The California Dreams are a soft-rock music group managed by Sly Winkle (Michael Cade). The original members were Jenny Garrison (Heidi Lenhart), her brother Matt (Brentley Gore) and their friends Tiffany Smith (Kelly Packard) and Tony Wicks (William James Jones).
Jenny left to attend the Music Conservatory in Rome and was replaced by Samantha Woo (Jennie Kwan), a foreign exchange student from Hong Kong who is residing at the Garrison home (128 Ocean Drive) and likes to be called Sam.
When Matt requires help writing songs, Jake Sommers (Jay Anthony Franke), the school “tough guy,” joins the band (he also plays the guitar). Shortly after, when Matt moves, Sly’s cousin, Mark (Aaron Jackson), replaces him as the lead singer.
The wealthy Lorena Costa (Diana Uribe) becomes the group’s co-manager when she befriends Sly and allows the band to use her loft for practice (they previously used Matt’s garage).
The teens attend Pacific Coast High School and hang out at Sharkey’s, the local beach eatery (where Tony works as a waiter).
Matt, who sings, writes songs and plays the guitar, wrote the group’s first song, California Dreams. Jenny, who sings and plays keyboard, has a collection of plush animals she calls ‘Stuffies’.
Tiffany, the dreamer, plays the guitar and sings. She surfs, loves to wear bikinis and inevitably attracts the opposite sex: “I can’t figure out why the boys stop swimming to watch me”.
Sly’s real name is Sylvester, but “Sly’s the name – never call me Sylvester”. He is somewhat sleazy and hits on any pretty girl he sees. Jenny detests Sly and smiles to torment him (“One of life’s little pleasures,” she says).
Stories follow the group as they attend school and struggle to make it big in the music world. In the final episode, the teens graduate from high school and say goodbye to the group.
Tiffany enrols at the University of Hawaii; Sam is off to England to study physics; Sly and Lorena enrol in Pacific University; Mark is going to the Juilliard School in New York; Tony is pursuing an acting career, and Jake is offered a recording contract with Stout Jam Records.
I’m So Glad I Was There was the last song performed by the California Dreams – a dream that started when Matt and Sly heard the group Johnny Himalaya and the Wave Breakers perform at Sharkey’s and were inspired to start their own band.
Tiffany Smith
Kelly Packard Sylvester ‘Sly Winkle’
Michael Cade Tony Wicks
William James Jones Jake Sommers
Jay Anthony Franke Samantha ‘Sam’ Woo
Jennie Kwan Lorena Costa
Diana Uribe Mark Winkle
Aaron Jackson Matt Garrison
Brentley Gore Jenny Garrison
Heidi Lenhart Richard Garrison
Michael Cutt Melody Garrison
Gail Ramsey Dennis Garrison
Ryan O’Neill
The wealthy Lorena Costa (Diana Uribe) becomes the group’s co-manager when she befriends Sly and allows the band to use her loft for practice (they previously used Matt’s garage).
