Michael Doherty's Music Log: I See Hawks In L.A. at Cinema Bar, 8-5-23 Concert Review


I See Hawks In L.A. performing "On Our Way"

“Didn’t we have some good times?” Well, those of us who were at Cinema Bar last night certainly did. I See Hawks In L.A. delivered two really good sets to an eager crowd at that great neighborhood bar. I used to think Toad (in Cambridge, Mass.) was the smallest bar to host live music. Then I started going to Cinema Bar in Culver City. I love this place, but it is tiny. Like Toad, Cinema Bar never has a cover charge. I hadn’t been there since the pandemic began, and with the new spike in cases (will this ever end?) I was a bit nervous about going last night, knowing that the place gets packed. But I See Hawks In L.A. was playing, and I hate to miss that band. Lead vocalist Rob Waller has one of the best voices in music. Seriously, this is one of the best bands out there these days.

And as a bonus, Ben Vaughn Duo was opening the show. The place was already crowded at 8:30 p.m., the scheduled start time, but I overheard someone say they were going to start at 8:40. And, indeed, right at 8:40, the house music was turned off, and the Ben Vaughn Duo took the stage. There was a good, attentive crowd, which is rare at a bar, though generally my experience at this particular bar. This was a listening crowd, a crowd that paid attention to the lyrics, appreciated a good line. My kind of people. And of course Ben Vaughn’s music has a lot of great lines. I hadn’t seen Ben Vaughn in a while, and I had kind of forgotten just how good his stuff is. His set included wonderful songs like “Miss Me When I’m Gone,” “New Jersey Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Asking For A Friend.” His set ended at 9:32 p.m.

I See Hawks In L.A. wasted no time, and started setting up immediately, and were ready at 9:45 p.m. The house music was shut off, and a minute later the band kicked off the first set with “Live And Never Learn,” the title track from the band’s 2018 album. There were some good harmonies right from the start, something this band is known for. And it didn’t take long to feel that certain joy that comes with a Hawks show. They followed “Live And Never Learn” with “Poour Me,” a drinking song. “We are at the Cinema Bar, after all,” Rob Waller said. It’s also a fun song, and the crowd was totally into it. Rob then joked, “So you guys couldn’t get Taylor Swift tickets either, I guess.” Apparently, she was playing at some venue in town last night. I’ve heard she puts on a good show, but I am certain I was at the better concert. The band then went into “White Cross,” another song from Live And Never Learn, and one of my favorites from that album. Fantastic lyrics and a wonderful groove, and Paul Lacques delivered some impressive work on guitar. It’s interesting that the first three songs of the night were all from that disc. The next song, however, was a newer tune, one I first heard in April of last year. Titled “Ohio,” it is one that makes me ridiculously happy every time I hear it. A totally fun country number. And speaking of fun numbers, they followed that with “My Parka Saved Me,” another song from Live And Never Learn, and one on which drummer Victoria Jacobs sings lead. Rob Waller moved his microphone stand to the floor, so that the audience could see her as she sang. On that small stage, she was generally hidden by the other musicians. This song always makes me laugh, particularly the unusual interaction between the lead and backing vocals. If you haven’t heard this song yet, I recommend checking it out. Paul Marshall said it was a song about Victoria’s life in Chicago, and now Rob would sing a Los Angeles song. And the band went into “If I Move,” a song from the 2021 album On Our Way. It was the first of five songs the band played from that album last night.

Rob told the crowd that the last time he was on the west side was to see the Dead at the Forum, or sort of the Dead. I’m guessing a good number of the folks in the room had been at those two Dead & Company shows in May, or saw the Grateful Dead at some point. Again, this was my kind of crowd. I See Hawks In L.A. then played “I Fell In Love With The Grateful Dead,” from the fantastic 2012 album New Kind Of Lonely. This song featured some very cool work by Paul Marshall on bass, and an energetic beat from Victoria Jacobs. It was a great rendition, a highlight of the first set. Paul Marshall then sang lead on a wonderful cover of Shinyribs’ “Take Me Lake Charles.” There was a tip jar at the edge of the stage (remember, there’s no cover at this venue), but because the place was so packed, most people couldn’t reach it, and so at this point it was passed around. The band meanwhile went into “Mississippi Gas Station Blues,” which featured a good groove to dance to, and some cool work from Paul Lacques on guitar. This is another of the songs from On Our Way. “We’re kind of on tour,” Rob said, mentioning that this gig was the first show of a tour that would take them up to northern California. He joked that they were hippies on the road, a nice introduction to the song “Hippies On The Road,” a song that rocked the house and wrapped up the first set. The set ended at 10:41 p.m. Remember The Dukes Of Hazzard? The theme song from that show, by Waylon Jennings, played during the set break, and I was brought back to my childhood.

At 11:07 p.m., the band returned to the stage, and at 11:10 they opened the second set with “Raised By Hippies.” Ah yes, closing the first set and beginning the second set with a song with “Hippies” in the title, a way to connect the sets, to bridge the gap, as it were. This song, from California Country, featured some excellent vocal work. Well, let’s face it, all this band’s material features great vocal work, but the end of this one was particularly good. They followed that with “Grapevine,” which was apparently a request. I’m thankful to whoever requested it, because it’s a song I hadn’t seen the band play in quite a while. That was followed by “On Our Way,” the title track from the 2021 album, a beautiful song. Then they gave us “Jug Of Misery,” a slower number that I don’t recall seeing them do before, but which I liked a lot. The band then went back to the first album for “Turn That Airplane Around,” one I am always happy to hear.

Rob stepped off the stage with his microphone stand again so the crowd could see Victoria sing “Kensington Market,” another highlight from On Our Way. The band followed that with another song from that album, “Geronimo.” I especially like that hook on electric guitar after Rob sings the title line. Someone in the audience then shouted out, “Bass solo!” And Paul Marshall responded, “So low you can’t hear it.” Paul then sang lead on “Salvation,” a beautiful song that I first heard in April of 2022. The band wrapped up the second set with “Good And Foolish Times,” a song that seems designed to bring everyone together and to lift people’s spirits. “Didn’t we have some good times,” indeed! The set ended at 12:02 a.m., and after the band members took a moment to get hydrated, they delivered an absolutely fantastic rendition of “Humboldt” to close out the night. There was a great jam at the beginning, and later in the song both Paul Marshall and Paul Lacques delivered some wild and exciting stuff. It was a tremendous way to finish the show, which concluded at 12:15 a.m.

Set List

Set I