Oceanside-based guitarist Adrian Demain often performs with Billy Watson, Cheap Leis, Brawley, and he sometimes plays a uke gig with Susanna Kurner.
He also played in the house band for the musical adaptation of Hands on a Hardbody, which ran at the La Jolla Playhouse and was scored by Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. Demain says Anastasio wanted a different feel for the production. “He wanted real band players...not a generic pit band. It sounds kind of country, especially with [San Diego percussionist] Rick Schmidt on pedal steel.”
La Jolla Playhouse directors commissioned Hands on a Hardbody, which is based on a 1997 documentary film of the same name. “Their goal,” says Demain, “is to get it to Broadway.” The plot: ten strangers compete to win a brand-new truck over a span of several hours by keeping at least one hand on the truck at all times.
How can you make a story about a guy standing around keeping his hands on a truck? Demain says, “You’d be surprised. It’s got everything, including humor and the American dream.”
As of early 2012, Demian has a residency as Exotica Tronica at Bar Pink in North Park.