Hell's Kitchen Radio #306: Are You Fella's OK?

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It's been a few weeks since I've had guests in the studio, and countless months since a live performance. So tonight I think I hit a home run. RonKat Spearman of Katdelic and formerly of George Clinton's P-Funk graced the studio with vocalist Leslie and guitarist Sasha in tow. I've seen RonKat a number of times, solo and sharing a stage with our mutual friend and regular Hell's Kitchen guest, Eric McFadden, but I have never had the pleasure of hosting him on the air, until tonight.

RonKat has a deep musical history, which he shares with us during the show, including his father taking him around to many musical competitions in Michigan, where little RonKat would blow the room away. He is a left handed guitar player, and plays a right handed guitar like Hendrix did. Unlike Hendrix however, his guitar is still strung the way a a right handed guitar would be strung! That means for RonKat the high E string is on the top instead of the bottom. I would not have believed it had I not seen and heard it with my own two eyes and ears.

Most of the first hour consists of interview and live performance. You are going to want to crank this up and put on your dancing shoes! RonKat shares some hilarious stories about his time in P-Funk, including the night George Clinton introduced him to Prince! You want to hear this story.

Katdelic is appearing Friday, June 7th at the Boom Boom Room on Fillmore around 11PM, and this Sunday, June 11th, at the 40th annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair, on the Love Stage around 3PM.

GO SEE THIS BAND!!!

The second hour I just had to continue in the funk vein. See the playlist below for your funky edification.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Common People: William Shatner
Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him: Betty Davis

Beautiful: Katdelic (live in the studio)

Stay on the Up: Katdelic

Katdelic performs live in the Radio Valencia studio

I Call My Baby Pussycat: Parliament
Give It Up Or Turn It Loose: James Brown
Kung Fu: Curtis Mayfield

Just Kissed My Baby: The Meters
Darkest Light: Lafayette Afro Rock Band
The Hands of Time: Perfect Circle

Home Affairs: Osibisa

RonKat tells the story that when 'Pops' is in the house, regardless of the band on the stage, he has carte blanche to join in. Here he is joining KatDelic on stage at the Boom Boom Room back in 2011. Who knows, maybe he'll join in on June 9th.

Hell's Kitchen Radio #284: No One Ever Listens

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Thanks for tuning in every Monday night at 8. I never mention this on the blog, but it's always fun to chat folks up during my show, so please if you're listening take a second to say hi on the Radio Valencia Chatterbox, or if you're a FB friend, then on there.

Another show, another tribute. What's up with this friggin' year? I have done more tributes in this single solitary year than in my first 25+ years in radio, combined! Greg Lake of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame passed from cancer at the age of 69 last weekend. Best known for his days as bassist/vocalist for ELP, he was also a co-founder of the seminal prog-rock band King Crimson, where he performed on the first record and toured for their first two LPs before going on to start ELP alongside the late great Keith Emerson, who died in March of this year, and Carl Palmer who still has a few weeks left before something horrible happens to him. ugh

Much of the first hour is actually down right danceable. There are some seriously funky-ass tracks in here. Do me a favor and get your groove on until it's too late.

The second hour features a dive into my live music vault. And what a vault it is. You know, when I started doing the community radio thing a while back I committed to playing an hour of live music each week. I've sort of slacked off on that one, and for good reason. There are so many great releases I want to play with you week in and week out that the live music thing has had to take a back seat. Well not tonight. Take a look at the second half of the playlist and you can see that it's all over the damn place, and worth every second of your precious time.

I know the world has totally sucked this year. Who will it take next? Alan Thicke? Meredith Baxter (formerly Meredith Baxter-Bernie)? The election will still be with us. Syria will still be with us. Your job will still be with us...er, you. Maybe we just need to put some of this aside and enjoy the music for a little while.

enjoy.

jh

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

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Winter in America: Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson
Power to the People: Curtis Mayfield

I'm So Bored with the USA: The Clash
The Candidate: Urge Overkill
Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba: George Benson

The Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson
Black Enough: The Pharaohs
Home Affairs: Osibisa
Since You've Been Gone: James Brown

Dip Stick: The Perfect Circle
Tidal Wave: Thee Oh Sees (Live at The Chapel, SF, CA - 2015)
She's On Fire: King Tuff (Live at Pickathon - 2013)
You Got It: Mudhoney (2001-01-13, Knitting Factory, LA, CA)

I've Been Loving You Too Long: Otis Redding (1966-04-10 Whiskey A-Go-Go, Hollywood, CA)
Toussaint L'Overture: Santana (1973-02-26, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA)

Dance to the Music: Sly and the Family Stone (1970-10-09, Piknik Kasteel Groeneveld Baarn)
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed: The Allman Brothers Band (1971-03-13 Fillmore East, NYC)

Waiting for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago: ZZ Top (1980-04-15 Pine Knob, Clarkston, MI)
Big Chief: The Meters (1976-10-01 The Kingfish Lounge, Baton Rouge, LA)

A Season in Hell #194: Barbie Eats Junk

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It's rare that I have two guests in one night but tonight that's what it's all about. Long time listeners of my show know that I always enjoy supporting local artists, So tonight two local artists! In the first hour Julie Anderson of Altered Barbie is back once again to talk about the all Barbie exhibition happening at Shotwell 50 Gallery located at of all places 50 Shotwell in the Mission. If you haven't seen this you're really missing out. Just picture it, hundreds of Barbie dolls all altered for your perverse delight. It's truly a wonder of nature. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday noon to 7 PM, And Sundays noon to 5 PM. There is a poetry reading Thursday night and the closing gala is a week from Saturday, November 15th. Click on the link for more details.

Many of you may be aware that I used to MC Power Tool Drag Races at Ace Junkyard here in San Francisco. What you may not be aware of is that the landlord pulled the rug out from under Bill "The Junkman" Kennedy and closed the junkyard a few short years ago. Bill was a long time facilitator of the underground art scene here in the city, and Ace was the prime location for artists such as SRL, Life-Size Mouse Trap, Cyclecide, Seemen, and other metal obscurists to obtain those hard-to-find pieces which made their creations come to life. In the studio tonight filmmaker Yasi Mak talking about her documentary: Ace in the Hole, about Ace Junkyard and Bill "The Junkman" Kennedy. Bill is in the studio as well, telling great stories about his years at Ace. There is a Kickstarter campaign that ends today at 3PM to raise money to support the film. Please consider donating.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Channel Zero: Public Enemy
Wild and Free: Curtis Mayfield

Interview with Julie Anderson of Altered Barbie

Since You've Been Gone: James Brown

Interview with Julie Anderson of Altered Barbie

Lesson One: Stone Cold Boners
By Any Means Necessary: Steinski
The Art of Getting Jumped: Steinski
Watermelon Man: Herbie Hancock

Sunflower: East New York Ensemble de Music

Interview with Yasi Mak and Bill "The Junkman" Kennedy

Darkest Light: Lafayette Afro-Rock Band
Hands of Time: Perfect Circle

Rastaman Chant/Conquering Lion: Bob Marley (April 30, 1976 - Beacon Theater, NYC)
Feeling Alright: Joe Cocker (October 19, 1969 - Fillmore West, SF, CA)
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry: Leon Russell (February 5, 1971 - Baarn, The Netherlands)

I Left My Heart in San Francisco: Tony Bennett

A Season in Hell #104: John Hell is a Super Hero!

...or maybe I'm a villain. Which is sexier?

My earliest memory of reading comic books was when I was about seven or eight years old, it was an Amazing Spiderman. I couldn't tell you the issue, but Dr. Octopus was the villain. That I remember. I read comic books semi-regularly until I was about 13. I collected baseball cards then too. I still have the baseball cards (I turn 42 this Sunday, so that gives you an idea of how long ago this was), I no longer have the comic books. This wasn't a situation of my mother throwing out my comic books. As much as I enjoyed reading them, I wasn't seriously hooked. I don't know what happened to them. I know some of you are just cringing thinking of that.

It wasn't until Red Son came out that I found myself wanting to read more comics, and especially, graphic novels. I began digging for darker stories. I found that as much as I loved a good novel, I ached for the stories and art of a good comic or graphic novel.

I've been enjoying the Dark Knight series, Walking Dead, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Transmetropolitan, and yes, even Before Watchmen (say what you will, I'm sort of enjoying it).

Living in San Francisco there are more comic book stores per-capita than anywhere else on the planet. I have my choice of some excellent stores, so where do I shop? I go to Comic Outpost, 2381 Ocean Avenue, in the Ingleside district of this fair city. It's a family store. Nothing fancy. They've got all the titles I want, and they can special order what I need. Gary and Roger are the owners, and you couldn't ask for two more friendly and knowledgeable guys. Gary joined me in the studio Monday night to talk about the world of comics, then and now.

If I was a superhero, what would my super powers be?

Would you like to hear this SUPER show?

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Do It: Rollins Band
Dr. Octopus: Stan Lee: Spiderman: Rock Reflections of a Superhero
Nice, Nice Very Nice: Ambrosia

Interview with Gary Buechler

Cissy Strut: The Meters
She's On It: Beastie Boys
Violent Pacification: DRI
400 Bucks: Supersuckers
Home Sweet Mobile Home: New Duncan Imperials

Interview with Gary Buechler

I Love You Peggy: Butthole Surfers
Who Stole the Keishka: Polkacide
Deseert Jewel: Jody Foster's Army
Citizens of the World: Dr. Know

Interview with Gary Buechler

Marvin's Groove: BW Souls
Cotati Funk: Quintessence
Something Different: Prepostions

Smokin' Cheeba-Cheeba: George Benson
The Hands of Time: Perfect Circle
Baba Hya: Lafayette Afro-Rock Band