Let’s face the facts; unless you’re a serious player, great seats for the current Rolling Stones 50^th anniversary tour will likely cost you a month’s rent or a mortgage payment. That’s life in 2013. However, for those of us can’t afford to plunk down that sum, we can take solace in knowing that we can hear the Stones music live and not by a local ragtag group of wanna-be musicians. Stones Fest LA featured a number of accomplished rockers and actors taking to the stage (along with dozens of their celebrity friends cheering them on) belting out their favorite Stones tunes for a fraction of the price of seeing Mick Jagger and company. Backed by The Cabin Down Below Band, everyone had a crack at singing their own song (unless they wanted to play an instrument) and here are a few of our favorite up-and-comers who took the stage last night at the Fonda Theater:

Ethan Miller of Howlin’ Rain: We’ve given Howlin’ Rain some love in the past, and with good reason: they rock. It was surprising to see the Bay Area native on the bill because, well, he wasn’t originally on the bill. Staying true to his band’s name, Miller’s take on Keith Richards’ “Happy” was fast and furious, much like any of the Stones songs from the mid-to-late ‘70s. He flung himself around like a rag doll and really got into the song. Somewhere in Chicago, Richards would have been proud had he seen the performance.

Harper Simon: Introduced as being from L.A., which he quickly took umbrage to, Simon did a sweet version of “Waiting on a Friend.” Featuring a three-piece horn section, the son of Paul Simon did a nice job of hitting Jagger’s notes on one of the slower songs of the night. The song was a nice change from the familiar anthems that others chose. 

Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara: After a rollicking version of “Miss You,” the singer of one of our favorite bands brought blues back with a whiskey-drenched version of “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” Moving around on-stage with a tambourine and of course, bottle of Jameson, Armstrong’s looseness was representative of the whole evening with everyone treating this as a chance to hop on-stage like they’re at an open mic night, which certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

Ruby Amanfu: Easily the night’s MVP, the Ghana-born, Nashville-living singer went on early in the night and killed it with a soulful version of my least favorite Stones song, “Angie.” As great as that song was, Amanfu served as the backing singer for many of the other singers, including on “Tumblin’ Dice,” and traded vocals with Jakob Dylan on “Loving Cup” and “Ruby Tuesday.” While it’s easy to assume that everyone knows every lyric to every Stones song, she did a great job of working within the context of the song to fit both the person singing without overshadowing them with her dynamic voice.

Soko: Signed to Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes’ label, the L.A.-based singer/songwriter is in the midst of a big promotional blitz ahead of the release of her debut album on June 11. She came out later in the show for a subdued, raspy version of “As Tears Go By,” which was a different twist from the hit laden selections from other participants. Even though she was quiet, that didn’t mean she wasn’t good. In fact, it provided a nice break from the night’s raucous tunes.