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Live Five: SUNBENDR, Lead Pony, Thomas Gaynor, Manny Cepeda, Faux Fur
Post-punk, psych-blues, indie rock, orchestral Latin, and an organ festival in Little Italy, Balboa Park, Chula Vista
SUNBENDR has a new full-length called Transmission, along with a single for the album track “Tension.”
July 24
SUNBENDR blends post-punk indie vibes with classic psychedelic rock rooted in 90s alternative/indie scenes and bands like Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu. The trio features Brandon Parkhurst (guitar, vocals) and Chris Coté (bass, vocals), both from Kut U Up, who were asked to tour and open the 2002 Green Day/Blink-182 U.S. tour, alongside drummer Ted "Frank" Fred. SUNBENDR released a couple of different projects over the past year, including a single for “Stick Up” that features drummer Frank Dixon (Nancy, Sister Juanita), synth textures by Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge, and backing vocals from George Perks (Mogwai, Doves) and Benjamin Ward. The single was produced and mixed by Perks at Tom DeLonge’s home studio, with drums tracked by Chris Prescott (Pinback) at Belly Of The Whale. They have a new full-length called Transmission, along with a single for the album track “Tension.” The all-local Little Italy bill includes indie-alt-rockers American Actor and electro-pop alt-rockers Sturdivant.
July 25
The founding members of psych/blues rock group Lead Pony met while attending art programs at SDSU. They released their debut EP Eclipse in 2017, followed the next year by a double-single, “Two Love Songs.” The band toured behind the records and landed a song on the TV show Shameless. Their Vultures full-length is their imagined version of 1970s New York City, with stories weaving through an adventurous and surprisingly relatable album produced by Trevor Spencer (Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Beach House). They have a new full-length on the horizon, highlighted by advance singles for “Animals” and “Hello Beautiful.” The show includes a performance by local alt-experimental rock band Ten Bulls, founded in 2016 as Sights & Sages by members who also played together in local groups such as Neveready and Love Glow. Their debut Ten Bulls album The Physician’s Magician was released in late 2020, and their upcoming sophomore full-length Ominous Anonymous is preceded so far by a single for “Picture Day.” Also slated to appear include The Film Company.
Thomas Gaynor at Spreckels Organ Pavilion
July 27
The Spreckels Organ Society presents the 38th Annual San Diego International Summer Organ Festival, the largest organ festival in the United States, featuring the historic Spreckels Organ, the largest open-air musical instrument in the world, with 5,098 pipes of up to 32-feet long, and nine percussion instruments located throughout the building. The summer-long festival – directed by Spreckels Organ Society’s Artistic Director and San Diego’s Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez – takes place from July 13 through September 7, with 90-minute, free admission concerts staged each Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. The Monday evening concerts feature artists from five different nations, making it a truly international festival, with the July 27 event headlined by Thomas Gaynor, the Assistant Organist & Choirmaster at Saint Mark’s Church in Philadelphia, and an adjunct professor of organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, where he earned his undergraduate degree from the New Zealand School of Music, Gaynor has won the Gold Medal and Audience Prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition.
Manny Cepeda Orchestra at Otay Ranch Town Center
July 28
Running from mid July until mid September, the Salsa Under The Stars series will feature the Manny Cepeda Orchestra quartet and offer Latin music and dancing for all ages during the center's weekly Farmers Market. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, bandleader Manny Cepeda has both a Bachelors in Music Education and Masters in Music and retired from the Navy as the top Enlisted Bandmaster after 31 years of service. In 2004 the Manny Cepeda Orchestra was born to bring Cepeda’s original Salsa and Merengüe selections as well as current classic Salsa/Merengüe and Cuban music style to Mexican as well as American audiences throughout the greater San Diego area. An album dedicated to his father called Padre Querido was released in 2008, earning a Latin Grammy nomination, while Roots/Raices came out in 2014 and Yo soy Boricua in 2021. A new single dropped in January for his track “La Cumbia de California.”
July 29
Formed by longtime friends who grew up together through high school and college, Faux Fur is a local indie rock project (not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name) featuring drummer Jackson Cryns, bassist Owen Moye (son of local musician and media-relations manager David Moye), and guitarist Gabe Rubio. Their debut album, All We Can Give (2024), explores the transition into early adulthood through a blend of groove-driven indie rock, psychedelia, and blues-inspired energy. Since then, the band has continued to evolve with a string of singles, including “A Little While,” Far-Away Town,” and 2025’s “Half The Man,” refining their sound while expanding their audience. The Little Italy bill includes garage surf-rock trio Dolphins on Acid, which features frontman Max Wayland on guitar and vocals and is known for raucous "mosh-able" surf anthems such as “Marigold” and “Rotten,” as well as their most recent singles, “Killer Whale” and “Swordfish.” Also appearing will be the Resinators, a three-piece Pacific Northwest rock-reggae band that now resides in San Diego. Featuring brothers Kyle Cameron (guitar, vocals) and Kevin Cameron (bass) and longtime friend Broc Sanders (drums), their 2019 single “Livin’ With Lions” was followed in 2020 by their Vacation EP, and they’ve gone on to share stages with locals Mike Pinto, Dubbest, and Sensi Trails, as well as New Kingston, Sol Seed, SensaMotion, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, and Kyle Smith.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Live Five: SUNBENDR, Lead Pony, Thomas Gaynor, Manny Cepeda, Faux Fur
Post-punk, psych-blues, indie rock, orchestral Latin, and an organ festival in Little Italy, Balboa Park, Chula Vista
Live Five: SUNBENDR, Lead Pony, Thomas Gaynor, Manny Cepeda, Faux Fur
Post-punk, psych-blues, indie rock, orchestral Latin, and an organ festival in Little Italy, Balboa Park, Chula Vista
SUNBENDR has a new full-length called Transmission, along with a single for the album track “Tension.”
July 24
SUNBENDR blends post-punk indie vibes with classic psychedelic rock rooted in 90s alternative/indie scenes and bands like Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu. The trio features Brandon Parkhurst (guitar, vocals) and Chris Coté (bass, vocals), both from Kut U Up, who were asked to tour and open the 2002 Green Day/Blink-182 U.S. tour, alongside drummer Ted "Frank" Fred. SUNBENDR released a couple of different projects over the past year, including a single for “Stick Up” that features drummer Frank Dixon (Nancy, Sister Juanita), synth textures by Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge, and backing vocals from George Perks (Mogwai, Doves) and Benjamin Ward. The single was produced and mixed by Perks at Tom DeLonge’s home studio, with drums tracked by Chris Prescott (Pinback) at Belly Of The Whale. They have a new full-length called Transmission, along with a single for the album track “Tension.” The all-local Little Italy bill includes indie-alt-rockers American Actor and electro-pop alt-rockers Sturdivant.
July 25
The founding members of psych/blues rock group Lead Pony met while attending art programs at SDSU. They released their debut EP Eclipse in 2017, followed the next year by a double-single, “Two Love Songs.” The band toured behind the records and landed a song on the TV show Shameless. Their Vultures full-length is their imagined version of 1970s New York City, with stories weaving through an adventurous and surprisingly relatable album produced by Trevor Spencer (Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Beach House). They have a new full-length on the horizon, highlighted by advance singles for “Animals” and “Hello Beautiful.” The show includes a performance by local alt-experimental rock band Ten Bulls, founded in 2016 as Sights & Sages by members who also played together in local groups such as Neveready and Love Glow. Their debut Ten Bulls album The Physician’s Magician was released in late 2020, and their upcoming sophomore full-length Ominous Anonymous is preceded so far by a single for “Picture Day.” Also slated to appear include The Film Company.
Thomas Gaynor at Spreckels Organ Pavilion
July 27
The Spreckels Organ Society presents the 38th Annual San Diego International Summer Organ Festival, the largest organ festival in the United States, featuring the historic Spreckels Organ, the largest open-air musical instrument in the world, with 5,098 pipes of up to 32-feet long, and nine percussion instruments located throughout the building. The summer-long festival – directed by Spreckels Organ Society’s Artistic Director and San Diego’s Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez – takes place from July 13 through September 7, with 90-minute, free admission concerts staged each Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. The Monday evening concerts feature artists from five different nations, making it a truly international festival, with the July 27 event headlined by Thomas Gaynor, the Assistant Organist & Choirmaster at Saint Mark’s Church in Philadelphia, and an adjunct professor of organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, where he earned his undergraduate degree from the New Zealand School of Music, Gaynor has won the Gold Medal and Audience Prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition.
Manny Cepeda Orchestra at Otay Ranch Town Center
July 28
Running from mid July until mid September, the Salsa Under The Stars series will feature the Manny Cepeda Orchestra quartet and offer Latin music and dancing for all ages during the center's weekly Farmers Market. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, bandleader Manny Cepeda has both a Bachelors in Music Education and Masters in Music and retired from the Navy as the top Enlisted Bandmaster after 31 years of service. In 2004 the Manny Cepeda Orchestra was born to bring Cepeda’s original Salsa and Merengüe selections as well as current classic Salsa/Merengüe and Cuban music style to Mexican as well as American audiences throughout the greater San Diego area. An album dedicated to his father called Padre Querido was released in 2008, earning a Latin Grammy nomination, while Roots/Raices came out in 2014 and Yo soy Boricua in 2021. A new single dropped in January for his track “La Cumbia de California.”
July 29
Formed by longtime friends who grew up together through high school and college, Faux Fur is a local indie rock project (not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name) featuring drummer Jackson Cryns, bassist Owen Moye (son of local musician and media-relations manager David Moye), and guitarist Gabe Rubio. Their debut album, All We Can Give (2024), explores the transition into early adulthood through a blend of groove-driven indie rock, psychedelia, and blues-inspired energy. Since then, the band has continued to evolve with a string of singles, including “A Little While,” Far-Away Town,” and 2025’s “Half The Man,” refining their sound while expanding their audience. The Little Italy bill includes garage surf-rock trio Dolphins on Acid, which features frontman Max Wayland on guitar and vocals and is known for raucous "mosh-able" surf anthems such as “Marigold” and “Rotten,” as well as their most recent singles, “Killer Whale” and “Swordfish.” Also appearing will be the Resinators, a three-piece Pacific Northwest rock-reggae band that now resides in San Diego. Featuring brothers Kyle Cameron (guitar, vocals) and Kevin Cameron (bass) and longtime friend Broc Sanders (drums), their 2019 single “Livin’ With Lions” was followed in 2020 by their Vacation EP, and they’ve gone on to share stages with locals Mike Pinto, Dubbest, and Sensi Trails, as well as New Kingston, Sol Seed, SensaMotion, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, and Kyle Smith.
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