Desert Daze: October 12-15, 2017

On the autumn days in the middle of October (thank god because we would all melt in the otherwise typical days of such shenanigans) will bestow the 6th installation of the transcendent music festival Desert Daze in Joshua Tree, California. It is known that J Tree (as us locals call it) has a somewhat spiritual energy about it, and musicians have been flocking there for years to get juiced on the wondrous inspiration that the desert embodies. So it’s fitting that some of the most eclectic artists in the game right now would be part of this special lineup. Music lovers camp onsite under the stars for this 4 day event.

While last year’s lineup was oodles of impressive (Washed Out, Deerhunter and The Black Angels, to name a few) this year will be equally scintillating. Thursday night John Dayer of On Sees and Troy Bootow of Death Hymn Number 9 will DJ, amongst other special guests. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile and the Sea Lice will be kicking off Friday, playing tunes from their collaborative album that is expected to be released later this year.  Adult Swim will present Things You’ve Never Seen in a Desert!, and Prettiest Eyes (a local LA band), Panda Bear, Ariel Pink, Liars, Boris, La Femme, The Budos Band, Lee Fields & the Expressions will follow, amongst others.

Saturday and Sunday will be filled with Iggy Pop, John Cale, Tortoise, The Gories, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton, Twin Peaks, Avey Tare, Mr. Elevator, JJUUJJUU, Mint Field, Spiritualized, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, Eagles of Death Metal, Allah-Las, Atlas Sound, John Dwyer DJ set, Khruangbin, Cigarettes After Sex, Weyes Blood, L.A. Witch, Jerry Paper, Death Valley Girls, and Fever the Ghost. Weyes Blood will by far be the of the upmost importance for moi, as her latest album Front Row Seat To The Earth has been in heavy rotation for the past year.

Danny Perez, Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show, Billgazer, The Blindspot Project, and Cloaking will provide all three outdoor stages with projections all weekend long.

Sonic performances will run alongside panel speakers, curated daily film screenings, and the Mystic Bazaar’s daily schedule of metaphysical workshops.

The Institute of Mentalphysics, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Son, founded by Ding Le Mei, a westerner turned Tibetan Monk, is the oldest and largest spiritual retreat center in the western United States. The beautifully maintained grounds of garden paths, fountains, labyrinths and captivating architecture rest atop a rare confluence of three underground aquifers and a measurable magnetic field which causes a palpable energetic effect on those who visit. Audience members have the chance of staying in one of Wright’s on site cottages, or camping under the vast, twinkling desert sky. Limited in capacity to provide the kind of personal experience that just can’t be had at larger festivals, you don’t just go to Desert Daze, you profoundly experience Desert Daze.



Details and lineup:

jess (jess@weheartmusic.com)
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