Live Radio Shows Make a Moment Matter

I heard “Heartbreak Hotel” on the radio the other day. What a great song.

Only this time it was different. For one thing, it wasn’t Elvis.

It was Willie, as in Willie Nelson. And he was singing it live.

Ever since my baby left me

I found a new place to dwell. . .

Just Willie and his guitar and Leon Russell singing backup.

“Heartbreak Hotel” was Leon’s idea, but after a few lines it sounded as if Willie forgot the lyrics. There was silence and then Leon laughed and said, “Well, I guess that wasn’t a good idea.”

I’m not 100% sure about that quote; it’s hard to take notes while you’re driving on the freeway. At any rate, it sounded like Willie and Leon were having a good time, and I was, too. It’s not every day you hear a live performance on the radio. It’s a nice respite from the predictable fare, and for that this listener has to thank the people at KSCA, 101.9 on your FM dial.

Lest I start sounding a little too much like a commercial, let the record show that my affection for this station is conditional. I do a fair amount of jumping around, seeking music, news, sometimes even chatter. When the baseball season starts, I’ll tune in Vinnie whenever possible. But I usually wind up back at KSCA, where on a few occasions I’ve stumbled upon these performances. “Live from the Music Hall,” the station calls it.

There’s no regular schedule. The station just books these visitors when it can. Performers usually drop in on KSCA’s Burbank studio to promote a local concert appearance and a new album. This Tuesday, Joan Osborn will visit for a second time. She’s up for five Grammys, including song of the year and record of the year for “One of Us,” the haunting, childlike tune that asks, “What if God was one of us?”

She performed that on the “Music Hall” before it became a hit, before it was released as a single. “That was one of those moments I got chills,” says Merilee Kelly, who doubles as a deejay and KSCA’s music director. “Hearing it like that, you knew this was going to be a big song.”

That version of “One of Us” was among the songs collected for “Live from the Music Hall: Volume 1.” KSCA produced a limited edition of 10,000 CDs before Christmas and sold out in three weeks, with half the proceeds earmarked for charity. (This listener bought two as gifts and one for myself.) Most of the performers aren’t familiar names, but that’s part of the appeal.

Radio people tell me that KSCA used to be K-Lite, an “easy listening” station. In July 1994, it switched call letters and formats. KSCA has a “triple A” format, which these same radio people tell me stands for Adult Album Alternative or Adult Alternative Airplay or any other words that may fit. There have been dozens of “Music Hall” performances since then, and Kelly says that, in due time, the station will produce a second-volume CD.

The unpredictability of a live performance is part of the charm. “You never know what you’re going to get,” Kelly says.

She remembers the visit by a group called Collective Soul. “When they were in, there was an aftershock and they were pretty flipped out.”

And then there was singer Shawn Colvin. “She started choking on a lozenge in the middle of a song.” But that didn’t stop her. “She was asking for water, choking on a lozenge, singing and playing the guitar live on the radio. A real professional.”

Willie Nelson and Leon Russell were unpredictable. You’d think, after a collective century or so in the business, they’d remember all the lyrics. But while a young artist might take a live radio gig seriously, it seemed more of a casual affair for this pair. Everything was off the cuff.

Willie sang a couple of short numbers I wasn’t familiar with. At one point, Kelly asked him about his troubles with the IRS--about the fact that, now that he’s paid up, the feds had returned a truckload of the audiotapes they had seized. “It was like the thief who returned more than he stole,” Willie said.

He did most of the talking. Leon Russell seemed shy. At one point, Willie was talking about his annual Fourth of July concert and said something like, “Gene, are you going to be there?”

Gene? Gene who?

It turned out to be Gene Autry. The singing cowboy, now 88, happened to be there too, listening in. He and Willie are friends. Plus, Autry’s company, Golden West Broadcasting, owns KSCA.

“Do you know any Gene Autry songs?” Kelly asked Willie.

“Oh, sure.”

I’m back in the saddle again

Out where a friend is a friend . . .

Willie was sailing along nicely until he forgot the last verse and asked for help.

“I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that,” Kelly said later.

The show was almost over. The host suggested one more number. Willie Nelson offered a well-known song.

On the road again . . .

But after a few lines, he stopped, saying he knew he couldn’t hit the high notes on the bridge. “Not this early in morning. I’d rip a stitch.” (It was about 11:40 a.m.)

So he and Leon ended their live performance with the Leadbelly classic “Goodnight, Irene.” They sounded just fine.

Earlier, Kelly asked Willie and Leon whether, in addition to performing together, they had any plans to record together. Willie said they might record some of their live material.

“We’re taping this,” he was told.

“Well,” the singer replied, “I am truly sorry to hear that.”

Scott Harris’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Readers may write to Harris at the Times Valley Edition, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Please include a phone number.