This podcast features (mainly) new releases from SF Bay Area honky-tonk, insurgent country, bluegrass and Americana bands including Laura Benitez and the Heartache, Joe Goldmark, Nashville Honeymoon, Mitch Polzak and the Royal Deuces, The Carolyn Sills Combo plus exclusives like a pre-released track from Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands‘ forthcoming CD; and an original from Tom Lucas (Earl Brothers, Crooked Jades) that was recorded for this HWS radio program that aired on KALW, June 16 from 6:30 to 8:00.
- The Sactown Playboys are a western swing trio and this instrumental track was used to underlie the announcement describing what to expect during the show. All of the announcing has been removed from this podcast.
- “Ghostship” is sung from the point of view of a woman who hears about a disastrous fire at a warehouse party and who knows that her man attended that party.
- “Even Villains Once Were Babies” follows the line of CSN&Y‘s “Teach Your Children Well” only more hard hitting. It reminds us that villains aren’t born, they’re raised.
- John McCord, in the first of three afterlife songs in this mix, takes a science/science fiction view of the great beyond, “Scotty, beam me up there.”
- “Bar Fly” was written by Tom Lucas (Earl Brothers, Savannah Blu, Crooked Jades, Host: Taco Jam), who with Jodie Richardson, made this recording exclusively for the broadcast.
- Mitch Polzak dialed in the vocal on “Old Man from the Mountain,” wherein the mountain man warns his woman to clear out her “friendly Henrys” before he gets home.
- What’s a woman to do when she gets dumped by a married man? How about singing his wife a song about it, as Lynne Maes of Nashville Honeymoon does here. Transitioning from the previous track to this one was the best segue of the show.
- Jesse Daniel out of Santa Cruz lets it rip on “Hell Bent (on Lovin’ You).”
- Our thanks to Tom Drohan for sending this pre-release, “Twirl,” from the Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands CD coming soon.
- Dallis Craft is the featured vocalist on “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road” from the brand new release by Joe Goldmark.
- The Haymarket Squares, whose songs make great videos, are from Phoenix. They’ve toured the Bay Area and this hillbilly cover of a Pink Floyd song is a treat…
- … as is “Heaven,” the Haymarket Squares’ contribution to the afterlife portion of the show. “There ain’t no Heaven/Got to make on here,” is sung gospel style. Spread the word.
- The Bad Mommies are regulars at the long-running Los Trainwreck jam every second Tuesday at El Rio in SF. The trials of motherhood figure prominently, and none too flatteringly, in their parody songs.
- The Flying Salvias‘ “Drinking with Jesus,” is the final afterlife track and it closed the show. When you hear it, you’ll understand why.
Thanks to Peter Thompson whose show “Bluegrass Signal” airs from 6:30 to 8:00 every Saturday on KALW, except when he lends it out to guest hosts including Hicks with Sticks.
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