Hell's Kitchen Radio #226: Best of 2015 So Far

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We're half way through the year, so how about we check in with the great music we've heard so far in 2015? Tonight's show is all about new releases, and a few re-issues that caught my eye. Check out the amazing Hawkwind cut in the second hour. New music from LA bands Wand, Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall, as well as some sizzling tracks from Bay Area groups Rin Tin Tiger, Tiger Honey Pot and Queen Crescent.

If you like what you hear, then go out and support these bands by purchasing their vinyl or MP3s. And for Christ's sake, go see them live!!!

And continuing with my celebration of the 50th birthday of the good ol' Grateful Dead, there's a sweet treat at the end of the show for you. Check out the playlist below, and please share with your music-loving friends.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Cave In: Wand

Lectric Motions: Nudity

Wanderlust: White Hills

Ramen Rock: Tiger Honey Pot

Wilding: Moon Duo

Spit You Out: Metz

Black Acid: Queen Crescent

Into the Void: Brown Sabbath (Brownout)

Concert Outlook (The JBs)

When You Feel It, Grunt if You Can: The JBs

Mr. Time: Koes Barat

Lupine Ossuary: Thee Oh Sees

Feel: Ty Segall

Say: Mikal Cronin

Empty: King Gizzard

Mirror of Illusion: Hawkwind

When You're Smiling and Astride Me: Father John Misty

Hold You Down: Rin Tin Tiger

Bride of Crankenstein: Melvins

China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider: Grateful Dead (July 14, 1985 Ventura Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA)

Hell's Kitchen #225: Rin Tin Tiger and A Dose of Little Lauson Hell

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Local stalwarts, Rin Tin Tiger made their way back into Hell's Kitchen last night, to talk up their new release,  their third full-length in three years: "Burial Grounds", and their record release party, set for this Friday night at The Independent, in SF. It's always a pleasure to talk them, up, but even more so since they brought their drummer Andrew, along for the ride. The first 40 minutes or so we're talking music writing, business, and road stories.

Little Lauson Hell was also in the kitchen for last night's show. It's summer, so she has time to hang with dad on a Monday night. She chose a few tasty treats for your ear holes. Take a listen or she'll cry, and you don't want to make a 10 year old cry, right?

Next Monday night will be my BEST OF 2015 SO FAR!!!

I can't believe we're half way through the year already. There has been no lack of fine releases, and I want to share what I've enjoyed so far.

Go see Rin Tin Tiger this Friday, and then head over to Phono del Sol Music Festival at Potrero del Sol Park in SF on Saturday. It's a great lineup, with food trucks too!

SUPPORT LIVE LOCAL MUSIC!!!

Enjoy.

jh

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

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She Watch Channel Zero: Public Enemy
Earth People: Dr. Octagon

Interview with Rin Tin Tiger

Shards of Glass: Rin Tin Tiger

Interview with RTT

Dandelion Dream: RTT
Talk Shit: RTT

Interview with RTT

Small Cuts That Bleed A Lot: RTT
I Want You: George Benson
Eleanor Rigby: Wes Montgomery

Revolution: The Beatles
We Are the Champions: Queen
Like A Surgeon: Weird Al Yankovic
Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes: They Might Be Giants

Red Right Hand: Giant Sand
Jesus Was Way Cool: King Missile
When Doves Cry: Patti Smith
Nice, Nice, Very Nice: Ambrosia

Planet of the Apes: The Mummies
He Was A Big Freak: Betty Davis
Miss You: The Concretes
Take A Letter, Maria: RB Greaves

Hog Wild: Half Japanese

A Season in Hell #156: Best of 2013

It's that time of year when the sun goes down earlier, the air gets a bit chillier, and DJs from around the world try to claim that they have what is the absolute BEST music of the year to share with you.

Well they don't. They're all suckers. But I do!!!

My Best of 2013 is perhaps my best BEST OF show in all of my 25 years in radio. Really. Would I lie?

I'm listening to new music all of the time. There are times that I'm looking at my music library, and I wonder just when I'll listen to any of that "old" music again? And when I say old, I mean from last month. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Am I right? I can't wait until I'm too old to do anything by listen to my music. Then I'll hire some hot nurse who'll have to bathe me and put records on my turntable. That's the life.

In the meantime enjoy this collection of fine tunes from 2013. We've got many local talented groups that deserve your attention like Thee Oh Sees, Rin Tin Tiger, Y Axes, Vandella, Mikal Cronin, KalriSSian, Bears! Bears! Bears!, and my favorite "local" band, The Melvins.

Two hours is just not enough time to play all of my faves from 2013. I suggest you tune into Radio Valencia throughout December to check out the many "Best of" shows that are going to cover the airwaves like a warm that sticky film of fat that covers the turkey the day following a good feast...or something like that.

Enjoy.

To stream my Best of 2013 show, go here.
To download it, and give it as a gift, go here, and then burn it onto a CD. You know what CDs are don't ya?
To hear all of my Best of shows, go here.

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

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White Rabbit: Shannon and the Clams
Humans be Swayed: Thee Oh Sees
Teenage Eyes: Spider Bags

My Best Friend: The Melvins
Mt. Abraxas: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
Blowin' Kisses: Jacuzzi Boys

Let's Get High: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Hurt Me: Vandella
Silver Timothy: Damien Jurado

Neon Streets: Y Axes
Preacher: Fuzz
The West: Ty Segall

Half of a Century: The Delphines
Haunted Now: Rin Tin Tiger
Shout it Out: Mikal Cronin
Fuck you Cop: Birdcloud

Spanish Speaks: Weekender
I Feel You: The Parrots
Hallelujah: GRMLN
Life Hurts: Kalri$$ian

Living Space: Bears! Bears! Bears!
American Cowboy: Futurebirds
Who Needs You: The Orwells

Ghouls: Wooden Shjips
Emmylou: First Aid Kit
Tie My Pecker to a Tree: The Melvins
Cold River Blues: Loretta Lynch

A Season in Hell #136: Break On Through

A rare night with no interview. I took the opportunity to share lots of fabulous new sounds with you. The first hour is mostly new music.

With the passing of Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist of The Doors, I wanted to share a couple of favorite tracks. Morrison Hotel has always been a great LP to me, so Peace Frog/Blue Sunday was a given, but being the consummate bootlegger that I am, I had to share a classic rare moment of Ray brilliance. Check out the 1967 Light My Fire from Detroit. Smokin'!!! 

Stream this unconsciousness here.
Download this exploration of the outer regions here.
Forecast your destiny by going here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy blissfully.

jh

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Up in Smoke: Cheech and Chong
Springwater: Birdcloud
Am I Wrong: Mikal Cronin

Spanish Speaks : Weekender
Evil Love: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

Motorider: Glitter Wizard
Wave Goodbye: Ty Segall Band
Night Crawler: Thee Oh Sees
Farmers: Bear Romantic

Peace Frog/Blue Sunday: The Doors (RIP Ray Manzerak)
Me and Baby Brother: War
He Was A Big Freak: Betty Davis
She Watch Channel Zero: Public Enemy

Talkin' Good Woman: Rin Tin Tiger
Endors Toi: Tame Impala

Attitude: The Melvins
Complicated Life: The Kinks

Hama: Boris

Light My Fire: The Doors (Detroit, MI 03-18-67)
Woodchoppers Ball: Ten Years After (Fillmore Aud., SF, CA 06-28-68)

Big Chief: The Meters (Baton Rouge, LA 10-01-76)
Hoochie Coochie Man: Muddy Waters (San Francisco, CA 05-01-77)
I Can't Go For That: Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers (Philadelphia, PA 09-21-12)

A Season in Hell #127: The Y Axes

I love having local bands in the studio, and The Y Axes made my night.

Now here's a young band, with a fresh pop sound, that's making it in the post-record label era. Let's celebrate young, fresh bands! I swear, if I could have hastened the death of the record label sooner I would have.

They have a CD release party at Bottom of the Hill this Wednesday, March 20th, for their EP Moon Rock.

I follow up their visit with some live tracks I've yet to share with you.

Stream this magical experience here.
Download this illusion here.
Tune in to all of my freak shows here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy.

jh

Do It: Rollins Band
Come on Over: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Cardboard Houses: HRVD

Winter Bones: The Y Axes

Interview with The Y Axes

Neon Streets: The Y Axes
Loop Machine: The Y Axes
Green to Gold: The Y Axes

I Want to Marry A Lighthouse Keeper: Erika Eigen
Mermaids: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Lady Day and John Coltrane: Gil Scott-Heron

The Move Apart Parcel: Rin Tin Tiger
Mr Slick: Ken Nordine
What Does Your Soul Look Like?: DJ Shadow
Jams Run Free: Sonic Youth

Mojo Man: Jimi Hendrix
Closet Queen: James Gang (July 15, 1971 Oenkerk, Frisa, Holland)
400 Years: Peter Tosh (Pier 84, NYC, NY, July 6, 1983)
Virtual Insanity: Jamiroquai (Tokyo Dome, Japan, November 17, 1999)

Big Chief: The Meters (The Kingfish Lounge Baton Rouge, LA Oct. 1, 1976)
Squeeze Me Macaroni: Mr. Bungle (March 3, 1993 The Omni, Oakland, CA)
Here Comes the Sun: Nina Simone (August 9, 2000 Marciac, France)

Crawlin' King Snake: The Doors (March 18, 1967, Detroit, MI)

A Season in Hell #120: Rin Tin Tiger Time

Tonight on the show I'm excited to host local folk-rocksters, Rin Tin Tiger! If you've spent any time at Sunday Streets in San Francisco, then you know them as the original folk rock trip that lights up the street. They always have a crowd around them, and they're starting to blow up the club circuit on the west coast.

With their first full-release, Toxic Pocketbook, from 2012, RTT has been making a lot of heads turn. I had the Sullivan brothers, Kevin (vox/guitar) and Sean (vox/bass) play guest DJ with me tonight. They played a lot of their own music, some of their contemporary favorites, and told some great road stories.

They're headlining at Cafe DuNord this Wednesday, and it's the MUST SEE show of the week.

SUPPORT LIVE LOCAL MUSIC.

Take this show and give it to a loved one.
Head to granny's house and stream this on her old Commodore 64.
Listen to all of my shows, including another visit from RTT, here. Or just scroll down.

Above all else, enjoy.

jh

Border Radio: Blasters
Universal Corner: X

Long White Cadillac: Dave Alvin
Rock out of Line: The Knitters (04-28-07)

Teardrops from my Eyes: Ray Condo
Orange Blossom Special: Hot Club of Cowtown
Love in Vain: Patsy Cline

Rin Tin Tiger in the studio

Radley: The French Cassettes
Let 'em Roll: Guy Clark
Thirty Bars He's Back: D-Lo

Rin Tin Tiger in the studio

The Move Apart Parcel: Rin Tin Tiger
Pretty Looks: Rin Tin Tiger

Rin Tin Tiger in the studio

My Saddle is Waiting. Come On, Jump On It: Des Ark
Ashley's Song: Des Ark

Rin Tin Tiger in the studio

Birds Throat: Rin Tin Tiger
Loud Man: Rin Tin Tiger
Funeral: Rin Tin Tiger

My Way: Sid Vicious

A Season in Hell #112: Am I Frisco Enough For Ya?

It's pronounced San Francisco.

Just take a look at this playlist! I'm all over the place tonight. There are so many tracks you have seriously been searching for, on here. I love it when I pull out five or six genres for my show. Tonight is just such a show.

Just getting you ready for the 15,000 calories your about to consume this week. Do me a favor and go for a walk BEFORE you eat. Studies show that your body will consume it better, and not weigh you down if you do this.

Also, please celebrate Buy Nothing Day, on Friday, November 23rd. It's worth it. You don't need to give your hard earned money to all those corporations, who hate you anyway.

You really do need to listen to this show.
Stream it here.
Download it here.
To listen to all of my shows you can click here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy.

Do It: Rollins Band
I've Been Working: Van Morrison
Friction: Television

Satisfaction: Cat Power
Ever Fall in Love: The Buzzcocks
Fiesta The Pogues
Whole Stole the Keishka?: Polkacide

Birdsthroat: Rin Tin Tiger
The Partisan: Leonard Cohen
Bird on a Wire: Joe Cocker

Concert Outlook

Come on Over (turn me on): Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Work It: Missy Elliott
Fuck the Pain Away: Peaches

Deception Pass: Mudhoney
School: Nirvana
Frisco Line: Rube Waddell
Do I Look Like a Slut: Avenue D

Cocaine Blues: Johnny Cash
El Paso: Marty Robbins
When the Levee Breaks: Memphis Minnie
The Runt: Hank Snow

Sweet Child o'Mine/All Out of Love: Guns and Roses/Air Supply
Am I Black Enough For Ya?: Schooly D
My Favorite Things: Negativland
Slow and Low: Run DMC

Don't Come Home A'Drinking: Loretta Lynn
What a Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

A Season in Hell #97: Catch A Rin Tin Tiger By Its Tail

Like many of you who live in San Francisco, I like to take advantage of all the free goings on in our fair city during the summer months. One of my absolute favorite things to do is Sunday Streets. This year, they were kind enough to allow the Mission to host four Sundays-worth of events. Lucky us.

At the beginning of July Radio Valencia broadcasted from in front of Stage Werx from 11-4. We had ten DJs, myself included, host 30-minute sets. I cannot convey to you the amount of pleasure we had hanging out in the streets with everyone. What a blast. My ladies and I walked around for a bit to take in all of the non-car-related ambiance. So many great local shops hawking their wares on the sidewalk, and live music in the intersections.

One of the bands, whom I've seen out there on previous Sunday Streets' was local alt-folk trio Rin Tin Tiger. Formerly Westwood & Willow, these homespun characters create a magnificent stew of unique musicianship, that also carries some of their influences, including Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Morrissey. They've been playing a lot around the Bay Area since 2010, and released an excellent self-titled 6-song EP in 2011. Their first full-length release, "Toxic Pocketbook" is due for release this Thursday, July 26th. Their having a CD release party at Great American Music Hall that night. Go check them out.

Tonight on my show, I'm pleased to have Rin Tin Tiger in the studio, talking about the upcoming show, the new CD, their own style of alt-folk in a town known for punk, funk and junk.

Support live, local music, often.

Lots of new-ish music before and after the interview, along with some live, tasty treats in the second hour.

You can download this show, and glorious interview, here.
You may stream this program any time you wish, here.
Perhaps you desire to listen to some of my previous programs. If this is so then you can either scroll down, or click here.

Do It: Rollins Band
In My Bed: The Orwells
(Gone) 'Round the Corner: Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound

When the Shelter Came: Dark Meat
We're So Ugly: Hornet Leg

Concert Outlook (James Blood Ulmer)

B$G P$MP$N: Natural Child
High School Roaches: Bass Drum Of Death
Shitty: Pangea
Apocalypse Dreams: Tame Impala

The Move Apart Parcel: Rin Tin Tiger
Interview with Rin Tin Tiger
Loud Man: Rin Tin Tiger
Funeral: Rin Tin Tiger

Interview with Rin Tin Tiger

Pretty Looks: Rin Tin Tiger
Summer In the City: Vietnam

Freedom Hangs Like Heaven: Iron & Wine
Candy: The Men

Five to One: The Doors (June 5, 1970)
Relax: The Who (April 6, 1968)

Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?: The Cramps ("The Tube" 1986-03-07)
Closet Queen: James Gang  (July 15, 1971)

A Season in Hell #94: John Hell vs. the Rhythm of the Night

There's something about having no plan that leads to some of my finest shows. After weeks of doing featurettes, and having guests, tonight it's all about music I love (not saying that I don't love each and every track I play week-to-week) that I didn't have to work for.

A lot of "classics" on store for tonight.

You really must stream this show right NOW!!!
OK, maybe you should just download it and listen to it when you can crank it up.
Perhaps you enjoyed it so much that you find the need to listen to my previous shows. Good for you.

Enjoy.

Do It: Rollins Band
Leon vs. The Revolution: Melvins Lite

Ano Onna no Onryou: Boris
Bar-B-Q Pope: Butthole Surfers

Khebar: Bar Kokhba
Iron Man: The Bad Plus
Nobody Does It Better: Sex Mob

Greedy Traveler: Rin Tin Tiger
Lord, Save My Soul: Ferocious Few
Hangin' Moon: Eric McFadden

Barn Burning: Dave Alvin
Trickle Down System: Giant Sand
A Change is Gonna Come: The Gits

I Swallowed a Dragonfly: Heartless Bastards
God Bless the Child: Kenny Burrell
The Cactus: 3rd Bass

Earth People: Dr. Octagon
She Watch Channel Zero: Public Enemy
Earache My Eye: Alice Bowie

Take a Letter Maria: R.B. Greaves
When My Baby's Beside Me: Big Star

Carpetbaggers: Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello