If imitation is the finest form of flattery, Orange County’s own No Doubt has been paid the ultimate compliment by a local foursome of talented musicians and thespians that call themselves No Duh.

These players are made up of local cover rockers Band X (EJ Curse/bass, Mark Hawkins/guitar and Dave Sprock/drums) all adorned in costume with sweet-as-molasses starlet, Heather Lounsbury, playing the lead in this No Doubt documentary. The visuals are funny and witty, the attitude is eerily familiar and the sound is dead on – right down to incorporating samples they clip from Simple Kind of Life, Hey Baby and any current NBA promo on network television.

The chemistry between the members of the group is a product of great friendships, and maybe more. Heather claims she was brought into the act by the guy she was/is dating at the time, the bass player, naturally. This, for those who may have been living on Pluto for the last ten years, is the story within the story for the heavily publicized No Doubt and their personal lives they unfortunately have to live in the public eye. Or, Heather and EJ could just be hamming it up for audience while they’re in character. Either way, the crowd gets the whole pomp and circumstance including the National Enquirer version, not just Spiderwebs and Bathwater.

There is a great backing story from February 2005 that endorses these entertainers’ talents and ability to mimic so credibly. Apparently word got out in the No Doubt camp some time back about a little South Bay tribute band trying to cover America’s play list sweethearts. This piqued the curiosity of the members of No Doubt and the real deal began to follow No Duh in the local media and online. One story of admiration led to another and No Duh found themselves in mid-set one weekday night at the Lighthouse staring down at Tony, Tom and Adrian from No Doubt. Thirty seconds later Heather must have jumped over the moon from the excitement to find her artistic heroes climb up on stage to sit in and play along with her. Now there’s something to put on a resume.

Heather paraphrased the experience by saying, “My fourth gig with a band and I was on stage with No Doubt. It was surreal.” She continued, “I am a transplant from New York who made her way to UCSB to collect enough units to complete seven majors and I end up singing with these great guys. I couldn’t be happier.”

The fan following for No Duh has been relentless for some time and the celebrity sightings don’t hurt. Having benefited from covering one of music’s hottest international selling acts, and doing it well, the band is in great demand. As such, the Lighthouse was in solid form last Friday with the dance floor filled to capacity. And with the enviable list of hits to cover from one band’s litany of chart-topping singles, the audience was regaling.

I have a great deal of respect for tribute bands that can play up to their mentors’ high standards. Last Friday was a compilation of a decade of high standards. And much respect to No Doubt for giving back to those who recognize this talent and taking part in what was clearly a memory of a lifetime for a great tribute band. ER