The Hawks have been struggling to keep up with some kickass female energy this summer, and not just from our kickass wives.
July 4th Eve brought the Hawks and the Chapin Sisters to the Echo for a surprisingly packed out evening in the midst of a heat wave that’s fossilizing the already dried out hills of the Southland. The AC in the Echo works if you’re lurking in the weird and haunted stairway leading to the odiferous and also haunted band room. Otherwise it’s nice and toasty at the bar, which makes for good musical energy.The Hawks did a noisy electric set and the Chapin Sisters followed with their angelic authority that brought the crowd to a hush within two verses and a chorus of the first song. It never fails. We joined them at the end for a Hawks song we wrote for the Sisters, a Crystal Gayle post-free love 1970’s country rocker dripping with found object irony, and then a new Chapin Sisters original that haunts our aural memory still. And out into the still sultry night.
Last night we ventured east to the edge of downtown L.A., miss that left turn off First Street onto Vignes and you’re crossing the scenic bridge over the rail yard and the L.A. “River.” We finally located the new and hip scene, Bordello, inside Little Pedro’s, a sort of tribute to perhaps a mosque and reputedly an early L.A. whorehouse.
The interior is still tarted up, red and gilded wood setting the moody mood.
Dave Remarkable Markowitz sat in with us on electric fiddle, it’s been a long time, too long, and we had a great set and then were knocked over by the all girl except for the bobbing bass player experimental Latin folk rock groove that is Pistolera. Great songs, simple but hard hitting playing with that elusive twist that separates the new from the same old. The tunes were memorable and fearlessly straight ahead. No gimmicks, and a new direction. That’s not easy. Pistolera. Don’t miss them next time.The night was overcast as we scattered to the two and a half winds, maybe we’ll get some rain.