Show #173 September 14, 2019

We're heating up for Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori!
 
Summer Elaine And Drunk Dori- Weezer Weezer (White Album)
Black Summer- Cherry Twister At Home With Cherry Twister
Good Times- Ex Hex It's Real
King Size Cigarette- The Law King Size Cigarette Plus Three Other Big Hits Ep
On The Rocks- Bash and Pop Anything Could Happen
Entitlement Crew- The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru The Passion
Fresh As A Daisy- Emitt Rhodes Emitt Rhodes
Tell Me- Kwyet Kings Cherrypie
^The Other Side Of Summer- Elvis Costello The Very Best Of Elvis Costello
His Last Summer- The Barracudas Drop Out
It Must Be Summer- Fountains Of Wayne Utopia Parkway
There's No One Like You- Redd Kross Beyond the Door
Forget About You- The Motors Approved By The Motors
I'll Get A Hold On You- Jetz The Anthology 1977-79
*I Can't Wait For Summer To End- The Trilobites I Can't Wait For Summer To End
*Summertime Sucks- The Infidels Mad About That Girl
*Summer Job- Art Brut Art Brut Vs. Satan
*Weird Summer- Velvet Crush Teenage Symphonies To God
Talk Too Much- The Dollyrots Daydream Explosion
C'mon- Artists Teen Line no. 6
Beg to Borrow- Kurt Baker Combo Let's Go Wild!
How Fast- The Rubinoos From Home
Whiteout Conditions- The New Pornographers Whiteout Conditions
She Satisfies- Shoes Shoe's Best
>Bummer In The Summer- Love Forever Changes
>Summertime Blues- Alex Chilton Bach's Bottom
>Summer's Gone- The Leopards Kansas City Slickers
I Hate Tourists- The Freeze I Hate Tourists 7"
Brunette Summer- Chixdiggit! Double Diggits!
End Of The Summer- The Wellingtons End Of The Summer

^Power Pop Peak:  #40 Billboard Hot 100 6/1/1991

*SacroSet:  Bummer Summer Songs

>Power Pop Prototype:  1967, 1981, 1977

Sonoma Plaza October 12, 2017

We moved to California in 1993, just missing the historic drought of 1986 to 1992.  There were floods in 1995, 1997, 2017 and 2019 but we weren't directly affected by a natural disaster until the North Bay Fires in October 2017.  We lost power and had to evacuate but luckily the fire was stopped on the outskirts of Sonoma.  In November 2018 the Camp Fire ravaged Paradise, CA and from 150 miles away covered our valley in smoke for three weeks.  This fall the ironically named PG&E "Public Safety Power Shutoffs" added a whole new level of stress.

I say "ironically named" because the "PSPS" is really about indemnifying PG&E against more lawsuits- like they are holding us all hostage in a game of chicken with the Governor.  Way back when, someone decided it would be a good idea to allow this monopoly to be a publicly traded company.  Today we are paying the price for decades of maintenance deferred to pay executive bonuses and shareholder dividends.  This maintenance includes trimming back trees near thousands of power lines and transformers.  Thanks to climate change we are facing longer, later high temperature/high wind/low humidity "red flag" conditions during which trees fall, wires spark and fires start.  What's worse, these winds can carry flaming embers several miles starting more fires.  

Last January PG&E declared bankruptcy in the face of numerous lawsuits from fire victims.  This past September they started threatening us with the "PSPS,"  finally pulling the trigger at midnight on October 9.  We were without power for three days- just long enough to have to throw out everything in the refrigerator.  This was a HUGE power outage affecting over 2 million people!  The forecast high winds didn't materialize for 24 hours, blew for about 4 hours and there was no fire.
 

Had dinner at El Coyote on October 9 during the "PSPS." This picture
of the food truck appeared in the New York Times the next day.  Based
on the light, we missed the Times photographer by about 30 minutes.

 

A Times photo of Sonoma Plaza during the PSPS with the
Sebastiani Theater on the left

Needless to say, people were outraged at PG&E- the blackout seemed much larger than it needed to be and some had to wait several days to get their power back.  There were deaths attributed to the "PSPS," so no doubt more lawsuits are on the way.  On October 27 PG&E did it again, cutting power to 940,000 people.  This time the Kincade fire was burning 50 miles to the north in Geyserville so the "PSPS" seemed slightly more justified but some people were without power for a full week!  Luckily we were only out 12 hours this time.

Fire season ended with the November rains leaving us all wondering about the future.  September and October have traditionally been big tourist months in the North Bay so I can only imagine how many millions were lost due to the "PSPS."  Our theater, Sonoma Arts Live, lost a single performance in October yet some of our competitors lost entire weekends- money they can never get back.  We hosted a displaced Geyserville wedding at the theater on October 26 but how many other weddings weren't as lucky and just think about all those venues suffering lost revenue.  

Now we're all wondering is this the new normal?  Should we even try to schedule shows in October?  That means no summer vacation as rehearsals for a show that goes up in early September would have to start in mid-July, immediately after the prior show closes.  In any case, this whole climate change/fire season deal is the inspiration for the "Bummer Summer" theme for this week's show.   I've always loved summer- it's the only time I'm consistently and reliably warm.  Sonoma is great in the summer too, no matter how hot it gets during the day, the temperature usually drops at night and the humidity is always manageable.  I'd be hard pressed to find another place that has year round weather as nice so I can't imagine leaving, but check with me again after a few more fire seasons and perhaps I'll feel differently.

Click the link below to download this week's show, or to stream right click and "Save Link As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #173 

Show #172 August 17, 2019

You Jane and YOU listeners, you ROCK!

You Jane- The Donkeys No Way
You, Yeah You- The Quick Untold Rock Stories 
Girl Next Door- Nervous Eaters Record 10 
Broken Record- Brad Marino Extra Credit 
I Like Murder Too- Geoff Palmer Pulling Out All the Stops 
Light Of Day- Joan Jett and The Blackhearts Greatest Hits
Androgynous- The Replacements Let It Be 
On Top of the World- Cheap Trick Heaven Tonight 
^You- George Harrison Extra Texture (Read All About It) 
*You- X See How We Are 
*You- The Idols Ork Records: New York, New York 
Stand- Valley Lodge Fog Machine 
Back of a Car- Big Star Radio City 
I Don't Wanna Break-Up- Tsar Tsar 
*You- Psychotic Youth 21 
*You- The Cold You 7" 
*You- Swag Catchall 
Merch Table- Bill Lloyd Working the Long Game 
Black And White- De Cylinders De Cylinders 
I Can't See You Anymore- Tommy Keene Strange Alliance 
Forever My Baby (feat. Andy Shernoff)- The Dahlmanns Forever My Baby 
Angel in a Raincoat- The Sleepers Angel in a Raincoat
I Never Liked You- Doughboys Turn Me On 
>You- Justin Hayward and John Lodge Blue Jays 
>You- Eater The Compleat Eater 
>You- The Who Face Dances 
The Girl Don't Get Me- The Real Kids 28:18:39 
I Don't Wanna Grow Up- Warm Soda I Don't Wanna Grow Up 
You- The Jessica Fletchers Less Sophistication 

^Power Pop Prototype:  #20 Billboard Hot 100 11/1/75

*SacroSet[s]:  "You" Songs 

>Power Pop Prototype[s]:  1975, 1977, 1981 

As we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of ALL KINDSA GIRLS I want to thank YOU the listeners for supporting this radio show, blog and social media behemoth :-).  Tonight's episode is dedicated to YOU- here's to another 10 years!

Warlock!

I often lament the dearth of rock and roll shows in Sonoma County.  It would be a lot easier if I loved Bluegrass music- then I'd have about 20 shows a week to choose from.  Alas, I do not care for Bluegrass as just seeing a banjo on stage causes my mood to darken.  My theory is that most younger Bluegrass guys are former speed metal

Mandolin!

guitarists who killed their hearing and/or ran out of places to play so they traded their B.C. Rich Warlock for a mandolin.  Think about it- metal and bluegrass are both highly technical musical forms that require speed, precision and offer abundant opportunities for extended jamming.  This Michigan band called The Native Howl, knows what I'm talking about:

I appreciate the effort- it's just not my thing...

In any case, a months long rock drought ended in early July when I went to three shows in four days- I tell you folks it is feast or famine for Northbay rock and roll fans!  First, on the 4th of July my friend Bob's tribute band The Illegitimate AC/DC played at the amphitheater on Sonoma Plaza.  

Sonoma Plaza 7/4/19

Bob is the Program Director of KSVY and he is a thoughtful, generally soft spoken guy.  Yet, when he puts on the Angus shorts and the Gibson SG Bob is a rock and roll animal!  The group's singer is also incredible- able to switch between Bon and Brian songs with ease, a rarity in an AC/DC tribute group.  I wasn't sure how The Illegitimate AC/DC would go over in front of an all ages crowd in blinding sunlight but the audience was right there with them the entire show- Sonoma rocked that day and I was quite proud my town!

Two days later Jaime and I headed down to the Marin County Fair in San Rafael to see Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.  She is an American treasure and always puts on a great show- this night was no different.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts Marin County Fair 7/6/19

Opening with "Victim of Circumstance" from her aptly titled album I Love Rock and Roll those of us lucky enough to be in the audience never left our feet.

1. Victim of Circumstance
2. Cherry Bomb (The Runaways cover)
3. Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover)
4. Bad Reputation
5. Soulmates to Strangers
6. TMI
7. You Drive Me Wild  (The Runaways cover)
8. Light of Day (Bruce Springsteen cover)
9. Fake Friends
10. Love Is Pain
11. Fragile
12. Love Is All Around (Sonny Curtis cover)
13. Fresh Start
14. I Love Rock 'n' Roll (The Arrows cover)
15. Crimson and Clover (Tommy James and the Shondells cover)
16. I Hate Myself for Loving You
17. Androgynous (The Replacements cover)
18. Real Wild Child (Wild One) (The Dee Jays cover)
19. Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone cover)

Joan knows a county fair is not the place to play new, unfamiliar songs or "explore" a "Jazz Odyssey."  As the set list above shows, she played all her hits and only three newer songs, one of which, "Fragile," she dedicated to her mom who passed in 2010.  Joan is first and foremost a lifelong rock and roll fan and though many of her best known songs were originally done by other people, she makes them all her own.  Her voice is just as strong and gravelly as it was in 1975 and she hasn't lost a step as a front person or guitar player.  As an added bonus, her longtime producer and friend Kenny Laguna was playing keyboards, often with one or two of his grand daughters, who live in Marin, by his side.  In fact, stage right looked like a Joan Jett themed sleepover with 7 or 8 little girls decked out in tour T-shirts.  If you haven't seen Joan and Kenny's documentary, Bad Reputation, I highly recommend it- the film is a testament to the lifetime bond these two rock and roll survivors share.

Joan and Kenny back in the day

A day after Joan Jett we were back at the fair again to see Cheap Trick- talk about an embarrassment of riches!

Cheap Trick Marin County Fair 7/7/19

Cheap Trick are a family affair these days with Rick Nielsen's son Daxx now their permanent drummer and Robin Zander's son Robin Taylor Zander joining them as a touring guitarist/vocalist.  From the first strains of "Hello There" the band was on fire!

1. Hello There
2. Come On, Come On
3. Lookout
4. Big Eyes
5. California Man (The Move cover)
6. On Top of the World
7. She's Tight
8. Ain't That a Shame (Fats Domino cover)
9. Voices
10. You Got It Going On
11. Need Your Love
12. Bass Solo/I'm Waiting for the Man/Heroin (The Velvet Underground cover)
13. The Flame
14. I Want You to Want Me
15. Dream Police
16. Never Had a Lot to Lose
17. Surrender
18. Goodnight Now

Compared to Joan Jett, Cheap Trick seemed less concerned about playing a purely hit oriented set, dropping in obscurities from Budokan ("Lookout") and Lap of Luxury ("Never Had A Lot To Lose") as well as new song "You Got It Going On."  It's a challenge because they have so many great songs- they could've played everything off In Color and Heaven Tonight and I still would've wanted to hear "He's A Whore," "Baby Loves To Rock" or even "No Direction Home" from 2016 "comeback" album Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello, their first without the legendary Bun E. Carlos on drums.  I could've done without Tom Petersson's 9 minute bass solo/chugging Velvet Underground medley- Jaime rolled her eyes and, like many in the audience, sat down during that one.  Yet, if this what it takes to keep this legendary bass player happy and in the band, then I'm all for it. 

As always Cheap Trick bookended their show with "Hello There" and "Goodbye There," Rick Nielsen bringing out his enormous 5-neck for the latter which, no mean feat, he can still lift up in the air.

Would I have preferred to have this three show rock extravaganza spread out over a couple of weeks?  Yes, but in the Northbay you take your rock opportunities where and when you can so I'm thankful for a memorable week!

Click the link below to stream this show or to download, right click and "Save Link As:"

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #172