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.
Do we get to listen to music in the afterlife? I sure hope so, or it's going to be seriously boring. Or maybe when we die we can travel anywhere in time, so we can go see all those concerts that we were too young to attend when we were alive. That would be pretty awesome!
Who would you go see?
I'd see all the obvious 60s and 70s rock bands that I never got to see, but add to that Nina Simone, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Maybe Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams and Johny Thunders. Too many great artists to count, really.
Tonight's show wasn't about a lot of dead rock stars. No. There's lots of life in this here show you're about to listen to. Oh it's got its share of dead musicians, but don't let that get you down.
Enjoy.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Lauson spent the night in Hell's Kitchen this past Monday night and was more than her usual kooky self. Little Lauson Hell is about to enter 8th grade and I'm not really certain how I feel about all this growing up stuff. She knows that when it comes to the playlist to make make her choices a wee bit more left of maintstream. That being said, she's her father's daughter: she just knows what she likes. Almost all of her selections (designated by "L") are fairly outside the norm of what a 12 year old probably listens to. Does your kid flip for Nina Simone?
Some new music from Ty Segall from an oddly digital-only release (where's the vinyl, Ty?), and Dale Crover has graced us with what he claims is his first full-length solo effort, Fickle Finger of Fate, but I consider the classic Kiss-style Melvins solo EP of his to be his real first solo release. Whatever. Speaking of the Melvins, their documentary, Colossus of Destiny is now out on DVD and Blu-Ray and we're all better for it. I saw the film at a s showing at the Swedish-American Hall in SF last Fall and the boys performed an acoustic set and did a Q&A following the film. It's chock full of great interviews and music. Check it out!
I've got way too much music to share with you this coming Monday night. Two hours really isn't enough time, but it'll have to do. See you on the "radio".
If you care to check out the previous shows featuring Little Lauson Hell check out the links below:
Tonight I'm training a new Radio Valencia DJ: Andre Champaign. Andre took over the first 30 minutes of my show, and it was a dub-lovers delight! Two sweet sets that'll get your toes a-tappin'. and your body swaying.
Andre also inspired my sets. Since my recent move I've been finding items in my library I had forgotten all about. I was told in my radio youth to never draw attention to a mistake; the listeners won't notice anyway. I took that to heart, but added never draw attention to a mistake UNLESS you can make it an artform! You can hear what I mean in my final mic break of the evening. HA!
I was hoping to do a 7" special soon called "The Return of the Magnificent 7", but in my recent move I lost a box of items, including ALL of my 7"s. I cannot begin to tell you how sore I am about this loss. I also lost a few DVDs and important books. Ugh. I hate the idea of having to rebuild my collection. But that's how it goes. As bad as I fee about this, I cannot define my identity by what I own. In the end, I still love music; it's my drug of choice. You can count on me to continue to curate two hours of aural bliss every Monday night.
I do still have a John Zorn special that I'm planning for this Fall. I'm still not certain how many hours and how many parts it will be. There is so much good music to choose from this grand composer/musician. So we have that to look forward to, which is good.
Check out the playlist below and click the stream or download link above to listen.
Enjoy.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Airbag: Easy Star All Stars
Safe from Harm: doublestandart
Speak to Me/Breathe: Easy Star All Stars
A Little Dub From My Friends: Easy Star All Stars
Night Nurse: Cottonbelly
Teardrop: Massive Attack
Diffraction: Com Truise
John Hell Set:
Double Six: Lee "Scratch" Perry
George Bush Don't Like Black People: Legendary KO
Do I Look Like A Slut: Avenue D
Turku: Erkin Koray
Ocean Breathes Salty: Sun Kil Moon
You Can't Catch Me: Chuck Berry
Dirt: The Stooges
Buck Whylin': Terminator X
A Better Tomorrow: Dan the Automator and Kool Keith
Hallogallo: Neu!
Killer Sounds From Outer Space: Turn Me On Dead Man
Half Way To A Threeway: Jim O'Rourke
The Passenger: Wall of Voodoo
Que Sera Sera: Doris Day
If you haven't seen Kanye West's justified diatribe about the treatment of Blacks in New Orleans following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, see the video below. I play the Legendary KO song around 40 minutes into my show that was inspired by Kanye's words. Just look at the face of Mike Meyers. HA!
I took off for a mid-week trip after this show. This is why you are seeing it so late in the week. That's just the way I roll.
No special on this night, just some fine tuneage. And just take a look! I was obviously looking to mix it up a bit. These sets are totally worth your time to check out. You know you want to. Right? RIGHT?!
Common People: William Shatner
An Open Letter to My Teenage Son: Victor Lundberg
1977: Thee Headcoats
Give It To Me: The Melvins
Interstellar Overdrive: Camper van Beethoven
I Have A Radio: David Lynch
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
The Embryo: Pink Floyd (BBC 07-16-1970 Paris Cinema, London, England)
Han-Tyomi and the Murder of the Universe: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
En Gang Om Aret: Dungen
Kathy's Song: Simon and Garfunkel (dedicated to my bride on her birthday)
Take a Letter, Maria: RB Greaves
Summer Babe (Winter Version): Pavement
1976: Redd Kross
Burning Spear: Thee Oh Sees
Sticks and Stones: Jo Jones
Can You Get To That: Funkadelic
Albuquerque: Josh Tillman
ACDC: Sweet
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite: The Beatles
Let's Go Hunt for Grandpa: Goober and the Peas
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
