It's always a great time when EZ Tiger plays, and last night was special, as the band delivered a rare acoustic set, something I don't think I'd seen them do before (though who can trust memory anymore?). This was part of the Night Of A Thousand Stars series at Unurban Coffee House in Santa Monica. And Debbie Shair, instead of keyboards, played that upright piano that is always on stage. It's not just for show, after all, not just part of the decor. There was a wonderfully loose vibe in the room, which seems to be standard for shows at this venue, one of the reasons I love going there. Lots of joking around during the soundcheck, and lots of smiles throughout the evening.
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| Kristi Callan |
Kristi Callan (of Dime Box Band) hosted the night, and kicked things off with a short set, as Ben Vaughn does when he's hosting. Ben Vaughn, by the way, was in the audience. Kristi performed solo on acoustic guitar. "
I think you've been reading way too many books," she sang in her first song. Yes, perhaps, but how many is too many? After that song, she mentioned Jon Dee Graham, who died on Friday. We've been losing way too many musicians. I keep telling Mr. Death that when he's feeling hungry he should take a trip to D.C. and visit the White House, but the old bastard ignores me and takes musicians instead. Anyway, Kristi covered a Jon Dee Graham song, "Wave Goodbye," which includes the lines, "
I hate it when someone packs it in/We should live it up." It was a really nice rendition, and a touching moment, for after that song, Kristi decided she had to stop, overcome with emotion.
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| Lisa & George |
Lisa And George (that is Lisa Jenio and George Woods of Candypants) were up next. They opened with a totally delightful number that featured George on ukulele, a fun song about not wanting to be another notch on the bed post. "
So I'll make you one instead," Lisa sang. "
I'm nervous, 'cause there's a lot of rock stars here tonight," Lisa said after that first song. I've said this before, but it seems reasonable to mention it again here. I have found that a strong indication for a show being good is when there are other musicians in the audience. Musicians don't just go out to any old show. If you look around before a concert starts and recognize several musicians in the audience, chances are it is going to be a fantastic show. And this certainly was. George switched from ukulele to guitar for the next song, and Lisa played flute. George played guitar for most of the rest of the set. There was a good love song about not wanting to die alone, that one delivered as a duet. And the next song, as Lisa explained, was written about Sarah Palin during that "
innocent time when we thought she was the worst person in the world." The song was newly dedicated to all those blond women with crucifixes, and includes the line "
Crocodiles call you when they're mating." There was a lot of humor to their set, and I especially loved the song about finding happiness after everyone else on the planet disappears. "
Now that no one is in my way/I can stand to face another day." They wrapped up the set with what Lisa called a happy protest song, with their friend Tina joining them on tambourine. This one wasn't about everyone disappearing from the planet, just one specific person that we'd all love to see go. "
Spring is here/The skies are clear/The clouds are gone/And we will go on."
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| EZ Tiger |
There was a good deal of joking around while EZ Tiger was setting up. "
Who ordered the turkey melt?" Kristy McInnis asked from her seat behind her snare drum. Someone's food was ready, but no one knew just who that someone was. When that was settled, the band opened the set with "Nowhere Now," and all the energy we expect from this group was still there in this intimate acoustic setting. Everything sounded so right. Even that old upright piano sounded great. Debbie Shair delivered some really nice stuff during "Path," a song that also featured good harmonies and a good bass line from Teresa Cowles. Tina DiGeorge introduced "Stay" by reminding us, "
This is from an album from long ago." Yeah, sixteen years ago that album was released. When we still believed in democracy, when women had a reproductive rights, when we thought maybe only five or ten percent of people were horrible. Another lifetime. "Stay" remains a wonderful gem, and after it, Kristy commented, "
That took me back." Then "Any Other Day" began in a softer place. They delivered a beautiful rendition. "
This is gonna save your life." Yes! They followed that with "Go!" "
If you know it, join in," Tina told the crowd. This song was so much fun. If I recall correctly, this song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And if it didn't, then something is terribly wrong with this world. Either way, you could feel the joy pouring off the stage. Tina then mentioned the band is recording a new batch of songs, which is wonderful news. The band then went into "Fall Into The Wheel," a really good song with moments of powerful beauty. They wrapped up the set with the new single, "Outside Your Sun," which featured some great harmonies. Oh yeah, the next album is going to be good.
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| Kristi Callan |
Kristi Callan then returned for her second set, this time joined by Teresa Cowles on bass and backing vocals, because it feels strange when Teresa plays on only one set at a show. Teresa delivered some really nice stuff on bass right from the first song, "Carpet," and some particularly impressive bass work on the second song, a song that featured the line "
Wherever you go, there you are," which of course reminded me of
The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension. It was a fun, energetic number featuring great harmonies. Kristi then indicated Teresa and said, "
She's amazing, right?" "
Right," someone in the audience shouted out. Kristi started the next song solo. "
On a dime everything can change/This is my line in the sand." Those lines stood out for me in these troubling times. She followed that with "Cat," and it wasn't until that moment that I realized Teresa was wearing a cat T-shirt. That was followed by "Pickle," a cool number, with the line "
It's not too late" repeated at the end. Then Kristi told the audience she decided she needed to do a happy song, and invited Debbie Shair and Lisa Jenio to join her and Teresa for a cover of "Oh How Happy," the Shades Of Blue song, to wrap up the set and leave everyone feeling good. Debbie was on piano, and Lisa was on backing vocals. The song ended with some really nice vocal work.
