The nine-year-strong independent Desert Stars Festival opens its first wave of tickets with a ridiculously awesome lineup featuring Swervedriver, The Lemonheads, Lou Barlow, The Cosmonauts, and more. Founded in 2006 by Tommy Dietrick (Sky Parade/David J & The Gentleman Thieves), the first iteration of Desert Stars (then Clean Air Clean Stars) brought a strong sense of community and DIY spirit. Working with minimal finances and a conviction to showcase Los Angeles’ rising talents and alternative currents, Dietrick and friends threw the first festival in 2007 with less than 500 attendees who found out just through word of mouth.
In recent years, that number has nearly doubled, and for good reason. With past artists including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ringo Deathstarr, Mark Gardener (RIDE), David J (Bauhaus), and The Black Angels, Desert Stars is the psych-rock campout experience more accessible than Burning Man and way cheaper than Coachella. This year’s lineup also includes bands from LA and Bay Area that run the gamut of alt rock including Drinking Flowers, Gateway Drugs, Feels, The Spiral Electric, Pearl Charles, and more to be announced.
The Desert Stars Festival will be held on the weekend of September 25th at Pappy & Harriet’s of Joshua Tree, with a Wild West vibe that favors natural landscapes over corporate sponsored tents and gaudy installations. Interested parties, bands, and vendors are encouraged to visit the Desert Stars Festival Kickstarter page where they’ll find a plethora of pledge awards, including a recording session at Dave Grohl’s 606 Studio. What more do you have to consider? – Ryan Mo