Crazy Drummer Stuff

From Left to Right:  Smack Dab is Kent Richards, bass and vocals; Marc Repaire, lead guitar and vocals; myself on drums (playing a right-handed kit that night); Allison Friedman, lead vocals and guitar and Lloyd Brown, lead vocals and guitar.   We can be reached at SmackDabGroup@gmail.com .    So, on January 13, 2026, we had decided to do an open mike night, to get some exposure.  As luck would have it, one of the local establishments does an open mike night every Tuesday: 24401 Ridge Route Drive Suite B-105, Laguna Hills, California 92653 https://neighborsbarandgrille.com/ From Neighbors’ website:  “Tuesday Tacos & Tunes, Open Jam Session.  Bring your axe of choice and sign up to Jam with the Steven Johnson Jam Band every Tuesday Night.”  So off we went, Kent and I carpooling from San Clemente, like we usually do.  By the way, since we started playing together back in the fall of 2023, Kent and I have become good friends, and since ...

Mission San Juan Capistrano:  Mission in Lights, December 23, 2025.   For those of you who are not familiar with Mission San Juan Capistrano, the Mission was founded on November 1, 1776, as the seventh of the 21 missions that were established by the Spanish in California.  By the way, the California Missions are a chain of 21 religious outposts established by the Spanish Franciscans between 1769 and 1823, stretching along El Camino Real from San Diego to Sonoma, to evangelize Native Americans and colonize Alta California.  The California Missions became significant cultural landmarks, and have had a lasting cultural impact on California.  The California Missions were built about 30 miles apart, so that if one was traveling on horseback, one could reach the next mission within a day’s ride.  The Mission system covers about 650 miles, from the south of California to the north.    Just for fun, I’ve included a list of all the missions below:...