Ahh!! Topanga Days! Well, it took me a few years to motivate and get out to this thing. But this year I finally did it!! My big fear is traffic and parking, especially when going into Topanga Canyon which only has one main road in and out of the place. So I arrived at around 11:15AM and found parking to be ample. Sure, there's a $20 admission fee just to get in. More on that later.
Made my way inside with my fiance and a close friend in tow. The main stage already had a band playing classic rock from the Doors. They weren't on the playbill, but I guess they had an arangement to play for the "early" crowd, All around the perimeter of the baseball field (the main stage site) there were vendors selling jewelry, clothing and knick-knacks. Pricing was moderate to high for this stuff, so I held back from buying anything. I had been expecting much more in the way of bargains. But I guess this Topanga Days thing has become a bit more commercialized than it must have been when it first started.
Actually, the first thing I noticed was the abundance of bra-less wonders fluttering around. Quite a welcome sight for these eyes. Most of these folks looked way too young to have been a part of the sixties scene. And those that were old enough to have been around back then should've probably dressed up a bit more. But who am I to complain about folks presenting as free spirits from a more turbulent time in our past.
The food was located up a steep hill and was mediocre at best. I figured the folks would've at least tried to make a more permanent impression on our stomachs. But that was wishful thinking.
Now the music was something!! Way in the backside of the grounds was a stage where a band was playing to an empty dirt lot. The reason there wasn't anyone down there was because there was no obvious path to get there. Oh well; the band didn't seem to mind. Inside a brick building by the food vendors, there was a covers band called, The Byrds Collective. They were playing indoors and it was clear that they were having some stage volume issues and unwanted feedback. But I gave a listen for a few tunes. They absolutely brutalized a couple Beatles tunes: Nowhere Man and She Said She Said. It's too bad they hadn't learned the nuances of these tunes well enough. So they came off horribly. The trouble with covering Beatles tunes is that they have to be perfect in order to be pleasing to the ear. And so far, I haven't heard a single band that does them justice. So better to lay off the Beatles stuff guys. The Byrds Collective did play some Byrds tunes, though. And those tunes were wonderfully executed. Very nice vocal harmonies. Well done. So guys, please,...more Byrds.
Come to Main stage where there was a band called, Honey Bunch playing a meandering endless version of White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane. It would've been good if it had been shorter. But what really caught my ear was the horribly out of tune wailing of the lead singer attempting to sing "Remember what the Dormouse said..." at the end of the song.
I stuck around to see the next band, Yesterday's Child. And what a treat!! These guys, I don't know where they came from, but I was thrilling to every single tune they played. In fact I remember every single song: Cinnamon Girl, My Little Red Book (!!!), Walk Away, Gimme Shelter, Time Of The Season (Yes!! excellent!), No Time, For What It's Worth, All Day And All Of The NIght, Heart Full Of Soul, Born To Be Wild, Witchy Woman, A Quick One (?!!), Sunshine Of Your Love, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, Sitting On Top Of The World, and Badge.
My word, this band came off as practiced and professional, and were clearly enjoying themselves throughout their all-too-brief set. Please bring more bands like this to Topanga Days next year. Or just let these guys play the whole day long!! Who plays A Quick One (The Who) anymore?!! And the Cream mini-set was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal!! Their lead guitarist, I think Ziggy or something, was spot-on with the guitar solos. He didn't spoil the guitar parts, like many covers guitarists do, by injecting his own "stuff" into it. His talent was obvious as he clearly had done his homework and presented the solos as they are on the original records.
This band, Yesterday's Child was worth the price of admission for sure. And I would definitely pay to see them again. I wish I could remember their website. They were modest and I think they only mentioned it once.
http://yesterdays-child.com.
Time to come clean here. I know these guys. But I've tried to be as objective and constructive as possible about the other bands I mentioned in critique. Since YC and I have been friends for a number of years, it's difficult for me to be anything but subjective in my opinions about how great they are. So I'd implore you to check them out and decide for yourself. read more