Fleet Foxes and Aaron Lewis play the Golden State Theatre on back-to-back nights.

Fleet Foxes’ venerable self-titled debut was arguably the best overall album of 2008, topping just about every year-end “Best of” list, including rankings from Pitchfork Media, Rolling Stone and The Guardian, which proclaimed the record “a landmark in American music – an instant classic.”

The atmospheric record enjoys an ethereal sheen that glows throughout. Singer-songwriter prodigy/melody journeyman Robin Pecknold leads the way with beautifully crafted, catchy arrangements driven by harmonies that frequently garner comparisons to vintage Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Taken together, Fleet Foxes’ 11 songs present a satisfying interpretation of West Coast ’60s folk-rock, highlighted by the enchanting “White Winter Hymnal,” a synthesis of complex multi-part harmonies, a hypnotic percussive rhythm and unforgettable dreamlike imagery: “I was following the pack, all swaddled in their coats/ With scarves of red tied ‘round their throats, to keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow.”

The trifle of a song, clocking in at less than two minutes and 30 seconds, scored widespread love: Time named it the No. 5 song of 2008 and Pitchfork went as far as to give the song the No. 66 slot – for the decade.

The appeal of “White Winter Hymnal” stands just as strong nearly a decade after its release. This past summer, Phish performed an a capella version of the tune during their “Baker’s Dozen” residency at Madison Square Garden.

Fleet Foxes followed up their masterful debut with 2011 Helplessness Blues, which features Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, on drums and vocals. The record racked up comparable acclaim, earning a Grammy nomination; nevertheless, the Seattle group went into hibernation until June 2017, when they dropped their third full-length studio record Crack-Up.

The 11-track LP, written entirely by Pecknold – also co-produced by his longtime bandmate and childhood friend Skyler Skjelset – is a celestial tapestry of fireplace coziness, woven with literary devices and more of those beloved lush harmonies on ditties like “Third of May / Odaigahara” and “If You Need To, Keep Time On Me.”

Fleet Foxes perform at Golden State Theatre Tuesday, Sept. 19, as part of a special (((folkYEAH!))) Presents show, with gifted singer-songwriter Natalie Prass opening. While the show has sold out, promoter Brit Govea invites fans to check the box office on the night of the show as a handful of tickets may be released.

The following night, Aaron Lewis makes his Monterey debut, with rising country talent Travis Marvin starting off the evening.

Lewis brings with him a versatile resumé: He has taken bong rips with Cheech Marin, performed “Creep” with the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and spent a good amount of time chatting with Willie Nelson.

“I’ve had some pretty amazing conversations with Willie,” he says. “We sit on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as our political views, yet I don’t feel argumentative at all conversing with [Nelson] about it.

“It’s like having a conversation with Jesus. It’s quite a religious experience to sit down and talk. I might have to write a song about it.”

Lewis had the opportunity to sing harmonies and trade verses with Nelson on his outlaw country-rock-coated title track of his recently released Sinner.

“’Cause I’m a sinner to my core, I ask forgiveness and nothing more,” Lewis and Nelson sing, fiercely in unison.

Sinner, which also features guest spots from Alison Krauss, Vince Gill and Chris Stapleton, is a throwback to Lewis’ childhood, when he listened to the likes of Haggard, Coe and Jennings on the radio – and back when, he adds, “country was country.” Sinner is loud, rough around the edges and as close to a live recording as a studio album can get.

“I didn’t redo vocals and I didn’t allow guitar players to redo guitar lines or solos,” Lewis says the morning before a show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “We did 16 hours and one or two live takes of all [11] songs. That was it. It’s how it used to be. You used to have to be talented enough to go into the studio and lay things down in full takes. The craft has been lost.”

As the former lead singer of the metal outfit Staind, who Hit Parader ranked No. 49 on its list of Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists, Lewis hasn’t taken the most natural route to country music. In fact, his path began with a wager between Lewis and his plumber.

“I wrote ‘Country Boy’ on a bet,” he says. “[My plumber] was like, ‘Man, you can’t write a country song.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah?’”

After about 30 minutes, Lewis had penned his first country piece, “Country Boy.” Released as a single, the tune was certified platinum before it was released on Lewis’ country debut EP Town Line (a live acoustic rendition of “Country Boy” is also included on Lewis’ 2012 deluxe version of his full-length outlaw country debut, The Road).

Then Lewis makes another bet: “When you come to see me live, it sounds better than it does on the record.”

FLEET FOXES with opener Natalie Prass are at 8pm Tuesday, Sept. 19. $45-$78.

AARON LEWIS with opener Travis Marvin are at 8pm Wednesday, Sept. 20. $42-$64.
Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com