City Section to Headline Downieville Street Dance
David Margen brings a new all-star band to Main Street.
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The 2025 Downieville Street Dance, headlined by the Margen-led “Sunday Paper” band.
DOWNIEVILLE — Former Santana bassist David Margen is bringing another all-star band to Downieville for the Fourth of July, this time heading to Main Street with a new lineup. The band, City Section, is scheduled to play from 8 to 11 PM on Saturday, July 4, as part of Downieville’s holiday celebration and fire department benefit events.
Margen helped bring a group of veteran musicians to Downieville for July 4 festivities the past two years, then playing under the name “Sunday Paper.” City Section is a more formal project, he said, with a new lineup and original music. Margen added that the group has been in the studio recording tracks and will bring a mix of its own songs and familiar dance material to Downieville.
The lineup includes Margen on bass, his brother Peter Margen on guitar, David Perper on drums, Julie Homi on keyboards, and Meredith McHenry on vocals. The musicians come with connections to acts including Santana, Pablo Cruise, Jesse Colin Young, Bob Weir, Kingfish, Robert Palmer, and Yanni. City Section’s website describes the band’s sound as drawing from rock, soul, pop, funk, Latin, and jazz catalogs, and original songs and live videos are available at citysectionband.com.
Margen said McHenry’s addition on vocals is one of the reasons he expects the show to stand out. “She’s just dynamically great,” he said.
The show is being supported locally by the Sierra County Arts Council and Sierra Shangri-La. Steve Folsom helped organize the event, and Paul Lesniak will help handle sound and sit in with the band. Lesniak also joined last year’s street dance performance. Margen says the goal of the performance is to support the fire department and continue bringing strong live music to Downieville.
The Fourth of July schedule in Downieville includes events throughout the day on Main Street, including the noon parade, afternoon foot races and tug of war, the Downieville Fire Auxiliary Tri-Tip BBQ from 4 to 7 PM, and line dancing with Kathy from 7 to 8 PM. Live music and the street dance are scheduled to follow from 8 to 11 PM.