All aboard the mystery train

For decades, Michael Ubaldini has been among the most mobile of Orange County rock ‘n’ rollers, driving himself from gig to gig, and building an international following without a major label.

Lately, though, Ubaldini hasn’t been getting around much. The Fountain Valley resident was hospitalized in November with a heart valve infection and spent more than a month in the hospital.

Now, as he recuperates at home, his longtime friends on the music scene are rushing to his aid. Tumbleweeds Bar & Grill, one of Ubaldini’s favorite places to play in Huntington Beach, plans to host the Michael Ubaldini Benefit Concert on Sunday, with a lineup of local artists. Ubaldini doesn’t expect to have the strength to attend the show, but his spirit will be at the Western-style bar.

“I’d love to be there, believe me,” he said. “I’d love to hear all those bands doing renditions of my songs. It’s an honor.”

Honoring a local legend

Among the bands slated to perform — doing their songs as well as Ubaldini’s — are the Tricia Freeman Band, West Coast Strayz, TJR, Girls Nite Out and Norwegian Wood. Ubaldini expects some of his longtime collaborators, including bassists Bob Burns and Gavin Jones and drummer Mick Weiland, to make an appearance as well.

The show has no set admission price, but the organizers will take donations at the door. There will also be a raffle and silent auction.

Freeman, a member of her namesake band and Girls Nite Out, has been Ubaldini’s significant other for nearly 10 years. Tuesday, she was busy rehearsing a set of his songs, including some which she sang backup vocals for on Ubaldini’s albums.

“The bands aren’t really showcasing themselves,” said Freeman, a Costa Mesa resident. “They’re just there to support Michael. It’s all about entertaining the people and encouraging them to donate.

“Everybody just wants to help him out, because he’s dear to everybody. They love his music and love his shows. These other musicians are like, ‘If Michael needs us, we’re there.’”

Larry Green, a guitarist who has played with Ubaldini for years, coordinated the music for the benefit. Tumbleweeds didn’t have a part in arranging the show, but the staff is more than happy to salute one of its top draws over the years, bartender Gina Roberts said.

“He always brings a good crowd,” she said. “People really like him. I think no matter who he was playing with, they’d always follow him personally.”

A self-made star

That personal connection is key for Ubaldini, who started his career in the early 1980s and vowed not to let the corporate world push him around. At 16 he formed his first band, the Earwigs, and moved shortly after to the roots-rock combo Mystery Train. For the last 25 years, he’s made it primarily as a solo artist, releasing records on his label, Blackwater Records, and playing everywhere from seedy dives to posh restaurants.

Several pop critics, including the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Boehm and the Orange County Register’s Robert Kinsler, have championed Ubaldini’s work, with the former once calling him a better contemporary folk singer than Bruce Springsteen. Ubaldini has recorded at Sun Studio, the legendary Memphis studio where Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash cut their first tracks, and gotten his albums distributed in England.

After years of scraping to make ends meet, Ubaldini is able to live comfortably from his music. But he looks back fondly on the lean years.

“Back in the early ‘90s, I was definitely struggling to get something going,” he said. “And the thing is, I don’t mind the struggling, because I never wanted to compromise.”