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Click On >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapt._Kopter_and_the_%28Fabulous%29_Twirly_Birds

Randy convened a touring band during the same period under the Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds moniker. The group, which featured Ed Cassidy on drums and Larry "Fuzzy" Knight on bass, supported the album by playing shows around the Los Angeles area, including a few performances for the radio station KPFK. Several months after the album's release, this group would tour Europe as Spirit under pressure from booking agents who wanted to capitalize on Spirit's name and were not interested in Randy's solo work.

So armed with the new found knowledge about this guy named Randy California and his link with my favorite guitarist of all time Jimi Hendrix (CLICK ON >>> Jimi Hendrix Information )

There was no way I was going to miss out on this concert coming this Friday night. All week they were playing Spirit and Twirly Birds songs on the College Radio Station getting us primed up for the big show in Building A on Friday Night. I made sure to adjust my work schedule at Palatine Communications where I worked as a CB Radio Shop bench Technician repairing CB Radio which was the rage in the late seventies. I told the boss/owner “Miles” that I would be missing Friday afternoon since I was going to take in the Big Show at the College and see the rock band SPIRIT.  Naturally my boss Miles who was into Country music had no idea of who the hell SPIRIT was but he accepted the fact it was important to me and did not make a big deal out of it all. It would not have mattered anyway, no way was I going to miss out on this rock concert come Hell or High Water!

Friday finally comes and I was really excited. Classes that day went by in a flash. The college Radio Station was really pumping out the Spirit songs that day and all campus was a buzz about the big event tonight.

I decided to not go off campus and to stay and have my dinner at the college cafeteria. This way I could be sure to arrive early for the concert and get a great seat in Building A for the concert. This turned out to be a great idea as I would soon find out.

The cafeteria is actually right underneath the main stage area in Building A so after having my dinner I just had to go upstairs early to stake out the arrangements for the concert and figure out exactly where I would want to get a seat at for the best view come time for the concert.

As I arrived upstairs to check it all out I see all the chairs have been set in place and the elevated stage is all built and all the equipment is set up and ready to go. It was weird though in that there was absolutely no one around at all except for the one guy who was checking out the stage up close and wiggling the supports to the stage as to test them for good stability.

I walked up towards the stage and this person who I figured to be one of the Spirit Band roadies. As I get close to the guy he turned and said “Hey how are ya doing” to which I answered “Great just checking out the layout and figuring out where I want to sit tonight for the concert”. Then the roadie asks me if I know about this band Spirit and what I thought of them?

Well I told him how I had been studying up on them all week from books and records in the library. Plus the college radio station had been pumping out Spirit’s songs all week long on the in house school intercom system. He found this all amusing as he listened to my excitement for the evening ahead.

I then went on to tell him how I had learned all about the guitarist in the band named “Randy California”. And that how he had played with Jimi Hendirx who was my hero as an aspiring guitarist, I told him how I thought Jimi had been the greatest guitarist to have ever lived and that I was real excited to see how the guy Randy California was going to play the guitar that night.

The roadie then asked me what exactly I found so interesting about the way Jimi played. Well I told him that I thought Jimi played from the heart and sole and that he was the master of distortion and feedback. Plus that Jimi could dazzle the crowd with playing behind his back, between his legs and of all things with his teeth. No other guitarist could spin and prance around on the stage and play the guitar with the style and mastery that Jimi could and he was the true god of the electric guitar.

The roadie said to me “So you really like all that showmanship and fancy stuff eh?” To which I replied “Hell yes that is what made Jimi the King of the Electric Guitar”. The roadie tells me that for a young guitarist he was impressed with all the “homework” I had done on Randy California and Spirit band and that he was sure I would not be disappointed with the concert this evening and shook my hand and said how he was happy to have met my acquaintance. He gave me a big smile and said he had to go back stage and get things ready for the concert now and to have a great evening.

Well I figured out just what seat I wanted for the show and waited for the hall to fill with the concertgoers for the next hour or so. After what seemed forever it was finally show time and I was sure ready for the big night.

As the band was introduced and came up onto the stage a strange thing happened, that roadie that I met earlier seemed to be one of the guys in the band. I could not believe my eyes the roadie was not a roadie after all in fact it was Randy California all along. Boy did I feel dumb about it all for a few moments. But soon to recover from my own ignorance of just what Randy California did actually look like. I just figured I had studied all about the band and not paid enough attention to the band member photos and so what? -- No one knew except Randy California and me!

The all the magic began to happen. As the night progressed Randy it seemed had been inspired by our conversation from before that evening. He was playing so well and dancing all over the stage. Jumping off the amps and down onto the floor amongst the crowd and playing his heart out.

Then the special moment came. Evidently Randy had spotted me in the crowd and when he was playing the Hendrix song “Hey Joe” he came right over close by me kneeled down on the stage and gave me a “big wink” just before the part where he did the solo with his teeth.

The crowd went crazy and we could not get enough of Randy and Spirit that night. We all clapped our hands so hard and long we got 3 encore performances. Randy California put his heart and sole into that concert that night and I would like to think that this skinny, long hair, 19 year kid, who didn’t even recognize Randy offstage may have had a small part to do with it all, Just maybe !!!

RANDY CALIFORNIA TRIBUTE SITE >>> http://www.coloradorealtyhotline.com/spiritran.htm

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