A Night of Tribute to Rock Legends at Ford Theater

Twice a month, singer Mick Mars becomes a legend. She takes the stage and goes back in time.

“It just happened that someone heard my voice and said I sounded a lot like Janis Joplin,” said Mars, 28, of West Hollywood. “So, I practiced and practiced to sound more like her. The first five months, it hurt my throat like hell. I finally found a way to do it without damaging my larynx.”

Mars, who played in rock ‘n’ roll and Top 40 bands on the Los Angeles club circuit for about five years before debuting her Joplin impersonation in 1987, will perform May 7 at the John Anson Ford Theater in Hollywood. Entitled, “Janis Comes Alive,” her one-hour act will be followed by similar tributes to Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Joplin died of an apparent drug overdose on Oct. 4, 1970.

Before her act began, Mars was not well versed in the Joplin saga. But now, after reading four books about the singer’s life and studying Joplin’s troubled past, Mars is a devoted fan.

“She never put on a front,” Mars said. “She let her whole tortured soul come out of the microphone. Today, performers are too concerned with the audience. Not Janis. Nobody has come along to sound like her.”

Mars still hopes to pursue a singing career separate from the Joplin show, but she recognizes they will always be linked.

“This is already something that I do,” Mars said, “and I am not going to throw this down the drain.”

Among the Joplin hits Mars will perform are “Piece of My Heart,” “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Down On Me.” Tickets for the 7 p.m. show can be obtained at the box office for $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

Hollywood’s Lhasaland, a club recognized for its broad range of rock ‘n’ roll and performance art, will be closed until early summer, its co-owner, Jean-Pierre Boccara said last week.

Boccara, who recently opened Cafe Largo, a restaurant-cabaret club in the Fairfax District, said he has been too busy to book regular acts at Lhasaland. The Hollywood club has been closed since late January.

“We’re not forgetting about Lhasaland,” Boccara said. “It’s just that it takes a lot of time to get good rock ‘n’ roll acts, plus there’s a lot of competition with other clubs in Hollywood.”

His new establishment, he said, focuses more on jazz and cabaret performances.

The cafe presents three shows a week, and Boccara’s goal is to provide live entertainment every night. Until the club can establish a regular clientele, Boccara said he will bring in more recognized musicians to attract patrons. Once that happens, he said, he’ll feel more comfortable introducing newcomers.

“We’d like to get people here who just come to hang out,” Boccara said. “But that will take some time. People have to get to know the place first.”