On January 18, 2026, I headed over to the Hopmonk Novato in Novato, California. The event that night was indeed special. KC Turner Presents put on Big Brother and the Holding Company, and they were there to celebrate Janis Joplin’s birthday for the fourth year in a row. The show was sold out, which made it even more special.
On this night, Big Brother and the Holding Company played two one-hour sets. The first set started with “Keep On”, and it wasn’t long before people were dancing in the aisles. The crowd was into them, and it showed. Following that song was “Down On Me”. A powerful song with a stunning texture that really showed off Darby’s vocals.
The next song was the first song they had in a movie, Coming Home and it was the first song Sam Andrew brought in and had Janis sing. That song was “Call On Me”, and they killed it. It was such a good version of a classic song that they should be very proud of. The next song was “Combination of the Two”, and Darby’s wails were off the charts for that one. The guitar solo was on fire as they jammed through it, and the crowd was into it, and it wasn’t just old people, it was the younger people as well. They were eating it up.
The following song was “Turtle Blues”, and it started out with I’m Mean Mean Woman. That song was written by Janis, and though it was very autobiographical, it wasn’t really. Or was it? We will never know. Following that song was a song Janis brought from Austin, Texas. She was in a Jug Band called The Waller Creek Boys with Powell St. John, who wrote the song for her. The song was called “Bye Bye Baby”, and it was stellar song. The next song on the Cheap Thrills album, and it was called “I Need a Man”. I don’t think she needed a man, but it was an awesome song with some pretty fabulous playing on it. It was a longer song, but the crowd didn’t mind at all as they rocked and rolled along with them.
Following that song up was “Summertime”, another classic that had the crowd applauding from the start. This is probably my favorite song of the evening due to it’s musicality. That, and it’s my favorite time of the year.
Following that song was a trio of songs, starting with “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Following that song was “White Bird” by It’s a Beautiful Day, followed by “Truckin'” by The Grateful Dead. The last song was special because it was written by the late Bob Weir. It was a fabulous tribute. From there, they took a short break, 10-15 minutes for everyone to hit the restroom and get some drinks.
The song following the break was a Beatles cover called “Eleanor Rigby”, and they knocked it out of the park. The tone was breathtaking as they wandered through the song, making it one of their own. Following that song was “All is Loneliness” and “Women Is Losers”. That song was amazing song, and they rocked it. Darby’s vocals were on point as they played their hearts out, and the crowd loved it. The next song was “Get It While You Can”, another Janis song. That song was amazing as they relaxed into a mellower song, which was special.
Following that song was “Hold Me”, another mellow one. Up next, they had the band introductions, followed by a sing-along with the Kris Kristofferson hit “Me and Bobby McGee”. The crowd agreed and sang every lyric. It was exciting to say the least. Following that song up was “Piece of My Heart”, an Erma Franklin cover that they slayed. Seriously, the musicians seemed to get more energetic as the night went on. When they started the last one, “Ball and Chain”, they started it by telling a story about meeting Big Mama Thornton and her not remembering the words to it. Well, they didn’t mess it up too badly because she got a new Cadillac from their version of the song. And with that, they left the stage, but before they did, KC locked them in for next year, providing they are still breathing then.
I spoke with KC when they were done, and he was equally stoked on the show, considering that, considering, his words, Darby had a sore throat before they went on. So, I do hope Darby gets to feeling better, and I will see the band again next year.
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Peter Albin – bass
Dave Getz – drums
Tom Finch -guitar
Darby Gould – lead vocals
David Aguilar – guitar
Missy Wright – saxophone
Setlist
Set 1:
1). Keep On
2). Down On Me (traditional cover)
3). Call On Me
4). Combination of the Two
5). Turtle Blues
6). Bye Bye Baby (Powell St. John cover)
7). I Need a Man to Love
8). Summertime (George Gershwin cover)
9). White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane cover)
10). White Bird (It’s a Beautiful Day cover)
11). Truckin’ (Grateful Dead cover)
Set 2
1). Eleanor Rigby (Beatles cover)
2). All is Loneliness (Moondog cover)
3). Women is Losers
4). Get It While You Can (Janis Joplin cover)
5). Hold Me
6). Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson cover)
7). Piece of My Heart (Erma Franklin cover)
8). Ball and Chain (Big Mama Thornton cover)
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