February 13th, 2024
at The Mint in Los Angeles, CA
I walked into The Mint on that brisk Tuesday night and the place was already packed. The night's headliner wouldn't be on for another hour and a half, but the crowd had already filed in and gotten themselves in place in anticipation of what was to come. Music fans of all ages were there to see Waddy Wachtel, Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Steve Postell, collectively known as The Immediate Family. In the 70's you could barely pick up an album and scan the liners without reading one or many of their names together alongside some of the most iconic artists of the time. Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt to name a few. These guys recorded and toured with all of them and still do. As a matter of fact, Waddy Wachtel was absent from the show because as the guys put it, "he was off doing his day job", which is currently performing on tour with Stevie Nicks. Special guest Elliot Easton from The Cars filled in on guitar and vocals and handled the duties like a champ. The set was filled with classic hits that the guys had either written and or played on including:
Honey don't leave LA (James Taylor)
Somebody's Baby (Jackson Browne)
Just What I Needed (The Cars)
Dirty Laundry (Don Henley)
New York Minute (Don Henley)
Let The Good Times Roll (The Cars)
Tender Is The Night (Jackson Browne)
Who's Gonna Drive You Home? (The Cars)
All She Wants To Do Is Dance (Don Henley)
Sprinkled in, among all the classics were some terrific new songs from their recently released album, Skin in The Game, available on Quarto Valley Records. Highlights from the new record were the lead track "Whole Lotta Rock And Roll" and my personal favorite 24/7/365, co-written by Kortchmar and Stan Lynch from the Heartbreakers. It was a great night of music from start to finish. Big thanks to Fred Croshal from Croshal Entertainment Group for inviting me to this amazing show.
Check out the new album HERE!