Shawna Virago: “Heaven Sent Delinquent” (2016) CD Review

These are terrifying and depressing days, when an insane narcissist and his rabid band of racists are dismantling the country while swearing they are doing precisely the opposite. Among their many offenses is their removal of support for transgendered students. It drives me nuts when people fight against something that does them no harm whatsoever. Just think of all the money that religious groups sank into Proposition 8 here in California back in 2008, trying to keep gay people from getting married. What difference would it make it to them if other people celebrated their love and dedication to each other with a ceremony? And now there is this crazy controversy over which bathrooms transgender students use. Can you imagine how difficult it is for these kids as it is? Bloody hell, let’s show people a little kindness, a little understanding.

Well, in these troubled times, it’s more important than ever to support our artists (particularly when the government wants to pull funding for the National Endowment for the Arts). Singers and songwriters are the folks I’m turning to more and more for some relief from the horror coming from Washington, D.C.  One CD that is really working for me is Shawna Virago’s Heaven Sent Delinquent, her newest release. Shawna Virago is a transgender artist (something that in better times I might not even mention, but that now seems important to point out), and her music possesses a great honesty and a frankness and a sense of humor, all without losing sight of the poetry. I’ve long been a fan of folk music, and I especially appreciate folk music with a punk energy and attitude. Here Shawna Virago delivers. Here she thrives. Sometimes there is nothing more powerful than a singer with a guitar.

She opens the album with “Bright Green Ideas,” which has a great, pumping energy, and there is delicious humor in lines like “I said you’re intoxicating/You look like a movie star/You said I must be intoxicated/But you liked the way I danced on the bar” and especially “Mama told me to beware/Of any boy who was polite/But when you said ‘May I please/Sit on your face tonight’/I thought what did Mama ever get right?” Those lines make me smile every time I listen to this disc. And this may be the only song to use the phrase “your well-hung tongue.” It’s followed by “Gender Armageddon,” the first song I heard from this album, the one that got me interested. It’s a powerful song that, to my ears, contains both hope and heartbreak in its delivery. It also has some damn good lyrics. Check out these lines: “You said you were so afraid to lie in your bed/You had too many cruel strangers sleeping in your head.” And then in “The Ballad Of Miss Suzy Texas,” the chorus really stands out: “Take her break her, take her break her/Take her break her, break her heart in two/Take her break her, break her heart in two/You might think but she won’t break like you.” It’s that last line that really makes it work.

“Last Night’s Sugar” is slower, intimate, brutal song of seemingly futile longing. And it’s one of my favorites. Check out these lines, which open the song: “Some people have no surprises in them/You can set your clock by their routines/I’m watching my baby lose his paycheck/To rigged slot machines.” She follows that by repeating, “Give me a taste of last night’s sugar,” wanting to return to when things were better, before economic troubles divided them, ruined them. That’s followed by the album’s title track, “Heaven Sent Delinquent,” a song that also mixes hope with a sad dose of reality. On the one hand, you want the song’s protagonist to make good on her escape from a messed up town and non-supportive family. On the other hand, her method of escape leaves a bit to be desired. “One of these days I’ll get away/I told myself as they bowed and prayed/And I won’t need a car or suitcase/Just some heels and my pretty face.”

Another highlight is “Burnout,” a funny song about a first sexual encounter. This one too has some excellent lyrics, like “And to just speak in lower case/But sometimes we’d lose our manners.” I really like these lines: “I thought what a loser but I liked his primate attitude/Around town he was a big noise/He said ‘I don’t normally kiss boys’/I said ‘That’s all right, sugar, I normally do’/So I took a chance/And taught him the steps to the mystery dance.” Shawna plays harmonica on this track. She also plays harmonica on the CD’s closing number, “Land Of Guns And Honey,” another of the CD’s best tracks. Her vocal delivery and the harmonica certainly bring to mind some of Bob Dylan’s work. Check out these lines: “I fell for a handsome salesman who specialized in escapism/He carried a big suitcase filled with stockings, booze and condoms/Driving through this land of guns and honey/I have learned talk is cheap and whiskey is money.” Pretty good, eh? “When it’s hot you pray for rain, and when it comes you don’t/This country can kill you, then again, what country won’t?”

CD Track List

1. Bright Green Ideas
2. Gender Armageddon
3. The Ballad Of Miss Suzy Texas
4. Last Night’s Sugar
5. Heaven Sent Delinquent
6. Burnout
7. Anniversary Song
8. The Pleasure Car
9. Holy Rollers
10. Land Of Guns And Honey

Heaven Sent Delinquent was released on December 1, 2016 on Tranimal Records. (Yeah, the name Tranimal makes me laugh, in part because it reminds me of that goofy short-lived series Manimal. Remember that one?)

E-Life 7: “Miked Up” (2017) CD Review

Every day presents more horrible news from Washington, D.C. It’s impossible to even keep track of everything that’s gone wrong. It’s too much, and it’s happened too quickly. It often feels like we’re going to be crushed by the weight of it, and most of us feel that constant tension in our gut. Maybe the trick is to just dance and glide through the apocalypse, hope for the best, and come out the other side smiling, if exhausted, ready to survey the damage. I don’t know if it’s the best course of action. But the debut CD from E-Life 7, Miked Up, ought to help in that endeavor should you choose that path. This disc provides some delicious funky tunes, mixing in jazz and modern R&B elements. These are mostly instrumentals, and mostly original material. The band is made up of Michael Pennick on bass, Rodney Spears on keys, Charlie Crymes Jr. on keys, Ronald Walker on guitar and Tim Webb on drums. Joining them on certain tracks are Ken Whitman on saxophone, Walter Kemp III on keys, Van Taylor on keys, Joey Diggs on vocals and Dee Osbourne on vocals. By the way, E-Life 7 means to enjoy life seven days a week (and is not some strange online electronic life, as I’d first surmised).

This disc kicks off with a funky bit of fun titled “Sunday Night.” Perfect for tonight. And I immediately dig that bass. Be prepared to dance, because this instrumental number definitely has some 1980s vibes worked into its structure. It was written by Ronald Walker. There is a brief bass solo halfway through. And then the second track, “Chaos,” also written by Ronald Walker, opens with some fantastic work on bass. This one has a much more interesting, unusual groove, which I love. It’s a very cool and driven jam, and is one of my personal favorites. I just wish it were longer. It’s over too soon. But no worries, as the next track, “Second Level,” also begins with the bass. There is a funky element to this one, though also with a pop dance feel. This one was written by Michael Pennick.

“Smooth Ride” is a slightly mellower number, but still with some damn good work on bass. This one features Ken Whitman on saxophone, and his horn works to raise us up. (Ken Whitman also joins the group on saxophone for “Sunrise.”) “Smooth Ride” is followed by “Inner Beauty,” which also features some mellower exploration, in the modern R&B realm, with just little touches of prog rock. But again, there is more delicious work on bass, and this track features Walter Kemp III on keys. Van Taylor joins the band for a good instrumental rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “That Girl,” the album’s only cover.

“Tony Rome” was written by Ron Walker and Michael Pennick, and features some excellent playing by Michael Pennick and some interesting changes. It gets kind of wild just as it’s ending. This CD also includes a second, somewhat shorter “radio edit” version of this one.  “Feelin You” features vocals by Dee Osbourne and Joey Diggs. “I’ve been watching you, baby/You’ve been turning me on/Don’t you know that I am feelin’ you.” Ah yes, somewhat romantic, somewhat creepy. Leaving this song on a stranger’s answering machine, for example, might not be received with the type of excitement you’d want to generate. “Feelin You” was written by Ron Walker and Michael Pennick. There is a second, shorter version of this song as well. “I want you in my life/I don’t want to be lonely tonight.”

“Before The Storm” is a cool, kind of mellow and passionate journey with a positive vibe, which I appreciate. This is another of my favorites, and has some really good work on keys as well as bass. “Before The Storm” was written by Tim Webb and Michael Pennick. That’s followed by another cool number, “Miked Up,” the CD’s title track, which was written by Ron Walker and Michael Pennick. It’s time to get funky, baby. Just focus on the beat and ignore the news for a bit, things might be okay. This track does have vocals by Joey Diggs and Dee Osbourne, but sort of in the background. “Let’s get miked up.” This one is a really good jam, and is for me another of the CD’s highlights.

CD Track List

1. Sunday Night
2. Chaos
3. Second Level
4. Smooth Ride
5. Inner Beauty
6. That Girl
7. Tony Rome
8. Sunrise
9. Feelin You
10. Before The Storm
11. Miked Up
12. Beautiful Day
13. Tony Rome (radio edit)
14. Feelin You (radio edit)

Miked Up is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2017 through Three 2 Go Music.

Grateful Dead: “Fillmore West Closing Week Night 3” (2016) Box Set Review

When Bill Graham closed the Fillmore West in 1971, he threw a series of farewell concerts. The lineup for the third night was The Rowan Brothers, New Riders Of The Purple Sage and the Grateful Dead. Fillmore West Closing Week Night 3, a five-disc box set, contains nearly the entire night’s music (it is missing one song from the Rowan Brothers’ set). The discs are a bit out of order, giving prominence to the Grateful Dead by putting their sets first (which makes sense). If you want to listen to the music in the order it was presented on the night of July 2, 1971, then play the discs in this order: 5, 4, 1, 2, 3. The show was broadcast on KSAN, and this box set is one of those unofficial radio broadcast releases. The sound is pretty good, and there are no interruptions from any radio station personnel.

Grateful Dead

The first disc contains the first hour or so of the Grateful Dead’s first set. Bill Graham’s introduction is included as a separate track. The band gets things going with “Bertha,” and the energy is high, even though something is a bit off, out of tune. Some tuning follows. Then, when they think they’ve got it right, they go into “Me And Bobby McGee.” More tuning follows that, as they still need to make adjustments. Then we get the first Pigpen performance of the night, “Next Time You See Me,” with his harmonica prominent in the mix. “You only got your sweet self to blame.” And guess what? More tuning follows that. This show is somewhat known for its tuning troubles. But it’s still an enjoyable show, and when they start “China Cat Sunflower,” the audience gets excited. Jerry’s guitar still sounds off to me, and this is a somewhat messy rendition, though the transition to “I Know You Rider” is fairly smooth. This version of “I Know You Rider” has its own problems, however, with some sloppiness and perhaps miscommunication at a few moments. There is more turning before the band launches into “Playing In The Band,” which was still a relatively new song at the time of this show. At the beginning, has Bob forgotten the lyrics, or does his microphone cut out? I’m not sure. This is a really short version of “Playing,” just about five minutes, and something still sounds off. It’s one of the weakest versions I’ve ever heard. The song hasn’t yet developed into the great jam vehicle it would soon become.

And then there is more tuning. Holy moly. And still more tuning after “Loser.” It sounds like someone is impatient with the tuning. “Come on, man, let’s hear it… What are you waiting for? Let’s hear it!” Pigpen then delivers “The Rub” (also known as “Ain’t It Crazy”), with more good work on harmonica. More tuning follows, and then they do “Me And My Uncle,” and it’s a pretty good rendition, with Bob really into it. They follow that with “Big Railroad Blues,” and things seem to be cooking now. Strange for this song to be a highlight of the disc, but it is, and it concludes the first disc.

The second disc contains the rest of the first set and the beginning of the second set. It kicks off with a seriously good and rockin’ version of “Hard To Handle,” with Pigpen delivering the goods vocally. Things are really moving now, and everything seems to be coming together perfectly. The band follows that with “Deal,” which feels like it has a slightly relaxed pace, but is still a good version. Bob then picks Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” to follow that. They then end the first set with a nice long “Good Lovin’.” Oh yes. The thing about this first set, it has a whole lot of Pigpen. And this “Good Lovin’” has plenty of jamming, and plenty of Pigpen’s vocal improvisation. “Jump on your pony and ride, sweet mama!”

The second set gets off to a fun start with an energetic “Sugar Magnolia.” Jerry then brings things down a bit with a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of “Sing Me Back Home.” It’s an absolutely gorgeous and moving version, and it concludes the second disc.

The third disc opens with “Mama Tried,” so the band actually played two Merle Haggard songs in a row. Now on the CD case and on the back of the box it lists “Beat It On Down The Line” as the next song, but the Dead did not play that song at this show. What follows is actually “Cryptical Envelopment,” leading into a drum solo. The drum solo is presented as a separate track, so that is why there are still ten tracks on this disc, even though “Beat It On Down The Line” is not present. And that leads directly to a great, thumping, wild “The Other One,” a terrific jam with peaks and valleys and exploration into strange territory. This one will overtake you and possibly subdue you at moments, and then raise you up and fling you at passing meteors. That’s followed by another Pigpen song, “Big Boss Man,” and then a good “Casey Jones.” The second set then concludes with “Not Fade Away” into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” back into “Not Fade Away.” The encore is an excellent, high-energy version of “Johnny B. Goode.” I’m glad this disc includes the audience noise before the band comes back out for the encore. Often that is cut.

New Riders Of The Purple Sage

I started listening to New Riders Of The Purple Sage in my late teens, specifically because of the Grateful Dead connection, with Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart early members of the band. But I ended up loving their stuff, even their recordings without Jerry. It’s some fun, delicious country and country rock. Well, the fourth disc contains their complete performance from July 2, 1971. They played before the Dead that night, and Jerry sat in with them on pedal steel.

They play some of those favorites that I had on cassette in my teens, such as “I Don’t Know You,” the pretty “Last Lonely Eagle, “Louisiana Lady” and “Glendale Train,” the last being a song that often gets stuck in my head. I love the sweet-sounding “Superman.” “If you’ll share the road with me, I’ll walk along with you.” “Sailin’” is another highlight. At the end of tracks, often the applause will quickly fade out, so it seems likely that we’re missing some banter or tuning between songs. They conclude their set with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women.” The encore is a seriously good rendition of The Band’s “The Weight.”

The Rowan Brothers

The fifth disc contains the performance of the first band of the night, The Rowan Brothers. I’m not all that familiar with The Rowan Brothers, Chris and Lorin, though I was turned on to their older brother Peter Rowan through his work with Jerry Garcia in Old And In The Way. But it turns out Jerry Garcia worked with Chris and Lorin as well, performing on their first record (along with Bill Kreutzmann, actually), though that wouldn’t be released until the year after this concert. (As a side note, Phil Lesh and David Grisman also performed on albums by The Rowan Brothers.) Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann join them for the set captured on this disc.

Bill Graham introduces the group after thanking the audience, and then they start their set with “Hickory Day,” which would be the lead track on their self-titled debut album. “Outside Clover” is one of my favorites from their set. It has a wonderfully positive feel. That’s followed by “Don’t You Worry About A Thing.” (Elsewhere I’ve seen this song labeled as “Grumbling Angel.”) “Better Off Dead” is a lot of fun, and it leads right into an energetic rendition of “Peace And Happiness.” After “Mama Don’t You Cry,” The Rowan Brothers played “We’re Gonna Get Higher,” the one song from this entire night that is missing from the five-disc set. Its absence might be due to a problem with the source material, as the only recording of this song I could find online was incomplete. Still, it would have been good to include it anyway, the two minutes or so that exist. Their set ends with “Move On Down,” a song that would be included on their first record.

Rather than write the track lists, I’ll include a photo of the back of the box (just keep in mind the error concerning “Beat It On Down The Line”).

Fillmore West Closing Week Night 3 was released on September 30, 2016 through Rox Vox.

Whitney Rose at Cody’s Viva Cantina, 3-3-17 Concert Review

Whitney Rose performing "Lookin' Back On Luckenbach"

Sometimes the universe gives us little treats, you know, to keep us interested. Last night when I got over to Cody’s Viva Cantina in Burbank to see Whitney Rose, there was a band already playing. And it was led by Del Casher, the man who first developed the wah-wah pedal for guitar. Just playing casually at this rather small venue. Fantastic. He was backed by a good band too. I particularly enjoyed the bass player. And while this band was playing, my friends and I were drinking mango margaritas, and all seemed right with the world. You know those moments? I am going to do my best to be aware of them when they happen, to acknowledge them, to enjoy them.

And then Whitney Rose took the stage at 8:30 p.m. for the first of two sets. I first became aware of Whitney in 2015 when she released Heartbreaker Of The Year. I was particularly drawn to her voice, but she also writes some damn good material. Then earlier this year she released a new EP, South Texas Suite, which includes a great cover of “Analog.” Last night she kicked off the show with “My First Rodeo,” a tune from Heartbreaker Of The Year – no introductions, no banter, just right to the music. She followed that with “Chivalry Is Dead” from her self-titled album, then spoke to the crowd: “Thank you so much. How y’all doing, Burbank?” The crowd was an interesting mix. Most folks were there to pay attention to the music, and were respectful, but others (include a couple of women behind us) were talking through much of it. Also, the venue has two stages, two rooms that are connected, and music from the other room leaked in, especially audible between songs, which was not cool.

Whitney Rose was backed by Will Meadows on lead guitar and backing vocals, Andrew Pacheco on bass, Kyle Sullivan on drums and backing vocals, and Jeremy Long on keys and pedal steel (and also accordion, actually). In addition to some excellent original material, the band did several covers during the show, including “Suspicious Minds,” Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “You Don’t Own Me.” “You Don’t Own Me” closed out the first set, and was one of the set’s highlights. As I mentioned, when I first heard Whitney Rose, I was struck by her vocals. In the first set, the two songs that really impressed me vocally were “The Last Party” and “You Don’t Own Me.” “You Don’t Own Me” was originally recorded by Lesley Gore, but I think the first version I heard was Joan Jett’s, when I was nine years old. It was included on the Bad Reputation album, which I listened to over and over. Whitney Rose delivered a fantastic performance of the song last night, completely committing to the material, living it, breathing it. It was an excellent way to close the first set.

After a twenty-five-minute break, the band started the second set with a new song, “Arizona.” We heard a bit of it earlier during the soundcheck, and I hope Whitney Rose decides to include it on her next CD, because it’s a really good song. She followed that with “In The Afternoon” and “Your Time To Cry,” the latter featuring some good stuff on both keys and guitar. “Analog” is one of my favorites from the new EP, and I was happy to get to see Whitney perform it. It was written by Brennan Leigh, and last night, in introducing the song, Whitney spoke quite highly of her. She followed it with covers of “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” and “Bluebonnets For My Baby,” the latter also appearing on the new EP.

“Three Minute Love Affair” is another favorite from the new CD, and Jeremy Long played accordion on that one. He switched to pedal steel for “My Boots,” which is also from South Texas Suite. Actually, Whitney played all the tracks from that disc except “How ‘Bout A Hand For The Band,” which is a short instrumental track at the end. Although, as that is sort of a continuation of “My Boots,” maybe they did play it. Hmm. Well, they ended the second set with a nice cover of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” The show ended at 10:23 p.m. There was no encore.

Set List

Set I

1. My First Rodeo
2. Chivalry Is Dead
3. Lookin’ Back On Luckenbach
4. Suspicious Minds
5. The Devil Borrowed My Boots
6. The Last Party
7. The Bottle Let Me Down
8. Lasso
9. You Don’t Scare Me
10. You Don’t Own Me

Set II

1. Arizona
2. In The Afternoon
3. Your Time To Cry
4. Analog
5. All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down
6. Bluebonnets For My Baby
7. Two More Bottles Of Wine
8. Three Minute Love Affair
9. My Boots
10. Stand By Your Man

Here are a few photos from the show:

"Lookin' Back At Luckenbach"

"You Don't Own Me"

"Arizona"

"Your Time To Cry"

"Analog"

"Three Minute Love Affair"

"Stand By Your Man"

"Stand By Your Man"

And here is a photo of Del Casher:

 Cody’s Viva Cantina is located at 900 W. Riverside Dr. in Burbank, California.

Amanda Abizaid: “Walking In Twos” (2017) CD Review

At a time when I think it should be clear to everyone just how important education is, Amanda Abizaid is donating funds generated from sales of her new EP, Walking In Twos, to help buy school supplies for the Aeta children of the Philippines. She was inspired by her experiences in the Philippines last year, when she visited villages and sang to young students at their schools. And actually, some of those children’s voices can be heard on the title track of the EP. Amanda Abizaid was born in Lebanon, and then moved to the United States with her family when she was ten, eventually settling in Los Angeles. She is a singer and songwriter who plays piano, guitar and flute. And on her new EP she is joined by Stephen Stills on the title track.

Walking In Twos opens with its title track, featuring Stephen Stills on guitar. The song begins gently, with Amanda singing, “Oh, the time has come/When enough is enough/And healings are what need to start/Life is fragile/So we’ve got to get tough.” Then it becomes a sort of anthem, a song urging love and understanding, since we do all have some things in common. And I love the lines, “We can’t expect our youth to make changes, no/That we don’t help create.” Children join her to sing, “We can save the world with a smile/We can love the world like a child/Step in someone else’s shoes/Let the magic begin walking in twos.” And while those lines might strike you as a bit cheesy, apparently people still to hear this message. And then we hear the children singing their native language briefly, which is actually a wonderful moment in the middle of the song. And the song ends with percussion. This EP contains a second version of this song, “Walking In Twos - Electronica Remix,” which begins with the sounds of children, and then has a different beat prominent in the mix.

“Lion’s Den” is an interesting mix of acoustic instruments and electronica, adding up to a sweet and positive sound. I really like Amanda’s vocal performance here, though I could do without the little cat noises she makes periodically, which pull me out of the mood every time. Other than the cat sounds, this song is rather pretty. That’s followed by “Set It Up,” a trip hop song with an effective world atmosphere backing the vocals. “What do I have to do to faze you/To wake you/Do I have to break you?” I love getting immersed in the whole vibe of this song. Then “Release Me” also creates a vibrant, compelling atmosphere, with some interesting percussion. “You are my sunshine/On dark days/Lighting the way.”

“One Love” was previously released as a single, and it is the most fun tune on this EP, with its reggae beat and incredibly positive sound and attitude. If your spirits need raising, this song may very well do the trick. It’s followed by “Promises Of Love,” which features some beautiful vocals. Ahmed Kamal plays oud on this track.

CD Track List

1. Walking In Twos
2. Lion’s Den
3. Set It Up
4. Release Me
5. One Love
6. Promises Of Love
7. Walking In Twos – Electronica Remix 

Walking In Twos is scheduled to be released on March 3, 2017.

I See Hawks In L.A. at The Hi Hat, 2-28-17 Concert Review

"Environmental Children Of The Future"

I See Hawks In L.A. wrapped up their February residency at The Hi Hat last night with an excellent set of tunes. The theme for the evening was the apocalypse. Rather fitting these days, eh? But this was not a night of doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, actually. These songs had me smiling and feeling seriously good about the world. So if this is what the apocalypse sounds like, bring it on. I’ll dance right through it.

After a beautiful opening set by The Everyday Visuals (this is a band I will keep an eye out for), I See Hawks In L.A. took the stage just after 10 p.m. They kicked off the set with “Hope Against Hope,” a really good song from their Grapevine album (it was also included on Shoulda Been Gold). “A hopeful way to begin the apocalypse,” Rob Waller said after that one. They then followed that with another song from Grapevine, “Harvest.” “Well, I sat down and read the book of Revelation today/Tried to give a listen to what old John had to say/But I just kept getting bored, so I threw that book away/If the end is coming, let it come another way.” Yeah, that song certainly fit the evening’s theme.

I See Hawks In L.A. played a gig at The Hi Hat on November 4th, and at that show Rob talked about how he’d gotten into a car accident that day. He’d told that story as a way of introducing “Stop Driving Like An Asshole” (I thought of that song on my way to the show last night when a dipshit almost slammed into me on the 134, then got pissed at me when I honked at him). Well, last night Rob reminded the crowd about that accident, then said, “And then today I got stuck in an elevator, and the fire department had to come get me.” He then asked, “Is there something going on?” Someone in the audience shouted out a response, “The apocalypse.”

The band then dipped into their Hallowed Ground album, playing three tracks from it in a row. They got things cooking with an energetic version of “Ever Since The Grid Went Down,” featuring some great work on guitar by Paul Lacques. Rob Waller mentioned that playing this series of shows at The Hi Hat gave them the opportunity to dust off some material they don’t perform regularly. “This next one we haven’t played in quite a while,” Rob said in introducing “Environmental Children Of The Future.” This is one I don’t think I ever saw them perform before, and it was a treat. They followed that with “Carbon Dated Love,” a fun country number that is the lead track from Hallowed Ground.

From New Kind Of Lonely, the band played “River Run.” Rob then removed his outer shirt to reveal a Gun N’ Roses tank top, which had the audience laughing. He bought the shirt at a concert in 1989. “Still fits, too,” he said. The band then played “Slash From Guns N’ Roses,” a song from California Country. I’ve never been a Guns N’ Roses fan, in part because the band’s name requires an apostrophe before the N as well as after. That has always annoyed me. But I do like this song, especially that short lead on bass by Paul Marshall. Delicious!

I’ve been compiling a list of bands that have a song whose title is the band’s name. There are quite a few of them. Bad Company is an obvious example. Other examples include Night Ranger, They Might Be Giants, Bullied By Strings and (shockingly) Kajagoogoo. Well, I See Hawks In L.A. is a member of that interesting group, for the band has a song titled “I See Hawks In L.A.” (on an album also titled I See Hawks In L.A.), and last night they played it. For this song, Paul Lacques played lap steel, which sounded great. I love this song, and their voices blended beautifully on it last night. This was, for me, one of the set’s highlights. And it was followed by another highlight. Back in November, I saw I See Hawks In L.A. cover David Bowie’s “Five Years,” and they did a fantastic job with it. Last week when I learned that the theme for this concert was going to be songs about the apocalypse, I wondered if they’d play it again. Well, they did, and again it was fantastic. They then concluded the set with “Good And Foolish Times,” the closing track from Hallowed Ground. What a fun way to end the show! “Didn’t we have some good times/Some good and foolish times/Didn’t we have some good and foolish times?” Absolutely! And here’s to many more.

Set List

1. Hope Against Hope
2. Harvest
3. Ever Since The Grid Went Down
4. Environmental Children Of The Future
5. Carbon Dated Love
6. River Run
7. Slash From Guns N’ Roses
8. I See Hawks In L.A.
9. Five Years
10. Good And Foolish Times

Their set ended at precisely 11 p.m. Here are some photos from the show:

"Harvest"

"Harvest"

"Harvest"

 

"Ever Since The Grid Went Down"

"Slash From Guns N' Roses"

"I See Hawks In L.A."

"I See Hawks In L.A."

"I See Hawks In L.A."

"I See Hawks In L.A."

"Good And Foolish Times"

The Hi Hat is located at 5043 York Blvd. in Los Angeles.

March 2017 Concert Calendar

I started this blog to let people know about all the good music that's out there. I only review CDs that I like. The rest I leave to everyone else. In addition, I try to keep track of where those artists are performing. So here is a list of a few concerts you might be interested in for the month of March, 2017. This concert calendar might seem slightly shorter than some of the ones I posted last year. That is because I am not including any concerts taking place in any state that voted for Donald Trump.

March 1, 2017  (Wednesday)
Gaelic Storm  -  The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
Rebecca Loebe  -  Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY
Whitney Rose  -  Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA

March 2, 2017  (Thursday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -  Crocks, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Sam Bush  -  Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
Gaelic Storm  - Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE
Rebecca Loebe  -   The Barns At Wolftrap, Vienna, VA
MarchFourth  -   The Showbox, Seattle, WA
Eliza Neals  -  The Bitter End, New York, NY
David Wilcox  -  Triple Door, Seattle, WA

March 3, 2017  (Friday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Clarion Lakeside Inn, Kenora, ON, Canada
Kris Delmhorst  -  Club Passim, Cambridge, MA  -  7 p.m.
Kris Delmhorst  -  Club Passim, Cambridge, MA  -  10 p.m.
Rebecca Loebe  -   The Fox And Crow, Jersey City, NJ
MarchFourth  -   Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
Ellis Paul  -  Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River, MA  -  8 p.m.
Steve Poltz  -  Don Quixote's International Music Hall, Felton, CA
Whitney Rose  -   Cody's Viva Cantina, Burbank, CA
Peter Rowan  -  McCabe's, Santa Monica, CA
John Isaac Watters  -  The Hi Hat, Los Angeles, CA
David Wilcox  -  W.O.W. Hall, Eugene, OR  

March 4, 2017  (Saturday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Christine Lavin and Don White  -  The Bull Run, Shirley, MA
MarchFourth  -   Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
Ellis Paul  -  Hurdy Gurdy, Fair Lawn, NJ  -  7:30 p.m.
Whitney Rose  -  Don The Beachcomber, Huntington Beach, CA
The Whooligans  -  The Auld Dubliner, Long Beach, CA  -  10 p.m.
David Wilcox  - Doverlaff House Concerts, Portland, OR

March 5, 2017  (Sunday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   The Lyric Theatre, Swift Current, SK, Canada
Rebecca Loebe  -   IOTA, Arlington, VA
Eliza Neals  -   South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, NJ

March 6, 2017  (Monday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

March 7, 2017  (Tuesday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary, AB, Canada

March 8, 2017  (Wednesday)
Tab Benoit Band  -  The Bull Run, Shirley, MA
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Casino Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
Whitney Rose  -   Pecos Flavors Winery, Roswell, NM

March 9, 2017  (Thursday)
Tab Benoit   -  Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   The Winspear Theatre, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Rebecca Loebe  -   Brick 15, San Diego, CA
Melvern Taylor And His Fabulous Meltones  -  Toad, Cambridge, MA  -  7:30 p.m.

March 10, 2017  (Friday)
Tab Benoit  -  Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, NY
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Adam Ezra Group  -  The Bull Run, Shirley, MA
Gaelic Storm  - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
Rebecca Loebe  -   Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA

March 11, 2017  (Saturday)
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings  -   Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC, Canada
Gaelic Storm  - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
Glengarry Bhoys   -  Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH
Josh Lederman And The Cambridge-Somerville All-Stars  -  The Plough And Stars, Cambridge, MA  -  4 p.m. 
Rebecca Loebe  -   Poplar Playhouse, Berkeley, CA

Jill Sobule  -  City Vineyard, New York, NY
The Whooligans  -   St. Nicholas Parish, Laguna Woods, CA  -  2 p.m.

March 12, 2017  (Sunday)
The Whooligans  -   The Red Leprechaun, Long Beach, CA  -  3 p.m.
The Whooligans  - The Gas Lamp, Long Beach, CA  -  9 p.m.

March 13, 2017  (Monday)
Eliza Neals  -   Time Out Pub, Rockland, ME

March 14, 2017  (Tuesday)

March 15, 2017  (Wednesday)
Dropkick Murphys  -  House Of Blues, Boston, MA
Jess Klein and Joseph Parsons  -  Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

March 16, 2017  (Thursday)
Dropkick Murphys  -  House Of Blues, Boston, MA
The Whooligans  -   Silky Sullivan's, Fountain Valley, CA  -  7:30 p.m.

March 17, 2017  (Friday)
Dropkick Murphys  -  House Of Blues, Boston, MA
Tim Gearan Band  -  Atwood's Tavern, Cambridge, MA  -  9:30 p.m.
Ellis Paul  -   Me And Thee Coffeehouse, 28 Mugford Street, Marblehead, MA  -  8 p.m.
The Whooligans  -   The Auld Dubliner, Long Beach, CA - 1 p.m. (until 1 a.m.)

March 18, 2017  (Saturday)
Dropkick Murphys  -  House Of Blues, Boston, MA
Nocona  -  Lost Knight, Los Angeles, CA
Patrolled By Radar  -   Lost Knight, Los Angeles, CA
Ellis Paul  -   Red And Shorty's, 4 Paul Street, Dover, NH  -  8 p.m.
The Whooligans  -   The Auld Dubliner, Long Beach, CA  -  10 p.m.

March 19, 2017  (Sunday)

March 20, 2017  (Monday)

March 21, 2017  (Tuesday)
Gaelic Storm  - Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN
David Lindley  -  The Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA

March 22, 2017  (Wednesday)

March 23, 2017  (Thursday)
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band  -  Castle Theatre, Bloomington, IL
Melvern Taylor And His Fabulous Meltones  -  Toad, Cambridge, MA  -  7:30 p.m.
Yonder Mountain String Band  -  The Showbox, Seattle, WA

March 24, 2017  (Friday)
Entrain  -  Narrows Center For The Arts, Fall River, MA
Gaelic Storm  - Egyptian Theatre, Dekalb, IL
Rebecca Loebe  -  Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
Patrolled By Radar  -  Lucky Fools Pub, Moorpark, CA
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band  -   Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, IL
Yonder Mountain String Band  -   Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR

March 25, 2017  (Saturday)
The Band Of Heathens  -  Hodi's Half Note, Fort Collins, CO
Josh Lederman And The Cambridge-Somerville All-Stars  -  The Plough And Stars, Cambridge, MA  -  4 p.m. 
James McMurtry  -  Clementine Cafe, Harrisonburg, VA 

Ellis Paul  -  The Princeton Coffeehouse, 25 E. Marion Street, Princeton, IL  -  7:30 p.m.
Rick Shea  -  McCabe's, Santa Monica, CA 
The Whooligans  -  O'Malley's On Main, Seal Beach, CA  -  9 p.m.
Yonder Mountain String Band  -   McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR

March 26, 2017  (Sunday)
Greg Brown  -  McCabe's, Santa Monica, CA
Ellis Paul  -  The Old House Concert, Berwyn, IL  -  4 p.m.
Yonder Mountain String Band  -   Rogue Theatre, Grants Pass, OR

March 27, 2017  (Monday)
James McMurtry  - Tin Pan, Richmond, VA

March 28, 2017  (Tuesday)
The Band Of Heathens  - The Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles, CA
Leftover Cuties  -  The Bungalow, Santa Monica, CA
James McMurtry  - Birchmere, Alexandria, VA

March 29, 2017  (Wednesday)
James McMurtry  -   Roy's Hall, Blairstown, NJ
Yonder Mountain String Band  -   Miners Foundry Cultural Center, Nevada City, CA

March 30, 2017  (Thursday)
James McMurtry  -   Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT
Ellis Paul  -  Gig Performance Space, 1808 Second Street, Santa Fe, NM  -  7:30 p.m.

March 31, 2017  (Friday)
Aztec Two-Step  -  Narrows Center For The Arts, Fall River, MA
Bombadil  -  The Southern, Charlottesville, VA
The Dollyrots  -  The Hi Hat, Los Angeles, CA
Antje Duvekot  -  Me And Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA  -  8 p.m.
Tim Gearan Band  -  Atwood's Tavern, Cambridge, MA  -  9:30 p.m.
Go Betty Go  -  The Hi Hat, Los Angeles, CA
James McMurtry  -   World Cafe Live, Wilmington, DE
Tom Rush  -  Tupelo Music Hall, Derry, NH
Yonder Mountain String Band  -   Winter Wonder Grass, Squaw Valley, CA