Guards – Showbams

FCF finds first-year success for five game-changing reasons

August 28, 2013 by The Bam Team 5 Comments

Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Molly Kish //

The inaugural First City Festival was a big success over the weekend (August 24 & 25) — something most new festivals do not pull off.

There were five particular reasons this first-year fest worked so well — and these five game changers are why FCF will return for year two. Be sure to keep scrolling down to view all the magnificent eye-candy captured by Marc Fong — there are over 150 artist and scene photos to take in.

Modest Mouse

1. The Comprehensively Diverse Music Line Up
Exhibiting a wide spectrum of genre and talent, First City Festival nailed the booking of the festival’s inaugural year. Filling both days with incredible sets performed by bands both at the height of their musical game or on the verge of a mainstream breakthrough, Goldenvoice SF made sure the bill was stacked.

The fairgrounds housed three separate stages within a five-minute walk of each other, sparse conflicts and ample set spacing optimized maximum viewing pleasure. The line-up encouraged audience members to branch out of their comfort zones between sets, encouraging the discovery of new music.

Passion Pit

MGMT

Neko Case

2. Concession Placement and Prices
Given the spare time allotted between sets, sampling a variety of food and beverage choices located throughout the fairgrounds was a breeze. The general food court was set up at the midsection of the festival — food trucks, cocktails and beers could be found everywhere.

Drink prices ranged from $7-12, offering everything from the standard domestic to artisan crafted cocktails (the option to spritz your beverage with absinthe and chartreuse was available). Food prices also followed suit and presented modern spins on the traditional carnival fare.

3. VIP Perks in General Admission Area
Most festivals go out of their way to generally sanction off the VIP ticket holders from the GA masses. Although FCF reserved a special entrance, carnival perks, seating accommodations and swanky lounges for those who sprung for the VIP pass, the festival worked hard to deliver an enjoyable experience for all that attended. Ample indoor bathrooms were available for all, along with large charging stations, hard alcohol options and outdoor shaded chill areas that were well furnished. In its inaugural year, FCF ran crowd cohabitation smoothly and kept everyone in attendance happily content.

4. The Monterey County Carnival
Taking notes from modern day music festivals, FCF jumped on the idea that concert go-er’s enjoy alternative entertainment to suffice their down time between sets. Beyond providing eclectic acts throughout both days on the vaudeville stage, the festival utilized their fairground landscape to its full capacity.

In prep for Monterey’s upcoming county fair, the festival decided to take initiative and set up the rides and games early, allowing FCF crowds to have a complete carnival at their disposal all weekend. Boasting games, mazes and rides ushered in from Neverland Ranch, the concert attendees were able to split their time between a festival of live music and a dub step sound-tracked carnival. A smart move in crowd control, and an ingenious way to boost revenue and all around surreal experience, the carnival uniquely set FCF apart from other festivals.

5. Location, Location, Location
Although the Monterey County Fairgrounds have an impressive calendar of events and a historical legacy within the Bay Area music scene, there hasn’t been much recently to compete with the crowds and caliber of this past weekend.

Nestled in the small suburban coastal community of Monterey, a town that usually catches cover bands, rodeos and craft fairs at the fairgrounds, the promoters couldn’t have picked a better place to kick off what undoubtedly will become a premiere West Coast music festival.

Even elements such as the constant overhead traffic of the adjacent small aircraft port were met with ease. Instead of being considered a distraction to the sets, musicians embraced the magical nature of each plane taking off or landing throughout their performance, usually incorporating banter and impeccable comedic timing

The weather, layout and charm of the surrounding neighborhood played a key part into how successful the FCF weekend played out. From the ample roadside accommodations and street parking within blocks of the fairgrounds, to the killer family owned restaurants and extremely congenial locals, FCF was a hospitable music festival for the books.

Toro Y Moi

Beach House

Washed Out

Devendra Banhart

Deerhunter

Purity Ring

Father John Misty

Okkervil River

The Hold Steady

The Black Angels

Capital Cities

Lucero

The Antlers

Blitzen Trapper

Electric Guest

Civil Twilight

The Dodos

Akron/Family

Guards

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Akron/Family, Beach House, Blitzen Trapper, Capital Cities, Civil Twilight, Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart, Electric Guest, Father John Misty, First City Festival, Guards, Lucero, MGMT, Modest Mouse, Neko Case, Okkervil River, Passion Pit, Purity Ring, The Antlers, The Black Angels, The Dodos, The Hold Steady, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out

First City Festival: Set conflicts & resolutions

August 20, 2013 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Written by Molly Kish //

First City Festival //
Monterey County Fairgrounds – Monterey, CA
August 23rd-24th, 2014 //

First City Festival graces the sacred Monterey County Fairgrounds this weekend, with a jam-packed line up of indie talent. FCF Kicks off its inaugural year with two days full of hard hitting headliners and an undercard of up and coming acts. Catching such an abundance of uniquely curated artists can be a formidable task, requiring careful time management and appropriation.

For your convenience, we’ve broken down the toughest conflicts of the weekend to help you sort out your plan of attack.

Saturday, August 24 VIEW SATURDAY SCHEDULE

The Black Angels vs. The Hold Steady vs. Guards

Depending on what kind of headspace you’re in, this one could be difficult. All three bands round out the first half of the day with a varying take on the modern state of rock music. The Black Angels will draw in a hardcore fan base and offer the most explosive undercard show.

However if a super psychedelic freak out isn’t your bag so early in the fest, The Hold Steady brings the same amount of energy to the stage — but in a much more choral manner. Primed for a punk rock sing along, this band will ignite the Redwood Stage with infectious energy that’ll carry over nicely into the evening hours.

If neither of these options float your boat, Guards is the perfect third choice. Falling somewhere between shoe-gaze bliss and contemporary alternative, this pop rock outfit segues perfectly into an opening night of dance heavy indie-rock headliners.

The Black Angels – 3:30 pm, Cypress Stage
The Hold Steady – 4pm, Redwood Stage
Guards – 3:55, Manzanita Stage

Delta Spirit vs. MGMT vs. Washed Out

This problematic trifecta conflict comes later in the evening Saturday. Although the bands during the magical hours contain musical elements that contribute to the overall sound of headliner Passion Pit, they contrast plenty in their musical focus as groups. Delta Spirit will be the choice for those riding high off the rock heavy vibes this year’s line up offers. Their sunny disposition and group harmonies will provide a perfect set for the seven o’clock hour – the show will also serve as a beautiful sunset transition into the follow up act on the Cypress Stage.

Taking over directly after Delta Spirit will be Washed Out, which if one chooses to stick around for effortlessly shifts the mood from pop rock into dance. Anticipate a mélange of hits from 2011’s Within And Without as well as Ernest Greene’s delightfully spacey 2013 LP Paracosm.

MGMT plays the wild card in this dilemma. Drawing from two albums – Oracular Spectacular brimmed with mainstream hits while Congratulations polarized waves of fans by bathing in psychedelic experimentalism — you never really know what you’re in for with their live show. With a third, self titled release on the way in September, plan on catching a handful of debut cuts. Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden are clearly on a mission to do what makes them happy in creating new music, scorning the search for radio hits while honing in on awesome weirdness.

Delta Spirit – 7:30pm, Cypress Stage
MGMT – 7:45pm, Redwood Stage
Washed Out – 8:30, Cypress Stage

Sunday, August 25 – VIEW SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Devendra Banhart vs. Electric Guest vs. Generationals

Three polar opposite artists provide the first difficulties on Sunday’s schedule. The FCF five o’clock hour is filled with some pretty difficult decisions as the fest showcases undercard heavy hitters, all coming from seriously divergent musical backgrounds. Devendra Banhart takes the cake when it comes to the stage that will be most dense during this time slot. Drawing influences from folk, indie, world music and pop, this multi-linguist singer songwriter will have ladies (and many dudes) from all walks of life swooning as he croons into the early evening hours. A perfect booking for a Sunday afternoon set, Banhart may be too mellow for those looking to keep the energy going into the evening.

Electric Guest conversely kicks it up a notch with their dance-heavy soul. This band’s live show is an energy packed production, and the LA outfit promises to rouse audience members to their feet for a Sunday fun day dance party with hits off of their critically acclaimed 2012 album Mondo, which was produced by Danger Mouse. This is a bit of a one off performance for Electric Guest, who are working on a second album and have more touring planned in October.

If neither of those options sound ideal, then the Generationals on the Manzanita stage will be killing it with their patented guitar driven, surf-rock party anthems. Celebrating their recent shift over to indie label extraordinaire Polyvinyl Records with their latest release Heza, this show will provide a burst of welcomed energy to any weary festival go’er.

Devendra Banhart – 5:10pm, Redwood Stage
Electric Guest – 4:40, Cypress Stage
Generationals – 5:05, Manzanita Stage

Deerhunter vs. Toro Y Moi vs. Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks

The most eclectic conundrum of the festival comes up during the twilight hours on Sunday evening. These three acts are equally unique, representing some of the top talent of the entire weekend. Deerhunter, fronted by indie rock ingénue Bradford Cox, is simply a must see live music experience. Cox creates both touching and ecstatic music at a rapid pace with Deerhunter and his solo vehicle Atlas Sound – but Deerhunter thrives on a duality of layered psychedelic screamers and clean, to-the-point pop songs that seem like they came from a simpler time in the past — something our collective minds have manufactured. Fans will be rolling deep to this set, looking to hear live cuts from their 2013 album Monomania for the first time.

There are a couple great opening options for Deerhunter. Toro Y Moi will be on the Redwood Stage curating head-nodding pleasure loops. Blending his smooth jazz vocals with innovative samples and hip hop beats, Chaz Bundwick delivers as front man and live Dj.

This set will provide a soulful come down and polar opposite experience than the competing Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks. One of the most intriguing additions to this year’s bill, ATSF is an experimental electronic journey captained by Animal Collective’s Dave Portner. An audio-visual site to behold for the senses, this show will incorporate Portner’s affinity for sound production, crocodiles and cinematography into one giant spectacle. FCF’s most “choose your own adventure” moment of the weekend, eight o’clock on Sunday night will be a definitive moment in many festival attendees’ night.

Deerhunter – 7:10pm, Cypress Stage
Toro Y Moi – 6:25pm, Redwood Stage
Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks – 6:30pm, Manzanita Stage

We recommend creating and sharing your own personal schedule on the FCF website to help coordinate via social media with friends. While there, you can purchase NO FEE tickets to the recently announced NIGHTSHOWS!

If you aren’t ready to call it a day Saturday night at the fairgrounds, FCF boasts two stellar options to continue the party post festival. Providing a second chance to catch major acts from Saturday line up, these options are factors to weigh into your day time decision making.

Both are not only affordable, but within walking distance from the festival site and WILL SELL OUT QUICK! Click here to purchase tickets and to avoid surcharges.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Avey Tare’s Slasher Flick’s, Deerhunter, Delta Spirit, Devandra Banhart, Electric Guest, First City Festival, Generationals, Guards, MGMT, The Black Angels, The Hold Steady, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out

First City Festival Fringe: Top 5 undercard acts for the fest’s first year

August 2, 2013 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Written by Molly Kish //

First City Festival //
Monterey County Fairgrounds – Monterey, CA
August 23rd-24th, 2014 //

In less than one month, Monterey County’s fairground & event center will play host to the flagship year of the First City Festival. Boasting a roster packed to the brim with indie rock elite, FCF’s lineup is one of summer’s strongest on the west coast. Beyond familiar top-of-the-lineup acts Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT, Beach House, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out & Deerhunter, FCF’s second billings offer an impressive mix of underrated and up and coming buzz bands from the past few years.

We encourage you to take ample time over the course of the 2-day festival to explore the 30+ bands and attractions, along with a variety of food and local craft beer vendors. There’s a comedy/vaudeville variety stage, and the “Monterey Carnival” comes complete with rides and games. If you’ll be heading down to Monterrey early on August 24 & 25, we’ve got 5 artist recommendations to get acquainted to.

Purity Ring

The Canadian duo of Corin Roddick and Megan James mashes together glitchy hip-hop oriented beats with ethereal pop melodies and crystalline vocal tracks. Relative newbies to the indie scene, Roddick and James convey the song writing skills of seasoned veterans, attacking each track with finite detailing and production expertise.

The duo specializes in creating lush soundscapes filled with dreamlike dance tracks, and their unique stage show incorporates spontaneous lighting elements produced by a handcrafted audio visual synthesizer. Triggered by the group’s improvisational percussion, the machine is something Corin created himself, and it allows each set the band performs to be a truly individual spectacle to behold. Purity Ring will be one of the most all-encompassing and entertaining acts on the bill at FCF.

For Fans of: Grimes, The Naked and Famous, TNGHT

Avey Tare’s Slasher Flick’s

A side project of Animal Collective founding member Avey Tare, Slasher Flick’s brings an experimental element to the First City Festival line up. Formed with ex-Dirty Projector member Angel Deradoorian and Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman, Slasher Flick’s is self-described as a “group of three hippies on a road trip through the backwaters of 2013’s rural music scene, (who) fall prey to a murderous cannibalistic band making.”

The trio has made sparse appearances in New York and the UK since their conception this past April, further amplifying the buzz surrounding their Sunday set at FCF, which will mark the band’s first ever West Coast performance as a group. Anticipating live interpretations of the material off of Avey’s 2010 solo debut Down There, this show promises a unique exploration of vivid soundscapes, abstract musical production, songwriting showmanship and fantastical visual imagery. Having just returned from a coveted spot on the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival bill and just before Tare hits the road again with Animal Collective through the Fall, you’ll want to catch this rare opportunity to check out this eclectic super-group, while you still have the chance.

For Fans of: Animal Collective, Dan Deacon and MGMT

The Black Angels:

Ramping up Saturday’s scheduled line up, The Black Angels bring their aggressively modern take on psychedelic rock to the First City Festival stage. As a newly reconfigured quartet, the Black Angels have been touring in support their fourth studio album Indigo Meadow since April. They are making their last appearance statewide on this tour Saturday at FCF before a string of European dates, leading up to their scheduled sets at the Austin City Limits festival in October. Enlisting the support of acclaimed producer John Congleton (David Byrne & Saint Vincent, Clinic, Explosions in the Sky) on their latest full length, the band continues to push the boundaries of modern rock with their seductive drone vocals, resonating reverb, and audacious song structure.

At the forefront of a post-millennial acid rock resurgence, the Black Angels are facilitators to nearly all the fresh new faces emerging in this genre. The group curates the Austin Psych Fest, so the Black Angel’s can be held personally responsible for the progressive nature of the present day psych-rock scene. Ushering in a brand new era of boisterous psych rock, the Black Angels will be a difficult act to pass on at this year’s FCF.

For Fans of: The Velvet Underground, Primus and Tame Impala.

Generationals:

Celebrating their 2013 release Heza, and recent shift over to Polyvinyl Records, Generationals bring their melancholic catalogue of analog recordings to the Sunday line up of First City Festival. NOLA natives Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer formed the Generationals in 2007 after the dissolution of a previous project to start writing songs as a duo.

Embedded in the archetypes of mid-century pop, the Generationals draw upon minimalist retro formulas while incorporating underlying trends in post punk and new wave production. The band has been charming crowds throughout Europe with their infectiously upbeat stage show over the course of the past few months, returning for their first show back in the states the Sunday afternoon of FCF. A prefect addition to a bill ripe with indie talent, this set will be a highlight of the festival and one not worth missing out on.

For Fans of: Vampire Weekend, Born Ruffians, Foster the People

Guards:

Conceived with intention of producing content for an upcoming Cults album, guitarist Richie Follin, singer/songwriter Kaylie Church and drummer Loren Humphrey indirectly crafted Guards’ critically acclaimed debut album In Guards We Trust. As much of a happy surprise to both band members as it was to the online press, the album gained immediate traction and resulted in the quick formation of a group to fulfill requests for concert bookings and festival dates.

Extracting elements from three decades-worth of influence, Guards sound incorporates a strong appreciation for 50’s doo-wop, 60’s soul and Motown and echoes of choral pop decadence from the 70’s. Creating a comprehensive album that’s both distinctive and nostalgic, Guards aim to celebrate their influences while still remaining stylistically contemporary. Finishing up a string of festival dates before jumping on tour in support of Queens of the Stone Age, this FCF set is a quintessential example of a band worth latching onto early. Be sure to check them out on Saturday.

For Fans of: Cults, Real Estate and The Drums

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Avey Tare’s Slasher Flick’s, First City Festival, Guards, Purity Ring, The Black Angels, The Generationals

Palma Violets, fresh faces of Britpop, invade the Indy

April 26, 2013 by Kevin J Quandt 5 Comments

Photos by James Nagel ~ Written by Kevin Quandt

The British have always been fanatical about their own rock bands, dating back to the origins of the genre. This has been the case for many years, and though the States aren’t vastly different, it is clear us Yanks will not get behind every export in record numbers (see: Blur and Stone Roses at Coachella this year). The new buzz oozing from the British Isles goes by the name Palma Violets, and are already being hailed as the next Arctic Monkeys, which is a helluva big deal over in Jolly Old.

Tuesday night had the quartet appearing at San Francisco’s the Independent on their first US national tour, largely revolving around two appearances at Coachella. Support duties where helmed by fellow Indio performers and a growing New York City act which goes by the name Guards. As the room steadily filled, the early birds were treated to a whirlwind of indie rock that played heavily on both pop and psychedelic elements, backed by one of the more aggressive fog machines I have witnessed. Their genuinely spirited stage presence made the audience more receptive to the thick sound they churned out early on a weeknight. Their debut release In Guards We Trust is worth a spin, as it’s a good possibility they will gain momentum this summer.

Palma Violet’s debut album, 180, dropped in February to mainly positive reviews as the young Englishmen played their patented play on the ever-expanding genre of rock and roll. Yes, it’s decidedly labeled as BritPop, but the sound runs much deeper as elements from American music can be found, as well. Comparisons aside, Palma Violets, consisting of Alexander “Chilli” Jesson(bass/vocals), Sam Fryer(guitar/vocals), Peter Mayhew(keyboards) and Will Doyle(drums), are a band to behold onstage in a live setting.

“Johnny Bagga’ Donuts” would be the first song, and from the first notes it was evident that these lads are in this whole thing to have a good time, and by extension, make the crowd join them. The enthusiasm is through the roof, whether via their hype-man/roadie that goes by Harry Violent or the band’s pension for joining the crowd, instruments and all. Early in the show, the two singers vocally resembled the full Cockney rasp of Joe, Mick and Paul of the Clash, and the stage energy mirrored the punk legends just enough. Add the warm synths that mixed into the thrash of bass and guitar, and the sound does come across as fully unique, while strangely familiar. “Chicken Dippers” showcased the vocal range of Sam Fryer as his voice lowered to a low baritone à la Julian Casablancas or Paul Banks. “Best Friend” was featured mid-set and received the most applause from the crowd, per the usual for an up-and-coming group’s fiery first single. One aspect that initially attracted me to 180 was the range of rock styles and sounds Palma Violets have managed to both cover, especially from guys not old enough to drink in the States.

One was not surprised when the encore came around that the band would close with a bang, and not a whimper. The mysterious ‘secret song’ off their release is entitled “Brand New Song.” Though not technically the most mind-blowing of their tracks, it is an uproarious anthem that celebrates all the fun of youth while demonstrating anything can and may happen at a show.