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:

Ben Vaughn Duo, John Surge, and Dickless Jane And The New Confusions at Unurban, 2-17-26

Ben Vaughn

It was a spectacular night at the Unurban, part of the Night of a Thousand Stars music series, hosted by Ben Vaughn. Part of preparing for the show meant Ben hanging a rotating disco ball above the stage, to help set the tone. A great cast of characters began assembling for the festivities around 6:30 p.m., picking their favorite seats and exchanging hellos. Eccentric enchantresses wrapped in faux fur, men accompanied by their parole officers, other assorted music people, and escapees from the carnival. It was, after all, Mardi Gras, folks. The Unurban is a cool spot with its own particular laid-back vibe, and everyone was welcome, feeling right at home. This was a special night because not only was Ben Vaughn Duo playing, but John Surge was performing as a duo, a rarity. And that second person making up both duos was Teresa Cowles, who, you're probably aware, is in like two dozen bands. On top of that, Dickless Jane And The New Confusions were on the bill. So, yeah, there was a hum of excitement in the room. Even the sound person's dog was aware something special was brewing, and howled in anticipation.

Ben Vaughn Duo

Ben Vaughn Duo got the night started just after 7 o' clock. "This is Sister T all bundled up for a winter evening," Ben said, indicating Teresa Cowles. Hey, it was a rather cold night, at least for southern California. They opened the show with "Looking For A Friend," which included them imitating horns. "Let's hear it for the Pico Boulevard Horns," Ben joked afterward. The duo followed that with "Apropos Of Nothing," which featured some totally delicious guitar work. "I'm going to ride this feeling as long as it lasts." Yes, yes, yes! And Ben got the audience singing along, echoing him. He wrapped up the short opening set with a sweet rendition of "Song For You." "If you're lonely, this song's for you." Some folks were calling for more, and there would be more later. "John Surge is up next," Ben told the crowd, "and he has a bass player you might recognize."

John Surge

When John Surge took the stage, he and Teresa mentioned that they'd never performed as a duo before. They opened with "Lesson I Never Learned," a song from the Almost Time album, and the differences were immediately apparent. It was great hearing John's music in this context, for the focus was more on the vocals, on the lyrics. It gave us a better chance to appreciate the wonderful harmonies. "She's drinking wine from a coffee cup." Then, in introducing "Barstool," John said, "Here's a honky tonk song for the coffee shop." The song had a different vibe in this context, and worked really well. Referring to Ben Vaughn's set, John playfully called for horns in the instrumental section. And it sounded like some folks in the audience did their best to oblige. "You fell off your barstool and I fell in love with you." John introduced "Heather Lee" by saying there was a woman named Heather Lee, but this song was not about her, but rather about another woman, eliciting laughter from the crowd. His approach to this set was so fitting for this venue's loose vibe. Everything was working perfectly. "Studio Apartment Blues" followed, and then "Tricks Of The Trade," which was introduced as "Why Women Are Smarter Than Men." The set also included a beautiful rendition of "I Remind You," "Threadbare Heart," and "Marisol," the last a fun number to wrap things up, a song with a particularly delicious bass line. By the way, during the set, John mentioned that Ben Vaughn will be joining him in Long Beach on February 28th for the music series that he hosts at DiPiazza's. 

Dickless Jane And The New Confusions

I had never seen Dickless Jane And The New Confusions before, nor did I get a chance to see the Dick And Jane Family Orchestra, and now I know I've been missing out on some great fun. Jane asked me as she moved to the stage if I were ready for "some tongue in cheek"? I told her absolutely I was. And she, and her bandmates, Mark Fletcher on bass and Paul Kleiman (she introduced him as Mark Kleiman) on guitar, delivered on that promise, opening the set with "Vacation Emotion." First she wished everyone a happy Mardi Gras, as well as a happy Chinese New Year and start of Ramadan. With so many holidays all on the same day, was it any wonder that this show had such a good vibe to it? I loved Jane Cantillon immediately, and her music had a delicious punk sensibility. She sported a Mardi Gras mask for that first song, then removed it as she introduced the next song, "I Gave Myself To Jesus," a song that made me love her all the more. "I gave myself to Jesus, and now he never calls." So damn funny. "Religion is a refrigerator magnet/It sticks to cold and shiny boxes." And in her song about the end of the world, that line about how the Supreme Court fucks everyone again and again stood out. Jane stepped out into the audience for "I Can't Remember," engaging individual folks on various lines. "Did we have sex together? I can't remember." She also came out into the audience for "Gravity." Surprisingly, she wrapped up the set with a cover, a rendition of Lee Hazelwood's "Your Sweet Love" that was beautiful, really changing directions with that final song and showing another side to the band.

Ben Vaughn Duo

Approximately ten minutes later Ben Vaughn Duo returned to the stage for the final set of the night. Ben asked the audience if folks would prefer to hear a bass solo or some whistling from Sister T. Teresa made it clear she wanted people to choose the whistling number, and so they did. That meant the set starting with "Walkin' My Way (Back To Your Heart)," with the audience singing along. The set also included "In My Own Reality," and there we got the bass solo after all, with Teresa saying "I should have practiced" during it. It's such a wonderful song, and any awkwardness just added to its charm. That was followed by "Too Sensitive For This World," another of my favorites. "You know this one?" Ben teased Teresa as he started it. "I think so," she replied. There is a sweet humor to this song, and yet lines like "I don't think I can last/Until these bad times pass" perhaps strikes us harder in these twisted times we find ourselves struggling through. When will these bad times pass? Maybe the fun "Pièce De Résistance" will help, with its great guitar intro. At one point in the set, Ben mentioned his long history with the venue, and asked Pam, who runs it, to make an appearance, which she did. Pam has been running it since it opened in 1995. For "Blind Alley," Ben put down his guitar and picked up his harmonica, so his vocals were supported by just the bass throughout, giving it a cool sound. The Pico Boulevard Horns were there at the start of the evening, and they returned for the final song of the night, "I'm Just Sayin'," which had multiple endings. And shouldn't every night be given a cha-cha-cha ending? Certainly this wonderful night deserved it.

Set List

Ben Vaughn Duo Set I

1. Looking For A Friend
2. Apropos Of Nothing
3. Song For You

John Surge

1. Lesson I Never Learned
2. Barstool
3. Heather Lee
4. Studio Apartment Blues
5. Tricks Of The Trade
6. I Remind You
7. Threadbare Heart
8. Marisol

Dickless Jane And The New Confusions

1. Vacation Emotion
2. I Gave Myself To Jesus
3. Armageddon Again (title?)
4. I'm Surviving Myself (title?)
5. I Can't Remember
6. Gravity
7. The Last Taboo (Dirty Rotten Cigarette)
8. Your Sweet Love

Ben Vaughn Duo Set II

1. Walkin' My Way (Back To Your Heart)
2. ? (I neglected to write the title down)
3. In My Own Reality
4. Too Sensitive For This World
5. Pièce De Résistance
6. Heavy Machinery
7. Jerry Lewis In France
8. Blind Alley
9. I'm Just Sayin'

Here are some more photos

Sandy Rogers Band Headlines A Fantastic Show at Highpoint Brewery, 2-15-26

What a lineup!

On Sunday, Highpoint Brewery in San Dimas became one of my favorite places in southern California. It's a friendly, relaxed spot, with some of the best beer I've had and with some incredible live music. A wonderful combination, right? Also, there was no cover, and the beer was reasonably priced (no Barkley Restaurant here, I assure you), so the place is basically a nice slice of heaven. Sandy Rogers Band headlined a great lineup Sunday that also included Laura Lovelace, Tranquilina, and Victoria In The Jimsonweed.

Laura Lovelace

Laura Lovelace was up first, with Gloria Delgado and Sophia Delgado of The Firkins and Tranquilina backing her, and Tom Dunne adding a little percussion on a couple of songs from his seat in the audience. Tom did so on the first song, "Easily Distracted," a wonderful number that immediately endeared Laura to the audience. After that song, Laura mentioned she was collecting signatures for an extension of Proposition 55, regarding education. She dedicated "Spike" to her mom, "Who can sing along if she wants to." I don't know if she sang along or not, but several folks in the audience certainly did. It was a delightful song, and it featured it a nice lead by Sophia on acoustic guitar. Laura delivered a short set, only five songs, leaving me wanting more. 

Tranquilina

Sophia remained on stage then, starting the Tranquilina set with a solo number, "Brighter Than A Star," a really nice song that included a reference to Paul Lacques' "Ride My Soul." Though gone for two years now (has it really been that long?), Paul Lacques is still an important part of the southern California music scene, as was especially apparent at this show. After all, much of Victoria's solo work is inspired by him and by their time together, and Sandy Rogers' most recent album features his work on most tracks and includes a song he wrote, which she played at the show. "I see you when I look at the stars," Sophia sang in "Brighter Than A Star." Beautiful. Gloria and Tom then joined her, and the band played "I Know My Luck." Their set also included a fun number about finally making it to Nashville, as well as "Victory At Sea," a song that is a Firkins number. "It's been a hard year," Gloria sings in this one, and that is a line that is true now even though it's only February. "So all these songs we're playing tonight, Sophia wrote," Gloria mentioned after that one. It was a great set, and it included one instrumental tune that had a jazzy vibe. The set concluded with "In The Clouds," a very cool number.

Victoria In The Jimsonweed

Victoria Jacobs was up next. You know her from her work in I See Hawks In L.A., and here she was performing as Victoria In The Jimsonweed, with Aaron Bakker on electric guitar. She opened her set with "Without You." "I'm trying to live my life without you/It's not easy to do," she sings in this one. As I said, Paul Lacques has an undeniable presence in the music here. She followed that with "Shed Those Tears." When in that song she repeated, "It's okay," we could all feel it, believe it. There is a great release in this music. "Star-Filled Night" featured an excellent lead by Aaron on electric guitar, and the next song, "Winding Stream," included the line "Get some perspective on the unexpected." In that song, she also reminded us to trust love, to trust that it will find a way. "Misery Loves Company" had a deliciously bluesy vibe, and Aaron deliverd some really nice work on electric guitar.

Victoria has a solo album in the works, and has been getting some help on it from several of the area's most talented musicians. A couple of them, including Rick Shea, were in the audience at this show. Victoria delivered a wonderful version of "Santa Fe," one of my personal favorites. That was followed by "Forever Shine," in which she sings, "Follow your heart, and stay true to your vision." She wrapped up the set with the beautiful "Dancing Like A Feather."

Sandy Rogers Band

Victoria then got behind the drum kit for the Sandy Rogers Band set. "Well, Victoria got right to my bones," Sandy said before the band began its set. And surely she spoke for everyone in the room. "I've never been to this place before," she then mentioned, adding, "It's a great place." Indeed! Sandy Rogers started the set with "Tingling Blue," the title track from her newest album, with Paul Marshall delivering some wonderful stuff on bass. Guitarist Dan Janisch was not able to make it to this show. During "One Of Those Kind," Sandy joked, "There is where the guitar player comes in." That was followed by "Fool For Love" and then "Train Fare To Memphis," a song that grabs me every time. She then gave us an excellent rendition of "Lonesome Man," mentioning that it's her favorite song from the new album. If you've not yet heard that song, I recommend checking it out. But, really, Tingling Blue should be in your CD collection.

Sandy introduced "In Her Auto-mobile" by saying that Dan counts it off, joking that it's usually faster than it should be. That was followed by another song that is a highlight of any set in which it appears, "Missouri Blue." And Sunday night's rendition included some very cool work on bass. Sandy talked about Paul Lacques when introducing "Wild Bill," which he wrote. The band delivered a tender, touching rendition of fhe song at this show. That was followed by the fun "Trailer Up On A Hill" and then "Suburban Boys," which had a great groove. Another stand-out was "Let's Ride." Sandy's vocal performance was fantastic, and the song's opening moments drew cheers from the audience. A wonderful rendition of "Why Wyoming" followed "Let's Ride." Sandy then gave us "You Lied Your Way," a fun and energetic number that has recently found its way into the set lists (or back into the set lists, I suppose). There was some qusetion about how to end it, with Paul joking that she was dazzled by the bass solo. The set also included "Turn Around," "No Antidote" and "Run Out Of West," that last one featuring a tremendous vocal performance. The show ended at 8:01 p.m.

Sandy Rogers Band Set List

1. Tingling Blue
2. One Of Those Kind
3. Fool For Love
4. Train Fare To Memphis
5. Lonesome Man
6. In Her Auto-mobile
7. Missouri Blue
8. Wild Bill
9. Trailer Up On A Hill
10. Suburban Boys
11. Let's Ride
12. Why Wyoming
13. You Lied Your Way
14. Turn Around
15. No Antidote
16. Run Out Of West

Here are some more photos:

Highpoint Brewery is located at 402 W. Arrow Highway, San Dimas, California.