Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2014 - *Free
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Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2014
*Free
April 2014 History of Set Times / Preserving the Grounds / Resource Recycling / Message Board Super Users / Pharrell Williams / Expert Coachoosers / DJ Set Deciphered / Find Your New Fave Act / The Art of Philip K. Smith III / Coachella Insiders / Festival Sound / Mysteries of the Desert / Outkast Reunion / Terrace Food / Lucent Dossier Experience / The Elements Of Coachella / The Glitch Mob Photo: Andrew Jorgensen
Camp Issue No. 5 Concept I Paul Tollett, Skip Paige, Bill Fold Creative Director I Raymond Leon Roker Editorial Director I Joshua Glazer Editorial Assistant I Phil Nacionales Art Director I Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic Design & Production I rivasgrafix Proofreading I Maria Wheeler Big Thanks I Gopi Sangha and Isaac Garcia Words: Jolene Borelli, Jason Chang, Anthony Gordon, Leslie Madill, Jeff Miller, Liz Ohainsian, Brandon Perkins, Nicolas Stecher, Scott Sterling Photos: Michael Ivankay, Andrew Jorgesen, Daniel Jung, Edward Ma, Ryan Mastro, Chris Miller, Brian Moghadam, Dan Monick, Gabriel Olsen, Dove Shore Illustrations: John Felix Arnold III, Alland Byallo, Isabelle K, Amy Kett, Andrew Zhbyjhi Thank You: Nic Adler, Lauca Beckwith, Jessica Bloom, Cameron Cramer, Asa Moore, Nick & Mike Rivas, Calina Salgado, Ben Sorofman, Lizzy Stradler, Russell Ward, Kevin Wolff, Melissa Wynne-Jones, Stacy Vee, Sioux Z Cover & Back Cover Photography I Mike Ivankay Back Inside Cover Photography I Brian Moghadam Masthead Photography I Brian Moghadam CAMP is hand-crafted for Coachella by Urbdotcom 8149 Santa Monica Blvd No. 263 West Hollywood CA 90046 Say hello: info@coachella.com
Coachella message
board meet-up 2011.
Coachella may only take place in April,
but the spirit of music and discovery buzzes 365
days a year on the Coachella Message Board. With
almost 2.8 million posts on over 65,000 (mostly)
musical topics, the board is a place where Coach-
ella enthusiasts from around the world can connect
and discuss the things that interest them. It also
serves as a great way for Goldenvoice to communi-
cate with fans to give them exactly what they want
“The message board
from each festival experience. is a love machine.”
Among the 4,000 active members who make up Cara Diehl (Guedita)
a majority of the board’s traffic, there lies a com-
munity of seriously devout enthusiasts who make
the digital connections part of their everyday
lives. We spoke to a few of these super users to
find out how their online passion crosses over
into their real world lives.
Cara Diehl (Guedita) and Bryan Mack (BMack86) “Because I’m old, very few of my friends or col-
are two of the board’s most active users. Cara leagues share my interest or passion for music,”
is a house and techno head who attended her explains Tom. “The board is a very important
first Coachella in 2009. Bryan attended his first source for me to learn about new stuff.”
Coachella a decade ago, drawn by the Pixies
reunion in 2004. Both 28-year-old fans from Several of the super users we spoke to joke
Northern California credit the board with helping about the compulsive nature of spending so
them to keep up on new music and more. much time on a message board. But all agree
that it has enriched their real lives.
“What keeps me coming back is the group of
people passionate about music, concerts, film, “I check it every morning and every evening,”
food and general culture,” says Bryan. Bob admits. “It is rather addicting, but not in a
bad way.”
More than just a virtual hub, both users have
developed dozens of IRL (In Real Life) connec- No one spends more time on the message board
tions with other board members. These meet-ups than its moderator, Dani Lindstrom (Psychic
include road trips to concerts, a vinyl listening Friend). Dani actively participates in real world
club, and even the occasional baseball game. But meet-ups as well, in the past showing up with
the ultimate meet-up happened for Cara when tickets and other goodies. She also takes time
she met her boyfriend on the board. on Coachella weekend to attend the group
photo sessions, although you won’t find the
“We aren’t the only ones, either,” she reveals. enigmatic moderator actually in any of the pics.
“The message board is a love machine.” “It’s become a fun part of the Psychic Friend
persona,” she explains.
Tom Snook (TomAz) and Bob Rimac (gaypalm-
spring) are not only two of the boards most active Dani’s involvement dates back to a time before
members, they are also two of its oldest. Concerts Coachella existed, working on the Goldenvoice
might be inevitably dominated by a young demo- message board that pre-dates the festival. She
graphic, but there is no age limit for loving music, as admits that while it’s a great job, 15 years of over-
is proven by two of the board’s senior participants. seeing such a strong community has made it part
of her personal life as well. One she wouldn’t give
One might not expect the average 50+ year old to up, even were her professional duties to disappear.
have an opinion on Portishead or Daft Punk, but
these two frequent the message board regularly “I’d still be posting on the board even if I didn’t
in order to talk about topics they cannot discuss work at Goldenvoice,” she admits. “It’s been in
with their age-similar peers. my life for over a decade. It’s hard to give it up.”
Travis (left) at the 2011 Coachella Message Board meet-up.
Online fans become real life friends on the Coachella Message Board. In memory of Travis Norner to (Eskimo951),
board member since 2008.
by Jason Chang | Photos by Michael Ivankay
By Jason Chang
Little Dragon
The always-influential Williams said in a 2012 inter-
view that he was getting bored with music, but high-
lighted Little Dragon as one of the “incredible things.”
Nas
Few artists can claim as many collaborations as Pharrell Williams. With or without the hat, The Queens emcee rapped over the Neptunes produced, “Nas’
the multi-talented musician has had his fingers on more hit records than almost any other Angels…The Flyest” off the Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle soundtrack.
The two would later appear on Jay-Z’s posse cut “BBC” off Magna
artist of his generation. This year’s Coachella line-up alone offers a litany of acts connected Carta Holy Grail, alongside Beyoncé, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and
to the Grammy winner. Here’s who is in his orbit. Justin Timberlake.
Lorde
In an interview shortly after this year’s Grammys, Pharrell
spoke about “meaningful music catching fire on its own,”
referring to Lorde as one of his favorite artists at the moment
Kid Cudi
Pharrell posted a pic of himself in the studio with
Kid Cudi around the time the latter was recording
his second album, Cudder.
OutKast
Pharrell and OutKast member Big Boi were featured
on Dungeon Family member Sleepy Brown’s “Mar-
garita” in 2006.
Disclosure
The Grammy-nominated electronic music
duo sampled Robin Thicke’s “Wanna Love Empire of the Sun
You Girl,” which featured Pharrell, on one Originally seen in the studio with the band, Pharrell and
of their early tunes, “My Intention is War!” Empire of the Sun member Nick Littlemore assisted UK singer-
songwriter Mika on the single “Celebrate,” which came out in
the summer of 2012.
Woodkid
Pharrell delivered a rare remix last year, add-
ing his own touch to Woodkid’s “I Love You.”
Trombone Shorty
Pharrell kicked off this year’s NBA All-Star Game in
New Orleans, performing many of his career hits, while
Trombone Shorty provided the hometown special
halftime performance.
Beck
Beck’s new solo album, Morning Phase,
may still be fresh, but he’s already teasing
a collaborations album featuring Pharrell
for later this year.
Aloe Blacc
Pharrell lent his production skills to the
crooner on “Love Is Not The Answer,” off
Duck Sauce Solange
Blacc’s latest album, Life Your Spirit.
Pharrell appeared in the video for their 2010 hit “Bar- Pharrell and Solange’s collaborations date back to her first two
bra Streisand,” along with Kanye West, Andre 3000, studio albums. The two have since been spotted in the studio
?uestlove, Diplo and many more. working on her next release.
Can’t decide? Ask an expert
Ellie Goulding
Ms. Goulding entered the pop world as yet another English songbird,
but she has successfully transitioned into something more edgy and
interesting via her taste in producers. This could be a star-making
performance for her—or a beautiful disaster.
Michael Brun
ALISON SWING At 22, this Haitian-born DJ is tipped to be huge. His performances are
still too fresh to predict, but it will be cool to see what he decides to
Coachella Camper Since 2010 do, and say you saw him when.
Banks
Blood Orange Factory Floor Everything you wanted from Lorde but never got, Banks delivers—
I instantly fell in love with Blood Orange the first I’m a huge DFA fan and have been swooning over and then some. Her material is fresh and her live delivery is pitch-
time I heard his single, “Champagne Coast.” Hop- the industrial disco jams they’ve been putting out. perfect. If there is justice, Banks will be a headliner by 2016.
ing to take in the mellow, sexy tunes under the Really looking forward to this dance party!
beating Coachella Valley sun!
Solomun
GOPI SANGHA Holy Ghost!
Festivals aren’t their milieu, but the Coachella crowd is this duo’s
Neutral Milk Hotel I’ve been following him for so long, waiting for him Goldenvoice/Coachella bread and butter. A dance party in the desert twilight with these New
My little brother first introduced me to this band to finally touch down on the West Coast. The day Yorkers will make you glad you came.
about five years ago with their album In the Aero- has finally come!! Solomun is a deity of house (and
plane Over the Sea. Seeing front man Jeff Mangum label boss of Diynamic and 2DIY4), so there’s no Chromeo MAKJ
play solo last year was a complete dream come true way I will be missing this. Not since Hall and Oates can I remember such an infectious and Mash-ups and remixes are the cornerstone of MAKJ’s come up, but as
and surpassed all of my expectations! guilt-inducing synth-pop duo. Dave One and Pee Thug are musicians this electro producer has moved towards his own productions, he has
Ty Segall and party starters, and they share my vision for a future prophesied established a distinct voice for himself. Also, he’s fucking handsome.
Dixon The first time I saw Ty Segall was in a grungy by the adventures of Marty McFly.
For me, it’s an absolute given to catch a set from the little back-alley venue called The Smell. I’ve been Rudimental
Berlin-based Innervisions label founder. I’ve seen a huge fan ever since. They have never failed in Bonobo Their record can be underwhelming, but as a band, Rudimental is
him DJ a few times now, and each set has taken the bringing anything less than a brute force of me- No Prius commute would be complete without a down-tempo chill tight. From their taste in vocalists, to their intuition about when to
room on a newer, spaced-out journey. lodic noise rock. out session by Simon Green’s Bonobo project. The layers of Bono- hit it hard and when to stay in the pocket, this UK quartet will ride
bo’s sprawling and hypnotic soundscape will have you reaching their 50 minute set until it explodes in the desert sand.
Cajmere Bicep bliss in the California desert.
Whenever I think of Cajmere (aka Green Velvet), the These guys have been a tour-de-force within the Krewella
first word that comes to mind is BOSS. I recently house scene. I saw them play with Simian Mobile Bo Ningen The future of EDM is not only fierce and pop-song catchy, but hair-
saw him DJ...no...slay a room of dancers with a Disco recently, and they totally wrecked it! Can’t Did you say, “Japanese, four-piece, acid-punk band?” Well sign me up! band wild and even palatable for the non-dance music set. This will
stone-cold demeanor. wait to see what they do for Coachella. It’s loud and fun, and their videos are badass. Tokyo really knows how be an electrifying and life-affirming moment for millennials (and
to rock, and it has convinced me to visit Fuji Rock Festival this summer. those who can relate to them).
Little Dragon Classixx
Yukimi [is] my dearest love and deepest infatuation. Little Dragon’s Everything about Classixx says California. Last year, they DJ’d some
sound will turn any space into the sexiest lounge of its era. I watched Palm Springs pool parties, and this year, they’ve moved up to the big
them in 2010 as a fan amongst my closest friends in the Gobi Tent— show. Like their friends Holy Ghost!, they know how to make an out-
and found myself working with Coachella just a few weeks later. door dance party that festivals were designed for.
RICH THOMAS Bombino Anna Lunoe
He sings an earthy desert blues like none other, [with] a sound most With a string of edgy, techy-house singles in the past year, Lunoe has
15 Year Coachella Attendee recently crafted by Dan Auerbach of Black Keys. I’m very thank- established herself as an artist to watch. This is a big booking for her,
ful for Coachella. Over the years, it has exposed me to wonderful and every indication is that she’ll make the most of it.
international acts, [with] some notables [being]: Le Butcherettes,
Hot Since 82 Fatboy Slim Mano Chao, Tinariwen, Jake Bugg, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
The first time I put on Little Black Book, I was driv- Norman has caught each unique wave of dance music and Ghost BC.
ing to a family dinner. I ended up taking a different
(and longer) freeway route—and arrived 20 minutes
the past three decades [and] ridden them like a champ.
He looks like he’s having more fun onstage than you are Blood Orange
ZEL MCCARTHY
late—just so I could finish listening to the album all on the floor. Pay homage to the original party rocker. I wonder how many reviews Devonté Hynes of Blood Orange has read Editor-In- Chief @ THUMP
the way through. comparing his presence to the Purple One? His creative energy as a
Laurent Garnier musician has fueled collaborations with Solange and Theophilius
Wye Oak Search YouTube for a track called “Crispy Bacon,” then London among others. It’ll be all sex on stage.
Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner can go from dreamy to throw on some headphones and crank the volume. If,
raucous in seconds. Their latest, Shriek, doesn’t drop after seven minutes, you feel like you want the other Duke Dumont
until after Coachella, so be prepared for a smatter- side of your brain fried, show up for his Coachella set. If you want to see something cool, watch Duke Dumont drop “Need
ing of unknown jams, but a golden hour slot would U (100%),” and witness an army of cute Coachella girls singing at the
be the perfect setting. Daughter top of their lungs while grooving away. Disclosure are not the only
If You Leave was a Top 10 of 2013, and “Youth” is Nas producers to master the British two-step. Next time I visit London, I
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion nothing short of an anthem for spurned romantics. If you don’t have Illmatic in your catalog, you’re miss- won’t leave without one of those slick haircuts.
Rough, sloppy, sexy, brash, Jon Spencer is every- Not to be missed if you’ve got a soft spot for female ing out on one of the best combinations of lyrical forti-
thing rock & roll should be. Even though Jack White vocalists like Sharon Van Etten. Positively haunting. tude and classic boom-bap production ever released. Chance the Rapper
would get top billing these days, the White Stripes [Nas is] a true storyteller, who recently helped to es- The only way you may have heard Chance’s music is if you’ve visited
wouldn’t be what they are without the influence of Preservation Hall Jazz Band tablish the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard some shady space on the Internet to download his mix tape. Hopeful-
this ’90s New York trio. Rock, hip-hop, techno, synth-pop, folk, electro: all University. School will be in session. ly, you didn’t accidentally click the wrong button and install a virus,
of these are noble pursuits, but there’s something because you’d be losing out on one of hip-hop’s most creative efforts
about jazz—in any form—that stirs the spirit like no in recent memory. Also, if you go through that much effort to listen to
other music. Reward your soul this weekend. your music, you’re all right in my book. Shoutout to LiveMixtapes.com.
DJ SET DECIPHERED~KASTLE
Symbol R ecords head K astle returns to The D o L a B for its 10 th year at C oachell a , and
with him comes his unique mix of R&B samples , bouncy house and plent y of bass . CAMP
asked K astle to break down his D o L a B set from 2013 to give us a taste of what he has in
store for this year . H ere are the highlights .
The perfect opener : It wa s really something
to see people dr awn in by those horns !
The crowd always goes “oooooooh ” W est C oa st !
when that ba ss really sinks in .
P robably the most personally
meaningful song I’ ve e ver writ ten .
I cannot help but move to this tune . I f I had a doll ar e very time I’ ve been a sked
to do another W eeknd remix , I’ d have
probably done it !
KASTLE @ THE DO LAB
P robably my favorite D af t P unk song . M uch love for the C at ! W illy J oy and I are of ten mistaken for Friday April 19, 2013 (11:30 PM)
each other . N ear t wins
I remember the ba ss line shaking my J anet J ackson Photos: (above) Daniel Zetterstrom, (right) thesupermanik
br ain while on stage .
SEARCH ENGINE
Our Recommendations For Finding your Next Favorite Band
Every year, Coachella rolls out a dizzying array of artists that cover a vast range of musical
styles and genres. While the headliners are household names, dozens of the acts that play
the festival are less well-known, but never short on talent.
If you like: Calvin Harris You might also like: TIGA
Nothing beats discovering your new favorite act while running around the polo grounds. The pride of Montreal, Canada, Tiga is known for
You might also like: DAUGHTER
Taking a fine-toothed comb to this year’s line-up, we match some acts you know with some his glamorous take on techno and house, bringing
The Scottish DJ/producer became one of EDM’s This British band has been compared to contemporaries
new artists to check out. high drama to dance floors around the world with like The xx and London Grammar, thanks to warm,
biggest stars by matching sing-along pop choruses
cheeky covers like his notorious take on Nelly’s “Hot impassioned anthems like their single “Youth,” which
with shiny dance floor beats.
in Herre.” plumbs the emotional depths of heartbreak via singer
You might also like: Elena Tonra’s smoky vocal styling.
GRAVEYARD
This hard rock outfit out of Sweden pairs fuzzed-out
guitar licks with caterwauling vocals that bridge
the gap between Jim Morrison of the Doors and Ian
Atsbury of the Cult. The band’s trippy, psychedelic
sound is both heavy and hypnotic.
If you like: Disclosure You might also like: CAJMERE You might also like:
DUKE DUMONT
This British duo has brought a classic house
This Chicago house music legend has been releasing
seminal underground hits for years under a variety
You might also like:
This rising dance music star mines classic ’80s
music sound back to the world of EDM with of guises, including Green Velvet. Born Curtis house and techno sounds to propel finely crafted JHENE AIKO
their debut, Settle. Jones, Cajmere’s spaced-out take on dance tracks singles like “Need U (100%)” straight to the top of
has resulted in such classics as “Percolator” and the UK charts, while also securing his first Grammy If you like: MOTORHEAD Best known for high-profile collaborations with
“Brighter Days.” nomination in 2014. rappers like Drake and Childish Gambino, Jhene Aiko
has come into her own with emotional, atmospheric
Bruising British hard rock pioneers led by You might also like: THE CULT singles like “The Worst,” exploring the outer reaches
legendary front man Lemmy have become icons, of alt-R&B and hip-hop on the stellar Sail Out EP.
with enduring, metal-tinged classics like the And speaking of The Cult, the British band rocked
eternal “Ace of Spades.” the ’80s with full-throttle classics like “She Sells
Sanctuary” and “Love Removal Machine,” which
teetered on the edge of post-punk, before the group
charged straight into the American mainstream with
larger riffs (“Fire Woman”) and tours alongside Guns
N’ Roses.
You might also like: You might also like:
You might also like:
The Martinez Brothers CLAUDE VONSTROKE
JOhN BEAVER
Like Disclosure, New York’s Chris and Steve Martinez This Midwest native bumps out gritty, techno-
caught the house music bug at a young age, releasing meets-house beats far more reminiscent of Detroit This San Francisco DJ/producer creates a panoramic
their debut single, “My Rendition,” when the brothers and Chicago than his San Francisco home base. dance music mix that touches on a wide range of You might also like: You might also like: BANKS
were 15 and 18, respectively. Their deep, soulful beats Spreading these tough, party-starting sounds on his sounds, from progressive house to trance, and even UNLOCKING THE TRUTH This Los Angeles native’s brooding, sparse sounds
recall the glory days of legendary New York clubs like Dirtybird label, Claude VonStroke moves the dance traces of dubstep. His high-energy sets are packed broke through to a wider audience when her song
with feel-good anthems guaranteed to make you move. This pint-sized Brooklyn tween trio cranks out
the Paradise Garage. floor like a true master.
massive, heavy metal riffs that belie their relatively If you like: LORDE “Waiting Game” was used in a Victoria’s Secret TV
ad, before reaching even more listeners with a plum
young age. Building their growing reputation with
opening spot on The Weeknd’s “Kiss Land” tour.
free shows in New York’s Times Square and glowing New Zealand’s teenage prodigy-turned-superstar
online profiles, Unlocking the Truth righteously exploded around the world with minimal and moody
represents the next generation of heavy metal. goth-tinged anthems like “Royals” and “Team.”
ARTIST Reflection Field brings artist Phillip K Smith III’s vision to the polo grounds. by Phil Nacionales Located alone in a desert clearing just outside of Joshua Tree, a 70-year-old wooden homestead stands as a monument to modern art among the still, yet shifting environment around it. Created by acclaimed artist, sculptor, and designer Phillip K. Smith III, the desert installation, titled Lucid Stead, is a visually haunting interaction cre- ated by combining slats composed of both one- and two-way mirrors within the existing structure. By incorporating its surroundings into the work by way of these reflective surfaces, the piece lets the desert itself becomes a part of the experience. The story is further enhanced by the custom LED lights and electronics, which help to create a truly ephemeral dynamic between instal- lation, viewer, and the environment surrounding both. “It’s really about four ideas: light and shadow, reflected light, projected light, and change,” Smith says of the installation. “The light and shadow is about the interaction of the sun. The reflected light is within the mirrors itself, using the desert as both material and medium. The projected light comes from the inside out.” He continues that the piece stands as a monument to “the quiet and pace of change of the desert. It is about stop- ping and being quiet so that you can truly see and listen.” A native of the Coachella Valley and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Smith was drawn back to the California desert, where the ideas of change and pace play a huge role in the fabric of his visual language. His return led to a stint as 2010 Artist in Residence at the Palm Springs Art Museum. He has also been commissioned to build large-scale public works in Kansas City, Nashville, Oklahoma, Arlington, Phoenix, and across California, in addition to an exhibition at the UNTITLED Art Fair in Miami this past December. Thanks to Smith’s growing reputation, Lucid Stead drew over 400 art lovers from as far as Canada and New York to its remote desert location during its single weekend open to the public. Perhaps more significant, however, was the Inter- net reaction to Lucid Stead, which drew over 350,000 views of the official Vimeo clip, which was posted on media outlets as diverse as Slate and High Snobiety. Yet, a video clip cannot do complete justice to any work of art, especially art that plays with dynamics of time and scale like Smith’s. That is one of the reasons why Coachella 2014 will bear witness to a completely new piece, one with seeds sown from Smith’s earlier Lightworks series, cross-pollinated with the forms of Lucid Stead. With Reflection Field, Smith brings his ideas of material and internal reflection, environmental connection, and modernist minimal art spaces, to the grass-floored, open-air gallery of Coachella. Smith’s description of the piece, “By day, the monumental, mirrored volumes are prisms of earth and sky, wrapped by the surrounding environment. By night, they become monolithic fields of color that blend and layer through echoes of reflec- tion. Spaces become simultaneously infinite and finite, while hues push and pull, saturating and dissolving the surroundings and your periphery into pure color.” After experiencing Reflection Field through its planning stages, the installation is a place of thoughtful respite among the hustle and bustle of the Coachella fields. Be sure to check it out—you definitely won’t miss it. Art photos courtesy Royale Projects: Contemporary Art. This page: Torus 5, 2013, Opposite page: Lucid Stead, 2013 Artist photo by Paulo Von Borries
INSIDE EDITION
Colleagues come together to Illustration by John Felix Arnold III
create Coachella
BOUTIQUE CAMPING
The Coachella Boutique offers more than simple souvenirs. Full-on fun from the moment you leave your tent.
Surely, at this moment, you’re forging indelible memories that will last a life- with—like graffiti legend SEEN, whom they met at an art opening. “We just Two thousand fourteen marks the twelfth year that Coachella has offered Besides more fun, Justin wants to give campers the chance to look their best
time. Building mnemonic postcards that you’ll trigger in future days, to relive cornered him and basically pestered him into doing a shirt for us. We’re polite, camping as an option for festival fans. What started with a small lot for tents as well. Four nights in a tent might not make for the best grooming regimen,
some of the happiest moments of your life. The whiff of a Spicy Pie might but persistent.” as an alternative to hotels (which quickly fill up every year), has become a but after listening to what the campers ask for, Justin and his team decided to
take you back; an old selfie from the Sahara Tent resurfacing on Instagram; a major event of its own, with 20,000-plus sun-drenched souls treated to every- give them what they want.
Shlohmo track streaming on Pandora. Artists contributing this year include street-art heavyweights like D*Face, as thing from a pinball tournament and nighttime roller-skating to an arts and
well as Kii Arens, Us vs. Them and Chris Shary. Some contribute prints—like crafts studio and a custom-made magazine (the one you’re holding right now!). “We’re going to have a salon-type tent where the girls can get ready, put on their
But let’s be honest: the lifespan of some of those gilded memories can be D*Face’s work, featuring a crying girl clutching a zombie motorcyclist—that make-up, blow dry their hair,” he reveals. “The campsites themselves don’t have
cut short by, oh, I don’t know—let’s call it the heady cocktail of desert are limited to only 100 pieces (50 for each weekend). Other items include t- Much of that expanded activity can be attributed to Justin Ferreira, who acts power, and they’re always looking for places to plug in flat irons and stuff.”
heat, dance-inflicted dehydration, and a healthy does of sleep deprivation. shirts, pajamas, socks and wool beanies. Wait, a beanie? “It makes next to as both Camping Director as well as Property Manager for the Eldorado Polo
That’s why it’s a good idea to pick up a souvenir of your world-class week- no sense, on paper, to sell a beanie at a music festival in the desert,” Allen Grounds, where the camping takes place. Along with Activities Director Katie “[Coachella] is a fashion show,” he proclaims. “And we give them a place to get
end. It’s almost as good as inking a “Coachella 2014” tattoo, without the admits sheepishly. “But if you’ve been to Coachella, you know how chilly it Bellinger, Justin is constantly looking for new ways to entertain the campers. their fashion on.” Joshua Glazer
risk of infection. can get at night.”
“The coolest new thing that’s happening is the Thursday night snowball fight,”
Enter the Coachella Boutique, a purpose-built sanctuary of custom-crafted Standard actor gear aside, a lot of thought and craftsmanship goes into all of reveals Justin with a laugh. “People in their swimsuits throwing snowballs!”
goods designed especially for the Coachella Festival. James Allen was first the items, to create a carefully-curated sundry of exclusive gear that will far
entrusted with shepherding the merch at the Coachella Boutique last year, outlive your star-dusted weekend. Allen’s favorite: a gorgeous metal-bodied, Such inspired ideas are only possible when one spends a lot of time out in the
and he’s returned for another tour of duty. Coming from a background that limited edition Lomography camera. desert, which is why this year, Justin will spend over three months working in the
is half high-end retail, and half DJ/producer/promoter, the melding of these Coachella Valley. It gives him the time to discover new ways to improve the camp-
worlds seemed as tailor-made for Coachella as the palm tree-studded lunch-
box sold in the shop.
“It’s incredible. The level of detail kind of blew me away…I really hope to
provide items that are as unique as Coachella. I don’t feel that it’s a hyper-
ers’ experience, ways that would seem impossible unless you stumbled into them.
“The coolest new thing is the
bole to say there is no other experience like Coachella in the world, so the “It allows me to have the time to go have a tour of the ice factory. I was hanging Thursday night snowball fight.”
“We just find people whose work we like and ask them. It sounds simple, but items we create need to match that uniqueness,” explains Allen. “I want out with the owner and he had a trailer that crushes ice blocks and turns it into
it’s true!” says Allen, describing the Boutique’s laissez-faire approach to find- people to walk away with something that takes them right back to the mo- snow,” tells Justin of the happy accident that lead to his latest, wild idea. “Just
ing collaborators. On his team is Jon Halperin, who works as a conduit to the ment when they bought it.” You know, because Spicy Pies just don’t keep being out here, especially in the non-show time when it’s not so hectic, gives me
visual artists community. Together, they simply find people they like to work that long. Nicolas Stecher more time to slow down and think about stuff and look at everything differently.”PRODUCTION Community building, not just concert building. ART
JESSYCA ESTRADA (Venue manager/14 years with Coachella) What’s changed about your job since you first started?: I’ve been certified to Original installations are a visual feast for the
drive a forklift, so now I actually get to help build the festival!!
Responsibilities: Oversee all operations in venue, make sure things are running Coachella faithful.
smoothly and fix problems. What will you be doing after the gates close for 2014?: I’d like to say enjoying a
What’s changed about your job since you first started?: The amount of people it glass of whiskey! But that always has to wait.
takes to build and run this show is incredible. I feel a little responsible for help- Describe one of your unrealized (as of yet) visions for Coachella: I’ve wanted
ing make 90,000 people’s weekend the best ever! to see the festival expand their gourmet food options. We’ve got some great Many of Coachella’s most buzzed-about appearances have never been listed In fact, as Coachella solidifies its place as not only a music destination, but
people making that dream a reality this year, and I can’t wait to try everything! on the iconic concert poster. They don’t make it onto any ten-bests list, and also one for exclusive large-scale art displays, the festival’s artistic goals be-
What will you be doing the moment the Coachella gates open this year?: One hun-
you can’t buy their t-shirt at the merch stand. Yet, they will appear in more come more ambitious year after year. “We want to have work at our show that
dred different things! But once they open, I usually find a quiet place for about 15 –
KEVAN WILKINS (Production Manager/15 years with Coachella) photos than any of the musicians on the bill. you wouldn’t be surprised to see if you walked into the courtyard at LACMA or
20 minutes to sit and let out a big breath, and prepare for the fun weekend ahead.
MoMA, or any great museum,” say Clemente.
What will you be doing after the gates close for 2014?: I find my Goldenvoice Responsibilities: I oversee everything that goes on at the venue and all the We’re talk about the amazing art pieces that turn the polo grounds into an
family, exhausted and hopefully celebrating. Usually some crazy shenanigans surrounding land, which is roughly 1½ square miles. annual pop-up museum, where fans can gasp, gawk and point their cam- But, unlike these cultural institutions that preserve art as much as they pres-
follow to blow off steam. era phones at these outstanding installations that make the Coachella ent it, Clemente admits that there’s a good chance many of the pieces shown
What will you be doing the moment the Coachella gates open this year?: Valley Music and Arts Festival stand out from any other music gathering in at Coachella will never be seen again. In the end, the ultimate goal is making
First, I check with the stages to make sure that they are ready. Then security, the world. a memorable impression on the fans.
B-TEC (Festival Architect/7 years with Coachella) then fire, then police and medical crews. It’s a procedure that takes 20 – 30
minutes prior to opening. “There really isn’t another music festival, from what I understand, that is “To make sure that the kids who are coming to the show year after year are
Responsibilities: Consolidating the information from all departments to form spending the kind of money on art that we are,” says Paul Clemente, a former getting a unique experience each time,” is how Clemente describes his aim.
the site map, our bible, on the festival grounds of what goes where and why. Are you the guy who says, “Open the gates?”: I am, yes. visual effect professional who worked on summer blockbusters like The Matrix So, as you step onto the Coachella grounds, remember to take time and really
What’s changed about your job since you first started?: The site as a canvas What will you be doing after the gates close for 2014?: Get to sleep. Then and Titanic before becoming Coachella’s art director in 2009. The reason for look at the art on display. For two weekends a year, every kid at the concert is
has grown, allowing more creativity. Not only on my part, but the expansion wake up early and start taking down the main stage to move it across the field this expenditure is that for the past three to four years, Coachella has com- more in the know than any art collector in the world. Joshua Glazer
of land has vastly opened for more thought into the festival grounds. for Stagecoach. missioned almost all entirely new pieces of art for each event.
Describe one of your unrealized (as of yet) visions for Coachella: I would like Describe one of your unrealized (as of yet) visions for Coachella: Get the That wasn’t always the case. Art has always been a major priority for Coach-
to continue to see architecture as part of the art or live art. I believe we have bands’ running order earlier. ella. “Right up there with the bands,” insists Clemente. But in the early years,
taken a step in that direction. Our partnership with Modernism Week has with all budgets smaller than they are now, most of the art was recycled from
made this vision that much closer to reality. BRYAN BISHOP (Crew Chief, aka The Pirate Captain/15 years with Coachella) the previous year’s Burning Man gathering.
If you weren’t working for Coachella, what would you be doing?: Most likely, Responsibilities: I’m in charge of all the labor that builds stages, lights, sound, “Burning Man was the obvious place to look for people who were capable of
teaching architecture and design at a university, continuing to do design build delivering those pieces,” Clemente explains. “Not just the idea, but actually
architecture, and traveling the world attending music festivals as a patron.
light towers, and all things that have to do with production of the festival
manifesting and delivering that reality, on budget and on schedule. All those
“There really isn’t another music
What’s changed about your job since you first started?: I’ve gotten an as-
sistant. I use to do everything myself. Second, we have finally gotten quality, things are very important.” festival, from what I understand,
DRE HANNA (Production Supervisor/3 years with Coachella)
Responsibilities: I help hire the vendors who provide stages, sound, lights and
overnight meals. In the early years, it was cold-ass burritos and pizza. Today, Coachella still works with many Burner artists, including Charles Gade-
ken and Keith Greco, who have had previous pieces at both events, and each of
that is spending the kind of money
Describe one of your unrealized (as of yet) visions for Coachella: Having a
video, tents that provide shade, heavy equipment to help build the festival, bigger effect on the local community as well spreading the message of togeth- whom will be creating new pieces for Coachella this year. They will be joined by on art that we are”
fence and bathrooms, offices for staff, trailers for artists… In a nutshell, I erness. It’s really amazing to see the local community get health care and several new artists, including Philip K. Smith and James Peterson, who have had
help build the city that our staff works in and our guests play in. dentistry done when Goldenvoice holds outreach programs. previous success at marquee art world events such as Art Basel.Once upon a time, hearing your favorite band often meant fighting to
the front of the stage and subjecting your ears to potentially damaging
volumes to get the full effect. Today that’s changed, and working
pros in the live sound industry universally agree that we are living in
a golden age for concert sound. Coachella strives to be one of finest
example of how great the sound at a festival can be, thanks to the
expertise of longtime soundman and audio entrepreneur Dave Rat.
“The quality of the audio experience being Dave’s explanation for why concerts sound better now than ever before has as much to do with the state of the current
presented to the audience is better than it music industry as it has to do with modern sound reinforcement technology. Physical sales of music have dropped in
recent years due to MP3s and other digital formats replacing CDs. While this has placed pressure on struggling record
has ever been before,” says Rat, who is the companies, it’s also shifted focus back to making live music a more important revenue driver. Says Rat, “That disruption
president and founder of Rat Sound, the audio in the record business has had a profound effect on the live music industry. Budgets for making records are going down,
company that has been providing sound for but budgets for live sound production are going up. In a way, the troubles in the recorded music business have had an
inverse effect on the live music business.”
Coachella since 2001. “(Coachella promoter)
Goldenvoice has always put sound quality It’s not just a shift in priorities for the music business that’s driven these improvements in concert audio quality, however.
and audience experience first. They really “We’ve also experienced some major advancements in live sound technology,” explains Rat. “For example, line array (loud-
try to make Coachella the best festival in speaker systems) were a definite game changer (see sidebar). It’s not just that they sound better than older loudspeaker
systems, it’s that the amount of accuracy needed to set one up is crazy. We have to use precision equipment like laser
the world, and deliver[ing] top quality sound. inclinometers to set these up properly. This development alone upped the caliber of people working in the live sound
(That), to me, is paramount.” business, since it’s such highly technical, challenging work now.”
Dave Rat photographed at the Rat Shop in Camarillo, CA on February 27, 2014.To give you an idea of what a massive challenge it really
is to provide sound for a festival as large as Coachella,
think about this—Rat Sound will roll in with a total of
18 semi trucks packed full with audio equipment, bring
along as many as 70 crew people, and will be ultimately
responsible for the audio needs of more than 180 bands
and DJs. In addition to trucking in, setting up and operat-
ing the audio equipment used to power all six days of the
festival, Rat’s team also has to make sure they’re working
in coordination with all of the audio teams that each of the
performers brings with them to the gig.
Every band that is playing the festival will have their own
sound crew, anchored primarily by two sound people—the
front of house and monitor mixing engineers (see sidebar).
Both of these engineers will have their own large mixing
consoles, and each stage will have two sets of mixing
consoles set up at any given time. Why the redundancy?
“It’s to make sure we can have a quick changeover. We
only have 20 – 30 minutes between each performance, so
instead of setting up another console between each act,
we have redundant systems already set up so the next
band is ready to perform almost immediately after the
last band has struck their gear from the stage. It’s not a
lax environment at all, and it’s hard work, but we have a
very high success rate of getting it done right.”
A legendary figure in the live sound industry, Dave Rat is no
stranger to hard work and getting it done right. He recollects,
“I started Rat Sound back in 1980. I used to record live perfor-
mances of bands at small shows, and I’d make copies of the
shows for bands. I started getting requests to supply sound
FESTIVAL SOUND 101
systems for these shows, so I built some little speaker rigs
and drove them around to the gigs in my van. That’s really
how the company got started.”
It was just around this time that a new concert production Have you ever wondered what it would Front of House Engineer This is the audio engineer Monitor Engineer The Monitor Engineer is respon-
company called Goldenvoice was starting up and began responsible for creating the sound mix that you, in the sible for creating the “stage mix” that the performers
working with Rat Sound to provide sound systems for their be like to go on the road with your audience, are listening to. He’ll adjust the volume of each themselves hear coming out of the monitor speakers facing
shows. “Rat Sound and Goldenvoice kind of came up togeth- favorite band, live out of a suitcase instrument on his mixing console until the music sounds as the band onstage. This job is crucial because it’s nearly
er, so we’ve enjoyed a long and really natural partnership good as it possibly can. Ironically, the bands themselves impossible to give a great performance if the musicians
since the beginning,” explains Dave. and make out with the groupies that don’t ever hear this mix from the stage. can’t hear themselves properly.
In addition to running one of the top sound companies in
the band has passed on? Then get Pro tip: The best sounding seat in the house is always right in Fun game: Drink every time a musician gives the monitor
front of or behind the front of house mixer. Just don’t try asking engineer the thumbs up sign. They are not congratulating him.
America, Dave Rat personally holds two patents for audio a job on the audio team! These guys the sound guy for “more rhythm guitar” while he’s working. They’re telling him to turn their stage volume up.
technology that he invented. While this would be enough
work for most men, Dave still finds the time to do what he’s
are responsible for making sure
Mixing Console Also know as “the board” or “the desk,” Line Arrays A line array is a loudspeaker system that
always truly loved—mixing live sound for bands. the band sounds great. Blow it, and this is the most important piece of gear for live sound. It is made up of a number of identical loudspeakers that are
Photo courtesy Andrew Jorgensen
“What really got me started in the touring business was mix- you’re fired. Kill it, and you’re an takes all of the various inputs from microphones and musical typically mounted in a vertical line when used to amplify
instruments onstage, and mixes them together into the final sound at a concert. These systems can be suspended from
ing for Black Flag,” he says. “We did three tours together. honorary member of the band (until music you hear coming out of the speakers. The mix engineer a structural beam or a specially constructed tower. The line
After that, I was hooked. I mixed the Red Hot Chili Peppers
for many years, I mixed the Offspring, and I just came off the you blow it, and the band fires you). can adjust each audio elements’ EQ and volume, and apply array first came into wide use at concerts in the mid-1990s,
hundreds of different effects, such as reverb and delay. and has been widely accepted as heralding a massive leap
road mixing the last Soundgarden tour. I still love it.” You’ll need to know a few things about Modern mixing consoles are literally more sensitive and forward in live sound quality. Get one installed in your
It’s this passion for music and live sound technology that has live sound first before you get the gig. complex than the instruments NASA used to land on the home if you really want to impress people.
made Dave exactly the right man to take on what has to be one moon. It’s not unusual for a band to have 60 – 70 inputs run-
of the toughest jobs in audio. He says it’s worth the hard work. Check it out. ning through the console for a show.
“The live music experience is human and natural. And this is,
without a doubt, the best time ever to experience live music.”Mysteries and Oddities of the California Desert By Liz Ohanesian / Photography by Chris Miller
"In the desert, artists and musicians have come to find
their muses. Not all lived to tell the tale."
We’re heading down a near-empty desert highway, maybe a half-hour or
so outside of Indio. A large, blue expanse creeps into the corner of our
field of vision. We look through the passenger side window. My husband,
the driver, wonders if, after three hours and change on the road from Los
Angeles, we’ve finally hit the Salton Sea. I jokingly counter that it could
be a mirage. As real as this body of water in the middle of the desert is,
it warrants a triple-take. The salty lake, butting up against mountains, is
outlined by a thick haze. It looks like a TV dream sequence.
The Salton Sea’s history is ancient. Its terrain has historically fluctu-
ated between wet and dry. However, its current incarnation is the result
of a spectacular mix of 20th-century innovation and human error. After
massive flooding in 1905, the Salton Sea morphed into a lake supported
by irrigation run-off from the local farms. It is the largest body of water in
California and home to a diverse ecosystem teeming with birds and fish.
It’s also home to one of the great legends of the desert.
Google “lost ship desert” and you’ll find a couple pages of results concern-
ing purported shipwrecks hidden far from California’s coastline. It’s the
sort of tale that is immediately suspect. How could a boat wind up sub-
merged hours away from the Pacific Ocean?
Inside the Salton Sea’s Visitor Center, a gray-haired gentleman sits behind
the counter. I hesitate and stumble through a question that seems prepos-
terous. Is there any truth to the stories about a ship at the bottom of the
Salton Sea?
A woman in a park uniform laughs when she hears this. “Good question,”
she says.
The man pauses before he answers. “Possibly,” he says. He walks toward a
rack of books and hands me a copy of The Periscope, a magazine from the
Coachella Valley Historical Society. The story of the lost ship(s) is in here. I
buy the issue and read it in the car. Legends have persisted for well over a
century. One is said to have been a ship abandoned during a trek across land
towards the Colorado River. Another may have been a boat-like vehicle built
for sand. The most convoluted saga, involving seafaring travelers of varying
origins, was reported exposé-style by the Los Angeles Star newspaper in
1870. The actual existence of these shipwrecks remains an unknown.Slab City
On the way back to Los Angeles, we stop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs. If
you travel across the I-10 freeway between Los Angeles and Coachella,
you have likely seen two large beasts off the side of the freeway. There’s
Dinny, an apatosaurus (or brontosaurus), and Mr. Rex, a tyrannosaurus.
Constructed by Knott’s Berry Farm sculptor Claude K. Bell in the 70s and
Salvation Mountain by folk artist Leonard Knight.
80s respectively, these giant lizards are a testament to the grand road trip
and B-movie culture celebrated around these parts. Built to draw attention
to Bell’s roadside diner, the beasts became screen stars when they were
featured prominently in the 1985 cult hit Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. But
that’s just the first half of the dinosaurs’ tale.
With the scorching summer heat and harsh landscape, the desert of inland The “mountain” is a small hill filled out with haystacks and adobe. Its In the shadow of Mr. Rex sits a small statue of a lamb. A fake lion hides
California is fertile ground for strange legends and unusual sites. In the facade is covered in layers of paint so thick that it looks like frosting. under a nearby palm tree. Lambs, lions and dinosaurs are an unusual jux-
desert, artists and musicians have come to find their muses. Not all lived Rough-edged paintings of flowers are applied on top of blue and white taposition, but all becomes clear once we enter the gift shop located inside
to tell the tale. It’s also a place where generations of seekers have come stripes. A yellow dirt road winds through the enchanting scene. Prayers, Dinny’s giant belly. “Evolution teaches that dinosaurs lived millions of years
to find gods or aliens, and where that communion can lead to impressive bible citations and reminders that “Jesus loves you” are scrawled across before man,” reads one of the signs inside this tiny museum. “However,
feats of art and design that exist outside of big-city establishments. For the piece in big letters. Beneath the facade are a series of alcoves sup- science and the Bible tell us a different story. They tell us that dinosaurs
two Sundays, we crisscross the desert in search of some of its best-known ported by pastel-painted trees. One section holds trophies. Another boasts and man lived at the same time.” Since the mid-’00s, the Cabazon Dino-
mysteries and oddities. the partial shell of a car. saurs are one part playground, one part creationist museum.
Our next stop is a couple dozen miles away from the Salton Sea’s main hub. The mountain is bustling. People climb the hillside and wander through We return to the desert the following Sunday morning. This time, the
We pass the remains of a former snack shack (a reminders that the lake the corridors. Salvation Mountain is a spectacle, one that clearly excites destination is near Joshua Tree National Park, to a white dome-shaped
was once a popular vacation spot), and cross the line into Imperial County, travelers as a colorful respite from the endless monochrome desert. Despite building surrounded by open space and post-storm clouds.
entering a ramshackle town called Niland. We turn left onto its tiny Main all the joy that comes from exploring this monumental piece of art, there’s
Street marked by dilapidated structures. All too quickly, the buildings are an air of sadness. Salvation Mountain is incomplete. There are buckets of
gone and the space widens. The iPhone’s sense of direction comes into adobe and errant stacks of hay off to the side of the installation. Now that
question. Eventually, RVs, and even a teepee, dot the landscape. A brightly Knight is gone, will it ever be finished?
colored hillside looms ahead of us. We’ve made it to Slab City.
I spoke to Bob Levesque by phone about this. He’s the Vice President
Formerly called Camp Dunlap, this military outpost lost its usefulness of Salvation Mountain Inc., as well as Knight’s “nephew by marriage.”
after World War II. Eventually, the Marines who trained here gave up their Levesque, who lives in Florida, says that completing the project isn’t their
space, and long-term campers gradually moved to the grounds. Today, intention. “We don’t feel that it is our job to finish it,” he says. “It is our job
Slab City is a base for travelers, known as “snowbirds,” who escape chillier to preserve it.”
climates during the winter months. In February, when we visited, the
landscape is dotted with residences spread far enough apart to create Maintaining Salvation Mountain is a daunting task of its own. Rain can
some semblance of privacy. cause collapses. That’s happened in the past, so this is a major concern,
particularly for a site that brings in several hundred people a day on winter
It’s not just migratory people here. There are a few longtime residents of weekends. There are teams who work on maintenance and repairs, as well
the Slabs as well. The most famous, folk artist Leonard Knight, died less as caretakers. “The preservation will be an ongoing process for years and
than two weeks before our arrival. At Slab City, Knight worked for decades years to come,” says Levesque. The desert is brutal. Even a beloved piece
on Salvation Mountain, a mix of religious sentiments and obsessively of art isn’t safe from the elements.
maintained, populist art."The sounds that we were about
to hear would shake us into some
greater state of consciousness."
Joshua Tree Inn
“In 1973, the then 26-year-old Parsons succumbed
to an overdose in one of these rooms.”
George Van Tassel’s alien-inspired Integratron
The Integratron was the brainchild of George Van Tassel, who had worked There are a few rules. If you must cough, sit upright. Also, don’t snore. This Music spills from far across this section of the Mojave Desert. There’s a long history
in the Los Angeles aviation industry before moving to the desert with last point is stressed repeatedly before the sound bath begins. Do not snore. of artists choosing to visit, record and live in the area. One highly influential musi-
his family, where they lived in a one-room cave dug out underneath Giant cian died here, and his memory is kept alive in a small hotel along the highway that
Rock, a seven-story tall freestanding boulder, believed to be the largest in We take three deep breaths before the bath begins. The clang of a mallet leads to Twentynine Palms.
the world. It was there where Van Tassel allegedly encountered aliens in against a crystal bowl ricochets across the room. These are bullet beats,
the early 1950s. This sparked his involvement in the UFO sighting com- startling sounds whose origins and destinations are unclear. Together, they It’s easy to speed by the Joshua Tree Inn & Motel. We did. It’s a quaint structure
munity. It also inspired the development of the Integratron, whose unusual form an overpowering rhythm. It is unlike anything that has ever excited a trimmed in desert shades of turquoise and red. A young man named Marsu, an
design and superior acoustics are said to harness local energy and, es- dance floor. Each pulse hits a different part of the body—right ear, left ear, employee at the inn, lets us inside and offers us chai tea made by his pal in Mon-
sentially, reboot the human body via sound baths that take place inside gut—but quickly travels across skin and muscle. The body-rattling clamor tana. He tells us to wander around the premises. Joshua Tree Inn has served as a
the upstairs dome. becomes a lullaby. My feet don’t want to move. I close my eyes. temporary home for plenty of noteworthy people. Sixties folk singer Donovan had a
favorite room here, and there are rooms named for country star Emmylou Harris and
For two weekends every month, the Integratron hosts No Reservation Minutes pass and crystal thuds continue to bounce across the room. I can actor John Barrymore, father of Drew Barrymore. However, the major draw is Gram
Baths. During this time, anyone can show up at the facility and pay $20 for hear everything; it sounds like a wind tunnel now, but my mind has left Parsons, the famed eccentric musician best known for his work with The Byrds
an hour-long group session, so long as space is available. There are only 40 the building. I’m acting out another situation, somewhere back home. It’s and Flying Burrito Brothers. In 1973, the then 26-year-old Parsons succumbed to an
spots open for each of the group sessions. Ours is sold out. recognizable as a work dream. My eyes pop open. I stare at the ceiling overdose in one of these rooms.
until the lids grow heavy once again, and I return to the world of banal
We each grab two thick, Southwest-print blankets and lay them out on whatever fantasies. A nudge to the side pushes me to float and fall, or so I think. Are Today, concert posters and other memorabilia line the lobby and dining areas. The
small share of floor we can secure. One blanket functions like the yoga mat. the aliens trying to communicate with me? In truth, I haven’t moved so memorial which once stood at nearby Cap Rock, where Parsons’ ashes were dis-
The other becomes a makeshift pillow. We will be lying down for the next hour. much as a fraction of an inch. My husband leans over and whispers in my persed, is now in the motel’s courtyard. His room is still available for use as well. It’s
ear, “Don’t snore.” frequently booked, but today, it is vacant. Marsu loans me a key so that we can sneak
The leader of our session sits surrounded by crystal bowls. He tells us a peek. It is an otherwise ordinary hotel room, save for the Parsons-related posters
about George Van Tassel and the aliens, asking if we believe in extrater- George Van Tassel’s interest in aliens was the impetus for building the hanging over the bed.
restrial life forms. He talks about spirituality and energy and what we can Integratron, but music is what helps keeps this place in the public eye.
hope to accomplish in the next hour. I’m not sure I completely understand Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) famously took Anthony Bourdain As we head out of the desert, back toward the lush green of Los Angeles, clouds
the lecture—a mishmash of metaphysical ideas that boil down to vibra- here for an episode of No Reservations. In recent years, that TV moment darken above us and a community radio station plays a litany of American musicians
tions. Essentially, the sounds that we are about to hear will shake us into has become a big selling point for the Integratron. who worked against convention. It is a fitting end for our excursion to a place where
some greater state of consciousness. the odd legacies of outsiders continue to thrive long after they’ve left this planet.You can also read
