MUSIC 22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 20-26, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com The first West End Celebration in Sand City took place almost a quarter century ago, in 2002. Over the years, this street festival of music, arts and crafts became a local favorite, bringing crowds to a tiny city of murals that add color to auto and machine shops of hard manual work during weekdays. With the event, Sand City became the place to listen to local music, including a great number of bands from the county, but also from the region. In 2025, Sand City officials decided to pass the reins of West End to Matthew Swinnerton of Event Santa Cruz. Despite doubts and a smaller lineup of bands than in previous years, the new festival passed the test. For 2026, Swinnerton decided to repeat the formula of two days and three big, official stages (five in practice), but has expanded the music lineup to 27 bands. The headliners are the soft sounds of Anthony Arya from Santa Cruz and the alternative gender-defier from Oakland, Forrest Day. According to the organizers, the festival features more than 170 artists, makers, food vendors, community organizations and five stages of live music spread throughout Sand City’s walkable West End district. Four out of six bands on the main stage are from Monterey County. The list starts with a Seaside-based Chicano soul band The Mystic Souls, inspired by 1970s psychedelic soul and Latin rock movement, now in its rebirth. The group released a couple of EPs in 2024 and a single, “Clowns Cry Too,” in 2025. “We are honored to be the opener for the main stage,” says Bryan Gutierrez on behalf of the band, which migrated from “alt rock and bedroom pop,” inspired by the L.A. soul sound of the 1960s and 1970s. Among the others are the omnipresent Monterey crowd-pleaser The Money Band, Salinasbased alt rock group The Dead Cassettes, and internationally-rooted—but Marina-headquartered— The Rumba Madre. The latter was the only Monterey County-based music group on the main stage in 2025, so fans will see significant improvement in terms of local representation. More local bands and musicians will play on two other stages, catering to every appetite. If a soaring fiddle captures your heart, Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen play Sunday on Redwood Stage. More edge needed? Declaring inspiration by the Pixies, Agent Orange and Nirvana, The Tremolos from Monterey have two EPs and plenty of the post-punk energy. (Both played West End in 2024.) Picking up steam, Flaco El Jandro from Salinas is excited to be back and playing next to The Rumba Madre, Temples and Dead Cassettes—shoutout to his faves. He is preparing to release a new album in the fall, titled Are We Still Friends? And some of this material will be presented at West End, mixing cumbia and country. Squid Brain is a band obsessed with retro guitar sound and how to serve it fresh. According to Sam Cauthorn (vocals/guitar), the band is getting ready to release its first album, Live From Spaceship Earth—“no frills, just live concert recorded,” he says. It will be out first on vinyl this winter and digitally in early 2027. Big Sur’s Richard Tripps has been writing and recording for years, but it wasn’t until 2023 until he put a band together. In July, they released an EP titled Stone Eating Animals, which contains five new songs—think underground Father John Misty. Shannon and the Night Divers blends funk, disco and R&B, excelling in covering party favorites. Two other West End bands claim Monterey County roots. Meez performs original rock, ranging in style from classic rock to alternative, and cover band 60 East hails from Carmel Valley. Local sympathies aside, the hottest vibes are arguably brought by SambaDá, founded by couple Papiba Godinho and Dandha da Hora 20 years ago in Santa Cruz. Their percussive samba-reggae-funk mix is intended to move crowds. Hijinx from Santa Cruz will throw a reggae party, and bluesman Jeffrey Halford from the Bay Area plays at noon on Sunday. The biggest addition this year is the activation of the Art Park. Sand City City Manager Vibeke Norgaard says the park, which opened in 2021, has been part of the festival experience in previous years, but it’s the first time the space is becoming an official West End stage. West End Celebration 11am-6pm Saturday, Aug. 22 and 11am-5pm Sunday, Aug. 23. Ortiz Avenue and surrounding streets, Sand City. Free. westendcelebration.com. End All The West End Celebration expands its lineup with an emphasis on local bands. By Agata Popęda The West End Celebration usually draws big crowds to Sand City (above). Leading the 2026 lineup are Anthony Arya, Forrest Day, The Rumba Madre and The Heeters, joined by a roster of regional and local performers and an army of art and food vendors. DANIEL DREIFUSS JAMES CHANGE - TOP DOG IMAGES HECTOR HURTADO Left: Flaco el Jandro (Alejandro Gomez) is a popular Chicano singer-songwriter from Salinas. Below: Squid Brain (Sam Cauthorn, Diana Hagerty and James Chrzanowski) gives retro guitar a fresh, contemporary sound.
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