![\"The](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/JOELSON_MIDNIGHTPINE_4947_HIRESweb.jpg\")
<\/a>(Photo by The Joelsons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When it comes to music in America\u2019s Finest City, there are fewer people with better insight. And it comes as no surprise that one of his five active bands (The Midnight Pine) has been tapped to play Kaaboo in Del Mar \u2014 the biggest multi-day music\/art festival our region has seen since Street Scene ended its run here in 2009.<\/p>\n
The band\u2019s been playing a unique style of acoustic-based, experimental folk\/rock since 2012, won last year\u2019s San Diego Music Award for Best Americana Album (they\u2019re up for Best Americana band this year), and released their sophomore full-length record, \u201cBuried,\u201d last year to universal acclaim. Playing Kaaboo could seem like just another notch on the ol\u2019 belt, but Howard doesn\u2019t take his band\u2019s inclusion lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to play and I\u2019m honored they\u2019d consider us,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have our name on the site and the flyers. When a fest is that big, the promo is extensive and it places our existence in the cognition of strangers. We\u2019ll likely reach some folks who wouldn\u2019t have heard us otherwise and I\u2019ll fill up my bag with bananas from the hospitality tent \u2014 smoothies for days. It\u2019s a win-win-win. Plus, I\u2019ll get to see Spoon and tell Tim Meadows I was once mistaken for him in a predominantly-white Boston suburb.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t tell, Howard has a witty sense of humor and shares it at any opportunity. And his reference to Spoon and Tim Meadows only hints at the star power behind Kaaboo\u2019s three-day lineup.<\/p>\n
With acts like No Doubt, The Killers, Zac Brown Band, Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Foster the People, Counting Crows, 311, The Roots and O.A.R. on the schedule, you\u2019ll be hard-pressed not to find something to enjoy. Even if the bands aren\u2019t to your liking (which, to be honest, I\u2019ve heard some grumblings from my younger friends), it\u2019ll also have world-class comedians on tap as well like Tig Notaro, Joel McHale, Lewis Black, Jeff Garlin, Lisa Schlesinger and Ron Funches.<\/p>\n
The festival, which takes place Sept. 18 \u2013 20 at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, covers nearly every genre imaginable across seven stages with 100-plus acts. Food, art, drinks, comedy and music for days \u2014 literally. Some, like Howard, would say it\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need a big festival in San Diego,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re a large city and despite the fact that I am literally constructed from disdain and cynicism, I\u2019ll give you some straight hippie talk right now: Live music and the experience around it between friends and family is the most important thing I\u2019ve known in my life. It\u2019s tremendous to have a reputable festival back in town. Plus, I\u2019m getting old and I don\u2019t feel like driving to San Francisco for some shit like this. I don\u2019t even want to drive to LA.\u00a0But I\u2019ll drive to Del Mar.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you\u2019ve won over even the hardened hearts of road-weary musicians, you know you\u2019re onto something special.<\/p>\n
And it does speak to the all-inclusiveness of Kaaboo that they\u2019ve even bothered to invite local bands to play at all. Slightly Stoopid, Switchfoot, Fitz & the Tantrums, Tribal Seeds, and The Silent Comedy are all set for main stage performances (and have all been San Diego-based groups at one point or another), while on-the-rise buzzbands like The Burning of Rome, The Nervous Wreckords, KI, The Drowning Men and, yes, The Midnight Pine \u2014 among others \u2014 will soak up the sun and deliver the good vibes from the Tourmaline\u00a0Stage.<\/p>\n
According to Howard, there\u2019s something special about playing outdoors \u2014 especially when his band\u2019s soaring beauty is behind the tunes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something to be said for a tight, cramped, sweaty dive with no separation from the audience \u2026 but being outside on a beautiful San Diego afternoon with a clear, crisp sound system spreading our songs beyond the reach of a bar \u2014 that\u2019s a great experience as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Single-day tickets to Kaaboo are available for $125, while three-day passes and various VIP packages are available at different price points as well. For all ticketing options and more information, please visit KaabooDelMar.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n