America's Got Talent: Folk-Rock Band Promises Gig With Student Musicians Will Be 'Great'

America is united with the , and the celebrated folk-rock group will prove it Saturday night with a much-anticipated benefit concert in support of arts programs for local schools.

The celebrated folk-rock group—best known for songs like "A Horse with No Name," "Ventura Highway" and "Sister Golden Hair"—will collaborate onstage with students as part of the Santa Monica-Malibu 's annual . The show will happen Saturday night at 's Barnum Hall.

"We don't do a lot of [benefit concerts]," singer/guitarist Dewey Bunnell told Santa Monica Patch, adding that the band occasionally plays at voter-registration drives or environmental-activism events. "This one should be really well put together."

Bunnell says America was recruited to be part of concert at the behest of Kipp, Mark and Michael Lennon, the principals behind another band on the bill: Venice. The latter group is similar in style, albeit much younger, than its headlining counterparts. Also slated to perform is Richard Page of Grammy nominees Mr. Mister, and an as-yet-unrevealed Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Bunnell says that if the secret performer is "who I think it is," the audience will be thrilled.

As for America's performance, "I'm optimistic that our set is going to be great," the Palos Verdes resident said. Bunnell and partner Gerry Beckley will be backed by members of Venice and, in turn will help that band perform its own set.

"It's not a formal thing," Bunnell added.

The band plans to perform six songs, all of them with kids from the SMMUSD. America is rehearsing on Friday with the participating student musicians.

Somewhat incidentally, America formed after original members Bunnell, Beckley and Dan Peek met while attending London Central High School in the 1960s. The bandmembers didn't pursue higher education, but that hasn't diminished their support for arts programs.

"I wish there had been a better music program" in high school, said Bunnell, who has three children, including an 18-year-old who goes to school in the South Bay. At age 59, the self-taught musician is still learning a lot about music, taking online classes in his spare time.

As a band that performs 100 concerts each year, Bunnell is confident there won't be any hiccups during America's six-song set on Saturday night. Even though the band is collaborating with students, he and Beckley don't plan to "stretch out too much," according to Bunnell. "We try to re-create the original recordings on stage, so we stick to the arrangements and vocal harmonies. We're fortunate to have a catalog that most people, via osmosis, have absorbed."

It's fair to count young people as those who probably aren't familiar with America's songs. All the same, Bunnell doesn't think that'll be a detriment to the For the Arts Benefit Concert.

"Our music is real transportable," he said. "It fits into most environs, and it transfers pretty well generationally."

The concert has "all the earmarks for a nice, positive evening for the locals," he added.