KCRW DJs Marion Hodge and Mario Cotto are both really excited about the lineup for the upcoming FYF Fest so I asked them to highlight some of their favorites – girls vs. boys. This will be a two-part post, but we kick it off with the ladies!
The fest will be held Saturday, September 4 at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
From DJ Marion Hodges:
When I was initially approached to do write a FYF preview from a Girls vs. Boys perspective I was all like “Cool, girl power, and other stuff like that.” However, looking at the festival’s line-up through that lens revealed an interesting fact; there aren’t that many girls involved with the fest. Here are the midway results from a tally I was conducting:
girls = 6
dudes = 58
I stopped keeping track not too long after that point, when the girls were still in the single digits, and the dude count was over 60. Fortunately, what girls lack in numbers they make up for in sheer awesomeness. Allow me to introduce a few of them:
First up, we’ve got Bethany Cosentino under her perhaps more recognizable guise, Best Coast. Oh, except, you’ve already met Bethany. She’s released what is one of the most deeply satisfying records of the year and, while I’ve never seen her live, everything that I’ve heard leads me to believe that it will be as satisfying as the album (no small acheivement there) probably even better. Summer sounds that’ll keep you warm way beyond Labor Day weekend.
The next super cool female at this party that you simply must know is Khaela Maricich who we just call The Blow. Khaela’s visiting us from Portland, and I don’t think she could be any cooler or sweeter. You’ll see what I mean as you spend more time with her. The Blow used to include Jonah Bechtolt who now spends all of his time making music under the name Yacht, a project you’ve likely heard once or twice on KCRW. The songs that he helped create during his time with the Blow are some of the finest pop songs around, but it’s Khaela’s voice and words that make them sparkle the most.
The third and final lady I’d like to acquaint you with is Shannon Funchess. I don’t know her all that well myself, but I fully expect that people who know her better would say that she’s someone who’s usually kicking ass and taking names. By night, she drums and sings as part of the rather exciting duo Light Asylum, by day and other nights she sings in !!! (CHK CHK CHK). Her vocal parts on the new !!! record, “Strange Weather Isn’t it?” are killer. She’s got one of the coolest sounding voices that I’ve encountered in quite some time, and I have a feeling that with her around, the FYF performance from !!! will be a dazzling spectacle of the best proportions and most likely an overall festival highlight.
See you there!
– Marion Hodges