I See Hawks In L.A. at Eclectic Music Festival And Arts Crawl, 4-30-22 Concert Review

Those who went to the Eclectic Music Festival And Arts Crawl in South Pasadena yesterday were treated to a double dose of Paul Lacques. At 3 p.m., Double Naught Spy Car took the stage outside of Old Focals, and then at 6:45 p.m. I See Hawks In L.A. performed at the East Stage. It was a busy day for the guitarist and lap steel player. During the Hawks’ soundcheck, he joked, “Check one, two, I’ve run out of things to say already.” And because the crowd had gathered during that soundcheck, they didn’t really have the opportunity to run through a full song before their set. So they said that the first song would be a soundcheck that before everyone’s eyes would morph into the set. That song was “Raised By Hippies,” which was included on both California Country and the compilation Shoulda Been Gold. It was a fun choice to open the show, and it provided a taste of the band’s great harmonies on the repeated line “Summer of love.”

As at their show last weekend at CSUN, the band focused on material from the latest release, 2021’s On Our Way, following “Raised By Hippies” with that album’s title track. Sometimes I find myself immersed in one particular song or another, and yesterday “On Our Way” was one that just wrapped itself around me. Everything about it was working especially well. “The path was everything.” Rob Waller then introduced “Poour Me” by saying it’s “a drinking song or a not drinking song, depending on your point of view.” For me, it certainly is a drinking song. But then again, most songs are, if you listen to them with the right kind of ears. The song, as always, was a lot of fun. Their set was then briefly interrupted by an announcement that a van needed to be moved. The band joked that it might, in fact, be their van. “Poour Me” comes from the band’s 2018 album Live And Never Learn, as does the next song they played, “Singing In The Wind.” “All that trouble/All the worry.”

Rob introduced “Geronimo” by saying, “Well, this song is about a hero of ours.” And when he said the name of the song, several people cheered. Clearly it’s a song they wanted to hear. And doesn’t that make your day, when a band you love plays the song you most want to hear? That was followed by “White Cross,” a song I always love to hear. Paul Lacques introduced it by saying it’s for the line dancers, but then he and Rob joked about how it might be dangerous to do that, with there being rocks in front of the stage and all. As it turned out, no one did attempt any sort of line dance in front of the stage. Paul Lacques delivered some particularly good work on guitar. They then went into “Mississippi Gas Station Blues,” another song from On Our Way. The rhythm is so central to this song, and everyone in the band contributes to that rhythm. Also from On Our Way comes “Kensington Market,” with Victoria Jacobs on lead vocals. The sun was going down during that song, and afterward Rob said, “I love playing sunset sets.”

I See Hawks In L.A. played a couple of new songs, both of which they also played last weekend, and both of which I was happy to hear again. The first is “Ohio.” It is a completely enjoyable song, but perhaps my favorite moment is when Victoria sings “Sweet home.” When you hear it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. And then Paul Marshall sang lead on “Salvation,” a beautiful song. “If you crave salvation, it’s here for you.” Apparently the band is working on a new album, and I’m hopeful that both of these songs will find places on it. The two new songs were followed by another song from On Our Way, “If I Move.” It’s another fun one, and the one my girlfriend enjoyed most yesterday, in large part because of its opening lines: “Drove by the McDonald’s where we decided not to get married/And the Denny’s where we said what the hell/There’s the parking lot where you told me you were pregnant/I’m beginning to know this town too well.” The band then wrapped up the set with “Humboldt,” a song with a great energy, one that got folks dancing. The show ended right at 8 p.m., as scheduled. There was no encore.

Set List

1. Raised By Hippies
2. On Our Way
3. Poour Me
4. Singing In The Wind
5. Geronimo
6. White Cross
7. Mississippi Gas Station Blues
8. Kensington Market
9. Ohio
10. Salvation
11. If I Move
12. Humboldt

Here are a few photos from their set:

"Raised By Hippies"

"Raised By Hippies"

"On Our Way

"

"Poour Me"

"Singing In The Wind"

"Singing In The Wind"

"White Cross"

"Kensington Market"

"Ohio"

 

"Salvation"

 

 

The East Stage was located at 1507 El Centro St., in South Pasadena.