Michael Doherty's Music Log: James Houlahan at Kulak's Woodshed, 6-19-26 Concert Review

James Houlahan

James Houlahan did a rare full-band show last night at Kulak's Woodshed, celebrating his excellent new album, On A Wing. And a celebration it was, with a fun atmosphere in the room. If you're unfamiliar with Kulak's Woodshed, it's an intimate venue in North Hollywood with its own singular vibe, and with couches and even a bed for patrons to relax on during a show. Don't get too intimate on that bed, however, because it's possible you'll be on camera at some point during the performance. The shows there are streamed, and rather than just a single camera aimed at the performers, there are half a dozen cameras capturing different angles and areas, some of those cameras in motion for a professional document of the show (and perhaps of you on that bed, you randy lovebirds). If you've heard James Houlahan's new album, then you know there is a sort of theme to the material, with birds being a recurring image throughout the tracks. Well, soon after I arrived at Kulak's Woodshed yesterday evening, I saw a white bird briefly fly around the room before settling out of sight somewhere overhead. It seemed perfect. Later James mentioned that it apparently lives at the venue, but I had been there several times and had never seen it before. So was it aware that it was fitting for it to make an appearance at this particular show? Maybe.

Fernando Perdomo

Fernando Perdomo kicked off the night with a solo set. Before the set he revealed that he had changed his mind several times about which song to kick off with, that he had planned to do a mellow set, like the one he performed at that venue just a few weeks ago, but was then thinking he'd perhaps do a more energetic set. The song he ended up choosing to start the night was "I'm Here," the lead track from his 2018 album Zebra Crossing, which begins in a mellow place then grows from there. He followed that "Photographers In Love," which had a great, vibrant energy right from the start, and was a clear sign he'd decided against an entirely mellow set this time around. "Photographers in love/Photograph each other." After the song, he mentioned that the first two songs of the set were old, and that his next song was new, and was the first song he wrote this year, on New Year's Day. That song, "Goodbye Sun," is the title track from the new Perdomo Kravitz album, which was released a month ago. It featured a particularly moving vocal performance. He followed that song with "I'm No Fun," which also follows "Goodbye Sun" on that album. It's one of my personal favorites, and he delivered an excellent rendition, feeling like a beautiful, sad, delightful dance.

"In a world without you/There can be no love," Fernando sang at the beginning of "In A World Without You," and I wondered if the other people in the room suddenly pictured this world as it would be without their loves. I did, and it was a place I'd have no interest in. "Nothing is all right in a world without you." That about sums it up. Fernando then played another song from Zebra Crossing, "We Were Raised With Headphones On," In introducing it, he mentioned always having his Walkman with him when growing up, and on a family trip his mom got upset and told him to take it off. His response? "Mom, I'm enjoying all the same views, but my soundtrack is better." Wasn't the soundtrack always important to people our age? My memories are accompanied by specific songs. "Dreaming in stereo/Glued to the radio." He followed that with "Harmonics And True Love," which is interesting, because it is the middle part of a trilogy of songs titled "Canyon Trilogy," included on Goodbye Sun. He delivered a nice rendition, then wrapped up his set with "Home." Actually, the song has two titles. On Zebra Crossing, it's titled "Home," and on 45's The Best it's titled "Home Is Wherever You Are." Before the song, he mentioned that he used the song to help raise money for those who lost their homes in the recent fires. It's a wonderful song, and it featured perhaps the set's best vocal performance. Beautiful.

James Houlahan

It was only seven minutes later that James Houlahan and the band were ready to go. The band, by the way, included Fernando Perdomo on piano and keyboard; Esther Houlahan on backing vocals; Feef Mooney on backing vocals; John Kruth on flute, electric sitar, mandolin, recorder, harmonica and bulbul tarang; Greg Cohen on upright bass; and Danny Frankel on drums and percussion. James Houlahan said, of Fernando Perdomo and the new album, "This is our fifth album that we've worked together on." A vinyl copy of On A Wing was on a stand on top of the piano, by the way. One of the things that made the night so special was that everyone who played on the album was on the stage, something that hadn't happened before. Will it happen again? I hope so, but I understand that it's difficult to get all those people together. The band began with "These Changes," which is such a sweet, wonderful song. "Dressed up in the beauty of all that you are." Fernando was on piano for this one, and John played recorder. "We're actually playing the songs in order that they are on the album," James told the audience, and alluded to the fact that the order of songs on an album is carefully chosen, which is one of the reasons I think it's important to listen to full albums, not pick and choose the singles. Picking one or two songs from an album is like walking up to a painting in a museum and looking at just one corner of the canvas.

John switched to harmonica for "Chariot Song," which had a fun vibe and featured some nice harmonies from James and Esther (Feef hadn't yet joined the group on stage). And there was some excellent work on harmonica. Tim O' Gara then joined the band on jaw harp for a very cool rendition of "The Cuckoo Bird." For this one, John played bulbul tarang. That instrument and the jaw harp helped give this version its own delightful sound and flavor. Plus, Fernando delivered some nice stuff on keyboard. After that song, James mentioned that the name of the instrument bulbul tarang translates to "waves of nightingales," which makes it a perfect instrument for this particular album with its bird theme. Feef Mooney then joined the group, and James introduced "All Night" as a song about a breakup and about a hangover, and indicated that it was a sing-along, to prepare the folks in the audience. John played flute on this one, delivering some wonderful work. But what I especially loved about this song was the attitude to James' delivery, backed beautifully by Esther and Feef. That, and the excellent percussion by Danny Frankel. And, yes, folks soon sang along. "We stayed up all night/Didn't talk about you." They also clapped and snapped along during that section toward the end.

"The Cuckoo Bird"

"All Night"

"So I noticed there was an actual bird here in the building, which I took to be a really good sign," James said in introducing "That Bird & I," referring to the white bird that had flown around while the band was setting up. And he mentioned the song is based on a true story, a moment at night when he heard a bird "running through his catalogue." John delivered some really nice work on mandolin on this one, and the presence of mandolin was part of what gave the song such a positive vibe. "We lift our voice just to sing." It was great how that final section would swell, driven by the voices. That was followed by "I Believe In You." Before starting that song, James said that "Music is a refuge," something I've been feeling very strongly, particularly in the last decade since a significant portion of this country went sideways into fascism, embracing a moron and rapist as the embodiment of the strength of man. It's frightening and infuriating, to say the least, and it is to music that I continually go to be reminded of the better state of humanity. And especially to someone like James Houlahan, whose voice contains and expresses those better qualities. There was a lovely joy to "I Believe In You," a song that seems designed to make us feel better about the world. And perhaps it's because the music becomes the world. You know? This song also featured more great percussion and a delightful lead by John on flute.

"Carry On"

"Hurriquake"

"I moved here in 2012 from Boston, Massachusetts, and I've played in lots of venues, and something like Kulak's is a treasure," James said before starting a beautiful rendition of "Carry On," a song written by Willy Mason. Esther and Feef stepped away for this one and the next one, "Hurriquake." Those folks who don't live in Los Angeles might not be aware, but a few years ago we had a rare hurricane in this city, and in the middle of the hurricane there was an earthquake. If that sort of thing were in a disaster movie, we'd accuse the screenwriter of going a little too far, and our disbelief would no longer be suspended. But it happened. And that's what this song is about. At the beginning, John played just the end of his flute, getting a different sound from it, with Fernando adding some interesting things on keys to help create the unusual atmosphere. This song also featured some cool work on bass from Greg Cohen, who brought out the bow for part of it, and some wonderful percussion from Danny. At one point in the song, John switched from flute to electric sitar. And Fernando was delivering some wild stuff on both piano and keyboard. This was certainly a highlight of the set, and it was great seeing everything that goes into this remarkable song.

"Lucinda"

Esther and Feef returned to the stage for "Lucinda." John played recorder at the beginning, then switched to mandolin on this sweet and delightful folk song. The album concludes with a cover of "Joy 'Round My Brain," and so the set also concluded with it. Tim O' Gara joined the band again on jaw harp, and this time also provided some backing vocal work. It was an excellent and hopping rendition, featuring a delicious lead on mandolin. A lot of fun, and a great way to wrap things up. The show ended just before ten o' clock, but no one was in a hurry to leave. It was John's birthday, so "Happy Birthday To You" was performed, and John was presented with a cupcake with a candle on it. Fernando also teased a bit of The Beatles' "Birthday" on piano. John then wanted to do a blues number, and was joined by Danny on drums, Fernando on piano, and James on acoustic guitar. A nice surprise. And then as folks enjoyed some cupcakes, Fernando played Neil Young's "Down By The River" on piano. By the way, that record on top of the piano turned out to be a test copy for a future vinyl release of On A Wing, so keep an eye out for that.