Forty-six years after Monterey Pop, which established the template for the major music festival, a new fest is bringing rock music back to the Monterey County Fairgrounds this August 24 and 25. The First City Festival is the first Northern California fest presented by Goldenvoice, which also created Coachella, and it promises two days of indie bands, led by big-time headliners including Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT and Neko Case.
The true measure of a festival, though, is the talent level beyond the headliners, and this mix collects sixteen great bands performing at First City. The sonic diversity speaks to the fest’s range, with everything from electronic pop to heady psych included here. Bear in mind that, by only including less than half of the 36 artists appearing at FCF 2013, we’ve just scratched the surface.
The Dodos — “Confidence”
Father John Misty — “I’m Writing A Novel”
Tennis — “Origins”
Generationals — “Put a Light On”
Guards — “Silver Lining”
The Black Angels — “Don’t Play With Guns”
Akron/Family — “Sand Talk”
Seventeen Evergreen — “Burn The Fruit (Pegasus)”
Quadron — “Hey Love”
Washed Out — “Eyes Be Closed”
Beach House — “Myth”
Devendra Banhart — “Baby”
Neko Case — “People Got a Lotta Nerve”
Deerhunter — “Back to the Middle”
Dr. Dog — “That Old Black Hole”
