I See Hawks In L.A. at Tuning Fork, 2-22-26 Concert Review

"Good And Foolish Times"

If you’ve known me more than four minutes, you’ve heard me talk about I See Hawks In L.A., one of the absolute best bands out there, and one of the reasons I want to remain in Los Angeles even though all my family is three thousand miles away. These guys always deliver an excellent show, and on Sunday they gave a particularly wonderful performance at Tuning Fork in Studio City. It was the band’s first time playing at that venue, though Paul Marshall had played there with a couple of other artists in recent times, and it was clear even during the soundcheck that it was going to be a fun night. “This is going to be our soundcheck, so don’t attempt to adjust your tables, your chairs or anything,” Paul told the crowd, setting a playful tone for the evening. And after the brief soundcheck he said, “We’ve got five minutes, so talk among yourselves, and we’ll see you in five.”

"Ohio"

At 7:01 p.m., the band opened the first set with “Carbon Dated Love,” and immediately good vibes filled the packed room. The song featured some excellent harmonies, as well as a nice lead by Dan Wistrom on electric guitar. “Nice to be here at the Tuning Fork,” Paul said. And Rob Waller added, “Tuning in.” The band then went into “White Cross,” which featured another good lead by Dan, who this time got more of a chance to stretch out a bit. “I know the angels love me/Even though I did them wrong.” Then during “Ohio,” it was perfectly clear that the band was having a great time. Dan delivered more good stuff on electric guitar. This is a song that I always love hearing, and I especially love that moment at the end when it’s just the drums. I don’t know exactly when the new Hawks album is coming out, but it’s going to be a good one.

"Poour Me"

Dan switched to pedal steel for “Poour Me,” “for the pedal steel aficionados in the house,” Rob said during the song’s introduction. The “bad burrito” line makes me laugh every time the band plays this one. There was a whole lot of joy on that stage throughout the evening, and perhaps especially during that song. The sound guy asked Paul if they could close the curtains at the back of the stage, and so they did, which meant any folks passing by on Ventura Place would no longer be able to see in. I had been to this venue a few times before this and noticed folks standing there checking out the band, but I hadn’t seen anyone this time (though, really, I was too focused on the music to notice much of anything else going on).  “Poour Me” was followed by “On Our Way.” One thing I love about this band is that their music offers comfort, offers encouragement. This is a band that is on your side, you know? There is a friendly warmth to the music that is welcoming, inviting. Music that says, “Yeah, come on in, we know you.” I think the right sort of person connects to it immediately, recognizing something within it. It just feels so natural, like it’s always been a part of our lives. “The path is everything,” Rob sings in “On Our Way.”

"Truth Is You Lied"

There have been a lot of deaths in the music world lately, and one that hit me especially hard was Bob Weir. If you’ve heard the Hawks, you’re probably aware that these guys are Grateful Dead fans too. They even have a song called “I Fell In Love With The Grateful Dead.”  So in tribute to Bob, they played “Friend Of The Devil,” with Dan moving to pedal steel again. It was a sweet, if short, rendition. “Here’s a legitimate country song for you,” Paul then said, introducing “Truth Is You Lied.” The band delivered a really nice rendition, with Dan remaining on pedal steel for that one. Victoria Jacobs then sang lead on “Skipping Stones,” a relatively new song that has quickly become a favorite of mine. I love the rhythm and the whole vibe. That was followed by “California Country,” with Dan back on electric guitar. “But I’m still standing in California country.” Oh yes! As “Hope Against Hope” was being introduced, a woman yelled out, “Play it!” Dan, off microphone, asked, “Did she say ‘Quiet’ or ‘Play it’?” I love the bass work to this one, and Dan delivered some beautiful stuff on pedal steel. It was a really nice rendition to close out the first set. The set ended at 7:51 p.m.

"Highland Park Serenade"

At 8:10, everyone but Dan was back on stage. Victoria playfully called to him, and soon he joined them, a fresh drink in hand. The band opened the second set with a wonderful rendition of “Live And Never Learn,” the title track to the band’s 2018 album. After that song, Rob joked, “We’ve been living and never learning for maybe twenty-five years.” And for a moment the band members were calculating what percentage of their lives they’d been in this band. They followed that with “Hitchhiker,” Dan switching from pedal steel to electric guitar, and then “Highland Park Serenade,” one I hadn’t seen them play in quite a while, and one the band was quickly getting reacquainted with. “I think it’s in D.” Rob introduced the song, saying, about Highland Park, “Neighborhood’s changed a lot, but it’s still pretty great.” Indeed, on both counts. It was wonderful hearing this song again. It was followed by “Raised By Hippies.” The line about not knowing what to do when Reagan was president always makes me smile. This song featured some great harmonies on the “Summer of love” section, and of course at the very end, which was fantastic.

"My Parka Saved Me"

Rob introduced “Jug Of Misery” as “Sip On The Jug Of Misery.” In this song, he advises, “Don’t gulp it down like a fool.” The band delivered a beautiful, touching rendition at this show, a highlight of the set. I’ve said it before, but Rob Waller has perhaps the best voice in music today, and this is a song that really demonstrates his talent. Victoria then asked the crowd, “Do you want a little bit of a lighter story now?” And indeed, they switched gears, playing “My Parka Saved Me.” This is a delightful song, and the only song I can think of offhand in which the backing vocals attempt to steer the story. At this show, in her response to Rob’s assertion that they drank for free all through high school, Victoria said, “Oh, Rob, you’re just making that up.” It was an absolutely wonderful rendition, and it drew a lot of applause from the audience. Paul decided to keep things in that lighter, more humorous vein, and chose “Talking To The Dog,” a song I first saw him perform solo down at the Unurban, where he had the whole audience laughing at every line. The crowd was into it again at the Tuning Fork, so much so that afterward Rob suggested Paul do another song. It was, as Rob mentioned, Paul who got the Hawks to play at this venue. He’d done a couple of gigs there with other artists and thought it would be a good spot for the Hawks. And it certainly was. Paul then chose to do a traditional folk song. He mentioned how people characterize the band’s music in different ways, as country rock, as folk rock, as psychedelic country and so on. Well, this was “an actual folk song,” he said, introducing “St. James Infirmary.” Paul did change things up a little bit, and inserted Rob Waller into the song’s lyrics. This rendition featured some cool stuff on pedal steel and bass.

The band wrapped up the set with a great rendition of the always-appreciated “Good And Foolish Times,” this time including that extended section at the end. The set ended at 9:04 p.m. Folks wanted an encore, which gave Dan a chance to riff on that earlier shout, here playfully wondering if they had yelled “Encore” or “No more.” They certainly wanted an encore, but it was like that last part of “Good And Foolish Times” acted as the encore, as the final punctuation on a great night. So that was that. We had some good and foolish times, indeed!

Set List

Set I

1. Carbon Dated Love
2. White Cross
3. Ohio
4. Poour Me
5. On Our Way
6. Friend Of The Devil
7. Truth Is You Lied
8. Skipping Stones
9. California Country
10. Hope Against Hope

Set II

1. Live And Never Learn
2. Hitchhiker
3. Highland Park Serenade
4. Raised By Hippies
5. Jug Of Misery
6. My Parka Saved Me
7. Talking To The Dog
8. St. James Infirmary
9. Good And Foolish Times

Here are a few more photos:

"White Cross"

"Ohio"

"Friend Of The Devil"

"Skipping Stones"

"California Country"

"California Country"

"California Country"

"Live And Never Learn"

"Hitchhiker"

"Highland Park Serenade"

"Talking To The Dog"

Tuning Fork is located at 12051 Ventura Place in Studio City, California.

The Firkins, The Smokey Lonesome, and Stu Olsen at Music Garden L.A., 2-21-26: Photos

Is there any place better to be than Los Angeles? An outdoor concert in February? Come on! It was a beautiful day in Highland Park yesterday, and the lineup at Music Garden L.A. included The Firkins, The Smokey Lonesome and Stu Olsen. Here are some photos to show you that L.A. is the best place in this country, especially for music fans.

Stu Olsen

The Smokey Lonesome

The Firkins

Music Garden L.A. is located at 5133 York Blvd, in Los Angeles, California.

Rick Shea & The Losin' End at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 2-18-26 Concert Review

Once a month Rick Shea & The Losin' End go to Maui Sugar Mill Saloon in Tarzana for the Swingin' Doors music series. It's a night you can count on to deliver the goods, and certainly we are in need of things we can count on these days. Rick Shea plays two sets, and in between has a special guest perform. Last night that guest was Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys. Last night was also special because Rick Shea was celebrating the release of his new album, Smoke Tree Road, which comes out tomorrow. Sitting in on guitar with The Losin' End was Danny Ott. Two great bands delivered several hours of excellent music. I only wish more people had made it out to the show. 

Rick Shea & The Losin' End

Rick Shea & The Losin' End started the first set just after 8:30, easing in with "The Town Where I Live," which had a rather beautifully sad vibe, Rick singing, "You could waste your whole life in this ragged ol' town." And check out these lines: "Sometimes I wonder why I hang around here/If you ain't got much choice, man, your choice is real clear." That was followed by "Mexicali Train." This song always takes me on a ride to another place, another time, traveling with ghosts, of "Kerouac and Cassady," traveling with the past. "For now I'll try to lose myself somewhere inside this Mexicali train." And isn't that key? Losing ourselves in the music, in the rhythm. After that song, Rick mentioned his new album, and then played a couple of songs from it. The first was "Guardian Angel." After a false start, Rick explained, "We've only played this a couple of times." I hope it will become a regular part of the band's sets, because it's a sweet number that I've quickly come to love. The second was "A Week In Winnemucca." This is one that has popped up occasionally in sets for close to a year, a song about music, a song that mentions Johnny Cash. The line that always makes me smile is "The locals kept their distance, yeah, but not for very long."

Before "Big Rain Is Comin' Mama," Rick mentioned how Los Angeles got rain this week, though not as much as expected, and that some more was on the way. It was a particularly fun rendition, featuring some nice leads by Danny on guitar. That was followed by "Shelter Valley Blues," which has become one of my favorites, popping into my head with some frequency. It's such a cool song. "They say this ain't no place for fools or dreamers/But a foolish dream is all I've ever known." Then we got "Blues At Midnight," a different kind of cool, that delicious slow blues kind of cool, you understand. There was a great ache in Rick's voice, and he took the guitar lead on this one. Like blood dripping out of an opened vein. "Blues at midnight ever since you've been gone." Jeff Turmes then took over lead vocals on "Don't The Moon Look Real." Yeah, this set was just one kind of cool after another. This song had a nice jazzy vibe, Rick and then Danny delivering delicious guitar leads. Jeff's cap said, "Trouble Maker," by the way. That was followed by a cover of "Mathilda," the line "You gave me love when there was none" standing out in these twisted times. The band wrapped up the first set with "Down At The Bar At Gypsy Sally's." Ah yes, demons peer at us through the smoke, and we know everything is okay, more or less. 

Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys

At 9:42 p.m., Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys took the stage, a five-piece band made up of Lightnin' Willie on lead vocals and guitar, Billy Burke on guitar and backing vocals, Patrick Lynch on bass and backing vocals, Tommy Gunn on drums and backing vocals, and Michael Murphy on keyboard. Lightnin' Willie introduced the band before kicking off the set, just in case we were curious who it was we were seeing. Then they got into the music, the magic, the blues, opening the set with "Satisfied," which was great fun, followed by "Sweet Marie." "This one's about cheating," Lightnin' Willie said in introducing "Eyes In The Back Of My Head," adding, "Don't cheat." That led straight into "Heart That Burns," which featured a very cool lead by Billy on guitar. Later in the song, Lightnin' Willie also delivered a strong guitar lead. Lightnin' Willie mentioned that lots of stuff got him worried, then said, "I shouldn't be worried, though; I'm playing music." I feel that way listening to music. "I'm so sad and blue," he sang, and yet this music was shaking all the blues away from me. That song, "Sad 'N' Blue," featured a delicious lead on keys. Then "I'm Walkin'" was a total delight. "Treat Her Right" featured a good, mean groove. "Sorry If I got a little loud there," Lightnin' Willie said afterward.

"Here's a song everyone can sing along to," Lightnin' Willie said in introducing "Don't Let Go." That song, as Willie mentioned, was a hit for Roy Hamilton. But I got turned onto it in the late 1980s when I saw Jerry Garcia Band cover it, and I've loved it ever since. Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys delivered a good, fast rendition, and, yeah, they jammed on it, making it one of the set's highlights. And, yes, people sang along. They then slowed things down with "Tears Falling Down," a pretty song. "Don't Bite The Hand" began with a delicious rhythm on the floor tom. The set concluded with "Shake My Snake," which Lightnin' Willie introduced as a Britney Spears song, to which the audience responded with laughter. The song was a good blues boogie. And though the crowd could have been bigger (should have been bigger), the folks there made it clear they wanted more from Lightnin' Willie. And Lightnin' Willie is certainly not one to disappoint. He joked about how he and Rick Shea are independently wealthy, each owning some oil wells, and introduced the first song of his encore as "Alone I Count My Money." In truth, it's a new song, "Alone I Cry," which featured some beautiful guitar work. So, yeah, there is a new album in the works, something to look forward to. The crowd wanted more, and Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys wrapped things up with "Couldn't Do Nothin'." The set ended at 10:56 p.m.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Rick Shea & The Losin' End were back on stage, opening their second set with "The Starkville Blues." "I knew a girl in Starkville/She was tough, she was mean." Oh yes, we can hear it from his delivery. And the line about the folks in Starkville just getting bad news stands out, because these days people everywhere get bad news. Rick followed that with "Hold On Jake," delivering a good lead on guitar. "Hold onto whiskey if it gets the job done." Ah, this music gets the job done, and the band rocked out at the end of this one. That was followed by a excellent rendition of "Sweet Bernadine," one of my favorites. There was some wonderful stuff by Rick on guitar just before the end, which made me want it to go on a little longer. The band then played another song from the new album, "An Irishman's A Laborer At Heart." "We've only done this a handful of times," Rick said at the beginning. That was a song that got me thinking of my dad, and wishing he could hear it.

Rick Shea & The Losin' End delivered a good cover of The Rolling Stones' "No Expectations," and then Jeff took another turn at lead vocals on "Things I'm Not Gonna Think About." That was a song that stood out to me the first time I heard it last summer, and it sounded even better last night. That was followed by "Blues Stop Knockin' At My Door" and a wonderful rendition of "Honky Tonk Blues." Danny was given the chance to sing a song, but chose not to, and instead Jeff did another of his songs, "Early Train," a seriously cool, slow number. "It's early in the morning, and they're dreaming still." Rick Shea then played another song from the new album. This one, "Georgia Bride," was a highlight of the set, a wonderful song. A video for this song was just released, so keep an eye out for that. The band wrapped up the set with an energetic rendition of Chuck Berry's "Thirty Days," the audience singing along, and at one point Rick and Danny traded riffs on guitar. The show ended at 12:07 a.m.

Set I

1. The Town Where I Live
2. Mexicali Train
3. Guardian Angel
4. A Week In Winnemucca
5. Big Rain Is Comin' Mama
6. Shelter Valley Blues
7. Blues At Midnight
8. Don't The Moon Look Real
9. Mathilda
10. Down At The Bar At Gypsy Sally's

Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys Set

1. Satisfied
2. Sweet Marie
3. Eyes In The Back Of My Head >
4. Heart That Burns
5. Sad 'N' Blue
6. I'm Walkin'
7. Treat Her Right
8. Don't Let Go
9. Tears Falling Down
10. Don't Bite The Hand
11. Shake My Snake
12. Alone I Cry (encore)
13. Couldn't Do Nothin' (encore)

Set II

1. The Starkville Blues
2. Hold On Jake
3. Sweet Bernadine
4. An Irishman's A Laborer At Heart
5. No Expectations
6. Things I'm Not Gonna Think About
7. Blues Stop Knockin' At My Door
8. Honky Tonk Blues
9. Early Train
10. Georgia Bride
11. Thirty Days

Here are some more photos: