It’s been seven years since I’ve been attending FYF Fest, and though the festival has gone through many, many changes throughout the years I can confidently say that it still retains a tone that clearly favors music lovers. Even with the higher price tag, and an additional third day, it’s almost as if it still needs to present itself as such. Given that FYF is still not an immediate sold-out event, there’s still a fine line that the event coordinators have to walk. While it’s mostly a given that you invite the likes of Missy Elliott and Frank Ocean to gather crowds into such a costly endeavor, it’s still just as necessary to make sure that your undercard is just as valuable. 

Considering how FYF began as a gathering place for post-hardcore and punk fans with refined taste, there’s always going to be a certain expectation it has to meet. But it had to grow, and if that means bringing forth an Apple-endorsed artist like 6lack and current hot commodity Mura Masa to spike up on sales then so be it. It’s leagues better than succumbing to EDM flavor-of-the-week fodder, and still, they’ll still invite the likes of Blonde Redhead (who had a sizable crowd at the more communal Club Stage even if they didn’t play one of their banner records) and emo purists Cap N’ Jazz (another explosive performance, even if the tambourine tossing was both childish and obnoxious at once) to appease an early thirty-something like myself.

But mainly, I was concerned about how the festival would benefit the good amount of local talent this city has. And though the final tally was scantier than other years, it was still able to deliver on that front. If you were there early enough on Sunday afternoon, the adorably-named Cherry Glazerr did offer a welcome shot of adrenaline to those who needed to cure themselves of Saturday’s post-Frank Ocean hangover. The same goes for genre-bending four piece Chicano Batman, who also brought a large gathering to the Lawn Stage with their 4 pm slot (a time that brought an underwhelming crowd the day before). But I can’t say that all the local acts scored a perfect ten: Moses Sumney was too reliant on the intricate trickery of his recorded material instead of trying to translate it to a more engrossing live experience, and Thundercat affirmatively clocked in as if he had to fulfill his day job. And yeah, Ty Segall once again delivered a knockout performance (he was gracious and honored to be something of an opening act to Iggy Pop, and I can’t imagine anyone else deserving it more).

So aside from the strangely-concocted set times (lining up Built to Spill, Perfume Genius and King Krule so close to each other just, well, cruel), I can say with much assurance that FYF is still the strongest contender of all summer music festivals. Sure, it doesn’t have the allure of a desert landscape or even an expansive park to its advantage, as the main stage has the appearance of a makeshift parking lot even if it works in a logistical sense, but it’s still very convenient to navigate without straining your legs too much. And they’re still intent on bringing special live experiences you can’t find anywhere. With FYF it’s all about that lineup, and thankfully, there was so much to see this year that you were bound to miss some things. And that’s not a bad problem to have. 

In 2017, FYF will really prove their high stature as one of this country’s most laboriously-curated musical festivals. The Exposition Park-hosted event has had some of the today's biggest acts, sure, but it also had to quicken the pace so it could keep up with the logistical demands it entails. Now that they’re practically veterans in the music festival market, a race that sees an increasing amount of choices year after year, the one reason why FYF continues to succeed is because it hasn’t lost sight of its core audience.

This year’s is also particularly notable for having easily one of the most diverse, and doing so while retaining their reputation as percipient tastemakers. A quick glance at the lineup shows they’re devoted to bringing aboard a rich array of legendary performers in one single weekend (Iggy Pop, Missy Elliott, Nine Inch Nails and Bjork), all while welcoming an impressive selection of sought-after critical darlings (Frank Ocean, Mitski, 6lack, Princess Nokia, Big Thief).

Since we primarily cover local artists, this preview will focus on shining the spotlight on the five local artists were most excited to see. We’re also proud to say that two of the artists featured on this list were covered at The Deli during their early days, so we’re delighted to see them perform among such a high-caliber roster.

1. Frank Ocean: Oh, Frank. You almost had us on 2015. Even if the prospect of seeing Ocean two years ago seemed unlikely from the start, we’re pretty confident that the elusive R&B megastar is going to impress after releasing 2016’s genre-defying release, Blonde. The time just wasn’t right, seeing as we honestly had no idea what he was up to at the time. Having Kanye West as pinch hitter while he was on the DL was quite the tall order, but in our heart of hearts, we really wanted Ocean all along. And our expectations couldn't be any higher.

2. Moses Sumney: There’s a lot riding on Moses Sumney, an artist who was voted as our Best Emerging Artist of the year back in 2013! His genre-ending electro-soul has had us in awe for years now, but he hasn’t quite broken through yet despite his splendid last EP, Lamentations. But Sumney just brought to us a wonderful gift, entitled “Doomed”, a patiently spellbinding new single that has us really intrigued for his still-mysterious new project. His set is not to be missed, and should act as a primer for potential world domination.

3. Chicano Batman: Seeing as Los Angeles is a hub of multi-ethnic culture (I’m Puerto Rican myself), it’s fitting that FYF is beginning to acknowledge how much the Latino community also enjoys the independent persuasion. And having Mexican-American four-piece Chicano Batman is the perfect starting point, a band whose eclectic mixture of psychedelic rock deserves a larger audience.

4. Cherry Glazzer: Cherry Glazerr’s no-frills jams distill guitar rock to its barest and most pure, and with a touch of defiant feminism to boot. Hot on the heels of their latest LP, Apocalypstick, the hard-rocking trio are going to satiate the appetite of those who like their riffs heavy and their hooks sharp.

5. Flying Lotus: Around here, we like to make fun of how many times Ty Segall has attended FYF. (Note: too many for us to remember, but we really don’t mind.) And Flying Lotus comes at a not-so-distant second, but this time, he’s bringing a new set up made up of 3D Visuals. From what we’ve seen it’s quite the stunner, though honestly, we’re glad he’s actually incorporating his own material instead of playing another DJ set.

Update: Set list times are now up! Click here for more info. - Juan Rodríguez

If you’re not familiar with Ty Segall’s psychedelic sludge rock outfit Fuzz, then do yourself a favor and light one up, plug in a good pair of headphones and check this band out ASAP. The aptly named power trio, who released their self-titled stoner rock debut this October, mixes the heavy riffage and torrid guitar tone of groups like Sabbath, The Melvins and Sleep with the infectious garage rock energy Segall has become known for.

On December 3rd the band is set to release a new EP dubbed Live in San Francisco as part of an ongoing live series for John Dwyer’s Castle Face Records. The recording captures the group’s blistering set at The SF Eagle earlier this year, featuring Segall bringing the doom on drums and vocals. You can preview the track “You Won’t See Me” below and purchase a CD or LP version of the album at midhaven.com. -Ethan Varian

San Francisco based garage indie rock band, Cool Ghouls will be playing live in SF tonight at The Depot. This band will be fortunate enough to share the bill with legendary alt rocker, Ty Segall, as he tours with his new band Fuzz. This will be a line up and a night to remember for sure. This will also be a chance to see Cool Ghouls play before they set out on a west coast mini tour until July. Make sure you make it out to this event.

Cool Ghouls Tour Dates:

May 7 - San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar
May 15 - San Francisco, CA - The Depot %
Jun 2 - Portland, OR - The Know
Jun 3 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
Jun 5 - Santa Rosa, CA - House Show
Jun 6 - Santa Cruz, CA - Jury Room
Jun 7 - Fullerton, CA - Burger Records
Jun 8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
Jul 13 - San Francisco, CA - Phono Del Sol Fest
Aug 3 - San Francisco, CA - San Frandelic Psych Fest

The Bay Area’s Secret Seven Records vinyl label (whoa, I just typed that in 2012) are releasing a who’s-who of the Bay Area compilation featuring unreleased tracks from Ty Segall, Vetiver and Sonny & The Sonsets, among others.

The record, titled In A Cloud II: New Sounds From San Francisco LP, is a follow up to – you guessed it – In A Cloud (Vol. I). After taking a listen to the A and B sides of this collection, if you’re a vinyl type of guy or gal you’ll want to get your hands on one of the 650 copies that will be pressed.

The album is pretty diverse, spanning the likes of lo-fi haze rock (“People Like Us” by Tim Cohen of Fresh & Onlys) to garage surf rock (“Gotta Get Back” by Chuck Prohet) to my personal favorite, girl group swooning (“Octopus Via Satellite” by Hanna Lew of Grass Widow) which you can take a listen to below.

In A Cloud II: New Sounds From San Francisco LP comes out July 17^th and you can preorder the record here.

--Justine Fields

Hannah Lew (of Grass Widow)- Octopus Via Satellite by Secret Seven