Its a Four Songs You Should Listen To: First City Festival Edition!
They call Monterey the “First Capital” of California because it was home to the states’ very first Public Library, Theater, Printing Press and Newspaper.
In June of 1967, Monterey staked its claim to another first when the Monterey Pop Festival introduced to the world Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Otis Redding and was the first large-scale performance by Janis Joplin.
It still is considered the first largely promoted and attended Summer Music Festival, predating its counterpart Woodstock by two years.
Now fast forward 47 years and Monterey is host yet again to the First City Music Festival and the lineup – featuring Beck, The National, Phantogram and many more – is one of the best of the summer.
In addition to the bigger names, there are plenty of gems out there that will be perfect compliments to the fest and we’ve done some digging for you.
We only hope that one of these artists light their guitar on fire.
How To Dress Well: Repeat Pleasure
If you’ve been listening to Morning Becomes Eclectic lately you’ve probably heard this deep summer pop anthem.
Infectious beats with a porcelain-delicate male falsetto over the top is so hot right now. (I’m not talking about Hansel, but I am talking about Sam Smith)
It’s a perfect pallet cleanser to the Indie-folk du-jour peppered in the rest of the lineup.
Cool Ghouls: Natural Life:
Oh Burger Records, you’ve really become the soundtrack to warm backyard sunsets and cold beers from a cooler.
Perfectly lo-fi without being a caricature, you can picture how well this song will go over as you look around and actually see green grass.
A highlight for sure.
The Men: Another Night
Typically known as a New York punk band, The Men’s latest release, “Tomorrow’s Hits” smacks of something more mature and intricate.
The tendencies are there to be sure, but on songs like “Another Night”, they are adding new elements that grab your attention.
Quilt: Arctic Shark
Mexican Summer’s Quilt released this song as a single in October of last year which sounds like the progeny of Woodstock and Pop Monterrey.
Hazy, lazy psychedelia with floating vocals slowly dip and dive. The rest of their 2014 release “Held In Splendor” is fantastic.
Did I add it’s perfect to listen to outside in the summer? Maybe in Monterey!