Rick Shea & The Losin’ End at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 10-16-24 Concert Review

Rick Shea has a regular gig at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon in Tarzana, performing on the third Wednesday of each month. Titled “Swingin’ Doors,” this music series also features a special guest artist performing a set. If you live in Los Angeles and haven’t made it out to one of these shows yet, I highly recommend making the effort, because not only is the music great, but the venue has a relaxed vibe, there are always good choices of IPAs on tap, and there is no cover. And if you need any more enticement, there’s a free parking lot. Yes, I’m serious. A free parking lot in Los Angeles is rarer than a winning lottery ticket, but there it is.

Last night just after 8:30, Rick Shea & The Losin’ End took the stage and eased into the first set with a cool, somewhat laid-back blues number, “Sweet Little Mama,” drummer Dale Daniel using brushes on this one. “I’m standing in the shadows/All I ever had is gone.” Tony Gilkyson had planned to go fishing last night, so Stephen Patt sat in on guitar, and on accordion for some songs, such as the second song of the set, “Big Rain Is Comin’ Mama.” That was followed by a particularly good rendition of “Shelter Valley Blues.” Sometimes both the crowd and the musicians know when things are going just right, and such was the case with that song last night. They started to rock with a fun rendition of “Hold On Jake” that featured some good stuff on guitar, first by Rick and then by Stephen. Bass player Jeff Turmes then took over lead vocal duties on “Early Train,” a cool, slow number. “Summer’s coming and I love someone.” That was followed by “The Starkville Blues” and then a cover of Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonk Blues,” which was delivered as a slow, glorious blues number, featuring some particularly nice work on guitar. The band wrapped up the set with one of my personal favorites, “Trouble Like This.” It’s a beautiful, captivating song, and last night Stephen delivered some really pretty guitar work on it. “And I’ve seen trouble like this before.” The first set ended at 9:12 p.m.

Lisa Finnie & Friends

The special guest at last night’s show was Lisa Finnie & Friends. Those Friends included John McDuffie on pedal steel, so I knew before they even started that we were in good hands. The band also included Dylan Thomas on electric guitar and backing vocals, John Palmer on drums, and Art Stucco on bass. Lisa Finnie was on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. At 9:35 p.m., she said, “Hi, everybody,” and then went right into the first song, “The Way To Love,” with John Palmer playing both drums and harmonica, not an easy task. And I wondered briefly what was kept in that Close Encounter Of The Third Kind metal lunch box on the shelf behind him. “This is my first full gig out since before the pandemic,” Lisa told the crowd. You might also know Lisa Finnie from her radio program, for in addition to being a talented singer/songwriter, she hosts “The Dylan Hours” on 88.5 FM. “So Much Better” began with just vocals and acoustic guitar, and found the drummer again delivering some nice harmonica work, but this time without playing drums simultaneously. Lisa Finnie then covered a Rick Shea song, “Cold And Lonely Shadows,” delivering a really nice rendition, Dylan and John McDuffie providing backing vocals. She followed that with “River Of Love,” a song she had recorded for The Sound Of My Own Tune: An Artists’ Tribute To Patty Booker, which was released early this year. Then “In My Dreams” had a wonderful and very cool haunting sound. After that one, she mentioned that it was about a woman who died trying to access her lover’s house through the chimney. She followed that with “Slow Burn.” The lines “And I wonder if you know how much I dream about your kiss/If I told you now, would we fall into love’s dark abyss” stood out for me. “This is a dancing song,” Lisa told the crowd when introducing “Till The Cows Come Home,” indicating the three or four feet of space on the floor in front of the stage. No one attempted it. The set also included the beautiful “Lynda Says,” a newer (and very cool) song titled “Take Me Early,” the bluesy (and even cooler) “Take The Low Road” (one of my personal favorites), and “Ball And Chain.” The band’s encore was a good rendition of the Staple Singers’ “Why Am I Treated So Bad,” featuring some wonderful harmonizing. The set ended at 10:36 p.m.

"Goodbye Alberta"

At 10:52, Rick Shea & The Losin’ End were back on stage. Rick said, of Lisa Finnie’s set, “It was like a spell cast over the room.” He then joked, “And we’re here to break that spell.” They opened the second set with “Goodbye Alberta,” with Stephen on accordion. That was followed by a fun rendition of “Blues Stop Knocking At My Door,” Stephen on electric guitar for that one. Jeff then sang lead on “Why You Turned Out So Weird,” a great song with kind of a funky edge. Afterward Jeff said, “I want to dedicate that one to JD Vance, public figure,” playing on the whole “weird” thing that Tim Walz started a while back.  “Nelly Bly” followed, and then “Mexicali Train,” with Stephen on accordion. I always love hearing that song, and it’s particularly good with accordion. Stephen remained on accordion for “Juanita (Why Are You So Mean),” that song thriving on the presence of accordion. That was followed by another of my personal favorites, “Mariachi Hotel.” Jeff took another turn at lead vocals on “Don’t The Moon Look Real,” from his Five Horses, Four Riders album. Stephen played accordion on that one too, then switched back to electric guitar for “Sweet Bernardine.” In Rick’s introduction to that song, he mentioned being from San Bernardino, and how that city is on the news for all the wrong reasons. There was a nice jam at the end. The second set ended with a couple of covers, the first being “Mathilda,” which was a hit for Cookie And His Cupcakes in 1959. And fittingly, Rick Shea & The Losin’ End wrapped up the show with a good cover of Neil Young’s “The Losing End (When You’re On).” The show ended at 11:50 p.m.

Set List

Set I

1. Sweet Little Mama
2. Big Rain Is Comin’ Mama
3. Shelter Valley Blues
4. Hold On Jake
5. Early Train
6. The Starkville Blues
7. Honky Tonk Blues
8. Trouble Like This

Lisa Finnie & Friends Set

1. The Way To Love
2. So Much Better
3. Cold And Lonely Shadows
4. River Of Love
5. In My Dreams
6. Slow Burn
7. Till The Cows Come Home
8. Lynda Says
9. Take Me Early
10. Take The Low Road
11. Ball And Chain
12. Why Am I Treated So Bad

Set II

1. Goodbye Alberta
2. Blues Stop Knocking At My Door
3. Why You Turned Out So Weird
4. Nelly Bly
5. Mexicali Train
6. Juanita (Why Are You So Mean)
7. Mariachi Hotel
8. Don’t The Moon Look Real
9. Sweet Bernardine
10. Mathilda
11. The Losing End (When You’re On)

"Big Rain Is Comin' Mama"

"Early Train"

"The Way To Love"

"Cold And Lonely Shadows"

"Cold And Lonely Shadows"

"Goodbye Alberta"

"Blues Stop Knocking At My Door"

"Juanita (Why Are You So Mean)"

Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd., in Tarzana, California.

One last photo: