Last night was the second, and final, night of the
Americana West Music Festival, held at the Hotel Café. As on the first night, I
started my evening in the main room. I also had parked my car in the exact same
spot on the street and ordered the same beer, because I was ready for the night
to be just as good as the previous night, and was doing my part to help it
along. Or maybe it’s just because Guinness was the only really good beer
available at the venue. That might have been it. Anyway, the lineup was
excellent, and the evening needed no help from me. It was going to be
spectacular no matter what I did or didn’t do, and no matter which stage I
chose to visit at any particular time.
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| Ben Reddell |
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Ben Reddell was scheduled to go on at 7 p.m., and right
at 7 he was on the stage, and at 7:03 was ready to go. He played acoustic
guitar, and was joined by Brian Whelan on electric guitar. He opened his set
with “Tumbleweed,” a song from his 2021 EP
¡LA Baby! and a sweet choice to begin the show. He
then picked up the pace with “If You Love Her And You Need Her,” a fun country
number that was also included on that EP, where it had something of a Cajun flavor.
This delightful tune had a cha-cha-cha ending. Ben then told the crowd that it
was good to be back in Hollywood, that he’s been spending his time on the east
side. It’s interesting to me how folks can end up sticking to one area or
neighborhood of a city, but I suppose we all do that to varying degrees. He did
a short set, only four songs, but all four were excellent, and the final song
he played was beautiful. It was a great start to the night. And while I would
have liked to hear more from Ben Reddell, his playing a short set meant that I
was able to catch a good chunk of Grey DeLisle’s set on the second stage. She
was accompanied by Eddie Clendening, of the Blue Ribbon Boys, on guitar. Her
song “I Missed You,” had folks (including me) laughing out loud. She said she
wrote that song instead of running her husband over with the car. Probably a
good choice. Her set also included “Don’t Let Go Of My Hand,” a sweet song that
had me nearly in tears. It was written about her grandmother, who had raised
her. She and Eddie ended the set with a good cover of “Jackson.” Grey DeLisle’s
set ended at 7:40 p.m.
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| Zoe Sky Jordan |
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Zoe Sky Jordan was up next on the second stage, where I
was going to spend most of the evening. She opened her set with “Just Fine,”
playing solo electric guitar to a recorded beat. She then dispensed with the
beat for her second song, which had a more intimate feel. Liam Russell joined her
acoustic guitar, and the two delivered a nice rendition of “If I Were A
Carpenter.” Michaela Slinger then joined her on backing vocals for “Selfish,”
the title track to her album. Michaela also sang on “Never Baby.” Zoe Sky
Jordan’s set ended at 8:12 p.m. She was followed by The Morning Yells, who
immediately impressed me with their vocal work. The second song of their set,
“Hummingbird,” was particularly pretty. These guys didn’t bother with stage
banter, and instead were all about the music. Which was fine, particularly as
the music was so good. Probably my favorite song of their set was “Coma State,”
its first surprising me, “
I was hoping to
lose you.” They wrapped up their set with “Our Garden,” which featured
beautiful harmonies. “
No nothing grows
here anymore/At least we tried.” Their set ended at 8:43 p.m. Breezers
followed, with only five of the six musicians being able to fit on the small
stage. From their first song, their music had a wonderful, soothing and
friendly vibe. The second number was more energetic, and with a cheerful sound.
My favorite song of the set was “Cemetery,” but the whole set was enjoyable and
featured some catchy rhythms. They finished at 9:18 p.m.
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| Miranda Lee Richards |
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Miranda Lee Richards is someone I had seen in concert
before, and whom I was excited to see again. Clearly others were too, for she
drew an enthusiastic crowd to that second room. She opened at 9:29 p.m. with
“Blood On My Hands,” which had a great vibe.
“
This
next one is called ‘Tried To Run Away,’ but don’t try to run away now,” she
joked. That song featured some nice work on electric guitar. Elements of that
song, including the vocal rhythm at times, reminded me a bit of CSNY’s “Ohio,”
and the song featured a passionate vocal performance. She followed that with
“Worth,” a song she apparently has never released officially on an album. It’s
such a good song, it’s a wonder why it hasn’t been included on a CD. “Desert
Queen” featured some nice harmonies. Her set ended at 9:55 p.m. She was
followed by Rah Rah Rabbit, with Gilbert Louie Ray on bass. This group was one
of my favorites of the night. They opened with “Doin’ Time,” a totally delightful
number. There was a great sense of joy to the music, and in the delivery.
Vocalist Laura Anne Lacy then ripped into the second song, a wild and fun
number. The set also included “When You Get It,” “Game You’re Playing” and
“Checkered And Blue.” Before their final number, “Wolves,” Laura Anne Lacy
joked, “
We’ve been Rah Rah Rabbit, and we
still are.” This is a band I’m going to keep an eye out for. The set
concluded at 10:29 p.m.
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| Lee Gallagher |
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I headed back to the main room, and caught the last
portion of Emily Rose And The Rounders’ set. Fun music featuring some good work
on pedal steel. She closed her set with “Wild Fire.” And then Lee Gallagher And
The Hallelujah took the stage. Of the night’s entire lineup, which was
outstanding from beginning to end, this was the group I was most excited about.
Lee Gallagher opened with “Planes,” the lead track from
The Falcon Ate The Flower. His voice is really
something; it has electricity when he belts out a line. And the band was
jamming almost immediately. It was a fantastic start.
He followed that with “Half Lit (The Future’s
Ours).” And it got me wondering, How is this guy not already a rock star
playing at large arenas? He certainly has that power, and also volume. It was
loud in that room. At the end of that song, he delivered some great stuff on
harmonica. Justin Smith, who played with Miranda Lee Richards, was
on drums for Lee Gallagher’s set too. The whole band delivered some energetic
music, and the set was over all too soon.
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Wyman And The Wolves
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I then finished off the night in the second stage room. I
caught the very end of Deb Morrison’s set. She finished up with a song titled
“Blackbird,” a very cool tune. The band then led the crowd in wishing happy
birthday to a band member’s girlfriend, who was in the audience. While Wyman
And The Wolves were setting up, I heard some folks talking about how they’d
been enjoying Lee Gallagher’s set, but that it had been just too loud. I get
it, but I hope that didn’t turn away too many people. I saw Wyman And The
Wolves at a special concert last summer celebrating Mick Jagger’s 80th
birthday. At that show, they did a really good rendition of “Paint It Black.”
They opened their set last night at 12:15 a.m. with “Throwin’ Shade,” which
featured some nice stuff on guitar. Their song about rolling blackouts
contained elements of funk and disco, and was fun. They wrapped up the set, and
the festival, with “Deep Dark Blue.” “
We’re
going to end with a weird one, ‘cause that’s what we do,” they announced
before starting the song. A nice way to close out the show, send us back out
into the Hollywood night with a little weirdness.
Here are a few photos from the night:
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| Grey DeLisle |
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| The Morning Yells |
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| Breezers | |
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| Rah Rah Rabbit |
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| Emily Rose |
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| Deb Morrison |
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