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| Pat Todd |
Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders celebrated the release of their new album,
I'll Dream Alone, last night at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, a fantastic hometown show before the band heads to Europe for an extended tour of several countries there. There was a good crowd and a great energy in the room, just the right sort of vibe to both celebrate the new album and send the band off to Europe on a high note. Joining Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders on the bill were The Glimmer Stars and The Legendary Swagger, so it was an excellent night from start to finish.
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| The Glimmer Stars |
The Glimmer Stars started promptly at 8:30 p.m., Tom Dunne sitting in on the drums for this show (Richie Mendez had another gig with GG & The Buzz). This was the first time I'd seen Tom Dunne play with The Glimmer Stars, though I'd seen him play with Mini Mendez several times (and, of course, with Tranquilina). Before the show, Tom told me I was going to see a different side of him. And, indeed, at this show he cut loose. The band opened with "Nice," and right away the energy took the crowd to that special place where we are all still sixteen and the world is eager to embrace us and thrill us, everything laid out before us like a glorious road. And soundman Nubs got his first shout-out of the night as he made an adjustment, Mini calling him the "
hardest working man in Tarzana," and Steven adding, "
I think he's the only working man in Tarzana." The band followed "Nice" with "Pictures Of You." "
We're all all right," indeed! That great pounding on the drums guaranteed it. "
Welcome to this rock and roll celebration tonight," Mini told the crowd. He then mentioned that Pat Todd will be touring Europe for a month after the show. "If I Only Could" was a highlight of the set, a great power pop gem. Then before "Better Day," Mini mentioned the band's latest album, quickly adding that it's Pat's night so the crowd should buy his record instead. "
Plus," he added, "
I didn't bring any." "Better Day" had a great energy, and Steven joked, "
I'm glad they put the heater on." It may be autumn in some parts of the country, but it's still summer in Los Angeles, and was especially hot here in the valley yesterday. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" was another highlight, a song I haven't seen the band do very often. A good rock number. If you like AC/DC, this is a song you'll love. And it featured some delicious drumming. That was followed by "Maybe," another favorite of mine, Tom getting playful on the drums at the end. Paula Tiberius joined the band on backing vocals and tambourine on "Feel It," which was great. And the band followed that with "I Need It Now," that excellent beat setting everything right at the start. We all need it now, don't we? Well, this band delivered. The song featured some fantastic stuff on guitar. The band wrapped up the set with "Paulina." "
It's about a girl," Mini said, and before Mini could continue, Paula shouted out from the audience, "
They're all about a girl!" The song featured some wonderful, catchy guitar riffs. The set ended at 9:03 p.m.
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| The Legendary Swagger |
The Legendary Swagger took the stage at 9:19 p.m., eleven minutes earlier than scheduled. Why fucking wait, right? Geoff said, "
We're The Legendary Swagger and tonight we're going to do this set," poining at a set list taped to the wall at the back of the stage. It's been there for a long, long time, and that was the first time I recall anyone referring to it. Someone should actually do that sometime, play that set. But last night The Legendary Swagger kicked off the set with "Back In Circulation," a kick-ass start, with a delicious power. That led straight into "One And Done." Now that they were loose, they took things up a notch with that one, delivering a strong rock number that included some nice stuff on that black saxophone. The song came at us with a great force. And that led straight into "Give Me A Reason," not a moment to breathe, the song moving at a fast clip, the band in complete control. It wasn't until after that song that came the first break in the action, as Geoff shouted out to The Glimmer Stars. "Guilty Conscious" was a fun number with a driving beat. It was followed by "Out Of Control," the band seemingly racing through the set list, having achieved a momentum that couldn't be slowed, Dino attacking that bass. "My Evil Ways" followed, and before the line about bringing you to your knees, Geoff said that in his younger days this was the moment when he'd get down on his knees, but since now he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get back up, he'd do it standing up. "My Enemy" was delivered at a fast pace, and was followed by "Stand," which featured some cool stuff on drums. Geoff held up a shirt that he'd grabbed from the merchandise table, a cool shirt designed by Skot. He asked if anyone wanted it, and Gabriel Johns beat the rest of us to it. "Fuck It" followed, the band getting heavier, louder, the song having a great punk energy, and featuring some excellent stuff on guitar and saxophone. A fantastic highlight. "Automatic" also featured a good sax part, as well as some tremendous stuff on bass. The set concluded with "Waiting For My Main," which came on fast and hard, and contained some cool work on guitar. Toward the end, they broke it down, giving folks a moment to breathe, while the bass kept the pulse. And then, bam, back into the fray. The set ended at 9:52 p.m.
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| Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders |
Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders also began a little earlier than scheduled. None of that waiting around nonsense for this crowd. Most of the band was drinking water ("It's a mixer," as Edina Monsoon would say). Interestingly, there was a copy of the band's set list taped on the audience side of one of the monitors, so we could follow along. That was actually brilliant, as much of the band's set was material from the new album, material folks probably weren't yet familiar with, so people could glance down to learn the name of a particular song. The band opened the set with the album's lead track, "Desire Has Left Town," which began with a great explosion of sound, like the finale of another band's set, and then proceeded to drop us straight into a certain rock and roll bliss. That song led straight into "Ambition Street," which also follows it on the record. It featured some great stuff on electric guitar. The band was cooking, moving with a fiery joy into "Night Beat," a seriously fun number from the new album. Pat then picked up his tambourine for "Back To The Wind," the first song of the set not from
I'll Dream Alone. That was another fun number. There is a great joy to this band's rock and roll, just as it should be, and that song featured a nice lead on electric guitar. There was then the briefest of pauses before the band launched into "It Ain't All My Fault," glorious rock and roll at just the right pace, the kind of thing to keep one's heart beating, to keep people involved in this great experiment. That song is also from the new album, and Pat Todd mentioned the album, "
amongst all the other fine wares over there." He introduced the next song as being an homage to Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. That song, "Beyond The County Line," also from the new album, featured a great steady pounding on the drums.
There was the shortest of pauses and the band went into "You're Gonna Lose It All," which then led straight into "This Counterfeit World." The band was rolling along, seemingly without the ability to halt the celebration. And who would want it to? Folks were clapping along to this one. "
You've got to watch out for this counterfeit world," Pat told them afterward. Then it was back to material from the new album, with "We're Outta Time," which Pat dedicated to Mini Mendez in his introduction. "
Make your peace with reality while you can," Pat said. The song was a lot of fun, and Mini was singing along from his spot in the audience. That led straight into "The Rope," which featured some excellent stuff on drums. At one point, Pat put his water bottle against Kevin's neck to cool him down. The song contained some playful false endings. "Blood & Gunpowder" followed, a fun number from the new album, delivered with a tremendous energy. The band kept the energy high with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "All Down The Line," some delicious and delirious rock and roll to wrap up the set. But the audience wanted more, and the band was not about to let anyone down. "
Let's just get carried away," Pat said, and the band launched into "Somewhere Down The Line," which Pat dedicated to Jessica (of The Williamsons), who was in the audience. It was a fun, excellent rendition, and it led straight into "Why Don't You Marry Me," Mini playfully getting down on one knee in front of the stage at one point. This was a wild, totally enjoyable number, and from there the band went straight into a high-energy cover of "Route 66," a kick-ass rendition to send everyone home feeling completely satisfied.
Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California. By the way, the official release date for the new Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders album is October 2nd, and it will be available on vinyl as well as CD.
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