Friends With a Past Playing Tunes That Last

From 1976 to 1980, they were four guys at Pacifica High School playing the hits of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

Today, they’re back as Instant Replay, in concert Wednesday at San Dimas Civic Center Park--playing the hits of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

According to drummer Brian Brehm, he and his buddies, Jim Mutschler, Greg Cronister and John Keating, played gigs throughout their years at the high school in Garden Grove.

Upon graduation, the guys went their various ways, going to college or getting jobs.

“We still remained friends,” Brehm said. In 1988, they got together for the fun of it.

“We were goofing around and it sounded too good not to do it,” said Brehm, it being getting the band back together again.

Now they have a repertory of about 250 songs originally recorded by artists as diverse as the Four Tops, the Beatles, Tommy James, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, even The Monkees. But for Wednesday’s concert, they will trot out only about 30 of them for an hour and a half.

“We basically are pretty much faithful” to the original versions, Brehm said. “Some of the originals you can’t reproduce, but the guitar parts are 95% right.”

The 7:30 p.m. concert is free, and is adjacent to the San Dimas City Hall at Walnut and Bonita avenues.

The Farmers Market along Bonita Avenue begins at 5 p.m. the same evening.