Hell's Kitchen Radio #616: Rock Em Sock Em

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Summer has reared its face in San Francisco, which means "June Gloom" and I'm here for it! I love it! Give me a fog tan and I'm a happy boy! And no guests means I can play what's been on repeat in the Hell household this past week. 

I've been shopping a lot the past few weeks, and it's not going to slow down. East Bay stores like Down Home Records and Moving Records are always a treat to stop by when I have time to dig. Without listing every store I've been patronizing, I can tell you the crate digging has been a delight. 

And then there are the times I shop at home! If you have a record collection then you know there are the moments when you forget that you own that particular album. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it lends a look of confusion and surprise to my face. And why not? I think I've only inadvertently purchased records I've already owned a couple of time. That's the danger though of a growing collection.

This week only about 25% of the show came from my library. Most are new, and of course Daniel from the Mab came through and offered some tasty treats to Hell's Kitchen Radio (marked with "DH"). I love having Daniel hang out. We're getting a great crew in the studio on Monday nights. 

Come on down and join the live studio audience (the crowd goes wild!!!).

This Monday I don't have any guests scheduled (though we may see Daniel again), so that means all music. And like last week I have a few new additions to the current rotation. Tune in and find out what it'll be.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

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

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In Frisco: Pop-O-Pies (7" - 1983)
The Fire of Love: Joe Christ (7" - 1991)
Texas Serenade: The Gun Club (Miami - 1982)

Wasps From Samoa: Surprise Privilege (Single - 2026)
Loaded Gun: Reverend Horton Heat (Full Custom Gospel Sounds of... - 1993)
Go To Satan: Rube Waddell (Hobo Train - 2009)

Give: The Bobby Lees (New Self - 2026)
Hard On For Love: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Your Funeral...My Trial - 1986)
Love Buzz: Shocking Blue (S/T - 1967)
The Creole Love Call: Roland Kirk (The Inflated Tear - 1968)

Decartes: Sprints (All That Is Over - 2026)
Pablo Picasso: Modern Lovers (S/T - 1976)

Psycho Killer: Talking Heads (Tentative Decisions - 2026)
You Keep On Looking: Gary Wilson (You Think You Really Know Me - 1977) - DH
Hot On The Heels of Love: Throbbing Gristle (20 Jazz Funk Greats - 1979) - DH
Make Him Want It: Hugh S. Bell (How To Be A Success In Life Insurance Selling - 1972)
Advantage: Septic Death (Now That I Have Your Attention... - 1985)

Super Bug Live: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (2026)
Law and Order: Fang (Land Shark - 1982)

Fire and Brimstone: Primitive Ring (S/T - 2026)
Abre Camino: Death Valley Girls (Darkness Falls - 2018)
I Hunt You Pray: LA Witch (DOGGOD - 2025)

Hunger For A Way Out: Sweeping Promises (Hunger For A Way Out - 2020)
Pigs On The Wing Parts 1 and 2: Pink Floyd (8 Tracks - 2026)

Apache Talk: Luiz Bonfá (Jacaranda - 1973)

Hell's Kitchen Radio #578: Hell, Bloody Hell

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So Ozzy died last week. Did anyone think he would live as long as he did? Not that I had a bet going, but I would have lost, had I. I turned onto Black Sabbath in my teens, back in the 80s, as would be appropriate. They were the darkest band I had ever heard up to that point, and probably still are since I don't listen to any Norwegian Death Metal.

I never saw Ozzy of Black Sabbath in concert. I can only imagine the energy of the crowd. I'm sure I had plenty of opportunities, but I didn't want to see his solo shows. Only Black Sabbath would do, and they didn't come around that often. There was that show in San Jose a few years back I could have tried to get to. What's up with that? I'm quick to buy tickets to a good show. I guess I'll just have to enjoy the bootlegs, of which I have many. 

Speaking of Ozzy and Black Sabbath, Tuesday night I'm playing what has to be my all time favorite Black Sabbath show on my Live Bootleg Bonanza on Radio Valencia, starting at 8pm Pacific. August 06, 1975 from Asbury Park, New Jersey is Sabbath firing on all cylinders. What an incredible show! Tune in.

For tonight's show I pay tribute to Ozzy in the second hour, though I do give you a tease of the awesomeness of the live show right out of the block. The second hour is a lot of great Black Sabbath covers you may have never heard.

For the first hour it's a lot of drunken garage rock. I was at the Rock and Roll Flea Market at Faction Brewing on Saturday and I bought a lot of 7"s as well as the Estrus Records book, which inspired the first hour. 

I'm certain the rock tributes will continue considering the number of rockers who are 75+ years of age, and did plenty of excessive partying in their day. Who is on your bingo card?

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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Embryo/Children of the Grave (Live 1975): Black Sabbath

Love Buzz: The Shocking Blue

Burning Bush: Mono Men

Hit That Bitch: The Monarchs

Mercy: The Marauders

A Girl Like You: Mummies

Time Tunnel: The Del Lagunas

Unknown Museum Stomp: Phantom Surfers

Big Shit: Jesus Christ Super Fly

Comanche: Jack O'Fire

Dirty Jack: The DTs

November 22, 1963: Destroy All Monsters

Diamonds in the Rough: Dead Moon

Morning in America: Mudhoney

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park: Tom Lehrer

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (Country Angel Version): Talking Heads

Bloody Sabbath: Melvins with Al Cisneros

War Pigs: Faith No More

Electric Funeral: Brownout

Supernaut: Ministry (1000 Homo DJs)

Sabbath Jam: Eyehategod

Crazy Train: Ozzy Osbourne (Live with Randy Rhodes)

Fairies Wear Boots: Black Sabbath

Into The Void: Orange Goblin

Paranoid: Ty Segall

Hell's Kitchen Radio #554: Talking Trash with the IRD

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First show of the year, and right off the bat I have an exciting interview for you. Prog-space-b-movie-kinda-jazzy-mostly-funky trio Illogistical Resource Dept came into the studio to share their newly released third record: Cacoethes (go ahead, I dare you to pronounce it correctly the first time).

What a delight to have Dan (bass/vocals.effects), Noa (drums) and Mike (guitar) in to talk up such a wonderful collection of new music. What they do is truly magical and I can imagine the challenges of creating this music in a live setting. They talk about this and more coming up.

There are two links above, split into hour one and hour two.

Having fun with the IRD coming up right here.

Enjoy and please go buy their music!!!

jh

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

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Suspect Device: Stiff Little Fingers
Bring The Head of Jerry Garcia: Iron Prostate
Do Your Thing: Kashmir Stage Band
99 Year Blues: Hot Tuna

Interview with Illogistical Resource Department

Shrewd Awakening: IRD

Interview with Illogistical Resource Department

The Gears of Issus: IRD
The Future of Mankind: IRD

Interview with IRD

Togremelas: IRD
Hellbender's Return: IRD

Interview with IRD

Run Around: Moon Duo
Night of the Vampire: Ty Segall

Shopping: Pink Section
Cent Piasses: Population II
Don't You Make Me High: Merline Johnson
Ouroboros: GOAT

On Green Dolphin Street: Miles Davis
Mack the Knife: Ella Fitzgerald
Dead Babies: Alice Cooper

First Week/Last Week...Carefree (Acoustic Version): Talking Heads

Hell's Kitchen Radio #552: Inner City Hell

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Hot damn, it was cold in the Radio Valencia studio on Monday night. It took a real hot set of music to turn up the heat. I often walk the line of telling it like it is and just getting the heck off the mic so you can enjoy the music. I even have a music bed, performed by the magnificent singer/songwriter Adam MacKintosh, that keeps me honest at about three minutes in length. There's a method to my madness. I need more than three minutes to tell it like it is. 

Each week I go through my record collection searching for whatever is tickling my fancy this week. I'm also listening to a lot of radio (Radio Valencia, KFJC, KALX, KEXP, WFMU, and others as I commute daily). There are so many great DJs turning me on to new music. 

If you're thinking of what to get your loved ones for a gift, I strongly encourage music. No albums in the house? Buy a turntable! Only listening via an app? Get the Bandcamp app and support the artists directly. But let's all agree that cassettes were wrong the first time around (other than mix tapes) and should never make a comeback. This coming from the guy who worked the cassette room at Tower Records, and owned thousands of bootleg tapes. There is nothing redeemable about cassettes. Though there is something to be said about buying an off-brand best of southern rock cassette while on a road trip. 

I do have a few boxes of my airchecks from my many years at KFJC. Those have to be incredibly embarrassing to listen to. There was a show I hosted in 1991 (one of my early graveyard shifts when I was the Reverend Dah Wave), when I was taking call in confessions (I didn't know it was a priest that took confessions, so there ya go). We didn't have a delay at KFJC, so I took a real risk that the callers weren't going to swear. Luckily no one did. And many of the callers were my friends, up late and very imbibed. The great Oz, the Watermonk of Dah (aka Noa Oz Appleton) was in the studio with me. We took a few very hilarious calls. 

Unbeknownst to me, my program director was listening in too. I got a stern talking to (understatement of 1991) and was lucky to keep my shift. I listened back to that aircheck a few years later. It was so cringey that I took the tape out of my car stereo and threw it in the back seat. I wonder where that thing is??? Do I dare listen back? Should I digitize it? Should I share it on Radio Valencia?!?!?!??!

As for this show, I'm as cringey as ever, but I own that now.

All vinyl. Nothing new. Many genres. All worth your time.

I'll be hosting an alternative XMas show on Monday, December 23rd. Tune in and enjoy the hot cocoa on me. Maybe that'll heat up the studio this time around.

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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I Fuck Around: Melvins
We're a Happy Family: Ramones

Gone Daddy, Gone: Violent Femmes
Midnight Special: Harry Belafonte
On The Sunny Side of the Street: Ella Fitzgerald

Inner City Blues: Grover Washington Jr.
Othelia: Yusef Lateef
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry: Bob Dylan
Go To Satan: Rube Waddell

Down, Down, Down: Tom Waits
In Heaven There Is No Beer: Polkacide

To Defy The Laws of Tradition: Primus
Eminence Front: The Who
Broken Hands: Mudhoney

Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me: Monkeywrench
Deuce: Redd Kross
Backdoor Medley: ZZ Top

Vacancy: Neil Young
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: Iggy Pop
Sunday Morning: Velvet Underground with Nico

Uh Oh, Loves Comes To Town: Talking Heads
This Is Not A Love Song: Public Image Ltd.
Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis: Neko Case

Hell's Kitchen Radio #516: Befriend Hell

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I had a conversation with a friend online recently, who was listening to a previous show of mine. She commented that it felt like I was speaking directly to her when I said that you may not be listening live, but perhaps somewhere in a distant time? 

It's true, you know? I often imagine you listening to these shows many decades (or centuries?) into the future. Once it's out there, it's out there forever. Every word I have spoken, every song I have played. It's all there. I was about to type "do anything you want with it. It's not mine anymore". But then I got to thinking about this world of ours where intellectual copyright and identity theft is a real thing. So go ahead and listen to these old shows, and my comments from those times, but do take it all in context, ok? Thanks.

I also know that my two darling children will possibly read these posts and listen back to my old shows. Anything's possible, right?

Not a lot of new music tonight. Ty Segall has a new release on the horizon: "Three Bells", and I have something off of that. New Beatles. Yes, you heard that right. And it's pretty good. The video almost brought me to tears. 

I'm heading to Bottom of the Hill Saturday night to see Radio Valencia's DJ Doug in his quartet 9 Dog Dick. It's their album release party. The headliner is St. Louis' Drunks With Guns. They're loud and the rock! I played them in the second hour tonight. Come on down and rock out with me.

As always, there's something for everyone here, as long as you enjoy 60s psych, 70s soul-jazz, 00s South-Asian garage-revival, 00s subversive hiphop, prog-metal and more. 

Have fun and share.

jh

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

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Some Velvet Morning: Vanilla Fudge

Inner City Blues: Grover Washington Jr.

Leyla: Altin Gun

Pay Back Africa: Antibalas

Thlah Cinta Berlalu: Koes Barat

Breathless: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Heartattack and Vine: Lydia Lunch (ft. Nels Cline)

My Room: Ty Segall

Girlfriend is Better: Talking Heads

Islands in the Sky: Death Valley Girls

Now and Then: The Beatles

Beef Rapp: MF Doom

Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba: George Benson

Bird Song: David McMurray

I Get A Kick Out Of You: Frank Sinatra

Hell House: Drunks with Guns

Celestial Crown/Barael's Blade: The Sword

Majic Moonjynuh: Queen Crescent

Revenge: Embryo

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza - Monday 6-8PM Pacific - Talking Heads (1977) and Television (1978) In Tribute

 

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza

Monday's 6-8PM Pacific

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I really don't want to turn this show into a tribute show, but the first few weeks of this year have been tough. Let's celebrate these great artists while they're alive, shall we?

I've got two really brilliant shows tonight, featuring East Coast "Punk" bands in their early prime.

First up, Talking Heads from the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, December 3, 1977. This pristine FM-soundboard features a young band, still feeling their way, but with a boatload of confidence in their material. This show is almost exclusively from their first two LPs "More Songs About Buildings and Food" and "1977". 

Lineage: KSAN Fm Reel>Cd>Shn

Our headliner tonight is a band that I should have featured on here months ago. I hate that it took the death of front man Tom Verlaine for me to pull this out. I have a memory of working in grocery with a young lady years ago, who told me she had once dated Tom Verlaine. I'm guessing she was many years his junior at the time, but it was the name of the band that really struck me. 

Who named their band Television?

I picked up "Marquee Moon" soon after this. It had to be 1994 or 1995. I was probably 24 when I first took note of them. That album really was amazing, from the first listen, on. I was already into bands like Sonic Youth, and it was obvious to me where they got some of their early influences. Verlaine's and Richard Lloyd's angular guitar playing influenced my own. When I think of a band that deserves the honorarium "Godfathers of Alt-Rock", it's probably Television. Bands like Pavement, Sleater-Kinney, REM, The Gun Club, and Dream Syndicate come to mind right away.

I have quite a few Television shows going back to when Richard Hell was on bass (these are rare and the quality is not for airplay). The show tonight is a real gem. July 2, 1978 from the Earth Tavern in Portland, Oregon, following the April release of their second album "Adventure". This is an excellent soundboard recording with a lively crowd. The jams are really strong. 

Lineage: SBD Reel > DAT > FLAC (44.1) > mp3 (320 kbps)

You can find my mostly-complete list of live shows right here. Have a request? Leave a comment.

Support these bands. Buy their officially released music and merch, and never ever sell live bootlegs. These are for trade only.

Stick around for my weekly music mix: Hell's Kitchen Radio, Mondays 8-10PM Pacific.

Enjoy and pay it forward.

jh

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Hell's Kitchen Radio #324: Deathbed Blues

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Sometimes it hits a little too close to home.

Rock poster artist and friend Ron Donovan passed away last week after losing his liver to too many years of alcohol abuse. I loved Ron like anyone did, which meant it was a love-hate relationship. He was funny, talented, smart, and charismatic. He was also selfish, often tardy, never with the tools he needed to do the job, full of excuses and a real pain in the ass. He burned more bridges than most. That being said, he was ubiquitous. There was no one like the Hobbit, "Rotten" Ronnie Donovan.

For over six years he was my foil when we co-hosted the 6 hour bootleg battle "Rock Fight" (links to most are below). Ron and I had perhaps the largest combined bootleg collection anywhere. It was easy to pull out brilliant live versions of tunes to one-up each other. He was always late to these shows, rarely had the material he needed, and would often pass out on the couch before we were through. I ended up having a strict "no hard alcohol" rule for these shows, which paid off as they were the finest we did together. We also hosted a few live bands and interviews during these marathon shows.

In 2011 Ron volunteered his services to make us a poster for Radio Valencia, which he was going to present at a big fundraiser of ours. He was four hours late and the poster had the incorrect URL and frequency on it! Oh, and he misspelled "commercials. HA! In typical Donovan fashion he just shrugged it off with a smile. I still have about a dozen of those posters somewhere.

Ron was mostly known through his great rock poster art. I met him when he and Chuck Sperry ran Firehouse Kustom Rock Posters. I would hang out at their warehouse and watch the magic happen. Ron was always the life of the party and often would bring the party with him. I'll miss seeing him in his ink-covered shorts-over-thermals, and socks/sandals ensemble, riding along on his Powell/Peralta board looking for a free drink at any one of many bars or "offices" he had around town.

Tonight's show is a tribute of sorts to Ron. I'm not sure he would have approved of every track, but he would have liked that they were all songs that one would want played as they passed on.

Yours truly,

jh

To check out previous Rock Fights, go here:
Rock Fight 14 - without Ron
Rock Fight 13 (mis-titled Rock Fight 14)
Rock Fight 12
Rock Fight 11 
Rock Fight 10
Rock Fight 9
Rock Fight 8
Rock Fight 7
Rock Fight 6
Rock Fight 5
Rock Fight 4 - Playlist only
Rock Fight 3 - Playlist only
Rock Fight 2 - Playlist only
Rock Fight 1 - Playlist only

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

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Never Talking to You Again: Husker Dü
Dirt: The Stooges

I Wanna Rock: Twisted Sister

Purple Rain: Prince
Heaven: Talking Heads
Teenage Kicks: The Undertones
People Who Died: Jim Carroll

In My Time of Dying: Led Zeppelin (03/19/75 Vancouver, Canada)
Rock and Roll Suicide: David Bowie
Carrickfergus: Van Morrison and The Chieftains

The Bones in the Ground: Robyn Hitchcock
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You: Louis Armstrong
One More Cup of Coffee: Bob Dylan
Jig of Life: Kate Bush

Mea Culpa: Brian Eno and David Byrne
Highly Illogical: Leonard Nimoy
Hooray For Me: Bad Religion

Highway To Hell: AC/DC (12/17/81 Rochester, NY)
Watermelon in the Easter Hay: Frank Zappa

Black Peter: Grateful Dead (12/14/71 Ann Arbor, MI)
Happy Boy: Beat Farmers

Rock on, Rotten Ronnie. I hope you make it to your destination...eventually.

Hell's Kitchen Radio #259: Sweatin' To Hell

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Hot times in the ol' studio tonight! Radio as the premier aural artform. Some classic covers on this night, some deeply hidden live tracks, some jazzy goodness, perfect for the hot night that it was. Plenty of witty banter that will tickle your funny bone as well as clue you in to the back story of many of these timeless tunes.

Have you tuned into the "new" KFOG? And I thought they were bad before! Seriously, it does not appear that they have evolved into anything fresh and new! Good job, Cumulus. You fired DJs who cared about the local listeners, all the while playing crappy, lowest-common-denominator pablum, that they had no choice over. I swear I would LOVE for any GM to call me up and ask me to program a station for just one day. ONE DAY! There is too much quality music that KFOG has continuously passed by. Father John Misty? Jenny Lewis? Dave Alvin? COME ON! Lame KFOG has just proved once again why you NEED Radio Valencia. You already knew that though.

Let's start a petition to get KFOG to hire John Hell for one day to do its music programming. If they hate it then I'll quietly leave. If they love it, then I'll have my lawyers call theirs.

Next Monday you just know I'm going to have a lot of rare Prince to play for you. RIP Purple One.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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In The Flesh: Pink Floyd
California Sun: The Dictators
Rich Brat: Redd Kross
Surfin Bird: The Ramones

Double Fine: Honky
This Never Happened To The Other Feller: Sex Mob

When It's Sleepy-time Down South: Gaucho
Fiesta En El Solar: Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos

Lilin: John Zorn's Bar Kokhba
Drugs: Talking Heads

New Carrion: Naked Lights
Stronger Than Dirt: The Traditional Fools
Andalusia: The Phantom Surfers

My Man: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends (WPLJ July 22, 1971)
Black Magic Woman: Fleetwood Mac (BBC March, 24, 1968)
Blue 'N' Boogie: Miles Davis

Bronx Blues: Stan Getz and The Oscar Peterson Trio
Tattoo: Petra Haden

Tape Kabob: Can (BBC 73-75)

Ruins: Low Flying Hawks

NOW, LET'S GET SWEATY!!!