When drummer Dennis Diken called Wesley Stace with an invitation to become the latest guest vocalist for The Smithereens, the English songwriter’s first instinct was to say yes.
His second was to make the band earn it.
“It was, I thought, a great pleasure and an honor just to be asked,” Stace said from his home in Philadelphia. “I haven’t done a large outdoor show in a long time, and it sounded like a lot of fun.”
Rather than accepting immediately, Stace proposed an audition.
“I told Dennis, ‘Let’s just let some of our fans decide this,’” he said.
The experiment took place during one of Stace’s live “Cabinet of Wonders” shows in New York, where he joined The Smithereens onstage without rehearsal. After three songs, the audience rendered its verdict.
“The audience (got) to vote me on or off the island; in or out of the band,” Stace said. “We played three songs during the show, and the audience liked what they heard. So, I joined The Smithereens.”
That decision brings Stace to the 19th annual Petaluma Music Festival on Saturday, July 25, where he will front the veteran New Jersey power-pop band as part of a rotating cast of guest vocalists that has helped carry The Smithereens forward since the death of founding singer Pat DiNizio in 2017.
The festival, a fundraiser for music education in Petaluma public schools, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. Along with The Smithereens, the lineup includes 10,000 Maniacs, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Alejandro Escovedo, Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express and a slate of local performers.
Wesley Stace with Jim Babjak, Mike Mesaros and Dennis Diken of The Smithereens. (The Smithereens)
Finding the right voice
Founded in 1980, The Smithereens built a devoted following with radio favorites including “Only a Memory,” “A Girl Like You” and “Too Much Passion.” Since DiNizio’s death at age 62, the band has continued touring with a succession of guest singers, among them Marshall Crenshaw, John Cowsill and Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms.
Stace, who performed for years under the Dylanesque stage name John Wesley Harding, may seem an unlikely fit. His own career has spanned alternative-rock radio success in the early 1990s, acclaimed novels and the long-running “Cabinet of Wonders” variety series, where musicians, writers and comedians share the stage.
But once rehearsals began, he understood why Diken had called.
“As it turns out, Pat’s songs are all right in my range,” Stace said. “There are many other bands; if they asked me to sing with them, I might very well want to, but probably shouldn’t. I might want to be the lead singer of Queen or Yes or AC/DC, but I just don’t have that kind of voice.”
Learning another songwriter’s catalog has proved more demanding than he expected.
“It’s really interesting because, no matter how well you might know another writer’s songs, they can’t be as natural to you as the lyrics you write for yourself,” he said. “I’ve probably put more time and effort into this than any musical project I’ve ever been involved with.”
Stace knows some audience members in Petaluma will be familiar with his own work, but they shouldn’t expect to hear it during The Smithereens’ set.
“When Marshall Crenshaw sings with them, they don’t do any Marshall Crenshaw songs,” he said. “When Robin Wilson sang with them, they didn’t do any Gin Blossoms songs. The audience is coming to see The Smithereens.”
Then he laughed.
“Much as I’d like to have The Smithereens back me up someday, that would be a very different project,” he said. “But who knows? Maybe someday.”
Schedule and ticket information
The 2026 Petaluma Music Festival runs from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Petaluma Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive. More information and tickets are available at petalumamusicfestival.org.
Festival Stage
11:45 a.m. – Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes
1:30 p.m. – Alejandro Escovedo
3:30 p.m. – Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express
5:30 p.m. – The Smithereens
8 p.m. – 10,000 Maniacs
Lagunitas Brewing Stage
11:30 a.m. – DJ Tecni
12:30 p.m. – Markus James Duo
2:15 p.m. – Kayatta
4:30 p.m. – Don’t Tell John
6:45 p.m. – Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
The Petaluma Stage
12:45 p.m. – Gas Money
2:45 p.m. – Captain Monk
4:45 p.m. – Van Goat
7 p.m. – Pardon the Interruption
General admission is $68 at the door. VIP admission is $169 and includes reserved shaded seating, complimentary snacks, and wine and beer tastings. Admission is free for children 12 and younger with a paying adult, and tickets for ages 13 to 17 are $25.