BACK ON STAGE—For a time in the early ‘80s, from left, Mike Foley, Pat Angerson, Danny Freeman and Don Sullivan enjoyed local celebrity status in the rock band Weekertin Daze. Members of the group, most of whom still call Simi home, have reunited to play a show for charity tomorrow night at The Arena. The fellas of Weekertin Daze have come a long way since their days as local rock gods with wild hair and even wilder ways.

Looking at them now, one might never guess that the mostly 50-somethings once played at legendary venues The Roxy, the Troubadour and the Whisky A Go-Go.

Today, Don Sullivan, Mike Foley, Danny Freeman and Pat Angerson are regular guys. Most are married, some have kids, and they all work construction-related day jobs.

There’s a lot less hair involved, too.

But while much about their lives has changed, it’s clear one thing hasn’t: their passion for rock ’n’ roll.

BACK IN THE DAY—The Weekertin Daze boys pop a pose around the same time the band recorded their album "What Will You Do To Rock." From left: Rand Newiger, Don Sullivan, Danny Freeman (middle), Randy Vance and Jeff Keefer. After more than 20 years away from the music scene, Simi-based ’80s rockers Weekertin Daze are returning to the stage with a comeback show tomorrow night at The Arena in Simi.

“I think even the younger kids right now are ready for some rock ’n’ roll,” Freeman said.

A complex history

Like most rock bands, Weekertin Daze has a colorful history, with veteran members leaving, rookies filling in and an eventual parting of ways.

In the beginning, the band was comprised of founder Randy Vance on lead guitar and vocals, Freeman on keyboards and vocals, Foley on rhythm guitar, Mike Forcia on drums and Bob Kaley on bass.

Vance is the one who came up with the band’s name, a clever play on the phrase “a week or 10 days.” Freeman had gone to visit Vance in Missouri when he lived there for a short time, and the two had a laugh over how, whenever they asked a local how long something would take, the reply was always the same.

“I can cash it for you, but it will take about a week or ten days,” Freeman said in his best country drawl.

Forcia was soon replaced with Sullivan, who, even now at 47, will forever be known as the baby of the group.

The band’s home base was on Buyers Street in Simi Valley at the home of Jerry Hollensteiner, a friend of the group who also bought a “Partridge Family”-style bus to cart fans to and from shows.

The music scene in Simi wasn’t much to speak of in the ’80s (some things never change), but the boys did make the rounds on the house party circuit, and rehearsals were open to anyone who wanted to have a good time.

“This was a party band,” Foley said. “We always had a fresh batch of margaritas on the way out and we’d be rocking, tearing the place up.”

In 1981, just two weeks after Sullivan joined the band, Weekertin Daze had its first big Hollywood gig at Gazzarri’s— now the Key Club—on the Sunset Strip.

The self-described “hardestworking band in town” played all over the area, saying yes to any opportunity that came its way. The more they played, the larger their following became.

“The word just spread and pretty soon it was a citywide phenomenon,” Foley said. “People believed in us.”

Of all the venues the band played, the one that became home was the now-defunct Wolf & Rissmiller’s Country Club on Sherman Way in Reseda. It was at the Country Club that Weekertin Daze opened for legendary acts like Motley Crue, Iron Butterfly, The Guess Who and Pat Travers.

In the midst of their rising success, the band suffered a big setback when Foley, the group’s principal songwriter, left after being with the group for five years.

Foley said he had to get away from the “rock ’n’ roll lifestyle” to get cleaned up. Like so many others in the music industry during that time, he’d developed a drug habit.

“I was neck-deep in cocaine,” said Foley, who wrote a song about his struggles called “White Lady.”

The band pressed on and Rand Newiger took over for Foley. Then in 1985, with just two original members remaining, the band signed a record deal with local label Mystic Records.

Black coffee kept them going during the late-night recording sessions, Sullivan said, and fights with the label owner over creative control were frequent occurrences. In the end, the guys put out a six-song album titled “What Will You Do To Rock.”

The band’s sound is hard to define; they say it fluctuates between straightforward rock ’n’ roll and Southern hard rock. But one thing is clear: The guys have a sense of humor. On the back of the record sleeve, they thank their “wives, girlfriends, lovers” as well as Adolph Coors and Ron Bacardi.

Angerson joined the band in 1986, replacing bass player Jeff Keefer (and later Newiger), but when Vance left the group two years later, Weekertin Daze dissolved.

“There was never a meeting . . . just one day it didn’t exist,” Sullivan said. “It wasn’t that there were conflicts between people, there was nothing like that.”

Still, it was disappointing to see their rock dream end.

“It’s your first girlfriend— even though you know it might not work out, you keep going,” he said.

Coming together for a cause

Most of the band members played in other groups after the breakup, and Weekertin Daze was essentially in hibernation for 20 years.

Then in April this year, a night of reminiscing about the past over video chat led to the idea of a comeback performance.

The four in-town members have been practicing for months, rehearsing at Freeman’s house in a wood-paneled room covered with Weekertin Daze paraphernalia. The guys admitted to being a bit rusty at first and having to relearn their own songs, but they play just as hard now as they did decades ago, laughing and joking all the while.

“I needed something, I was stagnant . . . it was almost like supposed to be,” Freeman said.

“We clicked back together right away,” Sullivan added.

Foley agreed.

“It feels like there’s no time gone,” he said. “I think we sound better than we ever did.”

They only regret not reuniting sooner. The guys said playing together is like therapy and that when they leave rehearsal, they feel energized.

“I love playing as much as I possibly can, especially with people I like,” Angerson said. “Some things don’t change. It’s still friends coming together.”

What makes the reunion even sweeter is that it’s for a charity. Saturday’s ticket sales will benefit the Simi nonprofit Play for a Cure, which hosts annual softball and golf tournaments to raise money to help fight histiocytosis—a rare blood disease that mostly affects children under the age of 10.

“Since we never made money playing in the ’80s, we wanted to donate the proceeds from this show to a local charity,” Sullivan said.

Newiger will be traveling from out of state to play in the show. Vance is unable to make it.

The boys can’t wait to relive their glory days on the stage and are anxious to see how many people remember them—even if they can’t quite recognize them without the flowing tresses.

“I was spending way too much on shampoo and creamer (back then),” Freeman laughed.

Weekertin Daze will play at the Arena Sports Grill & Bar at 999 Enchanted Way in Simi at 8:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 14. Tickets are $10, or two for $15, at the door.