The Fallen Stars premiere 'Leaves On The Wind' songs at Can't Stop The Serenity event

A taste of Comic-Con came to Irvine, California on Saturday night, Sept. 21 thanks to the arrival of Can't Stop The Serenity, an event presented with the support of the non-profit California Browncoats. The special charity screening presented at Starplex Woodbridge Movies 5 benefitted Equality Now (an organization working to stop abuse and violence against women and girls across the globe) while giving fans of Joss Whedon's groundbreaking 2002 television show Firefly a chance to witness the popular episode "Out of Gas" and subsequent 2005 film Serenity on the big screen.

In addition, Huntington Beach-based Americana outfit The Fallen Stars also performed live, celebrating the official release of Leaves On The Wind - Vol. 1 Still Flying with a stellar performance of original songs from the Firefly-centric project. After opening with a crowd-pleasing version of Sonny Rhodes' "The Ballad of Serenity," the Fallen Stars proceeded to perform a number of their original songs including the five winning tracks on volume 1 of their Leaves On The Wind EP.

Firefly's now-famous blend of gritty American West realism and science fiction goes well with the Fallen Stars' authentic Americana musical approach. The band's songs work well on their own, but took on additional depth in front of a capacity-crowd packed into the movie house. The hopeful "Still Flying" with Tracy Byrnes' sweet soprano positioned against Georgianna Hennessy's vibrant fiddle, the more fierce "Nothing" with Bobbo Byrnes' blazing guitar work and drummer Matt Froehlich igniting the song, and wonderful "Stronger Than Steel" (praising the lead ladies of the show) were among the highlights of the Fallen Stars' two mini-sets. A "shiny" night to be sure.

The Fallen Stars on Sept. 21. Photo: Natalie Moreno

Leaves On The Wind - Vol. 1 Still Flying is available via the Fallen Stars' own Kiss My Squirrel Music label. You can learn more about the project via the band's official Web site: www.TheFallenStars.com. 

I will be reviewing the fantastic new Fallen Stars disc in an upcoming column and highlight that in a future post on Rock 'n' Roll Truth.