Michael Doherty's Music Log: I See Hawks In L.A. at Tuning Fork, 2-22-26 Concert Review

"Good And Foolish Times"

If you’ve known me more than four minutes, you’ve heard me talk about I See Hawks In L.A., one of the absolute best bands out there, and one of the reasons I want to remain in Los Angeles even though all my family is three thousand miles away. These guys always deliver an excellent show, and on Sunday they gave a particularly wonderful performance at Tuning Fork in Studio City. It was the band’s first time playing at that venue, though Paul Marshall had played there with a couple of other artists in recent times, and it was clear even during the soundcheck that it was going to be a fun night. “This is going to be our soundcheck, so don’t attempt to adjust your tables, your chairs or anything,” Paul told the crowd, setting a playful tone for the evening. And after the brief soundcheck he said, “We’ve got five minutes, so talk among yourselves, and we’ll see you in five.”

"Ohio"

At 7:01 p.m., the band opened the first set with “Carbon Dated Love,” and immediately good vibes filled the packed room. The song featured some excellent harmonies, as well as a nice lead by Dan Wistrom on electric guitar. “Nice to be here at the Tuning Fork,” Paul said. And Rob Waller added, “Tuning in.” The band then went into “White Cross,” which featured another good lead by Dan, who this time got more of a chance to stretch out a bit. “I know the angels love me/Even though I did them wrong.” Then during “Ohio,” it was perfectly clear that the band was having a great time. Dan delivered more good stuff on electric guitar. This is a song that I always love hearing, and I especially love that moment at the end when it’s just the drums. I don’t know exactly when the new Hawks album is coming out, but it’s going to be a good one.

"Poour Me"

Dan switched to pedal steel for “Poour Me,” “for the pedal steel aficionados in the house,” Rob said during the song’s introduction. The “bad burrito” line makes me laugh every time the band plays this one. There was a whole lot of joy on that stage throughout the evening, and perhaps especially during that song. The sound guy asked Paul if they could close the curtains at the back of the stage, and so they did, which meant any folks passing by on Ventura Place would no longer be able to see in. I had been to this venue a few times before this and noticed folks standing there checking out the band, but I hadn’t seen anyone this time (though, really, I was too focused on the music to notice much of anything else going on). “Poour Me” was followed by “On Our Way.” One thing I love about this band is that their music offers comfort, offers encouragement. This is a band that is on your side, you know? There is a friendly warmth to the music that is welcoming, inviting. Music that says, “Yeah, come on in, we know you.” I think the right sort of person connects to it immediately, recognizing something within it. It just feels so natural, like it’s always been a part of our lives. “The path is everything,” Rob sings in “On Our Way.”

"Truth Is You Lied"

There have been a lot of deaths in the music world lately, and one that hit me especially hard was Bob Weir. If you’ve heard the Hawks, you’re probably aware that these guys are Grateful Dead fans too. They even have a song called “I Fell In Love With The Grateful Dead.” So in tribute to Bob, they played “Friend Of The Devil,” with Dan moving to pedal steel again. It was a sweet, if short, rendition. “Here’s a legitimate country song for you,” Paul then said, introducing “Truth Is You Lied.” The band delivered a really nice rendition, with Dan remaining on pedal steel for that one. Victoria Jacobs then sang lead on “Skipping Stones,” a relatively new song that has quickly become a favorite of mine. I love the rhythm and the whole vibe. That was followed by “California Country,” with Dan back on electric guitar. “But I’m still standing in California country.” Oh yes! As “Hope Against Hope” was being introduced, a woman yelled out, “Play it!” Dan, off microphone, asked, “Did she say ‘Quiet’ or ‘Play it’?” I love the bass work to this one, and Dan delivered some beautiful stuff on pedal steel. It was a really nice rendition to close out the first set. The set ended at 7:51 p.m.

"Highland Park Serenade"

At 8:10, everyone but Dan was back on stage. Victoria playfully called to him, and soon he joined them, a fresh drink in hand. The band opened the second set with a wonderful rendition of “Live And Never Learn,” the title track to the band’s 2018 album. After that song, Rob joked, “We’ve been living and never learning for maybe twenty-five years.” And for a moment the band members were calculating what percentage of their lives they’d been in this band. They followed that with “Hitchhiker,” Dan switching from pedal steel to electric guitar, and then “Highland Park Serenade,” one I hadn’t seen them play in quite a while, and one the band was quickly getting reacquainted with. “I think it’s in D.” Rob introduced the song, saying, about Highland Park, “Neighborhood’s changed a lot, but it’s still pretty great.” Indeed, on both counts. It was wonderful hearing this song again. It was followed by “Raised By Hippies.” The line about not knowing what to do when Reagan was president always makes me smile. This song featured some great harmonies on the “Summer of love” section, and of course at the very end, which was fantastic.

"My Parka Saved Me"

Rob introduced “Jug Of Misery” as “Sip On The Jug Of Misery.” In this song, he advises, “Don’t gulp it down like a fool.” The band delivered a beautiful, touching rendition at this show, a highlight of the set. I’ve said it before, but Rob Waller has perhaps the best voice in music today, and this is a song that really demonstrates his talent. Victoria then asked the crowd, “Do you want a little bit of a lighter story now?” And indeed, they switched gears, playing “My Parka Saved Me.” This is a delightful song, and the only song I can think of offhand in which the backing vocals attempt to steer the story. At this show, in her response to Rob’s assertion that they drank for free all through high school, Victoria said, “Oh, Rob, you’re just making that up.” It was an absolutely wonderful rendition, and it drew a lot of applause from the audience. Paul decided to keep things in that lighter, more humorous vein, and chose “Talking To The Dog,” a song I first saw him perform solo down at the Unurban, where he had the whole audience laughing at every line. The crowd was into it again at the Tuning Fork, so much so that afterward Rob suggested Paul do another song. It was, as Rob mentioned, Paul who got the Hawks to play at this venue. He’d done a couple of gigs there with other artists and thought it would be a good spot for the Hawks. And it certainly was. Paul then chose to do a traditional folk song. He mentioned how people characterize the band’s music in different ways, as country rock, as folk rock, as psychedelic country and so on. Well, this was “an actual folk song,” he said, introducing “St. James Infirmary.” Paul did change things up a little bit, and inserted Rob Waller into the song’s lyrics. This rendition featured some cool stuff on pedal steel and bass.

The band wrapped up the set with a great rendition of the always-appreciated “Good And Foolish Times,” this time including that extended section at the end. The set ended at 9:04 p.m. Folks wanted an encore, which gave Dan a chance to riff on that earlier shout, here playfully wondering if they had yelled “Encore” or “No more.” They certainly wanted an encore, but it was like that last part of “Good And Foolish Times” acted as the encore, as the final punctuation on a great night. So that was that. We had some good and foolish times, indeed!

Set List

Set I