Rain Parade with special guest Russ Tolman

Wild Honey Backyard shows are back for 2026. We are super excited to be hosting our brilliant friends Rain Parade and Russ Tolman once again for a wonderful afternoon of music and friendship. In troubled times, we must stand together as a community that embraces creativity and tolerance. Doors at 330 pm. There will be food, non-alcoholic drink, and merchandise from our artists Come to see the newly renovated Wild Honey Backyard Amphitheatre!

Rain Parade is a highly acclaimed neo-psychedelic band that gained notoriety as part of LA’s fabled Paisley Underground music scene in the early 1980s. The band’s signature sound combines hypnotic-melodic songwriting and 60s-inspired instrumentation with 70s punk influences and a darker lyrical approach, informed by late 20th- and early 21st-century themes.

Their debut LP, (Enigma US/Demon UK, 1983), featuring the songwriting talents of founding members Matt Piucci, Steven Roback, and David Roback (Mazzy Star, Opal), is internationally recognized as a masterpiece. Jim DeRogatis, Chicago rock critic notes that their debut LP is “…among the best psychedelic LPs of any era.”

The follow-up EP, (Enigma US /Demon UK, 1984), recorded after David left the band, garnered the same high praise, and its reputation has only grown since. Sid Griffin, author and leader of The Long Ryders said: “We were in the Paisley Underground with Rain Parade back in the 1980s… Explosions In The Glass Palace is and will forever be the BEST recording from a Paisley Underground band, be it us, The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock or whomever.”

Noted as an influence by the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, The Stone Roses, Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub, The Asteroid # 4, and The UK Charlatans, among many others, Rain Parade creates truly timeless music.

In 2023, Rain Parade released a new LP on Label 51 Recordings, receiving accolades from fans and critics alike. Writer Mark Deming said “this is a 21st Century version of the their trademark approach, with the nocturnal melodies, the thoughtful interplay of the guitars, the starry-eyed vocals and expert harmonies, and the gently insistent rhythms coming together with the same impact they summoned in their salad days.”

And they have been keeping busy since. Steven, Matt and drummer/percussionist Stephan Junca went to the UK in March of 2023 to play acoustically with their old pals Dream Syndicate, with Vicki Peterson of the Bangles subbing for regular guitarist Jason Victor. It was a smashing success.

In the winter of 2024, the band hit the road with like-minded psychedelicaticians The Third Mind, a super group formed around Dave Alvin of the Blasters, Victor Krummenacher (Camper van Beethoven, Eyelids) and Jesse Sykes (Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter). On a West Coast tour from Seattle’s Crocodile Club to Los Angeles’ legendary Troubadour, to the desert around Joshua Tree, this was a musical match made in heaven, and the crowds seemed to think so as well.

Upon their return, Steven and Matt hit the woodshed and came up with some new material, resulting in the 4-song EP, recorded in the same studios, with the same people and producer. It sounds even better than Last Rays. The digital single “Surprise, Surprise” dropped in December, 2024, and is now available on streaming services everywhere.

And in the summer 2024, the band headed over to the Old World for 7 dates on the Continent and 6 in the UK, this time with a full complement of Paraders, storming through Scandinavia, Benelux, and the UK, wrapping up the tour at the massive Azkena Festival in Vitoria, Spain on the summer solstice.

Next up, the band plans to return to the studio and complete work on a next full length LP. This, and their entire back catalog, can and will be found on Label 51 Recordings, with digital releases now and physical releases forthcoming throughout 2024 and into the Spring of 2025. Stay tuned!

Russ Tolman is a singer/songwriter and recording artist who has spent several decades proving that persistence is a musical genre. A veteran of the Los Angeles roots-rock scene and head wrangler of the Paisley Underground adjacent True West, Tolman writes songs for people who like their melodies strong, their lyrics literate, and their coffee consumed, not curated. His music lives somewhere between rock, folk, and Americana—territory populated by flawed narrators, late-night realizations, and the quiet suspicion that things didn’t turn out exactly as planned, but maybe better than expected. Tolman’s latest album, STRAY, arriving in late spring 2026, finds him leaning into that perspective with conviction and a clear-eyed sense of purpose. The record features Tom Heyman (Chuck Prophet, Hiss Golden Messenger, Alejandro Escovedo) on guitar and pedal steel, adding just the right measure of ache and atmosphere. Mike Coykendall (M. Ward, She & Him) handles drums, bonhomie, and backing vocals, while San Francisco journeyman Rusty Miller fills out the picture on bass, piano, and harmonies. These players along with an extra backing voice or two bring Tolman’s songs vividly to life without stepping on the furniture. Over the years, Tolman has written, recorded, and released several albums, each one capturing a slightly older, slightly wiser version of the same songwriter still chasing the perfect line. His voice carries the lived-in authority of someone who has paid attention, taken notes, and survived the chorus. Russ Tolman continues to make music for listeners who believe great songs don’t expire, trends are optional, and honesty beats volume every time.

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