I've had some great nights at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon. Some spectacular nights. Thursday night was one of the best. It was one of those nights when the right energy is present from the first note, and actually even before that, the audience experiencing it as a kind of electricity, an exhilarating buzz coursing throughout the room looking for an outlet or receptor and finding it in every person there. The place was crowded before the first band even began its soundcheck. The word had gotten out that it was going to be a special night. There must have been some kind of collective magic at play, for somehow people just knew this was a night not to be missed. Four tremendous bands all performing at the absolute height of their power, of their abilities, and doing so with joy. In addition to the musicians themselves (and Nubs at the soundboard, of course), we had Lawrence Mann to thank, for he is the one who put together this bill, like a sorcerer gathering rare components for the mightiest of spells.
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| Patria Jacobs |
At 8:06 p.m., Lawrence stepped up to the microphone, said, "
Welcome to the Silver Lake high school reunion," and he introduced the first artist of the night, Patria Jacobs, whose band included Marc Doten (of Double Naught Three) on keyboard, Carey Fosse on guitar, and her Rubyfish co-conspirators Derrick Anderson (who's been touring with Marshall Crenshaw) and Andy Sykora on bass and drums respectively. I had not seen her before, but I'd heard positive things from people I trust, people who know and love music, so my expectations were fairly high. Patria and her band were not far into their first song when I understood just what all the talk was about. That first song, "Indian Burn," eased in. There was a cool beauty to this song. As it eased in, it also eased out. That was followed by a Rubyfish song, "All She Swallows," which had a great vibe, and a groove that was almost haunting. "
When I think of all the pills she swallowed." Carey Fosse delivered some nice work on guitar. "Mrs. Combs" had a more fun vibe, with some delicious energy and featuring good work by Marc on keys, and a bass line that I loved. There was also a playful aspect to the vocal delivery. "
True story," Patria said afterward. "
That was a true story."
Andy established a delicious beat at the beginning of "Serengeti," some great stuff on the floor tom. There was a cool psychedelic element to this song, with a hypnotic delivery to the title word, everything feeling so damn good. And then there was more of a rock thing to certain instrumental sections. Andy switched to brushes for "On The Lake," the song having a gentle vibe. "
Funny how I've learned to drown it all down with wine." Patria gave a beautiful vocal performance, that beauty matched by Carey's guitar work. That was followed by "Silver Lining," a fun one, the rhythm like that of a train. The energy was high, and that cool instrumental section had me briefly thinking of The Monkees' "Circle Sky" (that section was returned to at the end). Then Marc delivered some wonderful stuff on keys during "IC Red." "
How do you feel/I see red." "Napoleon" was a slower number with a pretty vocal performance and a psychedelic atmosphere, Andy using mallets for that one and delivering some wonderful work. "
This will be our final number," Patria announced after that song, and was immediately met with multiple cries of "No" from the crowd. That last song, "Supercharger," was fantastic, and after it the audience understandably called out for more. But, no, that was it. What a great set, and a great start to the night.
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| Double Naught Three |
Sometimes when multiple bands are on a bill, folks come out for a specific band and then leave after that set. If anyone had come out just for Patria Jacobs, he or she thought better of leaving afterward. People couldn't fail to realize that the excitement had not diminished one bit after her set, and in fact the buzz was louder, greater, more compelling and more joyful. It felt like the night was on an upward trajectory, though it began already at a great peak, leading us to some other plane we'd only heard rumors of. Double Naught Three was certainly the vehicle to drive us in that direction. They began the set as the trio of Marc Doten, Marcus Watkins and Joe Berardi, opening the set with "Arrangement With A Dung Beetle," with a groove that immediately transported us to another land, to a time of the band's creation. These guys create worlds with their songs. "
We're Double Naught Three, the remnants of Double Naught Spy Car," Marc said, and then introduced Kaitlin Wolfberg, who joined the trio on violin for "Danger High!" Now we were off into even more interesting territory, with fifteen tons of Cool piled on top. How can you not love that bass line? And Kaitlin was producing some ghostly sounds with her violin. At a certain point, Joe's drumming led us into more serious territory. The crowd sang the song's sole line at the end. "
Thanks for singing along," Marc said, which of course was funny, as it was only two words.
Kaitlin left the stage, and Brian Walsh then joined the group on bass clarinet for "San Paku Pass," taking us on a different trip and delivering some phenomenal stuff. That beat on the floor tom first led us farther in, and then led us out. Brian's work was impressive, but it was on "The Rube Cubist" that Brian really knocked everyone's socks off. We were in wild jazz land at that point, taken to wild and fascinating places, all to a delicious beat. At one point, it took a turn toward progressive rock, getting heavier, with Marcus taking over on electric guitar, delivering some absolutely fantastic stuff. And then Joe was commanding on drums. A highlight of the set, for sure. Brian then left the stage, and Kaitlin returned for "I Rose In A Field," which had something of a reggae rhythm, while Kaitlin created a more ethereal sound over it. Marc's bass line worked its special charm, and then Marcus' guitar began pushing against any remaining barriers, finding, or creating, passages. And we all rushed through. As great as all that was, what happened next was even more astounding, as Brian re-joined the group, and all five musicians launched into "Macedonia 6-5000." This was a phenomenal rendition, with the bass clarinet leading us into special territory, where all manner of delightful things were possible. And what was possible was happening, as is always the case with this band. Marcus' guitar work was especially outstanding. And soon we were out in the Unknown, until Joe's beat created a place for us to stand, to step. And at that point the music had segued into "The Indian," and we were soon in a mesmerizing expanse of weirdness, a place I wished to set up home. It was an incredible rendition. The band then wrapped up the set with "Jan-Michael Vincent Rehab.com," taking us yet in another direction, Joe rocking the drums. A fun conclusion to one of the best sets of music I've heard.
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| 3D Picnic |
And after that, no one was ready to leave. It was getting late for a school night, but the crowd remained. Next up was 3D Picnic, a group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but had apparently only done one other show since then. So, yes, this was something special, and on a night when special was the name of the game. While the rest of the band was finishing setting up and tuning, drummer Brandon Jay mentioned Altadena Musicians, a foundation he set up to provide instruments to musicians who lost everything in the fire. For those who might not be aware, Altadena is an area where many musicians live, and where many lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. "
We're 3D Picnic, and we're going to play you some songs from long ago," singer and guitarist Dallas Don Burnet announced, and immediately the band was into the first song, "Beneath The Coals," which soon took on a great punk groove and was totally fun. Holy moly, these guys were good! "Soul Peeler" followed, with Carolyn Edwards taking over lead vocal duties. What a joy it was to watch these guys. And I loved when Brandon let loose on the drums. "
We haven't played in, what, three years?" Dallas Don said, then added that the time before that was thirty years earlier. He introduced the next song as being from the band's first album. Before anyone played that night, Joe Berardi and Nubs added a guitar to the instruments hanging on the wall behind the stage, and at the beginning of "Charles Thinks About It," Brandon playfully tapped on it as well as on the other instruments in reach. Carolyn had moved to the keyboard for this number, and this song featured a strong bass line from Greg Mora. This was a ridiculously fun rendition.
In introducing "Desert Of Libya," Dallas Don said the song was about a distant place where "
It's hotter than Tarzana in July," while Brandon established the beat. It was Carolyn's work on keys that really helped transport us there. And when the pace increased, they just completely owned us. That was the only instrumental number of the group's set. It was followed by a cover of Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" (a song that was later a hit for Tracey Ullman), with Dallas Don first playfully asking the crowd, "
Do you know what the next song is?" When folks shouted back, "
No," he said, "
They don't know." Carolyn was on lead vocals for this one. Meanwhile, Brandon was tossing drum sticks around like there was no tomorrow. They followed that with "Murdermaid," which was like a surf song if it were written by a punk sea monster lurking beneath the waves. Carolyn attacked the keyboard as if that might keep the monster at bay, a fantastic moment. "
We're going to do a song that's never been played before," Dallas Don then told the crowd, adding for clarification, "
Well, live." He dedicated the song to Kim Shattuck. Titled "You're My Idol," it had a great, heavy power pop sound, like if The Partridge Family went a bit punk. It, like the band's entire set, was a lot of fun. Carolyn was back on guitar for "All Wrapped Up," and Dallas Don was then sporting a captain's hat. At the beginning of that song, Brandon was playing some of the stuff on the walls again. It's difficult to contain that guy within the confines of a drum kit. After that song, some folks called out requests for "Dirt," and the band obliged (it was on the set list anyway). This song was another highlight, and featured a guitar solo at the end. What a set! What a treat!
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| Waterloo Saints |
Some folks did have to leave after that set (it was already after 11 p.m.), but did so reluctantly. After all, a night this good could not possibly end on anything less than a stellar note. The final band of the night was Waterloo Saints, and those guys were certainly ready and eager to deliver the delicious and fun conclusion this night deserved. "
What a great night," singer and guitarist Fred Oliva remarked, also mentioning how all the other bands blew his mind. They opened with "Sincerity," immediately giving us a fun number, just what we wanted. It was clear we were in good hands. I was digging Fred's voice, and the song had a driving beat by Rick Woodard to keep things moving forward. That was followed by "Hologirl." "
This one is about a girl," Fred informed the crowd. "
She knows who she is." He added that she lived somewhere in southern California. Might she be in the room, I briefly wondered. But then the music took over, and it didn't matter to me where this girl was. Christopher Risucci delivered some great work on guitar, at one point reminding me of The Buzzcocks. After that song, someone in the crowd shouted out, "
Sponsored by Lenscrafters," which made the band smile. All of them wore glasses. They then played "MZ Donut," which featured Christopher on lead vocals. The song also featured some excellent work by Michael Risucci on bass, that instrument taking over for a moment, which was great. Fred thanked Lawrence Mann, saying that they are happy to be in the cleanup spot, before launching into "AD 99."
A highlight of the set was "Badderall." In introducing it, Fred playfully asked, "
Who's tired of winning?" Someone in the audience yelled out, "
I'm exhausted." There was a tremendous energy to the song, and it had something of a 1960s element. That was followed by a fun rendition of "Don't Let Me Let You Down," featuring some really nice guitar work. Then "Fall Beautiful" had a good pop vibe. The band also delivered a wonderful rendition of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy," totally rocking the song. "
No time for tuning," they joked before going straight into "Everybody Comes," another fun number, this one with Christopheron lead vocals. They wrapped up the set and the night with "It Won't Be Me." The song began with some delightful "
ba-ba ba-ba" vocals, with Fred, Chris and Michael all singing, and later the audience joining them on that part. It was a perfect way to end things, the audience singing along, everybody having a good time. These are the kind of nights that make me think that Los Angeles is the best city in the country.
Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California.
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