O.C.’s newest supergroup highlights fundraising concert for KX 93.5
For most musicians, winning a Grammy Award might be the crowning triumph of their careers. But for Charlie Colin, it was an opportunity to start a new one.
Colin, an original member of the band Train who was behind the group’s 2001 Grammy Award-winning single “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003 Grammy-nominated hit “Calling All Angels,” formed a new band called Painbirds Collective, wrote songs and has since performed concerts throughout California and across the country.
Next up, he and the group are scheduled to perform at the Laguna Beach independent radio station KX 93.5’s annual concert and fundraiser, dubbed KXClusive, for a special show Friday at Montage Laguna Beach.
The Newport Beach resident said Painbirds Collective is an offshoot of an earlier group he made called Painbirds, which includes Tom Luce of the San Francisco band Luce.
Joining Colin on the Painbirds Collective roster are Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, a guitarist known for his stints in rock bands Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, and who was the bassist in Jimi Hendrix-led band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. There’s also Murphy Karges and Stan Frazier, who are both past members of Sugar Ray, and Danny Beissel, a touring rock and blues vocalist from the group Fosterchild.
The evening will feature more surprise guests, including brothers Scott and Joel Owen of PawnShop Kings. Also taking the stage is Laguna Beach-based 133, comprised of musicians Steve and Beth Wood, Jason Feddy and Nick Hernandez, among others.
The benefit will feature comedian and emcee Rita Rudner.
Music and helping his hometown O.C. are two major parts of his life, said Colin, a graduate of Newport Harbor High who attributes his success to supportive school friends like Jon Elliott, the school’s former student body president.
“I don’t want to live forever. I want to make something that does, something that outlasts me and I felt like I was supposed to do that with this band,” Colin said.
The event’s proceeds — which will contribute to the radio station’s operating budget that highlights under-recognized bands, nonprofits and community interests — is about supporting local radio because it gives every musician a chance, said Frazier, who was the drummer and principal songwriter for Sugar Ray, which formed in Newport Beach.
“We all look at each other and think this is the coolest thing ever,” Frazier said of performing with Painbirds Collective. “It’s very fun to think about the future together because this is a new energy and it’s something special.”
The music business has changed over the years, Frazier noted, and joining this new group is about pulling from each others’ artistry and making original music together. They plan on creating singles together for film and television projects.
Beissel agreed.
“The great thing is with this circle of amazing musicians, we can do these gigs together,” Beissel said. “Now Orange County has this collective group that has a new sound.”
Friday’s event will include hits like “Fly,” “Every Morning” and “Drops of Jupiter” performed by the original songwriters alongside covers and new material from Painbirds’ latest album, “Far Away Ships.”
It’s a group name, Colin said, that is about a bird breed that stands for friendship.
“They can’t migrate without each other,” Colin said. “It’s about being buddies and that you can’t navigate alone.”
KXClusive starts at 5 p.m. Friday at Montage Laguna Beach, 30801 Coast Hwy.
Tickets are $200 to $375. For more information, visit kx935.com or painbirds.com.
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Kathleen Luppi, kathleen.luppi@latimes.com
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
