and be my dog.
Enjoy and please share.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Listen into all my shows here! Subscribe to my show, via
You know, I really enjoy hosting friends on my show. Being in radio for the past 33 years has brought me some really talented friends. Tonight I'm so excited to have back in the studio, editor-in-chief for the Haight Street Voice, Linda Kelly. Linda and I met when we were both acting in a stage production of The Twilight Zone episode "Will the Real Alien Please Stand Up", put on at the former Mission District playhouse Spanganga. This was the first in what turned out to be many great seasons of Twilight Zone over at the legendary Dark Room theater, run by my buddy and Flat Earthers bandmate, Jim Fourniadis.
But I digress.
Cover art: @Aimee Duddridge-Picard
Linda has been living in the Haight close to 30 years, and in and around San Francisco for longer than that. She's seen it all, partied with the best of them, and lived to tell the tale. She birthed this new local paper back in 2017, and isn't shy about getting people to talk to her. Hmmmm, sounds familiar.
She talks about the importance of the paper for bringing the good vibes back to a neighborhood that has suffered during COVID.
The music is the way it should be: eclectic and fresh, jumping around to different genres and eras.
Take a listen and go grab a copy of the Haight Street Voice at almost every store in the Haight.
Enjoy.
jh
The holidays are upon us and your friendly local radio station could sure use some love. Radio Valencia is a self-funded endeavor. If you are enjoying our shows, I'd like to ask you to donate a few dollars our way. This link will take you to our PayPal, which is hosted by SFIndyMedia, our non-profit benefactor. All donations go to Radio Valencia. Thank you in advance.
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
I grew up wishing I had graduated from a San Francisco high school in 1964 so that by the Summer of Love in 1967 I would 21 years old and able to fully immerse myself in everything that era had to offer. It's the music of that time that influenced me the most during my adolescent years, when I was moving past what played on the home hi-fi and more into discovering my own likes. It was that swirling psychedelic music and it was that message of change and opportunity that grabbed me most.
My family moved to the Bay Area in late 1982 when I was 12 years and I knew right away what a special place San Francisco was. In our first excursion into the city my parents wanted to tour Fisherman's Wharf, I wanted to go to the Haight. Of course by 1982 the Haight was long past its hippy prime and deep in its lost years of heroin and speed and closed storefronts. That didn't stop me from searching this great city and colorful neighborhoods for any crumb that remained from the vibe that the Summer of Love hoped to propagate following 1967. Today the area is inundated by boutiques and way too many Tibetan importers and head shops; not to mention countless tourists, who, like me, are looking for a shred of evidence that there was once an energy of love that attempted to take our nation to a higher level, overcoming war and grief and capitalism. And let's not forget the number of homeless teens and 20-somethings who have been termed out of foster care, who call the doorways of Haight Street their home.
It was the swirling music, colorful fashion, and risk-taking youth that took precedence at that time. It was the music industry that bastardized it and made way for the punk movement of the 70s/80s. But before that all came to pass we have to appreciate what the bands of the time were doing. San Fransisco was one hell of a great scene. Great clubs, like the Avalon Ballroom, Carousel, Fillmore, Family Dog at the Great Highway had the best bands playing their stages night after night. And promoters like Chet Helms and Bill Graham were pairing local rock bands with legendary blues and jazz artists, opening the ears of the audience to sights and sounds they may never have taken the time to check out on their own.
We are all better for 1967 and San Francisco.
Two books I'd like to recommend that will shed much better light on that era include Joel Selvin's
"Summer of Love", and David Talbot's "Season of the Witch". The latter starts in 67 and works its way up through the first 49er Super Bowl win in early 1982. Both are definitely worth your time, especially if you hold a place in your heart for San Francisco.
As for the music I chose for this show, it's all from 1967, and most are west coast American bands. in retrospect I could have chosen more obscure acts from that year, or other, more current bands, covering these songs, below. Instead I played music that really moved me as I was growing up. And isn't that the job of the DJ, to move you the way they have been?
My friend Linda Kelly, managing editor of the local rag Haight Street Voice was hanging out in the studio with me too. She was interviewing me for the August issue. It's a free paper, so pick it up when you see it, or go online to check it out. I hope she doesn't make me sound too bitter. It's been a challenging year when it comes to my love for SF. But isn't that like all relationships? We'll see it through to the end.
Wednesday I had the chance to take in the Summer of Love exhibition at the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. It was more than I could have hoped for. If you live in the Bay Area make sure you get to this show before it closes, August 20th.
Next Monday night is lots of new music and the return of Little Lauson Hell!!!
Enjoy.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
I've been hosting a radio show on and off since about 1990 when I was at KFJC. I never counted the number of shows I hosted there, but between 1990-1997, probably over 1000 weekly shows. Those were great times, and by far the best education I could have dreamed of. When I started Radio Valencia back in 2010 I had no idea how it might grow and how long we would be around. Monday night I hosted my 300th show, not counting the many specials I've done. What a fun milestone this is.
I started off the night with 15 minutes of Facebook Live, which I'm still not totally comfortable doing, but at least it's a way for my family to see me in action. HA! My guest, managing editor of local magazine "Haight Street Voice", Linda Kelly spent the rest of the evening with me talking about the importance of having a regular publication in the city that supports local voice, whether they be citizens, homeless, merchants, artists, musicians, or whomever. Linda knows her history of the area like the back of her hand, and wants to use HSV as a medium to bring people together of various backgrounds, all of whom share their love of the city, and the Haight specifically. I concur. It was a fabulous interview. She turned the mic on me in the second hour, asking about my thoughts on show 300 and where I'd like to see Radio Valencia go in the future.
I don't really feel that this blog is for me to ramble on and on. I think the radio show itself should be the focus. So, click on the links above to stream or download this show, and then you too can take the two hour journey that I've prepared for you, 300 shows in the making...give or take.
This May 25th I'll be interviewing music critic and author Joel Selvin about his new book "Altamont
Download your ROCK HERE! Listen into all my shows here, or just scroll down Subscribe to my show, via
ROCK FIGHT 14 IS ON THE AIR! 6-Midnight (PDST)
http://radiovalencia.fmJohn Hell throws his best live bootlegs and you win! Guests
galore! Linda Kelly guests. Travis Hayes plays live in studio.
This was one GREAT show. Six hours of blistering live performances, and two amazing interviews. For the past 13 Rock Fights, poster artist Ron Donovan has joined me in the studio. Due to unforeseen (but predicted) circumstances, Ron was unable to join me tonight. It didn't matter though, I would have kicked his ass up and down the airwaves like I do every Rock Fight.
I open the show with some great 60s jams. Just look at the playlist! It's rock and psych, leading into proto-punk in the second hour. 70s punk takes over the rest of the hour, before author Linda Kelly comes in to talk up the new edition of her 1995 book "Deadheads", just in time for the Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary shows (which I'll be attending in Santa Clara this weekend). You have got to read this book! So many great stories. My interview with Linda is a ton of fun. We played about 90 minutes of brilliant live Dead, from the 67-92. She'll be in the parking lot selling and signing books all weekend long. And she'll be at Proper Fox jewelry store tonight signing and selling.
Local singer-songwriter Travis Hayes came by to talk up his upcoming show, this Saturday night at the Great American Music Hall. He played a few tunes, live in the studio, and shared some stories. What a great guy. Go to this show, and support live, local music.
I finished up the show with some classic rock standouts!!! Led Zeppelin, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and more.
I love hosting this show, but six hours is exhausting. And having no co-host just will not do. This December, sound engineer John Karr will be co-hosting Rock Fight 15 with me. John has been doing live and studio sound for over 25 years, and has recorded thousands of great local shows. I look forward to kicking his ass. Tune in.
Sunshine of your Love: Cream (October 25, 1968 Dallas, TX)
Sunshine of your Love: Jimi Hendrix Experience (June 20, 1969 San Fernando Valley State College)
Let's Go Get Stoned: Joe Cocker (BBC Sessions 68/69)
When the Music's Over: The Doors (March 18, 1967 Detroit, MI)
Ball and Chain: Big Brother and the Holding Company (1967 SF, CA)
Wooden Ships: Jefferson Airplane (May 7, 1970 Fillmore East, NYC, NY)
All Tomorrow's Parties: Velvet Underground (Scepter Studios, New York City NY, April 1966) Hour 2:
I Wanna Be Your Dog: Iggy Pop (Santa Monica Civic Auditorium 04-15-1977)
TV Set: The Cramps (The Metropolis, Portland, OR May 23, 1982)
What A Way To Die: The Mummies (1991 Sandbar Club, Long Beach, CA)
Hazaemaze: Fuzz (Kings Barcade, Raleigh, NC, October 10, 2013)
Search and Destroy: Rocket from the Tombs (RFFT Loft, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 2-8-75)
Born to Lose/One Track Mind: The Heartbreakers (Max's Kansas City, NYC, NY 05-08-80)
Now I Want To Sniff Some Glue: The Ramones (CBGB's, NYC, NY 06-10-77)
Sheena is a Punk Rocker: The Ramones (CBGB's, NYC, NY 06-10-77)
Cherry Bomb: The Runaways (The Agora, Cleveland, OH 07-19-76)
Gut Feeling: Devo (Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco, CA 08-03-77)
This is Not A Love Song: PIL (Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 11-02-84)
Let's Lynch the Landlord: Dead Kennedy's (9:30 Club, Washington, DC (04-11-81)
Master Race Rock: The Dictators (Minneapolis 08-17-91)
Hour 3:
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl: Grateful Dead (11-10-67 Shrine Auditorium, LA, CA)
Beat It On Down the Line: Grateful Dead (03-01-70 Fillmore West, SF, CA)
Interview with Linda Kelly
China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider: Grateful Dead (05-25-74 UC Santa Barbara)
Interview with Linda Kelly
He's Gone: Grateful Dead (02-09-86 Henry J Kaiser, Oakland, CA)
Althea: Grateful Dead (03-11-92 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, CA)
Interview with Linda Kelly
Hour 4:
Deal: Grateful Dead (09-30-72 American University, Washington DC)
Eyes of the World: Grateful Dead (06-09-73 RFK Stadium, Washington, DC)
Lost Sailor/Saint of Circumstance: Grateful Dead (10-10-82 Frost Amphitheater, Stanford, CA)
Interview with Travis Hayes
Sleepless: Travis Hayes live in RV studio
Interview with Travis Hayes
Kate's Song: Travis Hayes Hour 5:
Interview with Travis Hayes
Warm Bodies: Travis Hayes
Pasties and a G-String: Tom Waits (10-05-77 Late Show, The Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA)
One More Cup of Coffee: Bob Dylan (NYC 12-08-75)
Song Remains the Same/Rain Song: Led Zeppelin (01-14-73 Empire Theater, Liverpool, England)
In My Time of Dying: Led Zeppelin (03-17-75 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA) Hour 6:
Youth of America: The Melvins (03-09-04 Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA)
Zig Zags (04-07-13 The Echo, LA, CA)
Fairies Wear Boots: Black Sabbath (08-26-13 Shoreline Amph., Mountain View, CA)
Don't Fear the Reaper: Blue Oyster Cult (10-12-79 International Amp., Chicago, IL)
Tom Sawyer: Rush (09-30-80 Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA)
Dogs: Pink Floyd (01-29-77 Deutschlandhalle, West Berlin, West Germany)
40,000 Headmen: Traffic (11-18-70 Fillmore East, NYC, NY)
Black Betty: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (07-02-89 Werchter Festival, Werchter, Belgium)
Time to fight it out - Stream it HERE! Rock out with your download out - HERE! Listen to all my shows by going HERE! Links to all previous ROCK FIGHTS are below! Subscribe to my shows via iTunes
Too much has been written in the annals of mythology about the many Rock Fights which came before, but no one could have prepared any of us for what was about to come on this holiest of holy Rock Fight nights.
Each hour progresses with guests, amazing live tracks, and brilliant banter that will leave you in stitches, and quite possibly paralyzed from the neck down.
John and Ron are in fine form for much of the evening (I repeat MUCH of the evening), the guest interviews are a perfect addition to what is already an institution in radio land. The music selections, mostly focused on Rock, also feature a Black Metal set, and a wonderful Blues set; taking us from the roots of Rock to wear Rock has certainly come.
In the second hour author Linda Kelly joined us at to talk about the upcoming release of the new edition of her 1995 Grateful Dead-themed book: "Deadheads", just in time for the 50th anniversary of my favorite band.
Sound Engineer John Karr joins us in the third hour to talk about all the many bands he's worked with over the years. John has worked regularly as an engineer in many recording studios around San Francisco, and has worked the sound board at pretty much every club in San Francisco for over 20 years. He's got great stories and has brought along excellent, stellar live recordings from shows where he is manning the board.
Metallica fanzine editor Steffan Chirazi joins us for the fourth hour to play us BLACK (metal) Christmas. You know, an anti-christ/mas thing. All Black Metal, with some road stories. Great road stories. Steff is always ready with some of the best stories from the road. He's been doing it for over 25 years so he knows his stuff.
We're doing a blues set the fifth hour. It makes sense. All live versions you've never heard before. Eric McFadden called in this hour. He's in Albuquerque, New Mexico right now, and shared his history of listening to live music, and his own memories of his favorite bands growing up.
Play the game "Where is Ron". Where oh where could he be throughout the program? Is he on Mic? Is he lost in the mission? How many songs did Ron actually play on Rock Fight 14? Tune in and play along with rest of us.
Finally we close the show the way we opened the show: with a tribute to the late great Joe Cocker. Joe died on Monday at the age of 70 years old. Anyone who's listened my show over the years knows that I am huge fan of Joe Cocker, he's always been an absolute inspiration to my growth as a music fan. The Mad Dogs Englishmen Tour from 1970 is by far the greatest series of shows that I have ever heard in my long tenure of collecting live music. It is my dream and aspiration to one day front of band in much the same manner as Joe Cocker did with that tour. It's an understatement to say that you will be missed, Joe. RIP to a man who taught me more about music than most people I have ever known, personally.
Enjoy.
jh
PS: It would appear this is actually Rock Fight 13. This is what I get for not going back and actually looking at the most recent show we did. HA!
Hour one:
Something: Joe Cocker (San Francisco, April 26, 1970) - JH
Kick Out The Jams: MC5 (01-01-70 Saginaw, MI) - JH
Guns of Brixton: The Clash (Akron, OH 08-17-82) - JH
Jailhouse Rock/Don't Be Cruel: Elvis Presley (Las Vegas 1969)
Cafe Latte: Limbomaniacs (iBeam - SF 09-01-90)
John The Fisherman: Primus (Haight Street Fair 06-10-90) -JH
Feeling Alright: Joe Cocker (10-19-69 Fillmore West, SF, CA) -JH
Sin City: AC/DC (Oakland, CA 07-21-79) - RD
Hour two:
Songs Remains the Same/Rain Song: Led Zeppelin (01-07-73 - Oxford, England) - JH
Closet Queen: James Gang (07-15-71 Frisa, Holland) - JH
Summertime Blues: Joan Jett (Firemen's Memorial Park, Hempsted NJ, Aug. 8, 1981) - JH
Love Gun: Kiss (Selland Arena, Fresno, California November 27, 1979) - JH
Youth of America: The Melvins (Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA March 9, 2004) - JH
Interview with Linda Kelly
Hour three:
China Cat Sunflower - I Know You Rider: Grateful Dead (Assembly Hall, Umiversity of Illinois,
Champaign-Urbana, IL 73-02-21)
Interview with John Karr - John brought a bunch of recording he made while doing live sound for these bands. He's not certain of the song titles or exact dates. We'll forgive him this one time.
Death Cab For Cutie: Bottom of the Hill, SF, CA 1999
Fucking Champs, Bottom of the Hill, SF, CA 09-13-2000
Rumah Sakit: Bottom of the Hill, SF, CA 03-04-2000
Cosmic Slop: P-Funk, Yoshi's SF, CA 2012
Mastadon, Justice League, SF, CA 2001?
Mirv, Great American Music Hall, SF, CA 12-28-2002
Hour four:
Mermen SF, CA
Interview with Steffan Chirazi
Black Metal Special
In Nomine Satanas/Black Metal: Venom
Gorgorath: Wacken Metal Fest 2012
Confessional Rape: Diecide
Hour five:
Necrolust: Mayhem
Ground: Celtic Frost
Blues set:
Shotgun Blues: Blues Brother (12-31-78 Winterland, SF, CA)
Boom Boom: John Lee Hooker (03-30-85 The Stone, SF, CA)
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed: Allman Brothers Band (07-03-70 Atlanta Pop Fest, Byron, GA)
Blues at Sunrise: Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King 12-06-83 CHCN Studios, Hamilton, ON
Interview with Eric McFadden
Hour six:
D's Diner: Eric McFadden, Les Claypool, Paulo Baldi (2007 The Independent, SF, CA)
I'm A Howlin' Wolf: Muddy Waters (11-04-76 Blues & Jazz Festival Geneva, Switzerland)
Trouble No More: Junior Wells and Buddy Guy 12-03-85 Dingwalls, London, England
Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago: ZZ Top (04-19-80 Grugahalle, Essen, Germany)
I'm Waiting For The Man: Lou Reed (12-26-72 KLIR, Hempstead, NY)
Redondo Beach: Patti Smith (01-30-76 The Roxy, LA, CA)
The Letter: Joe Cocker and The Grease Band (10-19-69 Fillmore West, SF, CA)
Listen to this show right here!!!
