Two bands comprised of highly seasoned professional musicians who moonlight (and occasionally daylight) in accomplished cover bands will entertain guests the first weekend.

Saturday, May 2, the headline entertainment will be supplied by HELP!, a band that eerily channels the sounds of one of the most popular, and influential rock bands, in history: The Beatles. Concerts are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 3, Flattop Tom and his Jump Cats, an eight-piece ensemble that covers everything from big band swing and jump blues to rockabilly and 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues takes over with shows at Noon and 2 p.m.

Both groups may be oldies-based, but each is modern in terms of their make-up.

HELP! a four-piece, Carlsbad-based ensemble that began only two years ago, has played more than 70 gigs in its short history. While HELP! may not look identical to the Beatles, its sound masterfully emulates the music of the most popular, and influential, rock band to spring from the pivotal decade of the 1960s.

“There are many look-a-like Beatles bands around who look like the Beatles but don’t sound like them vocally,” said Gary Long, the drummer of HELP! “But we have a John Lennon (Dave Reynolds) who sounds exactly like John and we always use the one member of our group who sounds closest to the original singer.”

Their ability to capture the sound of the Beatles lies in the fact that the four members of HELP! are all very talented, professional musicians. They’ve fronted their own bands, worked as studio musicians, written their own music and performed in venues as varied as clubs in Anchorage to the White House.

“Being a Beatles band with mature members, it would look ridiculous for us to try and look like we’re all 24, by wearing wigs and all,” Long said.
Name the tune and they are likely to play it, whether it’s “Twist and Shout,” or “A Hard Days Night,” from the early pages of the Beatles’ story, to later songs such as “Hey Jude” and “Get Back.”

But many Beatles’ tribute bands are comfortable with the popular hits. What helps set HELP! apart from the pack, Long said, is its delight in mining some of the band’s more obscure songs, including “I’m So Tired,” and ““Happiness is a Warm Gun.”

“Those are songs that other Beatles bands don’t usually play and that’s one of the things that makes us unique,” Long said. “Lots of people like Beatles songs that weren’t big hits on the radio, and aren’t often played live. For instance, a lot of the songs on “The White Album” that made it such a classic.”

Flattop Tom and his Jump Cats may not be as easy to pigeon-hole as a band devoted to covering the canon of the incredibly popular Beatles, but its vast range of musical styles makes it a hit wherever it plays.

Led by the harmonica-playing extraordinaire Tom Hall, the band is a living, playing homage to the various American musical styles performed in the decades of the 1940s-1950s, styles that would eventually coalesce into the rock ‘n’ roll that would rule the American pop charts for the rest of the century.

Whether covering the big band sounds of Benny Goodman, the blues of Sonny Boy Williamson, the crooning of Frank Sinatra or the doo-wop of the Drifters, Flattop Tom and his Jump Cats are a veritable encyclopedia of American music of the 20th Century.

And, to top it all off, whenever the muse strikes, Tom Hall himself is ready and eager to leap off the stage and delight audiences with another of his particular skills: he’s a trained swing dancer who never hesitates at the chance to display his singular gifts.

For more information on either band, visit www.weplaythebeatles.com and www.flattoptom.com.

Other concerts in the series include Jumping Jack Flash, a Rolling Stones tribute band, on Saturday May 9; Blues diva Candye Kane for a special Mother’s Day Concert on Sunday, May 10; Springsteen, a tribute to the “boss” (Bruce Springsteen) on Saturday, May 16 and 2,000 LBS of Blues on Sunday, May 17. Saturday concerts are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday concerts are at noon and 2 p.m.

Regular admission to the swap meet is $2 for ages 13 years and older, but will be waived by bringing any of these most needed items for the Orange County Food Bank: canned food (fruit, meats, vegetables, easy open pop top items), dry foods, personal care items, peanut butter, snack bars or drinks (juice boxes, bottle water, coffee and tea.) Additional information on the Orange County Food Bank may be obtained at www.ocfoodbank.org. or by calling 714-897-6670.

Children 12 and under are admitted free to the swap meet. Free parking is available as well as $5 preferred parking. Admission includes access to the swap meet which runs from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features nearly 1,000 vendors, food concessions, fresh produce, artisans and crafters, manufactured homes, kid’s playground and much more. For more information on the Orange County Market Place, visit www.ocmarketplace.com or call 949-723-6660.