Close your eyes and listen to the music at the Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, and you’ll be convinced you’re hearing some of the most famous rock-n’-roll bands of the past three decades. Let yourself hop on that “Magic Bus,” then “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and you’ll be transported back to places like “Sweet Home Alabama” on a summer’s “Beautiful Day.” The festival, coming up on August 30-31 and quickly becoming a top music venue, offers a sextet of Bay Area bands will offer their tributes to The Who, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, U2 and other favorites for a weekend of awesome sounds.

The Gator Alley Band Replica Lane Four Emerson Heartstrings Music Dreamroad

San Francisco’s radio show hosts Lamont & Tonelli on 107.7 The Bone said “The Gator Alley Band is note for note Lynyrd Skynyrd.” Named after a stretch of South Florida highway in Everglades National Park, the band’s mission since 1994 has been to recreate the distinctive sound of southern rock. They dedicated themselves to learning the finer details of this unique brand of music, from the style of the instruments to the quality of the amplification, to achieve the monumental sound of the south. With Lynyrd Skynyrd classics like the upbeat “Gimme Three Steps” and “What’s Your Name,” and the awesome instrumentals of “Free Bird,” they’ll simply blow you away.

Replica brings back the greatest hits from ’80s FM rock radio, when Heart, Journey, Van Halen, Boston, Night Ranger, Def Leppard, the Pretenders and Yes ruled the airwaves. Vocalists Julia Westney and Dave Kelleher sound just like the real thing as they bring back the classic sounds of timeless bands from the Eurythmics and Stevie Nicks to Rush, the Eagles and Led Zeppelin. Replica’s vintage rock tributes come alive with Bob Schuster ‘s vibrant keyboard, guitarist Stephen Albin’s amazing imitations of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Satriani, drummer Darin Fister supercharged beats and bassist Chris Keller heart-thumping twangs.

The members of Lane Four weren’t even born when most of their cover tunes first hit the airwaves. Layla Allman, daughter of the legendary Greg Allman, and her Redwood City school friends, Austin Dunn, Nick Loiacono and Eric Perkins, joined together in 2005 (when they were all around 12 years old) to form the band. In 2006 they placed second in the KFOX Last Band Standing Competition. Their songs include an uncanny cover of Heart’s “Barracuda” and a twist on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” with a sound shaped by their wildly differing musical tastes. Vocalist Allman has a powerful, belting style. Bass player Dunn digs everything from Black Sabbath to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Guitarist Loiacono gets his inspiration from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. And Perkins, the drummer, goes for the Nirvana sound, with plenty of crash and double bass. The band has been writing its own songs lately, so festivalgoers may be in for a surprise debut.

Talented street musicians will also be enchanting the crowds at this year’s festival. Emerson & The Growiser Band has created its own special blend of soft jazz and rhythm and blues. Emerson is a master of the keyboard, easily playing a funky bass-line with his left hand while his right hand works big block chords and organ solos. A little cool saxophone polishes off the band’s easy groove. Emerson's deep and gentle voice will take you back to a simpler time, and the fresh vibrant beats and melodies will get your heart and feet wanting to dance along. Al Fabrizio of Heartstrings Music still recalls his childhood in Italy and the heartwarming melodies his father used to play on the old mandolin. Now he is recreating those melodies himself with his “tremolo” style on the Neopolitan mandolin, accompanied by his partner Hugo Wainzinger on the guitar. Enjoy the original compositions of classical and soft jazz from Dreamroad, a duo made up of a flutist, keyboardist, and hammered dulcimer player. Their beautiful compositions are melodic and spiritual with a rhythmic world-beat sensibility, reflecting a diverse cultural heritage.