When people claim that what sells Southern California to the world, the golden sunshiny said-to-be-a-myth part, is over and done with and never existed, one should only point west from wherever they're standing to play the contrary card.
We're advising here that you point in the direction of Santa Monica Pier, which is marking the 30th anniversary of its Twilight Concerts this summer. (By the way, pointing isn't polite, but you get the idea.)
What are the Twilight Concerts? Think three decades of free shows from big and interesting and lively and challenging and winsome and hilarious bands and artists. Three decades of SoCalers sitting on blankets on the beach, or dancing on the pier, without paying a thing. Three decades of straight-up good-times-ing.
- Images: Wildest Food Crazes
That sounds pretty much like a LA-light, sunshine-laden myth, right? Free tunez at the ocean with dancing and Fun, capital F? And yet this isn't a myth. It is all true, and it is set to make its song-filled stand for the summer of 2014.
Up first on Thursday, July 10? Cults with James Supercave. Yuna lands on July 17 -- King will open -- and shows'll fill out the rest of July, all of August, and the first two Thursdays in September.
La Santa Cecilia is the Aug. 14 band and on Thursday, Sept. 4? OK Go.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
The quartet may get millions of Youtube hits for their clever videos, but that didn't -- and shouldn't -- dissuade the mirthful musicmakers from playing the pier. In fact, could we say that booking a Twilight Concerts gig is an essential part of any artist's Southern California path?
We could, and shall.
Myth-making is a lot of what music does, after all -- sometimes to great impact -- so adding to that ocean-breezy, sunshine-sounds, pay-nothing-and-live-well-for-a-night story that is the Twilight Concerts story seems a natural fit for any songwriter or songsinger.
Not a myth? These freebie nights are majorly popular. Yep, the "majorly" there should persuade you and yours to arrive early, very early. Stressing doesn't go well with sunshine/sand.
