Summer Struck, Americana Fest and the breakout First City Festival trigger a sweltering few months of sound.

With three new music events debuting at the Monterey County Fairgrounds this summer, Monterey has finally caught a case of summertimeus festivalitus. The Monterey Americana Festival, country music-centric Summer Struck and the most unexpected surprise of the year, First City Festival – rocking a Lollapalooza-caliber line-up – join mainstays like the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Reggae Fest to elevate the Fairgrounds to the very top of regional spots for music in the summer of 2013.

One possible hitch in the summer-fun system: As this issue was heading to the printer, word came the Golden State Theatre’s management and booking team was evicted from the space, which is also for sale. Former Golden State manager Scott Grover says he will try to strike deals to hold concerts with currently booked acts, but whether that will happen remains unclear.

Summer Struck

Monterey County Fairgrounds • June 16

Monterey’s first-ever country music festival serves up a five-act Father’s Day package that includes the Lee Brice-produced, up-and-coming male/female duo American Young and former sponsored motocross racer Buck Ford. Headliner Jason Michael Carroll not only has the rugged good looks of a midnight cowboy, he has undeniable talent that’s earned spots on the Top 40 Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart five times.

Monterey Americana Festival

Monterey County Fairgrounds • June 22-23

Drawing on the essence of the Fairgrounds’ little-known 1963 Monterey Folk Festival, highlighted by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, the inaugural Americana Fest celebrates the vintage roots that inspired the aforementioned trio. The 10-act lineup’s headliners: singer-songwriter/former Drive-By Truckers member Jason Isbell and Portland alt-country rocker Todd Snider, whose record Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables was one of Rolling Stone’s top 50 albums of 2012. Camper Van Beethoven founding member Victor Krummenacher and the Santa Cruz-based Stryder Callison and The Jackwagons are also on the bill.

Iris DeMent

Golden State Theatre • June 27

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Iris DeMent’s 2012 Sing The Delta represents her first record of original work in 16 years – she released a gospel standards album and appeared on a duets album with John Prine in that time. DeMent says it took so long to release the album because she seldom writes new songs. When she does, they are poignant personal portraits like “The Night I Learned How Not to Pray,” about a childhood memory that makes her question religion.

Spyro Gyra

Golden State Theatre • June 28

The numbers speak for themselves: In Spyro Gyra’s more than 35-year tenure, they’ve released more than 30 albums, sold more than 10 million copies, averaged 100 live performances per year and racked up 12 Grammy nods. The Buffalo-bred group’s blend of funk, R&B, pop and traditional jazz has helped propel them to become the most successful jazz-fusion outfit on the planet.

Weird Al Yankovic

Golden State Theatre • July 10-11

When it comes to writing parody versions of popular tunes – “White & Nerdy,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon” – there’s no one better than Weird Al and there’s no better form of flattery. After he released a parody version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” Dave Grohl said the band felt like they made it. And the multi-platinum-selling musician’s concerts, which features dozens of costume changes, special effects, multi-media and audience interaction, make for one hell of a goofy, not-to-be-missed ride.

Monterey Bay Reggae Fest

Monterey County Fairgrounds • Aug. 9-11

Along with Fiji, Anthony B, Mystic Man, Dub FX, Pure Roots, Jr. Toots, Something Collective and The Meditations – additional headliners to be announced later – reggae great Barrington Levy returns to the always-irie reggae gala. Recently, the reggae pioneer hooked up with another one of reggae’s innovators, Mr. Vegas, on the hard-hitting dancehall track “Love The Way She Love Me.”

Best Coast

Henry Miller Memorial Library • Aug. 16

Los Angeles duo Best Coast – Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno – churn out a hipster-approved mix of fuzz-filled, lo-fi garage rock, sunny pop hooks and songs inspired by the beach, smoking weed and cats.

“Recently, I was looking at pictures of cats laying out on the beach and I thought, ‘Cats hate water, so why would they like the beach?’” Cosentino told Pitchfork. “But then I realized that cats like to just lay around and lounge and be lazy, and what better place to do that than on the beach?”

First City Festival

Monterey County Fairgrounds • Aug. 24-25

From the folks behind Coachella, the two-day First City Festival – referring to Monterey’s claim as California’s first capital – will hopefully become an annual tradition. Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT, Deerhunter, Beach House and Father John Misty represent only the tip of an iceberg featuring more than 30 bands – and carnival rides and games.

Sand City West End Celebration

Aug. 23-25

Mike Beck, Red Beans & Rice and Tommy Castro get things grooving at Friday night’s kick-off party. Meanwhile, Saturday afternoon’s Main Stage lineup may be West End’s best yet: Soft White Sixties followed by Mike Beck and then Mother Hips. Moonalice, The Suborbitals, Blues Revue (John “Broadway” Tucker and Minor Williams), The Lightfighters, One-A-Chord, Casey Frazier, Stranger, Chris Cain and Sambahemians round out the three days of free music.

The Marshall Tucker Band

Monterey County Fair • Aug. 28

Taking a cue from the Allman Brothers’ brew of Southern rock and psychedelic jams, The Marshall Tucker Band blew up with its self-titled debut in 1973 featuring the single “Can’t You See.” More than 30 albums and 35 years later, the group continues to perform between 150 and 200 dates a year.

Spin Doctors

Monterey County Fair • Aug. 29

If you listened to the radio during the summer of 1991, there’s a good chance the line, “If you want to call me baby, just go ahead now,” played over and over again in your noggin. The granola-loving, beard-waving Spin Doctors hypnotized the world with their breakout hit “Two Princes” before disappearing into obscurity. They’re back, and so is the song you thought was gone forever.

Tower of Power

Monterey County Fair • Aug. 30

After 45 years, the Oakland R&B-funk-soul maestros in Tower of Power are still endowed with one of the most righteous horn sections to blow. In recent years, the mighty horns became known as a rabbit’s foot for Bay Area sports teams, performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before championship games everywhere from AT&T Park to the Oracle Arena.

Ty Segall

Golden State Theatre • Sept. 4

Ty Segall has a do-it-yourself mentality – he often sings, plays guitar and drums on his albums – which produces punky garage rock gold encrusted with infectious hooks. He’s also prolific as hell: Last year, he released two full-length records, including a collaboration with White Fence.

John Hiatt

Golden State Theatre • Sept. 9

Dylan, Clapton, Springsteen and Iggy Pop represent a sample of the artists that have covered singer-songwriter John Hiatt’s genre-spanning work over the past 35 years. “I’m fortunate to have other people record my songs, but my main motivation is to sing the tunes myself,” Hiatt told The Dallas Morning News.

Adam Ant

Golden State Theatre • Sept. 18

The 1980s were good to Adam Ant, even if he did sport X-ray sunglasses. MTV viewers voted him the “Sexiest Man Alive” and he had a string of more than 20 hits in a five-year period, including “Prince Charming” and “Goody Two Shoes.” In 1995, the post-punk rocker vanished until January of 2013 when he released Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter.

Monterey Jazz Festival

Monterey County Fairgrounds • Sept. 20-22

In its 56th year, MJF carries on its reputation as one of the premier jazz festivals in the world – and longest continuously running. Arena headliners include soulful crooner Diana Krall, the unmatchable Wayne Shorter Quartet, the versatile virtuoso Bobby McFerrin, Grammy-nominated up-and-comer Gregory Porter, Cuban legends Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, jazz guitar wiz George Benson and artist-in-residence Joe Lovano.

Tailspin Music & Food Festival

Salinas Municipal Airport • Sept. 21-22

Forrest Day and Hallway Ballers are on board as Saturday openers. Local music promoter/event organizer Tanya Moore says she’s waiting on headliner confirmations but assures they are well-known names that won’t disappoint. Much like the whole summer.