Three quintessentially '60s California psych-pop bands will roam the countryside once more in August when the California '66 Tour hits the road.

The Electric Prunes [ tickets ], along with Love [ tickets ] (featuring Johnny Echols) and Sky Saxon [ tickets ] of The Seeds [ tickets ], will launch the outing Aug. 4 in Philadelphia, the first date on a 14-city East Coast and Midwest trek that concludes two weeks later in Alexandria, VA. Dates are below.

"This is an idea that James Lowe and Mark Tulin of the Electric Prunes had--to gather three influential '60s bands from the Los Angeles area together to create the excitement that was the L.A. music scene in 1966," tour promoter Patrick Hand said in a press release. "When L.A. veterans Sky Saxon and Love signed on, California '66 was on the road.

"I've come to think that 1966 was really the year that rock music peaked, before the excesses of stadium venues and art rock, and these musicians were a big part of that."

The Prunes--who still feature founding members Lowe and Tulin--continue to tour regularly. The band released several influential singles in the mid-'60s, including "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)," which is considered one of the first hit psychedelic-rock records.

Love, which was led by singer/guitarist Arthur Lee, is best known for its 1967 epic "Forever Changes," which remains one of the most highly regarded and influential psychedelic albums ever recorded. Lee died in 2006 at age 61 after losing his battle with leukemia. The current incarnation of the band is led by lead guitarist and original member Johnny Echols.

Sky "Sunlight" Saxon and The Seeds released the groundbreaking "Pushin' Too Hard" in 1966. Since leaving his original band, Saxon has released a variety of solo albums on several different labels.