Check out photos from Palm Springs Smooth Jazz Festival XVII Saturday night at the Indian Canyons Golf Resort. Oakland soul group Tower of Power delivered a high-energy performance to close the evening. The band’s been performing together for more than 40 years.
See the full gallery here.
Ocote Soul Sounds at the 2009 Joshua Tree Music Festival, Richard Lui, The Desert Sun
Now it’s time for a music festival Joshua Tree style.
The 10th annual Joshua Tree Music Festival is coming up May 18-20. More than 20 artists from all over the world will perform at the outdoor venue.
What kind of music is it?
Try on labels like afro-house (Wunmi, UK/Lagos), life-affirming (Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars), roots reggae with funk, soul, dub and rock (See-I, DC) and classical and fiddle-style violin on electronic beats (Kytami, Canada) for starters. All but three artists (Loyd Family Players, Ganga Giri and Medicine Drum) are newcomers to the independently-produced event.
Here’s what you need to know about festival culture:
Event producers describe themselves as funsters and music lovers. Water is free, so you’ll have more money for organic microbrews and wine on site; You can bring your own food or buy some there; and this year, get ready for Festival Olympics, where you can win prizes for performing absurd tasks.
I hope that gives you a feel of the fest. For a complete lineup and to purchase tickets, go to www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com.
The fest costs
$120 until May 14 and $130 at the gate for all three days
$50 Friday only
$70 Saturday only
$50 Sunday only
Bands play
3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday
10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
See them at
Joshua Tree Lake Campground, 2601 Sunfair Road.
This year’s Stagecoach brought out legends Roy Clark, Kenny Rogers and Alabama. I found a vendor bringing back some all-stars from the Country Western apparel past as well.
Vintage boots “from Tony Lama to Kenny Rogers” sat inside the La Bomba Vintage tent. Ostrich skin boots, leather boots, red boots, patchwork boots from the 50s, 60s and 70s made up just some of its stock, which sold for $40 to $100. To spot them you had to wander to the back of the tent, behind the front display of what sells easily here — cowboy hats.
Owner Albert Gonzales said he couldn’t estimate how many hats he sold this weekend. It’s his sixth year selling at Stagecoach and he said it’s hot, it’s Stagecoach — cowboy hats are a no-brainer.
The boots are the pride of his tent and the store of the same name in Pomona. The store also cuts and dyes old Levi 501s into trendy, colorful shorts.
Turns out jeans and boots from the past recycle just as well as honky-tonk tunes at Stagecoach.
You haven’t heard of El Fuego Fiasco restaurant or catering company — because there isn’t one.
This year’s Grand Champion barbecue team is made up of three buddies from Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach who smoke meat in their backyards and for a handful of competitions, hoping to make enough money to pay for the next one. Three others contribute to the competition team off the cookers.
“Everyone asks us, ‘Oh, do you sell your stuff?’” said second-in-command cook Josh Baker. “No, we’re just guys that all have jobs and like getting together and doing barbecue.”
It’s the team’s second year competing at Stagecoach. Last year, they took home third place in ribs.
This year, in addition to winning Grand Champion — which means best overall in pork shoulder, chicken, ribs and brisket — the El Fuego Fiasco crew took home first place for its pork shoulder.
“We’ve been on a high,” Baker said.
It just shows that anyone can make a mean plate of barbecue meat with a little sweat, passion and online research, they said.
With food-grade 55-gallon drums that they’ve transformed into smokers for between $100 and $200, they went up against teams with professional-grade smokers that can cost $10,000, head cook Mike Weiss said.
“We can compete against the Tiger Woods of barbecue,” Weiss said.
The ugly drum smokers, as they’re called in the biz (I’m told), burn slow and could cook for close to 24 hours.
Another memorable detail of the operation is the team’s “loco sauce.” If you’ve had it you know it’s hard to forget. It contains extract from ghost peppers, which pack a million Scoville units.
So the sauce, too, burns slow and long.
Catch them next:
Que’n For Kids competition during the Orange County BBQ Festival June 9 and 10 in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Ribs, Pigs and Watermelons Summer Festival and Pro BBQ Competition August 17-19 in Westminster, Calif.
It’s music you can swim through.
That’s how MyCoachella.com contributor Crystal Chatham described bluegrass music as we walked into the Mustang tent to see Greensky Bluegrass.
I think of it as music I can’t stand still to.
When the bluegrass jam band got going, their pickin’ fingers revved, we both got what we came for. The five instruments made a sound so full and varied that the movers got to moving while the music filled the tent like sparkling blue water fills a Palm Springs swimming pool.
The Michigan quintet didn’t say much, but mentioned Stagecoach ended a series of California concerts they’d had a good time playing. They look like guys who have a good time whenever they have stringed instruments in-hand.
Anders Beck, who plays the dobro, or resophonic guitar, wondered aloud about California Westerns. The bad guys always wore black hats and the good guys white. Is that how it really is? he asked. Because I’ve always wanted a black cowboy hat.
“I’m not a bad guy,” he repeated a few times, to be clear.
Their fourth studio album “Handguns” is available at the on-site record store.
“ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE.”
Scattered throughout festival grounds, question-and-answer booths are set up inviting queries of any variety. So I asked one of my own: What’s the weirdest question you’ve heard?
Literally all nine booths I visited told me the most common question was “What’s the meaning of life?”
And all agreed that it is in fact funny every time.
One booth attendant in the VIP area, who preferred not to give her name, was asked a trivia question and discovered her correct answer came with a prize.
“What’s the fastest land animal?”
“Did you know?”
“I did and then he gave me free ice cream.” (Cheetah)
Emilie Tan at booth 5 had fun making someone dance to get an answer. (Consider yourself warned.) When someone asked her “why does my mother-in-law hate me?” she was unfazed.
“You should probably ask yourself that question first,” she said.
Another word of advice? Don’t go to booth 7 fishing for compliments.
“Who’s cuter, me or him?” Lisa Nguyen recalled. “I said, neither.”
People went to booth 8 looking for Dan Savage.
“Does anal hurt?” someone asked Chloe, who asked to go by her first name only. “It was traumatizing.”
Another: “Am I going to fall in love?” Debby Engelbart at the same booth answered sagely, “yes, but not at Coachella.”
As for the meaning of life, every attendant had a stock response, but only one had a strategy.
“Just say Jesus and the conversation stops,” said Anthony Trevino at booth 9.
Happy Record Store Day!
Today, all over the world, brick-and-mortar record stores are selling more than 300 limited-edition releases for the fifth-annual Record Store Day. Coachella artists got in on the fun and festival goers, of course, can too.
All of the official releases — 7-, 10- and 12-inch vinyls, CDs and DVDs — are available at ZIA Record Exchange, the on-site record store tent near the lockers.
Coachella artist Feist (8:40-9:30 today at the Outdoor Theatre) covered music by Mastodon and the band covered her tunes to create “Feistodon.” The Black Keys, M83 and Santigold also created Record Store Day exclusives.
After today, the albums will be available at record stores until they sell out.
I asked ZIA’s head of purchasing Steve Duncan for his music holiday picks:
Jimmy Fallon’s “Tebowie,” a 7-inch vinyl on which the late-night host and comedian performs as his Tim Tebow + David Bowie alter ego. Don’t miss Reading Rainbow on Side B.
The Flaming Lips’ “The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends,” a double LP that features Coachella artists Bon Iver and Neon Indian as well as Ke$ha, Chris Martin and others.
“This was just a tie-dye cover, they were all unique and different,” Duncan said. “Months I’ve been hearing about this release.”
If you don’t want to lug your precious cargo around the fest, you can put it on hold at the ZIA tent. Pick it up tonight for free, tomorrow for $5 or post festival and pay S&H.
If you aren’t at Coachella, you can still check out Record Store Day at Record Alley, 72840 Highway 111 in Palm Desert.
Coachella artists with Record Store Day releases:
The Black Keys, Santigold, Feist, The Hives, M83, Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, The Refused, Miike Snow, Childish Gambino, Mike Watt, Grouplove, The Black Angels, Kimbra, Gary Clark Jr., Laura Marling, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Real Estate, M. Ward, Death Grips, fIREHOSE and St. Vincent.
It wouldn’t be Coachella if you didn’t come home with new favorite artists.
Last week, my Friday grazing was unsuccessful, turning up only mean jokes, including: If I were to write a movie about a bad garage band, this would be the soundtrack.
One beauty of a second weekend: second chances! And this week I struck gold.
Whether you’re here or not, you can work these artists into your playlists.
Other Lives
The short: Quiet, contemplative
The long: Sweet and menacing vocals and intentional progressions. They say they’re taking cues from composer Philip Glass in their website bio. The xylophone, cello, tambourine and well-placed snare make appearances.
Where to try them on: Light some incense, put on comfy clothes and turn down the lights to think and unwind.
GIVERS
The short: Upbeat, alternative
The long: Jam band musicality with synthy sounds for fun. It’s electro-trendy, musically sound and features beautiful male/female harmonies. Listen for a rocker chick who sings, drums and maybe even plays an amped ukulele. (It’s some small, stringed instrument, anyway.)
Where to try them on: Play at a gathering of hip friends for a joyful, eclectic-bunch-friendly sound. I almost guarantee at least one “Who is this?”
Kendrick Lamar
The short: Rap, hip-hop
The long: Busta Rhymes-esque speed rapping to clever and varied tracks. Be warned: he’s heavy-handed with the NASCAR noise (you know the hor-hor-hor-horrrnnn). But he’s got energy to spare, bringing throbbing downbeats that get people moving.
Where to try him on: Pre-party. If your spot’s the meeting place for a night out, throw on Kendrick Lamar to set a tone. The message – tonight’s gonna be a good night and we’re not starting it with tired pop music. (Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of tired pop music.)
The four Saskatoon, Saskatchewan rockers who make up The Sheepdogs were kind enough to let me (talked into letting me?) follow them around last weekend.
Don’t miss the story in today’s Desert Sun.
One quote I love, but somehow couldn’t work into the story:
On Radiohead:
“They’re in that rarified era where they could take a dump and get five-star reviews.” – Lead singer Ewan Currie, a Radiohead fan
I’ve been at Coachella weekend 2 for less than an hour and already last week’s chilly fest seems like legend.
By the way, how is #Coldchella not a thing?
If you’re headed out today: hats, sunblock, lightweight clothing and WATER. You can’t overdo it on water. Desert novices note – if you pour water on yourself, it’ll evaporate in 5 min or fewer.
Maybe the sunshine lured folks out early. It seems to me there are twice as many people flooding in as this time last week.
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MyCoachella.com is a blog dedicated to covering the desert music scene, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival. Meet Our Team
For the second year, this year's Coachella Music Festival is two weekends: April 12-14 and 19-21. Stagecoach is one three-day fest: April 26-28.
And visit our sister news site at mydesert.com, the No. 1 source for news in Coachella Valley and owned by the Palm Springs-based The Desert Sun, a Gannett site.
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