The Palomino closed just a few years before I moved to Los Angeles, so I never had the opportunity enjoy a concert there. It was located at 6907 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, not far from where I currently live, that building now a banquet hall. For several decades it was the Los Angeles venue to go for great country music, a place that hosted artists like Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, and was where Ronnie Mack held his Barn Dance. Those of us who never were able to attend a show there still got a taste of the place in films like
Every Which Way But Loose and
Hooper. And now, finally, we can see a lot more of it in
The Palomino, the new documentary written by KP Hawthorn and directed by Adrienne Isom.
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| KP Hawthorn and Adrienne Isom |
Some of my favorite singers and musicians gathered at the Grammy Museum last night for a special screening of the documentary (which is not quite in its final form, as some licensing of rights is still in progress). I'm usually oblivious to buzz regarding films, but I've been hearing about this project for several years, from many different sources, mostly from musicians that I respect, who have been eager to see this movie. There was an excitement and a joy in the room even before the film started, as folks who hadn't seen each other in years were able to catch up a bit. Adrienne Isom and KP Hawthorn introduced the film, joking about how the Palomino ghost was responsible for moving some letters around in the credits. I had heard some stories about The Palomino (it would be difficult to live in this city and completely avoid such tales), which is part of why I was excited to see the film. But, holy moly, the story the documentary reveals is even wilder and more interesting than I'd expected or imagined. We've all heard about some of the famous people who showed up to play there (Bob Dylan and George Harrison being among their number), but equally engaging was the family story at the center of the drama, something I had known nothing about. The filmmakers were able to interview members of the Thomas family, including Janet Thomas, who provides some hilarious anecdotes about growing up at the venue, tending bar at the age of six (and, yes, there are photos). And through them we get an even greater appreciation for what Tommy Thomas did with the place, and through them we experience the heartbreak over what happened after Tommy's death.
But of course it's the music that drives the documentary. Some fantastic musicians appear in the film to help tell the venue's story, as well as their own stories and the story of the southern California country music scene. Because, while the Palomino is the focus, the film does go beyond that to celebrate that great southern California sound, at times in comparison to what was happening in Nashville. Those interviewed include James Intveld, Rosie Flores, Dave Alvin, John Jorgenson, Tony Booth, Emmylou Harris, Albert Lee, Ronee Blakley, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Ely, Chip Kinman, Ryan Hedgecock, Ronnie Mack, Lucinda Williams, Chris Shiflett, and Dave Stuckey. There is some much-deserved praise for the venue's great house band, and also information on the talent show, where folks could get up and play a song. Both James Intveld and Rosie Flores performed in those contests. And there is plenty of footage of folks playing at that club, including some excellent shots of Jerry Lee Lewis rocking the piano. The place looks like heaven to me. Los Angeles still has, as far as I've been able to tell, the best music community in the entire country, and the history is phenomenal. I imagine that music fans in other parts of the country upon seeing this film are going to want to move here. Even though The Palomino is gone, the sort of spirit that we see in this film still exists here. And who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
Following the film, there was a Q&A with KP Hawthorn, Adrienne Isom, Tony Booth, Rosie Flores, James Intveld, and John Jorgenson, moderated by Scott P. Bomar. The musicians shared some of their memories of the days at The Palomino, with Tony Booth talking about the house band, and Rosie Flores mentioning that after winning the talent night contest several times she was given a proper gig at the venue. She also mentioned the supportive atmosphere of the club and among musicians. That's something that still seems present in this city. James Intveld mentioned that the club was also a great place to find musicians if you needed someone for a gig you had booked elsewhere. He also told the story of taking Bruce Springsteen to The Palomino. After the Q&A, James and Rosie grabbed their guitars and delivered a wonderful rendition of "Crying Over You," which was written by James and was a hit for Rosie in 1987. "
See you all at the Redwood," James then told the crowd.
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| James Intveld and Rosie Flores |
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| James Intveld |
The Redwood Bar & Grill was renamed The Palomino for the occasion, with Palomino signs on the stage, including one listing upcoming performers Jerry Lee Lewis and Flying Burrito Brothers. So for folks like me, people who never had the opportunity to visit The Palomino, this was the chance to enjoy a little of the magic of that place. More than a little, actually. As at The Palomino, there was a great house band, which included Marty Rifkin on steel guitar, Bob Gothar on electric guitar, Kip Dabbs on drums and Lorne Rall on upright bass, with James Intveld leading the group. At 10:17 p.m., James asked the packed house, "
Are you ready to party?" It was kind of a deliberately humorous question, because, as James was well aware, the party vibe had begun even before the film started. But, yeah, things were about to be taken to another level, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. James led things off, appropriately, with "Let's Get Started." He followed that with "A Woman's Touch," a song of his that Rob Waller covered on
See The Big Man Cry (and Marty Rifkin played pedal steel on that rendition too). That was followed by "Pretty World." Marty and Bob delivered some nice leads on these songs, but the leads were all fairly short.
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| Tony Booth |
The first guest of the night to join the band was Tony Booth, who delivered a fun rendition of "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues," playing James' acoustic guitar, while James moved to electric bass. Tony followed that with "The Other Woman," and toward the end of that song a woman threw her bra at him, but then wanted it back when he joked he was going to keep it. Very silly, but keeping with the great spirit of the night. "The Bottle Let Me Down" followed, and when Tony was looking like he might be done, James encouraged him to sing "The Key's In The Mailbox," which was the title track to Tony's 1972 record. And of course it was great to hear him sing it. Ronee Blakley then joined the band on vocals, James inviting her up to sing her
Nashville songs. Her performance in the Robert Altman movie might be what she is most known for, but what I especially love her for is her work with Leonard Cohen on
Death Of A Ladies' Man. She first delivered an excellent rendition of "Bluebird." Afterward, she asked James Intveld, "
Was I singing too loud?" "
No," he told her. With a great, delicious power? Absolutely. With too much volume? No, definitely not. She then sang "My Idaho Home," delivering another wonderful performance, and closed our her portion of the show with a good cover of "Your Cheatin' Heart." Before bringing up the next guest, James Intveld gave us a nice version of "They Call Me A Playboy."
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| Tony Booth and the bra |
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| Ronee Blakley |
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| Rosie Flores |
Then Rosie Flores joined the band. "
What a night!" she exclaimed. Indeed! She kicked her portion of the set off with a delightful rendition of "Honky Tonk Moon." After the line "
I don't want to go home," at one point she added, "
Do you? No." Certainly not. There was still a whole lot of great music ahead. She followed that with "God May Forgive You (But I Won't)," a song she included on her first album, and one she introduced as being "
a song that James and I used to do back in the Palomino days." And speaking of Palomino days, Rosie next played "Palomino Days," dedicating it to Adrienne and KP. It should come as no suprise that this song was a highlight of the night, an important part of the celebration. "
Would you like to hear some blues?" Rosie then asked the crowd. She gave us a cool version of her "Drive Drive Drive," a song from her
Simple Case Of The Blues album. Marty delivered an excellent lead on pedal steel, and the song became a good jam. Chip Kinman and Jeff Ross then joined the group on vocals and electric guitar respectively, delivering a great rendition of "White Lightning," the crowd singing the title line.
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| Rosie Flores and James Intveld |
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| Chip Kinman with Palomino T-shirt |
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| Mustangs Of The West |
Up next were Mustangs Of The West, who opened their part of the show appropriately with "Down At The Palomino," which of course was another highlight. The song was written by John Beland, and in introducing it, Suzanna said they wanted to write an extra verse about Ronnie Mack and the Barn Dance, and they got John Beland's blessing. By the way, the song mentions Tony Booth in its lyrics, as well as Bob Dylan and John Fogerty. It was kind of wild to see Tony Booth play and later in the same show hear him mentioned in John Beland's lyrics. The Mustangs got the audience clapping along, and the song became a good jam. They followed that with a pretty rendition of "Evangeline," featuring some nice stuff on both fiddle and pedal steel. Alice Wallace was up next. "
Happy Palomino night, everybody," she greeted the crowd. She then delivered a wonderful rendition of Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time," playing James Intveld's acoustic guitar. What a beautiful vocal performance! KP Hawthorn joined her for a fun version of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," the two sounding great together. They even danced together during an instrumental break. Sure, the ending of the song was a little awkward, but that just added to the charm.
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| Alice Wallace |
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| Ronnie Mack |
Ronnie Mack and Dave Stuckey then joined the group. "
The documentary got into it in pretty fine detail," Dave said. "
But Ronnie Mack, he carried the torch for so long at the Barn Dance." A sweet moment. And everyone in the room was very excited to see Ronnie Mack. He sang lead on "It's Only Make Believe," with both he and Dave playing acoustic guitar. This was another highlight. They followed that with an energetic rendition of "One After 909." Ronnie Mack left the stage, and Dave Stuckey remained to sing lead on a hopping rendition of "Miss Molly." James took over lead vocals on the second verse. Things got even more fun with their take on "Mohair Sam." James then led the band into "Shotgun Boogie," another fun number. Adrienne Isom then took over on upright bass, for "Right Or Wrong," the Bob Wills tune, with Dave Stuckey on lead vocals. After that song, Dave left the stage, and Chris Isom took over on electric guitar for a cool rendition of "Six Days On The Road," with Adrienne Isom again on upright bass, and KP Hawthorn joining on backing vocals. James Intveld was on lead vocals. "
Give it up to Chris, the loudest guitar player up here so far tonight," James said afterward. That was followed by "Mama Tried," with James again on lead vocals, and Bob back on electric guitar and backing vocals. John Surge then joined the band on lead vocals and guitar for a totally fun rendition of "Honky Tonky Song," Bob delivering a good lead on guitar. This was yet another highlight of a fantastic night. James Intveld had one more song up his sleeve, and brought the night to a close with a delicious cover of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land." The show ended just before one in the morning.
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| Dave Stuckey |
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| KP Hawthorn and Chris Isom |
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| John Surge |
What a night! Keep an eye out for future screenings of
The Palomino. This is a movie that music fans (and isn't that everyone?) are not going to want to miss.
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