Tonic Ball acts lovingly toast Radiohead, Beastie Boys, Ramones, Diana Ross and Bob Marley

David Lindquist | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption 5 Tonic Ball acts in 135 seconds Indiana musicians pay tribute to Radiohead, Diana Ross, the Beastie Boys, Bob Marley and the Ramones at this year’s Tonic Ball.

Magic abounds at the annual Tonic Ball fundraiser for Second Helpings, but consider this trick: The bigger the event gets, the more homey and intimate it feels.

Friday's 18th edition of Tonic Ball featured 90 acts playing five Fountain Square venues to provide more than 150,000 meals via hunger-relief organization Second Helpings.

Those beautiful statistics originate from Indianapolis musicians — artists who get star treatment at Tonic Ball and deserve more appreciation throughout the year.

Two low-key heroes of the community, bass player David Barajas and drummer Devon Ashley, were seemingly everywhere as Tonic Ball celebrated the music of Radiohead, Beastie Boys, Ramones, Diana Ross and Bob Marley.

Barajas and Ashley collaborated to make an airtight rhythm section when Player Piano paid tribute to Ross at Pioneer. Ashley supplied island beats when Mr. Kinetik & the Infinite dug into Marley's catalog at Fountain Square Theatre, and he pushed the pace when the Last IV played Ramones tunes at Radio Radio.

In addition to covering Radiohead at the Hi-Fi with Bullet Points, Barajas channeled Colin Greenwood's elastic bass lines with once-a-year bands Bomb Dylan and Matt Mays & Friends. Barajas' night had one more stop: playing Ramones jams with Stealing Volume at Radio Radio.

The collegial spirit of Tonic Ball was forged across years, and Friday's edition presented long-running favorites in unexpected roles:

Ron Miner, known coast-to-coast as turntable ace DJ Indiana Jones, grabbed the mic to perform "Shake Your Rump" as part of the Nefarious Four's Beastie Boys homage at White Rabbit Cabaret.

Folk singer Cara Jean Wahlers embraced glamour when singing Ross tunes at Pioneer.

Mr. Kinetik (actually a triple threat as rapper, singer and DJ) brought Marvin Gaye-level soul to his rendition of Marley's "Wait in Vain."

One can't-miss segment of Tonic Ball is when event founder Ken Honeywell performs with Bomb Dylan. This year, the band explored "OK Computer" gems "Airbag" and "Subterranean Homesick Alien" — with Honeywell offering storytelling gestures that Thom Yorke might want to try.

Bomb Dylan then unleashed a crossover bombshell: the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in the over-the-top style of Vanilla Fudge's 1967 cover.

Matt Mays & Friends, essentially Bomb Dylan minus Honeywell, seized their chance to make a memorable Tonic moment by performing Radiohead's "The National Anthem" accompanied by an army of horn players. The roster included saxophone player Josh Silbert plus members of Dysfunktion Brass, Pork & Beans Brass Band and Rock E Bassoon.

Find the best things to do Be the first to know about the coolest things with unlimited digital access today!

At Pioneer, the four gentlemen of the Common delivered a three-song love letter to female vocalists: the Supremes' "Love Child," followed by covers of "Our Lips Are Sealed" (the Go-Go's) and "Dreaming" (Blondie).

The all-star Last IV (Ashley with Rusty Redenbacher, Vess Ruhtenberg and David "Tufty" Clough) brought sing-along perfection to the Ramones' "I Wanna be Sedated."

And award bonus points to Maravich, the trio that performed "Spider-Man" in the style heard on the Ramones' contribution to 1995 compilation "Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits."

IndianapoLIST: Obsessed with Indianapolis? Subscribe to our newsletter

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at 317-444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.