Hell's Kitchen Radio #507: Sgt Splendor In The Halls of Hell

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There are good times and then there are really good times.

Guess what this night was about?

Eric McFadden and Kate Vargas stopped in Monday night to talk all about their latest project: Sgt. Splendor!

I've been friends with Eric McFadden since the late, great Rotten Ron Donovan introduced us back in 2007. He's been on my show countless times. We've spent many a fine night at clubs and ice cream shops. And then there was New Orleans. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit.

That all being said, I was introduced to one Adam Mackintosh, singer/songwriter extraordinaire in New Orleans in 2017 for an extra special event, which you can read about here. It was at this event week that I met Adam. We were to be roommates for the few nights we were in town, and he met up with me at a club. It was your run of the mill extremely hot New Orleans night in May, when he walked in wearing a brown three piece suit, ascot and sunglasses, carrying a brown leather suitcase and brown Italian sunglasses, standing 6'5". We were introduced and the first thing I asked him was his thoughts about cockroaches? The place was hot. New Orleans in May, hot. 

Adam and I have been best friends ever since. 

Eric and Adam haven't seen one another in a few years, and Adam was in town visiting family, so I naturally had him come into the studio. I purposely didn't tell Eric about this, because I like a good reveal. Another great thing about this night was that Eric's partner-in-crime Kate Vargas was along for the ride. I was planning on interviewing them about their great act, Sgt. Splendor, who is on tour right now, and will be playing Bottle Rock in a few months.

You have just got to be listening when I'm talking on mic and there's a knock at the door. I ask Eric to open it. The rest is radio history.

All three of my guests were very vocal tonight about songwriting and performing. I really appreciate them coming down. Give it a listen and I think their enthusiasm will rub off on you.

Radio Valencia has a fundraiser coming up Sunday, February 26th from noon-5pm at our next door neighbors place: Make Out Room. All proceeds go to help us pay for upkeep and new equipment, among many other things. Come check out super nova rock trio Star Decay and the headliners, R50 the premier Rush Cover band. Come on down and support your favorite Bay Area internet radio station and help keep us going into 2023.

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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Down The Street: The Stooges
Bang: Dark Carnival
More Dead: Death Valley Girls

Shapes of Things: Jeff Beck Group
She Shook Me Cold: David Bowie

Fairies Wear Boots: Brownout
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: Black Sabbath
Magic: Zig Zags

All Dead To Me: Sgt. Splendor
Miss Judy's Farm: The Faces
Nibbadip: Fantaastic Negrito

Crash Dancing: Sgt. Splendor
Everybody's Talking: Bongwater
Strange Days: The Bobby Lees
Red Right Hand: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Whoopie Chateau: Sgt. Splendor
Do It For Love: The Last Dancers

Teenage Phase: Adam MacKintosh
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Hell's Kitchen Radio #506: Let Them Eat Tweets

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I left Twitter a few years ago. It always upset me to scroll through it. I held onto the account so I could share my radio blog on there, tagging the artists I play. I never missed it, and I never thought I would. When Musk took it over I deleted my account. I don't need to share my data with that guy. It appears Twitter drives people to this page. I've gone from ~150 per post to ~10. ugh. I do not want to back to Twitter. 

Well I guess you lucky few get to enjoy all this music just for yourselves. Who am I to keep you from sharing it on your own social media platforms? 

Just look at what you get: a tribute to Tom Verlaine, some 70s Punk, 60s Blues and Jazz, new John Cale, Molly Tuttle, Ty Segall, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. I also have some demos and outtakes from The Who and Funkadelic. I'm all over the damn place. 

Let Twitter keep the creep. You have me and I have you, and that's all that counts.

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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Roadrunner: The Modern Lovers
Anarchy in the UK: Sex Pistols

Friction: Television
Down At The Rock and Roll Club: Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Love Comes In Spurts: Thee Headcoats

Sorcery: Big Band Katowice
Back Home: Yusef Lateef
Nisaba in the Grass: Luna

Night Crawling: John Cale
Earthquake: Kim Gordon

Fearless: Mary Lou Lord
The Waitress Song: First Aid Kit
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out: Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen
Sloppy Drunk Blues: Big Joe Williams

San Francisco Bay Blues: Molly Tuttle
Bumble Bee: Big Mama Thornton

Goin' Mobile (Pete's Demos): The Who
Red Hot Mama (alternative take): Funkadelic
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide (2022 remake): ZZ Top
Midnight Special: Harry Belefonte

Saturday Pt. 2: Ty Segall
Moth Tongue: Crystal Fairy

Pick A Bale of Cotton: Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

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 #505: Brothers Hellberg Rejoice!

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Well 2023 is starting out a bit how 2022 ended: a bit sour. My dad passed in late December, which was a real kick in the gonads, after which I was happy to see 2022 fade away. And now the first few weeks of 2023 have seen the passing of Jeff Beck, David Crosby, Tom Verlaine and more. It's starting to feel a bit how 2016 when so many musical heroes passed starting with David Bowie. 

What else does 2023 have in store for us all?

Let the music play!

I invited my buddy, rock photographer Jay Blakesberg into the studio to talk about his history knowing and photographing David Crosby, and to play the music we both grew up on. There's a lot of Crosby-related tunes sprinkled throughout the show, interlaced with our colorful conversation.

Jay is nothing if he isn't a fine conversationalist.

He also was kind enough to bring a copy of his remarkable new coffee table book, RetroBlakesberg, full of photos all taken on film. I love that so many of the shows from the 80s and 90s in the Bay Area I actually attended!!!

Go to his site and check out the book. Pick up a copy. You'll be so happy you did. And if you're on Instagram, be certain to follow him.

Jay gives good radio too. I think we're going to make this a quarterly thing. That is, unless another legendary rock star dies before then. Where's Keith and Iggy? I'm seeing Iggy in a few months, so he better hold on.

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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Music is Love: David Crosby
Cowboy Movie: David Crosby
Long Time Gone: CSN

Interview with Jay Blakesberg

Wooden Ships: Jefferson Airplane
California: Joni Mitchell

Interview with Jay Blakesberg

Cowgirl in the Sand: Neil Young
Have You Seen the Stars Tonight: Jefferson Starship

Interview with Jay Blakesberg

Almost Cut My Hair: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Helplessly Hoping: Crosby, Stills and Nash
Late for the Sky: Jackson Browne

Interview with Jay Blakesberg

Triad: David Crosby and Graham Nash
Lather: Jefferson Airplane
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes: Crosby, Stills and Nash

Interview with Jay Blakesberg

Guinnevere: Crosby, Stills and Nash 

Hell's Kitchen Radio #504: People Like Us

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Here's my show from this past Monday night. It's been a challenging few weeks since my dad passed away. I like getting my shows posted within a couple of days after broadcast, but you'll have to forgive me for being so late with this.

As always I take two hours and throw pretty much everything at it.  

What have you been listening to lately? Where are you getting your musical inspiration from? 

This coming Monday night, January 30th tune in for my guest, rock photographer Jay Blakesberg. We'll be talking about the late David Crosby and more.

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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Basketball Jones: Cheech and Chong
Swing 42: Django Reinhardt
Trouble in Mind: Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen

Regimental Sgt. Zippo: Elton John
3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds: Jefferson Airplane

God Bless The Child: Kenny Burrell
The Diamond Sea: Sonic Youth

Cryo For Freedom: Larry Boothroyd's Remote Communion
Woke Up Dead: JD Pinkus
I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier, Mama: John Lennon

Hot Rod Lincoln: Bill Kirchen
They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore: Kinky Friedman
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight: Bob Dylan

Back Seat Betty: Miles Davis
London: Angel Bat Dawid

Laughing: David Crosby
Pasties and a G-String: Andre Williams
In That Great Gettin' Up In The Morning: The New Gospel Keys