Magic Giant
Don’t be fooled by the man-buns and pants tucked into their shoes, L.A. folk rockers Magic Giant aren’t just the Scooby Doo version of Mumford and Sons. Sample a few of their earliest tracks, many recorded in their own solar powered mobile recording studio, and you’ll find a young trio dedicated to living green and promoting environmentalism, all in the context of a festival-friendly, musically adventurous jam band. Even their merch is environmentally sound, made at a paper-free, solar powered manufacturer, because “Our mission is to dance with an eco-footprint and create products as unique as the people rocking them,” according to their website.
A debut album called In the Wind was recorded in a converted 1940s bomb shelter and released in two versions, electric and acoustic, earning them a nod from Rolling Stone as one of “Ten Artists You Need To Know.” Tunes like the recent single “Window” show a keen and ironic sense of humor, matched by multi-instrumental chops that incorporate everything from banjo and woodwinds to viola and cello. They’ve played San Diego a little over a half dozen times since 2014, but their New Year’s Eve appearance at the Irenic will be their first performance at the all-ages North Park venue.