Old Californio at Route 66 Roadhouse & Tavern, 7-11-26 Concert Review

It is some sort of injustice that Old Californio is not better known. This band is one of the best out there, in terms of musicianship, lead vocals and harmonies, songwriting, and live performances. Basically, in all the areas that count, these guys excel. Last night, Old Californio delivered two excellent sets at Route 66 Roadhouse & Tavern in Duarte (which is not nearly as far away as it sounds), helping some friends celebrate their birthdays and helping the rest of us celebrate too.

At 8:15 p.m., they took the stage for the first set. After Rich made the announcement, "If you have a green Subaru, your alarm is going off," the band went into its first song, "Millard Canyon Run." Almost immediately Jon was delivering some nice work on keys, and then later had a cool lead section, which Woody followed with a great lead on guitar. "I hope you're having a good World Cup," Rich said to the folks at the bar, where two televisions had the Argentina/Switzerland game on. "Go Switzerland," he added. The band then launched into "City Lines," a song I am always especially happy to hear. The line "Let's get hard to find" becomes more and more appealing as this country gets less and less appealing. Everything about this song felt good, felt right, and Woody's guitar work was impressive. Justin delivered some excellent stuff on drums, and Jason really dug into that moment when the bass got heavier, stronger, more forceful. Seriously, this song is fantastic, and last night's rendition was perfect. "Happy birthday to Robert and Phil," Rich said after that song. The band then did a cover of Neil Young's "Hawks & Doves" in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary.

The Route 66 Roadhouse & Tavern has a wonderful, loose and friendly atmosphere, the kind of place where people enjoy just hanging out, talking, drinking, getting to know each other. And certain songs feel particularly at home there. When Old Californio started "Old Kings Road," it hit me that that song seemed especially appropriate, fitting with the vibe. The band delivered a strong, energetic rendition. The guys then entered smoother, mellower territory with "Chilao Flats," a song with a soothing vibe at the beginning, and some wonderful stuff on bass. "Just looking for the good life." Hey, maybe we've found it. It certainly feels like it, listening to this music, listening to the harmonies. And Woody's guitar lead helps us remain aloft, floating happily in the ether, then taking us farther up and farther out. Fantastic work. That was followed by a nice rendition of Little Feat's "Willin'" which featured some good interplay between Jon and Woody. And then the band did The Beatles' "Because." I love when they play this one, in large part because of their vocal talent, but also because of the approach with regards to rhythm, making the song their own. "Midnight Moonlight" followed, always a fun number to dance to. There was a brief band discussion about what to do next, and it was decided to wrap up the first set with a cover of Waylon Jennings' "Lonesome, On'ry And Mean." The band had fun with this song, and jammed on it at the end. A good way to wrap up the set, which ended at 9:14 p.m.

The birthday boys, Robert and Phil, joined Woody, Jon and Justin for the first song of the second set, a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers," delivering a delicious, high-energy rendition. Then Rich and Jason rejoined the band, and they played "Ring Of Fire." This second set was made up mostly of covers. I know I've mentioned this before, but "Ring Of Fire" is a song that this band completely owns. These guys put their own spin on it, and Rich's vocal approach is fantastic. If you think you know this song, you need to hear Old Californio's version. Last night, it began with a nice jam, quickly developing a delicious groove. Justin provided some excellent drumming throughout, and Woody offered great stuff on guitar. I was especially tickled by Woody's comment on guitar at one point after the line "Love is a burning thing." This was an outstanding rendition. It was followed by another favorite of mine, "Shorten Your List," in which Rich sings, "You'd better learn to shorten your give-a-shit list." Is there any better advice to be given these days? And last night they made the song sound like a party, which worked well. That's an excellent original song, included on the band's Old Californio Country album.

The band returned to covers then with a really good rendition of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," featuring a good jam. They kept the energy high with a cover of Gene Clark's "Kansas City Southern," Jon rocking the keys. After the phrase "whistle blow," Jon's keyboard acted as the whistle. The band was cooking at this point, and followed "Kansas City Southern" with a totally fun rendition of "Hard To Handle" that became a great jam, featuring more wonderful work on keys. And at one point Woody took things to a different level, on vocals and guitar. They returned to original material with "Mother Road," the second of only two original numbers in the second set. I love the way the bass created the road, and then the guitar flew down it. They then wrapped up the set with two more covers, the totally delightful "Styrofoam," which is a song I love seeing these guys do, and The Who's "Squeezebox," which they clearly had a lot of fun with. The show ended at 10:34 p.m. There was no encore. 

Set List

Set I

1. Millard Canyon Run
2. City Lines
3. Hawks & Doves
4. Old Kings Road
5. Chilao Flats
6. Willin'
7. Because
8. Midnight Moonlight
9. Lonesome, On'ry And Mean

Set II

1. Dead Flowers
2. Ring Of Fire
3. Shorten Your List
4. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
5. Kansas City Southern
6. Hard To Handle
7. Mother Road
8. Styrofoam
9. Squeezebox

Route 66 Roadhouse & Tavern is located at 1846 Huntington Dr. in Duarte, California.