Mick Kolassa: “Wooden Music” (2023) CD Review

Mick Kolassa released three great albums in the second half of 2022. And here we are in June of 2023, and only now getting his first disc of the year. What happened? What slowed him down? Well, nothing happened, nothing slowed him down. In January, he released TrouTunes And Other Fishing Madness, an album of songs about fishing, but it was released only digitally. And since then, he has put out three compilations of his work – Slow Blues Essentials, Americana Essentials, and Endless Blues Essentials – all of which were also released only digitally. So Wooden Music is actually his second album of new material in 2023, and fifth overall release this year. And there is another compilation coming out soon, I hear. So there. This guy is a creative force, with seemingly endless energy and song ideas. Wooden Music features mostly original compositions, with just one cover. Joining Mick Kolassa on these tracks are Jeff Jensen on guitar, slide guitar and percussion; Carl Casperson on upright bass; Tom Lonardo on drums; and Rick Steff on piano and accordion. There are also several guests on various tracks.

The album opens with “Educated By The Blues,” which begins with these lines: “When I was a young boy, my mama said to me/Got to go to college, son, you got to get a degree/‘Cause that’s the only way in this life to get ahead.” My parents said the same thing to me, and I imagine most of us heard that sort of thing. And most of us did get that degree. Ah, but what an education the blues can give you. And here Mick Kolassa tells us just who taught which courses: “Sonny Boy taught me about the weather, what to do when I get cold/Junior Kimbrough taught me all about getting old/Wolf showed me how to howl, Muddy taught me to be ready/Robert Johnson, he helped me keep rolling steady.” This track features some good work by Eric Hughes on harmonica, and a light, cheerful rhythm. And it features Doug MacLeod on guitar. Mick Kolassa was educated by the blues, and here he is passing on what he learned. And the song provides a reminder that one’s education should never end: “Educated by the blues, I’m learning new things every day.”

“You Gotta Pay The Price” is a somewhat slower, meaner number. I love when Mick Kolassa goes down into his lower register, as he does on this song. Ah, sounds so damn cool. And check out these lyrics, which I’m sure everyone can appreciate: “Some people got it made before they even start to breathe/They grow up knowing they’re going to get what they need/But not the folks who have to work for what they get/Worrying about the small things and taking on debt.” And the chasm between the rich and everyone else is getting greater with each passing year, it seems. This track features some really good work on guitar, and nice stuff on accordion. Doug MacLeod joins Mick Kolassa again on guitar on this one. That’s followed by “Sugar In Your Grits,” a playful number, in which Mick Kolassa sings, “Maybe it’s progress, maybe it’s wrong/To be rockin’ the blues and puttin’ sugar in your grits.” And the education begun in the album’s first track continues here: “Muddy never played a twenty minute solo/And Wolf didn’t use a pedal board/Willie Dixon told stories with every one of his songs/Hey, do lyrics even matter anymore?” Oh yes, they absolutely do. Some great harmonica playing matters too. Bob Corritore is on harmonica on this track

The album’s only cover is “Baby Took A Limo To Memphis,” a song written by Guy Clark. Libby Rae Watson joins Mick Kolassa on vocals here, making the song a duet, adding a bit of conversation at the beginning. Mick says, “Baby, I just got this bill/What were you thinking?” And Libby Rae Watson replies, “Well, honey, you don’t have to be a millionaire to look like one.” And it is she who sings the lines, “Well, the shortest distance between two towns/Is riding in a limo with the windows down.” There is more good stuff on harmonica, this time by Eric Hughes. Then “If I Told You” kicks off with a good beat on drums, and is another seriously cool tune. This time it is Vince Johnson on harmonica, delivering some excellent work. This is a totally catchy song, with some rock elements, and the band jams a bit here. Mick Kolassa tells the woman how he feels in this line: “But I love you more than B.B. loved Lucille.” And if your blues education is going well, you know just exactly what he’s saying there. Mick Kolassa changes gears with “Hurt People,” which begins with these lines: “She feared and hated life/And the pain that she felt/Hated everyone around her/She learned to hate herself.” The music has a beautifully sad sound to accompany those lines, and features some really nice work on piano. Reba Russell and Susan Marshall add to the warmth and compassion with their backing vocals.

Tas Cru joins Mick Kolassa on guitar for “Memphis Wood.” This song has more of a gentle folk vibe and features some good work on accordion. “I once had a girl/But I was fooling myself/She said that she loved me/She loved somebody else/I looked to find comfort/Wherever I could/Found consolation in this sweet Memphis wood.” I like that he gives a little laugh after the line “She said that she loved me.” He finds comfort in music, in the strings of a guitar. My guess is that anyone who is reading this also finds comfort in music. This song has a pretty sound. That’s followed by “If Life Was Fair,” which has a lighter, fun vibe from the start. Ah, how many times have we wished life could be fair. But it just isn’t. If it were, people like Pat Robertson wouldn’t live to be 93, while good, honest folks die at much younger ages. “If life was fair, we’d never be apart/But that’s not life, not the way that it works/It just keeps ripping at your heart.” But this is no pessimistic number, for he reminds us, “You gotta stay strong, you gotta hang on/Keep doing what you know you need to do/Don’t let it slip, don’t loosen your grip/And good things will come to you.” I love the piano on this one.

“Over My Shoulder” is delightful and cheerful. Mick Kolassa begins this one with these lines: “I got some good ol’ friends I’ve known for years/Who love to talk about yesterday/But I keep thinking about tomorrow/And the roles and games I still get to play.” Oh, yes, more optimism. We need this, and Mick Kolassa is just the guy to deliver it. His voice is one you immediately trust. He urges us to not dwell on the past, to keep on keeping on. And I love this line: “I got hopes, but no expectations.” Interestingly, the first line of the next song looks back: “Back in the day I could party hard with my friends.” This is a song about getting older, but he laughs it off here, which I appreciate. I also appreciate the main idea of this song, about how he used to smoke pot as part of a party, now uses it as “a sleeping aid” (yeah, you get the play on the idea of “one hit wonder”). Same thing goes for alcohol with me. I used to be able to have six drinks and be okay; now that number is cut in half. Oh well, it means spending less money on alcohol, so there’s the bright side. And this music is all about bright sides. Everything feels brighter when listening to this album. This track features some nice work on both accordion and guitar. The album concludes with “Gas Station Sushi,” another playful, light number. It even features kazoo. “Girl, you remind me of gas station sushi/You sure seemed like a good idea/But it didn’t take long to find out I was wrong/You’re not close to being as good as you first appeared.”

CD Track List

1. Educated By The Blues
2. You Gotta Pay The Price
3. Sugar In Your Grits
4. Baby Took A Limo To Memphis
5. If I Told You
6. Hurt People
7. Memphis Wood
8. If Life Was Fair
9. Over My Shoulder
10. One Hit Wonder
11. Gas Station Sushi

Wooden Music is scheduled to be released on July 7, 2023 on Endless Blues Records.

Dilly Dally Alley: “Make You Whole” (2023) CD Review

Before you ask, yes, it was absolutely the band’s name that got me interested in this album. Seriously, what a delightful band name. People don’t use the expression “dillydally” enough anymore, and if this band just gets people saying that word again, it will have done humanity a great service. Dilly Dally Alley is based in Minneapolis, playing a brand of funk music that incorporates elements of pop, jazz and soul. The band is made up of Sophia Spiegel on vocals, guitar and cello; Ivan Cunningham on alto saxophone; Will Kjeer on keys; Mitch Van Laar on trumpet; Max Voda on bass and violin; Kevin Yetter on drums; and Adam Tucker on percussion. Their debut album, Make You Whole, contains all original material, written or co-written by Sophia Spiegel.

The album opens with “Reaching Out To The Blue Sky,” which has some bird sound effects at the start. The band eases in, joining the natural sounds, and soon a rather glorious piece is underway, the voices of the instruments rising and singing. Interestingly, this short instrumental track deliberately falls apart before the end. It leads directly  into “Give Yourself Up To Yourself,” the strong work on keys given prominence at the start. “Waiting for the earth to take back what’s hers.” Ah, there’s a line that gets you thinking. There are moments when I think the planet is trying to shake us off, like a case of fleas, to take itself back from people. This is a song of life, of being true to ourselves, and of connection, and it has a full, vibrant sound. “Heaven is closer when you lay your worries to rest/Darling, you wonder what healing your story could do.” For me, music is what is able to perform the most healing. This song was written by Sophia Spiegel and Justin Halverson.

Things get funkier at the beginning of “See How She Moves,” a song with a good rhythm, the band delivering some delicious work on both bass and drums. And this song’s lyrics include a description of a person I don’t think I’ve ever heard before: “She smells like the difference between apathy and care.” What a striking description. We can really feel this woman, not just see her, though lines and phrases like “she moves like the wind blowing leaves back to life” and “her long neck” help us see her too. And we feel ourselves following her as Sophia does. This track contains a nice lead on keys toward the end. That’s followed by “Beloved Beckons.” This one eases in gently, smoothly, with a soothing vibe. It has some wonderfully poetic lyrics, such as these lines: “In the sting of a sunrise/Flickering in your eyes/Is where I wait.” I love the way this one gradually grows in power until you find yourself caught up in its energy, particularly from the horns.

The vocal line of “Bathtub Born” becomes a strong part of the song’s rhythm. I love Sophia Spiegel’s delivery, and the way that rhythm works with the strings. And then the horn approaches from a distance off to the left. I also really like the way the strings begin to dominate in the second half. It feels at times like the instruments are acting like the tides, coming in with some power, then receding, as others come in. “I wish I could breathe with my ears/So I could listen to the songs you sent me/With my face underwater.” And then we are suddenly treated to a beautiful vocal section at the end. This is one of my personal favorite tracks. That’s followed by the album’s title track, “Make You Whole.” There are some sounds from nature as this one begins, as well as some pretty work on guitar. “A tree bends like a wise old sage/And whispers to you that a life can get better with age.” This one grows in beauty, and features some wonderful work on strings as well as gorgeous vocal work. “Gotta keep my head up/Gotta keep my head up/Boy, I’m on your rip tide, and I’m worried it’s a setup.” It builds to this message: “Go easy on your body, go easy on your soul/And never let another body take away the things that make you whole.” That is something it’s good to keep in mind, particularly in days of anxiety and uncertainty.

“Your Lies Are Like Rivers” begins in a darker, hazier place, then soon kicks in, the horns casting light upon us. “I don’t mind if you need me/I just mind that your loving isn’t real.” And as this one begins to build, it comes from a need. We hear it in Sophia Spiegel’s voice, a need to repair, a need to understand, after being left broken by a love. Then “They Say The Heart Can’t Break” begins with a good beat, which is one sure way to grab my interest. “Gather the twigs, draw the hot water/Open your spell books, call your mother/Other things can wait right now/Right now, you need to know your beauty is like no other.” Oh yes, and the horns seem to agree. I also dig that bass line. And the keys seem able to transport us to another realm during that lead toward the end of the track. That leads straight into the album’s final track, “You’re Not The One,” which has a bright energy. Halfway through, it mellows slightly, but only slightly, and during that section the vocals take on a more intimate quality. Soon that energy returns. The track ends with sounds of a storm.

CD Track

1. Reaching Out To The Blue Sky
2. Give Yourself Up To Yourself
3. See How She Moves
4. Beloved Beckons
5. Bathtub Born
6. Make You Whole
7. Your Lies Are Like Rivers
8. They Say The Heart Can’t Break
9. You’re Not The One

Make You Whole was released on May 12, 2023.

Dwight Twilley: “The Best Of Dwight Twilley: The Tulsa Years Volume 1” (2023) CD Review

In 1984, which was a really strong year for pop music, Dwight Twilley’s song “Girls” came out. This was a catchy and fun song that became a hit, and it featured Tom Petty on backing vocals. I put it on a mix tape that I listened to nearly constantly. Dwight Twilley had other hits before this, but that was the song that turned me onto his music. I was twelve years old, so the music video that accompanied the song also had a certain amount of appeal. And then, oddly, we didn’t hear much from Dwight Twilley for a while. A decade after that song’s release, the Northridge earthquake damaged Dwight Twilley’s house to the point where he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to live in it, and he made the move back to Tulsa. There he built his own studio and sort of re-started his career, recording some great power pop songs, some of his strongest material. The year 2016 saw the release of a two-CD set, Best Of Twilley: The Tulsa Years, a collection of songs from that time. Now the first half of that collection is being re-issued, on both CD and vinyl, as The Best Of Dwight Twilley: The Tulsa Years Volume 1, covering basically the period from the release of Tulsa in 1999 to the release of Green Blimp in 2010, along with a couple of surprises.

The disc opens with one of those surprises, “Could Be Love,” a totally enjoyable song with a familiar rhythm that always makes me happy. The song was originally included on one of Dwight Twilley’s early albums, Sincerely, which came out in 1976. That version featured Phil Seymour on vocals. The version included here was recorded years later, with Dwight Twilley on lead vocals, and it’s wonderful. “It could be love/You’re the only one I’m thinking of.” That’s followed by “Runnin’” which was the lead track on his 1999 album, appropriately titled Tulsa. This is a strong rock song, featuring some good guitar work and a lively vocal performance. There is a lot of energy to this tune. “We’ll turn the dial up to ten,” he sings here. Indeed! “It’s Hard To Be A Rebel” was also included on Tulsa. This collection contains five songs from that album. This one has a sweeter, softer sound, with a compassionate vocal performance.

Also from Tulsa comes “A Little Less Love.” This track features some excellent vocal work, which helps it become a highlight of this collection. “It was a long time ago, and it was far away/And I remember it all like it was yesterday/There’s a little less love in this world.” Dwight Twilley changes gears with “Beauty Dirt,” which has a somewhat unusual pop sound. The difference works to grab our attention right at the track’s start, and this song commands our attention throughout with its interesting percussion, its use of a whistle and horns. It ends up being a seriously cool song, one of my personal favorites of this collection. “Beauty dirt/It’s made of earth.” The last of this disc’s songs to come from the Tulsa album is “Goodbye,” in which Dwight Twilley sings, “How many times have I watched you walk out that door/How many lies, have I heard them all before/But in your eyes, a little more than goodbye this time.” This one is kind of pretty.

The next few tracks come from Dwight Twilley’s 2001 album The Luck. The first is “Oh Carrie,” a rather gentle pop number. I especially like these lines: “We all need something to dream about/And in my case, it’s you.” It’s a strangely wonderful feeling, isn’t it, knowing there is someone you can’t live without. That’s followed by “No Place Like Home,” which has more of a rock vibe. There is something undeniably catchy about this track, and it features a delicious vocal performance, with the right amount of attitude. “All the dreams that you had you’ve got stuffed in your bag/You stand out in the streets where your riches are rags/I want to tell you I’m so alone/Since you’ve been gone, it’s like there’s no place like home.” This is another of the disc’s highlights. I absolutely love this song, and enjoy it more and more each time I listen to it. The last of the tracks taken from The Luck is “Reach For The Sky,” which has a mellower vibe, a song that aims to comfort with lines like these: “I’m feeling better than I did last night/So hold on, baby, hold on tight/Sometimes it’s better if you just don’t try/Than to reach for the sky.” I sometimes wonder just how much control we really have in our lives, and if it might be better sometimes to just not try. Not to give up, of course, but to look around at what we have rather than attempting to grab at stars. “Just as long as I know that you’re mine/Baby, I’ll be fine.”

This collection gives us four tracks from 47 Moons, which came out in 2004. The first three songs from that album are presented in the same order here, beginning with “Better Watch Out,” in which Dwight Twilley sings, “The sun is going down on all of your American dreams.” That’s a particularly good line, and one that a lot of folks can relate to. I also like these: “You’d better watch out what you’re showing off/Because somebody just might like it.” That’s followed by the title track from 47 Moons, which begins in a pretty, even delicate realm, feeling almost like a lullaby. “Little girls grow up fast.” It soon kicks in with a steady beat, but retains its beauty. “‘Cause I know Jupiter has 47 moons, but we only have one.” Yes, this is yet another of the disc’s highlights. Then “Runaway With You” begins as a mellow song, before kicking in nearly a minute in, at which point the vocal work takes on a stronger energy. “We’re going nowhere, but we’re getting there fast/Let’s take the long way and make it all last.” This track has a rather strange ending. There is a pause, and then it returns to the opening. The final of the tracks from 47 Moons is “Chandra.” “‘Cause I know that you’re the best thing in my life.” Ah, yes.

Then we get another of the disc’s surprises, “Let Her Dance,” a song that was not previously included on Dwight Twilley’s albums. This one was originally recorded by the Bobby Fuller Four, and covered by Phil Seymour, who included it on his first solo album, released in 1980. This version by Dwight Twilley has a delicious rock feel and energy. “Let her dance, let her dance all night long.” This is a track that will likely make you want to get up and dance too. It features some really good work on guitar. The next five tracks are the first five songs from Dwight Twilley’s 2010 album Green Blimp, though not presented in the same order. First we get “Speed Of Light,” which is the second song on Green Blimp. This song also has a good energy, with a power behind the vocal performance. “At the speed of light/It seems so right/It feels so nice/So hold on tight.” And you can’t help but wonder if the line “Well, they huff and they puff and they blow your house down” is a nod to the destruction of his own house in Los Angeles. That’s followed by “Me And Melanie,” another of the disc’s many highlights. “Something I didn’t know, but I found out/Something I didn’t know I was without/Me and Melanie/Oh, the mysteries.” I love the rhythm, and the way this song moves. It pushes forward, while also feeling at times like it is moving downward. And check out that lead on guitar halfway through. This is such a damn good song.

“Get Up” has a raw power, particularly in the vocals. This track comes stomping in, urging, “Everybody, get up.” Here Dwight Twilley sings, “Why don’t you dig yourself a really deep hole/Lie down in it and let it all go/Or get up.” Yeah, those do seem to be the options. Then “Let It Rain” begins with some pretty work on guitar. This is a slower number, with strings. “Why, why should I try?/You’re so afraid you might see/Your tomorrows in me.” The last of the tracks from Green Blimp is “Doctor,” a good rock song with a playful sense about it. “I want to play doctor, play doctor with you,” he sings in this one, and then removes your pancreas. “Even though you’re grown up and out of school/You still might need a checkup, might have the flu.” Be careful, it might be COVID-19. Though the lyrics are playful, even a little silly, the vocal performance is in earnest, just as it should be. It’s a solid rock song, taking me back to those great rock songs from my youth. The album then concludes with “My Friend Billy,” the only track on this disc that comes from Dwight Twilley’s 2011 album Soundtrack, where it was a hidden track. This is a short song, less than a minute long, but a fun one, with some nice work on harmonica.

CD Track List

1. Could Be Love
2. Runnin’
3. It’s Hard To Be A Rebel
4. A Little Less Love
5. Beauty Dirt
6. Goodbye
7. Oh Carrie
8. No Place Like Home
9. Reach For The Sky
10. Better Watch Out
11. 47 Moons
12. Runaway With You
13. Chandra
14. Let Her Dance
15. Speed Of Light
16. Me And Melanie
17. Get Up
18. Let It Rain
19. Doctor
20. My Friend Billy

The Best Of Dwight Twilley: The Tulsa Years Volume 1 was released on April 21, 2023 on Paramour Records, and is available on CD and as a double album on vinyl.

Peter Galperin: “Tomorrow Seems Like Yesterday” (2020) CD Review

This country went horribly wrong in 2016, and in some ways it feels like we are still stuck in that year. After all, Donald Trump has not yet been imprisoned for any of his many crimes. Sure, it seems like we’re closer than ever before, but, look, the guy is 77, and he’s been a deceitful, racist bastard for all of those 77 years (yes, even as an infant, the guy was probably awful), and hasn’t once felt any consequences for his behavior. So I am not holding my breath. Hell, he’s still the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential election. That goes to show you that entire party is rotten. So we are stuck. Peter Galperin’s Tomorrow Seems Like Yesterday, one of my favorite album titles ever, was released during the final year of Trump’s time in the White House. It was at the beginning of the pandemic. Remember that? In some ways, it seems like ages ago, but that is because even time has been acting rather peculiar lately. Though it might seem like May of 2020 was another lifetime, the songs on this album speak strongly to how things are right now. For, as he tells us, tomorrow seems like yesterday. Peter Galperin plays guitar, mandolin, piano, organ, mellotron and harmonica on these tracks. He also wrote all the songs. Joining him are Patrick Carmichael on drums and percussion and Leo Smith on bass and backing vocals, along with a few guests on certain tracks.

The album opens with “Nature Of Your Kind,” which begins with some rather sweet work from the horn section that joins him on this track. That’s Bradley Madsen on tuba, Benjamin Hankle on trumpet, and Alexander Jeun on trombone. That tone changes a bit with Peter Galperin’s cheerful whistling, and the song begins to build from there. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Accusations fly left and right, but you never take the blame/You put on a show of indignation each and every time/That’s just the nature, the nature of your kind/Your only talent is to hide the truth from ever seeing light/And you act as if your innocence is a goddamn given right.” Those lines have not aged at all in the intervening years. The way the song builds, particularly in relation to the drums, reminds me a bit of how Billy Bragg’s “Waiting For The Great Leap Forward” progresses. I love the bright, cheerful vibe of this song, with those “la-da da-da” vocals and the horns. Kelsey Madsen is on backing vocals. And Peter Galperin promises, “You’ll finally get what you deserve and we’ll toast to your decline.” Yes, let’s hope it happens soon. It has been far too long in coming, and I have my bottle ready. I love this song, particularly how it feels like a celebration before the end.

“Never Too Young” is delightful, and it gives the album its title in the line, “The years are flying by, and tomorrow seems like yesterday.” This one is about aging, something that has been on my mind more and more lately. “My energy’s not nearly what it used to be/We’re all running out of time, but I never thought that would happen to me.” Those lines certainly ring true. And again, the music has a rather cheerful sound. So many of this song’s lines make me smile, such as “I realized with age you need to get more rest/‘Cause by the time I hit 45 I wasn’t looking quite my best” and the lines about thinning hair (mine abandoned me quite a while ago) and “Even life’s big winners eventually lose.” Smith Curry plays pedal steel on this one, and Andrew Schlesinger is on keys. I highly recommend checking out this song, even if you think you’re young. After all, the main line is “You’re never too young to start feeling old.” And it’s coming for you too. “Never Too Young” is followed by “Digital Friend,” which has some whistling right at the start. There is a humorous bent to this one. It is about someone whose life is posted online, whose popularity has dubious origins. “Even when it’s dark and gloomy, you’re always out in the sun/There must be a reason there’s a special glow around you/It might be just the lighting, but I like everything that you do.” There is particularly funny moment in the middle, where the song turns to a bit of dialogue in which he admits his weakness. I still find it somewhat disturbing that we refer to people that we occasionally associate with online as “friends.” Kelsey Madsen joins Peter Galperin on vocals again on this track.

“Don’t Need To Know” begins with him listing things he might never know and places he may never visit. And these lines are striking: “I’m just trying to remember the best way to get back home/Because everything I recognize will soon be gone.” Again, life is short, so we have to recognize, or choose, our priorities. He mentions politics as an example here: “I try not to listen to the politicians/Screaming and shouting in my news feed/They’re all part of the problem/And that’s never going to change/It’s just a bunch of white noise that I don’t need.” I went nearly a month without looking at the news, and I felt so much better. Last week I started reading the news again, and am once again frustrated and anxious. This track includes some nice work on harmonica. “But one thing I’ve learned is how to tune the world out/Because not being in the know is kind of nice.” Indeed. There is whistling at the beginning of “Another Drink” too, and I wonder if he’s happy and trying to spread that happiness, or if he’s trying to convince himself that he is happy, or if he’s whistling as a way of maintaining a sane outlook in a disturbing world. This song also addresses aging: “Don’t say I’m confused upstairs/I’m just a little slow on my feet/The years have really added up.” And I love this line: “I’m not dead yet, just in a general state of decline.” And yes, I appreciate the whistling that comes in again soon after that line, reminding me a bit of “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.”  Kelsey Madsen joins him on vocals for the song’s chorus.

In “As Good As It Gets,” Peter Galperin sings, “May we never have to look back with regret/And be true to each other and kind to those in need/Knowing this life is as good as it gets.” This song provides a reminder that in general we are all looking for the same things in this life, that we all have basically the same needs, the same desires. And this song touches on the damage we have done to this planet. Sometimes it feels that it is beyond repair, particularly when I see those images of mountains of plastic and realize that many people don’t even care. Are our similarities enough to help us bridge the chasms between us and make the necessary changes? The disc concludes with “Won’t Let Go,” a positive, hopeful number. Though really, all of these songs have an optimism running through them, which I appreciate. I also appreciate that good work on harmonica. “We’re hanging on, but I don’t know how much longer/Time might be running out for all of us today/But I won’t let go/While hope’s still in my heart.” May we all hold onto such hope.

CD Track List

1. Nature Of Your Kind
2. Never Too Young
3. Digital Friend
4. Don’t Need To Know
5. Another Drink
6. As Good As It Gets
7. Won’t Let Go

Tomorrow Seems Like Yesterday was released on May 13, 2020.

Patrolled By Radar at Tom Bergin’s, 6-18-23: Photos

Patrolled By Radar performing "Kodachrome"

Tom Bergin’s Public House is the oldest Irish bar in Los Angeles, and it is the site of an outdoor concert series titled Bigtop Bandstand Summer Concert Series. Every Sunday from now to the end of August, live music will be performed under the tent set up in the pub’s parking lot. Yesterday patrons were treated to a great set by Patrolled By Radar. Stephanie Erin Wittmer opened the show with a wonderful set, playing songs from her EP, Pilot, as well as some new material, including “Gut Feeling,” “Texas Is Haunted” and “Maybe It’s The Moonlight.” She also did a cover of “Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses,” the only cover of her set. Her entire set was really good, and among my personal favorites were “Tennessee” and “Cavalier.” There was a short break between bands, enough time to use the loo and get another Guinness. The staff will bring whatever food you order outside to your table, but you have to go back in for drinks.

At the start of Patrolled By Radar’s set, Jay Souza (who now also goes by RJ Bloke) urged folks to put sunblock on their necks, for as the sun was going down, its rays were beginning to hit us inside the tent. They opened the set with a cover of “I’m A Lover, Not A Fighter,” a song that was done by The Kinks, but originally recorded by Lazy Lester. I was lucky enough to see Lazy Lester perform this song just a year before he died. Patrolled By Radar did a cool, country rock rendition. The band did a lot of original material, including some old favorites like “Widow Next Door,” “Coat Of Disappointment” and “Fast Life, Slow Death,” as well as material from the new RJ Bloke solo album, Hold Drugs Dear. They also did several covers, including Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” (with a variation on the song’s first line), The Rolling Stones’ “Waiting On A Friend,” and Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” Toward the end of their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lodi,” Jay changed the line to “Stuck inside Bergin’s again,” as a nod to the bar. Before the cover of “Waiting On A Friend,” he mentioned that later this summer they are going to hold a special show there to celebrate Mick Jagger’s eightieth birthday, with several bands covering Stones songs (as well as Beatles songs and performing originals). They wrapped up the set with Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.” The show ended at 8:10 p.m.

Patrolled By Radar Set List

1. I’m A Lover, Not A Fighter
2. Widow Next Door
3. Coat Of Disappointment
4. Kodachrome
5. Where Are You Now
6. El Norte
7. California Falls
8. Lodi
9. God Is A Scarecrow
10. Waiting On A Friend
11. Be Happy
12. Surrender
13. Fast Life, Slow Death
14. Someone Else’s Train
15. Better Than Then
16. Highway 61 Revisited

Here are some photos from the show:

Stephanie Erin Wittmer

Stephanie Erin Wittmer

"I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter"

"El Norte"

"El Norte"

"El Norte"

"El Norte"

"Be Happy"

Tom Bergin’s is located 840 S. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, California.