Playing the renowned Great American Music Hall for the first time is a milestone that would make any local musician giddy. For singer-songwriter Jared Swanson, frontman of Abbot Kinney, it’s a symbolic next step in his musical career.

He explains to The Bay Bridged, “Long before moving to San Francisco, the spirit of the Great American Music Hall loomed. Its rich history dripped down to Los Angeles. In addition to being where Journey and Jerry Garcia‘s solo career debuted, it was designed by a French architect and was originally named after a notorious Barbary Coast house of prostitution. I’ve since seen a dozen shows there, but the interior never ceases to amaze me. It’s become one of my favorite places in the country to see a show. It embodies everything I love about San Francisco, and I knew that the day I got to perform there would mean something. And it does… this is the biggest show we’ve ever played.”

Named after a street in Venice, California, Abbot Kinney creates songs meant for late-night drives towards nowhere in particular. It’s music for wandering aimlessly while backpedaling through memories. Much crisper in production than the San Francisco garage rock scene that runs rampant, Abbot Kinney provides listeners a space for introspection and to dream about things which seem just out of reach. Vocally, Swanson is the boy-next-door version of Thom Yorke: haunting, yet familiar.

This Saturday you’ll find Abbot Kinney hitting the same stage as Dangermaker, Panic Is Perfect, and the recently added opener Vacances. For those who embody being fashionably late — you know who you are — set your watches early to show up by 9 to catch this up-and-coming band.

Dangermaker, Panic Is Perfect, Abbot Kinney, Vacances
Great American Music Hall
August 20, 2016
8pm, $15