Desert rock proved to be very much alive on Saturday during the inaugural Mojave Experience festival, where heavy riffs rolled throughout the Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground despite the heat.
As I walked onto the site in the early afternoon, which also hosts the Joshua Tree Music Festival, I noticed a more independent aesthetic trekking through to the stage to catch the beginning of former Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age member Nick Oliveri’s set.
The Mojave Experience was a truly independent and homegrown festival. Its location, about 6 miles from Twentynine Palms Highway and adjacent to the Sunfair Dry Lake, offers views of the mountains and provides a secluded desert atmosphere.
The stage area resembled an old west saloon, complete with a bar at the back run by the 29 Palms Beer Company. However, it featured a canopied ceiling for shade, and the sand was covered by a collection of rugs, creating a comfortable venue in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
Most of the festival’s main path included small booths, and bands ran their own merchandise tables near the front gate, while only a handful of food vendors offered items like protein bowls and pizza. Local artists, including Danny Graham of Fever Dog, displayed and sold their work, and the Joshua Tree National Park Association staffed a table with park information, hiking safety guides, and other resources.
Mojave Experience founder Patrick Brink told The Desert Sun in March that he anticipated around 1,000 attendees at Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground, and it seemed that number was nearly reached as the festival wrapped up on Saturday night.
The festival began on Friday with performances at Mojave Gold in Yucca Valley. Brink is already planning for next year’s festival to be larger, with both days hosted at the campgrounds.
Nick Oliveri’s acoustic set a highlight
A highlight of the afternoon was Oliveri’s Death Acoustic set, featuring a solo performance that blended punk rock with outlaw country vibes when he started his hour-long set with a song that incorporated country legend David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” into the chorus. A banner featuring a black and white photo of himself holding up his middle finger that said “Nick” hung in the background as he went back and forth between singing and screeching into the microphone.
Before the Portland metal band Hippie Death Cult performed, frontwoman, Laura Phillips, shared the news that their superfan, Jim, had recently passed away. His wife had given the band some of his ashes to take on tour, as Jim was a musician who never had the chance to experience touring himself, and the band had his ashes on stage with them.
Hippie Death Cult’s metal sound evokes the classic styles of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and early Soundgarden, and attendance at their set began to rise as their performance progressed. Many fans were eager to see the band, and after the show, the members greeted several attendees at their merchandise table.
The instrumental local band Yawning Man, featuring guitarist Gary Arce, bassist Mario Lalli, and drummer Tony Tornay, followed with a set that was perfect for the golden hour, and it carried the same meditative aura as the 2020 “Live at Giant Rock” video with the mountains in the background and the outdoor desert setting.
Once night had settled in following a sunset performance by the San Francisco band Acid King, excitement was building for former Kyuss frontman John Garcia’s set, even though he wasn’t the headliner. When he finally took the stage, the energy of the festival shifted. The lineup built on desert rock had one of its founders, who delivered a loud and energetic set, and included some new songs in the mix. Garcia also brought up Oliveri to perform the Kyuss song “Green Machine.”
Signs of an independent festival with staying power
Looking at the Mojave Experience’s first year, it’s not what it was, but what it’s going to be next year and in the future. Brink has already announced plans for the festival to return next year, only bigger and better, expanding onto the property and featuring a lineup that will include desert rock and other subgenres of rock music.
One of the features of it being an independent festival was a smaller and more relaxed atmosphere. There wasn’t a 1-mile walk in or out, and there was only one stage that ran on time with no scheduling conflicts of another stage or long walks to and from other parts of the site throughout the day.
Even though parking was $15, a parking pass and the festival wristband allowed passholders to leave and re‑enter the grounds throughout the day to eat at nearby restaurants or visit local Joshua Tree sites. Some brought camping chairs and returned to their vehicles for small tailgate parties throughout the day and evening.
A variety of local art vendors sold their wares, but there could have been more food options, and that was one of the things I heard coming up in discussions and in conversation with others, including Throw Rag frontman Sean Wheeler, who asked me if I knew anything about tacos being sold anywhere at the festival.
If its first year is any indication, the Mojave Experience will likely grow into another local annual festival with an independent spirit and an intimate setting. A community is already rallying behind it, and its future looks bright in the desert landscape of Joshua Tree.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mojave Experience makes a strong debut in Joshua Tree
Reporting by Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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