First Festival marks its fourth year celebrating the Sacramento music scene. This year FF moves to its new home in Tanzanite Park on May 5 and 6. The lineup features Insight Music alumni So Much Light, PRVLGS, SUNMONKS, Dog Party, The Philharmonik, Shotgun Sawyer, Jonah Matranga and Cities You Wish You Were From.
First Fest co-founder Danielle Vincent returns to Insight with a preview of the festival for this week's Sound Advice.
Vinnie Guidera & The Dead Birds - "Anchor"
Vinnie Guidera & The Dead Birds are an indie rock band from Sacramento. With songs ranging from lilting fingerpicked elegies to fuzzy post-rock instrumentals, the trio embraces texture to test the limit of what an acoustic group can do. Their debut LP, "Lows," was released in 2015.
Georgina - "Te Quedas o Te Vas"
This Colombian duet is made up of the Quintana sisters, who with their trajectory as singers and composers have proven to be great exponents of Latin music in the United States. Georgina has shared the stage with great artists like Macy Gray, Ricardo Montaner, Tito the Bambino and Delious Kennedy from the band All 4 One, among others. Georgina went on to conquer the United States, not only because of their talent, but also because of their commitment to artistic values and roots.
Pyrite Sidewalk - "V-162"
Since rebranding from the release of their debut EP, "Under The Influence," in 2015, Pyrite Sidewalk has found their pinnacle sound as a band from their relatable lyrical content and instrumentation. With many different musical backgrounds and tastes, Pyrite Sidewalk has formed their sound with technicality and competent songwriting skills in their most recent material.
Elijah Jaron - “Ride Your Wave”
Elijah Jaron's music tells stories of struggles, pain, endurance, happiness, and forgiveness. His transparency is what makes him different from most artists today. Raised listening to icons such as Tupac, Jay-z, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and The Temptations to name a few, it's safe to say that Jaron has an old soul and a keen ear. Still, he knows how to stay relevant in today's music scene by mixing past experiences with new age discoveries.
Jonah Matranga - “Don't Give Up”
Jonah Matranga (aka onelinedrawing) is essentially unique. His sound & style is somewhere in between Prince, Bjork and The Clash, but it doesn’t really fit into any genre. Over the last 20 years, he’s fronted influential post-hardcore band Far, along with lots else (onelinedrawing, New End Original, Gratitude). Jonah has played with, collaborated with, and influenced artists from Frank Turner to Kimya Dawson to Deftones to Sepultura to Lupe Fiasco to Fort Minor … and lots more. Jonah has played as many house shows as he has huge festivals, and he brings the same thing regardless of where he’s playing — ambitious songwriting, weird wit and honesty, and an interest in making it personal, direct and fresh every time.
