Ted Russell Kamp at Ireland’s 32, 12-29-23 Concert Review

Last night Ted Russell Kamp delivered a great show at Ireland’s 32 in Van Nuys. Earlier in the week he took part in the regular jam that is held at that venue every Tuesday, playing a few originals including a song from his upcoming release. That’s right, he has a new album coming out in a few months, and word is it will be available on both CD and vinyl. Last night he played another song from it, one that was co-written by members of I See Hawks In L.A., and that was one of the show’s highlights. Ted Russell Kamp played bass, and was backed by Dave Raven on drums (he also played at Tuesday’s jam), Zachary Ross on guitar, and Dan Wistrom on guitar. That’s one heck of a good and experienced band.

At 9:42 p.m., Ted Russell Kamp took the stage for the first of three sets, and said of Ireland’s 32 that it’s “not only one of the coolest bars in Van Nuys, but one of the coolest places west of the Mississippi.” Maybe so. I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere of this place. There is really no nonsense there, no one trying to impress anyone or make a scene. It’s a neighborhood bar, where folks of all ages get together to enjoy a few drinks and some good music. Ted Russell Kamp opened the show with “The Good Part,” a song from the 2020 release Down In The Den, and followed it with another song from that same album, “Hobo Nickel,” which he also played during the jam on Tuesday. Dave Raven then sang lead on the first cover of the night, “That’s All Right, Mama.” Ted Russell Kamp sang mostly original material throughout the night, and Dave Raven chose several covers to do, including a couple by The Band. “That’s All Right, Mama” was followed by “California Wildflower,” from Ted Russell Kamp’s 2011 album Get Back To The Land, and then “Waste A Little Time With Me,” another song that was included on Down In The Den. That one had a cha-cha-cha ending, and after the song Ted Russell Kamp called attention to it, saying it was the first successful cha-cha-cha ending of the night. As far as I recall, it was the only cha-cha-cha ending of the show.

The first Band song of the show was “Up On Cripple Creek,” one of my favorites, and these guys delivered a rocking rendition, including a nice jam. That was followed by “Path Of Least Resistance,” a song included on Ted Russell Kamp’s 2021 album Solitaire. Last night it had something of a different vibe from the album version, because of the presence of a full band. I have a weakness for songs that contain baseball references, and in this one he sings, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you hit a home run every time/The crowd cheered like a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth/Some things, they come easy, but real dreams take time.” That was followed by “Paid By The Mile,” from Walkin’ Shoes, a song that Ted Russell Kamp wrote with Sam Morrow, who included it on his own Concrete And Mud. Dave Raven then sang lead on a cover of Little Walter’s “My Babe.” The first set concluded with “Daughter Of Temptation,” a seriously cool tune from North South. The first set ended at 10:40 p.m.

After a thirty-minute break, the band opened the second set with a new song, “Shine On,” which Ted Russell Kamp wrote with Rob Waller and Paul Lacques of I See Hawks In L.A., and one that is going to be on the new album. It was one I liked immediately, and it certainly has something of a Hawks flavor. They switched gears then with “Tail Light Shine,” which had a raw rocking power. That was followed by the second Band song of the night, “Ophelia,” with Dave Raven again singing lead. Ted Russell Kamp then returned to Walkin’ Shoes for “This Old Guitar,” and followed that with “If I Had A Dollar,” a song he said was inspired by Buck Owens, and one that got people dancing. They did a string of three covers, the first being Little Feat’s “Willin’” with Dave on lead vocals. Ted sang lead on the cover of “Someday We’ll Be Together,” which he introduced as one of his favorite Motown songs of all time, and which featured some excellent guitar work during the jam. Dave Raven sang lead on “Little Sister,” and had a whole lot of fun with it. The second set concluded with a fun original number, “The Last Drop,” a song from Night Owl. The set ended at 12:04 a.m.

At 12:29 a.m., the band opened the third set with “Steady At The Wheel,” chosen to satisfy a request for something groovy and getting the final set of the night off to a great start. They followed that with a really nice cover of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me,” with Ted singing lead. Dave then sang lead on a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” the band delivering a good, energetic rendition. But the highlight of the set came next, with “Have Some Faith,” an original song from Down In The Den. It began as a cool bluesy number, and then developed into an excellent psychedelic jam, the band just taking it where it wanted to go. Not just a highlight of the set, but of the entire show, this song was something special. They followed that with a cover of Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down,” with Dave singing lead. The set concluded with a fantastic rendition of “Home Away From Home,” a song from Walkin’ Shoes. Last night this song included a delicious drum solo, followed by a section of just bass and drums. Very cool. The set ended at 1:12 a.m. There was no encore.

Set List

Set I

1. The Good Part
2. Hobo Nickel
3. That’s All Right, Mama
4. California Wildflower
5. Waste A Little Time With Me
6. Up On Cripple Creek
7. Path Of Least Resistance
8. Paid By The Mile
9. My Babe
10. Daughter Of Temptation

Set II

1. Shine On
2. Tail Light Shine
3. Ophelia
4. This Old Guitar
5. If I Had A Dollar
6. Willin’
7. Someday We’ll Be Together
8. Little Sister
9. The Last Drop

Set III

1. Steady At The Wheel
2. She Belongs To Me
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Have Some Faith
5. The Bottle Let Me Down
6. Home Away From Home

Here are a few photos from the show:

Ireland’s 32 is located at 13721 Burbank Blvd. in Van Nuys, California. Ted Russell Kamp is next scheduled to perform there on January 31st. But between now and then, he’s playing the next show in that great new music series at the Mayan Bar & Grill in Monrovia. That show is on January 7th. See you there!