I See Hawks In L.A., The Underthings, and Double Naught Three at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 10-9-26

The Underthings

Last night's outstanding concert at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon was billed, at least in some corners, as a "Farewell To The Underthings." But I have some great news. It might not, in fact, have been the final show by The Underthings. Rather, it might have signaled a new beginning for that band. But more on that in a bit. The concert, which was one of the best of the year, featured three bands that Paul Lacques was a founding member of. In addition to The Underthings, there was I See Hawks In L.A. and Double Naught Three (previously known as Double Naught Spy Car). One thing that is remarkable about that lineup is how different each of those bands is from the other two. Paul Lacques didn't just focus on one small area of music and excel in that space; his interest seemed to cover great realms in music, and he excelled in all of them. And though he is no longer with us, the music is very much alive, as was clear last night. What a joyous, vibrant, exciting night of music. And it was free. Paul Marshall joked with me before the show, "Three great bands for the price of none."

I See Hawks In L.A.

The night started with I See Hawks In L.A., Richie Lawrence (a member of Rotondi as well as The Underthings) joining the band on accordion for the entire set, which was a treat. The room was packed for the soundcheck, "Turn That Airplane Around," a song from the band's first album, which the band recently celebrated at a special show at McCabe's. Apart from some sound adjustments made during the song, it felt to some like it might have been the beginning of the set rather than just the soundcheck. Either way, the song drew applause from the eager crowd. There was a great buzz in the room, and as the band left the stage for a few minutes before the start of the set, I could hear that many of the conversations around me focused on Paul Lacques. A knowledgeable crowd, and that generally means a fun crowd, an enthusiastic crowd, a respectful crowd.

When the band took the stage just before 8:30, Rob asked for the televisions to be shut off. "No one here cares about that." It is a rare thing when you can speak for an entire crowd, but in this case the statement was spot-on. Everyone was there for the music. The Hawks kicked things off with "Live And Never Learn," and right away the music took hold, the world feeling like a much better place. The song featured some really nice harmonies and a good lead from Dan Wistrom on pedal steel. Paul Marshall's bass work was excellent, particularly during that special section in the middle. While a sound adjustment was made on Rob's vocal microphone, Rob mentioned being excited to celebrate the last show of The Underthings. Apparently there were some issues with the monitors, but everything sounded wonderful in the house. Dan switched to electric guitar for "White Cross," and both he and Richie delivered strong leads. And Rob's vocals were fantastic. There was an electricity on certain lines. "Well, tonight we're also thinking about Paul Lacques," he said after that song, then mentioned how Paul had founded all the bands on the bill, and how they were all different. The Hawks gave us an especially good rendition of "California Country," a great joy to the song.

"Ohio" (or, rather, "Get Back To Ohio," as it is now officially titled) was tremendous fun, featuring some nice work by Dan on electric guitar, and some wonderful stuff on accordion, especially near the end. Folks in the audience added their voices to the "Sweet home" line, which felt just right. This music is like a sweet home for us, isn't it? And it felt right dancing joyfully to a line about being poisoned by the California dream. The band followed that with a fairly new song, "Turtle Song" (this was only the second time I've seen these guys play it), which had a sweet vibe. The accordion worked especially well on this one, adding an element that now seems almost necessary to the song's success. "I know it's crazy, but it just feels right." After that song, Rob joked with the crowd: "Everybody gets a turtle. You get a turtle. You get a turtle. You get a turtle." Dan added to the Oprah Winfrey joke, telling the audience, "Everyone look under your seat." I have a special fondness for turtles, but, though I didn't check, there was no turtle taped to the bottom of my chair. Rick, a guy near me in the audience, happened to be sporting a cool turtle shirt, and I think he enjoyed the song as much as I did. It seemed everyone in the room embraced this new song. 

Victoria Jacobs took a turn on lead vocals, delivering a stellar rendition of "Skipping Stones." Dan added some nice touches on guitar throughout the song, and Richie delivered a great lead on accordion. Also helping this song stand out was the delicious interplay between guitar and accordion at one point. But it was the rhythm that drives this song and especially stands out. This was a highlight of the set. That was followed by another favorite, Paul Marshall's "Talking To The Dog." I've seen him perform this song several times now, and it still makes me laugh every time. Both Dan and Richie delivered good leads, and the song had such a delightful sound and vibe. "Paul Marshall's brand new song," Rob said afterward, playing on the song's line about the dog liking his brand new song. A cover of Willie Nelson's "Me And Paul" followed, the song featuring beautiful vocal work. And then they gave us "I Fell In Love With The Grateful Dead," which had a great rhythm, Victoria kicking ass on drums during this trip. The song also gathered a fantastic energy. The band concluded the set with "Hope Against Hope," its opening section containing some wonderful work on bass. Paul delivered cool stuff on bass throughout the song, and the band included a sweet jam at the end.

The Underthings

The Underthings were up next, and the crowd was certainly ready. I had seen this band perform a few songs at the Paul Lacques celebration at McCabe's in April of 2024, but had never seen a full set. The group was made up of Stefanie Naifeh on vocals, Richie Lawrence on accordion and backing vocals, Marcus Watkins (of Double Naught Spy Car) on guitar, Terry Wilson on bass (sitting in for Simeon Pillich), and Tony Braunagel on drums. A ridiculous amount of talent and experience packed into one band. They got right into the magic with "My Ship," with its totally cool, jazzy vibe, Stefanie taking command of the room. The song was wonderful, even without the saxophone, and it included a bit of "Sixteen Tons," the audience singing along. "I'm so happy to be here with you," Stefanie told the crowd, before mentioning this was the group's final show. The band then delivered a delightful rendition of "I Will Eat You Up," although at first Tony, who began the song on drums, started playing a different song. Very quickly he realized his mistake, and then got the song off to a great start with that wonderful rhythm, a sort of Bo Diddley, New Orleans thing happening. Stefanie was a gloriously twisted force, a compelling presence, and an absolute delight. I doubt anyone would object to being eaten up by her. That song comes from the band's self-titled album, and they followed it with another song from that same album, "Waiting For The End Of The World," Stefanie introducing it by saying they'd been having dreams of the end of the world. It was written in 1988, recorded in 1990, and it featured a beautiful vocal performance, along with really nice touches on bass. It was another of the set's highlights. 

"I Ain't Lonely" was another delicious number with a jazzy vibe. Oh yes, swing me, baby! Richie delivered some fantastic work on accordion, and the song had a delightful ending that caught us all by surprise. That was followed by "I Want To Sleep," a song that was just released on Bandcamp, and one containing a compelling, captivating vocal performance, along with a nice rhythm. "How many people here know the song 'The Curse Of Bigness'?" Stefanie then asked, and several people cheered (including myself - I have the band's first album on cassette). It's an intriguing song anyway. It was the title of a play that Paul Lacques wrote, produced in 1987. And it's something that Sandy Rogers has been mentioning at recent concerts, as she covered "Wild Bill" on her latest album, Tingling Blue, that song having been written for the play. After a false start, The Underthings delivered a really good version of "The Curse Of Bigness," a number with its own wild drama. "I get headaches from low-flying planes." That was followed by another song included on that self-titled album, "La Vie," which featured some excellent stuff on guitar and some wonderful accordion work.

The final three songs of the set were, interestingly, the three songs they performed at the McCabe's show in 2024. The first of them was "Voulez Vous Danser," which Richie began on accordion. He delivered some wonderful work throughout the song, and also provided backing vocal work. A guest backing vocalist also joined the band. Richie spoke a bit about Paul Lacques after that song, referring to him as a champion of music, and speaking for everyone in the room. That was followed by a fun rendition of "Home In My Heart," everything sounding so damn good. They wrapped up the set with "Brand New Mind," featuring some wonderful drumming, making it a great song to dance to. This is a song that was also recorded by Rotondi, and a perfect choice to conclude the set, there being a certain elation to the song's sound. "Shine, shine, my head shines/I woke up with a brand new mind."

Double Naught Three

Double Naught Three closed out the night. And this time it really was the Double Naught Three: Marcus Watkins, Marc Doten and Joe Berardi. Violinist Kaitlin Wolfberg, who has been playing with them lately, wasn't able to be there. The band went right into the music, no introduction, no preamble, seemingly not even a soundcheck. Just, bam, right into the glory of "Macedonia 6-5000," featuring some incredible drumming from Joe. Marc began the night on the keyboard, delivering some wild stuff. I suppose that first song functioned as the soundcheck, for there was a quick adjustment after it, before the band continued with "Jan-Michael Vincent Rehab.com," which was great fun. I love when things get weird, as they did here. And from weird to more fun, this band determining the course of our little universe. We were in good hands, of course. Strike that. We were in spectacular hands.

"Kay Sara Sarah" was up next (a song title I love, by the way), with that totally delightful, catchy part at the beginning on keys. So cheerful. And the band took us into disco land later in the song. This was a particularly good rendition, and a highlight of the set. Marcus switched guitars then, and Marc said, "I don't know if that's the Underthings' last gig." At that moment, I thought perhaps it was just wishful thinking on his part, for no one wanted this to be that group's final show. More on that in a bit, really. Anyway, "Kay Sara Sarah" was followed by "I Rose In A Field," with that wonderful reggae thing. There were some interesting breaths in that number. Yeah, this band can even make a brief pause exciting. And things then got wild, got intense, and got so fucking good. Then "Arrangement With A Dung Beetle" began in that gloriously strange place, that place that felt perfect for Halloween month. The song then became a dance. 

It was after that song that Marc switched from keyboard to bass, and the band launched into "What's Your Hurry," Marc almost immediately delivering some delicious stuff on bass. And Joe's drumming was fantastic. And Marcus delivered a great lead on guitar. Everything felt exactly right, and this was one of the highlights of the night. Joe then set "Double Naught Spy Car" in motion on drums. Yes, the band has a song sharing the band's name. So does I See Hawks In L.A. So does Rotondi. So there. Anyway, the song featured a seriously cool groove, and Marcus delivered some absolutely incredible stuff on guitar. "Helicopter" began with a delicious bass line, moving directly at us, and soon we were in another cool dimension. This tune was a whole lot of fun, and I especially loved the interactions between guitar and bass. Marc then returned to keys for the final song of the night, "The Mooche," introducing it, "This is a classic." Indeed, and Joe was delivering some spectacular stuff on drums. The set ended at 11:28 p.m., and the crowd erupted, wanting an encore. But no such luck. Interesting that the Hawks didn't play "Good And Foolish Times," and Double Naught didn't play "Danger High." But that probably adds to the special aspect of the show, playing with, or against, audience expectations. But it wouldn't have mattered if Double Naught had chosen "Danger High" as an encore or not. It was just that no one was particularly keen on this night ending, and any song at all would have been welcome.

So, as for this being, or not being, the final show for The Underthings, I had a chance to talk with Stefanie after Double Naught Three's set. I asked her if this was really it, and she said it might not be the end after all. The band's bass player did not want to continue without Paul Lacques, which I understand. But that bass player wasn't able to make it last night, and the set was still a great success. Terry Wilson filled in admirably. So might the band continue in this new configuration? From what I gathered, Stefanie does not want this to be the end any more than the audience did, and so there is good chance that the band will continue. It was a phenomenal night of music, and I left the venue feeling optimistic, not only about The Underthings' future, but about the world in general. 

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