Sandy Rogers and Willy Tea Taylor Perform at Unurban, 3-9-26

A special show was held at Unurban in Santa Monica last night. Sandy Rogers delivered a rare solo performance, and Willy Tea Taylor joined her on the bill, delivering some excellent original songs. You're probably aware that Sandy Rogers covered a Willy Tea Taylor song on her newest album, Tingling Blue. The two go way back together, as they both mentioned during their respective sets. Willy Tea Taylor was in town for a show at the Hotel Cafe two nights earlier (I had been under the impression that that venue had already shut down in preparation for its move, but it looks like it will remain open through May), and this show was announced around that time.

"I'm going to be doing some songs I haven't done in a long time," Sandy Rogers told the crowd when she took the stage at 7:43 p.m. She opened the show with "Wonderin," the title track from her 2016 album, and, yes, one I had not seen her perform before. It was so good, so gloriously raw and true, in this solo context, with a great vitality. After that song, she switched music stands, selecting a taller one to better see the lyrics to these older songs. And she followed "Wonderin'" with a song she has been performing recently, "Trailer Up On A Hill," now getting loose, dancing with the song. Everything was feeling good, feeling right. In introducing "Good Dog," another song from Wonderin, Sandy mentioned how she first met Willy Tea Taylor back in Oakdale when he was twenty years old. She also mentioned that Willy too has a "Good Dog" song. "Good Dog" featured a wonderful vocal performance. "The refrigerator works, can't ask for more." The song included some whistling near the end.

"Tingling Blue," the title track of her newest album, is one that always makes me feel good, and Sandy delivered a particularly wonderful version last night. "There's something about whispering in my ear/There's something about holding me a little tighter." Oh yes! She followed that with another song off the Tingling Blue album, "You Found Me," which was written by Willy Tea Taylor. This song featured perhaps the best vocal performance of the set. Obviously the vocals were the main focus last night, which was part of what made the night so special. I'm absolutely nuts about her voice. "Lots of trips into town/Lots of booze I'm trying to drown/Got my friends to keep me up from down/But no one to put my arms around." She wrapped up the first set with "Fool For Love," a song written for the Robert Altman film of that name (a movie written by, and starring, Sandy's brother Sam Shepard, who also wrote the play it was based on), but actually used in Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs.

There wasn't really a set break, just a few moments as Willy Tea Taylor took his place on stage. "I've got some jams for you," he told the crowd, and opened the set with "Wrong Way To Run," which immediately featured some beautiful tenor guitar work. "I ain't perfect, you can tell by my songs," he sings. Hey, I don't know about perfection, but I do know his songs are excellent. He followed that with a new one, "My Mother, My Brother And Me," a beautiful and touching song written for his mother. Even his humming was quite moving. "I wonder if there's a cure for these kind of blues." That was in turn followed by "Here's To You, Sam," a sad and wonderful song (by the way, on his Damn Good Dog disc, the song is titled "For Sam"). This song's lyrics mention the Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas, which was written by Sam Shepard. Willy then introduced "Chickamauga" as a love song, one set in the Civil War. The line about the letters especially stood out to me: "I'd read 'em every day and I could sing them in the dark."

"The Tank's Half Full" is a song about van life, and also was inspired by his grandfather. "If there's a hallelujah left somewhere in this van/I hope it takes the wheel tonight and gets us all home again." Willy Tea Taylor has this seemingly effortless way of captivating an audience. A voice, a guitar; nothing more is needed. I remember when Ellis Paul was interviewed early in his career - this would have been 1989 or early 1990 on WUMB, if I recall correctly - he said there was nothing more powerful than a man with a guitar or a woman with a guitar. I think both artists proved the truth of that statement last night. Willy followed "The Tank's Half Full" with "You Found Me." This is the song that Sandy Rogers had covered on Tingling Blue. She played it during her first set, but had wanted to hear Willy's version. Willy mentioned that the song was about a border collie, something that surprised Sandy. It was great hearing both artists play this song last night, for their versions had different approaches, different vibes. "Knuckleball Prime" followed. Willy introduced it by saying it's about hitting one's prime in his late thirties or early forties, as knuckleball pitchers seem to do. That song included some nice whistling. He wrapped up the set with "Bakersfield," a song about his grandmother. "She was a crazy woman, and I loved her very much," he told the audience. This was a fun number, and the line "Don't bury me in Bakersfield" drew a big laugh. "But eternity in Bakersfield, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Sandy Rogers returned to the stage for another short set. She opened it with "Let's Ride," her voice so cool, so commanding as the song started. There was then a false start as she retrieved her glasses, mentioning she has to have cataract surgery. And as she started the song again, her voice carried that same great vibe, that same wonderful sound. This was a totally delicious rendition. It was followed by a tender, beautiful rendition of "One Of Those Kind." Then "Lonesome Man" was another of the night's highlights, the way it was tender at the start and grew in power. What a voice she has. That was followed by "Raggedy Ann," a song I don't recall seeing her perform before. "This is a very personal one," she said in her introduction. "The rocking chair my grandpa made/Is filled with my rag dolls." She then wrapped up the set with a great version of "Why Wyoming," and I felt like we were all out there on the land, in the wonderful wide open.

Sandy asked Willy to do a few more songs, and a moment later he was back on stage. He opened up this final set with "Lullaby," a song about going off to the city. "There's pretty girls on every corner/On every corner, got somewhere to be/Ain't got no time, ain't got no smiles/Got no smiles for a country boy like me." It featured some really nice guitar work. He followed that with "The Nurse," a sweet number about a nurse who was a Rolling Stones fan. He wrapped up the evening with a John Prine song, "Long Monday." I had forgotten that it was Monday. This great music made the calendar meaningless for me. The show ended at 9:36 p.m. 

Sandy Rogers Set I

1. Wonderin'
2. Trailer Up On A Hill
3. Good Dog
4. Tingling Blue
5. You Found Me
6. Fool For Love

Willy Tea Taylor Set I

1. Wrong Way To Run
2. My Mother, My Brother And Me
3. Here's To You, Sam
4. Chickamauga
5. The Tank's Half Full
6. You Found Me
7. Knuckleball Prime
8. Bakersfield

Sandy Rogers Set II

1. Let's Ride
2. One Of Those Kind
3. Lonesome Man
4. Raggedy Ann
5. Why Wyoming

Willy Tea Taylor Set II

1. Lullaby
2. The Nurse
3. Long Monday

Unurban is located at 3301 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica, California.