Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders at the Troubadour

Taking a break from drumming in one of the bigger rock bands on the planet, Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins reassembled his trusty Coattail Riders to record a sophomore album Red Light Fever. The Troubadour was packed with folks eager to check out the new tunes and secretly hoping for some special guests.

Dios Malos





It was fitting that Dios Malos would play on 4/20. Dios Malos continue to pound the pavement in support of their hazy, sun baked new album WE ARE DIOS. Joel Morales gently strummed his black Gibson Les Paul for shimmery THC laced chords backed by the low end Rickenbacker thump of John Paul Caballero.

Since the front row of fans were drummers, they talked amongst themselves stating that Patrick Butterworth was more than capable of holding down a beat and almost restraining himself from going berserk on the drums. They ended their set with a ramshackle cover of "Nervous Breakdown" by Black Flag with Caballero on vocals.

Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders






Drumming while singing is a herculean task that shouldn't be taken on lightly. Taylor Hawkins made it look incredibly easy perched behind his shiny orange Gretsch drum kit. My suspicions of being surrounded by drummers were confirmed when the air drumming commenced around me during "I Don't Think I Trust You Anymore".

Hawkins doesn't shy away from his influences. Each of the songs on the new record come off as a loving tributes to some of his favorite bands. I couldn't help but think Hawkins was making a sequel soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemount High by touching upon the sounds of Cheap Trick, The Cars and Styx.

Rifling through songs like "Louise", "Hole In My Shoes", and "You Drive Me Insane" had Hawkins dripping in sweat slamming the skins. Hawkins has assembled a solid band anchored by former Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney who played with Hawkins in their Alanis Morissette stint. Gannin Arnold was phenomenal on guitar, deftly soloing like it was '80s but without the unnecessary flash.

"Way Down", "It's Over" and "Sunshine" closed out their main set that with fists pumping in the air showing signs of approval from the crowd. Hawkins said he needed a two minute break before bringing out some friends which got a large ovation. A beautiful blue left handed Gibson SG was plugged in for Eliot Easton of The Cars fame as he came out for muscle car growl of "Not Bad Luck".

Hawkins didn't rely to heavily on his lyric cheat sheets for a stellar cover of The Cars "You're All I've Got Tonight". While I thought Dave Grohl was still on tour with Them Crooked Vultures, he magically appeared to sit behind the drums for "Your Shoes" as Hawkins did a little bit of air drumming himself. "Cold Day In The Sun" had Hawkins place the vocal microphone back in front of Grohl for some added harmonies.

Grohl and Hawkins exchanged handshakes before walking off the stage to thunderous applause. It wasn't surprising to see the crowd not move after the lights went up and the house music started to play. Drum heads and drum sticks magically appeared in hopes of being autographed. Make sure you check out some of the new Taylor Hawkins tunes via their awesome 8-track player.

Sea Wolf at the Belly Up

Sea Wolf


I asked Alex Church when he was in Irving after this show when was he going to play again. Alex mentioned it would not be for a long time. It turned out he was prophetic as he would later form Sea Wolf.

Dios Malos


Dios (Malos) have been around for quite sometime with their hazy psychedelic rock. I remember seeing them open for Morrissey at the Wiltern when they were called Dios. Unfortunately, they were sued by Ronnie James Dio and had to change their name to Dios Malos. I think they should have changed their name to Rainbows.

Old Man Hands



Old Man Hands from San Diego played a handful of folk infused acoustic jams. They even managed to work an accordion, flute, violin and Rhodes keyboards into the songs. Old Man Hands is the main project of Gabriel Feenbergs who was playing in other bands before heading up his solo project. It was in the same vein as Iron and Wine and Sufjan Stevens. "Weight Of the Night" is the latest release by Old Man Hands.


Sea Wolf






Sea Wolf has been gaining momentum quite rapidly as of late. Sea Wolf was recently featured on KCRW as well as Spinner.com. The word is spreading quick that their album "Leaves In The River" is one of the catchier quiet albums of 2007. Alex Church (Vocals/Guitars) has a soothing voice that meshes well with the memorable melodies of keyboards and jangly acoustic guitars. I feel the secret weapon of Sea Wolf is Aniela Perry (Cello) who amplifies the soul of the songs with her cello playing. The cello enhances the cinematic element of Alex's storytelling lyrics. Sea Wolf had the crowd in the palm of their hand by the time they played their second song of their set "Winter Windows". The cello and keyboards all realize their space in the song as they nicely blend into the Alex's voice. Sea Wolf's songs vary nicely in their pace to make each song stand out. "The Cold, The Dark & The Silence" was next and could easily dominate the airwaves with its punchy acoustic lead riff and yearning cello. "Middle Distance Runner" also has single potential with its hypnotic fingerpicking acoustic guitars and rhythmic bass drum beat. Sea Wolf will be playing a few more dates to close out 2007 but look for them to break out in 2008.