Michael Doherty's Music Log: Kelly's Lot Delivers A Fantastic Set At Roar Room, 12-14-25

Kelly's Lot returned to the Roar Room last night for a little blues therapy, which we are all in great need of. It was the four-piece version of the band, and these guys delivered a phenomenal set of music. They kicked things off with "Mr. Chairman," a song from the band's 2017 album Bittersweet, and almost immediately Perry Robertson delivered a delicious lead on electric guitar, doing some impressive work and making it look easy. By the way, this four-piece version of Kelly's Lot will be on tour in January, with gigs in Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona, so if you live in one of those states, get ready for some great blues. And for those of us in Los Angeles, at the end of that month they will be back at the Roar Room.

They followed "Mr. Chairman" with "Black And Blue," a song from fairly early in the band's career, and one featuring some very cool stuff by Matt McFadden on bass. Perry switched to acoustic guitar for "Colours Of December," the first song of the set related to the upcoming holiday, this one about families who learn they've lost someone in active military duty. It's a pretty song. Perry went back to electric guitar for "Nobody Here But Me," which featured more great stuff on bass. That was followed by "All Hope Ain't Lost," after a false start. This band, though living mainly in the blues and singing of troubles, is one of the most hopeful bands I know. And that is one of its greatly appealing qualities, the way that characteristic informs its music and connects to listeners in a refreshingly positive and true way. I love how Kelly can bring us in close, soothing us with her voice when she desires, and then energize us by belting out certain lines, all of it working to create a hopeful view of the present and near future.

In introducing "Come To This," Kelly Zirbes said it was a song about marriage, and added, "Perry always says this isn't about him." As the song began, Perry was laughing. And soon he was delivering some excellent stuff on guitar. That song has a great rhythm, thanks to Mike Sauer's work on drums. "Taking Time" then featured an excellent lead on bass. Another of the set's highlights was "This Time," a song from the band's new album, Late Bloomer. It's a beautiful, uplifting song, and though Perry was on acoustic guitar, his lead was like that on an electric guitar, which was interesting. This is a song we need, both as individuals and collectively. "We'll make it this time," Kelly sings. These are dark times, no question, but we have to remain hopeful.

For "Happy Girl," Perry was back on the electric guitar, and during the song's introduction, he began playing the slow version, while Kelly mentioned that was how the song was originally intended. And then, bam, they kicked it into gear, and we were treated to a good ol' boogie. Perry's guitar work was fantastic, even leading Kelly to comment on his playing. They then slowed things down with "Woman's Love," a song that featured both a beautiful vocal performance and some beautiful work on guitar. "It's time for you to close your eyes and look inside." I'm afraid that a large number of people these days never take that critical look inward. That was followed by "Boogie Bus," the energy high again, calling everyone on board.

"It Ain't Always" was, for a brief time, performed by a trio as Perry tuned his guitar. But once things were right, he delivered an excellent lead. The band followed that with "Drive," a rocking number that contained some seriously cool stuff on bass. Kelly's Lot plays mostly original material, but these guys will toss in a cover or two, and last night they gave us a good blues rock rendition of Melanie Safka's "Brand New Key," which was a lot of fun. The fun increased on "Reason For The Blues," the band delivering an especially good rendition last night, that song being another of the set's highlights. "When crazy comes knocking, I'll answer that door." Oh yes!

There was another cover in the set, this one in honor of the holiday, Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From The Family." If you haven't heard this song, you should make it a point to listen to it. It's hilarious, and the band members themselves were lauging on certain lines, such as the motor home line. Before starting the song, Kelly left the stage to get her sheet of hand-written lyrics, and handed extra sheets to some folks in the audience so they could sing along. "Make Bloody Marys because we all want one." They followed that with an original Christmas song, "Christmas Is Calling," from the band's 2020 album, Another Sky. "My heart is aching since you went away/And my heart is lonely on a cold and cloudy day." Perry played acoustic guitar on this one, and remained on acoustic guitar for the final two songs of the show, "Hush Up" and "Right Now." In "Hush Up," Kelly sings, "When I get down, I always get up," and that is a key line about this band, about what their music conveys. "Right Now" found Perry rocking the acoustic guitar like it was an electric, and featured some great stuff on drums. The show ended at 8:54 p.m.

Set List