Michael Doherty's Music Log: Sandy Rogers Band at Unurban Coffee House, 2-10-26 Concert Review

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Sandy Rogers Band at Unurban Coffee House, 2-10-26 Concert Review

Sandy Rogers Band performing "Lonesome Man"

Music is where I still find the better attributes of humanity, especially live music. If you're feeling down about the state of things, get yourself out to a concert. That's where you'll find hope, joy, compassion. Last night, Sandy Rogers Band delivered a wonderful show at Unurban Coffee House in Santa Monica. Music with heart, with ache, with beauty. Human, through and through. Just what we need.

"Tingling Blue"

The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., but the band was ready a little early and clearly eager to play, for Paul Marshall began singing some of Gene Watson's "Farewell Party," and soon added a little bass. Dan Janisch joined him on backing vocals. Paul called it the saddest song, and then delivered a little more of the song, now with Dan on guitar as well as backing vocals, and Victoria Jacobs joining them on drums. It was an impromptu performance, and a treat. Sandy Rogers then joined them on stage, and they started the show with "Tingling Blue," the title track from her new album, which had a really good, joyful energy, and featured a strong lead by Dan on guitar. "Tingling Blue" was followed by "One Of Those Kind," which also follows it on the album, and then "Fool For Love." "This is a big ol' song," Sandy said in introducing "Fool For Love." Ah, we're all fools for love, aren't we? Afterward, she told a funny anecdote about what inspired certain early lines of the song, witnessing the actions of a couple of children.

"Lonesome Man"

"Train Fare To Memphis" is a beautiful song, and last night Sandy Rogers delivered a particularly good rendition with a touching vocal performance. "Who starts this one off?" Sandy asked her band mates before "Lonesome Man." "I can do it," Paul responded, which made me laugh. That's another thing about this band. In addition to the great songwriting, and Sandy's tremendously moving voice, and three fantastic musicians joining her, there is always a good amount of humor on the stage during their performances. In "Lonesome Man," Sandy sings, "Loving you is killing my heart." What a line. There is nothing subtle or doubtful there, nothing up for discussion. This song was another highlight of the first set. Then when introducing "In Her Auto-Mobile," Sandy said it was written a long time ago and had gone through many changes. The song got things moving, rolling, and featured a delicious bass line. And the mention of "vinyl seats" took me back to my childhood. I love how music can make us simultaneously exist in several different times. Sandy said afterward that the song was originally called "Hot Roddin'."

"Missouri Blue" is one I'm always happy to hear. She sings, "keep on searching," and that rhythm seemed to promise we'd get wherever it is we need to be. Or maybe we were already there. The song had a somewhat awkward ending last night, but no matter, it was all part of the charm of the live experience. Paul afterward commented that he loves that song, and certainly he's not alone there. That was followed by a pretty rendition of "Wild Bill," a song written by Paul Lacques. By the way, fans of Paul Lacques' work will certainly want to add Sandy Rogers' Tingling Blue album to their CD collections, because he can be heard on most tracks. "Wild Bill" was followed by "Suburban Boys," the rhythm last night had me feeling good and lost in memory. Then the band delivered a fun rendition of "Trailer Up On A Hill" before wrapping up the set with "Let's Ride." "Come on, baby, let's ride," Sandy sang. There is something so appealing about that notion, that desire, especially when Sandy urges us. The first set ended at 8:26 p.m.

"Run Out Of West"

Thirty minutes later, the band was back on stage. "Let's do 'Why Wyoming' first," Sandy said to her band mates, to which Victoria quipped, "Why?" The band delivered a beautiful rendition last night, with Sandy bringing the audience in close at certain moments, her voice almost a whisper at one point, then lifted us to certain heights. "That's one of those coyote songs," she joked afterward. The band followed that with "You Lied Your Way," a fun number with a great, playful sense about it, heard, for example, when she sings, "I changed my tune and I'm madly in love with you." The song featured some nice work on bass. Then "Turn Around" featured a wonderful lead on guitar by Dan, and the band rocked out the ending. Sandy said she was trying to stay positive, which is difficult these days. It certainly is, but, again, live music is what helps. When I'm catching a band as good as this one, I feel positive and hopeful about the world. The rest of the time, well... not so much. The second set was quite a bit shorter than the first, and the band wrapped things up with "No Antidote" and an excellent and powerful rendition of "Run Out Of West" that had something of a haunting vibe. The show ended at 9:24 p.m.

Set List

Set I