Danny Prather has organized three Lake County bands and one folksinger/song writer to entertain campers and visitors at Cobbstock, a mini Woodstock, from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at Yogi Bear”s Jellystone Park on Bottle Rock Road, Cobb Mountain. Listeners will hear how Cobb Mountain natives continue to rock.
Joan Moss, a resident of Cobb who grew up in “Bob Dylan Country,” Minnesota, begins this family festival with originals, and accompanies her self with a 30-year-old D-26 Guild 12 string. She has performed original compositions with and for children, including “Feed the Hungry,” which she sang for the third year in a row with first communion children taught by Martha O”Brien at St Josephs Parish in Middletown. The First Communion Mass was celebrated May 20 at the outside chapel, Our Lady of the Pines.
Moss welcomes communion students from the past three years to sing with her on stage, and this song may be recorded by Jim Ruzicka, who will be working at the festival under City of Light Sound and Recording Studio. The song has developed into a reggae tune.
Moss will also perform two songs she wrote and performed with Gard Street Kid Connection children at the Cinco De Mayo Celebration, May 6 at Library Park: “Rock Steady” and “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth,” sponsored by Migrant Education of Kelseyville schools. Moss is looking for sponsors to help children pay at the gate so they can sing at this celebration.
These three songs — “Feed the Hungry,” “Rock Steady” and “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth” — when recorded successfully, will be benefits for the parish vocation program, Migrant Education scholarship program. These projects are in the planning stage at the present time and may be subject to change.
Moss may also sing a favorite she wrote for the children at Terrace Middle School, “Happy Juice,” and another Bluegrass tune, “Kelsey Creek.” Moss has asked Marina Weare, who wrote some of the verses to this song, to fix up a wash-tub bass and play with her for this song, along with Mary Mandolin, mandolin player.
The Cam Band is made up of Eric Patric, Danny Prather and John Gormely, local musicians from Cobb who like to get together and play classic rock. Eric Patric is well known as an actor and KNTI Radio Personality. Also performing with the Cam Band for some numbers will be Brad Hansen and Don Campbell. “Ain”t That America” by John Mellencamp will be performed by John Gormely as a favorite.
The Band of Brothers, consisting of Rich Peregrina on guitar, keyboard and vocals; Tim Peregrina on guitar and vocals, drummer Rich Redding, percussionist Rich Elliot and Charwin Ward on drums with vocals, originates from Upper Lake. The Band of Brothers will perform blues, early Beatles and Stevie Ray Vaughn tunes. “We play anything from Johnny Cash to Van Halen,” said Rich Peregrina.
Dana Prather, Danny”s daughter, will sing “Land Slide” by Fleetwood Mack with the Cam Band and “Prison of Life” by Steve Prather with the Prather Brothers Band. This highly-esteemed rock ?n” roll is band made up of three brothers, Danny, Donny and Steve Prather, who grew up in a pioneer family on Cobb, along with Don Hoberg, also from Cobb, with lead guitarist Dave, who also grew up on Cobb Mountain. The Prather Brothers are finishing up their album of original songs. Some of these originals, never heard before, will be the grand finale of the festival.
Brian Barnhart, owner of the campground, is working hard to develop his family resort that presently consists of 250 acres of forest, creeks, a swimming pool, store, kayaking creek, and other recreational activities. He has big plans for the future. According to Barnhart, vendors will sell food and beverages on the day of the festival.
The gate fee for this music festival will be $15 and for more information, call 928-4322.
When visitors attend this music festival, they will be listening to Lake County musicians and song writers, many whose roots are sunk deep in Cobb Mountain. They will experience Cobbstock.
