Michael Doherty's Music Log: Lois Blaisch & Friends, The Sallys, and Jed's Dead at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 3-25-26

Lois Blaisch

We all know Tiffany from those Sci-Fi channel movies (and, yes, I know they switched it to Syfy, but that's just stupid) like Mega Piranha and Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid (I keep reading that as Gatorade), but when she first came on the scene, it was through singing the songs of other artists. She had hits with covers of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" (which she switched to "I Saw Him Standing There") and Tommy James And The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now," as well as the song "Could've Been," which was written by Lois Blaisch. I could not stand her renditions of "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Think We're Alone Now," but "Could've Been" was something different, something special, and on that song Tiffany's vocal work was quite good. It's actually a beautiful song, later covered by Sarah Geronimo. And the woman who wrote it, Lois Blaisch, has her own band. That band performed last night at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon as part of a bill that also included The Sallys and Jed's Dead.

Jed's Dead

Jed's Dead was up first, and the room was quite crowded, especially for a Wednesday night (Moses had his hands full behind the bar). Apparently this band doesn't play all that often, which was likely part of the draw. Sandra Macat, of The Macat Persico Band, was hosting the night, part of the Open Road Americana series, and this, as it turned out, was her last time hosting the series. She introduced the band a few minutes before the scheduled 8:30 p.m. start time, and the group opened with "A Girl From Texas." It's a wonderful song, and I especially loved the line about his regret, "And I didn't have a chance to break your heart." Fantastic! The group delivered its own special kind of country rock, with even some pop elements thrown in, as on "Grace," a fun and seriously catchy number (which was written for Amilia K. Spicer). And check out these lines from "Trouble Girl": "Smoke my weed and drink my wine/But don't try to tell me that you love me." These guys did mostly original material, but also delivered a good rendition of "Looking At The World Through A Windshield," the Del Reeves song, featuring a nice lead on electric guitar. "Small Gods" featured some good work on harmonica. They wrapped up the set with a couple of totally fun numbers. The first of those, "Party Wrecker," had a delicious bass line and included these lines: "I didn't mean to wreck your party/But you shouldn't have broke my heart." "That song's based on a true story," we were told afterward. With a little clarification: "Not my true story." It was based on an episode of Cops.

The Sallys

The Sallys were up next, with David Serby filling in for Mike Brady on bass. The band started promptly at 9:30 p.m., kicking the set off with "Back On The Road Again," a song I love. "I learned when I was just a boy/People would lie right in your face for no good reason." Nubs made a quick sound adjustment, and Dan Janisch called out, "Let's hear it for Nubs," before then starting "Here She Comes." "How's that feel?" Dan asked at the end of that one. So good! In fact, so good that sometimes it's easy to miss just how good this band's lyrics are. Dan said he was dedicating the show to Mike getting better (Mike was in the audience). "Wild Fun" was certainly fun, with a great punk flavor and some delicious rock and roll guitar work. As you might expect, there was a sense of humor to the set. "To the lighting guy, this is where the mood lighting happens," Dan told the non-existent crew member. Then, after waiting for a moment, during which nothing happened, he said, "Okay, perfect." But, you know, it was perfect. And the trio played "Everybody's Got Somebody They Used To Love," a pretty song. Dan warned Sandra Macat that she'd be needed shortly, then noticed the containers of cupcakes on her table. "What's that?" He joked that the band needed to take a break immediately. The cupcakes were in celebration of Lois Blaisch's birthday, which was the previous day. After a totally cool cover of "Little Black Egg," Sandra joined The Sallys on vocals for a beautiful version of "Cannot Settle Down." The crowd, recognizing the tune immediately, applauded the moment the song started. That was followed by a rocking rendition of "Like You Best." The trio got dirty and mean with "Damnation," the final song of the set. What a great vocal performance! Just before the end, Dan signaled for the audience to be quiet, saying "Let's listen to what they're talking about." For a moment, we all listened to the conversation of the two people at the pool table, who didn't seem to notice, and then The Sallys finished the song. It was such a fun set.

Lois Blaisch & Friends

Sandra introduced Lois Blaisch & Friends and wished Lois a happy birthday. She also mentioned that Karman (of Karman Jeanne & The Fish) would be taking over the music series. Karman, by the way, was one of the Friends of Lois Blaisch & Friends, providing some wonderful backing vocal work for much of the set. In the very first song of the set, Lois Blaisch sang that things were going to be all right, reminding us that everyone needs a little tenderness. It was a perfect song to start things, a perfect song for our strange times. Lois then asked if anyone in the audience had a sweet tooth, and said that she brought cupcakes for everyone. By this point, the containers of cupcakes had been moved to the table off to the side of the stage. "Pour Your Sweet Love Down On Me," a song she wrote with Jim Messina, featured some really nice harmonies, plus some good stuff on drums too. "All right, we're going to get country for a little bit here." Ed Tree (who was on electric guitar) jokingly asked, "Which country?" And Lois replied, "This country." The song, "Feels Like Love (And It Feels Alright)" was a fun country number. Ed Tree then delivered some excellent stuff on guitar on "Hurricane," a song that addresses the climate change crisis. Lois introduced a new song, "I Wanna Be Your Old Lady," saying, "I wrote myself a yodeling song." And indeed, she yodeled on the word "Lady." And, yes, it was delightful. Karman had stepped away before this song and didn't sing on it or the next three songs. The first of those three songs was "Could've Been," the song that was a big hit for Tiffany. She said in the song's introduction that Tiffany's recording helped her get out of debt. After a false start, Lois delivered a moving rendition.

Lois then switched to electric guitar for the rest of the set, beginning with "Back In Time," a good bluesy number. Lois said the guitar was a Valentine's Day gift to herself. She followed "Back In Time" with "Gourmet Love," a cool, totally enjoyable tune. Both "Back In Time" and "Gourmet Love" come from Lois Blaisch's most recent album, last year's Magic. And the band next played that album's title track, with Karman rejoining the group on backing vocals. Lois then asked, "Do we have any home owners here tonight?" The question was met with silence, which actually surprised me. I know that most of us cannot afford a home in this city, but I figured at least a couple of people in a crowd that size might have managed it. Nope. The song, "Home Owner's Blues," was a fun blues tune. She then returned to the new album for "The Electric Man," a song inspired by some electricians who came to install recessed lighting in her home. That was followed by "Rollercoaster," a rocking number from Magic, this one finding Karman on tambourine as well as backing vocals. "Thank you for helping to celebrate my birthday," Lois told the crowd. And the band led everyone in singing "Happy Birthday To You" before going into the final song of the night, "Weather Man," the audience echoing "weather man." The show ended at 11:44 p.m. Another great night at this venue.