Song Spotlight: Maudlin Strangers' Spaghetti Western (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

When I saw that Maudlin Strangers was on the schedule at Hotel Ziggy for a WFNM showcase, I immediately recognized the band name. It was a flashback to 2014 when I went off to the Bootleg Theatre (the current location of 2220 Arts) to catch their August Residency. What's a residency, some Los Angeles music fans might ask? Back in the day, local venues across Los Angeles would set aside Monday nights as a free night of music and a specific band would play each of those nights. It was always free entrance. Zebulon still carries on that tradition off and on. 

Maudlin Strangers at Hotel Ziggy

There were four or five music venues that would participate in the residency night and so die hard music fans such as myself would rotate through all the residencies. It was great for the bands, but also for the music community. It was a night where you'd just run across familiar faces and talk about where you planned to be the following Monday night. On this particular night back in 2014, supporting Maudlin Strangers was Dorothy. 

Anyways, after that period, I did not see them until the WFNM set. Their bio explains why there was such a large gap for me. In 2016, lead singer Jake Hays decided to shift focus away from the band and it went into hiatus. The project was revived in 2023. As for their sound, "synth-laced melancholy while preserving the raw rock core." 

Maudlin Strangers at Hotel Ziggy

As a note, I covered Jake Hays in 2022 for Buzzbands when he opened up for Night Talks. There is a nice surprise around that night. If you'd like to read about it, click on the link. 

Decision of the set: Jacket on or off. Interestingly enough, back in 2024 I had this quote from Jake Hays, "It is so hot up here. But then I'm stupid for wearing a jacket. This jacket isn't coming off." This time, it was jacket off. 

It was a "Hello Hollywood," and then a packed crowd enjoyed a setlist that included songs from the 2015 EP Overdose and last year's EP Welcome Home as well as two recent releases. It was a night for fans from both eras. Their new material is definitely finding a fan base as it was mentioned that their song "Under My Skin" recently passed the million streaming mark.  

Maudlin Strangers at Hotel Ziggy

Hug of the set: Hays called for his regular drummer Richie Gonzales to come up to the stage (he was out in the audience). It was the "first time since 2014 that we've had another drummer playing." The reason he was out in the audience instead of behind the kit was because he had recently under gone pacemaker surgery.  

My song spotlight goes to a 2026 single release "Spaghetti Western." As someone who enjoyed watching Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Western Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), I've just got to make that my song spotlight. The music is a throwback to the soundtracks of those movies. (Another solid option is their most recent release "The Westside," which started off with that shared hug between long time band mates.) 

Maudlin Strangers at Hotel Ziggy

A song about being head over heels at first site.

And as we danced to Wanted Dead or Alive
I see a whirlwind romance, like Bonnie and Clyde

Is it a spoiler to say that in the 1967 movie that they die in a hail of gunfire? Of course, that's how it also happened in real life.

Setlist: AIM. I’m Not In The Right Mind. Say What You Wanted. Under My Skin. Penny. Spaghetti Western. Silver Stain. Gingerale. The Westside. Don’t Worry, I’m Fine. Overdose.