Take a Trip Back in Time with Laurel Canyon in the Red Room Gary R. Beck - Beck's Best
December 3, 2016

Our entire community is blessed to host the return of Renee Armand and Paul Aleman who bring their expert musicianship, songwriting, singing and rich spirits to our stage. The evening is nothing short of pure magic. Whether Renee or Paul takes the lead, the sound floating throughout the room is ethereal and illuminative. The natural talents witnessed were astounding, as was expected by anyone present who has seen them before and there were a multitude.
 
Laurel Canyon in Southern California is known as the crossroads between Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It is woodsy area behind Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Hills. Here in the late 1960's and early 1970's, musicians gathered to set up simple lodgings but brought with them their enormous talents. The result was a melting pot of an extensive volume of new music. Artists who lived there soon becoming famous included Joni Mitchell, John Phillips and other members of The Mamas and The Papas, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, George Harrison, Judy Collins, the Eagles, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Renee Armand. Tonight, the songbook was a menagerie of some of their songs which affected an entire lifetime.
 
Renee shares her own experiences of that historic time in a flowing narrative, a stream of memories, embellished in song. She related her life in vignettes. Many times listeners joined in on the familiar song lyrics, swaying with the onrush of days gone by. Even for those who were too young to relive the memories, the performance of songs and thoughts clasp them also. This is a spiritual revolution, like going to church in a spine-tingling forest. Appropriately "California Dreamin'" initiated the journey. Renee's high soaring harmonies with Paul's vocals and guitar set the tone of this special evening. "For What It's Worth", "Get Together" and James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" exemplified the aura of this community of raw, pure talent. Renee and Paul sing the songs straight from their hearts grasping the audience, enveloping them into their enchantment.

Paul presented a brilliant "Everybody's Talkin'" which took many present back nearly fifty years. Renee added her high harmonies beautifully to the mystique. She exclaimed this time was like "Divine genius falling out of the sky." The duo veered into The Eagles' "Peaceful Easy Feeling" smoothly, filled with soft love and emotional release. Then, a remarkable entry tonight was Linda Ronstadt's "Desperado" with Renee squeezing every morsel of passion from the lyrics.

The beautiful rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" summed up the experiences in a masterful way. Renee displayed her highly intense being with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and crowd-pleaser "Both Sides Now". She reminisced that times in the A&M Records studios were marked by participants responding to what is playing, like a conversation. The pair continued to amaze with original versions of classics "On and On" and "Teach Your Children".

Renee and Paul presented "Rocky Mountain High" [Tribute to John Denver] last season. This Saturday, December 3, they will reprise it for one night only. This show is a must-see with memorable songs and spiritual emotions.

This intimate concert leaves one warm and tingly when departing, only to return for another fascinating dose of their musical medicine.

You can catch Laurel Canyon in the Red Room of Act II Entertainment on December 3, 8, 10 at 7:30 pm, December 6 at 9:30 pm.

Act II Entertainment STAGES complex is located at Insurgentes 300 (at the corner of Basilio Badillo & Insurgentes) 2nd Floor, Zona Romántica, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. Telephone is 322.222.1512. Show info and tickets available online at Act II PV. Box Office opened daily at 11:00 am on show days with a 2nd Box Office location across the street from Garbos on Pulpito street in the Romantic zone. Email act2entertainmentproductions@gmail.com for questions or more info.

Note: Our buddy Karen attended the performance and commented "You know that I normally have the attention span of a gnat but I was completely involved with the performance and laughed and cried."