A California band with some local connections will be playing venues around Tellico Village and Loudon through the end of the year.

California Dreamin’ was founded by Keith Baxter and Annie Sims in California in 2019 as a tribute to the Flower Power sound of Southern California in the 1960s. The band has been playing sold-out shows at Little Italy of Tellico Village.

The band features the sounds of The Mamas and the Papas, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, Carole King, The Eagles and other musical artists who once lived in the Laurel Canyon enclave near Los Angeles.


“When I was a kid growing up in the ‘60s, these were the songs that my older brother listened to and I fell in love with these groups,” Keith Baxter said.

A 30-year veteran of the Hollywood entertainment industry, Baxter said he moved to Tellico Village to enjoy the Southern charm and natural beauty of the area. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by Sims and her husband, film composer Gregg Sims, both natives of Knoxville.

The band played Friday and will return Nov. 19. The group is also booked at the Historic Loudon Theater on Nov. 16 and Dec. 14 and the Yacht Club on Dec. 12.

Friday’s songs included some of the greatest hits of the ‘60s, including “Tamborine Man” by The Byrds and “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees. Baxter on lead guitar and vocals switched effortlessly from sounding like John Sebastian or Stephen Stills playing either electric or acoustic guitar.

Baxter worked as a songwriter/performer and an animation artist/writer/director for all the major studios, including Walt Disney Animation, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Sony and Universal Studios. He has worked on animated movies, including “Hotel Transylvania,” and TV shows such as “The Looney Toons Show” and “Tom and Jerry” in New York City. Villagers may have seen Baxter performing at the Yacht Club earlier this year.

Annie is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a music degree and has performed all over the world as a singer/pianist. She has a great voice that can sing Cass Elliot, Carole King or Joni Mitchel songs. She also kept the crowd entertained with stories about how the Laurel Canyon sound started with folk music singers in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village and traveled to L.A.

Annie and Keith met at Sony Pictures a few years back while working there. Their first musical collaboration involved the formation of Twisted Gypsy, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. The duo harmonize like they have been playing together all their lives.

They put together California Dreamin’ with top Los Angeles musicians, including frontman Gregory Finsley and singer/guitarist Masha McSorley. Things were starting to get going when COVID-19 put a damper on the band’s ability to perform live, and soon after Baxter decided to move from California. He said he had traveled to Tennessee once previously on business and liked what he saw.

After moving to Knoxville, he rebuilt the band with Sims and the addition of singer/bassist Gil Sabatini. Although too young to have been around when the songs were written, Sabatini performs with dedicated conviction. He even looks like a hippie, dressing the part with a headband and long-haired wig that makes him look as if he came right out of the ‘60s. He also has a wide vocal range that allows him to sing a variety of songs from artists like Neil Young and David Crosby.

The group plays a great selection of dance songs, particularly Beach Boys tunes like “Good Vibrations” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” The Beach Boys tunes brought the crowd at Little Italy to their feet to dance.

Rosemary and Jeff Kirk said they didn’t mind being the first on the floor. The Tellico Village residents said they have been dancing together for a long time and have even won a few contests.

“Once we start chair dancing we just have to get up on the dance floor,” Rosemary said.

She said they really enjoyed the opportunity to hear great music and dance without having to drive to Knoxville.

“This is great and it’s so close,” Rosemary said.

By the end of the night, the audience was calling out songs after the first few notes and singing along to Mamas and Papas tunes like “Creeque Alley” and the band’s namesake song “California Dreamin’.”

So far, shows have been sold out so it’s a good idea to call the restaurant to get tickets early. Shows usually start at 6 p.m. but a lot of the audience arrives early to order dinner.