Rick Shea & The Losin’ End at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 11-20-24 Concert Review

Rick Shea & The Losin' End

Last night Rick Shea & The Losin’ End brought their monthly dose of magic to Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, and this show was a special treat, for Ray Bonneville was the guest artist. Not only that, but Richie Lawrence joined Ray on keyboard, accordion and backing vocals. You might know Richie from his work in Rotondi and, at times, with I See Hawks In L.A., and from his own solo career (he has a new album coming out soon). I arrived early and caught the tail end of Ray’s sound check and knew I was in for something great. These are the nights that I live for. Seriously. All the insanity, all the aches and frustrations regarding the state of the country, they fade away when the music takes hold. “It’s going to be fantastic,” Jeff Turmes said during The Losin’ End’s sound check. He was jokingly referring to the struggle to fit everything on the relatively small stage and whatnot, but I knew that what he said would prove apt regarding the show.

"Mexicali Train"

Rick Shea & The Losin’ End, this time with the great Tony Gilkyson back in the lineup (he wasn’t able to make last month’s gig), took the stage at 8:35 p.m. for the first set. Rick mentioned that they’d been doing this residency for just about a year, and then kicked things off with “Big Rain Is Comin’ Mama.” This time in his introduction he didn’t mention writing it in the election year of 2020, or the apocalyptic nature of the song, but rather mentioned some big storms up north, referred to in the news as a “bomb cyclone.” Tony delivered some nice leads on guitar. That was followed by “Mexicali Train,” with that wonderful rhythm that makes us all feel we’re on that train. I love when music is able to transport me. There is something timeless about that vibe, isn’t there? And speaking of being transported, “Mariachi Hotel” is a song that does it for me every time, and is one of my personal favorites, in part because of Rick’s guitar work. That was in turned followed by “The Starkville Blues.”

"Early Train"

Jeff then took a turn at singing lead. The song he chose was “Don’t The Moon Look Real,” but after a false start, he changed his mind. Rick apologized to him, saying he got lost. “It’s okay if you get lost, it’s not okay I get lost,” Jeff replied, and led the band into “Early Train,” a wonderful slow number that has a dreamlike quality, which works well as he sings of people who are “dreaming still.” The band then played “Nelly Bly,” a cool tune that had something of a jazzy ending, which I loved. When it was Tony’s turn to pick a song, he chose “Papa Don’t Sleep,” a good instrumental tune from his most recent album, Avenging Angel. When introducing “Hold On Jake,” Rick said that there is a shout-out to the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon’s bartender in the song. Rick then wrapped up the first set with “Tender Hearted Love,” a song he wrote for his wife, one of several, as he indicated. “This one she liked,” he told the crowd. How could she not like it? It was a sweet number. The set ended at 9:22 p.m.

"Roll It Down"

Ray Bonneville played guitar and harmonica during his set, and had two foot pedals for percussion. As I mentioned, he was joined by Richie Lawrence, who played keyboard for most of the songs, but accordion on a few. Ray started his set at 9:40 p.m. with “Roll It Down,” the title track from his 2003 album. Ray added a bit of harmonica during Richie’s keyboard lead, which was very cool, and then delivered a good harmonica lead. “I love a one-chord song,” Ray said afterward, joking about learning the E chord and thinking he had arrived. He followed “Roll It Down” with “Waiting On The Night,” which had a cool vibe, and then mentioned how he’s known Richie since the 1970s.  Richie joked about finding a new grey hair upon waking, and they then went into “Next Card To Fall,” which also followed “Waiting On The Night” on Ray’s 2018 album At King Electric. This song had a delicious, bluesy groove, and featured some great work on harmonica. Ray followed that with another song from At King Electric, “South Of The Blues,” featuring cool stuff on keys. “This place has got some soul,” Ray commented afterward, leading someone in the audience to ask if he’d played there before. “No,” Ray answered. Ray Bonneville is based mainly in Ontario, Canada, though also spends some of his time in Austin, Texas. He is currently touring, doing a series of shows in California, and we were fortunate to get to see him at such an intimate, laid-back venue.

"Blonde Of Mine"

From Easy Gone, his 2014 album, Ray played “Who Do Call The Shots,” which featured some good work on keys. That was followed by “Blonde Of Mine,” the first song of the night to feature Richie Lawrence on accordion. His playing received applause from the crowd, and there was a beautiful section with harmonica and accordion. “I don’t know where she is tonight/All I know is she’s on my mind.” Richie was then back on keys for “July Sun,” a song that featured a strong lead on keyboard. Ray established a great blues vibe on “Stand Real Still” before Richie came in on keys. This song grew in power during the instrumental section, focusing on keys and harmonica, and it ended up being a highlight of the set. Ray glanced up and saw a television by the bar. “Been a while since I’ve played with the TV on,” he commented. Like most of the audience, I had my back to the television and so wasn’t even aware of it until Ray mentioned it. I wonder why it was left on.

“Please think about the good times, and not the bad,” Ray sang in “Good Times,” and for just a moment I thought about the state of the country and the bad times that are most certainly ahead for many people. A key to dealing with this whole thing is, I think, focusing on the good stuff, whatever is working in our lives. Anyway, that song featured a wonderful lead on keys. Richie switched to accordion again for “Lone Freighter’s Wail.” “Crow John” followed, and then Ray closed out his set with a delicious blues number titled “What Was I To Do.” “No way to maneuver through her maze.” The encore was “Tender Heart,” a song from At King Electric. “See how easy a tender heart can break.” Ray finished at 10:52 p.m.

"Man About Town"

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the equipment was switched around on the stage, and Rick Shea & The Losin’ End returned for their second set, opening with “Down At The Bar At Gypsy Sally’s,” a song that creates a cool atmosphere. “Blues Stop Knocking At My Door” followed, and then we were treated to a wonderful rendition of “Mathilda.” Jeff introduced “Don’t The Moon Look Real,” saying, “We’re going to try this one again.” This time, no one got lost, and the song featured a really nice guitar lead from Tony. Tony then sang lead on “Man About Town.” That was followed by “Sweet Bernadine,” the group delivering an outstanding rendition that included a nice jam toward the end. This was a highlight of the set. “Juanita (Why Are You So Mean)” followed, and in his introduction to this fun number, Rick said that his wife’s family is more interesting than his own. Jeff kept the energy high with his great song “Why You Turned Out So Weird.” The set also included “Sweet Little Mama” and “Wicked Messenger,” Tony Gilkyson singing lead on the latter. When Rick was trying to choose a closing number, the venue’s sound guy helped him make the choice by saying he’d like to hear some Chuck Berry. So the show ended with a rousing rendition of “Thirty Days,” the audience shouting out the title line, and the band jamming a bit. The show ended at 12:01 a.m.

Set Lists

Set I

1. Big Rain Is Comin’ Mama
2. Mexicali Train
3. Mariachi Hotel
4. The Starkville Blues
5. Early Train
6. Nelly Bly
7. Papa Don’t Sleep
8. Hold On Jake
9. Tender Hearted Love

Ray Bonneville’s Set

1. Roll It Down
2. Waiting On The Night
3. Next Card To Fall
4. South Of The Blues
5. Who Do Call The Shots
6. Blonde Of Mine
7. July Sun
8. Stand Real Still
9. Good Times
10. Lone Freighter’s Wail
11. Crow John
12. What Was I To Do
13. Tender Heart

Set II

1. Down At The Bar At Gypsy Sally’s
2. Blues Stop Knocking At My Door
3. Mathilda
4. Don’t The Moon Look Real
5. Man About Town
6. Sweet Bernadine
7. Juanita (Why Are You So Mean)
8. Why You Turned Out So Weird
9. Sweet Little Mama
10. Wicked Messenger
11. Thirty Days

"Papa Don't Sleep"

"Roll It Down"

"Blonde Of Mine"

"Blues Stop Knocking At My Door"

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