Here Are The Artists We’re Betting On This Weekend
Desert Daze Music Festival‘s crowning glory has always been its commitment to a carefully curated lineup that accentuates the best in global experimental and fusion genres. From psychedelic to electronic, from heavy synth to lo-fi; there are always a multitude of acts to please the tastebuds of any hungry music lover. This year, with one of their best lineups to date, we decided to highlight some acts that may not be headliners, but you definitely don’t want to miss. From first time appearances to comebacks, these acts are sure to solidify as some of the most memorable of your out of this world weekend.
Altin Gün
Saturday | The Moon | 2:40pm – 3:40pm
Altin Gün is a band made from Desert Dazed dreams. Hailing from the Netherlands, the psychedelic, folk band stay true to their Dutch/Turkish roots by playing traditional songs while incorporating their twist of modern, experimental psychedelic rock. Their name, a derivative of Golden Day in their native tongue, serves as the perfect precursor to what we can surely expect through their set in sunny Southern California. Previously playing at last years headliners King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard‘s fest in 2018, the band instantly became a crowd favorite flocking fans to sell out most shows on their own tour and snagging them opener credits for acts such as Tame Impala and Edward Sharpe. You don’t want to miss them live while you have a chance if you’re in Lake Perris this weekend.
Jonathan Bree
Friday | The Theater | 2:00pm-2:45pm // Sunday | The Mystic Bazaar | 1:00am – 1:50am
Jonathan Bree has the dubious honor of anchoring the festival on both ends; his set times land very early Friday AM and really late on Sunday night. The crowds that will see those two sets, will be completely different, and that’s probably the best case scenario for an artist that promises a “surreal live performance” by a masked chamber pop band leader featuring dancers and cinematic projections.
CRUMB
Friday | The Theater | 5:40pm-6:30pm
There’s no doubt the New York psych-rock group will deliver an incredible sunset set on Friday night. Constantly touring, Crumb has cut their teeth on stages all over the world, mastering their live set. Their latest tour is in support of their independently released debut LP Jinx. Their bass driven woozy jams will have you swinging and swaying to their will. That’s what so fun about them, they take you on deviously gentle ride with sharp rights and lefts and abrupt stops and starts. Catching the last rays of sun with Crumb on Friday might be a really good idea.
Faye Webster
Friday | The Theatre | 6:00pm-6:45pm
Faye Webster is a retro-folk dream. With a recent album release and tour for Atlanta Millionaires Club, she is taking the music world by storm. Not quite fitting into one box and pulling from musical and hometown inspirations, Faye has been able to create a unique blend of retro, folk, r&b, dream pop that we cant stop listening too. Match it with her easy going and playful aesthetics that makes her set an easy choice. Plus, we’ve heard a few things about yo-yo tricks during live sets that make them unforgettable; and we’re all here for it and you should be too.
Klaus Johann Grobe
Friday | The Mystic Bazaar | 2am-3am // Saturday | The Block | 3:40pm – 4:30pm
If you’re staying up late Friday, you can catch the the Zurich based duo Klaus Johann Grobe at the campers’ only Mystic Bazaar in the wee hours of the night for what is sure to be a funkysynthbassdiscoparty. KJG as I’ll call them from now on, will play the last U.S. date of their Bist du noch symmetrisch tour at Desert Daze, and there’s strong indications that their brand of kraut disco is going to be well received in the sandy shores of Moreno Beach. No German required.
SASAMI
Sunday | The Block | 3:30 PM-4:30PM
Hailing from the class of new wave indie from Los Angeles, CA, the previously attached synth playing member of Cherry Glazerr, has embarked on a solo project that has amplified her own voice and sound. Unique in many ways; this artist has a way of creating highly emotionally charged music that despite heavy melancholy sounds, leaves you felling seen, heard and refreshingly hopeful. SASAMI is a breath of fresh air, sharing her truest art and vulnerability, all while landing on a place of strength and resilience for such a young solo act. If her album is any indication of her presence, well all want to make sure to make time to recollect our thoughts, emotions and selves at her live set this weekend.
Nick Hakim
Saturday | The Theater | 8:45pm – 9:35pm
It matters very little that Nick Hakim has not put out any new music since his excellent debut LP, 2017’s Green Twins to make sure he has a slot in your dance card at Desert Daze. Hakim’s entire discography (two EPs and the aforementioned LP) is they type people claim to revisit quite often; his songs feel urgent, and soft, and sexy and timely and from the future and the past, all at once. If the the handful of 2019 dates, and new tunes with Anna Wise (Kendrick Lamar collaborator) are indicators of new music, we’ll take it. We’re ready for what we already know and love, and we’re also ready for what we don’t.
Surfbort
Saturday | The Theatre | 3:30PM-4:30PM
Bringing raw, unfiltered East Coast flavor and fun to the West Coast are sure to be NYC punk rock outfit Surfbort. Led by front woman Dani Miller, the band tackles messages of friendship, sexuality, politics and everything in between through electrifying songs and playful lyrics. Swept up by The Strokes frontman, Julian Casablancas indie label, Cult Records, the band has propelled into the music libraries and hearts of the underground alternative in the last years. Aside from breaking ground in music, front woman Dani has also been gracing high fashion editorials as the face of GUCCI’s 2019 campaign. Nothing like watching a woman disrupt industries through punk and always look good in some signature red lipstick while she’s doing it.
Shintaro Sakamoto
Sunday | The Block | 7:45pm-9:00pm
With a recently come back and release of his solo album, which comes seven years after his last debut record How To Live With A Phantom in 2012, Shintaro is back stronger than ever. The legendary frontman to Japanese psychedelic phenomenon Yura Yura Teikoku, has returned with a more scripted down sound than most may be accustomed too. While less heavy in sound, that surely does not equate with a lack of sound as his music can be found accentuating every curve of electro synth, mellowed guitar and soothing lyric sang. A blend surely inspired by 70s pop, Bossa Nova and Disco, leaves no other way to put it than be sure to catch a legend while you have the chance.
Jessica Pratt
Friday | The Block | 4:00pm-4:45pm
If you need some sit down with your toes in the sand chill vibes early on the first day of the fest, look no further than to Block Stage from 4:00pm on. Jessica Pratt’s slow and deliberate folk will be a nice foundation to build upon on that day. Her new album, Quiet Sounds, delivered a transcendent meditation lead by the constant plucking of her guitar and her signature anachronistic vocals, which we’re hoping will create a full effect for the senses at Desert Daze.
Honorable Mention: We Intend To Cause Havoc
Friday | The Sanctuary | 3:00pm-4:30pm
A special screening will be held Friday evening, ready to open up a weekend of special happenings in The Sanctuary. We Intend To Cause Havoc, who will also performing later in the day (The Block | 10:30pm-11:30pm), will be hosting a Q & A after a screening of their new documentary W.I.T.C.H. (2019) with leader of the band Emmanuel Jaganda Chanda and film director Gio Arlotta . The film follows the journey of the infamous shamrock band that formed un post-independence Zambia in the 1970s, all the way up to the most recent reincarnation and touring version of the band. Legends in their own right; the band and documentary speak true to the heart of the festival. A very special opportunity to be let into this narrative; be sure to arrive early to make sure you snag a good view. And don’t forget the popcorn.
With one of the most mind blowing lineups, be sure to check out the entire schedule for the weekend fueled with artists to watch below. If you havent snagged your tickets yet, be sure to grab some now before you miss you chance. You can still get your passes and camping spaces here. See you soon Desert Daze!
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