Michael Doherty's Music Log: I See Hawks In L.A. Play New Concert Series In Monrovia

Last night I See Hawks In L.A. played the first show in a new concert series held at the Mayan Bar & Grill in Monrovia. Yes, the inaugural show, and it was a treat. The bar is a seriously cool venue, with a stage set up inside, but also a courtyard in the back, with a fountain and several tables set up around it, cushions on all the chairs (clearly set up with an older crowd in mind). The courtyard is the kind of place you just want to hang out and write a short novel, while drinking several beers. And they had decorated it for Halloween (which as we all know is the best holiday of the year). I especially liked the two skeletons carrying a coffin, though I think they should have put a creepy doll inside the coffin, maybe seated and crowned as if the princess of the underworld, the skeletons her porters. Anyway, the place had a great vibe. And it was out in this courtyard where the first act, Kip Boardman, played.


Kip Boardman

Kip Boardman delivered an excellent set of music, focusing on material from The Good Leave, which was released on Bandcamp yesterday. He started his set at 6:17 p.m., joined by Paul Lacques on lap steel and backing vocals, and by Danny McGough on bass and backing vocals. Kip opened the set with a cover of The Beach Boys’ “‘Til I Die,” joking afterward that it was “one of their cheerful numbers.” Most of the rest of the set consisted of numbers from the new album. He played “Hold My Breath,” “If You Ever Came Back,” “Just Desserts,” “Just Another Of Them If’s,” “Last Mistake,” “Where Were You” and “Choose To Wait.” For “If You Ever Came Back,” “Just Desserts” and “Just Another Of Them If’s,” Paul Lacques switched to electric guitar. His work was particularly outstanding on “Just Another Of Them If’s.” But my favorite song of the set was “Last Mistake,” which was just absolutely beautiful. Kip followed that song with a cover of Procol Harum’s “Homburg.” At that point it was getting dark, and the strings of overhead lights suddenly went on, adding yet another bit of magic to the courtyard. He wrapped up his set with a touching rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Dreaming My Dreams With You.” His set ended at 7:01 p.m.

And then everyone moved inside for the I See Hawks In L.A. set. A stage was set up on the lower level of the bar where, in keeping with the Mayan theme, a disco ball was hanging. Gwendolyn Sanford, hosting the show, introduced the band at 7:20 p.m., and they got things off to an energetic and rocking start with “Hippie On The Road.” Rob Waller then told the crowd, “We’re all hippies on the road tonight,” referring to Route 66, which Foothill Blvd. is part of. And he then joked about Paul Lacques playing exclusively with them. As you might be aware, Paul Lacques plays in a lot of bands, including Old Californio, which is scheduled to play the next concert in this series. That’s going to be on November 5th (the series will be held every first Sunday of the month), that bill also including Tony Gilkyson and Rick Shea. Yeah, that’s going to be another phenomenal night of music.

The Hawks followed “Hippie On The Road” with “Geronimo,” a song from the band’s 2021 release On Our Way, and then “Highway Down,” from Hallowed Ground. I first heard I See Hawks In L.A. on Barry Smolin’s radio program, “The Music Never Stops,” back when it was a four-hour show (those were the days, weren’t they?). And then as I was getting into this band’s music, “Highway Down” quickly became a favorite of mine. I put it on at least two mix CDs for people. And it was so good to hear it last night. They then did “Ohio,” which featured some excellent work by Paul Lacques on electric guitar. The band was clearly having fun at this show. At one point during “My Parka Saved Me,” Rob Waller’s vocal microphone cut out, and so the band jammed a bit while it was fixed. And Victoria Jacob’s microphone could have been turned up a bit, but it still ended up being a good rendition. The moment when Victoria turned to Rob and corrected him, “It was my brother’s parka,” was hilarious. At the end of it, Paul Marshall said he hoped the crowd got the gist of the story, and Rob thanked the crack team of specialists who got the microphone working.

Interestingly, it was “If I Move,” another song from On Our Way, that got everyone up and dancing. Some sort of collective decision was made, and folks were suddenly on their feet and moving around the floor, having fun. The band is known for their harmonies, and this song in particular last night sounded wonderful. Paul Marshall then sang lead on “Salvation,” introducing the song as being “about a trip to find something.” This was another highlight of the set for me. That was followed by “California Country,” Paul Lacques getting rather playful on the guitar during this one. Again, it was clear the band was having a great time. And so was the audience. The set concluded with “Good And Foolish Times.” They had wrapped up the set the previous day with that song too, but last night it was even better. They jammed on it a little more, and the energy was high. Their set ended at 8:12 p.m.

Set List