On Saturday, Aug. 22, the Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon in Springdale is pleased to present Old Californio … kind of. While the show will feature all the original members of the Pasadena grassroots, independent psychedelic rock band, the actual band “Old Californio” hasn’t been together for a few years now.
“The split was absolutely amicable,” said drummer Justin Smith. “We pushed really hard for five or six years. It was a lot of traveling. A lot of driving. [Old Californio] lived its life. It was a good life, but we burned ourselves out on it.”
Smith said the members of the band wanted to go on and do their own projects, but when they got a call from Alex Pelton, owner of the Bit and Spur, asking if they wanted to come out and play a gig, while all of the former members were definitely interested, Smith said they had a decision to make.
“We decided doing it as ‘Old Californio’ was not really what we wanted to do,” Smith said, “but we still wanted to get out together. We have good chemistry and friendships going back at least twenty years. We decided we can still put that same energy and chemistry together for a good time … We still appreciate the friendship and the camaraderie we have, and the musical language we can play together is natural. So it felt right to get back together and do this.”
However, any fans of Old Californio should note that they will not be playing their old songs but rather offering their unique and talented take on some of their personal favorites by other musicians. For this reason, they’re not even calling themselves “Old Californio.”
“The name is not as important,” Smith said. “It’s about having a good time, playing something people can get into. We’re just calling ourselves the house band.”
Old Californio … err, the “house band” will be playing Saturday, Aug. 22, at 9:45 p.m. at the Bit and Spur. This is a 21 and older event. Admission is $15.
