I See Hawks In L.A. Plays Club Tee Gee, 8-18-26

I See Hawks In L.A. is back in town after touring the Pacific Northwest, and last night played a last-minute gig at a place called Club Tee Gee in the Atwater Village section of Los Angeles. It's a venue the band had never played before, though Dan Wistrom had been there with another of his bands. A small room, with what must be one of the largest disco balls ever created. It looked especially big in such an intimate space, in a way dominating the room, at least until the music started. Then, of course, the music was the focus, and that giant ball hanging over everything in the place ceased to matter.

The band opened the first set with "Carbon Dated Love," affectionately referred to as "Fern," with Dan on electric guitar. After that opening number, Rob Waller said, "Well, we're just coming off the road, so maybe we'll do a road song here." The band has a good number of road songs, and the one the guys chose to do then was "Grapevine," a song featuring some nice harmonies. That was followed by "Ohio," or, as we now know it's titled (since it was released as a single), "Get Back To Ohio." It's a fun song, especally for all of us who are from some other place, a place that occasionally beckons us back. And it contained a great rhythm. The band followed that with "White Cross." Oh, the good times suit me just fine, and that's precisely why I drove straight to this show from work in San Pedro. Dan delivered a wonderful lead on guitar. 

It was on "Turn That Airplane Around" that Dan switched from electric guitar to pedal steel. That's pretty deep into the first set before hearing some pedal steel. I'm glad this song has found its way back into rotation. "Well, everybody got a drink?" Rob asked after that one. "Here's a drinking song for you." The band doesn't have nearly as many drinking songs as it does driving songs, and so it wasn't difficult to guess that it would be "Poour Me." a song from the band's 2018 album Live And Never Learn, and another to feature Dan on pedal steel. He switched back to electric guitar then for "Skipping Stones," a song that featured Victoria Jacobs on lead vocals. I know I've mentioned this before, but this song has become a favorite of mine at the band's concerts, in part because of its delicious rhythm. And last night the harmonies at certain points really grabbed me. Paul Marshall then sang lead on his "Truth Is You Lied," delivering an excellent rendition. That was followed by another treat, "Sexy Vacation," a song that was included on Shoulda Been Gold, one with a wonderful energy, and one I hadn't heard them do in a long time. It was so good to see these guys do this one again. They wrapped up the first set with another song that hadn't been played much in recent times, "Yolo County Airport," from the Hallowed Ground album. I love that the band is bringing back some old gems. This song was a lot of fun, and featured great harmonies. The first set ended at 9:36 p.m.

At 10 o' clock, the band was back for the second set, Rob acknowledging the crowd as being those special late-night weekday denizens, unusual creatures, especially in this city. The set began with "Hope Against Hope," featuring some nice work on pedal steel, as well as some fantastic stuff  by Paul on bass, especially leading to that jam toward the end. "This is a country night, so let's do a Willie Nelson song," Rob said, referring to the fact that the music series at the venue is called Two Step Tuesdays, focusing on country. The Willie Nelson song was "Me And Paul," the band giving us a really good rendition, with Dan on pedal steel. Then we were treated to a new song. Titled "Turtle Song," it was apparently debuted by the band on the recent tour. It was a sweet-sounding number, one I hope will find its way into regular rotation. "That's largely a true story," Rob said afterward. This was a special night, and the band followed the new song with one that hasn't been played a lot in recent years, "Open Door," another song from Hallowed Ground, and this time with Victoria on lead vocals. She delivered an exceptional vocal performance on this song, making it another highlight of the show. It was an excellent rendition.

Paul Marshall then delivered his absolutely delightful "Talking To The Dog," a song I first saw him perform solo down at Unurban a while back. I'm thrilled that this song has become part of the I See Hawks In L.A. repertoire. "He likes my brand new song." Indeed! So do we. That was followed by "Raised By Hippies," featuring some nice work on pedal steel. I always love the sweet vocal work at the end of that song. And then we were treated to an especially good rendition of "If You Lead I Will Follow," a song from New Kind Of Lonely. This is one of my favorite Hawks songs, and last night's rendition was absolutely beautiful. And the line "Shake off the dust from the day" stood out for me after a work day when the wind was blowing the San Pedro sand around. This was one of those magic moments that keep me coming back for show after show. And I was glad to find I wasn't the only one who recognized how special this song was last night. It was followed by a good version of "Live And Never Learn," and then "California Country." It seemed that Victoria was giving it a little something extra on hi-hat at the beginning, which was wonderful. "Only now I understand/That I could never leave this land/I'm a California man." Ah, I hope I don't have to leave this land. This song featured an excellent lead by Dan on guitar. The band wrapped things up with "Good And Foolish Times," and for perhaps the time first ever, the line "Underneath the disco lights" stood out, as we suddenly remembered we were gathered under the biggest disco ball. The crowd was dancing, enjoying these good and foolish times, and the band did the extended ending. The show ended just before 11 o' clock.

Set List

Set I

1. Carbon Dated Love
2. Grapevine
3. Get Back To Ohio
4. White Cross
5. Turn That Airplane Around
6. Poour Me
7. Skipping Stones
8. Truth Is You Lied
9. Sexy Vacation
10. Yolo County Airport

Set II

1. Hope Against Hope
2. Me And Paul
3. Turtle Song
4. Open Door
5. Talking To The Dog
6. Raised By Hippies
7. If You Lead I Will Follow
8. Live And Never Learn
9. California Country
10. Good And Foolish Times

Club Tee Gee is located at 3210 Glendale Blvd. in Los Angeles, California.

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.

Highpoint Brewing Company is located at 402 W. Arrow Hwy. in San Dimas, California.

Fernando Perdomo's Birthday Celebration Is Part Of International Pop Overthrow, 8-15-26

Last night there was an outstanding lineup at Bar 10 inside Corbin Bowl as part of the International Pop Overthrow festival, which wrapped up today. There were six bands on the bill, and Fernando Perdomo played in four of them. Remember, this is the same musician who has been releasing an album of new material every month for the last year and a half, so playing four sets in one night is no big feat for him. International Pop Overthrow celebrates power pop artists and those who play similar music, and this year was the first time that the festival has come to Corbin Bowl. And I hope it won't be the last, because it's a pretty cool venue, and the sound was really good.

Gerald Emerick

Right at 8 o' clock, festival founder and host David Bash introduced the first artist of the night, Gerald Emerick, who folks likely know from his band Quincy, that cool power pop band from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Last night he performed in a trio, opening the set with "I Was So Lonely," which had something of a country vibe, and featured some nice work by Anthony Cook on bass. After that first song, he introduced his bandmates, adding that he met drummer Jeffrey Shapiro just two days earlier. Crazy. But, hey, this was that kind of night, with a sort of spontaneous magic. "In My Head" followed, a fun song featuring a totally delicious rhythm. Gerald then slowed things down a bit with "Passport," which featured a particularly good vocal performance, as well as more nice work on bass. Then "Where's My Money" was a fun number, one we could all relate to. That was followed by a song about Margaret Chase Smith, a politician who was among the first to criticize Joseph McCarthy. "Gotta Get up" was a fun, rocking song that began with some wonderful guitar work. Then "My Old School Days" had a delightful pop thing happening. "Joined a band, and we made some noise/We had a real good time." Gerald Emerick wrapped up his set with a good cover of "Route 66." An excellent start to this special night.

The Motion

The Motion was up next, taking the stage at 8:45 p.m. and kicking off the set with "Winding Down," which was a lot of fun. Then the drums got "Minimum Love" going (including cowbell). This was exactly the kind of pop we all want more of, with its great energy and with a vibe that is always youthful, music that lets us tap into that thing we had in our youth, that thing we believe we still have. When listening to this music, we do have it, don't we? Then we learned that Fernando Perdomo's birthday wasn't the only birthday being celebrated at that show. It was guitarist Paul Riopelle's birthday too. Another reason to celebrate. Another element making this night something special. That was followed by "Spinning," a slower number. And then Paul, the birthday boy, took a turn on lead vocals on "Naked," a song with a totally delicious groove. Another highlight of the set was "Breakfast On Tuesday," a song with a great bass line from David Jenkins, and one that featured drummer Ryeland Allison on lead vocals. The audience, by the way, was having a good time. Someone called out a request for "Somewhere In My Future (There's A Broken Heart)," and the band joked with him that he must have seen the set list. Before they started playing it, they mentioned that it got airplay in Japan. David then mentioned that Steven Wolfson wrote "Prove It" with his arm in a cast after an accident, and that his mother suggested the song be slower. They ignored her suggestion then, but last night began the song at a slower pace, calling it "the Naomi version." After a bit, the song then kicked into a higher gear. David said afterward that they ran into John Entwistle, who signed Steven's cast. "Going Home" then began with a good pounding on the drums. It was such a treat to get to see this band perform. The set concluded with "Affair With A Stranger." When the song was announced, several people cheered. It was a lot of fun, featuring some good drumming. The set ended at 9:18 p.m.

Broken Sound

Up next was Broken Sound, the duo of Fernando Perdomo and Michael Collins. And once Fernando took the stage, he wouldn't leave it for the rest of the night. And I'm certain there is no other way he'd prefer to spend his birthday. The set opened with "She Likes Running," the lead track from the duo's debut album. There was a tremendous energy from the song's first moments. The guys were rocking more at this venue than at, say, Kulak's Woodshed, where I'd seen them perform before. The song had a delicious, heavy pulse. And there was something seriously catchy about it. "Nobody walks in L.A., but she's running." That was followed by "Sky Girl," which had a sweeter vibe, particularly in Fernando's vocal delivery. The song featured a cool instrumental section that rocked, before returning to that sweeter vibe for the end. Michael then sang lead on "Company Man, Factory Girl," a song from Dos, which was released last year. In addition to lead vocals, Michael provided the song with an excellent beat. That was followed by "Release," a song that urges musicians to put out their music for folks to hear and appreciate. It had a good, heavy groove. Fernando said that speaking of "Release," both Broken Sound releases were available on the merchandise table. Michael sang lead on "Constellation," also from Dos. And then Fernando introduced "Melt The Bots" as "the only protest song I've ever written," adding that it was inspired by the final scene of The Terminator. That song is a favorite of mine, and last night's rendition was especially good, with a wild final section. That was followed by another highlight, "Everybody Wants To Screw The World," which was introduced as a song about the current state of the world. "Everything is fucked" was the succinct way of putting it. The set concluded with "Zapruder's Other Films," which featured some excellent drumming. And Fernando was like three musicians up there: a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist and a bass player. The set ended at 10:09 p.m.

David Bash introducing Broken Sound

Andras Jones

Andras Jones then took the stage. For his first song, a good cover of Jon Brion's "Hook, Line And Sinker," he was backed by Fernando Perdomo on electric guitar, Tony Ruiz on bass, Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin, and Julia Albert on backing vocals. For the first moments, Andras' vocals were supported just by Fernando, and then one by one, each of the others joined him. That song was followed by "Hating The Haters." Now Andras was on acoustic guitar. Kaitlin left the stage, and Michael Collins joined the group on drums. There was a catchy aspect to this song, particularly to some of the vocal work, and it was one of my personal favorites. It led straight into "I Saw Them Everywhere," a cool kind of pop song, with Fernando switching to Mellotron. Fernando was back on electric guitar then for "Semiquincentennial," delivering some bluesy work. "Because two hundred and fifty years/That's a long time to wait." Andras then mentioned that he likes to release singles on the solstices and equinoxes, and that the next song, "Party Spoiler," was going to be his single for the fall. "I don't want to spoil the party, but I might." That song featured some really nice work on bass. The set also included "Delicious Pizza" and "Dink You In The Face," which seriously rocked. He wrapped up the set with "Record Store," in which Andras sang, "Is my town still a community/Well, maybe hypothetically." The important thing is "My town has still got a record store." This was such a cool set. It ended at 10:54 p.m.

Fernando Perdomo

Fernando Perdomo then delivered a set of his own material, backed by Michael Collins on drums, Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin, and Janet Thompson on bass. When David Bash intoduced him, he called Fernando "the Zelig of pop," adding that whenever something cool is happening, you can be sure Fernando will be there, will be a part of it. Fernando opened the set with a really nice rendition of "Photographers In Love," with Kaitlin delivering some beautiful work. He then mentioned how he wrote "I'm No Fun" on Ruby Friedman's couch. This song is one of my favorites, and he gave us a good rendition last night. Michael and Janet then left the stage, and Fernando and Kaitlin did three songs as a duo. The first was a pretty rendition of "The First Day Of Fall." That was followed by another of Fernando's best songs, "Home" (also known as "Home Is Wherever You Are"), this song featuring a particularly excellent vocal performance. A highlight of the set, to be sure. The final of those three songs was "Harmonics And True Love," Fernando switching to acoustic guitar for that one. He switched back to electric for "Goodbye Sun," which he introduced as one of his favorite songs that he's written. Michael and Janet rejoined him for a wonderful rendition of that song. And then the full band wrapped up the set with "Girl With A Record Collection," a delicious pop rock number. The "na na" part was so cheerful, and that song left us in a great mood. "Every day is Record Store Day with you."

Happy birthday to Fernando Perdomo

The High Frequencies

Before the last set, Kaitlin Wolfberg led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday To You" to Fernando. The final band of this great night was The High Frequencies. For this show, the band was Lisa Mychols and Tom Richards, with Fernando Perdomo joining them on drums. So, if you're keeping track, that's the fifth different instrument Fernando played on the night (I'm counting acoustic guitar and electric guitar as two instruments). The band opened the set with "See You Again," and I fell in love with these guys immediately. Seriously. There was a delicious joy and an excitement to their music, and I loved the vocals. That first song was a whole lot of fun, and they did not let up after it, following that with "Eleven" and then "Tonight And Every Night." Lisa has such a delightful voice. Listening to her brought me immense joy. And the music was fun. This is the sort of stuff that should be filling the Billboard chart. Tom joked that the next song was called whatever Fernando says it's called, and Fernando said it was "Cleanup Time." It was during that song that I decided I had to buy their album, but unfortunately they didn't have copies of the CD with them. I hope these guys will be back in Los Angeles soon, and that they'll have copies of the album for sale then. I definitely need to have this album in my collection. A physical copy. Streaming doesn't count. They followed "Cleanup Time" with "Miss Me When I'm Gone" and then wrapped up the set with "Strataplastic." The show ended at 12:13 a.m. By the way, it was clear Fernando was having a great time playing with these guys. It was one hell of a great birthday show.

Bar 10 is located inside Corbin Bowl, at 19616 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California.