Hootenanny at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 9-5-26: Photos

Feef Mooney

Last night a hootenanny was held at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, featuring Feef Mooney, Bernie Barlow, Cameron Dye, Fernando Perdomo, Mason McNulty And The Burning Fields, Gabi Lima, Violet Rey, and Ursula Lari. This was Feef Mooney's first time ever playing at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, and she kicked off the show promptly at eight o' clock, focusing on songs from her new album The Really Real. She played "Evolution," "The Really Real" and "The 25th Hour" from that album. I especially loved her guitar work on "The 25th Hour," with its 1960s flavor. She delivered a seriously good rendition, featuring a delicious bass line from Fernando Perdomo and some great stuff by Nick Vincent on drums. A highlight not just of her set, but of the night. After that song, she mentioned how she was new to the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon experience, but now understands why everyone likes the venue so much. She wrapped up the set with "Cleo September." Actually, she had intended to play at least one more song, but was told her time was up. The audience wanted more. It was a very short set so that the next artist could start promptly at 8:30. Later in the show, that sort of strict time was let go.

Bernie Barlow

Bernie Barlow was up next, her set focusing on songs from Walking Around This Town, which was released last year. She opened with "Brave," which features the line "You make me feel like everything's real/You make me feel alive." She also played "Which Way To Go," "Enough Time" (which she introduced by saying, "This next song is about how we don't have enough time on this Earth," something that has been on my mind a lot lately), "Stay Right There" (which featured some nice harmonies), and wrapped up the set with "Million Miles An Hour," a rocking number.

Cameron Dye

Cameron Dye kicked off his set with "Thick Skin," which had a really nice vibe and featured some good work on harmonica, plus some wonderful stuff by Lyn Bertles on violin. He followed that with "The Lie We Have In Common," a cool number with some good drumming (that was Nick Vincent again on drums), and then "Blown Away," the line "Tell yourself I told you so" making me smile. That song also featured some powerful work on violin. The set also included "Nasty Girl," "Right Outa My Mind" and an excellent rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Child Of The Moon," featuring some great stuff on bass.

Fernando Perdomo

Fernando Perdomo opened his set with a wonderful rendition of "Home," with Kaitlin Wolfberg joining him on violin. What a nice choice of opener. Then Michael Collins and Janet Thompson joined them on drums and bass respectively for the rest of the set. "Photographers In Love" had a false start because of a power issue, but was a good rendition nonetheless. "I'm No Fun" followed, that song having such a sweet and catchy sound. Then, after "Goodbye Sun," Fernando introduced the band and announced that he and Kaitlin are starting a duo project to be called Fernando & The Wolf. Fernando wrapped up the set with "Girl With A Record Collection," which was a lot of fun and featured some great stuff on drums.

Mason McNulty And The Burning Fields

Mason McNulty And The Burning Fields kicked off their set with "Dust," which featured some really nice guitar work. The band's set had a good energy, and included a song that he sings in the movie Billy The Kid: Blood And Legend, as well as a song titled "Sirens." 

Gabi Lima

Gabi Lima let the audience know she'd had a sore throat all week, but based on her performance I'm not sure anyone would have suspected that. Backed by Teresa Cowles on bass and Jason Berk on guitar, Gabi kicked off her set with "Sidecar," which was a lot of fun. She followed that with "Boy In Love," a delightful power pop gem. Gabi anounced she's working on a new album, and then played "Loose Cannon," which will be on it. She followed that with a cover of Steely Dan's "Dirty Work," with Teresa and Jason joining her on vocals for the chorus, and then "Sunny," the first song she recorded for the new album. She wrapped up the set with "Tinnitus," another totally fun one.

Violet Ray

Violet Rey opened her set with a traditional folk number, "The Cuckoo," a song she introduced as a Townes Van Zandt song (while Townes did record it, as "Coo Coo," it was written long before he was born). She delivered a really good rendition, and followed it with a strong original song, "Peeping Tom." She also covered The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," and played a few more original numbers, including "Transformer," "Asking For" and "Coyote." She mentioned that "Coyote" has two titles, as her mother calls it "Dangled Carrot."

Ursula Lari

Ursula Lari closed out the night. Her set included "En Mis Suenos" (a good original song), and covers of "In The Morning, Rain Or Shine" and "Corazon Espinado." Partway through "Corazon Espinado," Fernando Perdomo joined her on electric guitar, and that song ended up being another highlight of the night, a perfect way to wrap up the show.

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