Nice to meet ya Rich! Living in L.A. from 1979-2016, I was able to see and hear a lot of great stuff live. Los Lobos, Lucinda Williams, and Dwight Yoakum before they got record deals. Locals like The Continental Drifters (a great band containing Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, Susan Cowsill, Peter Holsapple of the db’s, studio drummer Carlo Nuccio), The Long Ryders (Lucinda’s then-husband was their drummer. Sid Griffin is almost as much a Band fanatic as am I), The Blasters, The Plimsouls (containing Peter Case), The Beat (their debut album is a Power Pop classic. A great, great live band), dozens more.
That was after having grown up in the N. California Bay area (San Jose/Cupertino), having seen all the local bands starting at age 14. The Chocolate Watchband, The Syndicate Of Sound, People, Stained Glass, The Otherside (an offshoot of The Chocolate Watchband). In 67 I started going up to see all the San Francisco bands, good (The Dead, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, Sons Of Champlin, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Steve Miller Blues Band---with Boz Scaggs just playing rhythm guitar!, The Flamin’ Groovies), and bad (Big Brother & The Holding Company---absolutely dreadful!, Country Joe & The Fish, Blue Cheer---oy!). I somehow failed to ever see the best of them---Moby Grape.
