What is going on in Los Angeles? We're used to the heat, that's rarely a problem. But humidity? All of us came to this city partly to escape that sort of thing. Well, it was a hot, muggy afternoon in Highland Park yesterday, the kind of day when you sweat even when you're just seated in the shade, which I was, and which I did. But the music was so cool that everything was okay. Three great southern California bands played yesterday: Tranquilina, The Smokey Lonesome, and Old Californio Quartet. The start time was pushed back a half hour to 3:30, to see if perhaps some relief might come during that time, if the light breeze might be more welcoming. And it was.
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| Tranquilina |
Tranquilina took the stage at 3:32 p.m., the band celebrating the release of the album
Fleeting Moments, which just came out. The fact that all these moments are fleeting is precisely why I try to get to as many concerts as I can. Let's fill our lives with joy, for it will all be over far too soon. The band opened the set with the album's opening track, "I Know My Luck," establishing a pretty sound. The song had a totally delightful, sweet 1960s vibe, which I loved, especially in the "
ba ba ba" vocal part. After that song, Gloria told the crowd, "
I'd like to introduce you to our newest member, Stu Olsen." It's interesting that Stu Olsen is now in Tranquilina, for Tranquilina has been acting as his backing band at his recent shows. So now there are two different bands that are made up of all the same members. They followed "I Know My Luck" with "Shambles," which also follows it on the album. Sophia switched to mandolin for this song, delivering some lovely work, and helping to create this song's great vibe. Sophia then switched to lap steel for the album's title track, the band still following the CD's track order. Tom used mallets for just the opening moments, then switched to brushes. The band delivered a really nice rendition, which featured some beautiful work on lap steel. Sophia then went back to electric guitar for "Apologize In Advance." Everything was feeling right. That song was followed by "Into The Clouds," Tom again using mallets for the initial moment before switching to brushes. This song had a particularly cool vibe. Then "In Drastic Need" had a pleasant sound from the start. Something about the sound of this song feels like summer, and it featured some particularly good drumming. "
That's the second time we've played that one," Gloria said afterward. She then mentioned that this show was Stu's debut as a member of the band, that they had only one rehearsal together. Well, we certainly wouldn't have guessed that. In introducing "Finally Made It To Nashville," Gloria mentioned that Stu hadn't played the song before. Sophia added that Stu is so good, she just assumed he could read her mind. Stu is that good. And the song was one of the set's highlights. And Stu delivered an especially strong lead on guitar on "My Black Cloud 9." The set concluded with "LAX," a rocking number with a delicious groove and energy. What a great bass line! This was a lot of fun. The set ended at 4:14p.m.
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| The Smokey Lonesome |
Twenty minutes later The Smokey Lonesome was ready to go. The heat was still a heavy presence, and I'm guessing the several beers I drank didn't do me much good in that regard. But the duo opened the set with "Frontera," and at that point the heat was coming from the two people on stage. There was just the slightest of pauses after "Frontera" before they went into "Koa Box," keeping the energy high, keeping things moving at a fast pace, as if to outrun the heat. And speaking of that, they next played "AC Breakdown," a perfect song for the day. There was hardly a pause before that song too. I was enjoying the playful vibes, and it seemed now the band was directly confronting the heat. Then Natalie took lead vocal duties on "Ninety-Nine And A Half," even delivering a great rock and roll scream at one point. She then told the crowd, "
This one I think you know when to chime in," and from the response in the crowd it was clear most people knew precisely what song was coming, and so of course when to chime in as well. The song, "Cannabis," is always fun, and folks shouted out, "
California" at the right time. And when Dave sang the last line, "
If that's what you like," I bet everyone there was thinking, "Oh, yes." That was followed by "Heartbroken Heartbreaker" and then a high-energy cover of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles." As Dave switched guitars, Natalie thanked everyone for coming out, adding, "
I know the heat is not fun." No, it wasn't fun. But what was fun was the duo's next song, "The Smokey Lonesome," one of my favorites. Their harmonies were particularly good on that song. They followed that with "Paulito's Old Lady" and then "Desert Run," which was also great fun. They wrapped up their set with a delightful cover of Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away," ensuring the song would be stuck in my head for at least a day or two.
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| Old Californio Quartet |
Closing out the show was Old Californio Quartet, an offshoot of Old Californio made up of Rich Dembowski on guitar and lead vocals, Justin Smith on drums and backing vocals, Bob Roach on bass and backing vocals, and Dan Wistrom on pedal steel (and unmiked backing vocals). This configuration had performed as Old Californio down at DiPiazza's in May. It was still hot, but the humidity lifted as the band started, so everything felt great. Old Californio Quartet kicked off the set with "Millard Canyon Run." In introducing the song, Rich said it was about one of his favorite hiking trails, which was closed because of the fire. It's a song of the weekend, and it felt like a perfect song for the day. It featured a nice lead by Dan on pedal steel, and some good work by Rich on harmonica. That was followed by "Mother Road," always a fun one at their shows. Dan delivered some great work on pedal steel, and the song also featured some delicious stuff on bass. The line that includes "
Old Californio" received some cheers from those in the crowd. The band then gave us an excellent cover of Arlo Guthrie's "Coming Into Los Angeles," jamming a bit at the beginning of it. The song featured some great drumming, which was part of what made it a highlight of the set for me. That was followed by another cover, Fred Neil's "That's The Bag I'm In," the band delivering a very cool rendition. Rich strapped on the harmonica again for "City Lines," a perfect song for that location, with the lyrics "
Don't need to leave the city lines/To leave the city life behind." This venue is like a little oasis. Rich also delivered some nice work on harmonica on "Wild Horses," the Rolling Stones song. Another highlight of the show was "Lean Into It," an energetic number that featured a great jam. They finished the set with their phenomenal rendition of "Ring Of Fire." The show ended at 6:18 p.m., just as it was starting to cool.
Music Garden L.A. is located at 5133 York Blvd. in Highland Park.
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