Incorporating a host of musical styles and influences, such as reggae, rock, punk and hip-hop, the Dirty Heads produce a sound that evokes a vision of what one could imagine it’s like hanging out in their hometown of Huntington Beach on a breezy summer evening.

The quintet’s new album, Cabin by the Sea—an ever so appropriate title—came out in June, and features a variety of feel-good tracks designed to transport listeners to a sunny beachside state of mind. The band plays alongside The Shins, Jimmy Cliff, Tegan and Sara, Alison Krauss and Matisyahu at Harmony by The Bay at Shoreline this Saturday.

GIVEAWAY: Enter to win two tickets for Harmony By the Bay

“I think a positive message in music is always going to work,” says singer Jared Watson over the phone from a noisy tour stop in Las Vegas.

“It was lacking a little bit for a while with the whole emo phase—there was a huge depressed, ‘blah’ kind of music scene—and I think people just got over it, especially with all of the stuff going on in the world.”

That infectious and uplifting spirit echoes throughout the 11-song collection, the group’s more laid-back, sophomore effort. “We wanted this album to be more organic,” Watson says, “and if things weren’t perfect, then we left them not perfect as long as they felt good, we just had a lot of fun with it.”

He adds, “I think with the first album we were a little nervous and a little scared. This time we were just a lot more comfortable in our skin, we knew what we were capable of, we learned a lot, and we matured a lot.”

The Dirty Heads have played a fair amount in the Bay Area and toured across the country several times now, but they are particularly excited to be performing at Harmony by the Bay. “Festivals are cool because you get to play in front of people that wouldn’t necessarily come and see you,” Watson says. “It’s a really cool opportunity to get some new fans, and show other people our music—and vice-versa. Some fans that come to see us might find another band that they had never heard of and they end up loving by the end of the day.”

Later this year, the Dirty Heads will be playing a series of shows opening for Sublime with Rome in Brazil—something that Watson can’t wait for. “That’s really my ultimate goal for the band, is to be able to travel the world and play shows—to be able to spread our message and music on a worldwide stage.”

At age 64, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff is experiencing perhaps one of the greatest bursts of artistic productivity and inspiration in all of his five decade long and counting career. Following the release of his new album, Rebirth earlier this year, the Jamaican native—who recorded his first single 50 years ago—is touring the world, including a performance at Coachella earlier this year and stop at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Saturday for the Harmony By The Bay Festival. The Shins, Tegan & Sara, Dirty Heads and Matisyahu are also on the bill.

As one of the originators of the reggae genre, Cliff has inspired countless other musicians over the years, including Bay Area punk rocker Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Operation Ivy, who was brought aboard to produce and perform on Rebirth.

“When his name came up, I was familiar with it via Joe Strummer of the Clash, and knew that punk music and reggae music had a kinship, because reggae inspired and influenced punk,” says Cliff. “We address social and political issues in our music, and everything just kind of blended.”

GIVEAWAY: Enter to win two tickets for Harmony By the Bay

Though the album has a classic and vintage reggae feel to it, the punk spirit that Cliff mentions comes shining through on two of the tracks, one a cover of Rancid’s “Ruby Soho,” the other an excellent version of the Clash’s “Guns of Brixton,” which features a fitting cyclical connection between all of the artists.

In one verse of the song, which was released in 1979, the lyrics read, “You know he feels like Ivan/Born under the Brixton sun/His game is called surviving/At the end of ‘The Harder They Come,’” referencing the 1972 film that starred Cliff and featured his title song.

“The fact that the last song Joe Strummer ever recorded was with me on my last album—that made it all seem right,” says Cliff.

In choosing the title for the album, Cliff says he was inspired by a number of different things.

Considering the pummeling KFOG has taken in the last few weeks over its morning show catastrophe, perhaps it sees the new Harmony By The Bay Festival as a way to win back some goodwill. The new music event on September 29 at Shoreline will try to fill the void left by the cancellation—after 33 straight years—of Santa Rosa’s Harmony Festival, and is a joint venture between Harmony’s organizers, KFOG and Live Nation. Performers will include The Shins, Tegan and Sara, Kimbra, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Beats Antique, Matisyahu and many more.

In March, organizers of the annual three-day Santa Rosa music festival announced it would not be returning to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this summer due to financial trouble. However, they left open the possibility the festival would return as early as next year, and wrote in a statement: “Please trust that we have spent many months creatively exploring dozens of promising options in the hopes that we could keep this magical event alive this year. We know this news is a great disappointment to the entire Harmony team and the community at large, and we share your feelings of disappointment. We ask that we work together to move beyond this stage, toward hope and optimism for future Harmony Festivals.”

Apparently, the future is now. This one-day, South Bay version features the same eclectic mix of genres and cultures in its line-up, from the bluegrass of Krauss to reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, with a lot of indie rock in between. Organizers promise “Two stages of diverse music, creative food, crafts, sustainability education, shopping and good vibes.”

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 29, at 10am.

Confirmed Performers:
The Shins
Tegan and Sara
Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
Beats Antique
Matisyahu
Jimmy Cliff
Kimbra
More TBA
The Dirty Heads, The Givers