Laguna Beach has its own share of great local and regional music talent. A big plus, however, lies in the fact that so many music celebrities settle here in Laguna Beach for a quieter lifestyle away from the Santa Monica and Hollywood scenes. They show up unexpectedly on stage with our local folks, or even create entire “anonymous” bands (aka: Crimson Crowbar) that pop up here or there like food trucks with fans.
Tonight (Fri, Jan. 15th), Hotel Laguna is welcoming one such celebrity – the crazily talented guitarist and vocalist Joey Sykes. He’s in the OceanView Bar & Grill from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., and there’s no cover charge.
Now with the reformed Babys, Joey Sykes has created an illustrious career as a world-tour force since the 1990s. Initially with Boystown and the record label EMI, Joey’s next band – Coward – played frontline bars in Manhattan for just 6 months before being picked up by Elektra records and touring (primarily) with Third Eye Blind. He’s played everywhere, from Madison Square Garden to the Staples Center, and shared the stage with Don Henley, Hall & Oates, Third Eye Blind, The Eurythmics, Tommy Henriksen, Meredith Brooks, Bryan Adams, Queen Latifah, Collective Soul and more.
As Joey has been creating Top 10 songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 for years, the Babys rose to fame in the late 1970s through the early 1990s with John Waite as their key vocalist. I still remember belting out sing-alongs in my college days to many of their tunes … “Isn’t It Time,” “Every Time I Think of You,” and “Back on My Feet Again” for starters.
Last month, Joey sat in on a last-minute request and none other than John Waite joined him on stage. It’s just the way things happen in Laguna Beach. That performance might not be repeated tonight, but when you have a celebrity musician of this stature, you really never know who’s going to wander in the OceanView Bar & Grill. Hope to see you there!