Photos by Nathan Rifkin
Nestled in the beautiful green hills of San Luis Obispo lies the Dairy Greek Golf Course. Typically featuring scores of golfers looking for their best shot, today the green was for a different demographic.
I walked down the trail leading into the golf course, passing a beautiful duck lake on the way. As I walked, I joined a crowd of people dressed in the typical yet charming indie concert fashion: flowy skirts, denim, cowboy boots, and more. We walked through the gates, atop which perched a sign reading “Shabang.”
I made my way to Cuesta Ridge, one of the stages set up for the festival, and was greeted by Twin Fin, a rock band coming out of Hawaii. A self described “cowboy surf” band, the group consists of Robbie Kelly (lead singer), Tyler Sciller (bass), Chase Digregorio (drums), and Zack Wilson (lead guitar). The four played some of their favorite songs, including the crowd favorite “Mai Tais,” a song about mai tais.
Next on the setlist for the day was Wells Ferrari at the Laguna Lake main stage, made up of the duo Wills Wells and Mikey Ferrari. It’s unclear how they came up with the name “Wells Ferrari,” but that’s an investigation for another day. The two met playing music in Los Angeles and have been based there since. Their music had the same cowboy style as Twin Fin but incorporated more of an indie rock instrumentation in their sound.
Natalie Bergman was up next on the main stage. Her music was more acoustic than the first two bands, featuring a gospel-folk groove and reflective vocals. Bergman, hailing from Illinois, has music that focuses on spirituality and her own trauma, which stems from the death of her step-parents. As she sang, people lay on the grass in the setting sunlight and waited for the night to start. An impromptu round of hacky sack broke out as well.
On the opposite side of the golf course was “Funk Safari,” a total genre shift from the Laguna Lake stage. This stage featured EDM artists, complete with fog machines and flashing lights. The crowd was massive, with more and more people pouring in as the sun set behind the hills. To the left of the stage was an aerial silks setup, with artists twirling and doing tricks fifteen feet off the ground. When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, the lights of the stage lit up the sky, throwing foggy beams into the night.
Back at the main stage was Chezile, an artist currently based out of San Diego but born from Mexican musicians in Albuquerque. His song “Beanie” went viral on Tiktok in 2023, and even if people didn’t know his name, as soon as he began playing that song the crowd sang along. His other music features the same Cigarettes After Sex-esque dream pop sound.
It was finally time for the headliner of the night: The Backseat Lovers. As their performance time drew closer, the crowd swelled tenfold, making it all but impossible to move. The anticipation in the air was palpable; The Backseat Lovers don’t tour often so the chance to see them live was all the more valuable. They opened with my personal favorite song, “Pool House,” and the entire crowd sang along for the chorus: “I guess I’ll sit outside / While you change your mind.”
The Salt Lake City-based group is composed of Joshua Harmon (lead singer), Jonas Swanson (lead guitar), KJ Ward (bass), and Juice Welch (drums). Joshua Harmon brought a guest singer out for their most popular song, “Kilby Girl,” an exciting moment for both the crowd and the band. The indie rock band closed out the night with an exhilarating performance of “Sinking Ship,” bidding us adieu with: “If it’s me you’re waiting on, then I say spend / Your time on someone else’s sinking ship.”
You can listen to all of the artists here:
