Music

I left the Artists' Theatre last weekend, humming and feeling pretty nostalgic. I had just seen Laguna Beach High School's production of "The Sound of Music,"and I couldn't help but be transported back in time to my own high school days, when I was a "drama kid" and all the world was my stage. It's been so many years, I'd nearly forgotten that part of my life. My dreams of being an actress never really got much farther than my leading role as Judas (yes, that Judas) in my Catholic school's annual Easter show.

Folk music, that most uniquely American art form, takes center stage at the Laguna Playhouse with the world premiere of "Lonesome Traveler," covering four decades of the evolving genre. Starting with the mid-1920s and ending in 1965 — when Bob Dylan famously brought the genre to an end by playing an electric guitar — this import from Ventura's Rubicon Theater Company is bound to lift audiences' spirits with its enthusiasm for the homespun style of performing, backed by guitars and banjos.

When one hears Gavyn Bailey's voice, it's hard to believe that the 13-year-old from Laguna Niguel doesn't have a recording contract. On YouTube he sings Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I am" as if the song were written for him. While some kids might point to a heavy course load or an active social life as distractions, Gavyn's had to battle a much larger obstacle when it comes to focusing on his music. At 3 years old, Gavyn had a kidney transplant. His mother, Giselle Bailey, said that the day before he was born she was told he might not make it. About a year ago, his body rejected the transplanted kidney - a common occurrence for transplant patients - which caused him to have high blood pressure and a brain hemorrhage.

It's Wednesday night in a Costa Mesa warehouse. For The Gromble, that means rehearsing until 1 a.m. The Laguna Niguel-based rock band is preparing for its potential recognition at the Orange County Music Awards. The Gromble's Detroit Bar showcase on Jan. 3 proved successful, with a packed house and positive reviews. They're also gearing up to finish their latest album, which they hope to have out by the time the awards show comes in March. The band is fronted by Spencer Askin, 21, who not only does vocals but also plays guitar and the occasional trumpet.

Award-winning playwright Mary Murfitt has written stories and songs about cowgirls, small-town folks and other fictional characters. But her new musical, "Looking for Home: A Story from the Orphan Trains," is based on a little-known aspect of American history - and a real woman. With emotional, stirring songs and historic period staging, the play recreates small-town America in the 1920s. Youth Theatre Director Donna Inglima directs the play, which will make its premiere at the Laguna Playhouse on the weekends of Nov. 4-6 and Nov. 11-13.

After a seven-year hiatus, the Doheny Days Music Festival is coming back to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, and Laguna Beach dentist/musician Ken Garcia is on board. The two-day festival last appeared in 2004, reportedly having grown a bit too big and wild for the low-key beach venue, according to Garcia. The big music festival may have outgrown its locale, but "everybody missed it and wanted to bring it back," Garcia said. "We're trying to bring back the surf and beach styles, with good family bands," Garcia added.

Theatrical producer, writer and director Steve Josephson spent the last year shuttling between Prague and Laguna Beach, getting to know Czech movie- and theater-maker Mirjam Landa. The two met at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, where Josephson had taken "2116," a futuristic Ray Bradbury musical that Josephson developed into a full-length work. Landa had staged a musical version of one of her movies at the annual theater festival. She took time to see "2116" and returned a second time with her entire cast, Josephson said.

While the funny fantasy film "Xanadu" wasn't a commercial success, it's getting a new theatrical take with Laguna Beach's No Square Theatre's adaption opening Saturday. Known for women in roller skates and an award-winning soundtrack featuring Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra, the 1980 film eventually acquired a cult following and its Broadway adaptation received positive reviews. Director Joe Lauderdale saw the Broadway show in 2008 and was immediately smitten.

Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco nearly 50 years ago, and he's still one of the hottest singers around, even though he'll turn 85 in August. The Laguna Playhouse will celebrate the life and career of the man Frank Sinatra famously called "the best singer in the business" beginning July 5 when the musical tribute "I Left My Heart" opens a seven-week engagement as the theater's midsummer attraction. "I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett" will kick off the playhouse's 2011-12 season July 5 through Aug. 21. "He excites me when I watch him," Sinatra once said.

If the Fête de la Musique had been held in an arena, it would have sold out. The Laguna Beach Sister Cities Assn. stationed entertainers at about 30 locations downtown. Crowds gathered to listen, clap in time to the music, even dance and applaud, much as audiences will, or have done, this year around the world. Music ranged from arias sung by Jenny Wang at Peppertree Lane Mall to the Grey Hill Gospel String Band by Tuvalu on Forest Avenue. "Fête de la Musique was officially recognized in France in 1976 and is now celebrated in 110 countries, 250 cities," said Karen Philippsen , association president.