In January, a medical emergency kept The Furys from being able to play a gig they had scheduled at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, and so The Weirdos filled in, ensuring it would still be an excellent night. Last night, everything was fine, and The Furys delivered a fantastic set. Also on the bill back in January was Drool Brothers, a band I have quickly come to love. And they kicked off the show last night as well. Rounding out the night was a band I hadn't seen before, Bad Motivator (as in "Uncle Owen, this R2 unit has a bad motivator"). And those guys were a lot of fun, delivering a high-energy set. So, yes, it was another night of great music at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon. And certainly we needed it. If things hadn't gone completely sideways, this country would be celebrating its 250th anniversary right now with a big party, but with the way things are, it's understandable that no one is feeling all that patriotic. It's a shame. We need a good party.
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| Drool Brothers |
The Drool Brothers created something of a party atmosphere with their set, and even with their clothes. Chuck was sporting a Davy Jones T-shirt (and actually, if you looked closely you'd see the shirt said, "President of the Davy Jones Fan Club," so it was also a
Brady Bunch T-shirt as well as a Monkees T-shirt). And Tom had on a Bay City Rollers T-shirt. So it was obvious they were in the right frame of mind. After a brief soundcheck, which the audience applauded (folks were eager for a party), the band joked, "
Thank you very much, it's been a geat night." Seven minutes later they were back on stage, kicking off the night with "Kaleidoscope," a song with a cool groove. Its line "
Enjoy the show" makes it a perfect set opener, and after the song, Chuck said, "
Enjoy the show, everybody." By then, I think, everybody was enjoying it. "Have Fuzz Will Travel" followed, providing some delicious rock and roll, and that song led straight into "Psychology," the title track from last year's album. "
It's disco time, everybody," Chuck announced. See? Musicians give us the party we crave. Natalie delivered some good work on keys, and the song also featured a fantastic bass line. "
Lobotomy/Shock therapy," they sang, making it all sound so good, so pleasant. That in turn led straight into a bit of "Get Off Your Ass And Jam." "Quiet Vacation" was next, just the sort of thing we might all want, with those "
ba ba-ba ba" vocals. Just that sort of vibe, you know?
Chuck asked the crowd if anyone still gives hickies anymore, if it's still a thing. And the band went into "Yolie's Got A Hicky," which had a totally delicious funky groove. It was a lot of fun, and featured some great stuff from Dan on guitar. This song also featured some good harmonies, everyone in the band singing at a certain point, which was my favorite section of the song. Why is it that the mention of West Covina causes laughter? I'm not sure, but the line from "Alice" made me laugh. This was another fun one, with references to Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." Chuck called out Mini Mendez, who was in the audience, saying that next time they'll have him come up and sing the song with them. That was followed by "Fame Whore," a song that reminds me of "Steppin' Stone" (even when Chuck is not wearing a Monkees T-shirt). Shouting out "
Fame whore" and then "
Sha-na na-na" is delightful. They wrapped up the set with the fun power pop number "She's Got The Beat" and "Itchy Turtleneck," which featured Natalie playing the tiniest cymbals, finishing at 9:45 p.m.
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| The Furys |
The Furys were up next, and there was a certain excitement in the room, with several people in the audience wearing Furys T-shirts. This band has been rocking folks since the late 1970s, a glorious institution at this point, and one whose energy and joy don't seem to have lessened one bit. They kicked off the set with "ICUCMeCU," and everything was in fantastic motion. That was followed by "Hey Girl, Goodbye," which had a delicious pop vibe and featured a great vocal performance from Jeff. And then they gave us a fun rendition of "Ghosts Of Princes In Towers," a song with a good beat. Paolo is a great addition to the band, by the way, not only on drums, but also on backing vocals. The vocal work might have been the most impressive thing about the band's set last night, and "Ghosts Of Princes In Towers" also contained a fantastic vocal performance. Then, in introducing "Wicked White," they joked about having written the song in 1947, quickly correcting the date to 1977, Jeff giving the song's introduction while Cliff switched guitars. Jeff mentioned that at the time technology was taking over, something he didn't like. Just look where we are now. "Wicked White" was great, a highlight of the set. A video was shot during that number, so keep an eye out for that.
Cliff switched guitars again for "Without You," which was released as a single last summer. This song completely rocked, with an incredible energy, another of the set's highlights. Afterward, Jeff pointed out that he was wearing a Drool Brothers button on his jacket (just above a Batman button, by the way). Then "New Wave Girl" had a sweeter vibe, a nice change of pace. That was followed by "Tightrope Walking," a song, as was mentioned in its introduction, that was written during the pandemic. This one came at us at a deliciously fast pace, and featured both a cool guitar lead and some wonderful work by Dave on bass. There was another excellent bass line in "Waiting For Surrender." That was followed by "Sweet Connection," which had a good pop element, reminding us that pop music can still be cool and powerful and fun. They wrapped up the set with "Say Goodbye To The Black Sheep," which also featured some excellent vocal work, and had a fantastic punk vibe. It was a tremendous set of music, everything sounding perfect, and it was over all too soon.
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| Bad Motivator |
Bad Motivator closed out the night with a set of high-energy music, the stage not always able to contain the band's vocalist, who was often moving through the crowd. The kick drum head, by the way, featured an illustration of R5-D4 in a growing cloud of smoke, but with musical notes emerging from within that smoke. An indication that there would be a playful element to their music. They opened with "Messin' With My Mind," which started with a fast-paced kick-ass beat, a strong and rocking introduction. As the song moved into its main body, it took on something of a 1960s garage sound, mixed with a new wave thing, a wonderful combination. That was followed by "Chasing Truth," which came on with a furious force. Sound man Nubs made a microphone adjustment because everything needed to be perfect, as the sound had been all night. This song also featured some good stuff on keys. It is the lead track on the band's album titled
The Album, and there it is followed by "See You Again," which also followed it last night. Still following the album order, the band then played "Too Much," a catchy number. And this is when lead vocalist Brian started stepping off the stage, perhaps in part because of the heat of the lights (something that other artists have mentioned), but probably more due to his unbridled energy.
Things got even more wild on "I Don't Think I Want To V2." That was followed by "Part Time Other" and then "Switchblade SC," which featured some cool work on keys. Earlier, the band's album was held up for the audience (selling records and T-shirts and whatnot at shows is how a lot of artists make their money these days), and at this point a 7-inch was also held up. I love vinyl, and wished I had enough money to buy whatever records this band had for sale, but work has been scarce lately, so those purchases will have to wait for another time. "Information Overload" was next, a fast-paced punk gem that is included on
The Album, and one of the reasons I want to add that record to my collection. That was followed by "Heads Up" and then "She Wants Me Dead," the latter a seriously cool number that could work well on your next Halloween play list. That was in turn followed, naturally, by "Forgot To Die," which featured some great stuff on drums. They wrapped up the set with "Troubled Chances," the final track from
The Album, and one that included some great stuff on bass. The show was over, but folks called out for an encore, and as it was only 11:28 p.m. Nubs added his own voice to those calling for more, letting the band know there was time for another song. And so the band gave us "Wasted Time," an excellent ending to an outstanding night of music.
Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California.
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