On January 18, 2024, I head out to Petaluma, California to see two bands, The Rain Parade and The Third Mind. The Third Mind is an exploratory invitation into human interaction of the mind. The trip was fairly uneventful, a chill evening, with a peaceful drive. Between shows getting canceled and me being sick, it was a nice change going to a show. This time, was the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, and what a show it was.
The Rain Parade was a surprise. This band was an older band reformed into a powerhouse. They blew me away. They were well put together and solid. Starting their set with “You are My Friend”, the band was consistent throughout the set, while playing stuff old and new stuff. The highlights of the set were “I Look Around” and “No Easy Way Down”. Both of those songs put me in the mood for The Third Mind while leaving me wanting more. A great band!
The Rain Parade band members
Matt Piucci – guitar, vocals
Steven Roback – bass, vocals
John Thoman – guitar, keyboard, vocals
Derek See – guitar
Steven Junca – drums
Setlist
1). You Are My Friend
2). I Look Around
3). Last Rays of a Dying Sun
4). Kaleidoscope
5). What She’s Done To Your Mind
6). Forgetfulness
7). Blue/Green
8). Share Your Love (>)
9). This Can’t Be Today
10). No Easy Way Down
The Third Mind is a who’s who of musical talent. The musical prowess put out from this band is legendary. From the first notes, they had the crowd locked in. My intent was to cover the band, but in the end, it was memorable. Dave Alvin led them though a myriad of sounds produced by David, Victor, Jesse, and Michael. The night started with a snafu. There was an issue with the acoustic guitar in the first song, but after that the set went by flawlessly. “Grooving Ain’t Easy” an Electric Flag song off of The Third Mind 2 started off rocky, but went stellar and went up from there. By the time the third started, the crowd was totally into it and the band knew it. Shredding through the second LP, they did dip into a few tracks from the first LP, The Third Mindand they played two songs off that album, “East West” and “Little Bit of Rain” (A Fred Neil song). Then they played one more before heading off on “Highway 61 Revisited,” a Dave Alvin song, which the band handled with ease. Jesse even covered the third verse of the vocals (with a little help from Dave)! Very well played.
The Third Mind band members
Dave Alvin – guitar, vocals
Mark Karan– guitar, vocals
Michael Jerome – drums, percussion
Victor Krummenacher – bass, vocals
Jesse Sykes – guitar, vocals
Setlist
1). Groovin’ Is Easy (The Electric Flag cover)
2). In My Own Dream (The Paul Butterfield Blues Band cover)
3). Sally Go ‘Round the Roses (The Jaynetts cover)
4). Tall Grass
5). East-West (Bonnie Dobson cover)
6). Little Bit of Rain (Fred Neil cover)
Encore
7). The Dolphins (Fred Neil cover)
9). Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan covers)
Follow The Third Mind on social media
Follow the Rain Parade on social media
Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
