Papa Cass Brings Cool Vibe To Lake Elsinore

The testosterone flailed Saturday afternoon at in Lake Elsinore as mostly middle-aged, rough-set male patrons lined up on stools to chat up the pretty brunette bartender working behind the counter.

The place became true quintessential So Cal juke joint as Chris “Papa Cass” Cassidy took to the dimly lit corner stage with just his acoustic guitar and lineup of classic 60s and 70s rock and folk mainstays.

Cassidy’s sound resonated with the dozen drinkers who arrived in pickup trucks, on Harleys and by foot to hear the master musician cover tunes from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, America and others.

Some in the audience offered harmonies and dropped cash into a little cup onstage.

Cassidy is new to Lake Elsinore. The 59-year-old father moved to the area five months ago from Virginia.

“It was supposed to be just a stopover,” Cassidy said of his 20-year stint in “Old Dominion.” But after a divorce and a decision to quit his 30-year career in the restaurant biz, he did what so many East Coast musicians have done before him: He packed up the Sentra and headed to California, “hoping to make it playing gigs.”

He landed in Lake Elsinore because his 34-year-old son, daughter-in-law and two grandkids are here. In fact, his daughter-in-law has helped him line up work playing at Lake Elsinore’s The Wreck, O’Hara’s, and .

But Cassidy’s hoping to get more gigs, including landing work in Temecula Wine Country.

“I can play loud, I can play quiet. I’ve played brunches and I’ve played bars,” he said.

Cassidy’s voice is incredibly smooth. Never off key, he seems amazingly at ease in front of a crowd, but his extensive stage experience has probably helped that along.

“I’ve been playing music all my life,” he explained.

The guitar was Cassidy’s first romance. When he was an adolescent, the British Invasion hit stateside.

“When I was 12, I fell in love with The Beatles,” he said. “I begged my parents for a guitar and lessons.”

He got his wish.

“I didn’t play any American music. It was all British -- The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Searchers …” Cassidy said of his early formative years.

“It took me a while to expand. I was a late bloomer,” he said of his appreciation for American rock and roll. “I was about 15 or 16 years old before I came to play Bob Dylan.”

The nickname Papa Cass did come from America, albeit with a little Canadian kick.

"There was no Papa Cass," Cassidy said of the influential Mamas and Papas, whose members hailed from the U.S. and Canada. "The name just stuck."

All these years later and many juke joints behind him, the bespeckled and grayed Cassidy is midlife cool. His onstage attire is a dark untucked T-shirt and matching baggie pants. Like his sound, he doesn’t put on airs.

“I just like playing music,” he said.

Catch Chris “Papa Cass” Cassidy at The Wreck on Saturdays from 3-7 p.m., and at O’Hara’s on Sundays from 2-6 p.m.

For more information about his availability, call Cassidy directly at 757-582-0031.

Check him out on Facebook too at http://www.facebook.com/search.php#!/pages/Papa-Cass/189476357755726.