An hour-long cornucopia of bizarre sketches intertwined with music videos called Elephant Parts earned The Monkees founding member Michael Nesmith the first Grammy ever given in the “Video of the Year” category. It also led Nesmith and his Sand City-housed Pacific Arts Corporation to conceive PopClips, a music video TV show that’s directly responsible for MTV.
The West End Celebration’s “MTV Chill Room” (in the Carol Building, 525 Ortiz Ave.) showcases MTV’s connection to the Sand City warehouses, which Nesmith still uses, as creative incubators and artists’ studios. But with another packed lineup of free music for West End’s Saturday and Sunday, there won’t be too much time to watch music on TV. Here’s the rundown, with a note on each group’s standout song.
Friday Night Kickoff Party at Carmel Stone Imports
Following opening sets from Linda Arceo and multiple “Best Local Band” winner Red Beans & Rice, Grammy-nominated Americana roots singer-songwriter Maria Muldaur will deliver a career-spanning set – that’s over 50 years – topped off with her world-renowned hit “Midnight at the Oasis.”
Sat. Main Stage
Guitars Not Guns Band (11am)
Guitars Not Guns Monterey Chapter President Steve Vagnini, who helps assemble the West End music lineup, believes in the power of plucking. “Whether you want to play music for a living or just for yourself,” he says, “this is a skill that will always be with you.” The nonprofit Guitars Not Guns Band features Monterey County kids who have graduated from the program, which offers free music lessons from prominent volunteer musicians (and a free guitar upon graduation).
Valley Soul (11:45am)
The Monterey sextet’s four-part harmonies and bright folk rock adds up to 1972 Laurel Canyon-meets-modern-indie-rock powerhouse, a la Arcade Fire. Their “Master of Loneliness” provides glorious piano-driven folk angst. Unlike harmony buildups employed by similar-minded outfits like Mumford & Sons, Valley Soul starts at that peaking moment and sustains it until the end.
The Painted Horses (1:15pm)
The Santa Cruz Mountains trio came together out of a mutual respect for rich harmonies and strong songwriting. Their song “Daisy” glows through an unassumingly simple composition – gentle acoustic guitar and upright bass cradle a mellow vocal harmony of Denys Kozakis and Natosha Wengreen. It feels like something you’ve heard before, in a good way.
CALICO The Band (2:30pm)
Kirsten Proffit, Manda Mosher and Aubrey Richmond call their Americana “California Country.” Mosher says they’re influenced by “the old scenes from the Palomino days, the Bakersfield Country sound from Buck Owens carried on by Dwight Yoakam, the sound of Gram Parsons’ music, Joshua Tree and more.” The guitar/mandolin/fiddle honky tonk ballad “Runaway Cowgirl” paints a familiar world that you feel like you can touch: “Ginger’s just a working girl, waitin’ on a dirty town/ Fillin’ up a lonely glass, just can’t take another round.”
Coco Montoya (4pm)
After John Mayall saw what Coco Montoya could do on guitar, the British blues legend invited him to tour with his band the Bluesbreakers for 10 years. “Same Dog” echoes with blue-eyed soul akin to the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Of course any of Montoya’s guitar work showcases his immense ability.
Sat. Reel To Real Stage
The Beholder Band (noon)
Beholder charges on with a fresh lineup under frontman Vincent Randazzo’s leadership. Its Conor Oberst-inspired “Poplar Tree” is powered by intricate instrumentation, irregular time signatures, intense lyrical depth and happy harmonies.
Lillie Lemon (1:15pm)
Heart-on-the-sleeve electro-pop churned out by Lemon and multi-instrumental talent Eric Wobbles will be multiplied by special guests guitarist Michael Glines and drummer Dylan Stokes. From heartache juxtaposed with upbeat pop in “Ode to the Best Ones” to the stripped-down “Still My Heart,” all 11 tracks off Lemon’s debut, brak, are worth your time.
The Silhouette Era (2:30pm)
The Bay Area surf rock outfit with local ties defines itself with insightful lyrical themes and murky organ riffs. The synth-heavy “Devotion” has caught fire throughout the Bay Area, helping the group earn frequent slots at SF hotspots like Bottom of the Hill.
Sky Country (3:30pm)
Carmel’s Nico Georis, Adam Zerbe, Mikey Selbicky and Will Condon sum up their sound as, “When the desert meets the sea – western frontier meets desert vibes meets ocean.” Spooky guitar twang and a Foster’s Freeze come together on “Hamburger Stand.”
The Medflys, who toured with the likes of Oingo Boingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Violent Femmes, performed on their 35th anniversary last year at Planet Gemini.
Sun. Main Stage
Casey Frazier (noon)
“Nostalgia is my muse,” says Carmel Valley’s Casey Frazier. The prolific singer-songwriter was born in Kansas City, grew up in Colorado and has lived in Seattle and Nashville; each of those spots informs his music. Frazier recently dropped his fourth full-length LP, American Exotic, recorded in Monterey with producer and engineer Jesse DeCarlo.
Coffis Brothers (1pm)
From the small Santa Cruz County town of Ben Lomond, the Americana quintet played their way into a couple prominent opening slots for Jackie Greene, including a show at The Fillmore. “Waiting For You” is California country soaked in authentic cowboy lyricism: “We go down together we’ll make it whatever we choose/ We go down forever cause ain’t got nothing else to lose.”
Fire In The Hamptons (2pm)
The electro-pop rockers, whose catchy tunes have appeared on episodes of Gossip Girl and Verizon commercials, are debuting new member Johnny Whitlock on keys/vocals. “Coming Home” is feel-good anthemic synth-rock that has more pop culture references than Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
The Medflys (3:30pm)
They came inches away from international rock stardom three decades ago. Their quirky blend of pop, punk and new wave – along with notoriously high-energy shows – have made The Medflys an eternal Monterey favorite. “Don’t Mess With The Mayor” is the group’s infamous sarcastic ode to Clint Eastwood’s tenure as mayor of Carmel.
Sun. Reel To Real Stage
Alisal Center Jazz Band (12:30pm)
The Alisal Community Arts Network Latin Jazz Orchestra features musicians ranging from ages 7-19 jamming out on everything from Tito Puente’s “Hong Kong Mambo” to Cal Tjader’s “Soul Sauce.”
Hey Stevie! (2pm)
The supergroup features multi-instrumentalist namesake Stevie Heger (productions credits include Al Jardine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), guitarist Mike Lent (Barry Manilow’s guitarist), multi-instrumentalist Scott Slaughter, bassist Paul Logan (worked with Steve Miller), drummer Michael Shannon (worked with Yoji Tojo) and saxman Paul Tarantino (worked with The Temptations). “Heaven in Your Eyes” could be an early, lost Beatles’ song with Paul McCartney on lead vocals, delivering easy-to-digest bubblegum pop through love-glazed eyes.
Dirty Cello (3:30pm)
Dirty Cello calls itself “cello like you’ve never heard before,” which may be true for most places that aren’t home to cello wiz Rushad Eggleston, but that’s another story. Led by cross-over cellist Rebecca Roudman, Dirty Cello is a whirlwind of bluegrass, funk, gypsy jazz and everything else that induces movement. Roudman delivers one of the most unique translations of Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” you’ll ever hear.
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