Credit: photo by John Anderson

Bob Hoffnar’s Mood Illusion

Location: Stay Gold, 1910 E. Cesar Chavez
Start date: Feb. 2015
Run time: Wednesday, 9pm-12mid
All ages? N

In a city stacked with pedal steel players, NYC transplant Bob Hoffnar has been employed by Norah Jones, Ryan Adams, and Iggy Pop. When popular Eastside vibe room Stay Gold opened earlier this year, Hoffnar’s lounge band Mood Illusion immediately emerged as its flagship act on Wednesdays. Typically featuring drummer Stephen Bidwell, bassist Aaron Allen, and Michael Patrick St. Clair on horns and keys, Hoffnar’s crew churns out instrumental variations on traditionals, pop staples (ABBA, Bacharach, Carpenters), and moody originals. “We feel pretty free at Stay Gold,” says the bandleader. “The audience can talk or watch, and we can be goofy or get hardcore avant-garde. Or just dig some Neil Young covers.”

This article appears in November 27 • 2015.

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