Festival-going (and wedding-crashing) in the desert
Kevin Bronson on
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You hear stories about how things can get unusual in Joshua Tree and its environs. Open spaces, uncontrolled substances, psychedelic music — all can conspire to lose weekends, or find souls.
But just past noon on a bright, brisk Sunday along Pioneertown’s faux Old West main street, there was none of that. There was a wedding. In a ceremony presided over by a Western preacher right out the movies, Frankie Emerson (guitarist for the Brian Jonestown Massacre) and Louise Fenton exchanged vows. The nuptials were witnessed by a few random passersby, a handful of tourists and about 30 friends, mostly visiting the desert for the Clean Air Clear Stars music festival at nearby Pappy & Harriet’s.
The wedding put a happy face on this year’s modest little festival, a benefit for Global Inheritance. I was there on holiday, not planning any serious reviewing, but
I will tell you this: It was cold. Nighttime temperatures dipped into the low 40s, with a biting wind, and there weren’t enough space heaters in the cosmos to make watching a set at the outdoor stage comfortable. Tip of the cap to anybody who had to play guitar while facing into that wind.
That said, there were plenty of reasons to pile on the blankets. Dead Meadow played on the indoor stage on Friday night, and the stoner-rock band wasn’t turned up to 11. And they were better for it. The Spaghetti-Western stylings of Federale were very cool, and Goldrush, visiting from Oxford, England, were sublimely optimistic. The acoustic set from Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes [pictured above] of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was perfect in the night chill, and L.A.’s Mezzanine Owls [Jack Burnside and Dan Horne, pictured below] helped the festival wind down with their buzz-saw dreampop.
Oh, and was that Jeff Davies who led the masses in “Happy Birthday” Saturday evening? Thanks for that.
[…] We’re not exactly the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s biggest fans–their first LP nicely recycled the Jesus and Mary Chain into pleasently catchy and inoffensive drone-pop; but the last three records just recycled that first one, over and over and over again–but you’ve got to admit (and we do, too) that this is certifiably beautiful.” This young man was lucky enough to catch it. […]