23 Nov Matador Playlist 11/20/25

It was a relatively quiet evening at Ye Olde Matador Bar & Lounge this Thursday—a distinct contrast to the wild bacchanalia of  last week when the roof done got torn off the sucka. It just goes to show—you never know what you’re going to find when you walk in the door of a Thursday night. You might find it already chock-a-block with punters, the tequila shots and PBRs sloshing with abandon, or alternatively, there may be but one or two mopers, snoots deep in their phones over warm draft IPA pints. When Katia is behind the bar the Motörhead is usually cranking and I have to leap in there and keep the high energy vibe going right from the git go. For the moment, however, dearest Katia remains on injured reserve, recovering from surgery to repair a lingering ankle malady that went critical about two months ago. Word is she’s on the mend, but not quite fully bipedal just yet. All of us send out our best wishes to the dear girl for a speedy recovery and a timely return to the Mat. Get Well Soon, Katia!!

On this particular evening I descended from Galisteo Street to find a half dozen or so folks at the bar being tended to by the man hisself, Cesar—the Big C, last week’s very own birthday boy. Cesar was laying down a mellow country vibe, so upon setting up my rig I quickly started shifting the gears of my partially preconceived playlist to dovetail with what Cesar had going, which seemed to be working just fine.

So what I’m saying here, Gentle Reader(s), is that I actually had to WORK on this gig—my pre-Matador prep being all for naught, so I had to improvise and dig deep into my master list to pull up a situation that worked with the ambiance Cesar was laying down. It was cool—I hadn’t put down a set like this in quite a while and I enjoyed doing something chill for a change, not totally oriented to the Big Beat. It’s good curatorial exercise to really have to think on my feet and pull up some deep tracks from the dusty corners of the Matador Master List. Luckily, I’ve got a good supply of Old School Country in the archive and that’s where we went, with a few curveballs tossed in here and there to keep everyone on their toes. Things began to pick up in the post-Mitternacht hours and you see the playlist gradually bending in that direction starting at around song #50—just slightly past halfway through the evening’s festivities.

It was an enjoyable evening, all in all, and as per usual, the YouTube-ian iteration of the playlist exists out there in the intrawebs and may be accessed by you Lucky Persons by clicking right HERE. Go ahead. Click on it—no one is watching.

Charles Bukowski – Grammar of Life
Lonely Weekends – Charlie Rich
Jolene (33 rpm version) – Dolly Parton
She Cries Your Name – Beth Orton
Before the Next Teardrop Falls – Freddy Fender
Mean Man – Betty Harris
Always For You – the Album Leaf
I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail – Buck Owens
Walkin the Floor Over You – Ernest Tubb
Intro – the xx
Stand By Your Man – Tammy Wynette
That’s All It Took – Gram Parsons & Fallen Angels
New Madrid – Uncle Tupelo
I’m A Long Gone Daddy – Hank Williams
Hello Darlin’ – Conway Twitty
Fallen Snow (the Teenagers remix) – Au Revoir Simone
Crazy Arms – Ray Price
Overtime – Lucinda Williams
It’s A Sin – Eddy Arnold
Too Many Secrets – Patsy Cline
Honky Tonk Blues – Hank Williams
Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) – Waylon Jennings
Ode to Billy Joe – Bobbie Gentry
Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash
Ventura – Lucinda Williams
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free – Nina Simone
She Never Spoke Spanish to Me – Joe Ely
Hello Walls – Faron Young
Rock Boppin’ Baby – the Collins Kids
Mama Tried – Clive Gregson & Christine Collister
Tell It Like It Is – Aaron Neville
Long Black Veil – the Band
Stranger in the House – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Mississippi Delta – Bobbie Gentry
Words Fell – Lucinda Williams
George Jones Talkin’ Cell Phones Blues – Drive-By Truckers
California Cottonfields – Gram Parsons & Fallen Angels
Are You Lonesome Tonight – Elvis Presley
Who Knows Where the Time Goes – Fairport Convention
Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich
Strange Fruit (Tricky/Tool Remix) – Billie Holiday
Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
The Weight – the Band
Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
Dead Flowers – the Rolling Stones
Guitars, Cadillacs – Dwight Yoakam
Shake Some Action – the Flaming Groovies
Whiskey Glasses – Morgan Wallen (request)
Skinny Jim – Eddie Cochran
Sinnerman (Felix da Housecat remix) – Nina Simone
I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) – Aretha Franklin
Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage
Monday – Wilco
Goo Goo Muck – the Cramps
Who Were You Thinkin Of – the Texas Tornados
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes – X
I Got Better – Morgan Wallen (request)
Emotional Rescue – the Rolling Stones
D’yer Maker – Led Zeppelin
Chicken Strut – the Meters
Icky Thump – the White Stripes
Cosmic Slop – Funkadelic
Kinky Reggae – Bob Marley & the Wailers
The Seeker – The Who
City Looks Pretty – Courtney Barnett
Staring At The Rude Boys – the Ruts
Girl of My Best Friend – Bryan Ferry
Ever Fallen in Love – Buzzcocks
D-I-V-O-R-C-E – Tammy Wynette
Winter Song – the Screaming Trees
Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) – the Hollies
Been Caught Stealing – Jane’s Addiction
Heart Is A Beating Drum – the Kills
Stranded in the Jungle – New York Dolls
Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (request)
Pulling Mussells (From the Shell) – Squeeze
Nature’s Way – Spirit
Five Foot One – Iggy Pop
Hands Off… She’s Mine – the English Beat
Accidents Will Happen – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Strange Overtones – David Byrne & Brian Eno
No Horse – the Dead Weather
Paralyzed – Gang of Four
Waiting Room – Fugazi
I Try – Macy Gray
Double It – Galactic, feat. Big Freedia
Anarchy in the U.K. – Sex Pistols
Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley
Make Love, Fuck War – Moby & Public Enemy
World Without Tears – Lucinda Williams
Buona Sera – Louis Prima
Happy Trails – Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
Taxi – Bryan Ferry