Photos by Sergio Estrada
The dust has officially settled. We are back in LA and 130 miles away from Joshua Tree’s Institute of Mentalphysics. Photos are edited and developed. Looking back at them, I have feelings of nostalgia. Wishing it hadn’t went by so fast and that we were back at that beautiful weekend that is Desert Daze. My favorite fest in one of my favorite places. There is some kind of magic in Joshua Tree, and Desert Daze adds a unique, psychedelic music experience to that natural landscape. Walking past glowing art installations alongside cholla cacti, breathing in the dry dirt, getting caught up in the wave of people during Iggy Pop’s set, melting into the floor at Noble Hall. Here is a brief recollection of what was experienced from the perspective of the Cool-Tite fam.
LA FEMME
La Femme was the first band we saw that Friday. Coming in hot from LA, we impatiently waited in line for our creds and then booked it straight to the Moon Stage to catch the French, psych-surf band. I danced to “Où va le monde”, the song I’ve been obsessed with all year, and I found myself in desert disco heaven.
TY SEGALL
The legendary Ian Svenonius of The Make-up/Chain and the Gang/Nation of Ulysses, came on stage with two girls in gold cloaks to bless the fest and introduce the band. So what do I say about Ty Segall that hasn’t already been said? I’m not sure why I was surprised at how good their set was. I mean, come on, it’s Ty fucking Segall and Mikal Cronin and Charlie Moothart. And we’ve seen them many times before. But every time I see them, I walk away feeling like it was the best time I’ve ever seen them. So much talent. They played the hits and a Devo cover song at the end, “Gut Feeling”. The dopest.
SLEEP
Sleep performed their 1992 album, Holy Mountain, in it’s entirely and it was glorious. Close to a dozen Marshall amplifiers stacked the stage to form a wall of earhole busting sound waves. These stoner metal legends simply kill it. You couldn’t help yourself from head banging even if you tried. A fav set of the weekend for sure.
IGGY POP
Iggy Pop is a mad man. He is 70 years old and still a rockstar on stage! People went crazy when he came on stage and we got caught up in the wave and swept into the dirt pit. It’s all kind of a blur after that.
Here are the rest of the moments we caught on camera. Props to Phil Pirrone and the entire Desert Daze squad for putting on such a rad event in the California desert. And shout out to the sweet vendor I bought a sweater from on that chilly Saturday night. It will always remind me of our Desert Daze weekend. Counting down the days until next year!
