Michael Doherty's Music Log: The Evangenitals, Stu Olsen Band, and EZ Tiger at Highpoint Brewing Company, 8-16-26

There was no question that yesterday's show at Highpoint Brewing Company was going to be something special, what with the fantastic lineup of The Evangenitals, Stu Olsen Band and EZ Tiger, and with the loose and friendly vibe of the venue, and with the excellent beer, and with Lisa behind the bar (and often in the audience enjoying the music as much as the rest of us), but it turned out to be even more special than any of us could have expected.

EZ Tiger

EZ Tiger was up first, and for this show the group was a trio. Keyboardist Debbie Shair was not there. Kristy McInnis was not in town either, and Karen Basset was behind the drum kit. Kristy, for those who might not be aware, was a member of The Evangenitals a while back (what was that, fifteen years ago?), so there had been the potential for a reunion of sorts at this show. Not to worry, for there still was a special reunion later on. EZ Tiger started just after 4 o' clock, opening with "Go Home," a song with a delicious bass line from Teresa Cowles and some great harmonies, and this excellent afternoon concert was underway. There was the briefest of pauses before they went into "Swimming," a song from the Catapulting Stars album. A great power pop gem with a joyous vibe, the kind of song that feels like it has life spilling over the edges. "You spend your whole life swimming." That was followed by "Dag," featuring some really good drumming, and then "Path," which also contained some great stuff on drums. And the vocal line to this song is so catchy. "You said you wanted to dance, wanted to dance." Everything felt right. Then in introducing "Go!" Tina DiGeorge said the band asked for a bit of audience participation on this one. It's just one word, the band assured the crowd. Even without the audience participation, this song is great fun. But with it, that sense of fun is certainly increased. There was a fantastic energy to this song yesterday, helping to make it a highlight of the set. That was followed by "Nowhere Now," featuring an especially good vocal performance from Tina, and then "Last Hurrah." In her introduction to "Last Hurrah," Tina said it was "something we've been wishing for for the last ten years or so." There was a great punk energy to that song, with some cool stuff on guitar. "False Alarm" rocked, with a dark edge, and featured a good jam at the end, with some wonderful work on guitar. Tina switched guitars for the final song of the set, one that the band has not played in concert in quite a while, "Bird." It was something special to get to see them perform this one again, and they delivered an excellent rendition. Their set ended at 4:39 p.m.

Stu Olsen Band

Stu Olsen Band was up next. I've mentioned this before, but his backing band is Tranquilina, and since he recently joined Tranquilina himself, there are now two completely different bands with all the same members. Just a fun bit of Los Angeles music trivia. Stu Olsen Band opened the set with "Bright Burning Street," a song about meeting Townes Van Zandt. And though Stu did really meet Townes, the song is fiction. The song is about what should have happened, Stu said. It's a cool song, and it featured some nice work by Sophia Delgado on lap steel. Stu thanked the crowd for coming out, for supporting original music. I forget sometimes that there are people who prefer to hear covers, to hear only what they already know, what is already familiar. It must be a somewhat sad existence, certainly a limited, and limiting, one. Anyway, another highlight of the set was "Can't Take You Anywhere," Sophia then on electric guitar, Gloria Delgado rocking the bass, and Tom Dunne delivering a strong punk driving beat. There was a great power to this song. That was followed by one of my favorites, "It Ain't Medicine," the band delivering a great, rocking rendition, Tom adding some nice, surprising touches on drums. "Valkerie" was another highlight, in part because of Stu's excellent vocal performance. That one also contained some cool stuff on drums. After it, Stu mentioned that he doesn't give the band any directions, that these guys just go at it because they're awesome musicians. Indeed. The set concluded with "Evangeline," which had a great bass line, and included a wonderful guitar lead by Stu. Everything was moving, like a train heading straight into the heart of oblivion, which, I suppose, could just as easily be some sort of heaven.

The Evangenitals

And then The Evangenitals took the stage. "The answer to so many of life's problems is, 'Just wiggle the cable,'" Juli Crockett said, and the band kicked things off with "Hello." "Hello, my friend/It's good to see you again." Those were the first lines of the song, and thus the first lines of the set. And, yes, it was so good to see this band again. The band seemed to be in high spirits, and the same could be said of the audience. It was a wonderful rendition of "Hello," and the band followed that with "Where A Man Belongs." Joey Maramba used a bow on his electric bass guitar during the song's cool opening section. The song soon kicked in to become a ridiculously fun number, featuring a nice lead from Michael Feldman on keys. "There's a new sheriff in town/And I ain't fucking around." Oh no, the band meant business, no question. Fortunately for us, these guys are in the joy business. Juli introduced "Never Too Late," "Here's a song about life." The song has a positive message, but it was delivered with humor. I love the humor of this band. That song also featured a delightful lead by Andrea Baker on violin. That was followed by a particularly fun rendition of "Turbulent Flow," featuring some absolutely fantastic stuff on bass, as well as some excellent drumming by Robert Shaffer. This was one of the best versions of this song I've seen the band do, Michael delivering some delicious work on keys.

When The Evangenitals cover other artists' material, they put their own unusual spin on the songs. And so last night when they covered The Dead Milkmen's "Dean's Dream," they slowed it down, delivering a gorgeous, moving rendition, Joey again using a bow on his bass guitar at the beginning. Their version will give you a completely different perspective on the song, a different appreciation for it. That was followed by "Work Song," and this was when things became even more wonderful, for this was when we got that special reunion I mentioned earlier. Juli saw that Henry Bermudez was in the audience, and asked him if he'd like to join them for this song. If you're familiar with Henry's work, then you know just how fucking great this was. There was a time when Henry Bermudez was in eight bands. One of the best, and most dynamic, guitarists in Los Angeles. It was always a joy to watch him play. And so it was a bummer when he disappeared from the scene, stepping away to focus on other things. He was missed. Last night he accepted Juli's invitation, and, not having his own guitar with him, used her guitar. And it was like no time had passed at all, like he had never left. The band delivered a phenomenal rendition of "Work Song," and during that jazzy instrumental section, we got some excellent leads. What an unexpected treat!

"Would you like to funk?" Juli then asked the crowd. Sure thing! We were ready for absolutely anything and everything at that point. The band delivered a really good rendition of "I Want To Funk (You Want To Funky?)," and as you'd guess, the song featured a totally delicious bass line. Joey was really on top of things at this show, taking each song and adding a few more doses of Fun to it. The song also included some cool stuff on drums. "We are often asked, 'What kind of music do you play?'," Juli said, which, coming after that particular song, gave the audience a laugh. "And if anyone here has an answer to that, please let us know," she added. I'm not sure anyone offered a response, but I am sure that everyone there enjoyed whatever it is these guys were delivering, whatever kind of music it was they were playing. "Here's a song about difficult relationships," Juli said, introducing "Fish & Bird." Yes, the Tom Waits song. The band delivered a pretty rendition. That was followed by "No Faces," a somewhat new song from the band, one with a wonderful pop sound and featuring some beautiful harmonies. "Don't trust your eyes/Love hides behind the craziest things." And speaking of harmonies, Juli and Andrea sounded so damn good together on "Drunk That Way," Andrea also delivering some beautiful work on violin. The band then delivered a fun rendition of the Violent Femmes' "Jesus Walking On The Water," featuring some totally delightful work on keys, and leading straight into "Personal Jesus," the Depeche Mode song. Well, there was only one way to wrap up a show this good, and that was with a great, rowdy version of the classic "Gasoline." And, yes, Juli invited Henry Bermudez up again for this one, handing off her guitar. And Henry stomped on the floor, just like the old days. Juli joked around with various clean endings before delivering the real thing and delighting everybody. There was a great release at that point. You know? This was one hell of a fantastic show.