Michael Doherty's Music Log: Ben Vaughn Duo, John Surge, and Dickless Jane And The New Confusions at Unurban, 2-17-26

Ben Vaughn

It was a spectacular night at the Unurban, part of the Night of a Thousand Stars music series, hosted by Ben Vaughn. Part of preparing for the show meant Ben hanging a rotating disco ball above the stage, to help set the tone. A great cast of characters began assembling for the festivities around 6:30 p.m., picking their favorite seats and exchanging hellos. Eccentric enchantresses wrapped in faux fur, men accompanied by their parole officers, other assorted music people, and escapees from the carnival. It was, after all, Mardi Gras, folks. The Unurban is a cool spot with its own particular laid-back vibe, and everyone was welcome, feeling right at home. This was a special night because not only was Ben Vaughn Duo playing, but John Surge was performing as a duo, a rarity. And that second person making up both duos was Teresa Cowles, who, you're probably aware, is in like two dozen bands. On top of that, Dickless Jane And The New Confusions were on the bill. So, yeah, there was a hum of excitement in the room. Even the sound person's dog was aware something special was brewing, and howled in anticipation.

Ben Vaughn Duo

Ben Vaughn Duo got the night started just after 7 o' clock. "This is Sister T all bundled up for a winter evening," Ben said, indicating Teresa Cowles. Hey, it was a rather cold night, at least for southern California. They opened the show with "Looking For A Friend," which included them imitating horns. "Let's hear it for the Pico Boulevard Horns," Ben joked afterward. The duo followed that with "Apropos Of Nothing," which featured some totally delicious guitar work. "I'm going to ride this feeling as long as it lasts." Yes, yes, yes! And Ben got the audience singing along, echoing him. He wrapped up the short opening set with a sweet rendition of "Song For You." "If you're lonely, this song's for you." Some folks were calling for more, and there would be more later. "John Surge is up next," Ben told the crowd, "and he has a bass player you might recognize."

John Surge

When John Surge took the stage, he and Teresa mentioned that they'd never performed as a duo before. They opened with "Lesson I Never Learned," a song from the Almost Time album, and the differences were immediately apparent. It was great hearing John's music in this context, for the focus was more on the vocals, on the lyrics. It gave us a better chance to appreciate the wonderful harmonies. "She's drinking wine from a coffee cup." Then, in introducing "Barstool," John said, "Here's a honky tonk song for the coffee shop." The song had a different vibe in this context, and worked really well. Referring to Ben Vaughn's set, John playfully called for horns in the instrumental section. And it sounded like some folks in the audience did their best to oblige. "You fell off your barstool and I fell in love with you." John introduced "Heather Lee" by saying there was a woman named Heather Lee, but this song was not about her, but rather about another woman, eliciting laughter from the crowd. His approach to this set was so fitting for this venue's loose vibe. Everything was working perfectly. "Studio Apartment Blues" followed, and then "Tricks Of The Trade," which was introduced as "Why Women Are Smarter Than Men." The set also included a beautiful rendition of "I Remind You," "Threadbare Heart," and "Marisol," the last a fun number to wrap things up, a song with a particularly delicious bass line. By the way, during the set, John mentioned that Ben Vaughn will be joining him in Long Beach on February 28th for the music series that he hosts at DiPiazza's.

Dickless Jane And The New Confusions

I had never seen Dickless Jane And The New Confusions before, nor did I get a chance to see the Dick And Jane Family Orchestra, and now I know I've been missing out on some great fun. Jane asked me as she moved to the stage if I were ready for "some tongue in cheek"? I told her absolutely I was. And she, and her bandmates, Mark Fletcher on bass and Paul Kleiman (she introduced him as Mark Kleiman) on guitar, delivered on that promise, opening the set with "Vacation Emotion." First she wished everyone a happy Mardi Gras, as well as a happy Chinese New Year and start of Ramadan. With so many holidays all on the same day, was it any wonder that this show had such a good vibe to it? I loved Jane Cantillon immediately, and her music had a delicious punk sensibility. She sported a Mardi Gras mask for that first song, then removed it as she introduced the next song, "I Gave Myself To Jesus," a song that made me love her all the more. "I gave myself to Jesus, and now he never calls." So damn funny. "Religion is a refrigerator magnet/It sticks to cold and shiny boxes." And in her song about the end of the world, that line about how the Supreme Court fucks everyone again and again stood out. Jane stepped out into the audience for "I Can't Remember," engaging individual folks on various lines. "Did we have sex together? I can't remember." She also came out into the audience for "Gravity." Surprisingly, she wrapped up the set with a cover, a rendition of Lee Hazelwood's "Your Sweet Love" that was beautiful, really changing directions with that final song and showing another side to the band.

Ben Vaughn Duo

Approximately ten minutes later Ben Vaughn Duo returned to the stage for the final set of the night. Ben asked the audience if folks would prefer to hear a bass solo or some whistling from Sister T. Teresa made it clear she wanted people to choose the whistling number, and so they did. That meant the set starting with "Walkin' My Way (Back To Your Heart)," with the audience singing along. The set also included "In My Own Reality," and there we got the bass solo after all, with Teresa saying "I should have practiced" during it. It's such a wonderful song, and any awkwardness just added to its charm. That was followed by "Too Sensitive For This World," another of my favorites. "You know this one?" Ben teased Teresa as he started it. "I think so," she replied. There is a sweet humor to this song, and yet lines like "I don't think I can last/Until these bad times pass" perhaps strikes us harder in these twisted times we find ourselves struggling through. When will these bad times pass? Maybe the fun "Pièce De Résistance" will help, with its great guitar intro. At one point in the set, Ben mentioned his long history with the venue, and asked Pam, who runs it, to make an appearance, which she did. Pam has been running it since it opened in 1995. For "Blind Alley," Ben put down his guitar and picked up his harmonica, so his vocals were supported by just the bass throughout, giving it a cool sound. The Pico Boulevard Horns were there at the start of the evening, and they returned for the final song of the night, "I'm Just Sayin'," which had multiple endings. And shouldn't every night be given a cha-cha-cha ending? Certainly this wonderful night deserved it.

Set List

Ben Vaughn Duo Set I