Old Californio and The Firkins at Project Barley Square, 11-23-24 Concert Review

Old Californio performing "Ring Of Fire"

I’m always happy when I get a chance to see Old Californio perform. They don’t play often enough for my needs. And last night there was the added treat of The Firkins. It was my first time getting to see that band in concert. The show was at Project Barley Square, a brewery down in Torrance. I know, I know, it sounds like a distant land, like another state, but it was worth the drive. It took an hour and fifteen minutes from the valley, because Saturday no longer means no rush hour in Los Angeles. Or perhaps it was that light mist that was slowing things down. Who knows in this weird place? When I arrived, Dead & Company was playing on their sound system, a nice rendition of Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” so I immediately felt at home. Whenever I visit a new brewery, I’m not sure what to order, and often make my beer selections based on the name. That was certainly the case last night. I chose an IPA called Neverland, largely because of The dB’s song (they played that song at the show I attended a week earlier). Turned out to be a good choice, for it was delicious.

The Firkins

The Firkins were up first. They were scheduled to start at 7 p.m., and at 7:03 they were ready to go. They kicked off their set with a good drinking song that featured some great stuff by Sophia Delgado on electric guitar. It soon became apparent that the group focused on drinking songs. Much like The Baseball Project plays only songs related to baseball, The Firkins played only – or mostly – songs related to drinking. Makes sense, given the name, right? And fitting, considering we were at a brewery. Their set included songs like “Straight Out Of The Barrel,” “Hamilton’s Tavern” and “Here For The Beer.” Even songs with titles that might not immediately strike you as drinking songs turned out to be related to alcohol. For example, “Liar’s Club” was about a beer joint, and “Victory At Sea” is the name of a drink. So there. Their material was a lot of fun, though “Victory At Sea,” a rare slower number, ended up being one of my favorites. In “Here For The Beer,” Gloria Delgado sang, “I came here for the beer,” and then asked, “What else would I be doing here?” Ah, the beer was good, no question, but I was there for the music, which was even better. They did a couple of non-alcohol related covers, including “Stop Driving Like An Asshole,” the I See Hawks In L.A. song, which they played in memory of Paul Lacques, and “Take The Skinheads Bowling,” the Camper Van Beethoven song. Bands used to frequently cover the latter, but not so much in recent years, and I was happy to hear it again. After “Stop Driving Like An Asshole” (which is a song that is often running through my head as I make my way along Los Angeles streets), Gloria told the crowd, “Be careful out there, people.” The Firkins ended their set with a kick-ass fast-paced totally delicious gem that featured Sophia on mandolin. Their set ended at 7:58 p.m.

After their set, I got another beer, this one called WT Firkin, an Irish stout. Having just seen a cool set by The Firkins, how could I not have ordered that beer? I liked the venue, by the way. The folks there were friendly, and there was a casual vibe. The only thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was that there was a television that was right next to the stage, and it was not turned off during The Firkins’ set. A college football game was on, and I was hoping that when that game ended, the television would be turned off in time for Old Californio’s set. But another game started, the USC/UCLA game, and so there was no chance of it being shut off for that. It’s a cool venue, but that television should be placed elsewhere.

"Willin'"

At 8:31 p.m., Old Californio was ready. “Thank you for your patience,” Rich Dembowski told the crowd, and the band then kicked off the set with a good cover of Little Feat’s “Willin’.” “And if you give me weed, whites and wine/And you show me a sign.” I don’t know if you can get whites (or White Crosses) anymore, but I remember ages ago being at a truck stop and purchasing pills that were called simply “Stay Awake!” And I did. Woody Aplanalp delivered a great guitar lead toward the end of the song. They followed that with “Mother Road,” a strong, energetic number from Westering Again, this one too featuring some great stuff on guitar, as well as good harmonies. By the way, the band was a four-piece last night. No keyboard. Rich Dembowski was on lead vocals and guitar, Woody Aplanalp on electric guitar and backing vocals, Bob Roach on bass and backing vocals, and Justin Smith on drums and backing vocals. From Metaterranea, they chose “Destining Again,” one of my favorite songs from that album. Afterward, Rich mentioned that audience members could find the album on their favorite streaming services. True, but it’s best to own a copy of the album. It’s definitely one worth adding to your collection.

"Because"

 

Someone playfully called out for a bass solo, a request that was ignored. The band then played their rendition of “Ring Of Fire.” If you haven’t yet seen these guys do this Johnny Cash song, you’ve been missing out. They put their own spin on it, and it’s fantastic. And last night it turned into one hell of a great jam, with Woody in particular delivering some outstanding work on guitar. That was followed by “Keep On Rollin’,” which featured some wonderful harmonies. Woody was really in top form last night, delivering more spectacular work during the band’s cover of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” the title track from what is my personal favorite Neil Young album. Another excellent cover followed, the band’s take on The Beatles’ “Because.” Again, these guys put their own spin on it, Justin giving it a rhythm like a train at the start, and all of us in the audience eager to hop aboard. As you might expect, the vocal work was the focus there, the band really shining in that regard. Rich also played harmonica on this one. That was followed by “Are You Coming Home,” another excellent song from Westering Again.

"Gold Plated"

They played quite a few covers last night, including wonderful renditions of Lucinda Williams’ “I Lost It” and John Prine’s “The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness,” the latter in particular featuring sweet harmonies. They followed that with “Allon Camerado,” a song from their 2011 release Sundrunk Angels. I love that moment when they let loose and get wild with this song. So good! And then they gave us covers of the Mother Hips’ “Gold Plated” and Neil Young’s “Hawks & Doves.” “Hawks & Doves” is an interesting song, with its shouts of “USA! USA!” I always assumed Neil wasn’t at all sincere when he sang lines about being proud to live in this country. But who knows? Not everyone appreciates this song, but Old Californio did a really good job with it. The guys then discussed what song to do next. They did not have a prepared set list. What they chose was “Shorten Your List,” the lead track from Old Californio Country, released in 2022. It was a perfect choice for these strange days, with lines like “Disillusion’s my only friend” and “Shorten your give-a-shit list/Accept the world for the mess that it is.” It was an audience favorite last night. They then wrapped up the set with an excellent rendition of “Lie To Me” that featured some fantastic drumming and a bass lead. Hey, that guy finally got his wish. Toward the end, Rich and Woody traded guitar licks, which was a lot of fun. The set ended at 9:57. There was no encore.

Old Californio Set List

1. Willin’
2. Mother Road
3. Destining Again
4. Ring Of Fire
5. Keep On Rollin’
6. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
7. Because
8. Are You Coming Home
9. I Lost It
10. The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness
11. Allon Camerado
12. Gold Plated
13. Hawks & Doves
14. Shorten Your List
15. Lie To Me

"I Like Beer"

"Willin'"

 

"Mother Road"

"The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness"

"Shorten Your List"

Project Barley Square is located at 1109 Van Ness Ave. in Torrance, California. And though it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to get there, it was only forty minutes to get home.