Yacht Rock at Saint Rocke

South Bay band Knights of Monte Carlo played a set of soft rock hits Friday night at the Saint Rocke. The tribute ensemble attracted a crowd of devoted Hermosa Beach fans who came to hear modernized versions of Yacht Rock tunes by Toto, Steely Dan, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers. 

The band, composed of Doc Spyders, Nelson "J.C." Borealis, Brad Bayliner and Bobby Colada, has been a regular at Saint Rocke for two years and skillfully re-creates 1970s and early-'80s music with passion and a sense of the ridiculous, never taking itself too seriously. The band's local fan base ate it up, with some audience members sporting Hugh Hefner-style captain hats as they danced throughout the set.

Borealis hit the sweet high notes while Spyders sang most of the lead vocals and showed off his dance moves at every opportunity.  Bayliner kept a cool bass line going, punctuated with rock star high kicks.  And Colada kept the beat going on the drums, at one point taking the spotlight with a show-stopping solo.

The concert opened with a video introduction of the band members.  This video continued throughout the show, synced perfectly with the live music, occasionally displaying lyrics to sing along with or images illustrating a song's storyline. 

When the band performed Toto's "Africa," elephants roaming the savanna filled the screen. When Air Supply's "I'm All Out of Love" began, a picture montage of troubled couples, culminating in magazine shots of Tiger Woods with Elin Nordegren and Sandra Bullock with Jesse James, hit the stage.

The show, which also included a rendition of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and Bob Seger's "Hollywood Nights," could make anyone nostalgic for Arrow 93.1, the pre-Jack FM Los Angeles radio station that specialized in "Yacht Rock," a beachside version of soft rock. 

The Knights haven't always been surfing that coastal rock music. They traded in black leather and metal studs for white linens and fancy duds just three years ago.  Part of the reason for the transformation was to attract a more "legal" group of fans, the band members explained after the Friday night show.

That and "the hotter chicks," Borealis said.

Even though the band tours along the West Coast, playing at various venues in Oregon and Northern California, the musicians said that they love to tune up and rock out in Hermosa Beach. The band will continue its residency at Saint Rocke indefinitely, and can be seen at other venues throughout the Los Angeles and South Bay area.