Hell's Kitchen Radio #625: Cover Me Covering You

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

So punk photographer Rob Coons (AKA: Rob Taco) gave me a ring asking if he could come in to co-host a Punk covers night. What was I supposed to say? I jumped at the chance to collaborate with Rob on such a fun show.

I've played a ton of covers in the past, but Rob's idea was to play both the cover and the original. He also wanted to make the point that many covers came from originals that were as far from Punk as one could get! He wasn't kidding.

I played along, but only played the covers. 

Daniel (AKA: DJ Copper Stripper (who knew there were at least three meanings to this moniker???)) was present but neglected to bring any vinyl along. WTH DJ CS????

I'm curious how many of you knew these were covers? 

We had so much fun we've decided to host a part two in the coming months.

Also, now that we're getting closer to fall, it's time to prepare for my 16th annual Annual Annual. I think we're going with 1967, unless Copper Stripper gets his way and we do 1933. I also like the idea of doing 1982, but I did 1981 last year, so probably not. 

If you're unaware of this special, I play at least two hours from one year. Last year I played four hours from 1981 and it was amazing. 

My 16th annual Annual Annual will be sometime in late November. Stay tuned.

Next Monday night I'm thrilled to have Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden of Sgt. Splendor in the studio playing tunes and talking up their residency at Soiled Dove in Alameda. Talking to Kate and Eric is always a treat.

Tune in and enjoy.

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 me on Instagram 
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Instagram

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love: Minutemen
Eight Miles High: Husker Dü
Eve of Destruction: The Dickies

Wild in the Street: Circle Jerks
Wild in the Streets: Garland Jeffreys
Police on My Back: The Clash
Police on My Back: The Equals

Steppin' Stone: Minor Threat
I Will Always Love You: Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees
Louie Louie: Black Flag

Goo Goo Muck: The Cramps
Goo Goo Muck: Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads
Pills: New Your Dolls
Pills: Bo Diddley

I Don't Wanna Grow Up: The Ramones
I Don't Wanna Grow Up: Tom Waits
Looking at You: The Damned
Looking at You: MC5
Truckin': Pop-O-Pies

Ofortuna: Botch
Ofortuna: Karl Orff
Goin' Blind: Melvins
Goin' Blind: Kiss
Hurdy Gurdy Man: Butthole Surfers
Hurdy Gurdy Man: Donovan

12XU: Minor Threat
Gloria: Patti Smith

Son of a Gun: Nirvana
What A Wonderful World: Joey Ramone

Hell's Kitchen Radio #613: Let's Blow San Francisco

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Sometimes things come in twos: peanut butter and jelly, baseball and hotdogs, cats and furballs. So it came as no surprise when I had panned to take the night off that I was lured into the studio when I read about Rolling Stone magazine's horrendous Top 100 Punk songs of all time list. 

As for the second treat, you may have read, or seen the flyer posted around San Francisco, looking for a Daniel Lurie look-a-like to star in a porn parody "Let's Blow San Francisco". I was lucky enough to land Don Francisco, the producer, director, writer for this soon to be classic film for an on air interview, talking about the film and where they're at right now in the process.

Daniel Haver, from the Mabuhay Gardens, was in the studio co-hosting with me again tonight. I've really enjoyed Daniel being around. He's really coming into his own on the air. And then Rob from the band The Seagulls came by along with his friend Heather. And to round out the crowd, Jasper, host of Saturday's Broadcast from Limbo added to the mix.

We all had something loud to say about this top 100. Upsetting and confusing was the common call. My theory is the editors for this list looked at regions of punk around the globe (US and Britain that is) and then considered the top acts and albums from those regions. Finally, they combined all of that into one list. 

Lame. All of it, lame. 

Nevermind #9! 

Most of these bands deserve to be on this list. Pretty much all of them shouldn't be in the order they're in (MC5 after Blink 182, who shouldn't be on this list at all!). And where's the first Stooges and VU albums? Where is DRI? MDC? Cromags???

So between the music, the banter, the talk about what makes San Francisco great, this turned into a better choice than to just stay home on a Monday night.

Enjoy and please share.

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

I'm Waiting For The Man: Velvet Underground (Velvet Underground and Nico - 1967)
Kick Out The Jams: MC5 (Kick Out The Jams - 1969)

I Want To Be Your Dog: The Stooges (The Stooges - 1969)
Looking For A Kiss: New York Dolls (S/T - 1973)

Judy is a Punk: Ramones (S/T - 1976)

Rocket Reducer: Dead Boys (Young, Loud and Snotty - 1977)

I Like Cars and Girls: The Dictators (Go Girl Crazy!!! - 1975)
I'm So Bored With The USA: The Clash (S/T - 1977)
Jocko Homo: Devo (Are We Not Men? - 1978)

Friction: Television (Marquee Moon - 1977)

Let's Lynch The Landlord: Dead Kennedys (Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - 1980)

Way of the World: Flipper (Generic - 1981)

Car Crash: Avengers (S/T - 1980)

Touch Me I'm Sick: Mudhoney (Superfuzz Bigmuff and Singles - 1989)

I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts: X (More Fun In The New World - 1983)

School: Nirvana (Bleach - 1989)

Caliente: Supersuckers (Smoke of Hell - 1990)

I Come From The Mountain: Thee Oh Sees (Floating Coffin - 2013)

GFY: Amyl and the Sniffers (S/T - 2019)

Magic: Zig Zags (S/T - 2014)
Napoleon: The Bobby Lees (New Self - 2026)
Never Gonna Be: False Flag (7" - 2026)

Wasted: Black Flag (First Four Years - 1981)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #538: Fancy Radio DJ Time

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Dagnaabit! I hate when I fall behind in posting my shows for you, especially when it's such a tasty treat like this one here. I got into a punk, grunge kida thing at the start. And I kinda kept it going for the first hour. Honestly, I would listen to this mixtape. 

Mixtape? Christ, I really know how to date myself. 

Mix CD? 

Playlist? 

I still do not have a Spotify account, and never plan on having one. You know they barely pay the content creators, but whom I mean the artists. 

New music from OSees (or OCS, Thee Oh Sees....) and JD Pinkus. The rest is just pure gold.

Enjoy and I'll do better getting my shows up sooner for you all.

jh

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

Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram 

Swampland: The Scientists
Living Wreck: Mudhoney

School: Nirvana
You're Gonna Miss Me: Mono Men
Ass, Gas, or Grass: Men's Club

Rocket Reducer (Rama Lama Fa La La): MC5
Tom Violence: Sonic Youth
Money (That's What I Want): Flamin' Groovies
When the Levee Breaks: Memphis Minnie

Lear's Ears: OSees
1991 A Cappella Mix: Negativland

I Would Like To Pet It: JD Pinkus
Glow in the Dark: Death Valley Girls
Che: Suicide
Blackboard Jungle (DJ Mix): Less Perry and King Tubby

Too Rolling Stoned: Robin Trower

Gangbou-Ki: Boris
Do You Like To Eat A Cow: Paul Leary

I Hate Work: MDC
I've Got A Tiger By The Tail: Buck Owens
Bike: Pink Floyd

Shakedown Street: STS9

Hell's Kitchen Radio #522: Tell Me True

Listen to this show right here!!!

Listen into all my shows here!

Subscribe to my show, via 

Mondays are fun days...for me. I was realizing I have been hosting a radio show Mondays 8pm since 2000, when I started at San Francisco Liberation Radio. SFLR's history is a rich one and I encourage you to check it out. In short, it was started by Food Not Bombs. They were upset that their arrests for feeding the homeless weren't getting enough media attention, so member Richard Edmondson started the station in his van. Eventually it ended up in his apartment in the Richmond District.

I was working at Trader Joe's in Daly City when I saw a shopper wearing a SFLR t-shirt. I had to inquire. They hipped me to the station, I made a call, and started there a few weeks later.

The rest, as they say, is history. And what a history it is, including the raid by the FCC using SFPD. We were a very politicized staff. And we were a pirate radio station, so it was only a matter of time before the Man came knocking. Or more like battering ramming, which they did.

We fought the good fight, and even set some precedent in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Because of our fight urban areas are allowed to file for low power FM (LPFM) licenses. Before our case against the feds, the FCC policy only allowed rural areas to file for a LPFM. Yay SFLR!

I left there after the raid, ended up at Pirate Cat, then FCCFree, and eventually built Radio Valencia, all hosting the Monday 8pm slot. Time flies.

As for this show, it's more of what you have come to expect: diverse, and leaning punk. But there's quite a bit more than that, including a couple sets from a new member of our staff: The Archivist, who will be on Sundays 8-10pm Pacific. Coincidentally, he used to be a student of mine many moons ago. He has excellent musical taste, which has nothing to do with me. 

There's a tribute to Wayne Kramer, who passed away last week, and a happy birthday to Bob Marley. 

Oh, one final comment about Mondays: the Giants have a winning record on Monday nights. True story.

Huge thanks to my old buddy Scott Beale of Laughing Squid for coming by back in 2003 to take these great photos.

And another big thanks to Amacker for the pics she took of the SFLR benefit in October 2003, following the FCC raid.

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 Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram 

The Sails of Charon: Scorpions
El Cerrito: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

My Uzi Weighs A Ton: Brownout
Bodyheat: James Brown

By The Time I Get To Arizona: Evolution Control Committee
By The Time I Get To Phoenix: Dean Martin
White Man's Got A God Complex: The Last Poets
Superbad: Idris Muhammad
Cannibal Capital: Guerrilla Toss - The Archivist

Almost Ready: Dinosaur Jr. - The Archivist
Something You Can't See: Desert Session - The Archivist
Geza Butler: Sleep - The Archivist
Now Ah Lissen
East Bay: Billy Cobham - The Archivist

Poison: Wayne Kramer with Melvins
Skunk (Sonically Speaking): MC5

The Bell: Ty Segall
Pray Til You Sweat: The Flesh Eaters

Doin' The Kirk: The Mummies
Zip Code Gentlemen: Zip Code Rapists
The Citadel: Redd Kross
Radio One: The Clash

Slave Driver: Bob Marley and the Wailers
Fishermen Dub: Lee Scratch Perry

Hell's Kitchen Radio #381: 1969 And Feelin' Fine

Download the Mirth HERE!
Listen into all my shows here!
Subscribe to my show, via 

Oooooooohhhhhh weeeeeeeee It's time for my 9th annual Annual Annual!!!!!

I live for this time of year.

For the ninth consecutive year I'm taking a night to focus on one year that was chock full of tasty tunes. For this show it's all about 1969. Atlanta Music Festival, Woodstock, Altamont, Moon Landing, Nixon!

The final year of a tumultuous decade saw a lot of bands on the wane and a few starting out. The music scene was diverging as proto-punk bands were emerging, while funk and country were defining themselves more succinctly.

As always there is too much in my library to make the perfect two hour show; I merely scratched the surface, which means next week I'll have 1969 left overs to share!

Speaking of left overs, enjoy the week, and care for yourselves and those around you. Let's find a way to treat each other with kindness during this time of insecurity. We deserve better.





Check out previous Annual Annual specials here:

ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1971
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1972
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1973
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1974
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1975
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 2006
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1992
ANNUAL ANNUAL - 1983

Enjoy.

jh

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

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram

Debut Set:
Good Times, Bad Times: Led Zeppelin
Some Velvet Morning: Vanilla Fudge
The Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson

I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore: Dusty Springfield
Magica: Os Mutantes
Because/You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King: The Beatles - Final Recorded LP
Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud: James Brown

Lay Lady Lay: The Byrds
Girl From North Country: Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: Neil Young and Crazy Horse - First LP with Crazy Horse
Kick Out The Jams: MC5 - Debut LP
3/5 Of A Mile in 10 Seconds: Jefferson Airplane

Okie From Muskogee: Merle Haggard
Tear Drop City: The Monkeys - First LP without Peter Tork
The Painter: Deep Purple

1969: The Stooges - Debut LP
Beginning To See The Light: Velvet Underground
God Knows I'm Good: David Bowie
Nobody's Fault But Mine: Nina Simone
In the Ghetto: Elvis Presley

Mr. Green Genes: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Seeing: Moby Grape

My Way: Frank Sinatra

Hell's Kitchen Radio #365: Platters That Matter

Stream the Desired Result HERE!

Download the Algorithm of your Dreams  HERE!
Listen into all my shows here!
Subscribe to my show, via 

There comes a time in every DJ's life when they need to share what they know. Tonight was such a night. There have been many, actually. I welcome DJ Doug into the studio tonight for his first training session. The fella has already got the musical chops, now we need to get him radio-ready. He just threw down some platters that matter in the second hour, while I held down the announcing duties. Color me impressed. He'll be back on my next show to tell what he knows to you and the world.

There's a lot of new music to share with you these days. Isn't there always? You tune in for the newest in new sounds, and the sounds from way downtown. You can depend on Mr. Hell to play for you what you know you need, even if you didn't know you needed it. You can thank me later.

Until then, enjoy.

jh

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

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram

Why I Carry A Knife: Zig Zags
Movies: Weyes Blood
I Loves You, Porgy: Grover Washington Jr.

Beauford County Jail: Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves
Linda Blair: Redd Kross
If: Pink Floyd
Don't Do It: The Who

Sex Machine: James Brown
Don't Tell It: James Brown
By The Time I Get To Phoenix: New York Underground Funk Band

The Cruel Millennial: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Hey Louise: RGD
Witness Tree: Rodrigo y Gabriela
It's A Man's World: MC5
Second Coming: Alice Cooper

Saudia: Larry Young
Columbus Unbound: Bill Orcutt and Jacob Felix Heule
Down By The River: Buddy Miles
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere: Bob Dylan

Untitled Original (11386): John Coltrane
Sympathy for the Devil: Rolling Stones

Que Sera Sera: Doris Day
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Hell's Kitchen Radio #296: Phat Chance Buckcherry

Stream the Tribute/Celebration, HERE!

Download the Phatastrophe, HERE!
Listen into all my shows here.
You can subscribe to my show through iTunes here.

Well damn, Chuck Berry died. Now what are we
supposed to do? It's like when you lose a parent and now you just know that you're all on your own. You knew this day would eventually arrive, but you never put too much though into it, because well, you knew it would just bum you out. He wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but I learned pretty much everything I needed to learn about music, through him. He didn't write autobiographical songs. No. He wrote about life as a young, fresh-faced kid, not trying to get into trouble, but just realizing that life is for the living, and if you're not busy living, then you're busy dying. Chuck Berry most likely did not go quiet into his dark night.

When I was a little bitty boy, my father used to often sing "My Ding-a-Ling" to me, much to my mother's chagrin. I swear it's the first song I ever memorized so I could sing it on the playground. I knew at a young age what my father and Mr. Berry were singing about and it made me laugh out loud that a song that sounded so damn innocent, was indeed as lecherous as they come. HA!

I got to see Chuck Berry live, once, at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California. It was a small theater half way between San Fransisco and San Jose. It's torn down now, and in its place tech companies that could care less for the old theater and its colorful history. The stage sat in the center of the room and rotated so the audience could see all sides of the performer. I saw a number of shows there, but it was Chuck Berry that absolutely stood out the most.

Chuck had a long history of showing up to a venue with only guitar and amp in hand. It was up to the promoter to hire the backing band, all of whom one would hope, were well-versed in Chuck Berry tuneage. And why wouldn't they? Chuck would take the stage only after he had counted the cash, handed to him in a briefcase by said promoter. Who knows if he had even met the band yet. I'm pretty certain there was no soundcheck; or perhaps only a brief one. He would call out the song and key, count it out, and away they flew. It would take a bar or three before the band would gel, but then they would really rock!

On this particular night, the crowd was calling out songs and Chuck was playing them! I could believe it, an all-request show! WOW! This was November 1987, and I had turned 17 at the end of September. I attended the show on my own, and sat in the third row. All around me were 40-somethings, all of whom looked ancient to me. I'm 46 now, so that's hilarious to even consider. I shouted out for him to play "Promised Land", a song the Grateful Dead had performed for many years, and perhaps my favorite cover of theirs. A very large, very gruff and very 40-something man, sitting directly in front of me turned around and barked "HE ALREADY PLAYED THAT SONG, KID!". Chuck was RIGHT THERE, and proclaimed in a very animated voice "No I didn't. Here it goes!". HA! I laughed my ass off, while flipping this guy off (in my mind), and rocked out. Thanks Chuck. Thanks for everything. I don't care about any of the stories about your personal life. It's the music I came for, and it's for the music that I'll forever stick around for. RIP Johnny B. Goode.

On this particular night I was also thrilled to have in the studio, all the way from Pittsburgh, PA, the one and only, vivacious vocalist who puts the Phat in PHATASTIC, Phat Man Dee! What an absolute delight she is. Her vocals will mesmerize you, who eyes will tantalize you. She's a lot or woman. Man Dee was here in support of a dear friend, Robert, who is suffering from the affects of MS. We had a great fundraiser for him the previous weekend, and she stuck around to hang with old friends and play some tunes on the radio. We play a bunch of her tunes throughout the show. I promise that you will be searching for her music once you hear it. And luckily for you I have the link right HERE to go find it. Lucky you.

There's a lot of CB covers thrown into the mix as well, as so many great artists performed the master's classics. Enjoy them all.

jh

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

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram

Back to Memphis: The Band
Back in the USA: MC5

C'est la Vie: Emmylou Harris
Hey Phat Chick: Phat Man Dee

Pepe: Phat Man Dee
Neverwaus is Forevermore: Phat Man Dee
Promised Land: Chuck Berry

Let It Rock: Chuck Berry
Too Much Monkey Business: Elvis Presley
No Particular Place to Go: Chuck Berry
Around and Around: The Animals

Fourth Reich Arising: Phat Man Dee
O Sinnerman/Shalom Chaverim: Phat Man Dee

My Ding-a-Ling: Chuck Berry
Brown-Eyed Handsome Man: Nina Simone
No Money Down: Duane Allman

Two Tone Tattoo: Phat Man Dee
Oh Louisiana: Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode: Grateful Dead (12-31-1978 Winterland, SF, CA)

Back in the USA: Rick Derringer/Edgar Winter

I love this version of C'est la Vie. It's unlike any other I've heard the late, great Chuck Berry perform. Enjoy.

Hell's Kitchen Radio #215: Here Come The Bastards

Rock out hard to the stream, HERE!
Jam out on this download , HERE!
Listen into all my shows here, or just scroll down
Subscribe to my show, via 

As much as I enjoy interviewing bands, I really enjoy bringing my musician friends into the studio to guest DJ. So it just makes sense that guitar slinger, Eric McFadden guest DJd with me Monday night, and to KICK OUT THE JAMS!!! Eric and I are serious brothers-from-another-mother. When it comes to music we could jam/talk/listen-to/scream at/jump up and down to, and generally appreciate whatever you throw our way. It's kind of ridiculous.

And two hours was not near enough time. The music is awesome, the banter is SICK. This is by far one of my most favorite shows, EVER!

Eric posted a video to his Instagram account of us rocking out. You can see it here.

I know you're going to enjoy this one. Please share with music fans everywhere.

Enjoy.

jh

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

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram

Kick Out the Jams: MC5
Jeepster: T Rex
Psychobilly Freakout: Reverend Horton Heat

Here Come the Bastards: Primus
Lilybelle: The Geraldine Fibbers
Como Se Goza En El Barrio: Marc Ribot
Easy Money: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Wanted Criminal: Delphine de St Paer
Is She Weird: Pixies
Goin' Down: Ty Segall
No Spell: Thee Oh Sees

No Head, No Backstage Pass: Funkadelic
Filipino Box Spring Hog: Tom Waits
The Dancer: PJ Harvey
Zodiac: Melvins
Deuce: Kiss

Side with the Seeds: Wilco
Retrovertigo: Mr. Bungle
Hit the Road Jack: Ray Charles
I Love You Honeybear: Father John Misty

Burning of the Midnight Lamp: Jimi Hendrix
Sunless Saturday: Fishbone
From Under Down: Eric McFadden

Into The Hollow: Queens of the Stoneage
Child Is Father of the Man: Beach Boys
Sailin' On: Bad Brains

I Want You: The Beatles

A Season in Hell #197: Hell's Kitchen Premier

Are you smelling what Hell's cooking? Stream this show.
Download homemade stew of culinary delight, here.
Or perhaps you wish to listen to all of my shows? Good choice. Go HERE!

For the longest time I've been considering a name change for my show. I think my show has been called "A Season in Hell" for about 10 years. It's a good name. It's done me good. No complaints, but I just think it's played out. I've put a lot of thought into changing it. It needs to convey the myriad of sounds that emerge from my show every week. I always think of my show as something like a stew: lots of tastes, simmering together in the pot for two hours, waiting to be consumed by a hungry table, of impatient toddlers. So tonight, I unveil a rebirth of sorts, a show name which conveys the depth of the many tastes my show offers week after delicious week. I hope you enjoy it too.

I give you Hell's Kitchen, with John Hell

Eric McFadden joined me during the second hour in the studio. His fabulous lady, Super D was along for the ride. Eric will be playing at the Starry Plough in Berkeley this Saturday night, for his birthday. Come on down and rock out!

We talked about the true meaning of "TV Eye", and the many, many names for the Golden Triangle. There's lots of great new music, some classics, and some music that's new to you.

As always, enjoy.

jh 

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

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook  

Detroit is Burning: MC5
TV Eye: The Stooges
White Light/White Heat: Velvet Underground

You're Going To Miss Me: Mono Men
Night Crawler: Thee Oh Sees
Couldn't Be Bothered: The Klitz
Mud Girls: Meatbodies
53rd and 420/Life of the Party: CCR Headcleaner

Old Lake: The Blind Shakes
Fucked Up Motherfucker: Ty Segall
In Every Dreamhome A Heartache: Roxy Music
We No Who U R: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Clap Hands: Eric McFadden
Pressure Drop: The Clash
The Wizard: Brown Sabbath
Black Betty: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Four Sticks: Led Zeppelin

Send/Receive: Wand
Spoon: Boris
Funky Woman: Parliament
Garbage Man: Delphine St. Paer

Runnin On Fumes: OBNIIIs
One: Fuzz

I Left My Heart In San Francisco: Tony Bennett

A Season in Hell #168: Daughter from HELL

What an excellent show today. It being spring break, I brought my daughter, Lauson Hell down to the studio to guest DJ with me. She's a natural. Two years ago Lauson guested on my show, which you can find here. It's fun to see how she's found her voice over the last couple of years. She's not shy, I can tell you that. I wonder where she gets that from?

We were filling in for DJ Cam Dam, who was kind enough to let me take over the day.

Lauson did her part, planning a set, which you can see below, announcing what we played, and answering my questions...kind of.

To stream this father/daughter reunion, go here.
To download this love-fest, go here.
To tune into all of my shows, go here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy.

jh

A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook

Kick out the Jams: MC5
White Light/White Heat: Velvet Underground
Down in the Street: The Stooges
Frankenstein: New York Dolls

Jocko Homo: Devo
Jenny Jones: The Clash
Sonic Reducer: Dead Boys

California Girls: The Dictators
Welcome to the Dustward: Fear
Teenage Lobotomy: Ramones
Who Stole the Kishka: Polkacide

Lauson's Set:
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite: Eric McFadden
Sun King - Mean Mr. Mustard - Polythene Pam - She Came in Through the Bathroom Window: The Beatles
Live with Me: Rolling Stones

Boris the Spider: The Who
Locked Out Of Heaven: Bruno Mars
Down at the Rock and Roll Club: The Voidoids

Daddy's set:
I Swallowed a Dragonfly: Heartless Bastards
Something I Learned Today: Husker Du
Eat Steak: Reverend Horton Heat
Good Golly Miss Molly: Meat Puppets
Rock and Roll High School: PJ Soles

Anarchy in the UK: Sex Pistols
Youth of America: Melvins

One: Fuzz (Live in San Francisco)

March of the Lor: The Sword

A Season in Hell #157: Time For The Radio Generation

Happy New Year! Back on the air after 3 weeks off.

I've been reading "From the Velvets to the Voidoids", and it's got me all in a tither about music from the East Coast and Midwest, circa 1969-1979. I've always enjoyed this era, but haven't known too much about the inner workings and incestuousness of it until now. WOW! Get this book. Starts with the VU, heads over to Detroit to cover the MC5 and the Stooges, before heading down to Cleveland, and back to NYC. So much to enjoy. And with that, it got me wanting to share the music of this time and place with you.

I've also got a few SF garage rockers for good measure. There was a recent story in the SF Weekly (a rag I used to hardly touch, but since the way the Guardian has gone down hill since their sale, AND because my dear friend Sherilyn Connelly writes for them, I give them a chance to win me over. Covering Radio Valencia in a recent issue helped) about the garage rock scene in SF (or what's left of it since Ty Segall left for LA, and Thee Oh Sees are on hiatus). Anyway, the article reminded me of a few other fine bands still rockin' it out in SF, including CCR Headcleaner, who I play tonight.

This show rocks, and I think you'll agree.

I was thinking about the "Velvets" book I'm reading and it reminded me of a few other books that you should have in your library, if you enjoy rock-journalist biographies by era. I recommend that you check out the following:
"Our Band Could Be Your Life", by Michael Azerrad
"England's Dreaming", by Jon Savage
"Please Kill Me", by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain

These are all excellent and essential reads, and you'll run out to grab all the music that you read about and (re)listen to it all with fresh ears.

Make your ears happy and stream this here.
Download this piece of Americana here.
Take all of my shows with you by going here, or just scroll down.

A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook

Enjoy.

jh


It's Hard To Be Humble: Mac Davis
Is It My Body: Alice Cooper
Five Years: David Bowie

Satellite Of Love: Lou Reed
Land: Patti Smith

Rocket Reducer #62: MC5
TV Eye: The Stooges
Jet Boy: New York Dolls

Marie Marie: The Blasters
Electricity: Captain Beefheart
I'm Gonna Dig Up Howlin' Wolf: Mojo Nixon
It Ain't Going to Save Me: Jay Reatard

High School: Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin
Fixx the Fan: CCR Headcleaner
Maze Fancier: Thee Oh Sees
Jugband Blues: Pink Floyd

Crystal Liaison: The Fugs
California Sun: The Dictators
Hong Kong Garden: Siouxsie and The Banshees
Talk to Me: Pere Ubu
Religion: PIL

Dozen Girls: The Damned
Touch My Evil: Lydia Lunch
Hang onto your Ego: The Beach Boys

Heartbreaker: Motorhead

A Season in Hell #143: My Musical Meanderings

No, my show is not genre specific. You've figured that out already, yes? Last week it's all jazz, the week before it's hard rock. This week I'm in the mood for PUNK! Fuck off!!!!

Why Punk? I don't have to tell you!

OK, I'll tell you. But I'm only telling you because I think deep down you'll understand. I'm willing to bare my soul to you. I'm willing to take the chance that you won't laugh at me, and ridicule me, or point and laugh.

sigh

I like Punk.

There, are you happy now?! Good.

I was born in 1970. I was raised on jazz and blues of the 50s and 60s, as well as the classic rock of the 70s. By the age of 8 I was into KISS. They were my first favorite band. At that age you're only allowed to have one favorite band. It's a law or something. When I was 10 I fell in love with the Beatles, but I felt sooooo bad for admitting to myself that I liked them more than I liked KISS. It was not the friendliest of break-ups. I'll admit, if there were cell phones back then, I would have texted the break up to KISS; I was so ashamed. By 12 I "discovered" Led Zeppelin. Oh damn, now what was I going to do? I still wonder where this KISS poster ended up?

All this time my dad is playing John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and every artist the Blues Brothers covered, in our home, as well as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. My sisters (6 and 7 years older than me) were playing the rock of the day (Eagles, Boston, Bob Segar) as well as playing American Bandstand every Saturday. I preferred Soul Train even at an early age.

I used to lay by my speakers with a tape recorder and pretend I was a DJ and back announce all of the songs I would play on the stereo. I wish I still had those tapes. I once hid a tape recorder on the stairs leading to our living room, and taped the family hanging out watching Saturday morning cartoons. I REALLY wish I had that tape today. I probably taped a Grateful Dead concert over it.

And then there's the Dead. I got into them around the same time I got into Zeppelin. I think it was the iconography. It looked so dark, weird and trippy. Like many others, I thought they would be a metal band. I was slightly disappointed when I found out they weren't. I was hungry for something more at this point in my musical journey. Having moved as much as we did (once a year between the ages of 5 and 15; three different states (four if you consider SoCal and NorCal two different states)) I found that I got bored very easily. Music needed to change to really move me.

The Grateful Dead really moved me. I won't get into it here, but their meanderings took me on some amazing journeys. What they didn't do for me however, was drive the teenage angst energy out of me. They mellowed me and made me want to shimmy and dance. I still love them. But I always need something more.

Here comes Punk.

I had always listened to The Clash and The Ramones, but really didn't have a penchant for the wider variety of Punk until I was about 14 and in high school. It was there that my friend Etienne and I started to listen to Metal together. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio. As a matter of fact, my first "official" concert was November 30, 1984 at the Oakland-Alameda County Auditorium (where the Warriors play basketball) to see Dio (Last in Line) and Dokken (Tooth and Nail). I was 14. I wore my jean jacket. I was afraid the guy next to me, who asked us to save him a seat in exchange for smoking us out, would share a heroin-laced joint and I would be dead before the show even began.

My love for KISS helped for the easy transition to Metal, but it didn't last too long. I still really love Metal, but it was Punk that really spoke to me. Metal spoke of fantasy characters in a fantasy world. Punk was political! Politics was always spoken about in my home. My parents didn't shy away from their negative feelings towards Reagan. The Punk movement was political. I was drawn to it pretty easily.

Starting at KFJC in the fall of 1988 also helped. The Wave of the West is a bastion of musical knowledge; especially that of all-things-alternative. This was before alternative was a genre (thank you very much Nirvana). Punk didn't get me angry. It made me happy! It made me feel like I wasn't alone in my thoughts against the state. It made me feel like my generation wasn't as lost as many thought we were. And the lyrics were hilarious, inane, intense, intelligent, ridiculous.

Being a Deadhead and a Punk isn't as far apart as it would seem. If you like the Dead you pretty much are open to anything, considering how many people DETEST the Grateful Dead. The same could be said for Punk. Though I think more Deadheads like Punk, than Punk likes the Dead. It's all good.

There's not much difference in the spiral dancing of a Dead concert, and a mosh pit at a Punk show. Both are ways of sharing energy. Is one more aggressive? Perhaps, but all good-natured. Even at Punk shows, if you fall down, more often than not there's a hand there to pick you up and get you moving again.

If I've learned anything through my musical journeys, it's that life is all ONE. The mystical, magical ONE. Whether it's Punk, Funk or Junk the musical odyssey that takes us through life is all based on how open we are to the meanderings of the road. I'm truly blessed to have a diverse music library as I do. You're just as likely to find a Black Flag LP in my collection as a Johnny Cash (he's Punk as fuck, btw).

As for tonight's show, it's all punk. Why? I just told you why! Sheesh.

Enjoy.

jh

To stream this musical journey, click here.
To download this odyssey, click here.
To jump in the pit and hear all of my shows, go here, or just scroll down.

A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow Radio Valencia on Twitter
Follow Radio Valencia on Facebook


Orgasm Addict: The Buzzcocks
Never Talk To You Again: Husker Du
Tension: Minutemen

Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy: Devo
Ex Lion Tamer: Wire
Elevation: Television
Search and Destroy: The Dictators

Gimme Danger: Iggy and the Stooges
Motor City is Burning: MC5

We Must Bleed: Germs
Six Pack: Black Flag
More Beer: Fear
Ain't Talkin' About Love: Minutemen
Wendy: Descendents

Peking Spring: Mission of Burma
Southern California: Flipper
Sonic Reducer: The Dead Boys
I Just Want To Make Love To You: Meat Puppets

Show Me The Way: Dinosaur Jr.
Goin' Up The Country: Three Stoned Men
Stars and Stripes of Corruption: Dead Kennedys
I Wanna Get Rid of you: Psychotic Pineapple

Out of our Tree: The Mummies
Glorious: Polkacide
Sweat Loaf: Butthole Surfers

I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement: Ramones
Career Opportunities: The Clash
Personality Crisis: New York Dolls
25 Minutes To Go: Johnny Cash