Desert Rock
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Details:
When: Saturday, March 26 from 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm
Where: The Indio Performing Arts Center
Who: 12 bands on 3 Stages ~ Desert Rock at the IPAC season finale party !!
Tickets: $10 at the door. Open to all ages. Food and beverages available.
Information: 760-775-5200
Bands confirmed: Gram Rabbit, Evaro, Perstrians vs War, Half Astro, The Hellions, One 11, Dali's Llama more to come !!
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DESERT ROCK AT THE IPAC SERIES TO WRAP WITH MINI-COACHELLA-STYLED EXTRAVAGANZA
The first Desert Rock at the IPAC series comes to a climax Saturday, March 26 when 12 of the top bands in the desert perform a “mini-Coachella” concert at the Indio Performing Arts Center.
Some of the best received bands in the six-month series, including Soul Opus, Evaro, Pedestrians Vs. War Party and One11, will join headliner Gram Rabbit in the European festival-type format utilized by the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, with overlapping sets on three stages over four-and-a-half hours.
The bands have been performing for the opportunity to give exposure to the rich indigenous musical heritage of the high and low deserts of Southern California, where desert rock has evolved into a genre that has proven more popular in Europe than its own back yard.
This season finale will be viewed by talent scouts such as Paul Tollett, co-founder of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; Barnett English, founder of the Joshua Tree Music Festival, Craig Michaels, owner of Musical Affair Entertainment, and several others. Producer Ronnie King, currently recording with The Offspring, and members of the Indio City Council are among the other special guests expected to attend.
The festival is presented by mydesert.com and produced by Mario Lalli Jr., leader of the desert rock pioneers Fatso Jetson, as part of an effort to build a local audience for desert rock and draw a seasonal link between the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio and the city-supported IPAC. Since the first concert in October, many of the diverse bands on the series have gone on to play their original music at such local venues as the Ace Hotel and Space 120 in Palm Springs, and the Date Shed in Indio. The IPAC is the only performing arts center in Southern California to showcase all original rock.
The evening starts at 7 p.m. with opportunities to enjoy imported fine art, band merchandise, two bars, snacks and catered meals. The 300-seat main hall features tables and cushioned chairs and a large dance floor near the stage.
The music starts in the main hall at 7:30 p.m. with One11, the teen band voted the valley favorite band by readers of Desert Magazine in 2010. Their producer, Ronnie King, will sit in with them on keyboards for this special performance.
Big Scenic Nowhere, a psychedelic hard rock band featuring Lalli and two long-time colleagues from the days of the generator parties - Tony Tornay and Gary Arce - will kick off the music in the 125-seat Cabaret Theater at 8 p.m. The Palm Springs-based punk band, Accustomed to Nothing, featuring Lucky Nothing on vocals and guitars, will launch the music in the 125-seat Village Theater at 8:30, just as One11 should be getting off the main stage.
The rest of the evening will feature:
8:30 p.m., main hall: Dali’s Llama, a veteran desert rock band that helped launch the series in October.
9 p.m., Cabaret Theater: The punk band Half-Astro, returning from last month’s Desert Rock at the IPAC concert.
9:30 p.m., Village Theater: You Know Who, the punk band featuring former Brant Bjork sidekick Mike Pygmie that played in the December IPAC concert.
9:30 p.m., main hall: The reggae-rock hybrid Soul Opus, which proved to be one of the most popular bands in the series in November.
10 p.m., Cabaret Theater: Gram Rabbit, veterans of the 2005 Coachella and leaders of the high desert psychedelic rock scene.
10:30 p.m., Village Theater: The powerful desert rock band, The Hellions, who headlined the series preview in October.
10:30 p.m., main hall: Pedestrians Vs. War Party, the punk-inspired show band that wowed audiences in December.
11 p.m., Cabaret Theater: Evaro, the harmonious high desert band that headlined the November IPAC concert.
11:30 p.m., Village Theater: Auto Modown, a highlight of the February concert featuring Lalli on bass with his 16-year-old son, Dino, on lead guitar.
Tickets for the all-ages concert are $10. Information: (760) 775-5200 or the Desert Rock at the IPAC Facebook page.
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Mini-Coachella
By Bruce Fessier - The Desert Sun - Copyright 2011
The Indio Performing Arts Center was dancing Sunday like a Blake Griffin 360-dunk.
There probably weren't more than 200 people in the IPAC at any one time, but the crowd flow from one venue to another created an energy that came the closest yet to achieving the venue's goal of creating a mini- Coachella every month.
This Desert Rock at the IPAC concert, presented by mydesert.com, showed the remarkable diversity of the local scene, which, until now, has fed more music to Europe than local institutions. The seemingly eager Electric Children didn't show up, but the evening featured soulful, real-deal reggae by Tribe-O, hard desert rock by Waxy, furious fusion by Penny University, pop punk by One11, classic punk by Half Astro, power instrumental rock by Auto Modown, tight indie rock by Los Mumblerz and two films, including one that featured footage of the 1980s and '90s generator scene that inspired this series, “Test Sight: North American Desert Culture.”
Most surprising were the well-honed performances of two mostly high school-aged bands, One11 and Auto Modown. One11, featuring a middle school-aged drummer, showed writing skills with radio-friendly, Weezer-styled songs and the craftsmanship to execute them professionally.
Auto Modown, featuring Desert Rock at the IPAC executive producer Mario Lalli Jr. on bass, his son, Dino, on guitar and the fluid Benny Macias on drums, powered its way through a winding race course with remarkable cohesion.
The evening ended with Tribe-O and Waxy evoking similar messages with dramatically different sounds. While Tribe-O was singing about one love with its soulful, groove-heavy reggae, the hard rocking Waxy was offering a variation on the theme in “Motorcade,” as frontman Robbie Waldman sang, “It's a blessing just to be alive.”
I'm hoping several of these bands will be invited back to the best of the Desert Rock at the IPAC show on March 26. Watch for an announcement in the next 10 days.
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 Previous Desert Rock Shows
Previous Desert Rock Shows:
Sunday, February 20 · 6:00pm - 11:30pm
7 bands representing the diversity of this music series plus 2 documentary films . "Test Site "covering desert culture & lifestyles . Made by a German film maker this amazing look at desert life all over the world features segments on the So Cal desert music scene with rare generator party footage from Indio Hills with Fatso Jetson and Unsound.
Also we are presenting "A History Lesson" In 1984, a teenage Dave Travis decided to c...apture punk rock in Los Angeles on video tape, a fascination and hobby that he would continue until 1997, logging in hundreds of hours of Los Angeles area shows and interviews. In “A History Lesson Part 1, Travis presents live footage filmed in the spring of 1984 featuring the Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Twisted Roots and Redd Kross interspersed with interviews of members from each group which examines and puts a perspective on the early years of “psychedelic” punk rock in Los Angeles and Phoenix, AZ. Each song by each group is presented from start to finish.
Live Muisc on 2 stages featuring :
WAXY
HALF ASTRO
TRIBE-O
ONE 11
ELECTRIC CHILDREN
LOS MUMBLERZ
PENNEY UNNIVERSITY
Vinyl Record / Poster Swap and cool Merch Vendors
$10
ALL AGES
ALCOHOL SERVED WITH VALID ID
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Desert Rock at the IPAC
7 BANDS COMING TO DESERT ROCK AT THE IPAC
The Desert Rock at the IPAC series will move a step closer to its goal of presenting “mini-Coachella” concerts at the Indio Performing Arts Center Sunday, Feb. 20 with a show featuring seven bands and two films playing overlapping sets in two rooms inside the IPAC.
Three bands and two movies will play from 6 p.m. to midnight in the intimate Cabaret Theatre. Four other bands will play from 7 to 11 p.m. on the Hall Stage in the IPAC.
Headliners will be the reggae group Tribe-O and the Robbie Waldman-led Waxy.
The Cabaret Theatre entertainment will start with a screening of “Test Site: North American Desert Culture,” by Swedish filmmaker Jesper Wachtmeister. The documentary explores the people, activities and myths of the American desert and features segments on the Southern California desert music scene, including rare generator party footage of Fatso Jetson and Unsound in the Indio Hills.
The rest of the Cabaret Theatre bill is as follows:
7:30 p.m: The fusion rock band Penny University of Palm Desert. This instrumental band is led by the shredding lead guitarist Michael Anthony Gagliardi, who cites as his influences such great fusion jazz guitarists as Pat Metheny, Al DeMeola and John McLaughlin. The band only formed last year, but its recordings can be found at http://www.myspace.com/pennyunniversity/music. Videos of Gagliardi are available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwffkewY3ok&feature=related.
8:30 p.m.: The pop-punk One11 Band of La Quinta. This quartet of teen musicians is the latest project of producer Ronnie King, who has played with The Offspring, Rancid and Snoop Dogg, and produced several posthumous Tupac Shakur albums. Featuring Ryan Cenicola on drums and vocals, Evan Boydstun on guitar and vocals, Michael Ramirez on guitar and lead vocals and Matt Sutton on bass and vocals, the group was named Best Band in the 2010 Desert Magazine Best of the Valley readers competition. More information can be found about them at http://www.facebook.com/ONE11BAND and http://www.myspace.com/one11band
9:30 p.m.: The Palm Springs indie band, Waxy. Waldman, who has led this band through several incarnations, will soon lead Waxy on a tour of Europe with the John Garcia Plays Kyuss band. Waldman has recorded artists ranging from the former Kyuss lead singer to Brian Setzer at his Unit A Recording Studio. He also plays in the psych band War Party. Their music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/waxymusic/music.
10:30 p.m.: “A History Lesson, Part I,” a documentary of the early 1980s punk scene in Los Angeles featuring 1984 footage of the Meat Puppets, the Minutemen, Twisted Roots, and Redd Kross.
The lineup on the Hall Stage is:
7 p.m.: The punk-rockabilly band, Los Mumblerz from Indio and Coachella. Also known as Los Mumblers, this hometown band formed in 2003 and recorded the CD, “Smash,” in 2008, containing acoustic and electric versions of “I Have Butterflies the Size of Eagles.” Last.FM compares Los Mumblerz to the psychobilly bands Wreckin’ Ball, Radiacs and Blue Demon. Their music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/losmumblers and http://www.last.fm/music/Los+Mumblerz/+tracks
8 p.m.: Electric Children, from the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. This band led by
Guitarist Ramblin’ Eddie Lopez plays rock-blues, garage and psychedelic music. They’ve recorded in Joshua Tree and their gig the night before the IPAC is at the Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas. Their music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/electricchildren/music
9 p.m.: Half-Astro from Palm Springs. This veteran desert rock band describes its music as ghettotech, melodramatic popular song and punk. It consists of Herb Lienau on vocals, Brandon Henderson on guitar and backing vocals, Mondo Flores on bass and backing vocals, Quanah (Quandar) Lienau on guitar and backing vocals and Marcus Bush on drums and backing vocals. Its music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/halfastro
10 p.m.: Tribe-O from Indio. This veteran reggae band has been playing roots reggae, rock steady and dancehall for 13 years. Led by vocalists Siah and Ann Nix, the band seeks to achieve unity through its music. Their songs can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/tribeo/music or http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tribe-O/102275886491549?v=info
Tickets for this all-ages concert are $10. The Indio Performing Arts Center is located at 45-175 Fargo St. just off Jackson in downtown Indio. Information: (760) 775-5200 or http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Desert-Rock-at-the-IPAC-music-series/172136759469911
The 2010-11 series will climax Saturday, March 26 when the best of the bands on the monthly series perform in three venues inside the climate-controlled IPAC.
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Previous Shows:
Details:
When: Friday, January 28 2011 7:00pm - 11:30pm
Where: The Indio Performing Arts Center
Who: Hot Beat Pussy Fiend,
Spindrift,
the Clouds,
The Town Troubles
Tickets: $10 at the door. Open to all ages. Food and beverages available.
Information: 760-775-5200
Desert Rock at the IPAC music series We are proud to add our first film presentation Of "SUCH HAWKS SUCH HOUNDS"
to The Desert Rock Series at the IPAC
Sat January 28th 7pm showing just before a diverse line up of groovy bands!!
Hot Beat Pussy Fiend
Spindrift
the Clouds
The Town Troubles
Come down early...have a Taco and a beer in one of the comfy movies theaters, then hang in the main hall for rock all night!
All Ages
Full Bar with ID
A documentary feature with:
Acid King | Across the River | The Atomic Bitchwax | Bardo Pond | Brant Bjork | Comets on Fire | Dead Meadow | Earthless | Fatso Jetson | High on Fire | Kyuss | Mammatus | Nebula | The Obsessed | Om | Pearls and Brass | Saint Vitus | Sleep | sunn O))) | Thrones
For every music fan who says rock ’n’ roll ain’t what it used to be; for every pundit who concurs with Hunter S. Thompson’s assessment of the music business as “a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free;” there are an equal number who will say that the business of creating and releasing innovative and satisfying music is as healthy as ever — it’s just done on a smaller scale.
Such Hawks, Such Hounds is a testament to the vitality of rock music. Relying only marginally on nostalgia, it says that at any point in history, the music being made is as worthy of attention as that of times past. It’s an introduction to an underheralded subgenre and a realization of its cinematic possibilities.
Such Hawks tells a story that needs to be told. Since the Alternative Revolution of the early 1990s, there has been a heightened interest in music with roots in the underground, hence such excellent genre studies as Hype!, Scratch and American Hardcore. While a similar celebration of sounds held dear, Such Hawks captures a moment as it is happening.
Such Hawks explores the music and musicians of the American hard rock underground circa 1970-2007, focusing on the psychedelic and ’70s proto-metal-derived styles that have in recent years formed a rich tapestry of unclassifiable sounds.
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Desert Rock Series
By Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun
The first mix of desert rock music and desert rock movies will highlight the fourth installment of the Desert Rock at the IPAC series Friday at the Indio Performing Arts Center.
The Western psychedelic rock band, Spindrift, will headline a lineup of four bands with a variety of desert rock sounds, but the evening will start with a screening of the 2008 documentary on the desert rock scene, “Such Hawks, Such Hounds.”
The 84-minute film by Jessica Hundley and John Srebalus, featuring such native musicians as Scott Reeder and Desert Rock at the IPAC Executive Producer Mario Lalli Jr. will be screened at 7 p.m. in one of the 100-seat auditoriums in the IPAC.
The concert will start shortly thereafter in the main 400-capacity room with music by The Town Troubles, The Clouds and Hot Beat, in addition to Spindrift.
Short music videos about other desert rock bands will be screened from the main stage between acts. “Such Hawks, Such Hounds” will continue to be looped simultaneously with the main room activities until the concert is scheduled to end at 11:30 p.m.
The event is presented by mydesert.com and concert goers are encouraged to go to mydesert.com/desertrock after the show to click “recommend” on their favorite bands of the evening. The series producers will consider bands with the most recommends for a return engagement on Saturday, March 26 when talent scouts including Paul Tollett, co-founder of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, are scheduled to be in attendance.
Opening act The Town Troubles is an Indio-based band featuring Bryan Garcia on drums and percussion, Bolin Jue on guitars and vocals and Danny Christopher on bass. It plays desert rock, blues and experimental music. More information on the band can be found at http://www.facebook.com/TheTownTroubles and http://www.myspace.com/thetowntroubles.
Second billed The Clouds features Joshua Tree singer-guitarist Josh Kjerstad. He describes his music as “indie psychedelic soul.” For more information and samples of his music go to http://www.myspace.com/joshuakjerstad and http://www.facebook.com/TheTownTroubles#!/pages/The-Clouds/130780816973661
Spindrift, the third scheduled band of the evening, is based in Los Angeles , but just recorded its upcoming album in a studio at the Hicksville Trailer Palace in Joshua Tree. The band, led by singer-guitarist Kirpatrick Thomas and bass and baritone guitarist Henry Evans, has toured with such bands as the Dandy Warhols, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They last year played their Western psychedelic music at the Austin Psych Fest. More information on the band and samples of their music can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SPINDRIFT/29912987937?ref=ts&v=wall and http://www.facebook.com/pages/SPINDRIFT/29912987937?ref=ts&v=wall
The final band of the night is expected to be Hot Beat, or Hot Beat Pu$$y Fiend, as it’s known in some circles. The Palm Springs-based band is led by singer-guitarist Joe Dillon with Zach Huskey, long-time leader of the Dali Llamas on lead guitar, and former Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss member Alfredo Hernandez on drums. It also features Mikael Jacobson on bass, Scott Brooks on rhythm guitar, Dan Lapham on theremin and Robin Clewell on backing vocals.
It plays classic punk and roots rock. More information and samples of its music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/hotbeatpussyfiend and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBk2zi3IWLA
Tickets are $10 and all ages are welcome. The Indio Performing Arts Center is located at 45-175 Fargo St. , Indio . Information: (760) 775-5200 or www.indioperformingartscenter.org. |
