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Week of November 3, 2008

Part 1 34:52
Grateful Dead 6/26/76 Auditorium Theater, Chicago IL
SCARLET BEGONIAS
LAZY LIGHTNING->
SUPPLICATION
FENNARIO
THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED

Part 2 22:03
The Missing Moonlighters
LET IT ROCK
Jefferson Starship, Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty
FRENARIO
The Clash Live at Shea Stadium
I FOUGHT THE LAW
Michael Falzarano, We Are All One
WE ARE ALL ONE
Emory Joseph, Fennario: Songs by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter
BIRD SONG

The Missing Moonighters is a two-CD set documenting a “side band” started by guitarist Bill Kirchen of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Here’s a photo I took of the Airmen opening for the Grateful Dead at the Hollywood Bowl on July 21, 1974. Bill calls his music “dieselbilly.” His most recent CD is Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods (a reference to his beloved Fender Telecaster). Bill contributed the opening track, “Poultry in Motion,” on a fund-raiser CD I put together for public radio called Live from Berkeley. (You can get a copy in return for a contribution to KPFA. email me for details.)

Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty is a new CD from Paul Kantner’s Jefferson Starship. It’s a collection of “rare gems from the great folk tradition that inspired the rock n’ roll hall of fame band more than 4 decades ago.” Here’s an article about the CD from the San Francisco Chronicle. And yes, Paul does indeed spell it “Frenario.” Go figure.

“I Fought the Law” is a Sonny Curtis song made famous in the ’60s by the Bobby Fuller Four and in the ’80s by The Clash. Rumor has it that some members of the Dead heard the song in the van on their way to a gig and played it that night. It was a huge hit with the fans at first, but it was heard so often that the fans grew weary of it, fickle fuckers that we are. This version is from a new archival release, The Clash Live at Shea Stadium, recorded 10/13/82 and released 10/7/2008.

Michael Falzarano toured with Hot Tuna for many years, and was instrumental in the revival of the New Riders of the Purple Sage a couple of years back. We Are All One is his second solo album.

I guess “Bird Song” must be my favorite track from Emory Joseph’s terrific collection Fennario: Songs by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, ’cause this is the second time I’ve played it! Actually I like all the other tracks, too, and I’ll get some more of it on the air soon.

Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:

Porchwerk Music and DIG Music, celebrating the release of the new CD by Boris Garcia, Once More Into The Bliss, featuring performances from Buddy Cage, Tim Carbone and Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay.

Singer/songwriter Aaron Ferguson, presenting his one man rock and roll show at the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center in New York City Saturday November 22. Aaron’s solo performance will include elements of a jamband show with songs, jams and a folk rock approach.